A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Chapter 52: Profligate Merchant 2

In response to this question, the voice only chuckled and did not answer.

"I want to ask, what does it feel like to be high up in the sky, watching the world change?"

"It feels very boring..." the voice replied. "The time stream in the heavens is different from that of the mortal world. It exists on a separate timeline. Regardless of the birth and death of mortals, the gods seem to be eternally frozen in time and space. To put it another way, if mortals observed the gods from their own time stream, they would find that they seemed immortal."

Thomas didn't quite understand.

"Then why do gods have a lifespan limit?"

"Of course, it's because the gods always tend to reach out to the mortal world, creating a connection between the heavens and the mortal world. The two timelines are now linked."

"Like a movie...oh, no, I mean a play?"

A movie, no matter how long, looks the same to anyone using the fast-forward function. They can easily stop the movie's timeline at the first minute, the tenth minute, or even the thousandth minute (if the film is that long). From the film's perspective, the viewer encountered in its first minute and the thousandth minute are practically the same. The viewer's one minute could potentially span the film's thousand years. If the film had intelligence, it would be astonished to discover that it has reached the end of its life, while the viewer remains exactly the same as when it first saw him.

This is a reflection of the different timelines between the two parties.

The only difference is that unlike movies, viewers cannot enter the movie, but gods can.

This action of the gods brought about their own destruction.

"As for drama... I can't say it's completely accurate, but it's the best metaphor within your understanding. There are some things that words simply can't express," the voice said. "Only when you step out of that realm will you truly understand."

Have you reached that realm?

The first step on the road to becoming a god is difficult.

I had no idea what to do. There was no experience to draw on, and no theoretical framework to use.

Starting completely from scratch, with nothing and knowing nothing.

From this point of view, what the Deer-Headed Demon said when they first met was not false.

Anyone walking this path hopes to gain knowledge and experience from others. Seeing a fellow traveler fills them with joy, for they finally have someone to communicate and trade with.

Thomas looked back, but the bell hadn't rung yet, so he still had some time.

"I want to ask, how can I truly become a god and reach that realm you mentioned?"

He heard the voice laughing unscrupulously.

"Do you want the knowledge to become a god? The price is very high! It is definitely not as simple as a mere enchantment."

Thomas collected himself.

Take the free stuff, and get rid of the paid stuff. In his previous life, he never recharged his membership on those black-hearted platforms, and he had no intention of changing that in this life.

Although deification is very tempting, Thomas, as a human being, is more open-minded than ordinary people in this regard.

In my previous life, I was just wandering around... and then I traveled through time and space. I became a young boy with nothing.

Life is unpredictable. Instead of spending huge costs to pursue a bright future, it is better to hold on to what you can control.

"I'm leaving," he said.

"You'll be back." The voice laughed.

"Not necessarily." Thomas took the flag, turned back and walked up the stairs.

Only then did the bell ring.

"Young god, I know what you rely on. It's true that power attracts power, and mystery brings closer mystery... But your power... can only attract those who can't help you at all..."

Thomas didn't answer and walked up the stairs and out of the basement.

Strength attracts power? What's the tune?

Thomas walked out the door and the teacher was waiting outside, looking worried.

There were also several guards standing by.

These are normal.

On the other side stood a young man, only a few years older than Thomas.

This person's face was still covered with tears.

He didn't know what was going on. He could only bow to the teacher.

"Is it done?" Leo XI asked immediately.

He quietly used his power, but no change was seen.

Thomas was still the same Thomas, his will was not tampered with by the elves, and he was not harmed.

"Done." Thomas gestured to the flag in his hand.

Although magic flags are rare, they are not enough to make Leo XI pay too much attention to them.

He turned to look at Demetrios, only to see the poor clerk's face filled with despair.

"This is Thomas, the new Grand Master. He's also my student."

"This is Demetrios, the Order's Secretary... well, I guess he's acting as Secretary. The previous Secretary died alongside the Grand Master."

The previous disastrous defeat of the Knights Templar resulted in the death of more than just the Grand Master, and not just the deaths of the grassroots knights.

Twelve warships were sunk or captured, and many mid- and high-ranking members were killed.

In this way, it is normal for the original deputy to be temporarily promoted and take over the work.

Although they are "temporary", it is actually because they have not yet been appointed by the Grand Master. Under normal circumstances, the Grand Master will promote all these people to regular positions after taking office.

Thomas gave Demetrios the customary monk's salute.

After all, he hadn't officially taken office yet, so it was difficult for him to act like a superior... No matter what era it was, unity was still a must at work. It didn't cost anything to put on a show.

Demetrios, however, was not buying it at all and just stood there, shaking with anger and grief.

"Sir Thomas," he said coldly. "Do you know the situation of the Knights?"

