Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 298: The Mysterious Circular Space

Because Zhang Jingxu had only mentioned the Wall-Passing Technique during their time in the Private Room, he proceeded to explain the effects and usage guidelines of the technique once again.

In a sense, this floor indeed resembled a "wall," meeting the conditions for the Wall-Passing Technique.

Liu Xing’s initial reaction was to use his head to make contact with the ground. After all, according to the requirements of the Wall-Passing Technique, one’s head had to hit the "wall" first.

However, this "wall" was exceptionally unique. While regular walls would allow Liu Xing to simply close his eyes and extend his head to pass through, using the Wall-Passing Technique on this particular "wall" required Liu Xing to leap from the table and execute a diving motion with his head.

Anyone could tell that using this method would surely result in injuries for Liu Xing. Apart from reducing his HP, he could suffer debuffs like "fracture," "unconsciousness," or even face an instant death judgment.

Therefore, Liu Xing looked at Zhang Jingxu with an expression that seemed to say, "Are you trying to get me killed? If I attempt the Wall-Passing Technique now, I’ll be at least partially disabled. In the worst-case scenario, I might die right here."

Zhang Jingxu chuckled and replied to Liu Xing, "Not necessarily. Although the Wall-Passing Technique has some strict requirements, there’s room for flexibility in certain aspects. For instance, while it demands that you start by forcefully hitting your head against a wall, Ryuusei, you can simply lie on the chair and use your head to strike the ground. So, in reality, all you need to do is bow, and at most, you might get a minor bump. I’ve even prepared healing potions just in case."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding some logic in Zhang Jingxu’s explanation.

With that, Liu Xing positioned himself on the chair, and Zhang Jingxu began sprinkling the special powder required for the Wall-Passing Technique. Liu Xing was reminded of itching powder as he felt a slight discomfort on his skin due to the small amount of powder adhering to it, making him itch.

Once Liu Xing was prepared, Zhang Jingxu contacted KP Green Light, saying, "KP, I’m about to use the Wall-Passing Technique on Liu Xing, and I intend to spend 5 MP."

KP Green Light promptly responded, "Oh, then Player Zhang Jingxu successfully used the Wall-Passing Technique on Player Liu Xing. The effect of the Wall-Passing Technique on Liu Xing will last for fifty minutes, with a success rate of twenty-five percent each time. Of course, if Player Liu Xing wishes to undergo a Willpower Judgment, the success rate of the Wall-Passing Technique will increase to fifty percent. However, if the Willpower Judgment fails, the success rate will decrease to twenty percent, and you’ll take one point of damage. Also, if Player Liu Xing fails to use the Wall-Passing Technique, I will determine the likelihood and extent of HP loss based on his posture during the attempt."

The Daoist philosophy emphasizes the importance of sincerity, which is why KP Green Light offered the option of Willpower Judgment. Liu Xing remembered watching a domestic animation in his childhood where a character learned Magic Spells from a Daoist and was told that Wall-Passing Technique required strong belief in one’s ability to pass through walls for it to succeed.

Considering his Willpower attribute value was 75, Liu Xing thought it was a good deal to request a Willpower Judgment.

So, Liu Xing decisively asked KP Green Light to perform a Willpower Judgment.

Liu Xing, 63/75, succeeded.

Seeing the result, Liu Xing couldn’t help but sigh with relief. After all, there was a significant difference between a twenty-five percent success rate and a fifty percent success rate.

At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly felt a surge of confidence and was eager to dive headfirst into the floor.

Therefore, Liu Xing requested a judgment for the Wall-Passing Technique from KP Green Light.

Liu Xing, 33/50, succeeded.

As soon as the judgment result was announced, Liu Xing felt compelled to dive towards the ground. Even though he knew the Wall-Passing Technique had succeeded, he couldn’t help closing his eyes.

The sensation of passing through the wooden board was incredibly peculiar. It felt like jumping into jelly, but in an instant, he emerged on the other side of the "jelly."

Liu Xing had successfully arrived in the underground passage of Fisher’s Village.

In the pitch-black underground passage, Liu Xing took out his phone from his pocket and activated the flashlight mode.

At this moment, Zhang Jingxu, who was above Liu Xing, remarked, "Tsk tsk, Ryuusei, you’re really lucky. I hadn’t used this Wall-Passing Technique before. My master once told me that even with my current strength, my success rate would be at most twenty-five percent. I didn’t expect you to succeed so easily."

Liu Xing could sense that Zhang Jingxu’s tone was somewhat weak, as using 5 MP was equivalent to half of an average person’s MP.

However, for the sake of a convincing performance, Liu Xing couldn’t help but jokingly scold, "You, Zhang Jingxu, why didn’t you tell me the success rate of the Wall-Passing Technique earlier? If it weren’t for my good luck, I might not have made it down here."

Zhang Jingxu also smiled and replied, "Sincerity is crucial in our Daoist Magic Spells. As long as you firmly believe that the Magic Spells will succeed, there’s a good chance they will. Well, Ryuusei, keep this in mind. You only have fifty minutes to explore the underground of Fisher’s Village. If you can’t use the Wall-Passing Technique to return to the surface after fifty minutes, you’ll have to search for an exit in this underground passage. So, I wish you good luck."

Liu Xing nodded and said, "Got it." He then began preparing to explore the underground world of Fisher’s Village.

However, at this moment, just a few steps into his journey, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something crucial. He had impulsively leaped into the underground passage without testing the air quality. If this underground passage had been sealed for a long time, the air inside could be dangerously scarce.

