Chapter 308: A New Mission
According to Sirius, he and the other Ancient Ones were ambushed by the Star Kin and Deep Ones in the past, leaving them no time to escape into the Dreamrealm. Therefore, Liu Xing deduced that there should still be something left behind by Sirius or other Ancient Ones in the Underground Ruins of Fisher’s Village.
With this in mind, Liu Xing decided to inform Sirius about his current predicament. "Sirius, my situation is extremely precarious right now. I’ve been manipulated by a secret cult that may also worship the Deep Ones. I find myself alone in their territory. However, the good news is that I am currently in the same place where you were stationed years ago. I even saw a circular space with walls and ceilings adorned with numerous branches resembling Fragrant Trees."
"Ah, if I’m not mistaken," Sirius chuckled, "the place you saw earlier should be my old room. Those decorations are indeed made of Fragrant Tree branches, which emit a soothing fragrance, helping one to calm their mind quickly."
Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, relieved to hear this. He had been concerned that Sirius’s room might have been damaged over the geological changes spanning billions of years.
So, Liu Xing continued, "I see. In that case, Sirius, did you leave anything useful in your room? After all, I’m currently trapped in the lair of these cultists and need to find a way to escape."
Sirius rested his chin on his hand, pondering for a moment before replying, "Let me think. If I remember correctly, there are indeed some items in my room, but most of them are everyday objects that may not be of much use to you. Besides, I placed those items randomly in the room, and over the years, they might have either been damaged or taken by others."
"However, there are two safes in my room. One of them holds valuable items, which you won’t be able to open because it requires my brainwave verification. But the other safe can be opened using my Soul Casket, as the Soul Casket can serve as a key."
"In that safe, you should find some items that could be useful to you. But, as I mentioned, due to the passage of time, I can’t be certain if those items are still functional. Also, you should be aware that our physical structures are quite different, so some items I can use may not be suitable for you."
Liu Xing nodded and said nonchalantly, "That’s not a problem. As long as you consider me a friend and are willing to help, it’s enough. Actually, I have a way to escape from this cult’s lair, but the price I’ll have to pay might be quite steep."
Sirius smiled and replied, "Since you put it that way, Liu Xing, I’ll transfer part of my Soul Casket’s permissions to you now. Once you return to my room, my Soul Casket will guide you to the safe. You just need to insert my Soul Casket into the lock of that safe, and it will automatically open."
As Sirius spoke, his Soul Casket suddenly emitted a burst of red light, scanning Liu Xing.
"There you go, my permissions have been transferred. When the time comes, you can go to my room and retrieve what you need. Moreover, if you ever want to enter my Soul Casket, simply hold it and think in your mind that you want to enter, and it will happen."
Liu Xing nodded, realizing that this journey had indeed been worthwhile, having gained the help of Sirius, his "Grandpa."
However, even after resolving the matter of the items, Liu Xing still had some doubts. Why was Sirius’s Soul Casket designed as a plastic toy? After all, according to Sirius, it should have been left in the Underground Ruins of Fisher’s Village. It didn’t make sense for it to be turned into a plastic toy.
Unless Matsui Ichiro had a strange sense of humor. After discovering the Underground Ruins of Fisher’s Village and finding Sirius’s Soul Casket, he might have decided to turn it into a plastic toy.
So, Liu Xing curiously asked, "Sirius, I have a question about your Soul Casket. Can it observe events in the outside world? When I found your Soul Casket, it had been transformed into a plastic toy, which raises some questions. I want to know if you are aware of what happened to your Soul Casket."
Of course, Liu Xing had more than one reason to ask this question. It wasn’t just about the "cosplay" transformation of the Soul Casket. He also wanted to ascertain whether Sirius could use the Soul Casket to monitor his actions. After all, he didn’t want to be constantly surveilled by Sirius.
Ultimately, Sirius was not the kind of "Grandpa" from some random fantasy novel who would go to great lengths to provide advice and assistance to the protagonist. Moreover, Liu Xing didn’t believe he was the protagonist of any story, and he doubted that Sirius would serve him willingly.
Most importantly, this was the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game. In the Cthulhu RPG Game world, or within the Cthulhu Mythos, there was a saying that held true: "Different species, different hearts."
In the Cthulhu RPG Game world, or within the Cthulhu Mythos, almost no species would form alliances with others. Only certain powerful species would subjugate weaker ones.
So, Liu Xing knew that King Hastur in Yellow Robes had helped the Ancient Ones during the war solely to spite their arch-nemesis, Cthulhu. But the Ancient Ones certainly wouldn’t consider King Hastur in Yellow Robes as their ally, because he was overwhelmingly powerful compared to them.
Liu Xing couldn’t imagine that any powerful being would help someone without a clear reason. Therefore, he was certain that the Ancient Ones must have been wary of King Hastur in Yellow Robes.
Hence, Liu Xing didn’t believe that he and Sirius would become trusting allies. At most, they would have a mutually beneficial relationship. And Liu Xing was confident that Sirius shared this perspective.
