World Occult Usage Guide

On the way forward, David could no longer contain his curiosity.

"Ladies Leo, why are you wearing green pins? And everyone's green is different."

"It represents our authority within the World Tree system. The higher the green purity, the more authority this employee has," replied [Leo] Mayer.

"I see." David suddenly realized that it was a physical employee badge. "May I take a look?"

"can."

David held the pin, turning it over and over, examining it closely, and stroking its smooth surface.

This thing is exquisitely crafted, shaped like a real leaf, with every fine line lifelike, and it's as thin as a cicada's wing, so you can hardly feel its weight when you hold it in your hand.

How could precious metals be cut so precisely and perfectly?

How exactly do forest rangers manage to do that?
Filled with curiosity and nervousness, David was about to return the pin to Maye, who had led the way, when suddenly a subtle change occurred in the air. The leaf then shattered in his palm with a "crack," and the withered plant fluttered down.

Broken?

David stood there, his previous composure and ease gone.

"I... I just touched it, I absolutely didn't use any force, I swear!" he explained awkwardly. "I really didn't mean to damage your badge! I didn't know it was so fragile—"

Maye didn't answer, which made David even more flustered, until a clear and melodious voice came.

"It's alright, I did it. This is your new 'Emerald Permission Card,' Leo. It's more refined, prettier, and neater than the previous version."

A young woman with long, black hair and a serene smile walked gracefully from a distance. She opened her smooth, porcelain-like hand, and David saw a brand-new brooch, exactly the same as the one he had crushed, lying in her palm.

“Actually, I can use the old one too.” Maye reluctantly accepted the new pin the girl gave her. “Just like almost no one can tell the difference between World Tree System 2.34 and 2.35.”

“I’ve improved the clarity of the directional icons and video playback; the difference is quite noticeable if you look closely.” The girl looked at the stunned David. “You must be David O’Connor, the representative of Pentecostalism.”

"Uh, yes, that's me."

David scratched his head, thinking that since this person was handing out employee badges, he must be a high-level manager of the World Tree.

But she had no brooches on her body, only an apple-green floral dress, which made her skin appear even paler.

"What is your name?"

“Ranger-02, [Emera].” The girl noticed David’s wandering gaze and kindly introduced, “You seem to care a lot about our Ash Leaf Medal.”

These pins are actually called Ash Leaf Medals.

“Indeed, I always felt that this kind of engraving was too intricate and difficult to achieve on metal, especially mass-produced metal.”

"It's nothing. Let me demonstrate how to make the Ash Leaf Medal." [Emera] Lin Xile took out a flat leaf from her small crossbody bag and held a small knife in her right hand.

"First, you need a knife and a leaf."

“Draw up a blueprint, right?”

"Then make a cut here and use a circle to circle the patterns representing the various permissions of the World Tree."

"I've already drawn up a rough draft, and I can already see what it will look like."

Lin Xile suddenly exerted force with his right hand, and quickly carved a miniature World Tree pattern. In the center were the icons of the six major departments, and at the bottom were the numbers and their corresponding medal holders.

The whole process took less than three seconds.

David rubbed his eyes hard, unable to believe what had happened in just a few seconds.

I don't think I blinked.

"The drawing...is it finished?" His lips twitched wildly. "Are you a printer, miss?"

“Hehe, ‘I’ do look a bit like a human-shaped Star Platinum.” Lin Xile blew off the powder on the surface of the leaf, picked it up with two fingers, and said, “Here, keep it as a souvenir.”

"How embarrassing."

“Recently, in order to exercise the nerves in my brain, I have been carving these leaves. In less than ten days, I have made hundreds of thousands of them. They are not valuable items.”

"Thank you very much, Miss Emera."

David carefully picked up the leaf carving Lin Xile handed him, wondering how to preserve it, when the strange atmosphere flashed by again and disappeared. He was shocked to find that the leaf in his hand had turned into metal.

"Holy crap, it turns lead into gold!"

Even though David kept reminding himself that this was a formal meeting with other organizations, he still couldn't help but swear.

“Bingo, that’s the Philosopher’s Stone’s Midas touch.” Lin Xile snapped his fingers. “Please follow me, Mr. Representative.”

David instinctively followed behind her, his face full of bewilderment, muttering to himself. "Impossible! The Philosopher's Stone isn't real. How could such a magical thing exist in this world... Hmm, it must be magic! Or some kind of high-tech 3D printer! When I see the Ranger, I'll definitely ask him if he'll sell this technology!"

