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

Daphne flashed a bright smile: "Haha, this is the industry standard price! After all, I'll be working here full-time, and tool wear and tear, vehicle fuel costs, insurance... all of these have to be factored in."

Li Ang quickly did the math in his head: 300 a day, 60 days in two months, that's 18,000 US dollars.

Adding the 30,000 already paid, the total is 48,000, which exceeds the existing donation amount.

"Stop, lady!" Li Ang waved his hand.

"This isn't what we agreed on, is it? The quote the parish gave me clearly said 30,000, okay?"

"The quote only shows the total budget for the renovation project, that's just the project itself!" Daphne was clearly prepared, and pulled up another document from her tablet, pointing to a line of small print at the bottom.

"Look here, in the remarks section: This budget does not include the hourly wages of construction workers and any additional material costs that may be incurred."

"Hey—you're a complete swindler, aren't you? And I haven't even seen this document!" Li Ang couldn't help but complain. He was so focused on cultivating his external avatar that he hadn't paid any attention to this part.

Daphne smiled brightly: "Father, it's because this appointment was signed and authorized by the Philadelphia Diocese! And think about it, I'm just a weak woman, working here alone for two months, climbing up and down every day, exposed to the wind and sun, and constantly worrying about old buildings that could collapse at any moment. 300 a day is really not expensive!"

She gestured towards the church roof: "I do this because I love old buildings, not for the money. If I were after the money, I would have gone into commercial renovations long ago; that work pays much faster!"

Li Ang looked at her and almost laughed in anger. Those solid forearms, those headlights of the Dragon Peak level, and you're telling me she's a weak woman?

Daphne's eyes were sincere, not like she was lying, but why was she so...irresistible?

"Amen, alright then." Li Ang finally sighed. It wasn't hard to tell that someone from the parish had definitely taken kickbacks!

At this moment, Daphne took out another document from the carriage and handed it over.

"And this, you'll need to sign it."

Li Ang took it and saw that it was a disclaimer, several pages long, filled with tiny print.

"What is this now?"

"It's standard procedure!" Daphne explained.

"Federal regulations require that a liability waiver be signed for heritage restoration projects. Simply put, I am only responsible for repairing the roof itself, and I am not responsible for any other issues—such as damage to other parts of the church during construction or damage caused during the handling of materials."

Li Ang quickly flipped through a few pages.

The terms were indeed written in great detail, so much so that one might suspect that a legal team had been hired to scrutinize every word.

"May God find himself a lawyer when he curses America..." Li Ang sighed.

Li Ang quickly signed his name and wrote the date. Daphne took the document, signed a copy for herself, and then handed a copy to Li Ang.

"Alright, all the paperwork is done!" Daphne exclaimed excitedly as she put the documents into a folder and put her work gloves back on.

"I'll do a preliminary cleanup and detailed assessment today, and formal construction will begin tomorrow. It might be a bit noisy during construction, please bear with me."

"It's alright." Li Ang tucked the copy of the document under his arm and stood aside.

Daphne turned around and began unloading tools from the car. Ladders, safety ropes, toolboxes, measuring instruments... she carried them one by one towards the churchyard.

Li Ang stood on the steps, watching her busy figure, his feelings complicated.

Right now, he felt like his wallet was bleeding. He definitely didn't have enough money on hand, so he had to find a way to get some.

For some reason, Wang Bingbing's face, her incredibly smooth texture and feel, and her faint fragrance flashed through his mind, startling him.

"Why do I feel like I'm dating a rich woman..."

Putting aside secondary issues like money, the task deadline is 30 days, but the construction period is two months. No matter how you look at it, this is a dead end.

unless...

Li Ang touched his chin.

Unless he can use some "unconventional" methods to speed up the construction process.

Li Ang looked down at his right index finger, where the silver ring was worn. Legend has it that when King Solomon built the First Temple, he used his own signet ring to command the seventy-two demons, who then moved the giant stones and carved the pillars, greatly shortening the construction period.

"It seems... not entirely impossible?" Li Ang muttered to himself, then turned and walked back to the church office.

The office was quiet. The fish tank sat on the corner of the desk, its water shimmering golden in the light.

"Fennes," Leon called out.

The small fish didn't react, as if it really was just an ordinary ornamental fish.

Without wasting words, Li Ang reached into the fish tank, pinched the small fish's tail precisely with his thumb and forefinger, and lifted it out of the water.

"ah--!!"

The moment it was pulled out of the water, the little fish's body burst into a burst of silver light.

The fish tail that Li Ang was holding stretched and became slender in the light, its scales fading to reveal smooth skin. When the light faded, what he was holding was no longer a fish tail, but an ankle clad in a white stocking.

Fennes was probably only a little over 1.6 meters tall, hanging upside down in mid-air, his silver hair hanging down almost to the ground.

One of her legs was being held up by Li Ang, and her long skirt was swollen down due to gravity, revealing her buttocks.

"What are you doing?! Put me down!" Fenneus grabbed the skirt that had flipped down with both hands, but the upside-down position made it impossible for her to exert any force.

Li Ang didn't let go, he just held her like that, like a four-pound carp that an online novelist caught by a reservoir in late May 2024.

"There's a job for me," Li Ang said with a smile.

"Put me down first, then we'll talk! I am the great Fernéus! The one who holds the power of wisdom and debate!" Fernéus's face turned bright red.

Li Ang's hands were clenched tightly; the power of a level 3 physique was something she couldn't break free from in her current weakened state.

"It's simple, just help me fix my house."

"...Huh?" Fenneus stopped struggling, a blank expression on his face.

"The church roof is damaged and needs repair. I remember that King Solomon used the rings to command the demons to build the temple. You should have similar abilities, right?" Li Ang pointed to the ceiling.

"Can we please stop talking about that guy!? But... I feel like you're even more despicable than him..."

Fennes first shouted a complaint, then his eyes hardened:

"Father, please allow me to refuse. I really don't want to do hard labor anymore. You see, I'm clearly someone who wins through intelligence. How can you bear to make a weak woman like me do manual labor..."

"Weak woman, damn it, if I hear that word again I'll stab my own ears!" Upon hearing this, Li Ang not only showed no sympathy, but his forehead veins bulged.

Then, with a flick of his other hand, Li Ang knocked away the shoe of the foot that had been grabbed, revealing the foot wrapped in white silk and tightly gripping the toes.

"What...what are you trying to do now?" Fernéus clearly realized something was wrong and instinctively tried to pull back, but it was no use.

"Looks like I really need to control you properly, otherwise you won't be able to tell the difference between the king and the queen."

Li Ang smiled gently, and the hand that flicked the shoe away had somehow gathered a dark red aura of malevolence at its fingertips.