Chapter 980: The Gate to the Two-Dimensional World |
Seeing Liu Xing and his companions reluctantly accept the situation, Dio smiled and said, "Talking about money strains relationships, so the Morio Town Protection Association won’t be compensating you in cash. Instead, we’ll reward you with some rare items we brought from China, things that we no longer need—like this short sword that can slice through iron like butter."
As he spoke, Dio pulled out an unsheathed short sword from his sleeve.
With just one glance, Liu Xing could tell anyone would believe this sword was capable of slicing through iron effortlessly. The blade's sharpness was so intense that the cold gleam it emitted made it difficult for Liu Xing to look directly at it.
Without further ado, Dio suspended the sword above the table, and as soon as he released it, the blade pierced straight through, embedding itself until the hilt was stopped by the wood.
"This short sword was forged years ago by an anonymous master blacksmith," Dio began explaining. "However, it attracted the attention of several secret cults who tried to seize it. The blacksmith had no choice but to flee to Morio Town and become a humble fruit wholesaler, keeping this sword hidden all the while. Consider this sword as an advance payment. The Morio Town Protection Association will reward you further based on your performance."
Liu Xing was taken aback by this generous offer; he hadn't expected such a high reward from the Morio Town Protection Association, far beyond his expectations.
Though he hadn't held the sword yet, from its current display, it seemed to have a damage modifier of at least 2d4.
More importantly, its compact length of about fifty centimeters made it highly portable, convenient to carry without drawing too much attention.
However, Liu Xing noticed something odd about Dio's expression.
Raising an eyebrow, Liu Xing decided to probe, "Mr. Dio, we've been friends for years now. You can be honest with me—what’s the catch with this sword?"
If the sword were truly flawless, Liu Xing doubted the Morio Town Protection Association would be so wealthy as to just hand it over to three temporary city patrol officers like them. After all, most members of the association were Chinese, and from what Liu Xing had heard from Zhang Jingxu, Chinese NPCs generally favored enchanted melee weapons. This meant that quite a few people in the association could put this sword to good use.
Sure, its shorter length might be a disadvantage against long-limbed mythical creatures, but it certainly wasn’t something no one would want.
Seeing Liu Xing’s serious expression, Dio sighed heavily and said, "Alright, you got me. This sword does have a peculiar flaw... Due to the special materials used in its forging, it only achieves that iron-slicing effect when falling vertically under the force of gravity. In regular use, it’s just an ordinary short sword."
Liu Xing and his two companions stared speechlessly at Dio. To their surprise, this sword was so bizarre that it could only unleash its full power during a free fall.
The question then arose: could this sword’s potential ever be fully utilized in combat?
The likely answer was no, because as far as Liu Xing could recall, he’d never encountered a situation where he could use a falling-from-the-sky technique.
After all, it’s not like he was an airborne assassin...
Feeling a bit disgruntled, Liu Xing looked at Dio and said, "Mr. Dio, this is honestly a bit insincere on your part. Let's be frank—this sword is practically useless because I can’t exactly ask my opponent to wait downstairs while I run up to a rooftop to drop it on them, can I?"
Dio looked embarrassed and replied, "I understand your point, but as I mentioned, these are items we don’t currently have any use for. That’s why we’re giving them to you as compensation. Sure, the sword’s full potential requires specific conditions, but even in its regular state, it's still much sharper than most weapons of its kind... And don’t worry, we’ll provide you with at least four other similar items later on."
Liu Xing reluctantly nodded in agreement. Better than nothing, after all.
At this point, Li Hanxing picked up the sword and tested it out, saying, "True, even in its normal state, this sword is sharper than most of the weapons I used before. Plus, it feels pretty good to handle."
Taking the hint from Li Hanxing, Liu Xing naturally handed over the sword for him to use.
"Alright then, I need to head out now," Dio said as he stood up. "I’ve got to attend a meeting at the Morio Town Protection Association headquarters to finalize patrol routes and assign area managers. Once we have everything sorted out, I'll call you."
As Dio was about to leave, he suddenly turned back and said, "Oh, I almost forgot to mention—have you heard about the incident in Osaka involving the Gate to the Two-Dimensional World?"
The Gate to the Two-Dimensional World?
Li Hanxing and Sun Huiwen both shook their heads in confusion, but Liu Xing, after pondering for a moment, nodded and said, "Are you referring to that secret cult in Osaka recruiting otaku under the pretense of a 'Two-Dimensional World'?"
Dio looked surprised and replied, "Oh, I hadn't heard that part. It seems this secret cult might indeed be connected to the recent Gate to the Two-Dimensional World incident."
Dio sat back down and took out his phone to play a video.
The footage showed a young, overweight man with unsteady steps walking in a park surrounded by people walking their dogs. His presence seemed out of place amidst the relaxed crowd, with the person recording the video and their friends laughing and commenting on why an otaku like him was outdoors.
Suddenly, the otaku dropped to his knees in front of a large tree and started bowing, muttering something under his breath. Unfortunately, the recording was filled with laughter, drowning out his words. However, Liu Xing managed to pick out two phrases: “Two-Dimensional World” and “Gate.”
After a while, the otaku stood up, pulled out a rope from somewhere, and began tying it to a tree branch.
