Arthur led them to the north gate of the city, where a main road led towards their headquarters, Gilga City.
Yesterday, they entered the city through the south gate while chasing the thief, which leads towards the Eternal Church.
Sure enough, there was already a train convoy here.
Three skeleton horses pulled the chariot, followed by about a dozen undead knights.
Arthur told them that they needed to take a carriage to another city, Lampuga, and then they could take a train directly to headquarters, which would be much faster than the skeleton carriage.
This place is just a remote small town for the Church of the Dead, so the operators of Dalie did not invest here.
"I won't see you off. Maybe one day when we all reach the Abyss, we can be neighbors." Arthur gave each of them a reluctant hug.
Phil Gray thought to himself, "This kid is really honest, but let's reconsider the idea of him being a neighbor in the Abyss of the Dead."
Two of the carriages already had people inside; these were likely the other three people participating in the selection.
Phil Gray and Eli boarded the empty carriage.
"Goodbye!"
Arthur waved his hand behind them.
Just as the carriage was about to embark on the straight road, a sharp, bone flute blared out. The sound was so piercing that Phil Gray felt as if his eardrums were about to burst.
Eli, also puzzled, lifted the curtain of the carriage.
The line stopped.
Immediately afterwards, a firework streaked across the sky, its colorful bursts echoing through the heavens—something that seemed impossible in the territory of the Church of Death.
Before Phil Gray could react, the three people in the other two carriages quickly dismounted, and the undead knights also dismounted, kneeling on the ground and piously shouting:
"Praise death!"
"Praise be to His Holiness the Pope! You have finally attained eternal life!"
May your journey home be safe, and we will follow in your footsteps forever.
Phil Gray and Eli hurriedly jumped out of the car, feigning piety: "Praise be to death!"
The two realized that this commotion must mean that the Pope of Death had passed away at this moment and returned to the divine realm of death.
Everyone stood up, their faces beaming with joy, which left Phil Gray somewhat speechless.
The team leader said, "Let's go back to the city. There's no need to go to headquarters now."
Just as he finished speaking, the city gates suddenly opened, and an undead knight rushed towards them: "The bishop has ordered us to return to the city immediately! Seal the city gates!"
"yes."
The undead knight leading the group nodded respectfully.
Seeing that they hadn't left, Arthur ran over excitedly, "Hey! I didn't expect His Holiness the Pope to leave at this time. Looks like you're too late. You can't leave now, the celebration is about to begin!"
"Hmm." Phil Gray and Eli were a little disappointed; it seemed they couldn't hitch a ride with the other team.
Eli patted Arthur on the shoulder. "Why are the city gates locked?"
“Oh, fearing that people from other sects might cause trouble while His Holiness the Pope is dead, the Archbishop ordered the temporary closure of cities throughout the country so that His Holiness could proceed to the Abyss in peace,” Arthur explained.
"I see. So when will the lockdown be lifted?"
"I'm not sure either. Will the lockdown be lifted after the celebration? The celebrations in various places are all taking place at roughly the same time."
"Young master, I need to take these people to the celebration." The leader interrupted their conversation.
"Okay, see you in a bit!" Arthur waved to them and winked. "Since you'll be attending our city's celebration, I'll be there to support you. Good luck!"
“Okay.” Phil Gray forced a smile.
He had no desire to attend any celebrations or to commemorate death; he simply couldn't get used to it.
Moreover, judging from Arthur's words, the so-called selection was actually to perform at the headquarters' celebration.
Eli, however, seemed interested. "Speaking of which, this pope was already in power when I was born, so I never attended any celebrations for the death of a pope. That sounds quite interesting."
"So you've decided what performance to put on?"
"From what they're saying, it seems like we don't need to prepare anything," Eli said, equally curious.
Soon they arrived at the cathedral in Catomero, where a huge statue of the god of death stood.
The statue's face was blurred, hidden beneath a black cloak, making it difficult to glimpse the true appearance of the god of death.
