The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

In the intense pain, Li Shanze didn't even have the energy to think about whether this was a conspiracy against him, but he had no doubt that if he did not resist but chose to let this sacred energy flow into his soul, he would be burned into an idiot.

Li Shanze felt as if he were the center of all attention. Every pair of eyes was fixed on him, hoping that he would bear this great divine power. He gradually felt dizzy and his consciousness gradually blurred.

I must fight it, I must defeat it!

Li Shanze bit the tip of his tongue desperately, forcing himself to stay awake as his consciousness was about to blur.

Although the severe pain caused by the wound was quickly healed, Li Shanze still thought of a solution.

I, I have a way to fight the supernatural! I want to speak, I want to sing!

Li Shanze remembered the life-saving straw at the bottom of the box after traveling through time - the hoarse voice that was inexplicably cursed.

However, under the impact of the divine will, his mouth became dry and his tongue became parched, making it impossible for him to make any sound. He could only barely make a hoarse, almost silent roar.

Fortunately, the roar still reached Kate's ears. Kate noticed that something was wrong with Li Shanze and without thinking too much, she reached out and quietly supported the already shaky Li Shanze.

Then the divine power suddenly surged towards Kate. At this moment, Kate, feeling the baptism of the refreshing divine power and quickly recovering her own depleted divine power, realized that Li Shanze had been chosen as the recipient of this mass.

Being able to withstand such a grand and sacred baptism, perhaps the master is not evil and blasphemous?

Kate thought with joy in her heart. She relaxed her body and mind, enjoying the sacred power to her heart's content. She felt that the sacred power she had consumed last night was recovering rapidly, and she was even not so resistant to the title of "Master" in her heart.

After Kate shared more than half of the divine power, Li Shanze finally opened his mouth with difficulty.

Li Shanze didn't have time to think about what song to sing. He subconsciously followed the choir and the believers in singing: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God, God of Hosts."

The voice was so hoarse that almost no one could hear it.

But as soon as the first obscure syllable uttered, the divine will flew away in disgust, as if escaping. Li Shanze could feel that this huge energy even escaped from the Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

What I sang was a hymn after all, so you don’t have to be so disgusted with it, right?

The pain of his soul burning disappeared, Li Shanze breathed a sigh of relief, and even had enough energy to joke in his heart.

However, Kate, who was originally receiving the baptism of God's grace, was stunned by Li Shanze's almost utterable syllable. She felt so uncomfortable that she almost vomited.

In fact, Li Shanze's singing should not have caused such a big blow to Kate. It was just that she was now opening her body and mind to enjoy the baptism of the sacred will. Suddenly, she heard an indescribable syllable and the sacred will was driven away, which caused her considerable harm.

Kate's face was pale. Kate, who was originally supporting Li Shanze, felt her legs go weak and was supported by Li Shanze.

Since Li Shanze's body was also baptized by the divine power, he now felt full of strength - so this scene looked like Kate took the initiative to snuggle into Li Shanze's shoulder.

Oh Lord! into what evil hands have I fallen, that he can not only withstand the holy Mass, but also dispel the holiness with a single strange syllable and inflict severe damage on me!

Kate, realizing that the syllable came from Li Shanze, felt a surge of shock in her heart.

Li Shanze, noticing Kate's injury, quickly stopped talking, avoiding further harm to Kate with the second syllable. However, Kate was still unable to struggle and could only lean on Li Shanze's shoulder.

At this time, the Mass was nearing its end. According to the procedure, Bishop O'Connor, who was originally conducting the choir, should turn around and recite the dismissal prayers and bless the congregation.

Bishop O'Connor was originally eager to ask for credit and reward. He turned around and looked at Li Shanze eagerly, hoping to see the master's encouraging eyes.

Then Bishop O'Connor was horrified. He saw an extremely bold scene - the Knight and the Master were actually holding hands and snuggling together!

Although there were various speculations about the relationship between Li Shanze and Kate, after all, Li Shanze was wearing a "wedding ring" on the ring finger of his left hand. Bishop O'Connor had never considered that this might be a young couple, so he was shocked.

