Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 312: Another Eccentric Ancient One

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn’t expected Zhang Jingxu to know the whereabouts of the Ancient One, and that too, in ChinaMagic Capital. It seemed like Liu Xing might have a chance to complete this unique world mission ahead of schedule.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Liu Xing asked, "Is it true, Zhang Jingxu, that there’s an Ancient One in ChinaMagic Capital?"

Zhang Jingxu nodded and chuckled, "Indeed, I distinctly remember my master mentioning that many years ago, while wandering through Magic Capital and on the recommendation of a friend, he encountered an Ancient One. According to the Ancient One’s account, he had roamed China since the dawn of humanity. Most importantly, he claimed to have aided humanity in combating an evil mythical creature named Shoggoth. Eventually, he earned the enmity of the Shoggoth clan, leading to his capture over five thousand years ago. He was imprisoned in a cave in Magic Capital."

"This Ancient One goes by the name Chrisiano and is tight-lipped about his more distant past. He only speaks of his continuous presence in China since the birth of humanity. Moreover, he possesses extensive knowledge of human affairs due to his encounters with numerous prominent figures in the Chinese Daoist community during his imprisonment. As a result, this Ancient One has become an honorary member of the Chinese Daoist community, residing in a villa in ChinaMagic Capital’s residential area."

"Indeed," Zhang Jingxu continued, "In the eyes of my master, this Ancient One is quite the homebody. He spends his days playing games, watching anime, and recently, he has become a fan of the Island Nation’s girl group, AKB48. Strangely enough, this Ancient One even offered ancient Daoist techniques as compensation to recruit skilled illusionists from the Daoist community to accompany him to the Island Nation for their concert. My master was one of those recruited."

As Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, he couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief.

Liu Xing smiled politely, concealing his embarrassment. It seemed that this Ancient One named Chrisiano, according to Zhang Jingxu, was quite eccentric.

Firstly, Liu Xing was certain that this Ancient One was lying, as he knew the true nature of the relationship between Shoggoth and the Ancient Ones.

So, the claim of "helping humanity at the cost of enmity with Shoggoth" made by this Ancient One was clearly a falsehood. The Ancient One had acted out of self-preservation, as Shoggoth, the instigator of the rebellion, had always harbored a hostile attitude towards its creators, the Ancient Ones. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that this Ancient One had been besieged by Shoggoth’s clan over five thousand years ago and subsequently imprisoned.

Furthermore, Liu Xing believed that being confined in the cave for thousands of years was likely a choice made by the Ancient One. As mentioned earlier, Shoggoth had a policy of direct and lethal action against the Ancient Ones, so the Ancient One would not have been captured unless he had chosen to be imprisoned. However, due to certain circumstances, he might have been unable to reopen the mechanism to release himself, thus enduring thousands of years of confinement.

Therefore, in order to support the initial lie, this Ancient One had to fabricate another lie claiming that he was captured and imprisoned by Shoggoth. Once one lie was spoken, more lies were required to sustain it.

Nonetheless, Liu Xing couldn’t deny that this Ancient One was quite clever. He was willing to lower his pride and interact with humans who were essentially "newbies" in his presence. Moreover, he had managed to become an honorary member of the Chinese Daoist community, holding a prominent position within it.

Unbeknownst to Liu Xing, an image of an Ancient One in Daoist robes appeared in his mind, and he couldn’t help but find it quite appealing.

In addition to all this, Liu Xing was surprised to learn that an Ancient One could become a recluse and even join the fanbase of AKB48. Furthermore, he had used his illusion skills to attend their concert. Just the thought of an Ancient One wearing a support headband, waving five support sticks, and cheering for the idols on stage made Liu Xing feel like he was losing his sanity. This Ancient One was indeed a peculiar character.

However, as a fan of AKB48 in real life (the author had stepped back after Watanabe Mayu graduated), Liu Xing felt that he could become friends with this Ancient One. After all, completing the mission would be a breeze.

Of course, Liu Xing suspected that this Ancient One might not possess the means to help Sirius obtain a new body. According to the Ancient One’s account, he had arrived in the ChinaMagic Capital region only a little over ten thousand years ago. By that time, the Shoggoth rebellion had forced them to retreat into the deep-sea city, which had been sealed off from the outside world. This meant that the Ancient One likely didn’t know why he had left the deep-sea city for the land.

Therefore, Liu Xing believed that this Ancient One probably didn’t have the equipment to help Sirius reshape his body. After all, if they could reshape the Ancient One’s body, they should also be able to reshape a human’s body. Thus, it seemed unlikely that this clever Ancient One would miss such a business opportunity.

Regardless, this wasn’t Liu Xing’s concern. Sirius had tasked him with finding a fellow Ancient One, and whether this Ancient One could assist Sirius or not was not his primary focus.

Even if Sirius presented new missions afterward, it wouldn’t be a problem for Liu Xing. After all, completing a world mission and gaining mission rewards was an achievement in itself.

With this in mind, Liu Xing continued, "I see. So, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, can you please provide me with the specific address of that Ancient One now? Sirius, the Ancient One in the Soul Casket, hopes that I can visit one of his kindred."

Of course, Liu Xing chose to keep Sirius’s true purpose hidden.

