Chapter 288: Holy Clergy Members from All Over (Part 2)
"Respected Archbishop Ortega, I have never participated in a selection before, and I don't know much about the rules. I'm afraid I will disappoint your expectations."
Before anyone else could speak, William proactively declined.
"Sister Mason's abilities are obvious to everyone at St. Peter's. She is much more suitable than I am."
The members of the Mason family were slightly surprised upon hearing this.
"This kid at least has some self-awareness," Tal Mason snorted softly, thinking inwardly.
Wood Mason, on the other hand, looked William up and down several times, his gaze full of appreciation.
Bettis, however, secretly rolled her eyes upon hearing this.
"This guy... is way too cautious," she thought.
"This guy... actually refused." Matthew also scratched his beard.
Ahem... He cleared his throat.
"This matter is a joint decision between Jolan and me. It has already been reported to the Holy See, and the list of team leaders will be publicly announced before the selection begins."
"If you refuse, the Holy See will have to list your name separately, and everyone will see it then."
The corner of William's mouth twitched: "These two old geezers..."
He could only bow slightly: "Since that's the case, then everything will follow the orders of the two Archbishops."
Matthew suppressed the rising corners of his mouth and nodded with a straight face.
"Jolan wasn't wrong. This kid is exactly afraid of this kind of trick," he thought inwardly, and then looked at the Mason family again.
"You have no objections, right?"
Wood immediately took a step forward and bowed slightly: "It is the Mason family's honor for Bettis to be selected for this team."
He turned to William again: "For this priest to be valued by two Archbishops, his abilities must be extraordinary. With you leading the team, I won't have to worry about Bettis."
"Father!" Tal beside him said anxiously.
Wood turned his head and glared fiercely at his son, and the latter could only shut his mouth.
Matthew acted as if he didn't see this scene: "Then this matter is settled."
He took two plane tickets and a badge out of his pocket.
"Your team will have four people in total this time. The remaining two are already in the Holy Land. You can meet up with them using this badge."
William reached out and took it.
He saw that the destination on the plane tickets was Ben Gurion International Airport, located in the Middle East, and the departure time was tonight.
Printed on the badge was a Western-style golden shield, with six spheres floating on its surface.
"Regarding the task details of this selection, the Holy See will inform everyone uniformly before it starts, so I won't say much more," Matthew added.
"There is still some time before takeoff. If you have any other business, hurry up and finish dealing with it."
William immediately bid farewell to the people present.
He didn't know what kind of danger he would encounter this time, so he had to bring all the trump cards he could.
Seeing the wine bottle hit bottom, Matthew also left quickly, leaving only the Mason family in the hall.
"Father, I also have some things I need to prepare," Bettis said.
Wood nodded.
After Bettis left, Tal finally had the chance to ask his inner doubts: "Father, why did you hand over the team leader position to someone else!"
"This is a great opportunity to showcase the Mason family's leadership."
Wood shook his head slightly: "With two Archbishops vouching for that person, do you think we still have a chance to refuse?"
"Moreover, most of the people participating in the Priest Order selection have good backgrounds. For this person to be selected purely on his own merits is enough to prove his specialness."
"And after hearing the news of being appointed team leader, his first reaction was to decline. This further shows that this person is very cautious."
Wood looked at his son as he spoke.
"Such a young priest, do you still think he is not qualified for the job?"
"But... this..."
"You should learn more from others. If you were half as smart as Father William, our Mason family wouldn't have to rely solely on your sister."
Hearing this, Tal clenched his fists: "I... I understand, Father."
"Sigh, it's not that Father is forcing you." Wood patted him.
"The path climbing to the upper echelons of the Church is full of thorns. A slight misstep and you'll be eaten clean. You have to face these things sooner or later."
The next morning.
Middle East, Ben Gurion International Airport.
William and Bettis walked out of the terminal wearing their Holy Clergy robes.
The warm sunlight was slightly glaring, and the air was mixed with the dampness of the night.
The airport was more than 50 kilometers away from the Holy Land, but there were already many pedestrians wearing religious robes around, so the two were inconspicuous in the crowd.
Over an hour later, they took a car and arrived near the urban area. This belonged to the New City of Jerusalem, where modern high-rises and roads could be seen everywhere.
But after traveling a certain distance, the landscape before their eyes suddenly changed.
In front of them were rolling hills with relatively flat terrain.