This is, this is an incestuous relationship! How dare you two snuggle up to each other openly at mass?

Bishop O'Connor only hated himself for having a pair of eyes that saw things he shouldn't have seen.

Li Shanze's questioning look at Bishop O'Connor made Bishop O'Connor tremble with fear.

Bishop O'Connor felt uneasy and quickly turned his head away. In Bishop O'Connor's opinion, Li Shanze was definitely using a fierce look to tell him to close his eyes and pretend not to see anything.

Bishop O'Connor quickly narrowed his eyes and directed the congregation to sing the retreat hymn in unison. Then he led the clergy and altar servers away from the altar as if fleeing. This grand mass ended abruptly and hastily.

However, Li Shanze simply suspected that the baptism of divine power just now was the work of Bishop O'Connor. Now that the bishop looked guilty, Li Shanze was convinced that this was a conspiracy by Bishop O'Connor.

However, since Kate was willing to take the initiative to assist him, this was definitely not a conspiracy between Kate and Bishop O'Connor...

Humph, I'll make you pay later.

Li Shanze took a deep note of Bishop O'Connor in his heart, and then began to examine the baptism of "Holy Light" on him and what kind of harm it had caused him.

First of all, in terms of soul, Li Shanze was completely unaware of his spiritual weakness, and the soul contract left by his devil "wife" Alessia showed no signs of loosening. Although it was very painful when being burned, the soul did not seem to be hurt.

As for his body, after being baptized by the Holy Light, Li Shanze felt that not only did his body show no signs of weakness, but it was actually strengthened. Li Shanze felt that he was full of energy and had endless strength.

Li Shanze also confirmed that his singing voice—the voice that seemed cursed and even he couldn't bear to listen to—had a miraculous effect on the supernatural power of this world.

Now that it's confirmed that this song has an effect on witchcraft and divine will, perhaps next time I should try using it against that she-devil Alessia...

As for how to retaliate against Bishop O'Connor, Li Shanze felt that he should bypass Kate, who was a "female boss" in a sense, and not let Kate know about this before taking revenge.

Author's words: Thanks to Xu Shihan and Wukong for their recommendations

045 Negotiation

Just when Li Shanze decided to bypass Kate and take revenge on Bishop O'Connor, Kate had just come to her senses. She barely recovered from the weakness caused by Li Shanze's singing. She stood up straight and left Li Shanze's shoulder.

My Lord, my Lord, Li Shanze is no mere ogre. He is probably some kind of deepest evil, insidious and cunning, hiding his true nature! At the very least, he is the Ogre King! I must, I must find a way to break free from his control and purify him!

Yes, all of this is a test given to me by the Lord, and I will definitely pass this test!

Kate thought firmly, with fighting spirit in her eyes.

The renewed divine power also gave Kate strong self-confidence, which made her believe that she had the confidence to face all difficulties.

Just as Kate was motivating herself in her heart, producer Cohen turned around with a smile.

The big-nosed producer asked Kate, "Your Excellency the Great Knight, I believe you already know why I'm here. What do you think?"

"As long as you agree to join the 'Hunting Gods' production team, Leonardo da Vinci's 'Annunciation' currently on display at the Uffizi Gallery will belong to the church, and I will also give you a very generous reward."

Cohen seemed sincere.

Li Shanze pricked up his ears and listened carefully. He felt that this program had a profound meaning.

Mayor Vincent and Sheriff Larry also stopped. They were still hoping to get some investment from producer Cohen.

The program team did bring in a certain amount of traffic, but Fern Town did not gain much benefit from the program except for the money from selling land.

It would be best if Kate, the great knight of the church, agreed, and then everyone would be happy and take advantage of Producer Cohen's good mood to make some requests, which would increase the chances - this was Mayor Vincent's idea.

