The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

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Since the old knight's hands were firmly placed behind his back, Li Shanze's posture of supporting him while walking looked awkward, and his strength was unnatural. Rather than supporting him while walking, it was probably more like pulling him by the collar and carrying him along.

Fortunately, Li Shanze was strong enough, so he was able to carry the old knight for a long distance in this awkward posture.

Only after they left the patrolling National Guard did the two of them breathe a sigh of relief at the same time.

"Ha, kid, you are not only strong, but also smart. You are much better than those federal FBI agents I dealt with before." The old knight leaned against the tree, breathing heavily, and praised in a low voice.

"What? So you have dealt with other FBI agents before?" Li Shanze asked curiously.

"Don't even mention it. They're just some stupid, stubborn kids who think the federal government can really cover for them. If those idiots were in the same situation today, they would have been arrested by the National Guard and used as scapegoats long ago."

The old knight sneered.

"They probably thought they were on the same side as the National Guard before they were shot."

Li Shanze felt that this was not because he was smart, but simply because he did not consider Americans as his own people at all, and he was not a spiritual person.

"I see you have a quick mind. Are you not as rigid as they are?" the old knight said. "Out of friendship, how about you untie my handcuffs first? And I, also as a token of friendship, can give you the wealth of my residence."

"I have at least $200,000 in cash hidden in my little house in the suburbs of Philadelphia."

Li Shanze then understood that the old knight had been laying the groundwork for so long and was waiting for him.

In the end, he still wanted to trick Li Shanze into releasing the people.

However, Li Shanze jumped into the water in a hurry, and the bag of tens of thousands of dollars was washed away in the Delaware River. His mobile phone, pistol and clothes were also soaked in water. The economic loss was indeed heavy.

So Li Shanze didn't mind making some extra money. Frankly speaking, he was not a real FBI agent, and federal criminals had little to do with him - even not long ago, Li Shanze himself was still a federal wanted criminal.

But how credible are the words of this old knight?

The two really had to work together to evade the National Guard, one not knowing the way and one with a shattered knee.

But after escaping, their positions naturally changed again.

"I don't believe you, old man." Li Shanze quickly thought of a plan and then sneered.

The old knight also laughed.

Because he noticed that the FBI agent used the word "disbelief". Disbelief means that as long as you can gain people's trust, there is a basis for cooperation.

"I swear in the name of the Lord." The old knight said solemnly.

"No, no, no, that's useless. Don't think I don't understand the Bible at all." Li Shanze said sarcastically.

"The Canaanite prostitutes hiding the Israelite spies and the Hebrew midwives defying Pharaoh are good examples of lying to the pagans."

"Apparently, God doesn't consider lying to pagans a sin."

"And I, to you Catholics, am a pagan beyond belief."

Of course, Li Shanze has never really studied the Bible, but he has been reading a lot of Italian literature since he was young, and he remembered a lot of immoral things from chicken soup jokes such as "Why are Jews so smart".

Now take out these "Bible words" and throw them in the old knight's face.

The old knight's face flushed with anger. "The story of the Canaanite prostitute hiding the Israelite spies is from the Book of Joshua, and the story of the Hebrew midwife disobeying Pharaoh is from the Book of Exodus. Those are all from the Pentateuch! They're all about the immoral deeds of the Jews!"

"We devout Catholics adhere to the New Testament!"

"Matthew's Gospel records Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount: 'Let your statement be, 'Yes, yes; no, no; anything more than this is from the evil one.' Ephesians says, 'Therefore, put away lying.' John's Gospel says that the Lord is the essence of truth, so lying is disobeying the Lord!"

He was very emotional: "I have always adhered to the Lord's teachings and never told a lie!"

"That's why I disdain to go along with those 'conservatives'. I'll gather the evidence and confront them!"

"The years I spent in the Vatican were years of my struggle against lies, stupidity and cowardice!"

Wait a moment, please wait a moment.

Fighting against lies, stupidity and cowardice, why does this phrase sound so familiar... Are you going to start your struggle next?

