Psychology Contest

If you asked a Player in a Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG which attribute they least wanted to see achieve a Critical Success, they would definitely tell you—Inspiration.

In most cases, succeeding at an Inspiration roll meant waiting to lose SAN Value. Especially with a Critical Success on Inspiration, that was when things got really fun.

For example, with a Critical Success on Inspiration, a Player could look at an ordinary eyeball model and see Yog-Sothoth in it, driving them mad. Because it looked like a huge eyeball and also like a bubble, Chinese Cthulhu enthusiasts affectionately called it Yog Bubble. It was one of the Three Pillar Gods, even greater than Cthulhu, representing space and time.

So Bai He Cheng's Critical Success on Inspiration undoubtedly meant he was about to run into serious trouble. Or rather, Liu Xing and the others would have to face that serious trouble alongside Bai He Cheng...

But just then, Liu Xing had a flash of inspiration and immediately said to KP004, "KP, isn't Bai He Cheng still under Pseudo-Disability? Then he shouldn't be able to see the Castle Lord, right?"

After remaining silent for a while, KP004 finally said somewhat awkwardly, "Uh, that does seem to be the case. Bai He Cheng indeed cannot see the Castle Lord's eyes, so he doesn't need to make this check. It automatically fails..."

Upon hearing this result, everyone silently breathed a sigh of relief. Bai He Cheng had already been an unstable factor; if he got a Critical Success on this Inspiration roll as well, he would evolve into a Time Bomb.

Good thing Bai He Cheng was blind.

Liu Xing glanced at Bai He Cheng. Bai He Cheng was still sitting there with a cheerful grin, but somehow his face looked downright mocking. In short, he had a thoroughly punchable expression.

Although KP004's mistake had made things awkward for a moment, KP004 had not forgotten to deduct Liu Xing and the others' SAN Value. "Then, aside from Bai He Cheng and Wang Si Yi, when the other Players saw the Castle Lord, you felt that his eyes were like a pool of blood, making you extremely nauseated. Therefore, your SAN Value decreases by one point. However, this time, you have not gained any Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge."

When Liu Xing heard that losing SAN Value this time had not earned him any Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge, he knew his previous guess had likely been correct. This Castle Lord really was a magician, not a Mythical Creature.

Perhaps he had lost SAN Value too many times, but Liu Xing did not feel any discomfort at all this time. Sure enough, it proved a saying—lose enough SAN Value, and you got used to it. Of course, you might also go insane.

"Friends from afar, I am the master of Ains Castle, Gary Raphael. You may simply call me Gary." The Castle Lord—no, he should be called Gary now.

As Gary spoke, he took the seat at the head of the dining table. "I imagine you have all been waiting for some time. Butler Wayne, you may serve the dishes now."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Isabella had not even arrived yet, but Gary had announced the start of dinner. Clearly, Gary did not want Isabella appearing on an occasion like this.

Thinking back to what he had seen and heard in Isabella's room, Liu Xing was certain Gary must have done something to Isabella. For example... Isabella might very well have been some kind of medium!

When a magician wanted to cast magic or conduct some ritual, inanimate objects such as parchment and Evil God Statues could serve as mediums for spellcasting. But in most cases, humans themselves were excellent mediums. They could be sacrificed as offerings to summon an Evil God's descent, or used as containers to seal a certain power. In short, under the Cthulhu Mythos System, humans were the best possible mediums. Heavy fog.

Thus, Liu Xing now suspected that Isabella was a medium Gary had cultivated. That was why Gary had been so indifferent toward her. Not only had he not seen Isabella for years, he had also forbidden her from seeing outsiders!

Though Liu Xing was furious about this, he did not let his blood rush to his head. After all, hot-blooded young men in Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPGs generally did not live to see the ending.

Old Wayne silently served the dishes. Fortunately, this dinner did not feature any England specialty dishes like Stargazy Pie, which made Liu Xing breathe a sigh of relief. Looking at too much of this kind of dark cuisine could also cost SAN Value.

"Friends from afar, Butler Wayne has likely already told you that, for various reasons, I can only remain in Ains Castle and rarely have the chance to travel far. Therefore, I have always enjoyed inviting passing travelers to visit and rest at the castle, while listening to the stories of what they encountered during their journeys. So, if you do not mind, after dinner, please follow Butler Wayne to my study on the second floor one at a time and tell me your stories. Would that be all right?"

As the person elected to speak for the group, Liu Hao Nan—ah, no, Liu Xing—said with a smile, "Lord, of course. You have invited us to tour your castle and provided us with such abundant and delicious food, so naturally we are more than willing to share our experiences from the road with you."

Gary chuckled and nodded. "That is good. However, I hope you will not call me Lord. Though I am still the owner of Ains Castle, a hundred years ago, my ancestor suffered an accident and was stripped of his title. So I can no longer be considered a Lord. I hope you will simply call me Gary."

Naturally, Liu Xing knew what accident Gary was referring to from a hundred years ago. This also let Liu Xing learn the aftermath of the Soldier Collective Disappearance Case from a century ago—although the case had ultimately been left unresolved, the Queen of England still stripped the Castle Lord at the time of his title. After all, so many soldiers had vanished overnight inside Ains Castle, yet as the Lord of Ains Castle, he had emerged completely unscathed. It was obvious something was wrong; he had to be punished somehow.

Just as Liu Xing was about to reply, Gary's gaze suddenly settled on Bai He Cheng. Liu Xing knew that Gary had noticed Bai He Cheng's abnormality.

"Uh, what happened to your friend's eyes? I don't think there is anything wrong with them, is there?" Gary looked at Bai He Cheng and asked in confusion.

Liu Xing immediately smiled and nodded. "My friend has a strange hereditary condition. He occasionally goes blind, but his sight automatically recovers after a few hours."

"Oh, is that so?" Gary shifted his gaze to Liu Xing.

"Gary used Psychology on you. Will you engage Gary in a Psychology contest? This check will be a Hidden Roll."

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