"Wait, wait, wait, what are all these things?"
Elias felt like there were way too many unfamiliar terms coming out of this old guy's mouth!
Even with the original owner's memories that hadn't completely gone cold yet, he was still dazed by this string of technical terms.
"Can you speak like a human being?"
Elias rubbed his temples.
Edmond clicked his tongue dismissively in his mind.
"To put it simply, imagine a giant, invisible web covering the entire world and everything in it; that is the Origin Web."
"And your spirituality is the vibration you stir up on that web."
"An ordinary person's spirituality is scattered, like a pool of stagnant water that cannot flow."
"To become a transcendent, you need to drink a potion to dig specific channels in your consciousness—those are Rational Circuits."
"When your spirituality flows along these precise channels and successfully resonates with that massive Origin Web, you can channel that power."
"Different Rational Circuits are like different molds, shaping the originally formless power of the Origin Web into different spell forms."
"For example, the 【Warding Glyph】 from earlier uses a specific circuit to let arcane energy exist for a long time in the form of a glyph."
Elias listened, stunned.
His brain automatically translated this theory:
Origin Web = Server.
Rational Circuit = Program Code.
Spirituality = Data.
As long as you write the code (build the circuit) and connect to the server (Origin Web), you can run the program (cast spells).
"Of course, remember one thing."
Edmond's voice became serious.
"This is an equivalent exchange."
"Just as a steam engine needs coal."
"Your spirituality is the fuel."
"The more complex the circuit and the more powerful the spell, the more fuel is consumed."
"But, if the fuel runs out—that is, if your spirituality dries up..."
Edmond paused, his tone ominous.
"You lose the barrier protecting your self-awareness."
"You'll hear the whispers of the starry sky. Those indescribable noises from the depths of the cosmos will instantly crush your sanity."
"In other words... you'll fall into madness."
Elias nodded thoughtfully, then blurted out:
"So spirituality is my blue bar?"
"Blue bar?"
"I'll give you a white bar!"
Edmond finally couldn't take it anymore.
"I seriously suspect you weren't normal to begin with. Where do you get all this nonsense?!"
"It's just that your level is too low."
Elias shook his head with a 'you don't understand art' expression.
"When your level is higher, you'll understand me."
Edmond: "Heh."
Elias didn't want to keep arguing with him about this.
"So the thing on the table is the recipe for the spirit vision potion?"
"Exactly."
"That's a recipe for a Scale One spirit vision potion I went through a lot of trouble to get back then."
"Stop!"
Elias raised a hand to interrupt.
"Another new term?!"
"What is a 'Scale'?"
"A standard invented by a certain priest in the Church a hundred years ago."
"The principle is similar to a steam pressure gauge."
"Your spirituality passes through a special, precise alchemical instrument, which can push up a column of mercury inside."
"On the glass tube next to the mercury column, there's a ruler with markings."
"So the higher the Scale, the stronger you are?"
"Correct."
"The Scale represents the magnitude of your spirituality and the complexity of the Rational Circuit you can withstand."
"How many Scales are there in total?"
"The highest Scale humans have currently reached is 7; they are practically saints walking the earth."
Edmond's voice carried a hint of awe.
"Of course, legendary demigods can reach Scale 9 or even higher... but who knows for sure?"
Elias felt his blood boil with excitement.
He rubbed his hands together and asked expectantly:
"What about you? What Scale were you?"
In his mind, even though this old ghost was dead, he was still a starting zone mentor. He had to be some hidden expert, maybe Scale Five or 6?
Edmond went silent.
His mind went quiet for three seconds.
"Uh..."
His voice became a bit hesitant, even sounding a bit guilty.
"Scale Two."
"..."
Elias picked at his ear, doubting he'd heard correctly.
"How much?"
"Scale Two! What about it?!"
Edmond snapped in embarrassment.
"Scale Two is already very strong, okay?!"
"To ordinary people, it's a miracle!"
Elias curled his lip.
"And here I thought you were powerful! Acting like a master in front of me every day."
Unexpectedly, Edmond sighed, his tone turning somewhat despondent.
"Do you think increasing your Scale is that simple?"
"Each Scale has a corresponding spirit vision potion; they are the keys to advancement."
"And there are many types of spirit vision potion recipes."
"While most are universal..."
"They mostly involve extremely dangerous materials from spirit world creatures."
Edmond's voice dropped, carrying a chill that made one's spine tingle.
"Furthermore, there are fake recipes."
"If you get the recipe wrong, or if there's even a slight error in processing the materials..."
"Your Rational Circuit will collapse instantly, and your spirituality will burn your brain to a crisp."
"When that happens, your best-case scenario is becoming a VIP guest at the Landon Asylum."
Elias felt a bit creeped out.
This path of transcendence sounded harder than taking a civil service exam.
He immediately followed up:
"Then what about the Scale Two recipe?"
