World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 238 The Lion Tribe
The leader was stunned when he heard Lin An's self-introduction.

He sized up Lin An. The Romanian bloodline brought by Adria was quite similar to that of the Kingdom of Abyssinia, so much so that Lin An and Misuru's facial features were indeed somewhat similar.

However, he was wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants, without a speck of mud on him, making him look out of place in the rainforest tribe.

Misuru took a deep breath; he was absolutely convinced.

"Lord Ancestral Spirit, thank you for saving me."

The chieftain glanced in the direction Lin An had come from—the Kuba River—and cried out in horror, “The Kalenga Line! You are the one who has crossed the threshold between two worlds…a true ancestral spirit!”

In Bantu's cosmological map, the river is the passage between life and death, the curtain of the underworld through which ghosts travel.

Lin An did not argue, but turned the Philosopher's Stone. Green energy covered Misuru, healing both his new and old wounds.

Misuru's eyes shone with even greater adoration. The first thing she did after getting up was to stand behind Lin An, as if afraid that this ancestor who could turn the world upside down would drift back to the underworld.

Upon seeing this, the leader was half shocked and half desperate.

He understood perfectly well that the Tigerfish tribe wouldn't break ties with an ancestral spirit for his sake; they might even go along with it and punish him for shooting Misuru.

Thinking of this, Misuru's eyes took on a chilling glint.

He silently picked up the gun that had fallen to the ground, pointed it at the leader's forehead, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Revenge comes quickly, doesn't it?"

“Don’t kill him, Misuru,” Lin An said. “Don’t lay a hand on an ordinary person who can’t fight back. Pick him up.”

Misuru paused for a moment, then immediately threw away the gun without hesitation, picked up a tree branch, threaded it through the leader's wrist, and slung it over his shoulder.

“He is your spoils, Lord Ancestral Spirit.” Misuru looked at Lin An with fanatical worship in his eyes. “It’s a pity my prey escaped, otherwise I would have traded it for his life; I would have made him pay with his death.”

After all that commotion, the severely injured male hippopotamus had already sunk to the bottom of the river and made its escape.

Lin An didn't want to criticize the tribe's values, so he simply avoided the topic of how to deal with the prisoners.

What's your name?

“Misuru Kuku Sechi Kasese Fum Spotted Lion,” Misuru replied. “Ancestor, what are your plans next?”

Goodness, this is the Southern version of "Your Name".

“I am the ancestral spirit of the ‘Spotted Lion’,” Lin An said, while observing Misuru’s expression. He still looked unconditionally convinced, so Lin An went along with it and said, “Take me to your tribe.”

As night fell, Lin An wanted to find a place to settle down, as floating in the air like this was really not a good thing.

The rainforest ground was soft and wet, so Lin An dared not land, fearing he might step on insects, animals, or sharp stones. Misuru, wearing straw sandals, was used to this and moved swiftly.

The two walked into the dark and damp rainforest one after the other. The heavy trees blocked out the light, and a sense of oppression and inexplicable claustrophobia washed over them.

Even for the colonists, the jungle was an unknown territory.

The enormous trees stand tall and majestic, their trunks as thick as houses, their roots intertwined, thick and crooked, covered in moss. The magic of nature keeps modern warfare technology at bay.

Amidst the lush greenery, there are contrasts of light and shadow, and twining vines. Unlike the vibrant parrots and colorful flowers of the Brasilia rainforest, the flowers along the Kuba River are pale and solitary.

Birdsong and monkey calls could be heard from time to time, along with the buzzing of mosquitoes near and far.

After leaving the riverbank, the amount of rotten wood, dead branches, decaying leaves, and rotten grass on the road decreased, and the odor in the air also dissipated.

Lin An moved forward using the dim light. Dew rolled down his face, but was bounced off by his airflow technique. The air was stiflingly hot, and sweat seeped out from every pore.

If it weren't for the Philosopher's Stone constantly adjusting his physical condition, keeping him dry, and driving away the ever-buzzing mosquitoes, Lin An felt he wouldn't have survived more than a few days here.

Looking at Misuru, who remained calm, Lin An secretly gave her a thumbs up.

Bro, you're really awesome.

About two hours later, Lin An arrived at the legendary spotted lion tribe.

The village was situated on a shallow beach, where moonlight shone down, illuminating more than a dozen domed thatched huts and some rectangular earthen houses, with grass and banana leaves forming temporary roofs.

Misuru stood still, focused his energy in his dantian, and let out a cry of "woo-lo-lo-lo—", which was immediately answered by someone in the same tone.

A man and a woman walked by carrying torches, and were extremely surprised when they saw Misuru's face.

"you are still alive!"

“I killed that hippopotamus and avenged my father!” Misuru declared, raising his fist.

He explained the whole story to the two of them and then stepped aside to let Lin An pass.

“These are our ancestral spirits.”

"Ancestral spirits?"

