The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

"Violence means force, it means violating the laws of the material world."

"And self-alienation means that this violence is inflicted on oneself."

"Humans are made of flesh and blood. There is a limit to the violence they can endure. When self-alienation reaches a certain level, it means the destruction of the body."

Charlie continued, "Why does it have to be a violent negotiation? Isn't there a gentler way to truly utilize the laws of nature and negotiate with the material world?"

McGee laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, that's a good question! Of course there are ways to explore, discover, and ultimately utilize the laws of nature, but that's not witchcraft, that's called science!"

"Of course, wizards have long since integrated into America and modern society, and most of them have a considerable degree of scientific research."

"Among them, the Esoteric School and the Blazing Energy Sect have been the most fully integrated."

"Any high-ranking wizard who joins these two schools is wearing the guise of a scientist."

"The Crucible of All Things, the sacred site of the Esoteric School, was even built at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico."

Los Alamos National Laboratory? That name sounds familiar, Li Shanze thought.

"Perhaps the name Los Alamos National Laboratory reminds you of something? That's right." The old wizard snapped his fingers crisply and smiled. "The Manhattan Project."

Li Shanze shook his head. "As far as I know, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion are both serious natural sciences and have nothing to do with witchcraft."

"Yes, of course." McGee nodded. "I'm not trying to attribute scientific achievements to witchcraft."

"Just because there's a Crucible of Everything at Los Alamos doesn't mean that Los Alamos is controlled by wizards."

"It's the opposite, only a small number of people at Los Alamos National Laboratory are wizards, and this is almost a completely scientific laboratory."

"This is very similar to the current situation of witchcraft. Most witchcraft now is wrapped in layers of science."

"For example, the herbal alchemy that Miss Butner mastered, more than 90% of it actually falls into the realm of science."

"She extracts the useful ingredients from herbs through brewing and extraction—like the most precise chemist—and then, with a touch of witchcraft, blends them into magical potions."

"Take the virtual Saint Vivian, for example. Connecting her to the internet, creating a virtual image, and broadcasting live from the internet is real modern science, but the nature of her witchcraft is a little special."

"Only the most crucial point, the one that can achieve what science cannot, the point that triggers mutation, is true witchcraft in the narrow sense."

"So, we wizards have always coexisted with science, right?"

At this point, McGee smiled and spread his hands.

"And what Miss Butner lacks is how to resolve the conflict between witchcraft and science."

"If Miss Butner is willing to be my student, I will teach her everything I know without reservation. What do you two think?"

The old wizard inquired with great interest.

Li Shanze pressed his hand against his throat and said, "Mr. McKee, do you understand that this is a two-way choice?"

"Yes, of course. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

"Mr. McKee, what school of thought do you belong to? What is your school's existential crisis? What is your school's doomsday prophecy?"

Li Shanze asked with a smile, one hand on his throat and the other holding the gun in his pocket.

"I'm sure you understand that I must comprehensively consider the risks that Xia Li would encounter if she became your student, right?"

Author's words: Thank you Mr. Wuliao for the reminder ticket

Thanks to swear not to flood, book friend 30600563, and Tianqiongluoluo for their recommendation votes.

135 Schools

Li Shanze was always on guard against McGee and never relaxed for a moment.

Let's not talk about anything else. Li Shanze had just returned to Gray's house where he was temporarily staying. Before he had time to chat with Charlie, McGee knew that he was back and went straight to visit him.

If you think about it optimistically, this can be enthusiasm, impatience, and a thirst for talent.

But what if we think more pessimistically?

It can also be surveillance, compulsive spying, and desperate manipulation.

Whether it was paying off Secret Service agents or using witchcraft to monitor Senator Hamilton's home, it wasn't good news.

And McGee took advantage of the fact that only he and Charlie were there and came straight to the door. Was his purpose really to recruit a disciple?

Or maybe he wanted to recover the remains of the bronze bell?

With McGee's motives still a mystery, Li Shanze had no choice but to try to get more information out of McGee while also preparing for a complete break with McGee.

