A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

The smile on Thomas's face froze instantly.

"Although it's a comprehensive assessment of the three factors, the treasurer doesn't need martial arts. This means that martial arts will be given a low weight, while piety will be more important."

What is piety? It depends on your level of theology.

If you don’t even understand God’s teachings, how can you talk about piety?

"Then...my magic..."

Lorenzo spoke matter-of-factly. "Brother Thomas, you just said you were almost at the third level of the Magical Web... Have you truly touched the third level of the Magical Web, or is it just a vague feeling?"

"Ah, this..."

"Also, Brother Thomas, I took a look at your letter of introduction..." Lorenzo glanced at Thomas. "Some of it seems a bit fake. I don't think you're a very meticulous person."

"Too... fake?" Thomas was a little depressed. "What's fake about it?"

"Aren't some things obvious?" Lorenzo said. "According to what's said, you came from a peasant family and were recommended to a monastery at the age of fifteen. You graduated four years later... and then traveled for three years before arriving in Rome?"

"Is there something wrong with this?" Thomas was puzzled.

Although the three-year trip is fake...but he went to Ross, so it can be considered a trip.

"Your skills," Lorenzo said seriously, "can't be acquired in three or four years!"

He has also practiced this and understands this.

"This..." Thomas had to admit that this was a loophole. But, he could be a genius, and geniuses were not affected by normal logic.

"Furthermore, while you're training, how much time do you have for meditation?" Lorenzo asked. "If four years of training allow you to reach the third level of the Demonic Network... will the monastery still allow you to travel? Will it also allow you to interrupt your meditation to practice martial arts?"

"This..." It seems that there is indeed a loophole.

"So there must be something wrong with your age, or there must be something wrong with your experience," Lorenzo asserted.

"Those are fine, just take a casual look at the letter of introduction. Not many people take it seriously," Lorenzo continued. "But don't lie about meditation."

"what?"

"The vague feeling you have about to encounter the third layer of the magical web is completely different from actually encountering it," Lorenzo said seriously. "Perceptions can be deceiving. You must act accordingly."

"There are some untrue parts in your letter of introduction. Everyone understands and won't say anything. After all, you didn't write the letter yourself. But lying about magic... even if it's just a white lie, it will be considered a serious problem."

"We will probably be kicked out by then!" Lorenzo emphasized.

"But I can really... contact the third layer of the magic network."

"Brother Thomas, let me be frank. You really will be kicked out. If you don't handle it right, you'll be arrested and treated as a heretic..." Lorenzo said earnestly. "That would be the end of everything."

Over there, the magic test is still going on.

This was the most time-consuming of the three. Furthermore, to avoid being interrupted by outsiders, the test was conducted in a quiet room next door.

Thomas collected himself.

If it's done in public (like the martial arts and learning tests just now), it's really hard to do. But the magic problem obviously has another solution.

This level is not easy to pass, you must show your real skills!

I originally thought I didn't need to use my real skills. Or rather, I could save them for the next level.

Now I have to pass this level before I can go to the next one.

Lorenzo watched Thomas walk into the quiet room.

What was more surprising was that he came out much faster than expected.

It takes others more than ten minutes to go back and forth, but Thomas comes out in five or six minutes.

"Thomas, the third level of the magic network." Thomas was the last one out, so the examiner followed him out. "Assistant Treasurer!"

Lorenzo was stunned. What... was going on?

Thomas, on the one hand, has trained his martial arts to the core level, and on the other hand, is he really at the third level of the magic network?

Any one of these alone is nothing, but when you take the two together, he is a pretty good talent.

There was also a person in charge of secretarial work who had recorded everyone's test results one by one.

Different people were assigned different positions.

Don't want to accept the assignment? Absolutely! We're open to all kinds of work here. If you don't want to accept the position, you can leave. However, your payment will not be refunded.

But of course, those who come here are unwilling to leave.

Good positions are worth competing for, but bad positions also have to be taken.

In fact, most people don't work here for a long time. Instead, they work here for a while, make some friends, and then have experience when they return.

Even though he held only the lowest-ranking position in the Vatican, he was immediately revered as a "monk from the Vatican" when he returned to his hometown. Even if his enemies plotted against him, they would have to consider, "What if this guy has connections in the Vatican?"

Everyone was quickly assigned their positions, and Thomas left with Lorenzo.

Thomas's post was near St. Peter's Basilica, so Lorenzo took him to his own residence.

"By the way, the examiner just gave me this thing, what does it mean?" Thomas suddenly said, and quickly stuffed a roll of paper over.

Lorenzo opened it... and saw a person's name with a number after it.

“What is this?” Thomas asked.

"The price for becoming a disciple!" Lorenzo sighed and said.

"Discipleship price? What does that mean?"

"The Pope is at the top, the cardinals below, and the archbishops below that..." Lorenzo explained. "As long as you pay the amount at the end... they'll recognize you as their student!"

"You mean... the standard eight thousand florins...?"

"Yes, that is the Holy Father. His standard for accepting disciples is eight thousand florins."

