The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

At this moment, Sheriff Larry, who had approached at some point, could no longer bear it. He roared, "They didn't need you to support them in the first place, Manson! You no longer have custody of them! We're going to send them to a boarding family right away!"

"If you still have a shred of humanity, stop using your two children to play the victim! If you still have a bit of shame, just honestly work with your own hands!"

"Look at yourself, Manson. You're not even thirty yet, but you already look like a forty or fifty-year-old! Wait, Mr. Li, what are you doing? Don't pity him. He's a parasite of society, a born bad seed!"

Sheriff Larry, who was scolding Manson, was surprised to find that Li Shanze started to search his pockets and tried his best to dissuade him.

A hint of greed and pride flashed in Manson's eyes. He looked eagerly at Li Shanze who was reaching into his pocket. He ignored Sheriff Larry who was scolding him and said, "Thank you so much, kind sir. You are such a great benefactor in our Fern Town! God will surely bless you. Praise your generous act of kindness!"

At this time, Li Shanze bent down slightly, pried open the hands of the homeless man who was holding his thighs, and stuffed the things he took out of his pocket into his hands.

Isn't this the feel of a US dollar?

The joy on the homeless man's face froze. He looked at Li Shanze blankly, opened his hand, and found that what Li Shanze stuffed into his hand was a dozen unopened condoms.

"Sir?" asked the homeless man Manson in confusion.

"Since you can't raise a child, don't have another one. I'm giving this to you. I'm sure it will be helpful to you." Li Shanze said with a smile.

The tramp wanted to say something else, but Sheriff Larry had already burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha! Well said, Mr. Li! If you can't support children, don't give birth to them! Hahahahaha!"

The people around were stunned for a moment before they started laughing.

Bishop O'Connor, who witnessed all this, was filled with turmoil.

What's wrong with this great leader of the Church? Why would he carry such an unclean object? Has His Holiness issued new instructions regarding condom use?

As an atheist who received traditional Chinese education, Li Shanze had no idea about the taboos of Catholicism.

The Catholic Church has traditionally opposed the use of condoms, arguing that the two primary functions of sexual intercourse – procreation and love between spouses – should not be separated. Using condoms is seen as interfering with the natural process of reproduction and is inconsistent with Catholic teaching.

In Catholic interpretation, only prostitutes using condoms to avoid the spread of disease are "moral." True contraception should be achieved through the fidelity of the couple and the restraint of their desires.

Therefore, taking out a dozen condoms in public in a Catholic church where believers have just finished mass is an act of disrupting the occasion.

If Li Shanze had not been misunderstood by Bishop O'Connor as a "master" from the Vatican, and if he had not been praised as the savior of Fern Town by Mayor Vincent in his impromptu speech, he would probably have been asked to leave the church by the angry clergy and the public.

Fortunately, the general public was respectful and only reacted indifferently to Li Shanze's joke. However, the church's Grand Knight Kate Mackenzie was furious with her "master."

This is blasphemy! This is evil! This is a desecration of the Lord!

If she really couldn't do it, the angry Kate would even want to take out her lance and fight Li Shanze, but she couldn't even curse him with words.

So Kate could only glare at Li Shanze hatefully, desperately condemning him in her heart.

Li Shanze certainly didn't know that he had done something that could be said to have stirred up a hornet's nest - in fact, most people present also convinced themselves that "Mr. Li is a non-religious Asian and therefore doesn't know the taboos of Catholicism" - nor did he notice Kate's angry gaze that was almost spitting fire, his attention was completely drawn away.

Li Shanze saw an elf that looked like it came out of a fairy tale.

The elf seemed to appear out of thin air, flapping its wings and circling in the church abruptly and dazedly.

The elf had long, silver-white hair that flowed like a waterfall, shimmering with a soft light. Her ears were slightly pointed, her skin was as white as fresh snow, and her eyes were like two bright rubies, sparkling with wisdom and curiosity.

She was lithe and petite, wearing a green dress woven from petals and leaves, the hem of which was embroidered with delicate silver patterns, swaying gently with her movements.

Her wings are her most striking feature, a pair of transparent, shimmering wings, as light and beautiful as a butterfly's wings. On her feet she wears a pair of small shoes woven with thin vines and flower petals, and she flaps her wings lightly without making any sound.

Li Shanze looked at the magnificent church, the bustling crowd, and the elves that seemed to have walked out of a fairy tale forest. He always felt that her painting style seemed a little out of place.

Perhaps she is the wild god of the forests of Fern?

