Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 321: The Visit to the Ancestral Hall (2)

In this world, lucky individuals were never in short supply. Just like Liu Xing’s teammate, Bai Hecheng, in his first module. Even in the Cthulhu-themed module, he managed to obtain items related to Cthulhu, ones that could even trigger a world mission. Although that parchment was found by Liu Xing himself...

So, if Matsui Ichiro’s luck was good enough, stumbling upon so much Hypnotic Incense by chance seemed plausible. It could also explain why Matsui Ichiro was so lavish in using the precious Hypnotic Incense against the villagers of Fisher’s Village.

Thinking about this, Liu Xing was about fifty percent certain regarding this conjecture.

However, for Alice, Matsui Ichiro’s explanation didn’t satisfy her. She continued, "Oh, are these crafts from Ryukyu? The style of these crafts is rather peculiar. Even the Island Nation’s Ukiyo-e style doesn’t go this far. Though if I saw these crafts in a horror movie or game, I probably wouldn’t be surprised at all."

Even Liu Xing, as an observer, could tell that Alice was subtly disparaging these deity statues. So, Liu Xing shifted his attention to Matsui Ichiro, eager to see how he would react. After all, Matsui Ichiro’s response could help confirm Liu Xing’s suspicions.

However, just then, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice rolling.

"Oh, I see. Although I’ve been in Fisher’s Village for many years, or rather, I haven’t watched any horror movies or played any horror games in my entire life, these crafts do indeed look eerie. On days with bad weather, Ancestral Hall can become quite ominous. Sometimes I get startled by these crafts when I enter, even though I’ve prepared myself mentally for it," Matsui Ichiro said with a cheerful smile.

Interesting.

Watching Matsui Ichiro’s natural expression and relaxed tone, Liu Xing became increasingly convinced that Matsui Ichiro was a fortunate fraudster. Alice’s subtle mocking of the deity statues didn’t seem to affect Matsui Ichiro at all. So, unless Matsui Ichiro had an extremely deep understanding of human psychology and exceptional acting skills, he couldn’t possibly be a missionary from the Ocean True Deity Sect.

Even now, Liu Xing only had about sixty percent confidence in his conjecture about Matsui Ichiro’s identity. There were still three unresolved issues.

Firstly, the Composite Magic Array – if Matsui Ichiro were indeed a fortunate rogue, who drew this Composite Magic Array? Moreover, the final effect of this Composite Magic Array required the assistance of a Wizard, so there should be a Wizard in Fisher’s Village. Currently, Matsui Ichiro was the only candidate for that role.

Secondly, why did Matsui Ichiro arrange for Matsui Yui to leave Fisher’s Village and bring back people to act as villagers? It couldn’t be that Matsui Ichiro had nothing better to do and wanted to develop Fisher’s Village. This kind of action could attract the attention of the Island Nation’s authorities, and any oversight could lead to an investigation by the police. In that case, Matsui Ichiro wouldn’t escape blame.

Lastly, Liu Xing had heard a strange sound from the room adjacent to the Ancestral Hall, which had been "abandoned" for years and sealed with concrete. Although he couldn’t yet identify the sound, he was certain it was produced by some kind of creature’s movement. The reason these rooms were sealed with concrete was likely to contain these creatures, and Matsui Ichiro seemed to be aware of it all.

Therefore, until these three doubts were cleared up, Liu Xing couldn’t definitively conclude whether Matsui Ichiro was simply a lucky rogue or perhaps a fortunate rogue with real power.

As Liu Xing was lost in thought, Alice hadn’t given up on probing Matsui Ichiro. "I see, Matsui Ichiro, have you ever thought about getting rid of these crafts? After all, they don’t quite match the overall atmosphere of Fisher’s Village’s Ancestral Hall."

Matsui Ichiro nodded without hesitation and said with a smile, "Alice, you’re absolutely right. These crafts indeed don’t belong in the Ancestral Hall. However, I heard from others that these crafts can ward off evil spirits, so I decided to place them here. Besides, they’ve been here for many years now, so it’s not easy to dispose of them. If the villagers who bought these crafts found out, they’d probably complain."

Alice saw this as an excuse in Matsui Ichiro’s eyes, and she continued to press, "I see. While I’ve heard that you Island Nation people believe in so-called eight million gods, that is, everything is a deity, the style of these crafts doesn’t seem to align with your Island Nation’s view of deities. So, even though I’m a foreigner, I’d like to suggest, Mr. Matsui Ichiro, that you dispose of these crafts. I can arrange to bring you a batch of more suitable crafts for the Ancestral Hall from outside. What do you think, Mr. Matsui Ichiro?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Alice’s last sentence was in an affirmative tone, not a question.

Thus, Alice, who had been relentless, intensified the atmosphere in the room.

Matsui Ichiro, on the other hand, looked at Alice with a serious expression and remained silent for a long time.

Liu Xing glanced at Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa beside him, and they both shook their heads in unison, indicating they were watching and waiting.

Liu Xing took a step back, distancing himself slightly from the confrontation between Matsui Ichiro and Alice, just in case things escalated and someone got hurt.

However, at that moment, Miyako Goudong suddenly spoke up, "Uh, Mr. Matsui Ichiro, Miss Alice, I think you should sit down and have a proper discussion later. After all, these crafts really don’t belong in the solemn Ancestral Hall. They look quite sinister, and from an outsider’s perspective like mine, these strangely-shaped crafts make our Fisher’s Village Ancestral Hall seem like a dragon’s lair or a tiger’s den."

