The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

Her eyes flashed with admiration, but her tone was somewhat complicated as she said, "This isn't some independent palace in some consciousness space. This is the holy place of the Time Corpse Brotherhood school, the Paradox Clock Tower."

Li Shanze naturally didn't doubt Xia Li's eyesight, so he nodded: "Really? Then I think I know who we will meet in the clock tower."

"Come on, Charlie, let's go meet our good friend Calvin Hope."

Li Shanze smiled and said, "Officer Sean once told us about Calvin Hope's ambitions. Calvin wants to use the power of the Paradox Clock Tower to launch his plan to 'reset 1619'."

"Should we go to help or stop him?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Help? Are you kidding?" Li Shanze shook his head, gritting his teeth. "Of course we're going to stop him. There's no future if you don't remember history."

"Besides, this time, he probably won't be able to deny taking the RV."

After saying that, Li Shanze took a step forward and walked into the dark gate.

Charlie followed closely behind.

When Li Shanze and Xia Li walked into the Paradox Clock Tower, all existence behind them finally disappeared in this space of consciousness, leaving only nothingness.

Only this paradoxical clock tower stands tall in the void, as if drifting in the endless void.

Author's words: Thanks to the original soundtrack for the update ticket

171 Paradox Clock Tower

"Isn't this the holy land of the Time Corpse Brotherhood? Why don't I sense any danger or hostility?"

Charlie, feeling as if she was facing a great enemy, made all preparations, but looking at the calm Paradox Clock Tower, she felt somewhat puzzled.

Although the gears of this paradoxical clock tower are still turning, and the sound of the gears turning is occasionally accompanied by noise.

But there was no sign of any danger.

"After all, Calvin Hope is our friend now," Li Shanze said. "Besides, time-related witchcraft poses no threat to me—or to us now."

Therefore, Li Shanze felt relatively relaxed when he stepped onto the corridor covered with parchment.

He couldn't make out the cursive English handwriting on the parchment on the floor, but the various artworks and prints hanging in the corridor didn't stop him from appreciating them.

For example, there is a poster on the left side of the door, which looks like a Hollywood movie poster.

Five-star General MacArthur holds a large pipe in his hand and gazes into the distance with deep affection. Below is a line of his famous quote: "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away."

On the right is an oil painting.

"The composition of the oil painting is the same as that of 'The Shooting of May 3, 1808' by Spanish painter Francisco Goya!" Xia Li explained to Li Shanze while admiring the oil painting.

"How do you know this? I thought wizards would be obsessed with the study of philosophy and witchcraft." Li Shanze joked with a smile.

"My teachers gave me a liberal arts education, and appreciation of art was of course an important part of that education."

Hearing Li Shanze's joke, Xia Li wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction.

"Besides, the reason I met and became friends with Anjie was because the teacher bought art from her," Xia Li explained.

Xia Li suddenly mentioned Angel, and Li Shanze didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"Ahem, okay, I get it. Let's look at the painting, look at the painting." Li Shanze had to laugh and shift his attention to the oil painting.

The oil painting shows General MacArthur commanding tanks to crush veterans who were demanding their wages.

"It seems that the reason for the decline of veterans has been found."

Li Shanze laughed and shook his head, then continued forward.

This time, the painting appeared on the left hand side.

"The composition of this oil painting on wood imitates Hans Holbein's famous Portrait of Erasmus!" Charlie continued to play the role of art gallery guide.

In the oil painting, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, is wearing a wig with a firm and wise look in his eyes. He is writing the famous Declaration of Independence.

In the painting, he wrote the famous phrase "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".

On the right side of the corridor is a series of identification documents.

The document was a DNA test of six illegitimate children born to Thomas Jefferson, his wife Martha Jefferson's half-sister, a black slave woman of mixed race, and Sally Hemings, which ultimately proved that he was the father of those children.

(Note: As a first-generation mixed-race person—the illegitimate daughter of Thomas Jefferson's father-in-law and a black slave—Sally Hemings's skin color was indeed black.)

Li Shanze nodded. "Well, after seeing these documents, I have reason to believe that at least Thomas Jefferson's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is effectively protected."

“President Thomas Jefferson was truly a great man who combined knowledge and action!”

