Chapter 287
Jacob’s Research
“…Resurrected Undead?”
Eivass showed some surprise.
As a genuine Priest—a Priest of the Third Tier, barely weaker than a Bishop—he couldn’t possibly mistake an Undead for a living person.
In Eivass’s vision, both the Dwarf Magnetic Hammer and Old William were unquestionably alive. Yet, according to them, they had entered Eagle Cape Village from the swamp and were thus among the “resurrected” spoken of by the elder.
“That is precisely the case,” the old man nodded slowly, his single eye fixed on Eivass. “I will share this secret with you because… you are Jacob’s chosen successor. And Jacob has bestowed upon us a kindness we can never repay.”
“I came here seeking my grandfather’s inheritance,” Eivass stated frankly. “Therefore, I require more knowledge, more truth—so I implore you to tell me more of the reality.”
“It is only right…” the old man said softly.
He supported himself with his cane, slowly rising.
Staggering with each step, he was helped by Eivass towards the windowsill, gazing at the sun that had risen high in the sky at some unknown time.
“I would ask you a question, Eivass… You are a city dweller and a university student. Your mind must be far sharper than ours old folks.”
“Please, ask away,” Eivass replied politely.
“Suppose there is such a person… When he died, no one saw his corpse, nor did anyone learn of his death. His body was swallowed by a swamp somewhere.
“Then, another swamp connected to this one spat out another person, identical to him. This person possesses the knowledge, memories, personality, and abilities of the deceased, all exactly the same. Their body is also human, even down to the birthmarks and old scars. The only difference is the absence of the memory of dying. Upon waking… they believe they merely fainted and were then picked up.”
“In that case, do you consider this person to be an Undead summoned from the remains of the former?” the old villager slowly asked.
Eivass understood everything halfway through the question.
—This was a classic thought experiment.
It was called the “Swampman Paradox.”
The paradox posits that upon someone’s death, due to extremely coincidental reactions, an exact replica at the atomic level is created, possessing almost all the memories and knowledge of the deceased, with only the memory of the moment of death missing. When this individual wakes up, they immediately resume their life as if nothing happened, continuing to read unfinished books and going to work the next day as usual.
In this scenario, is this person the same as the one who died?
This reminded Eivass of the “Eggmen” in the game EVE—when a pilot was about to die, the cockpit system would instantly kill them, preserving all their memories and knowledge through a powerful scan capable of destroying the brain. This information would then be transmitted to another location via faster-than-light technology, and a clone would be used to “resurrect” them.
Were individuals resurrected through such means still the same person? Or were they a newly born self?
Eivass’s heart sank.
—Because his thoughts immediately turned to himself.
If the “Eggmen” or “Swampmen” were not truly themselves, then… what about him?
He was partly Eivass Moriarty, but also partly not. Due to some unknown reason, he had awakened past life memories. But was that “past life” truly his own? If only memories were transferred, was he still his past self?
And if it was the soul that came over, was he still Eivass?
The past Eivass had always avoided this question. But now, the question had come to him.
“…I cannot answer this question.”
After a long silence, Eivass could only honestly shake his head.
He genuinely couldn’t provide a definitive answer—because the question touched upon himself. Even if Eivass provided an answer, it would undoubtedly be one that was not carefully considered, leaning towards deception.
But Eivass didn’t even want to offer such a disingenuous answer. Because he didn’t want to treat himself so casually.
“You don’t know, and we don’t know either,” the old villager sighed. “But this is how they came.
“The first outsider to enter Eagle Cape Village through this means was Supervisor William. And the one who created this special resurrection ritual and sent him in…
“was your grandfather, Jacob.”
—At that moment, Eivass suddenly recalled his recently concluded Ascension Ritual.
In that inn, a young Jacob had encountered Supervisor William. And now, looking at it, Supervisor William’s appearance hadn’t changed much since then…
If this was something that had actually happened in reality, and only the dream part had been modified by the Great Philosopher…
Then it meant that the real William had likely died.
Without Eivass’s Shepherd’s Method, a nearly hatched Succubus couldn’t be dealt with. Not to mention an Earthbound Spirit guarding the place… Jacob managing to escape and live to have children was already surprising enough for Eivass.
That Supervisor William didn’t seem very strong. He had most likely died there.
Because they had fought side-by-side… or with his permission, Jacob decided to use his corpse for an experiment, to see if he could be resurrected.
But the resurrected William had lost his memories of knowing Jacob. That’s why, in his account, his first meeting with Jacob happened only after Eivass entered Eagle Cape Village.
“After entering the village for the first time, Jacob brought us new population. These outsiders who entered the village through his resurrection ritual gave the village some vitality. It didn’t completely freeze in the cold wind.”
The old man reminisced about the past, speaking slowly. “And when he returned to the village for the second time… he seemed to be busy with something.
“I don’t know what ritual he was preparing, nor what he did. But from then on—children began to be born in the village. That was about twenty years ago.”
In this village where time was stagnant and isolated from the world, native residents became pregnant for the first time.
It was as if the completely frozen flow of time had resumed… Although the movement was still sluggish, the ice-bound waterwheel finally began to turn slowly.
“…So there are no young people in their early thirties in the village?”
Eivass suddenly understood.
It wasn’t because all the young people in that age group had died or left the village.
It was because no one had been pregnant before then.
Immediately, Eivass realized something else. “Doesn’t that mean not many people have died either?”
With no outsiders and no newborns, the population could only decrease, quickly turning it into a truly dead village.
But this village had clearly existed for a long time. And there were still many middle-aged people visible on the streets…
“…Or is it that villagers couldn’t give birth only recently?”
Eivass tentatively inquired.
If the village had been sealed off forty years ago, that would be understandable. Time had stopped for forty years, and then resumed… Young people under twenty would now be in their forties, which would fit.
But the old man merely shook his head, saying nothing more. “It wasn’t that short.
“We, who sold our souls to Amber for shelter, are the people of Amber; we are but residual echoes forgotten by the Hourglass. To continue living is already our limit… How could we participate in the ritual of ‘New Birth.’
“Reproduction is an extremely sacred and grand ritual. It signifies the birth of a new soul and is the result of the combined effect of the Nine Great Paths. It is not something fitting for us, who have even lost our names.”
Eivass frowned deeply.
Outsiders.
Newborns.
What did they have in common…
What was his grandfather Jacob researching here… and why did Noble Red so desperately want his research notes…
—He was attempting to replicate the human soul.
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