A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

There is no turning back.

While Ferdinand was discussing his future with the Grand Master, on Rhodes Island, Thomas was getting off the flagship.

This trip was very fruitful.

Two transport ships, flying the banner of the Star-Moon Sword.

If not you, who else should I rob?!

"Demetrios, take back my flag." Thomas said after getting off the boat.

Demetrios took the order and left, returning a few minutes later with the magic banner.

Thomas put on gloves, carefully folded the flag, and put it in his personal bag.

The good thing about flags is that when they are unfolded, they become very large, but when they are folded, they only take up a very small space.

Because it was right next to the dock, many people witnessed the scene.

Those who watched this scene from afar were whispering to each other. It was the first time for most of them to see magical items, let alone magical flags.

Magic flags are far rarer than ordinary magic items.

"That's the legendary bloody cross flag." A merchant ship sailor whispered to his companion from a distance.

"Yes, it is said that it was a Seraph who came to the earth and bestowed the treasure on the Church." The companion replied.

During this period, Thomas's flag had been given a name and a mysterious origin among the gossipers in taverns and on the streets.

The name of the flag is the Bloody Cross Flag. It is said that it was a treasure brought to St. Peter by the descending Seraphim when he received divine grace hundreds of years ago.

This banner is the armed symbol of heaven, representing the wrath of God, and is said to have been carried overhead by the angels during the rebellion started by Satan.

Of course, after being bestowed upon a mortal, the flag's divine power was greatly weakened. But even so, it was still treasured by the Vatican.

Because it possesses unlimited power, the Pope is afraid that its power will disrupt the world.

But now the Knights Templar are in dire straits, and the current Grand Master is a student of the Pope. Under the Grand Master's persistent entreaties, the Pope finally decides to hand over the banner to the Grand Master.

But even so, this is not really handed over to the Knights completely, but is temporarily borrowed for a period of time.

Anyway, rumors like these have spread wildly in taverns and street corners.

It won’t be long before the news spreads throughout the Mediterranean world.

Thomas quickly returned to the Knights' headquarters.

Now I am somewhat familiar with this city where I live, and I feel that this place is really nice.

As per custom, not long after, a group of middle and high-level members of the Knights Templar gathered at the headquarters to report the latest situation to the Grand Master.

But I was away for only a few days and nothing special happened.

The supplies on the captured ships had been counted, including saltpeter, food, and other equipment.

You can tell at first glance that they are military supplies.

This, including the ships, brought the total income to about 20,000 florins.

After briefly reporting on the recent situation in Rhodes City, Thomas noticed that the secretary Dimitrios seemed to have something to say.

"Demetrios, do you have anything to say?"

"Grandmaster," Demetrios said, his expression a mixture of joy and worry. He was happy that the Grand Master was far better than he'd expected, but he was worried that the Knights were still too weak. "We're still too weak. If possible, we'd like to strengthen our forces."

Such pirate actions would be risky if they provoked the enemy.

But I don’t know whether it is a blessing or a curse.

"How to strengthen it?" Thomas asked with interest.

"Just when I got back, I met a Venetian merchant," Dimitrios said. "He's willing to lend us 200,000 florins. The interest rate is low, but the condition is that we use it to buy ships in the Venetian shipyard."

"Tsk..." someone sneered. "The Venetians clearly have bad intentions."

"But...Captain. Capturing spoils depends on luck. If we really want to expand our navy and restore our strength, we can only buy ships!" Demetrios emphasized.

"How much money do we have left?" Thomas turned to the treasurer.

Section 78 Financial Issues 2

"We still have 160,000 florins on the books." The treasurer was certainly familiar with this figure. "But we still owe about 100,000 florins. That means 80,000 of that is unavailable, leaving only 80,000 available. Of that 80,000, the bulk goes to supplies and pay for the soldiers and crew, weapons and equipment, and ship repairs. We only have 30,000 florins available right now, and the maximum we can spend is 40,000. That's enough to buy three ships."

Thomas squinted his eyes and tapped the armrest of his seat with his hand.

Even if there were three warships, they would not be available immediately. It would take a year to receive the ships.

This is quite troublesome.

Moreover, reality also gave Thomas a completely new concept.

I thought being a pirate was very profitable...

It turns out that pirates do make money, but they also spend it!

After returning from the voyage, necessary repairs and maintenance must be carried out to keep the ship in good condition, and the soldiers and crew must be paid the bonuses that are inevitable after victory. Injuries and pensions to personnel, as well as the loss of equipment (especially gunpowder) must also be considered.

Of course there are the inevitable discounts on loot sales.

So even though they got 20,000 florins for capturing two transport ships, that was just a claim. The actual amount that ended up in the Knights' accounts was probably only 5,000 to 8,000.

For ordinary people, that was certainly a huge profit, earning 5,000 florins in a few days. But if you consider the cost of rebuilding the Knights, this level of income can only be said to be...

Well, it's just a drop in the bucket, it's of no use!

The navy is a money-eating beast, and this is no exaggeration.

If you want to make a fortune, you must intercept and capture those "treasure ships", which are ships transporting gold, silver and treasures.

But this kind of thing depends entirely on luck, just like buying a lottery ticket. Everything can only be arranged by God.

Everyone was discussing the loan issue from the Venetians when suddenly a guard came outside to report that a Byzantine messenger had arrived.

"A messenger from Byzantium? Why haven't I heard of it?" Thomas asked.

Everyone was bewildered. Apparently, this Byzantine messenger had just arrived. He hadn't even stopped for a moment before heading straight here.

But now the two sides are allies after all, so it would be difficult for Thomas not to see him.

"Let him in!" said Thomas.

A few minutes later, the guard brought in an acquaintance.

It was the prince's chief guard - of course, at the moment he was dressed as a diplomat.

