Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 334: Miskatonic University

Miskatonic University is undeniably a significant component of the Cthulhu Mythos. In many of H.P. Lovecraft’s works, human characters are more or less connected to Miskatonic University, and the "Miskatonic watchdog" concept is widely circulated within the Cthulhu community.

In this context, Miskatonic University is a fictitious institution located in the small town of Arkham, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States of America. (Arkham City in Batman pays homage to it, and both can be described as "breeding grounds" for talent.) The university’s name is derived from a fictional river called the Miskatonic River.

In H.P. Lovecraft’s "The Dunwich Horror," Miskatonic University is mentioned as a world-renowned institution, on par with Harvard University. These two schools are the most famous among the offspring of Massachusetts "gentlemen."

Being a prestigious university, Miskatonic University has outstanding achievements not only in history and psychology but also excels in archaeology and mysticism, reaching the pinnacle of worldwide expertise. Consequently, it attracts numerous students every year, though some end up in the neighboring Arkham Asylum or even in graves.

Apart from its academic prowess, Miskatonic University boasts a rich library. In this library, one can find nearly every magic book or related literature from the Cthulhu Mythos, including the "Necronomicon," although most are translations in modern languages.

Therefore, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, if a player has the opportunity to visit Arkham, they will undoubtedly choose to explore Miskatonic University, with a visit to its library being a must.

By the way, in the works of the Cthulhu Mythos, Miskatonic University’s research expeditions have faced numerous challenges. During expeditions to Antarctica, Egypt, and other locations, they encountered attacks from various mythical creatures. Despite these devastating setbacks, Miskatonic University has consistently managed to organize a world-leading research team. This demonstrates the depth of Miskatonic University’s heritage.

So, Liu Xing once saw a post on the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall forum, listing the "Hell Difficulty Start" options for player character cards. The top-ranked option was "attending/working at Miskatonic University" followed by "residing in Arkham City." Although it’s called a "Hell Difficulty Start," from another perspective, it can also be seen as the most rewarding start. Your character card, after going through a few modules in Arkham City, can quickly accumulate a significant amount of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. However, it’s important to maintain the right mindset for your character card. Just like Liu Xing’s character card, "Liu Xing," despite experiencing several supernatural events and encountering many mythical creatures and cultists, still clings to "scientific skepticism" and has not fully embraced the worldview of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Of course, risks come with rewards. Player characters who manage to survive and leave Arkham City are truly exceptional. However, players with such character cards usually become key figures in the Cthulhu community.

So, Liu Xing and his companions are now surprised that Alice is a teacher from Miskatonic University. However, this might be one of the reasons why Alice joined the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Secret cult leaders like those in the Deep Sea Gospel Society tend to have high Cthulhu Mythos knowledge and mysticism values. Thus, Liu Xing begins to suspect that Alice’s teacher is either the leader of the Deep Sea Gospel Society or a high-ranking member.

But all of this is not the most important concern.

"Miskatonic University? It’s one of the most famous universities internationally," Panda Pig pretends to be surprised. "I didn’t expect, Miss Alice, that you would be a student at Miskatonic University. I mean, as a student of Miskatonic University, why would you choose to open a bar in Kyoto? That’s quite surprising."

Alice chuckles and responds, "Mr. Panda Pig, you’ve got a slight misunderstanding. Although my teacher used to work in the Department of Mysticism at Miskatonic University, many years ago, after participating in an expedition organized by Miskatonic University for certain reasons, they decided to retire from Miskatonic University and return to London to live out their retirement."

"However, due to my father’s involvement in a series of supernatural cases after his career change to become a lawyer following the midnight subway serial murders, he was placed by the London police in charge of handling certain supernatural cases. That’s how he got to know my teacher. Because I’ve been interested in mysticism since childhood, I became my teacher’s formal disciple and learned a lot of mystical knowledge from them. So, it’s not surprising that we’ve now been drawn into a supernatural event."

The others nod in agreement.

Liu Xing is now certain that if he and his group engage in a deeper conversation with Alice, it’s very likely they’ll trigger plot points related to her, which could lead to future opportunities to trigger corresponding modules.

Therefore, Liu Xing is in a bit of a dilemma. Should he trigger the plot points related to Alice? After all, he is seventy percent sure that modules related to Alice will involve Elizabeth, or the boss of the module will be Elizabeth. If that turns out to be the case, Liu Xing would have a certain advantage.

Moreover, engaging in a deeper conversation with Alice might lead to contact with Alice’s teacher, which in turn could provide an opportunity to visit Miskatonic University. Modules related to Miskatonic University, whether in the real Cthulhu RPG Game or in this real Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, are considered the players’ "sharpening stones" or, one could say, "dragon gates."

Because modules related to Miskatonic University typically involve numerous NPCs and mythical creatures, leaving aside the mythical creatures, just dealing with these NPCs can be quite challenging. These NPCs have mysterious identities and backgrounds, and as the saying goes in a certain fantasy novel, "Archaeologists are everywhere, and Occultists are as common as dogs." You could throw a stone anywhere and hit an important member of a secret cult.

So, perhaps one moment an NPC is chatting and laughing with you, and the next moment, they push up their black-framed glasses and cast some time-based Magic Spells at you.

