Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1241 Huhunap (Second Update)

Hammurabi, Hannibal, and Amun were all certain that this was a secret they did not possess. Their private conversations proved that even the Tribunes of the Praetorian Guard could not know the truth behind Queen Chakcher's oracle. Therefore, they all believed that the Praetorian Guard Commander Constantine must know the reason. However, Constantine later explained at a Praetorian Guard meeting that he himself did not know the complete story. Such an esoteric, non-material realm was not something that warriors like the Praetorian Guard, who controlled the material universe, could easily access. What they saw, the appearances they understood through folklore and mythology, was merely the tip of the iceberg. He did not even know why Queen Chakcher of Chakcher could look directly at the Emperor's face hidden under his hood, and why the Emperor did not stop it from happening, seemingly expecting it to happen.

The Emperor saw himself reflected in the eyes of Queen Yasok. Beneath his hood lay a gigantic skull devoid of flesh and blood, a face Queen Yasok called Hun Hunahpu, the creator of the Yasok race, husband of Xquic, daughter of the Blood Gatherers, and father of the heroic twins Head-Apu and Xbalanque.

In the myth, Xquic, the goddess of the underworld, was investigating a gourd tree when the lord of Hibarba (the underworld, the land of fear) displayed the head of Hun Hunahpu, who had been defeated and beheaded, hanging from the tree. Intrigued by the skull-shaped fruit, Xquic instructed a maiden to reach for one. As she did so, the skull spat saliva (gourd juice) onto her hand, and through this act, she conceived twin sons of Hun Hunahpu and escaped the underworld. The story then unfolds with the heroic twins defeating the underworld lord, retrieving their father's head, and Hun Hunahpu being reborn as the god of corn.

The above story comes from the Popol Vuh (Book of Community, Book of Law), a text recounting the myths and history of the Kiche, a branch of the Maya. This book was passed down orally until around 1550 when it was written down. In the 18th century, the Spanish Dominican monk Francisco Jiménez translated it into Spanish. Since then, Spanish versions of the Popol Vuh, the Dresden Code, and the Chilambalam have been important sources for scholars studying Maya civilization.

Regardless of the story of the corn god Huhunap and the Mayan hero twins in the text, the name of the Blood Moon Goddess (Xquic) alone is unsettling. The emperor ordered his men to search for clues in the mountains of books at Kamar-Taj, to unearth the true identities of the Blood Moon Goddess and the blood collector Kuchumaquic from endless, contradictory myths and vague scraps of paper.

A short phrase of the real name or a similar pronunciation would be enough for the mystics and the emperor of Kamar-Taj to understand the nature of these "deities," and he did not want to create an even bigger problem after solving the problem of Quetzalcoatl.

He recalled the Sorcerer Supreme's request for the Scarlet Witch to participate in the mission; perhaps the clues were related to her. However, the work was progressing incredibly slowly, with Kamar-Taj and the Immortal City severely understaffed, unable to sift through millions of books to find any relevant clues.

Even so, the Emperor accepted the gifts offered by Queen Yasok after she gathered the remnants of Yasok with a wry smile, because he believed that the legends of Yasok contained prophecies about death, rebirth, and failure that he could not yet understand. These prophecies were told to him by the madwoman living in Kamar-Taj, who told the Emperor that he would glimpse the truth of the future here. Queen Yasok gave stingray bones and puma bones to Amun and Hammurabi, symbols of the two oar gods who sent the Maize God into the land of creation; a fresh doe head, liver, and a tortoise were given to the Emperor as offerings to the Maize God. The Emperor did not even know how Queen Yasok found these things in the Kill Zone.

Queen Yasok hoped that the Emperor could guide the Yasok people to be reborn in the divine kingdom of the Blood Moon Goddess (Xquic). After all, the Corn God had died and been reborn many times in mythology. Queen Yasok naively thought that the Corn God Huhunap could die again this time and use those large ships in the sky (referring to the Pegasus Heavy Assault Transport Ships) to send them to the underworld.

