A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Chapter 181 Harvest 1

finally come!

To be honest, although Thomas appeared calm on the surface, he was actually a little worried from time to time.

The Grand Commander and the others...could they have forgotten about me?

"Then I'll go back first." After Boris regained his feelings, he became more and more like a normal person.

"Okay." Thomas sent the other party away and waited for the messenger to come to the training ground.

The messenger came quickly with a letter.

A promotion order.

As Knight Commander, Thomas fought numerous battles for the glory of God, achieving remarkable feats. Therefore, with the unanimous approval of the Knights Templar and the Church, Thomas was promoted from Knight Commander to Squad Leader. The specific position was not specified. Furthermore, Thomas was instructed to complete his current duties and report to the Knights Templar within the near future.

Damn... finally...

Thomas couldn't help but read the letter over and over again.

It has been less than two years since I joined the Knights Templar and became a trainee knight.

In two years, he was promoted three levels in a row!

Normally, this would be impossible in any other church organization. Only in a military organization like the Knights Templar could such a speed of advancement be achieved.

If he is a squad leader, he is definitely a middle-level member of the Knights Templar.

Damn! I used to be just a small trainee knight, but now I see a Knight Commander, who is a big shot.

I didn't even dare to breathe.

But from now on, when you see a Knight Commander, he must salute you respectfully and call you "Sir!"

This is also the characteristic of military organizations: the higher the rank, the more powerful the person!

Holding this letter, even Thomas couldn't help but start to fantasize.

What will the future hold?

I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep my current position—that was within my expectations. Honestly, this position wasn't suitable for a squad leader.

The so-called "unjust name and unsound words" is exactly the situation here.

I just don't know what position I will be assigned to.

Everyone knows that there are good and bad positions.

In Thomas's past life, some division-level cadres could manage entire counties, acting as local lords, governing hundreds of thousands of people and overseeing hundreds or even thousands of civil servants and public institutions. Others were merely insignificant mid-level positions in bureau-level units, with only one or two subordinates.

Thomas felt that there was a certain probability that he would be sent somewhere else and continue to be the captain?

After all, he really made a great contribution this time.

The Knights Templar still places great emphasis on rewarding people based on their merits, at least the Grand Master should do so.

But then again, he is too young after all. It would be difficult for him to win the support of the people if he were to command a small army at this age.

Taking into account factors such as future development, or simply not wanting Thomas to make any big mistakes, the Grand Commander may send Thomas to less important positions out of kindness.

But no matter what, the level of squad leader definitely exists.

Apart from anything else, the Grand Commander had personally signed the promotion appointment document.

Now, as long as he went to the headquarters of the Knights Templar, the Grand Master would hand him the document signed by himself in front of many witnesses.

After reaching this level, many things are completely different.

The Chief Judge had previously said that he would recommend Thomas to become the next Grand Master, but as the original plan could not be implemented, this promise became a tree without roots and a source without roots.

But as long as Thomas becomes a squad leader at this age, any fool would understand that there is a high probability that Thomas will challenge the position of Grand Commander.

It's just next time, or the next time.

By then...if I really become the Grand Commander...

Thomas calmed down and found that there were many people gathered around.

Everyone who was still in the base and had not gone out came.

Thomas was daydreaming for a moment and didn't notice so many people coming over.

Thomas was a little embarrassed and wanted to hide the letter, but unexpectedly someone with sharp eyes had already seen the contents of the letter from a distance.

After all, there isn't much in this letter.

"The captain is going to be promoted!" someone had already shouted.

"Congratulations!" A group of people came over together, following closely behind.

Everyone was mentally prepared for Thomas's promotion, but they didn't expect it to come so early or so quickly.

Maozi is passionate.

When Thomas set out to see Gandalf the next day, he felt a little dizzy - the aftereffect of drinking too much.

It was a feast for everyone in the truest sense of the word.

Although Thomas knew that many people were a little uneasy due to the uncertainty of the future, this did not affect everyone's happiness for Thomas.

Thomas is quite popular here.

Thomas is now very familiar with the cabin in the woods.

Not only himself, but even his horse was already familiar with this road. It could easily turn here without any control from its owner.

Gandalf had packed up everything and left the cabin in the woods.

