World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 204 Rainforest Carnival

"It's not a hallucination, Brother Lu, I'm right here."

A clear breeze blew past Lin An, who had transformed into a tiny figure inside a bottle, and he heard the moose murmuring to itself, calling out even louder.

Aside from the Thunderbird's clandestine spying, the moose was the first local deity to initiate a conversation with Lin An, which made him feel very comfortable.

The moose finally noticed the source of the sound and saw Lin An standing on Kurupila's shoulder, looking completely puzzled.

"Lin An? Why have you become so small?"

"It's a long story. I came here specifically to see you all..."

Just as Lin An was about to ask something, a loud "ping-ping" drumbeat rang out in the distance, followed by the melodious sound of a flute playing a war song. The shouts of men and women mingled together, interrupting their conversation.

"Hahaha!" Kurupila laughed loudly. "Lin An, come join our carnival! I'll get you a suitable mask!"

After saying that, he tossed Lin An toward the moose and strode off toward the source of the aroma of roasted meat, whether he was really going to get the mask or was in a hurry to eat the roasted meat was unknown.

The moose raised its head and caught Lin An in mid-air with its massive head. Lin An grabbed its two antlers, sat in the middle, and felt the warmth of the soft fur beneath him.

"Lin An, how are you doing?"

"Actually, it's not too bad. Sometimes I'm still thinking about how to handle things," Lin An replied. "At least I'm happy to see you. Um, I'm currently..."

As he was thinking about how to help Brother Lu understand the concepts of "alchemy" and "Hormonex" from the Western Continent, a gentle southerly breeze brushed against his lips, dispelling the dampness and heat of the rainforest.

“Everything in nature exists in its proper way. As long as you come, whether you become a hummingbird, a crocodile, a bee, or an ant, I won’t be surprised.” The moose shook its head. “Besides, you’re so happy.”

Lin An's pupils trembled slightly, but he did not forget the purpose of his trip. He stroked the moose's antlers to show his gratitude, and then spoke.

“Brother Lu, you once invited me to go with you to that place made of gold. It’s not that I didn’t want to go, but I wasn’t sure how they would treat me, an outsider without any native blood. Would they be as tolerant of me as you are?”

The moose thought for a moment, then moved the leaf-shaped wine cup filled with sugarcane wine to one side, bent its limbs and sat on the ground, facing the direction from which the singing was coming.

"Lin An, look over there."

In the center of the tribe's low-rise buildings, men and women danced energetically, while around the bonfire, a circle of musicians played drums and flutes.

Lin An knew the Portuguese names of these two instruments: the bass drum angìgua guazú and the wooden flute pingullo.

There was a lot of food laid out beside the campfire, but Lin An only recognized mushrooms, bananas, and sweet potatoes.

Kurupila waited beside the barbecue chef, drooling. Skewers of berries, pineapple, and meat tumbled over the campfire, releasing their juices and enticing aroma.

Apart from the gluttonous rainforest god, all the other men and women wore masks of various animals, held hands, circled the campfire, and sang and danced.

The man was bare-chested, with a skirt made of feathers and animal skin around his waist, and his entire body was decorated with conspicuous paint and feathers, and embellished with bright fabric scraps cut into tassels.

The women wore traditional corsets adorned with ribbons and adorned their heads with yellow taperi flowers. The setting sun, mixed with the dampness of the mist, cast rainbow-like bright spots of light on their rosy skin.

Their dance was festive and lighthearted, full of intense emotion, yet it left Lin An completely bewildered.

They answered my question in this way again...

Lin An's lips twitched.

Admittedly, he admired the moose's easygoing and unassuming nature, but it was definitely the most primitive of the four native gods, the one least influenced by foreign civilizations!
The local deities use illusions to answer human doubts, believing that all understanding lies within themselves, which is why Brother Deer likes to be a heartless VCR player.

Whenever an answer is involved that cannot be summarized in a few words, it immediately inserts a "video" for Lin An.

Who are those guys dancing?
Are you having a social gathering with the gods of Guarani?

This riddle is too abstract; I really can't understand it.

Taking a deep breath, Lin An asked hesitantly, "Brother Lu, could you give me a few words of guidance...?"

“You always crave some kind of textual explanation,” the moose said as if waking from a dream. “If you decide to truly set foot on the land of the Lower East, most of them will become the creatures that travel with you, that is, your companions.”

"Are they members of the 'Golden Kingdom'... a prominent family from the Lower East Continent?"

"What you are seeing before you is Arete guasu, a carnival led by the Guarani tribe, which translates to 'Great True Moment'."

The south wind blows slowly and gently.

"During the carnival, anyone from any tribe can participate in the song and dance that is an offering to the Holy Spirit, simply by wearing a mask called aa jti."

"Does that mean that besides the four of you from the 'Wakataka' alliance and the gods of Guarani, there are other high-ranking mystics from other regions involved?" Lin An concluded.

"Through dancing, singing, and constant laughter, the tribe's faith is united. Through the mask, a bridge to the spiritual world, we communicate with the greatest and only remaining Holy Spirit and strengthen our relationship with Him."

Holy Spirit?

