World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 4 World Tree Forum

Ranger_12: I just took the last bus in the city. Coincidentally, the city center and where I live are separated by a rather desolate area.

The bus stopped at the intersection. Half-asleep, I leaned against the window and caught a glimpse of something rushing away out of the corner of my eye.

I initially thought it was a car that had run a red light, but after a few seconds, it came back.

It felt like something was staring at me; it was pure white. I was startled and immediately lost all sleepiness. I took this picture with my phone.

The image shows a white shadow sliding across the grainy lens, and the glass reflection vaguely resembles a pair of trousers without a body.

Ranger_12: Anyone who can find this forum should be familiar with it. What is that mysterious creature that looks somewhat humanoid, has two legs, and often travels in pairs?

Uno0jo: Fresno Nightcrawlers?
Ranger_12: You're right, the first commenter. Back in 2007, this mysterious creature was first sighted. It's said that its appearance originated from people's fear of extraterrestrial beings at the time, and is also related to the culture of the native people of the Upper East Side.

Fogлес: Nightcrawler is just a fictional story that spread along with the rise of MyTube.

Fogлес: Its cute appearance and 'unknown' charm have captured the imagination of internet pop culture, thus joining the ranks of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and UFOs.

Fogлес: Actually, I think this is a tourism advertisement for Fresno. Lots of people are checking in there.

Taborburn: The photo looks like some kind of primate, or a person wearing loose pants.

NightyNightX: The little thing is quite cute, it's making my XP kick in.

UbiSunt: Oh my god, doing anything will only hurt you.

Lastgreatdynasty2035: A fake image.

Lastgreatdynasty2035: [Link] This is a disproving video.

SyFyGuy_111: It's very difficult to forge something so mysterious.

Hariaaaa: Naive child, why don't you have this photoshopped paranormal image examined? [Images][Images][Images]
ViperSS: As a resident of Fresno, I hate this legend... It has replaced the Big Bad Wolf as the bedtime story to scare children.

DaoFaZiRan: The World Tree Forum is an academic forum for discussing and analyzing paranormal phenomena from around the world. The poster should remember not to take it seriously. Titan does not exist in any mysterious way.

Lin An watched with satisfaction as the number of replies increased.

"The Fresno Nightcrawler" was just a story made up on the spot, accompanied by a 15-minute photoshopped image.

He's not stupid enough to reveal that he encountered a "dwarf demon".

The purpose of posting was to test whether he could lure out the mysterious person. After the discussion had filled a page, Lin An set the post to be visible only within Dietrich City and then turned off his phone.

Stepping onto the long-neglected staircase, Lin An opened the door at the end of the corridor.

During his sophomore summer vacation, with the university's approval, Lin An moved out of the campus dormitory and rented this apartment of more than 50 square meters.

Lin An heated up a piece of pizza in the microwave and ate it. After washing up, he went to bed.

Overwhelmed by exhaustion, he fell into a deep sleep.

The earth was a vast expanse of gray, barren, desolate, and eerily quiet.

Thick white fog, like gauze, rustled with the sound of reeds swaying on both sides. In the hazy light, colorful candlelight flickered, and thousands of lights rose from the water before returning to the darkness.

There were twelve candles in total, and loud shouts echoed in my ears.

It was a call that Lin An had never heard before, yet it was very familiar to him.

In some mysterious way, they seemed to be calling to him.

"Jingle Bell--!"

The ringing of his cell phone woke Lin An from his dream. He groggily pressed the answer button, and his senior's anxious voice came from the other side.

"You little rascal, you sent out green bubbles at 12 o'clock! I was so worried, you know that?!"

"Uh, this..."

Both of them fell silent.

"Anyway, as long as you're safe," the senior student said awkwardly. "Don't forget to let me know you're safe next time. The center of Dietrich is really chaotic. Not long after you left, the TV was reporting robberies and murders. It scared me to death."

"Senior, who did the broadcast say died?" Lin An perked up.

"A thief."

As expected, the St. Anilof Foundation did not want ordinary people to come into contact with the mystic and did not report the death of the dwarf demon.

"By the way, senior, I specifically looked into the missing persons case you mentioned," Lin An said, seizing the opportunity. "It's just that the reports were a bit disjointed, and I don't know if the suspect was ever found. Senior, you should be careful too."

"Trying to trick me into telling you anything? No way." The senior snorted. "From now on, take the bus home right after get off work, or I'll have my parents fire you."

"Does the senior know something inside?"

"of course."

"Hey, tell me quickly!" Lin An said with great interest.

"I heard that if a worker in Chinatown doesn't go home by 11 p.m., his body will... turn into char siu."

"..."

"That's it. Bye-bye, Kobayashi—dudu—"

Lin An put down his phone, looking utterly exasperated.

I had hoped to find clues about the mysterious figure in these disappearances reported in the streets and alleys, but unfortunately, the senior student, upholding her belief in protecting her junior's mental and physical well-being, refused to elaborate. This included not only the St. Anilov Foundation, but also so-called "liberals"...

