Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 285: Inoue Haruto

"Alright, Dogo Aige, we won't tell your sister-in-law about your little escapade. You can relax," Liu Xing reassured Dogo Aige, giving him a calming pill. After all, Dogo Aige had mentioned that he couldn't leave the grass hut freely during these days.

However, it was clear that Dogo Aige was not an honest person.

Upon hearing Liu Xing's words, Dogo Aige immediately grinned and said, "Thank you, thank you. You all know I've been bored staying in that grass hut all day, so I thought of going out and finding something to do. That's how I met Mr. Inoue here. Mr. Inoue offered to take me fishing at sea, so I took this opportunity to sneak out."

At this point, Dogo Aige realized that he hadn't introduced Mr. Inoue to Liu Xing and the others, so he enthusiastically said, "This is Mr. Inoue, whose real name is Inoue Haruto. Mr. Inoue used to be a villager from Fisher's Village, but now he lives on another small island. He occasionally returns to Fisher's Village to visit his family. I just met Mr. Inoue the day before yesterday, and we've become good friends. Don't be fooled by Mr. Inoue's serious appearance; he's actually quite easygoing."

Liu Xing, upon hearing Dogo Aige's introduction of Inoue Haruto, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that Inoue Haruto hadn't revealed the truth of the matter to Dogo Aige, or else Dogo Aige wouldn't have introduced him so candidly.

Furthermore, it appeared that the Inoue family member Zhang Jingxu and the others encountered earlier in the morning was indeed a direct relative of Inoue Haruto.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Inoue Haruto. We're all good friends of Dogo Aige. You should know that Dogo Aige's family can't come to Fisher's Village for his wedding, so it's up to us to support him," Liu Xing said with a smile to Inoue Haruto.

After hearing Liu Xing's introduction, Inoue Haruto finally relaxed. After all, he didn't know the true identities of Liu Xing and the others and assumed that they were unaware of the inner workings of Fisher's Village and his own situation.

Inoue Haruto nodded and said with a smile, "Very well, I'm Inoue Haruto. Nice to meet all of you. You should all be aware that Fisher's Village has many inexplicable rules, so I don't dare return openly. I can only sneak ashore like this. I hope you won't reveal my whereabouts; otherwise, I'll have to find another place to land in the future."

Liu Xing chuckled and patted his chest, saying, "I understand, no need to worry, Inoue-san. We won't disclose your whereabouts. After all, we're all good friends of Dogo Aige, so we're friends as well, and friends don't need to discuss such matters."

Inoue Haruto nodded and said, "That's good. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave for now. We can chat again later."

"Inoue-san, wait a moment. I have some questions I'd like to ask you about Fisher's Village," Liu Xing said as he noticed Inoue Haruto's intention to leave. Naturally, Liu Xing had many questions he wanted to ask Inoue Haruto.

Liu Xing then signaled Ling Ishikawa and the others to take Dogo Aige away, allowing him to have a private conversation with Inoue Haruto.

Seeing this, Inoue Haruto seemed to understand something and looked at Liu Xing cautiously, saying, "Do you have any questions? I left Fisher's Village many years ago, so I only have limited knowledge of the current situation."

Liu Xing smiled and said, "This morning, while we were strolling around, we noticed various markings on the lintels of all the villas in Fisher's Village. We learned the exact meaning of these markings from a villager, who happens to be a member of the Inoue family."

Inoue Haruto furrowed his brows and nodded, saying, "The villager you mentioned is my uncle, Inoue Saburo, and he is the last surviving member of the Inoue family in Fisher's Village. I'm surprised that he was willing to share this information with you. However, you should also know what the Inoue family represents in Fisher's Village."

Liu Xing nodded, saying, "I'm well aware, but I also know that there's more to it than meets the eye. After all, Village Chief Matsui Ichiro has told too many lies. One simple point is that Matsui Ichiro claimed that Fisher's Village has had no contact with the outside world for a long time. But those three-story villas in Fisher's Village couldn't have appeared out of thin air."

Liu Xing noticed that when he mentioned Matsui Ichiro, Inoue Haruto visibly frowned and showed a look of disgust.

Inoue Haruto thought for a moment and said, "You're right, Matsui Ichiro is a person full of lies who has deceived the villagers of Fisher's Village. Unfortunately, he has deep roots in Fisher's Village, and there are some things we can't change."

It was clear that Inoue Haruto knew a lot.

Liu Xing sighed and said helplessly, "So I'm afraid that Dogo Aige will have a difficult time with a father-in-law like him."

Inoue Haruto nodded in agreement and said, "Certainly, Matsui Ichiro is a despicable person. By the way, if you have no further questions, I should leave. I need to get back to the small island where I reside before nightfall. As you can see, my boat is not suitable for traveling at night."

Liu Xing thought for a moment and said, "Alright, there's one last question I'd like to ask, Inoue-san. Where is Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall located? Matsui Ichiro told us that we couldn't enter Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall because it's forbidden, but Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui's wedding is supposed to take place there. We wanted to explore the area around the Ancestral Hall but couldn't find it after searching the village."

Liu Xing once again noticed that when he mentioned Matsui Yui, Inoue Haruto displayed a hint of sadness, suggesting that Matsui Yui might be related to Inoue in some way.

"Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall, well, Fisher's Village was relocated twenty years ago, but the Ancestral Hall remained in the original location of Fisher's Village, which is near the pier. After all, the villagers of the old Fisher's Village relied on fishing for their livelihoods and used to live by the sea. The Ancestral Hall used to be open to the public; anyone could enter as long as they wanted to pay their respects. There was no such thing as a forbidden area. It's just that Matsui Ichiro has changed many things," Inoue Haruto explained.

Liu Xing clapped his hands in realization and said, "That makes sense. Fisher's Village's residents must have lived by the sea. Thank you, Inoue-san, for your guidance. You've been very helpful, and I apologize for taking up your time."

Inoue Haruto shook his head, checked the time, and bid farewell.

This time, Liu Xing didn't stop Inoue Haruto and watched as he rowed away.

After Inoue Haruto left, Liu Xing and his group escorted Dogo Aige back to the grass hut. Surprisingly, Dogo Aige's jumping ability was exceptional. He effortlessly cleared the barbed wire fences surrounding the hut, avoiding the green liquid smeared on them.

It appeared that all they needed to do was complete a Jumping Judgment to accomplish the first Side Quest.

"You all should leave now. Someone will release me later to bring you food. If they see you here, it might cause some trouble," Dogo Aige said with a smile.

So, Liu Xing and the others returned to the villa.

On the way, Panda Pig couldn't help but ask Liu Xing, "Ryusei, I've been observing your conversation with Inoue Haruto. Why didn't you ask him about the letter and Matsui Yui?"

Liu Xing nodded and replied seriously, "In all things, a gradual approach is essential. I need to make sure that Inoue Haruto is on our side before I dare to ask deeper questions. Moreover, it was our first meeting with Inoue Haruto, and I could sense that he was somewhat wary of us. So, I didn't want to ask sensitive questions right away. Therefore, I had to settle for getting information about Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall. Otherwise, finding Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall would require a lot of effort."

Ling Ishikawa added, "If I recall correctly, there are indeed many buildings near the pier, but they all seem to be single-story houses, and some of them are already damaged."

Miyako Goudong chimed in, "That's right. There are single-story houses near the pier, and some of them have collapsed. I originally planned to set up camp there, but I heard movement in the area, so I left just to be safe. However, I remember that there's a large building in the center of that area, and it seems to have been recently renovated. However, even though I only saw it from a distance, I still felt that the Ancestral Hall was eerie, and it didn't have any windows."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall had indeed been transformed into some kind of cult gathering place.

At that moment, KP Green Light spoke up again, saying, "Congratulations, players, you've triggered another Side Quest. That is to enter Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall before Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui's wedding. The most important part is that you'll receive 100 points for every 10 minutes spent inside the Ancestral Hall, with no maximum limit. However, this reward is only available the first time each player enters Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall."

Liu Xing and his group exchanged glances, surprised to have triggered a Side Quest. Moreover, the Side Quest offered rewards based on time spent inside the Ancestral Hall, suggesting that there might be hidden secrets within.

However, Liu Xing felt that Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall might be under surveillance, just like Morimoto Academy's Old Teaching Building. If players entered Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall recklessly, they would likely be caught by Matsui Ichiro and his villagers within a few minutes.

Thinking this, Liu Xing said, "Considering the existence of security measures like electric fences in Fisher's Village, I suspect that there may be surveillance devices in Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall. After all, according to the information in the letter, Matsui Ichiro has been transforming Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall into the Ocean True Deity Sect's church. Now that Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall has become a forbidden area, it's certain that there are significant security measures in place. We can't enter recklessly."

Everyone understood Liu Xing's point and nodded in agreement.

"However, I believe it's necessary to investigate Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall in advance, to find out what's inside. Also, I have a signal jammer in my backpack. If the surveillance devices in Fisher's Village's Ancestral Hall rely on network signals, my signal jammer might come in handy," Panda Pig said with a smile.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Panda Pig carried a signal jammer with him. He couldn't help but ask, "What? Panda Pig, why do you carry a signal jammer with you?"

Panda Pig chuckled and replied, "Although I'm a physical education teacher, I'm sometimes responsible for the school's logistics. These signal jammers were introduced by the school to prevent cheating during exams. I just grabbed one and put it in my bag. After all, I have to get it from the storage room every time we have an exam. It's more convenient this way."

"Alright, let's go back and meet with Zhang Jingxu and the others," Liu Xing said.

Back at the villa, Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya were resting in the living room. Liu Xing explained their situation.

"I see. It seems that the likelihood of Matsui Yui being related to Inoue is at least seventy percent or more. However, it won't be easy to win over Matsui Yui because the brainwashing abilities of these Secret Cults are quite strong. Even if Matsui Yui learns that Matsui Ichiro is her father's killer, she might still side with him," Zhang Jingxu sighed and commented.

"And it's possible that Matsui Yui already knows that Matsui Ichiro is her father's killer, especially if Matsui Ichiro told her personally. However, Matsui Ichiro would likely frame her parents as criminals, just like what's happening with the Inoue family now," added Lu Tianya.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that their words made sense. People who believed in Secret Cults were capable of anything, especially in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game.

Therefore, whether to win over Matsui Yui had become a major dilemma.

"By the way, I had a conversation with a member of the Inoue family, Inoue Saburo. He gave me another letter and a story," Zhang Jingxu said, taking out a letter.