Late at night, inside the Cathedral of Death.
Elder Sid had his back to the other elders, seemingly lost in thought.
The other elders whispered among themselves, the events of the day replaying in their minds, the imposing presence of that great man still sending shivers down their spines.
The Second Elder interrupted the discussion among the elders, frowning as he said, "Judging from the fact that Holy Son Yimilu scored ten points in the first two rounds, the other candidates have almost no chance of turning the tide."
“Yes, then is it necessary for us to conduct a third round?” another elder asked.
“Not necessarily. Other candidates may still have a chance in the third round. If this Holy Son of Milu scores zero in the third round… However, how could someone who can summon such a powerful figure possibly get zero points?” The archbishop stroked his mustache and said with a smile.
"Isn't it risky to make this candidate of unknown origin the Pope?" the Second Elder asked with some concern.
“But the selection rules are there. They scored high and didn’t break the rules. Can we go back on our word?” The archbishop sighed. “These holy sons we’ve watched grow up are capable, but they’ve been blinded by power…”
"Alright, no need to say more. It's already quite obvious. Didn't that lord already designate Miru as our Pope?" Elder Sid turned around and said calmly.
"Well, Your Excellency called out 'My Majesty' to the Holy Son Miru a few times. Isn't that obvious enough?" The Archbishop shrugged. "Besides the Pope of our Church of the Dead, whose Majesty could it be?"
The other elders nodded; they had indeed heard it too.
“My guess is that this Holy Son Milu is no ordinary person. Even the great one from the Abyss treats him with utmost respect, and the God of Death personally gave him a prophecy to become Pope. His identity may far exceed our imagination,” the archbishop added.
"Could it be a descendant of some quasi-god on earth?"
"Don't you think this person is a quasi-god?"
"Hiss... Even quasi-gods treat him with utmost respect. Could this Holy Son Miru be a descendant of that...?"
"Shut up! How dare we speak ill of gods?" Elder Sid scolded.
"In any case, it seems we all need to prepare for this coronation." The Second Elder walked to the First Elder's side and whispered, "Son Eli, he..."
"Let bygones be bygones. Since God has brought him back to the church, we should accept it. He is now just a candidate who appeared unexpectedly on the day of the selection along with Miru."
"Okay, I understand."
...
"He's awake! He's awake!" Eli exclaimed excitedly, startling Phil Gray, who was dozing off against the table.
He looked towards the darkness nestled on the sofa and saw that the cat had opened its eyes and was slowly stretching.
"Hmm, everyone, how long have I been asleep?" The little boy's voice was languid, as if he had just woken up.
"It hasn't been long. Our papal selection ceremony isn't over yet. I haven't become the Pope of the Church of the Dead. There's another round of selection tomorrow." Phil Gray stepped forward and patted its little head. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Much better, I've recovered a lot, and how come my Dark Night Core is back?" Night meowed in surprise, "I clearly remember that woman stealing it!"
"Is it that gem that looks like a dried fish?"
"Yes, that's great! I should be recovered soon!" Night rolled around happily on the sofa, then a shocked Eli asked, "My Lord, why does your voice..."
Hei Ye then coughed and said, "I can use whatever voice I want, but little brother, don't interfere in the boss's affairs!"
“Oh, okay, okay.” Eli nodded “humbly.”
"Speaking of which, do you know where I got this Dark Night Core?"
Phil Gray nodded. "Do you know the Death Knight of the Abyss? He gave it to me. I summoned him a few days ago during the undead summoning competition."
“Oh ho, a Death Knight…” Night’s beard twitched slightly, a cryptic glint in his eyes, and he continued, “Then there’s no problem. By the way, what toy did you promise to make for me?”
“Well… I’ve been busy with the Church of the Dead these past few days. I’ll do it for you after it’s over tomorrow, okay?” Phil Gray quickly explained, remembering the debt he owed.
"Hmph, I'll be waiting then." The voice in the darkness transformed into a rough, middle-aged man's tone. "Little brother, I want to eat fresh fireblood fish!"
Eli nodded quickly: "Hey! Come on, I'll take you to eat. There are really a lot of good food in Gilga City. By the way, you've gained another little brother. While you were asleep, the boss took in another worker."
