A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

"The box contains a matching meditation technique... Honestly, this meditation method is very simple, and only provides a supplemental effect," the old man said. "There are nine servings in total, but they can't be used all at once. Each serving must be taken at least ten days apart! Note, this is originally recorded in the secret technique. As for the consequences of taking too much... the truth is, no one knows, but there's no need to take the risk. Any minor mental and spiritual issues you have will definitely heal after taking nine servings. In fact, in most cases, five or six servings are sufficient."

The old man explained in a rambling manner.

"Okay, Thomas of Bohemia, go have dinner, and remember to study hard. It will definitely be useful in the future. By the way, I've arranged a few days for you to practice on the ship. After the theoretical lectures here are over, you can go on board."

The old ascetic turned and left.

Just leave in such a chic manner, without taking away a trace of cloud.

Leaving Thomas standing there in a daze.

But even though he stood there in a daze, the image of this cheap teacher suddenly became taller in Thomas' mind.

It directly solved the most critical issue that Thomas was most concerned about.

Thomas had already made various preparations for this matter, but now...

It seems like as soon as I started to exert my strength, the problem was solved?

"Oh, by the way, there's one more thing." The old man, who had just disappeared around the corner, suddenly turned back and said, "Do you want to know the secret of protecting the country?"

"The secret of protecting the country?"

Thomas was surprised, but also delighted.

This is a blind spot in his knowledge.

There are too few protectors of the country in this world (although Thomas met two protectors by chance).

But Thomas knew that protecting the country was not the end.

In other words, according to the "five-level system", protecting the country is the end point, but according to the "fifteen-level system", protecting the country, like other levels, can be divided into elementary, intermediate and advanced levels.

Thomas already knew how to advance to the Protectorate, but he had no idea how to advance after that... how to advance from the initial level to a higher level.

And there's something... well, weird about this.

Because everyone knows about the fifteen-level system, but from the records in books (after all, Thomas is now well-read), there is no record related to anything above the Protectorate.

There are no legends, rumors, or fairy tales.

They only say that someone is a national protector, but never mention whether he is a beginner, intermediate or advanced national protector.

This is completely different from the elite.

Rather than saying this was a coincidence, it would be more accurate to say that it seemed to have been deliberately wiped out by some force.

"Teacher, do you know?"

"I do know." The old man smiled wickedly. "No more words. I'll teach you again after your training is over! Remember to study hard. I'll remind your instructor to give you the necessary internships and assessments!"

Okay, that's good.

A few days flew by.

Thomas had been studying under the former naval commander for several days. Then, as expected, he was taken to sea for the final training and assessment.

The Mediterranean Sea! Or more specifically, the Tyrrhenian Sea of ​​the Mediterranean.

In Thomas’ previous life, when he thought of the word “Mediterranean”, his first impression was of a scenic resort.

But in this era, the Mediterranean experience is completely different.

Apart from anything else, standing on the boat and looking at the coastline, there really isn't much green.

In fact, famine was widespread along the coast, as uncontrolled farming and grazing had first destroyed the vegetation and then made the land infertile.

Furthermore, in Thomas's view, the Mediterranean is like a bathtub compared to other seas. It's the safest (and shallowest) ocean on Earth. Geologically, the Mediterranean was formed by a violent collapse of the tectonic structure, so the clear waters entering from the outside world would plunge precipitously into the deep ocean trenches. Perhaps because of this, it lacks the continental shelf that supports abundant fish stocks like Newfoundland or the North Sea.

In fact, the situation is quite the opposite. According to the knowledge I have learned in the past few days, the Mediterranean can be divided into more than a dozen separate regions, each with its own unique air flow conditions, complex coasts and numerous islands.

This ocean may have been the safest ocean in the world in Thomas' previous life, but in this era and under these technological conditions, the Mediterranean is difficult to control, huge and dangerous.

The Mediterranean Sea is so large that the eastern and western seas are almost two completely different worlds.

The key to all this lies in technology.

This era lacked the fine ships Thomas had known in his past life.

The seaworthiness of ships of this era was astonishingly poor. Sailing was fraught with danger, and embarking on a ship often meant leaving everything to fate.

It is completely understandable why the proportion of devout believers among sailors far exceeds that of any other profession.

And from the words of his temporary mentor, it can be seen that the Mediterranean is very unstable now.

The Mediterranean is a troubled sea.

Pirates posed a far greater threat than storms, which often struck without warning. Pirates were so numerous during this era that sailors often chose to stay close to shore rather than traverse the open ocean.

Even more dangerous than pirates are the navies of various countries.

The most intense and chaotic struggle in the world (at least in the minds of many people) is taking place in the Mediterranean. Here, the Crescent Moon and the Christians are fighting for Jerusalem.

This was a protracted struggle, a struggle that had raged blindly across the Mediterranean for at least a hundred years.

This struggle takes many forms: small-scale wars that drain the economy, pirate-style raids in the name of faith, large-scale assaults on coastal fortresses and ports, larger-scale sieges of large island fortresses, and... epic naval battles.

It was also a contest of immense proportions, drawing in every people and special interest group along the Mediterranean's rim; merchants, defenders of empire, pirates, and jihadists—all of whom switched sides at times to fight in defense of religion, trade, or empire.

Generally speaking, both sides of the war held the banner of faith and fought for the glory of God without hesitation until death.

Section 30 Temporary Training 4

Thomas was now on the bow of the ship with his former naval commander, looking out to sea.

They were aboard an ordinary galley... or, as was commonly known in those days, a warship and cargo ship.

Warships of this era would appear slender, cargo ships would appear sturdy, and more ships would be somewhere in between.

They had no companion ships, but the ships themselves were not carrying cargo, but were full of crews.

