The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

A man named Garrett Gielgud was sitting on the ground.

His face was pale from the cold, and his hair was wet.His hair hung down to his shoulders, longer than any Middleton present, and after being soaked in water, it fell into strands like snakes crawling across his face.

Even though he had just escaped the attack of death, he still looked crazy and meaningless.That crazy look almost overturned his sense of despair.

When others were talking about him, he laughed instead, with a cold and unscrupulous meaning.He was apparently ostracized by many of the sailors present.People talked a lot, but there was no sign of regret.

Soon, the others left one after another, and people lost interest in Garrett.The captain chatted with Garrett, and soon lost his patience.Instead, Garrett sat there by himself, staring steadily into the distance, still wearing that uncomfortable smile.

Siles wasn't sure what they were talking to Garrett about.Johnny looked puzzled, as if he didn't know how to translate for Sirius.In the end, he simply said: "They had some conflict."

Of course Siles saw this.He realized that "the notorious Garrett Gielgud" was not just a casual phrase.People don't like Garrett, and there's a tinge of...awe at the madness.

He didn't rush to talk to Garrett.

The death of Garrett's crew and the merchant Ambrose also made Siles sigh.Death sometimes comes too easily.In this world with gods, human life is even more insignificant.

After some tossing, it was almost six o'clock.It was getting brighter, and more passengers got up.They noticed the man sitting on the deck, all showing curious expressions.

The Middleton people who went to Bethune seemed to have heard of Garrett's reputation more or less, so after knowing about Garrett's reputation, they showed a subtle expression of gloating and feeling uneasy at the same time; and Siles' companions naturally couldn't help it. learn.

However, their guide Isaac, who is very good at dealing with people, has already quietly asked other passengers present.Occasionally, he would exchange a few words with Johnny in a low voice, with a kind of surprise and strangeness about his hometown.

Siles first went to the restaurant for breakfast.The staple food for breakfast is a very delicious fish cake, which Celes thinks tastes quite good.There was a very distinct salty smell of sea water in the cabin.Or maybe it's the smell of people's sweat, because the temperature in the restaurant is relatively high.

Over breakfast, he pondered the implications of Garrett Gielgud's presence here.

Obviously, Garrett and his party who went out to sea the evening before yesterday encountered some troubles.The trouble killed everyone else, but Garrett survived.And Garrett's special behavior after being rescued ashore also made people feel that he seemed to be mentally abnormal.

However, judging from the results of Siles' previous judgment, then Garrett probably has some very important information, or else he would be sorry for Siles' "big success" this time.

What does this crazy and notorious captain know?Siles couldn't help thinking about it.

At this moment, a shadow suddenly cast in front of him.Siles looked up and saw Garrett Gielgud.He stood by Sirius' table and said something, but Sirius did not understand.

Garrett frowned, showing obvious impatience, and looked around.Siles watched the man calmly.Soon, Johnny noticed the movement on their side, got up and walked over.He acted as an interpreter between the two for the time being.

"Uh... what he meant was that he heard you heard his cry and saved him, so he wanted to thank you," Johnny said, "but he said he didn't want you to use this thing Threatening him... er, yes, threatening him."

Siles just listened to Johnny's translation quietly and didn't respond for a while.

So Garrett uttered another long line.

Johnny continued to translate word by word: "If there are any conditions, then say it now... er, it still refers to the fact that you saved him. It's too late... He doesn't bother to pay attention to you when he gets off the boat. He has seen some People use kindness to blackmail other people..."

Saying that, Johnny couldn't help but frown.

Siles was thinking, but before he said anything, a Middleton man on the side had already jumped up and reprimanded Johnny loudly - Siles could hear it from his tone.

But just judging from Garrett's expression, this person might be a bit harsh.

Garrett looked like he wanted to do it directly, his face was still pale, obviously unable to recover from the previous cold.But his gaze was colder than his body temperature.He looked at the man very hard, making the latter slowly shut his mouth.

Finally, Garrett said something to Sirius, and then left.

From the beginning to the end, Siles didn't say a word.

Johnny translated Garrett's last words: "He said he knew the ship was coming at four in the afternoon, and you told him what he was going to pay before then. Not waiting."

