Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 239: Live Streaming in Progress

Liu Xing?! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, but quickly realized that Shizuka was speaking the Island Nation Language.

In this immersive Cthulhu RPG Game, players encountered language barriers after advancing to the Shoggoth Region. To overcome this challenge, players had to add language skills beyond their native tongue to their character cards, just in case.

Players like Liu Xing, who had limited knowledge of the Island Nation Language in real life, were fortunate that the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall had a real-time translation feature. So, even though NPCs or other players spoke in the Island Nation Language, it was instantly translated into Chinese when it reached Liu Xing's ears. Liu Xing could also speak in Chinese, but it came out as the Island Nation Language when he said, "Liu Xing."

Therefore, Liu Xing understood that when Shizuka said "Liu Xing," she was likely referring to the pronunciation of "Liu Xing" in the Island Nation Language, which was why he heard it as "Liu Xing."

With this realization, Liu Xing glanced at Juri Sonoda and noticed that she had no objections, confirming his interpretation.

It was quite a coincidence to encounter an NPC in the Cthulhu RPG Game with a name similar to his own.

The NPC named Liu Xing smiled and asked, "Hey, Shizuka, what are you filming with your phone?"

Shizuka also smiled but gave a casual reason, "Oh, my parents wanted to see what I'm doing on the cruise ship, so they asked me to livestream it for them. We're about to visit the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship, and I want my parents to see something different. After all, places like the cockpit are rarely seen by ordinary people."

Juri Sonoda couldn't help but tease, "Shizuka, you're quite resourceful. When I write my report later, I'll make sure to criticize you thoroughly. Let you know not to provoke those who hold pens."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and shook his head with a smile, surprised by Juri Sonoda's pettiness.

Back to the video feed, Liu Xing nodded and pointed ahead at Honda Tetsuya and the headmaster, saying, "I think you should still be careful, Shizuka. The headmaster is not one to take lightly. If he catches you livestreaming with your phone, he'll likely give you a lecture."

Shizuka snorted and said with a smile, "Do you think I'm still afraid of him, a mere headmaster? We're on our graduation trip now, and in two months, we'll be graduating and leaving this behind."

In Island Nation, high school graduation season typically occurred around March (incidentally, in reality, Island Nation's high school graduation trip should take place in the spring of their second year, but for the sake of the story, it was changed to two months before graduation).

Liu Xing shook his head and chuckled, "Shizuka, you do remember that we have to stay in school for two more months, right? While the headmaster might not say much now during our trip, once we return to school, he might make things difficult for you. And these two months, whether long or short, can be quite challenging."

Hearing Liu Xing's words, Shizuka felt a bit uneasy and said, "You might be right... I should be careful. Nobita, you walk in front of me and shield me from the headmaster's view."

At this moment, the second screen started shaking, indicating that Nobita was the second person livestreaming with his phone.

After walking for a while, the camera arrived at a staircase where a middle-aged person in crew attire was conversing enthusiastically with the headmaster. Since Shizuka and the others were standing farther back, they couldn't hear the conversation between the headmaster and the crew member, but Liu Xing guessed it was some kind of business discussion.

Suddenly, two figures descended the staircase: Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin!

Liu Xing couldn't help but feel his sanity slipping away when he saw Mo Jin, who now had an "Innsmouth Face." Mo Jin had truly transformed into a fish-like being, reminding Liu Xing of the game Warcraft, specifically the murlocs.

"Um, Liu Xing, is this the Deep One you mentioned? This appearance is... quite ugly," Juri Sonoda commented with some disdain.

The Morimoto Academy students present couldn't help but start discussing when they saw Mo Jin's "fishy" appearance. The main topic of their conversation was how strange and ugly he looked.

"This person seems to be from Innsmouth in the United Lighthouse States. The local natives there have a significant chance of developing this fish-like appearance due to a unique condition known as Innsmouth Face. Although it is more common in coastal regions, we've even seen a case in Hokkaido, Island Nation. Some believe it results from a genetic mutation or atavism, considering some theories suggest humans evolved from marine creatures."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Ryusei was knowledgeable about Innsmouth Face. It seemed that Meteor might be an important NPC in this module.

"Wow, Ryusei, you truly are the top student in our class, knowing all this," Shizuka exclaimed in amazement.

Ryusei smiled and shook his head, saying earnestly, "Shizuka, you're exaggerating. I'm just interested in some quirky things and happen to know about peculiar facts like Innsmouth Face. By the way, because there are people with Innsmouth Face in various parts of the world, some enthusiasts have devised a method to distinguish true Innsmouth residents: they emit a faint fishy odor. When the wind blew earlier, I smelled a hint of fishiness from that person, which is why I'm confident he's from Innsmouth."

Nobita nodded and chuckled, "I was wondering why I suddenly smelled that fishy odor. I thought I was mistaken, but it turns out it came from that person."

While Nobita and the others were chatting happily, the headmaster suddenly exclaimed, "What are you all making so much noise for? Is this the level of manners our Morimoto Academy students possess? The captain of the Yueshihao cruise ship kindly invited us to visit the cockpit. I expect everyone to be quiet, behave civilized, and not make unnecessary commotion here. What kind of example are you setting?"

