Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 364: The Shadow of the Great Old One

If time were to rewind, our group would certainly be able to determine the upcoming time point to visit. After all, this is the Cthulhu RPG Game, and it wouldn’t make sense for us to be sent to a time unrelated to the Side Quest. So, as long as we identify the potential time points for the Side Quest, sorting them in order, we can be prepared in advance to complete the next Side Quest at the chosen time.

However, the current time distortion complicates things because we don’t know when we’ll appear next in this distorted timeline. Liu Xing believes that KP Snow Wind will probably decide it by rolling dice. Still, considering KP Snow Wind’s luck, Liu Xing can’t help but feel a bit uneasy. He is concerned that the Side Quest at this world point might be the most dangerous and challenging in this module.

At this moment, Zhang Jingxu continues, "However, what’s strange is that the other residents of Panlong Town don’t seem to be aware of the temporal distortion like Hu Cang. Only Hu Cang retains self-awareness within this temporal chaos, though it’s only consciousness. Hu Cang’s physical state changes with the passage of time, so judging by his current condition, we are not far from the previous time point. From Hu Cang’s appearance now, the difference isn’t significant."

"So," Zhang Jingxu adds, "Right after the temporal distortion occurred, Hu Cang thought we would die due to it since we are outsiders. Previous outsiders who entered Panlong Town would perish directly when temporal distortion happened. Therefore, Hu Cang came up here initially to collect our bodies. But he didn’t expect us to be alive and well. Now, Hu Cang believes that we might be the chosen ones to stop Panlong Town from continuing to suffer temporal distortions because we’ve become the biggest variable in Panlong Town."

Liu Xing nods in agreement. As players, his group is undoubtedly the biggest variable in this module. However, he doesn’t think that they can free Panlong Town from the temporal distortion since the main quest of this module is simply to leave Panlong Town, not to restore it to normal.

Of course, these things cannot be disclosed to Hu Cang. So, Liu Xing tells Zhang Jingxu, "Zhang Jingxu, on behalf of me and Ling Ishikawa, please inform Hu Cang that we will do our best to help him save Panlong Town. However, we hope that Hu Cang can be open and honest with us and provide us with useful information. After all, we are newcomers and still quite clueless."

Zhang Jingxu nods and says, "Li Dian and Wan Chongshan are currently questioning Hu Cang, and he has assured us that he will tell us everything. Before this, Hu Cang withheld some information from us because he believed we were doomed, so revealing those details would have been pointless. But now, Hu Cang sees us as his lifeline because anyone spending a few years in temporal distortion is likely on the verge of mental breakdown."

Liu Xing reflects on this. If he were thrown into a town suffering from temporal distortion and experienced it hundreds of times, he would probably lose his sanity.

So, Liu Xing has some admiration for Hu Cang.

After a while, it appears that Zhang Jingxu and the others have finished their conversation with Hu Cang. He nods to Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa before leaving the room and heading downstairs.

Then, Zhang Jingxu informs Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa of the outcome of their discussion. "First, I have some bad news. Although Panlong Town is experiencing temporal distortion, if we do something significant in the earlier time points, such as causing severe damage to a building, injuring or even killing a resident of Panlong Town, or forming a certain kind of relationship with a resident, those changes will carry forward in subsequent time points, altering the situation in Panlong Town. Therefore, Hu Cang hopes that we will exercise caution and avoid making hasty changes to Panlong Town."

Liu Xing raises an eyebrow. This is yet another complication. Completing the Side Quests is bound to change history, so if their group completes one Side Quest and then, in the next time point preceding that completed Side Quest, accidentally affects important NPCs related to that completed Side Quest, will it be considered incomplete or even a failure?

If that’s the case, Liu Xing believes that the difficulty of the Side Quests in this module will increase significantly, as completing one Side Quest could potentially disrupt others that have already been completed.

At this point, KP Snow Wind speaks up, "I believe that all the players have a clear understanding of the current situation and a new perspective on the Side Quests. You’re correct; the Side Quests in this module won’t be completed immediately. They are in a pending state. When the ’truth’ points of all the pending Side Quests add up to over 100, those Side Quests will become completed, and the players can then complete the Main quest."

"However," KP Snow Wind continues, "if players, in the process of completing other Side Quests, inadvertently impact the pending Side Quests in a significant way, they may end up in a failed state, or, in some cases, remain incomplete. In any case, I hope all the players will plan their actions carefully to avoid unexpected consequences."

Indeed, it seems so.

Liu Xing and the others exchanged glances, and on each other’s faces, they could see the word "helpless."

Zhang Jingxu shrugged and continued, "After delivering the bad news, let me give you some good news. Hu Cang has now roughly speculated the reason behind Panlong Town’s current state. It’s highly likely that in December 1999, a fanatic arrived in Panlong Town, proclaiming a foreign deity and promising immortality and eternal life to those who believed in this foreign god."

Liu Xing furrowed his brows and said, "This so-called foreign god must be some Great Old One, right? And it’s likely that this Great Old One transformed Panlong Town into an independent space, which is why it looks like this now."

Zhang Jingxu nodded and said earnestly, "Exactly. According to Hu Cang’s description, I can be certain that the so-called foreign god is indeed a Great Old One. The fanatic of this Great Old One publicly beheaded themselves in broad daylight in Panlong Town and then casually reattached their own head. So, I believe this fanatic received a blessing from that Great Old One, which granted them immortality. After all, even creatures like Ghouls or Deep Ones would die if their heads were severed."

