A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Thomas saluted according to monk etiquette, bowed, and then said, "My name is Thomas, and I'm honored to meet Brother Conrad."

"If you have something to say, please say it quickly. It's almost time for dinner." Conrad's temper was unexpectedly gentle, and he seemed to have no objection to Thomas's rash intrusion into his office.

"It's like this. This morning, when I went to hang out the clothes..." Thomas told everything he heard truthfully.

As for how to judge, he believed that the other party had his own ideas.

If the enemy has to plot against the people around you, it indirectly shows that you are invulnerable. And an invulnerable person can never be a fool.

As Thomas spoke bit by bit, Conrad's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes gradually became solemn.

After Thomas finished speaking, the vice president thought for a moment, then stood up and walked to the door. He checked to see if there was anyone outside before closing the door.

"Are you sure you heard correctly?" he asked.

“Quite sure!” Thomas replied.

"If I let you hear the sounds of the morning again, would you be able to distinguish them?"

"It should be possible! But I'm not sure."

The Vice Dean looked thoughtful. Then he carefully looked at the novice monk who had brought the news.

"This matter is very important. Think about it carefully. If it is slander or rumor-mongering, it cannot be solved by simply apologizing. According to the rules of the monastery, such blasphemous behavior will be punished by a hundred lashes. There will be basically no way to survive after being beaten." He spoke again.

The usual punishment is fifty lashes. Fifty lashes may not kill someone, but one hundred lashes will most likely kill someone.

"I dare not lie," Thomas replied with the utmost seriousness. "Actually, Brother Otto helped me once before. I am deeply grateful for his kindness, but I have never had the opportunity to repay him. If this had happened to anyone else, I shouldn't have dared to come out and report the news. However, according to the teachings of the Savior, the grace of rescue must be repaid. That's why I came here rashly."

Thomas's expression was calm. Repaying a favor is a fundamental moral principle. Whether in his past life or now, he felt he wasn't someone who wouldn't repay a favor. So, his words came from the heart, sincere and decisive, without any empty words.

The Vice-Dean's expression was slightly moved. Apprentice monks came from all sorts of sources, and it was difficult to distinguish the good from the bad. The man before him was so articulate, so clear-minded, and so righteous—he was a rare find.

He also remembered that this man was a farmer's son - his parents had both died and he was sent to the monastery by the village.

This kind of young man is able to speak clearly and think clearly, which means he has a rare talent.

I wouldn’t dare to say he’s one in ten thousand, but he can barely be considered one in a hundred.

If someone supports you, maybe there is potential for advancement?

"I see... You go back first and keep everything normal. I'll secretly verify the truth later and we'll talk."

"Yes," Thomas replied.

This vice president is indeed a cautious person. No wonder people had to target his son with evil intentions.

No doubt he would investigate carefully, not only the man who had tried to steal the letter, but also Thomas.

The vice president's investigation quickly yielded results. Two days later, just after class, Thomas was approached by someone who said that Vice President Conrad wanted to see him.

Thomas guessed that the vice president must have set up the mechanism, and the thief just happened to trigger it.

Some traps are simple yet extremely difficult to detect. For example, a hair caught in the crack of a door, or evenly distributed dust in a drawer, can easily reveal whether someone has been there.

In short, Thomas is proven to be credible, and then things will move on to the next step.

Soon, in that spacious office, Thomas met the vice president again.

The abbot wore a velvet robe, the purple-red velvet imported from a foreign country, which gleamed with golden light in the light of candles or torches. On his chest hung a golden cross and a square breastplate engraved with the symbol of Bohemia's patron saint and inlaid with deep purple crystals.

This attire was completely different from his usual attire. His face was calm with a hint of a smile, and he gestured for Thomas to sit down.

Thomas finally had time to look around.

The last time he came here, he was so nervous that he didn't even look around, and he couldn't see clearly what was inside the office.

Now he noticed that there was a copper incense burner in a corner of the office. Charcoal was burning in the copper incense burner, and frankincense was poured on the charcoal. The thick smoke like fog carried a rich fragrance and lingered around the vice president.

On his desk lay a sacred book, richly and costly bound, its edges gilded with gold.

