A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Sure enough, is it affected by the curse?

Carrying the curse of bad luck, nothing goes well for me!

Thomas sighed inwardly.

"Although I don't know how to obtain the elements through conventional means, I know a quick way."

"what way?"

"Deslayer! Kill a god, and everything he has accumulated will become yours. This includes the elements, of course."

"But... aren't gods immortal?" At least they are difficult to kill.

In other words, killing someone is just a clone or an incarnation. Malovet is the best example.

"Of course, I'm not asking you to challenge those powerful ones. Theoretically, you can only choose quasi-gods of the same level. More powerful gods, let alone whether you can defeat them, are difficult to kill even if you can."

"Of course, there are exceptions to everything. Perhaps you can look for a sleeping god..."

"Sleeping gods?" Thomas thought, and suddenly changed the subject. "Plasda, do you know the thoughts of the God King?"

"God is the king?"

Chapter 348 Origin 2

"That's it," Thomas said. "I heard you can only be God or King."

"Yes, you can only choose one!" the voice said. "Either be a god or a king. If you want to have both, the result will be..."

"What is it?"

“The cost is great, and the gain is small.”

"Oh, why?" Thomas asked, puzzled. "What kind of price?"

He had been Grand Master for several years and hadn't felt his divine powers, or his damaged godhead, affected in any way. Everything seemed normal.

As the Grand Master, he issues orders within the Knights Templar, but this does not affect his communication with believers as the Nameless God at night.

Although it is supported by external objects, at least the speed of producing divine power has not changed.

"Of course it's because... of evil thoughts! You should know where the power of faith comes from, right?"

"Well, I read a book called 'Supernatural Magic,'" Thomas said. "According to it, it boils down to the fact that humans were created by the Creator and possess divinity within them. This divinity, though minute, comes from the God of Creation and is of a very high nature. What the Gods desire is not the physical body of humans, but the last vestiges of divinity that remain within the depths of our bodies and souls, after repeated degeneration. Faith and worship are meant to gather this divinity."

"Although it's not entirely accurate, it's close enough. In that case, you should understand the risks involved."

"what do you mean?"

"risk!"

"Risk?" Where did the risk come from? Thomas didn't understand for a moment.

"The Creator's divine essence is extremely high. It's so complete and powerful that an excess is as bad as a deficiency. Ordinary gods cannot truly absorb it completely. Therefore, they can only absorb the part that is relevant to them."

Thomas understood this.

He had studied this issue before and came to a similar conclusion.

Some gods like their believers to make huge sacrifices, some gods need their believers to sing and dance, and some gods like their believers to pray silently.

Ultimately, it is related to some "attribute" of the deity.

Thomas speculated that this was probably because there were some differences between the divine natures.

This also led to different gods attracting faith, requiring believers to be in different mental states: some were fanatical, some were silent, and some were full of awe.

Thomas's damaged godhead is clearly the kind that requires believers to pray silently.

He always received a steady supply of divine power when participating in Christian rituals. On the other hand, when he participated in rituals of pagan gods, even with a similar number of people, he could not absorb much divine power.

"...So, once someone is forcibly imbued with a power they don't need..." the voice said, full of aftertaste. "What do you think the consequences will be?"

"Forced infusion? Is that possible?"

"You may not feel it now, but the truth is, your power will be filled with impurities. Of course, if you simply want to maintain your domain, then it's fine. But as soon as you want to take a step further and condense your divine body, you'll understand the trouble involved."

“I don’t use my status as a god to rule, is that okay?”

"No," the voice replied. "Faith is directed. Once you possess the ability to gain faith, you cannot deny others their worship. Even if no one knows your identity as a deity, when your subjects constantly think of you, they will naturally become your believers. Even if they themselves don't know it... this power of concern is also faith."

Thomas understood this.

Just like the power of the Princess of the Long Sword (also known as the Bloody Cross Flag), you don't need to be a believer, just looking at her will give her power.

"Besides, you haven't been on this path for long... Sooner or later, you'll discover that faith isn't that simple!"

"Although the essence of faith is the trace of the Creator's divinity that remains within humanity, humans have their own independent spirit and will. This divinity has long been influenced by humanity's independent spirit and will!"

"When the thoughts of all believers converge, if you absorb their faith, your spirit and will will inevitably be affected."

"Your consciousness will be distorted!"

"If you want to change this, you must not occupy one place, but spread believers widely. Make sure their understandings do not converge."

"This is fine for most gods, but it is quite dangerous for the God King."

“Because within the same region, many ideas tend to converge.”

"For example, say, a war is waged against a neighboring nation. Those with foresight can see that war is disadvantageous, but if the majority of the subjects are ignorant and want to go to war, the God-King will be unable to stop them. Not to mention stopping them, his own mind will be distorted, and he will actively support and promote the war."

"This is the second hidden danger of the God King."

"Of course there are other hidden dangers, but there's no need to elaborate on them. Anyway, the path to becoming a Divine King completely failed a long time ago!"

