Old Ed's gloomy mood cast a strange, oppressive shadow over Elias, who had already endured a night of crisis.
Though the old ghost was usually chatty, prone to boasting, and always seemed to drop the ball at critical moments...
Elias had to admit that he would have died long ago during this past month of survival at the lighthouse if not for the old man's constant banter and technical support in his head.
"Alright, don't go setting flags. It's bad luck."
Elias rolled over, trying to keep his tone light to dispel the heavy atmosphere.
"Setting what?"
Elias interrupted before Old Ed could ask for clarification.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm alive, I'll find a way to get you back to your family."
After that sentence, both of them fell into silence.
Old Ed seemed to be processing the promise.
As for Elias, he lay on the hotel bed, which felt unnervingly soft, staring at the gas chandelier slightly swaying on the ceiling as his thoughts began to wander uncontrollably.
The memories of this past month flashed through his mind like a black-and-white silent film played at double speed.
From the initial confusion when he first transmigrated to the panic of realizing he might have mental issues.
Whenever he recalled his experiences on the island, he felt his state of mind back then had been nothing short of insane.
Because on that island, his primary thoughts were:
Either I don't die, or we both go down together.
In a world filled with unknown monsters and eerie powers, some of his actions were no different from a death wish.
Like summoning some ancient tentacle-connoisseur to send him 'local specialties' like a madman.
But what other choice did he have?
In a godforsaken, monster-infested place like that lighthouse reef, playing it safe was death; being reckless might offer a sliver of hope.
If he didn't fight with his life on the line, he would have ended up a mummified corpse.
It was either die, or die taking something down with him.
Not to mention, the original owner of this body had left him with a physique that suffered from periodic episodes.
That he had survived and even managed to kill the monsters was partly due to luck.
But a larger part was indeed thanks to Old Ed's help.
If Old Ed hadn't taught him how to use occult knowledge to avoid danger, he would have been long gone.
Therefore.
When the mysterious black-haired lady accused Old Ed of 'lying,' Elias subconsciously didn't believe it.
Or rather, he was unwilling to believe it.
After all, trust between people requires a foundation of logic.
Elias was a realist.
He considered the most fundamental point: Old Ed lacked the objective conditions to gain anything from deceiving him.
The old man was currently trapped in the spirit world space linked to the bracelet.
In other words, if the old man showed even the slightest sign of treachery, Elias only had to throw the bracelet into the sea—or a latrine.
The old ghost would be left crying to the ocean or to excrement.
Thinking of this, Elias suddenly sat up in bed.
He glanced at the bracelet he had been wearing since he left.
'It's not like this thing is some kind of binding curse...'
'Right?'
The thought suddenly popped into his mind.
To verify this idea and to find some sense of security after a night of heart-pounding terror...
Elias didn't hesitate to slide the bracelet off his wrist.
Then, as if throwing away a piece of scrap metal, he flicked his wrist and tossed the bracelet accurately into the travel trunk by the wardrobe.
The bracelet landed on the clothes at the bottom with a dull thud.
Well, it wasn't a curse.
Having confirmed this, Elias felt much more at ease.
Thanks to Old Ed, although the process was a bit convoluted, he had successfully reached Scale One and become a formal transcendent.
At the very least, he now had some ability to protect himself.
Moving forward, he couldn't just live like a desperate fugitive focusing only on the immediate present.
He needed a plan.
Lifting the dream demon curse was the most important and urgent matter at hand.
The thing was like a time bomb; who knew when it would next trigger?
He might not be so lucky next time.
Furthermore, today's events had reinforced one thought in his mind.
He needed to increase his strength quickly.
Think of the people he had encountered.
Captain Crowley, who looked like a crafty old man but was actually Scale Three or higher.
The investigators from the Seventh Agency certainly had high-Scale experts among them.
And then there was Bishop Raymond, a classic eccentric 'smiling tiger' and a regional bishop, likely at least Scale Five.
