Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Liu Xing shared the contents of the diary with everyone.

"It seems that the people who left these things behind are likely the same group, all here to attend the wedding of Yamashita Kojiro and Matsui Yui. Most importantly, these people should all be deceased by now, or else these items wouldn't be left here," Liu Xing said with a solemn expression.

Zhang Jingxu nodded and added, "Learning from others' mistakes, we are now in the same predicament as those who left these items. It seems this wedding might be more dangerous than we anticipated. After all, this is Matsui Ichiro's territory, and the villagers of Fisher's Village are now under his command. We are outnumbered and outmatched."

Silence fell among the group as they contemplated their options.

Initially, Liu Xing had thought that their mission was simply to convince Dogo Aige to go through with the wedding, perhaps with some minor disagreements between Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige. But now, it appeared that attending the wedding was the least of their concerns; they were in the midst of a dangerous conspiracy.

"So, what should we do now? We are almost certain that the Ocean True Deity Sect is just another Secret Cult like the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and we are about to become their sacrificial lambs," Liu Xing pondered aloud.

Zhang Jingxu sighed and replied, "Given our current strength, our best option is to outsmart them rather than confront them head-on. Ocean True Deity Sect is much more powerful than us. If we engage in a direct conflict, we will come out as the losers."

"However, we have few cards to play at the moment, or rather, we have no cards to play. We are trapped on this island with no means of communication with the outside world. We also lack any leverage to make Matsui Ichiro think twice about his actions. So, our only chance is on the day of the wedding when a small cruise ship will be available, or if luck is on our side, we might be able to escape using the small boats at the Fisher's Village pier."

Liu Xing nodded, wearing a bitter smile. "That seems unrealistic. Matsui Ichiro, if he's of normal intelligence, won't give us that opportunity. He will likely strike before the cruise ship docks, and I suspect the crew on that cruise ship may be followers of the Ocean True Deity Sect."

"True," Miyako Goudong added. "If I recall correctly, there's a small shack at the Fisher's Village pier, and an old man sits there to oversee the boats. If we show any intention of taking a boat, that old man will surely alert Matsui Ichiro. We won't be able to escape."

Liu Xing furrowed his brow, acknowledging the accuracy of Miyako Goudong's statement. In his memory, he had seen the small shack when he and Ling Ishikawa disembarked from the cruise ship. However, due to Dogo Aige's warm welcome, Liu Xing hadn't paid much attention to it.

Furthermore, Liu Xing remembered that the location of the small shack was strategic, offering a clear view of the Fisher's Village pier with no hiding spots nearby. If they were to attempt to take a boat and escape, every move would be observed by the old man overseeing the boats.

"In that case, we might as well take a bold approach and go for the boats at the Fisher's Village pier directly. I doubt that old man even has a gun," Panda Pig suggested firmly.

Lu Tianya interjected, "Even if we manage to seize a boat, we still face a problem. Can we actually row it away? If Matsui Ichiro truly wants us as sacrificial lambs, he might have tampered with the boats at the Fisher's Village pier. He could have punctured holes or taken the oars, leaving us unable to sail away. Plus, we don't even have a compass; we wouldn't know which way to navigate."

Lu Tianya's words deflated Panda Pig's enthusiasm, causing him to slump in his chair. "So, what should we do? Are we just going to wait for our doom?"

Liu Xing pondered the options and then spoke, "We still have three possible courses of action. The first is to capture the ringleader, Matsui Ichiro, directly. Since the villagers of Fisher's Village are under his control, once we apprehend Matsui Ichiro, the remaining villagers should pose no threat. However, this option has its own uncertainties, mainly involving Matsui Yui and Alice, as they are the only individuals in Fisher's Village not under Matsui Ichiro's control."

"The second option is to seek help from Inoue Haruto. Since he is on our side, I believe Inoue Haruto would be willing to assist us. We can use his boat to leave Fisher's Village. However, as you've all seen, Inoue Haruto's boat is quite small, and he can only take two or three of us at a time. If we intend to rescue Dogo Aige, we would need to make multiple trips to and from Fisher's Village, which would consume a lot of time. Moreover, if Matsui Ichiro discovers our plan, those who remain in Fisher's Village would be in jeopardy."

"Lastly, the third option, and the most uncertain one, is to gamble on what's beneath us. If whatever is under our feet can make Matsui Ichiro hesitate, then we can escape safely. However, if it turns out to be nothing more than a small power station, we will have no way out."

Liu Xing referred to these as the "three courses of action," and the group fell into deep contemplation.

