World Occult Usage Guide

In mid-February, the Northern Hemisphere enters the humid and warm early spring, while the Southern Hemisphere is about to end its long summer.

The equatorial region, located between the two, is perpetually plagued by scorching heat and dryness, with the sun hanging in the sky releasing astonishing heat relentlessly 365 days a year.

However, at the docks of Kinsasha, a group of soldiers in shirts lined up in a straight line, struggling to block the dense crowds of onlookers on both sides. The contest between the two sides left everyone sweating profusely, and salt water stains appeared on their white shirts, leaving brown stains.

At the very front of the line stood a young man wearing a military cap. He was handsome, and his eyes revealed a strategic mind beyond his years.

The young man was surrounded by two girls who looked similar but had very different temperaments.

The area where they stood was like an invisible warning line, and even the most audacious people dared not bump into them or anyone within fifty meters of them.

About three days ago, to celebrate his triumphant return, the young man in the military cap recruited a large number of able-bodied men to work for him, widening the river channel at the estuary, sewing luxurious carpets, and even temporarily forming a band.

Most people didn't actually want to participate, but when they thought about the youth's iron-fisted rule in Kinsasha over the past month, they reluctantly went through with the preparations for the ceremony.

They couldn't wait for the young man's "boss," the legendary ranger of the World Tree, to return and restrain his behavior.

Moreover, as the capital of the Bantu people, Kinsasha has a relatively wide range of ways to obtain information. They had heard about the feats accomplished by the forest rangers in Ivory Coast and La Cono long ago and were eager to see him—this “great leader” who had descended from the sky.

Therefore, regardless of their feelings, people gathered early at the pier, standing on tiptoe and eagerly waiting.

"Woo——"

A ship's horn sounded, like some kind of alarm, and tens of thousands of noisy people fell silent. Next to the young man in the military cap, a short man with fair skin jumped up.

"My ship has finally returned safely!"

“And our rangers, [angel investors].” Mayer corrected him seriously.

"Of course! I'm going to go up and give him a big hug." David rubbed his hands together. "To the hero!"

“First come, first served, David. Misuru reserved the first blessing, then it’s me and my sister.” Mezo smiled and spread his hands. “No cutting in line.”

“Otherwise, watch your back,” Misuru said coldly without turning his head.

David gasped, instinctively touching the back of his neck. He knew that some of the ghosts summoned by Misuru could accurately pierce people's carotid arteries with blowguns.

"It's amazing that I can use mystery. Once I awaken, I will definitely become a super source-level being that can annihilate you... No, maybe I can become a legendary statue."

Someone patted him on the shoulder, and David turned around to see a friendly Eastern face.

"Actually, you already possess mysterious abilities."

"what?"

“Of course it’s your financial power.” Fu Bin winked humorously. “Angel investor, you can give me an offer I can’t refuse.”

"Excuse me, I don't quite understand what you're saying." David took an awkward step back. "Please speak English, okay?"

"I'm speaking in English."

Suddenly, a chorus of exclamations erupted from the dock. Taking advantage of Fu Bin's distraction, David quickly moved away from the self-proclaimed master of jokes from the Chinese nation and looked once more at the rippling horizon.

Besides his magnificent ship, there were seven or eight other boats approaching, as well as an extremely sophisticated, expensive, and massive vessel.

God help us, have we been attacked by some country?
Fortunately, the next moment, the green flag of the World Tree was raised at the bow of the ship, and the other ships obediently followed behind it, including the expensive-looking vessel.

"The forest ranger is back!" Misuru raised his pistol and fired a shot into the air. "Cheers!"

Without him giving any orders, the crowd at the dock spontaneously erupted in cheers, shouting fervent and worshipful words in all sorts of languages. The soldiers maintaining order had to use their not-so-strong bodies to make it even more difficult to keep order in the area.

"Hey, the forester even put a figurehead on my boat." David's eyes widened as he moved his binoculars away. "What kind of god is that? Why does it have two different colored wings? Good heavens, I don't really like these heretical idols!"

“Let me see.” Fu Bin took the binoculars, remained silent for a while, and said uncertainly, “Um, the statue you mentioned… seems to be Edward Roberts.”

"That Lion Country journalist who always corrects my pronunciation and grammar?" David was stunned. "Is he welded to the bow of my ship?"

“The first possibility is that he angered the forest rangers and was thus punished with death; the second possibility is…” Fu Bin’s fingers brushed against the stubble on his chin, “He is now a mystic.”

"What an ugly mysteryr."

“Everyone has different tastes. I think this little thing is quite unique, a bit like a tacky, non-mainstream penguin show.” Fu Bin saw David backing away again and quickly grabbed him. “But Edward isn’t the main character this time. Investors, look to the sky!”

