A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

When Christianity became popular, even God's approval was no longer necessary.

All it needs is the approval of the Holy See.

The Pope or Archbishop can crown the new king, and then the king has legitimacy.

"This topic of mine has aroused the interest of several people, including an old friend whom I respect very much. He gave a hint..."

"That is, Jesus, as the Son of God, refused to be king!"

"Well..." Thomas didn't expect the topic to turn here.

"He believed this showed some kind of contradiction between gods and kings. Gods cannot be kings! Kings cannot deify themselves."

"As a basis for speculation, there are many legends about descendants of gods, demigods, or sons of gods becoming kings, but there are almost no legends of such people being deified. On the contrary, there are some stories of descendants of gods and demigods who are not monarchs being deified. The most typical example is the demigod of the Olympian pantheon, Hercules."

"Taking all these factors into account, he speculated that the two weren't in conflict with each other. Rather, they were... something that could coexist in the short term, but would definitely be detrimental in the long term."

Thomas nodded slightly.

That friend was quite knowledgeable and what he said was actually similar to what Thor said.

Thor said directly, "If gods are treated as kings by humans, they will be corrupted."

In other words, it is not an immediate effect, but it will cause great harm to the gods' path to advancement.

But I don’t know what the reason behind it is.

At least Thomas now doesn't feel anything is wrong.

Theoretically speaking, he, the "Grand Commander", is actually a monarch.

Perhaps it was because he had only just begun his journey to godhood that he felt no erosion. Ultimately, Thomas had only just taken the first step, which was how to obtain, how to give, and how to know.

These three abilities are all supported by external objects, not his own strength.

"One more thing. Grand Master, have you heard of others who have embarked on your path?"

"Oh... well, I know one," Thomas said. The Deer-Headed Demon could be considered a "human," after all. "But I guess that one's fate wasn't very good. What do you want to say?"

Now, the Deer-Headed Demon was being suppressed by the Sunflower Knights in Kiev, constantly draining away its power. According to Thomas, it was a life worse than death. It would be better to just die.

"I have an interesting conjecture," the blue-robed wizard said. "Although only a handful of people can embark on this path, if we extend the time span to hundreds or even thousands of years, there must be some."

"However, since the Ming Dynasty, I have never heard of the ancient God King reappearing."

"In those wild places far away from the civilized world, such as grasslands, permafrost, islands and so on, there should be some rulers who claim to be gods." Thomas said uncertainly.

"But in the end, they were almost all proven to be lies," Radagast laughed. "And it's easy to verify. After all, a key characteristic of a god is lifespan. If the ruler who claims to be a god doesn't live longer than a normal human, then it means either it's a falsehood or the god sensed something was wrong and faked his own death to escape."

"I see." Thomas replied after a pause.

This matter ends here. Or rather, this is the end of the help Radagast can provide.

After all, the Path to Becoming a God is a special one. It is highly secretive, and outsiders who are unaware of it can only learn fragments of it through various channels.

Even magicians, who are known for their pursuit of knowledge, know very little about the path to becoming a god.

The same thing happened with the church. When Thomas went to Rome, he searched the Roman library for a long time but couldn't find any useful knowledge.

Thor is the only way to obtain knowledge about Thomas...but for some reason, this channel of knowledge has also been cut off.

Radagast said goodbye and left.

Thomas walked him out of the room and outside.

Just then a few raindrops began to fall.

"Ah... has it been delayed until this time? It's almost the end of autumn." Thomas looked at the sky.

In late autumn, it rains easily on this side of the Mediterranean.

Fighting in the Mediterranean was a matter of weather. When the heavy rains of late autumn began, soldiers lost their appetite and longed to return to their barracks; conscripts wanted to return to their villages and farms. Sea conditions would also worsen.

In Smyrna, the decisive battle is almost approaching.

Because the autumn rain is troublesome enough, and after the autumn rain comes the cold winter.

A cold wave could have a devastating impact on the Turkic army outside the city.

Tactics such as besieging the city and cutting off its food supply were impossible because there was enough food, fodder and ammunition stored in the city.

Thomas will never make the same mistake that the Knights Hospitaller made in history.

Although it cost a high price, as long as we win, everything is worth it!

The first party to be unable to hold on will definitely be the one besieging the city.

……

"Sir, sir!" the attendant's voice was accompanied by hurried footsteps. "The army has marched out of the camp and formed up."

Ferdinand, who was lying on the bed reading, jumped up. "How is that possible? Didn't I say we would launch the attack later today?"

The morale of the Turkic army is now low, and they can basically only attack once or twice a day.

Therefore, if Ferdinand wanted to move more conveniently at night, he needed to delay the battle so that the defenders would not get enough rest.

But what happened today? Ferdinand remembered clearly that he had clearly conveyed this order at the military meeting yesterday.

With the Sultan's endorsement, the Turks should not dare to disobey him.

He stood up and rushed to the gate of his camp, and looked into the distance, and sure enough, the Turkic army had set out.

And that flag...

That was not an ordinary army, the Sultan's personal guards were also among the troops.

Just as he was wondering, he saw a fast horse charging straight towards him. The rider reined in the horse at a very close distance.

Ferdinand immediately recognized the rider from his attire as the Sultan's messenger.

"Sir Ferdinand," the rider said coldly. "His Majesty the Sultan is very dissatisfied with your slow pace!"

