World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 233 You are everything you believe in

"It's too much to describe yourself as a 'ghost,' Lin-san. Don't underestimate yourself."

After Sasaki finished speaking, the other party did not respond for a long time.

He turned his head and found that the little figure in the bottle had empty, lifeless eyes. Lin An's consciousness had returned to the surface of the planet.

Sasaki sighed. He had originally only considered this mission as an international trip he was forced to take, but he was a man of flesh and blood. He had spent three whole years with Lin An, and even raising a pet would have created feelings.

Moreover, Lin An is a living, breathing person, his roommate.

Seeing him in such a bad mood, Sasaki felt quite bad and, after thinking it over, decided to call his sister to complain.

"Ah hey yo, ah yo shoo, as far as the eye can see, a world of platinum..."

Deep in the woods stood a large house, with exquisite flowers and plants in the front yard. A stone-enclosed pond surrounded the path leading to the lattice gate, where goldfish gurgled and blew bubbles, and pink cherry blossoms fell on the tranquil pond, creating ripples.

The spring breeze blows past the teru teru bozu (a type of doll) under the eaves, and its clear bells ring out.

Bathed in the warm early spring sunshine, the girl wiggled her wooden clogs, eating rice crackers while pressing buttons on her flip phone.

Her small, white fingers moved quickly across the buttons, producing a continuous series of beeping sounds.

The ringing phone startled the girl, who reluctantly answered it.

"Meiya!"

"How many times have I told you, you have to call me Maria!" The girl crunched on her rice cracker. "What's wrong, you idiot brother?"

"My mission in the UK is over, I'll be back soon." The lukewarm male voice seemed to have found an outlet, launching into a tirade of complaints, "Ugh, you have no idea how uncomfortable I am living here. For three years, my total takeout fees have exceeded the cost of the takeout itself..."

The girl responded with a perfunctory "Mmm, that's amazing," changed her position, and continued editing her reply.

Heviaaaa: The poster is just worrying unnecessarily. How do you know no one wants to stop the disaster in Dietrich and the Eagle Kingdom? God still loves humanity; the world won't be destroyed so easily~
…………

The rain stopped, but fog rolled in, and water droplets dripped from the tree branches.

The winding stonework of the Winter Palace canals gurgled under the lively spring waters. The weather was foggy for days on end, with cold hurricanes whipping up bluish-gray clouds, so much so that the Neva River was attacked by the damp winds and waves, its flowing surface rising and falling silently.

A vicious cold front swept through the northern part of the Bear Kingdom with icy steps, bringing a cloud of dust and fog to the south.

The budding mimosa trees were frozen stiff, and tits hopped between the poplars and birches. The biting wind blew through the bare forest, like the indistinct voice of an old man in the dead of winter with no teeth left.

Gloomy weather makes people feel depressed and numb.

A woman with long, light flaxen hair picked up a glass of clear, colorless vodka and took a few sips.

The scalding alcohol rolled down her throat, bringing color to her cheeks. Only then did her rigid, stubborn, and coldly austere appearance soften.

The woman put down the letter beside her and turned to look at the computer screen on her desk. The forum with the black background was practically exploding with activity, with thousands of posts being published and replied to every second.

As an active long-time user of the forum, her inbox kept beeping.

The woman took another sip of vodka, thought for a moment, then downed it in one gulp. She sat down in the creaky chair and typed a reply with both hands.

Fogлес: Admittedly, the unknown will bring panic, but that is not a reason for us to give up. Let the dead bury the dead; since we have life, we should live on, and live happily.

…………

The violet flames surged, illuminating the entire world like a scene from a prophetic cave, casting long shadows onto the rough denim-like fabric, creating a divine illusion.

"Boom-"

The bells rang out, their distant and solemn tones echoing throughout the holy city, as if they came from the heavens.

The man opened his eyes, the illusion faded, and in its place was a floor covered in pure white tiles and towering marble columns.

He flicked his fiery red robe and strolled through the corridor filled with oil paintings and sacred objects. These ancient and priceless artifacts depicted familiar New Testament stories, making faith the sole theme here.

A saint sold his possessions to seek peace of mind in the wilderness; a saint sacrificed his own sinful son; a saint defied worldly obstacles and resolutely abandoned his title to ascend to heaven.

The vast, towering dome brought peace to the man's soul, as if sacred spirituality was within reach.

