Chapter 56: In the City Forsaken by the Gods (2)
In the very heart of the 5th Layer of Shinshi stands a towering spire.
This is the office of Drake, the Chief High Priest of Shinshi, and the central hub where the affairs of the entire city are gathered and managed.
Every day, dozens of reports requiring final review land on his desk.
As Shinshi expanded, the workload only grew heavier. Fortunately, since the Succession Crisis of the Chief High Priest decades ago, the other priests have lightened Drake's burden.
Thanks to them, he no longer has to endure back-breaking hours of labor. Still, as the highest authority, the weight of paperwork and decisions remains immense.
At least, unlike in the past, his days now allow regular hours—arriving and leaving on time, a small mercy in his otherwise endless duties.
Yet today, as always, Drake sat in silent anguish.
"Why… Why hasn't there been any word…?"
Drake, the Dragon High Priest, was in the eyes of the world the supreme ruler of Shinshi, ranked first in power while the God slumbered.
A single word from him could mobilize tens of thousands of citizens and rally thousands of soldiers.
To the people of Shinshi, that was an undeniable fact.
But those who knew the truth also knew: Drake's mighty horns, scales, wings, and aura of command were nothing but a façade.
He himself knew this well. Though he bore the title of supreme ruler, his authority was only that of a stand-in—worse, a stand-in for another stand-in.
To put it bluntly, he was little more than a figurehead.
He issued orders, and they were obeyed. But the true power behind those commands was not his charisma.
Nor had he even been chosen by the priests themselves. He had been placed in this role almost forcibly.
Two hundred years ago, when Shinshi first fell into this new world, it was not Drake who led it. The one who guided Shinshi and commanded its every move was the sole being personally created by the God Himself—the Miko of the Gods, Ea, who gazed upon the entire guild.
"With our Lord in eternal slumber, we cannot allow the guild to fall into chaos. By the rights of Sub-Master passed down from Him, and as administrator of the Guild Weapon, I command you all: obey my orders."
Though Ea could not leave the Chamber as the [Observer], and though God's command forbade her from direct contact with the outside world, she was still Sub-Master and the Guild Weapon's administrator. There were other beings of equal or even greater strength, but none could oppose her.
With the Lord asleep and every player long gone from the guild known as the Zodiac, who could resist the Sub-Master's authority? By that power, she appointed the Twelve High Priests as her aides, set the Three Governors and other officials as her hands and feet, and governed Shinshi in His stead.
Under her rule, the NPCs marched in perfect order.
It was she, and she alone, who crushed the great upheaval 170 years ago. Many citizens believed it was the Twelve High Priests who saved them, but in truth, they had only followed her orders like extensions of her will.
She watched quietly, then ended the crisis in an instant—dividing God's People from the Kingdom's People.
Though the resistance was fierce, none could disobey her. For those born of the guild system, bound by divine authority, Ea's word was absolute.
And yet, even with such control, the Great Exodus occurred. She had not foreseen it. Neither the God's command, nor guild law, nor royal decree could restrain those first-generation beings who were born outside the system's influence.
Who could have imagined such a thing? Ea, who perceived all within the guild, had never realized that the First Generation stood beyond the system's grasp.
It was from that moment she began to let go of her iron grip.
"From this day forth, I shall withdraw from managing the Zodiac."
"What? But why…?"
"The Zodiac that fell into this world has too many uncertainties. I believe the laws and factors unique to this world interfere beyond my control. Thus, I must conclude that I no longer have the ability to manage or oversee Shinshi. From this moment, I step down as administrator. As the Observer, it was overreach for me to act as manager to begin with—so relinquishing that role is the correct course."
"But with the Lord still asleep, who else but you could possibly govern Shinshi?"
"You will."
"…Excuse me?"
Through the shimmering projection, Ea's cold, emotionless gaze fell squarely on Drake. Flustered, he failed to respond properly—an error that would prove irreversible.
"To govern a guild bound by so many unknowns, we must test an imperfect ruling structure. Therefore, effective immediately, I appoint you as Chief High Priest, the acting head of Shinshi. From now on, you shall devote yourself wholly to Shinshi's welfare."
Right after declaring this, Ea carried out her "final adjustments." She officially changed the guild's name from Zodiac to Shinshi, and spread the creed that the sleeping Lord was now to be worshipped as God.
From that day onward, the Twelve Acolytes bore the title of High Priest. Under the Twelve Priests, the Three Governors, and other executives, the City of God was born.
For Drake, that was the beginning of a long nightmare.
With the title of Chief High Priest, every duty once managed by Ea was dumped on him. Unlike Ea, who was directly linked to the Guild Weapon World Engine and could rely on its computational support, Drake had only his own mind to shoulder it all. The result was hellish days of endless labor.
Had he been utterly incompetent, he might have thrown it all aside and fled. But unfortunately, Drake was capable—capable enough to take responsibility. So he tried, and kept trying, to bear the crushing burden. Yet compared to Ea, who was effectively the guild itself, Drake's abilities were hopelessly lacking.
Worse still, Ea had the system-backed authority of Sub-Master.
