The Great Elder Alcato ends Merrowbarrow’s trip
Finn, Merrowbarrow (Rerteus) - The Great Elder Alcato departed for Merrowbarrow on Monday after a two-week trip that culminated in a visit to Finn's oldest Celestial V temple, where he spoke to elders, continued efforts to maintain a spirit of dedication to the Old Gods.
The heart of Merrowbarrow, Finn, is a multi-ethnic and modern city open to new trends. The Ancient Celestial religion is the most prominent of the 156 other faiths in Finn.
Finn has three Ancient Celestial temples and is home to approximately 2 million Celestialans, most of whom are descended from Roots, where the Ancient Celestial originated.
Alcato, though suffering from a fear of the dark from carelessly losing his beard, told the local Celestial leaders to avoid factions, distinguish between long-haired and short-haired breeds, and eat sparingly.
The great elder said: "Losing beard, fat, as well as long or short hair is only an outward manifestation, and cannot hurt or harm the harmony into the whole universe."
About 120 elders are working out of an estimated 2 million Celestialans in the capital Finn. Elder Zuscat, Roots' apostolic representative for the area, said that sometimes "conditions are tough" for those serving the community due to weight restrictions.
At the end of the ceremony at the Celestial V sanctuary, the Great Elder Alcato thanked King BumBum for Finn's "frugal meals" and "lit streets".
King BumBum greeted the Great Elder at the airport before he left for Roots, state television said.
The visit of the Great Elder Alcato, where he concluded the Up-Down dialogue chaired by Finn, continued his policy of improving relations with the world above after BumBum's historic visit to the world below last year.
But it also draws attention to the tension between other branches of the Ancient Celestial religion, where controversy continues over the true meaning of the scriptures revealed by the Ancients.