We have arrived at Gilga, the capital city of the Church of the Dead.
This city stands majestically on the boundless northern wilderness of the Eastern Continent. The snow-covered walls, hundreds of meters high, adorn the city walls, and the distinct black and white colors reveal the city's unique majesty and coldness.
A huge skull hangs high on the city wall. This skull seems to be alive, moving from side to side from time to time, watching the crowds coming and going through the city gate.
Two squads of undead knights guarded the left and right gates respectively. The horses they rode were not ordinary skeleton horses, but warhorses covered in black armor and with bone spikes on their limbs.
The train stopped at the city gate, and the passengers disembarked and entered the city.
After a brief inspection, it was determined that there were no other believers among them who had come to cause trouble, so they were allowed to pass.
"These city walls are truly magnificent, comparable to those of the Church of Dawn," Phil Gray remarked. He wondered when the Church of Destiny's city of North would be renovated, so that it wouldn't be so easily captured by the enemy.
“It’s probably thousands of years old. I remember the church was reinforced every ten years, so it still looks very new. Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve been back here, but everything here seems to be exactly the same.” Eli felt a little unreal. He found that the things in his memory were still in the same place, unchanged for decades.
It was as if I had never left.
"Sometimes time doesn't leave its mark so easily."
"Yes, none of these things have changed, but I've grown up, and my sister has changed too. I can't touch her face and the top of her soft hair anymore."
Eli crossed his arms and hugged himself, as if embracing his sister in his soul.
He still remembered sitting on the high city wall with his sister when they were little, their legs dangling in the air, swaying in the breeze, when the huge skull scolded them, telling them not to court death, that the god of death wouldn't want such stupid children to die.
Looking up, the skull was still staring listlessly at the city gate, but it no longer recognized its own appearance.
Phil Gray comforted him, "Everything's all right now, isn't it? Once things are mostly settled with Will, I'll go to the Abyss with you and truly bring your sister back to your side."
"Thank you, boss! Sigh, I'm so sorry to have kept you in the way. Let's hurry to the selection venue; it should be starting soon." Eli silently said goodbye to the giant skull, composed himself with the sadness that came over him from returning to his hometown, and led his boss along the familiar streets toward the cathedral in the city center.
The cathedral at the headquarters of the Church of the Dead is also exceptionally grand.
A colossal statue of the god of death stands on the left, its indifferent gaze surveying everything.
To the right is a black church that soars into the sky, its pointed top made up of tens of thousands of broken bones and remains.
There were so many believers who came to watch the selection that as far as the eye could see, there were pale-faced people dressed in black robes. The crowd blocked the road, leaving Phil Gray and Eli unable to move forward or backward.
"Oh my god, how are we going to get across?" Eli pushed aside the unknown person crowding around him, trying to make room for his boss.
However, the power of the crowds sometimes leaves even divinely inspired followers helpless.
“It seems the selection process has begun.” Phil Gray stared at the cathedral. He saw the bustling crowd at the cathedral entrance quiet down, followed by a clear chime of a bell and the faint sound of oaths coming from inside the cathedral.
"Oh dear, no, please make way, please make way!"
Eli was getting impatient. He led the way, pushing and shoving his way through many people, earning him cold and angry stares from the believers.
Phil Gray awkwardly covered his face with his black robe, no longer maintaining his composure, and followed Eli, struggling to make way for him.
After finally arriving at the church entrance, they ignored the pastor's attempts to stop them and managed to gain the right to "watch from inside" based on their own merit.
"That's the Grand Elder!"
At that moment, Sid was holding a black leather book and reading out the selection rules in the center of the church.
Standing beside him were two men and a woman. The woman wore a black headband, a tight-fitting long dress, and had glamorous makeup, exuding elegance and authority.
The other two men appeared to be around forty years old, both dressed in bishop's robes, with solemn faces and equally imposing presence.
"Are those the current Holy Sons of the Church of the Dead beside him?" Phil Gray asked.