David looked up and saw a line of glowing code appear in the sky, the font was very large and bold.

"Good morning, World Tree users. I am the Forest Ranger, the developer of this system. First of all, thank you all for gathering here to celebrate my return. I hope that Bantu will prosper even more with our concerted efforts."

A single line of text stumped 80% of the people present.

Despite being the capital, a large number of people only completed primary school, and even among those who were educated, not everyone could necessarily understand French. Just as many people were scratching their heads and whispering among themselves, a mechanical, emotionless voice rang out, as if echoing in everyone's ears, clear and loud.

It first read the text aloud in English, followed by French, Bantu, Kittap, and other local languages. Each announcement lasted 20 seconds, and the broadcast lasted a full 5 minutes before ending.

Thanks to him, tens of thousands of people present understood the message conveyed by the forest ranger.

The port was silent at first, then erupted in cheers like waves, echoing through the clear blue sky.

The people didn't know why they were suddenly so agitated; perhaps it was because they hadn't understood what the rulers meant for a long time.

"Please be quiet!"

The short message took a minute and a half to finish, just as the crowd calmed down, and the text reappeared in the sky.

"Secondly, I would like to announce that the World Tree System will be holding its second recruitment event to recruit talented, knowledgeable, and capable employees. If you are interested, please report to the Capitol Building between February 15th and 25th. Thank you for your cooperation."

"The second job fair?"

Misuru and the others didn't need audio playback; they all understood French, and their expressions varied.

"This is a minor update to the World Tree system—the introduction of dictation. We are about to open a branch office in Lacono, which requires more staff, and there will also be some adjustments to the personnel at the Kinsasha base—the schedule ahead is packed."

A calm and pleasant voice rang out from the other side of the group. Misuru turned around abruptly and saw a young man with black hair standing in the morning light.

"Long time no see, my companions, I'm back."

"Forest!"

Misuru rushed forward and hugged Lin An, who also punched his broad, strong back.

"Misuru, you did a good job."

During his time as president of the Red Poppy Merchant Guild, Lin An consistently used the "Communicate with Developers" module to stay in touch with the people of Kinsasha.

Under their rule, the situation was stable, and Kinsasha returned to the peace of the former Bantu capital after the war, while the fighting in other areas gradually subsided.

Moreover, Oguncavo the Black Cat quickly assembled an army of nearly 10,000 men, while Meyer essentially restructured the cabinet, and the other members also made achievements in their respective fields of expertise.

But these improvements were made possible by Misuru's "help".

With Lin An absent, and the [Prophet] neither skilled in nor fond of combat, Misuru became the mysterious figure at the forefront, while the "War Emperor" provided substantial assistance in management and support.

“Building this territory is my responsibility.” Misuru released Lin An, revealing a set of white teeth. “Lin, let’s go, we’re going to the Capitol.”

"Going to work right after getting back?" Lin An frowned. "I was thinking of resting at the Presidential Palace for a while first."

Upon hearing his words, Misuru's expression became somewhat subtle. Before Lin An could ask, the sisters Mezo and Meyer came up to him from both sides and decorated his hair with flower petals, which was their way of celebrating their "hunting victory".

Immediately afterwards, David strode over, intending to hug Lin An, but after feeling Misuru's unfriendly gaze, he nodded slightly and jogged towards his ship.

"Forest ranger, I, uh..."

Lin An turned his gaze to the last forest ranger, Fu Bin, who scratched his head and couldn't come up with any words of celebration for a long time, so he simply followed David's footsteps.

"I'll go check on the reporters."

“The second job fair might be an opportunity to replace him.” Misuru smirked. “Although he is the best architect I have ever met, the way he speaks is inexplicably unpleasant.”

"Colleagues aren't necessarily your friends. I didn't get along very well with some of my colleagues in the past." Lin An steered the conversation back on track. "Misuru, has something happened at the Presidential Palace?"

Misuru scratched his head, and Mezo looked around before lowering his voice to speak.

“Lin, a powerful and mysterious person came not long ago. He specifically asked to see you by name.”

"Looking for me?" Lin An raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Hmm. The first thing he said was, 'I'm looking for Lin An'?"

Lin An's pupils contracted. Who was this guy?
I can't believe I knew his Chinese name.

“We told him that there was no Lin An here, but after hearing our explanation, he changed his mind and said he was looking for you.”

Did this person identify themselves or state their purpose?

"It's dangerous to let strangers roam the territory, so I had the [Prophet] find a way to lock him up in the Presidential Palace," Misuru continued. "In short, his exact words were, 'Tell the rangers, I am a messenger from another forest.'" (End of Chapter)