Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 212: Discussion and Recap

"The author of 'Shanghai Beach Chronicles,' mentioned in Chapter 211, remains unidentified. However, based on the narrative style, it appears that the author was a returned overseas Chinese, and had encountered some mythical creatures abroad. The reason for their return to Shanghai Beach was to meet the Swollen Woman."

"The first sighting of the Swollen Woman occurred during the First Opium War when the British Army occupied Guangzhou. A small group of soldiers mysteriously disappeared within the city. At the time, an Army Chaplain suspected that these disappearances were related to mythical creatures. He requested the British Army's high command to abandon the investigation, as dealing with mythical creatures was no easy task."

"However, the British Army's high command, having defeated the inept Qing Army, grew overconfident and believed that mythical creatures in China were as feeble as the Qing Army. They dispatched a team of soldiers to investigate. In an abandoned old mansion within the city, the British Army's high command found the bodies of the missing soldiers. Their deaths were gruesome, with holes drilled into their heads, leaving their brains completely consumed."

"At this point, the British Army's high command started to panic. They remembered the descriptions of the mythical creature from the Army Chaplain, realizing how terrifying these creatures were. The creature, which fed on brain matter, reminded them of Western vampires. Consequently, the British Army's high command decided to retreat, planning to clean up the bodies of the missing soldiers and abandon the investigation."

"But at that moment, the doors and windows of the old mansion closed on their own, and the Swollen Woman, holding a fan, appeared inside. The British Army's high command sensed that something was amiss and ordered the soldiers to attack the Swollen Woman. After a volley of gunfire, the Swollen Woman remained unharmed and leisurely approached."

"Then, when she drew near, the Swollen Woman dropped her fan and revealed her true forma corpulent humanoid creature with tentacles. In an instant, she grabbed a British Army soldier with her tentacles, ignoring the attacks of the others. She gruesomely crushed the soldier's head and devoured his brain, completely unfazed."

"Witnessing this, the other British Army soldiers almost instantly lost their sanity. They were helplessly devoured, one by one, like lambs to the slaughter. However, the British Army's high command, an experienced veteran, still retained some resistance. He sought an opportunity to harm the Swollen Woman, searching for a glimmer of hope."

"Yet, the British Army's high command discovered that even at point-blank range, shooting the Swollen Woman in the eye did no harm. She continued to consume brains, seemingly impervious. So, the British Army's high command had no choice but to await his fate. When only the British Army's high command and one soldier remained, the Swollen Woman suddenly ceased her actions."

"The Swollen Woman let out a satisfied belch and spoke. She had eaten her fill for the day and had no interest in further violence. With a wave of her fan, she vanished into the darkness. The British Army's high command and the remaining soldier immediately left the mansion. The British Army's high command decided to return to England, vowing never to set foot in China again. He recounted his experiences to the author of 'Shanghai Beach Chronicles,' who was a student of an Occultist. This Occultist identified the creature as the Swollen Woman."

"When the author of 'Shanghai Beach Chronicles' decided to return to China, the Occultist shared the story of the Swollen Woman. The author then went to investigate in Guangzhou but found that the Swollen Woman had disappeared after the British Army's disappearances. Frustrated, the author turned to his hometown, Shanghai."

"Shortly after returning to Shanghai, the author heard of a new series of disappearances. The victims mysteriously vanished at night, and their bodies reappeared three days later at the entrance of a church, in a state similar to the British Army soldiers from years ago. The author realized that the Swollen Woman had somehow left Guangzhou and arrived in Shanghai."

"Subsequently, the author embarked on a dangerous quest, investigating various mythical creatures in Shanghai Beach. He discovered ghouls disguised as humans, small fishing villages around Shanghai trading with Deep Ones, and cultists enslaving Byakhee. Ultimately, the author received information that the Swollen Woman had taken on the guise of a dancer. However, 'Shanghai Beach Chronicles' abruptly ends here. It is evident that the Swollen Woman eliminated the author, but for unknown reasons, she preserved 'Shanghai Beach Chronicles' and handed it to me."

After Gu Jun finished recounting the story of the Swollen Woman, Liu Xing suddenly realized a problem. Gu Jun had shared so much information about the Swollen Woman; it should have triggered a sanity check.

"Alright, player Gu Jun has successfully triggered a sanity check. Now, I will determine how much SAN value each player loses and how much Cthulhu Mythos knowledge they gain based on their respective values," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile.

Subsequently, KP Li Shunchan privately contacted Liu Xing. "Liu Xing, you can now undergo a successful sanity check, reducing your SAN value by 1 point if successful, or 1d3 points if failed."

Liu Xing: 14/76, Success.

