A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Roman support is helpful but not essential.

A year ago, before the Battle of Smyrna, Thomas really had no right to say this.

In the face of a powerful enemy, the support of the Holy See is indispensable.

But it's different now.

The Turks will definitely not be able to launch another offensive in the foreseeable future.

This was not just a loss of military strength, but also a loss of the Sultan's authority.

The Sultanate of Rum was a country with a strong nomadic culture. If the Sultan was defeated, it would mean that his ability and the foundation of his rule would be questioned.

In some ways, nomadic culture is very similar to a wolf pack. If the alpha wolf is injured, no matter what the reason for the injury is, it will not affect the other members of the pack from challenging the alpha wolf.

The only way to reverse this situation is to start another war to avenge the previous humiliation.

But this time the Sudan suffered heavy losses and was unable to fight again.

Then don’t blame the wolves for not obeying the leader.

In the previous life, after the Ottomans were defeated by Timur, they immediately fell into division and civil strife.

The next generation can only start over, gradually leveling the mountain tops, and re-establishing their authority through repeated victories.

All we can say is that although Bayezid I’s own ability was not good, his son was very capable!

However, this kind of thing is completely a blessing from God.

It is accidental, not inevitable.

"But Grand Master, if the Holy See is pushed to the limit... pushed to the limit... and declares you or any other member of the Order excommunicated... or even excommunicated..."

"He wouldn't dare!" Thomas shrugged.

To excommunicate the Grand Master without any reason...even the Pope can't do it!

In fact, it would be better to actually fire him.

In the history of my previous life, there were two exemplary examples of practical application.

One is the Teutonic Knights. The last Grand Master, Albrecht, declared his conversion to Protestantism and turned the Knights into the Duchy of Prussia. After three dynastic wars, the Order annexed the princes and became the German Empire.

One is England. During the reign of Henry VIII, he replaced the Pope's authority in England with his own, establishing the Church of England, which had supreme authority over religious affairs. Ultimately, England completely broke away from the Church of England and established its own church in accordance with the teachings of the Bible.

If things really get out of hand, Thomas can just follow the example of Britain or Prussia.

The history of the past has proven that this is feasible. The Roman Catholic Church and the Pope can only condemn it a few times, which is not very effective!

Real resistance can only come from within.

Thomas did not consider himself any less capable than Albrecht or Henry VIII.

As Stalin famously said, “How many divisions does the Pope have?”

Thomas's answer caused Louis's brain to freeze again. He was dumbfounded but speechless.

Chapter 350 New Moon 2

Thomas looked back toward the horizon.

At this time, the sun has set, and there is only bright sunset glow at the end of the sky.

Night will fall in half an hour, and because it is a new moon tonight, it will be quite dark.

"Forget it, Louis, tell the crew that I will be on duty on deck for the first half of tonight," said Thomas.

"Grand Commander, but..."

"It's okay." Thomas waved his hand.

He was now on a light sailing ship belonging to the Knights Templar, not a galley.

The Mediterranean is rainy and stormy in winter, so traveling by boat is dangerous. But with Radagast, an expert at predicting the weather, on board, things are different.

But even so, someone must be on duty on deck at night.

Night and day are two different things. During the day, at least there is the sun above your head, so even in winter it is not that cold.

But at night, when the sea breeze blows, it cuts your face like a knife.

The Grand Master himself was willing to stand guard, and the crew could only be grateful for his generosity.

Louis turned to leave, but Thomas suddenly called him.

"Louis, I see you've been reading a book lately?"

"Yes, I borrowed it from Master Radagast. It's supposedly an ancient book called The Iliad. It tells the story of the Trojan War."

Since becoming Thomas's follower, the young man has shown extraordinary talent.

Not only in martial arts, but also in culture. In just one or two years, he went from being an illiterate person to a person who could read and write.

By Thomas's standards, he was barely literate, but by the standards of his time, he was quite capable. If Louis had taken up a civil service position, he could have served as a local official and presided over government affairs.

Not only that, Louis is still learning and reading further, and he is not complacent at all.

Thomas felt that this kid would have a bright future. He was a man of both literary and martial talents!

Although it was Thomas who gave Louis an opportunity, not everyone can seize it.

Talent is valuable, but acquired efforts are even more indispensable.

“Oh, that’s the book,” said Thomas.

He naturally knew the story of Troy. This book wasn't banned—at least not within the church.

As for whether the Iliad in this world and the Iliad in Thomas's past life are the same book, Thomas can only say he doesn't know. After all, he read the Chinese translation in his past life, while the book in this life is written in a different language. Regardless, the overall plot is similar.

"Grand Commander, have you seen it too?" Louis asked.

"Well," Thomas said. "Louis, since you're reading this book, I have a question for you."

"what is the problem?"

"When Achilles was born, his fate was predetermined: either he would live a long and healthy life in obscurity, or he would enjoy endless glory but be doomed to die in battle. If you had the same choice, which would you choose?"

