World Occult Usage Guide

Opening his eyes, Lin An jumped down from the tree without making a sound.

“You want to see him now? Please let us accompany you.” Professor Hopper subconsciously stopped him, seemingly to protect someone.

"Alright," Lin An said without refusing.

Led by the Hoppers, Lin An walked around the tall haystacks and saw the mysterious boy from the story.

He looked small and thin, with an oversized shirt and jeans hanging loosely on his body. From his bare wrists, ankles and neck, one could vaguely see patterns that looked like white paint, seemingly made of seashells, buttons and beads strung together.

The boy's hair wasn't braided; it hung down softly, thick and voluminous, cascading over his shoulders, its black hair tinged with a hint of dark red.

What sets the boy apart from other children is that his eyes are lifeless, staring straight ahead like glass beads, blinking occasionally. The trembling reflection cast by his thick eyelashes proves that he is not a rag doll.

However, even when face to face with the boy, Lin An, in his blank state, still could not detect any signs of movement of the light spots.

“Timothy, don’t be afraid, he’s a wise wizard.” Professor Bannister put her arm around the boy’s shoulder to comfort him, but he didn’t respond. She sighed and looked at Lin An for help, “He’s right here. Can you tell what curse he’s under?”

The curse, of course, doesn't exist, because this thing isn't even alive.

Lin An took a deep breath, and the "One Eye of God" slowly rose behind his head. He raised his index finger, which represented hearing, and the rose window receded to the sides. His ear was like a drop of water passing through the boundary between life and death, and he instantly entered a clear dimension.

"Haru, Haru..."

Strange murmurs filled the air, emanating from the motionless boy.

Sure enough, he was dead.

Only through Fatima's intervention can the voice of the underworld be heard.

But the Hoppers weren't mystics; they shouldn't be able to see the dead, let alone touch them, or even feed or dress them.

Moreover, in the empty mode, even a dead person cannot be an empty void.

What's going on with this thing in front of me?
Is it truly a creation of the "Commerx" radiation? Or is it some new and bizarre phenomenon I've never seen before?
Speaking of which, the empty mode is also one of the system's functions.

Since arriving in the Southern Continent, garbled text, incompatible prototypes, and unreadable data have been occurring frequently. Is it a problem with Brother Tongzi, or... are there other unknown reasons behind these anomalies?
Lin An held his breath and listened intently. The sounds from the underworld were calm, peaceful, and meaningless, like an endless, repetitive melody.

He didn't seem to notice me?

"Could it be a very serious curse?"

Seeing Lin An remain silent with a dark look in his eyes, the Hoppers couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up.

"Haru, Haru..." The boy's steady "breathing" stopped, "Gurgle..."

"Can this thing hear the sounds around it?" Lin An raised an eyebrow.

To be on the safe side, he didn't rush into conversation with the boy, but instead cleared his throat: "I need to examine the patterns on his body more closely."

Lin An gestured for the couple to take off the boy's T-shirt, and they did so.

After removing his blue clothes, the boy's dark skin contrasted sharply with the white markings on his body.

These patterns were dense, chaotic, and without any discernible order. Even Lin An, who had already witnessed many of the mysteries of the Southern Continent, couldn't immediately recognize what they represented.

However, the method of applying a single solid white pigment and the seashell pattern reminded him of a people closely related to the Bantu, the Yoruba.

They are concentrated in Ubangi and cities near the west, and also in many along the Bantu border.

Facing the expectant gazes of the Hoppers, Lin An carefully said, "Yes, he was indeed cursed; the God of the Sky took away half of his soul."

"The God of the Sky?"

"This boy comes from the Yoruba tribe, where people believe in a supreme god, Orodumare, also known as Ororun, who is the lord of the sky and the creator. The universe is divided in two by Him: Aye is the material world, and Oron is the spiritual world."

"In the spirit world, there are about four hundred minor deities called Orisa. Each Orisa is associated with a specific thought, object, or natural phenomenon."

“The barrier between the two worlds separated by Olodumarai is death, but this barrier is not indestructible; through the summoning of song, dance and ritual, Olisha will possess the living to fulfill their desires, and the price will vary depending on the content.”

Lin An solemnly raised his finger and explained to the two that the basic structure of the Yoruba cosmology is similar to that of the Holy Way, Voodoo, and the Bantu Karenga Cross.

"I regret to inform you that poor Timothy may have violated an ancestral taboo during one of his father's unrestrained prayer rituals, and Orissa took away most of his soul as punishment."

The Hoppers listened in disbelief, exchanging a questioning glance.

"So what should we do to save him?"

“His curse comes from the greed and cruelty of his relatives. Unless his father is willing to smear his whole body with blood, Orissa will not return his soul.”

This statement was, of course, nonsense; Lin An simply wanted to observe the reaction of this unknown entity.

"So, he was used as a sacrifice by his own father?"

