A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

"I'm sorry, this is a secret mission, so we can't assign you any extra personnel... But Boris's employment period hasn't ended yet, so you can take him with you. With his help, at least your safety should be fine."

"But, relying on me alone to investigate... it's so groundless..."

"It's difficult!" said the Grand Master. "That's precisely why I let you go."

Thomas fell silent.

It seems like he performed so well in the past that it gave others unrealistic expectations?

"In addition, I will give you a special commission," the Grand Master said. "If the situation becomes critical, you can use this commission to take over all of the Knights' forces in Novgorod and have full authority over all personnel matters."

"Of course, in addition to this, the Patriarch will also grant you the corresponding privileges of an Inquisitor. If the situation is truly critical, you can also mobilize the power of the Church outside of the Knights."

"Of course, the Grand Duke of Kiev will also provide some assistance. Due to various previous reasons, there is an army directly under the Grand Duke of Kiev in Novgorod. The Grand Duke will give you the power to dispatch this army. The relevant tokens and documents will be given to you later."

"Is the situation... bad over there?" Thomas finally couldn't help it.

This is already the treatment of an imperial commissioner, although he is an imperial commissioner operating in secret.

In other words, as long as Thomas wanted, he could transform himself at any time and become the supreme commander of the Knights in Novgorod.

Plus, they can get the magical support of the church. If that's not enough, they can also add the Grand Duke's elite troops.

Not to mention dealing with the crisis, it would be enough to overthrow the Grand Duke of Novgorod.

Well, overthrowing the Grand Duke of Novgorod might not be enough. After all, he was a legitimate ruler with his own army, and he was not blind, deaf, or stupid.

During this era, the Russians were nominally united, with the Grand Prince of Kiev being the nominal supreme ruler of all of Russia. However, in reality, due to the feudal system, many city-states were actually very independent.

In theory, all the grand princes were relatives of the Rurik dynasty and were connected by blood. However, if the Grand Prince of Kiev needed the power of other city-states, he could not force them to do so, but could only seek help through negotiation and request.

According to Thomas's memories from his previous life, this was also an important reason why the Mongols could easily sweep across the entire Russia in the parallel dimension.

"I hope not," the Grand Master said. "But I am certain that even if there is a problem, it must be hidden deep within, covered up by all kinds of illusions and disguises."

"I understand. I will do it as soon as possible..."

"No, not quickly," the Grand Master said. "I'd rather you take two or three years to complete this mission slowly."

"Besides the main business, there's another small matter... It's said that a magical potion that allows one to safely advance to the elite ranks has appeared in Novgorod. Let's investigate this matter, even though many people think it's a rumor."

Thomas was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered. Business is small, and small is business.

The reason why I said it the other way around is because the Grand Commander gave him special care.

And this is also the opportunity given to him by the Grand Commander.

In the eyes of the Grand Commander, Thomas is still a core member and has not yet been promoted to elite.

After all, in the Knights, if a squad leader isn't an elite member, then he's lacking confidence. This is an exceptional promotion.

Even if you make further achievements in the future, you will not be able to get promoted.

In fact, if you think about it, it is easy to imagine that the delegation is making slow progress, so why does it need an imperial envoy to conduct a secret investigation?

A logistics audit will reveal where the money is spent.

If there is a problem with the person, just recall the branch leader and replace him with a capable one.

The Knights themselves are under the tight control of their biological father and mother, let alone a branch.

To say that a single detachment dared to rebel on its own was sheer nonsense. No one would believe it.

Do you really think that such a thing can be allowed under the current circumstances?

In fact, the main reason why the Grand Master wanted to capture Malovit was that he wanted to use Malovit's power to improve the combat effectiveness of the Knights Templar without any damage.

Promote the backbone to elite as much as possible.

Therefore, that "little thing", that is, the potion for safe promotion, is the real concern of the Grand Master.

"I will do my best to find out all the hidden secrets in the city of Novgorod," said Thomas.

