Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 87: Discussion

Liu Xing nodded silently. Since there was no way out now, he had to choose a preferable way to meet his end... preferably a painless one.

"Tang Tai, with that white hair of yours, you remind me of a game character – Jelomar from Wizards," Shi Ying, seated in a chair, remarked with a smile, addressing Tang Tai.

Tang Tai chuckled and scolded, "Shi Ying, don't jinx me. By the way, didn't Jelomar meet his end at the hands of a group of villagers?"

"Yes, I believe he was stabbed with pitchforks," Liu Xing nodded, proud to be a devoted fan of the Wizard series.

Tang Tai retrieved a water bottle from his backpack and shook his head, saying, "Seems like you all enjoy jinxing me. I remember when I first entered Earth Dragon Village; I saw a haystack. It looks like I might actually get skewered with pitchforks."

"Well, pitchforks might not deliver an instant kill, but they would cause multiple wounds. It's going to be painful," Mo Jin remarked with a smile.

Liu Xing glanced at everyone. Even though they all knew that this promotion game was likely a dangerous endeavor with little chance of survival, they were maintaining a positive attitude and making jokes.

"By the way, I have a few pills here. I obtained them from the newbie gift pack. They allow players to be free of pain for five minutes after taking them. However, players won't know their current HP value. Each of you should take one; it might make dying a bit easier," Shi Ying retrieved a small porcelain bottle from her backpack and suggested.

Upon hearing Shi Ying's words, Liu Xing's eyes brightened. These pills were a valuable item, especially in this life-or-death situation. Dying painlessly was a fortunate circumstance in itself.

Liu Xing reached out and took one of the pills from Shi Ying, and immediately, KP Snail gave him a prompt, "You have obtained an item from player Shi Ying: Painkiller."

Liu Xing placed the painkiller in his pocket and thanked Shi Ying, saying, "Shi Ying, thank you very much."

Shi Ying smiled and shook her head, saying, "Don't mention it. These painkillers only cost one or two points in the Shop and are only useful in situations like this where death is certain. Their effect is quite limited. So, for me, it's just a trivial item. I'd rather share it with all of you. Who knows, if we have the chance to play a campaign together in the future, I might have some strong players to rely on."

Tang Tai took one of the painkillers and said with a smile, "Heh, Shi Ying, you're too modest. Players participating in this second promotion game must have some skill. Let's help each other out."

"Speaking of which, should we try to obtain the missing page of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord'? After all, it's the only potential benefit we can gain from this promotion game," Mo Jin suggested after receiving the painkiller.

Liu Xing shrugged and said, "Well, personally, I think whether we get that missing page of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord' or not doesn't really matter. Everyone knows how tricky that book is. Apart from the spell that summons and controls Byakhee, the rest of the spells are essentially suicide spells. Take this one, for example, the 'Earth-boring Demon Worm' summon. It causes an earthquake as soon as it's summoned, and then who knows how we'll die."

Liu Xing's words found agreement among the group. Tang Tai nodded and said, "Liu Xing is right. It's best not to bother with the missing page of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord.' The practicality of those spells is too low, and even if it's just a page from that book, it's bound to decrease our SAN value. So personally, I'm not planning to pursue it."

Shi Ying also nodded, indicating that she had no intention of searching for the missing page of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord.' The risks far outweighed the potential gains.

As for Mo Jin, he rubbed his chin and said, "Well, since none of you are interested, I'll give it a try on my own. I don't like coming back empty-handed, and obtaining this page would also grant me some Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, including information about the Earth-boring Demon Worm. When I face the Earth-boring Demon Worm again, it should help me reduce my SAN loss."

Mo Jin's words stirred some interest in Liu Xing as well. Obtaining Cthulhu Mythos knowledge was challenging in itself, and having some would greatly assist them in tabletop role-playing games. Moreover, as Mo Jin mentioned, the missing page of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord' likely contained information about the Earth-boring Demon Worm, which would be helpful when facing it again since KP Snail would likely adjust the SAN loss.

With a spirit of flexibility, Liu Xing overturned his previous statement, saying, "Well, Mo Jin, you make a good point. I'll join you in the quest for the missing page of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord.'"

Seeing Liu Xing change his mind, Shi Ying and Tang Tai were convinced by Mo Jin as well and decided to change their minds, opting to join Mo Jin in the search for the missing page.

"I believe the missing page of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord' should be either with the Village Chief or in the Ancestral Temple. After all, rituals like these are usually overseen by the Village Chief," Mo Jin, as the initiator of the plan, shared his opinion.

Liu Xing nodded in agreement and added, "That's a valid point. But it's also possible that the missing page of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord' was left behind in the Ancestral Temple since the ritual took place there. I suspect that after the ritual, the Earth-boring Demon Worm directly controlled the villagers to leave, which means the missing page could have been left behind in the temple."

Tang Tai chimed in, "Yes, Mo Jin and Liu Xing have reasonable speculations. But whether it's the Ancestral Temple or the Village Chief's residence, gaining entry won't be easy. Especially the Ancestral Temple, which undoubtedly houses the Earth-boring Demon Worm. Going there would be walking into certain danger."

He continued, "As for the Village Chief's home, we don't even know its location yet. Furthermore, the villagers in Earth Dragon Village are already under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. If we inquire about the Village Chief's residence, the Earth-boring Demon Worm will surely be alert, and we might fall into an ambush. Therefore, we must first figure out where the missing page of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord' is located!"