World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 232 The New Era (Part 2)
Lin An remained silent throughout the journey.

Sasaki wasn't good at chatting with others, so he remained silent until the red lacquered signboard of Chinatown came into view.

The weathered stone lions have all crumbled, while the bright red and purple imitation antique buildings still stand. The menacing plaques with words like "Golden Dragon," "Dongfanghong," and "Shangri-La" have fallen to the ground, telling a story of silent destruction.

The mountain of cardboard boxes burst open, spilling spices, expensive fruits and vegetables, and semi-finished ready-made meals that had traveled across the sea onto the ground.

The aroma of food that once filled the air was replaced by a burnt smell—the rubbery odor of a leaking gas pipe.

However, unlike several other areas and streets, this place was unusually quiet.

There were no sounds of human activity, nor the hissing roars of the out-of-control mystery. Instead, a few fat rats flashed by, their paws clutching several moldy buns.

An ominous premonition settled in Lin An's heart.

“A week ago—”

Just as Sasaki was about to call out, his expression suddenly hardened, and he flew with Lin An to the roof of the Shangri-La Hotel, hiding behind several bright red, dusty lanterns.

On the desolate and dilapidated street, two middle-aged men walked towards him. Lin An pricked up his ears to listen to their conversation.

"There are no survivors from the Dragon Kingdom here."

"Let me report to Daojun that the evacuation of overseas Chinese from Dietrich is nearing completion."

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we expect to be able to depart from the embassy early tomorrow morning and have our compatriots board a special plane to return to China."

It turns out the survivors from Chinatown were taken away by the Dragon Kingdom's rescue team.

Lin An and Sasaki both breathed a sigh of relief.

Because the "Comer's" chakra is located in the Eagle Kingdom, the Upper East was most affected, followed by the Lower East, while the other continents were less affected and maintained a stable order.

Apart from economic losses caused by factors such as stock market crashes, there was at least no widespread disaster resulting in death.

As an ancient nation with a history spanning thousands of years, the Dragon Kingdom possesses considerable strength in both its powerful families and official institutions, unlike the relatively weak St. Anilov Foundation of the Eagle Kingdom.

Upon returning to their homeland, the survivors should be able to receive care.

Although the two middle-aged men were mystics, their ratings were not as high as Sasaki's, and they had no means to counter the "prophet," they passed right under Lin An's nose without realizing it.

Sasaki, due to his social anxiety, did not want to talk to them. He also advised Lin An not to act in a high-profile manner, especially not to contact people who might come from aristocratic families, lest the news spread and reach the ears of the Black City.

Lin An could only watch their figures disappear.

“Senior Zhou is definitely alright now.” Sasaki stretched.

"I still want to confirm it with my own eyes."

As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of stagnation washed over Lin An's mind.

He understood that the energy from outer space was gradually stabilizing the internal structure and beginning to sever his consciousness from the planet, leaving the little man in the bottle with little time left.

"Alright, it's not far anyway."

Sasaki confirmed that no one was around, then jumped off the roof. Lin An quickly found the Cantonese restaurant with bright red couplets among the many snack shops.

The building's glass shattered, leaving only drafty doors and windows.

The two walked straight in, only to be met with complete darkness, devoid of power. The once bustling and lively restaurant, which had been cheerful just days before, was now cold and silent.

The whole family celebrates the New Year with joy and happiness.

May you be blessed with good health and strength.
I also wish you a successful promotion this year.

May your days be filled with laughter and your future be bright.
Lin An walked on the greasy, rough red carpet, humming "The God of Wealth Arrives," the song most often played in the restaurant, searching for clues hidden among the ruins.

Although the air was filled with the same unpleasant smell of burning as outside, it was reassuring to find that there was no smell of blood, and the scattered furniture showed no signs of a struggle.

It was probably after the senior student's family had successfully evacuated that the out-of-control mysterious entity entered and caused destruction.

