Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 196: A Special Inspiration Determination

Liu Xing frowned, puzzled by KP Li Shunchan's words. Since when did inspiration determination involve choosing a difficulty level?

Typically, an inspiration determination involving multiple pieces of intelligence would mean rolling a die to see in which range the result falls. If it landed in the difficult range, the information obtained would be more comprehensive than if it landed in the normal range.

This time, however, Liu Xing was surprised to find out that he had to choose the difficulty level first before rolling. This approach to inspiration determination felt more pressuring.

Usually, with the former method of inspiration determination, Liu Xing was guaranteed a win-win situation, at least securing information of normal difficulty, especially since he had a 90-point inspiration value. Only extremely bad luck could thwart him.

But with this new method, if Liu Xing risked choosing the difficult or even the extremely difficult levels for his inspiration determination, he might end up with nothing.

So, Liu Xing thought KP Li Shunchan was deliberately making things difficult for him.

KP Li Shunchan, seemingly aware of Liu Xing's internal complaints about this method, explained with a smile, "Well, this is also a feature of this module. Since it involves many NPCs, the same story can vary depending on who tells it. Therefore, the information players can obtain also varies. Like Investigation or inspiration determinations, players can actually choose the difficulty level in advance. The higher the risk, the greater the reward. When you and Yin En met that member of the Dark Willow Gang in the Godless Shrine, I even sent a message to Yin En, asking him what difficulty level he wanted for his Investigation determination."

After KP Li Shunchan's explanation, Liu Xing understood the rationale behind this method. For instance, if Liu Xing opted for a normal inspiration determination, he might just casually think and perhaps spot some inconsistencies in Sawada Tomohiko's story. But with an extremely difficult inspiration determination, he would exert his utmost effort to find bugs or crucial information he initially overlooked in Sawada Tomohiko's story.

Then, the rules of the Cthulhu RPG Game came into play, stipulating that certain actions could only be performed once within a certain time frame. For instance, if Liu Xing's inspiration determination failed, he might be blocked from further thought and unable to make sense of it, preventing him from attempting another inspiration determination on Sawada Tomohiko's story for a considerable time.

Considering this, Liu Xing hesitated again. Should he take the risk? After all, he had a 90-point inspiration value, making a normal difficulty determination relatively easy. However, he felt that the information gained from a normal difficulty determination might be something he could deduce himself, not offering great value for the effort.

But with a difficult determination, his success rate was only 45%, less than half. And for an extremely difficult determination, an 18% success rate seemed like a mirage.

Just then, a thought struck Liu Xing - "Why not gamble and turn a bicycle into a motorcycle?"

"KP, give me a difficult inspiration determination," Liu Xing said, biting the bullet.

Liu Xing, ??/45 (90), ??.

"What the heck, why is it a secret roll now?! KP, are you playing tricks on me?" Liu Xing looked bewilderedly at... the air, since he didn't know where KP Li Shunchan was.

KP Li Shunchan chuckled sheepishly and said, "Ah, I forgot to tell you, this inspiration determination about Sawada Tomohiko is a secret roll. Players won't know the result, but regardless of whether you succeed or fail, I will give you a piece of intelligence. You can judge its accuracy yourself. However, to make up for my oversight, I've decided to add a 5% success rate to your inspiration determination, rounding it to 50%. I'm quite fair, aren't I?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, still feeling that KP Li Shunchan was trying to manipulate him. Had he known earlier about the secret roll, he would have likely opted for a safer, normal difficulty determination to get a more reliable piece of intelligence.

But it was too late for regrets. Liu Xing could only hope for good luck to pass the inspiration determination with a 50% success rate.

"Then you realize," KP Li Shunchan continued with a smile, "that during your visit to the Godless Shrine, the chief priestess's sister, Godless Priest, plays an indispensable role in this story, yet she didn't leave her real name."

Hearing this, Liu Xing instantly thought of someone - Kanna Ryoko. Despite their brief encounter, Liu Xing could sense that Kanna Ryoko was extraordinary. Through their conversation, he learned that Kanna Ryoko was assigned to monitor the Killer Demon and Ghouls at the Godless Shrine. This indicated that her combat abilities were at least on par with the Killer Demon.

Kanna Ryoko, who appeared to be in her twenties, was obviously using magic to maintain her looks. After all, the desire for beauty is universal. But Liu Xing had always suspected that Kanna Ryoko was much older. Now, linking this to Sawada Tomohiko's story, he began to suspect that Kanna Ryoko might be Godless Priest's sister.

With only a 50% success rate, Liu Xing also started doubting whether this was a false lead from KP Li Shunchan, deliberately leading him astray.

But if Kanna Ryoko really was Godless Priest's sister, that would be sensational news. According to the story told by Kuroba Naoki, Kanna Ryoko had a fondness for Sawada Tomohiko, now the Killer Demon. The mercenaries becoming Ghouls was also Kanna Ryoko's doing.

The bell ringer must untie the bell.

Liu Xing turned to Kuroba Naoki, deciding to consult him. Kuroba Naoki was well-versed in Sawada Tomohiko's story, so it made sense to ask the expert.

"Director Kuroba, I have a question," Liu Xing began curiously. "Godless Priest's sister plays a key role in this story. Why isn't her name mentioned?"

Kuroba Naoki stroked his chin and replied, "To be honest, I'm also not sure what Godless Priest's sister's name is. Strangely, there's no mention of her name in any of the documents."

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