World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 145 "Nature Ritual"

Thunder roared like a large dog, its deep rumbles filling the air and inspiring fear as it surged around Lin An.

"Do you want to come with me? Or stay here safely?"

"Of course it's the former."

At the last moment, Lin An didn't want to miss out; he still had many questions that hadn't been answered.

After putting Simon down, he walked in the direction of the sound. The gap in the light widened, and inside stood a majestic and tall eagle, as strong as a small mountain.

Light illuminated its entirety, emanating from the surrounding, dying machines.

The eagle is three meters tall, with a wingspan of nearly five meters. Its entire body is a glossy black, and the feathers on its wing roots, chest, and tail are painted with patterns of bright red, dark green, and pale yellow, forming masks of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, neither human nor non-human, like every face of the tribe.

The mysterious creature's appearance was undoubtedly majestic and terrifying, but Lin An, who had spent more than a month with it, would not mistake it for something else.

Brother Lei!
The system also confirmed his idea through the panel.

Name: Thunderbird
[Rating]: Source Grade B

Radiation level: 25.4%
[Pollution Level]: 58.7%
[Medium]: Nature Ritual
The pollution levels have dropped significantly, and the radiation levels are almost the same as before...

It seems the chakras have reached their current limit.

Lin An and Thunderbird stared at each other for a few seconds, countless words stuck in their throats, too many and too complicated, to the point that they were speechless for a moment. So Thunderbird took the initiative to speak, his voice like muffled thunder, rumbling and echoing.

"Two-legged creature, you have made your choice, so come and witness it."

"Eagle spreads its wings... sir?"

Upon closer inspection, the Thunderbird's imposing presence was truly formidable, unlike the petite beaver or the pristine moose. Thunder surged throughout its body, like the darkest storm clouds, and its pitch-black eyes were like magnets, unfathomable.

He truly deserves to be one of the creator gods in the local mythology.

Although Lin An and the motionless wooden sculpture were at peace, he was unsure how to interact with the "come to life" Thunderbird.

“Brother Lei is a good nickname, or Brother Bird.” Thunderous voice boomed in Lin An’s ears.

"Uh……"

Thunderbird was indeed still conscious at that time!
"I really didn't mean to upset you or flirt with you!" Lin An said quietly.

Glancing at the slightly embarrassed Lin An, the Thunderbird extended its claws, the sharpness and concentrated heat penetrating the barrier of space, and a huge shadow instantly enveloped him.

"Boom!"

This source-level mystery's radiation level was three times that of Lin An. He was powerless to resist. The system's energy was as fragile as a thin sheet of paper, and it was pierced by the Thunder Bird in less than half a second.

However, Lin An soon discovered that the claws were only gently gripping his waist, and with a whoosh, they pulled him closer to the Thunderbird, instantly reducing the distance between them by several hundred meters.

Suddenly, we went from the entrance of the massive "Virtue" area to the center of the hall.

He saw the Roman-column-like wall behind the Thunderbird piercing through the ceiling, covered with a perfectly fitted display screen that had gone black due to a lack of power.

Lin An recognized this as the "Priestess" floor.

“There is no need to be afraid. Thunder is a phenomenon of cosmic balance, and I am merely a thread in the web of life,” Thunderbird told Lin An. “The names of the natives are formed from stones fired in a fire; they are names bestowed upon us by nature. You can call me whatever you want.”

“You are the leader of ‘Wakataka,’ and I should show you respect,” Lin An said, with a hint of probing.

Last time, Sister Mouse may have let something slip, but she mentioned that she is bound by the rules of "Wakataka," which translates to "Great Holy Spirit."

Lin An believes it has a background similar to the Canaanite family, the Dawn Society, or the owners of the MGM Grand Casino, and is an organization of high-ranking individuals from a single pantheon or region.

“Man has only responsibilities, not powers,” Thunderbird said. “The great Holy Spirit has no leader; it belongs to all the animals that respect us and share this land.”

Is Brother Lei not going to elaborate further?

Lin An was just trying it out without much hope, not because he absolutely had to get to the bottom of things. Rather than "Wakataka," he hoped Thunderbird would explain some of the questions that were closely related to the foundation.

"Um, Brother Lei... I have about five or six questions."

"Don't worry, Lin An. I'll tell you everything you need to know."

The Thunderbird gripped Lin An even tighter, and with the spiraling airflow, it flapped its wings and took flight.

"Boom!"

With a flicker of electricity, Lin An crashed into the airtight "Priestess" floor, navigating upwards through the dusty, narrow corridors.

This floor leads directly to the "Crown" area, which is never open to the public. The staff all thought it was just an abandoned design by the architect. Only Lin An, who had traveled back in time, knew that it was because the "Priestess" area contained the "Knowledge" area where the Shroud of Turin was kept.

Before he could even open his eyes wide, a flash of electricity went off, nearly blinding Lin An.

Just as the chaotic flashes of Venus faded away, a series of unusual illusions emerged from the sparks.

