A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

"In that city... no, around here, are there any famous... monasteries?"

"Ah, sir, you've asked the right person. This city is surrounded by monasteries! Over here, you can't see it in this direction, but over here... over there, and over there... there are three monasteries right around here!"

“Can anyone come into town?” Thomas asked.

He saw the flow of people on the road in the distance.

In Rus, only Kiev and the nearest towns had such a flow of people, and it seemed that this was just one of the many roads leading to Rome.

There were merchants and travelers from far away, monks, or farmers who came to the city to sell their produce, but the main crowd was probably pilgrims.

“According to the Pope’s order, each of the sixteen gates in the Walls of Aureliano Buendía is different. For example, three of them are for pilgrims, monks, and priests. The others are for everyone to enter and exit.”

"Can we come and go as we please?" Thomas was a little skeptical.

"It's not Rome that's truly inaccessible, it's Vatican City!" the Jew explained. "Since the conquest of Rome, the Church has built towering walls around the Vatican Hill, leaving only St. Peter's Square on the east side accessible to the outside world. West of St. Peter's Square is St. Peter's Basilica, also known as the Basilica of St. Peter and the Vatican. Above it is the famous Sistine Chapel, where Pope Innocent VIII was fortunately elected. Surrounding these are the Pope's reception rooms, the Reliquary, and the offices and residences of the various Vatican officials. It's truly the most important of all. Entering the Vatican is much more difficult, and not everyone is qualified. Generally speaking, it's difficult for outsiders to enter unless invited."

It turned out to be like this...

Thomas had never been to Rome in his previous life, but he knew that the Holy See always retained the Vatican as its last face.

Rome belongs to Italy, and the Vatican belongs to the Pope. Although it is a city within a city, it is also independent.

"I heard something," Thomas suddenly turned around and looked at the Jew, who must have been born and raised in Rome for decades and was well-versed in the surrounding areas. "In this city, one million florins can buy a 'divine revelation'... I don't know if it's true or not."

Section 2 Rome 2

"This legend does exist. But," the Jew emphasized, "no one knows the truth."

He was just a resident of a small village outside the city. Although it could be considered a financial business, the actual funds that could be used at one time did not exceed 3,000 florins.

Otherwise he wouldn't have to run multiple businesses.

To put it bluntly, Thomas could withdraw money directly with a 1,000-florin voucher, but not with a 10,000-florin voucher. To withdraw money, he had to schedule a time several days in advance so that he could gather funds from other nearby Jewish financial centers.

Such a person certainly has no way of knowing the legendary "divine revelation technique".

Even if we know, they are just legends without any evidence.

"Why do you say that?"

"One million florins can purchase a divine revelation. And the divine revelation directly allows a person to become a Protector of the Nation. My lord, I don't want to say that this story is outrageous, but we all know... well, Protectors of the Nation are rare in our time."

In this era, at least officially, no country has declared that it has a national defense.

But to come up with one million florins, then... the monarchs of the major countries would have to grit their teeth and theoretically it was possible.

Or maybe a super-rich prodigal son sold all the wealth his ancestors had worked so hard to accumulate, and might be able to barely come up with this figure.

Although there are few such people, they definitely exist.

But there is no country to protect...

Why this contradiction arises...that's a matter of opinion.

Perhaps the so-called divine revelation is a scam; perhaps each country actually has its own national defense, but it is concealed so there is no need to waste money at all; perhaps the national defense obtained by the divine revelation has many flaws; perhaps everything is just a coincidence.

"So you don't believe this?"

"My Lord," said the Jewish shopkeeper, "when a sensible man is about to take out a million florins, he must have a hundred per cent security."

"That makes sense," Thomas agreed. "Let me ask, where did the priests and monks of the most important church in the city—the Sistine Chapel—come from?"

"You're planning a pilgrimage there? That's easy. I have a friend who knows an abbot. If you're willing to pay a small fee, he can issue you a letter of introduction, and you can visit the Sistine Chapel without any reservations. You can even stay overnight! Of course, you must be accompanied by a monk throughout the entire visit, and..."

"No, no, you misunderstood. I want to go there... and find a position for myself."

"That's going to be a difficult matter." The Jew took a moment to grasp the man's meaning. "The upper echelons there are all appointed by the Pope, or at least by the Cardinal. And the monks below are all transferred from surrounding monasteries. You know, in this day and age, those with malicious intentions can't just come and go freely in the heart of the Church."

"The monastery outside the city?"

Thomas muttered to himself quietly.

It seems that the security here is quite strict. If you don't have a good background, they won't let you in.

The secret art Thomas was looking for was most likely hidden under the Pope's nose, in other words, in the Sistine Chapel.

Many churches and monasteries have attached libraries, and I imagine the Sistine Chapel has one too.

Even if it isn't there, it must be somewhere near the Sistine Chapel, in St. Peter's Basilica, or in the church's own library.

If you can enter the Sistine Chapel, you can enter several other places.

Although the church is corrupt, money is not everything...

"...An abbot alone probably wouldn't be able to do this. You'd need to find an archbishop, or even a cardinal," the Jewish shopkeeper said. "The cost... would probably be quite a lot!"

Okay, let me take it back, money is everything.

"Forget it. You just mentioned... the abbot? Are you familiar with the abbots of the monasteries around here?"

"That's not true. The most famous monastery in this area is the Monastery of San Sisto, and they only accept nuns. I don't have the honor of being the abbess. The monastery I'm familiar with is over there..."

After a few minutes, Thomas understood.

The Jewish shop owner was a nobody, and the only places he could get in touch with were those obscure monasteries.

There were many famous monasteries around Rome, but there were also many small, unknown monasteries. Although Christians disliked Jews (this was true all over the world), like Thomas, they could not refuse certain services provided by Jews.

