World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 78 Plant Gold
"Based on the entry 'Encyclopedia of Magic III: Playing Pan's Flute - The Secret Art of Worshiping the Familiar Oak Tree,' a solution that meets the requirements has been found: [The Prayer of Verbena].

"Consume 'Nature Sacrifice' x2, 'Seeker of Knowledge' x1, and 'War Emperor' x1 to use this?"

Hearing the system's voice in his mind, Lin An nodded slightly.

"use."

The phantom of an oak tree appeared, and the purple verbena not only formed Lin'an's crown, but its fragrance also blended into the cold water, soaking the bodies of Koret and Lecia.

"By using mystical arts, the radiation value of the [Mystic Encyclopedia] has increased by 0.2%."

The two inspection team members felt the aroma of herbs surrounding them, followed by a sharp, icy chill, as if they had been forcibly kicked into a zero-degree mountain spring in the dead of winter, and they couldn't help but shiver.

"you--"

Before they could speak, Lin An made a "shh" gesture.

"This is what I was talking about as the Druid 'immersion ritual,' where they would soak the offerings in a pool of cold, herb-infused water overnight until the offerings died."

Their lips trembled uncontrollably as they stared at Lin An in disbelief, their eyes conveying a thousand unspoken words.

Aren't you an alchemist from the Dragon Kingdom, just like us?

Why can Druid priests be used?

Moreover, when Lin An used his mysterious magic, they had no time or way to resist, which means that Lin An's mysterious rating was not just legendary C-level, but probably even higher!
This guy cheated the St. Anilov Foundation!
They haven't realized that they've lost initiative in speaking and their responsiveness is rapidly declining.

However, the question that had been so hard to utter was choked back by Lin An's next words.

"However, there are exceptions. When the Druids find that the prophecy is wrong, or that the phase of the moon and the migration of animals that night are not as expected, they will determine that the sacrifice is unnecessary, and the believers will retrieve the offerings from the water and let them live until the next sacrifice."

Does this mean there's still a chance to salvage the situation?

For Coret, a bright future was just around the corner, how could he die in such a place? Compared to the conflicted Lecia, he eagerly fell into Lin An's conversational trap.

"Prepare...to...do something?"

As soon as he spoke, he realized that in the short span of ten seconds since he was infected, his throat was slightly numb and his tongue was stiff, making it impossible for him to finish a sentence.

"We're going to the exchange warehouse, right? Let's hurry up, X is waiting."

"Exchange warehouse?" Coret said with difficulty, the coldness in his body intensifying. He could barely maintain rational logic; his brain turned into a quagmire, and his thoughts could hardly move.

Lin An nodded and immediately followed X, who was leading the way.

"No...you..."

This was Coret's last independent statement.
Just like the Hittite ritual, druidic priests who use energy to perform rituals don't need to wait several hours. Once the spell hits, the "sacrifice target" is already determined.

However, the moment when the sacrifice is most likely to break free is about a minute before it takes effect, so Lin An speaks ambiguously to divert the two people's attention.

At this point, Coret and Leicia had missed their best chance to fight back.

As time progresses, the arcane magic will have 100% control over the two, and the druidic ritual will officially begin.

Dispel the mystery spell?
Sorry, can't do it.

After surviving the initial minute, only death awaits the two. In the process from birth to death, they will also be manipulated by Lin An, a druidic priest.

Because the "sacrificial offerings" have no right to resist the ritual.

As if their limbs were entangled by vines, becoming puppets, Koret and Leicia were led behind Lin An, their tongues and throats numb and stiff, only their eyes barely able to move.

X's back was facing them; the code gave it the ability to recognize human eyes pleading for help.

About ten seconds later, their eyeballs also stiffened. Without Lin An's permission, they couldn't even blink, and the extreme dryness and pain gradually robbed them of their vision.

The surveillance footage appeared normal, concealing the undercurrents of mysticism. Titan's equipment could not detect the trajectory of "Comer's" energy, and could only capture a group of people walking from the elevator entrance to the exchange warehouse.

"drop!"

Helplessly, Coret raised his arm and swiped his black card to open the door to the exchange warehouse.

X confirmed their permissions, the holographic projector swept along the track, and the AI ​​disappeared into the corridor.

Unlike Dietrich, the New York exchange warehouse is a spacious single-level space with a T-shaped layout. The floor is lined with about ten rows of lockers, and fiber optic cables run underneath, connecting to the computer desk in the center.

The currency available here is much more plentiful than in Dietrich.

Typing with his fingers, Lin An found the exchange target for this time.

[Plant Gold (Large)]: Philosopher's peat, a natural product awaiting refinement. 525 points.

Below is [Plant Gold (Small)], which requires 110 points.

This is probably the mysterious item that Koret wanted Lin An to exchange for.

Unfortunately, his stance shifted too quickly, and he was forced to contribute points to Lin An.

Under Lin An's control, Koret and Lecia each unlocked their black cards with their fingerprints. The fluorescent numbers showed that they had 310 points and 235 points respectively. Neither was enough to redeem a [Plant Gold (Large)].

