Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Zhang Jingxu found himself at a loss for words, silenced by the green-clad young girl’s retort.

Seeing this situation, Liu Xing decided to step in and salvage the situation. After all, the green-clad young girl had already admitted to being a mythical creature, so Liu Xing had no need to worry about startling her with mental communication.

With determination, Liu Xing approached the green-clad young girl and spoke, "Hello, I am Watanabe Ryuusei. It’s a pleasure to meet you. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

The green-clad young girl chuckled and replied, "Since you’ve put it that way, I suppose I should give you some face. My name is Green Willow. You can simply call me by that name. I believe you can guess my true form, can’t you? But speaking of that, Ryuusei, your ability for mental communication, it must have been taught to you by that silly fox, right?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He knew that Green Willow, as a mythical creature, must be much older than him, probably even older than his grandmother. So being called "little brother" by Green Willow was quite flattering. However, Green Willow’s current appearance was extremely youthful, which did put some psychological pressure on Liu Xing.

Of course, there was no need to guess Green Willow’s true form; it was undoubtedly a willow tree.

But what surprised Liu Xing was Green Willow’s reference to Hu Li as a "silly fox." This implied that Green Willow’s abilities were superior to Hu Li’s. Otherwise, Green Willow wouldn’t be so casually teasing Hu Li. It also seemed that Green Willow and Hu Li had a good relationship.

Therefore, Liu Xing now considered Green Willow to be on a similar level to the Black Flood Dragon.

Thinking this, Liu Xing quickly adjusted his attitude and smiled, saying, "I see. Well, I have a question for you, Senior Green Willow. Do you happen to know the current situation in Panlong Town?"

Green Willow nodded and pointed to a nearby noodle shop, saying, "Don’t call me ’senior’; it makes me sound old. So, from now on, you must address me by my name directly. Otherwise, don’t blame me if we have a falling out. Also, standing here and chatting isn’t very convenient. Let’s find a place to sit down first."

After Green Willow finished speaking, she took the lead and entered the noodle shop, then casually found a table and sat down.

Liu Xing and the others exchanged glances and followed Green Willow, taking their seats as well.

Liu Xing sat across from Green Willow and initially thought about ordering some noodles. After all, they were all sitting in someone else’s establishment, so it seemed appropriate to order something to eat.

However, to Liu Xing’s surprise, the owner of the noodle shop seemed completely oblivious to their presence and had no intention of serving them. It was as if the owner and the other customers couldn’t see Liu Xing and his group at all.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow and was about to speak when Green Willow interrupted, "Ryuusei, you don’t need to worry about the other people in this noodle shop. They are all soulless automatons, incapable of perceiving us. In fact, they will completely ignore any living beings within a five-meter radius of me, unless you actively engage with them."

Liu Xing nodded as if he understood but wasn’t entirely sure, then spoke, "So, Green Willow, do you have information about the situation in Panlong Town?"

Green Willow sighed and replied with resignation, "Yes, I am well aware of the situation in Panlong Town. In fact, I have a significant connection to how Panlong Town has become what it is today. If it weren’t for me being deceived into going to Rongcheng at that time, Panlong Town might have had a different fate. With both me and Black Flood Dragon joining forces, we had a good chance of defeating Gralki."

"Please, tell me more," Liu Xing inquired eagerly.

Green Willow nodded and continued, "Here’s how it all unfolded. First, let me reintroduce myself. I am a thousand-year-old willow tree spirit who took root in Panlong Town for hundreds of years before undergoing a transformation into a human form after surviving a celestial tribulation. I began traveling in the surrounding areas of Rongcheng, making friends with various supernatural beings, including Black Flood Dragon and Silly Fox. Of course, I also made many human friends. Black Flood Dragon, in particular, was brought to Panlong Town for cultivation by my suggestion, as the town’s simple and honest nature suited his ascension plan."

"Then, when Gralki’s followers arrived in Panlong Town to spread their beliefs, Black Flood Dragon and I immediately sensed that something was amiss with one of the Gralki devotees. In our perception, that follower was already dead, but they were somehow sustained by a mysterious force, keeping them active and possessing some level of intelligence. So, Black Flood Dragon and I decided to observe quietly, as we were wary of the enigmatic power’s master, Gralki."

"Subsequently, we discovered that the follower was devoted to Gralki. I returned to Rongcheng to ask my friends if they knew anything about Gralki because, as the saying goes, ’know your enemy.’ Fortunately, I had a Vampire friend from England who knew about Gralki. I obtained some information from him, but it turned out that my Vampire friend’s information had some inaccuracies, which led to Black Flood Dragon and me underestimating Gralki’s combat capabilities."

"Firstly, Gralki hails from a place called Saven Valley in England. According to my Vampire friend, Saven Valley is a terrifying place. Whether humans or supernatural creatures, anyone who enters Saven Valley without the knowledge and approval of the ’natives’ is unlikely to leave it alive. Gralki is the dominant force in Saven Valley and controls a substantial territory there."

"However, unlike other overlords in Saven Valley, Gralki has a penchant for recruiting human followers. His method is quite simple: he promises his followers the power of immortality, something humans have desired throughout history regardless of their status. Very few can resist Gralki’s temptation, so he has established a massive secret cult in Saven Valley."

