World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 281 Kulumba, Dedicated to the Rainforest
"You want to teach me the word 'Lady with the Lamp'?"

Lin An raised his eyebrows, surprised that this thing could actually be obtained through teaching.

“You’re ready.” The pastor smiled at him. “Otherwise, even if I were willing to show him everything, he wouldn’t have enough knowledge to comprehend the concept of another world.”

"Simply put, one must reach a certain measurement value to inherit the 'Lady with the Lamp'." Lin An pondered for a moment. "From what I understand, the consequences of rashly staring at this medium are madness."

"I am now a blind man who can't see clearly."

The pastor hinted that perhaps he had tried the method taught by the pastor on Zai, but he was troubled by the lack of a way to obtain the "Lady with the Lamp," and his pollution level rose sharply. When he met Lin An, he also appeared to be in a very unstable mental state.

Lin An would not refuse such an opportunity, but he understood that there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world.

"So, what's the price?"

Zai remained silent for a while, then tapped his temple with his finger.

"This body is on the verge of collapse; I want to live inside your brain."

"..."

Damn, it's like a portable grandpa 2.0, isn't it?

When the Duke comes down, you two might as well have a fight, and whoever wins can continue renting a room in my mind.

Lin An loathed the existence of a second person in his body. The only consolation was that Mayer had said these "ancestral ghosts" wouldn't pry into the hearts of the mystics, unlike Duke Hughes, who watched other people's thoughts and memories like a TV series every day.

"Splash! Splash!"

The sound of pages turning came, and Lin An glanced at the countess's position.

She let out an unyielding roar, and the red dragon's shadow rolled and struggled like a lizard, its sharp scales piercing through the yellow, viscous energy, almost breaking through the air to escape.

There was no time to hesitate.

Either kill the Countess now and gamble that she won't crush "Rose Ascension" and die with Lalinan; or agree to Zay Stanislas Vabracombe's demands.

The former is like Russian roulette, a suicidal gamble where the loser simply vanishes; the latter is merely a delaying tactic.

Lin An couldn't believe his luck and had no choice but to turn to Zai.

The pastor was quite patient, unlike the carpenter who was impatient; he quietly waited for Lin An to make a decision.
Lin An sighed and nodded.

"Please let me witness your Kulunba."

Kulunba is the oldest form of song and dance of the Bantu people, and it is also the dance they use to worship their gods.

The pastor's expression remained unchanged, showing neither satisfaction nor pride, as he pointed to Lin An's southeast side.

"Look, listen, think."

As the drumbeats began, all the worries and anxieties that had been building up in Lin An's heart vanished in an instant.

Looking in the direction of the finger, Lin An saw the ghosts that had come with Zai in the beginning.

Under the moonlight, thousands of transparent figures faintly glowed, creating a spectacular and astonishing sight. The vast army of souls from all eras surged forth, unstoppable.

At the very front was a caravan of high priests, saints, and prophets. Their dark-colored vehicles were covered with slightly retro-looking angles, and they leaned out of the windows to show Lin An the various "supplies" they were carrying.

Some are floating pyramids of wisdom, some are paradises, some are glass windows offering endless views, mirrors reflecting dreamlike scenery, sacred lions, golden crowns engraved with the inscription "The benevolent are invincible," diamond scepters, and golden pestles.

Lin An stared intently at the flames coming from the other side of the Kalenga Line. They seemed to be carrying the mission of restoring the natural order, marching in a mighty force towards a certain direction.

As the century changes, they hope that fairness and justice will enter a new cycle.

Following closely behind were some indistinct deities from the Southern Continent. Lin An saw a disheveled man with hair that cascaded down his face, identical twin girls, and a giant spider-like monster with several outstretched arms.

The ghosts' advance halted here, and Lin An vaguely saw the phantoms of two giants.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen these two people.

"what is that?"

"Our ancestors who created the world, and the ancient God who saved all living beings from the flood," the pastor said.

“The flood…” Lin An thought of Anhus’s memories, “Did the two of them save humanity from the flood?”

