A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

"I don't know about that. But I heard from a surviving officer that the city was littered with corpses. It's said that by the end, people were bleeding up to their knees. In a situation like that, it's normal for anyone to die."

"Gather everyone," Ferdinand sighed and said to his entourage. "We need to discuss our next steps."

"What do you mean? My Lord, you are..."

"I'm afraid the Sultan has already lost this battle."

"But the enemy is already exhausted. According to the soldiers, this should be their last wave. The Knights will no longer be able to launch such a counterattack. As for the Sultan, although his personal guards have suffered heavy losses, he still has many undepleted troops to fight. Although a quick victory is impossible, but..."

"The Knights have been hiding their strength!" Ferdinand was not polite. After all, they were one of his own. It wouldn't be a bad idea to make things clear.

"Hide your strength? But..."

"In this city, the Knights have gathered at least five protectors. Perhaps all of Christendom's protectors are concentrated here. Those Christian monarchs appear indifferent to this war, but in fact, they are secretly reinforcing the Knights."

"Five protectors? Are you kidding me? How is that possible..."

"If we gain the support of the entire Christian world, it's not impossible!" Ferdinand said. "You know, there are some legendary divine objects that can instantly create a protective nation, just like divine inspiration. If we gain the support of the entire Christian world, then even obtaining such a divine object... is quite normal."

"But, sir, that..."

"See the sky?" Ferdinand said. "My experience tells me the rain will intensify today. There's no way we can attack the city in this weather. And if it continues for two or three days—the Knights will recover from their exhaustion. Even worse, the Turkish army's morale is already exhausted. The Knights don't need to do anything... Simply send out the five protectors, and the Turks will struggle to hold out."

"This matter," the informant seemed to have made up his mind. "Can I tell the Sultan?"

"Okay." Ferdinand nodded.

If Christendom had gathered all its forces to reinforce the Order in this way, it would seem normal that the Sultan had failed.

"But I remind you that this is actually useless. Because even if you tell the Sultan, the Sultan will not be willing to retreat like this." This is the weakness of human nature.

Just like a gambler at a gambling table who is determined not to leave the table until he loses half of his chips, he will never be willing to leave the table until he has lost everything.

Even if the Sultan was wiser than ordinary people, it would be impossible for him to make the decision to give up so easily under such circumstances.

At least, you have to hesitate for a few days.

Watching the informant leave, Ferdinand stared at his back.

"It is already difficult for the Sultan to win this war," he told his entourage. "But I doubt the Order's demands on us will change."

The Order's goal is to capture Rhodes Island, a goal that will not be shaken by any external conditions.

Ferdinand's plan to use the Sultan's power to eliminate most of the Knights' strength in Smyrna was no longer possible.

"My Lord, what do you want to do?"

"Thomas is still alive." Ferdinand suddenly became anxious. He had already cut Thomas's luck several times, but it didn't look like he was going to die yet.

At this moment, he suddenly felt that the ability to reduce luck was usable again.

He almost without hesitation cut Thomas' luck again.

This guy deserves to die!

"Yes, that's right." The attendant was puzzled. Could it be that Thomas suddenly fell ill and died at this critical moment? "So, let's go back now?"

"...We can't go back now." Ferdinand replied calmly.

If he went back, he would be completely defeated. He would immediately go from being a chess player to a chess piece. But if he didn't go back, at least these members of the cult would still obey his orders.

"We have one last chance!" said Ferdinand.

The original plan is completely unworkable.

But it doesn't matter, he has a backup plan. Kill Thomas first, and then take the opportunity to sneak onto the island!

But... Thomas' luck is really strong. After so many times, it hasn't run out yet!

Chapter 319 Curse 1

The autumn rain got heavier at noon and turned into a heavy downpour by the evening.

Strong winds blew at sea, and the sea conditions would worsen. The low-hulled galleys were unable to cope. In fact, both experienced sailors and blue-robed mages had warned that ships that stayed at sea for too long would face disaster.

Although the whereabouts of the Crescent Moon Cult's fleet were unknown, in this season, a single ship might be able to risk its life, but an entire fleet would be unable to move. The Knights' fleet also remained at anchor in the harbor.

