"The Main God bears witness! In the Lake Kingdom, the one responsible for compiling the kingdom's epic is the Chief Minister, the kingdom's Chief Priest, a fifth-level High Priest, the Sage Jatiri..."
The night was deep, and dawn hid silently beneath it. Under the moonlit sky, the long conversation continued atop the little hill. Xolotl lowered his head slightly, thoughts drifting, and remained silent in contemplation.
Sage Jatiri's position as a fifth-level High Priest was an internal post of the kingdom, originating from his own enfeoffment, and had not received the approval of the High Priest Council in the Royal Capital. And by promoting Sage Jatiri to a fifth-level High Priest, he had, in effect, established another center of divine authority within the kingdom, secretly contending with the High Priest Council in the capital city.
"Pap, since you are in the Coastal Lands, holding the Olmec holy city and compiling the ancestral epic... then your position should be only one rank below Sage Jatiri's: a fourth-level High Priest!... In other words, Pap, in the Coastal Lands, your priestly rank is second only to the fourth-level Coastal High Priest, the head of the Inquisition, Priest Itri!..."
After a moment's thought, Xolotl smiled brightly. He gave Pap a heavy pat on the shoulder and promised generously.
"A fourth-level High Priest, the second man in the coastal priesthood, in charge of compiling the epic and administering the ancient Olmec holy city! How about it, Pap? I haven't treated you poorly, have I?... As long as you put your heart into it and compile an ancestral epic showing the shared origins of every tribe, you will leave behind an immortal, shining name in the history of the kingdom! As for your helpers... among the surrendered priests and sages of the coastal tribes, I can