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

"Master...Master..." Fenneus's voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth, filled with obvious humiliation.

Li Ang waved his hand: "Just call him Father."

"Yes, Father."

"Now, let's get us all back to shore." Li Ang pointed to the people around him. For no other reason than that he didn't want to spend too many contribution points to exchange for water-repelling talismans.

Fennes didn't speak, he just nodded.

She stood up, lightly leaped backward, and emerged from the light membrane of the cave.

Then, Fennes began to change. His body gradually elongated and deformed, his long silver hair blended into his skin and turned into fine scales, and his skirt spread out, becoming a fishtail-like shape.

A few seconds later, she transformed into a giant silver shark.

The large, silvery-white fish flicked its tail, swam to the cave entrance, opened its mouth, and exhaled a string of bubbles.

The bubbles began to expand the moment they left the fish's mouth, turning into transparent bubbles about two meters in diameter. They passed through the light membrane and gently floated toward the crowd.

The first bubble enveloped Allen and Jennifer, followed by Mark, Josh, and Roddy. The three football players were crammed into one bubble, looking a bit crowded.

"Hey! Can you give me another one!" Mark protested.

Fenneus ignored him and simply slapped the water with his tail.

The last bubble floated toward Li Ang. Before Li Ang went in, he turned and glanced at Shirley, who was still floating in mid-air: "You go back first."

Shirley pouted, transformed into a streak of blue light, and entered the Soul Banner. Li Ang put away the flagpole before stepping into the water bubble.

The water bubbles were very soft, and stepping on them felt like standing on an inflatable mattress. Through the transparent membrane, you could see the lake water rippling outside, which, to be honest, reminded Li Ang of the inflatable water balloons he used to play on in the park when he was a child.

A shimmering light appeared on Jennifer's surface, the light membrane supporting the cave's air dissipated, and the moment the lake water rushed in, the giant fish swung its tail violently.

A gentle yet powerful current of water lifted all the bubbles and rushed toward the cave entrance.

The process of passing through the underwater tunnel was faster than expected; after about two or three minutes, the light suddenly brightened.

wow-

Bubbles burst from the water's surface and floated one by one on the bank of the stream.

The afternoon sun was a bit dazzling. Li Ang stepped out of the bubble and raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light. His leather shoes stepped on the pebbles by the stream, and he felt as if he had stepped into another world.

Other blisters burst one after another, and Mark and his two companions collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

Alan held Jennifer and carefully placed her on a dry riverbed.

The large silver fish swam to the shallow water, and its body began to change again.

The scales faded, silver hair grew back, and a few seconds later, Fennes was standing in the water again.

"Well done," Li Ang said.

"Thank you for your praise." Fernéus stood silently a few steps behind Leon, head bowed.

Ellen crouched down next to Jennifer, her fingers gently tracing the texture of the stone's surface.

He looked up at Mark and the others, then at Leon, and finally at the stream and the woods on the opposite bank.

"It feels like a dream..." he murmured.

Mark got up from the ground, brushing the mud off his pants. "I wish it were all a dream, then my butt wouldn't hurt so much. Who pushed me just now?"

"You fell down by yourself, didn't you?" Josh stood up as well, his glasses covered in water droplets, which he took off and wiped with the corner of his shirt.

Roddy stretched, his joints cracking. "But seriously, this experience... is so cool! Nobody would believe it if I told them."

Mark scratched his head and walked up to Allen. The football team's forward was more than half a head taller than the skinny Allen, but he looked a little awkward at the moment.

"Um... Allen," he said, his voice much softer than usual.

Allen looked up at him, somewhat bewildered.

"I'm sorry for what happened before!" Mark said quickly, as if afraid he would regret it.

"We shouldn't have treated you like that, and those stupid things we said about Jennifer."

Josh walked over and adjusted his glasses: "I got some too, sorry."

Roddy stood behind the two and raised his hand: "Add one."

Allen opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Mark took a deep breath, as if he had made a great decision: "Actually... I noticed you a long time ago. In the cafeteria, you always sit alone reading comics."

Allen paused for a moment.

"?!" Li Ang's body trembled upon hearing this. Something felt off!

"I also read manga, and I like Reimu Hakurei..." Mark's voice trailed off, and his face turned slightly red.

"I have a whole closet in my room... but I never dare bring it to school. You know those guys on the football team, if they find out..."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "Actually... I wanted to be friends with you, but I never dared to say it."

Josh suddenly interjected, "I also draw comics in my spare time."

Everyone looked at him.

The bespectacled guy, who looked to be about 1.95 meters tall, said with an almost tragic expression, "Every night when I get home, I draw the character designs and storyboards for Yunju again... Even though nobody likes this character, I've drawn three whole notebooks of them."

There was a two-second silence.

Roddy blinked. "Wait, so you two...?"

"You're also a master of Eastern martial arts, right, Roddy?" Josh looked at him.

"I've seen your notebook; it's full of move lists."

Roddy's expression froze.

The three of them stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"Pfft..." Mark laughed first.

Next came Josh, then Roddy, and the three of them were laughing so hard their shoulders were shaking.

"So...so everyone's a fan of anime and manga?"

Allen looked at them and couldn't help but smile with relief.

Li Ang stood to the side with his arms crossed, looking at the four high school students, and smiled.

"Yes, those were wonderful memories... so you all have to forget about all of this."

The laughter stopped abruptly.

"Wait, Father! We promise we won't tell anyone! Really!" Mark was the first to speak.

Josh nodded vigorously: "We can sign a confidentiality agreement! Or swear an oath! Any kind of oath will do!"

Roddy immediately clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Father, please! This is the only adventure I'll ever take in my life!"

Li Ang shook his head, the smile still on his face, but his eyes were serious: "There's nothing I can do. I was a high school student once too, so I know how big a mouth high school students can have."

"And remember, what happened today will only bring you danger. That world is not one you should be involved in." He glanced at Fernéus behind him.

The four people fell silent.

Allen lowered his head, and after a few seconds, he raised his head and looked at Li Ang.

"Father... give me one more minute. I don't want to have any regrets." His voice was firm.

Li Ang looked at him and nodded.