“It looks right, but I only remember what those two looked like when they were young. They look much older now. The Holy Maiden hasn’t changed, but I heard she’s married and has a two-year-old child. Hmm, isn’t there another young one?” Eli said softly.
"I don't know, it seems like it's about to begin." With Phil Gray's words, the Grand Elder put away the book in his hand and handed it to the servant beside him.
"Next, I will introduce our papal candidates one by one. First is Rodney Warren, the 43-year-old bishop of the Ash District. He has served as the bishop of the district for nearly ten years. He was formerly the commander of the undead legion of Gossane City. He is the only son of the current patriarch of the Warren family. He has made outstanding contributions to the Holy See. He is currently at the level of divine revelation, but he has heard the prophecy of divine demotion and is about to be promoted to the level of divine demotion."
The archbishop stepped forward, smiling as he pulled one of the holy sons beside the Grand Elder to his side. “I believe the believers in the Ash District are already quite familiar with him. After all, the gifts they’ve given him are almost filling a warehouse, including but not limited to coffins and tombstones.”
"Bishop Rodney!"
"Go, Bishop!"
Some believers have already cheered.
Phil Gray felt a long-lost sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to some kind of competition venue on Earth in his previous life.
"Thank you all for your support." Rodney nodded slightly. His voice was cold, his eyebrows were high and slightly raised, making him seem unapproachable. However, he seemed quite popular with the believers. Or were these just shills he had hired?
Then Elder Sid introduced another Holy Son: "This is Holy Son Marshall Wollaston. Holy Son Marshall is the Bishop of the District of Eternal Rest. You should all have attended the events he presided over at the Tower of Mourning."
As soon as Sid finished speaking, the archbishop added:
"Many female believers have confessed their love to him before, but unfortunately our Holy Prince only wishes to serve the gods for life and has no intention of getting married."
A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.
“He has served as the bishop of the district for nearly ten years. Before that, he served as the bishop of Gothama, the city where the death rate is breaking records every year. It seems that the god of death approves of his achievements!” The archbishop patted Marshall’s son on the shoulder.
Phil Gray couldn't help but laugh. Although it was indeed a compliment to the Church of the Dead, it sounded incredibly sarcastic to him.
“Son Marshall is the Wollaston family’s designated next heir. He is 44 years old. If he becomes our pope, he will have to hand over the position of patriarch to his younger brother. However, I believe Bishop Marshall would be happy to do so.” The archbishop continued humorously, which drew laughter from the believers.
The solemn and silent church was instantly given a touch of liveliness.
This archbishop seemed out of place in this cold and rigid church of the dead.
Phil Gray developed a favorable impression of the archbishop.
Elder Sid gestured for the archbishop to be quiet, then continued to introduce the saintess beside him: "This is Her Highness Saintess Jaslin Grote. Her strength is also at the Divine Prophecy level, but because of her uniqueness, she is favored by the gods. She is only 27 years old at the moment. She is a combination of human and undead. Her mother was once the vice-commander of the Legion of the Dead, a true undead creature. Therefore, her understanding of death is better than that of any of us believers. Her husband is also currently a member of the Legion of the Dead."
"Your Highness!"
"Support Her Highness!"
The believers' voices were significantly more enthusiastic than those of the previous two.
"Alright, these are our candidates." After Sid finished introducing them, he had the three Holy Sons return to their original positions.
"And what about the other holy son?"
"Yes, where is Holy Son Yilai Zhe?"
Someone in the crowd asked a question.
“He didn’t come. According to the selection rules, it’s considered that he has automatically given up the selection.” Elder Sid shook his head, his tone tinged with anger. That kid didn’t even come for such an important matter.
As expected, it's unreliable.
"Wait, you've overlooked two candidates."
Just as everyone was surprised and silent, a voice suddenly came from the crowd.
Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice, only to find that it was not the absent Holy Son Yilai who was speaking, but two unfamiliar young men.
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