Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 237: World Mission

Thinking about the real-world tragedy of the Yueshihao shipwreck, Liu Xing suddenly realized that the offerings needed for the ritual being conducted by Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin were just a small part of it. They were merely a prelude to the grand plan - luring the powerful Deep One from the depths of the sea to the surface, using its strength to destroy the Yueshihao. In the morning fog, the passengers on board Yueshihao would meet their end in the belly of the "fish," if Deep One could be considered a fish.

"It's a long and challenging road ahead," Liu Xing mused, stroking his chin.

Juri Sonoda smiled and said, holding her phone, "No problem. The students over there have agreed to allow filming during the upcoming visit. They'll help me gather some materials for our report. We'll use two phones, one overt and one covert for live broadcasting. Even if the crew tries to stop us from filming openly, we can still capture footage discreetly."

Liu Xing nodded, though he felt that today's filming might not yield much, considering there wouldn't be a ritual ceremony happening. They could only hope for an opportunity to capture something unique.

"Alright, Liu Xing, how about we go for afternoon tea now? We've been running around, and I'm a bit tired," Juri Sonoda said, leaning on the table and smiling.

Liu Xing chuckled and agreed, "Of course, but we should be prepared for the possibility of not having dinner later. By the way, now that Bai Hecheng has seen us, and the crew on Yueshihao is from his side, I suspect Bai Hecheng might try to poison our food!"

To win without fighting is the highest strategy. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, if both sides of players engage in combat, even if one side has a clear advantage on paper, luck could still turn the tide unexpectedly. Luck was unpredictable, after all. Therefore, the safest approach was to defeat the opponent outside of combat, and poisoning was an excellent means to that end.

At present, Bai Hecheng indeed had an opportunity to poison both Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda. So, Liu Xing believed he needed to be cautious.

Juri Sonoda, no stranger to schemes and conspiracies as a "veteran player," nodded in agreement, showing her understanding.

Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda made their way to the Yueshihao cruise ship for afternoon tea. Juri Sonoda ordered a piece of cake, while Liu Xing opted for a pizza.

"Do you know, Liu Xing, I spent my high school years at Morimoto Academy. What's even more significant is that a close friend of mine committed suicide in the year I graduated," Juri Sonoda suddenly said in a somber tone. "At the time, I thought she took her own life because of a failed romance, which led her to jump from the old school building. But now, I suspect she might have been a victim of these cultists."

Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised that Juri Sonoda was also a Morimoto Academy student and had mentioned these matters to him.

"Liu Xing, I'd like to ask for your help in investigating my friend's case. After all, I'm just an ordinary person, and Morimoto Academy seems to be much deeper than I imagined. I don't have much knowledge about mythical creatures or anything like that, so I need your assistance," Juri Sonoda earnestly requested.

At that moment, KP Li Shunchan chimed in, saying, "Congratulations, Liu Xing. You've officially encountered a world-class Mission. Would you like me to explain what a world-class Mission is?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting that Juri Sonoda would be connected to a world-class Mission, which, from the sound of it, was anything but simple.

"Okay, I assume you'd like to know," KP Li Shunchan continued. "A world-class Mission, as the name suggests, involves your character card in a parallel world. The priority of this Mission is higher than the main quest of your module. In other words, if you accept a world-class Mission, it will affect your module's main quest. In simple terms, you will be doing a completely different Mission from other players in the same faction."

"Furthermore, a world-class Mission is a chain Mission, even an infinite one. Unless the parallel world where your character card exists is destroyed, the world-class Mission won't end. However, the difficulty of these missions isn't as high as you might think, and the rewards are excellent. But as you progress in the world-class Mission, you will inevitably encounter beings like the Great Old Ones."

"Of course, you can choose to accept or decline a world-class Mission. But there's not just one world-class Mission. To my knowledge, there are over thirty world-class Missions in this parallel world, each unique. If an NPC holding a world-class Mission dies, the Mission will disappear. By the way, if a player who accepted a Mission tears their card, the world-class Mission will transfer to other character cards in the same parallel world, until all player character cards in that world are torn. Now, Liu Xing, you can make your decision. Good luck."

Liu Xing nodded silently. The world-class Mission seemed to align with his expectations high risk, high reward, and potential conflicts with the module's main quest. This might lead him to undertake a completely different mission from other players in the same faction, making him a lone wolf.

However, it was clear that the world-class Mission was the real main quest of this parallel world. After all, there were probably only a little over a hundred world-class Missions in the entire parallel world. Add to that the fact that if NPCs holding world-class Missions died, the main quest would disappear. So, very few players would be able to accept world-class Missions.

Moreover, as the world-class Mission progressed, players would inevitably encounter entities like the Great Old Ones. These Great Old Ones could potentially choose to destroy the parallel world, and unless players accepted the world-class Mission, the character cards in this parallel world would be forcibly torn. Ordinary players would be caught in the crossfire.

