World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 278 The Ghost of King Leopold (Part 2)
It was nearly evening when Maye walked back to the village along the forest path, passing through dappled sunlight.

Nourished by the continuous rain, the ferns grow extremely tall, bending inward from both sides to form an arched canopy, resembling a tunnel dome.

The low-lying woodland elephants strolled around in groups, nudging the trees with their pink noses; a black-headed bird perched not far away, its mahogany-colored tail curved like a bow.

This bird is called the Paradise Flycatcher.

It is the guardian of another world of death, and whenever it appears, new changes will occur in the mortal world.

“Lord of Feathers, please save me today from the jaws of wild beasts, from the misfortune of my breast being torn apart from my forked bone.”

Seeing this, Maye put down the buckets of water she was carrying, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and uttered a bizarre prayer.

These buckets don't contain water. Ever since the Kuba River was polluted by factory wastewater discharged by the Red Poppy Merchant Guild, the people of the Spotted Lion Tribe have only drunk water that has been soaked in the Unicorn Horn's Cup of Cleansing.

Sinbi and Karu are both archetypes of people who are good at underwater activities. Every time Meyer goes to the Kuba River to listen to the teachings of his ancestors, Susumi is bored and fishes on the side. He often returns with a full catch of fish weighing seven or eight pounds, filling the narrow wooden bucket.

"What are you talking about?" asked Su Sumi, who was traveling with her.

“This is what the ghost of the Kuba River told me. When you encounter this bird, it’s best to pray to it,” Maye explained to her.

"What about ghosts?"

"Yes, you should try it too. The sounds of this rainforest won't lie to us."

“Since Maye said so,” Susomi followed suit, clasping her hands together and repeating the prayer, “Lord of Feathers…”

As the words fell, the Heavenly Flycatcher took flight and disappeared into the pink sunset, its flapping sound carried on the wind as if in response to Susumi's prayer.

"Did it hear my prayer?" Susumi pressed her hand to her flowing black hair. "And, isn't this gust of wind a bit too strong?"

"careful!"

The two women, being mystics, felt an unusual aura rushing towards them. Just as they were about to use their mystical arts to defend against this uninvited guest, they heard Lin An's voice.

"It's okay, it's me."

"The ancestral spirit of the spotted lion?" Su Sumi was taken aback, then smiled. "Good evening! We were just wondering if you'd be back for dinner tonight."

"Good evening, Susumi," Lin An replied as concisely as possible. "Where is Mr. Zai?"

“He’s in the tribe,” Maye said nervously. “Lord Ancestral Spirit, has your takeout arrived?”

“We got a bad review. I’ll take Mr. Zai to confront that guy.” Lin An said casually. “Meyer, this person is the medium for the ‘War Emperor’. You’d better stay with the other mystics and be on your guard until I get back.”

"The Emperor of War..."

With the introduction to the World Tree system, Maye was already familiar with the mediums of the twelve great gods. She was already diligent and hardworking, and she immediately understood Lin An's meaning.

"Is your enemy at least legendary level?" she asked hesitantly.

“One level higher than that. I will hold off her main body, and you only need to deal with some of the ‘puppets’ that she might send out.”

“Yes, Lord Ancestral Spirit, I understand,” Maye replied earnestly. “I will never let you down.”

Lin An greeted them, and with a swirling current, his figure disappeared into the shadowy jungle.

Like an unpredictable wind, or a rabbit that leads people into a fairyland, even after spending nearly a month together, Maye still couldn't see through Lin An.

But for some reason, Mayer knew that Lin An was a trustworthy person.

Because she felt like she had seen him before...

After Lin An left, Su Sumi frowned and interrupted Maye's thoughts.

"The ancestral spirit of the spotted lion was referring to 'her.' A mythical figure, a war emperor, and a woman..."

"What did you think of, Susumi?" Maye quickly snapped out of her reverie, picked up the buckets again, and hurried toward the tribe.

"Could it be my brother, the one the chief of the Tigerfish tribe has been in contact with? I saw her once a few years ago; she was wearing tall, Fez-made leather boots and had a poppy stuck in the chief's chest."

