Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls-Chapter 555: Descendant of the Yin Yang Master

For the secret cults, the official redemptive vouchers offered by the Island Nation’s government were incredibly enticing.

To the secret cults, as long as their actions remained undiscovered, they believed they had committed no crimes. However, once their misdeeds were exposed, they were typically considered capital offenses, punishable by death.

Although the Island Nation had abolished the death penalty, exceptions were made for extraordinary circumstances.

Thus, the government’s offer of redemptive vouchers reignited many secret cults’ pursuit of Thousand Face.

Of course, Liu Xing felt these secret cults had little chance of finding Thousand Face. As long as Thousand Face remained hidden within the official government buildings of Shinjuku District, they were virtually untraceable—such public institutions were practically impenetrable to members of the secret cults.

Moreover, the Island Nation’s authorities were in the dark, not considering the possibility that Thousand Face might be hiding right under their noses. Liu Xing believed that as long as Thousand Face didn’t slip up, the Island Nation’s officials would likely have a hard time apprehending him.

Therefore, it seemed imperative that Liu Xing find a way to tip off the Island Nation’s government.

At the end of a phone call, Zhang Wenbing mentioned a name—Luo Zhancheng.

Luo Zhancheng, the older cousin of Luo Renjie, was born just one day apart from him, resulting in a close relationship between the two. Due to his exceptional talents, Luo Zhancheng was put in charge of the internal security of their Yin Yang family clan at a young age. This trust was what Luo Renjie exploited to escape the clan years ago.

However, because of Luo Renjie’s actions, Luo Zhancheng was dispatched to work with the China Dao Sect. Although another Yin Yang family clan member was assigned for this task to avoid conflicts of interest, upon hearing the news, Luo Zhancheng secretly left the China Dao Sect and is now missing.

Of course, while Luo Zhancheng’s whereabouts were unknown, it was common knowledge that he must have arrived in the Island Nation. Yet, no one knew whether he came to assist Luo Renjie or to cause him trouble.

Thus, Luo Zhancheng became a significant variable in the equation.

After learning of Luo Zhancheng’s situation, Liu Xing had a bold idea: to find Luo Zhancheng and inform him of Thousand Face’s current location.

Since Luo Zhancheng was acting independently and had no ties to other powers, if Liu Xing could somehow locate him and then have a disciple convey Thousand Face’s whereabouts, there was a high chance Luo Zhancheng would seek out Thousand Face.

Given that Luo Zhancheng was likely being tracked by the Island Nation’s officials and other powers—who certainly did not wish for anyone to assist Thousand Face at this time—if Luo Zhancheng appeared near the Shinjuku District’s official buildings, these forces would be alerted, and Thousand Face’s location would inevitably be compromised.

However, pursuing this plan meant that Liu Xing and his associates would have to confront the resurrected Thousand Face 2.0 themselves. If Thousand Face 2.0 proved too powerful, Liu Xing would once again have to summon the Island Nation’s authorities for assistance...

Therefore, one could only hope that Thousand Face 2.0 would not be overwhelmingly strong.

With this in mind, Liu Xing took out his mobile phone and sent a text message to Honekawa Suneo, instructing him to investigate Luo Zhancheng’s whereabouts. Given that the Island Nation was still in a state of closure, Luo Zhancheng could not enter through normal means, and most special methods were closely monitored by official forces. Thus, there were only a few possible routes for Luo Zhancheng to choose from, and Honekawa Suneo should be able to gather some information on him. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

After concluding the call with Zhang Wenbing, Zhang Jingxu spoke up, "What’s your opinion? I think we should avoid confronting Thousand Face for now. Kamafera is known as a formidable demon in the Island Nation. If Thousand Face can harness even two-thirds of Kamafera’s strength, we stand no chance. Moreover, Kamafera has the terrifying ability to kill imperceptibly—we could end up dead without even realizing how it happened..."

Liu Xing outwardly agreed with Zhang Jingxu’s assessment while secretly awaiting news from Honekawa Suneo.

"Let’s return to the matter at hand regarding the Soul-Eater Demon," Ling Ishikawa began. "I have now obtained the hospital address of Maeda Katsuya and the names of several other students involved in the Summoning Ritual. These students are still at the school. Should we take the opportunity to meet with them?"

