World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 202 The Formed Embryo

While the three of them were eating, Zhou Qingqing carefully observed the magical little man in the bottle.

It has grown from an embryo to about 30 centimeters in size, with fair skin, closed eyes, and a plump and cute appearance, possessing all the organs of a human.

It's like a miniature, living human child.

The little man in the bottle bears a striking resemblance to Lin An, perhaps due to his age. His features are more refined than the creator's, making him androgynous. He also has long, snow-white hair that floats like silk in the warm water flowing in the gourd cup.

"Why is it white hair?" Zhou Qingqing asked. "Is it your personal XP, Xiaolin?"

"To be honest, I don't know. It seems to have been created with white hair, but it was too weak in its embryonic stage and was less than the size of a fist, so its specific features were not visible. After it grew up, it was like it had a magnifying glass, which made its human features more clearly visible."

Zhou Qingqing's gaze shifted back and forth between Lin An and the little figure in the bottle, marveling at it. Even though she knew this was a mysterious spell that relied on the energy of "Commons" to come to life, she still couldn't help but tease him.

"I didn't expect you to be a father, junior."

“Yes, I have a child.” Lin An shrugged indifferently.

In the realm of mysticism, there are countless rituals and knowledge that transcend modern human ethics, and there is no need to feel ashamed.

In fact, Holmonks' birth was a product of philosophers' in-depth study of concepts and the creation of human life before the development of modern science.

The alchemist von Hohenheim claimed to have successfully created the first man in a bottle. He wrote that the embryo needed to develop in the bottle for a full 40 days to succeed, which corresponds to the observation that a woman is pregnant for 40 weeks.

In an era when religion still dominated the world, alchemy was a precursor to science, but many of its fundamental logics were inevitably influenced by the misogynistic traditions of the Saviour and Protestantism, which held that the process of creating life could succeed with a "single gene," or "male-only reproduction."

Paracelsus believed that, for Holmonx, the most important thing was a man's semen, because sperm could complete all the components of a human being on its own.

Furthermore, Paracelsus believed that a tiny human, or android, could be created simply from sperm cells, and that it would then develop in a woman's uterus to grow into a life-sized baby.

Setting aside the details of later alchemists' mystical practices, the idea that Holmonx's core ingredient was male semen can be traced back to Aristotle.

Aristotle focused on “essence” and “property”, calling them “matter” and “form”. He believed that form was more important, and that pregnancy was the mother providing the matter of flesh and blood, while the father infused the human form with his semen.

Of course, these theological theories have been thoroughly refuted by modern science and have become topics of casual conversation.

But this inevitably reminded Lin An of a legend even older than "Comers" from four thousand years ago. On the distant continent of the West, people believed that humans were originally hermaphroditic beings until one day a creature descended from the sky and separated men and women.

Pulling himself back to reality, Lin An looked at the little figure unconsciously swallowing and spitting out the liquid from the gourd cup. The system placed a panel above this strange embryo, displaying the data.

[Name]: Holmonks

[Rating]: Mythical C-level

Radiation level: 17.5%
[Pollution Level]: 0%
[Medium]: The seeker of knowledge

During this time, besides reading "The Complete Book of Magic," intervening in the events involving the mysterious with Joshua and the witch, collecting mediums and entries, and continuing to explore "Comers," Lin An also fed the little man in the bottle with his blood every day.

The little man not only grows, develops, and matures by relying on Lin An's blood, but it also absorbs some radiation value from the mysterious encyclopedia's origin, causing Lin An's data to fluctuate during this period, increasing by 2%.

The radiation level of the little figure in the bottle has reached a safe level, and most of the mysterious figures can no longer harm it.

"It's very light, unlike a real human; to me, it's like a feather."

The witch, having eaten and drunk her fill, walked over, looked at the little man, and commented with great interest.

"I should be able to use mysticism to teleport it to a farther place, but there are two limitations."

"Which two?" Lin An asked.

"First, the little man in the bottle can only stay in the rainforest of Brasilia for about 2 hours, otherwise I will lose its coordinates; second, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the teleportation."

"Does that mean, when your mystery is activated, the little man in the bottle will be thrown anywhere near the maker of the [Pipe Offering]?" Lin An pondered. "What's the deviation value?"

"About four or five hundred kilometers!" the witch laughed heartily.

The difference is too great...

The country roads only take me about 500 kilometers home!
“But you can bring it back to you anytime, right? After all, you know its coordinates.” Lin An repeatedly confirmed, “Isol, how many times can you teleport?”

"The coordinates are so far away that I'm getting sleepy. Last time we went to the edge of Michigan to explore a legend of 'Bigfoot,' I slept for a full 13 hours after we got back! Brasilia is so far away, I'll need at least 66 hours of sleep."

“It’s a pity that’s not Bigfoot, just a clown trying to get attention.” Joshua frowned. “He’d better become a Bigfoot Stand user someday and keep his word on his online promise so that the teacher can collect the Pokédex to his heart’s content.”

"Just out of curiosity, I'm not really that interested in seeing Bigfoot."

As Lin An spoke, he secretly pondered: It seems that before the battle with Doris, there will only be one chance to remotely contact Brother Lu and the others.

