Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Liu Xing pondered for a moment before speaking, "If it truly is the Cult of the Cadaver, then we’re in for trouble. After all, the Cult of the Cadaver has deep roots in various Western European countries. Their influence in these regions is substantial. England can be considered one of the strongholds of the Cult of the Cadaver. Moreover, if I remember correctly, the Cult of the Cadaver is one of the rare secret cults in the Cthulhu RPG Game that takes the upper-class route."

Zhang Jingxu nodded beside him, smiling as he said, "Exactly. The Cult of the Cadaver indeed prefers the upper-class route. After all, many European nobles of the past enjoyed indulging in activities that were thrilling and unconventional. Additionally, the Cult of the Cadaver promises them immortality, fulfilling their desires. So, quite a few European nobles joined the Cult of the Cadaver. Furthermore, I’ve heard from my mentor that even now, many elites from Europe and America secretly join the Cult of the Cadaver."

"In that case, we really need to consider the relationship between the Cult of the Cadaver and the upper echelons of England. Honestly, I feel like this operation by the Cult of the Cadaver is somehow related to the upper echelons of England. Or at least, the Cult of the Cadaver’s actions have received tacit approval from the upper echelons of England," Ling Ishikawa said, stroking his chin.

Yis People shook his head, speaking earnestly, "I think that’s highly unlikely. Unless the brains of the upper echelons in England collectively short-circuited, it’s impossible for them to allow the Cult of the Cadaver to act in this manner. After all, the large-scale disappearance of foreign tourists in England would have severe international repercussions. The countries from which the missing tourists come would pressure England. Given England’s current situation, they cannot afford such pressure. So, even if the English authorities agree to the Cult of the Cadaver’s actions, they would likely demand that the Cult of the Cadaver target their own vulnerable groups like the homeless and mentally ill."

Great minds think alike.

After several hours of interaction, Liu Xing felt that Yis People had entered a state of immersion, treating himself as a player rather than an NPC. Yis People’s way of thinking had also become quite similar to that of a "human."

Of course, Liu Xing noticed that Yis People didn’t completely adhere to the proper terms and tone in some instances. Liu Xing hardly ever heard Yis People use the terms "player" and "NPC."

However, if Yis People hadn’t stolen his account, Liu Xing might have genuinely mistaken Yis People for an ordinary player.

With this in mind, Liu Xing said, "I think both of you make valid points. So, if we combine these two perspectives, it’s not difficult to come up with two possibilities. The first possibility is that the Cult of the Cadaver has grown powerful enough to disregard the English authorities, who can only superficially investigate their actions. The second possibility is that the Cult of the Cadaver has entered into a deep collaboration with the English authorities. The benefits that the English authorities can derive from this cooperation far outweigh the costs they need to bear. Considering real-world incidents like the Malaysian Airlines disappearance, turning it into an unsolved mystery would, at most, affect England economically and in terms of reputation. Moreover, the English authorities could shift the blame onto a terrorist organization."

Ling Ishikawa and the others nodded in agreement with Liu Xing’s words, each lost in their own thoughts.

After a while, Zhang Jingxu spoke up, "Actually, I think there’s another possibility. The Cult of the Cadaver might be colluding with external forces, intending to disgrace the current English authorities in the case of the foreign tourists’ disappearance. This would lead to a significant loss of credibility and might even force some officials to resign, allowing the Cult of the Cadaver to support their own followers into power. Then, they could quickly solve these cases of missing foreign tourists, enhancing their followers’ influence and social prestige, ultimately making the Cult of the Cadaver the true power behind England."

Upon hearing Zhang Jingxu’s words, Liu Xing and the others frowned because Zhang Jingxu’s explanation was also quite convincing.

Firstly, if the information provided by Yis People was accurate, the Cult of the Cadaver did seek external assistance, planning to create a major incident in England. So, if the Cult of the Cadaver only intended to hold a Ritual Ceremony, they wouldn’t need outside help. Typically, the strength of external assistance should be comparable to that of the Cult of the Cadaver. Therefore, considering the scale of this operation, it’s not easy for the Cult of the Cadaver to create such a significant incident.

Then, regarding the settings of these secret cults in the Cthulhu RPG Game, it can be said that the ultimate goal of most churches in the world is to make everyone in the world worship their deities.

Of course, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Therefore, as long as the leaders of these secret cults aren’t fools or reckless brutes, or blindly confident idiots, they would plan their development routes well. For example, they might set a small goal first, turning all villagers in a village into their followers, then target a city, then a country.

Considering the current size of the Cult of the Cadaver in this parallel world, they have indeed reached the point of dominating a nation. However, for secret cults, they definitely cannot surface, or rather, they wouldn’t want to surface unless the Cult of the Cadaver is prepared to resist the entire world of ordinary humans.

With this in mind, Liu Xing sighed and said seriously, "I agree with your idea, Zhang Jingxu. The Cult of the Cadaver indeed might be plotting against England. Because if the Cult of the Cadaver wants to seize control of a country, England is indeed a good target. Firstly, the Cult of the Cadaver’s development in England should be quite good, with a certain foundation. Secondly, as an island nation, England is somewhat isolated, so the chances of the Cult of the Cadaver being discovered after seizing power would be low. Even if discovered, other countries would hesitate to act against England. Lastly, regarding the resistance the Cult of the Cadaver might face in seizing power in England, since the English monarchy holds significant power in this parallel world, the Cult of the Cadaver could gain the support of half of the English people, whether in the name of the English monarchy or a certain political party. With the support of the people, the Cult of the Cadaver’s path to seizing power would be much smoother."

