The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

Carlos Ranmere seemed to have completely forgotten that Siles had bought an explorer's travel book from him, or, even if he remembered, he didn't think it was an important thing.

Now, in his eyes, Siles is just a boring adult who, along with his father, plans to dictate his personal career.

The four of them walked into the office, and the small office suddenly seemed a little crowded.

Ms. Heidi was a guest from afar, so she naturally sat on the sofa; Carlos was an uninvited guest, so he also sat on the sofa unceremoniously.Qin Duo was too lazy to squeeze in with them, so he let Sires sit on the chair, and he simply stood behind Sires.

They formed a delicate standoff.

Siles looked at Carlos Langmire, and had to admit that Carlos's appearance was quite exquisite and perfect; if he hadn't mentioned the two key words "father" and "acting", then Siles might not have realized this at all. Who is this guy who looks like a young woman.

...Of course, from another perspective, he comes from the earth after all.On the Internet of the earth, he can always see or hear about some men disguised as women.That's not surprising, at least to him.

And for folks in Fisherworld...

From the astonished expressions of Heidi and Qindo, it can be seen that this incident can be said to be a shock to them.It's okay to talk about the stage or other necessary occasions; it's a bit surprising to meet a man disguised as a woman in real life.

The silence continued.In the end, it was Heidi's words that broke the stalemate.

"It's the first time I've seen an actor who has reversed the gender so perfectly," she said.

Carlos was aggressive and was about to ask Siles some questions, but his words immediately made him stunned, and he subconsciously touched his nose in embarrassment.His face, which was quite delicately made up, couldn't help showing a happy smile.

He said, "Really? I'm glad you like how I look. I think that's what an actor should do."

"Are you from a theater troupe in town?" Heidi asked softly, and she did show some interest.

"Yes, yes." Carlos said a little nervously, "Lancelot Theatre, I don't know if you have heard of it. We have a show every Saturday night, if you are interested... ..."

He touched his pocket, and then with an annoyed expression, he said: "I forgot to bring the flyer of our theater. Anyway, if you are interested, you are very welcome. Our theater is currently open for free." of!"

"Free?" Heidi said in surprise, "but don't you need to make money?"

On the face of Carlos's beautiful female character, there was an awkward expression.

Qin Duo said on the side: "He just wants to satisfy his personal hobbies, so he doesn't intend to make money."

"Yes." Carlos almost subconsciously echoed this statement, and the next second he showed an angry expression, "But I'm not..."

He was stuck there by himself, stunned for a long time, then sighed dejectedly, and said to himself: "Yes. We are not a big troupe. No one comes to see it. Entertain yourself in the theater."

Ms. Heidi looked at him thoughtfully, and said, "But your current outfit is really flawless."

Carlos said weakly: "It's just a man disguised as a woman or a woman disguised as a man, and then learn the technique of changing the voice. It's not difficult. I just learned it because I was interested."

As he spoke, he hesitated for a moment, then he turned to Siles, and said seriously: "Sorry, Professor Noel, I was just angry for a moment, thinking that you and my father were in the same boat, so I wanted to play a prank to scare you. "

It can be seen that this young man is not that naughty, but he is vacillating between his hobbies and real life.His family gave him the confidence to hesitate, and he probably didn't realize it himself.

Siles didn't say anything.

Qin Duo sneered, and he said: "Professor Noel may think it's nothing, but it's just that your trick was lucky enough not to be noticed by others. This is a university, and you may have damaged the reputation of a university professor. "

Carlos opened his mouth and said dejectedly, "I didn't think about it that much... I'm sorry, Professor Noel. I just... I just felt a little angry when my father said he had a friend who needed my help.

"...Actually, it's nothing. I was very excited at first, but my father said...that 'your hobby is finally useful'... What is this! My efforts over the years are worthless in his eyes. Is it something strange?

"That's why I acted impulsively...I was just playing a prank. Sorry, I offended you. Fortunately, there were no serious consequences. I have...already realized it."

He said blankly, then looked at Siles, and asked with a bit of stubbornness: "Is it really only important to make money?"

Siles also looked at the young man.When I saw him at the bookseller's bazaar, Carlos was a little arrogant, but now he was completely defeated by reality.

"It's probably a good quality to be yourself," said Siles.

