Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls-Chapter 534: The Mythical Creature at the Bottom of Cross Lake

Miguel thought for a moment and then said, "Patriarch, as you know, the parts I use to repair myself are vastly different from my original components. However, this difference in parts doesn’t significantly impact my abilities, but rather limits the duration for which I can use those abilities. When I use certain abilities, it accelerates the wear and tear on the corresponding parts, and then I have to replace them. I’m sure you understand what I mean, Patriarch."

Liu Xing nodded. Miguel’s meaning was quite simple - in his current state, the number of times he can use his abilities in each module is limited, unlike when he was in England where he could use them freely.

Speaking of England, it seems that Miguel must have been targeted by the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall there, as his overall strength was simply too powerful. The Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall had specifically arranged the Zekiel Island module to counter Miguel’s capabilities.

Regarding the England module, Liu Xing was still looking forward to Baruka bringing his clan back to Fisher’s Village. After all, Baruka was a powerful combatant, and with his clan and their control over the Shoggoths, dealing with the Deep Diving Society should not be a problem.

Wait a moment.

Liu Xing suddenly had a flash of inspiration, realizing something.

He pulled out his phone and searched for Baruka’s contact information, then dialed his number.

Baruka answered promptly, "Mr. Ryuusei, what can I do for you?"

Liu Xing got straight to the point. "Mr. Baruka, do you know the situation with the Cross Lake within the Tokyo Comprehensive University?"

In Liu Xing’s view, Baruka, who had been in the vicinity of Fisher’s Village for decades, should have some understanding of the situation in the Island Nation, as he would need to be vigilant against the pursuit of the Deep Ones and be intimately familiar with his surroundings, whether for fighting or fleeing.

Therefore, Liu Xing believed that Baruka should know about the situation with the Cross Lake in the Tokyo Comprehensive University, as according to the university’s freshman handbook, the appearance of the Cross Lake had caused quite a stir in Tokyo and the entire Island Nation. Baruka might have even gone to investigate it himself, given that the Deep Diving Society was currently investigating the secrets of the Cross Lake, which could be related to the Deep One clan.

After a moment of silence, Baruka replied, "The Cross Lake you’re talking about is probably the sea-eye lake in the Tokyo area that was originally dug out for the foundation of a department store, right?"

"Exactly, the Cross Lake is the same as the sea-eye lake you mentioned. We are currently near the Cross Lake, and what’s more important is that we have discovered the presence of the Deep Diving Society near the Cross Lake. We believe the Deep Diving Society is most likely here because of the Cross Lake."

Then, Liu Xing told Baruka about the situation with the Cross Lake, as he could tell from Baruka’s words that Baruka was not aware of what had happened to the sea-eye lake after it was transformed into the Cross Lake when the university was built.

After listening to Liu Xing’s explanation, Baruka fell silent for a moment before speaking seriously, "I see. In fact, I did visit the sea-eye lake, which is now the Cross Lake, out of curiosity. Although we Deep Ones can’t say we have a complete understanding of the ocean, we do know at least 90% of everything related to the sea. And a channel like the sea-eye lake that directly connects the ocean to the continent, we Deep Ones understand it very well. So when I heard about the appearance of the sea-eye lake in Tokyo, I immediately rushed to the site, as I was worried it might be something the Deep Ones had created to pursue me."

"But when I arrived at the Cross Lake, I noticed something was off. You see, we Deep Ones have a special ability to sense the flow of water, and I realized that the Cross Lake was not connected to the sea-eye, yet its water level remained constant despite constant water extraction. This piqued my interest, as I couldn’t detect any abnormalities in the Cross Lake itself. So I decided to take the opportunity to investigate further by diving in."

"Although exploring the unknown depths was extremely dangerous, I’m the kind of person who is very curious. So under the cover of darkness, I entered the Cross Lake. What I found underwater was even more complex than I had imagined. First, the visibility underwater was very low, and even I as a Deep One could only see about two meters around me. This immediately raised my suspicions, and I prepared to explore a bit more before leaving if I found nothing."

"But soon, I felt a barely perceptible disturbance in the water flow, so I followed the direction of the flow and discovered a strange object. How do I describe it? It looked like a fist-sized black stone, but its surface was constantly morphing, and water was constantly gushing out of it at the same rate as a surface pumping machine. I thought this stone might be a valuable treasure."

"So I tried to grab it, but as soon as I touched it, I sensed something was wrong. I could feel a strange pulsing coming from within the stone. That’s when I realized it was likely a living creature. Before I could react, the stone suddenly exploded, pushing me back several meters. In its place was a white cocoon-like structure, and I could vaguely see a humanoid creature inside."

