The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

When Siles woke up from the dream, it was four o'clock in the morning of Bethune time.

…and despite the time zone change, he was able to wake up on time at four in the morning.Is this the power of the old gods?It's incredible.He stared at the ceiling, thinking.

At the same time, a reminder from the dice came from his brain: [Knowledge +1. 】

A little knowledge?

He couldn't help but startled, a little confused where this bit of knowledge came from.

...It should be that Qinduo's dream contains the Tau cemetery?

He feels that Enoch Gielgud's story is not enough to provide him with a little knowledge, because the information he has obtained now is still hovering on the periphery of the truth of the incident, and has not really lifted the curtain of that layer of truth.

...if Cendor can really find Enoch Gielgud's soul in Tau Tomb, then maybe they will be able to learn the truth.However, that is after all, and he can't fully count on this possibility.

In short, this trip to the dreamland has indeed brought some gains to Siles, and Qindo's side is even more unexpected.

This increase in knowledge also allowed Siles' knowledge attribute to break through 70 and reach 71. Compared with the knowledge attribute when he first came to this world, his knowledge has improved a lot—of course, he also has a great understanding of the world. I understand more and more.

He concentrated his thoughts on the matter of Tau's cemetery.

Tau cemetery is the cemetery in Qinduo's dream.This incident gave people a very unexpected feeling.They had never thought of this possibility before.

Because, dreams are obviously Akamala's power category.

How did Lygardia's Paradise come to be here?

That gives people a very obvious... It seems that Lycardia deliberately "hid" his paradise here.

Moreover, although Tau's cemetery is located in the dreamland of Lygardia's blood, but in today's era, it must be someone who inherited Akamala's power and with the help of Akamala's successor , this blood descendant may enter the Tau cemetery.

Before Qindo, the blood descendants of the Praia family did not seem to be so lucky, otherwise, relevant records would definitely be left in the files of the Praia family.

...That's why the Tau Cemetery disappeared with the disappearance of Lycardia.Even if believers successfully die in a foreign land and meet the conditions to enter the Tau cemetery, they will only face the empty cemetery and the huge space with no people.

Because, now, no one knows how to enter Tau's cemetery, including the heirs of Lycardia's power.

Siles was very suspicious of one thing, that is, when Lycardia left, he did not tell anyone the way to enter the paradise.

Otherwise, Akamala did not fall during the Shadow Era and the early Silent Era. He must have known about Lygardia's "storage" of Paradise in the dream.

If any believers knew about Lygardia's actions, they would definitely seek Akamala's help, or get closer to Akamala's believers.However, neither of these things happened.

In addition, Akamala did not take the initiative to inform Lygardia's followers of this matter; even, in historical records, Lygardia and Akamala seem to have nothing to do with each other.

...so it's a secret thing.Siles thought.Ligardia had indeed "hidden" Tau's cemetery in the dream of the bloodborn, as if he was... hiding something.

Hiding from the "shadow"?

This is a logical inference, but Siles couldn't confirm it.

Lygardia embarked on a journey to fight the "Shadow", which has been proved by many information.However, what exactly is He's way of "embarking on a journey" and how to fight against the shadows, these questions have not been given any clues.

Why is he able to fight against the "shadow" when he embarks on a journey, or is he looking for a way to fight against the "shadow" on the journey?

But in any case, Lygardia's feeling of trusting his loneliness became more and more obvious.

He entrusted his blood to Anti-Nam - although it is not known how Anti-Nam knew this, maybe Anti-Nam also took over this task from other gods.

In addition, before He left, He also asked the believers to inform Amois in the ocean.Obviously, He intentionally let Amoys know some information, that's why He let the believers do this.

Not to mention, He placed his own paradise, the crystallization and incarnation of his own power, within the scope of Akamala's paradise, and even with the help of Akamala's power, the successor of Lygardia's power Only those who have the chance to find the Tau cemetery.

The more he thought about it, the more Siles felt that this was an incredible trust.

If a lock is required to enter Tau's Tomb, that lock is guarded by the power of Akamala.

From this point of view, what secret is hidden in the Tau cemetery that makes Lycardia hide it so preciously?

And, why Akamala?

The problem with this choice is that, before leaving, Lycardia specifically asked his followers to find Amois; in other words, Amoise was also a god he trusted.

