World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 196 The Two in Action

The witch's attitude toward mysterious objects is quite interesting.

She believes that the meaning of the dead is given by the living. Rather than letting the mysterious items sit in the Foundation's exchange warehouse for a long time, it is better to take them out and let people use them, as if those who have reached 100% contamination and are dead are still alive.

So she distributed the mysterious items to the free mystics who wanted them, keeping only a few for herself.

“When humans don’t express themselves, they might as well be dead. What do you think, ghost?” the witch said. “We should live in this world from a freer, more personal perspective.”

“My former captain told me the exact opposite of what you said; he believed that the law is the last line of defense against human nature.”

Lin An probed the witch's thoughts, as this was closely related to his next course of action.

Upon hearing his assessment, the witch chuckled, her body covered in mystical symbols shimmering. A pendant bearing a black and white moon, a legendary symbol of good and evil, hung from her ram's horn.

"Let me answer with a story! Take that robber who was nailed to the cross with the Messiah, yet wept bitterly on his deathbed—how ridiculous! Heaven knows what crimes that criminal committed, yet he wanted to repent on his deathbed!"

"What's the use of regretting something when you've already stepped into the grave? Classic self-pity; but this is the foundation's persistence, and their long-standing dedication."

"To them, God is the embodiment of goodness, nobility, and love. True! But there are other things in the world. The foundation attributes these to the devil, ignoring their origins, avoiding the topic, and even refusing to accept the possibility of their existence."

“I would only choose another robber as a friend. He is a man of principle and character. In this situation, regret is just hypocrisy, so he went all the way and did not betray his conscience at the last moment.”

Lin An seemed to understand something, and roughly grasped the witch's thought process.

In other words, she hopes that everyone can follow their heart, be their own judge, find themselves, stay true to themselves, and walk forward along their own path, no matter where it leads.

Even in death, it is still a piece of the puzzle that elevates life.

They truly deserve the title of "dreamers"; they despise reality and are quintessential anarchists.

No wonder the witch didn't kill many people, yet she was listed as the Foundation's number one enemy; the fundamental reason lies in the conflict of their ideologies.

“I do not oppose people worshiping God, not at all. But in addition to walking the way of God, one must also walk the way of the devil. Only a God who includes the devil will not turn a blind eye to the most natural things in the world.”

The witch chuckled and pushed open the door to the captain's cabin, the old, grating sound echoing through the magnificent illusion.

"crunch-"

A row of familiar black boxes were laid out. Lin An opened them one by one, and the system's panel data was displayed on top, flashing with green fluorescence.

【Ghost Lamp】, 【Devil's Dice】, and 【Haunted Box】.

Lin An had seen these three items in the foundation's exchange system and was familiar with them.

The Ghost Lamp is a Mystery-level item, similar in function to a "Nuclear Flashlight," providing illumination. When infused with a "God of Agriculture" medium, it can diffuse the range of light.

The Devil's Dice is a mysterious item from the Cataclysmic "Prophet" medium. This divination tool has two sides, "True" and "False". Injecting a "Prophet" medium will yield the answer to a question.

Lin An found this thing very useful; it could counter the "prophet's" abilities—he was truly fed up with those bastards who kept nagging behind his back.

The last item is the Ghostly Box, a catastrophic "Mother of Desire" mystery item.

It was suspected to be a subordinate abandoned by Doris in life, containing a vengeful spirit inside. It was activated by injecting a medium called "Mother of Desire". It would possess the first person to open it, causing lasting psychological trauma.

Seeing that the witch didn't care, Lin An took the three items.

This is probably the last time you can buy something for free.

“Isol, if I remember correctly, you also took something else from the Foundation.” Lin An put the [Devil's Dice] into his jacket pocket, ready to use it at any time. “The [Invisible Candle].

The foundation's description of it as continuously drawing souls, and being the only mysterious item with only side effects and no positive effects listed, left a deep impression on Lin An.

In the magic book "Little Albert," candles are a symbol of the underworld, capable of summoning the spirits of the dead, and also represent various elements and concepts in medieval and even older sacrificial rituals.

In the painting "Baphomet of Mendes", candles are lit between the two corners of Baphomet, symbolizing its ability to travel between the mortal world and the underworld.

The witch tilted her head, her long brown hair obscuring her profile: "Because it always absorbs the life force of those around it indiscriminately, I put it in a separate warehouse."

"You still have a warehouse?"

"Yes, but that's my secret hideout." The witch placed her hand on Lin An's thick black hair. "Are you curious? When we're closer, I'll take you there, okay?"

Lin An nodded. The witch was extremely loyal to her own heart, and she could only be dealt with through emotion, not force, and even logic and reason were useless.

The two do not yet have a completely trusting relationship, so she inevitably keeps some things from each other.

Lin An wrote about the candles next to the fourth point in his notes, then returned to the first point: "Collect more divine mediums as reserves," which was the most crucial preparation before the final battle.

Lin An turned and opened the door to the captain's cabin, a muffled thud followed by a groan.

"what!"

Anna, who was peeping, was knocked to the ground with a "bang." She covered the large red bump on her forehead, her eyes brimming with tears. Lin An quickly made a shushing gesture and spun the Philosopher's Stone to heal her wound.

