Chapter 23

Alphis watched the three men approaching him. The leading cardinal looked at him with a loving look, "Alphis Owen?"

The person who asked the question was about 60 years old, with sagging cheeks. He smiled when he spoke to him and looked very kind and amiable. Elphis actually tasted a simple and kind person attribute similar to Grandpa Kavan in him...

He concealed his annoyance at the prospect of losing his freedom, nodded and acknowledged his name, then asked in confusion and caution: "Excuse me, who are you..."

After confirming the boy's identity, Edgar smiled kindly and helplessly, "You confused little guy, you should have come to the Holy See immediately after arriving in San Castor. Did you forget because you were having too much fun in the city?"

Elphis: “…” Why does everyone take this matter for granted?

"By the way, let me introduce myself. I am a priest from the Bishop's Court, Edgar Chapman. I am a light magician from the same department as you. I am your guide and will also be your teacher."

After learning about Elphis's existence, the Church wanted to go to Raphael City to pick him up immediately, but the mayor mentioned that the child had said that he had some things to deal with and would leave after a while. The Church delayed for a few days, but unexpectedly, the person suddenly set off...

After hearing about the other party's failed plan, Elphis: "..."

The city lord wanted to keep him for a few days, but when he heard that the Vatican would come to pick him up, he ran away without stopping! Yes, he did it on purpose!

Later, when no one came to the Vatican for a few days, they got the address of Lord Raphael's brother from him. They wanted to ask Mr. Roft if he had ever seen their candidate, but they met him by chance!

Edgar was very happy: "This must be the guidance of the God of Light!"

Elphis responded with a stiff smile. Thinking of what Roft had said about him being easily targeted by the dark race, he swallowed his desire to apply for a solo career and only asked if he could enter Aurelian College in two months, to which he received a positive answer.

Edgar invited the boy to go to the Vatican with him. "I have asked someone to prepare accommodation for you. Starting tomorrow, I will begin to teach you strictly." The bishop's face became serious when he said this.

Elphis made the excuse that he had some luggage left in the hotel and needed to pick it up, so he went there again and had the chance to leave a letter for the Moon brothers and sisters who were working in the restaurant today.

——

The churches of light are found in almost every city, but only the cathedral located on the edge of the royal city can shock people spiritually.

Riding in a carriage along a deserted flat path, with neatly trimmed shrubs on both sides and behind the shrubs were large meadows and artificially cultivated flowers and trees. Based on what he saw, Elphis could not guess how many hectares the cathedral occupied.

After getting off the carriage, Elphis realized that the church was located beside a clear stream. He looked up and saw that the dome, pointed arches, pilasters, and the building made of white and dark gold were so magnificent.

Under the setting sun, with the blue sky and the vast orange sunset glow as the background, the combination of rich and heavy colors and artistic buildings impacts the vision of first-time visitors, leaving them speechless for a long time...

It was much better than the several famous churches he had seen when he traveled abroad in his previous life, Elphis thought silently, I wonder how it compares to the palace building on the other side of the royal city?

Anyway, if he were a member of the royal family, he would definitely be unhappy that other forces were so ostentatious.

Elphis was led around the tallest and largest domed building, past the garden, and into a white house with a flat roof and carved columns all around.

The house was not small, at least 400 square meters, with all the necessary furniture ready, and a bathroom of more than 10 square meters...

Fortunately, some of the decorations were of other colors, otherwise Elphis would have been blinded by the overwhelming white.

"Al, you will live here from today on. If you need anything, just tell the servants. Remember not to wander around in other rooms."

Elphis glanced at the four servants around him and the two knights with swords at the door, and felt that the treatment he was receiving was more like that of a prince who had been stranded outside and had just been brought into the palace.

The young man sighed in his heart, it turns out that the life of a priest is so luxurious and enjoyable, no wonder the Holy See of Light is a place that so many people yearn for.

Edgar stayed at Elphis's residence, sat and talked with the boy, and even had dinner with him.

The atmosphere between the old and the young was harmonious. Elphis was nervous for a long time, but he did not realize that the other party was trying to get close to him with ulterior motives. The questions he asked were not sharp, and it seemed that he just wanted to understand his past, personality and hobbies.

When Edgar learned that the child was adopted by a priest, and grew up listening to stories about gods and the church and abiding by doctrines, he tested him. He found that Elphis not only answered questions fluently, but the hymns that came out naturally during his conversation also showed his gratitude and reverence for the God of Light.

The boy's good manners and calm temperament were somewhat beyond Edgar's expectations. After this exchange, the old man couldn't help but feel more satisfied and fond of Elphis.