After translating, Johnny looked at the direction Garrett was leaving, and couldn't help saying angrily: "His attitude is too rude. Professor, you saved his life, and you asked for nothing. But it's incredible how arrogant he is!"

It seemed that Johnny had fully understood why the Kingsley people hated this captain so much.

Siles looked at Garrett's back thoughtfully.After a moment he said, "Do me a favor, Johnny."

"Of course, you say." Johnny also calmed down.

"Help me find out about Garrett's past," Siles said.

"……past?"

"Yes. His family, his experience at sea, his business, his rumors, etc.," said Siles, "I think this may turn up some interesting things."

Johnny was a little surprised, but he said quickly, "I see, Professor. He's suddenly on board, and there's bound to be talk about him, so I'll go find out."

Johnny left quickly, and Sirius was lost in thought.

The reason he asked Johnny to do it was because he realized that something was wrong with Garrett's attitude.

Garrett's ship had just been wrecked, and it's very likely that he was involved in something "Shadow"-related, given his time at sea.Under such circumstances, could he recover in such a short period of time, and come here specially to warn Siles not to play tricks?

Siles believes that such a performance is either extremely crazy or extremely calm.

In either case, looking into Garrett's past wouldn't be a bad idea, especially since Siles was planning to chat with Garrett later.The interpreter was naturally Johnny, and Siles felt that this restrained and reticent interpreter was more trustworthy.

Just as he was thinking, Doctor Chester sat across from him.

"I heard that the sailors rescued a person." Chester said casually, "It's really strange. It seems that all kinds of strange things happened during this journey."

Siles stared silently at his friend.

Chester paused almost subconsciously, and then suddenly realized: "I see, this matter must be related to you, Professor Noel."

Siles: "..."

He couldn't deny it.

After deliberating for a moment, Siles revealed some of Garrett's doubts.Of course, regarding the "shadow" issue, Siles thought it was not appropriate for the doctor to know.

Chester listened with interest, eating his fishcake.After Siles finished speaking, he first praised the deliciousness of the fish cake, and then said: "Yes, he is indeed a bit suspicious. But, professor, maybe he is just born so caressing?"

Siles couldn't help but startled.

"Although I think the captain may know some secrets," Chester said, with a bit of suspicion and curiosity, "however, it is impossible for anyone who appears at random to be helpful to your investigation." Right? That would be too coincidental!"

Siles: "..."

The actual situation may be a little more coincidental than Dr. Chester imagined.

But the doctor's words are also reasonable, and Siles thinks that he doesn't need to have any expectations in advance.It's a good thing that Garrett really has some information, but even if he doesn't, it can't be said to be a bad thing.

Their conversation quickly skips over the stranger Garrett and mentions other things.

"One night passed, and it felt like everyone was getting used to the life on the boat." Chester said, "Of course, some people still get seasick all the time."

He is a doctor, but he also fell into a state of severe seasickness yesterday, and he had to let Siles busy to take care of other people, which made him quite embarrassed.Of course, this physical condition is also inevitable.

Fortunately, they have slowly adapted to it now.

Siles said: "Const is very far from the ocean. We have never been on a boat before, so we must get seasick easily. Fortunately, only this journey to and from Bethune requires a boat."

Chester nodded in agreement, and said, "This is quite a novel feeling. I mean... such a ship."

He had an idea that this might be the ship his mother had sailed to Const.That feeling brought him closer to the daily life of the Middleton people, and it also helped him gradually get rid of seasickness.

Soon, Chester took a deep breath.He said: "Knight Commander Bunyan told me that after arriving in Bethune today, he will go to the bishop lady. If everything goes well, I will meet her tomorrow."

Siles couldn't help being startled.

"If the time is convenient," Chester swallowed nervously, "Professor, please be sure to accompany me there."

Siles looked at Chester unexpectedly, and then he agreed.He could imagine Chester's nervousness, and wishing that his friends were by his side, at least that would ease some of the embarrassment.

Chester immediately breathed a sigh of relief.He smiled wryly, "Do you know what I'm feeling right now?"

"what?"

"Fortunately, this bishop lady is from Middleton." Chester sighed heartily, "If the distance is a little closer, then I might feel more embarrassed."