Liu Xing pondered for a moment before responding, "Oh, Ling Ishikawa, do you know where Mizuta Saki is at the moment? It’s probably better that we don’t make contact with Mizuta Saki for the time being." 𝙧ÄꞐO͍ВĘs̈

Nodding, Ling Ishikawa replied with a smile, "Even if we wanted to contact Mizuta Saki now, I’m afraid the chance is no longer there. Mizuta Saki was conducting unsafe activities in the dormitory, which led to a student being seriously injured. Consequently, Tokyo Comprehensive University has mandated Mizuta Saki’s expulsion. A friend of Mizuta Saki mentioned that she has already left Tokyo and returned to her hometown."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; he hadn’t expected Tokyo Comprehensive University to act so swiftly in expelling Mizuta Saki.

However, considering the circumstances, it was perhaps for the best. If Mizuta Saki hadn’t escalated the situation so severely, a simple reprimand might have sufficed. But with Maeda Katsuya’s incident, the nature of the predicament had fundamentally shifted.

With Tokyo Comprehensive University enforcing Mizuta Saki’s expulsion, it was somewhat of a relief for her, sparing her from the potential trouble of dealing with Maeda Katsuya’s family.

Of course, it was also beneficial for Liu Xing and his companions. They could now avoid meeting with Mizuta Saki, who was suspected of being a follower of the Deep Diving Society, thus preventing any unnecessary complications.

"So, where are these students now? How shall we approach them?" inquired Zhang Jingxu, clearly puzzled.

After some thought, Ling Ishikawa suggested, "Four of these students live together in the same dormitory and usually move as a group. We can seek them out to gather information. As for how to approach them, let’s pretend to bump into them at the cafeteria."

Liu Xing’s expression turned contemplative. The four male students Ling Ishikawa mentioned were likely players—unless all four were gay, it was improbable they would always stick together.

Therefore, if these men were indeed players, it was good news for Liu Xing’s group. Investigating just one of them could reveal any connections to the Deep Diving Society.

With this in mind, Liu Xing proposed, "Should I have Suneo investigate these individuals to ascertain if they’re affiliated with the Deep Diving Society?"

Ling Ishikawa shook his head seriously and said, "Those students are probably not members of the Deep Diving Society. When inquiring about them, I specifically asked about their relationship with Mizuta Saki and found that they were merely acquaintances. Besides, the clubs they had joined previously were anime clubs, which seems to indicate no relation to the Deep Diving Society."

Glancing at his mobile phone, Liu Xing noted that it was already 4:30 p.m.

There was one hour left until the cafeteria opened for dinner.

Liu Xing concluded, "Alright, we’ll try our luck at the cafeteria later and hope to encounter them there."

An hour later, Zhang Jingxu found a reason for Lu Tianya to stay at home and then proceeded to the Tokyo Comprehensive University cafeteria with Liu Xing and the others.

On their way, Zhang Jingxu expressed his concern, "If we do run into those students, Ryuusei and the rest of you should refrain from revealing your identities. I’ll take the lead in communicating with them, alright?"

Liu Xing nodded in agreement, aware that Zhang Jingxu was cautious of the possibility that one of the four players might belong to the Deep Diving Society. Revealing their identities would indeed complicate matters. Zhang Jingxu’s current identity, however, could be utilized effectively.

Soon after, Liu Xing and his companions arrived at the cafeteria.

As a comprehensive university, Tokyo Comprehensive University had a substantial student population, which was reflected in the eight different student cafeterias on campus.

The objective of Liu Xing and his companions on this journey was to head towards the Canteen No. 8, situated near the dormitories of the senior undergraduates and graduate students.

Due to the heavy rain today, many students had been too lazy to venture out for lunch, so Canteen No. 8 had just started serving food and was already filled with a considerable number of patrons.

Liu Xing and the others casually ordered a meal and began to feign looking for a seat in Canteen No. 8, but in reality, they were on the lookout for traces of those four students.

And indeed, they found them.

Zhang Jingxu gave a meaningful glance to Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa before leading the way to sit next to the four students.

