Chris thought Diu Ni Leimu had something important to discuss with him, but sometimes, things simply went beyond anything he could have expected.
Like right now.
"Ring the great bell once!
Pull the lever, start the pistons and pumps...
Ring the great bell twice!
Press the button, start the engine, ignite the turbine, breathe life into it...
Ring the great bell thrice!
Sing in unison, praise the God of All Machines!"
Chris stood stiffly, staring at the man before him, who wore a scarlet robe and held a book in his left hand and a cog-topped scepter in his right. For a moment, he wondered whether something had gone wrong with his memory.
What the fuck happened? Where was the mayor, Diu Ni Leimu, I remembered? When did he become a priest of the Mechanicus Cult from Warhammer 40K?
Watching the player chant at the top of his lungs while swaying his head, Chris went blank.
"You... what are you doing?"
Diu Ni Leimu did not answer Chris's question. He remained absorbed in his own little world.
"Your Highness, I request permission for the Mechanicus Cult to preside over the Harvest Festival!"
"Wait, hold on. The Mechanicus Cult!?"
Mistaking Chris's reaction for ignorance of the Mechanicus Cult, Diu Ni Leimu explained.
"Through observing the workings of machinery, we have discovered that machines possess not only power, but souls as well."
Diu Ni Leimu's voice carried an almost fanatical certainty. His rather comical yet exceptionally well-made red robe swayed with his excited movements.
Chris opened his mouth, overwhelmed by so many things to criticize that he did not know where to start.
Chris knew this player was putting on an act, trying to fool him, an NPC, into giving him what he wanted.
"The spirit of the machine..."
"All right, enough.