A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

If this kind of thing wasn't unpopular here, Thomas would probably have cut off the chicken's head and burned yellow paper, and would have said to Pierre, "Since we hit it off right away, why don't we become sworn brothers."

If possible, we can also bring in the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller and have a Peach Garden Oath of Brotherhood.

However, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller seemed to be an old man over seventy years old.

That doesn't matter, there is another plan: If you don't mind, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Anyway, Thomas felt that he was so short of money that he had to sell himself, so there was nothing wrong with it!

It's not that Thomas has no moral integrity, but that God is forcing good women into prostitution... no, forcing good women to become thieves!

After Thomas' explanation, everyone came to their senses.

There is nothing much to say next. Everyone mobilizes together, gathers men and warships, goes to the Holy Land to join forces with the Knights Templar, goes out to sea to rob...ah, no, fights for the glory of Christ!

Although North Africa did not pose a direct threat to the Holy Land.

But after all, you are also in the Star-Moon Cult camp, and you will definitely provide support behind the scenes.

So it's very simple, no need for a casus belli. Just do it!

……

On the sea, the wreckage of a ship is slowly sinking in flames.

The flag flying on the ship's mast shows that it is a Christian ship and a ship belonging to the Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce.

Originally, for various reasons, this sea area was under the control of Christians, or the Knights of Rhodes.

But... it's normal for a Star Moon Cult pirate ship to accidentally break in and rob, right?

And even without pirates, ships often wreck for various reasons.

Wind and waves, or the poor condition of the ship due to lack of maintenance, or fire, etc. are all direct causes of the accident.

In any case, it was impossible for the people on the ship to explain to the world what had happened to them, let alone accuse the judge of being attacked by Christians.

Because no one was left alive!

Lucas was at the bow, and he waited until the wreck was out of sight, then he turned his head.

That's about it.

Now, the news of John's death has spread throughout Rhodes Island... Maybe ordinary people don't know much about it, but those who are a little bit knowledgeable have heard about it.

The Knights would naturally offer no explanation. After all, most of the Knights' high-ranking officers were in Smyrna, leaving only a limited number of people on the island. Knight Andrea was already the highest-ranking of those remaining.

But in public opinion, this inevitably makes people feel that their attitude is somewhat arrogant and inhumane.

At this time, the envoy sent by the Chamber of Commerce to Smyrna to question the situation also mysteriously disappeared on the way.

It goes without saying how public opinion will develop next. All we need to do is send one or two people to the island to spread a few rumors, and public opinion will follow the rumors.

Lucas had already planned how to tell this rumor.

It is said that someone witnessed the Chamber of Commerce's envoy being killed on the sea.

The assassin was wearing the uniform of the Knights of Rhodes Island.

Although this was a rumor without any evidence, Lucas was experienced in this area and was sure that this rumor would not only not be debunked, but would become more and more believed.

There was no way. Although Lucas had never studied "mass psychology" or seen a "mob", he had practical work experience in this area.

The boat soon arrived at an island.

This is part of the Dodecanese Islands. Although the name of this archipelago is "Dodecanese (Twelve Islands)", there are actually far more than 12 islands. In fact, it has 12 larger islands and more than 150 smaller islands.

This is a small island.

Lucas eventually rented a small island from the Byzantine Empire at a negligible cost.

It is neither too far nor too close to Rhode Island, and the situation in Rhode Island can be monitored from a safe place.

"Sir." When the ship approached the port, his men had already lined up to welcome his return.

"What is the current situation of the Knights on Rhodes Island?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing has changed. They don't seem to care much. I don't know if they truly don't care, or if they sense danger."

"I wish they'd take some action soon," Lucas smiled. "If they took the initiative, it would be much easier for us. They're cowards...it seems our Knight Andrea is quite steady."

Contradictions can only be gradually intensified through conflicts.

It is not enough for one party to add fuel to the fire; it will only be effective if both parties add fuel to the fire.

"Sir, why don't we just attack the Knights' headquarters? They don't have much strength left here anyway."

"It's too risky. Who knows what's inside the Knights' headquarters?" Lucas smiled and shook his head. "What if there are a few golems inside? Grand Master Thomas is no simple man... It's better to be safe than sorry. If our people are caught, the consequences will be dire."

He explained patiently.

"Just wait a little while."

After all, time is on their side.

When the Chamber of Commerce discovered that their envoy was killed on the way, they had to make some noise, otherwise how could they convince the public?

If your own son died, you could just bear it. But if the envoy sent out in the name of the Chamber of Commerce (also a member of the Chamber of Commerce) died, then you couldn't bear it.

And then...even if the Knights wanted to be cowards, they couldn't.

"We just need patience..."

The next step is to recruit small merchant ships traveling to and from Rhodes Island.

Using the power of the Republic of Venice is tedious, but not difficult. It's just a matter of using both the stick and the carrot.

