Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 88: Conclusion

Tang Tai's words hit the mark. To obtain the remaining pages of the "Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord," our group must first determine their location. Currently, Liu Xing and his companions have narrowed down the potential hiding places of these pages to the Ancestral Temple and the Village Chief's residence.

In Liu Xing's estimation, the likelihood of finding the pages in the Village Chief's house is far greater than in the Ancestral Temple. After all, despite the second promotion game being challenging, it remains the lowest-level area within the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall. It is highly unlikely that anyone would go to such extremes as to keep the pages of the "Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord" company with the Earth-boring Demon Worm in the Ancestral Temple.

"Well, personally, I believe the remaining pages of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord' should be in the Village Chief's house. Earth-boring Demon Worm is still in the Ancestral Temple, and even though it's under some level of seal, trying to retrieve the pages from under its control would likely be an impossible task. That's why KP Snail suggested that we have a chance of obtaining the pages, indicating that the difficulty of acquiring them isn't high, and they are probably in the Village Chief's house," Liu Xing voiced his speculation.

Tang Tai nodded in agreement with Liu Xing's thoughts. "Liu Xing is right. The remaining pages of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord' should be in the Village Chief's house. After all, these pages are utterly useless to the Earth-boring Demon Worm. Besides, they might trigger memories of its past suffering. So, the Earth-boring Demon Worm is unlikely to keep the pages close."

Shi Ying and Mo Jin both nodded, reaching a consensus. "Our next objective, then, is to find the Village Chief's house before the ritual takes place. We need to figure out a way to take the remaining pages of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord.' Who knows, we might even be able to delay the ritual."

"However, there's another question: how do we find the Village Chief's house when we are unfamiliar with this place?" Mo Jin sighed in frustration, raising the issue.

Liu Xing pondered for a moment before responding, "That's a valid point. Wang Wei just followed the Village Chief, and it's highly likely that he's now under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. So, we can't expect to get any information from the villagers here."

"Wait a moment, though. There might still be some villagers in Earth Dragon Village who haven't fallen under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. After all, while the Village Chief claims that all the villagers participated in the ritual a few days ago, there's a possibility that some villagers, like Wang Wei, have only just returned to Earth Dragon Village. They might not have been subjected to the Earth-boring Demon Worm's influence yet!" Liu Xing's words brightened Tang Tai and the others' outlook. Liu Xing's reasoning made sense, as the villagers controlled by the Earth-boring Demon Worm appeared no different from regular people. If Liu Xing's group hadn't known about the control, they wouldn't have been able to tell the difference either.

Therefore, those villagers who returned to Earth Dragon Village after the earthquake are likely unaware of the peculiar behavior of the other villagers. Moreover, the Earth-boring Demon Worm can't be bothered to exert effort controlling these villagers. However, considering Wang Wei had extensive contact with Liu Xing's group, the Earth-boring Demon Worm would undoubtedly take precautions and control Wang Wei.

"If that's the case, let's start separate operations tomorrow morning. We should try to locate the villagers who returned to Earth Dragon Village after the earthquake, especially focusing on young people, particularly those who appear to be students," Tang Tai suggested as he rapped the table, offering his opinion.

Liu Xing nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, in a small village like this, young people are likely to be studying or working outside. The few villagers brought by the Village Chief recently all seemed to be middle-aged."

"Okay, then tomorrow, as Tang Tai suggested, we'll split up. I'll take the eastern part of Earth Dragon Village, Liu Xing will handle the west, Tang Tai will cover the north, and Shi Ying will take the south. How does that sound?" Mo Jin proposed her allocation plan.

"Sounds good to me, but if someone gathers information, follow a clockwise order to inform the others. That way, we can quickly regroup. After all, considering the current situation, the ritual should take place no later than tomorrow afternoon, and we only have one morning for exploration," Shi Ying expressed some concern, as their time was quite limited.

Liu Xing sighed and stood up, saying, "Well, the outcome of this promotion game is pretty much predictable for all of us. So, we shouldn't stress too much. Whether we like it or not, it all ends with the same outcome. Let's keep a positive attitude and not let it affect our emotions and state for the next promotion game."

Tang Tai lit a cigarette and nodded, saying, "Liu Xing, you've got a good mindset. But you're right. Since we're already powerless to resist, we might as well enjoy this promotion game. And without any surprises, this promotion game should also be a quick route to gain Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. After all, KP Snail is willing to let us take the remaining pages of the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord' in case of failure, which means the Cthulhu Mythos knowledge we gain in this promotion game should be retained."

Mo Jin walked up to Tang Tai, asked for a cigarette, and added, "Yes, I remember a friend from our club told me yesterday that even if you fail to clear the second promotion game, as long as you don't tear your card, the growth marks, Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, and some important items obtained in the second promotion game will be preserved, like the possible 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord' remaining pages and our current inventory."

"In that case, it seems like this second promotion game, despite being a tough challenge, can still help us accumulate some Cthulhu Mythos knowledge and obtain useful items. It's like hitting two birds with one stone," Liu Xing shrugged and commented.

"Haha, Liu Xing, you've got a point there. But on that note, Tang Tai, how's the situation with the van now? Although our chances of escaping Earth Dragon Village are less than one in a thousand, if by some miracle, we get a chance to leave, we'll still rely on that van to evade the pursuit of the Earth-boring Demon Worm," Mo Jin laughed as she asked.