The priest, holding a rough cane, carefully examined Lin An, his gaze finally settling on his black eyes, as if looking into his very being through his pupils.

“Forest ranger, there is a resonance between us. There are two auras in you: one is that of a repulsive invader, and the other is that of ancient blood that is inextricably linked to us.”

Carpenter Zai had already told Lin An this. If he hadn't vaguely felt that Lin An had some "ancient connection" with Nanzhou, he wouldn't have given Lin An a chance to explain.

“My father comes from the Dragon Kingdom.”

Zai paused for a moment, then whispered, "I see," before telling Lin An.

“Those two enormous deities have names; in our language, the male is Pangu and the female is Iwo.”

"Pangu, Yiwo?"

Lin An read it aloud in his local dialect, which was automatically translated into Chinese.

isn't it...

Pangu, Nuwa?!

Since the local language doesn't have the "N" sound, Lin An could only confirm that the first word was clearly Pangu, while whether the second one was Nuwa required further investigation.

No wonder the songs sung by the gods in the illusion that Zai showed him sounded familiar to Lin An. They were about the creation of the world and saving people from mud and water. It gave him a feeling of the ancient Chinese mythology.

In any case, now is not the time to dwell on why there are also Pangu and Nuwa in the Southern Continent. Lin An pricked up his ears because those gods began a strange performance.

In the clear, ethereal light, ghosts and deities spoke at the same time, their voices intertwining and resonating, gradually converging into a magnificent chorus.

A mysterious concert unfolded, filled with song and dance. Lin An saw the spirits approach him for the first time, one after another, surrounding him and growing larger and larger, forming a bizarre, layered circle.

Civilization and history create inheritance.

Inheritance, in turn, creates new ideas.

Ideas create actions.

Action, in turn, creates life.

Where there is life, there is light.

Finding the light is finding the mysterious immortality.

The songs of the spirits echoed in Lin An's ears, and he vaguely sensed a word gradually taking shape.

In the mythology of the Southern Continent, much knowledge is obtained through spiritual realms, ghosts, or dreams sent by ancestors, somewhat like the strange phenomena of the native gods of the Eagle Kingdom, except that they are personified by a particular person or group.

Lin An pricked up his ears, listening intently, not daring to be negligent. At the same time, a jumble of memories arrived; a shadow rushed past, and the four walls of the church reflected past events, whether painful or joyful.

Is this the memory of Pastor Stanislas Vabracombe?
A faint light flickers, and the dreams of the living and the dead drift on the wind.

The rainforest remains sleepless, with trees struggling and howling as they try to escape the flames.

Tomorrow, some people will become lonely ghosts.

But one day, some of them will cross the mountain that stands between them and their destiny, and see a new world beyond the chaos.

There, the sun shines eternally, and tranquility prevails forever.

"An indirect miracle."

This was the first time Lin An had grasped the term "Lady with the Lamp".

Lin An was thrilled as he savored the language from "Comers".

Upon first learning the pronunciation of his home planet, Zai didn't need to explain much; he instinctively knew how to use it.

Compared to the mystical arts that have been interpreted, analyzed, and reconstructed by humans, Lin An found it easier to understand the pure concept of the "Lady with the Lamp".

The term "indirect miracle" has two contexts.

First, Lin An, acting as an intermediary, listens to one party's prayer and then tells the third party to do it. During their journey, an incredible thing will happen to help them fulfill the first party's request.

Secondly, if someone else prays to Lin An as an intermediary and relays the wishes of a third party, then when he achieves this, something else will happen to help him accomplish his goal.

However, just as Lin An was about to utter the word, his throat went hoarse, and the sound stuck on his lips, unable to come out.

what happened?

“Your comprehension is beyond my imagination, perhaps due to the other half of your invading bloodline,” Zai said again. “But you still lack a tiny, insignificant foundation.”

"Basics?" Lin An asked, puzzled.

"Stop looking so worried, or how can you be a better guardian than me?" Zai's tone suddenly became impatient. "You haven't committed any irreparable misdeeds yet, and you're not blind."

"Grandpa, you're back?"

