World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 248 The Invitation of the Ancestral Spirits

When Apu sent the invitation to the ancestral spirit totem, Lin An was making a hammock while checking the newly added entries.

The Tigerfish tribe generously provided sturdy ropes, steel rings, and large pieces of canvas, which allowed Lin An to upgrade the straw mats on the ground to prevent difficulty falling asleep at night due to the heat and mosquitoes.

Having estimated the remaining materials, Lin An plans to promote this excellent invention of the hammock to the entire Lion Tribe if the production process goes smoothly.

On the other hand, after Lin An's research, it was found that [Mvias] was not very useful. Both abilities included transforming into a black raptor, one for flying in the air and the other for increasing strength.

The ability of [Moon Cleft Lip] [Cleft Lip Patients] consumes one "God of Agriculture" and one "Lord of Dreams" to designate 10 people, causing their upper lip flaps to split open, reducing the individual's balance, coordination, and hearing, and making it impossible to cure by ordinary means.

However, Lin An values ​​the second ability of [Moon Cracked Lips] more: [Listening to the Hearts of Believers].

This mysterious ability consumes one "God of Agriculture" to activate, locking onto a target. Whenever this person is within a kilometer of Lin An and thinks of anything related to Lin An, he can hear the individual's thoughts.

Despite the numerous limitations and the fact that it could only be applied to one person, unlike Sister Rat's wide-ranging telepathic abilities which were active throughout, this was still the first time Lin An had obtained the "mind-reading" skill.

Seeing the travel-worn Apu approaching, Lin An couldn't resist the urge and immediately used [Listen to the Heart of the Believer] on the [Moon-Cracked Rabbit Lips] main body.

Barley and other grains transformed into the phantom of an altar, flashing and disappearing before Lin An. As the incense ash slowly drifted away, a clear voice rang out directly in his mind.

"Today I've perfected the legend of the Ancestral Spirit and told it to the Tiger Fish Tribe. I'm really amazing."

This is clearly what Ap felt.

The next moment, the system notification tone and Apu's report sounded simultaneously.

"You tirelessly experiment with new entries, and your curiosity about the occult attracts the medium 'Seeker' x1."

“Lord Ancestral Spirit, the envoy from the Tiger Fish Tribe wishes me to give this to you.”

"I'll refine the origins of Lord Ancestral Spirit tonight. I feel there are still some loopholes in my story."

The triple echoes alternated, giving Lin An a headache for a moment. Fortunately, the system's broadcast was a one-time event, and Apu stopped his wild thoughts as he began to explain the origin of the stone.

This entry cannot be used on a large scale...

Otherwise, you'll end up like some superpowered individual, Saiki, who's constantly plagued by various inner thoughts.

Suppressing his thoughts, Lin An took the flat stone and glanced at the characters carved on it.

Its writing system is complicated and completely different from the everyday lion language that Lin An mastered using Barbatos [21 letters]. It is probably similar to the relationship between English and Latin.

Ap was also illiterate, so he went to the elder for answers.

“Kishi, in traditional Bantu, means ‘soul’,” she explained. “This stone is saying to you, ‘Enter the dream of the ghost.’”

"This sounds like a trap," Lin An pondered. "Ms. Formami, how much do you know about ancestral totems?"

“Mr. Tulford, I am not an ancestral spirit after all, and I have never attended their gatherings. I can only tell you some information that I have heard from various sources.”

The elder casually tore open a box of Pocky and put the chocolate bar in his mouth.

"Besides the Karu Mermaid, there are five other ancestral spirits from different tribes in the ancestral spirit totem. They live on the banks of the Kuba River, far away from the Spotted Lion Tribe, and usually have almost no contact with each other."

"The only thing worth noting is that the totem has only one member who does not belong to any tribe. It is said that this person wandered here from Kinsasha. He may have been a general, a market vendor, or a priest."

"In short, he was the founder of the 'Ancestral Spirit Totem,' and his original intention seemed to be to unite the various tribes, but for some reason he gave up halfway. The Tigerfish tribe said that his behavior was becoming increasingly strange, and he had become a madman."

"Perhaps the rising pollution levels caused him to gradually lose his mind," Lin An thought.

After asking the elder for more information, Lin An gained a deeper understanding of the layout of this tropical rainforest.

The closest Bantu city to the rainforest is Mbanbuka, which is about five or six hours' drive from Kinsasha.