"My dear, you must be a very devout believer. God has given you such an excellent talent. The Church of Light is destined to be your home. You can regard this place as your home in the future. Child, I will take good care of you like Pastor Kavan."

"Little Al, go to bed early. You need to meet some important people tomorrow morning. Don't be nervous, dear. Everyone will like you."

Elphis, who pretended to be shy when being praised by the old man, said: I understand. I’ll have the interview tomorrow morning.

After everyone left, Elphis waved away his servants. When he was alone, he finally put away all the expressions on his face. The young man sorted his few luggage and analyzed the conversation just now.

Edgar is the only cardinal in the royal city. His magic level is three-star holy magician, which is already a very powerful level. Of course, his age is more than his appearance of being in his sixties. He is already 290 years old!

The bishop proudly revealed that he had received help and guidance from the Pope when he was young, and it was later that the Pope directly appointed him as the Cardinal of the Royal City from among many candidates.

Before he went into seclusion a few years ago, he had instructed Edgar to handle Vatican affairs and teach the young candidates for the Son of God well.

When talking about these things, the old man's respect for the Pope was overflowing with words. Edgar felt honored that the Pope entrusted him with such an important task instead of the more powerful archbishops.

At that time, Elphis watched helplessly as a bit of power of faith condensed from the old man and floated away. Unfortunately, he was indoors and had no way of seeing where the faith went, nor did he know which building the legendary Pope lived in.

In short, this cardinal is a person whose status in the huge Vatican is second only to the Pope and seven archbishops, and even above several candidates.

After talking for such a long time, Edgar never mentioned the future arrangements, nor did he introduce other people of some status to him in detail. When Elphis asked about it, he just replied perfunctorily, "I'll get to know him slowly later." This conversation was more like a first interview. He had a simple understanding of him, and tomorrow would be the second interview...

The next day, Elpheus got up early as usual. After breakfast, the servant filled the bath with hot water and respectfully reminded him that he needed to bathe before entering the temple.

After taking a comfortable hot bath for a while, the young man politely sent away the servant who was going to help him dress and tie his hair, and swiftly changed into a soft stand-up collar lining and trousers, fitted brown boots that covered half of his calves, and a white robe on the outside.

The thin golden ribbon was tied into a beautiful bow at the collar, and the wide cuffs and the middle lapel were embroidered with simple gold thread patterns, making this professional suit look not so plain.

Elphis touched the staff that had turned into a wristband and felt that this professional attire matched the color of his weapon quite well.

Bishop Edgar seemed to really value him and even came to show him the way.

The temple is located in the center of this huge complex. It is the tallest dome-shaped European-style building that we bypassed when we came here yesterday.

The young man thought expressionlessly: Oh, it seems that you thought I was dirty yesterday, so you didn’t take me to visit such an important place right away.

The vines climbing the outer walls of the temple were covered with red double-petaled flowers, white jade carved columns, stained glass window lattices, and smooth gray-white floors like marble. The inner walls were painted with colorful and magnificent paintings that seemed to be telling stories about gods. However, these artistic treasures seemed insignificant in front of the huge statue that was 20 meters high.

The facial contours of the pure white statue, the bony hands holding the staff, the loose waist-length hair and the edges of the sleeves moving in the wind are all carved with extreme delicacy, making one wonder - what a magnificent sight it would be if it were dyed with the most suitable color!

What was even more impressive than the statue's stunningly handsome face was that the lowered eyes were also pure white, and there was a hint of compassion between the brows, which made those who were lucky enough to enter the temple couldn't help but form a vivid picture in their minds - a powerful god born in the realm of gods, looking at the unfortunate mortals who were in trouble, with pity in his eyes...

This statue is so delicate that it seems to have a trace of vitality. People who enter the temple can't help but feel restrained under its gaze, and their steps will slow down a bit.

Even though Elphis had always been prejudiced against the God of Light, he couldn't help but admire this statue. The carving craftsmanship was so exquisite...

Compared with this, Grandpa Kevin's little bronze statue... forget it, it can't be compared. That little bronze statue doesn't look like it has anything to do with the God of Light.

There were no seats in the temple, so a man and a woman standing in the front, dressed the same as Elphis, stood out.

The man had a handsome face, and looked like a righteous and kind person. He smiled kindly at Elphis.

The woman was a beauty with blonde hair, blue eyes, red lips and fair skin. She habitually raised her chin slightly, appearing a little arrogant. Her temperament was somewhat similar to Winnie Hill who once wanted to kill him... She was like a flamboyant noble lady, which didn't quite fit in with the atmosphere of the Vatican, Elphis thought silently.

