"Four newly divided coastal archdioceses, and four permanent chief priests?"
"Correct! West of the West Sea, with the middle section of the Divine Revelation Island Chain as the boundary, the Far Western Sea Archdiocese will be established as the foremost front for communicating with the tribes of the Far Western Sea!... This archdiocese will be led and overseen by the pioneering Chief Priest Zuwaro. It concerns the acquisition of Artisan techniques from the West Sea continent, and will not be changed lightly!..."
"East of the West Sea, from Divine High Mountain Port in the middle of the Divine Revelation Island Chain to Whale Port at the northernmost end of the northern coast, with the horse-raising Great Whale Island as its core, the Far Northern Sea Archdiocese will be established!... This archdiocese includes at least nine thousand li of coastline and is made up of roughly ten ports, all under your overall charge, Teacher, Chief Priest Chimer!... And the astonishing store of twenty thousand jin of gold His Majesty entrusted to you will also be yours to allocate!..."
"Mm..."
Great Whale Island had limited manpower, only four or five hundred people in all. The Temple of the Main God was the only stone building on the island, and it was not tall or spacious. It had only a main hall with a single divine statue, where the island's tribes kowtowed in reverence, prayed, and offered worship, and a side hall lit by candles, where the priests prepared divine rites and rested.
At this moment, Chief Priest Chimer and presiding priest Losanda were meeting in the side hall. Chimer rose, walked to the shrine, and lit a whale-oil candle. And the place where his feet stood, that seemingly ordinary patch of mud floor, was where the kingdom's gold store was hidden. As