Li Shanze's heart moved.

"Buchaska?" Li Shanze asked tentatively.

There was no answer, the elf showing no reaction to the name.

She seemed to have no interest in Li Shanze, but kept flapping her wings and flying around the two homeless children, as if she wanted to talk to them.

However, even if the elf flew in front of the children and waved her slender hands desperately to greet them, the children ignored her.

The elf danced enthusiastically in front of the children for a long time, but until the two children were taken away, they did not pay any attention to her.

"Ah, ah. The children seem to be unable to see me." The elf muttered listlessly, looking crestfallen.

Then, she pinched her waist angrily and looked at Li Shanze: "It's all this damn adult's fault for showing those unclean things to the children! It's tarnishing their innocence!"

"So you blame me?" Li Shanze asked with a smile.

"Ah!" The elf looked up when he heard the words, and was startled when he met Li Shanze's gaze.

With a whoosh, she flew away as if to escape and hid behind a statue of an angel.

What's wrong with this little guy? Li Shanze wondered curiously. He looked around and found that except for himself, no one seemed to be able to detect the existence of this elf.

At this time, the elf quietly poked her head out from behind the angel statue and secretly observed Li Shanze. Her red eyes collided with Li Shanze's gaze again, and then she was so scared that she retracted her head.

When Li Shanze walked around behind the angel statue, he found that the elf had disappeared.

Author's words: Thanks to Wukong and book friend 8057522239 for the recommendation votes

049 Lady Ella

Li Shanze shook his head and decided to put the matter behind him for the time being. He still had important matters to deal with - helping Kate complete the investigation and cleanup of the Good Buddy herbicide factory. This was related to his plan to whitewash himself.

When Li Shanze was chatting with Sheriff Larry and returning the car keys to him, the elf poked his head out from behind the angel statue and observed Li Shanze curiously.

When Li Shanze walked out of the side hall and agreed with Mayor Vincent to visit him in his office later, the elf quietly hid behind a candlestick, half of his body stuck out, and observed Li Shanze curiously.

When Li Shanze walked out of the church and onto the snowy street, the elf was still hiding behind the branches of a big tree, observing Li Shanze's every move with her sharp eyes.

Her body was as light as a feather, making almost no sound. When Li Shanze stopped, as if thinking about something, she also stopped flapping her wings, hanging quietly in the air, as if blending into the surrounding environment.

Finally, the elf followed Li Shanze to a quiet corner.

Then, Li Shanze stood in front of a dead tree and suddenly turned around. He asked, "Hey, why are you following me?"

"Huh? Huh, huh, huh, huh?"

The elf was startled. Just as she was about to escape, Li Shanze, who was quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed her wings and lifted her up.

"Wow, let Ella go! Ella is going to bite you!" The elf was frightened and cried out in a soft voice.

"If you don't hide, I'll let you go." Li Shanze said with amusement as he looked at this fantasy creature that was no bigger than his palm and looked like a large butterfly.

"Really?" The elf who called herself Ella asked cautiously after hearing this.

"real."

Ella was still worried: "Is it really true?"

Li Shanze said patiently: "It's really true."

"But, but I remember the children said that you can't trust people over fifteen! You can't trust adults!" Ella seemed to have forgotten that she was still in Li Shanze's arms, and raised the question with confidence.

Are you a Chuunibyou elf?

Li Shanze asked with amusement: "If you can't trust me, then why are you following me?"

"Because, because you can see me." Ella said aggrievedly.

Li Shanze felt like he was almost figuring out what this little elf was all about. It looked like she was indeed a fairytale creature, and a very clichéd one—only children could see her.

"Can't the children see you too? Why don't you follow the children instead of me?"

"But the children can't see me! Ella, I'll choose you to be my friend! Ella has an important mission!" Ella said proudly, "My companions call me Master Ella!"

Seeing that Ella's emotions had stabilized and she no longer looked like she was about to run away, Li Shanze released the hand that was pinching her wings.

The result was beyond Ella's expectations. She was horrified, screamed, and fell vertically.

Li Shanze had no choice but to catch her with his backhand and put her on his shoulder helplessly.

"Wow, why did you suddenly let go?" Ella stood on Li Shanze's shoulder angrily, pinching her waist with her little hands, and asked.

"Didn't you ask me to let go? You even said you would bite me if I didn't." Li Shanze deliberately teased the little guy.

"That's, that's..." Ella was speechless. Her originally angry demeanor also disappeared, and she became listless. Then she forcedly changed the subject, "You haven't told me your name yet!"