The cardinals received five thousand florins, and the archbishops and abbots received even less.

At the bottom are some deans, rectors, treasurers... and so on, all of whom have salaries below one thousand florins.

The look of surprise on Thomas's face was no fake.

"Normally, they don't give this list to anyone casually," Lorenzo continued. "Did you give money?"

Although Thomas was wearing the robes of an ascetic monk, his clothes had obviously been modified. There were several pockets hidden inside, which was why he was able to take out a few florins.

"A small sum..." said Thomas.

What he handed over was not florins - no matter how valuable gold was, it was impossible for him to carry much with him.

What he gave was a certificate of deposit.... Anyone who possessed it could withdraw three hundred florins from the Jew.

Or it can be simply understood as a check.

Thomas didn't prepare much of a check.

"Why is there such a thing?"

Chapter 13 Spy 1

"After what just happened, it should be clear to you that many people come to the Vatican every year, but not many stay."

"Instead of staying here, it's better to choose a teacher. This way, you can have experience when you return. This way, you can save time and trouble."

It turned out to be the case.

Thomas really wanted to give a thumbs up.

I don’t know which genius came up with this idea, but it is indeed a good way to cheat local wealthy people.

It’s hard to say what other skills the church has, but when it comes to extorting money, it’s really amazing.

You can make money out of nothing.

"I see!" Thomas understood. "Excuse me, if I buy the status of a disciple of the Holy Father... will there be a chance for me to meet the Holy Father?"

"Well, this... The Holy Father is very busy. He often has to communicate with the cardinals. Besides, there are various things to do, such as negotiating with envoys from various countries, revising and proofreading the systems of the Christian world... military deployments on the front lines of the Holy Land, etc. So, he is often too busy to be seen." Lorenzo said hesitantly.

There is no confidence in what I said.

Because he is the current Pope, the genuine disciple of Leo XI.

Although the Pope is his teacher, he himself has not seen him for almost a year.

He guessed that the teacher must be very busy.

After all, for a position like that, there must be a lot of things to consider.

"So... even if I spend money, I won't be able to see the person, and I can only bring a name?"

"You can't say that. In the future, when you talk to people and introduce yourself, you can legitimately say that you are the Pope's disciple... This title is not ordinary." Lorenzo was also a little embarrassed.

This is a complete scam...scamming the rich.

The church's ability to make money is really amazing, nothing can stop it.

"That's true," Thomas replied casually. "If the Holy Father can't, the other cardinals... should be able to meet them, right?"

"That's absolutely no problem." Lorenzo returned the list to Thomas.

Thomas put it away carefully.

This doesn't work for others, but it works for him.

This is also an option when there is no other choice.

Of course, if you choose this option, you will basically be slaughtered like a pig.

It is very likely that you will be subjected to endless blackmail and extortion again and again.

No matter how much money Thomas has, it is limited, but human desires are unlimited.

Therefore, when you choose this path, you must be determined to get back all your money with interest.

Of course, he would become an enemy of Christianity and be put on the wanted list... just like the Blasphemous Knight.

Thomas hasn't made up his mind yet.

Soon, they arrived at a dormitory building.

It's very similar to the layout of a monastery... two people in a small room, with little furniture, and you have to go out to take a shower or go to the toilet.

When they arrived, Thomas's scheduled roommate, an old monk who was at least fifty years old, was already there.

"This is Brother Thomas, and this is Brother Dawn," Lorenzo introduced them. "Dawn, he's the new assistant treasurer today. Thomas, this is the veteran here. There was originally one other person, but he left last month, so now it's you two."

"So, where is the treasurer?" After Thomas and Dawn exchanged greetings, they saw Lorenzo about to leave and quickly asked.

"The treasurer is not here!" Lorenzo replied helplessly.

It took Thomas a few minutes to realize that the treasurer held several very honorable positions. He did not need to come here in person to perform his duties and only received a salary.

To be honest, although the position of treasurer seems prestigious, many of the tasks are actually very difficult to handle.

After all, this is "under the feet of the emperor", and anything that happens can reach the Pope's ears.

And there are many powerful people in this place.

To paraphrase Thomas in his past life, any falling billboard could hit three bishops and two archbishops. In this place, any tricks you try won't work.

There are too many powerful people, and they cannot act recklessly.

So just take the money - of course, this is also a common practice of the Vatican.

There are many positions that are only heard of but not seen by the people.

The salary is not less than a penny, but it is invisible to people and is usually used to take care of the children of the powerful... or in other words, to rely on one's father.

Seeing that Thomas had settled down, Lorenzo naturally said goodbye and left.

His room is on the other side, not close to here, but not far either.

Always back to your room.

At this time, it was already late and my stomach was growling.

Lorenzo quickly knelt down and prayed for himself... He had always strictly observed the precepts and never indulged in food.

Of the eight deadly sins of mankind, he could proudly say that he had never encountered any of them.

After finishing his prayers, he ignored the rumbling of his stomach and wanted to go to bed. But when he was about to take off his clothes, he unexpectedly found that there seemed to be something cumbersome on his body.