Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 231: The Death-Seeking Yin En

For an ordinary profession, having a Cthulhu Mythos knowledge score in the double digits marked a significant turning point. Players would then have the opportunity to switch to the Occultist class. However, having a Cthulhu Mythos knowledge score in the double digits also had its advantages, as it meant that the player's character card had gained a certain level of understanding of the Cthulhu Mythos world they inhabited. This, in turn, would grant them some reduction in Sanity (SAN) checks.

Looking at his character card, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something. He hadn't acquired the Disguise skill yet! Liu Xing furrowed his brows, thinking that he should have completed Juri Sonoda's mission by now. Why hadn't he acquired the Disguise skill? Could it be that Juri Sonoda's mission was a series of interconnected missions?

Thinking about it, Liu Xing recalled that during their previous phone call, Juri Sonoda mentioned she would come to China for a visit. So, it was highly likely that Liu Xing would encounter Juri Sonoda in one of the modules, and she might assign him another mission. However, the rewards for completing this mission should be quite substantial.

At that moment, Liu Xing found himself standing by the sea, realizing that he had officially entered the module. The timing of his entry was precisely at the last moment of the previous module's ending scene, when he and Yin En were standing at the bow of a ship.

Liu Xing turned to look and saw Yin En, who appeared utterly disheartened.

Observing Yin En's condition, Liu Xing was puzzled. He asked, "Yin En, what's wrong with you? Your expression looks rather strange."

Yin En reluctantly shook his head, as if he wanted to say something but found it difficult to speak.

Liu Xing shrugged. Since Yin En didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't press the matter. However, Liu Xing had already guessed why Yin En looked this way. It was likely that during Interlude Growth, Yin En had chosen some peculiar options.

Because this module still took place in January and on a cruise ship, Liu Xing could feel his body starting to get cold. To avoid catching a cold, he invited Yin En to leave the bow and return to a coffee shop inside the ship, where they ordered two cups of hot coffee.

However, just then, Liu Xing suddenly spotted a familiar figureJuri Sonoda!

Liu Xing remembered that Juri Sonoda had reported the Dark Willow Gang under her real name to escape their pursuit, and she had informed him during their phone call that she would first visit the Cosmic Country to lay low.

So, it came as a surprise that Juri Sonoda had chosen to board the same cruise ship as them.

However, this could be good news, as Juri Sonoda was a journalist with remarkable skills, especially in stealth and disguise. In this module, Liu Xing could leverage Juri Sonoda's abilities to better identify the players from the opposing faction and their location during the Eldritch God ritual that would take place on Yueshihao.

Just as Liu Xing was about to greet Juri Sonoda, the Game Master (GM) for this module finally appeared. And just like Juri Sonoda, the GM for this module turned out to be someone familiarLi Shunchan.

GM Li Shunchan chuckled and said, "Hey, Liu Xing, Yin En, we meet again! It's been just a day, and you're already missing me, aren't you?"

Liu Xing chuckled, and Yin En chimed in almost simultaneously, "Not at all."

GM Li Shunchan fell silent for a moment, sighed, and said, "Well, I did put in a lot of effort to wrest control of this module from the GM of your previous module. If you really don't want to see me, I can have another GM take over this module."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that GM Li Shunchan had quite the dramatic flair. He replied, "No, no, we were just kidding. By the way, GM, since this module is a faction-based one, the other two players left are our opponents, right?"

GM Li Shunchan didn't beat around the bush and confirmed, "You're correct. This module is a 2v2 scenario. The main quest is for you, Liu Xing, and Yin En, to disrupt the cultist factions of the other two players who are preparing for a ritual on the Yueshihao cruise ship. Let me remind you that NPCs play a crucial role in this module."

Liu Xing nodded, understanding GM Li Shunchan's implication. After all, there were hundreds of NPCs on the cruise ship, and there were only four players. If Liu Xing and Yin En could rally the support of these NPCs, the two opposing players might find it impossible to succeed, given the limited space on the Yueshihao.

However, this was easier said than done. To mobilize the NPCs, Liu Xing and Yin En would need concrete evidence that the opposing faction was planning an Eldritch God ritual. Moreover, for the ordinary NPCs, such a ritual might just seem like a game. It would be challenging to gain their cooperation.

Liu Xing glanced at Yin En, and Yin En sighed in resignation. It seemed that Yin En had also realized the challenges ahead.

"Okay, since this module is a small-scale confrontation module, the game will last for approximately one day. Players from the same faction can only use Private Room once, and it requires mutual consent to activate. However, you can now engage in a five-minute discussion because this time is in a paused state. After five minutes, the module officially begins!" KP Li Shunchan said cheerfully.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and immediately turned to Yin En, saying, "Yin En, it looks like we're in trouble this time."

Yin En nodded and said with resignation, "If things go as expected, the crew on the Yueshihao cruise ship will all be cultists. Plus, we can't rely on the Cosmic Country officials to be on our side. So, I believe we're in real trouble this time."

Liu Xing shrugged and nodded, saying, "The current situation is indeed unfavorable for us. However, we have the help of Juri Sonoda and Takayanagi Aoyin. Juri Sonoda, being a well-known journalist in the Island Nation, should be able to exert some pressure on the Cosmic Country officials. If we really want to sink the ship, I believe the Cosmic Country's official rescue team in this module won't remain inactive. As for Takayanagi Aoyin, Yin En, do you know if she has resigned?"