Siles comforted him and said, "This is because you don't know what this lady's personality is like, so you feel nervous and uncomfortable. Maybe you can get along well."

"I hope so," Chester said.

During the conversation, other people also appeared one after another.Lorenzo sat next to Siles and slapped his face in pain.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"It's almost seven o'clock, and I still want to sleep," Lorenzo said. "It's not a good thing."

Chester said: "We haven't reached Bethune yet, Lorenzo, you can let yourself sleep a little longer."

"If you sleep too much, your face will become swollen." Lorenzo pointed out very seriously, "I slept almost from seven o'clock last night to seven o'clock this morning. This is terrible!"

Chester couldn't help laughing, he said, "You're seasick, it's normal."

Lorenzo muttered something like "This is not normal at all".But soon, he didn't have the time to talk about it, because he was hungry and needed some fish cakes to comfort himself.

The morning passed quickly.They chatted in the restaurant, and formed a card game by the way-it also attracted other Middletonians without accident.

However, the cards they brought over soon ran out.Chester and Lorenzo had thought of this possibility when they set off, and specially brought a few extra decks of cards, but Noel's cards have become popular all the way, and the extra cards they brought were not enough for points.

So the rest of the Middletonians who wanted to play drew their own more crude fate cards.The sailors, who already felt that life on board was boring, immediately got involved.

The morning passed quickly.When preparing to eat at noon, Johnny appeared beside Siles.His expression was a little serious, and he said, "Professor, I have collected a lot of things about Garrett."

Siles was not in a hurry to eat, but went to the deck with Johnny first.The sea wind howled, and the waves beat the boat.At this moment, they could faintly see the land in the distance.

Johnny took a deep breath and said, "Some old sailors know Garrett's past well, especially...Garrett's father.

Father?

As soon as these words came up, Sirius was startled.Although he asked Johnny to inquire about Garrett's past, he didn't expect that it would directly involve Garrett's father.

He mused, "I remember...Garrett was raised by his mother?"

"Yes." Johnny nodded, "Some old sailors said that his father caught some good things in the sea, and then left their mother and child to live a good life in Bethune alone. It was thirty A few years ago, when his mother was pregnant with him.

"Because of this, his mother was very strict with him, probably not wanting him to follow his father's old path. At first, his mother was not even willing to let him become a sailor, like so many other young people in Middleton. Boys do.

"But Garrett has always been very adamant about it. He just wanted to be a sailor, and he wanted to be a captain in the future. So he and his mother had a falling out. He ran away from home, and since then his personality has become more twisted and life-threatening hate.

"As for the others... People say that Garrett's character was not so extreme when he first went to sea, but later, as he went to sea more and more times, he became more crazy, salvaging almost non-stop. Things in the sea, think that can get treasure.

"So the sailors on his ship wanted to leave his ship. You may not know that in Middleton, a ship, especially a big ship, is like a home to the crew.

"There were some rumors that some of the sailors were going to leave after the spring. But at this very moment ... something happened to them.

"It is said that when Garrett was planning to go to sea the evening before yesterday, he had a fierce quarrel with the sailors, because the sailors were unwilling to go to sea at this time, but Garrett was quite persistent, just like he was unwilling to obey his mother's arrangement , insisting on being the same as the captain.

"In short, Garrett barely persuaded them at that time. However, no one knows what will happen after they go to sea."

I am afraid that Johnny's words are basically paraphrased from other people's statements, and some personal emotional factors are inevitably mixed in them.However, it was Garrett's father's question that really caught Siles' interest.

Fished something in the sea and headed to Bethune?

This seems to be exactly the same story that the businessman Ambrose once mentioned on the train.The time when Garrett's father left Kingsley was also more than 30 years ago, so it is more in line with this story.

Siles couldn't help feeling the surprise and coincidence.

Johnny paused for a moment, as if he was recalling the information he had collected, and then he said: "It is said that Garrett is very persistent in going to sea, and spends most of the year at sea.

"However, the treatment he provided to the crew is also quite good. Many crew members joined his fleet because of this. However, there are also some reports that people in his fleet are often injured, so they often change ships. members of the team.