The most terrifying of all was that black-haired lady.
Scale Seven.
The level known as the Saint tier.
The pressure these people exerted on him, whether intentional or not, forced a strong sense of urgency upon him.
In this world, weakness was the original sin.
If he wasn't strong enough, he would forever be a pawn, never understanding what these high-level figures were thinking, and only able to passively accept the arrangements of fate.
Especially the black-haired lady who called herself a 'Firebearer.'
Her sudden visit still left Elias completely baffled.
Why him?
Whether it was his current identity or the original owner's...
From any perspective, it was impossible for him to have contact with such powerful figures, nor did he have any earth-shattering background.
At least, that was how it was in his memories.
It couldn't be that both he and Old Ed had amnesia, right?
If that were the case, wouldn't the rate of Alzheimer's disease in the Kingdom of Velen be a bit too high?
He shook his head, tossing these messy thoughts aside.
Elias reorganized his thinking.
Increasing his strength and lifting the curse were parallel goals, perhaps even related.
Old Ed had mentioned that someone at Scale Five could use Remove Curse to forcibly break it.
But that was just a safety net, the worst-case scenario.
After all, how many years would it take to climb from Scale One to Scale Five?
Given the situation in Moon Bay, whether he could even live to see that day was a question.
He certainly couldn't pin all his hopes on that single path, could he?
The deal with Captain Crowley and John Baker carried risks, but it seemed to be the fastest shortcut available.
With a bit of luck, if he could find that pendulum, he should have a way to lift the curse the next time he returned to the lighthouse.
Even if Captain Crowley went back on his word, he still had the connection with John.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows; one of them was bound to lead somewhere.
Then there were the cultists.
The two cultists he met today had completely pulled back the curtain on a dark corner of this world.
Madness, corruption, and irrationality.
And from the letters of that dead man, Firth, he could be one hundred percent certain that the cult organization known as the Mist Veil Society was inextricably linked to the lighthouse.
One could even say the lighthouse was their strategic objective.
It wasn't hard to guess from their slogan: 'May the Lord's Glory be reforged.'
The 'Lord's Glory' was tied to the lighthouse.
That forbidden name appearing in Firth's room—whether written by Firth or that crazy woman—likely pointed toward their Lord.
After all, the names of high-level existences were absolute taboos.
As for that mutated siren, it might also be tied to the power the cult worshipped.
But he had to say, that creature was incredibly petty!
Back on the island, he had only used his shield to shatter a mouthful of its teeth.
Yet the creature held such a grudge that it had lurked in Hastings Port all this time just to set a trap to kill him?
Not only was it petty, but it was also quite calculating!
It had even controlled its own 'fellow initiate,' Firth, turning him into a puppet.
He didn't know where it had fled, but if they met again, he had to kill it.
A monster that held a grudge against him was far more dangerous than an ordinary one.
Back to the point.
If the cultists' goal was the lighthouse, then Elias, as the lighthouse keeper, was naturally their enemy.
Even if he didn't want to be a hero, they would treat him as a stumbling block to be removed.
Therefore, he had to be even more careful when he returned to the lighthouse.
Elias's mind whirled with these cluttered thoughts.
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
Old Ed's voice rang out hollowly in his mind.
Perhaps sensing that Elias was still staring at the ceiling, the old ghost couldn't help but ask.
"Just getting the chills thinking about my narrow escape,"
Elias bullshitted casually, not closing his eyes.
"If you're cold, pull up the blanket."
Old Ed paused.
"By the way... why did you throw the bracelet so far away?"
"I..."
"I just felt like tossing it around."
"Tossing it around?!"
"I just poured my heart out to you!"
"I even entrusted you with my final arrangements!"
"And you still don't trust me?"
"I said I was just playing! Why are you so sensitive for an old man?!"
Elias retorted righteously.
"You animal!"
"You old dog!"
The rest of the night passed in their bickering...
Rate on N.U.
