Phil Gray was eager to try, but he didn't want to blow up his new palace so soon, so he suppressed the idea and decided to try it in the next battle.
He blew out the candles and could finally get a good night's sleep.
This night, however, was not a peaceful one for others.
After dealing with the conflict between the Wollaston family and the Legion of the Dead caused by Marshall's death, and after calming down the Legion of the Dead members who remained in the main city, Elder Sid finally felt relieved.
He went to the abyss in the early hours of the morning, without letting anyone see him off, since they would meet in the abyss sooner or later.
His daughter, the white-haired old woman, followed in his footsteps. The two of them quietly left behind their earthly bodies and were buried in the Silent Valley cemetery by the priests who rushed over that night.
The Church of the Dead does not have funerals, only farewell ceremonies. Since the Grand Elder wanted to leave quietly, even the farewell ceremony was canceled.
Inside the Cathedral of Death, the archbishop glanced out the window as the dim light gradually became clearer. He stood up, looked at the declaration he had drafted overnight, and a smile appeared on his lips.
...
"Did you see our newly appointed Pope through the teleportation array that day?"
"I saw it. I slipped some gold coins to the priest in charge, and he found me a good spot. I not only saw the coronation ceremony that day, but I also watched every selection in the days before. I can only say that this is definitely the most powerful pope in the last thousand years!"
"Why do you say that? Didn't you just take office?"
"Heh, the gods personally descended during the coronation ceremony. Although no divine decree was issued, which pope in the past has ever had such an honor?"
"Yes, and there's also that important figure summoned from the abyss during the selection process. Tsk tsk, I've heard rumors circulating in the main city that our Pope might be a descendant of a god..."
"hiss……"
"Shh, let's just talk quietly, don't tell anyone."
"Of course, but if that's the case, wouldn't our church soon become the number one church on the continent of Ver? The current situation is so chaotic, it's the perfect opportunity for us to make our move!"
"Yeah, yeah! Dreamland and War have already started fighting with the Dawn Alliance. We need to join them quickly, lest they seize the initiative!"
"It should be soon. I just saw the legion commander leading the Legion of the Dead through our city on their way to the main city. They must be going to discuss war matters. His Holiness the Pope has just taken office and must be eager to make a name for himself!"
Three richly dressed minor nobles were whispering in the tavern, their conversation secretly listened to by several pairs of ears around them.
At that moment, a man dressed as a priest in a black robe walked up to their table and chuckled, "Looks like you haven't heard the news yet?"
"What?"
"This morning, our newly appointed Pope issued a declaration to all sects on the continent of Ver. It said that our Church of the Dead is not an ally of Dreams and War, nor will it participate in the war with the Alliance of Dawn. If we must intervene in any war, it is to resolutely resist the Plague Controllers and the Blood Calamity, and to use the unique advantages of our Legion of the Dead to eliminate the scourge for the continent of Ver."
He had barely finished speaking when the three noblemen, with their long chins, were utterly astonished.
"What? We're not going against the dawn?"
"And you still want to wipe out the plague creators and the bloody calamity? For the peace and security of the continent of Ver?"
"Wouldn't that mean we're on the same side as Chenxi!"
The group was completely baffled, and everyone else in the tavern was equally puzzled.
“Is that not acceptable? Although we believe in death, we are still a legitimate church of the Lord God. The worst thing we’ve done is steal the corpses of the dead. But those few sects are wicked and have offended us before. For the sake of justice and fairness, we can of course temporarily put aside our grudges with Dawn. Our Pope has a grand vision!” the black-robed priest exclaimed.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on.
"That makes sense. It seems we are truly about to welcome the greatest pope in a century, no, a millennium!"
Putting aside the gossip among believers in various places, when the commander of the Legion of the Dead heard the contents of the manifesto, his face turned extremely ugly. He quickened his pace and rushed back to the Holy See by noon.
“Your Holiness, the Legion Commander requests an audience.” Phil Gray was dining with Eli and Ilya when the attendant respectfully stepped forward to report.
Yesterday, Eli, accompanied by darkness, sampled all the delicacies of Gilga City. Today, he felt nauseous at the sight of food and listlessly sat by the fire.
Yi Lai Zhe relentlessly pleaded with him, requesting that His Holiness the Pope's mansion on Finger Bone Street be granted to him directly, since the Pope already had a grand palace.
But Phil Gray feared that if he acquired the mansion, he would sell it and then set his sights on his own palace, so he firmly refused.
"The legion commander? So soon? Please invite him in."
