I am a necromancer, and I absolutely love America.

Calvin sighed:

"It's raining today, and no one is coming to distribute relief. They're going hungry, and many of them have fevers and are very weak. I just went to the nearby food distribution center and got some."

The homeless people appeared quite calm after receiving the food.

An old homeless man, who appeared to be a believer, was muttering to himself:

"Father, without medicine, I won't make it through this winter..."

Calvin had no better solution and could only respond:

"All suffering is a gift from God."

......

Richard sat on the first row of benches, bowing his head in prayer as if he were a believer.

Above them is an image of the Holy and radiant Virgin Mary.

Beneath my feet lay countless wailing, wronged souls.

Not far away, from the ground, deathly energy rose, as if it were tangible.

Richard even felt the magic within him cheering, as if his whole body had come alive, giving him a strange sense of pleasure.

Richard didn't understand the reason and could only guess that it was due to the necromancer's professional inclination.

Calvin walked up to Richard again:

"You're from Tokyo University, right? Students from Tokyo University rarely have any interest in the church."

It's raining today, and there's nothing else to do anyway.

It would be good if we could develop an Eastern follower.

Richard looked solemn:

"I don't know why, but standing here, I feel an indescribable excitement, both strange and mysterious, with a sense of peace and tranquility that transcends the mundane world."

A pile of corpses? That's peaceful and quiet.

"How come I've never felt that way before?" Calvin asked, somewhat surprised, but still smiled gently.

"You come from the East and are unfamiliar with faith. It is very rare that you can feel this radiance; this is God's guidance."

Richard nodded:

"Yes, I've never experienced this feeling before. My upbringing taught me that God doesn't exist. But standing here, all the restlessness in my heart has vanished; it's truly amazing..."

Calvin couldn't understand it, but he was very happy:

"Science still has many things that it cannot explain, which may be the realm of the divine. Faith is a gradual process. If you like, you can come and sit here often, attend masses, and listen to sermons. You may have different feelings. St. Carlisle Church is always open to everyone."

"Thank you, Father."

Calvin said a few words and left without lingering, displaying a carefree attitude of letting others take the bait.

Richard sat quietly on the bench.

Is it the realm of the gods?

he does not know.

But the intense aura of death beneath my feet was real.

This place is great, I should come here more often!

......

Richard walked out of the church.

The rain is getting heavier.

The homeless man's flimsy tent rattled loudly as the rain lashed against it.

The tent was filled with a sweet, grassy scent, mixed with a faint musty smell of earth.

A homeless man was abnormally agitated, his eyes were cloudy and unfocused, he held a cigarette in one hand and pointed to the sky with the other, speaking loudly into thin air, his words indistinct and unintelligible.

The other homeless people were all busy with their own things, and no one paid any attention to him.

Richard didn't go home; instead, he went to the Katerina Aesthetic Clinic.

This is his first time here.

The clinic is small, located between a Starbucks and a burrito shop.

The signboard has neon lettering in pink, and some of it has faded.

Promotional stickers on the glass door read "Microneedling $99" and "Hyaluronic Acid Filler $50 Off," just like the daily specials sign at the burrito shop next door.

Richard pushed open the door and was greeted by a small reception area. Several pilling cushions were placed on a beige sofa, and a few copies of Vogue magazine were on the coffee table.

A heavily made-up Latina woman with long, wavy hair was leaning over the front desk making a phone call, her cleavage accentuated by her prominent cleavage.

Richard could tell at a glance that she had undergone cosmetic procedures such as cheek enhancement and lip augmentation.

She was on the phone, glanced at Richard, made no attempt to cover her exposed neckline, and continued painting her nails with bright red nail polish while talking to the phone clipped to her neck:

"Yes, I'm free on Wednesday afternoon at 2 PM. If you're getting microneedling, remember to wash your face beforehand and don't wear makeup..."

Richard wandered around the store on his own.

The shop wasn't very big; besides Catherine, there was only one other beautician, and both of them were busy serving customers.

Catherine immediately put down her work when she saw Richard:

"I... Richard, you've arrived. Wait a moment. Sophia! You take over this guest."

"OK!" Sofia, the Latina woman at the front desk, hung up the phone quickly upon hearing this.

Catherine seemed to be very strict with her employees. Sophia didn't complain when her phone call was interrupted. She walked past Richard, looked him up and down, gave him a flirty wink, and then took over Catherine's job.

"Richard, this way." Catherine led Richard to her office.

It's called an office, but it's actually just a tiny cubicle separated by glass partitions.

The glass was simple, transparent glass. Sitting in the office, you could see Sophia holding a thick, square tube covered with needle holes, injecting it into the faces of female customers.

Sophia glanced back at Richard, deliberately bending over and sticking her butt out high.

Richard laughed. "That Latina woman is so curvaceous and juicy."

"Ignore that bitch." Catherine tried to pull up the blinds to block the view.

"What is this?" Richard stopped Catherine's movements and asked with a smile:

"What project is she working on?"

"Hydrating injections, $199 per session." Catherine took out the price list and handed it to Richard.

Richard looked at the list; most prices were in the tens or hundreds of dollars, with only a handful exceeding $500.

Is this price cheap?

"It's very cheap, and you get one free if you buy five. All the people who come here are housewives from the neighborhood, and they're all repeat customers. If the price isn't cheap, they'll leave." Catherine said helplessly. This is the big problem with budget-friendly cosmetic clinics: very low profit margins.

She continued to explain:

"It's basically just injecting hyaluronic acid, along with some vitamin C and glutathione."

"In Manhattan, this injection would cost at least $500. But the hyaluronic acid there is from a big brand, and they also use autologous serum, botulinum toxin, and exosomes, but that requires additional equipment. I don't have that here."

Catherine pulled out last month's revenue report and quickly introduced the clinic's current operating status.

In short, the clinic's main services are simple hyaluronic acid fillers, such as mesotherapy, as well as basic skin rejuvenation with botulinum toxin, IPL, salicylic acid, and glycolic acid.

Another major source of income is laser hair removal, a common cosmetic procedure in the United States.

Caucasians have abundant body hair, and the demand for it is high.

Some people even remove their pubic hair specifically for a better experience.

However, the lower area is more expensive; laser hair removal usually costs $120, while the lower area costs $250.

Catherine is very optimistic about this project:

"Some young female college students, especially those who are good-looking and have the means to become live streamers or find sugar daddies, particularly like to do this kind of project."

"I hired people to do promotional work at the gates of several universities and high schools, and the results have been pretty good. My income has increased a lot in the last two days, and my customers are no longer just those thrifty housewives."

"These girls earn money easily, so they spend it extravagantly. Some even sell full-body hair removal treatments for as much as $800."

Catherine was clearly quite pleased with her little innovation.

"However, if we want to develop into a high-end medical aesthetic clinic, these are far from enough."

"My next plan is to consider starting breast and buttock augmentation procedures, which have high profit margins, but I can't do them myself. I would need to hire professional doctors, which would be very costly."

"However, the location of the store is also a weakness. In a small store like Katerina's, even if I use better quality materials, customers won't believe me, so I can only use something harder that can produce immediate results. The hyaluronic acid here is... you know, cheaper and more effective, but with more side effects, at least it doesn't feel good to the touch, it's too hard."

"Another approach is to purchase equipment, such as an ultrasound scalpel or a laser skin resurfacing device."

......

Richard listened to Catherine's explanation while watching Sophia finish her hyaluronic acid injection.

Unfortunately, I gained no knowledge from it.

There is no progress indicator for 【The Secret of Flesh and Blood】.

Or... shall I try to operate it myself?