"But no one knows what this injury is, maybe it's just some danger they've encountered at sea? Anyway, the whole Folio sea is full of danger."

Siles nodded, and he turned to ask: "I remember, Garrett will sell some antiques caught in the sea?"

"Antiques... Maybe you can say that. It's something from a sunken ship, or something. But very few people really make a fortune in this industry. Most sailors still make a living by fishing."

Siles nodded understandingly.The legend of getting rich overnight is always enviable, but the probability of this kind of thing happening to him is very small.

He asked the question that really confused him: "Have you heard anything else about Garrett's father?"

Johnny was obviously taken aback for a moment, but then he suddenly realized something, and said, "You know something about it? His father... not many people seem to know about it.

"He is an ordinary sailor, but more than 30 years ago, he should have been a bit old, so he got married and had children at that time. Some young sailors would not be happy to start a family at this time.

"It seems that it is because of the family that he wants to take the risk and find some treasures under the sea. What exactly he found, no one knows. He seems to travel alone with some other people.

"...Wait, I remembered. An old sailor said vaguely that someone wanted to find something, so he hired this sailor and a fleet. It's like you hired me and Isaac Same, almost the same relationship.

"After the old sailor learned that he was the only one who survived on Garrett's boat, he also said that Garrett's experience was exactly the same as his father's. That means..."

Johnny hesitated, not quite sure whether to bring that possibility up.

But Siles said clearly: "That means that the ship his father went to sea that year, his father may be the only one who survived."

Johnny nodded, and he sighed, not knowing what expression to show.

But he quickly asked curiously: "Professor, do you say that because you heard something?"

"On the train to Kingsley, I met a businessman. He mentioned to me that more than 30 years ago, a sailor in Kingsley once went out to sea to catch something, and then went to Bethune. It is That pushed him to start a business," Siles said.

Johnny listened, then suddenly said in shock, "The businessman..."

"Yes." Siles said in a low voice, "it's the merchant on Garrett's boat."

Johnny was surprised for a moment, and finally said, "A strange coincidence of fate."

Siles nodded in agreement with him.

More than 30 years ago, Garrett's father went to sea with others, and he was the only one who returned in the end; and more than 30 years later, Ambrose boarded Garrett's boat, and only Garrett returned in the end.

Destiny seems to be a circle that keeps going around, constantly reappearing the past.

Ambrose was also involved in the coincidence of the fates of the father and son; he embarked on his own destiny because of the father's story, and, years later, embarked on this son's ship because of this fate, and finally died in the In the raging tide of fate.

The icy sea breeze brushed their cheeks.They were silent for a while unconsciously.It was getting late, and Siles broke the silence and said, "Let's go back to eat first. Thank you for your help."

"It's nothing, Professor. Isaac and I were very curious about Garrett's past." Johnny said, "He is a legend, even if he is not a good person."

After dinner, Siles and Johnny found the "legend".Garrett Gielgud was sitting alone on the deck of the bow, expressionless.

I don't know how long he has been sitting here, his exposed skin seems to be frozen into ice.But even so, he still didn't enter the cabin, as if he didn't bother to be with other people, and he seemed to be observing something outside.

When Siles and Johnny appeared in front of him, he showed a very subtle expression between disdain and indifference.

Siles considered it for a moment, and then said, "The reward I want is your knowledge about Furiouhai."

He considered whether to ask more bluntly about Garrett's father, but considering Garrett's vigilance and personal strength, Siles thought it might not be a good choice.

He was actually a little puzzled by Garrett's way of breaking up with his mother.

Judging from Garrett's willingness to offer compensation to Siles who saved him, this man at least valued equal exchange, and it was unreasonable for him to treat his mother so unkindly.

Garrett chose to go against his mother's wishes and go to Foley's Sea. How many reasons were there to find out the truth about his father's accident?If his father really disappeared for some unknown reason, then his family may know something.

Of course, this was just a little doubt in Sirius' mind.He always wished he could be thoughtful.Perhaps the greater possibility is that Garrett just disregarded his mother's gift of childbearing.