Drake, on the other hand, was merely appointed by Ea, not by the Guild Master himself. His legitimacy was tenuous at best, and access to the management console was virtually barred to him.
As an important NPC, he technically had access rights, but the console was located in the Throne Hall—currently sealed off since the Lord's slumber.
The only option left was to rely on Ea herself, the one being permanently connected to the guild system through the Guild Weapon. Without her help, he was powerless.
"Please… at least return to assist again…"
"Return? I have never left. I remain where I belong. This is my place."
"You know that's not what I mean. Of all people, you shouldn't be twisting words."
"Enough. My duty, given by the Lord, is to observe. I had no right to interfere in guild management in the first place. Are you suggesting you would disobey the Lord's command?"
"Never! I would never dare harbor such a thought!"
"Then return to your role and fulfill it."
And so, Drake was dismissed from the Chamber like a child sent away. He tried returning several more times, but each visit ended worse than the last—until Ea, calling it "just a prank," used her Sub-Master authority to forcibly eject him. After that humiliation, he stopped visiting her altogether.
Buried under an avalanche of duties, Drake eventually grew desperate to pass the burden on to anyone—anyone at all. His sincerity was evident in the fact that he didn't abandon his post entirely, but sought another to shoulder the load.
"Isn't there anyone who can take this role from me?"
"Oh? Then what about me?"
"…Monkyspanner? …Well, whatever. Fine. From now on, you're the Chief High Priest. You're Number One. That means you also bear all responsibility…"
"Yes! I'm the Chief High Priest now!"
"Good. Then I'll rest. Do well, Monkyspanner."
"Don't worry—leave it to me!"
And thus came about one of the strangest episodes in Shinshi's history, later remembered as the Revolt of the Monkey.
Looking back, Drake could almost feel grateful. He had been so cornered at the time that even those three short days of rest felt like paradise—sweet, quiet, and blissful.
But it didn't last. On the third day, Monkyspanner was arrested for dereliction of duty and thrown into the zoo.
Without Drake present, the others convened and, by unanimous vote, declared him Chief High Priest once again.
The news struck him like lightning—and the shock was so great that Drake regressed into near-childlike protest.
"No! No! I don't want to go back there!"
Drake clenched his teeth.
"Drake, for Shinshi's sake, you must take up the role again—"
"Get lost, you demons! You call yourselves comrades? Aren't you ashamed?!"
"…Ahem."
He cursed, threw tantrums, nearly broke into tears, and at one point almost resorted to violence. In the end, it took Mary's "shock therapy" to snap him back to his senses. Thus, Drake was dragged—kicking and screaming—back into the seat of Chief High Priest.
If he were honest, part of him had hoped that if things went far enough, Ea might step back in to take over Shinshi again. But she never once involved herself. She must have seen everything from her vantage point as Observer—yet she didn't lift a finger.
Perhaps out of guilt, the other priests eventually began helping him shoulder the burden, easing his load considerably. Still, Drake never forgot those three blissful days of freedom. One day, he swore, he would cast this crushing responsibility onto someone else—permanently.
And now… one of those heavy responsibilities was tormenting him again.
"That damned Monkyspanner… what on earth is he doing out there, that he hasn't reported back? The scheduled check-in time passed hours ago…"
Anyone sent beyond Shinshi's borders was required to maintain regular contact, both to prove their safety and their loyalty.
Branch heads among the Shinshi citizens reported through subordinates, but as Monkyspanner was a priest, it fell on Drake himself to oversee his reports.
The duty was absolute. Even Monkyspanner—rowdy, reckless, and addicted to pranks—had never trifled with it. Which made his silence all the more troubling. For over 150 years, while managing Dragon's Dream outside the city, he had almost never missed a check-in. And when he had, it was only due to errors or delays, never negligence.
But this time, hours had passed. No word. No contact.
"…Why is it always you, damn monkey…? Everyone else who served as branch leaders has already returned safely, yet only you vanish like this…"
Drake let out a long, heavy sigh. It was inevitable—something had gone wrong. No one simply "forgot" a mandatory contact. His tired mind spun, stitching fragments of possibility into a single conclusion.
"Could it be… an external player faction?"
His weary eyes snapped wide. Yes, it was possible. During his last check-in, Monkyspanner had mentioned a group called Darkness noticing his scouts and showing suspicious interest in Dragon's Dream.
Darkness was already suspected by the priestly council of ties to actual player groups. If they were watching, then Dragon's Dream might be in danger.
"You fool! Why meddle in such matters?!"
"But Drake, if they're a threat to Shinshi, we need more intel—"
"Silence! Did it never occur to you that your meddling itself could put Shinshi at risk? …Enough. The council has already decided: all external connections will be severed. Wrap things up and return at once. Do you understand?"
"…Tch. Fine."
Reluctant though he sounded, Drake should have pressed him harder. Given him a sterner warning. Perhaps even kept the line open. Instead, he had let it end there. And now, silence.
If Monkyspanner had truly run into danger outside… what excuse could he possibly give the other priests? Drake shut his eyes tightly, his worry weighing heavy.
That was when the door slammed open.
"Oi, Drake! I'm back!"
Drake's head shot up.
"…You damn monkey!"
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