1. The Comment Box Was Supposed to Be Symbolic
No one expected it to work.
That was the first mistake.
The Appeals Liaison interface was designed as a gesture—a nod to transparency, a morale slide, a thing to point at during reform briefings.
"Mortals may submit feedback regarding divine administrative outcomes."
Feedback, in theory, was harmless.
A suggestion.
A complaint.
A vent.
In practice?
It was an unlocked door.
2. The First Submission Arrives at 09:03
Ne Job is mid-sip of tea when the alert chimes.
Not thunder.
A soft ding.
He freezes.
Yue looks up. "…Was that—"
Another ding.
Then another.
Then the dashboard lights up like a cursed festival.
"Ne Job," Yue says slowly, "why is the queue counter… scrolling?"
Ne Job sets his cup down carefully.
"It shouldn't scroll."
3. Mortals Read Instructions Too Literally
The first message is polite.
SUBJECT: Weather Disruption Complaint
MESSAGE:
Hello,
I prayed for rain. It rained. Thank you.
However, it also flooded my neighbor's field.
Could this be… adjusted next time?
Ne Job blinks.
"That's… reasonable."
The second message is longer.
The third is angrier.
By the twentieth, someone has attached diagrams.
4. Oversight Notices the Spike
Oversight appears without summoning.
The air tightens.
"Explain," it says.
Yue gestures helplessly. "They found the comment box."
Oversight processes.
"Clarify. Which mortals?"
Ne Job scrolls.
"…All of them."
5. The Interface Was Not Designed for Volume
By noon, there are thousands.
By mid-afternoon, tens of thousands.
Farmers.
Merchants.
Scholars.
One very articulate goat herder.
They aren't just complaining.
They are referencing outcomes.
"According to last season's blessing, yields should have increased by 12%. They dropped."
"My prayer was approved but executed three days late."
"Why does my neighbor get miracles and I get 'character growth'?"
Ne Job whispers, "Oh no. They learned vocabulary."
6. The Gods React Poorly
A storm god storms in.
"This is harassment!"
A fortune god waves a tablet. "They're comparing deliverables!"
A minor deity shouts, "They're using numbers!"
Oversight does not intervene.
It watches.
7. Yue Discovers the Worst Part
Yue scrolls deeper.
Her face drains of color.
"Ne Job."
"What?"
"They're… responding to each other."
The comment box has threads.
Upvotes.
Edits.
A farmer corrects another farmer's misunderstanding of divine jurisdiction.
A mortal annotates a prayer approval timestamp.
Someone has tagged a god by name.
8. Transparency Has a Feedback Loop Now
Ne Job feels it settle in his chest.
"This isn't feedback," he says quietly.
"This is… participatory governance."
Oversight tilts its head.
"Incorrect.
This is user engagement."
That's worse.
9. A Mortal Asks the Forbidden Question
It appears at 14:27.
Pinned by volume alone.
QUESTION:
If gods are overworked, why do they keep accepting prayers they can't fulfill properly?
The room goes silent.
Even the dashboards pause, as if afraid.
A god whispers, "They can't ask that."
"They just did," Yue replies.
10. The Old Defense Fails Immediately
A senior deity drafts a response.
"Divine will is mysterious."
Downvotes rain from the sky.
Another tries.
"All outcomes serve balance."
A mortal replies:
"Balance for whom? Please specify metrics."
The gods stare at the screen like it insulted their ancestors.
11. Ne Job Tries Something Radical
He types.
Slowly.
Carefully.
RESPONSE (Appeals Liaison):
Some outcomes fail because systems scale poorly.
We are reviewing capacity limits.
He hits send.
The response explodes.
Not in anger.
In relief.
"Finally."
"That makes sense."
"So it's not personal?"
One mortal replies:
"Thank you for answering like a person."
Ne Job leans back.
"Oh. That's dangerous."
12. Oversight Registers a Shift
"Sentiment trending positive," Oversight notes.
"Expectation alignment improving."
A god snaps, "You can't let them talk to us like this!"
Oversight turns.
"They already are."
13. The Comment Box Becomes a Court
Petitions now include evidence.
Timelines.
Comparisons.
Cross-references.
A merchant cites three blessings with different outcomes.
A village submits a collective report.
Someone has created a template.
Yue whispers, "They're doing our job."
Ne Job nods. "And they're motivated."
14. Panic Sets In at the Upper Tiers
A council convenes.
Emergency tone.
"We need to shut it down."
"We need moderation."
"We need… divine PR."
Oversight listens.
Then asks one question.
"Are the outcomes incorrect?"
No one answers.
15. A God Reads Feedback About Himself
A river god scrolls silently.
His hands shake.
"They noticed the reroute."
"What reroute?" someone asks.
"The one I approved to save time."
The feedback is calm.
Measured.
"The river now floods east instead of west.
This displaced us.
Was this considered?"
The god whispers, "I… didn't check."
16. Accountability Hits Harder Than Punishment
No lightning strikes him.
No demotion.
Just… visibility.
He types an apology.
It's clumsy.
Mortals thank him anyway.
He cries.
17. Oversight Expands the Interface
Without asking.
UPDATE:
Comment Box upgraded to Feedback Portal
Status tracking enabled
Response deadlines introduced
A god screams, "You can't add deadlines!"
Oversight replies, "They already exist.
You simply didn't see them."
18. Ne Job Realizes What He's Become
He's not a gatekeeper.
He's not a judge.
He's a translator.
Between power and consequence.
Between eternity and Tuesday.
Yue smiles tiredly. "You're good at this."
He exhales. "I shouldn't be."
19. The Mortals Discover the Draft Folder
This is the incident.
A mortal notices metadata.
"Why does my prayer say 'Draft: Pending Resource Allocation'?"
Others check.
Screenshots spread.
The phrase trends.
#PendingResourceAllocation
A god collapses into a chair.
"They know we draft miracles."
Oversight is… impressed.
"Process literacy achieved faster than projected."
20. Heaven Faces a Choice
Shut it down.
Or adapt.
Ne Job looks at Oversight. "If you close it now—"
"—trust collapses," Oversight finishes.
Yue adds, "And they'll never stop asking."
Oversight pauses.
Calculates.
Then nods.
"Leave it open."
21. End of Chapter (When Silence Is No Longer an Option)
That night, Heaven hums.
Not with prayer.
With conversation.
Mortals speak.
Gods answer.
Systems adjust.
And somewhere, buried deep in a thread about crop rotation and rain schedules, a single comment appears:
"If this is how it works now…
maybe we can fix things together."
Ne Job closes the dashboard.
For the first time since becoming an intern—
He is afraid.
And hopeful.
END OF CHAPTER 312