Chapter 983: No Nesting Dolls Allowed |
As a legally recognized loli over a century old, Isabella had her fair share of friends. However, after her brother Gary placed her under house arrest, she lost touch with many of them. In their line of work, the danger level was quite high—after all, who knew when a bunch of players might show up to exterminate them?
Once Isabella left EinsCastle, she made an effort to reconnect with her old friends. To her surprise, she managed to reestablish contact with a witch named Reki, who had previously crafted potions for Isabella. These potions allowed Isabella to temporarily transform her appearance from a ten-year-old to a twenty-year-old.
Unfortunately, Reki didn't get along well with the Ghoul clan, who dominated England. Given Gary's close ties with them, Reki decided to leave England for France, keeping in touch with Isabella through letters and occasionally sending her potions.
When Isabella reconnected with Reki, she learned that Reki had recently relocated to Mexico. According to Reki, she was interested in studying the local witchcraft there.
Isabella had originally wanted to visit Reki in Mexico, but due to her current status as a "child," her adoptive parents would never allow her to travel there alone. As for a family trip, that was equally unlikely, given the rather “lively” situation in Mexico.
In this parallel world, Mexico's situation was even more chaotic and fantastical. In short, every major faction was backed by mythical creatures, turning the country into a warlord-dominated mess, even more chaotic than the Island Nation.
So, Isabella had to settle for staying in touch with Reki through her mobile phone. However, just a few days later, Reki mysteriously vanished.
Upon hearing of her friend's sudden disappearance, Isabella couldn't just stand by. She quickly began investigating Reki’s whereabouts, which led her to discover that Reki had once lived in Morio Town.
Isabella was well aware of the unique status of Morio Town. It was one of the few places openly protected by a Great Old One. Even the Great Old Ones from Saven Valley never claimed such territorial ownership.
Originally, Isabella planned to stay in Morio Town for only a short while before heading to Mexico. But just as she arrived, a Public-Military Conflict erupted, forcing her to extend her stay. She ended up lodging at the home of one of Reki’s friends in Morio Town.
After hearing Isabella’s story, Liu Xing couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.
"Meeting an old friend in a foreign land," he thought.
Liu Xing never expected to encounter two friends from England in the Island Nation. After everything they’d been through, he felt that he and Isabella could now consider each other friends.
However, Liu Xing was somewhat surprised to find that Dio did not recognize Isabella. Given that Gary had once tricked Dio into being imprisoned in EinsCastle, there was a chance Isabella might have seen Dio before. But judging by their expressions, it seemed they were indeed strangers.
Just then, more members of the Morio Town Protection Association arrived on the scene. Liu Xing and the others, acting as temporary helpers, naturally stepped aside to chat.
“By the way, Liu Xing, do you have any connections to help me leave the Island Nation?” Isabella asked with a hint of frustration. “I don’t have any contacts here. While I know Reki might have been captured by the Swollen Woman, I still want to check out Mexico to see if I can find more clues.”
Liu Xing pondered for a moment before nodding. “I’ll see what I can do. But honestly, I think you might be wasting your time going to Mexico, considering you know how things are in Morio Town.”
Given the influence of the Sawada Family within the Warrior Faction, getting Isabella out of the Island Nation wouldn’t be too difficult. Liu Xing didn’t mind doing her this favor. However, from the current situation, he was inclined to have Isabella stay, as her abilities would be quite useful in Morio Town. After all, the assassins and spies sent by the Swollen Woman were still human, and Isabella’s charm skill could be exceptionally effective against them.
Isabella sighed, gazing up at the sky. “But Reki is my best friend. I still want to find her. Of course, if she really was captured by the Swollen Woman, I wouldn’t dare seek revenge. I’ve heard that even the Ghoul god, the Great Old One Mordiggian, wouldn’t dare provoke the Swollen Woman.”
Naturally. While the Swollen Woman was merely one of Nyarlathotep’s many avatars, Nyarlathotep’s status was far too elevated. A lesser Great Old One like Mordiggian wouldn’t dream of confronting her.
In the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, Nyarlathotep’s avatars had far more freedom than the Great Old Ones, who were bound to the scenarios set by their modules. In contrast, Nyarlathotep's avatars, like Aughra, could roam freely across the world.
Liu Xing couldn’t help but regret not cozying up to Aughra when he had the chance. If he had, he might have already ascended to the Cthulhu Region by now.
As Liu Xing was about to speak, Dio walked over and said, “We’ve confirmed that this wooden boat was indeed brought here by an assassin. The assassin arrived in Morio Town two days ago, so we’re planning a comprehensive search of the town to locate him before he makes another move.”
“Is there anything you need us to do?” Li Hanxing asked.
Dio nodded seriously. “Morio Town only has one main road, so we just need to set up checkpoints at both ends to trap him. I’ve already volunteered our team to cover one of the entry points.”
“The one leading to the docks?” Liu Xing guessed instinctively.
If the assassin sent by the Swollen Woman was hiding in Morio Town, his likely escape route would be towards the docks.
“Exactly,” Dio confirmed. “Based on past incidents, these assassins usually try to flee towards the docks because we won’t engage the factions there just to catch one person. This allows them to regroup and plan their next move in Morio Town. So, our best chance to catch this one is at that checkpoint.”