Siles didn't want to arouse Garrett's vigilance, and at the same time, he didn't want to involve the translator Johnny completely in this matter-after all, what happened to Garrett and Garrett's father is likely to have something to do with "Shadow".

The biggest problem that exists among them is language.They cannot communicate smoothly.

Siles also had some thoughts on this.He wanted to ask if the puppets in Mystery Farm had mastered the languages ​​of the world.Since their prototype is a six-set puppet show, as a repertoire actor, it is very possible to master the languages ​​of different countries, right?

In short, he can try to start with Garrett's dream, or he can try to investigate more information from the foreign female bishop.Therefore, he decided not to be so simplistic about the question this time.

At present, Garrett will also go to Bethune with this ship.In Bethune, maybe everything has an answer.

Johnny relays Sirius' question to Garrett.Garrett was obviously taken aback for a moment, and then showed an inexplicable expression.He probably thought that Sirius would ask for money, or some other property, but Sirius mentioned the Sea of ​​Folio.

After a while, he seemed to understand something and muttered.

Johnny didn't translate the sentence, but said something harshly with a frown.

Siles waited silently.

Garrett rolled his eyes and said nothing more.

Taking this opportunity, Johnny explained, "He thought you were also interested in the treasure under the sea in Foreo."

Siles thought to himself that he was quite interested, but not in its monetary value, but in its cultural value.Of course, he's equally interested in other areas shrouded in fog.

But soon, Garrett began his own narrative.He spoke for a long time, then said something to Johnny, and then stopped.

Johnny had been listening intently, looking at Siles from time to time, and then he translated Garrett's long speech to Siles.

"He said that Folio Sea had always been rumored to swallow people's lives, but he himself did not believe it. He believed that Folio Sea was as dangerous as any other sea, and that the danger came from what was in it, not from the sea itself. .

"He has sailed in the Folio Sea for more than ten years, and he knows it very well. The Folio Sea that people usually refer to is just this area that is not covered by fog. It is actually much smaller than people imagined, so sailors, The crew and captains will be very understanding.

"Uh...he said that there are actually quite a few small islands in the Sea of ​​Foley, most of which are uninhabited islands. A fleet like his that sails at sea all the year round will occasionally go to some of these small islands. Stay on the island for a while.

"Therefore, many ships are very aware of the geographical location of those isolated islands. Many fleets will have islands where they regularly rest and rest, and that is their territory. Sometimes, there will be some conflicts because of this.

"...However, there are some islands that are very dangerous."

Having said that, Johnny couldn't help but paused, his expression also looked a little surprised.The things that happened on the ocean seemed to be completely isolated from the land. If Siles hadn't asked about it today, then these things would probably never be known to others.

Johnny continued: "The fog once covered some of the isolated islands, and this effect has remained until now. No one knows why those isolated islands have those dangers...well, he is unwilling to explicitly say what those dangers are. What is it?"

Johnny couldn't help asking Garrett again in Middleton, but Garrett responded impatiently.After a while, Johnny shook his head, didn't bother with the matter anymore, and continued to translate for Siles.

"There are some antiques on isolated islands, but much less than on the bottom of the ocean. Also, if you go to those islands, then they have to be prepared to explore and escape, but in the ocean it will be a little easier.

"Antiques in the ocean are from those shipwrecks, and sometimes they encounter some weird things. But most of the time, the shipwreck is like a treasure trove.

"But there are also some mutated creatures in the ocean, and these creatures will destroy those valuable antiques, so now there is no money to be made in salvaging antiques.

"Occasionally, some people, such as historians, or other professionals, come to hire a fleet of archaeological archaeology, but an unspoken rule here is to only take these people to the wreck area that they have already been to.

"If these people want them to go to areas that have not been explored, then most captains will refuse. Captains will only explore within their own control; even if they want to explore unknown areas, they will not be hired by others .

"It is rare, though, that some desperadoes take such employment. In such cases, they may have gone mad.

"Well, what else, let me think about it."

Johnny fell silent for a moment.

Siles, on the other hand, listened silently.He thought, since there is such an unspoken rule, correspondingly, when most ships go to sea, they will definitely choose absolutely safe and known routes.

...But even in this case, Garrett and Garrett's father have encountered danger in their two trips to sea in the past 30 years.They must have been sailing on a relatively safe course, but things changed.