Yin En shook his head and replied, "No, Takayanagi Aoyin is currently on paid leave. If things go as expected, she'll return to the Island Nation next year and be reassigned to the Hokkaido region."

Liu Xing, hearing this news, smiled and said, "That's even better. Takayanagi Aoyin, as a police officer, can provide us with more conveniences. This way, we can openly investigate various locations on the Yueshihao cruise ship. Even if the crew of Yueshihao are all cultists, they won't be able to stop us."

"That shouldn't be a problem. If I remember correctly, Takayanagi Aoyin should have the relevant documents. But the current issue is how our character cards can confirm the presence of cultists on the ship," Yin En raised a new concern.

Liu Xing rubbed his chin and said with some frustration, "That is indeed a problem. If those two cultist players are cautious enough, we won't have an easy time finding them. However, the module's duration is only about a day, so there should be some clues. We'll just have to pay close attention to our surroundings."

Yin En thought for a moment and realized that was the case. After all, the Yueshihao cruise ship carried over five hundred passengers, and the two opposing cultist players could easily blend in with the crowd.

"But speaking of the ritual, I think those two cultist players on the other side are likely to be worshiping an unknown powerful Deep One, or perhaps one of Cthulhu's followers, Dagon. After all, as the saying goes, 'Rely on the mountain to eat the mountain, rely on the sea to eat the sea,'" Yin En said seriously.

Liu Xing nodded and replied, "I think it's more likely that they're worshiping an unknown powerful Deep One. After all, Cthulhu is of a much higher level, and players from the Shoggoth Region probably wouldn't have the qualifications to worship Cthulhu. Dagon, as the most powerful being under the Great Old Ones, would also be difficult to summon. Moreover, Dagon shouldn't be present in this sea region."

According to the Cthulhu Mythos setting, Dagon, as the eldest of the Deep Ones, naturally became their leader. They usually lived in underwater cities created by the Deep Ones, and the most famous underwater city should be located outside Innsmouth, beneath the Devil's Reef.

So, Liu Xing believed it was impossible to perform a ritual to summon Dagon in the Cosmic Country's sea region. Therefore, Liu Xing thought that the two cultist players were likely worshiping a powerful but unknown Deep One, possibly on par with an Elder Ghoul.

"Well, it does seem likely. I remember watching a documentary about the real-world Sewol ferry disaster, and it mentioned the possibility of the ferry colliding with a massive unidentified underwater object, causing it to capsize. So, I suspect that in this module, if those two cultist players successfully conduct the ritual, they may summon a powerful Deep One to destroy the Yueshihao," Yin En affirmed.

Liu Xing nodded and suddenly remembered Yin En's strange expression earlier. With curiosity, he asked, "By the way, Yin En, what did your expression mean when we were at the bow of the ship?"

Upon hearing Liu Xing's question, Yin En's expression became animated, reminiscent of a Sichuan opera face-changing performance.

After a moment, as if determined, Yin En sighed and reluctantly said, "I might as well tell you the truth. You should know that this module's timeline is immediately after the previous module, so the options for Interlude Growth are very limited and unique. So, this time, I made a special choice for Interlude Growth 'Playing Both Sides'!"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and gave a sly smile, asking, "Are you saying you successfully seduced Takayanagi Aoyin?"

Yin En nodded with a serious expression, and everything became clear.

Liu Xing understood and, with a chuckle, said, "You city folks really know how to have fun. But I really admire you; you should know what kind of person your fiance, Sawada Yinyin, is. Yet you still dared to choose such an Interlude Growth. You must be looking for a 'death by fire' ending."

Yin En wore a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "What can I do? I was desperate at the time. I saw that the other Interlude Growths weren't very reliable, so I decided to take a chance. After all, the success rate for this 'Playing Both Sides' Interlude Growth is only 5%, so I thought it would fail... But little did I know, my luck was so good, I rolled a 1!"

"Then, as soon as I entered the module, I gained a new memory segment confessing to Takayanagi Aoyin before boarding the ship. The lines were so cheesy, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. And then, Takayanagi Aoyin accepted my confession and agreed to be with me... But as you said, after this module ends, I'll probably face a mandatory Interlude Growth 'Getting Killed by Miss Sawada Yinyin with a Chopping Knife...'" Yin En explained.

Liu Xing chuckled and playfully tapped the table, saying, "It serves you right for being curious. There's a saying that goes, 'Knowing the tiger's den but still entering it willingly.' I salute you as a man."

After teasing Yin En, KP Li Shunchan spoke again, "Alright, the module continues now. Liu Xing, Yin En, your Main quest will trigger when you discover the players from the opposing faction. So, your primary goal right now is to find those two opposing players. But I believe, Liu Xing, this shouldn't be a problem for you."

As soon as KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, Takayanagi Aoyin walked over with a cup of coffee and sat down next to Yin En as if nothing were amiss. She smiled and said, "Mr. Liu Xing, I didn't expect to run into you here."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting Takayanagi Aoyin to act so naturally. He couldn't help but exchange a glance with Yin En, who silently nodded.

Liu Xing understood that Yin En's choice of the 'Playing Both Sides' Interlude Growth was no longer a reckless decision; it was essentially seeking death.

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