Both of them looked to be in their twenties, but after what happened with Bishop Edgar, Elphis no longer wanted to guess the magician's age!

They first greeted Bishop Edgar and then introduced themselves to the boy.

"I've been looking forward to seeing you for so many days. You're such a pretty little girl. Hello, I'm Abner Shaw. Like you, I'm a candidate for the Son of God."

Faced with enthusiastic strangers, Elphis continued to greet them shyly and reservedly.

The woman narrowed her eyes, moved her gaze down from the boy's silver hair, and said in a lukewarm tone: "Daphne Cromwell, candidate." If she wins the competition, she will be a saint instead of a son of saint.

After Edgar and his three children finished kneeling in front of the statue and praying, other people came one after another. Elphis heard Edgar greeting them - they were all archbishops.

The attitudes of the few people were either kind or indifferent, but none of them were sincere. They looked at the boy as if they were evaluating how much this commodity was worth and whether it could be used by them...

The last archbishop finally arrived. In fact, not much time had passed since they entered the temple, but Elphis felt like half a day had passed - the awkward conversation was really unbearable!

Edgar continued to introduce the newcomer to the little guy, "This is Archbishop William White. He has the same light talent as you."

Elphis greeted him and turned his attention to the young man following the archbishop.

The other person had long flaxen hair, a pair of special grey eyes, and a very gentle face. However, his chin was raised higher than Daphne's, which made him look very noble, destroying all the advantages of his face.

The young man had a stern face and looked at Elphis with a critical look in his eyes.

Elphis knew the identity of the other candidate from the similar clothes.

After Edgar introduced the new archbishop, he also mentioned the young man's name: "This is Daniel Timothy, he has an eighth-level affinity talent, and he is also a very good child."

Elphis: I guess this was the most talented candidate before I showed up.

The young man looked at the servant who came in with the two men. The crystal ball on his tray seemed to be...

Bishop Edgar spoke at the right time. He smiled kindly and looked expectant. "Al, touch the magic crystal again. Let us also witness what the full level of affinity looks like."

Elphis nodded slightly in agreement. It seemed that these people had been skeptical about him before. He said, how could the Vatican believe whatever people half a country away said?

The young man reached out and touched the crystal ball. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, white light elements gradually filled up from the bottom.

The expressions of the people present were somewhat curious or thoughtful, but the young man with gray eyes was the most unhappy. He didn't want to look at the crystal ball anymore, so he slightly shifted his gaze away, but unexpectedly saw a little bit of gold and silver on the young man's wrist...

The crystal ball proved that Elphis did have the light talent with the maximum affinity. Edgar breathed a sigh of relief with joy and satisfaction. The attitudes of the others also became more enthusiastic, and they repeatedly exclaimed that it was the gods who favored the human race.

In the past, Daniel was the candidate that the archbishops were closest to and praised the most. But now that a child who looked young, simple, and valuable appeared, the focus naturally shifted.

The gray-eyed young man stood aside, unable to resist regaining everyone's attention. He finally spoke, and gently educated the ignorant newcomer: "As a candidate for the Son of God, you should have a pure and innocent heart to believe in God, and should not be greedy and linger on some jewelry and vulgar things. You were born in a poor rural area, and it is inevitable that you will not be able to resist temptation. In the future, if someone gives you jewelry, don't accept it, and don't show off with jewelry like you are doing now. Remember?"

Obviously, Daniel regarded the wristband on the boy's hand as a gift from someone who wanted to please him. The subtext was that his greedy behavior brought shame to the Vatican.

No one else noticed that Elphis was wearing anything valuable, but since Daniel said so, it must be true.

Edgar was not angry. The little guy didn't know these behaviors that needed attention before, so he would teach him slowly in the future. The old man asked curiously, "Al, are you wearing any jewelry?"

Elphis had no intention of hiding the staff forever. He could not learn magic without the staff, and sooner or later the fact that he was a child from a remote town and had a precious staff would be exposed.

The young man pulled up his right sleeve and said, "This should be what Senior Daniel was talking about. This is..." the staff that someone gave me.

Before he could finish his words, his wrist was instantly grabbed by Archbishop William of the Light Department, who almost crushed it with such force. William was extremely surprised, his face slightly distorted, and he was completely different from the arrogant look just now.

The archbishop held Elphis with one hand and turned the wrist guard with the other hand to observe carefully. Soon, the man came to a conclusion in a trance, but firmly: "This is... Clemens' Staff!"

For a moment, Elphis heard several people gasp.

The young man frowned. Would these powerful archbishops not snatch things from children?