Would this Catholic letter of recommendation still be useful if sent to the Eastern Orthodox Church? Both sides considered each other to be heretics.

The other party accepted it very politely, and asked Thomas to wait there, while he hurried inside.

Soon, the monk came out.

"Brother Thomas, please come this way. Newcomers need to register first!" The other party was very polite.

"Thank you!" Thomas followed the other party in.

This place was indeed the headquarters of the Sunflower Knights. Or rather, the cathedral in Kiev was the headquarters of the Knights.

Because as soon as you enter the door, you will see a martial arts training ground.

Two men in training armor were fighting back and forth in the middle of the arena.

Thomas took a quick look and was convinced that the two were not novices. They were very skilled in their movements, and had good speed and strength. They should be considered mid-level fighters.

There was a group of people watching nearby, cheering from time to time.

This should be a normal martial arts competition. However... the location of this martial arts arena seems a little off?

How could a martial arts arena be right at the entrance? According to the conventional aesthetics of the era, shouldn't this location be used to welcome guests?

Or are there too many people and not enough space?

The guide monk smiled and said, "The Sunflower Knights are actually quite large. In addition to the regular knights, they also have many retainers and soldiers, all of whom are locals."

"I didn't expect that here in Kyiv... everyone is so martial." Thomas answered casually.

Whether it is the memory of the previous life or this world, Maozi is still Maozi.

Don’t think that Kievan Rus is just like this at the moment, but in the future in the parallel dimension, the Russians will establish the largest empire in the world.

In fact, there is a high possibility that this kind of future will happen in this world.

"Brother Thomas comes from the West, and the customs here in Kiev are somewhat different. The Russians admire the power of force. Not only the nobles, but also the commoners, the wealthy, the merchants, and the landlords all love martial arts. It is a great honor to be able to join the Knights Templar. And our Knights Templar is open to all, with many powerful warriors from all over the world, and all kinds of martial arts, so we have become one of the best knight orders."

"Excuse me, brother," Thomas asked curiously. "So there's more than one knight order here?"

"Of course there is more than one knightly order, but in the city of Kiev, we are the only religious knightly order." The monk who led the way explained with a smile.

"There are many knightly orders throughout Russia. For example, Novgorod, Smolensk... almost every lord of a major city will form his own knightly order. The same is true for religions. Each religion has its own knightly order. Of course, these knightly orders are just not officially recognized, and they may not be called knightly orders. But privately, they all really exist."

Although Thomas didn't know much about medieval history in his previous life, he did have some idea of ​​it. For example, the Russians' belief in Christianity (Orthodoxy) wasn't a spontaneous, bottom-up practice, but rather the Grand Dukes of Russia forced their subjects to believe in it.

Therefore, various indigenous religions have always existed. In Thomas's past life, it took a long time, hundreds of years, to finally transform this land into God's parish.

There is no need to elaborate on the various tug-of-war and counterattacks.

As for the world today... it seems that the entire faith transformation will only be more difficult and take longer.

Furthermore, it is recorded that if a priest from Constantinople came to Russia and carefully studied the religious situation, he would definitely conclude that the Russian Christianity was a heresy even more heretical than the Latin heresy (Catholicism)!

Anyway, the Russians’ work is all about being big, thick, and rough. Religion is no exception!

"A religious order...an underground order?" Thomas pondered.

"That's absolutely true," the Guide Brother said confidently. "Although the name may be different, it's entirely possible to assume it's the Knights."

The most powerful force in Kievan Rus's day was naturally the Grand Duke of Kiev. The Grand Duke's standing army numbered over ten thousand men and was the foundation of order in Kiev. Other factions, without the Grand Duke's support, could not enter the public eye and could only operate in secrecy.

"What are those private knight orders...?"

"The most typical example is the Star-Moon Sect. Although they dare not publicly declare it, their strength is indeed very strong!"

The influence of the Star-Moon Cult has also extended here?

But it seems to be normal.

"I see..." Thomas nodded.