Lost in disbelief, David didn't notice that the three Maori behind him exchanged glances and vaguely grasped something with a long handle.

"Crench."

Lin Xile pushed open the door to an office, and the rich aroma of coffee wafted out. There, she saw someone sitting behind a laptop, typing away furiously.

Hearing the noise, he stood up.

He looked surprisingly young, with thick black hair and a peculiar sheen in his dark eyes. His face, which appeared to be of mixed race, possessed a mysterious and unusual charm.

Forest ranger.

David immediately guessed his identity, unconsciously straightened his back, loosened his tie, and extended a hand.

"Nice to meet you."

“Mr. David O’Connor, it’s my pleasure.” Lin An shook hands with him. “Please have a seat.”

“Mr. Ranger, I made a decision on my way here.” David sat down opposite him with an open and generous air. “On behalf of the World Pentecostal Grace Organization, I am happy to cooperate with [World Tree]; and I personally decide to donate 200 million yuan to you, as well as five church schools.”

"You make these decisions as decisively as ever," Lin An said, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

“It’s just that once you think something can ‘help the vulnerable’ or someone can ‘end the suffering in a certain area,’ you’re willing to spend your own money to sponsor it.” Lin An continued typing rapidly on the keyboard while chatting with him.

"Well, for me it's more of a hobby," David said, crossing his legs. "Want to hear a story?"

“Someone is willing to give me 200 million to sing yodeling next to me for 5 hours without any problem.”

“I live in a privileged environment, and it’s no exaggeration to say that I could be ranked as one of the ten happiest people in the world,” David said. “I have lived a wealthy life since I was a child.”

“On my 15th birthday, I tipped a famous streamer 10 dollars to have her sing a happy birthday song. But I messed up the capitalization when I searched, and the money was sent to another account.”

"When I projected her onto the party's big screen, she knelt on the cold concrete floor, thanking me profusely in some language I didn't recognize, kowtowing and bowing repeatedly. Luckily, her equipment wasn't recording audio, or my guests would have been terrified."

David shook his leg, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

“I wanted the platform to refund my money, so I followed her account. In just a few days, she used the money I tipped her to buy a set of furniture, some food, a bed for her husband who has uremia, and books and clothes for her five children.”

"A birthday song that belongs to me could somehow conjure up so many things in her hands. Then the platform contacted me and said they found out she was from Lacoão and they could help me file a lawsuit. But I withdrew the application; it's not so bad that she took the money."

“I’ve been following her account for about three years, and that money changed her life. She bought new live streaming equipment, hand tools, and lots of wool, opened a small online wool products store, and used e-commerce to support her child through college.”

David smacked his lips, seemingly still wanting more.

“This experience brought me unprecedented joy. Through giving, I gained spiritual satisfaction, so I began to look for all sorts of opportunities to do good deeds.”

“I understand that this is very lofty, but I can only be happy when I see others achieve happiness.”

“I did charity work online for more than three years, but there were too many scammers there, so I came to Nanzhou. Seeing the changes in them made me even happier, like turning limited happiness into endless imagination.”

Rich people do tend to have some quirks.

David's quirk was "spending money around".

"A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions," Lin An commented. "Never underestimate the evil in human nature, nor ignore its goodness."

“It’s strange, ranger, you make me feel unusually close to you… Is this what they call personal charisma?” David leaned forward. “By the way, if I donate a few million more, could I be added to the World Tree?”

"I can't think of a reason to refuse."

"Let's get another cool designation, like Ranger-21."

“Sorry, the Ranger program has a strict vetting process; it's not something you can just join on a whim,” Lin An said. “Let’s discuss the cooperation details first. Have you seen the attachment?”

“Of course. To be honest, I’m flattered.” David gestured for the Maori bodyguard to produce the printed documents. “Putting everything else aside, you want us to take control of the ballot boxes for the next presidential election.”

“Third-party channels are the fairest.” Lin An pressed the mouse and opened the webpage he had just searched for. “It’s also to shut some people up.”

"Your governance is fair, efficient, and systematic, yet there are still people dissatisfied?" David sighed. "In Southern Continent, having a president who is highly efficient is a pipe dream, let alone a group of high-ranking officials who get things done."

"Please see for yourself."

Lin An turned the computer screen around, and David leaned closer, where large, bold characters came into view.

"This news will absolutely shock you! The World Tree's Rangers actually did something like this..." (End of Chapter)