Carlos froze for a moment.

"But many people have to give up their ego in order to survive." Siles added, "Do you do what you don't like in order to survive, or pursue your dreams forever, which do you think is braver?"

Carlos thought for a while, then said, "Can't we have both?"

"If you can do it, sure."

"...if I can." Carlos whispered, "And what you mean is that this 'if' alone is beyond the reach of many people. They can't get this premise, and I It’s not because of myself that I can get this premise.”

Siles didn't answer the question, he thought Carlos had figured it out too.

...Perhaps, it is much easier to admit this in front of strangers than in front of his parents and elders.

Carlos was stunned for a while, then sighed, and he said, "Thank you, Professor. I'm really sorry for my prank just now." He said instead, "By the way, you wanted to send your Is the novel made into a play?"

"Yes." Siles said, looking thoughtfully at Carlos's current female attire, "but before I mention this, can I ask you a question?"

"what?"

"You just said that it is quite common for you guys to dress up as a woman or a woman as a man?"

Siles noticed the problem.

When the Darrow family collapsed and Detective Jon went to investigate, he found three things in a trash can near the Darrow family: a woman's wig, a calendula cup (appeared in the trash can but was picked up by others) walk), a painting.

They have already investigated almost all the clues related to the calendula cup and the painting; but the wig is very confusing.

Why did the person who helped them secretly put this wig here? What was he or she implying?

Insinuating someone pretending to be a woman?

That question came to Siles' mind when Carlos appeared to them as a woman; does this seem to be a common practice for these theater actors?

Carlos froze for a moment, he didn't expect Siles to ask this question.He scratched his hair, thought for a while, and said, "Actually, it's not that common. We learned how to reverse gender because of a very rare show."

"What play?" Sirius asked.

Seeing his interest in the show, Carlos also became a little excited.He said: "The title of that play is "The Story of Calendula". Do you know the flower language of Calendula?

"No, it can't be said to be the flower language of marigold, but in this play, marigold represents redemption, hope of life, pregnancy and childbirth and motherhood. This is a movie that was briefly released 50 years ago. repertoire.

"It tells the story of a mother and daughter. A wife gives birth to a child when her husband dies; the mother then goes mad and sometimes appears to the child in the guise of her husband. in front of.

"After her daughter grew up, she always thought that her father hadn't died; she grew up and fell in love, and accidentally found the makeup tools that her mother used to disguise herself as a man at home, and then dressed as a man on a whim to go out, and then went out with a male appearance. Perspective re-experiences the world.

“…it’s sort of a story like this. People think it’s pretty outlandish and unbearable, but I find the subject matter interesting. Sometimes I’ll dress up as a woman and go into town, and it’s like… Experience a new life."

As he spoke, Carlos showed a slightly embarrassed expression.

Sirius looked at him thoughtfully.

A script from 50 years ago?A dead husband and a living mother and daughter?

...calendula?

"Do you know who the author of this work is?" Siles heard his own voice ask rather calmly, as if the presence of such information meant nothing to him.

And he knew it wasn't so.

Carlos thought for a moment, then said: "It seems to be a lady. I don't know any more. When I was watching a play at the Lancelot Theater a few years ago, I wanted to go to the bathroom and ended up inadvertently. broke into a storage room.

"...Uh, it might be embarrassing to say it. At that time, there was a cabinet in the corner of the small room. I was a little curious, so I rummaged through the cabinet, and found an old, handwritten There are some vague files, which record the script of this play.

“I rehearsed with some friends because we thought it was pretty interesting that it was from a script that was so old that I was able to find it 50 years later.

"At the time we were just having fun. But then the Lancelot Theater went bankrupt and the property was going to be auctioned off, so I decided to use my pocket money to buy the theater."

Having said that, he subconsciously paused, as if recalling the scene at that time.

And Ms. Heidi turned her head, looked at the young man thoughtfully, and asked, "Pocket money?"

Carlos came back to his senses, and said inexplicably, "Yes...what's wrong?"

Qin Duo gave a low laugh without any emotion.

Heidi truly sighed and said: "You are so rich, you can buy a theater with your pocket money."

Carlos was tongue-tied, and he seemed to realize for the first time that no one else could buy anything he liked with his pocket money.As if feeling restless, he scratched his cheek in shame.