“Countess Mariette van Hofwegen…”

Under the pink sunset, the calls of the Heavenly Flycatcher echoed throughout the rainforest. Susumi was momentarily dazed, and then she saw the outline of the Lion Tribe appear.

Unlike the usual tranquility and orderliness, thousands of people surrounded the entire tribe.

In addition, Mayer narrowed her eyes and vaguely saw something in the sky, watching down with a malicious and amused gaze, its blurry shadow appearing and disappearing.

What happened?
Before she could even think, Susumi cried out, "Brother, people of the tribe! What are you doing?!"

These menacing people are from the Tigerfish tribe?

Maye's heart skipped a beat. She pulled Susumi aside and made a "shh" gesture, signaling her to carefully observe those "people" who were holding guns but seemed like empty shells.

The vacant stares and stiff movements of everyone in the Tigerfish tribe reminded her of the hyena puppets controlled by the hyena people.

“They are being manipulated.” Maye pointed to the sky. Susumi also saw the malevolent shadow, but their radiation levels were too low to see the demon’s appearance clearly. “It’s all His doing.”

"What should we do?" Susume asked anxiously. "I don't want my loved ones to die, and I don't want you to get hurt!"

“Susumi, I haven’t been able to bring myself to ask you this since you joined the Lion Clan.” Maye sighed. “But we can’t keep putting it off. You have to make a choice. Will you follow our ancestral spirit, or return to your family?”

“I…” Su Sumi choked up.

Just then, a truck passed in front of them. The person inside leaned out of the broken window, his blank stare noticing the two women, and he cried out urgently.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"elder brother?"

Susumi stared in disbelief. The person sitting in the truck was none other than her brother, the chief of the Tigerfish tribe. However, his face was withered and his hair was unkempt. Only the poppy on his chest remained vibrant and lustrous, like an iron nail piercing his heart.

"Are you here to find me?"

As she uttered those words with sorrow, the shadow in the air trembled, and a burst of amused laughter flashed by. The Tigerfish Chief, sitting in the truck, seemed to have been awakened by her, and his eyes lit up with brilliance.

"Oh, my lovely little sister, I've found you!" He pressed his hand to his chest, his expression one of deep regret. "It was my fault. For the sake of temporary peace, I forced you to be with a slut. I hope you won't blame me for this."

"Uh?"

Susumi was a little puzzled, but since it was the first time she had heard the chief express his feelings so frankly, she smiled happily.

“It’s okay, brother. I also want to apologize to you. I shouldn’t have run away from home on a whim… I just need some… quiet time lately.”

“Since we understand each other, why don’t you come with me?” Chief Tigerfish extended a hand. “Get in my chariot, ignore these unknown outsiders, and return to the embrace of the rainforest. You are destined to be Tigerfish’s daughter.” “But…”

Just as Susumi was about to say something, Maye kicked a banana tree. The falling dew, woven by Sinby's energy, formed a curtain that deflected the bullets fired from the truck.

"You want to kill me?!"

Upon seeing this, Su Sumi turned pale with shock.

“No matter how big the conflict is, family members should not turn against each other,” Maye said. “Susumi, you still have time to answer my question.”

"Follow the ancestral spirit of the spotted lion..." The usually slow-witted Susume reacted quickly, suddenly shaking off Maye and grabbing the broken glass of the truck with a "bang," "Brother, do you want me to die?"

"..."

The chieftain's once lively eyes fell into a lifeless and numb state again, with a glimmer of struggle flashing across them.

He didn't speak.

“If that’s really what you think, then say, ‘Susumi, die for me!’ and I will immediately stab myself through the heart with a knife, because you gave me my life. You raised me, and you have the right to end it!”

Two beams of light intertwined in the chief's eyes. He remained silent and motionless, while Susumi's breathing gradually quickened.

“Say it! Say it! ‘Die for me!’ I will die right here in front of you! You don’t have to lift a finger! If you really hate me, please let me die for you!”

The mute tigerfish chief finally reacted, trembling as he reached out and shook his hand at Susumi.

"Run away..."

"what?"

“Controlled…” He abruptly turned the gun around and pointed it at his temple. “I want you to live.”

"Ping——!"

As the gunshot rang out, Chief Tigerfish closed his eyes. In the instant that the boundless darkness engulfed him, the last thing he saw was his little sister struggling to hold back her tears.

