A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

There was a flash of fire from the muzzle, and the bullet pierced the brain and exploded in the head.

Then Thomas turned sideways, avoiding the knife that was already aiming with no accuracy, and let the corpse rush forward a few steps and finally fall to the deck.

He then came to the side and checked the bodies of the two sailors. Both sailors were dead.

Thomas sighed softly, then walked to the side of the ship and looked into the distance.

Although the third sailor had already swum a considerable distance, he stopped swimming and looked back.

Any other noise would be fine, but the sound of gunfire cannot be concealed.

Thomas waved to the sailor.

After a while, the wet sailors climbed back onto the boat.

Looking at the four murderers who had been shot dead and his two companions who had died, the sailor couldn't help but burst into tears.

It should be noted that this sailor is very young, younger than Thomas.

He was probably around seventeen or eighteen, the age of a high school student in Thomas's previous life. But in this era, he had to support his family.

It's normal. Thomas was the same age when he went to Kiev to live alone.

"What's your name?" Thomas asked after the other party calmed down a little.

"My name is Louis," the sailor replied with a sob.

"Where are you from?" Thomas knew from the beginning that these sailors were neither Greek nor Seljuk. They were from other places.

Moreover, the three sailors look somewhat similar, and it is obvious that they are related by blood.

It was for this reason that Thomas chose to hire this ship.

All I can say is that if you stay in this era for a long time, you will naturally learn some things.

"France."

"Are these two your brothers?"

"My cousin and my uncle." Speaking of his two deceased relatives, he started crying again.

It is not just mourning for the death of a loved one, but also confusion and anxiety about one's own future.

Thomas sighed. This ship couldn't be run easily by one person, and two was barely enough. Three was needed.

“Is there somewhere we can go?” Thomas asked.

Louis shook his head.

For a sailor like him, the ship is not only his means of livelihood, but also his home.

Having said that, if his uncle and cousin died, he would not be able to sail the boat alone.

There is a difference between a sailor and a captain. A sailor only needs to endure hardships and hardship, but a captain must know a lot.

"Have you ever practiced martial arts?" Thomas asked.

This was perfectly normal in this era. Even the priests were familiar with combat.

"I trained for two years, then my parents passed away, so I became a sailor."

"If you have nowhere to go, come with me," Thomas said. "I need a follower."

Chapter 137 Three Strategies (Part 1)

"you are?"

"The Knights of Rhodes Island, Thomas." Thomas replied.

Louis' eyes widened.

"You...you...you are...Captain Thomas?"

Now, who in the entire Eastern Mediterranean doesn’t know Thomas?

Not to mention that the Knights had just captured Smyrna... People in Smyrna were very familiar with this name.

Although Louis and his family were not native residents of Smyrna, they were temporarily trapped in the city because of the war, so they knew this name.

The Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, a student of the Pope, a man favored by Christ, possesses a sacred banner given by Christ and once held above his head by an angel.

He is a prominent figure in the entire Eastern Mediterranean.

"It's me," Thomas said. "Would you like to?"

"Yes...yes!" Louis answered immediately.

Although he was not born into a wealthy family, he was very clear that he had encountered a rare opportunity to be promoted by a noble person.

The next thing to do is to deal with the bodies on the boat.

Needless to say, Louis was naturally full of hatred for the four murderers. He stripped them naked and threw them directly into the sea.

But I can’t handle it this way with my two family members.

There are two options: either bury at sea according to the customs of sailors, or wait until arriving in Rhodes Island and bury on the island.

This time, Louis chose burial at sea.

There was no other reason, because Thomas himself was a priest (albeit an armed monk), and was fully qualified to preside over a funeral. In fact, if Thomas chose, he could preside over any religious ceremony.

Regardless of the level, the qualifications are definitely no problem.

Moreover, Thomas himself has attended many funerals. Although this is his first time as a host, no matter how bad his skills are, he can still reach the level of a country pastor, right?

On the other hand, if the body is transported to Rhodes Island, it will take at least several days.