"So he decided to take back your command!"

"What! But the Sultan has already agreed with our master that he must give at least seven days..." The follower couldn't help but shout.

Ferdinand stretched out his hand to stop his followers from shouting any further.

Within seven days, persuade the Knights to surrender or at least assassinate their top leaders.

It is now the seventh day, and Ferdinand is planning to take action tonight.

But, obviously, plans cannot keep pace with changes.

Chapter 307 Assassination 1

The messenger rode away.

"Sir, why don't you tell me and wait for a day..."

"No, that's not necessary." Ferdinand said calmly. "This isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Why, Your Majesty..."

"Maybe it's because it rained yesterday," said Ferdinand.

It rained a little in the military camp last night.

Although it was just a light rain, the chill brought by the rain told the world that late autumn has arrived.

No one can tell when the continuous autumn rain will come!

Once the autumn rain comes, the war can no longer be fought.

In this era, no army could launch a siege in heavy rain.

Moreover, after the autumn rain, there will inevitably be a cold wave with a sudden drop in temperature. It will be even more difficult to attack the city during a cold wave.

Apart from other issues, the problem of winter clothing for a 200,000-strong army was a major challenge. If this problem was not solved, a large number of people would be faced with the thorny situation of freezing to death or frostbite.

The follower was stunned for a moment, then immediately came to his senses.

"But there's only one day left. The Sultan has promised you! Just tell him the word, and he will..."

No matter what, we still need this day, right?

"No need," Ferdinand said. "Believe me, any unexpected change is good news for me!"

I am the illegitimate son of the God of Destiny!

The concept of "luck" is actually quite mysterious. According to human standards, whether you are lucky or not ultimately depends on the result rather than the process.

"Remember what I told you about China in the far east... A blessing in disguise!"

Even if you break your leg and become a cripple, judging by the whole process, it can still be called lucky.

Ferdinand stood at the gate of his camp, watching the shouts in the distance.

The cannons had already been firing, easily destroying the Knights' crudely built fence once again.

The attack will begin soon.

Ferdinand sighed and returned to his tent.

"Sir," the attendant followed in. "Are you not going to do anything?"

He knew that Ferdinand had once received a promise from the Sultan - if he could capture Smyrna, Ferdinand would become the lord here, or at least the governor.

But given the current situation...it's obvious that the agreement is probably no longer valid.

"There's nothing to do," Ferdinand said. "That's fine. We'll just wait and see for now to see how strong the Royal Guards are. Then we'll see if we can get into the city at night."

If a few high-ranking members of the Knights Templar can be eliminated, the Sultan will likely fulfill his promise.

"Put on your armor, take a few guards, find a safe position, and try to observe the developments on the front lines," Ferdinand said. "The Turks have suddenly deployed their most elite troops today, and they'll most likely catch the Knights off guard. They have a good chance of breaching the city walls and ultimately holding their ground."

In previous battles, they almost managed to break through the city walls every time, but were eventually driven out.

But this time, when the Royal Guards attacked, the situation was different.

This was a well-equipped, high-spirited army, untouched by battle. Among them were numerous elite and mid-level officers, including veterans. Their combat effectiveness was undeniable.

Of course, as an elite force, the disadvantage is that once they suffer heavy losses, it is also difficult to recover in a short period of time.

The Knights had suffered heavy losses in the previous tug-of-war.

"If we can hold on, then we win, right?" asked the follower.

"No, it can't be considered a win. Smyrna is divided into eight districts. Even if the Turks win temporarily, they can only control one of the districts!" Ferdinand said.

This is the difficulty. Even if we win temporarily, we cannot force the Knights to surrender.

If you want to capture this city, you will easily fall into the quagmire of a tug-of-war if you cannot take all eight districts in one go.

In fact, compared to taking over a city district and engaging in a brutal and bloody battle with the Knights, the previous "siege-retreat" mode is more advantageous.

At least the losses will be smaller, and it will be easier to consume and tire the enemy.

After capturing the city, they were reluctant to retreat, but staying inside would mean they would have to engage in street fighting and night raids where they had no advantage. That would be a huge disadvantage.

The Turks' advantage lies in their large numbers and strong firepower, while the Knights' advantage lies in their higher quality troops. In addition, there is also a Protector of the Nation participating in the battle.

Even though he may not show his strength before, at the real critical moment, the role that a national protector can play is very terrifying.

This is like using your own disadvantages to fight against the enemy's advantages, and you will definitely not gain any advantage.

"Anyway, keep an eye on them for me," Ferdinand said. "Pay attention to your own safety! And be sure to check for any particularly outstanding warriors among the Knights!"

Because of his status, it is not convenient for him to go to the front line to watch the battle.

The view from the cliff is also blocked by the city wall, and the battle process in the city cannot be seen clearly.

As for safety... that's nothing to worry about.

He would send an elite soldier with the ability to resist long-range attacks to accompany his follower, so that he would be 90% sure of safety.

"By the way, if Andrea—you know him—appears on the battlefield and rushes towards you, retreat immediately!"

Follow the orders and leave.

Ferdinand stood there, gazing at the distant city walls for a long moment. These Turks... well, that's all! It'll only be a matter of a few days, anyway!

Of course, it would be great to become the new lord of Smyrna. It would be the ideal outcome for him.

But if you can’t, it doesn’t really matter!