Faced with such an innocent and simple-minded Queen Yasok, the emperor really couldn't say anything to blame her.

Laura Crawford, drawing on her knowledge of American mythology, sensed something amiss in the gifts the Yasok Queen presented to the Emperor. She inquired with a strange expression, but the Emperor didn't fully reveal what the Yasok Queen had witnessed. Instead, he used her as a front to bestow honey, corn, and avocados. The Yasok Queen accepted the highly symbolic gifts with satisfaction, and then began calling upon the remaining Yasok people to join the "war of the gods" in a language incomprehensible to the others—a decision that, unsurprisingly, was immediately rejected by the Emperor. Although the Fire Knights were still engaged in sporadic skirmishes with the Trinity mercenaries, the scales of victory were tipping in his favor, and he didn't want any more unnecessary lives wasted on the battlefield.

After being persuaded by the emperor, Queen Chakcher of Yasok agreed to lead her tribe to stay where they were and share the food given to them by the "corn god Huhunap". In fact, these military rations did not taste very good, but for the Yasok people who had long relied on hunting for protein and fat, these foods rich in carbohydrates and protein were delicious enough. Even Amun and Hammurabi felt that it was most important to make sure that these people were fed, and there was no need for them to cause trouble everywhere.

Just as Amon crouched down to teach the Yasok tribe how to use standard military rations, Constantine was ordering the first and second companies of the Fire Knights to begin blocking the escape routes of the Trinity mercenaries and the Kukulkan Order's last stronghold.

To ensure that Chakcher's dagger remained intact, Constantine planned to first use "gentle" methods to force the Trinity leader to hand over the artifact. This involved cutting off the camp's water and power supplies, conducting continuous reconnaissance via drones, and issuing warnings to undermine the fighting spirit of the Trinity mercenaries and the Kukulkan Order within the stronghold, inciting them to kill each other—Constantine was aware of the differences between the Trinity mercenaries and the Kukulkan Order. Compared to the mercenary Rourke, who risked his life for money, the Kukulkan Order consisted of Paititi people who had been united by Amaru through religious means. Their reasons for supporting Dr. Pedro Domigus were completely different, and their rates of collapse under different pressures also differed.

Constantine separately summoned Camilla's squad, whose mission was over, and Queen Onuratu of Paititi, instructing them to address the people inside the encirclement in different languages. To the Trinity mercenaries, he told them in English that the entire Trinity High Council had perished. Pedro Domiguez had not acquired ownership of the Trinity's Swiss bank account, and therefore would receive no compensation even if they died inside. To the Kukulkan followers, he spoke in Quechua, claiming that Amaru, with the help of the colonists, had committed patricide against his own brother, Seri, and that such a usurper had no right to continue ruling Paititi.

Regardless of the language used, Camilla's team and Queen Onuratu of Paititi would tell the people inside that they could live if they handed over Chakcher's dagger; otherwise, they would drop poison gas on the stronghold, and no international convention could protect them.

No matter how much Company Commander Aparisha wanted to lead his troops in and wreak havoc, Constantine steadily suppressed the Fire Knights Company's offensive impulses. "Regardless, you will have the opportunity to face a powerful enemy," Constantine told Company Commander Aparisha in the makeshift command post of the Pegasus Heavy Assault Transport Ship that had landed on the ground. "Chuckcher's dagger is merely a protective device, affecting the strength of the monster called Quetzalcoatl when it arrives on Earth. My lord needs you and your company to deploy assault tanks and heavy artillery as planned, and prepare to deal with large targets. Those mortals are not worth your consideration. If they continue to resist stubbornly until nightfall, then you can extract what you want from them."

“You have said that, Constantine.” Aparisha took a deep breath. “I want to know, is this my lord’s conclusion?” Only after Constantine nodded did Aparisha reveal a vicious smile. “I will do so, Custodian, but not for you.”

"He wants you to be better," Constantine said coldly. "So, before the next battle, take a look at the contingency plan. The Emperor doesn't want a beast, he wants a soldier."

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(End of this chapter)