Phil Gray felt a chill run down his spine, but he tried to remain calm.
Looking directly into Wilder's eyes calmly, he said, "Of course I don't know. I can only say that I've even forgotten what this 'Church of the Dead' you mentioned is."
However, I'm certain I am who I am—the Pope of the Church of Fate. Besides, how do you know my amnesia isn't the will of the God of Fate?
He wanted to suggest that this might be an arrangement by the gods.
Wilder chuckled softly and bowed slightly.
"I was overthinking it. The god of fate does indeed always bring us unexpected things. I hope you will forgive my rudeness, but does Your Majesty still remember my identity?"
Phil Gray shook his head. "I don't remember. If you could, could you please give me a brief overview of the current situation? I don't want my amnesia to cause trouble for the Vatican. At the very least, the Vatican should continue to function as usual."
"You still care about the Papacy and your followers as always. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am your personal knight, Lucewyn Wilder, responsible for your safety. I was personally hired by your father, the former Pope, but I only signed a ten-year contract and have been by your side since you ascended to the papacy."
As for the Vatican, the deity we, the Church of Destiny, worship is Ansel, the God of Destiny. Ansel is one of the six principal gods, and the church's emblem is two intertwined flowers of destiny.
The Church of Destiny once enjoyed a period of glory, establishing churches and temples on both continents. However, due to Ansel's failure to perform any miracles for hundreds of years, coupled with suppression from other churches, the number of believers gradually decreased.
A hundred years ago, the church from the Eastern Continent also moved to the Western Continent. Currently, it has approximately 860,000 believers, mainly concentrated in the western region of the Kingdom of Puna, where the Papacy is located. What else would you like to know?
Wilder replied.
It seems that there are many gods and churches in this world that are worshipped. The God of Destiny and the Church of Destiny are just one of them. However, it is unknown whether the gods here are real or just a spiritual symbol like on Earth.
“What do I do on a regular basis as Pope?” Phil Gray then asked.
“You used to pray to the god of fate for three hours every morning in the main hall, and then handle some matters in your study in the afternoon.”
"However, the daily affairs of the Vatican are handled by three bishops respectively. You are only responsible for presiding over some major events, important personnel appointments and dismissals, and decisions on some exceptional matters," Luce Wilder explained in detail.
"Okay, I do have some recollection of these things. If I try to recall them more, I might be able to recover my memories."
Phil Gray feigned distress, saying, "My beloved God of Fate, why play such a joke on your most faithful follower?"
“Your study has a wide variety of books. You used to enjoy reading. If you spend more time there, you might be able to recover some of your memories,” Luce Wilder suggested thoughtfully.
"Okay, I'll go check on it this afternoon. But I still hope you won't tell anyone else about my amnesia. If someone with ulterior motives finds out, they might use it to do something that harms the Holy See."
Okay, I'd like to rest for a while. If there's anything else, could you please take care of it for me?
Phil Gray lay down as he spoke, looking weak.
Luce Wilder nodded and turned to leave.
After leaving the papal chambers, he removed his black mask, revealing an unnaturally pale face beneath. "Heh, how interesting."
Phil Gray looked at himself in the bronze mirror. He only resembled his appearance on Earth by about three-tenths, except that his hair and eye color had changed.
As a pure-blooded Chinese, he never imagined that he would one day have gray hair and blue eyes, which gave him an extremely uncomfortable feeling.
He sighed helplessly. He really didn't understand why he had transmigrated to this place. Although he might as well make the best of it, he didn't know anything about the original owner of this body and had no knowledge of this world.
Although he used amnesia as an excuse, the servant who had been by the original owner's side for four years must have noticed something was amiss and must have realized that he was not the original owner. It's just that he didn't expose him.
After resting for a while and feeling somewhat recovered, Phil Gray walked out of his bedchamber, where two servants stood outside the door.
“I need to go to the study to get some books. Could you do me a favor?” Phil Gray said.
"Yes," the two servants replied. Judging from their voices, they seemed to be the same two people who had been talking earlier.
Phil Gray slowed his pace. He had no idea where the study was, but the two servants seemed afraid to overstep their bounds and simply followed behind him.
Phil Gray coughed and suddenly stopped. "I'm feeling a little weak. Could you help me get there?"
"Of course, it would be our honor." His excitement was palpable.
They arrived at the study shortly after walking, and Phil Gray inwardly praised it.
As expected of the Pope's study, it is incredibly luxurious, with an endless collection of books. It is more like a library than a study.
He walked to the most prominent table in the center, where an open, thick book lay, presumably the one the original owner had been reading.
He picked it up gently; the title read "The Encyclopedia of the World".
This seems to be exactly what I need?
If it wasn't the original owner who read it, was it Wilder who placed it here, or is it truly an arrangement of fate?
Phil Gray was filled with doubts, but he put them aside for the moment and went to the bookshelves. The first few shelves contained the history of the Church of Destiny and poems praising the God of Destiny. He picked up a book called "A Brief History of the Church of Destiny".
Further on, there are introductions to other religions. At a glance, it seems that there are many religions in the world, at least a dozen.
He thought for a moment and picked up a copy of "A Survey of World Religions in Welsh".
After about half an hour, he selected four or five books that looked helpful from the bookshelf behind him. Although there were few books, each one was very thick. He said to the two servants who were still guarding the door, "Thank you for your hard work. Please help me carry them to my bedchamber."
On his way back, Phil Gray saw one of the bishops from the day of the Pentecost ceremony walking toward him.
"Your Holiness, according to the Knight Commander's investigation, the one who poisoned you that day was a boy, but he has already escaped. It seems that the Plague God's followers are helping him. Those despicable followers of the Plague God are involved in plotting to harm you," the bishop said angrily.
Phil Gray nodded; he had already learned the general situation from Wilder when he first woke up.
It seems he wasn't lying to himself.
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