As for Sheriff Larry, he has not yet fully accepted the fact that Kate, the foreign female police officer whom he usually targets, has transformed into a great knight of the Catholic Church. He is very nervous about this and is quite worried that Kate will cause trouble for him.

Kate herself has absolutely no idea about participating in the show.

First of all, Kate is not very interested in being in the spotlight. She thinks it is just worldly fame and will only lead to vanity.

Secondly, Kate felt that participating in boring TV shows was a waste of time. It would be better to use this time and energy to get rid of more bad guys.

Last but not least, Kate is now only thinking about catching the thief Anjie, getting the ring back, lifting the blasphemous curse, and getting rid of the control of Li Shanze, the "deepest evil".

As for Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting "Annunciation", in Kate's opinion, since the Uffizi Gallery is open to the public, there is no difference between keeping it in the Uffizi Gallery and placing it in a church museum.

Kate was quite impatient with producer Cohen's proposal. However, since her "master" Li Shanze was by her side, she had no right to accept or reject the proposal, so she could only remain silent.

"You might like a charitable fund named in your name to help war orphans around the world. What do you think?"

Cohen took the initiative to quote the price.

It has to be said that after a brief investigation, Cohen's team quickly grasped Kate's preferences.

Although Kate was not interested in the fact that the show was named after her, she was moved by the good cause of rescuing war orphans - if that was the case, participating in the show would not be a waste of time.

However, since her master was by her side, Kate could not make the decision independently, so she could not nod happily, but had to turn to Li Shanze eagerly, waiting for her master's permission.

Kate's behavior was so obvious that all the people who were watching out of curiosity followed the great knight and turned their attention to Li Shanze.

Producer Cohen could naturally see at a glance that he had successfully offered a price that would attract the church's great knight, but he was still surprised why Kate looked at Li Shanze, expecting Li Shanze's permission.

Cohen naturally noticed the moment when the young man and woman were "cuddling each other".

Perhaps the young woman wanted her lover's approval. It seemed that this awe-inspiring knight of the Church was a woman after all, and she had reached the age where she needed someone.

This actually made producer Cohen relax - the great knight of the church was suddenly not so high and mighty, as if he had suddenly returned to the earth from the clouds.

As for the wedding ring on Li Shanze's finger, haha, who among the big shots would care about such things?

Even Franklin Roosevelt, the greatest president of the United States, was accompanied by his mistress Lucy Mercer instead of his wife Anna Eleanor Roosevelt when he died.

So the producer smiled and extended his hand to Li Shanze: "Cohen, Tim Cohen, what do you think? Maybe I should also include your name in that foundation?"

"Li Shanze." Li Shanze shook Cohen's hand.

But Li Shanze was a little confused. He didn't understand why Kate acted as if she wanted to ask for his opinion on this matter. It was obvious that Kate was interested, wasn't it?

Perhaps Kate wasn't entirely satisfied with the terms offered by Producer Cohen? But out of respect for her superiors, she wanted me to offer more favorable terms to facilitate her bargaining?

But since you chose to ask me, then of course I have my own ideas...

Without even having to think too much, based on the conversation between Mayor Vincent and Sheriff Larry about the current situation in Fern Town that Charlie heard, and also based on the modern Chinese people's inherent aversion to drugs, Li Shanze immediately came up with his own plan.

"How about this, Mr. Cohen, you set up a fund to support drug-addicted teenagers to reintegrate into society. Also, you need to invest in building a telephone call center in Fern Town, and prioritize hiring local people from Fern Town. How about that?" Li Shanze said this after a brief thought.

The plan was so specific? Had it been planned all along? They even brought up a specific industry like call centers? Producer Cohen was stunned.

"Hahahaha, you two are truly kindhearted! I thank you both on behalf of all the young people who have gone astray! How about you and the Grand Knight run this call center, and I'll just be responsible for the investment," Cohen said immediately. "Also, in addition to the above conditions, there will also be no shortage of foundations named after you two to support war orphans. What do you think?"

As a producer, Cohen had no interest in running a small business like a call center. He felt that since he had to pay money anyway, he might as well do it in one go.

