Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 335: Compulsory Module

"I personally believe that the Shoggoths in Fisher’s Village should belong to the weakened version of Shoggoths. After all, everyone knows that the most formidable ability of Shoggoths is their continuous evolution. However, Shoggoth’s evolution requires a reference or a completely new environment. Clearly, the Shoggoths in Fisher’s Village lack these conditions. So, I think that over the years, the Shoggoths in Fisher’s Village haven’t evolved much. Of course, that being said, we may still not be able to defeat this particular Shoggoth, even if we join forces," Liu Xing couldn’t help but comment.

Ling Ishikawa, with a puzzled expression, looked at Liu Xing and said, "Liu Xing, are you enjoying teasing us with your humor? But on a serious note, it all comes down to your performance now. After all, you are the only one who can contact that Ancient One, Sirius. Hopefully, Sirius still has a way to deal with the Shoggoths."

Liu Xing reached into his pocket, touched the Soul Casket, and nodded, saying, "I can only try my best. I have a feeling that this Ancient One, Sirius, is up to something. It’s definitely not a straightforward entity. However, it still needs my help at the moment, so it’s likely to cooperate with me."

"Let’s hope so. Right now, we need to figure out several things: how many Shoggoths are in Fisher’s Village, what roles these Shoggoths play, and whether the villagers of Fisher’s Village are worth saving. Especially the last point, as I mentioned before, my character card has an idealistic personality. If there’s a chance to save lives, I will definitely do it. So, if possible, I hope you won’t inform me immediately if there are other human survivors in Fisher’s Village. Wait until the Private Room time," Zhang Jingxu said earnestly.

Hearing Zhang Jingxu’s words, Miyako Godong nodded in agreement, "That’s right. My character card is similar to Zhang Jingxu’s. I’m a late-stage severe case of Chuunibyou, so I’m all for saving the world. Therefore, Liu Xing, you three should work together now, and I’ll stick with Zhang Jingxu."

Liu Xing sighed helplessly and said, "Well, that complicates things. Both of your character cards are essentially useless in Fisher’s Village. However, there are likely humans in Fisher’s Village who are under the control of Shoggoths. But when I returned from the Underground Ruins, I heard the sound of Shoggoths moving in the neighboring villa. This confirms the identity of the residents in that villa."

Panda Pig nodded and frowned, "Well, the essence of the Cthulhu RPG Game is to play characters completely opposite to our own personalities. But it’s become a burden for us now. Most importantly, our character cards have random personalities, and there’s hardly any way to change them. However, I have a question now: those villagers who went to the beach in the middle of the night, are they human or Shoggoths?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding Panda Pig’s question quite challenging.

Originally, before the trip to Fisher’s Village Ancestral Hall this afternoon, Liu Xing was certain that those three villagers were human. But given the current situation, he started to suspect that they might be Shoggoths. And the reason these three Shoggoths had gone to Dogo Aige’s grass hut was likely to use magic to control Dogo Aige.

Therefore, Liu Xing couldn’t determine the true identity of those three villagers.

"Better safe than sorry. For now, let’s treat those three villagers as Shoggoths. Given the number and strength of the Shoggoths in Fisher’s Village, it’s unlikely that so many people have regained their consciousness," Ling Ishikawa said seriously.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let’s move on to the next topic. As Liu Xing just mentioned, we definitely can’t defeat the Shoggoths in Fisher’s Village. And our Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall certainly wouldn’t arrange an unwinnable module. So, there should be a way to avoid fighting the Shoggoths. I believe this method is likely related to Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui," Zhang Jingxu spoke up.

Liu Xing pondered for a moment and nodded, "You’re right. In the current situation, the breakthrough should indeed be with Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui since they are the only humans in Fisher’s Village who remain conscious."

At this point, Ling Ishikawa shook his head, interrupting Liu Xing, "Wait, Liu Xing, you might be jumping to conclusions. What if Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui are also Shoggoths? After all, Shoggoths have high intelligence. So, I think once they took control of Fisher’s Village, they would start planning their next actions. The most crucial thing for them at that time would be information since these Shoggoths have been locked underground in Fisher’s Village for millions of years and have lost contact with the outside world."

"But for the sake of safety, the Shoggoths wouldn’t choose to reveal themselves all at once. Instead, they sent the most capable Shoggoth, one who could impersonate a human effectively, to gather information from the human world and bring more humans back to Fisher’s Village. This Shoggoth is likely Matsui Yui, and the elite-level Shoggoth is probably Matsui Ichiro," Ling Ishikawa’s words left Liu Xing deep in thought. He had to admit that Ling Ishikawa’s speculation was quite plausible.

"I also agree with Ling Ishikawa’s idea because this module has a very specific feature—Matsui Yui’s tension. Since this feature is named ’Matsui Yui’ and its effect is randomly killing a player once it reaches 100, it implies that Matsui Yui has the ability to do so. Therefore, if Matsui Yui is a Shoggoth, it would make sense. After all, even if her tension reaches 100, it wouldn’t matter to the Shoggoths. They wouldn’t assist Matsui Yui in killing. Plus, considering Matsui Yui’s physical stature, she doesn’t seem like a fighter," Miyako Godong raised her hand and said.

Liu Xing nodded and sighed, "Alright, you’ve convinced me. It’s highly likely that Matsui Yui and Matsui Ichiro are Shoggoths in disguise. However, based on their current behavior, it’s clear that these two Shoggoths can communicate. So, I think we should try to negotiate with them and persuade them to let us go. Although the chances of success might not be high."