Therefore, modules related to Miskatonic University tend to have higher difficulty levels, and one wrong move can lead to a complete loss.

So, only those who successfully complete modules related to Miskatonic University can be considered seasoned players of the Cthulhu RPG Game and have the qualification to advance to the Cthulhu region, except for some special professions.

Although Liu Xing is still a player in the Shoggoth Region, it’s always good to be prepared for the future.

But before Liu Xing could say anything, Zhang Jingxu smiled and said, "Miss Alice, if possible, I hope that in the future, you could introduce me to your teacher. I’ve been interested in mysticism for a long time, and the Department of Mysticism at Miskatonic University is the best in the world."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Zhang Jingxu was trying to take his spotlight. According to Liu Xing’s understanding, Zhang Jingxu shouldn’t need to go to Miskatonic University.

After all, Zhang Jingxu’s profession is a Taoist, which falls into the special profession category Liu Xing mentioned earlier. So, Zhang Jingxu can advance to the Cthulhu region simply by following his sect and carrying out "demon-slaying" missions everywhere, without the need to participate in modules related to Miskatonic University.

Alice also shared the same thought, "Well, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, isn’t your profession a Taoist? Based on my understanding of China’s Taoism, your theories should differ significantly from our Western mysticism."

As Alice mentioned, although Taoist knowledge and theories are categorized under the mysticism skill in the Cthulhu RPG Game, there are differences and even contradictions between Taoist teachings and Western mysticism as studied in the Western world. This is why Alice found it surprising.

Zhang Jingxu nodded and said with a smile, "You’re right. Although my previous knowledge of Taoism differs from the Western mysticism theories, we can still find common ground. Especially after encountering supernatural events and mythical creatures, I’ve realized the limitations of my own knowledge. To improve my knowledge, I’ve decided to study mysticism seriously. However, theory alone can be quite limiting, and I haven’t gained much useful information just by reading books."

"So, I thought about finding a professor specializing in mysticism to guide me. Originally, I considered going to Miskatonic University for studies, but I lack a mentor. Even if I were to attend Miskatonic University, I would at most be an auditor, which wouldn’t be very meaningful for me. That’s why I hope Miss Alice can introduce me to your teacher. I’ll provide a generous reward that will satisfy your teacher."

Alice thought for a moment and said, "That shouldn’t be a problem. My teacher is quite open-minded and very interested in mystical theories related to Eastern practices. Unlike other academic mysticism professors who cling to their own views and believe that Western mystical theories are the only correct ones, dismissing Eastern mysticism as baseless, my teacher should be very willing to meet Mr. Zhang Jingxu. After all, my teacher has never encountered the mystical theories of China’s Taoism before. However, before that, we need to find an opportunity to escape from Fisher’s Village."

After receiving Alice’s affirmative response, Zhang Jingxu sighed with relief and said, "Alright, let’s exchange contact information after we leave Fisher’s Village."

Liu Xing noticed that Lu Tianya’s expression was somewhat off at this point.

As expected, women are prone to jealousy, even though Zhang Jingxu and Alice were discussing work-related matters.

Zhang Jingxu clearly sensed the killing intent emanating from beside him, but what impressed Liu Xing was Zhang Jingxu’s calm response. He said, "Well, I’ve eaten my fill now. Take your time with your meal, everyone. I’ll go back to my room and prepare. I’ll help Miss Alice deal with that Composite Magic Array in her room. Tianya, if you’re done eating, come up and give me a hand."

With that, Zhang Jingxu got up and left the dining table.

However, Liu Xing still noticed that Zhang Jingxu’s movements were somewhat stiff. Lu Tianya walked beside Zhang Jingxu and blocked the view of Liu Xing and the others. But Liu Xing could still see that Lu Tianya’s hand was already resting on Zhang Jingxu’s waist.

Seeing this scene, Liu Xing couldn’t help but smile inwardly. However, his smile froze instantly because, as a single guy himself, he felt like he had just been fed a mouthful of dog food.

After a while, Zhang Jingxu went downstairs and said to Alice, "Miss Alice, if you’re ready, you can go upstairs and chat with Lu Tianya. Later, Lu Tianya will help you deal with the Composite Magic Array in your room."

Alice nodded with a smile and went upstairs directly.

At this moment, the Private Room time began.

"Zhang Jingxu, I didn’t expect you to be so submissive to your wife," Panda Pig teased with a laugh.

Zhang Jingxu smiled helplessly and said, "Well, what can I do? I’m quite desperate too. But back to the point, I didn’t expect the boss of this module to be a Shoggoth. This complicates things."

Liu Xing nodded and shrugged, saying, "You’re right. Based on what I discovered this afternoon in the Underground Ruins, there’s definitely more than one Shoggoth in Fisher’s Village, and there’s certainly an elite-level Shoggoth among them. But theoretically, we should have a way to avoid direct conflicts with these Shoggoths. After all, with our current combat capabilities, we probably can’t even defeat a regular Shoggoth."

Although Liu Xing said this, he still had no idea how to avoid a conflict with the Shoggoths in Fisher’s Village.

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