World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 339 Picardi
[Name]: Picardiix, The Goal of a Saint, The Goal of a Wise Man
[Rating]: Source Grade B

Radiation level: 21.0%
[Pollution Level]: 11.6%
[Medium]: The Prophet

The Goal of the Saints (Ghāyat al-akīm), a mystical book on astrology and magic, was originally written in Arabic and later translated into Latin as Picatrix.

The reason for choosing Piccatrix as the Latin translation is unclear, but it may have originated from the Arabic variant of Halberkratian, the author of the Greek magical medical treatise "Kylanders," who summarized the spiritual virtues of plants, animals, and stones.

Picardiix is ​​considered the most thorough exposition of celestial magic in medieval Arabic, synthesizing Arabic texts from the 9th and 10th centuries in the Near East, including Hermeticism, Sabianism, Ismailism, astrology, alchemy, and magic.

These include the influential works "On the Stars" and "On the Magical Arts".

Its translation had a significant impact on Western mysticism and was one of the important reference texts for astrologers at the time. It is hailed as the "most complete and best" work on amulet art, alchemy, astrology, and dream interpretation.

Modern scholars consider Picardiix to be "the most famous magical work in the Islamic world."

The Piccatrix consists of four volumes. The first volume deals with the astrology of the world and the meaning of different images, encompassing knowledge from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Persia, Zoroastrianism, Sabianism, Nabataeanism, and India.

It juxtaposes different celestial magic traditions, providing stargazers with diverse theoretical and practical resources.

The second volume describes the image of heaven, the trajectories of the eight celestial bodies, and how their properties affect the human soul.

Book Three introduces the properties of planets and constellations, and how to communicate with them; Book Four discusses the properties of the spirit, what should be observed in art, and how to cast spells by understanding celestial images.

In addition, Piccardiix proposes a special "radiation theory".

It mentions that all matter in the universe emits rays, including words, actions, and images, thus rituals, prayers, and sacrifices become powerful magical means of influence.

In retrospect, this may be an allusion by the author to the planet "Comers".

In addition to astronomical theories, Piccardiix provided two main applications of astral magic: the practice of amulets and divination.

The former aims to attract celestial spirits or virtues into material objects, imbuing them with magical power; the latter utilizes complex formulas and deep communication with the planets to guide their spirits to meet the spellcaster's requirements.

According to Lin An's observation, the Picardiix magic used by Jacob belongs to the category of "precognitive practice".

"Good afternoon, forest ranger."

Jacob's words interrupted Lin An's thoughts. The eight celestial bodies flashed across his deep pupils, like two realistic yet miniature models of the solar system.

"I have so many questions for you."

“To be honest, I feel the same way.” Lin An looked at the book he was holding in his hands. “You are the embodiment of a tempting encyclopedia of astrology from the Arabian region.”

It is invisible to the naked eye of ordinary people; only mystics—especially those with high levels of radiation—can see the true original form of Jacob's ancient book.

The front and back of the book feature the zodiac wheel and Moirones, radiating outwards from the central circular emblem, representing the "core ideas" of the zodiac, with each aspect occupying every page.

As he turned the pages, the wheel of the zodiac rotated, and a second set of figures appeared on the outer circumference, vaguely resembling the celestial angels represented by each degree.

“It is only one of the four volumes of Piccardiix.” Jacob held his pen elegantly, a condescending smile on his face. “You wouldn’t want to be my enemy, Ranger.”

The Chamber of Commerce president's previous plans only utilized one mysterious function; the other three remain unknown.

Picardiix truly deserves the title of "the most thorough explanation of celestial magic in Arabic".

The next second, Jacob interrupted Lin An's thoughts again.

“However, as a reward for finding me, I can give you a small gift. I admit I lost this game of hunting,” he said. “I know you have two objectives that you can achieve from me.”

"First of all, get out of Southern Continent."

"The second step is to find Nzambhi Mponggu's remaining two fingers."

Lin An and Jacob spoke in unison. Lin An remained silent for a long time, then stroked the bone mask on his face: "You are so good at reading minds, you are the real voodoo medium."

"Thanks to the guidance of the planets."