Phil Gray looked up at the statue of the god of death, recalling the night's assessment of Him: a god of amusement. He truly couldn't understand why such a assessment would be given.
Listen to His voice when He usually gives His proverbs; it is cold and icy, as if He is tired of the whole world and disgusted with all life.
He must be a powerful but indifferent god.
Before he could think any further, he heard someone telling them to get off the bus.
We followed the tour leader into the cathedral and found it to be very lively, with the cathedral already packed with people.
Arthur's father, the bishop, held a black book in his hands and recited poems about death.
The servants carried box after box of fine wine and dish after dish of delicious food and placed them on the table that had been set out.
The tour leader led them up to the second floor of the cathedral, where they could see everything below and clearly see the second floor from below.
Arthur stood in the crowd, waving towards the building.
Phil Gray returned his smile.
After the bishop finished reciting the hymn praising the god of death, he made a gesture to the crowd.
The crowd fell silent instantly.
"Friends," the bishop's voice echoed in the cathedral, his eyes gleaming with reverence for death, "we gather here today to celebrate the passing of our great Pope, whose soul has departed from his mortal body and gone to the embrace of the god of death, attaining true immortality."
"Let us pray for His Holiness the Pope's journey home, that he may find peace in the abyss, and that his spirit may forever illuminate our Church of the Dead, guiding us believers on our path forward!" The bishop's words contained not a trace of sorrow, but were filled with praise for death.
As the bishop led them, the believers began to chant in unison, their pale cheeks flushed with excitement.
Phil Gray and Eli joined in the chanting, their voices blending into the crowd and not standing out.
This must be the most joyful funeral he's ever attended, Phil Gray thought with a touch of emotion, his gaze sweeping over the entire cathedral.
The interior of the cathedral is decorated in a solemn and dignified manner, with portraits of popes and other famous figures hanging on the walls. Each portrait exudes a tranquility that transcends worldly concerns.
Perhaps those who have taken death lightly and regard it as their final destination all possess this kind of temperament.
Looking at the fervent expressions of the believers downstairs, Phil Gray had no doubt that if the Church of the Dead hadn't explicitly forbidden suicide, saying that those who committed suicide could not enter the abyss, these people would have committed suicide immediately.
As the ceremony progressed, the believers began to share wine and food, and the atmosphere inside the cathedral became even more lively, as people expressed their piety and respect for the god of death and His Holiness the Pope during the celebration.
Arthur weaved through the crowd, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He would occasionally look up at the second floor and wave to Phil Gray and Eli.
Just as Phil Gray and Eli were about to go down and try the food of the Church of the Dead, the leader who had led them nodded to the bishop: "It's almost time!"
When is it about time?
With a wave of his hand, the bishop summoned a squad of undead knights who carried five black stone coffins to the center of the church. The coffins were engraved with intricate runes, their final resting place unknown.
The crowd consciously put down their food and drinks and listened quietly to the bishop's speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, because His Majesty's departure was too hasty, the followers we selected did not have time to rush to the Holy See, so I have prepared these five coffins on the spot, and I will preside over the memorial service!" The bishop said, looking at the people on the second floor.
“These five are the most outstanding young men I have ever taught. Their devotion to death has moved me deeply, and I believe they are worthy to follow His Majesty. Now that the gates of the abyss have been opened, His Majesty will pave the way with his own body, leading these young men into the abyss together.”
Wow! These are the five of them!
“I know those two; they helped us catch the thief yesterday.”
"That looks like the city lord's second son."
"And the son of the richest man."
"Hey, why are there only five spots?"
"Five slots per city, that's quite a lot. Sigh, we good-for-nothings can only wait until the day we die of old age to return to the embrace of death, right?"
Looking at the envious and jealous looks from the believers downstairs, Phil Gray felt an urge to kill Arthur.
We helped you catch a thief, and this is how you repay our kindness?
Is it reasonable to send your benefactor to his death?
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