Dense, low-rise buildings were built along the hillsides; at a glance, everything was earth-yellow brick walls.
Further away, a golden-domed building could be seen, which was exactly the famous temple of the Holy Land.
This area was the center of all Jerusalem.
For thousands of years, countless stories of war and blood had been written here, and they haven't stopped even to this day.
Three circles of golden patterns surfaced in William's eyes.
He looked around, only to see a massive magic array enveloping the entire Old City, radiating very powerful Holy Power fluctuations.
Buzz~
The two gently passed through the barrier of the magic array.
William merely felt a wave of Holy Power circulating through his whole body, which quickly returned to the magic array.
It seems this is the Church's detection method for passing pedestrians.
Bettis beside him had no reaction whatsoever, and the people around also looked normal.
It seems this detection method is highly sophisticated.
The roads in the Old City were paved with yellow stone bricks, and because the houses were dense, the distance between alleys was very narrow, so pedestrians on the road were very close to each other.
Outside many shops hung silver cross badges bearing the Church's logo.
Some intersections also had red-and-white patterned banners floating about; these were flags unique to the Holy See of the Holy Land.
William unobtrusively observed his surroundings.
Besides ordinary people here to travel, they also encountered quite a few Holy Clergy Members.
A portion of these people kept their heads slightly lowered.
Their strides were very small, and every step and pause was highly rhythmic, as if they had been uniformly trained.
Besides them, there were Holy Clergy Members just like William and Bettis.
They had various skin colors. Although they wore similar Holy Clergy robes, the small decorations on their garments highlighted that they came from different regions.
William could feel the pure Holy Power surging within these people.
Moreover, most of them were not weak; some even deliberately suppressed their leaking Holy Power.
These Holy Clergy Members mostly gathered in groups of three to five.
They discussed things amongst themselves while remaining highly vigilant of the others around them.
William guessed that these people were also here to participate in the Holy See's Priest Order selection.
He took out that badge from his pocket.
Previously on the plane, he had already learned from Bettis that this item came from a certain family—the Medici.
The Medici family was one of the few famous ancient families within the Church, holding the title of the "Witness Clan."
They started in the banking industry and successfully stepped onto the Church's political stage through rebuilding churches, "art patronage," and marriages, among many other means.
For thousands of years, the shadows of this family lay behind many major events.
And the Medici were also referred to by everyone as "The Church's Purse."
William was quite surprised when he heard this.
Why would such a noble family assign members to join their team?
"Could this also be a deliberate arrangement by the two Archbishops?"
Carrying this doubt, the two arrived in front of a spice cafe.
This place was remote, and the surroundings were mostly pedestrians here for tourism.
William pushed open the wooden door and walked in, and Bettis quickly followed.
At the same time, in an alleyway not far from the cafe.
Two figures were walking within it. They wore white robes, concealing their entire bodies.
"Hugh, why did you set the meeting place in such a remote location?" a woman's voice asked.
"Aren't there places to sit around the Dome Temple? It would also be closer to where we're staying."
The man called Hugh, walking at the very front, frowned upon hearing this.
"Idiot, that's the central area of the Holy Land. Just walking on the street, you could bump into several people from the ancient families."
He pulled the scarf covering his face up a bit higher.
"If people see members of the Medici family mingling with local Holy Clergy Members, what would they think!"
Hearing this, the woman behind suddenly stopped in place.
"What's wrong with you?" Hugh asked.
He saw the woman yank off her scarf, revealing a beautiful face.
She was actually the nun from the Vatican who had once crossed paths with William, Caroline Medici.
During the Anniversary incident, the former had been commissioned by Archbishop Jolan to seek assistance from William.
"Phew..." Caroline took a deep breath.
"It's so hot, I'm suffocating."
"Idiot, quickly cover your face!" Hugh hurriedly reached for the scarf.
But the former dodged sideways.
"David, Zadok, Saul, Isaac..." Caroline counted on her fingers, pondering, "These noble big shots are so busy, where would they find the time to stroll the streets."
Then her eyes lit up.
"I know! You're hiding from Falco and the others!"
Caroline acted as if she had discovered a secret, circling around Hugh with her hands behind her back.
"This time, he is representing the family to participate in the Priest Order selection. I heard Falco will directly enter the team of one of those major families."
"You guys grew up playing together, always competing over everything. You're definitely afraid he'll see you."
As soon as her voice fell, Hugh's face instantly turned extremely ugly.
