A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Thomas did not forget that before the Battle of Smyrna, various Italian countries (actually not just Italy) had made exorbitant demands on him, blackmailing him and raising the price.

That feeling is so frustrating that you have to swallow your blood and grit your teeth.

Thomas is still thinking about finding an opportunity to take revenge in the future.

Unexpectedly, in the envoy's mouth, it became "support".

Thomas was completely confused.

Impossible! Whether modern or ancient, Eastern or Western, this behavior cannot be called "support."

But the other party looked so confident and assured that he wondered if he had remembered something wrong.

Or was there really something that his teacher had done secretly without informing him?

But Thomas tried hard to think, but he could not think of any support given to him by the "various countries".

Money? Supplies? Manpower? Intelligence? War support? It seems like none of that exists!

Apart from sending little Knight Balbo over, I really can't think of anything else.

Of course, giving away little Knight Balboa certainly doesn't count; this is just a tacit political deal between both parties.

It represents reconciliation between the two parties and all past disputes are now over.

Thomas killed the Venetian spies, and the Venetians also launched an assassination attempt through the hands of the Crescent Moon Cult.

To be honest, Thomas is the one who suffers the loss.

The envoy, seeing Thomas lost in deep thought, naturally felt a little bolder.

There was no doubt that what he had just said had already had an impact on Thomas, but he was still clearly skeptical.

After all, there is no basis for what you say.

In that case, let’s go a step further.

Completely eliminate all the other party's mentality of taking chances.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out some letters.

Then he walked up to Thomas and placed the letters in front of him.

Fortunately, although the two guards followed closely, they did not stop him from taking out the letter.

Thomas opened the first letter with some surprise.

Judging from the envelope, this is a letter from the Doge of Venice.

He reads very fast now, basically finishing a book in just a few seconds.

The letter was signed with the name of Doge Balbo of the Republic of Venice and also stamped with the official seal of the Republic.

In other words, this is not even a private letter, it can be understood as an official letter.

As for the content of the letter.

Simply put, Governor Balbo stated that all previous agreements between the Republic and the Knights Templar were null and void.

These include secret agreements, public treaties, and even those witnessed by former popes.

From now on, the Republic will no longer have any economic or military obligations to the Knights!

At the same time, all the materials and personnel previously loaned to the Knights must be taken back. If the Knights refuse, it will be a declaration of war against Venice!

Venice will use all its strength to ensure that its interests are not harmed.

Finally, Governor Balbo "kindly" advised Thomas that the best option would be to honestly accept the arrangements of the new Pope, otherwise the consequences would be something the Knights could not bear.

Thomas is numb...

Holy shit, what the hell is this? When did I sign any agreement with the Venetians? What supplies and personnel did I take?

Unless those contracts for the purchase of warships and armaments count as agreements...

But that was also a cash-on-delivery deal! Not to mention the price being raised by unscrupulous merchants!

Confused, he once again looked up at the envoy standing nearby. The envoy's fat face was filled with smugness, almost to the point of looking up at the sky.

Because he saw Thomas's expression.

This invincible commander who roamed the Mediterranean was obviously really shocked this time.

There were four letters in total. Thomas opened the second one without saying a word.

This letter also had a remarkable origin. Judging from the signature on the envelope, it was from the Republic of Genoa.

It is also a famous and powerful country in Italy.

It was once the most powerful country, but now it has fallen behind Venice in the competition.

But as the saying goes, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and Genoa is still an object that cannot be underestimated by the Knights.

However, Thomas had little contact with the Genoese and did not even know much about the current governor of Genoa.

The content of the letter is similar to the previous one.

It can be simply understood as follows: All agreements between you and me are null and void. You must pay me back what you owe me. Otherwise, it will be war!

Other than that, I suggest you listen to the new pope's instructions.

Agreement? Do we have an agreement? Thomas, after traveling through time for so long, finally understood what it meant to be tossed about in the wind. He numbly opened the third letter.

This time it was a letter from the Duchy of Milan, and the writer, as expected, was the Grand Duke of Milan.

It expresses the same meaning: We are no longer allies, and you must pay me back what you owe me. Also, I suggest you listen to the Pope!

Damn it! When did the Knights ally with the Milanese? They still owe you something?

How come I, the captain, don’t know this?

The last letter is from the Republic of Florence.

Of course, the wording and handwriting of the four letters are different, but the meaning is the same and they all express the same attitude!

