A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

There were many more funerals across Kyiv.

The workload of Christian pastors has increased by 30% compared to the past.

But Thomas knew that the root of this was simply the Grand Duke's doubts about his paternity.

In this era, the desires of the upper class must be paid for by the lower class.

There is a famous saying in the Middle Ages: When rich people quarrel, the poor people's houses will catch fire.

If one wants to break free from this restriction and be free and safe, one must either climb up and become the king of a country or at least the master of a place.

Or he could refine his martial arts and elevate himself to the level of protecting the country.

The protection of the country is almost unlimited because it can only be bought, not forced.

What will be the consequences if you push someone into a corner...The battle to hunt down the little prince is the best example.

Chapter 96 Post-War 2

The next day, the order to disband came from above.

Obviously, the main goal has been achieved, and the Grand Duke no longer wants to continue to fight with a national protector.

As expected, Thomas was recognized for his meritorious service and rewarded with a sum of money. Even the several commanders of the branch in Kiev met with him one by one and gave him some encouragement.

This was a great honor for the Knight Commander, and it wasn't often that a branch leader agreed with this.

But that's all.

Thomas did not receive any extraordinary rewards.

Of course, this is what Thomas needs.

He estimated that although the noose of fate was around his neck, one of the strands had now been broken by him.

Whether he would be hung up next depended on whether his neck was strong enough.

Thomas led his team back to the base, found an excuse to leave and went to meet Gandalf.

Gandalf was still the same, and no one knew what he was studying.

As before, Gandalf came out from the hut while Thomas was still a long way away, obviously having noticed Thomas's arrival.

"What's up, Aragorn..." He noticed the small water bag in Thomas's hand and came over in two steps.

However, Thomas did not give it to him directly, but avoided it.

"This is... the blood of the Lord? You really did it?! Haha... haha..." Gandalf didn't take it as an offense, because since the other party had brought it here, it was negotiable. In other words, everything was just a matter of price.

"This time I met a protector of the nation," Thomas said solemnly. "Her power is terrifying."

"Indeed," Gandalf agreed. "The difference between the Protectorate and the Elite is more than a simple one. There's a world of difference between them."

"I've discovered something: even if I master the Steel Soul Technique to its highest level, it's still impossible to fight her head-on," Thomas said. "I want to know how to fight the Guardian."

"That's difficult, even unrealistic," Gandalf pondered. "But if you can master the art of Steel Soul to the point of protecting your kingdom, it will be easy."

"All secret arts should only be practiced up to the elite high level, right?" Can the Steel Soul Secret Art be practiced to that level?

"Yes, because there is no reliable way to become Protector of the Realm," said Gandalf. "At least, not in this era."

"Ever?"

"Yes, in the old days, when the gods walked the earth," said Gandalf.

This time, he didn't dare to say a word about "everything has a price, and knowledge is the greatest luxury."

"I almost died for this noble blood," Thomas said.

Gandalf smiled and waited patiently for the other party to propose conditions.

"Master, I respect you very much because your knowledge and skills have been of great help to me," Thomas said. "So this time, I don't want to take any money from you."

This time, the corners of Gandalf's mouth twitched noticeably.

I can't even maintain a smile.

Because the old magician knows one truth very well: free things are the most expensive.

But he also knew very well that this noble blood would be lost forever if he missed it.

This is no ordinary stuff, but the richest and most distinguished blood in the entire world. This is the result of magical prophecy and is absolutely credible.

In other words, for at least the past ten or twenty years, it was Nanbowan.

Everyone knows the world champion, but who remembers the names of the runner-up and third place winners? Even if the champion only won by a tiny margin?

"What do you want, then?" asked Gandalf.

"I want to learn from you," Thomas said.

The implication is obvious: it is teaching, not transaction. And as we all know, teaching is free.

Everything has a price, and knowledge is the greatest luxury. But no matter how luxurious it is, you can no longer charge me for it.

Gandalf let out a long breath.

"While I'm still in Kiev, yes," he finally replied, then took the bag of blood from Thomas. "Have you made any progress in your Steel Soul Technique?"

"Well, yes," Thomas replied.

After returning, he had already decided to improve himself. After all, he already had fifty or sixty groups of divine power, which needed to be converted into combat power.

This time, he clearly understood how far he was from becoming a truly strong person.

If you want to control your destiny, power is truly indispensable.

"I sense that your mental strength is already remarkable," Gandalf said. "You seem to have been born for the art of Steel Soul. A normal person, even one with exceptional talent, would need at least ten years to reach your level of skill."

And is there a year between Thomas's head and tail?

"Master Gandalf," Thomas didn't continue the conversation, but instead switched to a more practical topic. "You know, Kiev Perun... perhaps some other god's followers seem to be planning a large-scale sacrifice."

"I have heard of it," said Gandalf. "It was Perun, not some other god."

"Is there anything special about this sacrifice?" Thomas asked.

"Ah, this isn't just any ordinary sacrifice, but... well, there's a certain chance of divine grace," Gandalf said. "As for what divine grace it is, that depends on how the sacrificer sets it up."

"Divine grace?"

"Of all the existing gods, Perun is probably the only one who still regularly responds to sacrifices," Gandalf said. "Based on this, I infer that among the native gods of Ross... Perun at least still retains some rationality."

"Well, Master Gandalf, since the gods once walked on the earth, why did they become embedded in the fundamental forces or laws of the world beneath the surface of the universe? Why can't they return to this material world?"