"For the greater good, even if it means sacrificing ourselves. The Shoggoths are unlikely to let us, the ’easy prey’ that’s come right to their doorstep, go unless we have something that makes them wary. For example, the Shoggoth suppression device?" Zhang Jingxu said with a furrowed brow.

Ling Ishikawa, upon hearing Zhang Jingxu’s words, looked conflicted and said, "While there is that possibility, the fact remains that I won’t be able to control a Shoggoth using the Shoggoth suppression device unless I achieve consecutive major successes. Besides, using the device to intimidate the Shoggoths is not very realistic either, considering that the Shoggoths in Fisher’s Village have gained some knowledge about humans. They are aware of our capabilities, and our threat with the Shoggoth suppression device may not be effective."

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

"The plot of this module is indeed full of twists and turns. We initially thought it was some secret cult causing trouble in Fisher’s Village, but now the boss has turned out to be a Shoggoth. I can’t help but suspect there will be more surprises ahead," Panda Pig said, looking up at the ceiling.

Liu Xing rubbed his chin and said helplessly, "The storyline of this module is quite unpredictable, and it involves various mythical creatures. Right now, we still haven’t truly understood the plot of this module."

"The real plot of this module probably requires us to find the second letter. However, we have no clue about the location of that second letter," Panda Pig said, feeling disheartened.

Regarding the second letter, Liu Xing had initially thought they might find it during their trip to the Fisher’s Village Ancestral Hall in the afternoon, but they had come back empty-handed.

"In that case, the second letter is probably in Matsui Ichiro’s house. After all, it’s the only major building in Fisher’s Village we haven’t visited," Ling Ishikawa suggested.

Liu Xing shook his head, saying, "Even if the letter is in Matsui Ichiro’s house, we have no way of getting inside."

The matter had to be temporarily set aside.

"By the way, can we really trust Alice now? What if this is a ruse by Alice and Matsui Yui to deceive us?" Ling Ishikawa expressed some concern.

Zhang Jingxu nodded and affirmed, "I think we can trust Alice for now. While Alice can act alongside Matsui Yui, the system doesn’t lie. Since Matsui Yui’s tension has increased, it means she was genuinely angry when she talked to Alice. And it couldn’t have been because of our previous conversations with Alice, as our discussions with her should have been enough to push Matsui Yui’s tension to the max. So, as things stand, Alice should be on our side. However, that might change after this module ends."

After all, Alice was still officially associated with the Deep Sea Gospel Society. In the future, she would likely clash with "Liu Xing" and "Zhang Jingxu." "Liu Xing" was the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, and Zhang Jingxu, as a disciple of the Chinese Daoist tradition, naturally had conflicts with "Alice" and her "cult."

Wait a minute.

Liu Xing looked puzzled as he gazed at Zhang Jingxu and asked, "Speaking of which, Zhang Jingxu, didn’t you mention that your character card has a strong aversion to secret cults? Why did you want to meet Alice’s mentor just now? Are you really willing to take such a risk?"

Zhang Jingxu chuckled and said seriously, "You should all know that Miskatonic University in our real Cthulhu RPG Game serves as a gateway. To advance from the Shoggoth Region to the Hound of Tindalos Region, besides acquiring the World Mission ticket, one must also undergo a module in Arkham City, the most critical location being Miskatonic University."

"In other words, to pass the module in Arkham City, the best approach is to seek assistance from Miskatonic University. Due to well-known reasons, Miskatonic University has vast experience in dealing with mythical creatures and secret cults. Although entering Miskatonic University is relatively easy, obtaining their help is quite challenging."

"So, I am currently preparing for the future. I want to establish a good relationship with Alice’s mentor and obtain an introduction letter to Miskatonic University. This way, I’ll have the opportunity to seek Miskatonic University’s assistance in the future. My character card is actually easy to persuade; I just need to tell them that I’m going to investigate Alice’s mentor’s identity and aim to wipe out all the followers of the secret cult."

Panda Pig, on the side, nodded and smiled, "It seems that Zhang Jingxu, you are quite far-sighted. You’ve thought ahead. You see, while we might have difficulty advancing from the Shoggoth Region to the Hound of Tindalos Region, the prospect of moving from the Hound of Tindalos Region to the Cthulhu Region is even more daunting. So, now I’m planning to stay in the Shoggoth Region, play it safe, and enjoy life, as long as I avoid encountering difficult modules like Fisher’s Village. I don’t have to worry about being eliminated by the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall."

Though he had been at odds with Panda Pig, Miyako Godong also nodded and sighed, "I share the same sentiment. Before I advanced to the Shoggoth Region, I thought these modules were quite straightforward and believed I would have a chance to reach the legendary Azathoth Region. But after advancing to the Shoggoth Region, I lost two character cards in a row and nearly got eliminated by the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall. So, now I’ve lost confidence in advancing to the Hound of Tindalos Region. I just want to relax and take it easy, as long as I can handle the compulsory modules."

"Compulsory modules?"

Liu Xing furrowed his brow and asked, "What are compulsory modules? Why haven’t I heard of them?"

Miyako Godong looked at Liu Xing, somewhat surprised, and said, "What? Liu Xing, you don’t know about compulsory modules? It seems you’ve been participating in modules quite frequently. Compulsory modules work like this: when you haven’t participated in a module for a certain period, the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall arranges a compulsory module for you based on your previous performance. However, the difficulty of these compulsory modules is usually moderate."

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