"Even at this moment, I still love you deeply."

"Boom!"

The explosion came from not far away. Ignoring the screaming Susumi, Maye jumped into the stream next to the village and swam with the current.

What she had just witnessed gave her a bad feeling.

The pale pink sunset suddenly disappeared, and Maye raised her head. Many people in the Lion Tribe also began to look up, their heads and hands moving together. The scene was like a gust of wind blowing across a wheat field under the sun.

“You are not family, but different. You speak different languages, have different beliefs, have different faces, have different ancestors, belong to different classes, you are men and women, and you should kill each other.”

The terrifying, mechanical sound invaded Maye's mind, making it unbearable. The sound was fleeting, as it was immediately followed by the whistling of gunfire from pistols, machine guns, and shotguns.

The commotion of the crowd surged and roared, the weapons roared incoherently, and they shouted meaningless words.

Why did you steal my dress the other day? Do you look down on me?

“I’ve always thought the Lion Clan were outsiders! You came from the lower reaches of the Kuba River; you’ve never belonged to this rainforest!”

"You son of a bitch, I'll beat you to death today, you stuttering bastard!"

The crowd was noisy and screaming, fighting each other, some with weapons, some with fists.

The demonic phantom hovered close above their heads, and Maye couldn't tell if it was still whispering.

People were standing too close together, and as soon as the conflict broke out, countless people fell dead or injured. Blood flowed into the stream beside the tribe, and the rusty smell of blood forced Maye to jump out.

No one paid her any attention, not even the familiar Lion Clan members, nor the invaders from the Tigerfish Tribe, nor the guests who were studying in their tribe. Maye's eyes turned red with anxiety.

"Maye!"

Susumi's voice came from the other side; she had also come to Maye's side via the stream.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah, I'm alright..." Susumi jumped out of the ditch and wiped her cheek. The Tigerfish Chief's blood was splattered on her face. Although it had long been washed away by the water, she still nervously kept wiping her skin.

"Fortunately, that shadowy figure couldn't control the mysterious one..." Maye murmured to herself, then asked with concern, "Are you really alright, Susumi?"

“There are still many things I don’t understand,” Susume said. “But at least I know one thing: I used to be willing to give my life for the tribe, but now I will live on—because he wants me to live on.”

Amidst the hail of bullets and the flickering light, Mayer saw her clench her teeth, and the sharp angles of a young man appeared on her round face.

…………

It wasn't just the lion and tigerfish tribes; brutal infighting took place in various parts of the rainforest.

Demons who revel in this hover in the sky, needing no instruction from their summoners; they are born knowing how to torment and inflict pain on humans.

A much larger war is escalating in the shadows where demons appear and disappear, making the hyenas' previous actions seem like harmless skirmishes in comparison.

"Boom boom boom!"

A small group of the still-sane, lucky members of the chimpanzee tribe ran into the enclosed house. They heard screams outside, first from women and men, then only the voices of children, and then complete silence.

Someone whispered in a trembling voice, "A knife, it's a knife."

Another person said, "They grabbed my daughter's hands and feet and then slit her throat."

But they dared not go out, fearing that they too would fall into the abyss of madness and slaughter.

Time seemed to stand still, and people trembled with fear.

“We must pray now,” said the chief of the chimpanzee tribe. “We are about to die.” She began to weep, which caused the other women to sob as well.

Then, everyone in the room prayed in hushed tones in Arabic, French, Swahili, and any other language they could think of.

After an unknown amount of time, just when they thought the senseless killing was about to end, they heard a creak and the tightly closed door was pushed open.

The buzzing of flies could be heard, accompanied by a devilish, seductive urging.

"How can you go on strike halfway through the performance? Come, come, obey the command of my summoner, and all those who live in this rainforest will die with their hands covered in blood."

Thank you to Yuanwang (Second Round), Buwosong (I'm Not a Coward), Shimiande Nanhe (Insomniac Nanhe), and Da Niao Kaluta (Big Bird Carlota) for their monthly tickets, and thank you all for your recommendations and subscriptions!
I won't be able to update tomorrow o(╥﹏╥)o I have a blind date, I'll make up for it the day after tomorrow.



(End of this chapter)