But in the end, the Tomb of Tau appeared in Akamala's Paradise.This is a conscious choice, and Siles still doesn't know if there is any deep meaning behind this choice.

Lygardia and Akamala... souls and dreams that died in a foreign land...

Dreamland?

...the dream of the living?

Siles was taken aback suddenly.In the next second, he suddenly turned over and sat up.

He once tried to find the dreams of the dead in the deep sea dream, because the dreams of the people in the archaeological team could not be found, and he suspected that they were dead.

Therefore, at that time, Siles specifically tried to find the dream of Professor Denton Calverley, who had indeed passed away, to confirm his own thoughts.He didn't get any response either.

At that time, he was still thinking that in the realm of Akamala's power, people who do not dream are like dead people.

But... what if the dead also have dreams?

Previously, Siles was able to enter the mysterious farm through "finding Akamala's dream".However, Akamala has fallen.

Although it was the paradise of the gods, it might be largely different from the real dream of the dead, but after all, Sirius entered the farm through the method of "searching for the dream".

At this point, the dreams of the living and the dead seem to be unified to a certain extent.

He hadn't thought about it carefully before, but now he suddenly realized the problem.However, he only found Akamala's dream, but not the dreams of other dead.

...the only difference is that when he was looking for Akamala's dream, he was outside the deep sea dream.

He couldn't find the dream of the dead within the deep sea dream, what if he tried again outside the deep sea dream?

What if he tried to find the dream of the dead in Jindor's dream?

...Matryoshka?

Celes realized this with irony, but it didn't seem impossible.It was a magical association, and he wanted to try it.

He decided to put this matter in the deep sea dream the night after tomorrow.

...Based on this calculation, he has quite a lot to do the night after tomorrow.

He had to follow up on Garrett's investigation, try it out in Jindo's dream, and at the same time, if the three children also had a dream, he had to say hello to them.

Even in a foreign country, his affairs are still endless.Siles couldn't help sighing.

It was getting brighter.He got up and stood by the window, looking at the sunrise by the sea.He was amazed by the magnificent scene and the vivid colors.He suddenly regretted that he could not record this scene.

He could only stare intently.

But at this time, when his thoughts jumped out of the relationship between Lygardia and Akamala, he suddenly realized another relationship problem.

His relationship with Qindo.

Lygardia's paradise is in Akamala's paradise, but why is it such a coincidence that Lygardia's blood really met Akamala's successor?

His encounter with Qin Duo was like a predestined arrangement.he thinks.

From this point of view, Qin Duo once said that his birth seemed to be to wait for the arrival of Siles, and such a statement actually has a certain degree of credibility.The meaning of this "arrangement" seems too obvious.

But would "fate" have anticipated his romance with Jindo?

... To be honest, the meeting between him and Qin Duo couldn't be a "blind date" that neither of them knew about?

Siles felt dumbfounded for a moment.

Putting aside the topic of fate, Qin Duo is Qin Duo, and he will not doubt Qin Duo because of these dubious speculations, not to mention that Qin Duo obviously has no understanding of this possibility.Siles just wanted to make things clearer.

Then again, since he is partly connected with the forces of fate, it would seem strange that his lover should have nothing to do with fate.

Everything around him is ultimately within the realm of fate.

When the sun rose completely, Sirius came back to his senses.He decided to find an opportunity to talk to Qin Duo about his thoughts later, maybe Qin Duo would be delighted by this guess.

A doomed love affair.At the moment when they have confirmed their relationship, this kind of "destiny" seems to be even sweeter, although no one realized it when they met.

He decided on this, then went to the bathroom to wash up, and thought about the itinerary for the day.This is Tuesday, and they will go to Bethune University to communicate with the professors there.

He was very curious about what academic issues he could hear here.

At eight o'clock, almost everyone had finished their breakfast, and they set off for Bethune University.An empty classroom has already been prepared over there for their academic visit this time.

Bethune University also found a more professional translator to accompany this academic conference, which made Johnny heave a sigh of relief.After all, he doesn't know much about these academic topics.

On the Ramifa University side, they each prepared some information about their own majors to explain; and Bethune University also sent two professors, majoring in history and philosophy, and they will also discuss their own An introduction to the field of expertise.