"Good luck! Liu Xing, you lose 1 point of SAN value and gain 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, along with some information about the Swollen Woman," KP Li Shunchan said and then turned his attention to the other players.

After a while, everyone completed their sanity checks, and Liu Xing could see from their expressions that Chen Wenbin and Yin En had lost a significant amount of SAN value.

"I see. But, Gu Jun, the Swollen Woman you encountered in the movie should probably be just a projection. After all, the Swollen Woman that Otonashi Takuya encountered could be considered a deity, while the one you encountered was more like a monster. And when Otonashi Takuya met the Swollen Woman, the movie hadn't even been created yet, so her power shouldn't have declined over time," Yin En analyzed seriously.

Gu Jun chuckled and nodded, saying, "Yin En, you're right. I also believe that the Swollen Woman I encountered was just a projection. According to the other information I found, the Swollen Woman has been active in the China region for a long time and even worshipped in some places as a deity. This suggests her formidable power. However, she prefers to stay in populous cities, so with changing times, the Swollen Woman has moved to different cities. The most recent location I could find her activity was during the 2008 Beijing Olympics."

Liu Xing rubbed his chin and said, somewhat perplexed, "But speaking of which, wasn't the Swollen Woman always active in the China region? How did she suddenly appear in the Island Nation hundreds of years ago? What's the explanation for this?"

Gu Jun smiled and took out Kuroba Naoki's notebook, explaining, "Initially, I didn't fully understand this either. However, I just read Kuroba Naoki's notebook, and I think I've figured out why. In simple terms, Otonashi Takuya entered a transdimensional portal during that heavy rain and arrived directly from the Island Nation to the China region. If I'm not mistaken, the mansion you entered on that rainy night should have had a more pronounced Chinese style."

Otonashi Takuya furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and then nodded seriously, saying, "Gu Jun, I hadn't paid attention to that, but you're right. The mansion I entered that night indeed had a strong Chinese architectural influence and didn't resemble the mansions in the Island Nation."

Gu Jun nodded in agreement and continued, "According to Kuroba Naoki's notebook, he had a theory about the Kingdom of Tindalos. He believed that the Kingdom of Tindalos possessed space-time jump technology. According to some ancient folklore, King Tindalos could cast a spell allowing his forces to teleport from the enemy's front to their rear. Many important buildings in the Kingdom of Tindalos had unique golden arches, with reliefs above them featuring strange symbols. Based on research by a general who later conquered the Kingdom of Tindalos, these golden arches seemed to be teleportation gates that allowed people to move freely within these buildings. Unfortunately, these golden arches seemed to lack a central gemstone as a power source, and when King Tindalos disappeared, these gemstones vanished as well."

Yin En exclaimed, "Wow, King Tindalos must have been incredibly powerful to possess space-time jump technology."

Chen Wenbin, on the other hand, seemed less surprised and said with a smile, "If King Tindalos belonged to Yis People, it's entirely possible. Yis People had advanced technology. When I was possessed by Yis People, I witnessed their advanced technology. Yis People could use a remote-like device to instantly move to any location on a planet in less than a second."

Gu Jun added, "You're correct. Many powerful wizards are known to possess a spell called 'Gate of Time and Space,' which allows them to open a doorway and quickly move from one place to another. Swollen Woman, as a powerful mythical creature, likely possesses this spell. So, it's highly likely that when Otonashi Takuya entered the mansion during that heavy rain, he unwittingly entered the Gate of Time and Space opened by the Swollen Woman, which transported him from the Island Nation to China."

Otonashi Takuya suddenly realized and said, "I see. That's why the mansion I entered disappeared without a trace. It never existed in that location."

Chen Wenbin, feeling a bit embarrassed, shook his head and said, "Alright, alright, my mistake."

Gu Jun intervened to steer the conversation back on track, saying, "Well, let's get back to the main point. Sawada Tomohiko's resurrection as the Killer Demon was most likely orchestrated by the Swollen Woman herself. So, I believe the Swollen Woman is aware of King Tindalos's plan and is intentionally causing chaos."

Liu Xing nodded and said seriously, "Sawada Tomohiko's death back then was almost certainly planned by the Swollen Woman because only when Sawada Tomohiko died did Kanna Ryoko turn Aoki and others into Ghouls, and you, Otonashi Takuya, also became what you are now. Subsequently, as Ghoul Honda Koichi defected and joined forces with the Dark Willow Gang, it gave the Dark Willow Gang a reason to vie for Mian Gu Lu. Now, with Sawada Tomohiko's return, Kanna Ryoko and you, along with Aoki and other Ghouls, are forced to get involved in this turmoil."

Yasaka Mashiro, who had been quiet, chimed in, "So, does this mean that the Swollen Woman will personally appear in a few days?"

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