This season is not particularly cold, so no one knows what the corpse will become.

It is common knowledge even in this day and age that decomposing corpses spread disease.

……

On the high platform of the coastal castle, the sea breeze blew the Star and Moon Sword flag on the top of the castle.

In the deepest part of the castle, in the Grand Master's room.

The Grand Master listened to Muzaffar's detailed report with his eyelids drooped.

This time, Muzaffar saw the effect of the "Bloody Cross Flag" up close and personal.

Honestly, there's no other word to describe it other than divine.

"The Flag of Infinite Casting..." Although the Grand Master's eyelids drooped, as if he were dozing off, he was actually listening very carefully, occasionally asking a few questions.

"Muzaffar, if you lead the army, how many troops will be needed to capture Rhodes Island?" He suddenly asked this question.

"With an army of 100,000, comprehensive logistics, and an undisturbed siege of more than a year, there will be a chance." Muzaffar pondered for a moment and replied.

The idea was to siege and attrition. Head for head, and eventually all the Knights' soldiers would be gone. Even with divine artifacts, humans still die.

"Furthermore, Grandmaster, in my opinion, attacking Rhodes Island now is extremely unwise. We'd be better off targeting the Bloody Cross!" he said. "Ultimately, Rhodes Island is merely the cornerstone, supporting the Holy Land..."

The Grand Master shook his head.

"This is not something you can decide," he said sternly. "Rhodes Island is not an ordinary place. It must be under the control of the Order! This matter is beyond debate!"

Muzaffar fell silent immediately.

"Well, Muzaffar, what do you think we should do in this situation?"

“There are only three ways,” Muzaffar replied.

"First, gather the troops, arrange logistics, dispatch a hundred thousand men and three hundred warships, and lay siege in an open and level-headed manner for a year. This should allow us to capture Rhodes Island. According to a saying from the East, this is a strategy of overwhelming pressure."

"One hundred thousand people..." The Grand Master sighed.

A hundred thousand troops and three hundred warships is no easy task. A year's worth of effort would be astronomical. It would require the combined strength of the Star-Moon Sect and its various nations. This is no small matter.

It cannot be said to be impossible, but the difficulty of mediation is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

"Tell me about the second method."

"Second, send people to contact the Christian nations, especially the Holy Land. Take advantage of their greed and find ways to get the Pope to retract the Bloody Cross. That way, capturing Rhodes Island won't be too difficult. This is a strategy to remove the firewood from the source."

The Grand Master's eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly.

Although it is difficult, it goes with the flow. Even if the probability of success is not high, it is at least better than the first method.

"As for the third option, we'll dispatch warrior assassins to find a favorable opportunity to assassinate Grand Commander Thomas and seize the Bloody Cross Flag. Even if we can't seize it, we'll destroy the treasure. This is Black Tiger's heart-piercing plan. But..."

The Grand Master was about to speak, but was stopped by the word "but". He then waited patiently for Muzaffar to continue.

"If you want to assassinate Grand Commander Thomas, you must protect the country!"

"Why do you say that?" the Grandmaster wondered. "That Thomas is just a warrior who has just entered the elite level."

Sending a high-level elite warrior with suitable supernatural abilities should be able to easily deal with Thomas.

Even if it was Thomas's two inseparable guards, it would only take three or five assassins to deal with them.

It is not easy to say it is easy, but it is not difficult to say it is difficult.

"Grandmaster, I've carefully observed Grand Master Thomas this time," Muzaffar said seriously. "The magical aura around him is as bright as stars. I can't even count how many magical items he possesses!"

"I've been wondering why the Pope would trust Thomas, a not-so-powerful warrior, with such a sacred object. Isn't he afraid it might be taken away? But now I know for sure."

"...Adding that flag that allows unlimited spellcasting, Grand Captain Thomas might only be considered an elite low-level warrior according to the level 15 evaluation standard. However, his combat power... below the half-step protector of the country, I'm afraid there is no way to defeat him! To assassinate him, you must be a half-step protector of the country, preferably a protector of the country. If you send elite troops to assassinate him, unless it is a coincidence or the gods' blessing, otherwise it will be a suicide mission."

