"Oh Chief Divine! High Priest Miki excels in poetry and prose, is a skilled promoter. His faith is devout, his stance firm, with achievements in navigation and literary fame, truly an excellent candidate for Elder Priest. Moreover, he was favored by an Elder Priest as a successor early on, and has a marriage alliance with a Mexica noble lady... His future is indeed limitless!"

The candlelight in the side hall flickered, casting shadows on the kneeling figure. Kimier appeared at ease, lighting a thread of divine smoke. In this relaxed setting, he leisurely commented on several Northland priests, serving as guidance, a repayment for Luoshanda High Priest calling him "teacher."

"As for Zuwaro High Priest, for the Chief Divine, he was brave and fearless, first to pass through the storm to reach the Western Sea Continent, and brought back craftsmen and shipbuilding technology! It was the timing of exploration, a fearless gamble with life, achieving a 'Vanguard' merit, thus richly rewarded by Your Majesty... So, even lacking a foundation in the Priesthood, he equally ascended to High Priest through fortune and accomplishments!"

"Yet Zuwaro High Priest's path is hard to replicate. Being the Vanguard is a great achievement, but following isn't the same... Luoshanda, do not learn from Zuwaro High Priest and take many local tribal wives! Between you and High Priest Miki, there are many personal differences... If you wish someday to return to the Kingdom and become one of the Twelve Elder Priests... then your rightful wife should best be a Mexica noble lady or a Prepetcha noble lady!..."

"Ah! Teacher! Do you mean that, based on my looks, I might also have the chance to become an Elder Priest?..."

"Haha! Indeed! As a student of the first class of Divine Power University, you all have bright futures! Moreover, I too wish to visit the Western Sea Continent, I cannot remain, nor sit long, in the seat of Far North Sea Grand Priest..."

Kimier High Priest smiled, stirring Luoshanda High Priest's desire, stopping just in time. To him, Miki, Zuwaro, and Luoshanda, though all in Northland maritime expansion, were three distinctly difficult paths of advancement from the start.

Scholar Mikki belongs to the 'direct line' cadre, not only with support above but also having strong political sensitivity and a notable ability to enhance political reputation. As a direct line, he only needs to achieve merits to steadily rise.

Exploration Captain Zuwaro, although having no support above and less political sensitivity, held true roots and dared to gamble his life for the future. Ultimately, he risked arriving at the Western Sea Continent, capturing a shipful of craftsmen, perfectly coinciding with the peak of Western Sea trade policy, emerging through significant merits as a "secondary line." It was due to great achievements that he broke through the promotion ceiling.

Luoshanda High Priest, in reality, is similar to Zuwaro, both loyal and capable 'secondary lines' but missed out on the "Vanguard" opportunity. To advance, he not only needs accomplishments and to avoid mistakes but also requires the support of 'Nobles' for a lift, along with 'marriage' to strengthen his base... As for who the noble is, it's of course far away yet near...

"Kimier teacher! You are my eternal teacher! Please guide me well in the upcoming northern political and teaching affairs, just like at Divine Power University!..."

"Hey! Hey! Luoshanda, why are you bowing again? Get up, quickly, no need for such a grand ceremony of apprenticeship!..."

"Teacher! Your teachings are like sunlight rising on the snowy mountain, instantly illuminating me... I implore you, grip my hair, grip my hair please!... I will serve you with utmost effort, no matter storms or challenges, my steadfast heart will never change!"

"Hey! Shanda, why be like this! We are both priests of the Chief Divine, serving Your Majesty... Very well, very well! I shall overstep a bit, and boldly accept your loyal intention on behalf of Your Majesty!... I shall mention your loyalty in the letter to Your Majesty..."

Kimier, slightly helpless, gripped Luoshanda's hair knot. Finally, he helped the other up, and they again faced each other kneeling. However, after this ceremony, their relationship was different from before.

Indeed, to Luoshanda, Kimier surely had the credentials for such actions. Unlike Miki, Zuwaro, Luoshanda, or any other Northland priest, he is the secretary dispatched by the highest leadership, a 'Special Envoy' or 'Military Supervisor,' ensuring local administrative development does not deviate from the grand strategy. Thus, he belongs to the 'appointed' key staff who, as long as he commits no error, will naturally advance; accomplishments are merely embellishments...

"Chief Divine bless! As I said, as students of the first class of Divine Power University, unlike ordinary priests without certain backgrounds, you all have bright futures! Your competitors are actually not your fellow classmates, but noble-blooded priests... With your batch of maritime advancement exemplars, surely more and more noble priests will join the seafaring race for such promotion opportunities!"

"Of course, the Kingdom of the Lake selects the best talents. Compared to the Mexica Alliance, the influence of bloodline and lineage is much smaller... Take the Utadori High Priest, for instance, although he has a noble background, his capabilities are exceptional, and his loyalty to the Chief Divine is highly dependable! The Little Crow Priest at Fish Mountain Village under his command is also a reputed Noble Priest talent..."

