Chapter 287: Holy Clergy Members from All Over (Part 1)
Dei Seminary, Main Hall.
Sunlight shone through the stained glass, spilling onto the floor in front of the Son of God statue.
Creak~
The main doors of the hall were pushed open, and a few figures walked in.
"Father William, we just searched here an hour ago."
"Ah, I know. You said the wine cellar was burglarized last night, right."
"Uh... yes."
"And Archbishop Matthew is also missing, right."
"That's right."
"Then there's no problem."
William walked straight to the Son of God statue and drew a cross across his chest.
"Father William, you are..."
"I would like to pray alone for a while."
"O... okay, we will go look elsewhere. If there's any news, I will come inform you."
The main doors of the hall quickly closed.
"Theft is a sin, especially when, after committing the crime, one blatantly shows off under the gaze of the Son of God," William suddenly spoke.
Pfft...
A human voice suddenly came from behind the statue.
Not long after, a white-haired man walked out from behind it.
"Hey kid... your words are too harsh!" Matthew raised his sleeve and wiped his beard.
"I am using Holy Blood to cleanse my soul."
"Then your soul must be really filthy." William looked at the dozen or so empty bottles on the ground.
"You..." Matthew immediately grabbed a wine bottle.
But William didn't move his feet, merely raising a finger to point: "The Son of God is watching."
Ultimately, Matthew could only put the wine bottle down.
"Did you need me for something?" He took another gulp.
William took out that letter.
"Oh, this matter. Why did you only come now for such an important thing."
The corner of William's mouth twitched: "For such an important thing, you still used a letter?"
"You came right on time," Matthew immediately changed his tune.
This sudden shift made even William fail to react for a moment.
"Jolan sent a letter via someone a while ago. The selection for the Priest Order will take place next week, so you have to set off right now."
William thought about it, ultimately holding back the urge to roast this old man.
He spoke: "Uh... where am I going? What do I need to do for the Priest Order selection?"
"Oh! I haven't mentioned that yet!" Matthew smacked his head.
"This selection is not just for North America; Church institutions from all over the world will send people to participate, and the candidates must be from diocese-level churches."
?
William raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "But I am only a parish priest."
"You are a special case. Jolan personally wrote a recommendation letter for you." Matthew waved his hand.
"This is... truly my honor..." The corner of William's mouth twitched.
If others knew about this kind of treatment, it would invisibly create many enemies for him.
"Philadelphia will be represented by St. Peter's Cathedral, sending a total of two Holy Clergy Members."
Seeing William listening intently, Matthew stealthily took another gulp before continuing, "So this time, Sister Bettis will go with you. If I remember correctly, you two should be acquainted?"
"That's right." William tactfully ignored the old man's little action.
During the Philadelphia Anniversary and the Freddy incident, he had dealt with this nun twice.
"Then that's fine. She has looked for me several times these past two days, constantly asking for your whereabouts."
Matthew took a mobile phone out of his pocket as he spoke.
"It seems she is also looking forward to the Priest Order selection very much."
"Since you're back, I'll call her over to discuss the upcoming arrangements together."
"So you actually know how to use a mobile phone..." William roasted inwardly.
A moment later.
"Come with me to St. Peter's. It just so happens the Mason family is here to see Bettis off."
"The Mason family?"
"Bettis's family. They are all devout believers of the Church," Matthew explained.
"They came to me several times wanting to send a few family members with Holy Clergy ranks to follow Bettis, but I refused them all."
He shook his head as he spoke: "This is going to the Holy Land! It's not a tourist trip."
"This kind of clique-forming behavior will only make me lose face in front of the other old fogeys!"
William blinked: "Your behavior of stealing wine and drinking it secretly under the Son of God isn't exactly glorious either..."
"Shut up, you brat!"
Not long after.
St. Peter's Cathedral, Holy Clergy Members' Side Hall.
Bettis Mason was still wearing a clean nun's habit.
Fair skin paired with emerald-like eyes made her a beautiful piece of scenery just by standing there.
At this moment, several people were standing beside her, mostly wearing Holy Clergy robes.
"Have you brought all the holy artifacts prepared by the family?"
"They are all packed in my luggage, Father."
"That's good. Although twenty-year vintage holy artifacts are precious, as long as you can get in touch with the few major families in the Holy Land, the Masons can bear this cost."
"Father..." Bettis frowned. "This isn't home, after all."
Standing opposite her was a middle-aged man who looked very similar to her. He smiled upon hearing this.
"You don't need to worry. I specifically applied to Archbishop Matthew for the use of the conference hall. Today, only people from the Mason family are here."
Bettis opened her mouth, ultimately only able to sigh silently.
"By the way, which family does the person traveling with you this time come from?" Wood Mason asked.
A figure flashed before Bettis's eyes: "He is just an ordinary Holy Clergy Member, but he is extremely outstanding."
Wood wasn't surprised upon hearing this. He knew that the Priest Order assessment would specifically select some individuals with lower-class backgrounds to participate.
"That's fine too. As a leader, it's important to have trustworthy subordinates." He nodded.
"If he is worth investing in, you can take out some high-quality holy artifacts, no need to be frugal."
"But it's best not to exceed a ten-year vintage. At all times, you must be wary of the sinister human heart."
"Father... he... I..." Bettis didn't know how to explain.
"I might not necessarily be the team leader this time."
"Besides you, could it possibly be that commoner guy?" a young man beside them spoke up.
"Tal, watch your words." Wood frowned.
"You must pay attention to etiquette at all times. This is very important in the Church. There will always be people with a more revered status than us. You need to learn this from your sister."
Tal Mason curled his lips: "Understood."
"I heard that most of the teams participating in the selection this time have three or more people. Perhaps Archbishop Matthew has other arrangements," Wood said.
"That means there are still spots! Then why did the Archbishop reject Father's request?" Tal still couldn't help but speak up.
"Could it be that other families gave..."
"Shut up!" Wood scolded.
"What is your status, daring to be disrespectful to the Archbishop? Have you forgotten everything I taught you before?"
"I... I..."
Bettis also tried to smooth things over: "Father, Tal is just worried about me."
Wood took a deep breath: "You can go out now. You have already seen your sister today."
"Take him to the church prayer hall. Before dinner, he must recite the Gospel of Luke five times."
"Yes, Father Mason." The several people had a humble attitude, clearly having a deep relationship with the Mason family.
Tal opened his mouth, ultimately lowering his head and turning around.
Creak~
At this time, the doors to the side hall were pushed open. Tal wrinkled his nose, smelling a strong scent of alcohol.
Immediately after, he saw two people walk in.
"Bettis, this kid is back." Archbishop Matthew walked straight to the people of the Mason family.
"Since you are all here, let me make an introduction."
He gestured behind him as he spoke.
William immediately stepped forward.
"This is Father William, who will also participate in the Priest Order selection this time."
The former drew a cross on his chest.
Wood and the others also immediately returned the salute.
"Oh! Right!" Matthew said, taking another swig of wine.
"This time, the leader of the Philadelphia team is Father William. Bettis, you must cooperate with him well."
As soon as his voice fell, the expressions in the eyes of the Mason family members all changed.
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