World Occult Usage Guide

Abishang is a rare tourist city in the central South, with hotels everywhere, complete with facilities, and all kinds of people walking around on clean carpets, speaking Latin and Germanic languages.

"It's finally our turn to get vaccinated."

"I don't dare to wander around until I finish getting vaccinated. Who knows how many unknown infectious diseases this fascinating tropical continent has?"

“As a government-designated official agency, you’re incredibly slow,” a bald man grumbled, pressing a cotton ball to his wound. “I bet if you hired a few people from the southern part of Central Continent, the problem could be solved in less than a day.”

The nurses at Adamek Hospital smiled and apologized repeatedly.

The vaccine requires three doses, administered every 18 to 24 hours, and it took them nearly five days to complete the vaccination of all the guests.

The reporter will finish their work tomorrow and leave by boat.

Out of a pathological fear of this unknown continent, everyone dared to stay in their rooms during this time and could not go anywhere.

"Even after you've been vaccinated, it's best if you don't leave the hotel."

Mrs. Adamek patted the bald man's arm, and he took a greedy breath, as if savoring her fragrance.

"Madam, why is that?"

"It takes one to two days for antibodies to develop, and the vaccine is a weakened virus. If you feel unwell afterwards, such as dizziness, diarrhea, or vomiting, it is normal."

"No wonder the internet speed is so slow." The bald man tried to squeeze his wife's hand, but she dodged it. "It turns out everyone's been staying indoors, and all of this stuff that hasn't been used in a long time has been squeezed like a cake... bursting."

"I'm so sorry," Mrs. Adamek said politely but firmly. "Next."

"Don't be so cold, beautiful lady. I've already said that your efficiency is slow and keeping people cooped up in rooms is incredibly boring. As a government-designated agency, don't you have any remedial measures in place?"

Mrs. Adamek, who was behind the table, took a step back in disgust. Just as the man was about to grab her, someone leaned in and blocked their way.

"Wow."

A young man with black hair picked up the empty syringe and medicine bottle and placed them neatly on the tray. He looked up and met a pair of eyes that were filled with anger after his attempt to take advantage of the situation failed.

“Barbaric, stupid, and rude.” The bald man looked at the expressionless face and snorted through his nose. “I guess being a temporary medical assistant is the greatest achievement of your life.”

To his surprise, the other person completely ignored him, picked up the small medicine bottle, and began reading the instructions.

"Is this the third shot?"

"Can't you understand French? You country bumpkin, I'm going to file a complaint! I'll get you fired! I'm also going to write a report about this experience! How dare you be rude to foreign guests? No wonder you're not recognized internationally. A country's level of civilization comes from..."

Before he could finish speaking, the bald man felt an extreme fear rising from the depths of his soul.

The emotion was indescribable, as if the young man in front of him could see through him, dissect him, and devour him completely with just a wave of his hand.

Despite it being the sweltering heat of summer near the equator, he felt a bone-chilling cold, and his whole body trembled violently involuntarily.

"me……"

His lips trembled, and just as he was about to say something, the chill vanished abruptly, as if it had never been there.

"Is there anything else?" The young man put the medicine bottle back on the tray and gave him a cold glance.

"It's nothing... I'm sorry to bother you. I'll go home and quarantine right away. Goodbye..." The bald man said this in one breath, then lifted the curtain without looking back and fled.

This medical assistant was Lin An.

After seeing off the dejected bald man, he cleaned up the mess, maintaining an indifferent attitude throughout.

Because he doesn't care what an ordinary person thinks or says; he only wants data.

Carrying a metal tray piled high with medical waste, Lin An placed it on the processing rack following the designated route, while simultaneously processing the information he had gathered over the past few days.

First, unsurprisingly, these vaccines are problematic.

Although the effects are not visible to the naked eye, and even the person being injected is unaware of them, Lin An discovered through numerous experiments and comparisons that an individual's willpower weakens with each injection of the so-called "vaccine."

To give an example on a 100-point scale, the willpower of a normal person is around 60 points, while soldiers or people who have undergone special training can get around 70 to 80 points.

However, after each vaccination, their willpower decreases by 10 to 15 points.

After three doses of the vaccine, almost everyone's willpower dropped to around 30 points.

As the number of people getting vaccinated initially increased, Edward noticed a rise in the consumption of wine, cigars, and other addictive items by the housekeeping staff, and Lin Xile, who worked as a cleaner, encountered more "bad" guest rooms.

Originally, this group of reporters, journalists, and celebrities at least maintained a facade of being well-dressed and refined. However, after three doses of the vaccine, some of their ugly and unrestrained bad habits were fully exposed.

To further verify this, Lin An used the entry from "The Encyclopedia of Magic IV: The Dark Wind - The Black Witch, the White Witch, the Red Witch and Their Allies"—【The Eternal Representative of Corruption and Pests】—on each guest who received the injection.