Siles was slightly surprised because he suddenly realized that philosophy is a very popular major in Bethune.

He asked Foster Langhe in a low voice about the popularity of the philosophy major.It was their break time right now, and the one who was about to take the stage to report was the professor of philosophy.

"It's actually because of my great-grandfather. As I told you, my great-grandfather was the president of Bethune University." Foster replied, "My great-grandfather believed that, 'The relationship between man and the world is the most important thing in our life. important subject.'

"...not really referring to the relationship between man and the world, I said it more simply. I mean philosophy, because that is difficult to translate into Const... In Middleton's language, philosophy has a wider category.

"It's like people and the world, people and civilization, people and gods... Our relationship with these larger and grander issues is Middleton's philosophy.

"So, at least in college, philosophy is very popular. Probably because it's also a topic that is often talked about in Middleton's cultural field."

Foster's explanation was a little exciting.It can be seen that he himself is obsessed with these topics.

Siles nodded thoughtfully.He suddenly realized that in Middleton, people's ideas tended to be extreme: either they were indifferent to the world, or they were just immersed in their own area of ​​life.

Or, they are so obsessed with pursuing more advanced topics.

After coming to Bethune, this phenomenon became more and more obvious to him.It's just that he hasn't clearly realized this until he talks about philosophy.

Is it a good thing to talk about philosophy and think about the relationship between man and the world, man and civilization, man and gods?

Siles thought for a while, and finally it suddenly occurred to him that when he mentioned the duality of fate to Qindo, Qindo said that he should not worry about it, he should think about finishing the lunch in front of him first.

... Although he knew that Qin Duo might mean, "Don't starve to death", he suddenly felt a little comforted by this sentence.

He thought of earlier, when he first arrived in Biddle City, reading books and newspapers alone in the hotel at night.He saw the ruins of the city destroyed by the fog, and he saw the trivial life of people in the newspaper.

The duality of destiny.The duality of the world.The lives of ordinary people and those deeper, scarier, and larger topics.

...It doesn't seem like you have to score, does it?he thought.

Now he holds such a huge power—dreams, destiny, and understands the truth of such a complicated and difficult world, but he still misses the lazy, leisurely people on earth who know nothing about the nature of the world but still Pleasant and easy, the life of a novelist.

The world is big enough.

"...This world is huge enough."

He heard the words translated.He suddenly looked up.

On the podium, a strange man told about Middleton's philosophical past.The translator translated his words word by word: "In Middleton's philosophy, the world is huge enough, so our exploration and challenges to the world are enough to be accommodated by the world."

Siles couldn't help but startled.The meaning of these words was obviously different from what Siles had just thought.

But he also reminded himself, don't be distracted at this time, it is disrespectful to this professor.He restrained his mind and listened intently to Middleton's philosophical thoughts.

Not surprisingly, he found that although it was about people and the world, in Middleton, the most frequently mentioned topic was the ocean, especially the Folio Sea.

People's ideas can't always go beyond the area in which they live.Same goes for the Middletons.Their philosophical concepts in a positive sense are always full of an optimistic spirit of proactive exploration and aggressiveness in the face of storms and unknown oceans.

This is quite in line with the daily life of the Middleton people, even a bit rigid, as if Middleton was born to be a sailor.Can't you do something else?

Siles told himself a cold joke in his heart, but he knew it well, he just wanted to relieve the heavy emotion that he had just thought about the too advanced topic.

The negative philosophical concepts of the Middletonians are inevitably related to ocean storms, cloudy weather, cold winter glaciers, and so on.

They see nature and the ocean as if they had become a tyrant.They can only accept and cannot resist, they can only succumb to the cruelty and majesty of the gods, and cannot decide their own destiny.

As it was with their past ancestors, so it will be with their future generations.Their lives have never changed from thousands of years ago to now.

At the end, the professor of philosophy made a short statement that was translated into a long sentence.

"Storms can come at any time, and all we need to do is be prepared."

These words sounded a bit familiar to Siles, and he quickly looked at Johnny, remembering that Johnny had expressed a similar meaning when they encountered the storm in Kingsley.This seems to be a common saying of Middleton.

Siles thought to himself, this seems to be a more eclectic statement, and it also contains a meaning that soldiers come to block the water and cover it with earth.

