The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

Half an hour later, Siles dried his hair, changed his clothes, and left the room with Cendo.It was time for lunch, and they came to the dining room of the Conrad Hotel.

Qin Duo obviously stayed in this hotel before, but according to him, this hotel is too...regular, and can't accommodate any "things" at the level of enlightenment, so explorers of the land of no embers don't like to live in it. Conrad.

Of course, it is widely praised by ordinary tourists.

They met Lorenzo and Chester in the restaurant and sat down with them for lunch.Lorenzo and Chester chatted endlessly, while Celes and Cindo listened quietly, and Celes occasionally participated in their conversations.

... Seriously, this scene is quite familiar, only one of them has changed.

Lorenzo and Chester were mainly talking about the journey from La Mifa to Malz, and they mentioned with wonder the miraculous restoration of the tracks.

They are also guessing whether there is an enlightener secretly making a move, but the problem with this speculation is, why didn't that well-intentioned person stand up?People basically know that there is a revelation in this world, so this kind person can stand up and enjoy the praise of the passengers.

Siles listened silently, and at the same time glanced sideways at "this kind man" beside him.

Cindo ate his lunch as if nothing had happened, but then turned his head and smiled at Siles.His eyes were slightly bent, and he looked as if he was complacent, but it was not because he helped other people, but because he helped his beloved god.

Siles was taken aback, but at the same time couldn't help laughing.

Both Lorenzo and Chester didn't bother to pay attention to their interaction.They turned to talking about possible encounters when they passed by the Never Embers for a short time afterwards.

Chester has been to the Land of Never Embers twice, so he told Lorenzo about the Land of Never Embers in great detail.From time to time, Lorenzo suddenly realized, and then marveled at the magic of the Everland.

"But it's also a very dangerous place." Chester added, "People can always encounter a lot of...unbelievable things there."

"Oh, I also read some news from the newspapers." Lorenzo said, "explorers, aborigines, businessmen, and speculators. Love and hate. It's amazing that they can appear in the same time." Emberland."

Chester nodded, agreeing with this.The most amazing thing about the Everland is that it combines all kinds of worlds, and seems to condense them in a small post station or village.It's not even a city, but it shows the essence of human beings better than a city.

Naturally, they also talked about the banquet in the evening, and Chester and Lorenzo obviously got acquainted with some other passengers.

Lorenzo said: "It is estimated that there will be some very interesting activities. Anyway, the time on the train is too boring, except for playing cards... Oh, of course, playing cards is still interesting, but playing for a day and a night, then It's exhausting too."

Chester nodded in agreement, and said, "I don't know what they plan to do."

"Food carnival night with singing and dancing." Lorenzo is very familiar with this matter, he has not been able to participate in this kind of activity in the past semester, and now he can't help but want to move, "Besides, we are almost reaching the land of no embers. "

He seemed to mean something.

Chester also looked thoughtfully at some other guests in the restaurant.

Siles asked in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"Professor, you may not have had much contact with some of the passengers on the train." Chester said, "In short, except for the explorers of the Neverland—it is estimated that they will not live in Conrad—the others Passengers are basically those traveling from Ramifa City to other places.”

"Or a foreigner himself." Lorenzo added, "just like Mr. Cindor."

Like Chester, he now uses the term "Mr. Qindo".

"so?"

Chester said in a somewhat mysterious tone: "So they may know some legends and strange stories, not from personal experience, but from word of mouth. On the contrary, they will talk about it more than those explorers .

"They just keep silent now. However, we are now getting closer and closer to the land of no embers. At night, under the catalysis of alcohol and food, they may complacently share those stories. .

"I know, Professor, you must be very interested in those stories. At that time, we can have a fireside chat, and we will talk about those wonderful ancient rumors together."

Night talk around the fire.This word made Sirius slightly startled.He felt as if he had heard the word somewhere.

He admitted that he was very interested in the "strange stories" that Chester said, but at the same time he was also searching for his own memory.Where had he heard this statement?

After lunch, Siles heard Lorenzo say that he was bored in the afternoon, and wanted to borrow a novel from the hotel's small library to read and chat to pass the time. Then he suddenly used the keyword "novel" to think of what he was. Where have I heard the phrase "night chats around the fire".