A servant soon brought in a man dressed in armor, as thin as a bamboo pole. He was menacing and exuded a powerful aura of death.
If you didn't know beforehand that he was human, you might mistake him for a skeleton covered in a thin layer of human skin.
"Your Majesty! I am very sorry that I was unable to attend your coronation ceremony in time." The legion commander knelt on one knee and expressed his apology first.
At the same time, he secretly observed the newly appointed Pope, trying to see any resemblance between the Pope and the gods in the Pope's face.
Yes, he had heard the rumors, and he hadn't missed the selection process either.
However, although His Majesty's face is handsome, it is not particularly distinctive. Perhaps due to his high rank, it appears ashen and lifeless. His Majesty's name, Miru, does not seem to be a noble name, nor does he have a surname. He does not seem to come from a prominent family. According to the rumors, it seems that no one has any information about his identity.
No, if they really are descendants of that person, then such an origin is perfectly normal.
"It's alright, Commander, you've worked hard. But why did you call me so urgently? Is there something you need?"
Phil Gray asked the question knowing the answer already.
At this point, the legion commander said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I do not agree with your declaration."
Isn't that a bit too straightforward? But people like that are actually easier to persuade.
"You mean the one I sent this morning?"
“Yes, our faith has been silent for a long time and desperately needs a war to awaken our fighting spirit and faith. At the same time, our believers also need war to create more deaths, so I disagree with your declaration,” the legion commander said, frowning.
They had differing ideologies when the previous pope was alive, and it was unexpected that the new pope would still oppose the war with the Dawn.
"The war against the bloody calamity and the plague-controllers is also a war; why get involved in the muddy waters of dawn and dreams?"
“But those gods are servants of our Lord. Over the past few hundred years, these churches have had a lot of dealings with us, while Dawn is our mortal enemy.”
Phil Gray stood up, placed his hand on the legion commander's shoulder, and bent down to look him straight in the eye. "But the gods tell me that they have betrayed Him, just as dreams have stolen the power of the night. They are joining forces with the gods of other worlds to overthrow this world and divide the power of our Lord God. You must have heard about the Red-Eyed Order that they possessed, right? That Red-Eyed Order was founded by them for the evil god Eris Ned, whom they worship. They have abandoned their faith and are no longer worthy to be my Lord's servants!"
Phil Gray spent a long morning thinking about how to persuade the legion commander, and then decided to tell him the truth directly, and then ask for some divine guidance, since he knew very well what these people were thinking.
Isn't it just like how his cousin suspected he was the illegitimate son of the God of Fate, and now he suspects he's a descendant of the God of Death? Although it's just a secret speculation, it's already spread far and wide. He hasn't denied it; in fact, he's encouraged the spread of the news, which is very important for him to use the power of the powerful.
Just don't let Wilder hear this. What if he really is the god of death? It would be so awkward if they met again.
The sheer volume of information left the legion commander momentarily speechless. He slowly processed the Pope's words, his expression grave: "So, this is all God's will, to have us eliminate the traitors for Him, and there's even the involvement of gods from other worlds... But what about Dawn..."
“We don’t need to worry about Dawn for now. They became the First Church of Weil because they always stand on the moral high ground, like issuing purge orders to those cults. That’s why they have the support of many churches. And since we often oppose Dawn, we naturally become the villains in the eyes of other churches,” Phil Gray shook his head.
“If things continue like this, even if we surpass Chenxi in strength, we will still find it difficult to replace Chenxi’s position in the hearts of the various religions. But now, if we complete the task of eradicating the cults that Chenxi failed to complete, think about what those religions will think? Will they change their previous misunderstandings about us and make different choices the next time Chenxi and we face each other?”
The legion commander nodded unconsciously, and then heard His Holiness the Pope continue, "To be honest, the gods sent me to be the Pope to complete this mission. By taking action against the Crimson Calamity, we not only fulfilled the gods' will, but also completely changed the image of us in the eyes of other sects. At the same time, when the Dawn and Dream Wars are both exhausted, won't our strength naturally rise above all other sects?"
The legion commander felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had never thought about things from this perspective before. How right His Holiness the Pope was!
His eyes lit up, and he said almost impatiently, "Your Majesty, I will now organize the legion and head towards the area of the Blood Calamity!"
"They actually agreed to that?" Phil Gray was somewhat amazed at how quickly his brainwashing skills had improved. He hurriedly said, "No rush. The matter of declaring war on the Red-Eyed Cult needs further consideration. Even if those people are possessed, they are still true gods. We need to develop a sound plan."