But now, the things are with Thomas, and even Gandalf has to come back.

Sure enough, when Thomas arrived, he saw smoke coming out of the chimney of the cabin in the woods from afar.

What experiment should the old magician be doing in the hut?

Thomas tied the horse to a tree on the side of the road and headed towards the cabin.

Instead of going directly to the gate, he went around it from the side and, not surprisingly, saw Gandalf's mule.

The mule was fat and strong, full of energy, and didn't look like it had been traveling hard. It must have come straight back after saying goodbye.

I definitely haven't been running around these past two days, at least not far. Otherwise it wouldn't be like this.

Then Thomas walked towards the door.

Although Thomas is still Thomas and Gandalf is still Gandalf, some things should have changed completely.

So it’s always better to be careful.

Because Gandalf has discovered Thomas's secret.

Even if it is not a core secret, it is clear that Thomas is not an ordinary person.

Thomas walked to the door of the cabin, but before he could knock, he saw the door being pushed open from the inside.

Gandalf had noticed the visitor.

"Ah, Aragorn, you're here." Gandalf took off his hat and ruffled his messy hair. "Just in time, I've got your things ready for you."

He pulled out a rope from his body.

In fact, it is the metal whip. Of course, the metal part of the whip has been completely removed at this moment, revealing its true appearance.

A rope of unknown texture.

Chapter 182 Harvest 2

"What the hell is this?" Thomas took the rope and played with it.

"If I must say it, the Living Rope." The old wizard shrugged. "Making it into a whip was truly a brilliant idea. But now I'm afraid it can no longer continue to do this promising job."

"Is the damage serious?"

"Well, you can understand it as not only being cut off, but the magic that makes it alive and intelligent has also been weakened. Combat requires a higher level of intelligence, which is why carnivorous animals are smarter. But as long as you don't use it in battle, you shouldn't feel any change." He looked at Thomas' face.

"You said it has intelligence?"

"Yes, I suppose it was once equal to the intelligence of a five or six-year-old, and now it is still about three years old," said Gandalf.

Thomas already had a defensive bracelet on one wrist, so he wrapped the activation cord around his other.

"How do you use this thing?" Thomas asked. He swung his hand, imagining it flying up and wrapping itself around a high branch. Unfortunately, imagination was just imagination; the living rope didn't change at all. "It doesn't seem to be listening to me."

"It won't be obedient right away. It needs to be nurtured for a while," Gandalf said. "Just like a dog. It takes time for it to see you as a companion. It should be a little shy now and curled up."

Indeed, Thomas could feel the power of the Activation Rope tightly wrapped around his arm. While it wasn't painful, it was not numb.

"Raise it? Does it need to eat?"

"No, nothing." Gandalf shrugged again. "It's the Weave that keeps it going. Treat it well, talk to it when you can, and if it's curious about something, give it a chance to touch it—like I said, like a three-year-old. Give it time, and it'll connect with you. It might not be a weapon, but as a tool, I guarantee it'll be very useful."

“Okay.” Thom checked the activation cord.

"Does he understand our language?"

"I'd say it's similar to a dog. It can understand as much as a smart dog can. But to really use it like an arm, you need to be in tune with it."

Gandalf and Thomas had already walked to the open space in front of the cabin.

"Open the door," said Gandalf.

Thomas opened the space door as he was told.

Soon all the bags that had belonged to Gandalf were brought out and piled together.

Whenever he took out a batch of these ashes of the gods, Gandalf would sigh deeply.

It cannot be said that he gained nothing this time, but the gains were far less than he expected.

"Aragorn, did the Christians finally check there and find anything?" After getting the things, Gandalf still asked with some reluctance.

"We've searched carefully, but as far as I know, there's nothing," Thomas replied. "Then the Archduke's men will come and clear out the entire ruin. That'll take days."

"Hey...fire...where will the fire go?"

"Master, is this fire so important?"

"A treasure unrivaled in the world, something coveted by all wizards. And unlike the Holy Fire," Gandalf lamented. "That thing has no religious requirements."

"what!"

"These past few days, I've been trying every possible way to find more information about fire and the sacred flame," Gandalf said. "The more I research, the more shocking it becomes!"