"Shut your mouth!" His chest heaved violently.
"Why haven't you changed this reckless bad habit of yours! Do you even respect me as your elder brother!"
Knowing she misspoke again, Caroline hurriedly covered her mouth.
Then she took small steps to Hugh's side, tugging at his arm and shaking it gently: "Don't be mad~"
Hugh opened his mouth, but ultimately it only turned into a sigh.
"Sigh..."
He shook his head: "Do you think I'm the only one losing face in this matter? Mother will also have to endure others' dirty looks!"
Mentioning their mother, Caroline obediently lowered her head.
"Equally an heir to the Medici family, yet I, the eldest son, am not valued, and instead am gradually distancing from the family's center of power... Do you know what this means?"
Hugh stared intently at Caroline.
"It means that everything Father once left behind will become that guy Falco's private property!"
"For this Priest Order selection, those major families will all participate. Even the lord bearing the 'David' surname will make an appearance. He is currently recognized as the person most likely to become the Pope."
"The family cannot miss such an opportunity. As long as they can connect with the major families, the Medici can enter the Church's top-tier power hub."
"And Falco is the person they chose!"
Hugh said viciously: "That idiot who hangs around women all day is completely unworthy of such treatment."
"But... it's already been decided within the family that our branch of the bloodline will regain control in the next generation," Caroline whispered.
Hugh sneered: "You actually believe such lies?"
"Whoever possesses strength and resources can sit firmly in the position of the Patriarch. Otherwise, why could Grandfather helm the Medici for a century?"
"But... it seems you have neither," Caroline blinked.
"You!"
She hurriedly covered her head: "I was wrong!"
"In a place like the Holy Land, your bloodline determines how high you can go, and the people you associate with determine how others view you. This is the social circle," Hugh said.
"For me, a dignified heir of the Medici family, to actually have to team up with lower-class Holy Clergy Members is simply a stain!"
"If this is seen by others, what would they think?"
"If those individuals of noble status find out, I will never be able to blend into circles of that caliber again!"
"Let alone take back control of the family!"
Hugh rattled off a long string of words, his emotions quite agitated.
At this time, Caroline weakly raised her hand.
Hugh's blood pressure instantly spiked, but after hesitating for a moment, he still nodded.
"But not only do we have to cooperate with Holy Clergy Members from outside the Vatican..." Caroline pondered.
"Didn't Archbishop Jolan also leave a letter stating that the other party will serve as the leader of the team this time."
As soon as these words came out, Hugh's face visibly flushed red.
"I... I'm not speaking nonsense, this... this is a fact," Caroline also pursed her lips.
Ultimately, Hugh forcibly calmed his emotions.
He was also very depressed inwardly.
Ever since he learned about the Priest Order selection event, he had always been looking forward to it very much.
Although Falco of the family was the main participant in this selection.
But to maximize gains, the Medici also sent out other family members, which could be considered a form of diversified investment.
And Hugh was one of them.
Medici clansmen like them would cooperate with Holy Clergy Members from all over to head to that place together.
Although this somewhat compromised Hugh's status.
But in order to return to the center of the family, he was willing to bear such humiliation!
But what Hugh didn't expect was that the leader of the team wasn't actually him!
What exactly was this guy Jolan thinking!
If it weren't for the fact that the other party held the recommendation qualifications for the selection, Hugh definitely wouldn't have agreed.
Right now, he could only bite the bullet and meet up with the other party.
However, he had already made up his mind. After they met, he would use his status as "Heir of the Medici Family" to make the other party consciously hand over the leadership position.
This way, when returning to the family, he could also use the title of "Team Leader" as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
Not long after, the two arrived in front of a spice cafe.
Hugh looked around.
He saw that the surroundings were all commoners; there were no members of those major families, nor did he see any other Holy Clergy Members possessing supernatural powers.
So he tugged at his scarf again, pushed the door, and walked into the shop.
Caroline followed closely behind, but taking advantage of Hugh not paying attention, she secretly untied her scarf again.
Tap... Tap...
The two climbed the stairs to the second floor.
The space here wasn't large. There was a small balcony facing the Dome Temple directly, and some religious-themed picture frames hung on the walls.
Three tables were placed on the second floor, and only one of them had people sitting beside it.
Hugh and Caroline immediately walked over.
When they got close, the latter suddenly widened her eyes: "It's you!"
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