World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 313 The counterattack begins

The remnants of the Four Living Gods are numbered starting with Firewatch, meaning "firefighter." This number requires meeting two conditions: being a non-core employee of the World Tree and being a mystery.

The other four remnants of the Living God were all recruited by Lin An, and their numbers began with Silviculturists, meaning "forest builders." They were non-core members of the World Tree, but not peripheral employees of the Mystic.

They were all assigned to the six departments with scarce manpower, where they were educated and transformed by the respective ministers.

Lin An counted the last digits of the increasing employee numbers and thought to himself: The World Tree's official employees have finally broken through the 50 mark.

The original St. Anne-Love Foundation Dietrich branch had only three or four hundred employees, so Lin An's recruitment speed was quite rapid.

Moreover, once the tribespeople who accept "boss direct recruitment" have completed newcomer training and assessment and started working, this number will at least triple.

Besides the official employees, the World Tree also has a numbered category called Wanderers, who are residents who rely on the World Tree virtual community system.

Lin An glanced at the last digit of the Wanderer's number. The last one was 11450, which meant that more than 10,000 people were willing to accept the World Tree System.

The tribes that migrated from the rainforest all have this number. Some people from Mbanbuka who live near the Grand Hotel have also accepted the World Tree's arrangements, but due to Qisediq's brainwashing, they refuse to cooperate with the World Tree's actions.

We need to address this pressing issue.

Lin An frowned upon receiving the war report. He couldn't understand it, let alone know how to deal with the overwhelming army.

A year ago in December, he was a humanities and social sciences student working part-time.

Lin An had only played a few single-player games similar to Clash of Kings with Mi Xi when transporting Thunderbirds. Based on his limited experience, he knew that his own army was far inferior to the orthodox army, and even had a disadvantage in terms of the number of mystics.

On the other side, Misuru alone detected more than three figures, either from the city of Kinsasha or members of the Four Living Gods who had surrendered.

Lin An only has a slight edge in "quality".

however……

"Are you good at fighting?" Lin An turned to Zai, who was gazing into the distance.

"There's always a better way than killing someone."

Neither the god of truth nor the seeker of knowledge is cut out for fighting.

The only saving grace was that the journey from Kinsasha to Mbanbuka was a distance of over several hundred kilometers. Unlike the flat roads of developed countries, the army had to traverse vast areas of unknown terrain, including swamps, rainforests, and more than a dozen large rivers, before reaching the battlefield.

The vanguard set up camp, but the supply wagons and other logistical support were still behind. Therefore, the army did not launch a general offensive. Instead, it began to occupy the small villages around Mbanbuka, demanding supplies and even conscripting people into the army.

Several officers have led their best-trained troops to attack their camp.

As for the tribesmen from the rainforest, under the guidance of the "veterans" of the Lion Tribe, they stumbled and struggled in a guerrilla war against the president's vanguard.

However, the local people were so obsessed with supporting Tsesidik that the World Tree's counterattack was not going smoothly.

Lin An wanted to ask, "Can we win?", but after glancing at everyone's expressions, he changed his question to, "How long until the Lambridge Grand Hotel falls?"

"I can tell you with certainty that it will take no more than 15 days."

Ogunkavo, the mercenary general Black Cat from the Red Poppy Merchant Guild, cleared his throat. He had fought in the Southern Continent for twenty years and was currently the best war advisor.

"Unless this python lord possesses a world-destroying treasure."

"Give me some big tiles." Lin An snapped his fingers.

"it is good."

As expected of a member of a prestigious family, even in its amnesiac state, Zai quickly pieced together the whole story.

Under Lin An's guidance, it rediscovered the most harmless mystical arts.

In an instant, the entire Lambridge Hotel, along with its staff and the people conversing inside, were engulfed in the spiral pattern, collapsing inwards and merging into the snakeskin, becoming a mark on the colorful pattern.

Zai twisted his unpredictable and dazzling body and told Lin An.

"I am marking a time."

"Oh?"

"Once I'm ready, everyone currently in this hotel will be reverted to this day whenever they enter the hotel again."

Lin An explained to everyone, "If you are seriously injured or hunted down in the war, just hide in the Lambridge Hotel. Once the danger outside has passed, notify the Prophet to release you."

The "God of Truth" is not good at fighting, but is excellent at support and defense. Even Lin An and the president himself have difficulty entering and exiting Zai's circle intersection, let alone the attacking Kinsasha army.

From this day forward, the Lambridge Hotel will become a permanent sanctuary and safe haven during wartime.

But as Tshiseke said, simply running away and hiding won't solve the problem.

"Besides relying on the Mystic, what other suggestions do you have?" Lin An asked the black cat.

"If you want to win—no, to survive the war, you must first find a way to stabilize the hearts and minds of the people in Mbanbuka or the surrounding villages."

"To end that mysterious spell?"

"What kind of mysterious magic?" The black cat was taken aback.

“Inciting the public to support yourselves.” Lin An waved his hand. “Please continue.” “I will only tell you what I know.” Black Cat straightened his back. “During the preparation stage for the 2034 election, the government sold 58 billion dollars worth of shares in Lele’s mining company. The buyer only paid one-tenth of the total contract value and then resold the shares on the international market at full price.”