The city is extremely desolate, with a shockingly high poverty rate. The only news it has received international coverage for is the large-scale Ebola outbreak a few years ago.

No wonder my father made me merge with "Lady with the Lamp" here; this place is ridiculously remote.

As for aristocratic families...

Lin An's eyes darkened; he was still very concerned about the Red Poppy Merchant Guild mentioned by the Tigerfish Tribe.

Seeing that the Grand Elder was getting a little impatient with the questions, Lin An turned to chatting with her about trivial family matters.

"Ms. Formami, where did you learn French?"

“At the University of Brossell, I completed a combined Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Water Resources Engineering, and also studied French and the Netherlands.” The Elder said with a hint of pride and a touch of nostalgia, “Where does Mr. Tulver work?”

"I--"

Lin An's words caught in his throat as he remembered that he had applied for a gap year when he left.

Not only that, but after the opening of the chakras, the battle between Adria and the Lawful Families, and the destruction by the out-of-control Mystics, Ann Arbor University may have already disappeared.

The harsh reality slowly became clear, and Lin An realized that he only had a high school diploma.

He is not even as good as a tribesman in the rainforest who is nearly fifty years old.

My three years of university were all for nothing; I studied in vain.

Faced with the elder's expectant and curious gaze, Lin An's lips twitched, and he said, "I'm currently an undergraduate student."

"You are younger than I imagined."

"the same as you."

The degree was also unexpectedly high.

“Although those kids from Misuru call me grandmother, they aren’t my real grandchildren; they’re my nephew’s children. As for me, I’m unmarried and childless.” The elder held up a Pocky stick to him. “Sir, would you like a chocolate bar?”

“No need, Ms. Formami.” Lin An waved his hand. “Actually, I have another question. Do you know anything about the Red Poppy Merchant Guild?”

The elder narrowed his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them.

"Know a thing or two."

"What kind of organization is that?"

"This chamber of commerce is controlled by the famous Van Hofwegen family of Flanders. Its main businesses are the export of minerals and raw materials and diamond trading. Its headquarters are located in the port of Antwerp."

"The chairman of the Chamber of Commerce is a well-known philanthropist from Flanders, a member of the World Animal Protection Association, and an environmentalist."

"As for the Bantu... their head of operations here is a distinguished countess named Mariette van Hofwegen."

…………

The hyenas felt that something was very wrong with the rainforest lately.

Since their encounter with Lin An, the hyena-men have become extremely cautious, even daring not to approach the lion's territory, for fear of being captured again.

However, having lost his family and tribe, the only thing he wanted to do and could do was to use Dawa to instigate wars between various tribes.

He enjoys watching the chaos of people arguing incessantly.

This gave him a real sense of being "alive." After a period of silence, the hyena-man, carrying the ointment, found a new target.

As he followed suit, leading a group of puppets and controlling the tribe to attack their neighbors, two others with similar magical powers arrived first.

The hyenas recognized them: Yadamu, the hunting leader of the spotted lion tribe, and Ap, the female leader of the gathering team; at some point, they too had become "ancestral spirits."

Every time, they managed to thwart his offensive and defuse a battle that was about to erupt.

Fearing Lin An's power, the hyena-men dared not retaliate and could only flee in disarray.

He couldn't understand why the forest rangers could so accurately track his movements, and why they let him slip away every time.

One day, while infiltrating a tribe he had visited before, he overheard their conversation.

"The last invasion of the underworld was terrifying. There were groaning monsters everywhere, which scared me so much that my whole body froze."

The hyenas were secretly pleased, knowing that they were discussing that war.

Even though the ancestral spirit of the spotted lion sent people to stop him, he still brought lingering fear to these tribes.

Let's start fighting!
Let him see rivers of blood!
But then the topic shifted, and the tribespeople started chattering about the aftermath of the attack.

"Thank goodness the forest ranger intervened, otherwise even if our tribe didn't suffer heavy losses, we would have had a misunderstanding with the tribes on the other side and ended up fighting each other."

"That's right, thanks to the [Forest Rangers], we were prevented from being corrupted by these evil spirits in our mortal world."

"If only Kalenga Mpongu were our ancestor... but unfortunately, the lions and their gang got the better of us."

"Compared to those seven ancestral spirits who only care about their own homes, the actions of the [Forest Ranger] are simply like those of a guardian deity of the rainforest!"