With all this in mind, Liu Xing had made up his mind and said, "Okay, KP, I'll accept this world-class Mission!"

Man proposes, but fate disposes. Liu Xing didn't want to be unexpectedly torn apart, as he believed that his destiny should be in his own hands.

"Alright, then. Player Liu Xing has received the world-class Mission 'The Dark Side of the World (1/?).' Current Mission objective: Investigate the truth behind the series of suicides among students at Island Nation Morimoto Academy. Mission reward: 2000 points," KP Li Shunchan announced.

"Liu Xing, what do you think?" Juri Sonoda asked again.

Liu Xing nodded and replied earnestly, "Since you've put it that way, Juri, I can only go along with it. Consider this my way of repaying all the favors you've done for me. How could I refuse you?"

Seeing Liu Xing's agreement, Juri Sonoda smiled and said, "That's great to hear. I knew you'd choose to help me. Let me share with you all the information I know."

Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "I'm all ears."

Juri Sonoda took out her phone and showed a photo of herself with another girl named Higashi Meizi. Meizi appeared to have an ordinary appearance, but her smile was charming. Liu Xing could tell that she was probably a cheerful and outgoing person.

"Her name is Higashi Meizi, a local from Kyoto with a decent family background. Her family runs an Izakaya restaurant. Meizi was a cheerful girl, which is why we became friends shortly after starting school. We used to go home together almost every day."

"In our second year of high school, Meizi started dating a boy from the class next door. However, just before graduation in our third year, she broke up with him. I consoled her for several days, and her mood seemed to improve. I thought she had moved on. But then one day, our homeroom teacher asked Meizi to fill out an 'Island Nation' career survey form (a unique feature at Island Nation High School, where students decide between going directly to work or continuing their education). She asked me to go home first, and it was on that day that Meizi jumped from the old school building..."

"When I arrived at the school, Meizi's body had already been taken away by the funeral home. I heard that it was the school's janitor who discovered her suicide when he was about to clean the old school building. When I asked the other students, I realized that none of them had seen Meizi's body either. If I remember correctly, I arrived at the old school building around 8:30 PM, and all I saw was a pool of blood. Meizi's body had already been removed by the funeral home."

"This was clearly suspicious because the nearest funeral home to Morimoto Academy is at least an hour's drive away. Furthermore, the morning traffic in Kyoto can be quite congested. So, it would take at least an hour and a half for the funeral home's vehicle to arrive at the school. Additionally, they would need about half an hour to receive the call, dispatch a driver, and reach the school. All in all, it should have taken them about two hours to get there. However, this is not possible because I know that Kyoto funeral homes don't start dispatching vehicles until around 7:30 AM. Before that, they only have night attendants. So, the school claimed they called the funeral home at 6:30 AM, which is simply not true."

"Secondly, Meizi's parents closed down their Izakaya on the day of the incident and disappeared. At the time, I thought they were leaving to cope with their grief, but now I suspect they may have been threatened by Morimoto Academy and had no choice but to leave Kyoto."

"Lastly, and this is the most significant suspicion I have, our homeroom teacher said something strange when she was addressing the class to mourn Meizi's passing. She said, 'Meizi's sacrifice is great.' Now, looking back, I'm certain that our homeroom teacher is a fanatical believer and may have been involved in Meizi's demise!" Juri Sonoda affirmed.

Liu Xing nodded and said seriously, "Indeed, these are all strong suspicions, but we need concrete evidence. Once I resolve my work-related issues back in my home country, I'll apply for a job at Morimoto Academy and try to infiltrate their ranks to gather information."

Juri Sonoda smiled and nodded, saying, "I'll be counting on you, Liu Xing. I can't return to the Island Nation right now because the Shadow Clan is still after me, and I'm somewhat of a public figure. Investigating the secrets of Morimoto Academy is out of the question for me, so I'm relying on you, Liu Xing."

Liu Xing nodded, about to respond when he noticed Yin En sitting next to them, arm around a man in his twenties wearing a suit. It was evident that this man was Honda-sensei.

"Tetsuya, it's a bit late, but from now on, your affairs are my responsibility," Yin En said with a smile, offering coffee instead of alcohol.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting Yin En to bond with Honda-sensei, or rather, Honda Tetsuya, so quickly. Honda Tetsuya appeared to be quite content.

"Thank you so much, Yin En. After hearing your words earlier, I feel like I've gained wisdom beyond my years. After I return to my home country this time, I plan to propose to Fujiwara," Honda Tetsuyanodded and said.

Liu Xing was certain that Yin En had used his persuasion skills on Honda Tetsuya, and it seemed to have been a great success, as Honda Tetsuyanow acknowledged Yin En as his big brother.

However, it seemed that Yin En hadn't mentioned anything about the sacrificial ceremony yet.

"By the way, Honda, where are you all going for your graduation trip? Maybe we can join you," Yin En steered the conversation back on track.

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