"The beneficiaries of this deal are several obscure companies on the colonial islands, most of which were established just a few months before the deal. Most of these companies are associated with Jacob van Hofwegen, the owner of the Red Poppy Merchant Guild, who is a close associate of the president."

"Although it cannot be confirmed that the profits from the transaction were ultimately used in the campaign, as a former Secretary of War in the Presidential Office, I know a little about the inside story. Every four-year election is the time when the president's ability to win over the people reaches its peak."

“This time he didn’t need money; he achieved the effect of hundreds of millions of dollars just through ‘mystical arts.’” Lin An slowly sorted through the green data. “No wonder Kinsasha was so lively; the election is just around the corner…”

“I am not familiar with the rules of ‘Comers,’ but what I do understand is that unless you are elected the next Bantu president, change the laws, and rescind the declaration of war, we have no chance of winning.”

"Heh, the mere suggestion of making me the Bantu president is quite—"

"Worth a try."

Before Lin An could make a self-deprecating remark, Black Cat continued.

"The government is now rife with corruption, each department operates independently, taxation is chaotic, and towns and the country are declining day by day. Even if we repel this attack, there will be a next time, and the time after that. We might as well just support you to become president."

"Are you serious?"

“No one in Bantu is more suitable to be a candidate than you.” Edward was the first to step forward. “You are so powerful, able to turn the world upside down with a flick of your wrist, yet you have compassion for the weakest ordinary people.”

That's because I don't like it, and I don't think it's necessary to target the seeds of "Commerx".

“The Ancestral Spirit is clearly learned and knowledgeable, and has everything under control, yet he is still willing to listen to our immature suggestions and respect each of our ideas,” Mayer interjected. “This is a fine quality of a leader.”

That's because I don't understand some worldly disputes, and I'm too lazy to study them!

“In my opinion, there are only two people who deserve to sit in the presidential chair: you and me.” Misuru clenched his fist. “If you don’t go, I will kill the people up there and take their place, because they don’t deserve it.”

"I vote! I vote! I vote for everyone!" Mezo shouted, bewildered.

Fu Bin, who remained silent, tore off the yellow gift ribbon from the champagne bar and placed it on Lin An's shoulder. The latter's eyes twitched, and without caring about revealing his identity, he glared at him fiercely.

Damn it, what's with this "donning the imperial robe" nonsense!
The World Tree has six departments, not six ministers!

Taking a deep breath, Lin An said, "You're only saying these things from your own perspective; most Bantu people don't think that way. So my plan is..."

"Dangdang!"

Suddenly, something smashed against the office window with a loud thud. The glass shattered, and a chaotic commotion erupted, with men, women, the old, and the young making noises.

"Which blind fool has come to cause trouble and protest again? These guys are never going to stop."

Misuru's expression hardened, and he was about to make a move when Lin An stopped him.

He looked down and saw a group of ragged Mbanbuka residents standing in front of the hotel, holding up billboards with large, crooked French letters written on them.

"Support the forest rangers! Support the World Tree! Support the only glimmer of hope for the future of the Bantu!"

"We need ash leaves, not kata leaves!"

"Tsekedi = Big Trouble, Ranger = The Answer to the Problem!"

When everyone realized what was happening, they were all struck dumb, almost petrified on the spot.

Is this still the same group of fanatical, uncommunicative "mob" they remembered?

The positive impression is practically overflowing from the straightforward slogan!
All that's missing is saying, "Forest ranger, I love you!"

They're just like die-hard fans.

Residents waved flags and shouted, expressing in broken French their anticipation of the rangers' victory and their unconditional support for any soldiers belonging to the World Tree, until they were forcibly driven away by the hotel's security personnel.

The office fell silent. Lin An cleared his throat and looked at the dumbfounded black cat.

"Does the public sentiment in Mbanbuka need stability?"

"This, this..." The black cat stammered, unable to speak. "Yesterday they were a group of troublesome protesters, how come they've changed their tune today?"

“A fake is a fake; how can it compare to the real Ancestral Spirit?” Mezo said, trying to appease him. “Even the Bantu people can feel the difference in their auras!”

"Is the aura of a king truly real?" Fu Bin used playful words to mask his barely concealed doubt.

Wang, my foot!

Lin An gritted his teeth. How could the people of Mbanbuka possibly distinguish between him and a shapeshifter? There was only one reasonable explanation for his recent unusual behavior.

Tshisekedi's "brainwashing" techniques have failed.

It is very likely that he paid a heavy price when he used that mysterious technique to split his gender.

Then why did he use this technique on the prophet without any scruples?
Lin An glanced at the prophet gazing at the people. He understood that the object of their respect was not him, but the prophet who had worked diligently during this time. Unfortunately, they only began to love it after it lost its memory.

But Lin An would not sympathize with it, nor would he stop in his tracks to appease it; he had his own goals to achieve.

"In any case, the president's weakened power presents a good opportunity for our counterattack."

(End of this chapter)