Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls - Chapter 318: Crafting an Item

Zhang Jingxu set down his chopsticks and continued, “In most cases, the simplest way to disrupt a magic formation is through physical means. Magic formations can be understood as complex circuit diagrams. If you cut off a part of the circuit diagram, the entire diagram becomes ineffective. So, all we need to do is scratch the Composite Magic Arrays in our respective rooms with a knife, and these magic formations will naturally become useless.”

“But, as Ryuusei just mentioned, physical destruction is crude and can easily trigger the alarm devices specifically left behind when drawing the magic formation. These alarms are special runes, akin to a fuse. Once the magic formation loses its effect, it sends a unique signal to the person who drew it.”

“So, I believe this Composite Magic Array definitely contains that special rune. After all, the existence of this Composite Magic Array is meant to make it easier for Matsui Ichiro to manipulate our minds. Therefore, if we use physical destruction to deal with it, Matsui Ichiro will definitely know about it immediately.”

“And if Matsui Ichiro learns that we’ve disrupted the magic formation, it will be troublesome. If we can’t come up with a suitable explanation, he will surely become suspicious and eventually confront us, possibly launching an attack. So, it’s better if we avoid using physical destruction to solve this Composite Magic Array.”

Upon hearing this, Miyako Goudong was the first to speak up, “Um, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, if that’s the case, how should we go about dealing with this Composite Magic Array? We’re constantly affected by it, and if we keep delaying like this, it will definitely be to our detriment.”

Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, “Of course, we can’t afford to delay any longer. However, it’s not the right time yet because what I’ve prepared is not yet complete. Once my preparations are done, we can nullify the effects of this Composite Magic Array and avoid triggering that special rune, unless Matsui Ichiro manages to infiltrate our rooms. Otherwise, he won’t detect any issues.”

Miyako Goudong continued with curiosity, “So, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, what is it that you need to complete?”

Zhang Jingxu took out a flat, circular box from his pocket, resembling a makeup compact.

At the sight of this box, Liu Xing immediately recognized what it was. He had seen the icon for this item in the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall’s shop, and it was identical to the box in Zhang Jingxu’s hand.

The item’s name was “Anti-Magic Dust.”

Anti-Magic Dust, as the name suggested, was a type of dust that could counteract magic and render it ineffective. It didn’t require any judgments; it simply needed to meet certain usage conditions to counter most types of magic. This Anti-Magic Dust was sold in the shop for just 100 points and could be used five times.

While magic in the Cthulhu RPG Game was generally considered subpar in terms of effectiveness, if an enemy’s magic managed to succeed, it could still cause significant trouble. So, purchasing a couple of boxes of Anti-Magic Dust seemed like a reasonable investment to counteract magic, especially in the presence of Wizards.

However, there was a catch. Even though Anti-Magic Dust was affordable and seemingly practical, it had a critical drawback related to its usage conditions.

The usage condition for Anti-Magic Dust was quite strict—it had to be removed from the box and kept active for an hour before it could effectively counteract magic. Its effects would only last for about a minute after that.

In simple terms, Anti-Magic Dust had a lengthy activation time, and most magic in the game was instant or lasted only for a short time. Therefore, Anti-Magic Dust was practically useless since it couldn’t be deployed in time to counter enemy magic.

Furthermore, Anti-Magic Dust was called “dust” for a reason. It dispersed into the air, and after an hour, it was either on the ground or carried away by the wind.

As a result, Anti-Magic Dust had received much criticism on the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall’s forum and had been voted as one of the “Top Ten Completely Useless Items in the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall Shop.”

So, when Liu Xing had initially seen the description of Anti-Magic Dust, he had dismissed it as a worthless item.

Now, to his surprise, Zhang Jingxu was using Anti-Magic Dust to counter the Composite Magic Array.

“This is Anti-Magic Dust, a rather… unique item. Although it can nullify the effects of many types of magic, it has very stringent usage conditions. It must be removed from this box at least one hour before use, and these particles of Anti-Magic Dust need to be continuously moved to remain active. After an hour, these particles can finally exhibit their intended effects.”

“So, it’s almost impossible to expect this Anti-Magic Dust to counter magic effectively, as our enemies won’t cooperate with us. However, it works quite well against static magic formations like the ones in our rooms. As you can see, this box contains only this much Anti-Magic Dust, and it’s quite expensive.”

“So, if we want to use it against the magic formation that Ryuusei encountered in the Underground Ruins yesterday, we would need to spend a fortune and buy hundreds of boxes of Anti-Magic Dust. But to deal with the smaller Composite Magic Arrays in our rooms, one box of Anti-Magic Dust will be more than sufficient,” Zhang Jingxu explained with a smile.

Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Zhang Jingxu’s plan seemed feasible, and it appeared that he also needed to purchase some Anti-Magic Dust. After all, Liu Xing had participated in role-playing games in the Shoggoth Region, and magic elements were prevalent. He expected magic to continue being a factor in future adventures.

