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

"What's wrong? Can't your collective prayers and fasting solve the problem?"

Li Ang smiled and said, "Let alone exorcism, even normal illnesses and childbirth are things that the Amish people are used to resolving within their own communities. They won't seek help from the outside world unless absolutely necessary."

"How can a group of people chanting scriptures kill evil spirits? I've been watching a Chinese Three Kingdoms TV series recently, and it makes a lot of sense."

Jonah took a sip of tea and added.

"I chose to leave because I saw how the outside world works, and I understand that some problems cannot be overcome by piety and patience alone; you have to be strategic." His gaze was fixed on Li Ang's face, his expression serious.

"So, after I heard some rumors about you, especially that you seemed to have handled some unusual troubles in town, I thought I might as well visit you and give it a try."

Li Ang did not respond immediately, but simply looked at him quietly, waiting for him to continue.

"I have a sister named Ellie," Jonah said in a lower voice.

"She just turned eighteen this year. Although she turned eighteen two years late, she had already started working. However, she chose to go back home recently due to pressure from her father."

His eyes revealed a complex mix of emotions: concern, longing, and a hint of indescribable helplessness.

"About ten days ago, she sent me a very short message by some unknown means. The content was vague, but it made me very uneasy."

Jonah took out his phone, looked through it for a bit, and then handed it to Li Ang.

A simple message appeared on the screen:

[Jonah, something's been wrong in the community lately. There are strange things happening at night, not animals. The elders had a meeting, but they didn't say anything, just told everyone to pray more. The livestock have also disappeared. I'm scared. Don't reply with this number, I'll contact you again when I have a chance. Ellie.]

The text message was sent more than a week ago, and the content was fragmented, indicating that the sender must have been in a state of anxiety when typing it.

The livestock disappearance incident Bob had mentioned flashed through Li Ang's mind. Could it be related to this?

"I immediately tried to contact the number using special technical means after receiving it." Jonah put his phone away, his brow furrowed.

"But the call can't be connected anymore. I don't dare to drive back rashly. If my father sees me wearing this outfit and driving this car at the door, he'll probably beat me out with the stick he uses to herd livestock." He gave a wry smile.

The waiter began to quietly serve the dishes, and the exquisite dishes quickly filled the small table. It was obvious that they were pre-made, Li Ang secretly assessed.

"This isn't authentic! Why is there chocolate sauce in this sweet and sour pork?"

But Jonah's attention was clearly not on the food, and he continued speaking:

"So, Father, my request is that you go to the Amish community where I was born, check on the situation Ellie mentioned, find out what happened, and if possible, bring her out; she shouldn't be stuck there."

He took a card from the inside pocket of his suit, placed it on the clean table, and gently pushed it in front of Li Ang.

"Here is a cryptocurrency. Whether you ultimately complete the mandate or not, this money is your reward as long as you are willing to make the trip, see my sister, and bring her back," Jonah said sincerely.

"If you can find out the truth and even solve the problem, we can talk about the reward. Money is not an issue."

"This guy really doesn't care about money..." Li Ang was slightly surprised. Although he didn't pay attention to cryptocurrency, he could easily imagine the value of this card.

If it were just an ordinary ghost or something, it wouldn't be a big problem. But the disappearance of livestock and the possible existence of a terrifying ritual in the town made Li Ang piece together various clues in his mind and assess the potential risks and information.

He picked up the warm teacup, took a slow sip, and it was probably Lu'an Melon Seed tea; it was quite strong.

"Mr. Jonah, if I meet your sister, how can I convince her that I was commissioned by you?"

"Take this." Jonah, as if he had expected it, took out a wooden amulet and placed it in front of Li Ang.

The amulet is only the size of a thumb and is carved into a simple horseshoe shape.

"Ellie made this when she was eight," Jonah said softly.

Li Ang weighed the amulet in his hand; it was very light, and the edges were smooth from years of friction.

"Okay, I'll take this commission."

"Thank you, Father Lee." Jonah said sincerely, rising and bowing slightly.

"The Lord will protect the lost sheep. By the way, is the Three Kingdoms TV series you're watching the new version?"

Jonah paused for a moment, then laughed:

"That must be the version from the last century. To be honest, the new version is just a pile of rubbish..."

The meal was quickly finished amidst cheerful banter.

When we returned to the church, the blue tarpaulin billowed slightly in the wind, making a rustling sound.

Li Ang pushed open the office door. A fish tank sat on the corner of the desk, with small silver fish swimming slowly.

"Fourneus".

Li Ang stretched out his finger, pretending to poke it into the fish tank. A burst of silver light instantly appeared, and Fernéus stood beside the desk.

"Couldn't you have tried a gentler approach?" she complained, brushing the strands of hair that clung to her cheek with her fingers.

"Next time." Li Ang leaned back in his chair, stretched out his hand, and summoned the Soul Banner.

"Shirley, come out too."

With a gentle tremor of the flag, a pale blue figure emerged. Shirley stretched in mid-air, yawned slightly, and blinked when she saw Fernandes.

"Oh, isn't this our esteemed Marquis?" Sherry's tone was teasing.

Fennes blushed and instinctively tugged at her skirt with both hands: "Mind your own business!"

"Alright," Li Ang interrupted their bickering.

He briefly recounted Jonah's request, focusing on the Amish community and the missing livestock. After he finished speaking, he looked at Fernéus.

"Do you have any clues, Gray Silk, or any of your colleagues?"

Furneus tilted his head, thought for a few seconds, and then said, "We're not having some kind of afternoon tea party with our best friends, so there's no question of our schedules being synchronized."

"But there must be some patterns, right? For different groups of people," Li Ang pressed.

"Negative emotions exist everywhere, but you're right, some guys do prefer certain kinds of soil." Furneus walked to the old sofa in the office, sat down, crossed his legs, and his white stockings rippled slightly behind his knees.

"Closed communities, strong beliefs, oppressive rules... these are all excellent nourishment. Fear ferments in silence, and pain accumulates in endurance, like cheese."

After thinking for a moment, Fennes came up with a few tongue-twisting names, but then immediately ruled them out himself.

"Everyone else is fine, but the most troublesome one is Paimon," Fernéus said solemnly.

"Paimon? The guy ranked ninth among the seventy-two demon gods?" Leon pondered the information about this guy.

She looked at Li Ang, a complex expression flashing in her bright red eyes: "You'd better pray it's not her."

Why?

"Because she's a crazy woman."

"She doesn't care about contracts, rules, or even her own interests. She just wants to watch the show. If you ruin her show, she'll come after you in the most troublesome way you can imagine."

As Li Ang processed this information, a muffled rumble of thunder came from outside the window, distant and deep.

"Are there any other possibilities?" Li Ang asked calmly.

"There are many more, and some of them may even be troubles that humans have created themselves. When you humans go crazy, you are much more creative than we demons."

"understood."

Li Ang nodded and stood up.

"I'll go there first thing tomorrow morning. Shirley will come with me. Furneus will stay here and watch the house. Don't let me down."

Sherry nodded and disappeared. Fennes was silent for a moment, then nodded as well.

Li Ang ignored them and walked to the window. The sky was already as dark as dusk, and lightning flashed across the distant horizon, followed by a rumble of thunder a few seconds later.

The downpour is really coming.

"Lord," he whispered, then laughed at himself.