Although Canteen No. 8 had many occupants, there were still plenty of seats available. Thus, when the four students saw Liu Xing and his group approaching to sit down, they looked at them with some confusion.

However, Zhang Jingxu was very direct and said, "Fellow seniors, I heard that you conducted a ceremony to summon a demon yesterday?"

The student sitting next to Zhang Jingxu hurriedly shook his head and responded, "No, no, we were just playing a game of disc spirit. The talk of a demon-summoning ritual is just a wild rumor spread amongst the students."

After saying this, the group of students intended to pick up their trays and leave.

It seemed the school had indeed issued them a gag order.

Seeing this, Zhang Jingxu quickly spoke up, "Fellow seniors, let me be straightforward. Although I have only heard some things about you, I can assure you that the demon-summoning ritual you performed was a success. This is because I know that Maeda Katsuya’s sudden vegetative state is due to an attack by the summoned demon!"

Zhang Jingxu’s words caused the four to halt in their tracks.

After a moment, the student who had spoken earlier said, "My name is Hashi Motojun, born into a declining family of Yin Yang Masters. My family lost the opportunity to remain in the Onmyōdō due to choosing the wrong side in the Battle of Sekigahara. Although we only retained a few books of our Yin Yang Master heritage, I still learned quite a bit. Hence, when Mizuta Saki gathered people for the demon-summoning ritual, I brought along a few classmates to participate, not expecting Mizuta Saki to actually obtain a genuine demon-summoning parchment."

"While conducting the Summoning Ritual, I felt something was amiss because I could sense the demon responding to our call, and I could feel its malevolence towards us. I wanted to stop Mizuta Saki from carrying out the Summoning Ritual, but at that moment Maeda Katsuya, along with his girlfriend, intruded upon the ritual, which agitated the demon. In order to appease it and prevent it from rampaging, I could only watch as Mizuta Saki continued with the ritual."

"I knew that a Summoning Ritual conducted by amateurs had a slim chance of success, even if the demon responded, mainly due to the summoners’ lack of ability. Moreover, the ritual had been interrupted midway, so I thought there was only about a ten percent chance of summoning the demon. To my surprise, the ritual was a success and an incorporeal demon was summoned, which then attacked Maeda Katsuya, leaving him in a vegetative state."

Hearing Hashi Motojun’s account, Liu Xing looked at him with some surprise, not expecting that Hashi Motojun hailed from a family of Yin Yang Masters. It seemed that Hashi Motojun’s ancestors must have held a high position in the Onmyōdō during the Battle of Sekigahara, or else they would not have been expelled for choosing the wrong side.

In this parallel world, the Onmyōdō, established during the peaceful Heian period of the Island Nation and serving as an official post, was similar to that in the real world. It was set up by the Emperor to control the Yin Yang Masters, with prominent figures like Abe no Seimei being high-level figures in the Onmyōdō.

As for the Battle of Sekigahara, it was a famous battle during the waning days of the Island Nation’s Warring States period. Broadly speaking, this battle determined the future course of the Island Nation, and more narrowly, it decided whether the country would be ruled by the Toyotomi or the Tokugawa.

It appeared that Hashi Motojun’s ancestors had not sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu.

However, returning to the matter at hand, from Hashi Motojun’s narration, Liu Xing could infer that Hashi Motojun was likely a player from the Ghoul region. This was because he seemed unaware of the existence of the Soul-Eater Demon. The reason wassimple: Hashi Motojun’s family had chosen incorrectly during a crucial historical battle, resulting in their fall from grace. Despite this, he still had knowledge from his heritage as Yin Yang Masters. During the summoning, he sensed the danger and wanted to stop it, but was unable to prevent the demon from being called forth due to the interruption caused by Maeda Katsuya and his girlfriend. To his surprise, the ritual was a success, but it resulted in Maeda being attacked and left in a vegetative state.

Liu Xing was intrigued by Motojun’s background, considering his ancestry and his knowledge, which seemed to indicate that he might be a "player" from the Ghoul region, especially given his lack of awareness about the Soul-Eater Demon’s existence. This misunderstanding further complicated their already difficult situation, adding layers of intrigue and danger to their quest.

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