Thomas stood in the newly built headquarters of the Knights, gazing at the sea and sky in the distance.

I used to write letters every day, but now I don’t have to write any more - even if I did, I couldn’t send them.

By the time the weather improved enough for the letter to be delivered, the Battle of Smyrna was already over.

Before, he was begging for alms everywhere because he had the Battle of Smyrna as an excuse. Now that the war was over and the excuse was gone, even the most devout believers would not give him any alms.

Well, the real situation was actually worse than that. Although Thomas had been writing letters for help from a long time ago, even now, he had received very little help.

A small number of people still replied to the letter, at least explaining how they were powerless, but most people did not reply to the letter.

Damn, what is going on?

In the history of my previous life, even when the Ottomans were overwhelmingly powerful, the Knights Hospitaller still managed to gain a lot of support. Why is it that in this life, when it comes to me, I get nothing?

Is it because of my luck?

Since returning to Rhode Island, Louis has reminded Thomas that his luck, fortune, or something like that has further declined.

It was a very sudden drop.

Thomas's light brightness is now no different from that of an ordinary person, only slightly better.

Not only that, this influence seems to be able to be involved.

According to Louis, his own fortune has been reduced.

Thomas seemed to be plagued by bad luck - although strictly speaking, nothing particularly unlucky happened.

Except for writing letters for help, no one paid any attention.

But Thomas was quite concerned about this matter.

Luck is something that normally goes up and down, how can it ever go down?

Could it be that some force is at work?

He still remembered the invitation in the dream - Thomas did not respond, let alone take any action, so the other party took new action?

"Grandmaster!" a voice called from behind. "You looking for me?"

"Yes, Master." Thomas turned around and saw Radagast. "I have something to discuss with you recently."

"Grandmaster, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well," Thomas said, "Have you researched this concept of 'fate'? I heard that fate can be changed."

"Yes," the blue-robed wizard paused for a moment before answering. "There is magic that can change this. But that magic is not simple. Not only is it a high-level spell, but the preparation required for casting is also quite difficult. Time, space, and fate—these three are the most mysterious realms of magic. Do you understand 'teleportation'?"

"know."

"Teleporting over a small area of ​​a few hundred meters is actually quite easy. It's just ordinary magic. But teleporting over hundreds or thousands of kilometers is extremely difficult. Not only does it involve the magic itself, but it also requires a great deal of preparation and is very expensive. Furthermore, such long-distance teleportation is prone to errors—and the consequences of errors are often very serious. Therefore, unless there is absolutely no other choice, a normal person would rather travel thousands of miles than use magic to teleport."

"Of the three realms, space is arguably the simplest, but it also carries countless taboos and risks, not to mention time and fate. Therefore, using magic to change fate is extremely difficult and risky, and no normal person would make such a choice."

"Of course, there is an exception in the field of time. If you master the ninth-level spell, there is a spell called 'Time Standstill'. Although it is very difficult, the risk is not great."

"The key now isn't the realm of space and time, Master. I won't hide it. Is there a way to cast a spell remotely and use the power of fate to attack the enemy?"

"Yes!" Radagast answered decisively.

"And there's more than one way," Radagast continued. "Grandmaster, you may have heard that once a magician touches the seventh layer of the magic web... well, they must frequently change their names."

“Oh!” Thomas remembered.

Indeed, whether it was Gandalf, Saruman, or Radagast himself, after meeting Thomas, they all inexplicably accepted the new name that Thomas casually gave them.

Gandalf's original name was definitely not Gandalf, but when Thomas first met him, he called him by that name and he immediately recognized it. He accepted the new name very actively.

"Are these two things... related?"

"A name. Knowing the name allows you to cast a curse." Radagast said.

"Just the name? What about people with the same name?"

"Simply knowing the target's name isn't enough. Three conditions are required. First, the target must be able to access the seventh layer of the Demonic Weave. Second, the target must be someone very familiar. Third, the target must possess great prestige, or in other words, their name must possess a certain level of legendary status." Radagast used an unusual term. "With any of these three conditions, the curse can be cast directly, regardless of distance in time and space. Incidentally, this curse requires a very high level of skill, and few can master it."

