Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 205: Conversation with Ghoul

"Fujiwara Gen'in, who has been promoted to the position of Ghoul Elder, told us everything about the Ghouls. At that time, our desperate companions were on the verge of madness. However, Fujiwara Gen'in demonstrated his abilities as a Ghoul Elder. Liu Xing, you should know what this ability is, right?" Aoki said this and suddenly asked Liu Xing a question.

However, Liu Xing knew that Aoki was testing him, trying to find out if he truly understood the information about Ghouls.

Of course, Liu Xing couldn't be unaware of the information about Ghouls, especially since he was well-versed in the abilities of the Ghoul Elder. So, the answer to Aoki's question was that the Ghoul Elder had the power to control ordinary Ghouls...

Wait a minute, it seemed like "Liu Xing" genuinely didn't know the answer!

Although Liu Xing had encountered Ghouls and the Ghoul Elder on Sky Floating Island, he had manipulated KP Luo Luo, resulting in a missed SAN value check and a lack of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Therefore, Liu Xing thought that "he" should only know that the Ghoul Elder could transform, as Aoki had already mentioned. However, Liu Xing realized that he truly didn't know about the Ghoul Elder's ability to control ordinary Ghouls.

Nevertheless, Liu Xing quickly came up with an excuse to handle KP Li Shunchan's query and said with a smile, "This question is not that simple. Ghouls are communal creatures, and as the leader of the Ghoul clan, the Ghoul Elder naturally possesses the ability to command all Ghouls within the clan."

As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, KP Li Shunchan came forward to challenge him, "Liu Xing, according to your information, you shouldn't know this, so do you have an explanation now? If you can't explain it successfully, you'll be considered a metagamer."

Liu Xing chuckled and confidently replied to KP Li Shunchan, "KP, that's true, but don't forget that my character card has an inspiration value of 90. This means that my character card has a high probability of logical reasoning and sudden insights. So, on Sky Floating Island, I've already seen Ghoul Elder Cao'er leading numerous Ghouls to seize Jigu. Plus, with what Aoki just said, I should have no trouble guessing that the Ghoul Elder has the ability to control ordinary Ghouls."

Liu Xing's words were logical and well-grounded, leaving KP Li Shunchan speechless.

"You're correct. Fujiwara Gen'in does indeed have the ability to control ordinary Ghouls among us. He has increased our strength significantly. However, he still couldn't break the barrier of the Godless Shrine," Aoki said with a hint of regret.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xing couldn't help but ask, "Aoki, I have a question. Is it true that only Kanna Ryoko can lift your curse?"

Aoki nodded and explained, "Yes, that's correct. Fujiwara Gen'in asked the dying Ghoul Elder, and unless a god intervenes, curses like the ones we carry can only be lifted by the caster. So, we've been stuck in this place, hoping that one day Kanna Ryoko will remove the curses from us."

Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully, understanding that the main mission of the Ghoul storyline was to help the Ghouls lift their curses. However, the only way to do so was to persuade Kanna Ryoko, which seemed nearly impossible based on the available information. If everything Aoki said was true, then Kanna Ryoko had cursed Aoki and the others inexplicably. Therefore, convincing Kanna Ryoko to remove the curse would be extremely challenging, and Liu Xing thought it would require a series of ten critical persuasion rolls.

As for using force or threats, Liu Xing simply shook his head. Kanna Ryoko was a powerful Wizard who had lived for hundreds of years, and she was likely the most formidable NPC in this module. Attempting to threaten her with violence would only invite disaster.

With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing realized that the only option was to rely on Yin En. Perhaps Yin En could use his charms to persuade Sawada Yinyin to talk to Kanna Ryoko.

"Alright, the story is over. I believe you now have a better understanding of the current situation, Liu Xing. Kanna Ryoko is incredibly powerful, and she has been residing in the Godless Shrine for centuries, never leaving. So, we're pretty much powerless against her. We hope that you can act as an intermediary and have a conversation with Kanna Ryoko," Aoki said seriously.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow and sighed in resignation. He said to Aoki, "Aoki, you must understand that if Kanna Ryoko cursed you all without any explanation, being the middleman won't be easy."

Aoki nodded and reassured Liu Xing, "Liu Xing, don't worry. We're not the type to force others into difficult situations. We don't expect you to persuade Kanna Ryoko to remove the curse for us. We just want you to ask her why she cursed us without any warning. We want an explanation."

Liu Xing nodded, understanding Aoki's request. In simple terms, they wanted clarity.

However, Liu Xing also had his own request as part of the deal, "Okay, I will meet Kanna Ryoko tomorrow and try to get answers for you. But as part of our agreement, I'd like to ask a question now. Did you attack those homeless people in the park?"

Aoki shook his head, sounding frustrated, "Of course not. We still consider ourselves human beings deep down, so we haven't actively attacked humans in the hundreds of years we've been cursed. But those Ghouls who attacked the homeless people in the park, they are indeed Ghouls, but they were traitors who chose to become true Ghouls over a hundred years ago."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, puzzled, "So you're saying that you have comrades who betrayed Fujiwara Gen'in? Shouldn't Fujiwara Gen'in be able to control them directly?"