"Even if you are an unbeliever, I will not lie to you! No, even if you are a pagan, or even a heretic, I will not bother to lie to you!" The old knight puffed his beard and glared, swearing solemnly.

Well, it seems that there is a realistic basis for the saying that heretics are more hateful than pagans.

After swearing, the old knight said seriously, "Let's make a deal, young man. You send me back to my residence, don't hand me over to the FBI, especially not to the Special Affairs Department, and from now on we never mention this matter again. Then I will give you all the US dollars I hid there. How about it?"

"Where do you get so much money? Is it so profitable to help launder smuggled goods?" Li Shanze couldn't help but ask.

Considering the old knight's messy turtle-shell-like equipment, Li Shanze felt that he might have underestimated the profits of helping smuggled goods to launder.

"The profit from smuggling goods is only part of it. The other part comes from the tithes paid by believers."

What the hell? Tithes? Is this still modern society?

Li Shanze couldn't believe his ears. Every time he thought America was magical enough, reality would teach him a hard lesson - this was just the beginning.

"Are you talking about the tithe? Why should they pay taxes to you? Aren't you expelled from the family?" Li Shanze couldn't help asking.

"They pay tithes to whoever preaches to them. This isn't forced upon them. These are simple, good people who are eager to express their devotion to the Lord. How could I bear to disappoint them?"

Li Shanze complained: "You said it nicely, but you didn't take a penny less anyway, right?"

The old knight shook his head nonchalantly. "I also haven't spent a cent. I've kept all the cash, both small and large, intact. It's a symbol of their devotion to the Lord, and a gift from the Lord to me."

"So you are transferring the devotion of believers to God and the grace God bestowed upon you to me, an unbeliever?"

"You are the test given to me by the Lord. I use the Lord's gift to fight against the Lord's test, which is in line with the Lord's will." The old knight said slowly.

Can this be bent for you?

Li Shanze once again felt that justification by faith was too convenient. It did not require any logic at all, and the story could be made whole by deus ex machina.

"Okay, deal. Now, how are you going to get you back to your place?" Li Shanze looked down the road and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they had completely left the National Guard's encirclement. "Want to hail a taxi?"

Hearing Li Shanze nod, the old knight breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, Lancaster County. We'll go west along Highway 76, and then drive along Highway 30 for a while. But we'll have to take a carriage for part of the journey."

"carriage?"

"Yes, carriage." The old knight nodded.

Li Shanze became more and more confused. Did I get out of the Paradox Clock Tower?

Why did I get transported back to the Middle Ages today? Knights, tithes, and carriages. Have I time-traveled?

Good news, this isn't time travel.

Bad news, and this is no joke, there is indeed a medieval ethnic group living near Philadelphia, the Amish.

It turned out that the old knight lived in an Amish area, a relatively secluded area.

The Amish, despite being descended from white European immigrants, reject modern technology (such as electricity and cars) and are famous for their agriculture, handicrafts, and horse-drawn carriages.

Although most Amish areas now allow cars to enter, the area where the old knight lives is particularly fundamentalist, and after getting off the car, you have to take a horse-drawn carriage to get there.

Of course, walking is not impossible, but given the old knight's broken knee condition, it is obviously not suitable for walking.

After hearing the old knight talk about these things in detail and with such praise, Li Shanze suddenly understood.

No wonder this medieval religious lunatic thought America was heaven on earth. It turned out it was because he found a medieval community in America!

What’s even more amazing is that Lancaster County is very close to Philadelphia.

Li Shanze thought that this kind of conservatism and backwardness only existed in the wild and untamed areas of Colorado, New Mexico or rural Alabama.

Philadelphia is on the east coast of the United States and the heart of the thirteen states of North America. How come there are such extraordinary people nearby?

Li Shanze thought it was unique that Xia Li couldn't use a cell phone when she was a wizard apprentice.

Wait, Charlie? Rejecting modern technology? A wizard's apprentice?

