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

"Um... thanks." Li Ang put the moss in his pocket, deciding to study it later.

"You're too kind, Father!" Gnom said warmly, as if he were seeing a long-lost brother.

"Of course, of course!" Deluades echoed, the leaves above his head swaying like fans.

Li Ang cleared his throat, steer the conversation back on track: "Ahem, what did Fernéus just say? Are you really capable of handling the roof repairs?"

Gnom puffed out his strong chest: "Father, what are you saying! I was there when the First Temple was being built!"

Druids gave a graceful bow: "Timber structures are my specialty, and I'm sure I can be of assistance to you."

Li Ang stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping over the two elves. Their tiny figures...

It reminds me so much of Arrietty.

"It's not that I don't trust you... but with your size, can you even lift a tile?" Li Ang wanted to test their abilities.

Gnom and Deluades exchanged a glance, then smiled simultaneously.

"Father, you're quite an amateur." Gnom extended his small, grayish-brown hands and gently twirled his fingers.

The next second, the soil beneath his feet began to surge, as if something was awakening underground.

A thick stone pillar slowly rose from the ground, about twenty centimeters in diameter, its surface as smooth as if machine-polished. When the pillar reached half a meter in height, Gnom waved his hand and then stopped.

"When we earth spirits work, we only need to communicate with the earth element in the earth; we don't need to move things ourselves."

Li Ang nodded, while Deluades was not to be outdone. He walked to the pile of abandoned benches in the corner and placed his hand on the broken wooden back of one of the benches.

A faint green glow emanated from the surface of the chair back. The rotten parts seemed to have taken a sip of the concentrated green liquid, their color changing from dark brown to light yellow. In just a few seconds, a piece of rotten wood that should have been thrown into the trash can was restored to look brand new.

"This is a revival," Delius said calmly, withdrawing his hand.

Li Ang looked at the newly renovated piece of wood, remained silent for two seconds, and then sighed.

"I wish I had caught Fenneus sooner. It feels like having Greninja but losing the game. My money!"

Taking back his musings, Li Ang looked at the two elves and waved.

"I can tell from your voices, you two are all highly skilled! Well then, let's get down to business. After all, this is the human realm, are you sure you can manage working at night?"

Gnom and Druids nodded: "Absolutely no problem, and we'll take care not to make any noise."

Li Ang chuckled; this elf was quite worldly-wise.

"Then it's settled. How long will it take you to finish? Is half a month enough?"

"Father, you underestimate us. This church roof will only last two days at most."

Li Ang was overjoyed. The power of magic was indeed useful. No wonder King Solomon was known as a legendary Pokémon trainer, having captured so many demons to do his work.

But he didn't show it on his face, he just nodded and prepared to turn and leave: "Alright, then I'll leave it to you two."

"Um... Father..."

Gnom's voice came from behind, tinged with embarrassment.

Li Ang stopped and turned around.

Gnom stood there, his little hands clasped together, a hint of shyness showing on his otherwise hard face. Druids stood beside him, also silent.

"What's wrong?" Li Ang asked.

Gnom and Druids exchanged another glance, then Gnom spoke up: "Father, um... we have no problem doing the work, we'll make sure it's fixed beautifully for you, but..."

"Could you... offer some compensation?"

Leon paused for a moment, then instinctively looked at Furneus.

Fernéus looked at Leon in shock: "Elves aren't slaves, you're not thinking of getting something for nothing, are you?!"

"Damn! Elves have to pay for their work?! I was really hoping to get it for free!"

Leon felt a little embarrassed by Fenneus's words, so he suppressed his wicked thoughts and turned to look at the two elves.

"Ahem, that's a must. What do you want?" Li Ang cleared his throat.

Gnom took a deep breath: "Father, we elves live in nature, we have no fixed lifespan, nor an eternal home. What we fear most... is being forgotten."

Deluades picked up the conversation, his voice gentle: "For thousands of years, we have helped many people build houses, bridges, and castles. But none of their descendants remember us. They only know that the houses were built by their ancestors, while we, the elves who truly contributed, have not even left our names."

Gnom nodded: "So we thought... if the priest could use magical paper to record our achievements today... even just a few words, it would at least prove that we existed."

Li Ang remained silent for a few seconds.

He recalled a sentence he had seen online in his previous life: True death is oblivion.

I never expected elves to have such obsessions.

"Paper containing magic..." Li Ang pondered for a moment, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

With a thought, he opened his right hand.

A stack of yellowed talismans appeared out of thin air in my palm; they were the ten basic talismans that the system had previously rewarded me with.

