A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

The new Pope himself was likely completely unsure. After all, anyone could see that this operation was both dangerous and lengthy.

The chances of Thomas agreeing are slim.

That being the case...

Perhaps I can take this opportunity...

My father suddenly fell into deep thought and said nothing.

Little Balbo knew his father's habit, but as he waited, he felt that his father's time in contemplation was a little too long.

"Father?" he tried to call out.

Governor Balbo finally came to his senses and smiled.

"Well, Grand Commander, it's about protecting the country. Is it important?"

"It's okay, it's okay... It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter!" said Governor Balbo.

"Father, it's best to keep this a secret! You know... not many people in the Knights know about this!"

"Of course, I will keep it a secret!" Governor Balbo had already made up his mind, intending to blackmail the new Pope for a huge profit without any investment. Even if his son asked him to publicize the news, let alone keep it a secret, he would definitely not obey.

"By the way, if Grand Master Thomas is planning a long journey... when will he leave?"

"It should be in the fall, or late summer," said Balboa. "He didn't say it explicitly, but he seemed to hint at it occasionally."

"Autumn..."

There's still time, no problem at all.

Chapter 389 Farewell 1

In the city of Smyrna.

It has been more than half a year since the war ended.

The city's restoration is not very fast, but it is almost complete now.

The bastion, as a newly emerging military technology, was verified through this war.

The last time Thomas spent a lot of money to invite military engineers from Italy to build the castle.

Now, without him spending any money, people came to redesign and repair the damaged castle.

Of course, the Knights will bear the labor and material costs, but the measurement and design are completely free.

Those engineers also hope to test their theories through actual combat and improve the level of military engineering.

Through in-depth understanding of the actual combat effects, the layout of the bastion was further improved.

In addition, the terrain problem near the port was also corrected. Using a new foundation excavation technology, the particularly thin section of the city wall was completely renovated.

From now on, it will never be destroyed by a few random artillery fire.

In addition, according to the engineer's suggestion, spiral ventilation holes were dug in the foundation of the city wall to disperse the force of the gunpowder explosion. In this way, if there is another siege, the attackers will no longer be able to easily destroy large sections of the city wall by digging tunnels.

Since the Knights did not invest much money and manpower, these repairs and renovations took more than half a year.

But now... it's gradually being completed.

Thomas stood on the top of the city wall, which had been preliminarily repaired, and looked out to sea.

On the sea, the Knights' warships were setting sail. Dozens of warships were deployed on the sea, with their sails spread out against the sea breeze.

A sense of pride unconsciously filled my heart.

This is the kingdom I conquered!

This is human power!

Although the Knights could not be considered the dominant force, they were still considered a small force. They would not be easily defeated.

Compared to the situation when I first took over.

Whether it is military strength, financial resources, population, or territorial area, there has been a significant increase.

The navy is powerful, and the army is not inferior.

There is already a tendency to intrude into Asia Minor.

The so-called transcendence of tribulation and ascension is nothing more than this.

"Grandmaster!" a voice came from behind. Thomas turned around and saw Louis. "You looking for me?"

"Yes, I have something to tell you."

"You...are leaving?"

"My plan is for this period of time," Thomas said. "Stay here and study according to the course. My journey will take several years. When I return, I hope to see you become an excellent knight!"

That being said, Thomas was actually ready to go at any time.

Many people suggested joining Thomas on this long and dangerous "missionary" journey.

This naturally includes Louis.

But Thomas refused all of them. He wanted to travel alone this time and could not take anyone with him.

Let's put it this way, being able to legally and reasonably leave the Knights Temporarily and try to sprint towards the dream of becoming a god...

There are not many such opportunities.

Thomas knew that if he disappeared quietly, a new Grand Commander would take office within half a year!

If you fail to achieve your dream, it will be difficult to come back.

And the "battle between the new and the old" is not the worst.

What if that newcomer was deliberately arranged by the Pope to cause trouble?

Even if Thomas comes back and drives him away...

The Knights' good fortune was also ruined.

That's really a bit of a loss.

In addition, Thomas himself cannot guarantee whether his journey will be successful or not, and it may take several years!

All I can say is that risks and opportunities coexist.

In particular, Thomas's understanding of the history of Central Asia, whether in his past life or this life...

Almost nothing.