"By the way, have you heard? The chimpanzee tribe sent some children to the lion last time..."

"what happened?"

The eavesdropping hyena-man could hardly believe his ears.

Why are these people not only unafraid of my attack, but also enthusiastically discussing topics like salvation, offerings, and faith?
They should be living in fear and panic every day!

Forest rangers are... guardian angels?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck the hyena-man, and he understood why the spotted lion ancestral spirit hadn't attacked him.

Only after he waged war could the Ranger allow his messengers to appear before the people, rescue the tribes from their fear, and spread hope to them.

He took advantage of me!
The hyena-man was seething with hatred.

I'm actually bringing beauty to this rotten world! It's fucking disgusting!

The cynical teenager rolled his eyes and fell into deep thought.

He has been instigating war on the same side of the Kuba River as the Lion Tribe. Perhaps when he moves to the other side, the rangers will not be able to find him?

Just do it.

The hyena-men swam across the fast-flowing, gently flowing Kuba River and landed on unfamiliar land on the other side.

After wandering aimlessly for half a day, the hyena-men discovered a small, sparsely populated tribe.

However, he knew that once one tribe appeared, more tribes would follow.

As expected, the hyenas quickly identified the innocent small tribe in front of them as their target: a medium-sized tribe with about three or four hundred people.

Their fight would definitely be spectacular. The hyena-man rubbed his hands together.

Using their speed advantage, the hyenas sneaked into the small tribe's warehouse unnoticed, enjoyed a hearty meal, and then neatly arranged the ointments inside.

The aroma of palm wine attracted the weary hunting party, who dutifully handed it over to the chief, who then distributed it to the high-ranking leaders of the tribe as night fell.

Fine, spiderweb-like hairs spilled from the hyena-man's eye-filled hands, flowing into the puppet's body along with the wine.

"Ouch——!"

The tribesmen who drank the ointment couldn't help but roar to the sky, transforming into monsters covered in thick hair.

To the hyenas' astonishment, when this ferocious monster charged into the medium-sized tribe, the tribespeople, after a brief moment of stunned silence, cheered and beamed with joy.

"They're monsters that have sneaked out of the underworld! It's Lord Kalenga Mpengu's turn to favor us!"

"That's wonderful! I thought the Forest Ranger wouldn't care about the tribes on the other side of the river! He truly deserves to be called the guardian of the entire rainforest; he loves us just like the sun and the moon!"

"Let us pray, and then await Lord Karenga's favor."

The hyena-man could hardly believe his ears. He stared blankly as the men, full of fighting spirit, picked up their spears and thrust them at the puppet of the war emperor.

not like this!
That was... a hopeful smile?

It shouldn’t be like this!!!

He suddenly grabbed his messy hair and scratched his scalp with his fingernails, drawing blood.

Since the rangers claim to be the guardians of the rainforest, why didn't they lend a helping hand to the wolfhound tribe back then?

Why is it that only he is denied the forest ranger's salvation?
The hyena-man tore off a piece of his hair in a self-destructive manner, tears streaming down his face. He attributed it to pain, not regret or sorrow.

I was the only one who missed it...

I'm not reconciled...

This is not fair!

Not far away, Mvias arrived as scheduled, skillfully picking up the puppet and hanging it on a tree.

The hyena-man's swollen eyes gazed at the joyous tribe in the distance; their laughter was like the sharpest knife, piercing the boy's bitter heart.

A raging fire erupted from the wound, burning all the way to the itchy eyes in both hands.

Pay the price!

Everyone... must pay the price for the destruction of the Wolfhound tribe!
Including the forest ranger who didn't rescue him in time!
Why is he the only one in the world?
Blood mingled with tears fell, and the hyena-man suddenly realized that all around him had become completely silent.

A ragged, unkempt man sat before him, his glass-bead eyes devoid of any luster.

"Have you had enough, you little brat?" the blind man rasped, his voice more terrifying than a nightmare. "I was so busy having a fit that I forgot to hit you."

"Who are you?" the hyena-man asked warily.

The blind man snorted coldly, raised his cane, and yellow butterflies swarmed in, plunging the hyena-man's world into complete darkness.

"And please pass on a message for me. Forest ranger... what an arrogant title."

Thank you to Black Century Egg, Book Friend 20230329221659398, Shuangsheng, and Yangff for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for the recommendation tickets and subscriptions.

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(End of this chapter)