"How pitiful. They don't cherish their own children at all, while we clearly..."

The boy's breathing became increasingly erratic, changing from a rhythmic "haru" to a restless "gurgle, gurgle, gurgle." Lin An observed that its fingers twitched unnaturally, while its eyes remained as lifeless as before.

The couple whispered to each other for a while, and then Professor Bannister asked, "Is this the only way to break the curse?" "Yes."

"But where can we find his family? We don't even know which village he came from."

“Legally speaking, I adopted him, so I’m considered his father,” Professor Hopper said hesitantly. “Could I use my blood instead?”

"..."

Lin An did not answer, but observed the unknown creature's activities without blinking. Its voice became more high-pitched, changing from meaningless whimpers to intermittent words.

"Relatives...cruelty...blood...killing...fire..."

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the flames lit up, and Lin An could see the boy's face more clearly.

The moment he was touched by the light, his numb expression suddenly twitched, and he jumped up and ran towards the wasteland.

"Timothy!"

Just now, Professor Bannister took out the military knife she was carrying and was about to sterilize it with a lighter so that she could bleed her husband, but the flame actually stimulated the boy.

She hurriedly chased after him, and Professor Hopper was about to ask Lin An for his opinion when she found that the latter had "disappeared on the spot".

"Damn it, I've had enough of this crazy world!"

The usually mild-mannered professor rarely uttered a curse, but he followed in his wife's footsteps.

What he didn't know was that Lin An hadn't left; in fact, he was standing on his shoulder.

To conceal his identity, he used an entry he obtained from Kofi through [Edit]: [The Dwarf Messenger Who Lives in Symbiosis with the Forest IV - Komwobibinim].

This is a Category C entry in the Ghost Stories category, with the medium being "Lord of the Earth," and like the giants encountered earlier, it belongs to the legends of the Mbuti people, a nation of the Bantu Kingdom.

Kongwobibinim possesses the ability to transform people into lizards and chameleons.

In this state, as long as one remains motionless, it is difficult for ordinary people and some low-level mystics to detect the individual's existence, making it a medium-saving method of invisibility.

Unfortunately, there are always various limitations to the ghost story category. The chameleon that Kongwobibinim transforms into is extremely small, and its invisibility will be broken once it moves. Fortunately, this category has another ability, which is a tongue that can extend at will, is tough and full of mucus.

Taking advantage of Professor Hopper's shock, Lin An stuck his tongue on his clothes and jumped onto his shoulder.

The boy wasn't fast, like an average elementary school student, and was quickly caught up by Professor Bannister, who was an adult, and she hugged him tightly.

As if the video had been paused, the boy returned to his dazed state.

"Child, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Professor Hopper arrived shortly after, knelt down with concern, and patted the leaves and dust off the boy.

Upon closer observation, Lin An astutely noticed that as the boy moved, the "Comers" energy began to circulate around him, proving that it was still a shadow from another planet.

Why can't the system detect its existence?
Why could a dead person from the underworld be touched by two living people who had never been in contact with him before?

Is its peculiarity related to some previously inexplicable unsolved mysteries?
Lin An scratched his chin with the chameleon's tail. He didn't want to make a move on this strange thing before he had more information. Moreover, the tyrant's challenge and the army of Ubangi were two sharp blades. He had to deal with the invading enemy first.

Remember the location of the village, so you can come back another time.

As he was pondering, a drop of warm water fell on Lin An's head.

Lin An looked up and saw that Professor Hopper's eyes were slightly red and he couldn't help but shed tears. When he turned his gaze back, he saw that the boy who had not had any independent consciousness for five years suddenly stretched out his arms and hugged the couple.

The two were struck dumb, and without hesitation, they hugged the boy tightly, just as passionately as they had embraced their son as he boarded the school bus many years ago.

Lin An turned the chameleon's eyes, looking at the arc of dawn breaking on the horizon.

Behind the fading stars and moon, there were actually more amazing things hidden. He was like someone standing on a deserted island, trapped by a vast ocean. Fortunately, he knew what to do next: to use mysterious knowledge to fill in the land.

When dawn broke, the Hoppers returned to the village, and the boy, unchanged, leaned back against the haystack, staring blankly into the distance.

The World Tree members, who were gradually waking up, greeted the Hoppers. When the two saw Lin An, who had returned to human form, they smiled politely, as if nothing had happened the night before.

"Are you leaving?" Professor Hopper asked in a low voice. "In any case, thank you for providing us with a new research topic."

"The world's mysterious and diverse fantasies, and the endless wonders of the natural universe, ensure that the human brain will never lack fresh nourishment."

Lin An said casually as he peeled a hard banana.

We'll see each other again soon.

"Boom!"

Kantubi and Kofi loaded the supplies they had exchanged with the villagers into the trunk of the SUV, which then headed towards the camp of the "infamous" General Ernest Wamba, located northeast of the village. (End of Chapter)