World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 49 "The Dreamer"

Everyone stared at the rabbit in surprise.

Almost in the blink of an eye, it replaced Jim's form and fell to the ground.

Under the unwavering gaze of the three, the rabbit rolled over and sat up, hopping and skipping.

The rabbit was entirely black, about the size of a newborn baby, and covered with green and black square patterns. Its two ears were surrounded by bright gold diamond patterns, which was quite unusual.

"What is this?" Barry slowly lowered his tightly clenched hands.

“Once the contamination level reached 100%, he transformed from a human into a mysterious prototype,” Lin An subconsciously moved away from the rabbit. “But why did Jim’s contamination level suddenly spike? Did some of his final actions attract some special medium?”

According to Lin An's understanding, there is also compatibility between media.

For example, when the "Seeker of Knowledge" attracts the "Judge", the level of contamination increases by as much as 3%, but when it attracts the "God of Truth", the level of contamination only increases by 1.5%, which is only half of that of the "Judge".

Did Jim eventually attract a medium that was the complete opposite of "Dreamer"?

Even so, its pollution level increased far too quickly...

What kind of medium poses such a danger by going directly from 30% to 100%?
For some reason, the rabbit kept getting closer to Lin An. He retreated behind Barry, keeping a safe distance from it. His thoughts wandered, and he couldn't help but turn his gaze back to the rabbit.

On its exotic face, a thin, pale membrane covered its eyes, making it look like a cataract patient or a fish that had been dead for a long time.

However, something unexpected happened.

The moment the rabbit turned its head, the system's voice suddenly rang in Lin An's mind.

"By observing [Mystery], the radiation value of [Mystery Encyclopedia] increased by 1%, and your gaze on [Mystery] attracted the medium 'Lady with the Lamp' x1."

"Due to the radiation from the 'Lady with the Lamp,' your pollution level has increased by 0%."

Wait, the Lady with the Lamp?!

Lin An couldn't help but widen his eyes, his mind reeling.

Looking at Zomo Rabbit's eyes again, the pale membrane disappeared, revealing that it had large eyes with yellow sclera and dark pupils.

Upon opening my panel, the radiation value of the [Mysterious Encyclopedia] has changed to 2.2%.

Lin An used the mystical spell several times. Each "Seeker of Knowledge" medium consumed could only increase the radiation value by 0.2%. Just now, he only glanced at the rabbit's eyes, and the radiation value inexplicably increased by a full 1%!

They also obtained a medium for the "Lady with the Lamp"...

Lin An frowned. Did this mean that Jim's final actions attracted the "Lady with the Lamp," but it was too incompatible with the "Dreamer," causing his level of corruption to skyrocket and turning him into the Zomo Rabbit?
But when it came to my area, the pollution level didn't increase at all?
Are "the seeker of knowledge" and "the lady with the lamp" a good match?
Judging from the names of these two media alone, their functions don't seem like "synonyms".

The system only mentioned "mysterious" without giving its name, similar to how it deliberately concealed its real name during its first self-introduction.

Is that ethereal white film covering Zomo Rabbit's eyes some kind of mystery I haven't yet come to know?
In order to respond to the idea, Lin An asked with his consciousness.

"System, is my guess correct?"

"Yes," the system replied in a emotionless voice.

"But if it's something mysterious that I haven't yet come to know, let alone include it, you wouldn't even be able to create an 'encyclopedia', would you?"

"The medium of the 'Lady with the Lamp' has special properties. Contact with mysterious items related to her can increase one's radiation level and obtain the corresponding medium."

"Contact?" Lin An suddenly remembered another mysterious item. "The 'Ouroboros's' un-unlocked abilities are related to the 'Lady with the Lamp.' Could I possibly increase my radiation level by gazing at and observing it through some means?"

"That's a good idea." The system did not deny it.

Lin An roughly understood that the almost unrecorded medium of the "Lady with the Lamp" was related to the increase in radiation levels, but a big question remained.

"Why did Jim's level of contamination instantly reach 100% and he die immediately when he attracted the 'Lady with the Lamp'? And why did most of the 'Lady with the Lamp' mystery people recorded by the Foundation die quickly due to the soaring level of contamination?"

"..."

"What kind of behavior could attract the 'Lady with the Lamp'? Jim was just on the run. Was it because his 'Dreamer' medium took him to a strange illusion? What did he 'see' that earned him the favor of the 'Lady with the Lamp'?"

"..."

"Did your computer crash?"

"This encyclopedia does not yet include any entries related to the 'Twelve Gods of Komoth'," the system said with a familiar prompt.

No relevant records exist...

A dark, ambiguous glint flashed in Lin An's eyes.

Currently, only one thing can be confirmed: due to the special nature of the [Mysterious Encyclopedia] or the system's "collection and identification" capabilities, I can absorb the "Lady with the Lantern" medium without worrying about the degree of contamination.

