Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Collectivism overwhelmed individualism, much like Germany during the Second World War.

Today, the residents of Fisher's Village, now transformed into "foreign dolls," had lost all traces of individuality in Liu Xing's eyes.

Thus, Liu Xing suspected that Matsui Ichiro had been tasked with conducting a social experiment in Fisher's Village, one that aimed to subjugate ordinary people through faith.

However, Liu Xing found it puzzling why Matsui Ichiro was preaching in Fisher's Village under the name "Ocean True Deity Sect" rather than the "Deep Sea Gospel Society." After all, for these Secret Cults, they believed in the principle of "once named, forever named," as their ultimate goal was to recruit others into their faith.

Though Ocean True Deity Sect and Deep Sea Gospel Society shared similarities in their names, their doctrines appeared almost identical on the surface. Yet, just like Buddhism and Catholicism had various sects, the relationships between the branches of these organizations were far from harmonious...

Therefore, Liu Xing now believed that Ocean True Deity Sect and Deep Sea Gospel Society were two distinct Secret Cults.

This was getting interesting.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and voiced his thoughts, "So, it seems that Ocean True Deity Sect should be the one controlling Fisher's Village, not Deep Sea Gospel Society."

Zhang Jingxu nodded in agreement, his brows furrowed in thought.

Liu Xing noticed Zhang Jingxu's hesitation and curiously asked, "Zhang Jingxu, do you know about this Ocean True Deity Sect?"

"I'm not certain if this Ocean True Deity Sect is the same Secret Cult I heard of in the past, as that Secret Cult disappeared from public view decades ago," Zhang Jingxu sighed and continued, "But regarding that Secret Cult, I can provide some information."

"Over a hundred years ago in Magic Capital, due to the political climate, numerous foreign missionaries entered China, using Magic Capital and Magic City as their initial bases for large-scale missionary activities. Besides the well-known Green Faith and various Catholic branches, there were also some lesser-known religions like the Moon Goddess Artemis worshippers and the Voh Religion from Persia."

"Furthermore, there were cults eager to exploit the situation. Since the majority of the Chinese populace was not well-educated at the time, they were easily deceived. So, these cults flocked to the region, including one Secret Cult that believed in an oceanic deity."

"According to my master, this Secret Cult had a comprehensive mythos, with twelve primary oceanic deities. The appearances of these deities were based on deep-sea creatures. The cult's doctrine claimed that these twelve deities created humanity, then entered a dormant state within luxurious underwater palaces. When the oceans eventually swallowed the continents, these deities would awaken to save their faithful followers, creating a final paradise island for them."

"Because this Secret Cult had a well-structured belief system, it quickly amassed a large following in the Magic Capital area. However, as mentioned earlier, there were many foreign missionaries in Magic Capital, and the influential Catholic missionaries could not tolerate this Secret Cult. They contacted foreign officials in the concession and collaborated with local authorities in Magic Capital to eradicate the cult's leadership."

"As a result, the Secret Cult disappeared without a trace, and most related records were destroyed. So, even the name of this Secret Cult is unknown today. However, my master heard that the foundation of this Secret Cult was actually in Ryukyu. Fisher's Village, where we currently are, theoretically belongs to Ryukyu, and the doctrine of this Secret Cult bears a striking resemblance to the one mentioned by Matsui Ichiro."

Liu Xing nodded in understanding. Indeed, the Secret Cult Zhang Jingxu mentioned had certain similarities with the Ocean True Deity Sect. However, Liu Xing found that Secret Cult rather Cthulhu-like, given that its twelve oceanic deities were depicted in the form of seafood.

By the way, H.P. Lovecraft designed most of the Great Old Ones and Eldritch Gods in his Cthulhu Mythos with seafood imagery because he despised seafood.

At this point, Miyako Goudong, who had been looking bewildered, finally grasped the current situation after Ling Ishikawa's explanation. He expressed his relief, saying, "Wow, so Fisher's Village is actually this terrifying? It seems I was lucky nothing happened to me last night."

Liu Xing nodded and chuckled, "Goudong, you're indeed fortunate. You managed to survive a night in the wilds of Fisher's Village without incident. But please continue, after leaving that house, did you encounter anything else?"

Miyako Goudong shook his  head and continued, "After finding that letter, I decided to rest in that house. It was completely dark by then, and the coastal temperature at night was too cold. I couldn't risk sleeping outside. Although the house was in ruins, it provided some shelter. So, I arranged furniture on the ground floor to make a makeshift bed and used a blanket I found on the second floor to sleep for the night."

"The next morning, I restored the furniture to its original state. I didn't want to leave any evidence behind. Afterward, I continued my journey. I came across a strange place—a small greenhouse filled with various flowers. I couldn't identify most of the flower species, but I could tell that the owner of this greenhouse cared deeply for them and tended to them beautifully."

"Because I was worried that the owner might return at any moment, I didn't linger in the greenhouse for long. Instead, after having a bit to eat, I prepared to head to the seaside to find a small boat for fishing. In a small fishing village like this, there should be boats scattered around. Soon enough, I spotted a target: a man in his twenties rowing a small boat offshore. He then swam to the shore, carrying a bow on his back. Although the bow seemed crudely made, I didn't dare to make any rash moves. Typically, individuals like him, according to the conventions in novels and anime, are often experts. So, I stayed hidden in the thicket where you eventually found me."

