World Occult Usage Guide

The signal that Chapter 123 is ending

As Jericho had said, he thanked Lin An and his team on behalf of the foundation for transporting the Thunderbirds, gave a summary, and ceremonially praised them.

As for tonight's unrest, it was almost glossed over.

As the foundation's top leader, the president did not show any obvious bias, only expressing gratitude to the two for stopping Hill Kashrie's excessive behavior, adopting an attitude of avoiding the topic altogether.

Lin An ate his jianbing guozi while observing the president.

The person who manages the entire St. Anilov Foundation in the United States made a brief appearance while they were having breakfast.

His appearance was completely different from the CEO Lin An had imagined. Yelig had a faint smile on his lips, looking easygoing and dashing. His calm words were rhythmic, like a poet's verse, making people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

He is neither dignified nor cunning, yet he exudes a strong sense of aloofness that makes him unapproachable.

After a brief recollection, Jericho's demeanor and expression gradually overlapped with a certain figure.

X.

Jericho is like an X with human tone and micro-expressions; although his words are full of human concern and praise, he constantly pushes the listener into an insurmountable distance.

Barry said that Jericho asked him to reveal the location to the inspection team because the headquarters had been "inaccessible" for the past few days, and he didn't know why.

Lin An glanced at Yelige, who spoke in a bureaucratic tone, and figured he probably wouldn't get any information out of him.

Jericho had no intention of "communicating" with them at all; he simply gave a speech, which reminded Lin An of some professors who slacked off in class, practically emotionless reading machines.

As his speech drew to a close, Jericho nodded to the group and repeated the final instructions of the long-term mission.

"Based on the distance, please arrive at the San Francisco Foundation headquarters tonight. We will arrange for someone to meet you. For specific arrangements, please contact the Minister of Civil Service at headquarters. Thank you for your hard work along the way. San Anilov will not forget your contributions."

They acted as if nothing had happened and let them continue transporting the Thunderbirds?
Lin An finished his soy milk and frowned. Not only him, but everyone else was also puzzled.

Don't tell me you have no plans to make any changes; wouldn't it be better to send that kind of nonsense via email?

Why bother making a remote call with them yourself?

They didn't know the answer yet. The president bid farewell in a businesslike manner, much like X, and cut off all contact.

Seeing this, the knight put down his knife and fork and told the group about the Dawn Society's arrangements.

"We will continue to follow your RV to prevent any accidents on this road."

"Couldn't you send more people?" Lin An's lips twitched.

Brother, haven't you noticed that your forces have been crippled by the inspection team?

Moreover, you can't even defeat Hill Catherine when she's been weakened by half, so how are you going to deal with the remaining four deacons of the inspection team?

Lin An had a basic understanding of the strength of the inspection team. Each deacon was a chapter of Missina, rated as mythical, with a radiation value of about 20% to 30%.

As long as he isn't ambushed, he can hold his own against each of the remaining deacons in a one-on-one fight.

Only one person can fight, and at most two people at the same time.

If the four of them gang up on him, even Lin An would be overwhelmed.

"Seekers of knowledge" are not adept at direct combat. Lin An's mystery is mainly for "support," and compared to the "Judge" who is good at killing, he is weaker in terms of combat skills.

As time went on, Simon's radiation levels also increased, rising to around 21%.

As the strongest medium, the "Lord of Dreams" could suppress the "Chief Judge" medium under the same radiation value, but if I remember correctly, two of the six deacons died, and four remain.

However, the Dawn Society struggles to even deal with a single deacon.

Moreover, the inspection team also has a legendary team leader who has never appeared before.

As the founder who single-handedly established the inspection team and foundation system, this person's strength should not be underestimated.

Jericho's stated position is definitely one of absolute neutrality, and there are very few areas where he can expect help from the Foundation.

Rather, the battle surrounding the Thunderbird is essentially a power struggle between the Dawn Association and the Inspectorate, vying for influence within the Eagle Nation's Superpower Committee. The Foundation, positioned in the middle, watches the politicians clash and, based on the process and outcome, considers whether to support or oppose them.

However, the inspection team was too strict, brutal, and aloof, which led to strong resistance within the foundation. As a result, the headquarters' decisions were always more biased towards the Dawn Association.

This was probably a tug-of-war between three forces, and Lin An thought about his own position again.

They belong to the Dietrich City branch, and their mission is to transport Thunderbirds, nothing more.

Barry's choice to confront the Inspectorate wasn't because he particularly admired the Dawn Society. Firstly, he wanted to prevent the tragedy of Rasmedos; secondly, he didn't want the team to be punished because of the Thunderbird's loss of control; and thirdly, he was being watched and monitored by the Inspectorate, and he had no choice but to do so to avoid betrayal.

As for Lin An, he simply didn't want Thunderbird to die.

However, the Dawn Association cannot continue to rely on the favoritism of the foundation headquarters and the help of Lin An and his group.

That's so casual!
Their objective was to deliver the Thunderbirds, yet they only sent such a small number of reinforcements!

