The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

The conflict happens only in an instant.

When Garrett rushed forward and punched Foster Long to the ground, no one expected such a thing to happen.Garrett punched Foster with his hands, and then showed a pleased expression.

He didn't continue to do anything, but stood there by himself, laughing maliciously.

Siles glanced at him, and then knelt down to help Foster Langey, who was in a daze, rubbing his nose and whimpering in pain.On the side, the guide Isaac asked loudly, "What are you doing?!"

"Ask what his good father did." Garrett sneered, "I recognized you right away. Long Xi, huh, the Long Xi family."

People around whispered, and some quarreled with Garrett.

Among the complicated voices, Siles asked Foster in a low voice: "Are you okay?"

"...It's okay." Foster still didn't react, and his voice sounded a little dazed, "It just hurt a little bit. He...he means, did my father ever do something bad to him? "

Siles was silent.Foster would have thought his silence meant he didn't know about it, but Siles was actually pondering the possibility.

...Frank Longey.Foster's great-grandfather.

He died more than 30 years ago.He was a painter—and on that ship that perishes in the depths, there are artists.

More information is linked.Siles suddenly remembered that Foster once said that his great-grandfather had never been very satisfied with his paintings, so he did not show them publicly during his lifetime.

Frank Langhe seems to want his work to be more realistic.

Since he wants to be realistic, it is very likely that he will go to sea in person to experience the wind and waves of the sea for himself.And would he be on Enoch Gielgud's ship?

In addition, Siles is also aware of a problem: if it is just an ordinary sailor who encounters some strange things when going out to sea, and then falls into a state of madness, then this matter alone does not seem to be enough to cause alarm Bethune.

After all, Kingsley belonged to Basil, the most powerful tribe south of Middleton.This matter could be handled internally by Basil; but in the end, this matter was brought to Bethune.

This is not a common situation.Apparently, among those passengers, there were some important people with extraordinary identities.

And Frank Longhi seems to be one of them.Moreover, it can also be heard from Foster's words just now that the Langxi family is one of the distributors of those special ceramics.

...would they have anything to do with "Shadows"?Is this possible?

Judging from the various information about the Langhe family, this family seems to be related to art.Is it possible that they were followers of Atkinya?Or, a believer in "Shadow"?

But, from Foster's attitude, he seems to have no understanding of certain family traditions.

However, this did not surprise Sirius.The young people of these ancient families seem to have a very obvious gap with the elders.

During the conversation, Foster finally came to his senses. He stood up and shouted angrily at Garrett, "Why did my father provoke you!"

Garrett's dark eyes fell on Foster's face.He punched Foster's cheek swollen, but that seemed to be just a way to vent his emotions, and it didn't satisfy him.

He said: "You go home now and ask your father. Ask him nothing else. Remember the Gielguds in Kingsley?"

"Kingsley?" Foster frowned, increasingly confused.

But Garrett didn't bother to bother with him.He waved his hand and walked away.

"Inexplicable!" Foster cursed in a low voice, chasing after him with an unhappy face.

Their conversation was in Middleton, and the Consts were all very confused.Siles could probably guess what they were talking about.He thought to himself, could it be that other members of the Longey family went to Garrett's house to make trouble after Frank Longey's death?

...it doesn't seem unimaginable.Maybe he should ask Garrett more carefully later, especially, about the passengers on that ship.

Thinking about it now, the identities of those passengers seemed to be more important than they thought.

Siles thought for a while, then said, "I'll follow up to see if anything goes wrong."

It seemed a little embarrassing for his identity to intervene in this matter, but his shallow friendship with Foster and the curious eyes of the professors from La Mifa University also gave him this reason to follow.

So, he followed up with the guide Isaac.A professor also followed from Bethune University.The other is the two staff members at the port. They looked impatient and didn't understand why someone was making trouble at the port.

When they turned the corner, Siles was at the back, and while they were not paying attention, he released the No. [-] doll.The puppet walked in the shadows on the street corner, its pattering footsteps unobtrusive.

