Lucky Mutual Aid Society (9)

Qian Xiaoyi continued with the task at hand, lowering his head and speaking slowly, "Although I'm not familiar with the sects in Southeast Asia, we have similar magic where I come from. These kinds of evil arts are basically all the same at their core, focusing on benefiting oneself at the expense of others. This version of a possessed doll, using a black Buddha amulet, follows a similar path. The wearer doesn't try to quell its resentment; instead, they try to increase its malevolence, letting it influence those around them to create the illusion of 'good luck'."

Inuyama Heita stared at the jade pendant, asking in confusion, "It can actually do something like that? It sounds quite unbelievable. How exactly does it work?"

Qian Xiaoyi blew some sawdust off the wooden tag in his hand and said, "It's simple. The existence of these possessed dolls interferes with the emotions of people around the host. For example, it might cause them to space out occasionally, have nightmares and sleep poorly, or make wrong decisions in certain judgments. It might not sound like a big deal, but if the influence is prolonged, these people will have trouble concentrating, leading to what's called bad luck. Situations like falling, forgetting to turn off the gas, or not bringing their keys could happen, and it would only get worse.

At this point, the host of the possessed doll can seize the opportunity. Because they are influenced by the doll, the other party will misjudge the host, leading to situations that benefit the host. For instance, gamblers might lose heavily, or someone might suddenly find the doll's owner very likable. But there's a reason why evil ways are called evil ways... Hey, assistant, help me move that table into the storage room. Just leave the flowers aside."

"Ah, okay." Inuyama Heita followed Qian Xiaoyi's gaze to a small table with a vase on it. He placed the vase on the coffee table, then picked up the half-person-tall square decorative table. He followed Qian Xiaoyi to the storage room. Qian Xiaoyi opened the door, revealing the ceiling pipes and various piled-up miscellaneous items inside. The storage room was narrow and unlit, with pipes crisscrossing overhead. You could hit your head with a slight jump. The space was just enough for one person to pass through. Qian Xiaoyi cleared out the items inside and then gestured for Inuyama Heita to move the small table in, placing it at the very back.

As soon as Inuyama Heita finished placing the table, he noticed dark brown splotches on the inner wall of the storage room, like some kind of dirt had splattered onto the wall, spreading out in a radial pattern. So, Inuyama Heita asked, "Mr. Qian, there are noticeable stains on the wall here. Did the pipes above leak? But the shape is a bit strange."

"That? No." Qian Xiaoyi replied from outside. "The pipes are fine; I checked them. Those stains are remnants from the previous owner of this office. I heard he was a private investigator who got involved in something serious and was killed in the office. That spot there is the murder scene. I guess the landlord was too lazy to repaint because they figured no one would pay attention to the back of the storage room?"

"Wh-what?! A... a murder scene?!" Inuyama Heita stumbled back a few steps, almost falling. He exclaimed in shock, "This... someone died here?!"

"Where hasn't someone died?" Qian Xiaoyi said nonchalantly. "If this wasn't a haunted house, how could such a good location near the Roppongi commercial district be available to me? And don't forget, you can see ghosts yourself. If it were haunted, you would have noticed by now, right? So what's there to be afraid of? Even if it is haunted... don't forget what I do."

"Th-that's true." Hearing Qian Xiaoyi's explanation, Inuyama Heita felt a little calmer. Although he still felt a chill down his spine, he also understood that there was nothing truly to be afraid of here.

"Alright, come out. It's too cramped in here for two people." Qian Xiaoyi pulled him out, holding some items. He then squeezed inside and instructed from within, "It's too narrow in here to move around well. I've put the toolbox by the door. You can just hand me the tools; I'll handle the rest. Hand me the hammer and nails first."

Inuyama Heita handed him the tools as instructed. After a short while, the sounds of woodworking could be heard from inside.

Afterward, Qian Xiaoyi stayed inside, making various hammering and clanging noises. Inuyama Heita stood by the door, occasionally handing him tools. Feeling a bit bored, he suddenly remembered their previous conversation and asked, "Um, Mr. Qian, you didn't finish explaining earlier why evil ways are called evil ways. Do those possessed dolls also affect their owners?"

"Affect them? Of course, they do." Qian Xiaoyi replied from the storage room. "In the end, they are still ordinary people who have no idea how to suppress these possessed dolls. Initially, the dolls might not be very malevolent and will cooperate well with their hosts. But as I said before, the 'good luck' these people experience is actually created from the misfortune of others.

Since there is misfortune, others will naturally develop resentment. And since the possessed dolls are both children and spirits, they are easily influenced by these negative emotions. Under this influence, they will become increasingly evil and greedy, eventually even turning on their hosts and considering themselves superior.

They will become addicted to bringing misfortune to others, purely for their own pleasure. This misfortune, in turn, gives them power. You should know how pure and cruel children can be if they aren't educated. It's a vicious cycle, and by then, those who raised these possessed dolls will know what regret means."

After listening to Qian Xiaoyi's explanation, the images that flashed through Inuyama Heita's mind sent a shiver down his spine. However, he had a new question: "If these possessed dolls become uncontrollable, won't they bring disaster to their owners? Then why does the Lucky Mutual Aid Society still use such things to deceive their followers? Aren't they afraid of being exposed?"

Qian Xiaoyi replied, "I'm not them, so I can't say with 100% certainty that I understand their thinking. But based on my personal speculation, there might be two reasons. One, they never intended to deal with the aftermath. They just wanted to milk the followers for all they're worth, drain their current assets, and then run away. Two, they have a method to suppress the possessed dolls. When the dolls start to go wild, they can use the excuse of 'misfortune striking again' to fool the followers and control them through this method, ensuring a steady income. I lean more towards the second reason... Phew, done. Heitaro, help me get the incense burner and incense sticks. They're in the drawer of my desk. I'm almost finished here."