Upon hearing Liu Xing’s request, Zhang Jingxu understood that Liu Xing had accepted a mission from the Ancient One. Driven by goodwill, Zhang Jingxu decided to reveal the address.

However, as Zhang Jingxu recalled certain details, he felt a sense of awkwardness. He said, "Um, I can indeed share the Ancient One’s address with you, Ryuusei, but I just remembered something. Recently, this Ancient One has been enthusiastic about traveling around the world and spends only about a month per year in Magic Capital. Additionally, the residential area where he lives is actually the office of the Chinese Daoist community in Magic Capital."

"So, the security system in this residential area is extremely advanced, you could say it’s a perfect combination of modern technology and ancient Daoist arts. Therefore, aside from individuals associated with the Chinese Daoist community, it’s impossible for anyone else to enter this residential area without a recommendation letter. Unfortunately, my qualifications don’t allow me to write a recommendation letter, so I don’t think I can help you, Ryuusei."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting this situation. However, he persisted, saying, "In that case, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, please provide me with the address of that residential area. Whether I can enter or not will depend on my abilities. I’ll also take the chance to enter the Soul Casket and ask Sirius if he can establish contact with the Ancient One."

Since Liu Xing had spoken in this manner, Zhang Jingxu didn’t see any reason to refuse. He proceeded to share the address with Liu Xing.

At this point, Miyako Goudong, who had been impatiently waiting, interjected, "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, isn’t the address of that residential area for the Chinese Daoist community supposed to be confidential? Why did you just disclose it?"

Zhang Jingxu chuckled and shook his head in response, "No, no, no, the residential area isn’t considered a confidential address. To put it simply, it’s more like a guesthouse for the Chinese Daoist community. Practically everyone familiar with the Chinese Daoist community knows about this place. As for the truly confidential locations belonging to the Chinese Daoist community, I’ve only heard of them. I don’t know the specific addresses."

With that matter settled, Liu Xing continued sharing, "By the way, Sirius also told me that the Underground Ruins of Fisher’s Village were actually a fortress constructed by their Ancient One in the past. However, it was later captured by the Star Kin and the Deep Ones. So, inside these Underground Ruins, there are not only remnants of the ancient tribe but also many valuable items left by the Ancient One."

Everyone’s eyes lit up at this revelation.

As the saying goes, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and even a dilapidated ship has three pounds of nails. This treasure could be considered the Ancient One’s legacy, and it was likely from a time when their technology far surpassed that of humans.

Liu Xing decided to share this information because if they did find items left behind by the Ancient One in the future, they would likely be used within this module. It was better to disclose it now to avoid the need for deception later.

Of course, as a self-interested individual, Liu Xing had already made up his mind to secretly keep a portion of the items left by the Ancient One. After all, once useful items were taken out, they couldn’t be retrieved, and Liu Xing didn’t have ownership rights over these items.

Zhang Jingxu then smiled and said, "The next step depends on you, Liu Xing. I believe that once we find the items left behind by the Ancient One, we won’t need to fear Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect anymore. From what I know, the technology of the Ancient One during their prime was hundreds or even thousands of years ahead of our current human technology."

Liu Xing mentally corrected Zhang Jingxu’s statement from "thousands of years" to "tens of thousands of years" but nodded and replied, "Leave it to me. I already know where the Ancient One’s items are within the Underground Ruins. I can retrieve them whenever the time is right."

Another issue was resolved.

With nothing else to do, the group continued chatting while Ling Ishikawa prepared to perform the Prophecy Art. Since the casting of Prophecy Art required a lengthy preamble of fifty minutes, they passed the time by conversing.

"By the way, I almost forgot that I haven’t examined the magic arrays on the window frames yet. After Ling Ishikawa demonstrates the Prophecy Art, I’ll go back to my room to study those magic arrays. However, because I’ll be engrossed in my research, there might be unexpected situations, like Alice or others returning suddenly," Liu Xing mentioned.

Panda Pig nodded and reassured him, "Okay, Liu Xing, leave it to me. My eyesight should be the best among everyone here. In the exams I’ve proctored, no student has dared to cheat. In school, they call me the ’Hawk-eyed’ proctor."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Panda Pig had this particular skill. However, it made sense since, in Liu Xing’s experience, teachers generally had sharp eyes.

With someone watching his back, Liu Xing felt relieved. Researching the magic arrays would indeed take a long time, and he didn’t expect Zhang Jingxu and the others to help him deter any potential interruptions from Alice or Matsui Yui. In case of unexpected situations, Liu Xing hoped that luck would be on his side and that nothing would happen while he was deeply engrossed in his research. He didn’t want to abandon his progress.

Then, Miyako Goudong brought up another matter, "By the way, last night around midnight, I woke up to use the restroom and heard some strange noises. I looked out the window and saw three male Fisher’s Village residents, all in their thirties, it seemed. After a brief, silent exchange or perhaps because their voices were too quiet for me to hear, they all headed in the direction of Dogo Aige’s hut."

"Because it was dark and slippery outside, I didn’t dare to follow them, so I took out my phone to check the time. It was around 11:50 PM. Based on our previous experiences, if those three villagers were indeed heading to Dogo Aige’s hut, they should have arrived around midnight. I waited for them to return and they did so around 12:30 AM."

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