I have a vague idea of ​​the general situation, I know about the Western Liao Dynasty, I know that it was divided into four khanates after the Mongol conquest, I know about the conquest of Timur... but I don't know the details of how they conquered, how they ruled, and how they finally collapsed...

And in this process, the rise and fall of political regimes in various places...

Then you will be completely in the dark.

He couldn't even be sure whether the famous "Western Liao" was established.

Therefore, Thomas also planned to go to the Buyid Dynasty, or a place near the Buyid Dynasty, to stay there for a while, learn the language and writing, and at the same time gain a deeper understanding of the historical development of Central Asia in this time and space.

With the advent of magic, the development of history must be very different from his previous life.

This is different from Europe.

Europe as a whole has not changed much, but even so, the changes in local details cannot be underestimated.

The Crusades took on a different look.

And in Central Asia, if the Khitans hadn't come, the Mongols hadn't come, Timur hadn't come... this crucial event wouldn't have happened...

I really don’t know what it will become.

History will certainly change dramatically.

"Captain, I will try my best!" Louis said firmly.

He had been in the Knights for just over a year, less than two years, but he was talented and hardworking, so three to five years would be enough for him to advance and become a full member of the Knights.

It's all thanks to Thomas.

Without Thomas' rescue, without his shelter and without his promotion, even if he did not die at sea, he would at least still be a sailor as insignificant as a duckweed.

"Remember one thing. Master Radagast is very important to the Order. He and I have reached an agreement to serve the Order for three years," Thomas said. "I have already paid him for his service. One of those three years has already passed."

Louis didn't ask why. He knew that some things were useless even if he knew them.

"In other words, if he wants to leave within two years, remember to remind him of this agreement. But if he wants to leave after two years... you can only persuade him as much as possible. Don't think you can buy him off with small favors or a few thousand or tens of thousands of florins, because..."

"Master Radagast is rich!"

"Ah!" Louis' eyes widened.

I really can’t tell!

"Master Radagast's personal fortune must be at least several hundred thousand florins. Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Louis said.

"Of course, you shouldn't publicize this matter, lest anyone harbor ill intentions towards the Master! He's a magician capable of accessing the ninth layer of the magic web. If things fall out, don't mention my absence. Even if I were here, the Knights wouldn't be able to gain any advantage!"

Chapter 390 Farewell 2

Louis nodded hard.

He has been spending a lot of time reading recently, and has accumulated a lot of knowledge rapidly. He now knows what the "ninth level of the magic net" means.

Ninth-level magic...

Although it’s not earth-shattering, it’s not far off!

"Of course, if we treat the Master well and let him know that the Knights are a safe and friendly place that can provide him with a good research environment, he will probably stay."

"Captain, I will try my best to make it right."

"Very good. Once I'm gone, you have to pay more attention to Master Radagast's affairs." Thomas nodded with satisfaction.

It would be best to leave Master Radagast's affairs to Louis.

It’s not appropriate to give it to anyone else.

Thomas turned his gaze to the sea again.

At this time, the fleet had moved a little further away, and the huge warships now looked only the size of toy models.

It's a pity that it has not been able to achieve full sailing.

History in the past generation had eloquently proven that paddle boats were ultimately inferior to true sailing ships.

Of course, whether the Knights have the financial resources to do so is another matter...

Then, among the fleet, a small boat can be seen.

They also flew the flag of the Knights Templar, but both the model of the ship and the direction of the ship were different from those of the fleet, so they were easy to distinguish.

"That ship is..." Thomas was a little confused.

"Grandmaster, it must be the Secretary's ship!" Louis explained. "He's back from Constantinople!"

"Oh, indeed, it's time for him to come back."

The reason why Thomas hasn't set off yet is because of the last two things.

The first thing is the Byzantine Empire.

The relationship between the two sides was once that of unequal allies.

But since the Knights occupied Smyrna and confirmed their territorial rights through a papal bull...

Now it has become a red name relationship.

Although there is still a slight tinge of affection between them and they won't start fighting as soon as they meet, their relationship has indeed reached a freezing point.

Moreover, Thomas knew that the Byzantines were preparing to rebuild their fleet.

Judging from the construction progress, in three to four years, their strength will far surpass that of the Knights.

The size of the Knights' fleet can no longer be expanded - the financial resources cannot support it.

The Byzantines, however, were able to build a much larger fleet, easily twice or even three times the size of the Knights.