This trip to meet the four native gods wasn't just to uncover the secrets of the little man in the bottle; Lin An also wanted to use them to probe the background of the "Golden Kingdom" family in the Lower East. Ironically, since leaving Eagle Country, the cell phone Guy gave to Little Fang had lost signal, and he'd lost contact with Lin An.

Although Lin An felt that Sister Mouse knew how to solve problems, she never approved of Little Canine Tooth getting closer to Lin An. After her phone lost signal, Sister Mouse was happy to have some peace and quiet and wouldn't tell her how to connect to the network or change the SIM card.

With the prophesied "Great Catastrophe in the Eagle Nation" drawing ever closer, Lin An felt it necessary to find another opportunity to contact the four native gods and plan his next move.

After the witch finished explaining the precautions for the ritual, she and Lin An stood in a yin-yang posture.

She extended her right index and middle fingers, pointing to the sky, and extended the same two fingers on her left hand, pointing to the ground from the west, but with her thumbs extended, making a gesture resembling a gun.

As the line between reality and illusion blurred, the runes on the witch's black fur became clearer, and a six-pointed star magic circle appeared on her forehead. They transformed into a larger magic circle, encircling the little figure in the bottle like a halo.

The magic circle's pattern is a circle containing a six-pointed star, surrounded by a ring of smaller solid five-pointed stars. Black and white crescent moons adorn the magic circle's intricate lines, adding a touch of heresy and eeriness.

Seeing the magic circle envelop the little man in the bottle, Lin An gave Joshua a wink.

Even after contacting his former employer, the St. Anilov Foundation, and even hearing the words "inspection team," Joshua's memories showed no signs of reviving; they seemed to have been lost forever in the river of time, never to be found again.

He was like a blank sheet of paper. Compared to the witch with a complicated past, Joshua's behavior was simpler and more straightforward. He didn't have any deep thoughts and was more trusted by Lin An.

After all, even now, Lin An is still no match for the "Chief Judge," who is an A-level source. If Joshua really wanted to rebel, he wouldn't need to take advantage of Lin An's weakness; he could easily overthrow him and kill the "teacher" who had been playing him for a fool.

Joshua understood and stepped behind Lin An, placing his hands behind his back in a protective posture.

After taking one layer of protection, Lin An immersed his consciousness into the little figure in the bottle, entering a state of "enlightenment" synchronized with the statue of the Philosopher's Stone.

"System, search for entries."

"Check the entry 'Naming Rights for the Animal Kingdom' from the included entry 'Encyclopedia of Magic II: Alchemy and the Philosopher's Stone - Metals for Creating Life' to determine if it requires the use of the media 'Seeker of Knowledge' x2, 'Lord of the Earth' x2, and 'God of Agriculture' x1."

"use."

Unlike "the creation of alchemical golems", this entry can only be used on the bottle-shaped figure, allowing Lin An's spirit to completely merge with it.

The modern mystic Gary Rachman proposed a theory that the true goal of alchemists is to unite their earthly souls with the Creator, obtain the primordial substance that awakens divinity, and thus grasp the secret power behind the world.

In layman's terms, it means "harmony between man and nature".

The Philosopher's Stone and the Man in a Bottle are two theories proposed by alchemists from the West to achieve their ultimate vision.

Alchemists believed that the human form born from semen was the closest thing to God's original creation, free from the interference of flesh and blood, and containing the purest innate essence.

The naming rights of the animal kingdom are a mystical technique that Lin An obtained from the Philosopher's Stone. It alludes to the story of God allowing Adam to name the animals, and to his use of the potential divinity bestowed by God to gradually understand the world around him from the perspective of the Creator.

Lin An entered a strange state, as if he had broken free from the shackles of the physical body and obtained a pure spirituality that was ethereal and utterly devoid of anything.

Space shifted rapidly, a dizzying sensation swept over him, and the world plunged into darkness, a viscous chaos like bubbles. Countless phantoms resembling stars swept past Lin An, each carrying a different color.

Immediately before them was the six-pointed star magic circle, which began to rotate like a spindle.

This process lasted less than a few seconds, and Lin An's vision suddenly opened up.

The moist and fresh air is refreshing. The towering trees that stretch as far as the eye can see are like nature's most perfect canvas. Vines and dense leaves embrace the rainforest floor like a natural tent.

The clear river meanders through the dense vegetation, rippling and splashing, echoing with the calls of toucans.

However, Lin An had no interest in appreciating the beautiful rainforest.

He was now just a tiny artificial being, unable to use any mystical arts. The moment the teleportation ended, a cool breeze swept over him, and Lin An plummeted straight down.

He took the opportunity to look around. The trees were swaying in the breeze, but there was no sign of anyone, and he could not find any trace of Brother Lu.

As expected, teleportation over long distances is not feasible...

Fortunately, Lin An's consciousness could return to his physical body at any time. Just as he was about to announce the end of the experiment to the witch, a pair of broad, kind hands caught him as he fell.

"Is your wing injured, poor little bird?"

The man who saved Lin An opened his hands to himself, and when he saw the little man in the bottle, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"what is this?"

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(End of this chapter)