So, for now, Liu Xing was merely playing along with Sirius, but he still wanted to confirm how much Sirius knew and how much impact he could have on him.
After all, the fact that Sirius could pull his consciousness into the Soul Casket without his consent raised concerns for Liu Xing. He worried that Sirius might be capable of doing more, potentially putting him in danger. For instance, during a battle, Sirius might suddenly pull his consciousness into the Soul Casket, leaving him vulnerable.
Therefore, Liu Xing remained cautious of Sirius, and he knew that Sirius was also wary of him.
"Well, I really don’t know about that," Sirius admitted. "Once my consciousness enters the Soul Casket, I go into a deep sleep and lose all awareness of the outside world. Maintaining the normal operation of the Soul Casket itself consumes a great deal of my energy. If it weren’t for you awakening me today, I might have perished in my dreams due to being unable to sustain the Soul Casket’s normal operation after ten thousand years."
"But now, I can access the activity log of my Soul Casket in the real world to see what it has experienced over these billions of years, and it won’t drain too much of my energy. So, let me retrieve the Soul Casket’s activity log and take a look." Sirius smiled.
He closed his eyes, and his Soul Casket projected a world map. Liu Xing noticed a small red dot near Fisher’s Village, representing Sirius’s Soul Casket.
After a while, the red dot began to move, but its movement appeared chaotic and erratic within the boundaries of the Island Nation, likely influenced by the Earth’s crust movements.
Eventually, the projection’s time reached the year 1960, and Sirius slowed down the time flow. At this point, Sirius’s Soul Casket had remained in the vicinity of Fisher’s Village for hundreds of years, almost motionless.
However, when the time reached 1990, Liu Xing observed Sirius’s Soul Casket suddenly move to the location of the Ryukyu Islands and then to Tokyo. Seeing this, Liu Xing was convinced that Sirius’s Soul Casket had been taken away by Li Yongjie.
But what followed in the Soul Casket’s movement trajectory left Liu Xing baffled. After spending two years in Tokyo, Sirius’s Soul Casket moved to San Diego, United States of America, and then quickly traveled to Washington. In the following year, it passed through over a dozen cities in the United States of America.
Liu Xing couldn’t make sense of this frequent movement, whether Li Yongjie was a journalist or the leader of the Ocean True Deity Sect.
Afterward, Sirius’s Soul Casket returned to Tokyo in the Island Nation and remained motionless for over ten years, until it finally returned to Fisher’s Village five years ago.
Based on this, Liu Xing realized that his previous assumption was incorrect. Sirius’s Soul Casket was not brought by the owner of the diary, indicating that more than one person had experienced the "ascension."
"Liu Xing, judging by your expression, it seems that this movement trajectory isn’t helping you much?" Sirius said regretfully.
Liu Xing nodded and sighed, "Indeed, I had some theories based on the existence of this Soul Casket, but it seems they have been directly invalidated. It looks like I’ll have to start looking for clues from scratch."
Just then, Liu Xing suddenly felt a strong tremor, causing him to sit down on the floor.
Due to his unique nature, Sirius remained stable on his end and didn’t tumble like Liu Xing. However, Liu Xing could tell that Sirius’s expression had become serious.
"It seems that something is happening in the real world, which has destabilized my Soul Casket. For your safety, I should send you back to the real world now. But before I do that, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with if you’re willing," Sirius said with a grave expression.
Liu Xing could already guess what Sirius wanted to ask. Most likely, he wanted Liu Xing to help him locate his fellow Ancient Ones, allowing him to regain his original state.
Liu Xing didn’t mind this request, as he considered it a side quest that couldn’t be accomplished in the short term. After all, the Ancient Ones had retreated into the depths of the ocean in this era, and he had no means to reach them.
So, Liu Xing nodded without hesitation and replied, "Of course, you can count on me. We’re already friends, so I’m happy to help."
Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Thank you once again, Liu Xing. However, if possible, I hope you can find my fellow Ancient Ones sooner rather than later because I can no longer enter a dormant state. If I can’t obtain a new body within a hundred years, I’ll dissipate."
Liu Xing was taken aback by this revelation. He had initially thought that Sirius’s mission would be a side quest, something he could tackle if he happened to come across an Ancient One. However, he now realized that this had become part of the world mission, implying that he would likely encounter other Ancient Ones in the future and might even enter their underwater cities.
Thinking about it, Liu Xing felt a sense of anticipation. While he had experienced many real Cthulhu RPG Games, most of the locations and events had been quite similar to the real world, with the exception of mythical creatures. Being able to visit Ancient One-built underwater cities promised a novel and exciting experience.
So, Liu Xing confidently patted his chest and said, "OK, consider it done. I’ll do my best to help you find your fellow Ancient Ones."
Sirius was relieved and responded, "That’s great to hear. I appreciate your willingness to help. Let’s hope we can find a solution before it’s too late."
With that, Sirius began the process of sending Liu Xing back to the real world, and Liu Xing couldn’t help but wonder about the challenges and adventures that lay ahead in his new mission to find the Ancient Ones.
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