Chapter 339 Picatrix

[Name]: Picatrix, Saint's Goal, Wise Man's Goal

[Rating]: Source Class B

[Radiation value]: 21.0%

[Pollution level]: 11.6%

[Media]: Prophet

The Ghāyat al-akīm, an occult book of astrology and magic, was originally written in Arabic and later translated into Latin - known as the Picatrix.

The reason for choosing Picatrix for the Latin translation is unknown, perhaps derived from the Arabic transfiguration of Halbercrateion, author of the Greek magical medical treatise Cyranides, who summarized the spirituality of plants, animals, and stones virtue.

Picatrix is ​​regarded as "the most thorough description of celestial magic in Arabic" in the Middle Ages, synthesizing Hermeticism, Sabianism, Ismailism, astrology, and alchemy in the Near East in the ninth and tenth centuries. Arabic texts on magic and magic.

These include the influential Treatise on the Stars and the Theory of the Magical Arts.

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

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

There are four volumes of "Picatrix". The first volume deals with world astrology and the meaning of different images, covering Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Persia, Zoroastrianism, Sabian , Nabataean and Indian lore.

It juxtaposes different astral magic traditions and provides a diverse range of theoretical and practical resources for stargazers.

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

Volume Three deals with the properties of the planets and constellations, and how to speak to them; Volume Four deals with the properties of spirits, things to be observed in art, and working magic by understanding celestial images.

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

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

Now it seems that this may be the author's allusion to the planet "Comes".

In addition to astronomical theory, Picatrix provided two major applications of astral magic: amulets and the practice of precognition.

The former aims to attract heavenly spirits or virtues into material objects and imbue them with magical power; the latter uses complex formulas to communicate deeply with the planets and guide their spirits to meet the caster's requirements.

According to Lin An's observation, the Picatrix magic used by Jacob falls into the category of "practice of precognition".

"Goedemiddag (Good afternoon), ranger."

Jacob's words interrupted Lin An's contemplation. Eight celestial bodies passed through his deep pupils, like two lifelike and miniature models of the solar system.

"I have many, many questions for you."

"To tell you the truth, I am the same." Lin An looked at the book he held in his hands, "You are the embodiment of a seductive astrology encyclopedia in the Arabian region."

It is invisible to the naked eyes of ordinary people, and only mystics—and mystics with high radiation levels—can see the true original appearance of Jacob's ancient book.

Featuring the Zodiac Wheel and Moirones on the front and back of the book, radiating outward from the central medallion, representing the "core ideas" of the Zodiac, its various aspects occupy every page.

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

"It is only one of the four volumes of "Picatrix." Jacob held the pen elegantly and smiled condescendingly. "You don't want to be my enemy, ranger."

All the previous plans arranged by the Chamber of Commerce President only used one mysterious function, and the other three are still unknown?

Picatrix is ​​indeed "the most thorough explanation of celestial magic in Arabic."

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

"However, as a reward for finding me, I can give you a meeting gift. I admit that I lost this hunting game." He said, "I know that you can achieve two goals from me."

"The first thing is to get out of Nanzhou."

"The second step is to find Nzembi Mpungu's remaining two fingers."

Lin An and Jacob actually said in unison. The former was silent for a while, stroking the bone mask on his face: "You are a real voodoo medium if you are so good at reading minds."

"Thanks to the guidance of the planets."

Jacob turned the book in his hand and showed Lin An the contents at a glance.

The squiggles are densely filled with words from the moment he arrived at the Ivory Coast in Abishan City to the moment he chased him near the ship and confronted the president of the Chamber of Commerce.

It accurately records Lin An's thoughts, actions, and even every sentence for a week. Although it is not 100% accurate, it is very similar from beginning to end.

After scanning it once, Lin An felt his scalp numb.

Nothing beats "The Truman Show".

But then I thought about it, if Picatrix could really "arrange" his words and deeds perfectly and control his life like the hand of fate, then Jacob would not be forced to admit defeat.

The development of Picatrix's story seems to have to be in line with Jacob's subjective wishes and must be based on objective logic.

For example, if Jacob writes "In ten minutes I will get 10 francs," he can easily achieve his goal because the direction of the story does not deviate from normal logic.

The planet will follow Jacob's wishes, make his future destiny follow the direction he expects, and fulfill his wish secretly.

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

If Jacob had written, "In ten minutes the volcano will erupt and destroy the city of Abishan," the planetary spirit would not be sure of his record.

Because there is no active volcano in Abishan, this development does not conform to the objective laws of the normal operation of the stars.

The same goes for Lin An, he is an objectively existing object.

Jacob can only guide Lin An to do some things he usually does, such as sneaking into press conferences, investigating mysterious persons, etc. He cannot force Lin An to commit suicide for no reason, or deliberately die in front of a low-rated mysterious person. The subordinates.

Jacob may have written the plot of their victory over Lin An from the perspective of others.

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

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

"If we agree to a peaceful settlement, I'll help you find what you're looking for. A win-win, right?"

Jacob observed Lin An's unpredictable expression, and the corners of his mouth curved.

"Let us end this war calmly, just like the war that happened in Xizhou. I am willing to sign a defeat treaty, and you swear that you will not press forward step by step and drive me out. This is what a civilized and rational person should do. made."

It seems to make some sense. Lin An thought, as he said, Picatrix is ​​all-encompassing, and astrological magic is endless. What is shown now is just the tip of the iceberg, and the true strength of the Chamber of Commerce President is yet to be known.