As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, Yis People nodded, "Indeed, and the Cult of the Cadaver has also joined forces with the Deep Ones this time. If they cooperate deeply, the Deep Ones can help the Cult of the Cadaver block the waters near England. For an island nation like England, blocking the waters is essentially closing off the country. By then, the Cult of the Cadaver can do as they please in England."

After this thorough analysis, Liu Xing and the others became increasingly convinced that the Cult of the Cadaver’s aim was likely to seize power in England with this major incident.

At this moment, the car had already arrived downstairs at the hotel.

After calling Lu Tianya’s three daughters down to have dinner together, Liu Xing and the others went back to their rooms to rest and adjust to the time difference. After all, there would likely be a tough battle ahead.

Of course, both Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa instinctively came to Liu Xing’s room.

"Liu Xing, it seems this Yis People doesn’t know your true identity. But he’s not bad; at least he knows what he’s doing. I thought he might be unsure of his own identity," Ling Ishikawa said with a smile.

Liu Xing nodded, saying, "Yes, Yis People seems to be handling things quite well now. But from some details, I can still sense that he hasn’t fully grasped his player identity. But what worries me now is whether Yis People still retains the ability to foresee the future after stealing my account. If he still has this ability, then I’m in trouble."

Zhang Jingxu shook his head, hesitating, "I think Yis People probably doesn’t have the ability to foresee the future anymore. After all, if he’s a player, having the ability to foresee the future would allow Yis People to complete modules without any pressure. Just by using the ability once, he could go through the module’s process. Then Yis People would know the difficult points and key points of the module. As long as luck isn’t too bad, he could basically pass through unharmed. So, unless there’s some glitch in the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, it’s unlikely they’d let Yis People retain the ability to foresee the future."

Liu Xing thought for a moment, nodding, "That makes sense. Let’s not talk about Yis People for now. Let’s discuss this module. First, we can almost certainly conclude that the mastermind behind this module is the Cult of the Cadaver. And they’ve also joined forces with a secret cult related to the Deep Ones. I even suspect that this secret cult is related to the Swollen Woman. Her name just popped into my head."

"That’s very possible," Zhang Jingxu said. "In general, in areas where Great Old Ones reside, other secret cults wouldn’t dare to step in unless they worship that specific Great Old One or have gained its approval. Otherwise, they wouldn’t allow anyone else to sleep beside their pillow. And the power of the Swollen Woman surpasses that of the Great Old Ones."

"If that’s the case, then we’re really in big trouble this time. This is probably the legendary world Main quest," Ling Ishikawa sighed.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He had some knowledge about the world Main quest.

In simple terms, the world Missions that players undertake can be understood as parts of the world Main quest. This means that the world Main quest is composed of all the world Missions in this parallel world, and the completion or failure of each world Mission will affect the progress of the world Main quest.

However, the start of the world Main quest also signifies that this parallel world is gradually heading towards destruction. Because the core of the world Main quest is the confrontation between two factions. One faction aims to ensure that certain Great Old Ones or multiple Great Old Ones occupy the world, while the other faction aims to seal these Great Old Ones back and ensure the peace of the world.

And now, if the Cult of the Cadaver successfully seizes power in England, their next target is likely to summon the Ghoul King they worship, the Great Old One Morkidian.

"Morkidian, huh? So, is this parallel world planning to become the set for a zombie world war?" Ling Ishikawa joked.

Liu Xing shrugged, smiling, "Well, speaking of which, we’re about to meet an old acquaintance, Alice. After all, Alice mentioned that she should be in London now, and Alice is also considered a ’professional.’"

As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, his phone rang.

Liu Xing glanced at the caller ID and found that it was Alice calling.

According to "Watanabe Ryuusei’s" memory, after leaving Fisher’s Village, Alice specifically exchanged phone numbers and agreed to contact each other by phone after she returned to the Island Nation.

And now, it seemed that Alice was calling most likely because she knew that Liu Xing and his team had arrived in Manchester and were involved in the case of the disappearance of foreign tourists.

So, Liu Xing put the call on speakerphone.

"Mr. Ryuusei, it seems we’re destined to meet again even from afar. We’re going to meet in England so soon," Alice said with a smile.

Liu Xing also smiled, saying, "We do seem to have a connection. Originally, Ling Ishikawa and I were here in England for tourism. But unexpectedly, we got involved in this case of the missing foreign tourists. So, most likely, you’re the support Chris invited from London, right?"

"Yeah, I’m on my way to Manchester now. Let’s meet at your hotel tomorrow morning. I have a lot of information to share with you. Alright, I’m driving right now, so I’ll hang up," Alice said before ending the call.

Liu Xing glanced at the time on his phone and chuckled, "Well, let’s rest for now. We’ll be busy tomorrow."

So, Liu Xing and the others went back to their rooms to rest.

Early the next morning, Liu Xing received another call from Alice. She was already in the hotel lobby.

Liu Xing called Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa, and they went downstairs together to meet Alice.

In the hotel lobby, Liu Xing saw Alice.

At that moment, Alice was talking to a young white man with a sturdy build and a buzz cut.

Seeing Liu Xing and the others approaching, Alice smiled and said, "This is a friend I met in the Island Nation, a pilot in the U.S. military stationed there. He happened to be touring Manchester this time, so I called him to help."

The young white man nodded and extended his hand, saying, "Hello, my name is Nils T. Ryuzaki. It’s a pleasure to work with you all. You can also call me by my nickname — NTR."

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