A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Of course, those who know the truth will secretly sneer behind the scenes.

This is not how great Thomas is.

It’s because the Pope is biased!

The two most valuable treasures of the Roman Catholic Church were handed over to Thomas.

After the messenger finished reading the victory report, although the Pope remained calm, the church leaders around him all looked disdainful.

This kind of thing is also reported as victory?

Damn, of course it’s easy to lead a whole team of giant golems to wipe out the remaining Star-Moon Cult forces!

That's a golem!

It is a giant golem with a huge body, said to be as tall as two or three stories.

The endurance to go without food, water or rest, the speed to run faster than a human (though probably not as fast as a horse), the defense that is completely fearless of bows and arrows, bullets, swords and halberds, and the attack power to kill several or even more than ten people with a single blow.

A single one could easily defeat hundreds of troops, let alone an entire army.

Last time, Thomas relied on this team of golems to capture Smyrna!

Of course, the golem also has its drawbacks, which is that it cannot be repaired.

Even though each attack can only cause minor damage, as the number of battles increases, the damage will accumulate and eventually lead to the destruction of the precious golem.

But that was a long time away. At least a few years away!

But no matter what, an easy victory is still a victory, which can boost the morale of Christians and increase the prestige of the church.

"I understand. Grand Master Thomas has made great military achievements this time. Soon, I will send an envoy to Smyrna to reward the meritorious soldiers of the Knights Templar..." The Pope immediately gave a characterization of the matter.

Send a cardinal over to inspect and boost morale, and of course give him some honorary titles along the way.

It's a reward that comes at no cost.

"Holy Father," someone suggested after the matter was settled. "Master Pierre is waiting outside."

"Let him in." The Pope sighed again.

The door of the reception room opened, and the man outside walked over in two steps, until he came in front of the Pope and knelt on one knee.

"Holy Father! Help us!"

Chapter 152: The Self-Torture Plan 2

The man named Pierre did not look respectable.

His clothes, once made of fine material, were now filthy and smelled of sweat.

He should have had brilliant golden hair, but it looked dirty due to long-term neglect, with strands of hair tangled together. One strand of hair stuck to his forehead, making his not-too-old face look particularly old and miserable.

If you saw him somewhere else, people would probably think he was a poor bankrupt or an old mercenary with nowhere else to go.

In fact, only his cloak, embroidered with a red cross on a white background, indicated his identity as a member of the Knights Templar.

Finally meeting the Pope, Pierre, with a happy and worldly-wise excitement, recounted the situation in the Holy Land and the battles of the Knights against the Stellar and Crescent Moon believers and pagans, jumping from one question to another before he had time to finish.

...Battles...destruction...losses...repairs...reinforcements...Christian territory is constantly being captured, and Christian knights are falling by the sword every day!

The Knights tried their best and used all available methods, but the end result was only to delay the arrival of failure.

Although no large-scale battles broke out, the defensive power of the Holy Land continued to decline in a series of small-scale encounters, sieges, and raids.

After experiencing too many meaningless victories and disastrous defeats, in fact, people of insight have already seen that it is only a matter of time before the Knights are completely defeated and the Holy Land is captured by the Crescent Moon Cult.

Even if a large-scale battle breaks out and the Holy Land wins by chance... it can only delay this trend, not change it.

unless……

The Pope gave new support.

Just like the Knights of Rhodes Island!

The gift of the two divine objects made the already declining Knights of Rhodes suddenly burst out with strong vitality, and won a series of victories, and even recently completely occupied Smyrna!

What the Knights of Rhodes Island can do, it is obvious that the Knights Templar can do more and do it better!

The Grand Master finished his words, then raised his head and looked at the Pope on the throne with eager anticipation.

Even Leo XI seemed visibly restless.

"You step back first!" After a long time, the Pope gave the order.

All the other people in the conference room left. Now, in the huge reception room, there were only the Pope and the Grand Master.

"Pierre, what do you want me to do?" Leo XI asked with a sigh.

"Holy Father, we need more support."

"There is already a True Cross in the Holy Land, and that is also a sacred object," the Pope said.

He certainly knew the power of the True Cross.

When this treasure is activated, all creatures around it will be affected by a slow healing effect, which can cure diseases, injuries, and restore fatigue.

This is already an amazing treasure.

But compared with the legendary "Bloody Cross Flag", it is nothing.

Now throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, the legend of the Bloody Cross Flag is becoming more and more bizarre.

This is a divine artifact that allows for unlimited spellcasting. During battle, it can bestow numerous magical blessings upon one's own warriors.

It's not just one or two spells, but a whole bunch of spells thrown at you all at once!

With a large number of magic powers, even a novice-level warrior would be no less powerful than an elite warrior. Even if he couldn't defeat a hundred enemies alone, he could easily defeat ten enemies alone.

When not in combat, this magical object can heal injured soldiers.

It is not an ordinary treatment, but a super effect that can cure even physical disability in a short period of time.

It is equivalent to the effect of advanced healing spells such as "Regeneration" or "Advanced Restoration" in magic.

As we all know, regenerating severed limbs is not easy; it requires seventh-level magic.

All in all, this flag is a truly divine artifact that makes people understand that the power of Christ is with them.

Under the protection of this flag, even a few thousand Knights of Rhodes Island could easily defeat tens of thousands of enemy troops.

"We know, but the True Cross alone is not enough!" Grand Commander Pierre answered sincerely.

The entire Christian world knew that the Pope had given the Knights of Rhodes two sacred objects.