So the two sides began to interact with each other.

However, the Jews also understood the greed in the hearts of these monks - in this respect, the two were exactly the same kind of people, and with just a little communication, they would naturally understand each other.

According to the Jews, these small monasteries can help issue any document, whether it is a letter of introduction or something else. In short, as long as you have money, nothing is impossible.

Of course, how valid the documents issued by these small monasteries are and how many people are willing to recognize them...that is another matter.

Thomas then decided to visit the monastery tomorrow.

It's just a home visit, so it doesn't cost much. The Jews are willing to provide free services and help with the contact.

Of course, when visiting someone, you can't go empty-handed, and a donation is definitely necessary.

The Jews themselves would not suffer any loss, which meant that Thomas would stay in his shop for at least two more days.

At the same time, if a generous pilgrim comes, the abbot will have to do him some favors.

After a while, Thomas returned to his room.

The largest room in the hotel has now been booked by him.

The conversation with the shop owner just now gave Thomas a lot of inspiration, because he understood the situation of the lower levels of the church.

The content of the third volume of the Nameless Book still needs to be revised.

The content must be made more in line with the actual situation, otherwise how can it be promoted?

Thus, the nameless god gained one more power: the opportunity to make a fortune.

It doesn’t make you rich directly, but it gives you the opportunity to get rich.

The nameless god will give believers the opportunity to make a fortune.

Of course, I can't tell you how to get rich specifically. Anyway, it's the same in religion: believe it or not.

After all, among the gifts that the three wise men from the East gave to Jesus was gold.

Then it's normal to have power over money, right?

Just as men love green tea, women are addicted to scumbag men, and clergymen of all levels love money, it would be a lie to claim that believers, deep down, don't know. It's just that the other party provides emotional value, promises, and hope. That's why people don't want to dwell on it, simply hoping that this dream will last a little longer, that a glimmer of hope will persist.

This is true for everyone.

So there is still a lot of room for improvement in The Nameless Book. Now that the third volume is finished, there is still room for the fourth volume.

Thomas stayed outside Rome instead of going into the city because he had his own plans.

Of course, obtaining that secret technique is the first goal, and promoting the nameless book is the second goal.

It's important to note that Thomas's divine power income is now quite stable. Without going to church, he can gather three to five groups daily. The potential of the first and second volumes is estimated to be just that great.

The author says:

Author's words: I was busy with flood prevention and typhoon relief yesterday and forgot to update. I will make up for it today.

Section 3 Rome 3

Thomas was finally finishing his revisions and scribbling on the manuscript when he looked up and realized it was already dusk.

In this era, it was a common custom to dine with lights and candles after dark, and Thomas was no exception.

All the inspiration in his mind had been turned into words on paper, and Thomas had nothing else to do but stand by the window and admire the sunset in the distance.

During this journey, from the end of summer to the beginning of winter, nothing worth mentioning happened along the way.

It seems a little unbelievable, but it makes sense when you think about it carefully.

Along the way, first, he was not in a hurry, and second, he walked on the main roads.

Although wars continued throughout the Middle Ages, no large-scale wars involving several countries broke out in Europe during this era.

The real war...was taking place in Jerusalem. Devout members of two religions were battling for the glory of God. Major battles might not happen every three or six months, but minor ones were a daily occurrence.

Perhaps it was because most of the restless guys ran there that there were fewer wars in other places. The civil war between the two counts of Bohemia was a somewhat significant event in this era.

So given enough time, Thomas has enough leeway to avoid these risky areas.

The world is big and there are many roads. There is no need to go to those high-risk areas.

Moreover, safety issues on the roads are also guaranteed to a certain extent.

While caravans might face greedy lords and even greedier tax collectors, solo travelers don't have to worry about that.

These days, there are no fences, no high walls, and no surveillance cameras along the national borders.

The caravans were encumbered by their own limitations and could not leave the main roads, but small groups of travelers did not buy into this at all.

If you dare to set up checkpoints and charge fees on the road, I will take a detour!

Because they know that they cannot collect taxes, people simply don't mention it to avoid hurting others and themselves.

So Thomas ate hot pot and sang songs all the way to Rome.

He carried with him the introduction documents issued to him by the Knights.

Although the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church are close brothers who have never had any contact with each other, that is only a superficial attitude.

In private, there will always be communication.

Thomas himself is the best example: he came from a Catholic monastery and went straight into the Eastern Orthodox Order of Armed Monks (the Knights Templar).

As long as they produced the documents, they were certain that the Vatican would definitely treat Thomas as a diplomatic ambassador.

I won’t tell you what tricks they use in private, but on the surface they definitely give enough courtesy.

This is exactly what Thomas was worried about.

If someone is a little wary and secretly trips you up, you won’t even know who to turn to for settlement!

After all, he didn't come here for "further study" as he claimed, but to find a step on the road to advancement.

The identity of "Sunflower Knights Messenger" should be used as a last resort.

This method should only be used when all other methods have failed.

The best option is to enter quietly, obtain the secret technique, and then leave quietly.

No trace was left except the third volume of the Nameless Book.

Thomas planned to proceed with caution.

First, stay outside Rome and complete the third volume of the Nameless Book.

Use this time to learn as much as possible about the high-ranking officials in the city, especially the Pope and the cardinals.

Even if you want to give money in the future, you have to find a reliable person to give it to.

Then, try to find a suitable channel to find out where this secret technique is, or which channel is most likely to obtain it.

Finally, if the secret technique is simply hidden and not receiving special attention, then find a way to buy a relevant position that allows access to it and quietly copy it out.

This was his initial plan.

The rest is just a matter of improvisation.