"Ah, I know a little." Thomas didn't quite understand the other party's attitude and was a little confused. I'm the new Grand Master, how dare you, a clerk, speak to me like that?

"If you go to the Knights now, there will be no fame or fortune, only the might of the Star-Moon Cultists!"

"Ah, that's perfect," Thomas grinned. "I'm just thinking of fighting for the glory of Christ."

There is some danger, of course, but not much.

The situation in Rhode Island seems dangerous but is actually safe.

Although this world is different from Thomas's previous life, with the additional influencing factor of the magic network, other things have not changed.

The climate, rainfall, ocean currents... and so on should naturally be the same.

The situation in Rhode Island would be no different.

"I want to remind you, Your Excellency... The Star-Moon Cult will definitely not let this opportunity slip away. They are most likely already forming a coalition and could descend upon the city at any moment."

"That's perfect," Thomas replied. "I want them to see the power of Christ, too! The Lord's power is with me, and I won't fail!"

In his past life, he remembered the Ottoman Sultan, backed by a vast empire, single-mindedly mobilized the entire nation's military and personally led the army, with hundreds of thousands of troops on land and sea, yet despite paying a heavy price, he still failed to achieve complete victory. In this life, he had no fear of the Star-Moon Cult coalition.

Chapter 53: Fool

Demetrios' eyes widened with anger.

He originally thought that this man, named Thomas, was an ordinary speculator.

But I didn't expect that this person was actually a devout fanatic.

Even the most devout believers had to understand the difference in power. Rhodes Island currently lacked a single battleship; it was like a peeled boiled egg, with virtually no defenses at all.

In this situation, how arrogant does one have to be to say something like “I will not fail”?

Normally, the Knights would welcome such fanatics, as they were truly fearless and capable of fighting tough battles.

The Expendables are always welcome.

But the situation is different now.

What is needed now is not arrogance, but real strength.

But he couldn't say it.

After all, this is the church, and the Pope is standing next to you. He occupies the moral high ground, and you can't oppose Christ, right?

To deny the power of Christ is to deny oneself.

Demetrios was shaking with anger, but he couldn't speak for a while.

He considered many possibilities: the new Grand Master was a speculator, an ignorant person, an incompetent person, or a puppet under control. But he had never considered that he was a fanatic.

Damn, what’s going on with the church these days? Why would they elect such a person?

The Pope watched with a smile, obviously waiting for his answer.

But the other party occupied the moral high ground and used moral kidnapping...but he had no way to answer.

He uttered a despairing wail.

Leo XI watched the debate unfold and nodded at Thomas.

"You go down first," he said. "The public appointment will take place in a few days. Do you have the appropriate clothing and armor?"

Thomas has no shortage of this.

With your own private demiplane, it's easy to buy a few sets of armor and carry them with you.

“I have,” Thomas replied.

"Wear your most luxurious suit when the time comes." Leo XI originally wanted to prepare a suit for Thomas, but after hearing what he said, he did not force it.

Ceremonial armor is not practical, one set is enough.

After Thomas left, Leo XI looked at Demetrios with a smile.

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Holy Father, your disciple...he..." Demetrios wanted to say something, but finally swallowed it.

The situation was already decided, and he alone was powerless to reverse it.

"Don't worry," Leo XI said, closing the basement door. "Come over here and tell me what's going on in Rhodes Island..."

……

Otto walked along the street with tired steps.

He was lucky today. Even though he was tired from standing on the street all day, he felt quite excited.

Today, he had sold dozens of florins worth of indulgences - for a grassroots person like him, this was a very proud achievement, because he could get one-tenth of all the income.

Of course, he also sold two holy relics... not many, just two. But the money from these two holy relics all went into his own pocket.

After all, he actually picked up the saint's tooth from a street corner... Maybe it was thrown on the roadside by a child who was changing his teeth, or maybe it was a drunk who was punched in the mouth during a fight in a bar.

But now that it was in Otto's hands, it immediately became sacred. It was exchanged for a full five florins.

As for the other rag, he had picked it up himself in an old storage room in the church.

In short, although I was tired today, I gained a lot.

He has also become somewhat accustomed to this kind of life.

He seemed to be able to make a living by selling indulgences and various "holy objects" every day by making up stories.

In a few years, he had accumulated 180 florins, which was a considerable achievement.

Otto decided to take a break, drink some water, catch his breath, and then go back to the church to hand in his gains today.

The place where he rested was a small shop on the street.

This is a small hotel, but the owner also sells some drinks and provides stools and chairs for passers-by to rest.

Otto sat down on the chair and watched a young man in gorgeous clothes walking down the street.

For some reason, looking at that person, he suddenly recalled the days in the monastery, the days when he could wear gorgeous aristocratic clothes and go out for fun with his entourage.

I had no worries at that time because my father, the vice president, was there to take care of everything.

It seems like it’s been three years since my father passed away.