"It sounds good, but in the end it turns out that there's far more to lose than to gain."

"You already have a domain. If you want to go further, you must make a choice!"

"Or, as a king, you can live a wonderful, but short life! You can roam the world, leaving behind a name that will last through the ages and an enduring legend."

"But your life will end in just one or two hundred years."

"Or, become a god. Challenge more risks, face greater unknowns, and seek the path to true immortality! But you may also perish silently on the path of seeking the truth."

Thomas let out a long breath. Ahead, he saw the carriage.

He didn't continue the discussion and rode his horse to catch up.

……

Thomas went up to the forecastle.

The endless sea stretched out before him.

In some ways, the ocean is dull, for to humans, most of the seas we sail through are featureless. The silence of the sea can be oppressive, but if you stare at the surface, you'll discover that every ripple, every rising wave, every eddy of water, reveals a subtle difference amidst the repetitive details. A dull journey can dull a sailor's melancholy, turning them into machines. Knowing they're still halfway through, they yearn for land to appear at the end of their sight.

"Grandmaster..." A voice sounded as Thomas looked out at the sea. Thomas turned around and saw Louis' face.

"What's wrong, Louis?"

This time, Thomas's actions were likely unexpected by the Vatican. He didn't even return to his suburban residence, abandoning some of his luggage (though it was worthless) at the hotel, and sent a letter to Louis, asking him to follow him.

So, the whole process took only half a day, and he embarked on the return journey.

As for now...

Even if the Holy See sent the navy to pursue, it would be too late.

"It's okay, I saw you come out..."

"I just came out to get some fresh air and relax," said Thomas.

It was already dusk and night was not far away.

Tonight is the new moon!

Chapter 349 New Moon 1

"Why did you leave Rome in such a hurry this time?" Louis was puzzled.

"The new pope has been chosen," Thomas said lightly. "He's trying to harm me."

This was also something that was expected.

There are also differences between popes. Some popes are strong popes, with sufficient strength as a foundation, while others are weak popes, who become popes by chance or through internal strife among powerful enemies.

There is no difference between the two in name, but the powers they actually possess are different.

Not all papal decrees are unconditionally approved and executed.

Some things are unreasonable and will definitely be resisted or even opposed.

Of course, after a weak pope comes to power, as long as he has enough political skills, he will gradually become a strong pope.

But this takes time.

You have to stay in the papacy long enough.

Thomas naturally knew nothing about these unspoken rules at first, but since he became the captain, he naturally came into contact with this knowledge.

Even if you don't understand, others will tell you. If you listen more, you will understand.

His teacher, Leo XI, was a weak pope.

Although he has been working hard, quietly cultivating his confidants and suppressing hostile factions, his foundation is still weak.

Thomas's appointment as Grand Master was, in a sense, a stroke of genius on Leo XI's part. Thomas's military achievements had a significant positive impact on his status and power.

Maybe if I stay in the position for another ten or twenty years, the situation will be different.

And if the weak pope dies...

It will be easy to be counterattacked!

You got to the stage purely by chance or luck, and this situation is difficult to replicate.

And there is a chance that the hostile factions will unite and elect an agent to power!

This is clearly the case now.

Next, the power established by Leo XI was to be suppressed - as the saying goes, a new emperor appoints new ministers, and every emperor kills people.

Thomas was mentally prepared for this situation after he learned the bad news about his teacher.

He's not afraid anyway.

The princes of one side may obey orders but not announcements, while Thomas may obey neither orders nor announcements.

"But, Grand Master, if you leave like this... won't that make the Holy See's opinion of you even worse?" Louis asked.

Thomas curled his lips quietly.

I wanted to make peace, too. After all, we don't have any real grudges against each other, and it's best to be a harmonious family.

Unfortunately, I knew the other party's goal.

If the other party is just showing off, demonstrating their authority, and suppressing me, then I will endure it.

But the other party wants the Knights to unilaterally cut off their own flesh...that cannot be tolerated!

Where in the world can such a good thing come from!

Humans are insatiable creatures. These medieval charlatans are even more so! Their greed knows no bounds!

I've also never heard that the church reduced taxes on civilians because it had a lot of money.

Chairman Mao said that if we seek peace through struggle, peace will exist; if we seek peace through compromise, peace will die.

"It doesn't matter what he thinks of me," Thomas said calmly. "Since you don't appreciate the favor I gave you, I'll take it back."

"But...what if..." Louis was still a little young and less experienced after all.

After all, he was born into a common family, and the Church's status in his heart was as clear as the sun and the moon. If Louis and Thomas had swapped places and faced this kind of problem, he would have only thought about how to mend the rift between them and the Church, and he would never have expected Thomas to come up with such a move.

"What if?"

"For example, what if the Holy See is holding us back?"

"Ignore him," Thomas replied.

"Ignore him?"

"For the time being, we have no use for the Holy See... Well, that's not the right way to put it. It should be said that while it would be nice to have the Holy See's support, even without it, we can still get by!"