Dandy, in terms of combat difficulty, The Last Crusade is significantly easier than Metataxer's Revenge, but in terms of logistics organization, it's many times more complex. Overall, it results in a map with roughly comparable difficulty. I think you won't be disappointed. Just wait for a slightly newer version. After my playthrough, the author will tighten things up even more.
You don't need to wait for purple to solve the first simple puzzle. I couldn't buy azure in the first week, only in the second.
In 3.3.3, a daysman with tactics is available. After leveling him up a bit and with some kind of newbie from the daysman's tomb, he can kill at least 2 azure creatures from the stash, and there's a chance he can clear the entire stash without a preliminary hit with an implosion spell. But an implosion spell, even if not directly on the stash, is still needed to kill the computer-controlled enemies that will come to visit.
P.S. Is it normal that my saves don't work in the folder corresponding to this map? I assume the problem is due to the name containing unusual characters.