“He drifted across the Kalenga Line,” Misuru explained. “The Ancestral Spirit subdued the Tigerfish Tribe’s hunting party with the ‘Great Tile’.”

"Dawa" is a Bantu word describing supernatural power, which translates to "mysticism".

“I believe you can command Dawa.” The man looked at the floating Lin An suspiciously, “but I’m not sure you’re the ghost of an ancestor, because you’re too clean, you look like you came from Mbanbuka, not the Kuba River.”

“In any case, he saved Misuru, and that alone is enough to make him our friend,” the woman said kindly. “Thank you, kind man.”

"I must report to the Grand Elder." The man shook his head resolutely and turned to leave.

“I’m sorry, he’s too wary.” Misuru frowned and carefully explained to Lin An, “I want to tell you that you have my complete trust.”

The woman led the two back to the tribe. It was dinnertime, and the men, women, and children of the Lion Tribe were gathered around the campfire.

Lin An roughly counted them; there were about 150 people.

There are even fewer than the Wolves tribe.

When the tribesmen saw that Misuru was empty-handed and only carrying a prisoner, they couldn't help but look disappointed.

He went out hunting for five days, but returned empty-handed.

So when Misuru introduced Lin An to the crowd, the tribesmen's reaction was lukewarm. Firstly, they felt his words were not very convincing, and secondly, they were too hungry to cheer.

Lin An pondered for a moment, then took out a bone from his pocket.

The bone of the tooth grinder.

Rocky and the Human Heritage Foundation marketed the item as a "cool ride," but in Lin An's view, it was essentially a whole roasted lamb that could be reborn infinitely.

After being eaten, a sheep will regenerate the following morning.

Lin An stopped Misuru, who was still explaining, grasped the white, crystal-clear bone, and tossed it forward.

The energy of "Comers" suddenly changed, and a bleating goat appeared out of thin air in front of the tribe.

In an instant, there was complete silence.

"This is a gift for you."

Lin An's calm voice broke the silence. The tribespeople were taken aback at first, then cheered and danced with joy.

"Great Ancestral Spirits! Thank you, Your Great Treasure! Praise be to Your Great Treasure!"

"The ancestral spirits of our Lion Tribe have returned! Indeed, the God of the Sky and the God of Change have not abandoned us!"

"Please distribute the prey! Ancestral Spirit, please distribute your blessings to your people!"

Faced with the sumptuous meal, the group's suspicions about Lin An vanished.

If it weren't for him, the tribespeople would have had to eat sifted yellow mud and dry cassava rice balls tonight.

Even though they wanted to rush up and tear the sheep apart, the tribespeople remembered their reverence for the "ancestral spirits" and looked at Lin An with expectant eyes.

"Let's kill it first."

Lin An told the woman, who was overjoyed and swallowed hard. She took the knife from her waist, grabbed the goat by the neck, and with a "whoosh," the mysterious creature from Northwest State breathed its last.

Thor, the God of Thunder of Asgard, probably never dreamed that his chariot-pulling steed would become a delicacy for the tribes of the South. More women joined in the work of butchering the goats, deftly skewering them and grilling them over the fire. The flames licked the perfectly marbled skin of the goat meat, filling the air with a unique aroma of protein.

The other tribespeople made way for Lin An and kindly brought him a wicker chair so he could sit down.

Misuru pushed his way through the crowd and sat down next to Lin An, then threw the prisoner in his hands toward the campfire.

Upon seeing this, the leader cried out in terror.

"No, don't eat me!"

These words caught Lin An's attention.

In the early 20th century, reports of cannibalism and other atrocities committed by people from the South were common on the internet, shocking the Western world.

The reporter said that many tribes in the Kuba River basin are cannibalistic, and they make no attempt to hide their cannibalistic nature.

In war, if a person becomes a prisoner of an enemy tribe, they are very likely to be eaten by them.

Some tribes even travel downstream in small boats, selling edible "human flesh" along the streets of various tribes.

He used colored clay or straw markers to divide the bodies of prisoners into different parts, like cutting up pork, so that buyers could point to the parts they wanted, while the prisoners could only watch others haggle over their own limbs.

But Hannibal was only doing it for fun; the dangers of cannibalism should not be underestimated.

Lin An was about to decide not to stop them from cannibalizing each other when he saw Misuru, upon hearing the leader's words, curl the corners of his mouth in disdain.

“If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll kill you! We won’t risk our lives to eat humans. The Elder said that prions have a 100% fatality rate.”

"You know about prions?" Lin An was quite surprised.

"Hehe, it was my grandmother, the Grand Elder, who told me." Misuru immediately changed her expression when facing Lin An, and smiled shyly.

Previously, he was afraid that his voice would attract wild animals, so he dared not talk to Lin An. Now that he has returned to the tribe, he has suddenly become very talkative.

Misuru chatted with Lin An with great enthusiasm, clumsily and sincerely trying to make him understand her quickly.

Lin An listened thoughtfully, occasionally asking questions and drawing out some information.