Moreover, this Mr. Li is the sweetheart of the Great Knight, and the Great Knight even secretly respects him... This money can be regarded as an advance investment in having a good relationship with him.

Of course, a sophisticated producer like Cohen could naturally sense Kate's strong interest in supporting the war orphans fund, so he simply chose to pay two shares, which was very satisfying.

Li Shanze was naturally very satisfied with the result, so he looked at his "female boss" and asked, "What do you think?"

Kate was very surprised by Li Shanze's proposal. She didn't seem to have expected that Li Shanze's request was not for money or wealth, but for practical help to Fern Town.

No, that's not right, Kate, you can't be deceived by him, don't forget, you are still enslaved by him! The knight immediately came to his senses and concluded that this was just another cunning trick of Li Shanze, the most deeply evil ogre king.

However, since the master had spoken, Kate naturally had no right to express her dissatisfaction, so she could only nod and said dryly, "Okay, that's it."

"Hahahahahaha! Great! It's settled! Since you've already expressed your intention, everything is easy to discuss. As for those boring follow-up procedures, I'll have my assistant liaise with the church and won't let these boring mundane things bother you!"

Having successfully persuaded the Grand Knight of the Church to join the show, Cohen laughed heartily and was in a very good mood.

Not only did he convince the Knight to participate in the show, but he also had an unexpected bonus: Cohen thought he'd killed two birds with one stone by pleasing the Knight's "lover."

Considering that the Grand Knight doesn't even mind that their names appear together on the charity fund, perhaps this is more than just a relationship between ordinary lovers. It seems that the Grand Knight is deeply in love with Li Shanze.

Tim Cohen felt he had seen it all.

So the producer struck while the iron was hot and invited with a smile, "Mr. Li, would you be willing to partner with the Great Knight in our show?"

046 Mayor's Speech

Kate's eyes were filled with anger.

Asshole! Shut up! I don't want to be on a show with this evil Ogre King!

The producer was eager to flatter Kate Mackenzie, the great knight of the church, but he never expected that he would actually flatter her.

In Kate's eyes, everything Tim Cohen did had a different taste.

Cohen's previous sincere invitation turned into an evil conspiracy in Kate's eyes.

Forcibly tying my name to Li Shanze's name is to make it more difficult for me to break free from the shackles of evil.

Now Cohen is going even further and showing his true colors. Li Shanze actually came with me to participate in this program. He must know that Li Shanze is the person I am trying my best to avoid and get rid of!

This evil big-nosed producer, Tim Cohen, has been helping Li Shanze cover up. Could this abominable pagan be a minion of evil? No, maybe he's also an ogre hiding among the crowd!

In the eyes of the angry and calm knight, Tim Cohen was about to become a loyal henchman of Li Shanze, the Ogre King.

Of course, Cohen noticed the suppressed anger in Kate's eyes. He was a little confused at first, but after thinking about it, he immediately understood.

I was a little inconsiderate. It's one thing for the two of them to share the title, but the Grand Knight might not necessarily want them to appear on TV together. After all, Mr. Li is married...

If the matter gets out of hand, it will probably be very detrimental to Mr. Li's family.

It seems that the Great Knight really cares about Mr. Li wholeheartedly. She must love Mr. Li very much in her heart...

While Tim Cohen was sighing about how great it was to be young, he was also thinking about how to gracefully withdraw his invitation to Li Shanze.

Fortunately, Li Shanze offered a way out at the right time: "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Cohen. However, I have other plans and I'm afraid I won't be able to participate in your program. I'm very sorry."

Li Shanze has not forgotten his deal with Kate. He has no time to participate in any high-profile reality TV show. He has to figure out what happened to the "Good Buddy" herbicide factory.

In Li Shanze's opinion, since Kate Mackenzie, the so-called Great Knight, has taken the lead in cooperating with him and shown her sincerity, he naturally must also make some achievements in return.

Li Shanze's refusal made Kate and Cohen feel relieved.