When he first went to the novelist gathering at Bain Bookstore, adventure novelist Arvid Norton took out an adventure note from a reader, which was said to be left by the reader's ancestors, and he asked Avi Read and appraise the value of the manuscript.

That manuscript mentioned many anecdotes and legends that were like talking in sleep, among which there were some written records related to the "Night Talk Around the Fireplace".

Too much time has passed, and Siles doesn't quite remember the contents of the manuscript.His general impression of the related text was that a group of people seemed to be talking about some terrible ancient legends in the winter night inn, and thus attracted some dangerous things... "Lonely shadow in the middle of the night"?

It seems so.A strange story about a hearthside chat that happened in the Land of No Embers.

However, it was difficult for Siles to determine whether the rumor was true or not, and whether the result was really that serious.

The explorers sat around the fire, each telling the ancient adventure stories of themselves, their families, or their ancestors, or some legends and anecdotes that they heard inadvertently... In this age when entertainment activities are scarce, I am afraid that Happens from time to time.

But it's rare to hear of anyone dying as a result.Perhaps, even if the things recorded in the manuscript really happened, it was because one of the people who chatted around the fire at that time really held important and dangerous information.

Thus, during the conversation, his story would inadvertently invite danger lurking in the dark.

This is the more likely scenario.But Siles couldn't help realizing that if there was a fireside chat at night when people were having a banquet, he might have to join in so as not to be ignorant of what was going on.

Siles made up his mind.Of course, part of the reason is that he is really interested in those strange stories.

In the afternoon, he slept for a while. After all, he had a psychological illusion of "difficult to sleep well" on the train. Even if he had the power of Akamala, he couldn't get rid of certain human instincts.

After waking up, he flipped through the newspapers prepared in the hotel. He didn't see any new news in the newspapers, so he quickly joined Qin Duo, and then went to the carnival party that was going on in the banquet hall on the first floor of the hotel.

This hotel has an elegant and calm decoration style, but the people who are having a carnival at the moment broke this quiet atmosphere.

Indeed, many people were involved, including their group and other travelers in the hotel.Most of them are passengers who were trapped on that train before, after being depressed and panicked, they are now trying to let themselves into laughter.

Siles saw many familiar faces, and he even saw Lady Catherine Kinsey standing silently in a corner with a glass of wine.

Investigators from the Church of the Past all participated, and the others enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere even more.Siles and Qindo walked around the feast, took some food, and chatted with some people.

Cinder also seems to have stumbled across a few acquaintances, Kansasians with connections to the Playa family.They talked for a while.And Siles also chatted with the fellow professors who visited this time, and gradually became familiar with them.

At about seven o'clock, some people gradually left, but some people still stayed.

At this time, some high-spirited people proposed to have a "fireside chat".They will find a smaller room, light a fire, and in the dark of night, share with each other the secrets and legends they know; participants must share at least one story.

Soon some people joined in.Siles and Cindo also participated.They quickly moved on to the other rooms.

Siles noticed that Chester, Lorenzo, Bunyan, and Catherine Kinsey were all involved, and with himself and Cinder, there were six people.

Surprisingly, Siles saw Hud Dreyson here.The young man who had received a secret letter from his family and set out for the Land of Never Embers also participated in this fireside chat by coincidence.

Hurd was also taken aback when he saw Siles, he whispered hello to Siles and Cindo, and said with some embarrassment: "I will pay back the money as soon as possible, sir."

Siles gave him a thoughtful look, then said, "Don't worry. It's carnival night, Hurd, just have fun."

Hurd was visibly relieved.

The other five participants were unknown to Siles.However, he noticed that the appearance of two of them was obviously different from that of the Const people, and they were probably foreigners.

They came to a quiet, dark, cold room.I am afraid that this room has not been used for a long time, so there is a decayed and silent smell in the air.The person who proposed the fireside chat lit the fire.

The sudden ignited flame made everyone's eyes calm down.They sat around the fire.

It was the proposer who was the first to smile and say, "Well, start with me, then."

Their eyes were all on him.

That looks like a successful businessman, or traveler.There is a very palpable, mature and sophisticated feel about him.He was the type of guy who would speak up in a crowd and take the initiative to claim leadership.