"Besides the Knights, there are many other organizations and individuals. They come from all over the world, but most of them focus on teaching martial arts. However, because of this, duels are very common."

Duel? Well, duels were common throughout the Middle Ages. But Thomas was a religious man after all, so dueling wasn't something he'd had much to do with.

Of course, the church did not forbid duels, but it had a strange system of "agents".

A religious person can choose the strongest master to be his agent and duel with the other party.

Ordinary nobles could also employ agents, but this practice was ridiculed. Only on the battlefield, as a commander, could one employ agents without being ridiculed. However, for a priest, employing an agent was perfectly natural.

With this system, few people would bother religious people, at least not in the sense of legally murdering them.

The risk is too great.

"As long as there are three or more witnesses and at least one assistant sign the duel, the duel is legal. Deaths and injuries resulting from duels are not punishable by law," the Guide Brother continued. "It is precisely because of this that martial arts schools are so common in Kiev and the countryside, and there are many instructors."

"Brother Thomas is so young...it might be hard to be a coach," the other party kindly warned. "If you insist on being a coach, it's not a good thing."

"Yeah," Thomas agreed completely.

He never thought of becoming a coach and making a living by teaching martial arts.

As they were talking, they had already arrived at their destination.

This is the management office.

The registration, registration, and even the removal of newcomers are all handled here. In later times, it would be called the "Household Registration Office."

The steward in the steward's office was a chubby, smiling middle-aged man. His skin was fair and tender, and his hands were callous-free. He wore a pair of glasses, looking harmless.

Purely clerical staff.

When Thomas came in, the man was looking over the letter of recommendation carefully.

Frankly speaking, if it were Thomas, he would have to take a closer look. This is a letter of recommendation from a heretical monastery!

"Brother Thomas," the man said, bowing without hesitation. "You want to join the Sunflower Knights?"

"Yes." Thomas returned the greeting with the most strict monk's etiquette and then answered.

"I wonder what weapons Brother Thomas is good at?" the man asked again.

"Longswords," Thomas said. "Spears, and bows and arrows..." He wanted to say more, but then thought, if he continued, he would only arouse suspicion. A newcomer should be humble.

Chapter 3 Knights 2

The other party continued to look at the recommendation letter over and over again.

"The Chomutov Monastery is quite reputable. Since you're from the Chomutov Monastery..." the other party said. "Brother Thomas, the Knights Templar can accept you as an apprentice knight. Of course, you must be baptized first."

"This is by no means a slackness on the part of the Knights, but rather a little time is needed for you to prove your ability, Brother Thomas."

"I completely understand." Thomas knew he wouldn't be a full member right away. Even in his past life, when state-owned enterprises were recruiting, there had to be a probationary period. Besides, baptism meant converting from Catholicism to Eastern Orthodoxy, which was a reasonable requirement.

Besides, the apprentice knight is not the lowest, because there are two more ranks: squire and sergeant.

Those are what we call the lowest level workers.

To make an analogy, Thomas was at least a trainee police officer, while the escorts and sergeants were temporary workers, the kind who did the dirty work but had no chance of getting promoted or getting rich.

Of course, strictly speaking, it is not as miserable as a temporary worker. After all, this identity can circumvent many rules.

"Excuse me, how many levels are there within the Sunflower Knights?" Thomas asked.

"Not many, just trainee knights, full knights, knight commanders, squad leaders, and of course, the Grand Master," the other party said. "Among them, there are also honorary knights and honorary knight commanders... These are rewards given to nobles loyal to Christ. They're not official members, but they can be treated as such. For example, the current Grand Duke of Kiev is an honorary Grand Master."

Well, that makes sense. It's very Russian.

Thomas could only mutter inwardly. After all, these days, there were no established rules governing what a knightly order should be.

"Brother Thomas, do you have a place to stay here?" the other party asked.

"I haven't found a place to stay yet. Doesn't the Order itself provide one?"

"You can live in the knight's quarters... Oh, and as an apprentice knight, you have your daily duties. However, there are several places that are short-staffed right now, so you can choose one."

"Choose one? What are the choices?"