"My senior is at least a disaster-level mystic, possessing a certain degree of self-defense ability," Lin An thought.

"Ding ding dong!"

Suddenly, a battery depletion warning sounded in the dead silence. Lin An followed the sound and found a phone with a cracked screen and only 1% battery left.

When Lin An swiped the power button, he discovered that the screensaver was a photo of him and Ruan Ruyun.

In the photo, Lin An is holding a giant blue angel cotton candy, Ruan Ruyun is wearing rabbit ears and making a "V" sign next to the Ferris wheel in the amusement park, and Joshua, who is taking the photo, is unfamiliar with the mobile phone camera and is covering the upper left corner with his finger.

Speaking of which, before Lin An and Doris's duel, Lin An specially asked Zhou Qingqing to prepare a table of delicious food and invite his junior to treat them and pay for it.

Therefore, Ruan Ruyun stayed in her senior's restaurant when the disaster occurred, and escaped the calamity thanks to the mysterious magic of the [Fox Spirit].

Lin An had accidentally seen Ruan Ruyun's lock screen password before, and now he could use it.

The screen was unusually dim in power-saving mode, and it stopped on the green bubble chat interface as soon as I unlocked it.

A Cloud Made of Rain: Sorry, I've been too busy studying for final exams lately and haven't checked my phone much. Senior, I heard from the senior students in the Humanities Department that you applied for a gap year? What's going on?

A cloud made of rain: I'm done with my work, senior.

A Cloud Made of Rain: Senior Zhou said you invited me to her restaurant for dinner tomorrow? Sure, but next time I hope you'll tell me personally through Green Bubble that it really won't use many bars of battery.

A cloud made of rain: Senior, I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight.

A Cloud Made of Rain: By the way, senior, next week is my birthday. I'm planning to see this movie. Do you want to come with me? [Kitten peeking out]
The last message was five days ago, but "The Cabin in the Woods" has never replied to this cloud.

"Ding ding dong..."

The battery was critically low, and the phone, barely hanging on, automatically shut down.

"It's so sour!" Sasaki was bored and saw an orange tree in the restaurant covered with small red packets. He picked one and tried it, but was so sour that he questioned his existence.

“If it’s too sweet, customers will pluck this tree bare.” Lin An glanced at him. “When I was working, my senior had a few pots of sweet tangerine money trees at her house, and then they were plucked bare overnight.”

"That doesn't mean I have to plant an orange tree whose life is even more miserable than mine." Sasaki shook his head. "Lin-san, I detected the presence of Senior Zhou and your girlfriend through the remaining scents. They're alive and well. Are you relieved?"

"Ah."

Sasaki turned on his phone, and a cute, electronic singer broadcast the situation of [Takamagahara Co., Ltd.].

"I have to go now."

"I'm almost there too."

Lin An felt that the passage through outer space was becoming increasingly narrow, which meant that, apart from a special summoning ritual, he would not be able to return to this planet for a while.

Sasaki knew that Lin An cherished this time, so he accompanied him silently. When they passed the bus stop, a deformed sign came into view.

"Due to changes in routes or road conditions, city buses will not be stopping at this station. Please board at the previous or next stop. Thank you for your cooperation."

“This bus route has never been normal,” Lin An said. “It caused me to take a long detour a few months ago, where I was attacked by the Dwarf Demon on that dirty path, and then stepped into a bizarre and mysterious world.”

“Fate has invited you, Lin-san. You belong to ‘Comers’,” Sasaki said casually. “It was only a matter of time.”

"A ghost from five thousand years ago..."

Lin An stood once again at the entrance of that dark slum alley. The surroundings were still silent, filthy and stinking, with piles of grime and garbage that had been left unattended for a long time.

Suddenly, a beam of moonlight, as beautiful as a rose, burst forth, turning the sky a snow-white color.