They believe that human beings cannot change the mind of the gods after all, so they can only accept it.

After the professor of philosophy, the professor of literature from Bethune University took the stage.He introduced Middleton's literature to professors from Const.

Poems and novels are the most unavoidable link in Middleton's literature.If it is said that non-fictional literature such as travel notes and biographies is an important part of some research in Const, then non-fictional literature is the most important thing in Middleton.

The majestic and majestic temperament, like the ocean, like the glacier, like the nature, seems to have permeated the soul of Middleton's artist.They must have sung in poetry the turbulence of the sea, and in novels they must have described the hero's enchanted epic.

And hidden under this temperament is some kind of tragic sacrifice based on a tragic story.Nearly every Middletonian is used to death, from the sea, from the famine, from the cold.For them, this world is a heavy test.

This kind of test even dispelled the influence of the gods on them.

Throughout the speech, Siles noticed that the word "god" was not mentioned much.

For the Middleton people, the power and majesty of the gods have been integrated into their daily life and into the "ocean" they worship so much.God is the world, and the world is suffering.

Here, the aloof gods seem to have become part of the will of the Middleton people, and jointly created the soul background of this country.

It can be seen that Middleton's culture and concepts have brought some shocks to the professors of Const.

In Const, the gods are gods, the world is the world, and the lives of ordinary people seem to have nothing to do with the gods or those more magnificent forces.

But in Middleton, the situation has gone to another extreme.It is true that the people of Middleton don't talk about the word "god" very much, but their thoughts are completely imprisoned by the gods.

After the morning speeches, they went to the cafeteria of Bethune University for dinner.Several professors, including Sirius, were very eager to talk, even if they had to have the help of an interpreter to carry on the conversation.

In short, the rhythm of such a conversation seems very slow, but it also happens to allow them to think fully.

Of course, during the conversation, Siles did not forget to observe the problem of the dinner plate.However, I don't know if it's because they changed a batch of plates, or because they are eating in a normal cafeteria now, and there is nothing wrong with the lunch plates.

In the afternoon, it was the turn of the professors from Const to explain their professional knowledge.In contrast, Const's cultural concept brought more confusion and confusion to Middleton people.

They seem to be unable to understand why the development of secular culture is so prosperous in Const, and even people have completely got rid of the influence of gods and created culture and art unique to human beings.

Siles was the last one to stand on the podium, and what he was explaining was naturally the literature of the Silent Period—the Const literature of the Silent Period, to be precise.

The ebb and flow of sacred and secular texts had a violent impact on Middleton's professors.

A professor stood up and asked loudly.The translator explained: "He was asking, why in Const, people and gods can be so clearly distinguished."

The scene was a little chaotic for a while, because the professor interrupted Siles, which seemed impolite.However, except for the Consters who frowned, the Middletons all showed similar attitudes.

They were expecting an answer from Siles.

Siles considered for a moment.The answer to that question, he felt, depended largely on the different histories of the two countries, Const and Middleton.

Const was established at the turn of the Silence Period and the Fog Period. Since then, the gods have gradually withdrawn from the stage of world history.Const's establishment was entirely done by Const's people.

Middleton, on the other hand, was the exact opposite.Middleton has continued from the Silence Period to the present, and to some extent has experienced the process of the fall of the gods; at the same time, this country is so close to the Furiou Sea, it is difficult to get rid of the influence of the gods.

Silence Ji.This era almost determines the appearance of the world today.

However, from the standpoint of Siles, it is actually difficult for him to accept Middleton's current situation.He thought of what Garrett said before, that more than 30 years ago, because of Enoch Gielgud's crazy performance, the people in Kingsley even wanted to behead him.

That's Kingsley.In Middleton, Kingsley is already a very wealthy and prosperous city.But the residents there still have a kind of self-deception ignorance.

Siles didn't want to examine Middleton's current situation in a too condescending manner.He knows that this is a complicated issue. In this world where gods still exist, people need a long enough time to get used to the exit of gods.

So, in the end, he just said: "Perhaps, man and God were separated from the beginning."

He greeted the confused eyes of Middleton people.