Soon, they found the two men in a corner of the port, Foster and Garrett wrestled together, but the latter was almost on top of the former.Foster's nose was bruised and his face was swollen, but he still gritted his teeth and fought Garrett.

The professor from Bethune University said something sternly, and then the two port staff separated the two.Foster was panting, with a ferocious look in his eyes.

That look stunned everyone present, because the young student had always looked harmless to humans and animals before, but now he seemed fierce.

Garrett laughed, his smile a little more presumptuous than Foster's, as if to provoke the young man.If it wasn't for the staff member at the port who was dragging Foster, they might have fought again.

The professor said something first to Foster and then more seriously to Garrett.Foster took a breath, then sat down abruptly on the ground.

And Garrett shrugged, smiled and said something, then turned and left.Siles looked at his back and narrowed his eyes.

Around the corner, Garrett is stopped by a puppet.The tiny doll patted his shoe, and placed a small roll of money on the back of his shoe.

Garrett exclaimed, and then said, "This is a bit too hidden! If I don't find out, the money will be lost?"

He was smiling and looked very happy.He picked up the roll of money, stuffed it into his pocket, and then picked up the doll.He patted the puppet's head, and said: "It's really comfortable to beat the enemy's son."

He talked to himself for a while, but the puppet didn't respond, so he felt bored and put the puppet down.The puppet took small steps and quickly ran away.

Garrett was a little interested in where the puppet was going, but considering his partnership with Mr. Ghost, he held back in the end and didn't follow.He turned back and looked at the few people who were communicating in the corner, especially Foster and Siles.

He thought for a moment, then sneered.He murmured something in a low voice, then turned and limped away without looking back.

Foster sat on the ground, trembling all over.He was silent, ignoring what the others said.It seemed that when he was fighting with Garrett just now, what Garrett said to him affected his sanity.

After a while, he managed to show a smile, and said something slowly to the professor at Bethune University, as if to say that he was fine.Then, he breathed a sigh of relief and stood up from the ground.

Sirius asked, "Are you all right?"

"...It's all right, Professor," said Foster in a low voice. "It's just something I've never heard of. I shouldn't have believed that guy at all. . . No, not at all."

Siles hesitated to speak, and finally, he maintained a kind silence.

Foster obviously cannot return to the port in this state.So Siles bid farewell to the young man here, and Foster forced himself to cheer up and said: "Professor, I will write to you. Your understanding of the gods has given me a lot of inspiration." .”

Siles froze for a moment before realizing that Foster was referring to what he said during the academic discussion on Tuesday that "man and God have been separated from the beginning".

"I'm looking forward to your letter," Sirius whispered.

They bid farewell to each other.The Bethune professor stayed here with Foster, and Siles and Isaac had to hurry back to the port because their ship was about to leave.

This is the morning of March 3.At ten o'clock sharp, their ship set sail and was about to take them back to Kingsley.

Siles stood on the deck, quietly looking at Bethune not far away.The tall and low buildings and ports gradually disappeared in the sea fog.When he left Bethune, he felt that their time in Bethune was very hasty.

Scholars' visits, related investigations on ceramic products, and the past events of more than 30 years ago have consumed a lot of energy.In this case, he ignored his original purpose-to understand Middleton's history.

...Perhaps this is also one of the charms of traveling.No one knows what they will encounter on their journey.

However, there was always a premonition in Sirius' heart.

He felt that his ties to this country based on sea salt and the north wind were not over.Sooner or later, he will return here, back to Kingsley and Bethune in Middleton, and see the truth behind all this.

The depths of the ocean, the secrets related to this world.

The cold sea wind from the far north brushed his cheeks.

He watched in silence for a while, feeling the swaying sea weigh heavily on the ship full of passengers.

After a while, Siles calmed down and shifted his thoughts to what had just happened—the conflict between Foster Longey and Garrett Gielgud.

Surprisingly, he wasn't surprised.

It should be said that this is something he did not expect.However, when this coincidence really happened, combined with the countless coincidences that happened around him before, he himself was no longer surprised.

Frank Longey died on Enoch Gielgud's ship?He already knew about the existence of this painter in December last year?When he came to Bethune, he happened to meet the descendants of this painter and that sailor?