The Grand Commander nodded appreciatively.

"You need a suitable hidden identity. Do you have one?"

"I think I can..." Thomas said uncertainly. "As a foreign traveler?"

"If you don't have a suitable identity, I can provide one," the Grand Master said. "I have a distant relative there. He's a minor nobleman with some property, and a respectable figure in the area—not a prominent figure, but not a commoner either. I can introduce you there with a letter. I'll say you're a junior of mine, studying abroad and planning to stay in Novgorod for a year or two. With his introduction, it should be easier for you to blend into the city's aristocratic circles."

"Then... please." Thomas said.

If there is such an introducer, it can indeed save a lot of trouble.

Of course, Thomas knew that the reason he was able to get the Grand Master to do him such a favor was, on the one hand, because he was indeed valued by the other party, and on the other hand, because he had always been very pious and serious.

"That's almost it. Is there anything else you need?" asked the commander-in-chief.

"Well, I have a sergeant named Janos over there," Thomas said. "He's a very conscientious and responsible man. His only regret is that he comes from a commoner family, so he joined the Knights Templar as a sergeant. He's done a great job of carrying out my daily duties while I'm on secret missions."

"Oh..." the Grand Master said, a sound full of 'I understand.' "Indeed, the Order is generous in its rewards to those who have made great contributions. I will have the clerk draft a document to make him an apprentice knight. He'd better be worthy of this reward in the future... Of course, I still have confidence in your vision."

This was no ordinary reward, it meant that Janos had left his commoner status and became a noble.

Chapter 189 Pre-departure Arrangements 1

Although he is a noble in name only, this "name" is not so easy to get!

Moreover, Thomas gave Janos more than just a "title" this time. This way, after Thomas left, Janos would naturally take command of the entire team.

After all, he is the highest-ranking person in the entire team.

Although he is only the "acting" commander, it is basically impossible for Bai Lan to come back.

This is a position that pays several thousand florins a year!

Even if the position doesn't last forever, it's still a huge reward.

As long as you hold the position for one or two years, the benefits will be exaggerated.

There's no problem retiring directly.

Janos did not have the same ambition as Thomas, and he probably would not spend tens of thousands of florins to purchase and manufacture magical equipment.

This reward is not only for Janos's daily diligent service, but also for his firm stance on Thomas' side when Thomas and Bai Lan were in conflict.

While the two were talking, someone came in from outside.

Thomas turned around and recognized him as the Grand Commander's attendant and guard.

That being said, he was actually just a guard, guarding the Grand Master's office when he was away.

Ever since Thomas learned what the Grand Commander had hidden in the basement, he realized that this guard was really necessary.

The guard held a stack of books in his hands.

"Grand Commander, a postman delivered these books," said the guard.

"Put it on my desk first." said the commander-in-chief.

The guard placed the book on the desk, not far from Thomas.

It can be seen that some books are printed and some are handwritten.

"Concepts on the Restoration of Magic", "Oriental Magic Techniques", "Primitive Witchcraft on the Prairie", "Extraordinary Spells"...

It would probably be impossible to find such books outside, but Thomas knew that the church was full of magic practitioners. As the Grand Master, it was not a big deal to get a few of these books.

Especially since the Grand Master's real collection is far more exaggerated than this...

That’s not all. The guard walked up to the Grand Commander and whispered something in his ear.

So Thomas picked up the book "Primitive Witchcraft on the Prairie".

"...the formation of primitive witchcraft is often accompanied by chance, a spark of inspiration that the creator may not even understand, an inadvertent attempt, or a coincidental fluctuation of the magic network, all of which give completely different meaning to ordinary things..."

Damn, it’s a genuine book.

Thomas glanced at it again and saw a few recovery techniques at the back.

The main thing is that after the caster has used up his magic, he can use some techniques to minimize his losses, increase his meditation efficiency, and restore his original casting ability as soon as possible.