There was also a shelf nearby, upon which sat a silver platter, upon which sat a bottle of wine of unknown origin. The color of the wine revealed it to be of a different quality, and it was nothing like what Thomas usually drank. Next to the wine sat a piece of white bread—a type of white bread Thomas had never imagined he would ever see again since arriving in this world.

The last time he saw something like this was in a pastry shop in the 21st century, under the bright window light...

It's hard to imagine how stimulating such a simple thing, so ubiquitous in the 21st century, can be. Thomas had thought his stomach and mouth had been completely broken by the devastation of this world's "delicacies." Now he realized that they were still intact.

Otherwise it would be impossible to explain why so much saliva was secreted from his mouth.

The Vice President smiled, poured the warm water from a large retort beside him, and washed the dust from between his fingers. Then he gestured for Thomas to wash as well.

In addition to these,

Thomas finally managed to shift his attention elsewhere, but he was secretly surprised.

What is this...for?

"Thomas." The vice president waited patiently for Thomas to turn his gaze away from the surrounding things before speaking.

"Yes." Thomas responded quickly.

"I heard that you want to become a knight?" asked the vice-president with a smile.

Chapter 15 Magic Net

"Yes, Brother Conrad," Thomas replied.

This was no secret, and Thomas never kept it secret; in fact, he mentioned it to more than one person.

In fact, in the church system, knights are not a good choice.

Both monasteries and churches needed knights to provide basic protection. But the problem was that the knights of the church had limited prospects.

To put it in a positive way, secular knights can, at the highest level, found states, while at the lowest level, they can be granted nobility and become superiors.

At the very least, you can join a freelance team as a mercenary. Even if it's risky, at least it's easy to make money.

As for the knights of the church... the best they could do was join a religious order. The worst ones could serve as guardian knights of a church or monastery - the nicer ones were called guardian knights, the less nice ones were called security captains.

Not to mention the Grand Master of a certain Knight Order, these things would never happen to someone like Thomas.

The prospects are limited, but the price is not small. You still have to participate in various battles and risk your life.

Unless one is very pious... The problem is that if one is very pious, a priest or an ascetic is undoubtedly a better choice. They also dedicate themselves to God and have a higher status than a knight.

"Come and eat something." The vice-president sat down in front of Thomas and took the food from the silver plate and gave it to Thomas.

This is indeed the taste of the previous life - even if it is not very authentic, it is almost the same.

"Wine from the Loire region, and white bread made from flour and milk sifted twenty times," the Vice-Dean explained. These lower-ranking monks had never experienced such high-end cuisine, and Thomas's performance surprised them slightly.

Thomas didn't gobble it up immediately, but instead looked at the bread carefully, as if he was looking at an old friend he hadn't seen for a long time.

Look at it for a while before eating it in small bites.

If he had not been very clear about the other party's background, he would have almost thought that Thomas was the son of a ruined nobleman.

His character is truly remarkable. You know, this kind of talent for remaining calm in the face of adversity is truly rare.

"I've already made the arrangements. You can go find Giuliano," the vice-president said. "He'll give you knight training."

Thomas was stunned for a moment, looking at the middle-aged man opposite him. After a few seconds, he realized that this Giuliano was the security captain he had met several times.

Looking back, it was obvious that Giuliano was Conrad's man, otherwise he wouldn't have taken action so many times because of Otto.

"Um...I..." Thomas stopped eating, his voice becoming halting. "Am I his student?"

"Yes, you are. He will accept you as a student," said the Vice Dean.

The master-disciple relationship also exists within monasteries, or rather, within the church system. Although there's no such thing as "once a teacher, always a father" in this country (this statement itself is an artistic exaggeration), the relationship between master and disciple is special.

The most important point is... this statement is equivalent to admitting that Thomas is no longer a novice monk.

As long as the church knight named Giuliano accepts him, he will be an official member of the monastery.

They would not be easily cleared out, and there was no worry about their future... Most importantly, they were out of Batista's control.

Thomas didn't know why Batista was targeting him, but it was great to be out of his control.

Actually, the opponent hadn't actually used any vicious tricks yet. He just made a casual move and made him feel like he was in ecstasy.

Thomas stood up and saluted solemnly to the Vice President. "Um, Lord Conrad, I... thank you so much!"

That was all he could say.

