Chapter 177: Zen River

On the new Zen River of the Shingo Kingdom, a lonely ferryman traversed the deep blue water.

Shirou stopped at the shore and waved at the ferryman. The boat approached him and stopped just a few feet away from the shore.

"You need a ride, stranger?" The ferryman said.

"I need to find my way to the Holy City." Shirou said.

"Then you are in luck, stranger. I can get you to the Holy City."

"How much?"

"One bronze coin." The ferryman said.

"Only one? Why is it so cheap?" Shirou said.

"I’m a monk in the Holy City. They have free food there so I don’t really need that much money." The ferryman said.

"Murasaki Shirou."

"Watanabe Kaisen. Climb on, stranger."

The monk pushed the boat closer to the shore. Shirou jumped onto the boat and landed gently.

"You’re a Fighter, stranger?" Kaisen said.

"You could say so. But I just began my journey lately." Shirou said.

Kaisen pushed the boat away. They began to drift away on the calm Zen river.

"It’s never too late, stranger. That is what our Holy Maiden always said." Kaisen said.

"The Holy Maiden... Lady Shinto Mikoto, right?" Shirou said.

"That’s right, stranger."

The small ferry continued traversing on the calm river. Another boat passed by them. A statue of the God of Eldritch Terror stood in the middle of the deck with many incense burned around it. The boat carried a cloud of ceremonial smoke.

There were many followers bowing and praying on the boat.

Shirou looked over to the boat. "The Unnamed really has become the main deity of our Kingdom."

Kaisen shrugged, "Can’t help it. He stepped down from heaven and saved this Kingdom himself. The other Gods I don’t know if they are real, but he is real."

Shirou nodded. The very river that they’re on now was just the remnant of a strike from the God. A few months ago he wouldn’t even believe in such things. But now, Shingo became the land of the Gods.

"Do you think it’s possible for me to join the Shrine and became a disciple?" Shirou said.

"Why do you want to join the Shrine, stranger?" Kaisen said.

"For personal reasons..."

"Ah. I heard about that before. Love, right? You want strength and power to take someone back?"

"Something like that."

"Our Shrine, or Sect for the lack of a better word, is a little bit different from the other Sects. The Holy Maiden can look into a person’s past, present, and future. She decides on who can join through Divination.

So I can’t guarantee you can join us, stranger. But if Fate does have something for you, then you may join us."

Shirou sighed deeply. He was looking for Kane. He knew she was somewhere. So far away but so close. The card that he saw was a Destiny Card. Everyone knew that it belonged to the Shrine Maiden of the Shingo Kingdom now.

In that card, he saw his future and the path to get Kane back. It would be difficult. It would be long. And he would have to sacrifice many things. But he was ready to pay it all.

Because Kane had paid her own freedom to save him.

"Naive girl... Why did you even agree to that term?" Shirou whispered to himself.

Shingo established as the new Kingdom in replacement for the previous Jado. With the advice from the Holy Maiden, King Tenseitama restructured the entire court. Previously, all power poured into the hand of the King and every decision had to be made by him.

That system guaranteed full power for Ryuja but was not the best at running the country.

Carter based the new Kingdom after the modern system that he knew so well but with a slight adjustment. He didn’t really want to create a democratic country just yet. The more power that Tenseitama had, the more Carter could control the country. And a democratic country couldn’t provide that.

The system of the new Kingdom split into six main branches.

The administration branch, called the Council of Men. This branch managed the aristocrats, bureaucrats, and officials of the royal courts.

The financial branch, called the Council of Gold. This branch managed the economy of the kingdom and the royal budget.

The holy branch, called the Council of Belief. This branch managed all matters related to religions and ceremonies. The Doll directly controlled this branch and had an absolute say at everything.

The army branch, called the Council of War. This branch managed the army, war, and any international conflicts with the other Kingdoms. Chiaki and Clan Masuhara were the main players of this council with Chiaki being the current Lord Commander.

The legal branch, called the Council of Order. This branch managed the law, the application of the law, and the required punishment.

Finally, the facility branch, called the Council of Walls. This branch managed public structural works and building. They were also the main people behind rebuilding the country and the new palace.

Giyaku became the Holy City of the Shingo Kingdom. The Council of Walls was tasked to turn Giyaku into a the most respected city of all Shingo.

As for the capital, Kyoma was turned into Seikyo. The entire city was revamped and changed. The Council of Order and War made sure to cleanse every filth that Ryuja left behind. The Council of Men found new trustworthy people to be court officials. And the Council of Gold and Walls made sure the new capital deserved the title of the capital.

Kyoma was in a deplorable state when Ryuja ruled the place. The area around the Kingdom was luxurious but the outskirts were full of homeless people and slums.

Carter transferred all those people to Giyaku, gave them jobs and a purpose. They were free labor after all and they could do quite well in rebuilding Giyaku.

There were some questionable individuals that Carter had to get rid of. These had to be done secretly so that the people wouldn’t know about the true face of the Kingdom.

Shingo, the new Kingdom, seemed to actually pay an effort to run the Kingdom and created a good society for the people. A thing that the other Kingdoms couldn’t afford to do, considering that all-out war could come knocking at any moment.

Shirou arrived at the Giyaku Port.