"And I overheard what you were discussing earlier," continued the headmaster. "Hasn't your teacher, Mr. Honda, taught you not to mock others' appearances? It's truly disappointing to see the behavior of our class. Mr. Honda, please take this group of students to visit the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship. I need to apologize to Mr. Mo Jin here. We can meet again in the lounge later."

With that, the headmaster bowed respectfully to Mo Jin and then departed with Mo Jin and Bai Hecheng.

Liu Xing rubbed his chin, and unlike the bewildered students, he understood that the headmaster's sudden outburst was likely just an excuse to leave with Mo Jin and Bai Hecheng. Nevertheless, it was evident that the headmaster was seizing an opportunity to criticize Mr. Honda Tetsuya.

Liu Xing could now be reasonably sure that Mo Jin held a significant role in this module, given the headmaster's attitude toward him. Mo Jin was likely the leader of the ritual ceremony.

Shizuka, who had snapped out of her thoughts, sighed, "This headmaster is a hypocrite. He constantly mocks Mr. Honda, and now he blames us. Plus, that Mo Jin person does look exceptionally strange."

Ryusei nodded, turned to look in the direction Bai Hecheng and the others had left, and said thoughtfully, "Indeed, and don't you think the headmaster's reaction was excessive? There was no need for him to apologize to that Innsmouth person like that. I think the headmaster must know Mo Jin personally, which would explain his excessive respect."

"That's right, I share the same opinion. This headmaster has always been condescending, but I've never seen him show such respect to anyone, not even the principal. Mo Jin's unusual appearance must mean he holds a high position, probably within some influential consortium," added Nobita, expressing his thoughts.

"Alright, students, let's quiet down. We're about to enter the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship for our tour. I hope you'll lower your voices during the visit and pay attention to Mr. Watanabe's explanations," said Mr. Honda Tetsuya, clapping his hands to get their attention.

With that, Shizuka and the others fell silent, and Mr. Watanabe led them up the stairs.

After passing through a metal door, they entered the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship.

When Liu Xing saw the cockpit, he raised an eyebrow. It was surprisingly spacious, with an area close to a hundred square meters. Besides the instrument panels on the sides, there was a large open space in the middle, featuring a table about two meters long and several chairs.

"Liu Xing, why is the cockpit so spacious? What's the point of having such a big area with just a table?" Juri Sonoda wondered aloud.

Liu Xing shook his head and pulled out his phone to access the original design plans of the Yueshihao cruise ship. Perplexed, he said, "I have no idea. This seems unusual because cruise ship space is typically precious. Even my luxury single room is smaller than this. The cockpit being this large doesn't make sense. Look at this design plan; the current cockpit is at least twice the size of what's shown."

Juri Sonoda furrowed her brows and commented, "In that case, this place might indeed serve as the location for the ritual ceremony. After all, with so much space, it could easily accommodate all the Morimoto Academy students lying down."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement and said with a smile, "That's a possibility, but for now, let's just observe and see."

At this point, a middle-aged man appeared on the video, the captain of the Yueshihao cruise ship. He smiled and said, "Welcome, students, to the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship. I am Choi Seok-sil, the shipyard owner of Cosmic Country. I hope you will enjoy your time on the Yueshihao cruise ship. I believe this will be one of the most memorable moments of your life."

"Heh, I think what he really wants to say is that this will be our last moment," Juri Sonoda quipped.

Suddenly, someone patted Shizuka on the shoulder, and the camera shifted to reveal a young man with a sharp nose and a spiky haircut, accompanied by a burly, muscular man.

"Suneo, Gian, what's up?" Shizuka asked curiously.

Suneo discreetly pointed at Choi Seok-sil and whispered, "I know this Choi Seok-sil. He's not a ship captain at all; he's the owner of a tire company in Cosmic Country. We did business with his company before, and I even had a meal with him."

Ryusei raised an eyebrow and inquired, "So, Suneo, are you suggesting that something is amiss with this captain?"

Suneo nodded and gestured towards the other two crew-looking middle-aged men, saying, "That's right. If I'm not mistaken, those two are also owners of Cosmic Country companies. It seems highly suspicious that they've dressed up as ship crew members. I suspect there's a hidden agenda here."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda exchanged glances, silently reaching a consensus that these Cosmic Country company owners posing as Yueshihao cruise ship crew members were most likely fervent Deep One worshipers. After all, these Cosmic Country executives wouldn't engage in such cosplay for fun, and Yueshihao cruise ship operators wouldn't invite them to play crew members for the sake of authenticity.

So, the truth seemed clear: these Cosmic Country company owners were devoted followers of the Deep Ones, and this gathering was related to some secretive ceremony.

This revelation was a positive development for Liu Xing because it provided an opportunity for Juri Sonoda to come clean with Shizuka and tell her the truth.

Nobita asked, "So, what are they here for?"

Suneo shook his head and said helplessly, "I don't know for sure, but it doesn't seem like a good thing. After all, these outsiders being in charge of operating the ship... I can't shake the feeling that something could go wrong."

At this point, Mr. Watanabe began explaining various instruments to the group, and Shizuka and the others temporarily gave up their discussion.

Approximately half an hour later, the tour concluded.

Choi Seok-sil spoke once more, "Dear students, if you're willing, you can return here tomorrow morning. I'll explain the entire process of docking the ship."

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