Stargazy Pie

After hearing the three stories about the castle, Liu Xing felt he finally understood the true background of this game.

The first owner of this castle should have been a magician with a noble title. While building this castle, he encountered a Mythical Creature and then used an Elder Sign to drive it away. This first owner was also very likely already researching Mythical Creatures and possessed some Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge.

The subsequent owners of the castle, although they didn't continue researching Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge, likely inherited the research notes of the first owner. Thus, three hundred years ago, a Secret Church worshipping the Great Old Ones appeared in Ains Town. After the castle owner at the time led troops to suppress this Secret Church, besides the statue of a Great Old One that had been smashed and buried in the castle's Back Garden, he likely obtained other items related to the Cthulhu Mythos. Therefore, after witnessing these magical items, the castle owner at the time recalled his ancestor's story, found the Notebook left by his ancestor, and thus continued his ancestor's unfinished work, researching Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge, and began passing it down through generations.

A hundred years ago, a troop of England soldiers was stranded in Ains Castle due to a heavy rainstorm. Overnight, they vanished without a trace. Liu Xing believed this troop of England soldiers was very likely sacrificed by the castle owner at the time to some Great Old One.

"Now it's basically certain that we're going to face a Magician with single-digit SAN values." Because Bai He Cheng hadn't closed the door when he entered, Liu Xing, who was facing the door, saw Old Wayne still busy cleaning in the hall, so he spoke directly, not worrying about Meta-gaming.

Chen Ling and the others nodded. After all, it wasn't their first time playing a Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG, so they all had a certain understanding of the game. They knew that Magicians who came into contact with Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge like this generally had single-digit SAN values. A single-digit SAN value meant that person had become intermittently insane and would do anything without restraint... Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn't help but look at Bai He Cheng...

If Bai He Cheng wasn't his teammate, making it difficult to roll dice, Liu Xing would have really intended to perform a Psychoanalysis check on Bai He Cheng to see what his SAN value was.

However, Liu Xing now understood that if he had passed the Inspiration Check just now, he would have seen the statue or projection of some Great Old One, and his SAN value would definitely have been lost.

"Right, I just triggered a Hidden Roll. When I looked towards the Back Garden, the KP asked me to make an Inspiration Check. Fortunately, I failed and didn't see anything. Now, hearing what Sister Wang said, it should be the Great Old One statue buried in the Back Garden." Liu Xing recounted what had just happened.

Hearing Liu Xing say this, Bai He Cheng showed a look of great interest and looked towards the Back Garden.

Liu Xing and the others naturally knew what Bai He Cheng was thinking, so Chen Ling immediately stepped forward and pulled Bai He Cheng, diverting his gaze from the Back Garden. Wang Qi, standing by the window, also very tacitly pulled the Curtain shut.

After all, who didn't know what would happen if they triggered the plot of this Great Old One statue? If only Bai He Cheng lost SAN points, it wouldn't be a big deal. But what if it summoned a Mythical Creature or triggered some spell? That would be bad. A SAN Value Check for everyone would be a minor issue; they might even suffer a Total Party Kill.

Therefore, Wang Qi glared at Bai He Cheng, watching his every move. If Bai He Cheng made any move, Wang Qi would go up and teach him how to behave...

At this moment, Old Wayne walked in. "Everyone, please follow me to the living room for lunch."

Old Wayne noticed that the Curtain in the room had been drawn and said somewhat unnaturally, "Uh, because the castle's original gardener suddenly resigned, the Back Garden hasn't been tended to for a long time."

Liu Xing noticed Old Wayne's tense tone and contacted KP004, saying, "KP, I want to use Psychology on Old Wayne."

Psychology, 44/70, Success.

"You discover that Old Wayne is clearly lying and seems to be concealing something."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He found that Old Wayne was not simple at all. From the information KP004 gave him, he knew that Old Wayne had some understanding of the Back Garden.

Serving as an accomplice.

Liu Xing immediately thought of this phrase. Old Wayne likely knew the castle owner's secret and was cooperating with the castle owner to do some unspeakable things.

However, it wasn't time to turn hostile yet, so Liu Xing smiled and shook his head, "Not at all. I prefer to live in dimly lit environments, so I drew the Curtain."

"What, are you a Vampire, Liu Xing?!" As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, Bai He Cheng's surprised voice rang out.

Liu Xing's expression turned dark. Just as he was about to apologize to Old Wayne, he saw a fleeting look of surprise on Old Wayne's face.

Liu Xing quickly said in his mind, "KP, I want to make another Psychology check!"

Psychology, 56/70, Success.

"You noticed the surprised expression on Old Wayne's face when he heard the word 'Vampire,' along with a hint of suspicion and apprehension."

Liu Xing had a realization.

Led by Old Wayne, Liu Xing and the others arrived at the dining table in the main living room. Everyone sat down casually, and Old Wayne skillfully served plates of dishes from a nearby serving cart.

However, when Liu Xing looked at the famous British dish before him—Stargazy Pie—he felt completely unwell.

A fish head stood upright on the plate, its eyes emitting a strange glow. Surrounding the fish head were potatoes and beans, with fish soup as a base. The color of the fish soup, however, looked just like muddy water...

Liu Xing highly doubted whether eating this thing would cause a SAN Value drop.

As for the other food on the table, there was only bread and mashed potato. Liu Xing felt immense pressure; British cuisine truly lived up to its reputation...

Everyone at the table, except for Bai He Cheng, did not touch the Stargazy Pie, which looked like it would cause a SAN Value drop. They silently ate bread with mashed potato. Bai He Cheng, on the other hand, happily ate the Stargazy Pie, which made Liu Xing feel a sense of admiration for Bai He Cheng for the first time.

Thus, lunch ended in silence. The four untouched plates of Stargazy Pie on the table formed a stark contrast with Bai He Cheng's empty plate.

"...Because player Bai He Cheng finished the famous British dish, Stargazy Pie, player Bai He Cheng is rewarded with Will +1. However, player Bai He Cheng, please make a SAN Value check of 0/1." In a daze, Liu Xing felt that he seemed to hear a hint of helplessness and confusion in KP004's tone.

A sound of dice rolling echoed. Bai He Cheng chose to roll in secret.

"Phew, that was close, that was close," Bai He Cheng said happily.

PS: Continuing to ask for collections and recommendations. I'm a bit tired today.