Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

If there was only one suspicious character among the group, Liu Xing believed it would be Wan Chongshan. Wan Chongshan’s luck in this module had been unusually good, and he had never mentioned his good fortune before. Europeans with good luck were often known to boast about it whenever possible, as humans, in general, had a tendency to seek recognition.

Even someone like Liu Xing, with average luck, would mention their decent fortune when the topic came up. However, Wan Chongshan remained tight-lipped about it, but when others praised his good luck, he acted as if it were expected.

This made Liu Xing increasingly suspicious of Wan Chongshan because he knew that in certain modules, players with special affiliations could manipulate the outcome of the dice to some extent. If Wan Chongshan were indeed a Gralki believer, then in the current temporal distortion of Panlong Town, he would have the freedom to do as he pleased.

Moreover, Liu Xing remembered that Wan Chongshan’s profession was a geologist, meaning he must have traveled extensively and likely had encounters with lakes. This made it plausible that Wan Chongshan had met Gralki and become a believer.

Most importantly, Liu Xing had wondered before how someone with a seemingly lackluster profession like a geologist could have reached their current level. After all, most geologist professions hardly ever utilized their skills. However, there was a saying in the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall forum, "As long as you become a Great Old One’s believer, no matter how lackluster your profession may be, you can thrive in the Cthulhu RPG Game because you have the backing of a Great Old One."

By the way, those who became believers of Great Old Ones were collectively referred to as "faithful players" to distinguish them from players who chose the path of fanatic believers.

Since faithful players had the backing of a Great Old One, they were usually guaranteed to succeed in their objectives, as their missions often conflicted with those of regular players. In this module, for instance, as a Gralki believer, the main quest was undoubtedly to ensure that other players stayed in Panlong Town.

However, since faithful players often operated alone, they were frequently outnumbered and had certain advantages in the module, such as controlling the dice during their Judgment and commanding certain mythical creatures or NPCs, allowing them to uncover the truth behind the module in advance.

Thinking about this, Liu Xing became more convinced that the black cat demon was telling the truth rather than sowing discord. However, he also began to suspect that Li Dian might be a Gralki believer.

Upon closer consideration, Li Dian had been quite uninvolved in this module, showing little initiative and minimal presence. This was highly unusual because players who made it to the Shoggoth Region advancement module were usually skilled in communication. After all, Cthulhu RPG Game was fundamentally a tabletop game that required players to interact effectively, significantly affecting everyone’s gaming experience.

In the current Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, communication skills were even more critical due to their impact on information gathering and integration, as well as the life-and-death matters at hand.

For a player to be passive and unengaged in the Shoggoth Region advancement module was almost unheard of, unless they had already given up on advancing to the Hound of Tindalos area.

Therefore, Liu Xing found Li Dian’s behavior highly abnormal.

With this in mind, Liu Xing tentatively asked, "Cat Elder, I’d like to confirm something. Are you sure that among my companions, there’s only one Gralki believer?"

The black cat demon nodded and replied with a smile, "That’s correct. I’m quite certain. Among your four companions, only one is a Gralki believer. However, it seems like you have suspicions about more than one person, given your current demeanor."

Liu Xing awkwardly nodded, realizing that doubting his teammates was not a good sign. However, the black cat demon had a different perspective.

Looking at Liu Xing, the black cat demon nodded in satisfaction and said, "Kid, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In your human terms, it’s a matter of not knowing what your companions are truly thinking. And if I’m not mistaken, you seem to be suspicious of two people now, considering your close relationships with them."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement and continued, "That’s right. I’ve known the other two companions for a while now, and I’m familiar with their situations, so I’m confident they are not Gralki believers. As for the other two, I met them only recently in Panlong Town, and their behavior here has been somewhat suspicious."

"I see. Well, it looks like you’ll have to find a way to distinguish between friend and foe later. But let me remind you, don’t rush into things. It’s better to play the long game and catch the big fish," the black cat demon said in a serious tone.

Play the long game, catch the big fish.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding the black cat demon’s advice. It was indeed a good strategy.

If there was a Gralki believer among them, Liu Xing had already deduced their likely plan. They would likely hide in the early to mid-game, gain the trust of their group, and then betray them during the final showdown with Gralki. With this knowledge and the knowledge of the believer’s existence, Liu Xing could prevent any potential betrayal.

With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing found the black cat demon to be more reliable than before.

Just then, the black cat demon spoke again, "Kid, I’ve found the materials you need to repair that collar. It’s the silk from Gu Master Chaxi’s heart-changing silkworm. Although it appears delicate, its durability is remarkable. You only need one strand to thread it through the iron plate and collar. So, after you’ve killed Gu Master Chaxi, make sure to get hold of the heart-changing silkworm. If you can’t retrieve the silk yourself, hand over the heart-changing silkworm, the iron plate, and the collar to me."

Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "I understand, Cat Elder. However, I still want to ask if there’s any way to make those gu worms lose their desire to attack me. You see, if I were to be killed by those gu worms, I wouldn’t be able to retrieve the silk from the heart-changing silkworm."

Despite having a jade pendant and leather protective clothing, Liu Xing still worried that the gu worms could harm his group, excluding the Gralki believer.

So, having an additional layer of protection would be ideal.

After some thought, the black cat demon nodded and said, "You’re right. If you die, there’s a chance the fox spirit might take the heart-changing silkworm’s silk. That fox spirit is a bit stingy, and once she gets her hands on something, it’s challenging to retrieve it. So, I’ll tell you a few methods to avoid gu worm attacks."

"First, as I mentioned before, there’s the jade pendant. If you wear it, all gu worms except the heart-changing silkworm will lose their desire to attack you. However, remember that Gu Master Chaxi’s heart-changing silkworm is a parasite, and it will carry out his orders without hesitation, except when the poison burst insect’s venom splashes during an explosion."

"The second method involves making an insect repellent. This repellent emits a strong, unpleasant odor and can cause substantial harm to certain types of gu worms, making them avoid you under normal circumstances. However, the downside is that the materials for this repellent are scarce, and the smell can be torturous for humans. You might find only a couple of materials like this in all of Panlong Town."

"Then there’s the leather protective clothing you’re already wearing. It can provide some protection against Gu Master Chaxi’s gu worms, but the tooth structure of the devouring insects is quite formidable, and the venom of the poison burst insect has some corrosive properties. With proper use, your leather protective clothing should help you avoid gu worm attacks."

"Lastly, the fourth method is for you to become a Gu Master yourself. Unless you’re born into a rival family or apprentice to a rival sect’s Gu Master, most Gu Masters tend to coexist harmoniously. When Gu Masters create gu worms, they initially give their gu worms an order not to attack any other Gu Masters unless they issue a specific command to do so. To issue new commands to gu worms, a Gu Master needs about half an hour to perform the necessary ritual."

"So, if you become a Gu Master, Gu Master Chaxi’s gu worms won’t attack you, and he won’t have the time to issue new commands to his gu worms. That way, you won’t have to fear his gu worms anymore. Moreover, I happen to have a Gu Master training manual and the essential items needed to become a Gu Master. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to give them to you."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding the first three methods mentioned by the black cat demon somewhat expected. However, the fourth method was beyond his imagination.

What made Liu Xing wary was the fact that the black cat demon happened to possess a set of tools for becoming a Gu Master. It made Liu Xing wonder if the cat demon had an ulterior motive.

Observing Liu Xing’s changing expressions, the black cat demon smiled and said, "Kid, I understand that you might not fully trust me and suspect that I have some ulterior motives. After all, in this world, acts of kindness are rare. But let me tell you the truth. I have various items related to special professions, such as Western magic books, Chinese martial arts manuals, astrologer’s crystal balls, and the like. The items related to Gu Masters, I acquired from a bear demon in the Miao territory region over thirty years ago."

Liu Xing, hearing this, nodded and replied with a smile, "I see, it seems I misunderstood your intentions, and I apologize for doubting you. So, may I ask what price needs to be paid to become a Gu Master?"

The black cat demon shook its head and said, "Becoming a Gu Master doesn’t require any specific payment. As long as you have the aptitude, you can become one. In simple terms, you need to learn the Gu Master’s most basic magic spell, the insect control technique, and then use it on the Gu Master’s emblem, the gu stone. If you successfully cast the spell, it will activate the gu stone, and you’ll become a Gu Master."

Liu Xing was surprised to learn that becoming a Gu Master was so straightforward. He had initially thought it might involve something like the gu worms recognizing their master through blood. Now that he knew the conditions were simple, he considered giving it a try. After all, having additional skills couldn’t hurt.

With determination, Liu Xing said, "In that case, please give me the items needed to become a Gu Master."

The black cat demon nodded and smiled, "Certainly. I’ve collected these items over time, and they’re of no use to me. I’ll go get them for you now. I hope you can become a Gu Master as soon as possible."

After saying this, the black cat demon left once again.

As the black cat demon departed, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice rolling in the distance. However, these dice seemed to be rolling incessantly, unlike the controlled rolls during a typical Judgment. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, realizing the severity of the situation – Ling Ishikawa and the others had likely encountered a real water ghost!

Liu Xing wanted to go and help, but he couldn’t find a suitable reason to approach Ling Ishikawa and the group. So, he could only sigh in frustration and silently pray that they could defeat the water ghost.

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