Efron Ruben was killed by the captain, Hill Keshley was killed by the casino owner, and now who is trying to take advantage of to eliminate the inspectors?
Where is your regent? Where is the phantom teller? Where are the philosophers?
Could it be that they intend to use this chaotic battle to weaken the various mysterious forces in the Eagle Kingdom, preserve their own strength, and ultimately reap the benefits?
So far, Lin An has only met three mid-level managers of the Dawn Association. Meanwhile, the inspection team has been repeatedly thwarted, the foundation is in disarray, several branches have been caught up in the infighting, resulting in heavy casualties, and a lot of money has been spent to resolve the situation.

Meanwhile, the Dawn Society's top brass remained safely in New York and northeastern Eagle Country, while the forces behind them stayed somewhere in the West, watching the two sides fight from the sidelines.

Could it be that transporting the Thunderbirds is just a Dawn Society scam?

Lin An hoped he was overthinking it, but if the Dawn Association continued to act like a hands-off manager, he figured he might as well take advantage of the chaos and run away with Brother Lei to the ends of the earth. "I'm sorry, due to differences in regional laws, the Dawn Association cannot make a large-scale transfer of personnel from New York to San Francisco to bring in a large number of mystics," the knight replied. "But things will go smoothly from here on out, there won't be any problems."

Lin An rolled his eyes.

Really? Without my help, I see your weaknesses are all over the place.

Barry remained noncommittal. Mishi, who hadn't experienced tonight's battle, simply felt a sense of relief as the mission neared its end.

As for Simon, a lingering gloom hung over his face, his eyes filled with melancholy and struggle.

Before leaving the room, Lin An felt a tap on the shoulder; it was the knight.

With a confident smile, he brushed past Lin An and walked into the corridor, his words drifting away unnoticed in the wind.

"Don't worry, it's just like the Trojan Horse in the Trojan War."

…………

The last leg of the long journey was filled with melancholy. Simon was driving, Barry was in the passenger seat, and Lin An and Mi Xi were in the back.

The RV was the same one that came from Dietrich, and the familiar seats remained the same.

The fewer miles away from San Francisco on the blue road signs, the closer the journey is to the finish line.

Having grown accustomed to traveling by car, Lin An no longer found the bumpy ride painful.

Rather, it was the most enjoyable, comfortable, and memorable bumpy journey of his life, from the international city of New York, through the rural and forested East, to the desolate West with its endless yellow sand, to the ever-shining gambling city, and finally to this Gulf City as his final destination.

Some neighborhoods, near and far, appeared outside the window.

As far as the city is concerned, it is beautiful.

The sky is vast and incredibly blue; as the sun sets, it transforms into a wide ocean of pink, orange, and purple.

The roads on both sides are lined with uniquely designed houses in Presidio Hill or Nob Hill, with ever-changing and distinctive styles. Well-preserved Victorian terrace houses and cable cars passing by on Market Street, ringing their bells, create a blend of retro and modern feel.

In the distance, the towering office buildings of the financial district, the Golden Gate Bridge appearing and disappearing in the mist, and the magnificent twin peaks near the bay fade into the landscape in an endless stretch. On a verdant slope, a sign that reads "Hollywood" stands, attracting tourists to stop and admire.

All sorts of cars travel along this road with them, thugs create huge hip-hop noise; young people stick their heads out of the windows and vent their incomprehensible swear words; cars that look like celebrities pass by, with privacy glass raised like RVs.

Language, like the Tower of Babel, is scattered along the highway, heading towards different destinations.

Mishi leaned against the car window, seizing the last moments to savor the breathtaking scenery; while Barry in the front row coughed a few times, his face slightly pale.

Are you finally starting to feel something?

Lin An saw that the black particles were spreading at a constant speed, occupying Barry's fingertips and toes, and slowly climbing towards the center along the nerve pathways.

Is it erosion at a uniform rate?

Lin An glanced at the time, roughly calculated the time from when the spell was cast until the user became aware of it, and then switched to the healing gem.

In an instant, the black particles ceased to be generated.

A few minutes later, Lin An discovered that the effects were fading, meaning that as long as the gems were replaced, the effects of the [Worm Curtain] would automatically disappear without the need for further healing.

There is no way to leave irreversible long-term effects.

Lin An tentatively switched back to the red gemstone, while the black gemstone remained in a state of flux.

It seems I need to hit Barry again for the gem's effect to continue.

To kill someone silently, leaving no trace of their body or soul...

It sounds terrifying, but it has many limitations in practice.

How can we maximize its effectiveness?
Having obtained the data, drowsiness overcame him, and Lin An decided to conserve his energy by leaning back in his chair to rest.

Unfortunately, I still couldn't sleep soundly in the mobile space.

Just as he still prefers chasing the shadow of "Commerx" to everything Titan has given him...

Forget it, let nature take its course.

The wind blowing in carried the coolness of the ocean, and the biting chill of Dietrich was gone. The bright sun revealed the prelude to the arrival of spring, shining warmly on Lin An.

After an unknown amount of time, darkness enveloped the surroundings.

Half-asleep, Lin An quickly came to his senses, straightened up, and looked.

It turned out that Simon had driven into a tunnel.

However, before he could relax, the brakes screeched sharply.

The car jolted violently, nearly throwing Lin An off his seat.

The car headlights illuminated the yellow "danger" warning light ahead, and a hostile intent emanated from the vehicle.

Thank you to Bird and Flying Fish, Huiyuanzi, and the president of the Chapter Preservation Association for the monthly tickets. Thank you to everyone for the recommendation tickets and subscriptions.
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(End of this chapter)