"That's all right. Your father was a great businessman after all," said Siles. "Did you put on that play at the Lancelot afterwards?"

"...Yes." Carlos nodded, "At that time, we only rehearsed this play, so we performed it in the theater on a whim. The first time we performed... there were actually not many audiences.

"But there was one... there was an audience member who was supposed to be a painter, and he was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a frame behind his back, and he was supposed to be a painter.

"He came to me after our show to thank him, saying that he liked the show very much and was very happy to see it in the theater in Ramifa.

"Honestly, it really inspired me. That happened almost a year ago. We also did 'The Marigold Story' a lot after that, and the painter was always there... But after last summer, we just Never saw him again.

"For us, the disappearance of this regular audience also means that the auditorium in the theater is gradually emptying out. That makes us all a little discouraged."

Having said that, Carlos also took a breath.

"...but we've come to understand it slowly," Carlos whispered. "Usually it's just a few of us entertaining ourselves. We all come from a good family, so we can do this. But I also... Perhaps, I also hope to get more."

The young man had great ambitions before them, but the other three in the office were a little absent-minded at the moment.

"I hope you can do it." Siles said first, "Do you know anything more about the painter who has been supporting you?"

Carlos widened his eyes and looked at Siles in a daze. He asked, "Why are you interested in him?"

"Perhaps you know about the extermination case of the Darrow family?"

"Daro..." Carlos muttered, and then remembered, "What happened in August last year? I remember my friends and I analyzed it with great interest for a long time."

Siles could not help but pause.Indeed, he thought, this death has become nothing more than a topic of conversation in people's daily life.

He then said, "The painter you met is very likely related to the Darrow family murder case."

Carlos nearly jumped off the couch.He said in disbelief: "What? What?! There is such a thing! But...yes, he disappeared after last summer...it's such a coincidence!"

He looked shocked.

In fact, Siles also somewhat felt a kind of coincidence...or, belatedly, he realized that the clues could be found here as well.

Qin Duo muttered in a low voice: "Who would have thought of that."

the painter.They could always hear about the existence of this person in some places; such as the chance encounter in Atherton Square, such as the rain break course at the Academy of Fine Arts mentioned by Alvay, such as the painting that Detective Jon picked up.

This person is like a phantom, as if existing in the corner of this world, but they can't keep up with this person's footsteps.

But now, they suddenly caught this man's feet.

Carlos was surprised for a moment, then recalled what he knew about the painter.He said slowly, "He's probably in his twenties, and he's very thin...gold-rimmed glasses, with a drawing board on his back, that was just mentioned. He asked us to call him, uh, Kailan. Yes, it should be that name."

"Kelan?" Siles asked almost subconsciously.

"Yes," Carlos said, "like a woman's name, isn't it? But we guess it might be his last name."

Carlos obviously didn't understand what Siles meant.

…Marina Kellan.Kailan.

Does Brewer Darrow's fiancée have the same last name as the enigmatic painter?

Combined with the script of "The Story of the Marigold" and the artist's praise for this script, a crazy idea appeared in Siles' brain.

He stared fixedly at Carlos.This young man, playing himself as a woman.

He is of medium height and of medium build, and his facial features are softened by a fairly complex makeup technique.He prepared wigs and other disguise props.He had to choke his voice to make his voice more in line with a woman's voice.

After these preparations, his appearance is almost perfect, and it is difficult to see that he is a man at heart.

...and women pretending to be men?

Siles recalled his brief meeting with the painter, and was surprised to realize that there were no very distinctive features—such as the Adam's apple, such as the voice—that would prove that the painter was indeed a man.

The only thing he said to Siles (continuing to refer to the painter as "he" for the moment) was a very whispered "good-bye."Other than that, their meeting was almost a passing affair.

And the painter's various features—slender figure, gold-rimmed glasses, carrying a drawing board—seem to be substitutable from both male and female perspectives.

...Of course, there may be two Kailans in this world; one is Marina Kailan, Brewer Darrow's fiancée, and the other is the painter Kailan, who seems to be following Brewer Darrow in this capacity. Ro.

Siles asked, "Have you talked to this Kailan?"