Jacob turned the book around and showed Lin An its contents at a glance.

His calligraphy, densely packed with characters, covered the entire journey from the Ivory Coast of Abishang City, all the way to the vicinity of the ship, where he confronted the Merchant Guild Master.

It accurately recorded Lin An's thoughts, actions, and even every word he uttered over the past week. Although not 100% accurate, it was largely accurate from beginning to end.

After scanning it once, Lin An felt a chill run down his spine.

The Truman Show is just like this.

But on second thought, if Piccatricus could truly "arrange" his words and actions perfectly, controlling his life like the hand of fate, then Jacob wouldn't have ended up in a situation where he was forced to admit defeat.

The development of the Piccatricus story seems to need to conform to Jacob's subjective wishes while also being based on objective logic.

For example, if Jacob wrote "I received 10 francs in ten minutes", he could easily achieve his goal because the story's trajectory did not deviate from normal logic.

The planets will follow Jacob's will, allowing the future to unfold as he desires, and fulfilling his wishes in the unseen realm.

Next, someone might inexplicably give him 10 francs, or someone might just happen to drop 10 francs in front of him.

If Jacob had written "ten minutes later the volcano erupted and destroyed the city of Abishon," the spirit of the planets would not have been able to confirm his record.

Because Abishang City has no active volcanoes, this development does not conform to the objective laws governing the normal operation of celestial bodies.

The same applies to Lin An; he is an objectively existing entity.

Jacob could only guide Lin An to do things he would normally do, such as infiltrating press conferences and investigating the Mysterious One. He couldn't force Lin An to commit suicide without reason or deliberately die at the hands of a low-rated Mysterious One.

Jacob may have written about their victory over Lin An from the perspective of other people.

With the support of various factors, this is not impossible.

But he couldn't "change" Lin An's existence.

"If you agree to a peaceful resolution, I will help you find what you're looking for. A win-win situation, isn't it?"

Jacob observed Lin An's ever-changing expression and a smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

“Let us end this war peacefully, just like the war that took place in the Western Continent. I am willing to sign a treaty of defeat, and you must swear not to press on and drive me to extinction. This is what a civilized and rational person should do.”

That seems to make some sense. Lin An thought, just as he said, Picardiix is ​​all-encompassing, with astrological magic appearing one after another. What has been shown now is only the tip of the iceberg. The true strength of the Chamber of Commerce President is still unknown.

If I act rashly, not only will it be difficult to kill him, but if we fight to a draw or he escapes, I will get no spoils. At least by "signing" a treaty of defeat, I can use Picardix to find out the whereabouts of the other two fingers.

As expected of the head of a prestigious family, he has a very magnanimous spirit...

Do not!
and many more!

A feeling of dizziness washed over him, and Lin An's pupils contracted. This wasn't the first time he had experienced something amiss.

Prophet...

Without hesitation, he directly used the Omniscient Blessing of the Primal Avatar. A willow branch brushed across his forehead, and the dew from the Garden of Eden made him feel light and his mind sharp.

Delay the time.

Asherah's psychic knowledge provided Lin An with a credible conclusion.

The information provided by the Chamber of Commerce President is a mixture of truth and falsehood. The mysterious prototype of "Picardiax" does indeed contain four different kinds of astrological magic, especially the latter category of amulets, which can be regarded as the supreme wisdom of the medieval Arab region.

However, Jacob's radiation level—or rather, the current maximum chakra level of "Comers"—is insufficient to unlock the full potential of the Saint's target abilities.

Just like the system hasn't unlocked all its features yet.

He's just bluffing!
Although Lin An believed that he couldn't completely kill this source-level mystery on their first meeting, at least for now, he was no match for Lin An and would have to pay a price to escape.

With a cold snort, Lin An aimed his Hittite ritual at Jacob. A deep, cold wind blew from the underworld, accompanied by the long, drawn-out murmur of the sun goddess.

A bronze temple rose from the ground, a chilling aura lingering over the area. A blanket descended from the sky, and iron nails, poised to be used, floated around the "instrument of torture," aiming at the person whose head was covered.