"Well..." Gandalf hesitated. He might have wanted to take the money again, but he still held the water bag of the famous blood in his hand. "Even I don't know the truth about this question. I can only give a few guesses."

"The first possibility is that some kind of change in the world has forced the gods to do this. At least, the strongest among them have been forced to do so. The second possibility is that the gods' lifespans also have a limit. In other words, everything, even those we think are eternal and unchanging, including mountains, oceans, and rivers, actually has a lifespan. It's just that it's so long that we can't perceive it. The gods can live for thousands or tens of thousands of years, but there is ultimately an end. At the end of their lifespan, they will be like this."

"The third possibility is Christ, or God, or Jehovah, or some other name. There is a supreme being who can command all gods and gave the order to do this."

"That's probably it," the old magician said. "These are just conjectures. Some areas are difficult for humans to enter, so it's hard to confirm."

"Another thing." Thomas took out the thing he had found next to Polei's body. "What is this?"

"This one," Gandalf recognized it immediately. "This is called a Faravahar, one of the important symbols of Zoroastrianism. But this Faravahar is a bit unique. Normal Faravahars are not like this. It could be a unique token of a certain branch of Zoroastrianism, or it could be a half-finished product."

Zoroastrianism? Thomas was shocked. So he wasn't a Christian?

Wait, according to Gandalf, the Rotten Nightmare should be a priest. That's why killing him can gain divine power.

So, Polei is also a priest?

And he's a Zoroastrian priest?

"By the way, Master, I have another question," Thomas asked. "What if I do too much divination and the divine power backfires?"

"There's no good solution." Gandalf pondered for a moment. "I can only say that there's a rule of thumb: the more you run away, the faster you die. Facing it bravely is your only chance. But a wise man wouldn't let himself fall into this situation, would he?"

Chapter 97 Sacrifice

When Thomas returned to the base, he found Janos.

Janos was a local, and came from a relatively large family (though certainly not aristocracy), with many relatives and friends. Some of these relatives and friends lived in the city, but many were residents of rural areas or towns outside the city.

As we all know, rural Russia is still dominated by followers of Perun and Veles (one of the main gods of Slavic polytheism and Perun's mortal enemy). So Janos must have some non-Christian relatives and friends.

For no other reason than to find out the time and place of the sacrificial activity.

This was not a secret sacrifice, but a public ceremony. This also meant that many believers would participate. This also meant that this matter could not be a secret.

There will be an astonishing number of pagans from all over the country and all over the country participating in this event.

Thousands, or tens of thousands of people. So it shouldn't be difficult to find out about this matter.

In fact, this matter was completely public. The pagans were not afraid of the princes or the Christians finding out. Now that the different faiths had reached a temporary peace, Christianity could not intervene, otherwise it would cause a civil war.

Thomas remembered that it took hundreds of years to spread Christianity to rural areas in his previous life. This time, it would take even longer.

Because there really is a God!

After Janos left, Thomas locked himself in the room.

Apply a thick layer of potion to every part of your body that can be applied.

Now two or three florins are small money to him, and he basically doesn't care about the consumption.

Then, as before, infuse divine power into the body.

Divine power poured into his mind, and inexplicably, a wave of cultivation memories flooded into his mind. It was the memory of his painstaking day and night practice of the Steel Soul Technique.

As the practice continued, the next bottleneck was finally broken.

The spiritual field released by oneself becomes stronger, larger in range, and more condensed.

The "air mass" in the chest also becomes fuller.

I had originally expected this breakthrough to require thirty-five groups of divine power, but in reality, it was slightly more than expected. A total of thirty-eight groups of divine power were consumed.

Most of the divine power that was originally densely surrounding the damaged godhead was consumed in an instant.

Thomas clearly felt the changes in the spiritual field. He was no longer just touching tangible objects, but could also feel the flow of air.

According to the contents of the Book of Steel Soul, this can give you blind sense.

Even the invisibility effect created by magic can be easily exposed by air flow.

Unfortunately, this Steel Soul Secret Art is truly a painstaking process. Each breakthrough in a bottleneck allows for greater strength, but there's no fundamental leap forward. This is the art's limitation.

Thomas sighed, took a bath, and went out.

Janos was very quick and it didn't take him long to get the news.

And he wrote a report in a serious manner.

"Tomorrow night?" Thomas looked at the report. "It includes a sermon, a bonfire barbecue, and a sacrifice ceremony."

The Slavic gods accepted blood sacrifices. According to a statement from Thomas's past life, this was "killing people to sacrifice to the devil."

But generally speaking, this public ceremony does not kill people, only animals.

Killing animals is not a big deal. To be frank, God actually accepts burnt offerings.

The Bible clearly states that God likes lambs as sacrifices.

It was a very ordinary, public sacrificial activity, but the Wolf Lord issued it as a special mission and required details.

Even if this could be a sacrifice with divine grace, it wouldn't be worth the effort. After all, Gandalf had said that Perron still retained some sanity, which meant there were plenty of opportunities for such sacrifices.

Some...special reason?

Thomas couldn't figure it out.

Of course, even if he couldn't figure it out, he had to act. In the wolf's den, he had no subordinates, so he had to go alone.

The next afternoon, he made an excuse and went out.

I put on makeup on the outskirts of the city.

Thanks to the practice he had done whenever he had time during this period, Thomas found that his makeup skills had improved significantly.

When I didn’t understand much before, I had to resort to such low-brow methods as “painting my face black”, but now I don’t need to do that at all.

Before it was washed off, even his subordinates would probably have difficulty recognizing Thomas at first glance.