Although there was a ventilation opening above his head to temporarily satisfy his breathing needs, Liu Xing became concerned that if he continued forward, he might risk losing consciousness due to oxygen deprivation. This would be troublesome, and it could even lead to his demise.

Therefore, Liu Xing took a step back and communicated with Zhang Jingxu above, saying, "Zhang Jingxu, please pass down a lit candle so that I can assess the air quality in the underground passage. I don’t want to risk my life down here, and you won’t even know if something happens."

After a while, Zhang Jingxu handed down a lit candle from the hole. This candle had undergone special treatment by Zhang Jingxu, as it was wrapped with an oil-soaked cloth and had a small wooden stick inserted at the base, turning it into a small torch.

However, at this moment, Liu Xing realized another significant problem: the distance between his head and the ground was approximately half a meter. This meant that unless he could achieve a highly successful jumping judgment, he wouldn’t be able to jump high enough to use the Wall-Passing Technique.

So, Liu Xing immediately used his phone’s flashlight to illuminate the ground around him. To his disappointment, he couldn’t find any suitable stepping stones.

This was a predicament.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow, contemplating his options.

Firstly, for safety reasons, Liu Xing couldn’t bring stepping stones from elsewhere and place them here for jumping. Even if he succeeded in using the Wall-Passing Technique, he wouldn’t be able to carry those stepping stones with him. If someone passed through this area later, they might discover the conspicuous stepping stones and deduce that an outsider had entered.

Therefore, Liu Xing attempted to jump higher by treading on the surrounding walls.

Fortunately, after two tries, Liu Xing successfully touched the wooden board above his head. However, the strange noises he made while attempting this alarmed Miyako Goudong, who asked nervously, "Ryuusei, are you okay underground? What’s that sound?"

Liu Xing chuckled awkwardly and replied, "It’s nothing, I’m just trying to see if I can jump high enough to reach the wooden board. After all, this underground passage is quite deep. Alright, I’m setting off now. Wish me luck."

With that, Liu Xing began moving forward into the unknown.

Although the candle’s light was decent, Liu Xing decided to use his phone’s flashlight to ensure better visibility and navigate more effectively.

Based on the signs of aging on the walls, Liu Xing was surprised to discover that Fisher’s Village’s underground passage had been constructed at least twenty years ago. This was evident because the underground passage did not appear to be constructed using machinery.

If it had been Matsui Ichiro or the Ocean True Deity Sect that dug this underground passage, they would have likely used some small-scale machinery. Relying solely on manual labor would be time-consuming, strenuous, and hazardous, which wouldn’t align with Matsui Ichiro or the Ocean True Deity Sect’s standards. Therefore, Liu Xing speculated that this underground passage had been built before Matsui Ichiro arrived in Fisher’s Village for missionary work.

However, if that were the case, new questions arose. Who built this underground passage in the first place, and what was its purpose?

Due to time constraints, Liu Xing couldn’t delve deep into these thoughts, so he continued forward with his questions unanswered.

Soon, Liu Xing arrived at a three-way intersection.

Based on Liu Xing’s previous analysis of the underground passage’s direction, he was fairly certain that the middle path led to Dogo Aige’s underground grass hut, while the left path likely led to the Fisher’s Village Graveyard. As for the right path, it seemed to lead to... the seabed?

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow because the right path appeared to have nothing overhead, and continuing forward for a few dozen meters would likely lead to the shoreline. So, barring any surprises, the right path was either a dead end or possibly extended deeper into the seabed.

Thinking this, Liu Xing decided to explore the right path, as he had a fairly good idea of where the other two paths led. He didn’t need to rush to those destinations; he would explore this unknown path first.

Therefore, Liu Xing entered the right path.

Of course, to avoid getting lost, Liu Xing drew a directional marker on the ground at the intersection.

After walking for more than ten meters, Liu Xing suddenly saw a wooden door in front of him. Fortunately, this door wasn’t locked, so Liu Xing easily pushed it open.

Beyond the wooden door, Liu Xing’s surroundings immediately expanded because he had entered a massive circular space. Liu Xing estimated that the area of this circular space was approximately the size of the Bird’s Nest Stadium.

His conclusion was based on both the similar size of this circular space and the countless wooden strips of varying lengths and sizes affixed to the walls, which reminded Liu Xing of the Bird’s Nest Stadium.

Liu Xing tentatively tried to remove one of the wooden strips but found that they seemed to be seamlessly integrated with the walls. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t detach them.

This only heightened Liu Xing’s curiosity. Who had constructed this underground passage in Fisher’s Village, and why had they built this peculiar circular space?

Now, Liu Xing was certain that as long as he maintained his sense of direction, this circular space was already located below sea level.

Liu Xing reached out to measure the height of the circular space, which was approximately three meters. This suggested that he was descending after entering the underground passage, even though it felt like he was walking on level ground. Otherwise, this circular space couldn’t have such a height, unless the upper walls of this circular space were only a few centimeters thick.

Because the circular space was vast, and Liu Xing’s phone flashlight had limited visibility, he could only proceed along the walls.

Soon, Liu Xing noticed that every five meters or so on the walls of the circular space, there were stone urns, but these urns appeared to be empty.

Frowning, Liu Xing realized that this circular space might be some kind of sacrificial site, given the presence of so many urns.

However, based on Liu Xing’s earlier speculations, this underground passage likely wasn’t constructed by Matsui Ichiro or the Ocean True Deity Sect, so it couldn’t be their sacrificial site.

So, could this be the sacrificial site of a secret cult?