[A blessing for Labana]

The "prophet" has little fighting ability, so this ritual is more than enough.

Lin An also wanted to alleviate some of the mental damage he suffered in the battle by purifying the feedback from his soul.

The rough linen brushed against Jacob's trembling eyes, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

The forest rangers weren't having it!
Hasn't that guy made it back yet?
No, I don't have any time left!
Left with no other choice, he had to abandon the pencil and instead grip the fountain pen directly. The illusion and daze immediately clashed with his rationality, a manifestation of the increasing level of pollution.

Jacob ignored everything and began writing at top speed.

The ink spread across the paper, the cursive characters flowing like ripples without spaces, covering half the paper in the blink of an eye.

The rectangular phantom of the zodiac constellations appeared like a shield in front of Jacob, and a simple line drawing of a magician, resembling a constellation, appeared, riding on the back of a winged elephant and pointing to a certain point in the sky.

"Holy and mighty Master! You keep your promises; you are old and cunning, the master of all schemes; you bring prosperity or destruction, happiness or misfortune! High Saturn, I beseech you, with your great mercy and generosity, to grant me what I ask!"

The silent incantation transformed into Latin letters, encircling Jacob, amidst the dazzling starlight and the faint, colorful celestial bodies.

"when!"

Bright light spread outwards, blocking the insertion of the bronze nails; Jacob's spirit sat guard in the center of the temple, inviolable.

Time passed like a baby elephant that had fallen into a rainforest swamp, moving at an extremely slow pace. What should have been a ten-second ceremony was stretched to five or six minutes.

A line of text appears on the title page of Piccardi.

"The forest ranger didn't immediately kill his enemy; deep down, he still wanted to use him to extract information. His use of mysticism was merely a means of intimidation. Firstly, he hoped to gain access to the astronomical wisdom of the Caliphate; secondly, he discovered—"

The narrative in cursive script came to an abrupt halt, and Jacob shook the pen in his hand violently, only to find it had turned into a heavy, cold piece of metal.

"Crack!"

The metal nib pierced the fragile paper, making a teeth-grinding sound.

Jacob's book and pen are both source-level mysterious items, but they contain very little "Commons" energy. When the user wasn't paying attention, Lin An used the Philosopher's Stone to change the metal texture of the pen.

"Haha, you think you're so smart? Our story is far from over!"

Jacob's face contorted in rage as he bit his thumb, using the gushing blood to continue writing.

"—The forest ranger discovered there was more than one enemy! A menacing gaze was fixed on him! Those were poachers, countless poachers!"

"Poachers?" Lin An frowned.

If I remember correctly, this person is also a member of the Seven Deadly Sins.

In the fragmented call logs, he was the least distinctive and most unremarkable man at the bottom.

Lin An couldn't even remember whether the guy was tall or short, old or young, fat or thin.

In any case, if this source-level mystery is nearby...

do not care!
Let's kill the Chamber of Commerce president first!

No matter how cunningly Jacob continued the story, the "Blessing of Rabana" was an irreversible Hittite ritual. Picardiux could only subjectively prolong its process, but could not make the sun goddess who was expecting sacrifices "evaporate" on the spot.

When the bronze nail was just centimeters away from Jacob's covered temple, he abandoned his flustered panic and resentment, raised his head, and gave Lin An an arrogant and contemptuous smile.

“Forest ranger, I will burn down your World Tree and kill all the protected animals in the forest; I swear to God.”

He was making a sacred, solemn vow.

Immediately afterwards, Jacob bit down on the thick spine of the book, shaking his head from side to side like he was tearing prey, and ripped it off.

"Pooh!"

He spat out the spine of the book and raised his hands upwards.

The pages of "Picardiix," filled with the stories of countless people's fates, were scattered everywhere. The pages fluttered like white seagulls with broken wings, each drifting a distance in the sea breeze before swirling and falling into the vast blue Atlantic Ocean.

The surging waves soaked these papers imbued with magical power, swallowing them whole and sinking them into the coral reefs of tropical fish.

At the same time, the bronze nails around Jacob's head suddenly accelerated and shot straight away.

(End of this chapter)