One was the much-rumored "Bloody Cross Flag," and the other was a whole team of giant golems.

After obtaining the former, Pierre vowed that he would turn the situation in the Holy Land around.

A flag that can cast unlimited magic... What could be better than this?

Of course, the entire fleet of giant golems wasn't bad either. While not as impressive as the previous one, even a fool could understand the giant golem's combat effectiveness. They couldn't claim to reverse the situation, but at least they could stabilize it and prevent it from getting worse.

Then again, even if the Pope doesn't give up these two divine objects, it's fine. As long as he takes out other divine objects of the same level, there will be no problem at all.

That is why, after he received the news, he immediately rushed to Rome for help.

Even if the Pope refuses to meet him, he would rather die than leave!

"We need more help..."

The Pope sighed, stood up, and walked to the side of the half-kneeling Grand Master.

"Pierre, a lot of people have been talking about this lately. A lot of people." He repeated the word for emphasis.

"Almost a year has passed since Grand Master Thomas assumed his office. During this year, the Knights of Rhodes Island have been aggressive and have achieved numerous remarkable feats, including the capture of Tobruk and the occupation of Smyrna. Just now, news arrived that Thomas has completely taken control of Smyrna—not just the city, but the entire territory. The Knights of Rhodes Island are now effectively under their control."

"They say that Thomas was able to achieve such success because I bestowed two sacred objects upon the Knights of Rhodes Island. What do you think?"

"Although I have never met Sir Thomas, I believe he is a man worthy of respect. It is said that despite his young age, he is brave and skilled in battle, wise and courageous. He is worthy of being a loyal warrior of Christ and the defender of the Christian world."

"Ha...hahaha..." The Pope suddenly laughed, and then the laughter stopped just as abruptly.

"But in fact, I gave him nothing! Oh, it's not like I gave him nothing. I gave him tens of thousands of florins, just tens of thousands of florins, and a warship!"

"Ah... but everyone's talking about... the bloody cross..."

"He made that flag himself, right before my eyes." The Pope sighed.

He knew this matter very clearly.

The flag was made of a prismatic crystal, the exact nature of which he couldn't figure out.

If I had known that flag had such power, I would have kept it long ago! Wouldn't it be more convenient to keep it for myself?

The Pope felt a headache when he thought of this incident.

It was said everywhere that he favored his own disciples, giving all the most valuable treasures in the Holy Treasury to his students...

Not to mention those cardinals who have never been obedient, even his own trusted subordinates would look at him with strange eyes from time to time.

Such rumors were circulated everywhere in and outside the city. They said that the Pope favored his disciples, that he didn't distinguish between public and private matters, and that he was biased without principles... Some even said that Thomas was the Pope's illegitimate son!

The influence of this kind of public opinion is everywhere, and even the Pope feels a lot of pressure.

"As for the giant golem... do you think there's such a thing in the Holy Vault? If there was, it would have been with the Crusaders when they reclaimed the Holy Land!"

"Also, although Thomas is my student, he is..."

“I first met him almost a year ago when he came to Rome!”

Section 153 Intelligence

"Holy Father...you mean..."

"Yes, that's what I mean..." The Pope returned to his throne and sighed. "Those two artifacts belong to Thomas!"

"Your own?" Pierre's expression was confused, as if he had heard a joke that was not funny.

He had previously heard that Thomas was the Pope's illegitimate son and had not believed it, but now he thought that Thomas might not be Leo XI's son, but his grandson.

To be so partial to him, even lying to his father's face without batting an eyelid...even his biological son couldn't do that. After all, everyone has to have dignity. Face is really important, even compared to his biological son, it's worth considering.

For the Pope to achieve this, they must be close relatives of different generations.

"There's not much I can do," the Pope sighed again.

Recalling the time when he impersonated the examiner and met and chatted with Thomas for the first time, he felt that this was a good seedling, a gift from God, a revelation from Christ, and a blessing from Peter.

Facts have proved that this hunch is correct.

In just one year, the Knights of Rhodes overcame their past decline and became the engine of the entire Christian world... driving the improvement of the situation in the entire Eastern Mediterranean and the smooth sea transportation to the Holy Land.

In recent months, the Holy Land, at least as a retreat route, has been preserved.

But I never expected that the scene would become bigger and bigger, with magical artifacts and treasures appearing one after another.

Damn, who the hell is this Thomas? Is he really a messenger of Christ? A saint incarnate?

As a result, the Pope is now in a difficult situation and finds it difficult to step down.

"I can issue an edict allowing the Knights of Rhodes Island to go to the Holy Land to assist when necessary. I will also write you a letter allowing you to seek assistance from the Knights of Rhodes Island."

As for what effect it will have... the Pope doesn't dare to guarantee it.

The Knights of Rhodes is ultimately a navy, and its purpose is to maintain smooth sea transportation in the Holy Land.

The Knights' army was inherently weak and was a self-defense force.

Besides, his initial words to Thomas weren't lies. To the Knights of Rhodes Island, the Pope was a distant figure. As Grand Master, he could obey or disobey.

As long as Thomas is firm, even the Pope can't do anything to him.

Because there are no punishment methods available at all.

If there was a solution, the only option was to issue an edict to reprimand Thomas. But Thomas was currently a prominent figure, and if you reprimanded him, Thomas might not suffer any loss, but the Vatican would certainly suffer a significant loss of prestige.

……

After Pierre left, the Pope sat alone in his reception room for a long time.

If the Holy Land is lost...

He had no other choice but to reorganize the Second Crusade!