"Yeah?"
“Yes, then I’ll take Night to get some good food. Boss, I used all the gold coins you gave me to buy food for those ghosts…” Eli looked pitifully at Phil Gray.
"Fine." Phil Gray could only helplessly continue to pay. Raising a god was really not easy, especially a cat that could only eat!
...
"I hereby announce the commencement of the third round of selection. This round will examine your fundamental qualities as Popes—your insight into things, your judgment of situations, and your analytical abilities. Candidates, please begin. Submit your answers at sunset," the Second Elder announced, presiding over this round of selection.
Phil Gray stared at the nearly ten-meter-long sheet of white paper before him, densely covered with questions, and his eyelids twitched involuntarily.
Good heavens, why do I have to take exams even in another world?
He thought that exams on Earth were torturous enough, but this other world simply didn't treat people like human beings. Who could write a ten-meter-long exam paper in one go?
A servant brought over the quill and ink for answering the questions. Phil Gray glanced at Eli, who winked at him as if to say something.
But the archbishop's gaze fixed firmly on him.
"It would be best if the candidates didn't whisper among themselves," the archbishop said with a smile.
“Hoo…” Phil Gray took a deep breath and began to look at the questions above.
What is your analysis of the current situation on the continent of Ver? What problems do you think the Church of the Dead currently faces, and what are your suggestions for reform? Do you think the Church should participate in the war? Which churches do you think would strengthen the Church's power through alliances? Which pope's ideology do you think shares with yours? An analysis of a certain quote from the *Scripture of the Dead*? How do you think the faith of believers can be strengthened? How do you balance the need for personal power enhancement with the needs of church development? What do you think…?
Phil Gray felt a little dizzy and started looking around at the other candidates.
Jasmine was writing furiously, while Eli listlessly chewed on his quill, getting ink all over his face.
Then he caught Yi Lai Zhe asking the ghosts behind him!
However, since the Second Elder did not stop him, he could not say anything and could only calmly immerse himself in the sea of questions.
Fortunately, Phil Gray had the foundation of exam-oriented education from his previous life, so he answered the questions fairly smoothly. Anyway, he just needed to get through this round, and it should be a sure thing that he would become the Pope of the Church of the Dead.
From dawn till noon and then sunset, the exams finally came to an end.
Phil Gray looked at Elijah, who was fast asleep on the table, and Eli, who was massaging the cat on his shoulder, and couldn't help but smile.
The Second Elder collected their test papers. "Please wait a moment, everyone. We will score your answers immediately. Tonight, the scores from the three rounds will be combined, and the one who ranks first will be our new Pope."
Upon hearing this, the believers present were extremely excited and began to whisper among themselves.
The crowd watching through the magic circle outside the church erupted in cheers, and some even began chanting the name Milu.
A short while later, after evaluation by several elders, the scores for this round were announced. The Second Elder declared: "Holy Son Miru, 8 points; Jaslin, 8 points; Eli, 7 points; Yileizhe, 6 points."
Jaslin was somewhat pleased, but then became disappointed. Even if she tied with Milu in this round, it wouldn't make a difference, as the outcome had already been decided in the first two rounds.
"Hmm? Why am I low?" Yi Lai Zhe asked, puzzled. "Logically speaking, no one knows the Church of the Dead better than me."
He knew exactly how much wealth each person in the Church of the Dead possessed.
The Second Elder rolled his eyes at him: "You cheated during the answer by asking the spirit beside you. Three points will be deducted."
"Huh?" Yi Lai Zhe's eyes widened. "Then why didn't you say so at the time? Besides, that undead didn't know as much as I did. In the end, I wrote it all myself."
“You reap what you sow,” Eli laughed from the side.
"Hmph, if it weren't for me, you'd be at the bottom right now..."
"Alright." Elder Sid coughed to quiet everyone down. Facing all the believers inside the church and those outside who were craning their necks to watch the scene in the magic circle, he solemnly announced, "After three rounds of selection presided over by the council of elders, the candidate with the highest score is Miru. He will be the new Pope of our Church of the Dead!"
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