After hearing these three stories about the castle, Liu Xing felt he had grasped the true backstory of the game.
The castle's first owner was likely a magician. While building the castle, he encountered mythical creatures and used the Old Seal to drive them away. It's likely that this first owner had already been researching mythical creatures and possessed some knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Although subsequent owners of the castle didn't continue their research into the Mythos, the first owner's research notes likely survived. Three hundred years ago, a secret cult of the Old Ones emerged in the small town of Eins. After the castle's then-owner led his troops to eliminate this secret cult, he likely obtained other artifacts related to the Mythos, in addition to the statue of the Old One, which had been smashed and buried in the castle's back garden. Upon seeing these magical artifacts, the current owner recalled his ancestor's story, and he subsequently found the notebook left behind. He then continued his ancestor's unfinished work, studying the Mythos, and passing it down through the generations.
A hundred years ago, a group of English soldiers were stopped at Ainsburg due to a heavy rainstorm and vanished overnight. Liu Xing suspected that the English soldiers had likely been sacrificed to one of the Great Old Ones by the castle's then-owner.
"It's almost certain now that we're facing a magician with a single-digit SAN score." Since Baihecheng had left the door open upon entering, Liu Xing, facing the outside, noticed Old Wayne still busy cleaning the hall. So, he said bluntly, "Don't worry about Superyou."
Chen Ling and the others nodded. After all, this wasn't their first time playing a Cthulhu role-playing game, so they all had some familiarity with it. They knew that a magician exposed to Cthulhu mythology typically had a single-digit SAN score, and a single-digit SAN score signified a person with intermittent psychosis, unscrupulous in their actions. Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn't help but look towards Baihecheng.
If Bai Hecheng weren't his teammate, making it difficult to roll the dice, Liu Xing would have actually considered performing a psychoanalysis check on him to determine his SAN score.
However, Liu Xing now knew that if he had passed the Inspiration check, he would have seen a statue or projection of one of the Old Ones, and his SAN score would have been ruined.
"Oh, right? I just triggered a hidden roll. When I was looking toward the back garden, the KP asked me to perform an inspiration check. Luckily, I failed and didn't see anything. Now, from what Sister Wang said, it must be the Old One statue buried in the back garden," Liu Xing recounted what had just happened.
Bai Hecheng, upon hearing Liu Xing's words, showed a look of great interest and looked toward the back garden.
Liu Xing and the others naturally understood what Bai Hecheng was thinking, so Chen Ling immediately stepped forward and pulled Bai Hecheng away from the back garden. Wang Qi, standing by the window, also tacitly closed the curtains.
After all, who knew what would happen if the Old One statue's plot was triggered? If only Baihecheng's SAN value dropped, it wouldn't be a big deal. What if a mythical creature or a spell were summoned? A full SAN check wouldn't be a big deal; it could even lead to total annihilation.
So, Wang Qi watched Baihecheng with a fierce gaze, observing his every move. If he saw any signs of trouble, Wang Qi would teach him a lesson...
Just then, Old Wayne walked in. "Everyone, please follow me to the living room for lunch."
Old Wayne noticed the curtains were drawn and said, somewhat awkwardly, "Uh, the castle's original gardener suddenly resigned, so the back garden hasn't been tended for a while."
Liu Xing noticed Old Wayne's nervous tone and contacted kp004, "KP, I'm going to use psychology on Old Wayne."
Psychology, 44/70, success.
"You've noticed that Old Wayne is clearly lying and seems to be hiding something."
Liu Xing raised his eyebrows, realizing that Old Wayne was no ordinary person. From the information KP004 had given him, he knew he had some knowledge of the back garden.
"Abetting the enemy."
Liu Xing immediately thought of this term. Old Wayne might be privy to the castle owner's secrets and colluding with him on some unspeakable errand.
But now wasn't the time to get angry, so Liu Xing smiled and shook his head. "No, no, I prefer low-light environments, so I drew the curtains."
"What? Liu Xing, are you a vampire?!" As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, a surprised voice echoed from Baihe City.
Liu Xing was furious. Just as he was about to apologize to Old Wayne, he saw a flash of surprise on his face.
Liu Xing quickly said to himself, "KP, I need to take another psychology exam!"
Psychology, 56/70, success.
"You noticed a flash of surprise, along with a hint of suspicion and fear, when Old Wayne heard the word 'vampire.'"
Liu Xing suddenly understood.
Led by Old Wayne, Liu Xing and the others arrived at the dining table in the large living room. Everyone sat down as he expertly served dishes from a nearby dining cart.
However, Liu Xing felt a wave of fear as he gazed upon the famous British dish before him—Stargazing at the Sky.
A fish's head stood upright on the plate, its eyes gleaming with an eerie light. Surrounding the head were potatoes and beans, and a fish broth, though the broth itself was the color of muddy water.
Liu Xing doubted whether eating this would lower his SAN.
As for the rest of the food on the table, which consisted of only bread and mashed potatoes, Liu Xing expressed considerable pressure. The British cuisine truly lived up to its reputation.
Everyone present, except for Bai Hecheng, left the plate of Starry Sky, which looked like it would cost them their SAN points, silently munching on their bread and mashed potatoes. Bai Hecheng, on the other hand, happily ate his own plate of Starry Sky. This, for the first time, sparked Liu Xing's admiration for Bai Hecheng.
And so, lunch ended in silence. The four untouched plates of Starry Sky on the table formed a stark contrast to the empty plate in front of Bai Hecheng.
"... Because player Bai Hecheng has finished the British Empire's signature dish, Starry Sky, I'm rewarding player Bai Hecheng with a bonus of 1 to his Willpower. However, player Bai Hecheng, please perform a SAN check of 0/1." Liu Xing vaguely thought he heard a hint of helplessness and confusion in kp004's voice.
The dice landed, and Bai Hecheng chose to roll the dark roll.
"Phew, not bad, not bad. It was so close," Bai Hecheng said happily.