Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Having witnessed Zhang Jingxu’s use of the Prophecy Art, Ling Ishikawa couldn’t help but smile and say, "Ling Ishikawa, your Prophecy Art seems a bit... how should I put it, unreliable, right? After all, you yourself admitted that the Prophecy Art is entirely random, and the targets of the prophecies are uncontrollable. So, I think, Ling Ishikawa, you might want to reconsider using that Prophecy Art."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement, sharing a similar sentiment. "Zhang Jingxu is right. Ling Ishikawa, your Prophecy Art, to put it bluntly, is more of an entertainment skill. It’s fine for amusement, but relying on it for useful information is nearly impossible."

Ling Ishikawa looked somewhat frustrated as he glanced at Liu Xing. He shrugged and replied, "Well, I do admit that the effectiveness of my Prophecy Art can be disappointing at times. But in the previous module, my Prophecy Art did work to some extent. After all, it predicted that Matsui Yui had once acted in a small film. It’s just that you all didn’t believe my prophecy back then. Besides, we have some spare time now, and using Prophecy Art once won’t hurt, right?"

Seeing Ling Ishikawa’s determination, Liu Xing relented, saying, "Alright, Ling Ishikawa, go ahead and use your Prophecy Art again. I hope this time it will be as successful as in the previous module. However, it’s getting late now. How about you wait until tomorrow to use the Prophecy Art? It has a lengthy casting time, and it’s already late at night. I don’t want to keep everyone waiting for too long."

After some consideration, Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement. He understood that the Prophecy Art had a significant pre-casting delay, and it wouldn’t be fair to make Liu Xing and the others wait for an extended period in the middle of the night.

Liu Xing checked his phone and continued, "Alright, the Private Room time is almost up. Let me wrap this up. First, tomorrow we’ll meet with Hu Cang to confirm the current timeline. Then, we need to find a way to deal with the troublesome Hu Li. At this point, Hu Li should be aware of our presence, just like the Hu Li from the previous timeline. She probably believes we are sent to deal with her. Knowing Hu Li’s personality, she’ll likely strike preemptively."

"Furthermore, Hu Li possesses highly covert methods. So, no matter how cautious we are, she has a high chance of cornering us. Escaping won’t solve our problem. We must confront Hu Li head-on. Of course, if we engage in a direct conflict with her, the chances of success are high, but it will come at a cost. While we can resurrect, we won’t be able to complete other missions during this timeline."

"So, I personally believe that the best approach to dealing with Hu Li is to appeal to her emotions and logic. Hu Li seems to genuinely care for her husband, so if we find the right approach, we might be able to persuade her to drop her hostility. I’ll take responsibility for this mission, as I had an extensive conversation with Hu Li after leaving the illusionary realm, and I believe I have a reasonable understanding of her."

The others readily agreed to Liu Xing’s proposal, understanding the gravity of the situation. They knew that if they didn’t resolve the Hu Li issue, their progress within this module would be severely hindered, as they’d have to tread carefully, fearing Hu Li’s sudden attacks at every step.

As for a direct confrontation, they all recognized its impracticality. Hu Li had considered them as enemies from the beginning, and she had complete control over their actions within the illusionary realm. Therefore, even before they reached Hu Li’s location, she might have set various traps, making it easy for her to eliminate them once again. They had no effective means to counter her abilities.

So, entrusting Liu Xing to negotiate with Hu Li was the most sensible and inevitable option.

Reflecting on this, Ling Ishikawa added a warning, "Liu Xing, you should be cautious. Hu Li, or should I say, the ’demon,’ seems somewhat unstable. To strike back at Hu Cang, she resorted to unspeakable acts against Xiao Mochen. Combining my personal experience, I suspect she might have a particular fixation on a certain ’unmentionable’ part. So, be prepared for her to potentially resort to such methods with you."

Ling Ishikawa’s words sent a chill down Liu Xing’s spine. His earlier impulsive decision to confront Hu Li alone now felt regrettable.

With a sigh, Liu Xing admitted, "I think I may not be able to handle Hu Li on my own..."

Before Liu Xing could finish, Zhang Jingxu patted him on the shoulder and said reassuringly, "Liu Xing, have faith in yourself. You’re the best."

The others nodded solemnly, though their faces betrayed amused smiles.

Liu Xing sighed again, realizing he might have bitten off more than he could chew.

At that moment, KP Snow Wind interjected, "Alright, the Private Room time has ended. Players, please prepare to continue playing your roles. However, there’s one more thing I didn’t get a chance to mention earlier. Although you can be resurrected in this module, you should be aware that it comes at a cost and has limitations."

