A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Page 482

Moreover, because the Turks suffered heavy losses, the pressure on the Byzantines was suddenly reduced, and the speed of shipbuilding might be accelerated.

This is not good!

You know, with the current level of relations between the two sides... Thomas felt that once the Byzantine Empire gained an advantage in the navy, they would really dare to launch a surprise attack on Rhodes Island!

They didn't dare to launch a surprise attack on Smyrna, as this was now the headquarters of the Knights Templar and the main force of the Knights Templar.

However, Rhodes Island's situation was rather special—after all, it was once part of the Empire, and its people had a strong foundation. A surprise attack would be very easy to achieve.

So we have to find something for them to do.

We must not let them focus on building a fleet there.

So, after defeating the Turks, Thomas immediately took measures in this regard.

Send those Bulgarians back.

These Bulgarians were taken away by Thomas during his retreat from the previous Battle of Smyrna.

Later, as a mercenary, he participated in the Knights' capture of Smyrna.

But after this, they were kept in Rhodes and did not participate in the more intense defense of Smyrna.

They work for free every day, receive commissions, training, and a small amount of brainwashing - to be honest, this brainwashing is completely unnecessary.

Thomas was well aware that the Bulgarians had been treated unfairly by the Byzantine Empire. Although Bulgaria was nominally part of the empire during this era, the flame of resistance was always there and never extinguished.

If we send these people back and provide them with the equipment captured in the Battle of Smyrna (the equipment of ordinary Turkic soldiers is relatively simple, but it is too worthless to sell it), then they will immediately turn from a spark into a prairie fire.

As expected, less than half a year after being sent back, news came from various channels that another uprising against the empire had occurred in Bulgaria.

Moreover, this time, after special training by the Knights, the uprising was mainly based on guerrilla warfare that was difficult to defend against and had great momentum.

It is estimated that it will take the empire several years and huge resources to suppress this uprising.

Thomas then sent Demetrios to the Byzantine Empire to demand a non-aggression pact.

As with Sudan, the agreement is for ten years.

Under normal circumstances, the empire would most likely not agree.

Even if they agree, they will find an excuse to tear up the agreement.

But now that an uprising has broken out in Bulgaria, the situation is different.

No matter how unwilling the Byzantine emperor was, he had to put down the uprising first.

Considering that the empire had to divert financial and military resources to fight the uprising, the speed of building the fleet had to be greatly slowed down.

Thomas estimated that within seven or eight years, the Empire's navy would be unable to surpass the Knights.

Even if it exceeds that, the agreement is not far from expiring.

At that time, the emperor will most likely wait patiently until the end of the agreement period for the sake of the empire's dignity.

After all, breaking an agreement costs credibility, and if the benefits are small, it is not worth breaking.

The reason why Demetrios was asked to conduct the negotiations was mainly because Demetrios was also Greek.

Easier to communicate.

The interests of both parties in this negotiation are relatively consistent, so the negotiation will not be difficult. Even if Dimitrios is not a professional diplomat, it will not be a big problem.

"Louis, go to the dock and check on that ship. If it's really Demetrios who's returned, immediately inquire about the outcome of the negotiations."

Thomas ordered.

It would take time to report the specific terms that both parties had reached. It would be difficult to explain in such a hurry.

But if it is just "successful" or "unsuccessful", it can be confirmed immediately.

Louis immediately ran down the city wall.

Thomas continued to stay on the top of the city wall, feeling the endless sea in the distance.

The Mediterranean Sea is the smallest ocean in the world, but still vast and boundless.

I can only say that human beings are really too small.

Thomas felt secretly emotional.

Besides the troubles of the Byzantine Empire, there was another problem.

That was Master Radagast.

The blue-robed wizard's work progress...how should I put it, it's totally incomparable to Gandalf's!

It's probably the difference between a skilled worker and a rookie.

It was originally said that the manufacturing would be completed in three or four months, but now five months have passed.

The dimensional bag that Thomas is looking forward to has not been completed yet!

Fortunately, Thomas's patience has been honed since he became the Grand Commander.

So from time to time, you can comfort yourself by saying “slow work, fine work”.

Chapter 391 Farewell 3

Below the city wall, you can see a construction site in the distance where a chamber of commerce has started building a warehouse.

This also shows that the world recognizes the strength of the Knights.

Because if the enemy attacks, this warehouse is not within the protection of the city wall.

However, after this battle to defend the city, the Knights' status and reputation immediately rose. No one thought the Knights would be easily defeated by the Sultanate of Rum. Therefore, the Sultanate of Rum would not easily attack.

In this case, since war will not happen easily, then building something on the cheap land outside the city... seems to be nothing wrong, right?

