With nothing else to do, everyone began assigning rooms. Wang Siyi, the only woman, naturally occupied a small room. Since no one wanted to share a room with Bai Hecheng, Bai Hecheng also occupied a separate room. The larger room was occupied by Liu Xing, Wang Qi, and Chen Ling. However, unless something unexpected happened, Liu Xing and the others wouldn't stay overnight in the castle. As soon as the main quest was completed, they would find a way to leave the castle and Ain't Town.
After the rooms were assigned, Wang Siyi, seeing nothing else to do, retired to her own room to rest. Bai Hecheng, at the insistence of Liu Xing and Chen Ling, and after some persuasion (physical), returned to her own room with a displeased look on her face.
The castle's large guest room, approximately 50 square meters, was furnished with simple furnishings and two large beds. The window afforded a view of the castle's back garden.
Of course, it wasn't so much a back garden as a somewhat run-down courtyard, overgrown with weeds, and it was clear it hadn't been tended to in a while.
Thinking about it, since Liu Xing entered the castle, he'd only seen Old Wayne, the butler, and hadn't seen any other servants. It seemed the castle's owner was either worried about the crowds and the discovery of his secret, or financially constrained, so he didn't hire more servants.
Liu Xing felt the latter was more likely. Judging by the furnishings of this guest room, it seemed a bit shabby for a British aristocrat who loved luxury and prestige. Furthermore, even the back garden hadn't been maintained for a long time, and the entire castle had only one old butler. This clearly indicated that the castle's owner was facing a financial crisis.
Liu Xing stroked his chin and began to ponder a question: Was there any chance he could make a move?
If Liu Xing's previous speculation was correct, the castle's lord was likely a human with knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos, perhaps possessing some spells or the ability to summon low-level mythical creatures. However, as long as his SAN value wasn't in the single digits, Liu Xing felt he could still use his Persuasion skills on the castle's lord, perhaps pretending to be a wealthy young man and offering financial assistance.
This seemed like a good idea.
"Player, Dr. Doctor, you've been observing the castle's back garden for a long time, and suddenly you felt a flash of light, as if something was hidden deep in the grass. Please pass an inspiration check." Suddenly, kp004's voice rang out in Liu Xing's ears.
Liu Xing frowned, having unexpectedly triggered an inspiration check. You know, in situations like this, passing an Inspiration check could very well lead to the sight of mythical creatures or supernatural phenomena, ultimately causing a drop in SAN. This was the check players least wanted to pass in a Cthulhu campaign.
However, Liu Xing's inspiration was a whopping 90, making it difficult to fail.
So, Liu Xing could only say helplessly, "KP, start the inspiration check."
Inspiration, 95/90, failed. (I swear on my honor that the roll was 95 myself, and I absolutely did not manipulate the dice girl.)
. . . . . .
Liu Xing and kp004 fell silent. They hadn't expected a check with a 90% success rate to fail.
kp004 said somewhat helplessly, "I didn't expect you to be so lucky. You failed this one. But since the result is a failure, then you didn't notice anything and just thought you were seeing things."
Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. After all, it was a blessing that the inspiration check didn't work this time. Liu Xing had been prepared to lose his SAN.
But then again, Liu Xing noticed that Wang Qi and Chen Ling hadn't looked at him, as if they hadn't noticed that Liu Xing had just passed the inspiration check.
Thinking of this, Liu Xing contacted kp004 and asked, "KP, didn't the other players know the result of that Inspiration check just now?"
KP004, perhaps frustrated by his recent failed inspiration, didn't reply immediately. "Oh, yeah, that's right. Players can make open or hidden rolls, and we, the KPs, will let players make hidden rolls depending on the situation. The progress and results of hidden rolls are only known to the player, and the other players won't receive any related notifications or alerts. Of course, players can also choose to share this information with other players."
Liu Xing nodded silently, understanding what kp004 meant. This was equivalent to a player triggering a specific plot, so only the player who triggered the plot could perform the relevant roll and receive any information related to that plot.
Liu Xing felt that if his Inspiration check had succeeded, it would have most likely triggered a side quest. He didn't know whether this would be a blessing or a curse. Of course, Liu Xing decided to share this news with his teammates, urging them to be careful. After all, losing SAN points was a minor issue. Triggering unnecessary plot points or attracting a mythical creature would be no fun.
But just then, a new check began.
Library Utilization, 70/70, success.
The Library Utilization skill is actually an intelligence acquisition skill. It doesn't require the player to actually use it in a library. Instead, when the player searches for information through books, newspapers, the internet, and other means, this skill allows for faster and more accurate information acquisition.
Thus, Library Utilization is a very practical skill. Unfortunately, Liu Xing didn't have enough skill points in his interest skill, so he didn't select it.
Liu Xing suspected that Wang Siyi was using this library skill, because, if Liu Xing remembered correctly, library utilization was one of the journalist's professional skills.
A moment later, Wang Siyi walked into the room holding a book, followed by Baihe Cheng, who had rushed in upon hearing the news.
"I found this book in the room. It records various events that have occurred in this castle. I also learned that the castle is owned by the Raphael family." Wang Siyi placed the book on the table and began to speak.
"There are three key events. The first occurred a thousand years ago. The castle's founder, Raphael I, was a marquis whose fiefdom was in the town of Ains. While selecting the site for the castle, workers were killed and wounded. Thirteen people were recorded dead, with more than ten missing. Later, Raphael I discovered a demon beneath the castle's foundations and defeated it."
"The second event occurred about three hundred years ago. A secret society worshipping the devil emerged in Ains. The then-lord of the castle led his troops to dismantle the secret society and, in the garden behind the castle, smashed the statue of the evil deity they worshipped and buried it."
"The third event occurred a hundred years ago. A hundred well-equipped English soldiers, caught in a rainstorm, temporarily camped in the castle. One night, the stormy night ended, and the soldiers mysteriously disappeared. Officials from Manchester came to question the then-lord of the castle, but they returned empty-handed, unable to find any evidence."