Every time a spellcaster casts a spell, it is equivalent to switching out a part of his soul and exchanging the spell from the magic network, just like a transaction between humans and the magic network.

But transactions are different from each other.

Just like people who know how to bargain and people who don’t, even if they buy the same thing, the price they pay is different.

Techniques to reduce consumption do exist.

There are even techniques for "not consuming" energy. Of course, those are the secrets of magicians.

Thomas opened the book "Supernatural Magic" again. It was a manuscript.

The handwritten copy actually has a table of contents.

As can be seen in the catalog, there is also content about how spellcasters can reduce consumption and speed up recovery when using magic.

Thomas skipped the table of contents and opened a page at random.

"...So I believe that there is nothing new under the heavens, and therefore all knowledge is merely memory. Things may appear new simply because people have forgotten... Since humans were created by God, there is no doubt that there was originally a remnant of divinity within everyone. Although this faint divinity has degraded and dissipated in humanity's eternal division and decline, and is always bound by the layers of material bodies and mental shells, the divinity still exists..."

Written next to it were small words, seemingly annotations. "Perhaps this also explains the essence of faith. Why do gods willingly accept the faith of mortals? Perhaps it's because of the tiny vestiges of divinity that remain within us..."

Thomas flipped through the pages again and came to a random page.

"...But in certain transcendental moments, some people may still accidentally recall some strange knowledge. This knowledge comes from the distant past and is often completely unrelated to their current life experiences. In fact, there is no corresponding object in the entire material world..."

He was startled.

There was a slight movement on the arm, and a rope was peeking out from the cuff.

"Yi, go back!" Thomas whispered. Although his voice was soft, his tone was stern.

The rope immediately retracted.

When I wanted to read the book again, I didn't have the chance because the guards had already finished their conversation and left.

Now he was face to face with the Grand Commander.

It is obviously inappropriate to read books at this time.

Thomas had to put the book back to its original place, but he remembered the title of the book "Supernatural Magic" firmly.

At the same time, the vague concept in my mind became more and more clear.

"Sir, I'll be leaving now," Thomas said. "I need to pack my things first. By the way, regarding the funds..."

"As for the funding issue... well, I've prepared a thousand florins," the Grand Master said. "You can collect it from the Logistics and Finance Department later."

This money is not a lot.

For two or three years, if you live a relatively luxurious life as a small or medium-sized noble, especially if you have to spend money to bribe informants from time to time... this money is really not enough.

It seems that the finances of the Knights are not very abundant.

But Thomas was not in a hurry. After all, he still had some savings.

"If you need more, you'll need to file a separate report," the Grand Master said. "Anything else?"

He was still very confident about Thomas.

Not everyone can be so pious and indifferent to material desires at this age.

"Sir, I want to learn some magic," Thomas said sincerely. "Can you recommend something to me?"

"Ah!" The Grand Master was also slightly taken aback. "It's rare for young people to make such a request. But," he thought for a moment. "It's not a bad thing."

"Magical meditation isn't something you can learn overnight," the Grand Master said. "If you just want to learn a few more techniques, that's fine. The Church, while traditional, has a wealth of accumulated knowledge. You can learn it in any monastery. I can get you a letter of introduction, and with your status as a squad leader, you should be well received wherever you go. The prerequisite is that you're truly committed to this field and want to achieve some success. Honestly, in recent years, not many in the Order have been willing to learn magic, and most of them are just trying to improve their energy. Those who truly desire to learn advanced magic are few and far between... but the Order doesn't prohibit it. At least, I've never believed it should be prohibited."

"Thank you very much, sir," said Thomas.

Chapter 190 Pre-departure Arrangements 2

It was slow when coming, but fast when going back.

Thomas rode his horse at full speed all the way and arrived at the manor by dark.

Although I've only been here once, the second time I came, it was obviously much more familiar than the last time. There was no awkward unfamiliarity like last time.

After throwing the reins to the butler, Thomas asked directly, "Where is the lady?"

He already knew that everyone in the manor had to call Freya "Madam".