Is He Really Scale Two?

Elias extended his index finger and carefully nudged aside the tattered, strip-like coat clinging to the mummified corpse.

He had expected to see nothing but completely desiccated, dark brown bone and flesh, but beneath the cover of the clothing, he spotted a patch of pale brown skin that was still somewhat recognizable.

Although the skin had lost all its moisture, it was clear that it hadn't completely keratinized.

“Those who die from a dream demon’s feeding are still different from old zombies that have been dead for hundreds of years.”

Old Crowley had sidled over at some point, speaking in a slow, measured tone.

“Besides, as far as I know, it’s highly unlikely for postmortem lividity to persist on a mummy for very long.”

The old captain tapped the edge of the corpse with his pipe, looking every bit the worldly veteran.

“Is there anything else that can prove his identity?”

Elias asked, unwilling to give up just yet.

Although his mind was currently a chaotic mess, and he already knew there were massive discrepancies in Old Ed’s identity and memories,

he still couldn't help but search for definitive proof.

“The clothes he's wearing make him look like a corpse from fifty years ago.”

Elias pointed at the old-fashioned clothing.

The material and style of these clothes were exactly what Old Ed had boasted about back in the day.

Old Crowley let out a cold snort.

“Then why don't you use your own spell to check it?”

The old captain crossed his arms and retorted,

“or did you fail to learn 【Interpretive Insight】 from the Origin Web?”

Elias suddenly realized his oversight.

The only reason he hadn't thought of this before was due to a classic, fatal case of cognitive bias.

When he had first arrived in this deeply bizarre world, he had naturally treated Old Ed—the very first person he encountered—as an absolute authority.

Even after becoming a transcendent, he had never once questioned whether there was an actual connection between this mummified corpse and Old Ed.

After all, what sane person would think to doubt that?

Furthermore, there was no spiritual dissipation coming from the mummified corpse.

Whether this person had even been a transcendent in life was something he couldn't determine.

In fact, this was his single greatest blind spot.

Moreover, the bracelet that had originally been on the corpse's wrist was currently resting inside his Gluttonous Stomach.

Who could have ever guessed that the spirit world coordinates tied to the bracelet didn't contain the soul of the corpse's owner at all?

A backdoor listing?

A cuckoo in the nest?

Elias took a deep breath, forcing down the complex tangle of emotions rising within him.

He nodded to the others.

“I'll give it a try.”

His voice sounded dry.

Elias extended his right index finger and gently touched the corpse's outer coat.

As his Rational Circuit hummed to life, precise, intricate patterns illuminated beneath the surface of his otherwise calm sea of consciousness.

Upgraded 【Interpretive Insight】, activate.

The sensation was entirely different from before.

If Scale One had only provided a heavily pixelated, blurry image, Scale Two’s insight now offered a high-definition video.

The resolution had improved by several orders of magnitude.

Soon, a massive torrent of foreign memories violently surged through his fingertips and directly into his mind.

Amidst this rushing tide of memory, Elias’s own sense of self began to blur.

He felt as though he had become someone else entirely.

Ryan Moore.

“He” was standing beside a body of shimmering water.

The surface of the water acted like a mirror, reflecting a scene.

“He” was examining the old clothes he had just changed into.

They were loose, ill-fitting, and smelled strongly of mildew.

Yet through the reflection on the water, Elias could clearly see a young, vibrant face with clear, bright eyes.

It was absolutely not the face of Old Ed, that silver-tongued old ghost who did nothing but talk nonsense.

The vision froze on the young man awkwardly adjusting his collar.

Then, with a soft pop, the illusion shattered like a soap bubble.

Elias snapped out of the memory conjured by 【Interpretive Insight】.

He fell into a deathly silence.

His face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead, splattering against the cold floor.

Sometimes, the truth was far more devastating than any monster.

The question that consumed him now was: what on earth had happened?

There was simply too much information to process; his brain felt like it was about to short-circuit.

The glaring question now was: if Ryan was the true owner of this corpse, then what about this cellar?

Who did this hidden cellar, packed with ancient books and unknown potion ingredients, actually belong to?

Was it Ryan's, or Old Ed's?

Obviously, it couldn't have been built by Ryan.

A common keeper who had only started working here three years ago could never have excavated such a massive occult base right under the shipping company's nose.

Suddenly, he recalled a fatal flaw that he had completely overlooked until now.

Why on earth had he found a Scale One spirit vision potion recipe on the desk in front of the corpse when he first arrived?!

If this place had truly been Old Ed’s residence, and if that old ghost had indeed been a "Scale Two ascetic" like he claimed,

then shouldn't the paper on the desk have been a Scale Three promotion recipe?

What kind of person keeps a kindergarten textbook locked away in their most secure, secret safe?

Yet the old man had never brought any of this up.

In fact, when they first met, the old man had directly referred to this corpse as his own.

He had pointed at this pile of bones and claimed it was his own desiccated flesh.

Perhaps this was the true meaning behind Ms. Stoneheart’s warning back at the Ascetic Society when she told him that "Old Ed lied."

At the time, Elias had assumed the old ghost was merely hiding his true strength or motives.

He never could have guessed that the old man didn't even know who he actually was.

The sheer scale of this "lie" filled Elias with deep apprehension.

At the very least, he was certain that the supernatural guidance the old man had given him wasn't a lie; otherwise, he would have lost control and died in the jaws of some monster long ago.

This meant the core issue lay entirely with the old man’s identity.

Who on earth was he?

Why had he masqueraded as Edmond Russell, who died fifty years ago?

And judging by the current situation, Elias probably wasn't even the first person to wear the bracelet.

Ryan was.

Three years ago, this young keeper had put on the bracelet and became the old ghost's first "student."

Then, he had died right here, turning into this nameless, mummified corpse.

The realization made his skin crawl.

Elias felt a cold shiver run straight down his spine.

He gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

Steeling his resolve, he used 【Interpretive Insight】 on other parts of the corpse, as well as the remaining items in the cellar.

He touched the rotting wooden desk.

He touched the yellowed diary.

He touched the shriveled potion ingredients piled in the corner.

Without exception, every single one of them confirmed his suspicions.

Every fragment of memory pointed to three years ago, leaving behind the tragic record of a young man named Ryan living, struggling, and ultimately dying in this place.

All the supernatural legacies left here had actually been inherited by Ryan.

Wait.

Elias suddenly froze.

What about the old man's actual Scale?

Was he really Scale Two?