Listening to Li Shanze shaking his head and making sarcastic remarks, Xia Li pinched Li Shanze's arm and laughed too.

The two continued walking forward, and there was another oil painting on the left.

This time, Li Shanze didn't wait for Xia Li to speak, but asked with his eyes, looking like a very studious student.

Xia Li's face flushed slightly at Li Shanze's gaze, but she couldn't suppress the upturned corners of her mouth. "The composition of this painting is inspired by 'Saint Stephen Preaching in Jerusalem,' by the Italian Renaissance painter Vittore Carpaccio."

In the upper left corner of the picture, President Woody Wilson holds the blueprint of the League of Nations in one hand and the Women's Suffrage Bill in the other, and is speaking passionately to the people of all kinds below.

He pointed his right index finger to the sky while holding the League of Nations draft bill, and his left hand, holding the Women's Suffrage Bill, covered his chest.

"President Woody Wilson's pose is exactly the same as St. Stephen's in the original painting. It can be said to be a one-to-one replica."

"In the original painting, St. Stephen's right hand points to the sky, symbolizing God, and his left hand covers his chest, symbolizing that I belong to God. Taken together, this means that this saint obeys the will of the Lord in everything."

"I think Kate will really like 'St. Stephen Preaching in Jerusalem'. I wonder what she would think when she sees the oil painting imitating that painting turned out like this." Charlie suddenly mentioned Kate again.

Li Shanze had no choice but to continue pretending that he didn't hear anything. He didn't want to do the stupid thing of mentioning another woman in front of one woman.

So Li Shanze began to forcibly change the subject.

"President Woody Wilson is truly the pioneer of the ideological crusade of 'moral diplomacy.'"

“Every American president after Wilson has considered himself a disciple of this democratic saint.”

"Even a realist like Nixon had to hang a portrait of Woody Wilson in the White House as a sign of piety."

While Li Shanze was talking, it was Xia Li's turn to listen quietly.

While listening, Xia Li had a smile on her face, and it was unclear whether she was laughing at Li Shanze's change of subject.

But she did not continue to dwell on the topic of Kate, so they turned to the right.

On the right side of the two people is another movie poster. This time it is not an imitation show, but a poster of a real movie - "The Birth of a Nation".

The poster read in bold capital letters, "President Wilson Presents the Film at the White House."

To today's Democrats, this film is full of appalling racism, but more than a hundred years ago, Democratic President Woody Wilson openly watched this landmark feature film in the White House.

There were a dozen pieces of paper stuck in the corner of the poster. When I looked closer, I realized that they were the bills signed by Woody Wilson to implement racial segregation in federal government agencies.

"How can I put it? He wields the moral stick to beat others while practicing racial segregation at home. This President Woody Wilson really fits all my imaginations of Democrats," Li Shanze said with emotion.

"Don't let Grey hear this. Her father, Senator Hamilton, is also a famous Democratic senator." Charlie said with a smile.

Li Shanze had no choice but to continue moving forward.

At this time, there was a noise from the turning gears of the clock tower, and this time it was a loud "I have a dream".

Author's Note: I wrote one chapter during my lunch break and afternoon slacking off, and there will be another chapter later.

Thanks to the original soundtrack for the update ticket

Thanks to Polar Bear and Good! Great! for their monthly tickets.

Thanks to book friends 30600563, Swear to Never Add Water, Silver Thirteen, Polar Bear, and Original Soundtrack Chicken for their recommendation votes

172 Witch Eye

Li Shanze thought that Calvin Hope had finally appeared. He turned his head sharply when he heard the sound, but saw nothing.

"That's not an enemy, just an echo of history." Xia Li explained to Li Shanze at the right time, "After all, this is the holy land of the Time Corpse Brotherhood, so it's natural that many fragments of time are collected here."

"Like these in the corridor?" Li Shanze pointed to the artworks and prints he had seen before.

"Yes, just like these." Charlie nodded.

"But how do you know all this?" Li Shanze asked thoughtfully.

He hesitated for a moment and decided to use the name West Loken instead of Robert Strowman.

After all, poor Robert Stroman wasn't a wizard at all. He was just a poor man being used for human experimentation by a witchcraft operation.

