"Main God! Chief Priest Miki is skilled in poetry and prose, and he is a fine hand at spreading word. His faith is devout, his stance firm; he has achievements at sea and a name made through verse. He truly is an excellent candidate for Priest Elder. And he himself was, very early on, an heir valued by a Priest Elder, and he has also arranged a marriage with a Mexica noblewoman... His future is truly without limit!"
In the side hall, candlelight flickered over kneeling silhouettes. Chimer looked at ease as he lit a wisp of Divine Smoke. In this relaxed setting, he leisurely commented on several priests in the northern lands. This, too, counted as a kind of guidance—the repayment for High Priest Losanda calling him "teacher."
"As for Chief Priest Zuwaro, he was loyal and brave for the Main God, the first to cross through the storm and reach the West Sea Continent, and he even brought back artisans and shipbuilding techniques! This was the heaven-sent timing of exploration, a fearless gamble with his life, that won him a first merit like being 'first up the walls in a siege,' and so he was richly rewarded by His Majesty... That is why, even lacking roots in the Priesthood, he still relied on timing and merit to rise to the position of Chief Priest!"
"It's just that Chief Priest Zuwaro's path is always difficult to copy. Being first up the walls is a great merit; being second up is not the same... Losanda, you must not learn from Chief Priest Zuwaro and marry a whole heap of wives from the local tribes! Between you and Chief Priest Miki, there are also many personal differences... If you hope that one day you can still return to the kingdom and