Strange energy descended from the sky, and only then did Lin An feel the cold wind that whipped up the corners of his clothes.

He looked up, and a winged angel descended.

Simon held a sword in his hand. Previously, Lin An could only vaguely make out the outline of the sword. Now, he squinted and saw that the blade reflected the moonlight. The hilt was shaped like a pair of angel wings, and the handle was spiral-shaped, extending to the end of the crystal ball.

This is the energy of "Commerx"...

As the radiation level increased, it indeed became clearer and clearer in my vision. "Captain...!" Mishi unconsciously hid the black restraints behind her back, "Jay... James has turned into a rabbit!"

"I saw it."

Energy trembled, the longsword vanished, Simon's silver eyes lingered on the Zomo rabbit for a long while, his deep voice echoing in the night.

"You're all okay?"

"It's nothing, Captain, it's just Barry..."

Mishi stopped talking, somewhat sadly. Barry hung his head, staring blankly at the lively black rabbit, as if he could see a very distant place through it.

“I was worried about you being alone in a room with the Mystic, Barry, so I kept watching the monitor. When I saw James use mysticism and pull a breathing mask out of the ‘void,’ I immediately notified the hospital so they could provide immediate treatment.”

Simon blocked Barry's view and gave him a gentle smile.

"Your child is safe."

Barry was stunned for a long time before finally relaxing completely. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily with a sense of relief.

“This time it was indeed my oversight. I didn’t expect James Nacher’s mysterious reach to be so vast. Not just Farmington, but even stealing from private clinics dozens of miles away.” Simon shook his head. “The ‘Visionary’ medium is truly impossible to guard against.”

Mishi climbed back down the steps of the treehouse to the ground, brushing the dust off her clothes: "Captain, why did you deliberately cut off the communication equipment back then?"

Simon smiled slightly and said generously, "Firstly, I have to deal with hospital matters, and secondly, I also want to see how you perform in the operation."

"It really is a classic rookie trial..." Mishi touched her chest with lingering fear.

"If you encounter any danger, or if James escapes, I will intervene immediately."

Simon chatted with her for a few minutes, then turned to Lin An.

"Lin, your operation this time was outstanding. Your calm observation, methodical leadership and organization, and empathy in protecting your colleagues are exemplary for the department."

"Captain, you flatter me." Lin An smiled clearly. "Mishi is just as good."

"Without your intervention, we would have let him go!" Mi Xi pouted. "Lin, if the captain plays AFK mode again, I've decided to follow you."

"What is 'AFK'?" Simon asked, puzzled.

"You mean AFK?"

"Ok?"

“Generation, generation gap…” Mishi said, rubbing her forehead. “Although it’s hard to accept, I now feel with absolute certainty that there is an entire generation between us.”

Simon patted her shoulder kindly, and the atmosphere fell silent. Just as Mishi was about to say something to change the subject, the captain spoke up by name.

"Barry."

"I'm sorry, Captain..."

“I warned you that James’s thefts were mysterious and related to ‘conversation,’ and that you should try not to talk to him, but you were still not careful enough and fell for his trick.”

“I’m sorry, Captain,” Barry repeated.

“It’s not his fault,” Missy kindly defended him. “Barry offered to share a room with James, giving us the private room instead. James is so cunning, anyone would be tempted to say a few words to him—I think I was too!”

“This is no excuse, Melissa.” Simon’s tone suddenly became serious. “Fortunately, James is just a ‘visionary’ who steals small things using illusions. What if he met the Witch of Bavomet? Once he made contact, that visionary wouldn’t let you go so easily.”

A bead of sweat trickled down Mishi's forehead.

“Dealing with the Mystic is a matter of life and death if you’re not careful,” Simon said. “Mishi, at the very least you should keep a vigilant and fearful heart.”

The witch is indeed a mysterious figure who uses the medium of "dreamer".

Based on her experience confronting Jim, could the witch also use some kind of "node" to ignore spatial distance and create a blissful illusion anytime, anywhere?

Lin An was thinking when Simon continued.

“‘Dreamers’ are all fanatical idealists, and their ideas are not accepted by the mainstream. Next time you are provoked by such a person, just keep silent. You see, Lin never responds to James.”

"Why should we reward him?" Lin An shrugged.

“Haha…” Mishi chuckled, “If James knew what you were thinking, he would probably be devastated. I think he really considers you a friend.”

"You shouldn't make friends like this."

"Hey, even his rabbit likes you."

"what?"

The sound of a whip cracking rang out as Simon used restraints to tie up the rabbit that relentlessly approached Lin An.

It used its protruding incisors to gnaw on the strap, constantly twisting its body, and pupating towards Lin An.

Thank you to the user "老小号" for the donation, thank you to reader "20200819145319336" for the monthly ticket, and thank you everyone for your recommendations and continued reading!
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(End of this chapter)