When Phil Gray opened his eyes, it was already noon. He stretched and was about to push open the door when he heard an old woman outside talking to someone.
I could vaguely hear them talking about the words "papal court" and "pope".
Phil Gray was startled.
Before he could listen carefully, the other person took his leave.
Phil Gray frowned and could only walk out of the inner room.
The old woman looked at him and asked with a smile, "You're up? Barry went to work this morning, he'll bring back some food in a little while."
Phil Gray smiled, sat down on the tattered stool, and asked casually, "Thank you. By the way, I just heard you discussing the Vatican. What's up?"
“I have difficulty walking. It was my neighbor who told me. She said that early this morning, the Vatican posted a notice in the square saying that the Pope was attacked by his knight. His knight seems to be an undercover agent sent by the Church of the Dead. The Pope is now missing.”
"What? The Pope has disappeared?" Phil Gray asked, feigning surprise.
"She said the streets were full of people looking for the Pope, from the Vatican, from the city lord's mansion, it was a mess." The old woman put down the clothes she was mending.
"Why are we coming to Kao City to look for him? Isn't the Pope in North City?" Phil Gray asked, puzzled.
"Maybe other cities are also looking, we don't know either."
Phil Gray frowned. Those two traitors had actually framed Wilder and even used the power of the Vatican to pretend to be looking for him.
If they find us, we're sure to suffer a terrible fate.
His own features were too distinctive; since he came into this world, he had never seen anyone with long gray hair like him.
He pursed his lips, lost in thought, unsure of what to do.
But then I heard the old woman's voice.
"By the way, do you see if there's any hair dye I left in that cabinet over there? Last time, Barry insisted that I dye my gray hair because he was worried I was getting old. You're so young, how come you have a head full of gray hair? Blonde hair makes you look younger."
"I'm gray, not white," Phil Gray was about to retort when his heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the old woman.
She was still smiling kindly, but her eyes were full of wisdom.
With a sigh, Phil Gray said helplessly, "Do you know who I am?"
She nodded, a nostalgic look on her face. "When I was young, I was also a devout believer in the God of Fate. About five days before each Divine Descent Festival, Barry's father and I would ride our little pony to North City."
I've attended many celebrations and seen many nobles there, so I know that the Grey family's distinguishing feature is their grey hair.
“That’s true, I’m too easy to recognize,” Phil Gray said helplessly.
He then added, "But you must not reveal my whereabouts. They are not looking for me to save me, but to kill me."
"I know."
“You know?” Phil Gray asked in surprise.
“Yes, if you trusted them, you should have gone to them immediately when you heard they were looking for you. But you’re still hiding. Considering what you said yesterday about your family’s wealth being embezzled, I guessed you meant someone had taken control of the Vatican and wanted to kill you, forcing you to go into hiding,” the old woman explained slowly.
"Wise people are truly among the people," Phil Gray exclaimed. "You're so smart!"
"So you've decided to help me?"
Phil Gray took the bottle of gold hair dye out of the cabinet.
“Yes, helping you hide it might be very risky, but I’m old, and Barry only has the mental capacity of a seven or eight-year-old child. I’m afraid that after I die, he won’t be able to live on his own.” The old woman sighed.
She looked at Phil Gray expectantly, "I only hope that when you return to the position of Pope, you can take good care of my son and let him live a carefree life."
“Thank you! I promise, if I survive and eliminate those traitors, I will give you and Barry a lot of money and send people to take care of you,” Phil Gray said firmly.
"Alright, alright, when Barry comes back in a bit, I'll have him dye your hair. Luckily, I didn't dye much last time, so I still have a big bottle left, which should be enough for you," the old woman said with a smile.
"Uh-huh."
"Don't worry too much. Kao City is too far from Nors City. Few people here attend the Divine Descent Ceremony, and no one can remember what the current Pope looks like."
"That's good."
A short while later, Barry returned with a paper package containing several cookies.
The old woman first handed one to Phil Gray, saying, "Barry isn't very bright and can only do manual labor. He farms some fields outside the city for the lord. The foreman who farms the fields knows our family's situation and asks him to bring back more lunches on weekdays."
"Oh, I see." Phil Gray took the pancake. His last meal was yesterday at noon, and he was starving.
"Barry, could you help Kane dye his hair later?"
"Huh? Why?" Barry asked, puzzled.
"Because I owe a lot of money to people, I'm afraid they'll recognize me, so I'm hiding it. Don't tell anyone, okay?" Phil Gray said, still a little worried.
"Okay, I'll dye it for you, but you must pay them back as soon as you have the money."
"Okay, okay."
After cutting his hair short and dyeing it blonde, he burned his clothes and buried his crown. Phil Gray breathed a sigh of relief.
Touching the gold dye on his hands, he realized he really did look somewhat like Kane now.
He looked at the azure sky.
Suddenly it occurred to me that perhaps I could just leave?
He left the diocese of the Church of Destiny directly, without becoming a pope.
Because Wilder, the only one who might know that he was not the original owner, should also be dead.
If he goes somewhere where nobody knows Phil Gray, he won't have to pretend to be the original owner of the body and can live his life as he pleases.
Becoming pope was not his choice in the first place.
Phil Gray stood there, stunned.
His eyes involuntarily drifted to the blue gemstone bracelet on his wrist. If he simply left, wouldn't Wilder's death have been in vain? Thinking of the tragic scene when Wilder saw him off, shouldn't he avenge him?
He clenched his fists, knowing that escaping alone might not be safe. If other members of the Vatican knew the original owner or were also colluding with the two traitors to search for him, he would be in constant danger.
However, hiding here always carries the risk of being discovered, so he should try to contact the Gray family.
The Gray family is in North City, and he is in Kao City. How can they contact each other?
The church members and knights here are also untrustworthy; it's unknown whether they have sided with those two traitors.
He thought about it and went into the house. He looked at the old woman on the bed who was sewing clothes and talking to Barry, and told her about his troubles.
“Kao City is the border of the Church of Destiny’s parish. The Gray family rarely comes here. It would be difficult to contact them without being discovered by the Church.” The old woman shook her head.
Phil Gray looked disappointed.
"Grey? Are you looking for young master Grey? We can go see him in a few days when Edith gets married!" Barry suddenly clapped his hands and shouted.
"What?"
"What?"
Phil Gray and the old woman both looked at Barry.
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