"I was about to move in for a closer look, but I found the cocoon was surrounded by an invisible protective barrier that I couldn’t penetrate. Although I considered using brute force, I was worried the commotion might attract any Deep One pursuers in the area, so I decided to leave and make a new plan. When I returned later, I found the entire lake bottom had been shrouded in a strange blackness. No matter which direction I entered, I would emerge from the same spot after about a minute. In the end, I had to give up."

"Although I couldn’t see the cocoon again, I’ve been investigating its origins. I consider myself quite powerful, but to be bested by this mysterious cocoon has been rather humiliating. I’ve asked some of my friends, but they too can only speculate that the cocoon might be the larval stage of some kind of mythical creature. According to your human understanding, this creature would possess water, light, and even darkness attributes - a composite type of mythical being. But as you know, mythical creatures usually only have a single elemental attribute, like us Deep Ones representing water, Ghouls earth, Byakhee air, and Void Spirits time-space."

"So this mythical creature at the bottom of the Cross Lake, possessing three attributes, is most likely an artificially created one. Somehow, it was left dormant at the lake bottom until the construction workers disturbed it, causing it to use its abilities for self-preservation."

Just then, KP Bamboo Rat suddenly said, "Congratulations, Player Liu Xing, you’ve triggered the Hidden Quest for this module - the Mythical Creature at the Bottom of the Lake. The objective is simple - you just need to confirm what the mythical creature at the bottom of the Cross Lake looks like, or at least see it once. And the reward for this Hidden Quest is quite good, though I can’t tell you the specifics yet."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that he had triggered a Hidden Quest so unexpectedly.

However, despite KP Bamboo Rat making it sound simple, Liu Xing was certain this Hidden Quest would be extremely difficult. In the Cthulhu RPG, there was no such thing as an easy Hidden Quest.

Furthermore, based on the university handbook and Baruka’s account, Liu Xing could conclude that the mythical creature at the bottom of the Cross Lake had already passed its larval stage and was now a mature being, capable of freely moving within the lake and possessing even greater abilities.

Most importantly, this mythical creature had likely started to view humans as part of its diet, so any attempt to see it would require being prepared for certain death. Liu Xing didn’t think his strength surpassed Baruka’s, and he doubted he could even communicate with this creature.

So Liu Xing decided it would be best not to go looking for his own demise...

After hanging up with Baruka, Liu Xing relayed the content of their conversation and his own thoughts to Ling Ishikawa and the others.

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"I see. I never expected there to be such a mythical creature at the bottom of the Cross Lake. But Baruka is right - my mentor has also said that in RPG games, most mythical creatures and Great Old Ones usually possess a single elemental attribute, and their magic is related to that attribute. So a composite mythical creature with three attributes, like the one in the Cross Lake, is nearly impossible to exist. Therefore, I believe the creature at the bottom of the Cross Lake is likely a special individual created by high-tech races like the Yis People or Migo," Zhang Jingxu said seriously.

Liu Xing nodded in agreement. "I think so too. But should we investigate this mythical creature’s true nature?"

Ling Ishikawa decisively shook his head. "Going to find this mythical creature now would be suicide. It’s hiding in the Cross Lake, which is its own domain. If we want to confirm its appearance, we’d have to dive into the lake, but then it can do whatever it wants to us. And most importantly, from what we know, this mythical creature is not friendly towards humans."

So Liu Xing naturally chose to abandon the Hidden Quest.

What he didn’t realize was - sometimes, what seems like misfortune can turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

The conversation then shifted to the group of people in black robes they had encountered earlier.

"I noticed the style of the black robes they were wearing is similar to the ones worn by cult members in movies and TV shows, except there seems to be some kind of emblem on the chest area," Ming Hanxing recalled.

Zhang Jingxu took out his phone and nodded. "When I got back, I sent a message to Lu Tianya, asking her to check with Meng Mengzi and Mu Yao about who these black-robed people are. Lu Tianya just got back to me - these black-robed individuals are indeed members of the former Strange Tales Club. They’ve been holding these monthly club activities, where everyone dresses in black robes and gathers in the Old Teaching Building before 9 pm to perform all sorts of strange rituals, like the Pen Spirit and Disc Spirit. It seems we can safely conclude that the Strange Tales Club is just a front for the Deep Diving Society."

The group all nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, next time they have one of their club activities, we’ll hang around the Old Teaching Building and try to make contact with them, see what they’re really up to," Liu Xing said with a smile.

Just as Liu Xing finished speaking, his phone started ringing again. To his surprise, the caller ID showed it was OkoHayato. Liu Xing hadn’t been in touch with OkoHayato since the incident at Morimoto Academy.

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