This was the most beautiful scenery Lin An had ever seen in his life. Vibrant, soft colors were scattered across the ruins, and the angels were like a spotless mirror before God, with feathers fluttering and a serene, smiling face appearing.

The moon concentrated a great deal of memories into Lin An's mind. Some were as warm as this person's smile, while others were oppressive, tragic, and unfortunate, like eyes closed for immortality.

In this pure white, exquisite moonlight, something is singing, its melody soft and beautiful.

Lin An held his breath and listened intently.

That was the cry of survival from the survivors of Dietrich.

Uncontrollable emotions surged into his heart.

Sasaki, standing nearby, watched as the little figure in the bottle changed its expression hundreds of times in an instant, sometimes elated, sometimes gritting its teeth, sometimes frowning, and sometimes beaming with joy.

In that instant, Lin An made up his mind.

Perhaps his destiny will still be "Comers", but before that, he must take revenge.

Adria Hughes.

If it weren't for her, Lin An wouldn't have left the St. Anilov Foundation, he wouldn't have risked attacking Doris at that moment, and Vanessa wouldn't have been able to guess his identity.

Admittedly, Lin An will still engage in a life-or-death duel with her.

He will also leave the United States to continue his pursuit of the shadow of "Commerx".

When the time comes to part ways, Lin An will stand at the entrance of the University of Ann Arbor, nod to his alma mater, and turn to embark on a new journey.

When Simon discovers his resignation letter, he will be a little depressed, Missy will make a scene, and Barry will smoke. They will all be sad, but Lin An believes they will recover quickly.

The witch will continue her ethereal fantasies, indulging the lives of every free-spirited mystic; Joshua will stubbornly adhere to his commandments, once again landing on the St. Anilov Foundation's wanted list.

Dietrich will remain as bustling, chaotic, and vibrant as ever, with cars whizzing by and people hurrying to their next destination, whether it be the company or their home.

As he pondered, Lin An's eyes hardened.

The bird is breaking free from its shell; the egg is its world.

For man to be born into the world, the world had to be destroyed. Finally, the bird flew to God, and God was Abraxas.

As the ghost that appeared and disappeared with the radiation of "Comerth," lingering between reality and mystery, and without a definite form, shattered completely, a young man named Lin An emerged from the shell.

His gaze slowly swept over the ruined city.

Adria Hughes!

You will pay the price for messing up my life!
…………

Thousands of miles away, Adria, who had been talking eloquently, seemed to sense something and paused in her speech.

Sunlight streamed through the arched windows, illuminating the white walls, blue bricks, and carpet of the room. The girl sitting opposite her wore a moon-white robe with gold trim and a tall hat engraved with blue stars. She lazily propped her chin up, like an aloof statue.

The candlelight flickered on the golden lampstand with its seven pillars, casting a shimmering halo around the two people.

Noticing Adria's pause, the girl opened her eyes, which had two pupils, and spoke in an oddly enunciated tone.

"What, you're not going to say anything?"

“I thought I had said enough. Now it’s your turn to speak, Ms. Annilov. I’m tired,” Adria replied.

The girl sat up, her face filled with a solemn and profound expression.

“Cooperation is feasible. I cannot allow Cain’s offspring to cultivate that ‘Tree of Technology and Knowledge’ at will; they seem to have perfected X and are attempting to invade the realm of the gods through ‘Agnia’s technology.

"We have one more reason to be loyal to each other."

“Then let [Black City] and [One Joy] live happily ever after,” the girl said calmly. “This is also out of faith in your genius, Ms. Hughes.”

感谢书友20200205024940599、西行寺冥月、兔毛手袋、花中雨、书shu妖、双树、方舟之主、书友 20200325125228827、摸鱼从早到晚、书友 20210301106596447574、白辰木、台伯河的鲱鱼、星辰就是我、不长肉、书友20190813000939625、亢龙无悔、书友20220116123457765的月票，感谢各位的推荐票和订阅

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(End of this chapter)