Realizing his intent, the onlookers quickly tried to stop him, fearing he was about to do something drastic.
But before they could intervene, the otaku swiftly tied a noose and hung himself. However, just as the crowd rushed forward to save him, the rope suddenly snapped. As the otaku was about to hit the ground, a purple vortex appeared beneath him.
In an instant, he vanished into thin air.
Underneath the video, there were plenty of people who thought it was just a comedic skit with cheap special effects barely worth fifty cents, but Liu Xing and a few others knew that everything they had seen was, in fact, real.
Of course, out of everyone present, Liu Xing had the most insider knowledge.
So, he began recounting what he had heard while in Osaka.
"No way, there’s actually a secret cult like this?"
After listening to Liu Xing’s story, Li Hanxing couldn’t help but laugh incredulously, "These new-age secret cults are really keeping up with the times, aren’t they? They’re even using the guise of the 'Two-dimensional world' to recruit followers. I have to say, that's pretty impressive, in a twisted way."
Sun Huiwen, who was listening nearby, seemed deep in thought as she added, "Actually, it’s quite a clever strategy. The otaku population in the Island Nation has already reached a significant size, and they’re relatively easy to persuade. But most importantly, other secret cults wouldn’t want to muscle in on their turf, so it's practically an untapped market."
Liu Xing nodded, sighing, "Yeah, clearly, this secret cult made the right bet. They’ve successfully cultivated at least one fanatic believer, who serves as a model for the rest of their followers..."
He paused briefly, then shook his head. "But this isn’t good news. To put it bluntly, the majority of otakus in the Island Nation already have some psychological issues. While their overall qualities might fall short compared to members of other cults, they’re much easier to convert into fanatic believers."
Dio let out a sigh as well, adding, "Exactly. During my time in the Island Nation, I’ve heard no shortage of stories about otakus causing trouble due to mental health issues. And given the current social climate, which intentionally marginalizes them, incidents like these are becoming more frequent. The rise of this secret cult might push things into an even more extreme direction... Liu Xing, why don’t you reach out to the Warrior Faction? Maybe they can take down this cult."
Liu Xing shook his head firmly, "We’ve thought about it, but this cult is extremely cautious—almost to the point of paranoia. So far, they haven’t exposed any weaknesses. Unless something changes, we still haven’t pinpointed their headquarters... However, based on our research, their main goal seems to be the creation of a god, so they likely won’t let their fanatic believers cause too much trouble publicly."
"A god?" The three of them—Dio, Li Hanxing, and Sun Huiwen—were all shocked.
Li Hanxing took a sip of water, fixing his eyes on Liu Xing, "Are they really going that far? They actually want to create a god of their own?"
Before Liu Xing could respond, Dio rubbed his chin and said, "While the success rate of something like that is low, it’s not entirely impossible. After all, there have been precedents in the real world where people have managed to ascend through the sheer power of faith, reaching a level comparable to the Great Old Ones or the Old Gods. Though, to be clear, these man-made gods are still inferior to the real ones, and their powers are somewhat limited. I’ve even heard that most of these artificial gods have retreated to the Dreamrealm."
Seeing Liu Xing and the others’ puzzled expressions, Dio elaborated, "You’re all aware that the laws of the Dreamrealm are vastly different from those of the real world. Those artificial gods thrive there because, in essence, they are consciousness constructs. This allows them to narrow the gap between themselves and the genuine gods while in the Dreamrealm. Historically, almost all known artificial gods originated from there."
Upon hearing this, a sudden thought struck Liu Xing.
Perhaps the Great Old One backing Ii Naoyoshi and his followers was actually an artificial god—or more accurately, an incomplete one. It might even be the so-called god of the Two-dimensional world.
From what they had observed, this so-called "Great Old One" didn’t match Liu Xing’s understanding of these eldritch entities. Its behavior seemed too unlike the other Great Old Ones he had encountered in the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall.
In Liu Xing’s experience, even though many Great Old Ones were bound by seals and operated from the shadows, they wouldn’t hide their identity. Their followers would proudly carry out their commands in the open. However, the entity behind Ii Naoyoshi and his group was nothing like that. Plus, even if these Great Old Ones were weakened, they still possessed terrifying abilities. Taking down a mythical creature like Shimada Sho should be a piece of cake if they truly wanted to, so the fact that Shimada Sho was able to escape their influence was suspicious.
Thus, Liu Xing was beginning to believe that the entity behind Ii Naoyoshi might indeed be a half-finished artificial god. That’s likely why it hasn’t dared to step into the spotlight.
Moreover, it could be using the Island Nation’s otakus to complete its ascension as the so-called god of the Two-dimensional world.
The more Liu Xing thought about it, the more plausible this theory seemed.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. I have to head out now," Dio said, standing up once more. "But before I go, don’t forget to keep a close eye on Bai Liang. Given the current tense situation, Bai Liang and his group have all been marked as high-priority surveillance targets."
With that, Dio left.
After Dio's departure, Li Hanxing and Sun Huiwen decided to relax in the living room, playing on the PS4. Meanwhile, Liu Xing watched them while contemplating whether his theory held any weight.
Before long, Liu Xing’s phone rang. It was Zhang Jingxu calling.
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Chapter 981: A Player