That's why he held his throat with one hand, ready to use the Throat of Apater to block the witchcraft, and held the pistol tightly with the other hand.

"Oh, of course I understand your concerns, Mr. Li." McGee smiled gently.

"But please forgive me for not making it clear before."

"In fact, before becoming a great wizard of a school, even high-level wizards can freely choose the direction of their research and their preference in witchcraft."

"Words are not enough, so why don't I first list the nine major schools and show you their characteristics for your reference."

"The Esoteric School views matter as the ultimate existence in the universe."

"The core tenet is this: everything can be deconstructed, only matter is eternal. Flesh and steel come from the same source, and life is but a temporary reprieve from entropy."

"In contrast to the Esoteric School, the Blazing Energy School views energy as the ultimate existence of the universe."

"The core belief is that energy is power and entropy is sin. The universe will eventually die, and we will be the last heat wave."

Li Shanze frowned. He felt that this was not a difference between wizarding schools at all, but rather more like a dispute over some scientific concepts.

Considering what McGee had previously introduced, that senior wizards from these two schools had infiltrated the ranks of scientists, this was not unacceptable.

"The dispute between matter and energy... Haven't the Esoteric School and the Blazing Energy School ever considered Albert Einstein's mass-energy equation? Can't matter and energy be converted into each other?" Li Shanze couldn't help but ask.

McGee smiled and asked, "So, which came first, matter or energy?"

Isn’t this just the chicken and the egg, packaged in science?

Li Shanze was speechless for a moment, then reluctantly asked, "Is this important?"

"Of course it's important. No, to be exact, nothing is more important than this."

“Scientists can accept the wave-particle duality of light, the uncertainty principle, and the existence of uncertainty. But we are wizards, and we must firmly believe in certain things.”

"Our power as wizards comes from consciousness. Once that consciousness falters, we fall into an existential crisis."

Hearing this, Li Shanze nodded.

I see. Objective idealism is also idealism in essence.

Wizards are just a bunch of crazy people who rely on my thinking. It’s just that most wizards are usually well packaged with science, but once they go crazy, they become particularly crazy.

Seeing that Li Shanze seemed to have no more questions, McGee continued his introduction.

In addition to the Esoteric School of Materialism and the Incandescent School of Energy, there are seven other major schools.

They are the Seething Sages who gradually evolved from alchemy; the Delusional Society that manipulates consciousness; the Soul and Flesh Shrine composed of necromancers; the Time Skeleton Brotherhood of the time system; the Space System Urobuchi Society; the Animal Spirit Druids of the animal system; and the Root Vine Esoteric Cult of the plant system.

Each school has a leader, who is the Grand Wizard. The leaders of all schools together form the nine-member Grand Wizard Council.

"Thank you for your popular science, Mr. McGee. Now we have a preliminary understanding of the wizard's school." Li Shanze said with a smile.

"But you avoided my question."

Li Shanze leaned forward, staring directly into McGee's eyes. "Let me repeat, Mr. McGee. Which school do you belong to? What is your school's existential crisis? What is your school's doomsday prophecy?"

McGee looked at Li Shanze calmly, a relaxed smile still on his lips: "I said, Miss Butner can choose any school of thought she likes to study--"

"Ahem, Mr. McKee." Li Shanze let out a dry cough and interrupted the old gentleman's leisurely words, "Let's be clear."

Being ruthlessly interrupted by Li Shanze, the smile on McGee's lips disappeared.

"If, as you said, you desire Charlie, a gifted witch, to become the Chief Federation Wizard, then she will undoubtedly inherit your mantle. She can't choose a different path from you, right?"

"So, I repeat my question for the third time: Which school do you belong to? What is your school's existential crisis? What is your school's doomsday prophecy? I hope you can seriously explain this to me."

Li Shanze sneered and shook his neck, causing his joints to crackle as they rubbed against each other.

Then, still leaning forward, he stared coldly at McGee.

"Otherwise, our conversation wouldn't be going anywhere, would it?"

