World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 348 Fear Stories
"What exactly do I need to help you with?"

Lin An picked up the coconut latte and took a sip. The rich sweetness of Ivory Coast coffee combined with the bitterness of the coffee beans. When Koum's mother saw this, her expression was extremely disgusted.

"Despite hating that swaggering, cunning, and venomous cobra, we never united against him—not even once. Was it because of weakness? No! It was because of fear."

"Are you afraid that the Red Poppy Merchant Guild Master, in conjunction with [Black City], will wipe you all out?"

"What Black City? What we fear is that 'tyrant'!"

Koum's mother spread her arms wide enough to hug three normal men and said in an exaggerated expression.

"Cobra's rules are disgusting, but as long as he's around, that tyrant won't dare invade Laco! Even though Cobra has plundered a lot of wealth from Laco, his activities are mainly concentrated in the West, and we'd rather be occupied by him!"

The scattered gods were unaware of the existence of [Black Capital].

Lin An secretly raised an eyebrow, his expectations for the [Dispersed Spirit] skill decreasing considerably.

Only forces with weak overall strength and relatively low level would not have heard of [Black Capital], such as the St. Anilov Foundation. At least the so-called scattered gods are not a mysterious organization with a complete lineage, ancient history, or possession of important relics.

And who is the "tyrant"?

Lin An remembered that when he was eavesdropping on the Seven Deadly Sins Lord's meeting, he did hear the accents of two or three people from the Southern Continent. Besides Qi Sekedi, there were also Southern Continent families in this high-class club in the Black City.

Only mystics who have joined Adria Hughes's camp dare to act so recklessly in the Southern Continent.

That said, apart from Lacono, the Red Poppy Merchant Guild's henchmen were deeply rooted in Bantu, and in some ways, their influence and dominance were greater than that of Tshisekedi.

If Jacob decides to return to the Kingdom of Flanders and no longer wade into the muddy waters of the South, wouldn't that mean that Bantu also loses its "protection"?
Suppressing his wandering thoughts, Lin An continued to ask.

"What would happen to that tyrant if Jacob completely abandoned his power base in the South?"

“He’ll take over Lacono and Bantu, and rule over everyone!” Mother Kum took a deep breath. “He wants land! He wants subjects! He wants worship and praise!”

"So, you're not here to interrogate me, are you?" Lin An stirred his latte, the ice cubes jingling against the glass like wind chimes. "I originally thought you wanted to drive out the Red Poppy Merchant Guild."

“No, no, no, ranger! Nobody wants to see a skinny guy who eats avocados, lettuce, and kale wandering around their front yard every day!” Mother Koum waved her hands repeatedly. “It’s just that we need some time between the departure of the Chamber of Commerce and the arrival of the tyrant.”

"Oh?"

"That cobra was monitoring our every move with something."

When Jacob was mentioned, Koum's usually talkative mother spoke with unusual caution, as if afraid he might overhear her.

“As long as he’s in Laco, we can never do things the way we want. The key is that we don’t know when he’ll come to the South Continent or when he won’t, so we don’t dare to move around freely.”

The terror of a source-level "prophet" is evident.

Koum's mother's words made Lin An even more certain that [Scattered Gods] was a small mystical organization similar to the Foundation, and they couldn't even detect Jacob's mystical prototype.

"Now we are certain that he is completely, utterly, and perhaps forever gone! We can finally regain our normal thinking! We no longer need to stay in our old, well-known 'chair,' but can instead roam the ocean!"

What does "it takes time" mean?

"Lacono is like a conch shell on the map, lying across Bantu's path. Once that tyrant marches south, he will definitely conquer our side first before heading to yours! That's his logic, and that's his unwavering confidence in his victory!"

Lin An understood somewhat, and his lips twitched.

"You want the World Tree to 'take the fall' and buy you time to evacuate Lacono?"

“I understand. A deal is only a deal if both parties offer similar prices; otherwise, it’s just shamelessness.”

Kumu's mother kicked the chair leg, causing the shrine below to tremble, and a light-colored seabird flew out.

"If you can't make a decision now, we'll wait for you here in three days! Also, I'll prepare some snacks this time; coconut and cola nuts can't be combined so hastily!"

"These are coffee beans."

Lin An took the object from the seabird's beak; it was a seashell with an inscription, the tortoiseshell pattern bearing a line of text.

"Go straight at a 48° angle."

Is it fixed?

He tentatively turned his body to the side, and the characters on the seashell suddenly changed.

"Go straight at a 150° angle."

Following air conditioning, the "Comes" navigation system, which replaced satellite GPS positioning, also appeared.

If we successfully cooperate with the Scattered Gods in the future, I wonder if they would be interested in mass-producing several mysterious items.

After handing the seashell to Lin An, Mama Koum laughed heartily, and four strong waiters wearily lifted her elephant-skin chair and walked in unison towards the window.