Passing through a quiet and sacred corridor, the warm spring sun shines through the colorful rose windows, as if it were a spiritual gateway from heaven to mankind.

Facing the crusader-bound Messiah, the man clasped his hands together and repeatedly chanted a Latin prayer.

“Cruorem bibo, carnem devoro; ex voluntate Dei (blood and flesh in the name of God).”

Finally, he lit a candle on the altar, and the sacred scent of incense filled the air.

This is an apocalypse.

The man was absolutely certain of his piety.

Until nightfall, when he took off his cumbersome clothes, lay on his bed, propped his head up with his elbow, and logged into his account with great interest, he found that the ignorant people of the world were going against his wishes.

CreazionediAdamo: You do not understand the meaning of this calamity. It has opened the door to true immortality, making the ephemeral life eternal, and all other worldly experiences are merely illusions produced by the soul in the body.

…………

The fierce heatwave fell directly on everyone's headscarves, and the scorching sun pierced through them before rising again from the road.

Women were washing clothes in the murky Ganges, flames crackling and burning on the riverbank, ashes scattered on their faces by the wind, but the women were used to it.

A group of ragged, idle men gathered together, listening to a monk preach the Dharma. The monk's voice was beautiful, peaceful, and serene, echoing through the dusty poverty.

His discussion of the Truth of Suffering, its origins, and its cessation, is presented with serene and clear language.

"Suffering is the reality of life, but the path to liberation from suffering has been discovered. By following the Buddha, one can escape the sea of ​​suffering."

The monks preached in their usual manner, their bright and quiet tones hovering above the listeners like light and shadow, like stars, like a herd of white oxen with bells around their necks passing by.

On the other side, a boy with beeswax-colored skin opened his eyes under a mango tree. His elegant face was neither sad nor happy, yet a gentle smile seemed to bloom from within.

Not long ago, he embedded his soul into the body of a heron, flew over forests and mountains, devoured fresh meat, endured the heron's hunger, and cried out the heron's mournful cries; when he saw the body of a homeless man lying on the street, his soul entered him and walked through the bustling Eagle Kingdom.

The moment he completed his training, an alien spirit reversed course and destroyed him.

He experienced a complete cycle of death, decay, and dust.

But he always emerges from meditation again, returning to "I" in the sunlight, endlessly cycling through reincarnation.

The boy took out his phone from between his knees and replied to the posts that tagged him, somewhat bewildered, his words cryptic yet surprisingly full of wisdom.

Life has been destroyed again, but I remain. We are all part of the nameless.

…“Creak—”

An electric scooter was parked in front of the half-open glass door, and a woman nearing fifty years old climbed out.

"Same as always, no cilantro, no scallions, extra salty sauce, and plenty of pickled mustard greens."

In the warm spring, when flowers are in full bloom, the stall owner, with his legs crossed, shakes his old palm-leaf fan with a chipped end, closes his eyes in deep thought, and his black hair moves in the wind, giving him a rather ethereal and otherworldly air.

Upon hearing the woman's voice, he sat up abruptly, his previous composure vanishing, or rather, disappearing instantly, replaced by a strong sense of everyday life and vulgarity.

"I'm coming."

"Five yuan?" The woman took out her phone and scanned the QR code.

“We’re all neighbors, so I’ll charge you 4.5.” The vendor skillfully scooped up some batter and spread a thin pancake on the griddle. “No, it’s already this late. Sister Haiyan, I won’t charge you today.”

Before the words were even finished, a mechanical voice was already ringing out from the corner.

"Blue bubble has arrived, 4.5 yuan."

The two looked at each other for a moment, and then the woman coughed awkwardly.

"Xiao Wang, what kind of wind is blowing here?"

"If I think about it, I've been running a jianbing (Chinese crepe) stall downstairs from your house for ten years. It's about time I went back to my old job." The stall owner broke open a thin crispy crepe and used a spatula to cut it in half. "Sis, it's the change of seasons lately, so please take good care of yourself."

"Business is so bad, even you're moving out of our village." After a few pleasantries, the woman couldn't help but steer the conversation back on track, "My money just now..."

"Consider this a one-time payment for all the soy milk I've bought for your nephew over the years." The stall owner laughed heartily, "Closed for business!"

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and left his shop, leaving the dumbfounded woman holding the plastic bag containing the jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe), at a loss for what to do.

The phone vibrated, and the stall owner took it out, couldn't help but chuckle, and casually wrote a reply.