Anna blinked her big eyes, and then Lin An spoke.

"Little Anna, can you get the coordinates of a place based on its description?"

"I'm sorry, Lord Ghost, I can only use one specific 'person' as a clue..."

"It's okay, I guessed it."

Lin An was not entirely surprised; the lower the rating, the more limitations there were. This "Daughter of Enoch" was ultimately just a catastrophic-level mystic. "Clang—clang—clang—"

The city hall bells rang in the distance, telling the weary sailors it was time to go home.

Lin An estimated that the ship had drifted to the vicinity of the International Bridge again, and judging from the time, it was about time. He turned to the yawning witch.

"Isol, have you obtained the coordinates of the [White Dove]?"

"Of course, what's wrong?"

"I just asked him to go to my apartment to tidy up some...old things." Lin An licked his lips. "I promise this is the last time I'm asking you for this today!"

My complete set of "The Complete Book of Magic" is still there!

“Helping is mutual, ghost.” The witch smiled casually. “You could even say that ‘helping’ is an important part of building friendships. Let’s go.”

…………

A cold front from Canada swept through the villas of the wealthy neighborhood, causing the sycamore trees to rustle in the wind.

This once bustling mansion, which had hosted countless parties, is now surprisingly deserted. Black-clad bodyguards stand guard with their hands behind their backs, but this still doesn't stop busybodies from peeking in at the door.

"Miss Wood has been keeping a low profile lately, which is unlike her usual style."

"I'm also looking forward to the big party that combines Easter and April Fool's Day this year."

"I heard that the Wood Group has been withdrawing investment everywhere recently, terminating cooperation with many companies, even at the cost of breach of contract, and even selling off a large number of original shares, causing a lot of listed companies to be in a mess. Could it be that they have some kind of funding problem?"

"Hmph, I never thought that this behemoth, which built its fortune on currency trading and usury, would one day fall. The young lady's family is bankrupt; they might even have to sell their house soon!"

"You must be joking. Even if the Wood Group has run into cash flow problems recently, a villa in the wealthy neighborhood of Dietrich is just a piece of butter on their breakfast bread. They can buy it whenever they want!"

The floor-to-ceiling windows let in weak natural light.

Despite the beautiful spring scenery, the continuous rain, low-hanging clouds, and chilly winds made the weather unbearable.

The marble swimming pool in the garden had been unused for too long and the servants had drained the water, leaving only a filthy ruin. It was barely maintained in its original state through constant cleaning.

Doris lay on her back on the bed, her short hair as hard as stone, forming a fiery red cloak, and her light golden skin covered with a dazzling array of gems.

The priceless lapis lazuli, emeralds, and agate protrusions, like tumors, tormented her body.

Moreover, what tormented Doris most was the nauseating corruption emanating from the depths of her soul.

The overwhelming aura of death tormented her spirit. Although Doris used Canaan magic to protect her soul and prevent its spread at all times, she could not completely suppress the decay caused by the Philosopher's Stone. The pain penetrated to the bone.

That damned ghost!
After a long while, she opened her ruby ​​eyes.

"Life doesn't always go your way; the future requires effort. Esther, you must stand up and say: I don't care how difficult it is, I don't care how disappointed I am. I will not let this defeat me; I will continue to write my own destiny."

Doris, her body stiff, waved to summon her loyal servant.

They knew nothing about Xion and the Holy Grail Project, yet they were her only remaining useful people.

"Spend $200 million on marketing and promotion for this personality test questionnaire. The target audience is the entire state of Michigan. Ask me if you need more money."

“But Miss, you have very little property left, and we still have some bank debts,” the butler stammered. “Perhaps we could ask Mr. Wood…”

"Don't contact him! Or anyone from the Wood Group." Doris rubbed her throbbing temples, her tone impatient. "Just do it this way. I don't want to repeat myself!"

“Yes, Miss.” The butler bowed respectfully. “There’s one more thing, about our new ‘guest’ in the basement, Professor Adria Hughes…”

"What's up with her?"

"She asked you if she could replace the bagel for breakfast with a baguette."

Doris felt a wave of nausea and dizziness rise to her throat, her vision blurring. She was utterly fed up with this pointless question, and she pounded the sheets, suppressing the urge to unleash a torrent of curses.

Striving to maintain an elegant and proud demeanor, she said coldly, "Let her be."

"I understand, Miss."

After the butler left, Doris endured the pain alone for a while, as a tidal wave of pain surged down from the depths of her soul.

Although this was not the end of the torment, she exhaled and looked at her face in the dressing table mirror, which was as noble and sacred as a statue, like a goddess worshipped by the statue of Mesopotamia, a puppet revered by thousands.

Gritting her teeth, Doris looked away, put on her coat, and left the bedroom.

The maid in the hallway brushed past her, carrying two bags of fragrant baguettes as she headed towards the basement. Doris watched her disappear, her brows furrowing slightly.

Adria Hughes...

That extraordinary, detached "ordinary person".

"I feel like there's a gap in my memory... Have I forgotten something?" Doris murmured to herself.

Thank you to Ollie, AlvMolak, ChaosMing, and reader 20230219569082 for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for the recommendation tickets and subscriptions.

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(End of this chapter)