"...Not a lot." Carlos said hesitantly, "That was last year. We were very busy at that time, and Kailan just stayed in the auditorium and watched silently.

"I only spoke to him twice, when he came over to thank us, and the two times when he said his name was Kailan. Not long after that, he disappeared.

"Well, may I ask, what are you suspecting?"

Siles said simply: "His gender."

Carlos was dumbfounded. He said, "How is this possible? That's obviously a man."

Ms. Heidi said: "But if you don't talk, then I will think you are a woman through and through."

Carlos turned and glanced at her, then at Sirius for a moment, then said dully, "So he might be a woman... no, she."

Obviously, this incident gave Carlos a lot of shock.When he himself disguised himself as a woman to make fun of others, he never thought that he would eventually be caught by this painter who was likely to disguise himself as a man.

The cycle of fate and reincarnation.

But Siles didn't care about Carlos's thoughts at the moment.He fell into deep thought.

Cendo leaned in his ear and said, "Marina Kellan?"

Evidently, he and Sirius wanted to go together.

For a long time, the existence of the mysterious woman Marina Kailan has also puzzled them.Someone had indeed seen the woman—including Detective Jon, including those who had attended Brewer Darrow's engagement.

However, apart from the glimpse at the engagement ceremony, this woman never seemed to appear again.Her past seems to have never existed, she seems to be an invisible person, a transparent person, appearing briefly but disappearing for a long time.

If she has another identity, another identity that really exists, is indeed somewhat mysterious and low-key but has been in contact with many people, then the situation will be much more understandable.Because she has always been in contact with the outside world in that capacity.

Besides, the painter said he liked "The Tale of the Marigold" very much.And what is this story about?

It is about a wife who has lost her husband and raises her daughter alone, and the daughter pretends to be a man and appears to the outside world as a male and a female at the same time.

...is this story really just a story?That happened 50 years ago, and 50 years ago, the May serial killings happened.

Marina Kellan.Siles murmured the name silently in his heart.He felt a bit of bewilderment behind him.

Why is there a woman's wig in the trash can?

Perhaps because she appears more often as a short-hair artist, she simply cuts her hair short and only wears a wig when necessary, reverting to being Marina Kellan.She hints in this way, reminding them of the possibility of changing identities.

Why did the painter disappear after last summer?

Perhaps it was because she was pregnant and could no longer appear as a male.

Siles was silent for a moment, then said, "Carlos, I hope you can do me a favor."

Carlos was still a little stunned.He said, "... what? Of course you can. Say it."

"I want to know about this mysterious painter Kailan. Could you please ask your friends or the staff in the theater for me? Maybe they will know some private information about Kailan." Les said deliberately.

Carlos reacted for a while before he understood what Siles meant.He nodded immediately: "I will. Professor Noel, I am happy to help you, as a way to make up for my ridiculous prank."

Speaking of that prank, he felt a sort of belated embarrassment.He bit the bullet and asked, "How can I contact you later?"

"Ninety-nine Kelly Street," said Siles. "You can write here."

"Okay, Professor. Well, what do you think about the adaptation of your novel?"

"I haven't thought about it that much yet. I have to finish this novel first." Siles said, "I didn't expect you to show up so early."

Carlos showed an awkward smile. He glanced at the time and said, "It's almost five o'clock! Then I'll go first. I'll write to you, goodbye."

He left the office quickly.In order to look more feminine, he also specially put on a pair of shoes with heels.Siles noticed that he sprained heavily when he left in such a hurry...I'm afraid Carlos will suffer from it.

Qin Duo commented: "A reckless and childish young man."

"Indeed. But he also brought a clue." Siles said, he turned to look at Ms. Heidi, and said apologetically, "It took me some time, ma'am."

"It's nothing. I think you guys are investigating something very important... Maybe you can tell me about it later." Heidi said, showing a little interest, "Also, I've seen this kind of thing in the Land of No Ashes. Drama, but I have never seen such an exquisite actor."

"Are you interested in theater?" Siles asked with some surprise.

Heidi thought for a moment, then shook her head: "I'm not interested, just looking for something to divert my attention." She sighed softly, "Both the magician and the animal trainer are dead. The clown is dead." Still the same crazy look, but he's always been that way."

The atmosphere in the office became stagnant in an instant.

