Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 376: "The Residents of the Lake" - Gralki

Even though Liu Xing had a vague inkling of a Great Old One, he couldn’t quite put a name to it or understand its specific abilities. This particular Great Old One was relatively obscure in the Cthulhu Mythos, making it challenging for Liu Xing to identify.

Therefore, Liu Xing couldn’t be certain if his suspicions were correct or not. He decided to temporarily set aside the issue and gather more information before drawing conclusions.

After finishing breakfast, Liu Xing headed straight to Hu Li’s clothing store. However, as he approached the entrance, he hesitated for a moment. After all, even though he could resurrect within this module, nobody wanted to die willingly, and Liu Xing still had lingering memories of his previous death.

Nonetheless, having come this far, Liu Xing couldn’t back down now. He steeled himself and entered Hu Li’s clothing store.

Today, Hu Li’s store was open for business, with several customers browsing for clothes. Being the only clothing store in Panlong Town, it seemed to be doing well.

However, Liu Xing didn’t spot Hu Li on the ground floor; instead, he saw a young woman who appeared to be in her twenties attending to the customers. She seemed like an ordinary human, not one of Hu Li’s kind.

The service staff noticed Liu Xing and, after giving him a careful once-over, approached him. "You must be Mr. Ryuusei, a friend of Boss Hu Li, right? Boss Hu Li has been waiting upstairs for quite some time. Let me show you the way."

While the service staff spoke, she gestured toward the staircase.

Liu Xing nodded without speaking. Although he could communicate with the service staff through telepathy, he didn’t want to risk revealing that he wasn’t speaking in Chinese, as it could lead to complications later.

As Liu Xing ascended to the second floor, he suddenly remembered something. Why did Hu Li arrange for a service staff member to wait for him downstairs? How did she know it would be him and not Zhang Jingxu’s group?

Most importantly, Hu Li had provided the service staff with his physical description, enabling her to recognize him. This was strange and somewhat unsettling. According to Hu Li’s own account, she could only sense their presence through scent and monitor their movements. Liu Xing doubted she could determine someone’s appearance solely through scent.

Therefore, Liu Xing concluded that this version of Hu Li at this moment had undergone some changes compared to the previous one.

Nevertheless, this realization relieved Liu Xing somewhat. It suggested that this version of Hu Li was willing to sit down and have a conversation. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have arranged for a service staff member to receive him.

With a deep breath, Liu Xing entered Hu Li’s home.

Since he had lost consciousness the last time he entered her home, Liu Xing had no idea about its layout. As he explored Hu Li’s residence, he was disappointed to find that it resembled an ordinary person’s home, albeit simpler. Apart from essential furniture, there was nothing else, let alone decorations.

In the living room, Hu Li was seated on the couch, with a tea set on the coffee table in front of her.

Liu Xing became instantly alert, recalling his previous experience with Hu Li’s tea. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be pleasant.

With a touch of nervousness, Liu Xing took a seat across from Hu Li, determined not to drink the tea. He thought this encounter resembled a treacherous feast, and he had willingly walked into a trap.

Before Liu Xing could speak, Hu Li poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of him. Liu Xing quickly shook his head and smiled. "Miss Hu Li, you’re being too kind. I had a substantial breakfast and drank plenty of soy milk, so I’m not thirsty right now."

As he had expected, Hu Li showed no surprise that Liu Xing could communicate with her telepathically. Instead, she appeared completely unfazed.

"Mr. Ryuusei, are you worried that I’ve poisoned the tea again? You can rest assured this time. There’s no poison in this teapot. You should know, Mr. Ryuusei, that if I were truly your enemy, there are more effective methods than poisoning, and it wouldn’t be my preferred approach."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Since Hu Li had said so, he felt obliged to drink the tea. After all, he had come here to negotiate with her, and he couldn’t afford to offend her. With that in mind, he reluctantly took a sip.

Hu Li’s tea turned out to be unexpectedly fragrant.

After finishing the tea, Liu Xing raised the questions on his mind. "Miss Hu Li, theoretically, you shouldn’t know much about me. At most, you would know that I’m an outsider who suddenly appeared and is staying at the Hu Cang residence. So?"

Hu Li understood what Liu Xing wanted to ask and responded with a cheerful smile. "You’re correct, Mr. Ryuusei. In theory, I wouldn’t know much about you, but with the current temporal distortion in Panlong Town, some things can’t be explained by common sense."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by how much this version of Hu Li knew, even about the temporal distortion in Panlong Town.

However, Liu Xing quickly realized how Hu Li had acquired this information. Most likely, the previous version of Hu Li had used a special method to leave information on him before his death. When he resurrected in this time frame, that information automatically transferred to the current Hu Li.

It appeared that Hu Li possessed a variety of abilities.

So now, Liu Xing was even more wary of Hu Li.

Naturally, Hu Li could sense Liu Xing’s wariness, so she smiled and said, "Mr. Ryuusei, I know that in the previous timeline, I did some unfavorable things to you and your friends. But I believe, Mr. Ryuusei, that you can understand my intentions. So, you won’t hold it against me, will you?"