After reading the four letters, he looked at the envoy in front of him with a look of pride.

Thomas even began to doubt himself.

Have I traveled through time again? To another timeline...

I know all these people, but why can't I understand these letters?

Where am I? Who am I? What's going on?

Chapter 371: Threat 5

Thomas had previously guessed what the envoy's trump card was.

Only now do I realize that it is completely beyond my understanding.

Although the four major powers in Italy all had strong reputations, the four rulers used harsh words and all threatened war.

But why can’t I understand it at all?

What kind of treaty do we have? What kind of agreement do we have? How come I, the Grand Commander, don't know about this? Why didn't anyone tell me?

Have you ever given anything to the Knights? Do you have to give it back, or else it will be a war?

It's just baffling.

But these people are not ordinary people, they are all rulers of a country! And many of these countries have an electoral system!

Bloodline inheritance may allow a loser to ascend to power, but the electoral system will never elect a pure-blooded fool! And it's not even a country!

Such nonsense, such outrageous talk...

Are they wrong or am I wrong?

Thomas was left disheveled.

On the other side, the envoy was very proud.

The last time, Thomas kicked him out rudely, leaving him feeling humiliated.

This time, looking at Thomas's expression, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It turns out that the unruly Captain Thomas can also be scared!

Of course, this is normal.

Even though the Knights won the Battle of Smyrna, it was still a devastating loss.

Human, financial and material resources cannot be easily replenished.

Although there are five protectors of the country.

But no matter how strong the Five Knights of Christ are, they cannot withstand this double attack!

In fact, not to mention the deep hatred between the Crescent Moon Cultists and the Knights, they will definitely restart the war when they see the Knights are in a dangerous situation.

Even if the Star-Moon Cultists sit on the sidelines and watch...

If the Knights fight alone, there is a high probability that they will not be able to defeat the four major powers.

There is no land border between the two sides, so it must be a naval battle.

The combined navies of the four countries could easily put together more than fifty squadrons, but Thomas only had four squadrons.

This is a difference of more than ten times.

The shipbuilding capabilities of both sides, that is, the ability to sustain combat, are even more incomparable.

The Knights' shipbuilding capacity was close to zero (Smyrna's shipbuilding capacity was temporarily unable to recover due to the war), but how many warships could the Venetians launch in a year if they had enough money? Dozens or even hundreds of them would be a piece of cake.

Moreover, in naval battles, the effect of artifacts is very low.

The Wood Golem is useless in naval battles, and the Bloody Cross Flag can only affect one ship at most.

The same applies to the Protectorate. In a naval battle, if the five Protectors gather together, their lethality is limited. If they disperse, it will give the enemy the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

As for financial resources...

That's a difference between heaven and earth.

Therefore, even those who are not familiar with battle formations can understand that the Knights have almost no chance of winning.

Captain Thomas was completely shocked!

I was really scared, because I couldn't even speak for a moment!

Seeing that he had intimidated this unruly leader, the envoy felt relieved and turned his head.

He looked arrogantly at the other people present.

Then he saw a familiar face.

He had already seen the portraits of the Five Knights of Christ—he was not very familiar with the others, but he knew this one.

Joseph Knight.

A former member of the Papal Guard, Knight Joseph was often tasked with carrying out missions in Rome. He performed duties such as duty, sentry duty, patrolling, personal protection, and even arrests, making him a familiar figure and a familiar figure.

Strictly speaking, the two parties did not actually know each other and had never had any contact, but this did not prevent him from recognizing Knight Joseph at a glance!

"Knight Joseph, by order of the Holy See, your commission has been revoked."

"My...commission?" Joseph was puzzled.

"Yes, you can return to Rome and continue to serve the Holy See. Just as you served Pope Leo XI before." The envoy tried to smile.

A protector of the country deserves a little courtesy from him.

In addition, he knew that the Holy See had decided to take Knight Joseph back.

His extraordinary ability is the ability to freeze the body, making him a natural-born guard, perfect for protecting the Holy See.

As for the other four protectors...

The Pope made it very clear that if they could be persuaded to go to Rome that would be best, but if that didn't work, then it would be fine for them to return to their original countries.

But Knight Joseph must return to Rome! This is related to the dignity of the Pope.

But to his surprise, Knight Joseph was clearly unmoved. At least, his face didn't show any sign of it.

Not to mention agreeing to it.