Liu Xing himself leaned towards the second option. He knew that capturing Matsui Ichiro was not a simple task, especially given Matsui Ichiro's apparent absence from their sight since their arrival in Fisher's Village. To capture Matsui Ichiro, they would have to wait until the wedding ceremony had officially concluded. However, at that point, they would be surrounded by danger.

In case Alice or Matsui Yui gain control over the villagers of Fisher's Village and abandon Matsui Ichiro, our situation would become extremely perilous. Trying to escape by capturing Matsui Ichiro poses too great a risk.

As for the third option, as Liu Xing mentioned, it relies heavily on luck. We only know that something is underground, but we have no knowledge of its nature or quantity.

Moreover, if we were to choose this path, the timing would be awkward. We must ensure that we complete the Main quest first. So, Liu Xing believes that the best course of action for now is for the players to leave the wedding venue promptly after ensuring that Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui have completed their wedding. Then, they should head to Inoue Haruto's boat to depart from Fisher's Village.

However, at that point, the situation would be tricky because Inoue Haruto's boat has limited space and can't take everyone at once. It's understood that only those who act swiftly at the beginning will have a chance to leave Fisher's Village. Once Matsui Ichiro catches up, he will mobilize the villagers to capture the players and offer them as sacrifices to the so-called Ocean Twelve True Gods. Those left behind will likely have a grim fate.

KP Green Light chimed in, "I have a question. After we complete the Main quest, will we directly reach the ending screen?"

KP Green Light chuckled and shattered Miyako Goudong's hopes, "Well, don't you all already have a clear understanding now? Let me tell you the truth. After you complete the Main quest, you'll initiate a Hidden Quest or, you could call it the real Main quest - 'Escape from Fisher's Village.' Completing this mission will earn you another 1000 points. The goal of this mission is quite simple: you must get out of the Fisher's Village's sphere of influence, essentially, putting at least twenty kilometers between you and Fisher's Village."

"But rest assured, if you choose not to accept this Hidden Quest or fail during it, you won't be instantly kicked out. Instead, you'll be given another special module. However, considering your current capabilities, entering this special module will be a life-and-death gamble. No, it should be ninety-nine lives at stake."

KP Green Light's words prompted everyone to sigh collectively. Although they had suspected this outcome before, hearing KP Green Light confirm it still took the wind out of their sails.

Liu Xing speculated about the contents of that special module. It was highly likely that they would be captured by Matsui Ichiro and taken to the Ocean True Deity Sect's headquarters or an important branch, with the mission being to escape that perilous place.

"Alright, let's not dwell on this for now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let's continue sharing what we've found. Perhaps, among these discoveries, we can find more clues or a new escape route," Zhang Jingxu suggested with a forced smile.

Liu Xing nodded and placed the pink metal piece on the table. "This pink-colored metal was disguised as a plastic Pikachu toy. When I picked it up, I noticed it was too heavy for a toy, so I used a knife to remove the plastic cover."

Panda Pig furrowed his brow and said, "Strange-colored metals like this could possibly be radioactive. They wouldn't be used to make toys."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement. "That's what I thought too. So, I believe there's a significant secret behind this metal, and it's worth exploring further."

Suddenly, Zhang Jingxu picked up the metal, examined it closely, and said, "I think I have a vague memory of this metal. My master mentioned something about it in the past. However, I can't recall its specific function right now. Give me some time, and I might remember."

As Zhang Jingxu spoke, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice being rolled, indicating that KP Green Light had conducted a hidden toss to determine how much time Zhang Jingxu would need to remember the information related to the metal.

Liu Xing continued, "By the way, I made an additional discovery. On the window frames in my and Ling Ishikawa's rooms, there are etchings that resemble magical symbols. These symbols overlap and appear like ordinary scratches, which is why I didn't notice them before. Most likely, the window frames in your rooms also have these symbols."

"These symbols' specific effects will require some time for research. I need to first separate them and then decode each one. So, after lunch, I'll start the research. Please try not to disturb me."

Hearing Liu Xing's words, the group was taken aback.

"What? The scratches on the window frames are actually magical symbols? I noticed those scratches earlier, but I couldn't make sense of them and thought they were just ordinary marks," Miyako Goudong exclaimed in surprise.

Clearly, Miyako Goudong had not made use of his knowledge in occultism judgment.

Panda Pig nodded and added, "I noticed the same thing on the window frames earlier, but I didn't dismiss them entirely. These symbols are likely set up by Matsui Ichiro or the Ocean True Deity Sect, and their effects are probably detrimental to us, such as eavesdropping, surveillance, or hypnosis."