"The first is a patrol knight, who will patrol various parts of Ross. Of course, he must be accompanied by a knight commander."

"The second is to serve in the patrol team inside the city of Kiev."

"Finally, I'll serve in the Grand Duke's army."

"I choose the second one." Thomas made a decision immediately.

Damn, his first goal is to accumulate some divine power and be promoted to an elite first.

If you want to achieve this goal, you cannot leave the city of Kiev.

In other words, you can't leave the Hagia Sophia.

"Very good," the other party wrote down everything. "You will be assigned to Knight Commander Alar."

"Go and arrange accommodation for Brother Thomas first, and then you can take him to meet his superior, Knight Commander Aral!" The fat deacon ordered the guide monk.

Thomas arrived at his residence soon.

Times have changed. Although the city is large, it is not short of land. As a member of the Knights, Thomas was assigned a typical apartment building.

The room wasn't very big, but the security was good. It was very close to Hagia Sophia and there were stables.

Thomas handed his horse to the stable boy and rewarded him with a silver coin.

Money works well. The other party immediately promised to take good care of the horse.

Then, under the guidance of the guiding monk, he went to meet the Knight Commander Alar.

Alar is of medium height and his appearance is not outstanding among the crowd. Only his gray eyes are noticeable.

The two sides met in a corner of the church courtyard.

"Are you the new Brother Thomas?" Alar looked at Thomas, sizing him up and down. "They say you're a Latin heretic?"

Thomas's face twitched, and he gave an awkward smile. "I'll be baptized soon," he whispered.

"Why are you, a heretic, running to Kiev?" the other party asked rudely.

Even the Guide Brother couldn't stand it. "Master Knight, Brother Thomas is already a member of the Order," he said. "And, he'll be baptized in the next two days!"

"Alright, alright. Anyone who comes to me is either a heretic or a moron," Aral snorted. "Vishata, I leave it to you. Let him patrol with you. Tell him the time, route, and everything else."

"As you command, Lord Knight," said the young man named Visata, who was about the same age as Thomas.

After saying this, the arrogant knight commander left.

"Hey, Brother Thomas," Visata said enthusiastically, patting Thomas firmly. "Welcome to the Knights..." His voice trailed off. "Ignore Aral, that guy is just an idiot!"

"Brother Visata," Thomas said, a little uncomfortable with the enthusiasm. "From now on..."

"We're partners from now on!" Visata laughed. "To celebrate this, and to welcome Brother Thomas back, I'm treating you tonight! Anyone want to go?"

A group of young people quickly gathered around, all of them were excited.

Compared to the Bohemia Thomas was familiar with, Kiev clearly retained a more rugged style, and this was clearly revealed at the banquet.

A dozen young knights (and apprentices) gathered around a dining table. Pile upon the table was a generous portion of steaming bread, roasted meat, and broth. And, of course, golden cheese. A wine barrel sat two or three steps away, offering a drink to anyone.

Several musicians played joyful and wild music on the side, making the atmosphere even more cheerful.

In the tavern, there were women engaged in the flesh trade walking back and forth. But then again, although this table was full of young men, they were all monks after all, and basically they could only look at the women with envy.

The women also knew that these people were not ordinary people and they couldn't be too explicit, so they were tactful and didn't dare to get close to them.

But this is the case for this table, there is no such restriction for other tables.

The teasing continued without a break. Thomas could even smell the heather. Luckily, there was no one caught red-handed!

Besides that, there are fights.

Alcohol naturally releases the violent factors in humans, so pubs are naturally good places for fights.

Does fighting need a reason? Perhaps there is no reason at all.

At least not in this place.

Anyway, when the mood strikes, everyone will get up and go over there to have a fight, and either come back triumphant or with a bruised face.

All this was very natural in the Russian taverns.

Thomas also noticed that the Knights were indeed very strong, and among his colleagues, there were basically no ones below the core level.

If I have to say, there are a few that can be considered between the core and ordinary levels.

It is obvious that they all started practicing martial arts when they were young, and are now at a stage of achieving some success.

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