How in the world do I obtain massively high influence? I see that having 1mil + influence helps with palace rating and such, but is that actually obtainable?

You get the higher tier versions or cheat.

The public  version can be used to reach very high levels but...  the grinding is unbelievable.

Please note that most Tier 1 NPC story lines can be completed with moderate difficulty.

The MC story, which is secondary to the NPC stories, will require higher subscription levels; Tier 2 at the very least.