"How many times have I told you—you son of a bitch, who's your son!"

After saying this, Zai burst into a wild and inexplicable laugh, rushed forward, and without hesitation joined the chariot of the saint and prophet.

Zai used to struggle with the whispers of ghosts, but he maintained his identity as Zai and tried his best to avoid falling into madness. This time, however, he joined them. Does this mean that he wants to give up the last shred of existence of "Carpenter"?
Lin An's pupils contracted.

It sounds like self-destructive behavior that actively increases pollution levels, but for the "Shadow Man" of the "Dreamer" medium, completely abandoning the earthly self and throwing oneself into the underworld is actually a way to control the mysterious.

The price was the loss of the ability to recognize things and being devoured by "Comers".

Dreamers' dreams never have the chance to be realized in the real world; they can only fantasize and cannot affect the actual world.

unless……

"Your integration with the 'Lady with the Lamp' has reached 1%."

"Due to the increased integration, your first enlightenment, the 'Indirect Miracle,' is now ready for use."

"To use this enlightenment, you need to consume 'Lady with the Lamp' x1, or consume a certain amount of [Measurement Value], depending on the influence."

The system's cold, impersonal announcement provided the best explanation for Zay's actions.

He exiled himself, immersing himself in an ancient, united, and well-ordered dream, and his radiation level increased, which in turn increased Lin An's measurement level.

Suddenly, he understood why Zai had said, "This is the last time I'll take you into her dream."

In that instant, he made up his mind that if Lin An couldn't get away unscathed after killing Mariette, he would help Lin An increase the measurement value by actively increasing the level of pollution.

Even if the price is...

The soul continues its march, the car carrying Zai driving into the distance.

"I am done."

His words were direct, without even a sigh, and his voice was as distant and aged as a ghost, as if someone were speaking through his mouth.

“I’m beyond saving,” Zai continued. “I knew I was destined for this. I wasn’t born to be a reformer or a guardian of the rainforest; I’m just a stubborn and unfortunate commoner. But you, my friend, are more suited to the light than I am.”

“You are not my friend, Mr. Zai,” Lin An said expressionlessly.

"You're really stubborn."

"Because I know nothing about you, and you are about to die."

Zai gave a twisted smile: "Raider, either give me some end-of-life care, or stop cursing me to die, okay? I told you we have a long chat ahead of us—oh, I almost forgot, listen to my prayer, please put an end to the war in the rainforest."

“But that person is Pastor Stanislas Vabracombe, not you.”

"Heh, do you really like an illiterate, slow-moving, and foul-mouthed old madman?"

Zai dared not hear a reply, and somewhat embarrassed, shrank back into the car and fled as if in a panic.

The vast army of ghosts continued its advance.

Rainbow spirits followed behind the caravan, their cries and wails filling the air. These voices did not come from humans, but from spirits; they all had sorrowful eyes, like topaz scattered from the sky.

Lin An didn't know if they were Zai's family, but whether it was Zai or these souls, they all disappeared quickly, replaced by increasingly frantic hallucinations.

Despite its bizarre colors and illogical scenes, its power was actually diminished because it was unmanned.

The system placed the panel in a dimly visible corner, and Lin An spoke calmly to the data that was approaching 100% pollution level.

“I don’t care, sir. Because your mental state is superior to most people in the world, no matter how painful it is, at least you won’t use the power of ‘Commerx’ to drag innocent ordinary people down with you.”

"Cough, haa... haa..."

A coughing sound came from the side. Without the priest's control, the countess broke free from Zai's restraints and fled in panic, riding the red dragon with a playful smile.

"Hahaha, you can't kill me! Ranger, just you wait. I'll make everyone pay for my son—I'll make this rainforest pay for it—"

She wanted to say something harsh, but the sharp and piercing voice stopped abruptly the next moment.

A bronze suit of war armor covered Lin An, and the aura of the Canaanite goddess spread out, like a fierce and savage north wind howling in.

He raised his spear and thrust it into the Countess's heart from behind.

"For example, you—you're just as crazy as Adria! I've put up with you for so long!"

(End of this chapter)