Even if he couldn't use it now, it was like an experience book—might as well have it.
"You haven't even drunk the Scale One potion, you haven't even entered the door, and you're asking for Scale Two?"
Edmond was almost laughed to death by this kid's audacity.
"Are you in a hurry to become a moron at the Landon Asylum? Beds there are in high demand!"
Elias didn't care and switched questions.
"What about my spirituality? What Scale is it at?"
"Didn't you say my spirituality is very high?"
"It is high," Edmond admitted.
"The problem is, you don't even have Scale One."
"???"
"You haven't drunk a potion, you haven't built a Rational Circuit. Your spirituality is like a torrent of water in a reservoir, but there's no channel to guide it."
"Without a circuit, it cannot be quantified, and thus your Scale cannot be measured."
"Don't leave me hanging like that!" Elias protested.
"If I stop breathing, I'll die!"
"Weren't you already dead?"
Edmond felt that if he weren't a spirit, he would probably be turned into one by this kid's anger.
He actually felt a sense of salvation in being dead.
"What about the dream demon?"
Elias suddenly thought of the culprit.
"It's targeting me because my spirituality is high? It's lusting after my body?"
"That's not necessarily true," Edmond pondered.
"You currently have a dream demon curse on you. That's the real trouble."
"It's best if you don't leave these reefs."
"Ah?"
Elias was stunned.
He stood up abruptly from the chair, the movement too large, pulling at his wounds and making him wince in pain.
"What did you say? I can't leave?"
He was planning to pack up and run as soon as the next shift change happened!
The world is big; he wanted to see it.
If all else failed, he could find some rural place without monsters to farm!
Guarding a broken lighthouse here and facing things like carapace husks and dream demons... wasn't that just waiting to die?
"A spirit world creature like a dream demon doesn't usually attack humans, let alone manifest in the physical world of its own accord," Edmond explained with scientific rigor.
"Oh? Then why did it find me? I didn't steal its rice."
Elias was indignant; this was a disaster falling from the sky.
"I'm not sure, but at least one thing is certain: the Moon Bay area is different."
Edmond paused and continued, "A normally peaceful dream demon became extremely aggressive within the lighthouse's range."
"I had some theories when I was alive, like there being ruins or something in Moon Bay."
"Back to the dream demon," Edmond steered the conversation back.
"People dream because every night, they travel through the shallow layers of the spirit world in their spirit form, wrapped in a 'dream bubble'."
"A dream demon is called a dream demon because it can guide the dream bubbles in an area and feed on the spirituality leaking from them."
"Although it's a low-level spirit world creature and its individual combat strength is trash, don't underestimate its curse."
"It's a mark."
"A mark?"
"Yes."
"Positions in the physical world have corresponding coordinates in the spirit world," Edmond continued.
"A dream demon curse is essentially a lock initiated from the spirit world coordinate level."
"It 'sews' your spirit's aura to the spirit world coordinates where this lighthouse is located."
"The range only applies to the vicinity of these coordinates."
Elias only half-understood, but he caught the main point.
"Then shouldn't I leave even more?"
"If I run out of the coordinate range, it won't be able to find me, right?"
"Don't be in a hurry; here comes the kicker."
There was a hint of schadenfreude in Edmond's voice.
"It's like you're tied to this land."
"As long as you move within the range, you're fine."
"But once you leave here and stay away for a certain amount of time—about ten days..."
"The curse will erupt."
"It will be like a snapped rubber band. It will immediately use the power of rules to kill your physical body and then forcibly 'snap' your spirit back to the spirit world coordinates where the dream demon cursed you."
"Which is right here."
"By then, you'll truly be a bound spirit, a neighbor of mine."
"This dream demon is too unreasonable!"
Elias completely lost it.
"Playing with a person like a dog? Even putting them on a leash?!"
"I came here to be a lighthouse keeper, not a watchdog!"
Thinking about how he might have to stay on this godforsaken island for who knows how long, facing monsters that could appear at any time, he felt a wave of despair.
This was a life sentence!
"No, I have to find a way to leave!"
"Wait!"
A spark of inspiration flashed in Elias's mind, like catching the last straw.
"What if I become a transcendent? Since it's a spell or a curse, there must be a way to break it, right?"
"There is!"
Edmond's voice was decisive, even a bit cheerful.
"There's a way?" Elias was overjoyed.
"Quick! Tell me! What potion do I drink? Or what ritual do I do?"
As long as he could run away, he'd do anything.
"Young man, you have great awareness," Edmond said coaxingly.
"The method is simple."
"Just join me in believing in the Moon Lord and become a glorious ascetic."
"Then work hard to advance, climbing from Scale One to Scale Five."
"As far as I know, the Moon Lord's Scale Five has a spell called 【Remove Curse】."
"Literally."
"?"
Rate on N.U.