DaoFaZiRan: A thousand sails pass by the sunken ship, and ten thousand trees bloom before the withered tree.

…………

The night was pitch black, and the sound of the bird-headed, human-bodied figure landing was swallowed up by the fine sand on the ground.

It walked alongside the buildings, gazing at the ancient capital of Memphis with its sparse, almost surreal, crowds.

The Nile flows on, bringing life with it.

A bird-headed, human-bodied traveler slips into a tavern with lime walls and straw mats. The patrons clink glasses enthusiastically, and the tavern owner displays amphora-shaped, pointed-bottom urns from the Delta or Greece, loudly boasting about the merits of his collection.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, it alone remained aloof and silent.

The cold, incongruous light illuminated its bird-head mask; the light did not originate from a torch, but from a self-illuminating machine.

Slide your fingertip across the phone screen, and electronic letters flash across the eyes behind the mask. A flood of information rushes into its mind, but it does not interfere with or affect anything.

The north wind howled past the pyramids, and the desert night was exceptionally cold, as if it were about to annihilate everything, showing no mercy, as if it were witnessing the prelude to a chaotic world.

Even in the desert, tenacious weeds still sprout, waiting for the dawn to break.

…………

The little canine tooth gazed at the rotating illusion above the temple, where a beautiful and peaceful rainbow appeared, with many smiling faces of animals and humans, surrounded by vibrant colors.

In the distance, birds were singing, horses were neighing happily, deer were whistling, bison were mooing, and gerbils were digging their burrows.

Until the illusion suddenly shattered, and the dark west flashed with hateful light and electricity.

The storm overwhelmed the rainbow; lightning flashed and thunder roared everywhere; great sounds echoed continuously, with roars and howls filling the air.

This made Little Fang's heart skip a beat, and exclamations echoed throughout the rainforest, until light rose again from above the temple, flashing and breaking through the sky.

Then the light dimmed, dispersed, and disappeared, but many herbs grew where it had shone.

Before the little canine tooth could understand the meaning of the change, the gods of the Lower East Continent hurriedly picked herbs, collected them, and sent them to the temple.

Then Little Canine Tooth understood the illusion. It turned out that the Holy Spirit of the Thirteenth Heaven had been attacked, and then it retreated to the temple, where it grew countless self-healing plants, allowing its followers to heal it.

Moreover, she gained even more insights from the illusions.

"The sacred grass rejoices at the door."

A gentle breeze ruffled Little Canine Tooth's long hair, its colorful feathers fluttering, and the moose gazed at her with its pure black eyes.

"We have found shade under the lush sacred tree in our hearts, and great eyes are watching over us, as the morning glow never ceases."

“He won’t come.” A rumble of thunder fell, and the thunderbird perched on a branch not far from the little canine tooth. “We are not the beginning of his race’s circle, and the world is a circle. He is destined to slip away from us.”

“Perhaps you should find a more suitable young man.” The beaver poked half its head out of the mud. “For example, someone from our native tribe, someone from another native tribe, and someone from that other native tribe.”

“But there’s no second Lin An in the world,” Little Canine Tooth said.

…………

When Lin An opened his eyes again, he was back in the "safe house" that had transformed into a unique study.

An elderly man wearing a monocle sat behind a small linden wood tea table, seemingly possessing an enduring patience and elegance in his waiting.

"You look more imposing than before," the Duke remarked with a smile.

“It’s time to plan a new adventure, Brother Tong.” Lin An gestured for him to hand over the pen, which he held with his index and middle fingers, and twirled around. “Tell me about the Black City.”

"Of course, after all, we have plenty of time to spend together. But before that, please allow me to show you the Mysterious Encyclopedia 2.0, Lin An. To help you integrate with the 'Lady with the Lamp' more smoothly, I will soon provide a new guide interface."

The Duke spread his arms wide, and data danced among the antique and elegant furniture, like a combination of The Matrix and Downton Abbey.

Characters clustered together, and a familiar, translated introduction lined up. Green glowing fonts displayed a brand-new panel, and an overview of quotes came into view.

"You are already full of divinity, and are worshipped and feared by the world."

"And now that you have gained humanity, your physical form has been stabilized."

"Because you are everything you believe in."

[End of Volume One]

The New Era arc has come to an end with Volume 1! ~o(〃'▽'〃)o Thank you all for your support. I'll post the end-of-volume thoughts this afternoon~

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(End of this chapter)