Lin An clicked into the detailed interfaces of the two exchange items and found that one had 1 in stock and the other had 5 in stock. This might mean that there was actually no such thing as "Plant Gold (Large)". It was broken into five pieces, and exchanging them all together would enjoy a discount.

I'm having a bit of a hallucination with Pinduoduo...

Putting aside all his random thoughts, Koret and Lecia could only exchange their points for a total of four pieces of plant gold, so Lin An simply used up all his points and exchanged them for all the plant gold in one go.

"Click."

A bright green light shone, and a signal was transmitted to the locker in a breath-like manner, causing one compartment to bulge outwards.

With leaden steps, Leah opened the cabinet door and took out the black box containing the plant gold. As Lin An had expected, she opened the lid and found five hard objects of similar size, dark blue in color, and slightly damp inside.

Lin Anxin had a thought, and the system displayed its panel.

[Name]: Plant Gold, Philosopher's Peat, Golden Wine
[Rating]: Ghost Story, Level D

Radiation level: 9.5%
[Pollution Level]: 100%
[Medium]: Nature Ritual
Plant gold is a natural product made from a mixture of gold dust, manure, and peat.

Legend has it that alchemists need to choose the most auspicious astrological time of the year and collect this powerful living soil from a special location.

Next, the mixture is roasted, sieved, boiled, cooled, and dried seven times until it turns to ash. The impurities of the plant gold are filtered out, and when the "golden wine" inside reaches its perfect state, a ghostly blue star floats on its surface.

In alchemy, plant gold represents the great work, namely the initial decaying stage of the philosopher's stone, symbolizing the darkness of the unconscious, from which enlightenment arises. Therefore, refining it also has the symbolic meaning of "receiving enlightenment."

This is the fundamental power of humanity, the essence of human existence; it is linked to gold and wealth, and is the fertilizer for new growth and beginnings.

No matter how appealing the mysticism may sound, plant-based gold is ultimately mixed with excrement.

Lin An didn't want to do it himself, so he had the two of them take them out.

Coret lifted his heavy arm and found that his fingers had turned bluish-purple. The hot and cold sensation had disappeared, leaving only numbness.

The hypothermia symptoms are getting worse.

Druid priesthood is such a terrifying and dangerous mystical art!
While he was terrified, he couldn't help but feel a burning hatred.

Plant Gold was a mysterious item that Corey had obtained from headquarters for the New York branch!
In the process of refining plant gold using alchemy, his radiation value will be enhanced, and the effects of mysticism will be further improved. He might even become the president of the New York branch.

Who would have thought that Lin An would get the better deal!
Colette barely managed to stay conscious, cursing wildly in her mind.

Even so, you can't take all the plant gold with you! As an inspector, I have no reason to let you use my black card to exchange for items!
If you take what rightfully belongs to me, your identity will be exposed, and you will be relentlessly hunted down by the Foundation!

Prepare to spend the rest of your life on the run!

Seemingly having overheard what Koret was thinking, Lin An's lips curled into a faint smile, and he actually stepped back, handing all five plant golds to Koret and Leah.

"I'll return your 110 points. Please forgive my rash actions at Bodehui." He said in a sorrowful and reluctant tone, "Please don't make things difficult for me or your captain anymore, okay?"

“Okay…” the words, carefully crafted, came out of Colette’s mouth. “That way, we’re even.”

“You can go now,” Leicia said.

While reciting Lin An's lines, the two held the black box of plant gold in astonishment, completely baffled by Lin An's reasoning.

Isn't it for plant-based gold?
Lin An did indeed want Plant Gold. He had seen it in the Foundation's exchange warehouse long ago and recognized it at a glance as an important material for refining the Philosopher's Stone.

What was given to the two of them was merely a temporary smokescreen.

Even a 12-hour druidic ritual has been simplified. Do you still think I need to spend a lot of time performing alchemical rituals to extract the essence of plant gold?
That underestimates the weakness of the source, Grade B.

Moreover, Lin An did not want to run into the legendary inspection team that monitors the entire foundation right now. If they specifically sent someone to check on him, they would easily find some problems.

Even though Lin An is now a full-time employee of the Direct Facing Department, his other identity is the ghost of Beta-004!

Although Coret and Leah have seemingly "forgiven" Lin An, who knows if they might sabotage him behind his back and report him?

After all, they are New Yorkers!

Even the team leader didn't dare to provoke the inspection team, and Lin An didn't want to attract their attention now.

Anyway, these two have been breaking the "Employee Code of Conduct" lately, acting alone everywhere. It's not surprising that they'd die at the hands of other wild, free-spirited mystics.

"See you."

The moment Lin An turned around, a thought flashed through his mind.

"System, search for methods to 'extract plant gold'."

Thank you to Rong Xiaoshu, Langrenliulangzhong, Book Friend 20210502094609619, Book Friend 150731153227266, Xianzuo Huating, Book Friend 20211115145552200, Xiaogushan Xingxingwang, float_tea, Qiyun, and TayaAndrew for the monthly tickets. Thank you to all the readers for the recommendation tickets and subscriptions.

I only realized after dinner that the scheduled message wasn't set... I repent.

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(End of this chapter)