"After some time, the man rested against a coconut tree, leaving me to ponder life while lying in the bushes. Fortunately, there weren't many mosquitoes on this island; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to endure. However, just as I was getting bored and feeling like dozing off, I saw the man get up and leave. After a while, I saw him return with a black man. I didn't recognize the black man, but in Fisher's Village, there's only one black person, and that's Dogo Aige."

"Then I saw the man and Dogo Aige swim back to that small boat. They rowed away in the northeast direction. Just as I was about to continue my journey, I ran into all of you."

Hearing this, Liu Xing suddenly realized, "I see, no wonder the footprints disappeared at the beach, and there were no signs of boats docking. It's because the boat was directly on the water. But speaking of which, Goudong, did you hear Inoue and Dogo Aige talking? Did they mention where they were going?"

Miyako Goudong thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "They didn't specify where they were going, but I heard Dogo Aige address that man as Mr. Inoue and thank him for taking him fishing at sea to pass the time. I think they were probably just going fishing."

"Inoue, huh?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "In Fisher's Village, the Inoue family is considered criminals. I suspect it's because when Matsui Ichiro hadn't completely taken control of Fisher's Village, the Inoue family opposed him. So Matsui Ichiro settled scores, making members of the Inoue family criminals. And most likely, the owner of that house is a member of the Inoue family."

"Now, the Inoue gentleman who came to pick up Dogo Aige is probably also a member of the Inoue family. However, for some reason, he left Fisher's Village and is in an antagonistic relationship with it. Otherwise, this Inoue family member wouldn't have come to Fisher's Village with a bow and arrow, acting so cautiously."

"But now the question is, why did this Inoue gentleman contact Dogo Aige? Moreover, it seems their relationship is quite good. I doubt this Inoue gentleman is here to congratulate Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui on their wedding."

Ling Ishikawa sighed and spoke seriously, "In that case, the reason this Inoue gentleman sought out Dogo Aige is likely straightforward. He probably wants to disrupt Dogo Aige's relationship with Matsui Yui, prevent the wedding from taking place, or perhaps this Inoue gentleman already knows that the wedding here is actually a sacrificial ritual. So, he wants to rescue Dogo Aige."

At this point, Panda Pig shook his head, looking concerned. "But if this Inoue gentleman merely wants to reveal the truth to Dogo Aige, it could be challenging. You see, I know Dogo Aige very well. He's the kind of person who would rather die with his friends than leave them behind. If he learns the truth, he might find a way to escape on his own, and then our situation will become quite awkward."

After all, the main quest of this module wasn't just to leave Fisher's Village but to ensure the smooth wedding between Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui. Even if Dogo Aige managed to escape, Liu Xing and the others could still leave Fisher's Village safely, but failing the main quest would result in their cards being shredded.

"This could be challenging. When Dogo Aige comes to deliver food later, we'll need to inquire about what this Inoue gentleman told him. If possible, I'll handle this since Dogo Aige trusts me a lot. After all, too many people might complicate things, and Dogo Aige has a lot of trust in me," Zhang Jingxu said with a serious expression.

Zhang Jingxu's seriousness was due to Lu Tianya. After all, Lu Tianya was an NPC. If the module failed, players had the chance to resurrect, but Lu Tianya might face unforeseen circumstances.

Even if Lu Tianya didn't face any danger, if Zhang Jingxu couldn't save his character card through the resurrection module, he might lose Lu Tianya again. Creating a new character card in the parallel world could be quite random, and even if Zhang Jingxu created a character from the Island Nation, there was a chance he might "be born" in a different country, making it extremely difficult to reconnect with Lu Tianya.

Therefore, Zhang Jingxu was the one who hoped the most to succeed in this module among all the players.

"By the way, we still don't know what your relationship with Dogo Aige is, Zhang Jingxu, and why he trusts you so much," Panda Pig asked curiously.

Zhang Jingxu smiled and explained, "As you all know, I'm a Taoist. Dogo Aige met me through a friend, and he asked me to calculate his and Matsui Yui's marriage fate. At that time, I calculated that they were naturally a perfect match and helped them confirm the wedding date, which is six days from now."

Everyone fell silent. In a sense, Zhang Jingxu had organized this module...

However, since the wedding date for Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui had been set by Zhang Jingxu, it meant that Dogo Aige had a great deal of trust in him. So, letting Zhang Jingxu communicate with Dogo Aige would likely yield the best results. Quick conversations or persuasions with Judgment would have bonuses.

Thus, everyone agreed with Zhang Jingxu's suggestion.

At this point, Liu Xing was quite curious about the greenhouse Miyako Goudong had passed through. After all, it seemed out of place in Fisher's Village.

So, Liu Xing suggested, "It's still early. Should we go for a walk and try to find the Ancestral Hall in Fisher's Village? We can see what statues it contains. If it has a Deep One statue, it means this Ocean True Deity Sect is the Deep Sea Gospel Society. If it has statues of a different form, it means it's the Secret Cult that Zhang Jingxu mentioned."

Therefore, the group decided to head out to find the Ancestral Hall of the Deep Sea Gospel Society.

However, while walking along the way, Zhang Jingxu suddenly suggested, "By the way, we should split up and look for members of the Inoue family in Fisher's Village. If everything goes as planned, these Inoue family members should know Mr. Inoue, and we might obtain information about him from them."

So, Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya split up to find members of the Inoue family in Fisher's Village.