McGee stared at Li Shanze with a half-smile: "I thought I was being interrogated by the FBI, Mr. Li."

"No, you are being questioned by a fiancé. Mr. McGee of Eternal Life Technologies."

"I think you already have the answer in your mind, Mr. Li."

"I'd like to hear it from you, Mr. McKee."

The two continued to compete with each other with their eyes, and finally, McGee made concessions - Li Shanze guessed that it was his dry cough that temporarily dispelled all the witchcraft energy, and the shocked and doubtful wizard had to make concessions.

A smile returned to the old gentleman's face, and he extended his right hand. "Well, let's formally introduce ourselves. I'm Dillon McGee, the Grand Wizard of the Brotherhood of Time."

"Hahahahaha, as expected!" Li Shanze laughed heartily while holding McGee's right hand.

"That piece of space-time gel I broke through was the trap you set!"

"That voodoo witch doctor turned into bones immediately after death. It was all thanks to you! Hahahaha!"

McGee shook hands with Li Shanze enthusiastically and laughed without showing any weakness.

"Hahahahaha! You even killed my security chief! And you prevented us from working normally for several days, hahahahaha!"

Charlie looked at them in bewilderment, totally unable to understand what these two men, one old and one young, were doing.

The two men laughed heartily as if they had heard a funny joke, and shook hands warmly as if they were old friends who had met again after a long separation.

The older one laughed until tears came out, and the younger one was even more exaggerated. He even laughed until he choked and coughed loudly while laughing.

"I didn't expect it, haha, I didn't expect Washington has miniaturized this system." McGee's left hand was already holding the ebony cane.

"Hahahaha, cough cough, you said that when you can modify the past or the future, cough cough cough, will the 'present' lose its value? Cough cough."

Li Shanze laughed and coughed loudly, but he still held McGee's right hand tightly, not allowing him to leave.

"I'm an observer. I'm against interventionists. This is because attempting to interfere with time often results in the intervener being in a superposition of existence and non-existence. Quantum states are a disaster for wizards. The loss of certainty is equivalent to being erased."

When talking about his beliefs, McGee became serious.

"Yeah, the Observation School." Li Shanze sighed and let go of McGee's hand. "He's just a great wizard of the time system. I guess he doesn't need an heir, right?"

"Mr. Li, why do you think so?"

Li Shanze shook his head: "Mr. McGee, your company is called Yongsheng Technology."

"Eternal Life Technology is just a loose organization of wizards spread across the United States. I am not the leader of this group, and we are only trying to study the secret of immortality, that's all."

After a brief explanation, McGee sighed, turned to Charlie and said, "It seems that unfortunately we can't become master and apprentice, Miss Butner. Well, please allow me to take my leave--"

"No, no, no." Li Shanze smiled and shook his head. "We've finished discussing personal matters, and now it's time to move on to official matters."

"This is a rare opportunity. Since you're here, let's talk about immortality technology, huh?"

136 Space-Time Turbulence

When it came to business, McGee calmed down.

"I'm sorry, Agent Li, I'm visiting you privately. It's not official business."

The old wizard smiled calmly, grasped his ebony cane, and stood up.

"Agent Li, please don't forget the Fourth Amendment. I am certainly willing to cooperate with the FBI."

"But before that, please show me the decree signed by a federal judge. I'll be waiting for you at Eternal Life Technology."

He touched the pocket watch on his chest.

McGee's thumb rubbed the snake-like carving on the pocket watch cover. The platinum scales on the snake's head were lifelike, but suddenly they emitted a bronze fluorescence.

The strange mercury slowly flowed into the room, came to his feet, and flowed upstream along the folds of his herringbone suit, transforming into a coat and top hat again.

Like he never hung them in the porch.

Then, his figure began to dim.

Li Shanze felt that everything around him became sticky and stagnant.

He felt like an insect being gradually wrapped in resin, unable to struggle.

Li Shanze tried to stretch out his fingers to move the spider-web-like space-time slime. Those translucent silk threads seemed like the projection of the gears of the antique clock in the living room.