It turns out that the Lion Tribe had two rulers: the chief and the elder.

The chief was responsible for hunting, tribal warfare, and managing the men; the elder was responsible for food gathering and weaving, sacrificial rites, and managing the women.

The previous chief was Misuru's father, but he was unfortunately dragged into the river and killed by the male hippopotamus. Misuru is the successor to the chief.

But driven by his thirst for revenge, he not only skipped the succession ceremony but also stubbornly abandoned his hungry tribe to pursue his vengeance, showing no regard for the bigger picture.

This is why the tribespeople didn't really trust him.

Misuru refers to the Grand Elder as "Grandmother," who is said to be 48 years old, a very old age in the rainforest.

Looking at the sincere Misuru, Lin An deeply realized the cognitive gap between the two.

48-year-old grandmother...

Damn, he's a year younger than the captain!

What shocked Lin An even more was that Misuru was only 17 years old.

But his size and muscles are comparable to those of an adult male, and he recently killed a hippopotamus single-handedly, making him completely different from the useless college student next to Lin An.

This must be Jotaro at seventeen!

Aside from the basic information about the Lion Tribe, Lin An focused his questions on Misuru about the "ancestral spirits."

Just as Lin An guessed, the ancestral spirit was the mysterious one.

About a year ago, the rainforest welcomed its first ancestral spirit. Relying on the magical "Dawa," he began to plunder other tribes, launching various wars and ruthlessly seizing their territory and prey.

This reckless aggression did not last long, because "Commerx" has a value called pollution level.

This man went mad and became a monster roaming the rainforest. His tribe also declined rapidly and was besieged.

This is just the beginning.

Misuru said that since then, more and more ghosts have escaped from the underworld, crossed the Karenga Line, and possessed people in the mortal world, giving them the Great Vajra.

Some of them were so corrupted that they turned into all sorts of monsters or objects, but seven ancestral spirits survived and formed an organization called the Ancestral Spirit Totem.

These mysterious individuals, each possessing extraordinary powers, disrupted the delicate balance between the rainforest tribes.

Over time, tribes protected by ancestral spirits became superior to those without them. They enjoyed the best resources and often plundered the prey of other tribes.

The Tiger Fish Ancestral Spirit is one of the seven "Ancestral Spirit Totems," which is why the leader is so confident in killing Misuru.

As they chatted, a rich aroma of meat mingled with the scent of charcoal wafted through the air, and grease dripped onto the roaring campfire, making a sizzling sound.

The young children couldn't resist the aroma. They lay down next to the fragrant roasted meat, their eyes fixed on the mutton that was gradually turning black, their mouths watering.

If it weren't for the adults being wary of Lin An, they too would have wanted to join the battle for the mutton long ago.

The charred and crispy lamb spun on the wooden skewers, even making Misuru lose focus.

He pretended to chat with Lin An, but his mind was already on the juicy roasted lamb leg, lamb chops and roasted lamb, and his words gradually became incoherent.

Finally, he couldn't help but speak his mind.

"Lord Ancestral Spirit, please eat."

"eat?"

"Uh, what were we talking about again?"

"Your grandmother."

Seeing Misuru staring blankly at the roasted mutton like a zombie who had lost his soul, Lin An helplessly ended the preamble, used his airflow technique to pick a skewer of perfectly roasted mutton, and took a bite.

The crispy outer layer and tender, juicy meat juices, mixed with the unique spices of the rainforest, burst in your mouth, creating a rich and unforgettable meaty flavor.

After drifting in outer space for four months, I finally got a hot meal.

Lin An enjoyed the moment of pleasure, swallowed the fragrant roasted meat, and said to Misuru, "You distribute it."

"I?"

"how?"

“Food is usually distributed by the chief and the elder, and I won’t…” Misuru licked his lips, “Since the Ancestral Spirit has designated it, I won’t stand on ceremony.”

These words seemed to have provoked discontent, but in the face of the enticing aroma of grilled meat, all disagreements were temporarily forgotten.

Misuru offered the mutton, which the tribespeople accepted with lightning speed.

Ignoring the scalding heat, they devoured the food, some even biting into the wood and swallowing the wood chips along with it.

For a moment, the surrounding area was filled with the sounds of swallowing and biting.

Until a voice, aged and androgynous, came.

"Misuru, you didn't wait for me."

The people who were wolfing down their food were stunned. Only a few children were still gnawing on the food, while the rest looked toward the source of the sound. Lin An looked over as well.

Two girls with similar faces carried an old woman out of the hut along with the man from before.

Upon seeing Lin An, the old woman, who was being held in the middle, suddenly widened her eyes.

"Fair skin, black hair, black eyes—you are the Lumberjack! You're back!"

Thank you to AkhMorn, Yili Grape, Huawu Biyi, Donghai Jingwei, Book Friend 20190921160605169, and Xiyang AA for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for the recommendation tickets and subscriptions.

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(End of this chapter)