Li Shanze felt amused, but instead of exposing her, he replied, "Li Shanze."

Ella looked very happy. She flapped her wings and flew around Li Shanze's head, making Li Shanze dizzy.

After flying around Li Shanze several times, she said triumphantly, "Li Shanze...Okay, Lady Ella, I'll remember this. From now on, Li Shanze will be Lady Ella's friend!"

"Okay, okay, Lady Ella, it's my honor." Li Shanze said jokingly.

Ella was even happier now. She flew around Li Shanze with her hands and feet dancing, but she soon got tired and landed listlessly on top of Li Shanze's head.

Li Shanze couldn't feel Ella's weight, and the bowler hat on his head didn't even deform.

This really is a fairytale creature... No, could it be that my soul has been burned and something is wrong?

After realizing that Ella seemed to have no effect on reality, Li Shanze began to suspect that Ella was just an imaginary friend and that he had simply had a mental illness attack and imagined such a fairy-tale elf.

"For some reason, Lady Ella feels that Li Shanze is thinking about something very rude!" Ella seemed to have noticed Li Shanze's thoughts.

Isn't this Ella more like an imaginary friend?

Li Shanze frowned: "Ella, since you chose me as your friend in Fern Town, does that mean that other people in town can't see you?"

Ella suddenly became dejected: "Yeah, no one else in town can see Ella."

"So if we talk like this, does it look like I'm talking to the air in the eyes of others?"

Even if Ella wasn't an imaginary friend, if others saw her as an idiot talking to herself in the air, that would probably be enough to lead to her social death.

Li Shanze thought.

"No, that won't happen. People who can't see Ella and can't hear Li Shanze talking to Ella will just think that Li Shanze is in a daze." Ella thought for a moment and replied.

There's no doubt about it, this is definitely an imaginary friend. I thought I was having a conversation, but in the eyes of others, I wasn't even talking!

Cognitive dysfunction—is this a symptom of schizophrenia? Or is it the result of a long-lasting damage to the soul after being burned?

No, let’s be optimistic, what if Ella is really just a fairytale creature?

Li Shanze forced himself to think positively: "So, is there a way to let others see you, Ella?"

"Ella doesn't know... Ella doesn't know why the children suddenly couldn't see the elves, which resulted in no elves being born for a long time..." Ella looked very distressed.

Then, Ella suddenly looked enlightened, as if a light bulb had lit up in her head.

The elf clapped his hands and said happily, "That's right, if Li Shanze can see Ella, then Li Shanze's children will definitely be able to see Ella too!"

"Li Shanze, even if it's for Master Ella and the continuation of the elf race, Li Shanze must marry more women and have more children!"

I've never seen any fairytale creature want to have children! And what about asking for more women... Such elves will only lead children astray!

There's no doubt about it, this guy is definitely not a fairy tale creature, she's just my imaginary friend!

Li Shanze let out a long sigh.

He was already considering whether this was irreversible damage caused by the burning of the holy light on his soul.

Perhaps the FBI has a good enough psychiatrist or some means of repairing one's soul? Could that be considered an employee benefit?

"Hey! Why is Li Shanze sighing? Could it be that he can't have a baby?" Ella said proudly, "Don't worry, Lady Ella will help Li Shanze!"

How can I help you, little thing? You are so small... Am I being too weird?

Li Shanze thought helplessly.

Then, Li Shanze saw Ella draw a heart shape in the air with her fingers, and then a beam of magical light flew towards him.

Li Shanze was startled and suddenly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding Ella's spell, which hit the dead tree behind Li Shanze hard.

Before Li Shanze could question her, Ella pinched her waist and said angrily, "Hey! Li Shanze, why are you dodging? Master Ella must be exhausted from casting spells!"

Ella looked very depressed.

Li Shanze turned around in surprise and found that the dead tree that was hit by the spell had begun to sprout new buds, and it was visibly full of life.

"Lady Ella is tired. Lady Ella wants to sleep for a while." Ella said listlessly, then she threw herself on Li Shanze's shoulder and immediately fell asleep.

Such imaginary creatures really exist! It's right that children can't see you!

Li Shanze was speechless for a moment.

Of course, the good news is that Ella is not an imaginary friend, but a real elf, and there is nothing wrong with his soul and spirit.

This made Li Shanze breathe a sigh of relief.

At this time, Li Shanze heard a very slight sound coming from behind him.

Li Shanze turned his head abruptly, only to see a hurried figure walking away.