Coincidence, coincidence, coincidence.

Coincidence happened countless times, it is no longer a coincidence, but the trajectory of fate.

...It's just that the number of trajectories in his fate is a little bit more.It's nothing, ha.Siles thought calmly.

Aside from his own problems, Foster Longey was clearly disturbed by the incident.After he returns home, will it cause a new round of family conflicts?

Siles was also quite impressed by Foster's fierce expression just now.Thinking of this young man's very good will attributes, he couldn't help but feel that this family might also hide some secrets.

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and sighed softly.Instead of dreaming here, it is better to ask the person in person when he enters Garrett's dream again later.

When the group of them returned, the ship they took was still the familiar High Seas, and even the captain and sailors were the ones they knew.

I don't know if it's because of this familiar feeling, or because they are used to the feeling of taking a boat, so during the journey from Bethune back to Kingsley this time, Sirius' companions did not experience seasickness .

However, Doctor Chester's expression was still very tangled, Celes noticed.

Ever since he dined alone with Elizabeth Hosier at noon yesterday, he seemed to have been preoccupied and absent-minded about everything he did.

Previously, Siles thought it was just the complicated mood of parting soon after meeting his relatives, but this expression continued, so Siles specifically asked Chester during lunch.

Chester froze for a moment, then shook his head helplessly: "I really can't hide anything from you, professor."

Siles stared at him silently.

Chester then said: "It's Aunt Elizabeth...she seems to really want to come to Lamifah City. Of course, she didn't mean to join me or live with me, but...Professor, she wants to leave Middleton."

Siles was slightly taken aback.He thought that when Elizabeth said that, he thought the lady was just joking, at least not that seriously.However, she really wanted to do it.

Chester turned and said, "Maybe, she just wants to live in a different place for a while to change her mood. I don't know how to answer this question..."

He smiled wryly, and after a while, he said again: "I feel that I can't give an opinion so easily. Because it is... the life choice of an elder who is not very familiar with it."

Siles considered for a moment, and finally said: "Perhaps Madam Bishop has already made her own decision, and she just wants to find someone to share her thoughts with."

"That's true," said Chester, sincerely. "I hope she'll be free from her past, anyway."

Siles nodded too.

Chester turned to say: "Anyway, when I was leaving, Aunt Elizabeth said she would write to me later to inform me of her final decision."

If Elizabeth does choose to leave Middleton, it is unclear who will be her successor.Siles couldn't help but think so.Besides, the church in the past obviously wanted to investigate Fuli Ouhai.

Now their intentions are stopped by Elizabeth, but when the new bishop takes office, the situation may be different again.Will that create brand new contradictions and disputes?

No one can tell what the future holds.

Although Elizabeth intended to break away from her original life, this topic also made Celes and Chester feel a little bit uninspired.

In the afternoon, they returned to their respective cabins, intending to take a rest.Of course, Siles knew that Chester would probably devote himself to playing cards in the afternoon and evening and couldn't extricate himself.

It is worth mentioning that, on the ship returning to Kingsley, Sirius saw the sailors playing Noel with great interest.Their cards look like they're made out of plain cardboard, but they're still a lot of fun to play.

And these sailors don't know that the inventor of this card game is standing in front of them at this moment.

This incident gave Siles a different feeling.Because he realized that with the popularity of Noel poker, fewer and fewer people knew that "this game comes from Siles Noel".

Therefore, this will become a secret, a secret kept by a few people.

... And that seems to be another secret related to gods hidden in this deck of cards.

This thought surprised Sirius.He was not thinking of himself at all when he spoke of the secret of the cards.But, as time passed and circumstances developed, he himself was included in the mystery.

... In addition to a prophet, he seems to have become a seer.It's terrible.he thinks.

Siles, who returned to the cabin, thought about what he could do. At first he thought of continuing to write a novel, but then suddenly realized that he had just got a book in the morning, so he happily decided to read the book first.

The author of the book, as Cogersall said, was a lady from Const, her name was Joan MacMillan.She was probably born around 300 A.D., and her father was a well-known explorer who had been to many places in Fisher's world.