But this temperament is also an over-sophisticated, mask-like disguise.No one can see the inner thoughts from this very adult face.

"I am Fred Dudley," he introduced himself, "and the story I want to tell you is about an elderly traveler I once met. Now that time has passed, he I'm afraid he's dead, so I can speak about it without scruple."

When he said this, the others listened carefully.Although the atmosphere here looks very relaxed on the surface, everyone slowly becomes focused and curious at the same time.

Fred paused only briefly, and then went on: "I met him nearly ten years ago, when I came back to Const from a country farther north, and met him on the train.

"He was very, very old at the time, and I don't understand why someone so old would go on a journey... It might sound a bit mean, but anyway, people see someone of that age going out, and there's always something a little bit worried."

He made a small joke, but it didn't make the others laugh.Unknowingly, everyone's eyes became a little darker, they were either looking at the flames in front of them, or at the person who was talking.There was a wordless urging in their eyes.

Siles looked at the flames with deep eyes.Qin Duo sat next to him, keeping a boring silence.

So Fred continued: "He told me his story. He said that he had read some books about the ocean since he was a child, and he was very yearning for the ocean, but Const was far away from the ocean.

"So, after he had enough assets, he decided to embark on a journey to find the ocean. In the end, he did, but he also became extremely panicked and restless because of this, and then returned to Kangsi in a hurry. special.

"However, when I met him, he also said that he thought he was dying and that it was necessary to tell others what he had discovered. I was his only choice.

"...But, to be honest, even though I've heard him and am retelling his story here, it's hard for me to believe it's true. It's always like that, after all, I haven't seen it with my own eyes. through what he saw."

There was a subtle emotion in Fred's words.It was probably because of the old man's desolation and nonsense before his death that he felt dubious, but the most wonderful story he knew was precisely the experience of this old man.

So he could only entertain the story with this scornful and triumphant display.

But the rest of the people didn't show any attitude.This seemed to bore Fred.After all, this kind of evening chat around the fire always needs a lively atmosphere of booing.

He continued to tell the story: "He said that he heard that there was a sea in the north, so he walked all the way north. On the road, he met some people who knew the way, and he headed towards the ocean under their guidance.

"The ocean did appear before him very quickly, and at the same time..."

Having said that, Fred couldn't help but paused.

"What?" Someone finally couldn't help asking.

"...the shadow under the sea." Fred said in a low voice.

The rest looked at each other.One of them said in an inexplicable tone, "But what's the matter? Isn't the ocean always very gloomy?"

The travelers who appeared here seemed to have rich travel experience, and this person seemed to have seen the ocean, so he continued with a disapproving attitude: "So, I can understand your disdain for this matter. care."

"No, no, no, no... This situation is different." Fred retorted excitedly, "That's a shadow swimming below the surface of the sea! It's a huge shadow creature!"

His attitude at this time seemed particularly strange, obviously he himself had shown that extreme contempt before, but now, it was he who refuted the contempt of others so fiercely.

After this sentence was finished, the scene was quiet for a moment.

Siles clearly noticed that some people moved their bodies uneasily, and others showed a kind of helpless boredom in their eyes, as if they regretted coming here a little bit, and listened to this guy who was a bit neurotic in nature. An inexplicable story.

Fred took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, and said, "That's it. The shadows under the sea surface...the shadows in the deep sea..."

"Maybe it's just a huge animal?" Herd Dreyson said suddenly. "Perhaps, it's a whale? A shark? Or something else, a sea creature that we don't know much about."

"It is indeed possible." Knight Commander Bunyan gently relieved the siege, "The fog covers most of the ocean, and we don't know what the ocean is like now."

The trend of this topic seems to be more serious.

Still, Fred's story was clearly over.After that, other people told their stories one after another, and their stories became more lively, lively and relaxed, which also made the atmosphere a lot better.

One of the coincidences and farces caused by young children even makes people laugh.After Fred, people seem to have deliberately chosen more mundane stories instead of some... mysterious shadows under the sea.

Fred's story seemed to have no beginning and no end, but Siles was sure that some people present showed thoughtful expressions.He himself still sat expressionless, but also pondered what Fred's story meant.