"When you have free time, spend more time with Otto," the Vice Dean said casually. "He's a bit naive and lacks the ability to resist hypocrisy and deceit. You need to keep an eye on him and remind him."

"Yes." Thomas responded quickly.

Being a formal member of the monastic order didn't mean he was exempt from labor. However, the content of his work... that was up to the Vice-President to decide.

After all, he is in charge of personnel, isn't he?

Judging from these words, it is obvious that the vice president took action for the sake of his son.

It made sense when you thought about it. After all, the enemy lurking in the shadows was trying to attack Otto. This was very dangerous.

It's okay in the monastery because Giuliano is guarding me, but it's hard to say if I can get out.

So Conrad wanted to arrange a loyal and reliable bodyguard for his son.

In this case, Thomas became the best choice.

"By the way, have you taken a meditation class?" the vice president asked again.

"Meditation class?" Thomas was a little surprised. There's such a course? "No."

"You still can't miss the meditation class," the Vice Dean said casually. "Forget it. Talk to Giuliano about this matter and arrange a time. But if Otto goes out, you'd better accompany him."

"Meditation class... what's that?" Thomas asked cautiously. He had taken prayer classes before, but he had never even heard of meditation classes.

"Ah, it's the kind of meditation that allows you to communicate with the Demonic Network. There are special courses for this. However... it's definitely not open to trainees."

"Communication... the magic web?" Thomas was so surprised that he almost lost his composure. The magic web? There was such a thing?

"Yes, the Demonic Weave. The source of all magic." The Vice Dean's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes. "A gift from God!"

Everyone has this expression when they first encounter this secret. But no matter how many times you see it, it will always be interesting.

Thomas was so surprised that he couldn't express it in words.

Since crossing over, he has encountered something that completely overturned his worldview. Although it is said that you get used to being scared after a while, he is not used to it yet!

"Magic? Is there magic in this world?"

"Of course," the Vice Dean replied seriously. "Of course, there are wizards, magicians, sorcerers... there are all those kinds of people. But here in the Church, well, meditation and practice are still primarily for ascetics. Others can practice, but they don't have to be so rigid. If you want to be a knight, you should still practice martial arts honestly."

"Then... may I ask, Master Dean, if I master this martial art, can I master extraordinary powers?"

"Haha..." Conrad laughed. "Exercise can indeed make people stronger, but there is a limit to how strong they can become. Martial arts only allow us to better utilize our strength. As for wanting to transcend, it's impossible."

"In addition to fighting skills, the process of practicing martial arts will also strengthen our bodies. However, people have their limits. No matter how much we train, we can only get close to that limit."

He looked at Thomas before him, as if remembering something. "If you've been trained, you can defeat ten with equal physical strength, but that's about it. Don't believe those folk tales. Those stories of a single knight wiping out an entire bandit gang are unbelievable... Even if they do exist, it would require certain conditions to be met. For example, a knight wearing full armor and weapons, and riding an armored warhorse, could defeat twenty unarmored thugs. It's not uncommon for a single knight to defeat dozens of bandits. But in a more even fight, ten to one is the limit. In fact, even a single one to five would be a true knight."

"Also, if you're facing an enemy with good coordination and training, being able to fight three at once is the limit."

"Well... I heard that magic... is very powerful. If you master it, you can easily cast a spell that shakes the world," Thomas asked. "Is that true?"

Conrad's smile grew even more ambiguous. "Indeed, such masters are rare, but they do exist. Within the church alone, I've seen two or three, one of whom is an archbishop."

Thomas was stunned.

Then why should I practice martial arts?

There is clearly a stronger and brighter road, why should I take that narrow path with no future?

Damn it, I have to make sure I don't have any talent for magic before I consider becoming a knight.

Chapter 16 Magic Net 2

A rare ambiguous smile appeared on the vice-president's face.

This smile was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the enthusiasm in Thomas' heart.

It's not his fault. As a person from the future world without magic, his passion for supernatural powers is almost innate.

But after seeing the other person's ambiguous smile, Thomas immediately remembered the part of the world he had touched.

There was no trace of magic in either the city or the monastery.

It must be said that this was also the magic of money, for example, the white bread in his hand at this moment. This bread was as if it had traveled through time and space.

The reason behind this is self-evident: learning magic is by no means an easy task, at least most people can't learn it.