This entry belongs to "black witchcraft," which originated in the modern West.

When people study "witch hunts," they find a striking coincidence: each persecution of witchcraft is associated with an outbreak of plague or rodent infestation, and these usually occur during periods of prolonged climate instability.

For example, during the Little Ice Age around 1350 and 1850, theologians frequently linked famine, epidemics, and bread riots with paganism, while accusations of witchcraft surged in both the Lion and Dove countries during the severe weather years of 1587 and 1588. In these cases, witches were scapegoated for threats to harvests and outbreaks of disease.

In this fluid and turbulent intellectual environment, the analysis of plagues is often conducted through imagery and association, with theological views viewing plagues as a sign of a decadent, post-LS era of corruption.

In his poem "Anatomy of the Epiloimia Epe," William Austin suggests that the plague is a phenomenon in which God visits the fallen world and becomes angry at the sins of mankind. He believes that witches are the main cause of His anger and disappointment.

If wizards and witches were not the cause of the plague, then their alliance with the devil made them the first victims of the plague and, directly or indirectly, the source of subsequent contamination.

When "Comers" arrives, the legend becomes reality, and the entry is closely associated with fear, disease, and depravity.

The embodiment of "the eternal symbol of corruption and pests" is a scent mixed with the odor of toads, rats, and cockroaches. Once inhaled, an individual will develop a persistent chronic illness that will accompany them for life without mystical intervention.

The effect of this entry lasts until Lin An dies, or until the radiation from "Comers" disappears.

Interestingly, the "chronic disease" created by the "eternal representative of corruption and pests" changes depending on the strength of an individual's will.

When faced with a person of strong will, it will manifest as mild chronic illnesses such as pharyngitis or rhinitis; conversely, it will manifest as serious diseases such as diabetes, rheumatism, or even Alzheimer's disease.

However, Lin An did not use any magic on the bald man.

This entry targets individuals who will experience an involuntary fear; the weaker their willpower, the stronger the fear effect.

He only needs to aim at the "eternal representative of corruption and pests" and observe how these people who have been injected behave to confirm his suspicions.

The vaccine at Adamek Hospital weakens a person's will.

Why did they do that?
really weird.

Is this due to the effects of medical drugs, or is there some mysterious force at work behind the scenes?

After all, that lady wasn't some kind of mystery...

“Mr. Tulver Ragill, you are here.”

A melancholy voice drifted over, interrupting Lin An's reverie.

Mrs. Adamek stood straight in the doorway, her black-gloved hand covering her chest, and in the shadow of her hat brim, her deep eyes blinked gently, like a mysterious butterfly.

To avoid suspicion, Lin An once again used the alias "Tulf Regier".

In any case, there are quite a few native residents of Lacona who are named after the Western continent, such as "Ophelia," "Hans," and "Philip."

"Madam, may I pass by?"

Not wanting to disturb ordinary people, Lin An picked up a clean tray and prepared to return to his post.

“Don’t go, Mr. Rachel.” Mrs. Adamek pulled the handle back, leaving only the two of them in the cluttered room. “I haven’t thanked you for getting me out of trouble today.”

"It's just a little effort."

“Since my husband died, no one has been willing to stand up for me for a long time.” Mrs. Adamek ran her fingers along her pale lips, cradling her slightly gaunt cheek. “I want to repay you, Mr. Rachel. Is there anything you would like me to do?”

“I’d like you to move aside a bit, thank you.” Lin An gestured for him to move aside. “You’re blocking the door, and I have to get back to work.”

"..."

The lady's elegant movements froze for a moment, then she cleared her throat heavily and reorganized her emotions.

“Mr. Ragnarok, let me get straight to the point—you just used ‘voodoo’ on that person, didn’t you?”

Lin An raised an eyebrow and asked, "How do you know?"

"You made him momentarily 'dazed' for no reason."

"Distracted?"

"Oh, stop keeping me in suspense!"

Mrs. Adamek covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"In most religions, gods are given the concept of a sacred, ethereal, and immaterial entity, and are the perfect ultimate model that believers should strive to pursue. Voodoo is the opposite; those gods often yearn to become human."

“They want to live, feel, suffer, or be happy like ordinary people; they also have human desires, habits, and tastes. These characteristics manifest when they possess believers, so the relationship between gods and believers is mutually beneficial.”

"Believers can offer their bodies in supernatural ways to attract deities in exchange for benefits, such as foreseeing the future, punishing others, or curing diseases. This exchange process involves dreaming... and putting oneself or others into a trance."

"Uh, but—"

Mrs. Adamek suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his arm with her icy hand.

The metal tray fell to the ground with a thud.

"Please, I want to see my husband one more time! I want to know who killed him!" she said. "Use voodoo to bring him back to the land of the living, no matter the cost!" (End of Chapter)