The shadow swimming in the sea... could indeed be some kind of huge sea creature.However, combined with some strange powers of the world itself, Sirius couldn't draw conclusions so simply.

Besides, the old traveler embarks on a journey to the sea.This approach itself has a certain ... very in line with certain "concepts".What exactly did the old man see at the beach and under what circumstances did he see it? These questions are particularly important.

Siles stared deeply at Fred, who was absent-minded not far away.He felt that when the man was telling this story, he seemed to be evasive.

Besides, he met that old man ten years ago, and he himself was probably only in his early 20s at that time.How would that story affect him at such a young age?

Ten years later, he's still telling the story at a fireside event?

Siles narrowed his eyes slightly.

The sequence of storytelling came to Cendor.Qin Duo casually told a story about a gravekeeper manipulating a living corpse, and he didn't know where he heard such a story.

Some people who were originally curious soon showed expressions of astonishment and uneasiness.

Then it was Siles' turn.Siles thought for a while, and then mentioned a Mr. Ghost who helped the child in the dream.

Mr. Ghost's function seems to be much more harmless than the Gravekeeper's.So, some people even curiously asked how Siles knew about the existence of Mr. Ghost.Siles simply said that he learned about it from a child who was helped by Mr. Ghost.

So people's eyes quickly turned to disapproval, probably thinking that the children's words could not be taken seriously.

However, the rest of the people who knew Sirius, including Knight Commander Bunyan, looked at Sirius curiously.Probably because he is also very interested in this mysterious Mr. Ghost.

After Siles, the order is Chester, Lorenzo, Bunyan, Catherine.They each told some stories they knew, and the two people from the past church also talked about some related topics as expected, such as some things about Antinam.

People chatted about it for a while, about Antinam and the world.These are almost some topics that people talk about after dinner, the gods that have passed away, the fog that has not dissipated, and the unpredictable future.

Sometimes people are used to this kind of life, and sometimes people have to admit that this life is really not interesting.

The person sitting next to Catherine is a foreigner.His accent was rather thick, but it was possible to understand what he was saying.He pointed to Fred, and said heartily, "My story is a bit similar to yours!"

He then told a story from his own family.He said he was from the sea in the north, and his family was fishermen.They often go out to sea to fish, in order to earn some money, and at the same time they can use seafood to satisfy their hunger.

He said that when his father went fishing alone, he also encountered a shadow under the sea and a huge storm, and then drifted to an isolated island.There are still aborigines on that isolated island.

His father didn't dare to get close to those people, he could only see those people offering sacrifices on a mysterious altar, full of blood and broken bodies.Soon the weather improved, and his father left quickly without disturbing those people.

After returning home, his father was still in shock, told his family about the incident, and decided not to go fishing again.

"Shortly after that, we moved." The man said, "I was young when this happened, and I didn't know what it all meant. It should be that a group of followers of the old gods lived on that isolated island. "

This story has a more fantasy and horror atmosphere than the previous Fred's story, and it has a beginning and an end. It is a quite complete story.People showed curious expressions, and someone asked: "So, where is your former country?"

"Middleton." The man replied without thinking, "That's my hometown. The coastal country in the north."

Chester and Lorenzo exclaimed in unison.

Lorenzo said directly: "That is our destination! This is really a huge coincidence!"

The man was also a little surprised, but he also said: "Unfortunately, I have been away from there for a long time, otherwise, I could still introduce you to my former hometown."

Nevertheless, they chatted eagerly.It was supposed to be the next person's turn soon, but because of their eager conversation, the time was delayed for a while.

And the next person was Herd Dreyson.He sat quietly, his eyes lowered a little introverted, and he hardly participated in other people's conversations, just immersed in his own thoughts.

After a while, the topic about Middleton stopped for a while, so this young man who had been a little nervous hesitated for a while, and then said: "The story I want to tell is something that my grandmother accidentally told me, a family story. history."

When he said that, he looked at Sirius intentionally or unintentionally.

Siles also watched him silently.When meeting Sirius' gaze, Hurd looked away uncomfortably and obviously as if he had been stabbed by something.

Afterwards, he coughed in embarrassment, and then said: "My family only came to the Principality of Constance in the Middle of the Mists. According to my grandmother, we have been living in a country a little farther north. It was during the Silence Period that the long migration began."