Silles paused, then said: "I am a scholar majoring in literary history, and I don't know much about other professional fields. In short, as far as the major of literature is concerned, the relationship between man and God... I think , a problem that many people overlooked from the beginning.”

Everyone looked at him in silence.

Siles said: "I once heard some people think that God determines human literature. But in fact, the most basic premise of a kind of literature is - writing. Did God invent writing? No, it was man who invented writing. .

"Therefore, man invented words, and he wanted to express his ideas and ideas, so he used such words to create literary stories. Gods never participated in this process.

"And the field of literature is only a tiny dimension in human civilization. There are many more fields, achievements, and no gods have ever been involved. That belongs to humans.

"That's why everyone is wondering why Const makes such a clear distinction between man and God. My answer is that man and God have been separated from the very beginning."

His tone seemed calm and composed.But everyone present seemed to hold their breath involuntarily.They all looked at the man on the podium silently, as if they were dizzy, or even dumbstruck.

No one expected Siles to answer that question in such a way.That seemed... that even seemed a little arrogant, as if on this ordinary afternoon, this man named Siles Noel was challenging the right to speak of the gods.

Some even sneaked a peek at members of the Church of yesteryear who were also present.However, the latter did not change his face, showing no surprise.This performance also surprised some people.

Siles was silent for a while, confirming that no one wanted to continue discussing this topic, and continued the original narration on his own.

When he got off the podium and returned to his seat, Lorenzo, who was sitting next to him, quietly gave him a look, as if admiring him.

Siles was taken aback, then laughed.

They didn't talk much at this time, but after everyone's sharing was over, on their way to the cafeteria of Bethune University, Lorenzo sighed and said: "You are so bold, Siles. "

"Really?" said Siles.

"Didn't you notice the expressions of those Middleton people? They all looked stupid, and they didn't expect someone to completely deny the meaning of gods to human beings." Lorenzo said.

Siles nodded slowly, and he said: "I noticed. However, I still insist on this point of view."

"It's not that there's anything wrong with your point of view," Lorenzo said, "it's just that this place... you know, this is Middleton, not Const. Even in Ramifa City, there are some old men who insist on gods authority."

"But the world is always moving forward," says Siles, "and needs to be."

Lorenzo nodded.

They no longer talk about the subject.

Siles thought, it's just that the development of this world is bumpy, as if there are always some followers of the old gods who will jump out at some point and declare to the world that they still exist.

Siles couldn't help sighing inwardly.

This day's trip is over.During dinner, Professor Bella announced the schedule for the next day.They will have a half-day rest tomorrow morning, which can be arranged freely, and in the afternoon they will continue to come to Bethune University for scholar visits.

That's good news, and it's true for many professors.They have experienced a day of rich information, and they all need a certain amount of time to reply and think carefully.

And for Sirius...

After dinner, Bunyan found Siles and said to him, "Bishop Elizabeth seems to have found some information about ceramic materials. We can talk to her tomorrow morning."

Siles was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

Even in a foreign country, he thought, it was impossible to enjoy a real vacation.It's such a depressing feeling.

But he was really curious about what information Elizabeth had found.Tomorrow night, he will meet Garrett in the deep sea dream, and perhaps they can get some good results by integrating the news from both sides.

Afterwards, Bunyan said: "We just tested the degree of spiritual pollution with [Shadow of the Old God]. After eating the meal at night, the mental pollution on the investigator's side has increased. It's not a lot, but There are indeed some."

Siles frowned involuntarily.Although the pollution attached to the dinner plate is not a lot, this "immediate effect" effect is also worrying, especially since they have now discovered the existence of this pollution, but maybe the Bethune people don't know it.

He couldn't help sighing, and said, "This is a problem. Tomorrow we can also ask Madam Bishop if there is a solution to these plates."

Bunyan nodded, but he also said: "Thank you for inventing the 'self-returning' ritual, which allows us to guarantee our mental state."

Siles smiled slightly, and just said: "It would be great if you can help."

"You are always so humble." Bunyan couldn't help saying, "In fact, you have already provided a lot of help to this world."

Siles thought for a while, and finally just smiled, and said, "I'm just doing my best."

The next morning, they headed to Bethune's Church of the Past together.

Still only Elizabeth was waiting for them.

Doctor Chester followed.He planned to have a meal with Elizabeth at noon this day, because they would leave Bethune the next day.