If I attack rashly, not only will it be difficult to kill him, but once the fight ends in a draw or he escapes, I won't be able to get any loot.

At least by "signing" the defeat treaty, I can use Picatrix to get the whereabouts of the other two fingers.

He is worthy of being the head of an aristocratic family, and he has great magnanimity...

No!

etc!

A dizzy feeling came over, and Lin An's pupils shrank. This was not the first time he had experienced something wrong.

Prophet……

He did not hesitate and directly used the omniscient blessing of [Original Incarnation]. A willow branch brushed his forehead, and the dew from the Garden of Eden made his body feel light and his mind sharp.

Delay time.

Asherah's gnosis gave Lin An a credible conclusion.

The information from the Chamber of Commerce President is mixed. The mysterious prototype of "Picatrix" does contain four volumes of different types of astrological magic, especially the latter category of amulets, which can be called the supreme wisdom of medieval Arabia.

However, Jacob's radiation value - or the current chakra limit of "Comuth" is not enough to unlock the full ability of the saint's target.

Just like the system has not yet unlocked all its features.

He was just bluffing!

Although Lin An believed that he could not completely kill this source-level mystic in the first meeting, at least for now, he was by no means Lin An's opponent, and he had to pay a certain price to escape.

With a cold snort, Lin An's Hittite ritual aimed at Jacob, the deep cold wind blew from the underworld, and the sun goddess's murmur was long.

A bronze temple rises from the ground, a gloomy chill lingers on the face, a blanket falls from the sky, and ready-to-go iron nails float in all directions of the "torture instrument", aiming at the person whose head is wrapped.

[Blessings to Rabbana].

The "Prophet" has little fighting power, and this ritual is more than enough.

Lin An also wanted to alleviate some of the mental damage suffered during the battle through the feedback of purified souls.

The rough linen cloth rubbed Jacob's trembling eyes, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

The ranger doesn’t buy it!

Hasn't that guy come back yet?

No, I don't have time anymore!

In desperation, he had to abandon the pencil and hold the pen directly. Illusion and trance immediately collided with the strings of reason, which was a manifestation of the rising level of pollution.

Jacob ignored it and started writing as fast as he could.

The ink spreads on the paper, and the squiggles without spaces flow like water waves, covering half of the paper in the blink of an eye.

The rectangular shadows of the zodiac were placed in front of Jacob like a shield, and a simple sketch of a magician like a constellation appeared. He was riding on the back of a winged elephant, pointing his finger somewhere in the sky.

"Mighty Master of the Holy Name! You who keep your word; you who are old and cunning, the master of all deceit; you who bring prosperity or destruction, happiness or misfortune! Most High Saturn, I pray for your great mercy and be generous, and accomplish for me what I ask for!”

The silent spell turned into Latin letters and surrounded Jacob. The stars were bright and colorful celestial bodies were looming.

"when!"

The bright light spreads outward, blocking the insertion of the bronze nails, and Jacob's soul sits in the center of the temple, inviolable.

Time passed at an extremely slow speed like a baby elephant that fell into a rainforest swamp. The ritual that should have been completed in ten seconds was stretched to five or six minutes.

A line of text appeared on the title page of Picatrix.

"The ranger did not kill his enemy immediately. In his heart, he still wanted to use the enemy to obtain information. The use of mystical techniques was just to intimidate the opponent. First, he hoped to obtain the astronomical wisdom of the Caliphate, and second, he discovered - "

The cursive narration stopped abruptly, and Jacob shook the pen in his hand violently, and was shocked to find that it turned into a heavy piece of cold metal.

"Crack!"

The iron nib pierced the fragile paper, making a tooth-piercing sound.

Jacob's book and pen are source-level mysterious items, but they contain very little "Comes" energy. Lin An used the [Philosopher's Stone] to change the metal texture of the pen while the user was not paying attention.

"Haha, you thought you were smart? Our story is far from over!"

With a ferocious look on his face, Jacob bit his thumb open and continued writing with the blood spurting from the wound.

"'——The forest ranger discovered that there was more than one enemy! He was secretly staring at him with eager eyes! That was [poacher], countless poachers!'"

"Poacher?" Lin An frowned.

If I remember correctly, this person is also a member of the [Seven Sins Demon Lord].

In the call records of Time Fragments, he is the most uncharacteristic and unremarkable last man.

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

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

do not care!

Kill the Chamber of Commerce President first!

No matter how cunningly Jacob continues to write the story, [The Blessing of Rabana] is an irreversible Hittite ritual. Picatrix can only subjectively prolong its process and cannot keep the sun goddess who is expecting a sacrifice in place. "evaporation".

When the bronze nail was only a few centimeters away from Jacob's covered temple, he changed his panic and unwillingness, raised his head, and showed an arrogant and contemptuous smile to Lin An.

"Forester, I will burn down your World Tree and kill every sheltered animal in the forest; I swear to God."

It was like he was saying a sacred, loyal oath.

Immediately afterwards, Jacob bit down on the thick spine of the book, shook his head from side to side like tearing at prey, and tore it off forcefully.

"Pooh!"

He spit out the spine of the book and raised his hands upward.

"Picatrix" filled with stories about the fate of countless people was scattered all over the sky, and the papers were flying all over the sky, like white seagulls with broken wings, each flying a certain distance in the sea breeze, spinning and falling into the blue water. Atlantic.

The rough waves wet these magical papers, swallowing them up 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.