Chapter 224: Thick Skin

……

Ten minutes after Carl had tactfully withdrawn, Li Mochen, guided by Angela, dialed Belinda Harris's phone: "Miss Harris, this is Li Mochen."

"I know it's you!"

Belinda Harris's voice trembled for some reason, as she struggled to maintain a cold and rude tone: "Andre, is it? What do you want so early in the morning? I have a shoot, I'm busy."

Li Mochen hesitated, wondering if it was appropriate to say such things to a girl who had just come of age. Should he be more tactful? But his skin was ultimately as thick as a city wall, and under Angela's urging gaze, he finally spoke: "Miss Harris, I'd like some of your photos right now."

"Photos? What do you want my photos for?"

Belinda Harris seemed both puzzled and secretly pleased: "My photos should be easy to find, right? There are plenty in magazines, and I've released a photobook before."

"I don't want the ones available on the market; I need something more private. EMMM~ The ones I saw in the latest issue of American Fashion magazine were good, but I'd like to go a step further."

Li Mochen casually flipped through a magazine in front of him, which showed Belinda Harris in a bikini, enjoying the sun on a beach.

"Even more private? How, how dare you say such a thing?"

Belinda Harris was already incoherent: "American Fashion magazine? You want nude photos of me? That's too much, simply—"

"Not okay, is it? I actually think it's too much too." Li Mochen sighed. When Angela had suggested this, he had thought it was a terrible idea.

"It's not that it's not okay. I'll have someone send them to you."

Belinda seemed to be crying: "You bastard! Remember this, there won't be a next time."

"Really? I'm so grateful! Can you deliver them within a day? I need your signature on the back. EMMM~ If possible, could you also send the clothes worn in the photos?"

Saying this, Li Mochen realized he had indeed lost all sense of 'face'; after uttering such words, his face showed no reaction at all.

After that, Li Mochen dialed another number: "Ms. Dainn Stracy? This is Andre Lee Wyltonstein. Yes, the high school fighting sports star. Well, I'll make it brief—I want to hire you—"

"It is a bit presumptuous, but won't you hear my terms? A set of Miss Harris's most private life photos, yes, of course Belinda Harris, with her signature, EMM~ two to three sets of bikinis. Guaranteed at least three opportunities per year for close contact with Miss Harris, until I can no longer fulfill the contract."

"You agree? As long as I keep my promise, of course, all contract terms can be written into the Styx Pact."

"I can only offer you an annual salary of four hundred and fifty thousand gold shields at current market rates. No problem? You can come see me the day after tomorrow? Certainly, I will prepare what you need."

After finishing the call, Li Mochen felt a sense of unreality. Was that it? A level seventeen Temple Knight?

"Simple, right?"

Angela rested her chin on her hands, smiling like a little fox: "Ms. Dainn Stracy is also a lesbian; she really likes Belinda. No, I should say she's infatuated, but she never had a chance to get close to Belinda. Besides that, there's another reason: Dainn worships the nature goddess Artemis. During the Roman period in the Old Continent, Artemis had a fierce conflict with the Dragon Witch Cult. Artemis, a virgin goddess, was almost defiled by them, and the Dragon Witch Cult is linked to Ragnarok. So Artemis and her followers hate the Dragon Witch Cult intensely and tirelessly hunt down everything related to it."

"Dainn came to Atlanta this time partly to follow Belinda and partly because she heard the Dragon Witch Cult was planning something here. She knows about your conflict with Antonio and knows you'll inevitably clash with the Dragon Witch Cult in the future. The Dragon Witch Cult has many enemies in America, and the powerful foe you've offended is indeed terrifying. But if you show the aptitude and ability to oppose the Dragon Witch Cult, you'll get help from all sides. For example, Ms. Dainn Stracy—she can draw double salary from the Nature Goddess Church and from you, and she can fight the Dragon Witch Cult to gain divine favor from her goddess. Why wouldn't she?"

Li Mochen smiled bitterly: "So the photos and underwear don't really matter?"

"They matter a lot!"

Angela covered her mouth with her little hand, speaking leisurely: "How should I put it? Belinda's place in Dainn's heart is almost equal to her goddess Artemis. I suggest you ask Belinda to send more. If you ever need Dainn to do something, use those items as leverage—she'll be very obedient."

"I see!"

Li Mochen understood, then dialed Belinda Harris's number again.

Behind Angela, Lina Adric, who had been quietly watching, was speechless with emotion, thinking: Are these two possessed by demons?

……

Since there was a match in the afternoon, Li Mochen didn't have to attend classes as usual after arriving at school. He went directly to the school gymnasium and used various training devices to practice the 'Zhou Tian Xuan Ling Lei Qi Mantra'.

He had already improved this technique using the biological knowledge of this world, greatly enhancing the effect of lightning body tempering.

In the original dome of the sky, Wen Jian Tao Ran, whose spiritual perception could observe the minute, knew about cells, nuclei, cell walls, neurons, etc., but he only knew the functions of some structures.

As for the components inside the nucleus—nuclear membrane, chromatin, nucleolus, nuclear matrix, etc.—they were beyond his perception, and he didn't know their functions. But in this world, biologists had clearly analyzed these human structures and their functions, broadening his horizons and making the 'Zhou Tian Xuan Ling Lei Qi Mantra' more targeted.

However, just as Li Mochen was progressing step by step and had finished tempering his heart, he suddenly paused, stopped the body-tempering technique, and looked puzzled at the door: "Lina? Please come in."

The one pushing the door open was Lina Adric, carrying two training swords, her expression unusually grave.

This struck Li Mochen as odd. Since October, their Cold Weapon Fighting Club had been preparing for the upcoming NHSAA team competition. As a main member, Lina Adric should have been on the first floor practicing team coordination.

"I'm here to persuade you to stay away from Miss."

Lina Adric's eyes burned with a will as strong as steel: "Mr. Wyltonstein, your current state is very dangerous."