If Lin An remembered correctly, the former president of the foundation, Jericho, said, "The Holy Spirit of the Upper East is long dead!", but he did not mention the "Holy Spirit" of the Lower East.

Judging from Jericho's words, the Holy Spirit refers to an iconographic native god, and it seems that only by having such a mystical being as a leader can one be qualified to participate in the war between top powers.

What kind of existence would a statue-level being be?
To confirm further, Lin An pressed, "Brother Lu, is that Holy Spirit an icon?" "I've said what I needed to say," Moose said noncommittally. "Lin An, why not join us? You'll gain a clearer, more personal understanding than words can convey. After all, you're the one who chose to walk with us, and I don't want to sway your heart with words."

"Oh……"

Lin An glanced at the dancing men and women, trying to find three familiar figures, but everyone was wearing animal masks. As the drumbeats quickened, their dance steps became more and more dazzling, like a flock of colorful parrots.

“The tent guard, the little canine tooth, and the eagle with outstretched wings are all there; they will help you,” the moose said encouragingly. “You won’t get any answers from me now; I’ve told you everything I can.”

"By the way, Brother Lu, aren't you coming with me?"

Lin An sat atop the moose's head, its antlers surrounding him like a forest, giving him a great sense of security.

“I have witnessed the cycle of the four seasons more than fifty times. I no longer have the energy to jump around with young people and offer my passion and energy to the Holy Spirit.”

More than fifty years...

It turns out it wasn't Brother Lu, it was Grandpa Lu!
Lin An was very surprised and couldn't help but ask.

"What about the others? I only know that Little Canine Tooth is about my age; she's 20 years old this year."

"The eagle spreads its wings at 27, and guards the tent at 38."

This is truly unexpected information.

Brother Bird is a genuine Brother Bird, and Sister Mouse is actually Aunt Mouse.

Faced with a moose older than his parents, Lin An felt embarrassed to call it "brother" in a somewhat frivolous way. So he simply lay down silently, mimicking its posture, and gazed at the distant dance, waiting for Kurupila's return.

The fur and claws of wild boars, Eastern tigers, Eastern lions, deer, pythons, egrets or herons, monkeys, and birds were skinned and made into masks that reeked of blood. Unlike the more benign native four gods, the civilization of Lower Eastern seemed to be accompanied by an inescapable bloodshed.

Yet within this killing and sacrifice lies a respect for the dead and for nature; the two are united, achieving a wondrous balance.

Just like the circling dance they are performing now, Portuguese, Spanish, Guarani, and various tribal languages that Lin'an cannot understand are mixed together, the songs are hoarse and majestic, soaring straight to the top of the rainforest clouds.

“arakae!”

"This word has three meanings: 'past,' 'awaken,' and 'future.'"

The smell of dried sheep dung and withered branches wafted over, and Lin An turned around to see a woman with a cane appear alongside Kurupila.

The boy put on a baboon mask and held a small bowl full of food and a mini poison dart frog mask in his hands.

“Yours is small, while mine is big.” Kurupila handed the two items to Lin An, her unintentional words sounding awkward no matter how you looked at them. “You can survive on nuts and berries in the wild, but a person who is a little bigger would starve to death.”

"thank you."

Lin An knew he was referring to appetite. He took the food; the stone bowl was filled with steaming stewed meat, and a fishy smell and a burnt bitterness permeated the air. It was mushy and unappetizing.

The little man in the bottle couldn't eat anyway. Lin An put on the poison dart frog mask and was about to jump off the moose's head when the woman accompanying him spoke, her voice like a spell that made people drowsy.

“I can trace your past deaths and your future deaths.”

Jatara, the goddess of naps and kidnappers, is one of the seven monsters of Guarani. Lin An speculated about her mysterious prototype, but unfortunately, without the system's assistance, he couldn't obtain the data.

"Prophet"... no, it should be the god of truth.

The fact that Lin An had wandered around Dietrich for so long without ever seeing the God of Truth was enough to show how rare such a medium was.

It seems the Golden Country is truly teeming with talented people.

The next moment, the moose stood up, and the purifying wind blew, dispelling the subtle distortion at the end of Jatara's cane, making Lin An's thoughts incredibly light.

"Death awaits us all in the future."

Its attitude was undoubtedly one of absolute favoritism, and Jatara left in a huff.

She originally wanted to test Lin An, since the aura emanating from the little figure in the bottle was very unfamiliar and did not seem to belong to the local mythology of the Upper and Lower Eastern Continents.

Having driven away the ill-intentioned Jatara, the moose gently nudged Lin An's back with its nose, propelling him forward.

"Go inside. Don't be afraid, I'll be here all the time."

“Grandpa Deer…” Lin An hugged its soft mouth, “Thinking about it carefully, we’re practically the best partners. I’d even be willing to join the ‘Golden Kingdom’ just to team up with you.”

"Lin An, you have a brain in your head, and your feet are in your shoes. You can walk in the direction you choose. Because you already know what you know, and you will decide where you should go..."

The moose watched Lin An leave, and after he had only taken a few steps, Kurupila impatiently picked up the little man in the bottle and rushed like a gust of wind towards the center of the carnival.

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(End of this chapter)