Elizabeth's expression was more serious than the last time they saw her.She smiled slightly when she saw Chester, and then turned to business.

"Those dinner plates..." Elizabeth took a deep breath, "I saw a familiar name on the dealer's list."

"Who is it?" Bunyan asked.

Elizabeth was silent for a while.

They are in Elizabeth's office.Outside the window, the clouds are dense, as if a storm is about to hit, and it seems that this is just the last struggle before the winter leaves.

"...When I was investigating the disappearance of my sister, I wanted to go to sea to find the location of that isolated island." Elizabeth said, "that is, the isolated island that Enoch Gielgud once visited.

"Oh, you may not know, this sailor was out with other people. He came back alone at the end, and when he was sober and not so crazy, people could still communicate with him, just from him some relevant information.

"He said that they were stranded on an isolated island and met some unfriendly aboriginal people. In short, his account of that experience has been vague and unwilling to clarify. But they did have such an experience.

"At that time they didn't investigate anything... I can't say it well. In short, when I was looking through those files, I kept thinking that it would be great if I could go to sea to investigate once.

"After all, I am also a resident of Middleton, and I once went out to sea to look at the end of the world. I thought so, and at the same time, I was a young girl at the time, so I really wanted to do it."

"...But?" Bunyan asked hesitantly.

He also seemed to realize that this was the part of Elizabeth that hadn't been honest before.Because of this part of the content, Elizabeth was so determined to stop them from investigating the followers of the old gods on the isolated island.

Elizabeth said: "I was warned. I was asked not to be involved in that investigation and I was no longer allowed to go to sea."

They were all dumbfounded.Because, Elizabeth is already the archbishop of the church in the past, who can make such a request to her?

Elizabeth didn't talk about this part in detail, and she didn't seem to want to mention it in detail.Instead, she said: "Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because I did have this idea at the time and hit a wall.

"As for what I just said, the familiar names in those dealers..."

Elizabeth took a deep breath: "That's the 'someone' who warned me at that time. I'm not very good at telling you his name, in short, he is a big shot in Middleton...not just Bethune, but , Middleton."

They all frowned.

Bunyan whispered, "That's not good news."

This means that it is very likely that someone is deliberately doing this thing—deliberately promoting the sale of dinner plates secretly, deliberately causing such spiritual pollution, and even deliberately making these spiritual pollution become the responsibility of some high-level people in Bethune. nightmare.

Moreover, this matter is also related to what happened more than 30 years ago.Siles thought.

He carefully sorted out the whole thing in his mind.

More than 30 years ago, a group of people—including businessmen, folklorists, and artists—hired a fleet of Kingsley's fleet and went to sea together.Their purpose is to explore the Folio Sea and the isolated islands in the sea.

According to some information that Siles asked from Garrett before, with such an employment, the fleet will definitely sail on a safer and more reliable channel, rather than a dangerous and unknown route.

Unfortunately, however, they encountered a huge storm and were stranded on an isolated island.They clashed with the aborigines on the isolated island and had to flee back to the ship.In the end, only Enoch Gielgud survived.

He returned to Kingsley with a clay bowl - the origin of this clay bowl is also quite mysterious. Some people say that it was picked up by Enoch from the sea, and from their experience, it also has Possibly Enoch brought it from the island.

In short, that experience drove Enoch into madness, and soon attracted the attention of many people.In the end, investigators from Middleton's higher echelons took him to Bethune, where his life and death are unknown.

But in Bethune, this incident caused quite a stir.Josephine Hosier, then Archbishop of the Past Church, also took note of this incident.She seemed to have found out some important information, and even wanted to notify other dioceses of the Church of the Past.

But before she left, a group of mysterious people suddenly appeared in Bethune, and they wanted to get back that thing—that clay bowl.It is very likely that Josephine took the clay bowl and embarked on an escape journey.

For some unknown reason, Josephine did not share this information with other dioceses as expected.Instead, she concealed her identity and gave birth to a child in Conster—who would be Dr. Chester's father, after all?

This thought flashed in Siles' mind, he quickly skipped this question and continued to think about the situation on Middleton's side.

More than 30 years ago, when Josephine Hosier left, she decided to make her sister, Elizabeth Hosier, the