Since Dio had made the decision, Liu Xing and his group had no choice but to follow him to their designated position, while Isabella joined forces with Reki’s friends.
Before parting, Isabella and Liu Xing exchanged mobile numbers, with Isabella instructing him to call her only once he confirmed a way out of the Island Nation. The unspoken rule was to avoid unnecessary contact.
On the way to their assignment, Dio suddenly said, “By the way, that Isabella...”
Seeing Dio hesitate, Liu Xing replied, “Yes, Isabella is Gary’s sister. But you two are kindred spirits of sorts—she was also imprisoned by Gary all these years.”
Dio paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I see now. No wonder the aura around Isabella felt so familiar to me... But if her relationship with Gary isn't good, then I have no reason to go looking for trouble with her."
Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? Looks like you're getting a bit bold lately, Dio, thinking of provoking Isabella. You know, as Gary’s sister, her combat skills might not be on par with his, but she's not far behind. Plus, she's got plenty of tricks up her sleeve. Even I've been toyed around by her before."
Dio chuckled confidently. "Mr. Liu Xing, as you folks in China say, ‘the present is not like the past.’ I'm not the same person I was before. I'm quite confident that if I were to face Gary now, I could take him down without a scratch... But when it comes to trickery, well, I might still fall into traps. Most of my abilities are physical in nature, so if the opponent uses mental attacks, I'd be powerless to fight back."
He paused for a moment, then turned to Liu Xing with a serious expression. "By the way, Liu Xing, make sure to tell Li Hanxing and Sun Huiwen that when you’re in Morio Town, you must avoid provoking a man named Gu Kai. His illusions are truly masterful—he can trap you in a world of his creation with just a flick of his fingers. Even I need significant effort to break free from his illusions, and that's only when he's going easy on me."
Taking a deep breath, Dio continued, sounding a bit shaken, "Honestly, after experiencing his illusion once, I started questioning whether this world is just a game."
Liu Xing stared at Dio in shock, never expecting him to say such a thing.
Is Dio about to turn into the next Ithaqua?
As Liu Xing pondered how to ask Dio about his sudden change of perspective, Dio kept talking, "Although I'm already in my forties or fifties, ever since I became a Ghoul and gained immortality, I've been trying to keep my mind young. So, during my years in Morio Town, I've been exposed to some new ideas and trends. That’s how I came across a theory—that our lives might actually be part of a computer game. We could be players, or we might just be NPCs."
Liu Xing nodded, acknowledging he'd heard of such a theory. After encountering the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, Liu Xing himself had started to wonder if the real world he lived in was also just a virtual construct.
"To put it simply," Dio explained, "Gu Kai's illusions can pull people into a world he creates, and those trapped within it are forced to play a role in his fabricated reality until they realize it’s all fake." Dio sighed heavily, "The world he created felt so real. If he hadn’t intentionally left some bugs in it, I might have spent a lifetime there thinking it was reality. Even after I escaped, I wandered around in a daze for days, doubting whether I had truly left his illusion."
“You got that right,” Liu Xing muttered to himself.
As they passed through the city, Dio picked up Mai Yuqiang and Bai Xing. As for Wang Haiyang, he was still diligently studying at school.
After all, it wasn't like Wang Haiyang could ask his teacher for leave by claiming he needed to "save the world."
Since the Morio Town Protection Association wasn’t an official organization, Liu Xing and his team couldn't set up proper roadblocks. Instead, they parked by the roadside and pulled out a grill, setting up for a barbecue on the grassy patch nearby.
Mmm, it smelled delicious.
Just as Liu Xing was getting so absorbed in eating the grilled meat that he almost forgot why they were even there, Bai Xing received a phone call—a call that could either be good news or bad.
The assassin had been dealt with.
“Looks like we bet wrong this time. I didn’t expect this assassin to be so weak, crumbling at the first hit,” Bai Xing said, shaking his head. “This guy's ability was to switch between a water form and an ice form, so he had been hiding in someone’s pond for the past couple of days. But when he was discovered, he transformed into an ice form to make a last stand and ended up getting smashed to pieces.”
Dio scratched the back of his head with a puzzled look. "Now that's a non-standard assassin if I've ever seen one. Usually, those with water-related abilities are slippery as hell, so I thought it’d be best to block him at the road. Who knew he wouldn't follow the usual patterns... Well, let’s finish the barbecue before heading back."
“Wait, do you think the one who set the fire might have been a mole?” Mai Yuqiang asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “It doesn’t make sense for two assassins to show up in Morio Town at the same time. So, since we’ve already taken care of one assassin, that means the one who set the fire shouldn’t be an assassin. It also couldn’t have been one of us. The only possibility left is that it was a mole.”
Dio shook his head, voicing his doubts. “I don’t think so. Leopard doesn’t seem to know any magic spells, after all...”
But before Dio could finish, Mai Yuqiang interrupted, “What if there’s another mole? You know, there’s no limit to how many moles there could be.”
Hearing this, Dio frowned and said, “True, that’s possible. But among the Morio Town Protection Association members who can use magic, there aren’t many, and we’ve already confirmed none of them are moles.”
[Thanks for reading at Patreon.com/maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!]
Chapter 984: Sparring