The Grand Master pondered for a long time.

"What do you think of Thomas?"

"According to the information I've gathered, this man is diligent in military discipline, a skilled warrior, and extremely confident, believing himself to be under the protection of Christ," Muzaffar replied. "He was previously unknown, but it's clear he comes from a humble background. I've watched him march and deploy his troops, and I don't see anything special about him. He probably doesn't have any family tradition of this kind."

"A powerful warrior amassed with magical items..." The Grandmaster was clearly troubled by this situation. "In that case, hiring Assassins is pointless."

Assassins' method of assassination, which involves mutual destruction, can make any monarch fearful, but it is useless against a powerful warrior like Thomas who has accumulated external resources.

It’s not that it can’t be killed, but it’s useless to kill it.

Thomas' life is worthless, what is valuable is the magical items on his body.

Even if Thomas was killed, it would be meaningless because Rome would send a Thomas II in a minute.

Chapter 138 Three Strategies (Part 2)

And this newcomer is likely to be even more difficult to deal with than Thomas.

After all, in this era, the nobles' disdain for the common people was common sense. You instinctively felt that if this commoner Thomas died, a noble Grand Master, armed with the same array of magical items, would be even more difficult to deal with.

The Grand Master pondered for a long time.

"Let's leave the first option aside for now. The second and third options don't affect us, so we can work on them together," the Grandmaster said. "Where do you think the best breakthrough point is in the second option?"

"Venetians!" Muzaffar answered without hesitation.

"The Venetians are rapidly rising in power, and their influence on the Church is also growing. As everyone knows, the Venetians are merchants, and merchants are always driven by profit. If we convey the true situation of the Bloody Cross Flag to them, the Venetians will surely be tempted. This artifact may have an effect on a large nation, but it's not so obvious. However, for a small but powerful nation like Venice, the effect will be immediate and miraculous. It can even be said... this treasure was specially prepared for small forces like the Knights Templar and Venice!"

"And then there's the Holy Land," Muzaffar said. "The knights there are also desperately seeking a treasure like this. Once the news reaches everyone, it will spark a wave of public opinion within Christianity. Everyone will agree that such a treasure is more appropriately placed in the Holy Land."

"Very good." The Grand Master nodded, completely acknowledging Muzaffar's statement.

"As long as we mobilize the Venetians and the two knights of the Holy Land, the Pope will come under tremendous pressure. If forced, there's a certain probability that he will withdraw the flag from Rhodes, no matter who it is given to. At least for us, the last obstacle to attacking Rhodes will be removed."

The Grand Master laughed.

"Compared to this, I prefer your third plan. If we can seize this sacred object..."

"Grandmaster, mobilizing multiple protectors is no easy feat," Muzaffar said. "Even if the protectors take action, assassinations and thefts require waiting for the right moment. We must take our time and wait patiently to ensure we are on the safe side."

"We don't need many to protect the country, just one person is enough." The Grand Master smiled. "Do you know the Wolf God?"

"I know. He's our sect's...strongest protector! But I've also heard..."

"I know that the Wolf God is unruly and not always obedient. Furthermore, he occasionally does something out of the ordinary. I heard that every time he carries out a mission, he makes some... troublesome requests to the cult. He won't take action unless they agree to it."

The Grandmaster's eyebrows shot up in laughter this time. "But if this is the case, the Wolf God will most likely agree. No conditions required."

"Why?" Muzaffar was puzzled.

"Others may not know this, but I do know something about it," the Grandmaster said. "More than a decade ago, the Wolf God was ordered to hunt down the remnants of the Zoroastrianism. Although the Zoroastrianism has long since faded into obscurity, it's said they still possess a sacred artifact, a treasure bestowed upon mortal believers by the gods—the Holy Fire! And with this artifact, the remnants have regrouped their forces."

"That magical object is also said to allow one to cast spells infinitely."