In the Cthulhu Mythos, it was the name of the ancient city where Hastur's true body was imprisoned. Its ruins lay by Lake Hali on Alcyone.
The name of this cult alone was enough to prove beyond doubt that they were an organization secretly worshipping Hastur, a Great Old One.
"They really had a death wish. Of all things to believe in, they chose these."
"Belfast, dispatch a scout ship to secretly investigate the vicinity of Alcyone in the Pleiades Star Cluster. I need to know what is there—but under no circumstances are they to act rashly."
"Understood!" A faint data glow flickered through Belfast's rose-purple beautiful eyes as the order was transmitted through the Command Link to the central Starport.
A short while later, a newly commissioned scout ship slowly departed the Starport and vanished into the boundless sea of stars.
After dispatching the scout ship, Belfast continued her report. "Based on the memories extracted from those three, the Carcosa Cult's existence on Earth dates back beyond record. Its organizational structure, the location of its headquarters, and the identities of its members are all shrouded in mystery. This secret society has hidden itself very well; most of its members do not even understand the circumstances of the cult they belong to."
"Their methods of recruiting new members are inconsistent, and they never use any modern means of communication to contact one another. Furthermore, every member must undergo an initiation ritual after joining the cult, during which they repeatedly recite a scripture called The King in Yellow Chant. Unfortunately, the version possessed by the Carcosa Cult appears to be only a fragment."
"After analysis, we discovered that no matter which Earth language this Fragmentary Scroll of The King in Yellow Chant was recited in, the syllables it produced formed sound waves with powerful psychological suggestion and hypnotic effects. When believers recited the fragment for the nineteenth time, certain structures in their brain nerves underwent incredible physical changes that defied common sense."
"This made them permanently and absolutely loyal to the Carcosa Cult, while also causing them to permanently forget secrets their rank within the cult did not permit them to know."
"But..." Belfast paused briefly, her expression strange. "That was all."
"We found no other effects from the Fragmentary Scroll."
"And then?" Jiang Lianqiu continued asking. "Why were they targeting Machida Sonoko and Utaha Kasumigaoka?"
Belfast walked over to the glass curtain wall and raised a hand to point at one of the people displayed on the screen.
"This Shunsuke Yamada is an editor at Fushikawa Library, the same company as Machida Sonoko. When Utaha Kasumigaoka sent the Manuscript Volume Two of Love Beat to Machida Sonoko, Shunsuke Yamada's workstation was beside Machida Sonoko's."
"The information pollution carried by the manuscript caused Machida Sonoko to unconsciously recite a fragment of The King in Yellow Chant, which caught Shunsuke Yamada's attention. Taking advantage of Machida Sonoko's distraction, he secretly printed himself a copy of Manuscript Volume Two."
"And then..."
"This Shunsuke Yamada saw The King in Yellow Chant through Kasumigaoka's novel manuscript?"
Jiang Lianqiu had already roughly guessed what happened afterward.
"Yes." Belfast nodded. "Shunsuke Yamada was also an editor, and he quickly found Miss Kasumigaoka's information. His personal ability was insufficient to let him see the complete The King in Yellow Chant through the manuscript, but he understood that this was an excellent opportunity to complete the cult's Fragmentary Scroll."
"After reporting the matter through one-way contact to his superior, Nozomi Yasunaga, who is now lying in another room, Nozomi Yasunaga brought Shunsuke Yamada and the remaining Eito Yoneya to recover Machida Sonoko and Miss Kasumigaoka."
"Incidentally, Nozomi Yasunaga also reported this matter to someone higher up the chain, but he himself had no idea who that person was. The only method of contact between Nozomi Yasunaga and the other party was to leave a Yellow Sign and accompanying message at foundation pile number 444 of the Tokyo Bay undersea tunnel. He did not even know what the other person looked like."
After saying that, Belfast gave Utaha Kasumigaoka on another screen a strange look. "These people seem to believe that Miss Kasumigaoka is a... Saintess blessed by the god they worship?"
"So the issue is already clear." Jiang Lianqiu clapped his hands and smiled. "The pollution of the novel manuscript Senior stayed up late creating was the beginning of everything."
As for why it had to be Senior?
Based on Jiang Lianqiu's understanding of those Evil God things, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance it was simply because Kasumigaoka... had bad luck.
If the other party had been Nyarlathotep rather than Hastur, Jiang Lianqiu might have believed that Nyarlathotep had truly taken a fancy to something about Utaha Kasumigaoka. But it was Hastur. This Great Old One was almost incapable of "actively" paying attention to a human girl, much less "deliberately" contaminating her novel manuscript.
If Hastur had truly intended to do something, it would have been a miracle that Utaha Kasumigaoka had not gone mad by now.
Perhaps some unconscious action by an Evil God had created a chain reaction that led to the current situation.
"Additionally, we have secretly conducted a thorough inspection of Miss Kasumigaoka's residence, retrieved all objects carrying trace contamination information, and carried out information sterilization targeting Class Three Pollution in her residence."
"As for Machida Sonoko, no problems were found with her either. The mental states of all three, including Shizuka Hiratsuka, are perfectly normal."
The moment Belfast finished speaking, Jiang Lianqiu, who had been watching Utaha Kasumigaoka argue about something with Hans on the screen, suddenly received a meeting request.
Commander, your subordinate has made a new discovery! Requesting permission to report immediately!
"Come in."
After Jiang Lianqiu gave his approval, a Mech Servant who looked like a beautiful mature human woman hurried in. Her long red hair was tied into a neat high ponytail, and she wore a researcher's outfit. Behind her black-rimmed glasses gleamed a pair of brilliant golden eyes.
"Consciousness Node Hub 001 salutes you, Commander!"
The moment she entered, the beautiful Mech Servant woman snapped to attention and saluted with an overwhelmingly militaristic air.
Jiang Lianqiu was completely baffled. "...What the hell?"
Before you continue