"Ping ping!" Lightning illuminated the scene in a coffee shop. Lin An saw himself staring intently at the scene in front of him, reaching out to touch the air like a pantomime actor, as if there were an invisible screen there.

...When was the first time I experimented with "100% accuracy"?
Lin An suddenly remembered that he had indeed felt a strange gaze from the window of the corner coffee shop that day, and when he turned around, he only saw a man with single eyelids.

Lin An was quickly drawn to his junior, Ruan Ruyun, and paid no attention to this strange guy.

So that was the Thunderbird's "human form"?
On the very fifth day after my awakening of my mystic powers, I unexpectedly encountered the local creator god, Alpha-001 of Dietrich, this powerful source-level being...

Its gaze didn't linger at the coffee shop; it followed Lin An like a shadow, to his senior's restaurant, to Carmen's newsstand, to his rented apartment, and finally, it stared at his sleeping face from mid-air before blurring and disappearing.

"I'm confirming if you're the person I'm looking for," Thunderbird's voice rang out from the side.

"Is it related to the 'Lady with the Lamp' medium...?" Lin An roughly guessed its target, his feelings complicated. "You've been paying attention to me for so long. By the way, how did you 'track' me? Was it the power of 'Nature Ritual'?"

This method of remote observation is somewhat like "hitting the bullseye every time".

Considering that the "Lord of Dreams" seems to be an omnipotent medium, it might also be able to control the power of "Nature Ritual".

"Yes."

Thunderbird admitted it.

“I can attach my ‘gaze’ to a person except that one time, when you went back in time to perform the four rituals for the coyotes, I was also by your side.”

It's somewhat similar to Hill's marriage law, except that it cannot control or influence the behavior of the possessed individual.

"If I remember correctly, your radiation level increased while your pollution level decreased. What happened?" Lin An asked.

"Nature worship requires sacrifices, blood, and offerings, but they can only passively wait for the opportunity to come."

Listening to Thunderbird's words, Lin An thought of the Druid sacrifice in the "Complete Book of Magic".

"Nature worship" is not as gentle as the name of the medium suggests; on the contrary, it is quite fierce and cruel, because nature itself is very ruthless, but it will not actively target any particular person.

Upon closer examination, both of Thunderbird's reduced pollution levels were related to itself.

The first time was when Lin An killed Corey and Leicia. The two dying men were summoned away by the Thunderbird and died in front of it. The second time was when Lin An attacked Guy in the helicopter. The Thunderbird's gaze was on him, and he also received a sacrifice.

"So, you're now thanks to the Foundation riots, the two factions of mystics killing each other, completing the sacrifice, and reducing your level of contamination?"

Lin An was startled.

Could the person who caused X's paralysis be Brother Lei?

“Naturally, they are patient.” The Thunderbird’s feathers shimmered with an elusive light. “But living beings are always killing each other, because they cannot survive otherwise. Hunting, fighting for territory, and bloodshed over reproduction happen all the time.”

"The nutrients from the corpse are buried in the soil, giving rise to new shoots and starting a new cycle of life. The ever-renewing nature is like a thunderbolt from the sky, bringing destructive energy, rain, and fire to primitive people."

"Like the god of truth, nature priests mostly maintain a neutral stance; but unlike them, when the balance of the world and the universe is broken, wars will break out, and in these wars you can find the illusory shadow of nature."

Thunderbirds merely foresaw the occurrence of this riot...

How did it know that? It doesn't understand divination, and the local deities don't have any mystical mediums like "prophet".

"Brother Lei, let's get back to the previous topic. What good will finding me do?" Lin An continued to ask.

“It’s a pity you joined the Foundation back then.” Thunderbird shook his head. “I arrived too late and could only leave my gaze on you, so the other mystics were misled by my aura and ignored your presence.”

"..."

I made that decision too impulsively because of my feelings.

Who would have thought that besides the three-way power struggle between the Foundation, the Clan, and the Witch, Dietrich also harbors its own local deities?
"Was it your doing that the foundation headquarters assigned our team to this transport mission? Was your purpose to have me pass through Nashville to help Little Tooth resolve the Holy Mountain incident?"

"Correct."

“I’m afraid I need more information.” Lin An’s eyes twitched.

How could Thunderbirds influence the decisions of the Foundation headquarters?
Aren't they mortal enemies?
“I went to Maple Leaf Country,” Thunderbird said. “I met the master of ‘Xiyong’.”

"Xi Yong?"

The thunder subsided, and the Thunderbird brought Lin An to their destination, where a familiar scene unfolded before their eyes.

Lin An arrived at the "Knowledge" area once again. Unlike in the past, the doors were wide open, revealing the hidden research rooms.

All the instruments lost power, and the Shroud of Turin in the coffin disappeared.

Lin An looked up and saw a bright light flickering at the end of the chimney pipe, emanating from the "crown" area where X was stored, dispelling the surrounding mist.

Is Adam Cadmon... complete?
Thank you to Ark Lord, Book Friend 20200216205011856, and Book Friend 20210613212411730 for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for the recommendation tickets and subscriptions.



(End of this chapter)