A simple patrol to sweep and deter pirates in the surrounding area.

In this era, due to the lack of reconnaissance and detection capabilities, it was not uncommon for a few ships to reach the enemy's doorstep unimpeded. Even in the Tyrrhenian Sea, there were still encounters with Green Pirates.

At least they were pirates flying the flag of the Star-Moon Cult.

The sea offers endless opportunities for conflict and confrontation. Predators can suddenly appear on the horizon and then disappear without a trace.

Defense, on the other hand, depends almost entirely on luck.

For example, at this moment, there is nothing to be seen on the sea.

"Thomas, always be vigilant," the former naval commander instilled in Thomas his philosophy of war. "On land, even the most remote villages maintain order, but the ocean is now a lawless, violent biosphere. Every time you see another ship, be prepared for a brutal collision."

"The biggest external factors influencing the outcome of a battle are wind and weather," he explained. "Just as fast cavalry can gain the upper hand over infantry, ships also play different roles in different winds and weather conditions. Sometimes they're heavy cavalry, sometimes they're mounted archers..."

Thomas had already learned these words, so he just responded with an occasional "hmm".

In fact, Thomas still had memories of the technological era. Even if he didn't actually understand the technical details, at least he knew a lot of the technical ideas.

For example, communication between ships in this era was done through flags.

Different flags represent different battle orders, such as attack, retreat, defense, fight to the death, etc.

But flags can only convey the simplest commands; complex commands cannot be delivered.

In land warfare, flags and drums can only convey the simplest orders, but as a supplement, generals can send messengers to convey complex orders.

You can do a lot of micro-management, such as the dispatch of reserves, the accurate deployment of troops in the main attack direction, etc., such as just defending and not attacking and patiently delaying the attack.

But in a naval battle, it is impossible to send messengers.

Naval battles involving larger fleets are generally conducted according to pre-arranged battle plans, leaving no room for micromanagement.

Naturally, the battle would become rigid and inflexible, with little room for the commander to maneuver.

But this is the same for both parties, so it is fair.

But Thomas knew there was a solution - flag signals!

All that was needed was to send the sailors up the mast and use hand flags or flags to signal.

This creates an advantage. The larger the fleet, the greater the advantage.

Of course, Thomas had no intention of revealing this secret just yet. After all, who knew whether sharing this technology with this mercenary (although he was a former naval commander, he was now just a mercenary hired by the church) would be a blessing or a curse.

There are many technologies that are like window paper that can be broken with just a poke.

It’s not that people can’t do it, but that they can’t think of it.

They had already cruised around the sea and were preparing to return.

This time, although the devoted teacher wanted to give Thomas a practical lesson, unfortunately, they encountered nothing.

Even so, Thomas had experienced a voyage and learned a lot.

Although no real battle broke out, Thomas was well aware of the value of defending the country in naval battles.

The most common description of the defense of the country is that one man is worth a thousand.

In land battles, the Guardians might still have many concerns. After all, if given a specific situation with no room for maneuver, the Guardians' best efforts would only result in killing a few hundred enemies. This was the case with Darissa, whom Thomas had previously encountered.

Although it is already very powerful and can even affect a battle...but the influence is still not big enough.

But it was completely different at sea. Even a large warship could only carry two or three hundred people.

The ocean is where the country's protection can truly demonstrate its terrifying power.

Cannons had already appeared on ships, but they were only considered auxiliary offensive weapons, with only one or two cannons installed on each ship.

The main purpose is to kill enemy personnel with long-range attacks, rather than attacking the ships themselves.

In this era, the mainstream attack methods are still those passed down from ancient times, namely ramming and boarding.

However, collisions have become less important as technology has developed, and the latter method is now the most mainstream.

At this time, a light rain began to fall without any warning.

The winter rain is very cold.

The people on the deck were already preparing to go below deck to take shelter from the rain.

At this moment, the lookout on the mast above suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Something's happening!"

"Everyone get in position!" the former naval commander immediately ordered.

The whole ship was in commotion, people were running up and down, putting on armor and checking weapons.

A short while later, the mast of an enemy ship appeared in the distance.

"Arabian caravel," the former naval commander immediately concluded. "Look, that's a triangular sail!"

Thomas nodded. He had only seen it on the drawing board before, but now he could actually see it in person.

He also knew that, in this era, while the ships used by everyone had different appearances, they were generally at the same technical level. Their speed, carrying capacity, and sturdiness were similar. They could all be categorized as galleys.

Of course, there are definitely various subtle differences in specific applications, but it is not like the clipper ship that Thomas knew in his previous life, which can cause a dimensionality reduction attack on other ships.

"Pay attention to the comparison of troop strength. We have the advantage in a one-on-one fight, but if it's a one-to-two fight, we must be prepared to retreat." The former naval commander was a dedicated teacher and instructed Thomas very seriously.

He gave a series of orders to the sailors and the ship began to move diagonally.

In this way, both sides can keep their distance and have more time to observe their opponents.

Unfortunately, the other party had no tacit understanding of this and rushed straight towards this side with murderous intent.

Even though the ship was an Arab caravel, it didn't mean it was a pirate. However, the reckless rush revealed its identity.

"Thomas, what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing, I'm just feeling sentimental," Thomas said.

This world is still the Earth after all. The world is round.

Because Thomas had just witnessed how a ship, starting with just one mast, gradually appeared in view.

"It's the Crescent Moon Cultists!" shouted the lookout on the mast.

The two ships began to confirm each other's presence at sea.

At this distance, the Arab sailboat realized that what it encountered was not a weak merchant ship, but a warship.

A warship with a full crew of combatants on board.

They had initially rushed forward aggressively, but now they wanted to turn the boat around and escape.