"I'll definitely be like Achilles," Louis said. "Because all mortals are destined to die. Better to die quietly in bed a hundred years from now, without a trace of a single word, than to die in battle after a brief period of glory. At least my name will live on through the ages."

"What if the first condition is changed... and you can live forever?"

"Then I certainly won't take the risk," Louis said decisively. "Eternal life isn't the province of humans, but of gods. The two are on a completely different level. I won't give up this rare opportunity for the glory of this world. How can the glory of heaven compare to the mortal world?"

"Then, what if it's not immortality, but extending life by thousands of years?"

"This isn't much different from eternal life," Louis thought for a moment before replying. "I choose to extend my life by a thousand years."

He answered casually, not taking it to heart.

After all, this kind of thing is too far away.

Although protecting the country can extend one's lifespan, it is only one or two hundred years, only twice as long as a normal person's lifespan.

And this is only theoretical. Just like the average person's theoretical lifespan is said to be a hundred years, but how many people can actually live to that age?

"Ah..." Thomas sighed.

It is true, immortality is the most precious thing.

This is a simple truth that everyone understands. It's just that people don't have the opportunity to choose.

Thomas sighed as he watched the sunset slowly disappear in the distance.

It's already night.

As a high-ranking national defender, Thomas was naturally very alert. He could confirm that he was the only one on the deck.

These days, once it gets dark, there are not many entertainment activities at night, so everyone just rests quietly in the cabin.

A studious person like Louis might even light a candle and read a book, while the sailors, who had worked hard all day, would naturally be snoring loudly in their beds.

Thomas took out the statue from his small bag.

"Plasda... isn't the time up yet?"

"That's right," the voice said. "The new moon has arrived."

"So, how do I break my curse?"

"It's very simple..." the voice said. Suddenly, Thomas inexplicably saw a ray of moonlight falling in the sky.

It was like being in a dark prison cell with moonlight pouring in through the skylight above one's head.

But here on the empty deck, with no moon overhead, the moonlight seemed to be pouring down from nowhere. Looking up at its source, I found it impossible to pinpoint. This moonlight appeared out of thin air. Or perhaps it came from a different dimension.

The moonlight illuminated the statue in Thomas's hands.

Thomas was shocked.

He heard a voice, or rather a whisper, as if a woman was quietly chanting prayers in the distance.

A magical illusion?

No, it's not!

Thomas didn't feel any power from the magic network. After all, he was a spellcaster who could access the seventh layer of the magic network, so he believed he was not mistaken.

But this mixture of reality and fantasy is somewhat familiar.

Oh, and the nightmare maze! Malovit's nightmare maze gives people a similar feeling.

But this power is far inferior to that of Malovit.

Then Thomas felt... the undetectable curse.

I vaguely feel an energy source radiating energy towards me in an area that I cannot reach.

However, most of this energy was blocked by the domain on his body.

And now, an invisible, deadly curtain descends.

This energy source was completely isolated from Thomas himself so that he could no longer feel it.

"Huh..." Thomas heard the voice let out a tired sigh.

"What is this...the power of the gods?" Thomas asked.

"The power of the gods." The voice said calmly.

Chapter 351 New Moon 3

"Lord Prasda, are you a god?"

"The remnants of a god," the voice corrected.

"What power is this?"

"A power of the moon," the voice replied. "If you must give it a name, it's the 'Tranquility Realm,' the authority of the new moon. Its effects last for a month. During that month, the curse will no longer work against you. Likewise, you lose the ability to curse others."

"The moon has seven phases. Does that mean it has seven powers?"

"Yes," Prasda replied. "In a sense, the godhead isn't a complete piece. A complete godhead can be understood as a combination of multiple fragments. The moon is divided into new moon, first quarter moon, evening moon, full moon, last quarter moon, waning moon, and dark moon. Each one has a unique power. I once had two... but that Prasda, in her revival, absorbed too much power from me, causing the other fragment to dissipate."

"Senior... were you once... the Moon God?"

"Perhaps, but I don't remember," the other party replied. "If you kill me, there's a chance you'll gain New Moon's power, but there's also a chance you'll gain nothing."

Putting it bluntly, it's clear that he really doesn't care much about life and death.

Of course, from another perspective, it is obviously not believed that Thomas would covet the moon priesthood.

"If authority dissipates...how can it be reunited?"

"Using the fragments of the godhead you possess as a foundation, you can condense the other fragments of the godhead again," the other party said. "Finally, you can combine them into a complete godhead."

This answer made Thomas fall silent.

Because his damaged godhead... doesn't seem to be a fragment of godhead?

Yes, the damaged godhead was quite serious, with numerous cracks (although some had been repaired, many remained), and it seemed as if it would collapse at any moment. But Thomas instinctively knew that it was not made up of fragments of the godhead.

It is incomplete, it is badly damaged, but it is not made up of fragments.

In addition, the damaged godhead does not have any authority attached to it.