"So, let me explain the resurrection rules for this module. Each player has three chances to be resurrected. After the third death, you’ll be eliminated from the game. Each resurrection will deduct 15 ’Truth’ points, and one of your skills will be randomly selected to have its value temporarily reduced by half in the next timeline."

Upon hearing KP Snow Wind’s words, Liu Xing quickly began to inspect his character card, only to discover that there were no abnormalities in the skill values listed on it.

Furrowing his brow, Liu Xing immediately inquired of KP Snow Wind, "KP, why haven’t my skill values decreased? Is it possible that we’ll only find out during Judgment?"

KP Snow Wind smiled and responded, "Because, players, this time your deaths occurred as a result of triggering the Plot Encounter for the first time within this module. Therefore, it hasn’t been formally counted towards your death count. As a result, you won’t face any penalties for this death. However, moving forward, regardless of the reasons behind your deaths, you will indeed be penalized. I hope you all proceed with caution."

Liu Xing nodded in understanding. It seemed that this module was relatively forgiving in this regard. However, this realization shed light on why the "Truth" points for this module had been set at 650. Factoring in the penalties for the two deaths, 650 "Truth" points would just barely suffice.

With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn’t help but feel the pressure of the "Truth" points. If players died twice, it was highly likely that at least one of them wouldn’t have enough "Truth" points to complete the module. After all, each Side Quest offered a different number of "Truth" points, making it challenging for every player to reach exactly 100 points.

Now, Liu Xing understood the sinister intention behind this module. Despite appearing as a typical cooperative module on the surface, it cleverly utilized the point system, forcing players to engage in hidden competition while cooperating. They had to strive to reach 100 "Truth" points faster than their peers, especially when a Side Quest failed or players accumulated too many deaths, causing a shortage of "Truth" points. In such cases, the covert competition could easily escalate into open conflict.

To make matters more complicated, Liu Xing noticed that as this unwritten rule became apparent, the atmosphere among the participants grew increasingly subtle.

Being prepared for any situation was always wise.

At that moment, footsteps could be heard coming from downstairs, indicating that Hu Cang had arrived.

As expected, Hu Cang looked at Liu Xing and the others without surprise and said, "Indeed, you all can resurrect just like me. But it seems you won’t be able to stop Hu Li, will you?"

Liu Xing furrowed his brow. How was he able to understand Hu Cang’s words now? Had the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall encountered a bug?

Pondering this, Liu Xing tentatively asked Hu Cang, "Hu Cang, are you saying that it’s inevitable for Hu Li to take action during the wedding?"

Hu Cang nodded first and then looked at Liu Xing in astonishment, expressing his confusion, "Wait a minute, how can I understand Mr. Ryuusei speaking Island Nation Language?"

Zhang Jingxu, too, was surprised as he looked at Liu Xing, nodding and saying, "That’s right, Mr. Ryuusei, you are indeed speaking Island Nation Language."

Liu Xing had a sudden realization and explained, "It seems that Hu Li did something to me, because when I woke up from the illusion earlier, it seemed that she used some kind of Magic Spells on me, granting me the ability for mental communication, bypassing language barriers."

Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and smiled, saying, "I do recall such Magic Spells, but they are not widely used due to their limited practicality and complex requirements. However, what Hu Li did might actually be helpful. It allows you to freely communicate with us, and you can use this ability to gather information, as others likely assume you don’t understand Chinese."

Liu Xing smiled and added, "That’s a good idea indeed. In front of a foreigner like me who doesn’t understand Chinese, most people probably won’t be too cautious and might inadvertently reveal useful information."

This time, Liu Xing consciously refrained from engaging in mental communication with Hu Cang. As expected, Hu Cang appeared as though he didn’t understand. Meanwhile, Zhang Jingxu and the others reacted appropriately.

This put Liu Xing at ease, as it seemed he could control this form of mental communication. After all, if he couldn’t, he would have to be very careful with his words.

Returning to the main topic, Hu Cang continued, "In fact, there are three possibilities regarding Hu Li and Xiao Mochen’s wedding ceremony. The first possibility is that I didn’t attend their wedding, and nothing happened. The second possibility is that I attended their wedding, and just like what you experienced, everyone at the wedding was somehow mesmerized by Hu Li’s methods, while I was captured and detained somewhere. The third possibility is that I attended their wedding, but in a moment of vulnerability, I was subdued by unknown individuals, likely Hu Li herself, and then detained."