Siles lowered his eyes and looked at the burning stove.The surroundings fell silent, and people were curious about what kind of story this young man would tell.

And Siles was thinking, "We"?

Judging from Hurd's choice of words and sentences, he obviously attaches great importance to the family, and he also has a distinct sense of substitution for that more distant past.As if he was not this young man living in the landlocked country, but the ancestor of a family that had migrated from the far north to the South.

Therefore, the haze of the family has always haunted him vaguely, as if filling his blood, like a shadow.

Hurd continued: "My old grandmother always talked about things at that time, and I guess her old grandmother was like this. At that time, they hesitated and didn't know whether they should go-because of the cold wind from the north. invaded the land where we were then.

"We wanted to go to find a paradise, but we didn't know which direction to go for a while, so we specifically asked... how should I put it, the wise men in that area and village.

"She gave us an answer."

At this moment, Hurd paused involuntarily, and the people around him also felt the air stagnate for a while.

Finally, Hurd said in a low voice: "Go south, go deep into the mist of the sea, find the giant snake in the mist, follow the giant snake to an island turned into a whale, that will be the 'Northern Paradise' we are looking for.

"The ancestors of the family set off according to this statement, and then crossed the ocean. We did find an island and lived there for a while, but then continued to go to sea for various reasons, and finally migrated to Conster.

"The snake in the fog, the island whale, the cold wind, and the northern paradise. These are topics that are often mentioned in the family, but none of us understand what these things mean.

"Grandmother said that when she was dying she would tell my mum about it. The men in the family didn't seem to be able to know these things... I don't know, maybe I can, but I haven't gotten there yet age.

"...This is the story I want to tell, maybe a little inexplicable."

Hurd smiled awkwardly, and at the same time subconsciously looked at Siles.But when Siles raised his eyes to look back, he had quickly withdrawn his eyes.

People around were confused by Hurd's story.

[Knowledge +1. 】

The cue of the dice came from Siles' brain, and his gaze was deeply fixed on Hurd.

Obviously, at least half of the reason why Hurd mentioned the legends in this family was to tell Sirius—to hint that the mysterious Hurd's great-uncle might be related to the original legends of the family. .

In addition, this story of Hurd also made Sirius feel very familiar.

Siles once read a travelogue called "On the Journey", whose author Jacob Farley was a follower of Lygardia.He lives in the Imperial Age, and follows the gods he believes in and embarks on a journey, traveling around the world.

Much of the book has been lost, but the few records that remain refer to Jacob Farley meeting a resident of a seaside lighthouse who told him a very legendary story.

"There is a lighthouse by the sea. The residents on the lighthouse told me that there is fog on the sea, and there are giant snakes in the depths of the fog. The giant snake inhabits an island turned into a whale. The island is the northern paradise. The northern paradise is not affected by the cold wind."

Snakes in the fog, island whales, cold winds, northern paradise.In the letter written by the mysterious uncle, he also asked Hurd to find the lighthouse by the sea.

This is a story that is very consistent with Hurd's statement... No, it should be said that these two statements obviously came from the same school.

However, Jacob Farley is a believer in the gods who lived in the Imperial Era, while Hurd Dreyson's family only left their homeland in the Silent Era.The time span is quite large, but the rumors are quite consistent, almost unchanged.

This does not fit well with the diffusion theory of information.Thousands of years have passed, and the same story is still intact?This is somewhat unbelievable.

Unless...it's not a false story.Perhaps the Island Whale is somewhere that actually exists.And, there are people behind the scenes manipulating the spread of this narrative, or making sure that it is not distorted.

Just like the rumor of "non-existent city" in the explorers of the Land of No Embers, 400 years have passed since the Age of Mists, but this rumor is still the same as it was at the beginning.That's because Huddhoka followers are behind the scenes ensuring the accuracy of the information.

In reality, three people become tigers is the more likely scenario.

If Hurd's statement is closely examined, more problems will arise.For example, they lived for a while on the islands that the whales turned into.But is that really where it exists in reality?

Siles did increase his knowledge attribute after hearing this story, but when he heard about "the island where the snake in the mist inhabits is the northern paradise" last time, he did not increase his knowledge attribute.