Liu Xing pondered for a moment, and Zhang Jingxu’s analysis seemed accurate. Mythical creatures were still living beings, and they could die from fatal attacks. Only those blessed by a Great Old One, like the "undying after decapitation," could achieve such feats.

However, it was unlikely that a single follower could transform Panlong Town into an independent space, so Liu Xing was certain that the Great Old One had directly intervened.

But here was the problem: apart from a few Great Old Ones, most of them were sealed in various locations. Some might have retained their consciousness, but they couldn’t easily leave their sealed locations. Moreover, the sealed Great Old Ones didn’t possess the immense power one might imagine, so crossing provinces, let alone countries, to cast spells was nearly impossible.

In Liu Xing’s memory, there were very few Great Old Ones associated with China in the Cthulhu Mythos. Liu Xing could only recall his "boss," King Hastur in Yellow Robes. However, rumors suggested that King Hastur in Yellow Robes was the Yellow Emperor, and he was currently sealed on an alien world. As for the elephant god Shaugniggurath Fagner, who was abandoned in the Tibetan region, he too couldn’t leave his sealed location. Besides them, only Nyarlathotep’s avatar, the Swollen Woman, had been active in China, but she primarily appeared in the Magic Capital.

So, who could this Great Old One causing trouble in Panlong Town be?

Liu Xing was at a loss for answers.

"After that performance, the fanatic of that Great Old One found a welcoming environment in Panlong Town. The town’s residents worshipped them as a divine messenger because they believed that by following the Great Old One, they could achieve immortality and eternal youth, just like that fanatic," Zhang Jingxu continued.

Hearing this, Ling Ishikawa anxiously asked, "Since the fanatic was spreading their beliefs in Panlong Town, did they mention the name of that Great Old One?"

Zhang Jingxu shook his head helplessly and replied, "Yes, the fanatic did mention the name of the Great Old One. However, because Hu Cang was studying medicine elsewhere at the time, he only knew about this incident. Furthermore, Hu Cang thought the fanatic was just a con artist using some clever tricks. So, he didn’t pay much attention to it until he returned to Panlong Town and realized the severity of the situation."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. Could Hu Cang be a character card of some player? After all, according to Hu Cang’s account, anyone who entered Panlong Town from outside would die in a time-space distortion, and only their group, as players, could pass through safely. When Hu Cang entered Panlong Town, it should have already become an independent space, so he wouldn’t have died in the time-space distortion. Therefore, Liu Xing suspected that "Hu Cang" had never passed through a module, making himself an NPC.

So, Liu Xing believed that Hu Cang should have some items, and he needed to find a way to "borrow" them.

Liu Xing’s expression gradually turned mischievous.

Liu Xing suddenly had a thought and spoke up, "Speaking of which, isn’t Panlong Town, currently in a state of temporal chaos, supposed to shift between the years 1990 and 2000? So, shouldn’t Hu Cang have encountered that fanatic during that time?"

Zhang Jingxu shook his head, expressing some doubt. He said, "No, according to Hu Cang, in these four hundred and fifty instances of temporal chaos, he has never encountered that fanatic even once. Only once did Hu Cang arrive in Panlong Town after the departure of that fanatic. At that time, Panlong Town was just as we saw it last night, in complete disarray with bloodstains all over the ground. However, Hu Cang did not find any bodies. He searched Panlong Town for three days and nights and still found nothing. Then, he was transported to other time points."

At this moment, KP Snow Wind stepped forward again with a smile and said, "Congratulations to all players for triggering the Side Quest in this module that most resembles a Main quest, ’Great Old One.’ This Side Quest is quite unique. The more clues you find related to the Great Old One, the greater your rewards will be. And the ultimate prize is an invaluable item."

KP Snow Wind’s words confirmed it all, and it turned out that the term "Old One" in the module’s name indeed referred to the Great Old One.

And now, the shadow of the Great Old One loomed over Panlong Town.

"By the way, it’s worth mentioning that Hu Cang is actually an orphan. Shortly after his birth, both his parents passed away due to illness. As for our identities in Panlong Town, we are considered Hu Cang’s out-of-town friends. Well, let’s each go back to our rooms and rest now. There’s nothing more to discuss for the time being, and tomorrow we need to confirm the current time period we’re in," Zhang Jingxu said as he stood up.

Liu Xing nodded and took Ling Ishikawa back to their room.

After chatting with Ling Ishikawa for a while, Liu Xing prepared to go to sleep.

Fortunately, there was no Inspiration Judgment tonight.

He slept until dawn.

Liu Xing got up, took a sip of water, and heard firecrackers in the distance.

By this time, Zhang Jingxu was also up, standing by the window in the main hall, looking at something.

Liu Xing walked over and asked with a smile, "Good morning, Zhang Jingxu. What are you looking at?"

Zhang Jingxu turned back and smiled, pointing in the direction of the Xiao Mochen Tea House, "If everything goes as planned, today should be the big day for Xiao Mochen and Hu Li’s wedding."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and quickly moved to the window.

Sure enough, at the entrance of the tea house, Liu Xing immediately spotted Xiao Mochen in a white suit, happily conversing with others.

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