At this, the Kimier Grand Priest paused and traced a light line along the southern Western Sea Coast, at the already explored Lower California Bay. Then, looking at the increasingly respectful Loshanda, he smilingly asked.

"Shanda, the final position of the Grand Priest... it's probably been designated for the Utadori High Priest, right? The Utadori High Priest oversees the missionary district closest to the Kingdom, not only holding influence over gold, bronze, and guano rock distribution but surely transporting quite a few 'specialties' to the Kingdom while maintaining good relations with the Council of Elders?"

"Ah! Teacher, you indeed have the discerning eyes of a Divine Monkey!... Although the Utadori Priest's family is only Hereditary Nobility, their wealth and influence within the Kingdom are almost akin to that of Honorable Nobility!... It's said that when the Utadori Family Elder passed away, the Maya turquoise they bought lay over the entire cemetery... And at that funeral, many kingdom Elder Priests and Great Nobles attended..."

"Currently in the Kingdom, sea exploration and management of the Northern Continent have become a topic of fervent discussion among many nobles... Just like at Black Serpent Port within the Black Serpent Tribe, they've discovered a massive jade mine, stirring the hearts of many nobles!"

"Of course, most people wouldn't have the resolve to journey so far. But after the Great Lake Governor Kuluka conquered Northern Teotihuacan Lands, they implemented a preferential policy to encourage the entire family migration of Hereditary Nobles, Military Merit Nobility, and Veteran Warriors to the vast Great Lake County... And further north from Northern Teotihuacan Lands, it's now a direct line to the newly established West Bay Archbishopric!"

At this point, Loshanda extended his finger, pointing emphatically at the location of Reagan Town, speaking with unrestrained envy.

"Reagan Town has already fully converted and directly controlled nearly ten thousand Mayo Tribes in the surrounding area! And the population and tribes supported by the Kingdom continue to arrive... Even our fleet supporting the northward journey, upon reaching Reagan Town, were retained by Utadori High Priest under the decree of the Priest Elder Council, to guard against Feather remnants, leaving behind three sand ships and two hundred local warriors."

"To persuade me to leave the sand ships, Utadori High Priest hinted at several things... He had prior conversations with the Council of Elders and the Southern Great Lake Commissioner Kuluka, drafting an ambitious northward plan... The target is the Yoeme Great Tribe of the Yaki Tribe, which holds excellent Firestone Coal Mining Areas!"

"As the plan begins, the Feather remnants will continuously harass the Yoeme Great Tribe... Hmm, judging by the time, it should have started by now... Subsequently, the Feather remnants will feign weakness, eventually luring the 'Mountain Eagle' Chieftain Da Viejo to lead the tribe's main forces out, attacking them!"

"Currently, within the Yoeme Great Tribe, there are over a thousand Chief Divine worshippers who can be used as internal contacts for the Kingdom and the foundation for Kingdom governance... And as long as the 'Mountain Eagle' Chieftain leads the main forces away, the two to three thousand warriors and Tribal Warriors gathered at Reagan Town will immediately advance north and seize this tens of thousands strong Tribal Alliance in one move!... The Great Lake Commissioner Kuluka also agreed to dispatch a two thousand-strong Tekos Warrior battalion to reach Reagan Town, responsible for initial defense and subsequent plans."

"Following that... it's about completely resolving the 'Mountain Eagle' Chieftain and consuming his tribe's main forces! And if the Feather remnants show themselves, there's an opportunity to completely resolve them as well... Those two thousand Great Lake Warriors will also be dispatched, endeavoring to capture the cunning Feather Prince who's been evading capture for over a decade!"

"If no opportunity arises, then as per the earlier agreement, they'll supply the Feather remnants one last time and let them head north, rushing into the inland forests of the Opata Alliance... Should the Feather remnants succeed against the odds and occupy the Opata land, erect the Chief Divine Emblem, and supply Reagan Town with high-quality copper materials... Then they would be recognized as the leading force of the Kingdom, acknowledging this inland Feather fief."

After a series of Utadori strategies were laid out, Loshanda High Priest sighed and sincerely prayed to the Chief Divine. He admired the Utadori High Priest's ability to execute grand plans but also hoped the other would succeed. After all, this represented the glory of the Chief Divine, illuminating another tribe, illuminating a vast prosperous mining district and territory!

"Chief Divine Guide! May the Utadori High Priest's plan proceed smoothly! The Firestone Coal Mining Area controlled by the Yoeme Great Tribe is indeed too important! These coals can be sent to the Western Sea Coast and Far North Coast as the most precious winter fuel... Meanwhile, according to Your Majesty's Divine Revelation, only this coal burning without smoke is the best fuel for refining good iron!"

"Regardless, as long as the Yoeme Great Tribe is converted and the premium coal mining area occupied... Then Utadori High Priest will rightfully, by virtue of the second exploratory achievements, be promoted to Fourth Level Grand Priest and preside over the entire West Bay Archbishopric!"

"May the Chief Divine watch over the Kingdom, protect Your Majesty, and also bless the Utadori Priest!"