Since Hu Li had put it that way, Liu Xing had no choice but to say, albeit reluctantly, "Of course not. I understand that the previous version of Miss Hu Li did what she did due to some misunderstandings between us. It seems those misunderstandings are resolved now."

Hu Li nodded and said, "That’s right. I would never deceive you. I now understand the current situation. I didn’t expect to be trapped in a temporal distortion like this. If it weren’t for your appearance, Mr. Ryuusei, I might have remained in the dark forever. Now that I know the truth, I feel I must take action to change the current situation."

"After all, before, I could live in this temporal distortion in Panlong Town in ignorance. But now, I don’t want to continue living like this. So, I want to cooperate with you, Mr. Ryuusei. We share a common goal, and you are aware of my abilities. I won’t hold you back, and I hope that whenever a temporal distortion occurs, you’ll come to me so I can update the information on you."

After listening to Hu Li’s words, Liu Xing couldn’t help but sniff himself and noticed a faint fragrance. Liu Xing pondered for a moment and then smiled, saying, "Since Miss Hu Li is willing to cooperate, we are naturally willing as well. After all, your abilities surpass ours, and you have more knowledge about Panlong Town. But I have one question, Miss Hu Li. You won’t use the opportunity to update information on me as a chance to harm me again, will you?"

Hu Li shook her head and replied, "Of course not. I only need to touch your skin. As for why the previous version of me killed you, it was to test whether your claim of resurrection was true. If you could die and convey information to me, it would prove your statement’s veracity. Otherwise, it meant you were lying, and your death wouldn’t matter."

"As for the situation in Panlong Town, I do have much more information now. Honestly, when you transmitted information to me, it seems that I also regained some of my memories. I mean, I remember some events that will happen in the future. I’ve even recovered memories from up to 2000 years ago. From what I can recall, the creatures currently inhabiting Panlong Town, those monsters and demons, seem to have appeared only after the temporal distortion in Panlong Town."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Hu Li had started to recover her memories. However, he realized it might be a positive development.

"At first, I thought the fanatic was like me, able to transform into a humanoid form. After all, as far as I know, many supernatural creatures have ways to achieve immortality. However, his case is peculiar. He’s undoubtedly a human, but his body has undergone significant mutations. In human terms, he’s become something other than human. I can sense a strange energy within his body, which must be the reason for his transformation and immortality."

Liu Xing nodded, and according to Hu Li’s explanation, the fanatic was likely transformed and granted immortality by a Great Old One, injecting him with a mysterious energy. This prompted Liu Xing to reconsider the identity of that Great Old One.

However, now that Hu Li was here, Liu Xing thought it would be best to ask her about the Great Old One’s identity. After all, speculating alone wouldn’t lead to any answers.

...

When Liu Xing heard the name "Gralki," he immediately recalled relevant information about this Great Old One and became certain that Gralki was behind all the events in Panlong Town.

In the Cthulhu Mythos, there are numerous Great Old Ones, but Gralki, despite being less famous than entities like Cthulhu and Hastur, held a unique place. Gralki was said to reside in a lake near the Severn Valley, a fictional location in England.

The Severn Valley was an intriguing setting within the Cthulhu Mythos, as it was one of the rare places where multiple Great Old Ones congregated. Most Great Old Ones tended to be solitary, each occupying a distinct territory. However, in the Severn Valley, there were at least five Great Old Ones lying dormant (others would appear later). Gralki was one of them.

Gralki bore the title "The Resident of the Lake" because it had arrived on Earth encased within a meteorite. When the meteorite crash-landed, it shattered, granting Gralki its freedom. This made Gralki one of the few Great Old Ones that could move about freely. As a result, reports of Gralki’s presence surfaced not only in the lakes of Severn Valley but also in other lakes worldwide, making it difficult to determine its true location.

Gralki had a unique appearance, resembling a massive three-eyed slug-like creature covered in metallic spikes. While these spikes appeared inorganic, they possessed organic structures and could grow when needed. They were also hollow, allowing Gralki to transport an unknown liquid through them.

As an intelligent Great Old One, Gralki actively developed a following of worshippers. Like Cthulhu, Gralki influenced humans through dreams, attracting those who sought to become immortal. Gralki’s followers were those who wished for eternal life. By impaling them with its spikes and injecting a mysterious fluid, Gralki could

grant them immortality. However, this came at the cost of the followers’ autonomy, as Gralki could control their bodies.

Therefore, Gralki’s "blessed" followers were more like puppets than immortals. Over time, their bodies would undergo mutations, becoming highly sensitive to sunlight, sometimes disintegrating completely.

Liu Xing couldn’t help but ponder the implications of Gralki’s involvement in Panlong Town’s events. This Great Old One was known for its power to grant immortality, which could explain the resurrection of the fanatic and other unusual occurrences. However, the consequences of such immortality were horrifying.

With this new information, Liu Xing realized that dealing with Gralki would be a challenging and dangerous task.

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