The Origin of the Harvest Festival

Liu Xing had already guessed how this player got injured. After all, kpcao had mentioned earlier that some items were not allowed in this Advancement Game. It was obvious that the bloody scalpel on the ground was one of those forbidden items. If one insisted on bringing the knife, they would have to pass a corresponding check.

As the saying goes, the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG is a game that emphasizes realism. The background of this Advancement Game clearly stated that all players were netizen acquaintances who decided to participate in the Harvest Festival here to meet in person. Therefore, there was no suitable reason to bring a scalpel.

Moreover, there were many types of scalpels, and this one was of the longer variety. Coupled with the fact that kpcao had set the time for this Advancement Game to be summer, this player, like Liu Xing, had been forcibly "changed into summer attire," wearing short sleeves. Therefore, to conceal the scalpel, this player could only tuck it into their waist.

Just now, this player, like Liu Xing, had intended to enter the temple to gather information. However, kpcao must have made this player attempt a Luck Check, which they failed. The player likely slipped and fell. The scalpel tucked at their waist had no sheath and was incredibly sharp. Naturally, under kpcao's malicious intent, it severed that unspeakable, indescribable object...

In the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG, the Keeper's authority is immense. In situations like this, the Keeper can choose from multiple plot developments. For instance, the scalpel could have merely injured a leg, or it could have simply fallen out. However, kpcao chose the most terrifying outcome, which might lead to this player's Character Card being permanently altered in terms of Gender to eunuch...

Just as Liu Xing was contemplating whether to go up and provide first aid to this player, he saw several people dressed as doctors and nurses rushing out from behind the temple of the Immortal Crane Temple, carrying a stretcher. They lifted the player onto the stretcher and carried him away. Of course, the doctors and nurses did not forget to pick up the unspeakable, indescribable object from the ground. It seemed like a suturing surgery would be performed.

"Alright, Player Kite, for forcibly carrying a prohibited item and failing two Luck Checks due to severe injury, his luck is truly abysmal. With such bad luck, he still dared to court death in the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG. Young man, you have ambition. Player Kite has been taken by the medical personnel, who were prepared for the Harvest Festival, to the hospital for emergency treatment. Therefore, Player Kite can no longer continue this Advancement Game. I now declare Player Kite eliminated, and this Advancement Game is a failure. I hope the other players will persevere and perform well." After the player named Kite was carried away, kpcao couldn't resist mocking him before announcing his elimination.

Liu Xing touched his chin. Indeed, one cannot court death in the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG; courting death truly means death. And this player named Kite had truly terrible luck, failing two Luck Checks. He wasn't even as lucky as Bai He Cheng.

Just as Liu Xing finished his grumbling and prepared to return to the temple to continue studying the stone tablet, kpcao's annoying voice suddenly sounded in his ear, "Liu Xing, having witnessed Kite's tragic state, and because you are both men, you must perform an Inspiration Check. Success will reduce your SAN Value by one point; failure will result in no reduction."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Was kpcao really this troublesome? Making him lose SAN Value just for this seemed a bit too harsh. However, Liu Xing suddenly felt that kpcao had a point. After all, when he saw Kite's tragic state just now, he did feel a chill in his lower regions...

However, Liu Xing did not want to inexplicably lose a point of SAN Value in this place. So, he immediately replied to kpcao, "KP, my profession is an Emergency Department doctor, and I also witnessed bodies gnawed by Ghouls in the last Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG. So, I've seen a lot. This shouldn't cause me to lose SAN Value, right?"

In the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG, the Background on a Character Card is not useless. Just as Liu Xing's Character Card background mentioned that Liu Xing worked in the Emergency Department, where they frequently encountered all sorts of patients. Dismembered limbs and bloody scenes were not uncommon. Furthermore, in his previous Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG, Liu Xing had "seen" the bodies of Gary and Old Wayne gnawed by Ghouls in the ending scene. Therefore, Liu Xing argued that he would not lose SAN Value due to such a minor incident.

After a moment of contemplation, kpcao felt that Liu Xing's argument was reasonable and accepted his explanation. "Alright, since you put it that way, I'll let you off this time. You may continue your actions."

Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Although this kpcao had some malicious humor, he wasn't an unreasonable Keeper. It seemed that in this Advancement Game, he could also use "Persuasion" on the KP.

Liu Xing returned to the temple and walked directly to the stone tablet, beginning to read its contents. It recorded the origin of the Harvest Festival.

"A long, long time ago, this small county town had insufficient arable land and the soil was not fertile enough, so it could not support many people. Moreover, whenever natural disasters like droughts and locust plagues occurred, grain production would decrease, and the population of this small county town would decline by more than half within a year. Therefore, this small county town was always known as the Barren Land."

"Over a thousand years ago, an official was ordered to come here as the county magistrate, and he was accompanied by a Taoist priest friend. They happened to encounter a severe drought, and all the local rivers had completely dried up."

"After the official and the Taoist priest learned of the situation here, the Taoist priest stated that he had a way to change the current situation. Not only could he bring rain to end the drought, but he could also provide the Barren Land with more fertile land, ensuring a harvest every year."

"Thus, the official ordered the construction of the Immortal Crane Temple for the Taoist priest. Following the Taoist priest's description, the local Carpenter carved a strange statue. The Taoist priest called it Sulu, a god forgotten by the world. The Taoist priest had received the Legacy of this god in a dream, obtaining a ritual that could pray for favorable weather—the Harvest Festival."

"After the Immortal Crane Temple was completed, the Taoist priest performed the Harvest Festival. Instantly, the sky, which had been clear, became overcast with dark clouds, and heavy rain poured down. Just as the Taoist priest had said, not only was the drought ended, but after the heavy rain, a large amount of fertile land miraculously appeared. From then on, this small county town would hold the Harvest Festival every year, and there would be a bountiful harvest every year."

Although I am also a newbie, I would like to recommend a book by a new author, The Genesis Chronicle. This book focuses on realism and has no cheat abilities. The protagonist strives for his choices, struggles for survival, and wanders between good and evil. It's a story of a newbie's growth, encountering different people in different worlds.