"Those ancient Zoroastrian monks were truly foolish, truly foolish, beyond belief!" he said. "To maintain their status and ensure the inheritance of the Holy Flame to their descendants, they actually hid the Holy Flame! Only the descendants of the highest-ranking group could join the Holy Flame Priesthood."

"Joining this secret order makes you a special figure within the Zoroastrian Church, the most powerful and prestigious group. To ensure they maintain control of the priesthood and ensure their descendants enjoy this position forever, they refuse to admit anyone else..." Gandalf continued to sigh. "Magic is a skill that requires talent. Some, after a lifetime of hard work, can only cast third-level spells, while others, in just three to five years, can reach the fourth level of the Weave. Their actions ensure that the Holy Fire belongs only to the mediocre!"

"It can't be helped. Some people are just so selfish," Thomas said. "No matter how good something is, if it's not in the hands of oneself or one's descendants, it's meaningless to those selfish people! However, their selfishness has been punished... By the way, Master, what exactly is the Fire and the Holy Flame? Why do they have such powers?"

Thomas had seen the power displayed by the high priest with his own eyes.

At that level, it could sweep through thousands of troops like a whirlwind - even the Protectorate didn't have such power.

In other words, Thomas relied on the healing effect of his divine power to hold on, otherwise it would be extremely difficult to win if others came.

"According to some vague records and my own reasonable speculations," Gandalf said, "Ahura Mazda sent his avatar, Mithra, into this world, carrying the Holy Fire. The fire itself was likely gifted by Ahura Mazda, not created by Mithra. Perhaps due to the constraints of the world's rules, or perhaps for some other reason, the original Holy Fire became a fire after entering this world. Mithra then separated part of his essence and used it as fuel to reignite the Holy Fire. However, this also greatly affected Mithra, causing him to lose his independent consciousness early on and become a mere existence of rules."

"Perhaps in Ahura Mazda's plan, his followers, relying solely on the power of the holy fire, without any additional assistance, would be enough to sweep across the world and become a faith that completely dominates everything. Therefore, Mithra's situation is not particularly important. But Ahura Mazda ultimately underestimated humanity's greed and despicable nature. Of course, perhaps this incident isn't entirely to blame on humans, but rather the machinations of the dark god Ahriman, with humanity merely a victim of that scheme."

"In short, although the Zoroastrians possessed the power to conquer the entire world, they didn't use it. Instead, some of their own Muhu monks privatized this power and hid it away, seeking status and power for themselves and their descendants. So while in theory the Zoroastrians could have unified the world, in reality they were content with occupying a rich and beautiful territory and stopped striving for further progress. You know what happened next. The Star-Moon Cultists extinguished the sacred flame. Rekindling it requires the essence of the gods, which is extremely difficult and rare. So, in the end, a few Muhu monks fled, carrying the flame with them."

"The Star-Moon Cultists certainly weren't fully aware of the rekindled flame, so they didn't pursue them relentlessly. Instead, they allowed these few Mu Hu monks to escape."

"I've already told you about the power of the Holy Fire. It allows spellcasters to cast spells infinitely—they don't need to exchange their souls for the Weave; the Holy Fire pays for the caster's use. The biggest difference between it and the Kindling Fire is the number of people it can wield. The Holy Fire can be used by thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of spellcasters, while the Kindling Fire can only be used by a limited number of people. Furthermore, to utilize the power of the Holy Fire, you need to sign a contract, meaning you must be a Zoroastrian. But the Kindling Fire doesn't require this."

Gandalf sighed. "But honestly, how many spellcasters can resist this temptation? Zoroastrianism is fine!"

"Naturally, although the Muhu monks were unable to rekindle the sacred flame, this did not affect their continued survival, relying on the power of the flame, generation after generation. However, the pressure from the Star-Moon Cult became increasingly intense. In such a dangerous environment, the inferior will naturally be eliminated and the elite will be selected. Among them, there must have emerged a member who could cast high-level spells, and through prophetic spells, he predicted the resurrection of Malovit in Kiev."

"You'll know what happened next. They tried every possible means, secretly fanning the flames, hoping to use Malovit to rekindle the flame. They spared no effort to do so. But in the end, they failed."

Gandalf let out a long breath.