At one point, Mother Koum abruptly closed her fan, interrupting the manifestation ritual, and her enormous figure vanished from Lin An's sight. Although Lin An could use his "One Eye of God" to track the direction she left, it was of little significance.

Lin An pinched the white seashell between two fingers, gazing at the ever-changing coordinates on it, and narrowed his eyes.

What can the Ashanti Empire, destroyed in the 17th century, still retain?
"Mr. Forest Ranger".

The sound traveled to his ears through the middle finger of Fatima's hand. Lin An turned the single eye in the rose cloud and looked downstairs. It was Gilgood, who had already turned to the last page of the Sprouting Protocol.

"I'm here."

The green data formed a coherent text, responding to Gilgood's pale face.

“Our family is willing to join the World Tree’s investor program, but there is one more request. I want to know whether my sister is dead or alive. If she is alive, all is well; if she is dead, I hope you will tell me who killed her.”

…………

"A major surprise occurred at the Ivory Coast press conference: the president of the Red Poppy Chamber of Commerce, a major sponsor of the event, was accused of murdering former President Lacoão? Why did so many newspaper reporters disappear without a trace? 'The Peach Banquet' brings you the report..."

A young man with chubby cheeks peeked out from behind the computer screen, looked at the floating hexahedral cube, and sighed deeply.

“I’ve cleaned up all the IP content outside of West Continent, so it’s impossible to find detailed reports of that press conference here. But I can’t just run to Lacono and shout, ‘For the sake of the sky god, forget your memories!’”

“Thank you for everything, Mr. Metalont.” The bearded man’s bust flashed, his tone respectful.

"I'm just doing what I can to secure some benefits for my brotherhood," the young man said. "It won't have much of an impact on your reputation in the West, but don't even think about participating in the Theia Auction until you miraculously redeem yourself."

“Mr. Metalonte, I am somewhat worried about Lacono’s situation.”

"Why bother! You don't work there anymore—you won't be able to go for at least twenty years! You killed the president with an 80% approval rating, and then tried to frame him and start a civil war! You're utterly wicked! Everyone hates you!"

"Hahaha... I just want to know how the World Tree handled the situation."

"Let me check."

The young man took a sip of the cola that was now only iced, making a jarring sound, and his fingers silently typed rapidly on the touchscreen keyboard.

"The publicly available information shows that shortly after your 'death,' candidates for Lacono and Bantu were captured at the border. One was taken back to Bantu, and the other had his head smashed by a warlord on his way to Ivory Coast—most likely not a warlord, but nobody wanted to know the truth."

"Without interference, the Lacono election proceeded smoothly, and the new president was elected in a grand manner. He officially took office a few days later. He publicly supported the Bantu candidate, Misuru Kuku... what a spotted lion, and also announced something called the 'World Tree System Ecosystem'."

"So the civil war in Lacoão ended, peace came, and everyone was satisfied with the status quo. All your efforts were in vain, Alfonso III."

The middle-aged man covered his lower lip with his finger, his eyes revealing no emotion.

"Why did you kill that president?" the young man asked, biting a deformed plastic straw. "Don't get your hands dirty—that's your motto."

"Assassination is a quick way to disrupt Lacono. I've tried it twice in Bantu and it worked very well."

"No, no, no, with your abilities, there are a hundred better ways." The young man opened the lid of the glass, poured the ice into his mouth, and said, "You didn't just slap your forehead and decide, 'Let's assassinate the president today!'"

Do you think I deliberately let myself fall to this state?

“It doesn’t make sense.” The young man chewed on an ice cube. “No matter how dark and malicious my thoughts are about you, I can only conclude that your decision will only ruin you and the future of the Red Poppy Merchant Guild.”

Even the wisest person can make a mistake.

"..."

The two were silent for a moment, then a beeping notification sound rang out.

“It’s the Mop Head,” the young man said. “Alfonso III, for your physical and mental well-being, I’m kicking you out of the cube.”

"I think I can handle it."

"I can't take this! Do you think I'm a high school doctor? Knowing you as I do, even if you don't say it outright, you'll definitely make sarcastic remarks to him, and then I'll have to clean up the mess!"

"Sarcastic remarks."

The president of the Red Poppy Merchant Guild removed the finger covering his lips and repeated it strangely. The young man was taken aback, and the other man's lips curled into an ambiguous smile.

Before he could think it through, the Chamber of Commerce president logged out of the communication system, and in his place appeared a virtual avatar with long hair covering his face and covered in flies.

“Mr. Metalont,” the visitor said in a deep voice, “can I annex his territory?”

He didn't specify who he was referring to, but the young man understood who he was referring to.

"I wanted to decline your offer, but I have a feeling you're already on your way."

“Ah, the top of Kushi Mountain.” The visitor tapped the dry sand with his cane. “That ancient, crimson river flows on.”

(End of this chapter)