"Have all the events in the Paradox Clock Tower been written down in the parchment scroll by the bald wizard West Loken? I remember you once saw the word Paradox Clock Tower in the parchment scroll..."

In fact, Li Shanze was thinking about more than just this one thing.

It was clear that Charlie had been struggling to read the parchment scroll before, and could barely make out the words "Paradox Clock Tower"...

And she clearly hadn't noticed the other woman's presence before. She wasn't really that good at acting...

"Xia Li, have you successfully deciphered the entire parchment scroll?"

Xia Li did not answer Li Shanze directly, but instead asked Li Shanze a question.

"Li, do you know the difference between a real wizard and the wizard apprentice I was in? Why can only real wizards mobilize power? Why do only real wizards encounter existential crises?"

Li Shanze shook his head and said, "Of course I don't understand your wizard affairs."

"Appreciate further details."

Charlie thought for a moment and organized her words: "Well, let me put it this way. After I became a true wizard, I can feel much more than before."

"For example, before, I could only vaguely sense the flow of witchcraft energy. But now it's like I can actually see it."

"I can see where they flow, see what they're made of,"

"Well, it's like having a special pair of eyes... Often, when I see the direction of witchcraft energy, I naturally understand what the spell is like, and of course, I understand the effect of the spell."

"That also includes West Loken's parchment scroll, which was extremely difficult to read. It wasn't Latin; it was a kind of spell written specifically for wizards."

"Each spell records the structure and flow of sorcerous energy, so as an apprentice I find it extremely obscure. Only the Paradox Clock Tower is a special term, so I can understand it."

Charlie seemed a little embarrassed when she said this.

"But when I opened the witch's eye—that's the name I gave it—the contents of the scroll became clear to me."

"If someone casts a spell, I can see the roots of the spell through my witch eyes."

Perhaps because she felt that a simple explanation was too abstract and difficult to understand, Charlie finally gave an example using the plants she often dealt with.

She gently drew a circle with her hand, and a ball of soft green light slowly floated towards Li Shanze. It penetrated into Li Shanze's body, making Li Shanze feel refreshed.

Li Shanze felt that the energy and spirit he had consumed after entering this space of consciousness were replenished.

"Look, what just floated over is the seedling of a healing spell. It will 'take root' in your body until it heals your injuries and fatigue. The direction of its veins will determine how deep the wounds it can heal and how much energy it can restore."

"The most amazing thing is that I can clearly discern the complete life cycle of a witchcraft, from its rooting, sprouting, growth, blooming to its final aging."

However, Li Shanze found Xia Li's analogy rather strange. Perhaps abstract theories were easier for him to understand...

"So, are you a plant-based wizard? Uh, I remember that school is called Root Vine Esotericism?" Li Shanze asked naturally after hearing Xia Li's description.

In Li Shanze's impression, the Genman Secret Sect is a group of people obsessed with environmental protection.

Li Shanze was impressed by McGee’s previous introduction to the Root Man Esoteric Sect.

They are even vegetalized, considering themselves priests of the forest and viewing humans as "short-lived lichens."

We even got inspiration from the fact that cyanobacteria wiped out anaerobic organisms in geological archaeology...

Li Shanze has complicated thoughts about the Genman Esoteric Sect.

"No, of course not." Charlie smiled and shook his head. "It's not what you think. I just thought using a plant analogy might make it easier for you to understand."

"Of course, I might have been influenced by Buchaska. After all, besides giving me power, he also gave me a bit of his broken godhood."

"I think the Eye of Witchcraft might also be a gift from Buchaska, so perhaps it should be called the Eye of God?"

Charlie tilted her head and said thoughtfully.

"I don't think I belong to any known school. After all, my anchor point is a bit special." Although Charlie spoke calmly, her face still flushed slightly when she mentioned this.

When Li Shanze thought that Xia Li had chosen himself as the anchor point, he couldn't help but feel a little excited, so the corners of his mouth naturally rose.

Unexpectedly, Xia Li's next words immediately froze the smile on Li Shanze's lips.

"It's precisely because of the anchor point that I suddenly became able to detect all kinds of clues. For example, Anjie, Gray, Kate... and another thieving cat whose name I still don't know."

"Really? How come I didn't notice this before?"