Joan and her mother traveled around with her father, and finally decided to settle in Middleton for a while, because it faced the sea, and Joan liked this place very much.

Later, her parents returned to Conster to retire, while Joan stayed in Middleton to get married and have children, and she really became a part of Middleton.

Just because Joan was born and grew up in the Principality of Const, so in her autobiography, Siles easily noticed that she was a Const person, experiencing, experiencing, perceiving Middleton's culture.

On the whole, because they did not understand Middleton's customs, Joan and her family were quite hostile and ostracized at first, but as time went by, they gradually integrated into Middleton.

They initially settled in a port city north of Middleton, but it was too cold for Joan and her mother, so they eventually moved to Bethune.

At this time, Joan was about 20 years old, and she was still a young girl who was not very sensible.She had a lot of conflicts with her parents because of moving, because there was no place that could really meet her requirements.

But Bethune is a novel place, especially, there is a beautiful sea here.Joan soon befriended and became good friends with a number of young girls, several of whom she kept in touch with until the end of Joan's life.

At 21, Joan mastered Middleton's language and then entered Bethune University as a fine arts student.

She met a young painter named Frank Longhi.

…After reading this, Siles could not help but pause.He thought inexplicably, as if fate couldn't wait to push the relevant clues to him.

In short, Joan Macmillan and Frank Longey fell in love.But they failed to get married, because the Langxi family did not agree that such a woman from a foreign country would become the future wife of the family patriarch.

Joan was unhappy for a long time after she and Frank broke up.She thinks she has found her soul mate, but something unexpected stops their love.This kind of thing is always very frustrating.

When Joan's father heard about it, he went to Frank and beat the young man up.Joan mentioned it in her autobiography with a touch of emotion that was both moving and amusing.

After that, Joan also slowly walked out of the shadow brought by this relationship.During that time, she simply followed her father to adventure in the land of no embers, and made a little reputation in the north of the land of no embers.

Even Joan herself was amazed by the "increase in strength".

Three years later, Joan, 25, returned to Bethune.By this time, she had transformed into a powerful, dashing explorer lady.She is no longer trapped by love, and at the same time describes her previous relationship in a new tone.

Joan described in her autobiography: "Frank Langhe is a slightly neurotic man who likes to please women with his sweet words and his own philosophy. He is essentially a playboy who has not grown up.

"If you ask me, the man in Neverland is much more mature than this guy, at least he won't date me and promise to marry me on the premise that he knows that the family will not approve of our relationship.

"... To be honest, he looks like a noble young master spoiled by the family. But I have never heard of the existence of the Langxi family before. This family is really quite low-key."

After this passage, Frank Longey does not appear much in Joan's autobiography.Joan turns the brush to her new life.

When she returned to Bethune at the age of 25, her parents had planned to leave Bethune.And Joan had no intention of leaving.She doesn't have many acquaintances in Constance, but she still has many friends in Bethune.

Her parents did not force her to leave together.Thus, Joan's solitary life began.

It took her a while to adjust to this sheltered life away from her parents, and then she excitedly wrote her autobiography — or rather, diary? - wrote, "Living with parents and living away from them are simply two completely different worlds."

In short, during those years, Joan and her female companions lived very easily.About two or three years later, Joan met another man, a young sailor who yearned for the Land of Never Embers.

He didn't know where he heard about Joan's reputation in the Land of Never Embers, so he inquired about the tavern where Joan frequented, and then tried to communicate with her.

Joan wrote in her autobiography: "When my husband accosted me in the tavern, I thought he was an idiot, because no one talks about Everland in this kind of place - he was like a dumbass. "

But the fool amused Joan.At the same time, during that time, Joan also gradually grew tired of life in Bethune.She began to miss the excitement and danger of the Neverland.

So, she simply went to the Land of Never Embers with the young sailor, and explored the land north of the Land of Embers together.They also went to sea together once, but they couldn't find anything interesting.

Soon, Joan fell in love with the sailor and eventually married.They returned to Bethune, where Joan found a job as a painting teacher at an art school, while her husband took a job in the port.

