World Occult Usage Guide

"This is the scandal of the Red Poppy Chamber of Commerce, it's true. They use environmental protection, animal protection and vegetarianism to cover up the truth, but they have committed the most terrible river pollution crime in nearly a century in Bantu."

"If you find this report frightening or unpleasant, that's normal. Humans are naturally averse to unpleasant information. But I have to force you to overcome this allergic reaction and shift your attention from deception, entertainment, and isolationism to the truth."

“Today’s media professionals sometimes report the news and sometimes create propaganda. As someone who was once one of them, I hope you understand this chaos and choose your news sources carefully. Thank you for listening. This is Edward Roberts reporting from Abishon.”

The remaining technicians nervously cut off the recording and live stream. Edward let out a long breath, as if exhaling his spine, and collapsed to the ground with weak legs.

Before them, all the foreign guests stared blankly, like abandoned dolls, their heads drooping like empty shells, oblivious to everything that had happened in the past hour.

Edward vaguely saw translucent figures moving back and forth above the guests, their shadows overlapping. Energy from the spirit world seemed to emanate from the translucent vaulted ceiling, as if the film "The Dance of the Skeletons" had come to life.

They won't be "coming back".

Edward had a strong premonition, and melancholy welled up in his heart, followed by endless sadness and sorrow.

In order to expose the Red Poppy Chamber of Commerce's activities at a press conference, he got into his first real physical altercation with someone, and not only that, he killed someone.

After the extreme noise comes the extreme silence; blood seeps into the cracks in the floor and drips down.

The attack on Edward was initially carried out by five mysterious figures and dozens of soldiers from Lacono. The latter had little power to retaliate, and by the middle of the battle, they were only thinking about saving their own lives.

When Edward killed one of the mysterious figures, the other three exchanged a glance and hurriedly left. Edward didn't dare to chase after them and attacked the one who had lost his support.

As the phantom of an angel appeared, the lone attacker fell to the reporter's hands.

Soldiers who didn't have time to run surrendered one after another. Edward couldn't control their little tricks, just as he glimpsed Capond Kumasi and Lacono's presidential candidate, under protection, hurriedly leaving the room.

His task was to complete the report; as for killing... it was never Edward's intention.

The corpses lay scattered about, silently dying, along with the empty shells of little souls banished by the voodoo priests, awaiting the inevitable decay that time would bring.

Edward was not afraid of corpses. He grew up on a farm in the Lion Country, was familiar with the death of livestock, and had attended more than one funeral.

But killing someone with your own hands is ultimately different.

The fear of death, the awe of death, and the unfamiliarity with the creation of death overwhelmed Edward. He ended the lives of several people with his own hands, and his soul bore the weight of the souls of others.

He remembered his grandmother's warning: when you kill someone with your own hands, you lose forever the self that you were born from your mother's womb.

Edward slumped to the ground, his mind blank.

The sound of mouse clicks filled the air.

He squinted instinctively. The mysterious energy gave Edward almost superhuman vision and hearing, allowing him to instantly see the computer screen in the building across the street, where someone was watching the live stream comments.

"Hail Mary! What's happening here? Turn the camera back, I can't see anything! I can only see the reporter talking!"

"Of course there are reporters at the 'press conference.' But what the hell is he talking about? The Red Poppy Chamber of Commerce dumped some sewage into the Kuba River without government approval? Does such a trivial matter have to take so long? I want to see those chiefs argue with each other."

"Even if the Chamber of Commerce discharges sewage, it must be treated wastewater that is harmless to nature."

To prevent people from noticing the guest's unusual behavior, the Chamber of Commerce directed the cameras to the podium. People only saw Edward waving his arms exaggeratedly and occasionally uttering strange words, discussing the news reports without being aware of the horrific scene.

Initially, many people did not believe the news was true, or they did not understand what was wrong with the Chamber of Commerce's actions.

The reporter anticipated the public's reaction, not only gathering all the evidence but also explaining the dangers of radioactive materials and posting a wastewater testing report that he had secretly taken out of the factory—items that made him a target of the Chamber of Commerce.

The bright red official seal indicates that this is a formal authentication document, and the Red Poppy Chamber of Commerce is well aware of the elements contained in the water.

Even after Edward laid everything out on the table, many people still defended the Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce president has donated to many churches and charities in the West. He frequently appears at various parties and has accumulated a good reputation. However, many comments have become disappointed, doubtful, and even sarcastic.

"Western Continent doesn't care about carbon emissions, the greenhouse effect, marine environmental protection, and biodiversity; they just like to use these issues to suppress their opponents."

"The Neanderthal genes are evident; they are descendants of pirates and bandits. Their usual methods are cheating, deception, and theft. If they can't cheat, they'll steal; if they can't steal... their next step will be robbery."

"Turning one's hand to make clouds or rain, that's the value system of putting profit above all else. They talk about principles, but what they're thinking about is business."

Unfortunately, almost all of these comments came from users on other continents. The blue automatic translation betrayed the original language, while the Western Continent remained silent, seemingly watching other programs.

This may really have nothing to do with them.

Upon hearing the tragic news, they would exclaim "Oh God!" and then continue eating their dinner.