At this moment, Ling Ishikawa expressed some confusion, “Um, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, you mentioned earlier that this Anti-Magic Dust you’re talking about has dust-like properties. How did you use it to deal with the magic formation? Because I’ve learned some knowledge about magic formations from my inexpensive master, Serak, in Hybrier. Just as you said, a magic formation is like an electrical circuit. Mr. Zhang Jingxu, it seems that the Anti-Magic Dust you used is like graphite, which can temporarily short-circuit the magic formation. But what if the Anti-Magic Dust gets carried away by the wind or falls due to Earth’s Core gravity after it has been activated? It would lose its effect, wouldn’t it? And, if I understood correctly, this Anti-Magic Dust can’t maintain its effect continuously, right?”

Just as Zhang Jingxu was about to answer, his phone suddenly rang.

“Oh, perfect timing! The Anti-Magic Dust will be effective in five minutes. Let’s go to my room now, and Ling Ishikawa, you will have the answer then,” Zhang Jingxu said with a smile.

So, everyone followed Zhang Jingxu to his room.

As soon as they entered Zhang Jingxu’s room, Liu Xing heard the sound of a juicer running. Following the noise, he saw a juicer on the table in the room. However, the green, shining liquid inside made Liu Xing feel uneasy as it reminded him of Dogo Aige’s head.

“This looks like a juicer, but in reality, it’s a modified juicer I altered to keep the Anti-Magic Dust active continuously. I also added a special substance inside. I don’t know its exact name, but this mud-like substance can extend the duration of Anti-Magic Dust’s effect significantly. I estimate it will last about a day, although it weakens the Anti-Magic Dust’s potency.”

As Zhang Jingxu spoke, he took out a metal tin from his backpack and shared the item information.

Stable Alchemical Clay: Alchemical clay developed by an unnamed alchemist. After thorough mixing with certain items, it enhances the stability and duration of their effects but also weakens their potency.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected to encounter such an item. The combination of Anti-Magic Dust and Stable Alchemical Clay was perfect, as it could potentially create an entire set of Anti-Magic Armor.

“This unidentified substance was a gift from a friend of mine. He said he obtained it from an alchemist, and he discovered that it could be used in conjunction with Anti-Magic Dust. So, I’m just following his lead,” Zhang Jingxu said with a smile.

As Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, the juicer stopped running. The fully blended mixture of Anti-Magic Dust and Stable Alchemical Clay had transformed into a new item.

Magic Suppression Clay (Self-Crafted Item, Namer’s Game ID: Carlo): A type of clay that exhibits strong resistance against most forms of magic. Duration: twenty-four hours.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow again. He hadn’t expected this Magic Suppression Clay to be a player-crafted item. In fact, Liu Xing hadn’t realized that players could craft their own items.

At this moment, KP Green Light suddenly spoke, “Oh, I didn’t expect you, Zhang Jingxu, to know the craft of player-made items. It seems you had a good teammate in a previous module. However, considering that none of the other players here seem to know what player-made items are, let me explain.”

“Player-made items, as the name suggests, are entirely new items created by players through various means, using different materials. They are distinct from the pre-existing items in the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall. Take this Magic Suppression Clay, for instance. While there have been similar items with comparable effects before, this item is unique as it results from the combination of two items, resembling clay. Therefore, it has been recognized as a player-made item.”

“Of course, in addition to player-made items, there are also player-created spells or magic. Players who craft their own items or create their own magic typically enjoy certain advantages. They not only gain naming rights for the player-made item or the created magic but also receive additional points as a reward. The specific amount of points awarded depends on the effectiveness of the player-made item or the created magic.”

After listening to KP Green Light’s explanation, Liu Xing’s eyes lit up with a bold idea. He considered creating his own player-made item.

After all, he currently possessed many items, and his character card’s special status meant he would acquire even more items in future modules, with most of them having impressive effects.

So, Liu Xing suddenly felt confident and believed he could create his player-made item.

However, just as he was thinking about this, KP Green Light stepped in to pour cold water on his enthusiasm, “Alright, I know that many of you players here may think of yourselves as chosen ones, protagonists, and believe that you can create player-made items just like that. But I want to make it clear that it’s not as simple as combining a few items that seem compatible. Creating a player-made item is not easy. Currently, there are only 261 player-made items and 334 player-created spells in the entire Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall. So, having ideas is good, but you all need to face reality and recognize your own abilities.”

Liu Xing’s previously overflowing confidence was shattered by KP Green Light’s few words.

“Alright, let’s continue the game,” KP Green Light said.

Zhang Jingxu then took out a stack of yellow paper from his backpack and divided the Magic Suppression Clay into six portions.

“You can evenly spread this clay over the Composite Magic Array in your respective rooms. It will temporarily disable the Composite Magic Array for one day. Tomorrow at this time, I’ll create a new batch to maintain the effect,” Zhang Jingxu explained while distributing the Magic Suppression Clay.

At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly remembered a question: Would Alice’s room also have this Composite Magic Array?

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