However, they did not have children.In this matter, Joan said quite candidly: "I have a headache when I see those students at school. I can't imagine how I will raise a real child."

They have lived peacefully in Bethune for many years, and when they are free, they will occasionally visit the Land of Eternal Embers, or go to Const to reunite with Joan's family.As they got older, they gradually stopped running around so much, but settled in Bethune for a long time.

The content in the autobiography is more related to the short stories and daily life of some parents.Siles read with great interest the bits and pieces of Bethune's ordinary life, which was a life experience completely different from his current tour.

In the peaceful old life, Joan suddenly mentioned an interesting thing in life.

She said she had heard an old friend mention Frank Longey's death, and shared it with her husband when she got home, only to get angry at her, thinking she had forgotten the old relationship.This amused Joan for a while.

But she did describe her youthful life in a nostalgic tone.It's not that I miss Frank Longhi, but I miss my young self at that time.

She mentioned that Frank Langhe died in the storm of the ocean because of "his strict requirements for his paintings. He wanted to really see the sea that he dreamed of before he died."

This incident gave Joan some sighs, and that came more from Middleton.When death was already visible to the naked eye, Joan thought of Const, Middleton, the Land of Eternity, and the huge world of Fisher.

"It feels like no one knows where we're going to end up in our world," she said.

"When I closed my eyes and greeted death, it seemed as if the world had come to its end. And I knew very well that the end of this world was actually so far away from me, and it was the deep sea that my boat of life would never reach.

"There was a time when people thought the planet was flat. Maybe the water would cascade down at the end of the flat surface. But the world isn't flat, and my life is.

"The boat of my life will fall straight down at the end of this flat road, and will fall apart from then on."

Siles sighed a little because of these words.

He closed the book, subconsciously looked out the window, and found that the time had come to the evening unknowingly.He learned everything about Middleton from another angle.

...and, Frank Longey.

While eating dinner, Sirius couldn't help thinking about Frank Longey.

The well-known Middleton painter, in the eyes of others, is a stubborn and great artist; however, when looking at him from another angle, he becomes a cowardly, irresponsible playboy.

At the last moment of his life, he decided to go to the deep sea to fulfill his long-cherished wish, but he died here.When the monstrous wind and waves hit the boat of his life, what would he be thinking?

But that wasn't what Siles really cared about.He noticed a very subtle detail.

Joan McMillan has grown significantly in strength since her love affair with Frank.

Her will didn't seem to have changed significantly, but obviously, this increase in soul strength didn't just happen casually.Maybe it's because...she has grown spiritually?

Because of Frank Langhe?

Siles was so skeptical.When these two people met, they were both art students. Would they appreciate each other's paintings?

But Siles had admired Frank's work before, and found nothing wrong with it, so... perhaps some manuscripts?sketch?Something unconsciously pictured?

There was perhaps something strange and rather frightening about those pictures, and something changed in Joan's soul.

In any case, Siles had more doubts about the Longey family.

The family does not allow the future patriarch to marry a woman from a foreign country. This rule clearly proves that there are some secrets in this family that are not easy to let outsiders—especially foreigners—know.

Their obsession with Joan's identity as a foreign country proved that if they were from Middleton, it might be much easier to accept their family's secrets.

And what's so special about Middleton?After thinking about it, Siles thought that it could only be a secret related to the Sea of ​​Folio.

…So, is it really that simple that Frank Langhe went to sea for the only and last time in his lifetime?

Was it really just as everyone said, he was only pursuing art and the realism of paintings, so he decided to go to sea when the end of his life was approaching?

Wasn't it like the young man Hed Dreyson who had to embark on a journey after receiving a family secret letter from his mysterious uncle, in order to complete an unknown family task?

Siles had this idea, but he knew that it might be difficult to prove it, because it must be something that only the core members of the Longhi family could know.

Even, maybe this is like the aristocratic families in Lamifa City who believe in death. It is something that will only be revealed to the next generation of family members before the death of the previous patriarch.

In this way, such secrecy can be strictly guarded to the greatest extent possible.

…In any case, he needs more information.What made him feel even more dangerous was that they still didn't know what the "shadow" believers who were active in the dark were planning to do.