If you are willing to listen, you can choose to invest in shares.

Those who refuse to obey are threatened in various ways.

Really stubborn... Well, actually this type of businessman is a rare species.

Which businessman isn't flexible? If you're not, what's the point of running a business? Wouldn't it be better to join the army?

In short, he could use the power of the Republic to create a business force under his control.

It is a brilliant strategy of taking advantage of the situation and using public power for personal gain.

Of course, who doesn't understand this these days...

Anyone who does this is definitely not a qualified businessman.

There are no unqualified businessmen in the Republic of Venice!

Chapter 164 Expedition 1

There are no stars or moon tonight. Thick dark clouds hang over the sky.

It had already started to drizzle in the sky.

Thomas walked the streets of Smyrna, feeling the last chill of the spring rain falling from the sky.

Although there was a chill mixed in with the rain, it was only a slight chill.

This means spring has arrived.

Thomas originally thought that he would spend his first winter in Rhodes Island, but he ended up spending the entire winter in Smyrna.

On the construction site outside the city, the bastion has already taken shape.

Once this bastion is completed, it will cover most of the city of Smyrna and the port area.

The entire construction period is planned to be two years and twenty-four months, and four months have already passed.

The large number of Star-Moon Sect prisoners captured in previous battles all became slaves to perform labor.

But even so, if additional funds are not in place in time... then the project will be suspended within six months!

While thinking, Thomas came to the port terminal.

The previous wave of external offensive had a very good effect.

Although Smyrna had fallen into the hands of Christians, the city's commercial and transportation functions were still operating normally.

As the terminus of the Silk Road, the Sultanate of Rum had no intention of cutting off trade.

Just fight the war, just curse, and you still have to do business.

This was because all the outposts surrounding Smyrna had been captured, making it difficult to form a siege network over a larger area. Even if the Sultan wanted to blockade Smyrna, the local princes would certainly not support him.

It's like Napoleon's "Continental Blockade" policy, trying to lock down Britain. But as long as one country (Tsarist Russia) doesn't cooperate, the policy won't work.

On the other hand, the blockade was a double-edged sword. While it could lock down Smyrna, it would also lead to a sharp drop in revenue.

Now facing the challenge of a powerful enemy, Sudan is in great need of money!

After weighing the two options, Sudan temporarily chose to suffer in silence and did not impose any economic blockade.

Anyway, the Knights of Rhodes Island only have 3,000 soldiers (they're all they've scraped together). After they've dealt with their internal and external enemies, they'll have plenty of time to deal with them. Let them swell up for a few years.

The dock was already crowded with ships.

This is the expeditionary fleet assembled by the Knights of Rhodes Island, consisting of fifty warships and one hundred other transport ships.

There is no supporting army... There is no other way, the Knights' small army must stay behind and cannot go on an expedition!

Damn, it’s a wonderful feeling to stand at the dock.

It’s hard to describe what this feeling is, maybe it’s the feeling of success.

When he first took office, the Knights of Rhodes Island had only two warships and relied entirely on their allies to defend their homeland. The enemy could appear at any time, anywhere. It was a precarious situation!

Now, only a year has passed, and the fifty warships have been lined up in a majestic military formation, becoming the overlord of the entire sea area.

Although this overlord is also a temporary overlord obtained by taking advantage of opportunities...but a temporary overlord is still an overlord!

Thomas stood at the dock and stared for a long time.

Since the last upgrade, his eyesight has been further improved, and it can be said that it has exceeded the range of ordinary people.

Not only does the world appear fuller and more details can be observed, but night vision capabilities have also improved significantly.

So even in the dark, there is still a good view.

This expedition will take at least several months.

Of course there are risks.

However, Radagast used prophetic magic... to ensure that they would not encounter any bad weather on this journey.

Or at least God won't interfere.

For this reason alone, the blue-robed wizard deserves the title of "advisor".

But he didn't come out today to enjoy his achievements, this was just a passing moment.

There is an inconspicuous two-story house next to the pier.

Thomas discovered this place last time.

This is a seemingly inconspicuous house, probably belonging to a middle-class family.

But there was bird droppings on the second floor.

When ordinary people saw this, they would probably think that the owner of the house had gone away on a long trip and that it had been vacant for a long time, resulting in it being occupied by seabirds and turned into a bird's nest.

But Thomas, having been a leader before, realized almost immediately that he had found another wolf's den.

Of course this is normal. It would be strange if there was no wolf's den in a key city like Smyrna!

He walked to the door. There was no light in the house, but the spiritual field had already sensed that there was someone inside.

Two people, one of them is an elite!

You don't need to ask to know that this person is either a vicious wolf or the leader of the pack.

Thomas knocks on the door.

A few seconds later, a deep male voice came from inside the room. "Who?"

"A client!" Thomas replied immediately.

A few minutes later, the door opened.

Thomas was ushered into a small room on the first floor.