A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Now thinking back, why did I instinctively know so many things about dreams? It could only be related to Malovet.

It turned out that not only had the damaged godhead absorbed Marlowit's essence, filling some of the gaps and cracks, but also much had been absorbed by Thomas's own spirit or soul.

It’s just that these things are hidden and cannot be noticed for the time being.

Only in a situation like the one just now, when encountering this kind of dream assassin, can one understand what one has gained.

It was a blessing in disguise.

Because Thomas now has the ability to curse in dreams.

Of course, this ability...cannot be compared with swords and magic at all.

All I can say is that when other means fail, at least there is one more option.

Thomas remembered the dream communication method of the Marlowite believers that the Grand Commander had asked him to find.

Although I didn't find it in the end, I think... this should be it.

Relying on Malovit's protection, he communicates with others through dreams.

To be honest, this method is not suitable for killing people, because if you meet someone stubborn, it is easy to get yourself into trouble.

But if used for communication, it is very suitable.

But more importantly than this... Thomas clearly felt the crisis.

Although it was not the first time I encountered an assassin, it was the first time I became his target.

I won this time, but what about next time? And the time after that?

It's useless to deal with assassins. We have to deal with the real mastermind. As for the mastermind... 99% of the time it's those evil wolves.

Thomas thought about it and decided that the key issue was probably the dividend distribution meeting yesterday, when the waitress poured some water on his head and body.

Thomas actually had time to dodge at that time, but he didn't. In fact, he just wanted to see what the other party was up to!

Because even if the waitress was an assassin, or even if everyone present was an assassin, he would not be afraid.

But now it seems that he really underestimated the other party. Even he had not expected the other party's methods.

Thomas stared at the moon in the sky and had made up his mind.

I had originally planned to wait until that ball to ask Domnar, the head of the Ostromir family... but now it seems I can't delay that long. I must act swiftly!

Another day passed.

During this period of time, the weather has been getting colder day by day, and the temperature has dropped significantly.

But it will still be some time before the really cold weather or snow comes.

The city of Novgorod was at its busiest before winter, because everyone knew that once the temperature dropped further and heavy snow fell, all activities would have to come to a temporary halt.

By then, the entire city will have to lie dormant, like a hibernating bear, and will have to wait until the temperature rises next year to recover.

The Ostromir family's residence.

The head of the family, Domhnall, was about to go to bed after finishing a lot of business matters.

The Chud merchants who came here to trade were also leaving Novgorod in large numbers.

In the last few days, I'll finish things and then I can hold the party with peace of mind...

While thinking about the necessary arrangements for the party and the attendance of those distinguished guests, he slowly fell asleep.

Then suddenly, he felt something was wrong around him.

Instead of sleeping in his own warm and comfortable bedroom, he slept in a straw hut.

This straw house...isn't it the hunter's cabin where I stay temporarily when I go out hunting?

Hunting was his favorite pastime when he was young. He often left home with a few servants and would not return for three or five days.

But the thing is… that was a long time ago.

Ever since he became the head of the family, he no longer had the leisure time—nor the energy—to hunt.

In a trance, Domnar stood up, opened the door, and walked into the dark forest outside. There was not much land suitable for farming around Novgorod (relatively speaking), but there were many swamps, bushes, and forests suitable for hunting.

This forest...seems familiar.

It was indeed the same forest where he had hunted in his youth.

But that was impossible. He hadn't been there for years, and the hut must have collapsed by now.

As we all know, if such simple huts are not inhabited and maintained, they will collapse within a few years.

Is this... my own dream?

Suddenly, he had an idea and saw a strange figure appear in the clearing in the woods in front of the cabin.

A strange figure, tall, with a long sword at his waist, wearing armor, and a rare face-covering helmet on his head, completely hiding his face under the helmet.

"Who... are you?" Domhnall felt a sense of alarm in his heart.

He knew that he might be influenced by some supernatural power.

The author says:

Author's Note: There is one more

Chapter 223 Secret 2

"Lord Domnar, the head of the Ostromir family?" the other party suddenly asked.

