A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Of course, this information has been passed around for who knows how many times. It's a mixture of truth and falsehood, filled with absurd myths and truly useful knowledge and technology.

So this diplomatic voyage...

Well, it's almost like committing suicide.

"Will Captain Thomas agree to such an order?" Governor Balbo sneered.

He refused to even return the sacred artifacts and the national protector, yet he agreed to such a suicidal order?

Obviously it is impossible.

I guess it's nothing more than a pretense, using tricks to gain greater voice and increase the sense of identity and cohesion within the Knights.

A common tactic used by politicians!

"When I set out, the Grand Commander was still considering it and had not yet made a formal reply. But I think there is a high possibility that he will agree. Otherwise, he would not have made such an arrangement." Little Balbo answered seriously.

This foolish son was actually deceived by such a pretentious trick...

Although the governor was very disappointed, there was nothing he could do.

After all, Thomas was a man of pretense and acting skills. Although he was considered an excellent commander by the world, the Governor knew that Thomas's political fundamentals were equally solid, even to the point of perfection.

"Why do you think he would agree to such a request?" The Governor felt he had to make a final effort, at least to prevent Thomas from having such a high status in his foolish son's heart. "He hasn't expressed any intention to agree to the Pope's other bulls. Besides, as a Grand Master, is it appropriate for him to go on a diplomatic mission?"

Others may not know, but Governor Balbo knows very well.

Thomas had gone to Bohemia for some unknown reason, supposedly to meet a magician.

The Pope sent a few people, originally wanting to threaten the Grand Commander a little, but he didn't expect that Grand Commander Thomas was so cruel and ruthless, and extraordinary!

Those who were sent out disappeared quietly - completely disappeared and never appeared again!

You can guess what happened by guessing.

They must have all been killed, just like the elite spy team in Venice!

So Thomas is definitely not an easy person to deal with!

This so-called diplomatic mission request sounds a bit unreliable even to outsiders.

Thomas is the Grand Master and the leader of the Armed Order of Friars. Is he suitable for this?

So this time the reason for rejection is already there.

"Maybe... it's because this was one of the predecessor's goals." Little Balbo said seriously.

"Predecessor? Leo XI?"

"It was him. The previous Holy See had discussed this matter with the Grand Master, hoping that he could serve as an envoy to the East. One could even say that the main reason the Grand Master wore red was for this. However, the situation was critical at the time, and the Grand Master was unable to do so."

"But this is not only dangerous, but also time-consuming... He should know that."

It's not about visiting any particular country, but about visiting a series of countries in detail. Even if God bless you, it will take at least five or six years to come back!

"Yes, we all advised him so. But the Grand Master remained hesitant... He meant that he might be the only suitable candidate. Because only he could protect himself..."

"You mean... he wants to take you with him?" Governor Balbo's voice suddenly became stern.

Under the protection of the five protectors?

Once you're gone, you might not be able to come back for more than five years, or even ten years!

Besides, this is a long journey, even if it is to protect the country, we cannot guarantee that it will be safe.

This is not possible!

Although Governor Balbo is still in good health, he definitely cannot guarantee that he can live ten years later.

This is the average life expectancy in this era.

Even if there is magic!

There are so many surprises. If nothing else, Leo XI is the best example!

When it comes to magic, is there anyone better equipped than the Pope? But when it's time to die, it's time to die!

He knew very well that if he couldn't get little Balbo back from the Knights while he was still alive...

If I die, the possibility of this stupid son leaving the Knights and returning to his home will be much smaller.

A father always knows his son much better than an elder brother knows his younger brother.

"Why are you taking me?" Little Balboa was puzzled. "Although I am indeed a little curious..."

But long journeys require more than just military force; they also require the ability to adapt to the environment, as well as translation and so on.

He doesn't have these abilities.

Unless Thomas offered to let him go, it was more likely that little Balboa knew he was a burden.

He is a young master and is always accompanied by a group of servants when he travels.

"Then who will he take?" Governor Balbo breathed a sigh of relief.

Just don't take your son with you.

"He went alone."

"Going alone? Without even an interpreter?" The governor was shocked.

"Father, you might not know this, but Grand Captain Thomas is a linguistic genius!" Little Balboa beamed with joy. "In just a few days, he'll master a foreign language. He can protect himself, and he understands languages... So you see, no one else is suited for this mission. Leo XI made the right choice."

"You just said... Thomas can protect himself? What do you mean? Thomas is a protector of the country?" The governor suddenly remembered something.

"Ah, you didn't know?" Little Balbo realized that he had let something slip. Fortunately, the person in front of him was his father, so the slip of the tongue didn't really matter.