Aoki continued to shake his head, explaining, "It's not that simple. While Fujiwara Gen'in has become a Ghoul Elder, he ultimately advanced to this position through external forces. Therefore, his mastery of magic is still lacking. While he can control us ordinary Ghouls, it requires a significant amount of magical energy."

"Moreover, we may have been cursed into Ghouls, but our true nature is still human. We were originally a group of mercenaries, so Fujiwara Gen'in doesn't force us unless absolutely necessary. His management is relatively lenient."

"Fujiwara Gen'in decided to teach us magic to enhance our strength. However, it's a demanding task that requires a high level of intelligence. Besides me, only one traitor named Honda Koichi was allowed to study magic under Fujiwara Gen'in."

"After many years of learning, both I and Honda Koichi acquired considerable knowledge of magic. But Honda Koichi

believed that since we had become Ghouls, we should seek revenge on Kanna Ryoko, the Sawada Family, and the entire Ziwu City. However, both I and Fujiwara Gen'in opposed this, so over a hundred years ago, Honda Koichi left Rose Graveyard with over a dozen other traitors, disappearing without a trace."

"Our paths diverged, and since we still considered ourselves human deep down, we didn't force Honda Koichi to return. Plus, initially, they didn't do anything excessively harmful. So, we let them be. However, we had no idea that these individuals would start attacking humans in Ziwu City fifty years ago."

"When we learned of Honda Koichi and his group attacking humans, Fujiwara Gen'in and I realized that something was amiss. We went to find Honda Koichi to stop him, but he had acquired a peculiar talisman that prevented Fujiwara Gen'in from controlling him. It also generated a shield to block our magic. We couldn't capture him, so recently, the rumors of the Half-Beast in Ziwu City refer to Honda Koichi and his traitors."

"As for why Honda Koichi and his group have been kidnapping homeless people recently, according to our investigation, it's because Honda Koichi has formed an alliance with the leader of the Dark Willow Gang, Mikageichi. We haven't uncovered the specifics of their collaboration, but we can speculate that they are researching how to transform humans into Ghouls and vice versa."

At this point, Aoki handed a memory card to Liu Xing, saying, "I obtained this memory card from a member of the Dark Willow Gang a few days ago. The member was being chased by other gang members when they ran into me and mistook me for one of Honda Koichi's Ghouls. They gave me this memory card and asked me to deliver it to Mikageichi as soon as possible. So, I believe this memory card contains important information. However, we old-timers are not familiar with advanced technology, so I hope you can access the information on this memory card and share it with me."

Liu Xing nodded and took the memory card from Aoki, inserting it into his phone.

Of course, Liu Xing made sure to turn off the live broadcast, as he intended to inquire about Otonashi Takuya shortly.

"Alright, now you can make a Luck roll to determine if the memory card is damaged," KP Li Shunchan spoke up.

Liu Xing rolled a Luck check: 66 out of 80. Success.

As the Luck check succeeded, Liu Xing's phone displayed that the memory card was successfully read. Liu Xing immediately opened the file manager and began to examine the contents of the memory card.

During this time, Aoki stood beside Liu Xing, closely observing Liu Xing's phone. Liu Xing couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy under Aoki's intense gaze.

Inside the memory card, there was only one compressed file, so Liu Xing proceeded to extract it, which would take about ten minutes.

Taking advantage of this time, Liu Xing continued to ask Aoki, "Aoki, since it will take about ten minutes to extract this file, let me ask you another question. I recall that Ghouls can easily transform humans into Ghouls. Why would Honda Koichi be conducting research in this area?"

Aoki shook his head and explained, "It's because of the curse. We can't be considered true Ghouls due to the curse, so only Fujiwara Gen'in, who has become a Ghoul Elder, can transform humans into Ghouls. However, Fujiwara Gen'in would never do that, as he believes in the golden rule: 'Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.'"

Liu Xing nodded in understanding, "I see, I didn't realize that. By the way, I'd like to show you a photo."

As he spoke, Liu Xing took out a photo of Otonashi Takuya from his phone, provided by Miss Sawada Yinyin.

"Is this Otonashi Takuya?" Aoki exclaimed in shock.

As expected.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and continued, "Aoki, the person in this photo is now called Otonashi Takuya, and he is currently with my other friends. Actually, I had already suspected that he might be Otonashi Takuya."

Aoki affirmed, "He must be Otonashi Takuya. Back when he was the Wandering Samurai, he easily defeated both me and Fujiwara Gen'in when he joined the Sawada Family guard. So, we challenged him from time to time, and we eventually became good friends."

"But I never expected him to still be alive, looking exactly the same. It seems that he must have had some extraordinary experiences while pursuing that cursed sword. If you don't mind, please pass on a message to him for me. Tell him to meet me at Unseen Pond tomorrow night for a reunion."

Liu Xing nodded and agreed to deliver the message to Otonashi Takuya.

"By the way, Aoki, you should be aware of Killer Demon, right?" Liu Xing suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask Aoki for information about Killer Demon.

Upon hearing the name Killer Demon, Aoki furrowed his brow and said, "Of course, I know about it. Since you're asking, you probably already know that Killer Demon is Sawada Tomohiko, and he has regained possession of the cursed sword from the past."

Liu Xing nodded and was about to respond when he noticed Killer Demon approaching from the darkness, wielding a large sword.

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