Lin An's eyes were dark.

The Witch of Bavomet.

He rolled over and opened the forum on his phone. The post he made last night had been pushed to the top, and the screen was full of replies from the same account.

DerTodesstern: Is it so hard for you to admit what others have to say?
DerTodesstern: Don't block me. Let's meet offline and see if you dare to talk back.

DerTodesstern: Didn't your teacher teach you to think independently? The education system in Central Asia is truly pathetic! Come out and take a look, and you'll see how insignificant your own civilization is!
Holy crap, where did this idiot come from?

Lin An read the posts in reverse order. This person was frantically refuting those who believed that "Night Walker is fictional," giving all sorts of opinions as if he were the only one awake while everyone else was asleep.

Finally, he found the first reply.

DerTodesstern: Am I the only one who thinks the occult is more useful than science? When did the World Tree gather so many frogs in a well? Your lack of knowledge doesn't mean it's not real; it's just that you're not like me, you're not qualified!
After a moment's thought, Lin An logged into his account.

Ranger_12: Everyone's right. I went to the same place and saw that the photo actually showed white pants drying by the roadside.

Ranger_12: DerTodesstern, have you seen the Fresno Nightcrawler?
DerTodesstern: I know a lot about the occult, you're just blind.

Constantly seeking attention, surfing the internet intensively, and using fragmented language, several characteristics allowed Lin An to almost imagine what the other person looked like. A smile appeared on his lips as he tried to get information out of them while turning on his computer.

Ranger_12: Tell me about it.

DerTodesstern: You think you can just answer my questions? Who the hell do you think you are?
Ranger_12: If you can't provide examples, it means you can't take responsibility for your statements. The World Tree is a forum for exchanging information about the supernatural, not a stage for sensationalism.

DerTodesstern: You idiot, why are you harping on me? Everyone on this forum is talking nonsense, why don't you just argue with them, you trolls.

Ranger_12: Okay, too lazy to chat with an illiterate person.

After saying that, Lin An silenced him.

While he was heating up his breakfast in the microwave, the back end kept beeping, and he angrily sent several private messages.

DerTodesstern: You think I don't understand? Laughable! If I didn't understand, how could some mysterious force have chosen me!
DerTodesstern: Not replying? Have you gone silent?
DerTodesstern: You coward who only dares to hide behind the internet! I can already picture you trembling and your blood boiling!

DerTodesstern: I'm a hacker, I can get your personal information in a heartbeat. You better watch out, don't let me find out where you live in real life, or I'll kill you!
DerTodesstern: Please send me the verification code.

Lin An chuckled and pressed the Enter key.

Ranger_12: Guess why my online name is 'Ranger'?
DerTodesstern: What's it to me!
DerTodesstern: Just tell me you're not scared.

Ranger_12: Because I am the creator of the World Tree Forum.

Without waiting for a reply, Lin An blocked his IP address and uploaded the copied information to the cloud.

Room 23B, 2nd Floor, Glenwood Avenue, Dietrich, 3110 Tuna Street, Haida Steiner.

Unexpectedly, the first "suspected mystery person" who took the bait was so abstract.

Find some time to meet him...

Sigh, let's wait a little longer.

I feel like this kind of person doesn't possess any useful information.

After finishing breakfast, Lin An boarded a bus heading towards the university campus.

He needed to retrieve the "Complete Book of Magic" from his friend's dormitory and add it to the system, lest something unexpected happen.

........................

"Damn it, fucking fucking!"

The obese man stared at the notification that "You have been permanently removed from the World Tree Forum ╮(￣⊿￣)╭" and angrily picked up his keyboard and slammed it heavily onto the computer screen.

"Wow!"

The loud sound of shattering glass attracted a woman with a weathered face. She opened the door a crack and cautiously asked, "Honey, are you alright?"

"Shut up, you stupid bitch!" the man cursed. "It's none of your business!"

“That computer and keyboard…” A hint of sadness flashed in the woman’s eyes, “…cost me three months’ salary…Darling, Mom’s work is very, very tiring every day.”

"How about that? You're exhausted! You could have chosen not to have me in the first place!"

"Xiao Da, how could you say such hurtful things! You know perfectly well that you are your mother's only concern!"

"Get lost, you're as annoying as a fly."

The man chased her away and took out his phone from his pocket.

"The creator of the World Tree—I refuse to believe I can't catch you!"

Years of online experience have taught him some information-finding skills.

The keyword lit up from a blurry screenshot that displayed "Original address inaccessible or expired". The man squinted, bent over, and leaned in front of the screen to examine it closely.

"...World Tree...Project...Production...Sasaki Haruto?"

He licked his lips, his breathing heavy, and clenched his gloved right hand tightly. The brown leather gleamed with a strange, cool light, vaguely converging into the pattern of a gun.

"So you're a bastard from Japan. You dare ban my account? I'll kill you! Since this thing appeared, no one will look down on me anymore... I'm special! I'm unique..."

(End of this chapter)