"It's me." Domhnall looked at the other person warily.

He reached for his waist and touched his sword, which made him feel a little relieved.

He is not defenseless.

"I'm sorry to have invited you here," the other party apologized. "I apologize for the impoliteness."

"who are you?"

"You can call me Shadow Wolf," the man said. "I mean no harm. I'm just disturbing you... mainly because I have some questions for you."

Domhnall remained wary, but the situation forced him to speak. "I wouldn't dare ask for your advice. After all, I don't know everything."

"I heard that Gwalan...was once a hired worker for your family?"

"Yes, but that was many years ago. My father and grandfather were in charge of the family business then. I can't say I know him very well."

"Everyone says that Gwalan made his fortune through the slave trade and became the most powerful new force in this city. But... why don't you, the Ostromir family, engage in such a lucrative business?"

"Because the risk is enormous," Domnar replied sternly. "While wars do occur frequently between Chud tribes,... it's rare for a tribe to be completely wiped out. That is, if you purchase war captives, they're likely to have families. Their tribes will do everything in their power, even risking everything, to recapture them. And these actions—unless we have a deep friendship—were rarely disclosed to you by our trading partners. So, often, danger strikes unexpectedly when you're completely unprepared! A caravan can muster a hundred guards, which is about the limit. No more. But when a tribal army appears, it often numbers thousands, even tens of thousands! And barbarians aren't a mob untrained in battle formations. No merchant caravan could possibly withstand such an army. Not to mention, if a fight breaks out, all the captives will immediately riot."

"In reality, considering the cost, arranging thirty to fifty guards for a caravan is already a lot. So, in real business, it's obvious that to maximize profits, you must, and can only, seek out tribes with whom you have a deep friendship. The Ostromir family, after all these years, has only been able to maintain such friendly relations with four or five tribes. Trading with other tribes is possible, but the risks are enormous. So, in the end, after weighing the pros and cons, we simply made what we believed to be the most advantageous option."

"Then...how did Gvalan do it?" Thomas asked.

"I don't know. He might have some political talent that others don't possess, making him feel at home among the Chude tribes and gaining unanimous recognition from all sides. Or perhaps he possesses immense strength and courage, enough to handle any challenge. Of course, he might simply be lucky and avoid all danger."

"From what I've heard, Gvaran is in his seventies or eighties. He stopped visiting the Chud tribes at least thirty years ago." The stranger shook his head. "Neither political talent, personal strength, nor luck can explain how he managed to run this business smoothly for decades, becoming a rising star in Novgorod."

"What do you think of the Gvarans?" Domhnall asked.

"Honestly, I don't like them," the other man shrugged. "I've recently discovered they're openly enslaving people within Novgorod. It's truly outrageous. If they were gone, I think the city wouldn't get any worse, if not better."

He said this very rudely.

"Are you... from Kiev?" Domhnall asked suddenly.

"Ah... have you been noticed?" The other party didn't deny it. "You're right."

"In that case... perhaps I can say more," Domhnall said. "Indeed, to make this deal work, I suspect—and I should point out that this is just my personal speculation, as I haven't investigated—that I might need to bring in allies."

"Allies? That's true..."

"For example, if you can establish a relationship with the Grand Duke of Novgorod," Domnar explained. "Most tribes wouldn't dare to attack you. The Grand Duke might not be able to protect you, but he'd likely avenge you. After all, defending one's honor is a lord's instinct. In this situation, sending an army to reclaim captured tribesmen is risky. If the tribal leader is calmer, he'll likely send a negotiator to resolve the issue. The same caravan with thirty guards faces different risks with and without the Grand Duke's protection."

"That's a very reasonable explanation," Shadow Wolf said. "But why didn't the Ostromir family do the same?"

"Because the Grand Duke's protection is by no means free," Domhnall said. "I don't know if you're well-versed in the ways of business, but there are certain inherent rules in this business. For example, there's a certain reward for every risk. The greater the risk, the greater the reward, and vice versa. Bringing in external allies can indeed greatly reduce risk, but the price is that the profits are shared out. As a result, a once-profitable business becomes a dispensable waste."