"As for Gralki’s abilities, my Vampire friend mentioned that he excels in manipulating minds, particularly in the realm of mental abilities. In physical combat, he is rather weak since Gralki’s true form is that of a spiked slug. This made Black Flood Dragon and me let down our guard because we were confident in our mental capabilities, considering ourselves capable of facing Gralki. After all, both of us are ancient supernatural beings."

"So, we relaxed our vigilance, assuming that Gralki would not personally come to Panlong Town. As long as Gralki’s followers didn’t take away the town’s residents, we pretended he didn’t exist. We didn’t want to stir trouble or conflict with Gralki. However, one morning, I received a message that an old friend of mine was severely injured and needed my help."

"Beings like us, tree spirits, possess excellent healing abilities. Our long lives and numerous cycles of existence have given us profound knowledge of life’s essence, making us adept at healing. Therefore, my friends often turn to me when injured. So, I didn’t think much of it at the time. After a quick farewell to Black Flood Dragon, I left Panlong Town."

"Once I reached Rongcheng, I promptly healed my injured friend. However, I sensed a familiar energy from my friend’s wound, the same energy from Gralki’s follower. I quickly asked my friend how he got injured, and he told me that he had been attacked by a group of foreigners in the morning. They used weapons resembling spikes to wound him, and he felt his consciousness fading."

"Upon hearing this, I realized I had fallen into a trap. The people who attacked my friend were undoubtedly Gralki’s followers. They had the power to kill my friend but chose to severely wound him instead. It was clear they wanted to use my friend as bait to lure me to Rongcheng. By the time I realized this, it was already 8 o’clock in the evening. I rushed back to Panlong Town, only to find it in its current state."

"After entering Panlong Town, I discovered that Black Flood Dragon had already died by the Panlong River, likely pierced by Gralki’s spikes and then corroded by Gralki’s mysterious power, ultimately succumbing. Judging from the battle traces left behind, it seemed that Gralki had also suffered significant injuries. That’s when I determined Gralki’s hideout: Panlong Lake, as it had been separated from Panlong Town."

"At that point, I realized that Panlong Town was in a state of temporal distortion, constantly shifting between different time points. As for the town’s residents, apart from a few, they had all turned into walking corpses. Though they appeared normal, capable of speech and movement, they had lost their souls. Everything they did now was merely driven by instinct."

Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn’t help but glance at the people around him. They seemed normal, but something felt off.

"Alright, Ryuusei, my young friend, don’t dwell on it too much. Your current abilities aren’t enough to see through the surface of things," Green Willow said with a smile.

Liu Xing nodded awkwardly because he knew that Green Willow was indirectly admitting to her own lack of strength...

However, Liu Xing quickly regained his composure and thought of a question, "By the way, since you mentioned that most of the residents in Panlong Town have already turned into walking corpses, does that mean there is still a small portion of them who retain their intelligence?"

Green Willow smiled and nodded, saying, "That’s right, in Panlong Town, there are still some people who have retained their souls, like Xiao Mochen, Zhong Rensan, and Silly Fox. Although, thinking about it now, Silly Fox is indeed a silly fox. As a fox spirit, how could it lose its sanity and get trapped in an illusion? It’s quite embarrassing."

Just as Green Willow finished speaking, a familiar voice echoed from behind Liu Xing, "Wow, Green Willow, don’t you know it’s impolite to speak ill of others behind their backs?"

Liu Xing turned around and saw Hu Li... of all things.

Avoiding an indecent gaze, Liu Xing quickly turned back, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Green Willow naturally noticed Liu Xing’s subtle reaction, but she chose not to point it out. Instead, she addressed Hu Li, "Silly Fox, who gave you the right to call me ’Green Willow’ in front of outsiders?"

Hu Li pursed her lips, somewhat helpless, and said, "Green Willow, can you stop making a fuss? You’ve already told Mr. Ryuusei about your situation, so why would you feel embarrassed if I call you ’Green Willow’ instead of ’sister’?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, barely holding back his laughter. He hadn’t expected Green Willow to request that Hu Li call her ’sister.’

Hu Li sat down next to Green Willow and asked, "Green Willow, why didn’t you come to warn me about the situation in Panlong Town, now that you know about it?"

Green Willow shook her head, somewhat resigned, and said, "I couldn’t do anything about it before. While I could sense what was happening in Panlong Town, I couldn’t enter it. But just now, I suddenly realized that I could enter Panlong Town, so I did. Initially, I planned to come and find you directly, but I noticed that you had already regained your memories and had discovered Ryuusei and the others, so I decided not to approach you immediately. After all, once you remembered, you would know that I had arrived."

Hu Li nodded and smiled, "Initially, I hadn’t remembered you, but the moment you appeared in Panlong Town, all the memories came flooding back, along with many other things."

Green Willow was about to speak but suddenly fell silent.

After a while, she spoke with a serious expression, "There seems to be some unusual activity on Gralki’s side. I must go check Panlong Lake now. So, from here on out, it’s up to you, Silly Fox. You and the others must eliminate all the troll zombies and the like in Panlong Town because each of them carries a part of the ’key’ that can allow us to enter Panlong Lake."

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