A priest in North America, what the hell is the Demon Gate system?

Allen turned around, walked to Jennifer's side, and squatted down.

He reached out and gently stroked the surface of the stone. The afternoon sun shone on the stone, making the natural textures appear exceptionally clear, truly resembling a quiet face with its eyes closed.

"Jennifer." Alan took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly.

"I'm... pretty useless. I'm average at studying, bad at sports, and I even stutter when I talk. Nobody at school wants to play with me."

Mark wanted to say something, but Josh stopped him.

Alan didn't notice and continued, "But when I talk to you... I don't feel lonely. So many afternoons, sitting next to you, telling you that I failed my test again today, that my mom and dad had another fight, that I wanted to read comics but my dad wouldn't let me... At those times, I really felt that someone was willing to listen to me."

The riverbank was quiet, with only the gurgling sound of the flowing water.

Allen's fingers gently stroked the surface of the stone.

"So... thank you, I..."

I love you, Jennifer.

Everyone fell silent, and then—

"oh--!!!"

Mark was the first to shout it out and clap his hands loudly. Josh and Roddy joined in, some whistling, some stomping their feet.

"Well done, Allen!"

"Awesome!"

"That's a real man!"

The three rugby players were grinning like idiots, even more excited than if they had won the game.

Allen blushed to the roots of his ears, his eyes filled with anticipation.

At the height of the excitement, a faint blue light suddenly appeared on the surface of the stone, then condensed into a small point of light, which floated up from the stone's surface and drifted leisurely to Allen's side.

The point of light lingered in the air for a second, then with a "poof," it scattered into a cloud of blue light dust, sprinkling onto Allen's head.

It felt like a gentle caress.

At the same time, he left only a faint reply: "Thank you, Allen, you're a good person..."

Allen was stunned.

Mark and his two companions' cheers also came to a halt.

A few seconds later, the blue light completely dissipated, and Jennifer turned back into an ordinary stone, lying quietly on the riverbank.

"Is this what a 'friend card' feels like? Too bad, even a heartthrob like me has never experienced this feeling," Li Ang sighed leisurely.

Allen paused for a moment, then smiled. The smile was somewhat bitter, but mostly relieved.

"Okay...I understand."

He stood up, turned to Li Ang, and tears welled up in his eyes before he could speak.

"Father, let's begin! Let me start first, let me forget all of this!!"

"Father, let me go next. This painful scene of pure love collapsing is not as good as watching a billion NTR books..." Mark covered his face in pain.

Li Ang looked at them, nodded, and gently extended his finger.

"A good night's sleep will do the trick. Of course, I'll keep your friendship in check," Li Ang said gently.

-----------------

The Church of St. Michael was quiet in the evening.

The setting sun slanted in through the stained glass windows, casting colorful patches on the floor.

Li Ang sat at his desk, legs crossed.

The radio on the table was on, and Kate's voice came through it, still in that excited tone:

"Breaking news! The three high school students who recently went missing in Odum, Lancaster County, have been found this afternoon! According to police reports, the three students were found near a creek by Sleepy Lake by a local church priest and a student named Alan Miller..."

Li Ang reached out and turned the volume up a bit.

"The three students, aside from malnutrition, suffered only minor abrasions. They stated that they got lost while playing by the creek... Police are urging parents to strengthen their supervision of minors..."

Click.

Li Ang turned off the radio.

The office fell silent again, and the light of the setting sun shone through the gaps in the blinds, illuminating Li Ang's face.

Li Ang turned his head and looked at the corner of the table, where a small fish tank was placed.

The design is very simple; it's just a regular round glass jar, about 30 centimeters in diameter, filled halfway with water, with a layer of fine white sand at the bottom and a few colorful pebbles.

A small, silvery-white fish was swimming around in the water.

It's really small, no more than 3 centimeters long, and its scales are a very pale silver that shimmers in the sunset.

Its fins are transparent, and its tail resembles a small piece of gauze, which moves gracefully when it sways.

Those eyes were a bright red, like blood.

Li Ang reached into the drawer and took out a small plastic bag containing the cheapest fish food. He pinched a few pellets and sprinkled them into the fish tank.

The little fish didn't move; you could even see its disdain in its expression.

"Not eating?" Li Ang smiled, leaning back in his chair, legs spread wide, his posture relaxed.

"Well then, let's have a good talk now." Li Ang's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet office.

The sun sank a little lower, and the light inside the church became even dimmer.

The only sounds in the office were the ticking of the clock and the soft patter of water.

Soon, a beam of silver light burst forth from the fish tank, and a soft, melodious female voice rang out from under the desk:

"Father, what would you like to talk about?"

As the silver light dissipated, Fernéus appeared kneeling and prone under Leon's desk, between Leon's legs.

"No... could you please change your position? This is easy for people to misunderstand, okay?" Li Ang was a little speechless. He pushed off with his legs and slid his office chair back a little, putting some distance between himself and Fernéus.

"It's not my fault, I can't exactly stand on the table..." Fenneus stood up, leaned back slightly, and sat down on the table.

Leon pulled his chair back to the table, facing Fernéus. Then, Leon raised his right hand and looked at the ring.

"Where did you get this ring?"

Fennes pondered for a moment, as if recalling something.

"It looks like... I found it."

"It looks like it was found?" Li Ang repeated, feeling that this devil might be lying again.

"Don't look at me like that. I won't lie to you now," Fenneus said sincerely, resting his chin on his hand.

"I found it in the abyss, but I can't remember the specifics because most of my memories were lost along with my power. I just remember that after I found it, I was being chased and that's how I ended up in the rift."

Leon leaned back in his chair, gazing at Fernéus.

"Who's chasing you?"

Fennes shook his head, his silver hair swaying as he said, "I can't remember, I just felt it was very dangerous, very strong, and very sacred... I was completely powerless against it."

Li Ang didn't speak, but just looked at her thoughtfully.

Fennes felt a little uneasy under his gaze and shrank his shoulders: "I'm telling the truth, and I'm so weak right now, my aura is suppressed, the guys chasing me shouldn't be able to find this ring."

Li Ang nodded, accepting this explanation.

But a storm raged in his heart. What kind of being could hunt down a demon god with a title like an ant? If it set its sights on him, was there any chance he could fight back?

"Fuck... I still need to improve my strength." Li Ang looked up and sighed deeply.

"Ring ring—"

Suddenly the church landline rang, and Leon shoved Furneus aside and answered the phone.

"Hello, St. Michael's Church, I am Father Leon."

A lively female voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding very strong.

"Father! Hello, this is the UB Heritage Restoration Studio. Your scheduled roof repairs will begin tomorrow. Please plan your time accordingly!"