A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

The financial problems that no one had been able to solve before were easily solved by the Grand Commander.

Now the expansion of the Knights, especially the naval expansion, is completely free of financial constraints. At least for the next year or two. Meanwhile, the construction of the Smyrna Bastion will not stop.

Not only can you work non-stop, you can also work overtime!

The engineer in charge of the construction said that with sufficient funds, the project can be completed at least one month ahead of schedule.

In addition, the issue of weapons and equipment has also been resolved. The Portuguese are willing to further carry out arms trade at preferential prices.

Thomas's power was growing by the day. When Andrea had first accompanied him back to Rhodes Island, despite the apparent difference in status, Andrea hadn't felt inferior.

At that time, everyone in the Knights Temperance felt that this Grand Master was forced upon them by the Pope, and they were all worried.

I was afraid that this great leader would not be able to help, but would instead be a hindrance.

But now, even when talking to Thomas at ordinary times, he couldn't help but lower his head and didn't dare to look the commander in the eye.

The Knights Templar are, after all, a Knights Templar order, an armed monastic order, a military organization.

A capable commander who can continuously bring victory to the Knights will naturally have higher and higher prestige.

There is no need to deliberately play any political tricks.

Thomas thought that there were no financial problems and the rest could be handed over to the relevant person in charge of the Knights Templar.

These details are not something the group leader needs to worry about.

We now have about a month to solve another more pressing problem.

"Andrea, where is the Knights' Archives?" Thomas suddenly asked.

After being the head of the group for so long, he has never been to the archives room.

"Ah, Grand Master, the archives are in the small building next to the headquarters, but the Knight Reynard in charge has gone to Smyrna. So there's no one there right now."

"Is there no one left behind?"

"I've posted guards to prevent anyone from setting fire or causing any trouble, but there's no one inside. You want to go to the archives?"

"Yes, I want to find an ancient document," Thomas said. "I asked Louis to come look for it last time. He brought me a copy. But I think it would be better to see the original."

Books these days often have annotations and explanations from various readers. Although Louis had copied a copy, Thomas thought it would be better to look at the annotations on the original. It might be helpful.

"It's been almost six months since anyone's been inside, so it's probably very dusty," Andrea said. "Would you like me to send a few servants to clean it up first?"

"No need, I'll go straight over."

Thomas said.

A short while later, he arrived at the archives room.

Leonard said the relevant documents are in the box at the top...

Thomas dragged down the box from the high place, opened it, and saw a pile of ancient scrolls.

These are parchment scrolls... a very durable paper.

Soon, Thomas found the ancient document regarding the ownership of Rhode Island in the box.

The document consists of two parts, including the formal agreement document with a formal seal and signature, as well as some relevant records and notes.

"...the remnants of the old days...in the southern part of the island?" Thomas found this sensitive word. This was an additional note that Louis hadn't brought with him when he copied it.

Not only are there remnants of the old times, but it is also clear that they are in the southern part of the island.

In other words, this incident was probably based on evidence and was not just an ordinary rumor.

This is normal, otherwise why would the Byzantine Empire give up a wealthy county for no reason?

He searched carefully and found more documents about the old remnants on the island.

The early members of the Order must have spent a lot of effort searching for it, but of course they found nothing.

An unidentified searcher left behind a simple diary or essay, saying that this might not be the remnants of the old times, but a malicious joke of elves or demons.

"Elf... or demon?" Thomas did not ignore the word.

Now he knew that the so-called angels, elves and demons were just another name for the old gods, representing friendly, neutral and hostile camps.

It coincided with Thomas's guess.

There is a high possibility that the "remnant of the old times" discovered at that time was Thor!

Thor has been here for at least a hundred years!

So the Knights must have organized a lot of manpower and conducted a thorough search. Why wasn't Thor found?

Because the reality is that Radagast just looked around and discovered Thor's magic fluctuations.

Of course, Radagast was indeed a magician with extraordinary skills, but there was no reason to believe that the members of the search team were any less skilled in magic than Radagast.

To fight against a catastrophic remnant of the Old Ones, the Church will not skimp on personnel deployment.

After all, Radagast should have been strolling around casually, but the old man had a targeted and thorough search.

The answer is obvious. Either Radagast is wrong, or Thor is wrong. Or both!

Is there something wrong with Radagast?

Thomas had come into contact with three magicians in total, and Radagast was the only one he didn't quite understand.

Because whether it is Gandalf or Saruman, their goals are very clear, it can even be said that they are all for money!

Magicians also need money, after all, magicians also need to eat!

But Thomas couldn't understand why Radagast stayed in Rhodes Island.

It seems he didn't give Radagast any money?

But Thomas didn't dare to drive Radagast away now, because his ability to predict the weather was too useful to the navy.

Apart from anything else, without Radagast, the risk of this expedition would have increased by 50%!

Let's see if we can find some way through Thor.

Of course, Thomas was determined to follow Roman rules and regulations.

You can't go every day, but should go once every few months.

All systems are experiences summarized in blood and cannot be ignored.

Moreover, Thomas believed that as long as he was not anxious, Thor would be the one who was anxious!

Chapter 189 Changes in the Situation

The October sunshine has become warm and gentle.

Ferdinand, wearing a white robe, walked onto the castle terrace and felt the long-lost sunshine.

