A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Author's words: I'm sorry, I was going to update yesterday, but I couldn't access the internet for some reason.

More updates today.

Section 382 Consequences of Choice 2

But to be honest, Governor Balbo just smiled.

He just thought the new Pope was a little too frivolous.

The outcome of a war is truly difficult to predict. For example, the Sultan's 200,000-man army was defeated at the gates of Smyrna.

Although it wasn't a complete defeat, at least the main force managed to retreat safely...

Moreover, the Knights seemed exhausted.

But the five protectors of the country are really not a joke.

The right approach is to publicize the matter after you win to establish your authority, or at least to do so after you have gained an absolute advantage.

There will be no impact.

And now with all this publicity going on in advance...

If it fails, won’t it be completely over?

He completely lost his room for maneuver, failed to establish his authority, and ended up being disgraced.

But then again, if the three parties go all out, the Knights really have little chance of winning.

It would be the same even if Governor Balbo only waved flags and shouted slogans but did not put in any effort.

But it seems that things are so funny, his words seem to have come true.

As the climate gets warmer day by day.

The Governor's fireplace burned less and less every day.

There is still no news from this war.

Not to mention keeping the troops idle, even the preliminary preparations for war, such as conscription of personnel, mobilization of supplies, and propaganda...

Nothing at all.

The four countries all understand this tacitly.

Everyone is waiting for someone else to take the lead.

Rome had spread the news, so that throughout the spring, the rumor that the new Pope was punishing the Knights continued to circulate.

Even when summer arrived and the weather became warm enough that even the humid environment of Venice could no longer cause the Doge's legs and feet to ache, this stubborn man still did not appear.

The Pope's urging became stronger day by day.

Faced with the Pope's urging and accusations, the four-nation alliance took the same action without prior agreement - evasion.

Other things are hard to find, but there are always so many reasons.

On a summer evening, the hot sea breeze scorched by the scorching sun blew across Governor Balbo's estate.

Not to mention heating facilities like fireplaces, even the people in the manor have already started wearing cool summer styles.

Governor Balbo's old injuries on his legs and feet no longer gave him any warning.

In fact, his legs and feet are still very agile most of the time in the year.

The Governor was busy at his desk.

Someone rang the doorbell.

"Come in!" The governor looked up and saw a young and handsome man walking in.

"Father..." the young man began.

"Aubigny!" The Governor's face lit up with joy when he saw his eldest son. "You're back?"

"Well, yes, I came straight to you without stopping after I came back."

"how is the situation?"

"I went to Smyrna and Rhodes Island, but didn't see my brother. Coincidentally, he was sent out on a mission by Grand Captain Thomas. I didn't wait for him, but from what one of his followers said, I felt that he should be doing well."

Governor Balbo nodded. This was a secret mission, so he did not inform Balboa in advance. Without advance notice, it was possible that the two sides would miss each other.

"How is the Knights doing?"

"The port in Smyrna has been repaired, and they're also working on the city walls. I took a chance to visit the construction site, but there aren't many workers, and they seem to be working slowly. It's clear that the Knights aren't in a hurry to repair the damage. Commerce hasn't yet recovered to its peak, so there aren't many merchants coming and going."

"Rhodes Island is also lax. Aside from the Knights' Navy still conducting necessary patrols and escort missions, there's no sign of war preparations. Furthermore, according to inquiries from sailors, even patrols have been reduced recently, reportedly to save money."

"From what I've seen with my own eyes, the Knights have absolutely no plans to prepare for war."

"The Knights really are..." Governor Balbo said in a lost voice.

"Father, Grand Captain Thomas is no ordinary man. He should have noticed this. I had a simple negotiation with him regarding trade, and I could tell he was not only exceptional in military strategy, but also possessed astonishing foresight in other areas."

"So...how did you negotiate with him?"

"It didn't work out," Aubigny replied. "He seemed completely skeptical of the Alliance's military threats, or that he had the strength to confront them. So I could only conduct normal trade and tax negotiations... Father, it's impossible to blackmail someone like that."

"Haha...haha..." Governor Balbo laughed. "I thought I could extort something out of him. It seems our Grand Commander Thomas is not someone to be trifled with."

He originally wanted to get some free benefits from the Knights Templar in exchange for not participating in the war.

Of course, he was not disappointed even if he failed.

Anyway, it's a matter of trying it out regardless of whether there is any result or not.

It’s okay for the civilians who are now cut off from the news, but those in power who truly have access to reliable intelligence channels have all seen through this situation.

The four countries in the alliance clearly want to be cowards.

Everyone wants others to take the lead while they reap the rewards.

After all, it is not a matter of personal interest, and no one wants to test how powerful the five knights who protect the country are.

It was natural for Captain Thomas to see this.