Thomas imagined that in just a few years, the empty land below the city would become a bustling commercial area, and a large number of civilians would settle here...

Just by selling the land, the Knights can make a lot of money.

However, this matter would take time... and there was no rush. He had already produced a plan for the future development of the city and had it reviewed by the Knights' high-ranking officials—or rather, the civilian knights who were more concerned about the matter.

Everyone agreed that Thomas's plan was brilliant.

People of this era, or rather within the Knights Templar, really had no concept of real estate speculation.

But this kind of thing is completely a matter of breaking the window paper.

Before it was exposed, I never thought of it.

Once exposed, Thomas believed that these subordinates would burst out with enough inspiration and wisdom, and would definitely do a good job in making money.

Of course, real estate is a long-term plan, and not much can be done for the time being.

And Thomas is about to leave.

Although the specific implementation details are unknown, it is not important. What is important is that the Knights accumulate sufficient financial resources for the next war.

That way, when Thomas returns—if he can ever come back—arrangements can be made immediately.

Thomas casually toured the city wall and then came down.

The city wall had been repaired and was already partially completed, with only a few finishing touches remaining. Complete completion—even at the current pace—would only take ten days.

Thomas walked around and came to the Governor's Mansion.

It's called the Governor's Palace, but it's actually the headquarters of the Knights. It has nothing to do with the previous Governor's Palace, it's just what the locals call it.

The theoretical headquarters of the Knights Templar was still in Rhodes Island, but in reality, apart from a few people led by Knight Andrea to guard Rhodes Island, all other middle and high-level officials had moved here.

Next to the Knights' headquarters, there are two special houses.

One was the Knights' archives—yes, Knight Reynard, along with all the Knights' archives, had been moved here. This also demonstrated the Knights' determination to make Smyrna their headquarters.

The other one is quite special.

This is the residence of Master Radagast, the advisor to the Knights.

Everyone knew Master Radagast was a sorcerer—possibly even on the Church of Rome's wanted list.

Regarding this matter - all members of the Knights avoided discussing it consciously or unconsciously.

There is no way around it. Master Radagast has been of great help to the Knights.

Thanks to the master's ability to predict the weather, the Knights' navy never faced the threat of storms again.

I don’t know how much damage this has reduced for the Knights’ Navy, and how much damage it has caused to the Knights’ enemies.

At least it saves countless repair costs!

This is a three-story building with its own yard.

The building itself has a large construction area.

In addition, the small building has a basement, which is designed to be very large.

So Master Radagast can live in a very spacious and comfortable environment.

In addition, everyone in the Knights Temperance turned a blind eye to Master Radagast's affairs.

If it was something Master Radagast wanted to buy, even if it was something inappropriate, the Knights would completely ignore it and pretend not to know.

In short, all conveniences were provided for Master Radagast's residence, life, and magical experiments.

Of course, there is also a sense of caution.

This house is right next to the Knights' headquarters (the Governor's Palace), and the guards on duty at the headquarters door can see Master Radagast's visitors very well.

In addition, there are three or four servants in the small building who are responsible for taking care of Radagast's life. These people are all members of the Knights.

Although they are not formal members of the Knights Templar, they have all served in the Order long enough and their loyalty is absolutely unquestionable.

This is what it means to keep Radagast under your nose.

I will provide you with all the conveniences, but I will also give you the necessary surveillance!

Thomas entered through the front door and rang the doorbell.

The servant in charge of cleaning recognized the leader and welcomed him in.

"Is the Master home?"

"He's in the basement," said the servant.

"Did you tell people not to disturb us?"

"This is not."

Thomas understood what was going on. He went straight to the basement entrance. There was a short flight of stairs leading down to the basement.

At the end of the stairs, there is a small door.

Thomas knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Radagast's voice came from inside.

Thomas pushed the door open and saw that the basement was spacious and divided into several rooms. Radagast was in one of the rooms, facing a large table, or workbench.

There are all kinds of things on the table.

There are various glassware just like those in a chemistry laboratory.

There are also various pliers, saws, and chisels like those used by hardware workers.

Of course, there are also various test tubes, medicinal materials and other tools used by pharmacists.

There was no lamp, but a light from somewhere illuminated the room.

"Captain, you're here." Radagast took the time to glance at Thomas and immediately returned to the work at hand.

He can be seen working on a neatly cut pelt.

"Just in time, Grand Commander, what you requested is ready!"

"this is……"

"This is the dimensional bag you want!" Radagast showed the fur in his hand.

Thomas looked at what was in Radagast's hand in surprise.

This thing... has become completely different?