The cool air that penetrates into the mouth and nose makes people feel refreshed.

He has been observing the precepts and meditating for a whole month, and now he finally has the opportunity to come out.

There was no one around at the moment, and Ferdinand waved his hand, and a small golden scale inexplicably appeared in his hand. In the sunlight, it was translucent, making it look like an unreal phantom.

Phew...it's all used up!

All the luck he had accumulated so far has been used up.

As he was sighing, he heard footsteps behind him.

It was a young man also wearing a white robe.

Although both were wearing white robes, there was a clear difference in their designs. Even an ignorant person could tell the obvious difference in status from the two robes.

"Sir, have you finished your meditation?" the young man asked happily.

"Yes, it's over for now." Ferdinand said lightly.

This meditation ritual wasn't completely complete; it would take several months... Someone would assess his physical condition and determine when he'd enter the magic node. He wasn't sure how long it would take, but it should only be a month or two. But this was already the final step. In other words, as long as he waited according to the instructions, he would be able to enter the node. When he emerged...

He is no longer an elite, but a national protector!

After a long wait, the time has finally come to reap the fruits of our labor.

How many steps of betrayal and murder had he climbed to get to where he is today!

There was a little emotion in my heart.

"You have become thinner, my lord."

"Nothing," Ferdinand said calmly. Compared to the previous sacrifices, what were these religious ceremonies worth?

Although these tedious rituals were troublesome, he also knew that they were meaningful.

The mana in the magic nodes is not the Pope's divine inspiration. Divine inspiration is endless because there is always a constant supply of monks providing magic. However, the mana in the magic nodes will be exhausted.

Therefore, a series of measures must be adopted to utilize the power of magic nodes more effectively.

These rituals can stimulate human potential to a certain extent, thereby maximizing the utilization efficiency of magic nodes.

At the same time, we can ensure that you "stop at the right point", allowing you to cross that boundary line and reach the level of protecting the country.

After all, the remaining part can be improved by slowly absorbing the power of the magic network without absorbing the magic power of the node force.

But at least it doesn't cost a million florins!

"While you are free today, tell me what happened outside during this period of time."

"My lord, the Sultan and the King of Kings are still at war, their armies amassed. At least no large-scale battle has taken place yet, but neither side is retreating. The outcome is unclear. The Order has sent a Grand Master to try to mediate, but everyone is pessimistic."

Sultan was the title of the ruler of the Rum Sultanate, while "King of Kings" was the title of the ruler of the Buyid Dynasty. This title originated from ancient Persia.

"Ha... not surprising," Ferdinand shrugged. "Like a cat, they'll go through a series of probing attempts, cold wars, hot wars, and espionage, before deciding whether to fight or back down. A fight is more likely. Both sides are wary, too fearful to risk their lives. This war could drag on for years. But ultimately... is there any news from other quarters?"

"That... Grand Captain Thomas led an expedition to Africa, conquering all before him. He ultimately captured Ceuta and handed this crucial city over to the Kingdom of Portugal. It's said that the Pope held a special celebration for this occasion, and the entire Christian world praised his fame."

"An expedition to Africa?" Ferdinand's expression was as if he were listening to a myth. "Just relying on the Knights of Rhodes?"

"It is said that they are on a joint expedition with the Knights Templar, and they set out from Acre."

"How is that possible?!" Ferdinand almost thought he was hallucinating. "How did he do that?"

"The African countries were completely unprepared, and he easily launched a surprise attack on them," the attendant explained.

"Are they all idiots?"

"Oh, the Fatimids were prepared—when they set out from Acre, everyone thought they were going to attack Egypt. But Thomas, it's said, invented a new way to store fresh water, which allowed them to sail much longer without having to land for supplies. They didn't go through Crete as they did during their previous raid on Tobruk, so even the Venetians didn't notice their movements."

"Oh...oh..." Ferdinand understood a little.

The real danger to the expedition was not fighting, but disease and supplies.

It is normal for a ship that sails for more than a month to lose 20% to 30% of its sailors due to disease, even if it does not encounter any battle along the way.

If more than three months pass, even if more than half of the sailors are sick, they are considered lucky.

This is why those African countries are not very prepared - from the Eastern Mediterranean all the way to the Western Mediterranean, not to mention the losses in fighting along the way, the casualties from the disease alone are unbearable.

But if someone can overcome this problem, it can really catch the other party off guard.

This is to hit a blind spot in thinking.

Take the enemy by surprise and attack them when they are unprepared. Even with a smaller force, you can still achieve great results.

"That's true... I have to say, he really has some skills." Ferdinand sighed.

He prided himself on being an excellent naval commander, but he had to admit that this Thomas was far more capable than his predecessor.

Although the former Grand Commander was a national defender and had strong personal strength, it was impossible for him to come up with such a fantastic battle plan.

Even Ferdinand himself would never have thought of this!

This time, the Star-Moon Cultists deserved their defeat!

It goes without saying that after this battle, the Knights' purse was bulging with spoils. The Knights will continue to grow stronger.

War requires three things: money! money! and money!

In just a few years, the Knights will probably become stronger than ever before.

Unfortunately...it’s useless!

Ferdinand knew very well that the current situation was ultimately due to the internal conflicts within the Crescent Moon Cult, which gave Thomas an opportunity to expand.

This opportunity will disappear and the Knights will face a counterattack.