Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said with a smile, "That's true, but Alice is Matsui Yui's best friend, and Matsui Yui is the daughter of Fisher's Village Chief. We are friends with Dogo Aige, who happens to be Fisher's Village's son-in-law. The difference between the two situations is clear, so Alice's treatment is different from ours."

Liu Xing sighed and said helplessly, "It seems that no matter where you go, fairness is just a concept. But it's fine; we don't have to dine with Alice anymore. After all, Alice is not on our side."

Of course, more importantly, Alice is currently a member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society on the surface, and as the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, Liu Xing felt that "he" would not want to share a table with Alice, exchanging jokes and laughter. He even felt a subtle inner voice urging him to find a way to deal with Alice.

That's what they call the subconscious.

In this real Cthulhu RPG Game, each character card has its own subconscious, urging players to do things that align with the character card's setting. With the increase in area levels, the subconscious becomes even more powerful. Liu Xing heard that players in the Cthulhu area couldn't perform actions that contradicted their character card's subconscious unless they used special items or spells.

And now, "Watanabe Ryusei's" subconscious felt like a cicada on a summer day, constantly chirping in his ears. Fortunately, there was a barrier of glass, so the sound was somewhat tolerable.

Liu Xing followed Zhang Jingxu to the first-floor hall, where today's meal consisted mainly of seafood. After all, Fisher's Village was surrounded by the sea, with hardly any farmland, and they didn't engage in trade with the outside world. So, in Fisher's Village, fish was the staple food.

Liu Xing thought that after leaving Fisher's Village, he probably wouldn't like seafood anymore.

While they ate, the group discussed their plans for the afternoon.

This time, they didn't intend to split up but decided to act together. After the morning exploration, they had a rough idea of the size of Fisher's Village, roughly equivalent to ten standard football fields. So, it seemed there wasn't much to explore on the surface. Therefore, it was more convenient and efficient to stay together.

Their goal for this action was essentially an island-hopping tour to create a map of Fisher's Village and investigate if there were any hidden passages on the island. Of course, if they could find the last player, it would be even better.

But when it came to Miyako Goudong, Liu Xing remembered that she had only brought a regular backpack when they were on the cruise ship.

Liu Xing suspected that Miyako Goudong must look quite disheveled by now.

After finishing lunch, they set out.

First, they headed towards the grass hut where Dogo Aige was located. This grass hut should be an important area in this module, as there was a Side Quest specifically requiring players to enter it.

However, Liu Xing thought this Side Quest was quite manageable. The challenge was how to enter the grass hut without touching the green liquid. Liu Xing had a bold idea that even if they touched the green liquid, it might not have serious consequences. After all, unless there were some hidden secrets inside the grass hut, Matsui Yui would definitely not let Dogo Aige, the "honest man," go so easily. So, at most, it would just increase Matsui Yui's tension.

Moreover, Liu Xing's group needed to ask Dogo Aige about the locations of Matsui Yui's home and Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall. These two places were likely the final boss points of this module, and they needed to prepare in advance.

While Liu Xing and his group were on their way to the grass hut, they finally saw many Fisher's Village villagers. However, these villagers were quite strange. They didn't avoid Liu Xing and his group like they did with Dogo Aige. Instead, they stood in place, motionless, with blank expressions, regardless of age or gender.

Liu Xing felt uneasy under the villagers' gaze because they reminded him of something: dolls.

Liu Xing had always disliked dolls, especially their eyes. Dolls' eyes lacked life and gave the impression that they were perpetually staring at you, and when Liu Xing looked into doll's eyes, he would inexplicably fear that the doll might blink.

Most importantly, Liu Xing had been scared by a doll once when he was a child. It happened one night when he had to get up to use the bathroom, and the moment he opened his eyes, he saw a doll placed by his pillow. Their eyes locked, and Liu Xing was drenched in cold sweat. He screamed in terror but thankfully didn't wet the bed.

Since then, Liu Xing had developed a deep aversion and apprehension towards dolls.

With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing came up with a daring hypothesis: these villagers were very likely actual "dolls"! Based on Liu Xing's observations, these villagers strictly followed certain rules and acted in perfect unison.

Furthermore, these villagers moved with blank expressions, and their interactions seemed mechanical, like they were going through the motions. There was no sense of intimacy among them.

Liu Xing couldn't help but make eye contact with one of the villagers, only to find a cold and silent gaze in return.

At this moment, Ling Ishikawa whispered, "Why do these villagers keep staring at us with blank expressions, like we owe them money? Shouldn't we try to communicate with them and break this awkward atmosphere?"

Zhang Jingxu shook his head and whispered, "Forget it. I think there's something wrong with these villagers. Let's not have too much contact with them for now. Caution is our top priority."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement, as these villagers did indeed seem abnormal.

With that, Liu Xing and his group left the main gathering place of Fisher's Village, under the watchful gaze of the villagers, and arrived at the grass hut where Dogo Aige should be. However, to their surprise, Dogo Aige was not inside.

The group exchanged puzzled looks since Dogo Aige should have been in the grass hut by all accounts.

"Dogo Aige, where did he go? Could he have gone to see Matsui Yui?" Liu Xing asked.