"Alright, as you wish."
"Well, no matter what, you must be tired from your journey. Take a few days to rest. I'll send someone to bring you some tonics later so you can recover as soon as possible. We still need to fight for the will of the gods!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After expressing his sincere gratitude, the legion commander left in a daze.
"Brilliant!" Eli gave him a thumbs up. "I'm almost convinced."
“What I said is the truth.” Phil Gray slowly sat down. “Eli, the divine message you received is for you to end the factional struggles and unify the church. I don’t know if my intervention will affect your ability to fulfill the message, so you will need to persuade the Second Elder. I have already instructed the Archbishop to train you to be the next Archbishop. You will stay with him these days.”
“Okay.” Eli nodded. He couldn’t just watch his boss work without contributing himself. Besides, if he didn’t work hard to complete the Proverb, he was afraid that one day he would become the one who dragged the team down.
If I become the next archbishop, I can help my boss with some church affairs. After all, he is responsible for two churches, and in the future, he may even have to add Dawn. If I can manage the affairs of the deceased well, he can rest assured.
Seeing Eli's determined gaze, Phil Gray's eyes softened. He then looked at Eli, "I know you must be getting impatient. Since I don't have to meet the legion commander this afternoon, I'll keep my promise. I'd also like to see the temple your family built."
Upon hearing this, Yi Laizhe, who was engrossed in his meal, immediately put down his chopsticks, his eyes lighting up. "Really?"
"Um."
After the meal, Phil Gray and Il-Rayet sat on the skeleton bird they had acquired by chance, with a cat nestled on their shoulders. He had already told the skeleton bird about Rodney's death, that he had been killed by Wilder, his soul and spirit destroyed, which could be considered revenge for the shop owner.
The bird was finally at ease and was happy to devote itself to serving its new owner.
Night, however, was worried that he was alone, and the kitten, who had just begun to recover, was eager to find an opportunity to show off its skills.
The temple built by the Ilaiz family was located in a remote mountain area outside the city of Gilga, in a very secluded location.
After navigating a maze of thorny paths, they finally reached the entrance to the temple as dusk approached.
The entire temple was embedded in a high mountain. If it weren't for Ilya's reminder, Phil Gray wouldn't have been able to discover that there was actually a magnificent temple inside this snow-covered mountain.
With a solemn expression, Yi Lai Zhe dripped his blood onto a piece of white jade by the door, and only then did the door burst open.
Stepping inside, the temple features a space-folding design, likely the work of the Eternal Church. The layout is extremely simple, with a statue of the god of death placed in the center, surrounded by countless neatly arranged golden coffins.
This is all real gold!
Phil Gray exclaimed, his eyes hurt from the dazzling golden light. If it weren't for this outrageous curse, how wealthy the Yileizhe family would be!
After the souls following Yilai Zhe entered the temple, they all seemed to be wanderers returning home, their eyes filled with longing.
“Come with me. All the coffins I’ve made over the years are laid out here. They just need to be infused with divine power.” Yi Lai Zhe led him to an open area on the left.
There were nearly three hundred golden coffins piled up here, which made Phil Gray glance at him sideways.
That must have cost a fortune! No wonder this guy even sold off church property.
"That's all, thank you for your help." Yi Lai Zhe looked sincerely at His Holiness the Pope, feeling somewhat uneasy, since even if the other party went back on his word, there was nothing he could do.
Phil Gray smiled and said, "It's alright, let's begin."
The temple was bustling with activity, while in the church, Eli and the archbishop were also discussing how to persuade the second elder—now the first elder.
After talking with him, the archbishop discovered that the newly arrived Prince Eli was very similar to him in some ways, and he became more willing to agree to the promise to His Majesty to train him to become the next archbishop.
In addition, they planned a reform within the church to help those who had distorted views on death to re-establish correct beliefs, instead of constantly thinking about abandoning everything in life and trying every means to die.
According to the archbishop, this is the result of the bad deeds of the previous pope and the pope before that. Now that the new pope has taken the throne, it is time to seek new changes.
At the temple, after working for most of the night, all three hundred coffins were finally filled with divine power.
Eleiz was thrilled and thanked Phil Gray repeatedly. He suddenly felt confident that perhaps by following His Holiness the Pope, he could help him realize his family's long-cherished wish of a thousand years in his lifetime, so that his descendants would no longer have to bear the burden of so many ancestors' spirits!
Phil Gray smiled and waved his hand. After resting for a while, they hurried back to Gilga City in the morning light.
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