Thomas was so nervous. This was bad. He met too many of the requirements.

Is this actually happening?

"So, how do we resolve this curse?"

"Honestly, there's no good solution." Radagast gave a wry smile. "So even for a wizard, the best approach is to prevent it before it happens, rather than trying to escape the curse once it's already happened."

"Even finding and killing the curser is not an option?"

"This type of curse is also extremely difficult and risky. If it fails, it can easily backfire on you. Normally, people wouldn't make this choice," Radagast said. "Of course, on the other hand, once the spell is successfully cast, these vicious curses are extremely difficult to counter. Even killing the caster may not end the curse."

Thomas's mouth twitched.

Is there still such a thing?

"Master, to be honest, I suspect there is a high probability that I am cursed." Thomas said decisively.

He briefly explained his situation, especially the decline in Louis's "luck," which surprised the old magician.

"This is probably the worst kind of curse," the old magician judged. "I've heard of similar cases where its power even affects those connected to the cursed. The power driving this curse... is at least equivalent to eighth-level magic. And I'm sure Louis isn't the only one. Anyone close to you, anyone who can help you, will probably be affected by this curse..."

His voice was interrupted because he heard footsteps behind him. It was Louis.

Thomas was a little displeased, having been told not to interrupt Louis's conversation with Radagast. But from Louis's expression, he could tell something serious had happened.

Chapter 320 Curse 2

"Grandmaster..." Louis panted. "Urgent news..."

"What urgent news? The Battle of Smyrna is over?"

"No, Grand Master! News has come from Rome... The Holy See... The Holy See... has been seriously injured. I'm afraid he will return to the arms of the Lord!"

"what!"

The two people who were talking both looked surprised.

"How did you get hurt?" Thomas asked. "Assassin?"

"He must have fallen down the stairs," Louis said. "A messenger from Rome has come here at great risk."

"I understand. I'll go see the messenger later," Thomas said. "You go down first."

Louis bowed and left, leaving Thomas and Radagast staring at each other.

This is really a case of "Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao will appear".

To be honest, the Pope's incident shocked him for a moment, but then he calmed down.

After all, he had anticipated this day a long time ago.

After all, although Leo XI can access the seventh layer of the magic network, his life span is actually not very long.

When I was in Rome, I heard people say, "The Pope can live another 20 years."

That being said, there is definitely some truth to it.

As for Thomas, even without considering his lifespan as a defender of the country, he was only in his twenties.

Even in this age of underdeveloped science, the average life expectancy is still more than thirty years away.

Anyway, no matter how you look at it, as long as Thomas is safe, Leo XI will die before him.

Thomas has been in the Knights Templar for three or four years, and now the Knights Templar are becoming less and less dependent on the Holy See.

In fact, after winning the Battle of Smyrna, Thomas basically no longer needed the Church. He just closed the door and made his own decisions (of course, losing the war is another matter).

Just like the old man promised him, if the Vatican's orders were reasonable, he would listen; if they were unreasonable, he would not listen! He was a man of his own, who only obeyed orders but not declarations.

"Master, what do you think?"

"Grandmaster," the blue-robed wizard stared at Thomas. "This is very likely... related to your curse."

"In those ancient legends, some gods are jealous. For example, there is the story of Niobe in Greek mythology. Have you heard of it?"

Thomas nodded. In Greek mythology, Niobe was the queen of Thebes, bearing fourteen children: seven sons and seven daughters. This was supposed to be a good thing, but she was a bit too arrogant. She even mocked and ridiculed Apollo's mother, the goddess of darkness, Leto. Apollo and his sister, the goddess Diana, avenged their mother by slaughtering all of Niobe's children with arrows. Overwhelmed by grief, Niobe was transformed into a tearful stone statue.

This is a very cruel story in Greek mythology, which preaches the ruthlessness of the gods. In his previous life, Thomas thought it was just a story, but now he feels that it does have special meaning.