Li Shanze narrowed his eyes as if he suddenly thought of something.

At this time, the taxi had already honked its horn, and the driver poked his head out impatiently: "Are you getting in, friend?"

"Go, go, sorry, I was just thinking about something."

Li Shanze opened the car door.

203 Countryside?

Lancaster County soon followed.

Li Shanze supported the old knight, and the two of them got on the Amish carriage.

When Li Shanze's tailbone hit the pine wood board for the third time, he was finally convinced that the shock absorption system of this carriage belonged to the 19th century.

To be precise, it was the product of the most sloppy carpenter's apprentice in the 19th century.

There was no smell of sweat on his body, but instead a scent of perfume. The coachman was very happy, driving the carriage and singing loudly.

Unfortunately, Li Shanze, who is not very interested in American music, could not recognize that it was Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw".

To be precise, even if Li Shanze listened to American music, he probably wouldn't be able to recognize it.

Because the tune was sung so distortedly, it was hard to imagine it was the same song.

At first listen, I thought it was an American folk country song.

Through the cracks in the oak board, Li Shanze saw the mud splashed by the horse's hooves on his already messy pants.

The smell in the carriage was not very pleasant either, filled with a strange fishy smell that looked like horse manure mixed with rust.

The carriage journey was torturous in every sense and made Li Shanze feel uncomfortable.

But the old knight was calm and composed, looking relaxed as if he had finally arrived home.

The old knight, whose shackles had been uncuffed by Li Shanze, was happily tapping his legs with his fingers, clapping to the rhythm of the coachman's singing.

The old knight had a pleasant expression and a smile on his face, and seemed to be completely unconcerned about the pain caused by his shattered knee.

His eyes were relaxed and comfortable, and when he looked out the car window at the country road, he was like a lion patrolling his territory.

Li Shanze, who had been paying attention to the old knight's expression, was sure that the old knight did have a sense of belonging to this Amish settlement.

"How long have you moved here?" Li Shanze asked curiously.

"I came to the United States in the year of Merck, uh, about twenty years ago." The old knight shook his head. "Again, this weird Holy Spirit calendar is too inconvenient."

Charlie came to the United States twenty years ago, and her teacher had just passed away a few years ago... It seemed that his investigation into heresy lasted for quite a long time.

When Li Shanze heard the old knight casually say that he had tracked down the heretic, he thought he didn't spend much time and energy.

Now it seems that reality is completely inconsistent with imagination. The old knight spent more than ten years tracking down a wizard school.

The old knight looked out the wooden window at the modern atmosphere gradually disappearing on the country road, a reassuring smile on his face: "I have long regarded this place as my hometown."

"So, you don't have to be so vigilant." The old knight looked at Li Shanze, whose muscles were not relaxed and whose mind remained focused, and said, "No one would bring the enemy into their home. That would be foolish. If the battle causes widespread destruction, it will only cause damage to the home."

"You should relax and enjoy this peaceful and charming countryside. Isn't it much better than the hustle and bustle of Philadelphia?"

You said this is your home, and we don't know what these Amish people will do next, so how can I dare to relax?

Li Shanze smiled, nodded, and pretended to be relaxed, maintaining a relaxed exterior but tense interior.

"Why not sing along with Old Hunter? These country folk songs from the 18th and 19th centuries are as sweet as hymns!"

The old knight opened his voice in a cheerful voice.

“And I was right there beside her all summer long.

I stayed with her all summer long.

And then the time we woke up to find that summer gone.

When I woke up, I found that summer was gone in a flash.

But when you think Tim McGraw.

When you think of Tim McGraw.

I hope you think my fa_vorite song.

I want my favorite song to come to your mind."

His voice was old and rough. After he finished singing with his head shaking, he looked at the coachman.

"Bra_vo!" The old knight gave the coachman a thumbs up.

The coachman and the old knight looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Li Shanze knew that Bra_vo is Italian for good, and is generally used to cheer after performances of classical music, opera, and drama.

Bra_vo is for men, Bra_va is for women.