An employee in the building across the street raised his hands and placed them on the keyboard, and hope ignited in Edward's dull eyes.

Although he could not change the arrogance and indifference on the other side, he could at least let the residents who depended on the Kuba River know the truth.

“‘Alright, alright, it doesn’t matter at all. So what if the Chamber of Commerce did something wrong? I, a child of the Kuba River, am willing to forgive their small mistake on behalf of my mother, as long as they continue to provide aid and jobs.’”

Edward was struck dumb.

He anticipated the indifference from the other side, but he never expected to be betrayed by the people of Nanzhou!

Looking at the mess before him, his heart and blood turned cold. He didn't notice that half of his body had unknowingly turned into a mixture of metal and light, his hair turned white and grew longer, and his legs became heavier and heavier, almost merging with the ground.

I killed someone to report this! My soul is no longer pure!
The reward was indifference and everything remaining the same?
Am I not making any progress?
Is it true, as my former classmates said, that journalists are destined to be unable to change the course of events? Is my stubbornness destined to end in failure? The rose window blooms without leaving a trace, and a beam of light falls through the clouds.

I meddled in things that journalists shouldn't have. He thought, and God punished me for it. I misunderstood His will; rather than stay in the Lion Kingdom and be a moderately famous journalist, I went my own way and ultimately angered Him.

Today, my gentle and kind family could never welcome a murderer. I voluntarily gave up my job in journalism, and the career I spent two years planning turned out to be a joke…

I'm almost thirty years old, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to find a second job. I have nothing left.

Oh, right. The reporter suddenly realized, I still owe them a debt of gratitude.

"Forest ranger, I'm sorry, I failed." He wrote on the page where he was talking to the developer, "I let you down."

"You've completed the task I assigned?" the other party replied quickly.

"Yes, but I failed... I underestimated society."

“No, you’ve underestimated ‘Commerx’,” Lin An said. “And you’ve underestimated me too.”

Golden wings sprouted from one side of Edward's body, trembling slightly, just like his indecisive heart.

"Has God not punished me for going down the wrong path?"

"A strange conclusion, but if God likes to do favors for a bunch of robbers and executioners, then you don't need to continue believing in Him."

The light returned to Edward's eyes, and he couldn't help but say, "Forester, I truly, truly long for our cause to succeed. Oh, I pray from the bottom of my heart..."

At that time, Lin An and Jacob were locked in a fierce competition and stopped responding.

Edward waited devoutly while silently reciting the Rosary, and the faint, almost imperceptible sound suddenly vanished.

"Beep beep, pop pop."

Ripples, barely perceptible to the naked eye, spread across Abishang in pulse-like patterns, radiating outwards from the building and enveloping half of Lacono.

This mysterious wave did not harm any people, animals, or even a single blade of grass, but after it washed over them, a faint halo that had enveloped every resident disappeared.

Unbeknownst to the residents of Abishang, the moment they saw Edward's report, each person was enveloped in an angelic halo, radiating a gentle, benevolent, and forgiving light that dispelled negative emotions and immersed them in divine love.

When the aperture was shattered by the electronic pulse wave, everyone was jolted and stood there stunned for a full half minute.

Finally, some people angrily pounded on their desks, and some nearly crushed their mice.

"The Red Poppy Merchant Guild...this is outrageous!"

"A heartless businessman!"

"They think we're uneducated and know nothing! We must be vigilant!"

Unfortunately, Edward did not notice the pulse rhythm; he was awakened by a loud cracking sound.

"Bang!"

He was startled back to reality while praying, only to see people in the building across the street furiously typing on their keyboards.

"Thank you, World Tree, otherwise no one would know what the Red Poppy Merchant Guild was up to! Strange, why did I feel so indifferent just now? Damn it, I'm possessed! I shouldn't have taken off my grandmother's amulet!"

I made it!

I reported a truth, I exposed a scandal, and I changed people's minds!
I am not a powerless journalist; I have ways to make a difference!

A smile crept onto Edward's lips. He was about to send a message to Lin An when, as he opened the World Tree system, he suddenly heard a series of crackling sounds from the computer in the building across the street.

Not only that, the TV, which had been turned off by the technicians, turned on automatically. A black and white screen with static flashed by, and a video recording with a strange angle, but very clear, began to play.

"Ping!"

Six bullets pierced the chest of former President Lacono, and blood spurted out, as vivid as if it were yesterday.

Edward's eyes widened, and he instinctively clenched his fists, making a series of cracking sounds. But he paid no attention to the changes in himself, staring intently at the murderer's face as he turned around.

"This is impossible……"

Why would he do that...?

"The Red Poppy Chamber of Commerce is an enemy of our country!"

At the same time, Lin An, who was surrounded by the figures painted on the altar, also opened his eyes.

He looked around, and the naked, pale men and women vanished. The demon glanced at him resentfully, then turned to ashes along with the flames. Its drooping feet, carrying doves, ascended to heaven and disappeared without a trace.

There was no discomfort or pain whatsoever.

Has the level of integration among chamber of commerce members suddenly plummeted to rock bottom?
Lin An blinked suspiciously. The effect of the [Indirect Miracle]—was unexpectedly perfect. (End of Chapter)