"Oh, isn't this... the captain of the prince's guard? What's the matter with you coming here?" Thomas asked.

"Your Excellency," the captain of the guards nodded slightly, looking at Thomas with a haughty attitude. "I heard that since your arrival, you have achieved a series of victories against the Crescent Cultists. I would like to congratulate you."

"Oh, you're welcome," Thomas replied. "But, Captain, I don't think you're here to congratulate us, are you?"

"I have come here to ask the Knights to fulfill their obligations under the covenant."

"What? Obligation?" Thomas glanced at Demetrios beside him, and the latter winked back at Thomas.

"Yes, His Majesty the Emperor has decided to launch a surprise attack on a Green Cult port," the captain of the guard said. "According to the covenant, the Knights should send some troops to act alongside the Imperial Army."

"His Royal Highness is in command?"

"Yes. According to your Highness's instructions, the Knights should either prepare a squadron of no less than ten warships for the coordinated operation, or send an army of no less than eight hundred men."

Damn! Eight hundred people? That number is exactly the number of Knights Marines!

The Byzantines' thoughts were clear.

I just want the Knights' Marines!

Thomas had inspected this Marine Corps. Although the number was small, less than a thousand, it was definitely an elite force with excellent training, equipment, and high morale!

The kind that can compete with any army without losing.

There are no disadvantages except the small quantity.

As for what he was going to do with it... Based on Thomas's understanding of the prince, it was probably not a good thing.

"As for the specific time, we hope to rendezvous in Constantinople within a month. Of course, if your fleet is insufficient to transport the army, the Imperial Fleet is willing to do it for you."

"I understand. You should go and rest first. Please allow us to discuss it for a while before giving you an answer." Thomas replied.

"I hope you can give me an answer tomorrow." The captain of the guard sneered and turned away.

Damn, this kind of arrogance...

Thomas looked around and saw that his men were all indignant.

"What does he say about the covenant?" Thomas asked. "Is it true?"

"Yes, there's an appendix to the formal contract, and it stipulates... the Order's obligations!" Demetrios replied reluctantly. "If you'd like to see the original, I'll send for it right now."

"No thanks." Thomas waved his hand. Since Demetrios said so, it seemed to be true.

No wonder… I originally thought the Byzantines were acting in the spirit of mutual dependence, but now it seems I was naive! They were just trying to take advantage of the situation!

You want the enemy fleet to protect you, but they want to use your elite army as cannon fodder!

But Thomas knew very well that this was absolutely impossible.

In other words, this is Thomas' bottom line, which must never be touched.

Because he knew very well that the Crescent Moon Alliance would definitely besiege Rhodes Island in the future, and this Marine Corps was the indispensable capital for Thomas to defend against this wave of natural disasters.

In the history of the previous life, the Ottoman Sultan besieged Rhodes with all his troops but almost failed. In the final analysis, there were two reasons. One was that the defense of Rhodes was indeed strong, and the other was that the Knights Hospitaller were really good at fighting.

This is an elite force unprecedented in the entire history of mankind, and its fighting spirit is so unwavering that it is unique.

Whether it was Malta, Rhodes, or Acre, the Knights Hospitaller were able to sustain losses exceeding 95% of their strength, yet still persevere and fight to the bitter end! Forget other armies of the feudal era; even the later Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, a national army supported by the highest ideals and convictions, lacked such terrifying fighting spirit.

No matter how good the fortifications are, they are useless if they are not guarded by strong soldiers.

If he lost this elite force, Thomas would have to prepare to flee. He would likely become a sinner in Christendom, hiding his identity or fleeing far away.

"What do we do now?" Thomas asked. "Although this alliance is only for one year...what do you think of this alliance?"

I originally thought that although it was an alliance, after losing their fleet, the Byzantines were actually unilaterally protecting Rhodes. This was a huge favor, and theoretically needed to be repaid.

So no matter how rude the Byzantines were, Thomas had to endure it. At most, he would just be angry in his heart, or secretly plot against them.

But now it seems that all these favors are bullshit. They don't even consider you an ally!

"As long as the conditions are right, I suggest abolishing the treaty." This time, the logistics officer spoke first. "We may be allies, but the Byzantines treat us like vassal states. Their fleet has racked up a substantial bill from resupplying here, and they clearly have no intention of paying."

Of course, he was also very skillful in his words. "The conditions are right." When are the conditions right? That depends on your opinion, Grand Commander.

How to choose?

Section 79 Financial Issues 3

"Abolish the treaty..." Thomas thought for a moment and rejected the idea.

Why didn't the Crescent-Moon Alliance launch an attack? Why didn't they besiege Rhodes Island?

The main reason was that they had not completed their own preparations, but one of the important reasons was that Byzantium supported the Knights from behind.

What if they were besieging Rhodes and the Byzantine fleet came to support them halfway through the battle?

It would be fine if we win the naval battle, but if we lose, the landing troops will become rats in a cage, and the only outcome will be annihilation.

Anyone with even a modicum of military acumen would not take such a risk.

Therefore, if one wanted to besiege Rhodes, one had to first defeat the Byzantines, or at least destroy or cripple their navy.

Therefore, abolishing the treaty and not fulfilling the agreement now would not so much save Rhodes as save Byzantium, or at least save the Byzantine fleet.

The poor Taoist will not die, fellow Taoist!

But if the treaty is fulfilled...

"We should fulfill the covenant." Thomas looked around at everyone and said.

"Although I didn't sign this treaty, I have already met with the Byzantines and acknowledged it. Breaking the treaty is not what an upright person would do."

"But, Grand Commander..." One of the men wanted to say something anxiously, but Thomas raised a finger to stop him from speaking.

"I know that our precious army cannot be handed over to the Byzantines for command. The Byzantines are not trustworthy."