Panda Pig shook his head and said with some confusion, "I don't think so. When Dogo Aige brought us food earlier, I asked him a few questions, and he said he would be staying in the grass hut these days, encouraging us to come and chat with him. So, Dogo Aige should be in the grass hut now."

Ling Ishikawa crouched down and pointed at footprints on the beach, saying, "Look at these footprints here. Besides Dogo Aige's footprints, there are footprints of another person, and the footprints Ryusei and I left this morning have already been erased, indicating that someone else was here not long ago."

Dogo Aige's grass hut faced the sea, so the surroundings were sandy beaches, making it easy to leave footprints. However, due to the sea breeze, footprints could easily be erased.

"Judging from the size, shape, and depth of these footprints, the other person should be a slim man, and he's wearing sneakers. Could it be Miyako Goudong?" Panda Pig analyzed.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow and shook his head, saying, "It doesn't make sense. Based on the footprints, it seems that Dogo Aige left voluntarily with someone else. Besides, the other person didn't enter the area around the grass hut, indicating that they must be familiar with Fisher's Village's rules. Also, if it were Miyako Goudong, where could she have taken Dogo Aige? Unless..."

"Unless Miyako Goudong found something on this island and it's related to Dogo Aige. That's why she came to find him and took him away. But then again, with the current situation, these footprints are still quite clear. Shouldn't we follow these footprints to find Dogo Aige?" Zhang Jingxu suggested.

Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "Since we have nothing else to do right now, why not take a trip? Let's see what's going on. Besides, I have a feeling that we'll gain something from this journey."

So, Liu Xing and his group continued to follow the footprints. Since the footprints were still clear, they didn't need to make any judgments. They eventually reached a beach where the footprints disappeared into the water.

"What's going on? Did Dogo Aige and the others go out to sea?" Ling Ishikawa looked around, puzzled.

Liu Xing observed the calm sea and said, "I don't think so. There are no signs of boats docking here. I remember checking the map of Fisher's Village before we came. Although Fisher's Village didn't appear on the official map, the surrounding islands were marked. The nearest island in this direction should be a three to four-hour journey by boat, even with a relatively fast one. As you can see, the boats at the Fisher's Village pier are mainly powered by manpower, so it would take even longer. So, it's unlikely that they went to other islands."

Panda Pig nodded seriously and said, "That's right. This beach is relatively secluded with no houses around, and the tall grass provides cover. However, the water here is not deep enough for anything other than small boats, like rafts. So, there are three possibilities right now: someone took Dogo Aige out to sea for fishing, but that person's identity might be questionable since they left from here. Another possibility is that Dogo Aige was planning to elope, but considering the current situation, that seems unlikely because there were no signs of such plans from Dogo Aige. The last possibility is that there are one or more unrecorded islands near Fisher's Village, relatively close by."

Among the three possibilities mentioned by Panda Pig, Liu Xing felt that the last one was the most plausible. After all, Fisher's Village wasn't that large, and it couldn't hide too many secrets.

"So, what should we do now? Should we just leave since we don't have a boat?" Ling Ishikawa sighed and asked.

Liu Xing nodded and was about to speak when he saw a glint of light reflecting from the grass nearby.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow, turned to look at that patch of grass, and the others also sensed that something was amiss. They instinctively spread out, surrounding the grass.

"Can I make an Investigation or Inspiration Judgment now to confirm what's in that grass?" Liu Xing contacted KP Green Light.

KP Green Light thought for a moment and then smiled, saying, "No need. Because the grass patch isn't that big, and whatever's in there poses no threat to you. So, you can just go ahead and pull the grass aside."

Since KP Green Light said so, Liu Xing and the others didn't hesitate. They walked toward the grass, as KP's words were considered the ultimate truth in the Cthulhu RPG Game, unless it was an ambiguous situation. In that case, KP's words were absolutely reliable.

Suddenly, a young man wearing black-framed glasses, pants pulled up high, and a disheveled appearance, jumped out of the grass.

There was no need to say more; this young man was Miyako Goudong.

The group stared at Miyako Goudong in bewilderment, not expecting him to look like this now.

"Are you Miyako Goudong?" Lu Tianya asked knowingly.

Miyako Goudong didn't answer Lu Tianya's question. Instead, he pushed up his black-framed glasses and said to Liu Xing, "How did you discover me? My hiding ability has reached the legendary level of a Grandmaster, and in theory, I should be impossible to find by a lowly soldier like you."

It was indeed a case of chuunibyou.

Liu Xing shook his head in amusement and pointed to Miyako Goudong's glasses, saying, "That's because the reflection from your glasses gave you away. I noticed you hiding in the grass because of that. But anyway, Miyako Goudong, why didn't you disembark with us yesterday, and why are you hiding in this grass patch now, looking like this?"

Miyako Goudong blushed and said defensively, "Don't call me Miyako Goudong. You should address me as Goudongsama (a Japanese transliteration, meaning 'Your Excellency' or 'Your Highness'). The reason I didn't join you commoners in your actions is that my True Eye detected something unusual in Fisher's Village. I wanted to investigate it alone, so that you lowly soldiers wouldn't hinder my investigation."

Liu Xing couldn't help but think that Miyako Goudong was in the late stage of chuunibyou.