Now Siles is very clear that every time he increases the knowledge attribute, the knowledge he acquires is basically what happened at the level of "reality".

Things related to the Old Gods are the exception, but the Old Gods themselves are something that spans multiple layers.

A more appropriate analogy to this legendary story is that when he learned of the existence of different "levels" from the dice, his knowledge attribute did not increase.Because that's "out of this world".

So, are snakes in the fog and island whales also things that exist "outside the world"?

The Snake in the Mist and the Island Whale themselves may not really exist in reality; it was the Dreyson family, a group of humans that existed in reality, who arrived at the Island Whale, so this place was associated with reality, and Celes grew. Knowledge—let him glimpse a corner of the history that happened in the past.

For example, the little knowledge he gained while reading the manuscript of the painter Leon may be because he learned that "the puppet in the dream is entangled in spider webs", or it may be because he learned that the painter Leon once reached the dream of the deep sea.

In addition, island whales, island whales... What exactly is an island that a whale becomes?Does the whale have any symbolic meaning here?

If it is purely about whales, then what Siles can think of is the customs about death that he once asked Alfonso Carlyle, a folklorist, to investigate.

In some ancient tribes, the elderly will voluntarily leave the tribe when death comes, and look for a place to die in the wild, like fallen leaves returning to their roots, like "whale fall", and let death bring them back to the earth.

At that time, he investigated this matter because he heard that wandering poets had the habit of dying in a foreign land in "Karacak's Diary", so he asked Alfonso to find some customs about death.

However, he now knew that the wandering poet's actions were due to the request of Tau's cemetery.Looking back at this practice now, Siles felt a subtle sense of déjà vu.

Falling Leaves Returning to Roots and... Whale Falling?An island turned into a whale?

... Could that be the paradise of some old god?

If it is really God’s Paradise, then it is easy to explain why his knowledge attribute did not increase when he heard the information for the first time; but when he heard it this time, his knowledge attribute increased.

The old gods' paradise known to Siles currently includes Akamala's mysterious farm (he still doesn't know its name), Lycardia's Tau cemetery, and Thaddeus' Mojache Hills.And a certain mysterious island also sounds very in line with the expression of the old God's Paradise.

However, which old god's paradise would that be?

If Siles hadn’t known that Lycardia’s paradise was Tau’s cemetery, then simply based on Hurd’s description just now, the family traveled far away from their hometown, embarked on a journey, and finally set foot on an island... This approach sounds still unreasonable. It's a bit like Lygardia's Paradise.

However, it is also an island above the sea, and at the same time, some kind of marine life is used as an analogy. Maybe it is Amois' paradise?

But Siles also felt that even though Amoys was related to the ocean, his true godheads were actually "warrior" and "pirate".That is more biased towards a certain professional concept of human beings than the ocean in the natural sense.

Thinking of this, Sirius couldn't help frowning.He put this guess aside for the time being.

When Hurd finished telling the story, he silently drew himself aside.The rest of the people didn't pay much attention to his performance, but naturally regarded that story as some kind of family rumor, a false story compiled to add a magical color to their own blood.

People also chatted about their previous stories.

Fred, the initiator of the fireside chat, and Hurd beside him, had instead sat alone the whole time, seemingly lost in thought.There was an odd silence in that little place.

Everyone's story is told.In any case, this time around the fireside chat did not cause any danger, which made Celes relieved.He also gained some information at the same time.

However, when he reviewed the fireside chat this time in his mind and thought about everyone's stories, he suddenly realized that because the response was not very enthusiastic, Fred probably didn't tell some details. come out.

In fact, Siles was somewhat curious about the experience of the old man mentioned by Fred.

He had a subtle premonition.He will go to Middleton this time, and all the information gained from this trip seems to be inseparably related to the ocean.

Hurd Dreyson's family secret letter, Fred Dudley's old friend who went to the ocean... everything is closely related to the ocean.

So, when the fireside chat was over and everyone was leaving one after another, Celeste found Fred Dudley and said, "Mr. Dudley, please stop."

Fred stopped and looked at him suspiciously.He said, "Oh, you're the one who... told the story of Mr. Ghost. What's the matter?"

"About the shadows on the bottom of the sea." Sirius whispered, "I think some letters