"Captain Thomas... is a protector of the country?" Governor Balbo suddenly came to his senses.

Damn, so that’s it, there aren’t five knights of Christ, but six!

Chapter 388 Homecoming 5

No wonder...

A bunch of countries in Italy each offered a protectorate to strengthen the power of the Knights.

And this is just Italy!

There is no movement from other countries...it feels very strange.

Rather, from the very beginning, Thomas was the protector of the Holy Roman Empire carefully selected.

Governor Balbo's mind worked quickly, and he went over the whole thing from beginning to end.

First, the Knights suffered a series of defeats, heavy losses, and faced the danger of disintegration. They urgently needed an outstanding Grand Master to save the situation.

After several months of weighing the pros and cons, Leo XI suddenly chose a Bohemian who came out of nowhere as the Grand Master.

He also accepted this person as his student.

Most importantly, he refused to offer divine revelation. It was with this that Thomas defeated all his competitors.

Without divine inspiration, according to common standards, the position of Grand Commander would be a burden and a risk. Therefore, the other competitors automatically gave up, and Thomas easily took the position.

This matter was weird from beginning to end.

At that time, everyone thought that the Pope had given up and was going to try his best to save the situation.

But if you interpret this as Leo XI asking for help from the Holy Roman Emperor, and the latter sending a hidden protector...

Then it becomes reasonable!

That's it!

Although there are still many details that are difficult to distinguish, the overall context is very complete.

Thomas is definitely not someone who emerged from nowhere. He is a patriot who hides his identity!

He must be of noble birth, well-educated, and have rich experience - even a fool knows that the lifespan of a protector of the country is much longer than that of a normal person, and he ages much more slowly, so he has plenty of time to learn and practice.

Just to better protect the country, his name was deliberately hidden and difficult for the world to know.

This is also why he did so well later on.

He has made remarkable achievements in politics, economy and military, and does not look like a novice at all.

It doesn't seem like he came from a lowly common family.

People of common origin do not have this kind of knowledge, let alone this kind of judgment and decisiveness.

Of course, the Pope must pay a price for letting Thomas be the Grand Master.

In other words, he must show his sincerity.

This is why the Vatican's only Protector, Knight Joseph, must accompany Thomas to his new post.

Only in this way can we be sure that this is not a trap.

From this we can see that…

Apart from his own son, who was purely accidental, the others were not that simple either.

Contrary to the initial thought, they may have foreign background.

Although it is true that he is that person, but... who he is loyal to is another matter.

In this era, it is normal for a person to stand against his hometown.

For example, it is entirely possible for a Frenchman to pledge allegiance to the King of England and lead the British army to attack France.

This behavior is not considered unethical.

Even issuing orders such as looting and massacre would not be considered outrageous.

In the final analysis, national consciousness was not very strong in this era, but religious consciousness was much stronger.

Just like if Saracens converted to Christianity, they would be regarded as compatriots - although they would be discriminated against to a certain extent.

So, the new Pope judged the belonging of several people based solely on their country of origin...

Obviously inappropriate.

These people are not necessarily loyal to their motherland.

It is more likely that they will be loyal to major powers such as France, the Holy Roman Empire, Poland, Hungary, etc.

In the past, under the deliberate cover-up of the Holy See, he got the opportunity to use the divine revelation technique.

As everyone knows, the Holy See has always kept the buyers of divine revelation techniques highly confidential.

They were quietly promoted to protectors of the country, and lay in wait, waiting for an opportunity.

In other words, this was a plan that Leo XI had been carrying out for a long time.

Unfortunately, Leo XI died suddenly, and his plan was shattered.

No, there is still one part to be executed.

It’s the diplomatic mission part.

I guess Leo XI had already made arrangements, so Thomas had to go.

There is a price to pay for not going.

But this was accidental. If things had gone according to normal course and Leo XI's plan had continued to be implemented...

This plan includes sending an envoy to the East to reach an agreement with the distant Star-Moon Cult nation.

Although this agreement cannot be guaranteed to be implemented, the situation in the Holy Land can indeed be stabilized through both civil and military strategies.

I dare not say that the problem will be solved once and for all, but basically in the foreseeable next hundred years, the Holy Land will no longer be a problem!

Governor Balbo couldn't help but sigh after figuring it out.

What a pity!

Then he quickly changed his thinking mode and began to consider how the Republic of Venice could obtain the greatest benefits under such circumstances.

Unfortunately, there are no additional benefits at the moment.

But... maybe I can use this opportunity to extort more from the Pope?

Thomas is willing to accept the imperial edict and go on a diplomatic mission to a distant land...

But the Pope didn't know.