"... By the way, the route."

Johnny suddenly thought of a passage he had just forgotten.

Sirius looked up at him.

Johnny said: "He just said that the route like ours now, that is, the freight or passenger route from a specific port to a specific port, has been fixed for a long time, and there have been no accidents.

"But there are some other routes, such as routes in fishing areas, routes to salvage shipwrecks, and previous whale watching routes, glacier routes to the polar regions... These routes occasionally have some problems, I don't know if it is because of the fog Relationship."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully.

This means that even if Fuliouhai is not shrouded in fog, the influence of the past is still lingering.The ocean is the same as the land, and there are always some complicated and dangerous puzzles dotted under the huge area.

He thought that the oceans of this world might, to a large extent, be similar to the Everland.It's just that going to sea is a more difficult and profound problem, so compared to exploring the ocean, exploring the land is something people in the Mist Age are more passionate about.

Middleton's crew were indeed doing it, but the country was too exclusive and secretive to make their discoveries public.As a result, the oceans of Fischer's world are increasingly shrouded in mystery.

Moreover, by all indications, the ocean seems to be more directly related to the real problems of this world. "Shadows" seem to appear over the ocean, and people who are associated with the ocean refer to "shadows" more often.

Johnny stopped talking, and Garrett looked at them and said something.

Johnny translated: "He means, if you have any questions, you can ask him now."

Siles came back to his senses, thought for a moment, and then said: "I have three questions. First, are there still some residents living on the isolated island in the Sea of ​​Folio? How many are there?

"Second, are there any legends about whales around here? What kind of legends?

"Thirdly, I know the businessman who went to sea with you. I know that he has a wife and son, and he came to Kingsley because of business. I think I may have a position to ask, what happened to you at sea? What's up?

"If it's not convenient to explain clearly, then it's okay to describe the keywords related to this."

Johnny then translated Sirius' three questions to Garrett.

Garrett listened impatiently, but his expression gradually changed.He suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at Sirius.After a while, he suddenly said a short sentence.

Johnny said, "He's asking who you are. Can I tell him?"

"Of course," said Siles. "Professor of Literary History at Ramifa University."

Johnny relayed the statement.He thought about it while translating "Lamifa University" and explained a little bit, probably referring to the capital of the Principality of Const.

Garrett was silent for a while, and then showed a rather bored and anxious expression.He ignored Sirius and Johnny, and grabbed his hair like a trapped animal.

After a while, he said something."He said he'd explain the first two questions first," Johnny said.

Garrett took a deep breath, and then said something broken.It can be seen that the three questions of Siles have brought him a great shock, but Siles doesn't know where the shock came from.

...just because Sirius knew the businessman?

He didn't think much of it at this point, because Johnny quickly started translating.

"He said...well, there are indeed some residents on the isolated island. They may be aborigines, or they may have migrated there after the Age of Fog. He doesn't know the specific reason, because it is difficult for those residents to communicate.

"The number should not be very large. At least he has only encountered one or two times during his sea trips in the past ten years. Those residents are very xenophobic and have their own way of life... It seems that they also have their own beliefs.

"However, he hasn't had much contact with those residents, so he doesn't know how their daily life is. These crew members seem to regard it as very bad luck to meet the residents of the isolated island.

"After ships have uninhabited islands for regular rest, they will basically avoid these isolated islands with residents, so they don't even know what the residents on them are doing.

"About the legend of the whale... He said that there was a fishing tradition in the land of Middleton, and some proud fishermen would deliberately kill those big fish in order to show their fishing skills, so as to prove that own strength.

"At the same time, those big fish can also provide three meals for the family for a longer period of time. Whale is a kind of big fish that is often mentioned. Some people think that whale meat is delicious and large, so it is very suitable for hunting and tasting.

"...Of course that was before the Silent Age. After the fog covered the ocean, the fishermen couldn't do it anymore. But because of the earlier tradition, people usually think that the whale symbolizes abundance, food, Feast and more.

"Uh, let me think about it... There are also some legends that there is a whale god in the sea, but these rumors are probably just some inexplicable rumors and have no credibility."