Siles leaned back and looked deeply at Heidi."I hope you don't blame yourself. Anyway, you've done everything you can," he said.

Heidi gave a wry smile, and she said: "I am ashamed of you calling me 'you'. How reckless I was once, thinking that I could get rid of the fate of the circus so easily.

"We used to use this power. Now, if we want to abandon this power, it depends on whether the power itself is willing."

Siles was silent.

Heidi was also silent for a while, and then said: "When I found them, it was too late. They were already dead, and their power had already found a successor. The clown is still alive, but I'm afraid the power of the clown will be difficult to find." successor.

"...sometimes, I feel that the Joker is dead. It's just a force in his body that drives him, something unimaginable and terrible hiding in that body, something heavier and darker than the world itself ..."

Heidi murmured, at this moment, she seemed to be that nagging astrologer again.

After a while, she snapped back to her senses and took a deep breath.

"How about we go to the Church of the Past now?" Siles said.

Heidi showed a shaken expression for a moment: "Really? Now...go now? Will it be too late...no, no, we should go now...the sooner the better. If I don't want to ..."

She closed her eyes, then opened them again.A kind of emotion dissipated from her eyes, or maybe, another kind of emotion appeared in her heart.

"If I don't want to, then I'm totally crazy," she said.

Siles looked at the lady, and after a moment, he nodded.

He understood what Heidi conveyed.In the past, it was their plan to ask for help from the church in the past, but now Heidi showed subtle wavering and resistance.This is obviously not a good thing.

Perhaps even Heidi herself couldn't tell whether this emotion came from herself, or some pollution added to her soul.She was already terrified of this.

If she really doesn't want to go to Sunday Church, then things will get bad.Perhaps they have to face a more brutal choice.

Heidi got up slowly, she stood there, looking out of the window.After a while, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then, let's go."

Siles and Qindo also breathed a sigh of relief.

After that, they left the office, found a rented carriage near Ramifa University, and went to the Central Cathedral of the Church of the Past together.It was almost evening, and the sweltering air was swept away by the cool wind at the moment; but the cloud still remained.

The nave of the church was still brightly lit, and Knight Commander Benyan stood alone, where he would probably keep his watch.

"Good afternoon, Professor." Knight Commander Bunyan greeted him with a smile, "Long time no see."

"Long time no see, Knight Commander." Siles said, he introduced Heidi to Bunyan, and then said, "I'm here to see Mr. Bishop."

"Ms. Heidi?" Bunyan looked at Heidi thoughtfully, "I heard the bishop mention this...an out-of-control timing?"

"...Yes." Heidi replied slowly, "A...star map handkerchief."

Her voice was a little muffled when she spoke.Afterwards, Heidi took a deep breath, trying her best to maintain her sanity.She knew what was going to happen, which is why she was struggling so much.

Sirius looked at her slightly worried.

Qin Duo whispered beside him, "Don't worry."

Siles nodded.He planned to make a will judgment for everyone present when he saw that the situation was not good.

Everyone has a big success of will, which is equivalent to a big failure of the star handkerchief's will.There is nothing wrong with this logic.he thought calmly.

Bunyan also looked at Heidi with some concern, and said in a gentle voice, "Then, Ms. Heidi, I will take you to the investigator who is here today."

Heidi nodded thoughtfully.

Siles couldn't help asking: "Who is on duty today?"

"It's Catherine." Bunyan said, "...Speaking of which, Catherine also handled the out-of-control timing for you. This is really a coincidence."

Siles was also a little surprised.He suddenly had a lot of confidence, purely in terms of the concept of "coincidence".

Soon, they came to Catherine's office.Bunyan graciously closed the door for them, and he stood outside to watch over them.

Siles and Qindo stood in the corner, watching Ms. Heidi.Catherine Kinsey stood silently in front, still dressed as a female knight.This made Siles feel a little subtle premonition.

He had already swallowed the potion before, and now he put on [Akamala's Spectacle Frame], looking at the scene in front of him with a clearer vision.

Heidi stood for a while, taking deep breaths, and then took out the bloody handkerchief from her bag with trembling hands.She didn't put it on the table immediately, following Catherine Kinsey's instructions, but whispered something.

