"Yes?" Mary asked, unaware of what was going on in Lex's mind. She had become aware of when the connection was restored and was waiting for Lex to finish up his business before she began briefing him on the situation at the Inn. Things really were getting bad.
"I know you're probably going to tell me your authority isn't enough but… did the Midnight system have an owner before me?"
There was a moment of silence as Mary did not answer immediately. He did not know if she was hesitating, or investigating the truth for herself, or checking her authority, but the silence itself was very telling. Regardless of what she said, Lex had made a conclusion on his own.
"The last time we had a conversation about systems… I told you that you should become much stronger before you learn about these things. But, since you have already encountered another system user, it is imperative for you to learn as much as possible about other systems lest you are caught unprepared. Since you also have a quest relating to absorbing more systems, your authority and rights to sensitive information in this regard has been adjusted. I will share with you what you can know.
"First of all, a system exists in the form of an item. It is currently residing in your soul, and not inside your body, but from the moment you gained the Midnight system, the system has been operating through that item as its core. When you reach that Nascent realm, the system will successfully merge with your soul. At that point, both you and the system will experience a minor overhaul. You will have a great increase in authority, and the system will have a much easier time operating."
Mary paused again, distress painting her holographic image.
"As you have guessed, this is not the first time your system has had an owner. Such is the case for most systems in the universe, for they have existed for a very long time already. When one owner dies, the system continues to exist and simply changes its owner. But, and this is the most important part, no two systems are completely identical. They may be extremely similar, but they will never be the same. At least, so far it has been like this. This is because, when a system changes owners, only the grade of the system remains the same, not how the system operates.
"So, your system, when it had a previous owner, did not exist as the Midnight Inn, or even a hotel of any sort at all. The only thing that has remained is the grade, though due to severe damage, while the grade remains, the functionality of your system has dropped immensely."
Lex was honestly not expecting to receive an answer, but now that he did, it left him feeling kind of hollow. The user dies, but the system remains. So maybe, there really isn't something special about him that the system wants. Maybe it's just riding in his body until he dies, and it moves onto another host.
"Did you know the previous host?" Lex asked soberly.
"My memories began the moment you absorbed the system," Mary answered succinctly.
After another brief pause, Mary continued.
"While systems have great abilities, they are not omnipotent. Strong beings and cultivators can easily detect the prescience of soul treasures in lower-level cultivators, and if their attention is focused on you they will easily be able to detect the system. The only reason you've avoided this, so far, is because each time you met an overwhelmingly powerful cultivator, it was in the system grounds, where the system has the most ability to hide itself.
"But, that is not the only way to detect a system. Depending on the grade of the system, the way in which it interacts with the universe at large is different. For lower grade systems, there are many ways to detect its interference if one is looking for it.
"For you this, at least, is not a concern because even while your system's functionality has been lowered, the level it is operating at has already transcended the letter grading system."
"Can a system's grade be raised?" Lex asked, his interest piqued.
"All systems began at the E- grade," Mary answered. "If its grade is higher, then it's because its owner or previous owner has raised it himself. For you, this is irrelevant, because the level of your system is too high compared to yourself. The chances of you encountering something that can help you raise your systems level is too low. Of course, you can also raise your systems level by absorbing other systems. But you already had so much trouble facing the Murder system, a grade D system. Trying to absorb higher level systems is something you should completely forget about for now."
Mary paused again, as if thinking about something, then said, "You will gain more authority regarding systems when you reach the Immortal level. If you want to learn anything else about systems before then, you will have to figure it out on your own."
Lex took in a moment to absorb all the information he received, his hand mindlessly running over Fenrir's thick coat. He could not even imagine how strong the previous owner of his system must have been for it to reach the Destiny realm. Yet, he died all the same. Moreover, considering the system's damaged condition, there was a real possibility that the death wasn't pleasant or peaceful. Of course, there could be other explanations, but he put it out of his mind for now.
"Any tips on how to identify other system users?" Lex asked. He hadn't had much time to consider this, but he had been wondering if he had run into any other system users while running the Inn. Considering the kind of business model it was, even if he hadn't yet, there was a good chance that he would in the future.
"A systems greatest weakness… is another system," is all Mary replied.