Liu Xing thought this over, then said to KP004 with a hint of teasing, "KP, tell me honestly, are you mad? If we hadn't gotten a Critical Success on that Investigation roll, would you have turned this Operation Manual into an English version?"
After spending this time talking with it, Liu Xing had realized that KP004 was not some rigid piece of code, but an actual person(?), albeit one with a bit of a twisted sense of humor—or rather, an extremely twisted sense of humor.
Still, Liu Xing felt that KP004 was like the KPs who ran Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPGs in the Real World: it could be communicated with. So now, Liu Xing tried to communicate with KP004.
"Uh, I'll be honest with you. You guessed right. That was what I originally intended, but you could still have made a Luck Check to determine whether this booklet was in Chinese or English. And then you actually got a Critical Success," KP004 said gloomily.
"Also, I can give you some extra information now. You should have noticed already that Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPGs conducted in Low-Level Areas do not have Language Barriers. That's why you could communicate with Old John and Old Wayne without any issues. However, under certain special circumstances—say, if this booklet had been in English—even if you passed CET-4 and CET-6 in English in the Real World, you would still have had to make a check using the Other Languages skill to see whether you could understand its contents." KP004 continued, "This can be considered some personal advice from me. During Intermission Growth—if a Character Card survives a session, then before the next session begins, it can gain certain attribute and skill increases due to the experience it gained in the current session. Of course, attributes and skills can also decrease due to injuries and similar circumstances. You can also undertake certain activities to improve your attributes and skills, such as attending an English Training Class to gain the skill Other Languages: English—you'd better arrange for your Character Cards to learn Foreign Languages. Starting from the next area, Language Barriers will appear. If you enter a region where a non-native language is spoken, communication difficulties may cause all kinds of trouble. Of course, that is trouble you will only encounter once you advance to the next area."
Liu Xing felt that if he had to make a Luck Check right now, he would definitely get a Critical Success, because not only had he confirmed his suspicions about KP004, he had also obtained crucial information from KP004 in the process!
Although Liu Xing had passed CET-6 English in the Real World, he had not put any points into the Other Languages skill on this Character Card. And he figured Wang Qi and the others probably had not invested in Other Languages either. If this booklet had been in English, they would have been in serious trouble and might have been unable to operate the Electric Door Opener.
Furthermore, starting from the next area, Liu Xing guessed they might encounter foreign Players. If neither side had learned the other country's language, then they would have to communicate entirely through eye contact.
So Liu Xing silently made up his mind to follow KP004's advice and have his Character Card properly study Foreign Languages during Intermission Growth.
"Alright, that's all I have to say. Let's continue the game. First, the two of you can decide who will open this booklet. The instant it is opened, there will be a 1d30+10 check. The result will determine how many minutes it takes for this Electric Door Opener to fully open the gate. Of course, after roughly half that time, you'll be able to walk out through the gate easily," KP004 said after clearing its throat, drawing Liu Xing and Wang Qi's attention back.
Liu Xing and Wang Qi exchanged glances. Wang Qi decisively handed the booklet to Liu Xing. "You should do it. You've already had two Critical Successes, after all. Your Luck is much better than mine."
Although Liu Xing really wanted to say that the check immediately after his previous Critical Success had been a complete failure, and this time...
Thinking of that, Liu Xing immediately shook his head, throwing those messy thoughts aside. He warned himself not to be so superstitious and to believe in his Lucky Player bloodline.
Thus, Liu Xing opened the booklet with a determined expression.
Door Opening Time Check, 1d30+10, 9+10=19.
"After reading the Operation Manual for the Electric Door Opener, Liu Xing learned that pressing its switch would allow it to begin operating after ten minutes of preheating, and it would fully open after nineteen minutes," KP004 said, not mocking them this time.
Ten minutes was still an acceptable number.
"See? Liu Xing, your Luck really is better. If I had been the one deciding the opening time, it probably would have..." Wang Qi said excitedly at first, but then suddenly realized something and promptly shut his mouth.
Clearly, Wang Qi had realized that he might have been meta-gaming, since they had not activated "Secret Room" mode.
Fortunately, KP004 seemed to be in a pretty good mood. "Although only you and Liu Xing are here, you have not activated the Secret Room, so you are still in the Role-Playing State. Wang Qi, what you just said was obvious meta-gaming. But let this be the last time. This KP will let you off the hook and not count it as meta-gaming."
Only after hearing KP004 say that did Wang Qi let out a long breath of relief. After all, the punishment for meta-gaming was extraordinarily severe. To give a simple example, it could instantly turn a burly, strapping man into a baby still learning how to walk.
After confirming that they had not overlooked anything else, Liu Xing and Wang Qi returned the booklet to its original place. Then they planned to head straight back to the Main Building to discuss the matter with Bai He Cheng and the others.
However, just as Liu Xing was walking down the Castle Wall, his foot slipped. Fortunately, he braced himself against the wall in time and did not fall.
"Liu Xing, are you alright?" Wang Qi, who was walking behind him, asked with concern.
Liu Xing smiled and shook his head. Just as he was about to say he was fine, he noticed that the sensation coming from the hand braced against the wall felt somehow wrong, as if he were touching plastic sheeting.
Liu Xing looked suspiciously at the Castle Wall covered in Elder Signs. After carefully feeling it with his hand, he reached a shocking conclusion: the wall was actually covered with a layer of wallpaper, and the densely packed Elder Signs were merely a pattern printed on it.
Liu Xing was completely dumbfounded. Only one thought remained in his mind: There's actually an operation this suffocating?!
PS: The second update should be posted tonight.
Before you continue