They may have succeeded in preventing "dangerous pottery" from continuing to flourish in Middleton.But that's just a small thing.

After the meal, Siles went to find Knight Commander Bunyan and asked the church in the past about how to deal with this matter.And Bunyan replied very frankly: "We originally planned to cooperate with Ms. Elizabeth to deal with the followers of the old gods.

"However, what she said is also very reasonable. Middleton is a place that is too unfamiliar to us, so our previous thoughts were a bit too taken for granted.

"I plan to ask the bishop what he thinks after returning to Lamifa City. Maybe we should use some other methods and try to investigate in a roundabout way."

Siles also nodded, and he couldn't help saying, "I hope this matter can be resolved as soon as possible."

"I hope so," Bunyan said.

However, they are still very far away from Lamifa City.

At eleven noon the next day, they arrived in Kingsley.The city is still the same as when they left, but now it unexpectedly brings them a sense of familiarity.

Perhaps it was because they were about to leave here, and they might never come here again.This may be forever.

Because of time constraints, they didn't have time to stay in Kingsley for another day.After disembarking, Professor Bella went to the train station with the translator Johnny, planning to buy a ticket back to Biddle City.

Celeste mentioned to her once again that he needed to get off at a certain station in Kansas.

Professor Bella froze for a moment before remembering this.Siles did not elaborate on the purpose of getting out of the car, but said that he had some personal matters to deal with in Kansas.

Professor Bella didn't bother, but told him to try to return to Ramifa City before school started.

"I will," said Siles. "You needn't worry."

"Then, I'll help you buy a separate train ticket, and you can get off at that station." Professor Bella said gently, "I hope you stay safe in Kansas."

Siles thanked Professor Bella.

They had a final seafood dinner at Kingsley before boarding the train back to Biddle City.Everyone was a little discouraged by the long journey, but luckily they were going back to Ramifah too.

It is still a separate compartment, which is much more convenient.

After Siles returned to the carriage, he spent a little time carefully sorting out the results of this trip to Middleton and the things that need to be followed up——the chart made by Garrett Gielgud, the Longey family's possible Hidden secrets, and future actions of Hurd Dreyson.

In addition, there are other things that need attention, such as the disappearance of the archaeological team, the star map on Ms. Heidi's side, what happened to Ebenezer Const 14 years ago, the whereabouts of Alfonso Carlyle...

Siles felt a headache.He pinched the bridge of his nose helplessly, and had to admit that he had caused too much trouble for himself.

However, when he listed these things together, he suddenly realized a problem-the disappearance of the archaeological team, and the secret family letter received by Herd Dreyson.

He remembered that when he and Qindo were discussing the mysterious Mr. Dreyson, they always had a curious question, that is, what happened to that Dreyson after the incident at Hales House? This letter will be sent to the family only if there is something to do.

That is, something that happened in the Never Embers during the period from November last year to February this year.

The archaeological team happened to disappear during this time period.

……coincide?

It was difficult for Siles to come to this conclusion.He thought for a while, then drew a line between the name "Hed Dreyson" and the words "the archaeological team is missing" in the notebook, and then put a question mark.

Are these two things related?

It was getting late, so he didn't continue to think about it.After washing up, he changed his clothes and tidied up his luggage by the way.In particular, he took the No. [-] doll out of the luggage.

The No. [-] figure is now almost a symbol of Mr. Ghost, and Sirius is happy to see it happen.It is better to stabilize Mr. Ghost's identity as much as possible and make it a secret that no one knows.

Doll No. [-] came alive, bouncing up and down on the bed.Siles watched quietly, and after a while, he shook his head to silence the puppet.He put the doll back in the suitcase again, and then fell asleep, entering the deep sea dream.

The dream of the deep sea is always the same, even though a few plants have appeared on the red mud of the isolated island.

He glanced at the plants habitually, then paused suddenly.He accidentally found that a plant withered.He walked over, took a closer look, and realized that it was Jonathan Bryant's vine.

This believer in death, Jonathan Bryant, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer of the Principality of Const, because of the fear of death