"So what do you mean?"

"I guess Gvaran's rise to wealth must involve some secrets that outsiders cannot know." Domnar said carefully.

"At least in the business world, he possesses secrets that even our family cannot detect."

"And this secret..." The other party clearly understood. "It must be some powerful backer? And this backer doesn't need to share the profits?"

"That's all I can guess."

The other party pondered for a long time.

"It seems that the slave trade in Gwalan is quite big now." He changed the subject.

"That's another mystery," Domnar said. "Chud tribes do often engage in civil war, but how could such a large number of prisoners be captured? Even the most warlike tribes can't wage endless war year after year. Estonia is so small, and there are so many tribes! Others may not have an idea of ​​this number, but our family has long interacted with the Chuds, so we know it very well."

"You mean... But in order to facilitate trade, they even built a fairly large dock!"

"Yes, so the scale of their business has exceeded our family's imagination. You know, a dock is no small matter. This means that their family business is covered up. Apart from Gwalan's own family, it is difficult for outsiders to know how big their business is. But this also means that they have to pay taxes to the big bag every year, and that tax is definitely not a small amount! How can they do such a thing without huge profits?"

"what……"

"And, quite coincidentally," Domhnall said. "Some time ago, a ship capsized on the Volkhov River. Many people drowned, and then everyone realized it was a slave ship... Yes, it wasn't from Novgorod, but a slave ship that came to the Volkhov River from elsewhere. They brought slaves from outside, prisoners of war from Northern Europe and even further afield, here to sell to the Gvaran family."

"Second-hand dealer?" the other party asked incredulously. "Did the Gwalan family buy it from other channels and then sell it at a higher price?"

If you have a dock, you can certainly do that.

"Yes, most people think so, and so do other people in Novgorod. It's reasonable... but our family happened to be a little concerned about this matter. So we arranged for a few people to do nothing but stay around the dock day and night, watching the ships coming and going."

"What did you find?"

"It turned out that... in the vast majority of cases, fully loaded 'cargo' vessels were unloading at the terminal, but only in very rare cases did a loaded vessel leave the terminal. The rest were empty."

"Ah!" After saying this, the other party couldn't help but let out a low cry.

Chapter 224 Secret 3

What does this sentence mean?

This means that the Gwalan family continues to buy slaves but does not sell them.

Not only the Chude tribe, but also other channels purchased a large number of slaves.

Not only that, because there were not enough slaves, they also committed crimes and plundered innocent people as slaves around the city of Novgorod.

So where did these slaves go?

The Gwalan family did not have a good channel for absorbing slaves, nor did they have assets such as mines that could accommodate a large number of slaves.

For a long time, people have viewed them as slave traders who sold slaves to those in need.

Second-hand dealers or even third- or fourth-hand dealers.

But now, it seems like things are completely different?

Shadow Wolf was silent for a long time before he asked, "Is the information reliable?"

"This is what the people I sent out reported."

"Then...is it a coincidental time period? This time period happens to be the replenishment period..." The other party stopped talking automatically, because he himself realized that this was a forced defense of the Gwalan family.

To put it bluntly, this matter is too incredible.

It completely goes against common sense, so much so that you subconsciously make up your mind.

"Does the Gwalan family have any allies?" Shadow Wolf remained silent for a longer time before changing the subject. "Besides the Chude tribe."

"From what I've heard, they seem to have formed a relationship with an organization called either 'Wolf's Den' or 'Night Wolves'. But the nature of this alliance is unknown. It's likely a business partnership, but it could also be something deeper."

"Wolf's Lair? That seems to be a secret organization, right?"

"They were secretive in the past, but they're no longer secretive. We can't pinpoint the exact individuals involved, but they've certainly collaborated with the Guevara family and established a trading post. After something like this, any secret organization can no longer remain secret."

"Commercial station?" The other party was clearly puzzled. "That kind of..."

"Yes, it's a transit point. It's located at the border between Novgorod and the Chuds," Domhnall said. "They pretend to monopolize land trade between the two places."

"Besides the Wolf's Den?"