Everyone exchanged glances. Hu Li clearly had a strong preference for Hu Cang, as evidenced by the differential treatment. She had killed Liu Xing and his companions, while Hu Cang had only been imprisoned.

With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn’t help but ask Hu Cang, "Mr. Hu Cang, I believe you are aware that Hu Li had a strong affection for you. So, may I inquire about the reasons for your breakup?"

Hu Cang furrowed his brows, looking somewhat uneasy as he said, "Why are you asking this question? It shouldn’t have anything to do with us getting rid of the temporal distortion. So, I think I don’t need to answer this question."

Liu Xing sighed and spoke earnestly, "That may not necessarily be true, Mr. Hu Cang. I believe you already know the true identity of Hu Li, who is actually a fox that has cultivated to become a spirit. According to the information we currently have, Panlong Town may still be inhabited by various demons and monsters, which could potentially be linked to the temporal distortion in Panlong Town. So, we need to find a way to deal with these creatures one by one."

"But, Mr. Hu Cang, you should also know or have guessed how powerful these demons and monsters are. Just us ordinary people won’t be able to handle them. Therefore, we must find suitable allies to assist us. And the most suitable ally naturally would be Hu Li. After all, to defeat the demons, we need the help of someone like her who possesses extraordinary abilities."

Liu Xing’s persuasive argument left Hu Cang deep in thought.

At this moment, Zhang Jingxu seized the opportunity and added, "Ryuusei is right, these demons and monsters are likely the ones released by that fanatical cultist who came to Panlong Town to spread his beliefs. Moreover, that cultist has a strong connection to the current temporal distortion in Panlong Town. So, we all believe that the best way to resolve the Panlong Town temporal distortion is by eliminating these creatures one by one. That’s why we need your support, Mr. Hu Cang. Hu Li is our only viable ally right now."

Hu Cang sighed and spoke with a conflicted expression, "You’ve all probably guessed it already, there have been some disagreements between me and Hu Li about certain details, leading to the current situation. But I must clarify that Hu Li and I are not in a romantic relationship. The reason Hu Li likes me is that I once saved her when she was still in her fox form."

Then, Hu Cang began to narrate the story of his encounter with Hu Li, a rather clichéd tale of a fox repaying a favor.

When Hu Cang was eight years old, he was playing hide and seek with his friends on a hill across Panlong River. Due to strong winds in the previous days, the hill’s trees were in disarray, some even uprooted.

During the game of hide and seek, Hu Cang discovered Hu Li in her fox form, who hadn’t yet transformed into a human. At that moment, Hu Li’s leg was trapped under a bowl-sized tree, and so Hu Cang rescued her and brought her to his home for treatment. After her leg had healed, he released her back into the forest.

Two years ago, when Hu Li had transformed into a human, she came to Panlong Town to repay her debt to Hu Cang. Initially, Hu Cang didn’t recognize her as he couldn’t fathom how an animal could become human. However, he soon realized that Hu Li was excessively kind to him, in an abnormal way. Despite her intelligence, she exhibited childish behavior at times and lacked common knowledge.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Hu Cang asked Hu Li why she acted this way. To his surprise, Hu Li openly revealed her true identity and reverted to her fox form.

Seeing this, Hu Cang’s worldview was shattered, and when Hu Li proposed being together, he chose to decline. He used studying medicine in Rongcheng as an excuse to leave Panlong Town. This decision led to conflicts between him and Hu Li, eventually leading to their current situation.

After hearing Hu Cang and Hu Li’s story, Liu Xing first criticized the clichéd plot, then felt that Hu Cang was still hiding something.

So, Liu Xing asked once more, "Mr. Hu Cang, I have another question. Why did Hu Li choose Xiao Mochen? Panlong Town has so many people, why did she specifically target Xiao Mochen, and why didn’t you tell Xiao Mochen the truth?"

Perhaps feeling pressed by Liu Xing’s questioning, Hu Cang responded with some irritation, "Why are you asking me these questions? Do I have control over whom Hu Li chooses? And if I were to tell Xiao Mochen the truth, he might be in danger!"

With that, Hu Cang turned and walked away.

Liu Xing didn’t expect such a strong reaction from Hu Cang and found himself at a loss for words.

Therefore, Liu Xing simply shrugged and said, "Forget it. Since Mr. Hu Cang is unwilling to talk about it now, we’ll have to find the answers ourselves. But for now, we should all return to our rooms and rest. It’s getting late."

Everyone nodded and bid each other goodnight, heading back to their respective rooms to rest.

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