Miyako Goudong’s unexpected interruption surprised both Alice and Matsui Ichiro, but Liu Xing thought that Miyako Goudong was giving them a chance to back down gracefully.

After all, Liu Xing felt that Alice must have realized she was being too pushy at this point, and she was in Matsui Ichiro’s territory, isolated without support. So Alice might have decided it was time to back down a bit.

Matsui Ichiro didn’t want to dwell on this issue any longer, so he nodded first and said, "No problem. Time is of the essence, so let’s proceed with the ceremony now, and then, Miss Alice, we can discuss these matters slowly."

"Alright, we can talk later," Alice replied.

The matter was temporarily put to rest. Liu Xing shook his head in disappointment, thinking that Alice and Matsui Ichiro might erupt into conflict and engage in a heated argument, which would have allowed his group to benefit from the situation.

However, if Alice had truly provoked Matsui Ichiro, Liu Xing’s group might have become collateral damage.

"Alright, let’s not waste any more time. Let’s start the ceremony now. I hope all our friends here can remain silent because even though the main theme of the ceremony is to bless the newlyweds, it’s still a rather solemn occasion. So I hope everyone can cooperate," Matsui Ichiro said earnestly.

Liu Xing nodded and asked with a smile, "Understood, Mr. Matsui Ichiro. Besides staying silent, are there any other rules we need to follow, or anything else we should do?"

Matsui Ichiro chuckled and replied, "There’s no need for any particular rules. Just focus on blessing the couple with your whole heart. Even closing your eyes and meditating is fine. Just listen to me ramble on for a bit."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, becoming alert. According to Matsui Ichiro, his group only needed to empty their minds, and that was precisely when one’s willpower became vulnerable.

So, Liu Xing suspected that Matsui Ichiro was planning something.

Taking advantage of Matsui Ichiro and Alice not paying attention, Liu Xing gave Zhang Jingxu and the others a subtle look, hinting that they should pay attention to Matsui Ichiro’s actions.

At this moment, Liu Xing noticed that Panda Pig, who was standing on the outskirts, had secretly taken out a pair of earplugs and inserted them into his ears.

Indeed, Panda Pig was quite sly.

Liu Xing thought that Panda Pig’s approach was quite prudent. After all, unless it was a spell like Cthulhu’s, which could penetrate deep into the souls of sentient beings, the type of magic spells Matsui Ichiro might cast now would require a crucial precondition: the person being affected had to hear the spell. This ensured the success of the magic spell.

Therefore, Panda Pig, who had put on earplugs, had added an extra layer of protection.

However, Liu Xing couldn’t help but feel speechless about Panda Pig’s selfishness. Panda Pig had realized this, yet he hadn’t mentioned it, as if he were afraid that his earplugs would be taken away by their group...

At this moment, Matsui Ichiro took out several cushions and placed them in front of the ancestral tablets. Liu Xing’s group also knelt down in a cooperative manner.

But at this moment, Liu Xing saw Matsui Ichiro carefully retrieve an incense stick from a small cabinet.

Hypnotic Incense?!

That was Liu Xing’s first thought, and his only thought.

After all, the villagers of Fisher’s Village had learned their lesson, so Liu Xing naturally assumed that the incense stick in Matsui Ichiro’s hand was Hypnotic Incense. As they say, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

So, Liu Xing immediately asked, "Mr. Matsui Ichiro, what is that incense stick in your hand?"

Matsui Ichiro was momentarily taken aback, then smiled and replied, "You mean this incense stick? It was given to me a long time ago by an outsider who claimed to be a travel writer. He came to Fisher’s Village for inspiration and spent a long time here. Eventually, he wrote a book he was very satisfied with. When he left Fisher’s Village, as a token of his gratitude, he gave me many things he didn’t need anymore."

"Among them were these incense sticks. The travel writer said he brought them from the China region, and they were made by a famous incense maker in his hometown. It took a lot of time, effort, and valuable materials to make these. If it weren’t for the fact that the travel writer had previously helped the incense maker write a biography, I wouldn’t have received these incense sticks."

"These incense sticks are indeed excellent. When they are lit, they emit a wonderful fragrance and can help calm one’s mind. That’s why the travel writer used to light one whenever he wrote. When I passed by the travel writer’s room, I could smell the fragrance even from several meters away. So, every time I conduct various ceremonies in the Ancestral Hall now, I light one of these incense sticks to create the atmosphere."

Matsui Ichiro’s words surprised Liu Xing, as the description of the "travel writer" sounded remarkably similar to Li Yongjie. However, Li Yongjie was supposed to be a journalist, not a travel writer.

Could it be that Matsui Ichiro used this altered story about "Li Yongjie" as a convenient excuse?

But when Liu Xing looked at Matsui Ichiro’s utterly natural expression and tone, he suddenly felt that Matsui Ichiro might not be lying.

Could it be?

Liu Xing furrowed his brow, just about to continue questioning when Alice spoke up beside him, "Uh, Mr. Matsui Ichiro, if you don’t mind, please don’t light that incense stick because I’m a bit sensitive to certain scents. As you mentioned, these incense sticks were made with many valuable materials, and I believe they might contain scents that could affect me."

Matsui Ichiro raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and then nodded, saying, "Alright, I won’t light this incense stick."

This was getting more confusing.

Liu Xing was now a bit bewildered.

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