Although the Pope really wants to fight...

But Rome has never been famous for its military power.

It should be said that the Vatican did not rely on the military to protect itself. The Papal Army was more of a security force than a field army.

It is used to deal with pirates, robbers and the like, not to fight against the regular army of other countries.

"You said that the Smyrna you saw was still repairing its walls?"

"Yes, the progress is slow. But I estimate that it will be completely repaired by autumn! Unless someone can mobilize another 200,000 troops, it will be indestructible."

"What's the news from the Sultan?"

"No! It seems the Turks have accepted this outcome. I heard a rumor here in Rhodes Island that the Knights and the Sultan have signed a ten-year truce."

Governor Balbo pondered for a long time.

"Yes, considering the sultan's situation, this price is acceptable."

If the five protectors of the country come here to do something, it will be really difficult to deal with them.

Especially assassinations.

"Father, when I came here, I heard some rumors in Rome. It seems that the Pope is planning to do something."

Section 383 Consequences of Choice 3

"What can he do?" the Governor was puzzled.

If the Knights were willing to obey, that would be one thing.

But the Knights have made it clear that they don't intend to pay any attention to him.

The most important one is Grand Master Thomas. As everyone knows, after a series of events, Grand Master Thomas has established an extraordinary prestige in the Knights Templar.

If Grand Master Thomas was resolute, then all the Knights would definitely follow the Grand Master instead of obeying the Pope's orders.

And if the Four-Nation Alliance refuses to take action...

All that was left for the Pope was impotent rage.

"If I'm not mistaken, he's in a very bad place in Rome right now."

There are strong popes and weak popes. The difference between the two lies in whether the pope has enough prestige and how many supporters he has.

The strong can exert their power over the entire Christian world. The weak... can only assume that their decrees cannot leave Rome.

But the two can also be transformed into each other.

As long as he gradually accumulates prestige and cultivates his confidants, a weak pope can become a strong pope. Conversely, if his prestige is lost and his confidants become alienated, a strong pope can also become a weak pope.

In the eyes of Governor Balbo, although the new pope came to power as a strong pope, he is probably turning into a weak pope.

Once it was proven that he couldn't do anything to the Knights, couldn't do anything to Grand Master Thomas...

I guess his supporters will start to become alienated.

The tiger skin has been punctured and can no longer scare people!

You can feel that feeling from the urging letters he wrote.

The words in the Pope's letters had become polarized. Sometimes he was humble, begging Governor Balbo to launch military action as soon as possible. Sometimes he was filled with anger, accusing the Governor of breaking his promise.

Of course, no matter which one it is, Governor Balbo would say, "Just go ahead and say it, I will remain motionless."

From the very beginning, he was determined to take only the benefits and not take any risks.

It’s okay to wave flags and cheer, but it’s not okay to actually charge into battle!

Without this level of shamelessness, you can't even call yourself a politician.

Anyway, it's just shirking responsibility.

This is a basic skill for any politician. If you can't even do this, you don't deserve to be the governor!

"It should be." Orbini didn't object. "Besides, I got some unexpected gains while I was in Rhodes Island."

As he spoke, he took out a pocket, took it to his father's desk, and poured out the contents of the pocket.

"What's this?"

The Governor looked at the pile of coins on the table in surprise.

There were some silver coins and some gold coins, but the silver coins made up the majority.

It's clear that this thing isn't a coin minted by any modern country. Apart from anything else, these silver coins are covered with a thin layer of oxide, making them appear black.

If it were an ignorant civilian, they probably wouldn't be able to recognize that this was a silver coin at first glance.

The Governor picked up a gold coin and examined it carefully.

The color, weight, and surface patterns are significantly different from the "Florin Gold Coin" currently in circulation in the Mediterranean world.

If it weren't for these silver coins, people might think that these were gold coins minted by some small or medium-sized force.

But when mixed with these silver coins that are obviously old, you will instinctively realize that these gold coins...

I'm afraid it's also an antique!

"Ancient coins?"

"Yes, father, ancient coins," said Aubigny. "I bought them from Rhodes. There are people selling these antiques there. They cost me about a hundred florins."

Judging from the value of gold and silver alone, there is no doubt that this transaction is a loss.

But if you consider the antique nature of these coins, it's hard to say. It can't be considered a profit, but it shouldn't be a loss, right?

"This..." He stared at the coins again.

Although Governor Balbo was a military man, he was well-educated and had seen the world, and he considered himself to be quite knowledgeable.

He didn't recognize any of these coins, which meant they were antiques from at least hundreds of years ago. But it was obvious that these were not ancient Roman coins. The style was different.

His son was not an antique collector - although these days rich and powerful people all liked to collect some treasures to show their taste, but as a father, he knew his son's character.

I bought a bunch of them and showed them to myself...