"Will this work?" Li Ang handed over the talisman.

Gnom took the sheet, held it in his two little hands, and brought it to his nose for a deep sniff.

Then his body froze.

Delius also came over and sniffed it, just like Gnom did.

Then he froze.

The two elves remained motionless, holding the talisman, like two miniature sculptures.

Li Ang waited for five seconds, and when they didn't react, he waved his hand in front of Gnom.

"Feed?"

Gnom's body trembled violently, and the two yellow dots suddenly brightened several degrees.

"Nine!"

"Nine-nine—!!"

"99% perfect! A rare find!!!"

Li Ang was taken aback by the commotion and was somewhat confused.

Gnom held the talisman in his hands, his hands trembling, his excitement almost overflowing.

"Father! Paper with such high purity of magic... I... I've never seen anything like it in my entire life!!"

Li Ang stroked his chin, surprised that the basic talisman paper from the system was so valuable in the eyes of the elves.

Deluades also held the talisman, the leaves on his head unfurling one by one, like sunflowers facing the sun, tilting slightly towards the talisman.

"This kind of paper... used to record achievements... is too extravagant... what have we done to deserve it..." Druids's voice trembled slightly.

"Alright, alright." Li Ang waved his hand, took the talisman back from Gnom's hand, and then took another one from Deluades' hand.

The two elves' eyes followed the stack of talismans, their gazes filled with reluctance, like children watching their precious treasures being taken away.

Ignoring their stares, Li Ang laid the two talismans flat on the base of the angel statue next to him.

Then he extended his right index finger, attached his magic power to the tip, and used his finger as a pen and his magic power as ink to write stroke by stroke on the talisman paper.

"Gernome, the spirit of the earth, was summoned in 2026 to repair the roof of St. Michael's Church. He worked tirelessly day and night, and his contributions were invaluable. This is a record of his deeds."

"Dreudes, the spirit of wood, was summoned in 2026 to repair the roof of St. Michael's Church. He worked tirelessly day and night, and his contributions were invaluable. This is a record of his deeds."

The writing was dark red, standing out prominently on the yellowed talisman paper. With each stroke, a faint golden light would emanate from the surface of the talisman paper.

After writing the last character, Li Ang gently blew on the surface of the talisman paper and then handed the two talismans to the two elves respectively.

Here, your payment.

The moment Gnom took the talisman, his little hands trembled violently. He pressed the talisman tightly against his chest, as if afraid it would be blown away by the wind.

Then he cried.

"Gernom has spent half his life wandering..." Gernom's voice choked with emotion, broken and intermittent.

"I only regret that I have not met a wise ruler..."

He suddenly raised his head, and the light in the two yellow dots' eyes suddenly shone brightly. Then he knelt down with a thud, holding the talisman paper in his hands and raising it above his head.

"If the priest does not abandon me...!"

Gnom's voice trembled, but he spoke each word with great force.

"I wish to become your elder brother!!!"

Li Ang was stunned.

"Wait, why does this word sound familiar?"

Then Delius realized what was happening.

He knelt down with a thud, holding the talisman above his head as well, his voice clear and firm: "Deryuades is the same! I am willing to follow my elder brother, through fire and water, to revive Saint Michael, without hesitation!"

Just then, a strong gust of wind blew by, sending some petals of the Mayflowers planted in the neighborhood flying and scattering among the three of them.

[Ding! Earth Spirit and Wood Spirit detected as wanting to befriend the Butler]

Befriending spirits with strong spiritual energy can effectively help the base's development; it is recommended that the deacon maintain communication with them.

This moment is just like that moment!

Li Ang suddenly realized, "Isn't this just like the Oath of the Peach Garden!" Instantly, a surge of heroic spirit welled up within him, a feeling of home welling up within him. Moreover, taking two elves as brothers didn't seem like a bad thing. So, he said in a deep voice:

"Alright! From today onwards, you are my brothers, Li Ang's brothers."

Gnom suddenly looked up: "Big brother!!!"

He grabbed Li Ang's leg tightly, almost pulling Li Ang's pants down with his strength.

Deruades grabbed Leon's other leg and shouted, "Big Brother!!"

Li Ang waved his hand, helping them up. "The three of us brothers will definitely make this church roof look beautiful! With three people of one mind, even barren land can turn into gold!"

"Big brother is right!"

"Big Brother is wise!"

"Ha ha ha ha!!!"

Fennes stood to the side, watching the three of them hugging, his lips twitched, but he ultimately kept quiet.