Phil Gray felt a bit helpless; why should he have to take the blame for that guy?
However, he couldn't bear to deceive a kind girl who had helped him, so he carefully chose his words and told her about Patrick and the female pirate in the gentlest tone possible.
He watched as Edith's eyes gradually reddened, tears streaming down her face, yet she forced a strong smile: "I see. It's my fault. I wasn't brave enough back then. I didn't cherish him. But I still want to see him one more time. You just said he's in North City now?"
"Yes, that's right."
Phil Gray nodded, wondering how his cousin would react if he found out.
Unfortunately, what's done is done, and he probably won't give up on that dashing female pirate and turn back.
"Okay, thank you." Edith thanked her, then, seemingly not wanting to hide her face and cry in front of so many people, turned to leave.
Eli, looking like he was enjoying the drama, said, "If Miss Edith wants to go to North City, she can come with us; it will be much safer that way."
Edith wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and said with a smile, "Thank you. When will you depart? I'll let my father know first."
"Things here are almost done. See you at the city gate this afternoon."
Phil Gray and Edith had arranged a time to meet, and he watched the poor girl walk away.
“This Miss Edith shares the same name as another Boss Edith, but their personalities are worlds apart. One is gentle and considerate, while the other is dashing and heroic. Tsk tsk, how come they both like that red-feathered chicken?” Eli said with his arms crossed.
“Perhaps it was fate.” Phil Gray recalled Patrick’s words about the original owner’s father telling him the name of his future lover and thought it was too much of a coincidence.
But is Edith really referring to that female pirate?
It's not uncommon for people to have the same name, but to fall in love with his cousin at the same time, and to have his name mentioned by the original owner's father... he always had a strange feeling.
Ignoring the strange feeling in his heart, he turned his gaze to the alleyway he had fled through.
Although he didn't find the crown, he had more important things to do.
...
The cemetery of Ca' al-Kaoh.
Phil Gray dismissed everyone who was following him and went inside alone.
He buried the remains of the old woman who had helped him in this cemetery, erected a tombstone, and personally inscribed a sentence:
"Here lies the most faithful believer of destiny; may the light of her devotion forever illuminate her rest; may her unwavering faith guide her on the path of fate."
Fortunately, the old woman's body was taken back by one of her neighbors and secretly buried in a wasteland, which is why he has the opportunity to thank her for her kindness today.
After paying his respects to the old woman, he personally erected a tombstone in an inconspicuous spot at the very back of the cemetery.
Although no one was buried there, and no one would be buried there in the future, he still silently kowtowed three times in front of the tombstone before leaving.
Before leaving, he specifically instructed the gravedigger not to let anyone see the tombstone and not to bury anyone else around it.
His Holiness the Pope disappeared from sight, and the cemetery returned to silence.
A gentle breeze blew across the dents on the tombstone, revealing the words "Phil Gray" clearly engraved there.
At noon, at the warm invitation of several nobles in the city of Kao, the Pope of Fate agreed to dine with them, during which they discussed many things about the Kingdom of Puna.
A viscount said that a terrible incident had occurred at the noble academy in the Kingdom of Puna. Several royal children, dissatisfied with the behavior of their teacher, tried to play a prank on him. However, the teacher mistook them for enemies and retaliated, resulting in one death and several injuries.
The viscount recounted the story vividly, including the angry expressions of the nobles and the teacher's composed demeanor.
"That teacher was specially hired from the Church of Life. He is proficient in horticulture, herbalism, and the theology of life. He is also said to be a prominent chosen one of God. This matter should be judged by the Church of Life, but the relatives of these royal children do not seem to trust the Church of Life and feel that they will not give a satisfactory answer."
Since His Holiness the Pope revealed his divine power, many people have become aware of the existence of the Chosen Ones, and they enjoy discussing them endlessly. Whenever the Chosen Ones are mentioned, they quickly capture everyone's attention.
“I think those guys brought it on themselves. Everyone can see how much the Church of Life respects life. Why would they deliberately hurt those children? He must be feeling incredibly conflicted and tormented,” an older nobleman said.
"Moreover, an excellent teacher is so rare. These noble children enjoy high-quality educational resources, yet they still do such things, which makes the commoners who can only attend church schools seem even more pitiful."
Phil Gray's gaze fell on the indignant old nobleman, surprised that there were still nobles here who cared about the education of commoners.
"Oh, I didn't mean to say that our Papacy's education is bad, Your Majesty, please forgive my slip of the tongue. I just meant that the common people can only receive a short three-year education provided by the local church, which is too pitiful compared to them. Moreover, the content taught in these church schools is mostly theology of destiny. They... uh, I slipped up again, I apologize, Your Majesty." The old nobleman noticed His Holiness the Pope's gaze, suddenly stood up, and explained awkwardly, but only made things worse.
“It’s alright. Perhaps the Vatican will consider extending the free education program and adding some other courses later,” Phil Gray said with a smile.
"Hmph, you've already given them enough opportunities. As long as they have the qualifications to become priests and knights, they can be trained separately by the Holy See. If they become chosen ones, they can also attend the Holy See's special church academy for chosen ones. That's enough."
"As for the noble academy, it was jointly run by the imperial family and the great nobles. It did hire more outstanding teachers, but it didn't produce many more Chosen Ones. Puna Noble Academy even sent me an invitation to enroll, but I didn't go. It was under the guidance of our church school that I became a Chosen One, and then I successfully received the education of a Chosen One." A young nobleman smiled and flattered him, his eyes filled with reverence as he looked at Phil Gray.
If he hadn't missed out on joining the Church of Destiny due to certain circumstances, he would probably be a district bishop of a city by now. What a pity.
Phil Gray remained noncommittal about his remarks, but felt that public services within the parish of destiny could be improved further. Although he was not a secular king, he still needed to ensure that his followers could live comfortably, lest their dissatisfaction cause the gods to be unjustly blamed.
In the afternoon, Edith, carrying some simple luggage, waited early at the city gate. Her father, upon hearing that she was departing with His Holiness the Pope, did not ask any further questions.
When Phil Gray appeared, a resolute glint flashed in Edith's eyes. She bowed to Phil Gray and then silently joined the group.
The return journey was exceptionally quick, even though there were more apostates being escorted this time.
During this time, Phil Greer specifically asked Lisa about Barry's whereabouts.
Uncle Gray had helped him search, but there was no information.
Lisa said that Barry had never come to see her, and she was also very worried about her childlike friend.
Phil Gray was somewhat disappointed. When would he be able to keep the promise he had made to the old woman?
He gazed at the scenery outside the carriage until the outline of North City came into view.
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