"I was an orphan. I was born in the Land of Never Embers. The circus took me in. At that time, the head of the circus was not Mickey, but Mickey's father or some other elder.

"He was an old man who insisted that I know how to read and write. An astrologer before me taught me the Const language and how to identify the stars in the sky. Then she died and I became a circus The new astrologer.

"I've been in the circus for years. We're doing some not-so-virtuous stuff, trying to survive in the Land of Ashes. A businessman told us to come to Ramifa City, saying we could make money here.

"... Strange city, strange people. Obviously we all speak Const, but things seem to be different somewhere. I feel that something is wrong, I feel uncomfortable, so I decided to leave.

"I decided to let go of everything in the past. And at the end of the day, I couldn't do it. I just let go of myself and the things that I needed to focus on. I was bound, and I almost let those Throw what binds me to others.

"...Eternal Land, Old Gods, Pollution. The power of this world. These things fill this world like giants, but this world seems to be empty, and has never really been changed by these things.

"Man is so despicable, and man is so noble."

She suddenly looked at Sirius.

"Professor Noel, you once said to me that if destiny really exists in this world, then you would rather be controlled by everyone than the gods. Because the gods are so high."

Siles also looked at the lady, and he said, "Yes."

Heidi showed a complicated smile, and she said: "I agree with you. Countless people have come to me and asked if the trajectory of the star is consistent with their destiny - and what does the star have to do with them?" And that star, what does it have to do with me?

"Fate keeps me on top; destiny keeps me on the ground. And I never realized it before."

She took a step forward and placed the star map handkerchief flat on the table.Little by little, she smoothed the corners of this star map carefully.Following her movements, everyone present seemed to be able to feel that something violent and terrifying seemed to be tamed silently.

"Goodbye. Star." Heidi whispered, "I bid farewell to you, as I bid farewell to my past self. Would you like to? Maybe you would, because this is my wish."

She chatted with the star chart in a low voice, as if her past life made her understand the essence of the star chart.

Her pale hand brushed across the dark blue star map quietly.

Then she took a step back and said almost decisively, "Ms. Kinsey, please do me a favor."

Catherine Kinsey nodded silently.

Once again, Siles saw her take out the translucent piece of paper.Catherine unfolded it to form a paper basket, and then fastened it completely on top of the star map handkerchief.

Through [Akamala's Spectacle Frame], Sirius saw a burst of rich, faint blue light.It is surging, churning, and can even show a feeling similar to emotional fluctuations to a certain extent.

But soon, as the paper basket was placed above the light, the faint blue light shrank suddenly.It wobbled slightly towards Miss Hattie, but was held back by the paper basket.

Finally, the faint blue light seemed to give up the struggle.It is gradually absorbed by the paper basket.

At this moment, Catherine Kinsey frowned suddenly.

Sirius saw that the faint blue light seemed to permeate the translucent paper, and then suddenly expanded into a cloud of dark blue mist, rushing towards Catherine.

...Catherine?Why Catherine?

He didn't have time to think so much, and said almost subconsciously in his heart: "Determine the will attribute of Catherine Kinsey."

[Keeper of the Secret, Catherine Kinsey (female knight) is undergoing a will judgment. 】

【Will: 56/...】

Everything around me slowed down.Catherine's astonished expression, Heidi's blank gaze, Qindo's subconscious actions... Siles almost instinctively chose the smallest number.

[Will: 56/3, great success. 】

[Knight, female knight!This is a symbol of faith, this is a sign of sacrifice... At the same time, it is also the type of believer that an old god loves.But the long river of time has already washed everything away.You are facing a new god, an old god's knight, be respectful! 】

The thick dark blue mist seemed to be swallowed by something, and bit by bit, it seemed to be completely wiped clean by an invisible hand, just like wiping away dust.There seemed to be a sigh in the air, from the long past, from the knight of the fallen old god.

... "Knight of the Old Gods".Siles stared at the concept in astonishment.

The dice are obviously faltering but unwilling to be lonely to imply something-even a little bit of pretentiousness, although the dice itself is a symbol of the power of the gods.

The old god is naturally referring to Luthmi, whether it is the star map or the color of the fog can hint at this.As for the female knight, from the pursuit of the concept of "female knight" by those hiding behind the scenes, we can also see the significance of this concept.