The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

There was a suffocating silence spreading in the dessert shop.

The weather was pretty good on this day.It should be said that the time has come to August after all, and the residents of Lamifa City will usher in the long-lost scorching sun.People were drying clothes and quilts and strolling along the boulevard beside Atherton Square.

This bright sunshine, this leisurely and peaceful morning, this dessert shop full of sweet and creamy aroma.Of course, no one could have imagined that someone would gently mention his own death in such a place.

Siles stared deeply at the man in front of him.

Leaving aside the identity of the clown, if someone just mentions his own death in this way, people may think he is a lunatic; if the identity of the clown is added, people may think he is really a lunatic.

But if you count the information that Siles knew, then the announcement of death doesn't sound like a joke.

In the original running group script, the clown might indeed be killed by the apostate Hamlin, who painted his face and pretended to be a clown, so he was able to escape from Ramifa City.

However, now that the apostate Hamlin has been captured by the Church of the Past, the fate of the clown should have changed.

...Why did he still think he was going to be killed by someone in Ramifa City?

No, it should be said, why does he have this cognition?

While Siles was thinking, Heidi couldn't help but sighed.She said: "That's it... I can't believe it. But no matter how I ask him, he only says this sentence, as if...

"...I don't know if you can perceive this strange feeling. Usually, I will be the one who pretends to be a ghost, I can't deny it. People hope to know their destiny from the star chart, at least in one direction; I have From time to time, some information that seems to be true or false will be given.

"I don't know if I was inspired by something... Sometimes the information seemed real, sometimes it seemed inexplicable. When I recall this memory now, I even feel that I was tainted at that time."

She smiled wryly.

Siles was taken aback for a moment, and he said, "Do you think Arkwright was misled by the astrologer?"

"At least it looks like this," Heidi said. "It doesn't have to be an astrologer, it could be someone else. There are always strange people like this in the Land of Ashes, especially in the station. I think, Ah It wouldn't be a surprise if Wright did meet one.

"And a guy like the clown... you know, people would love to play tricks on him. So someone who lied to him that he'd have to go to Ramifa and wait for someone to kill him... something like that might occur.

"People are just looking for a reason to let the clown go... Just looking for a reason to make him look ugly, that's why 'Joker' exists."

Siles understood what Heidi meant.

Arkwright the Clown is a crazy, goofy guy.

When there is paint, people will keep some distance because of his identity as a clown; but when his face is clean, people may only think he is a bully fool.

In the past period of time, with the disintegration of the circus, the clown is naturally no longer a clown, even though he still has this power.

Therefore, Heidi speculates that someone deliberately teased Arkwright to scare the clown with such prophecies or bad omens.But Arkwright took this seriously, and indeed traveled thousands of miles to the city of Lamifa.

...Heidi's speculation is not impossible. In the past period of time, what happened to Arkwright may only be known to him.

but……

Siles looked at the clown again.

During their conversation, Arkwright looked down again and ate the cake with a spoon.

The way he eats it is rather disconcerting, first mashing the delicately beautiful looking cake with a spoon into a weird, slushy mass before slowly eating it from the middle.

He did eat without wasting anything, but this way of eating made people feel uncomfortable.

"Why Lamifa City?" Siles seemed to be whispering, but also seemed to be asking Arkwright.

But Arkwright didn't answer, and Heidi couldn't answer the question either.

Heidi could only think of herself, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Perhaps, someone knew that I was in Lamifa City, so they deliberately told Arkwright about this place?"

Siles was silent for a moment, noticing that Arkwright was still silent.He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Arkwright, have you seen Mr. Xia before?"

Arkwright dropped the spoon abruptly.He raised his head slowly, looked at Sirius, then tilted his head, and grinned into a smile, the kind of smile where all his teeth could be seen clearly.

he said yes."

Heidi asked inexplicably, "Who is Mr. Xia?"

This is indeed a good question.

The Mr. Xia they mentioned here is the past Antinam or the past Qiuqiu, or the future Siles?

Siles couldn't answer the question either.He couldn't even show that he had thought of the problem.The puzzle of time is difficult for anyone to crack.

He actually prefers Antinam or Qiuqiu in the past.In any case, since he had once taken the card from Arkwright, it meant that the matter was a foregone conclusion.

Is there any situation that requires him from the future to hand this card to Arkwright from the past?

His thoughts could not help but shifted a bit.

At this time, Arkwright said again: "He asked me to come here." He chuckled, "I like it here."

"What?" Heidi looked at him incredulously, and then at Celes, "Wait, who is this Mr. Xia? Do you all know him?"

"Wait a minute, ma'am, I'll clear your mind," said Siles. "... Arkwright, what did he tell you?"

Arkwright thought for a while, as if looking for some clues from his barren and chaotic memory.Finally he remembered.

He said, "Before... Heidi came to see me."

"That happened in March and April." Heidi added in a low voice.

Arkwright continued: "After that, I was just walking around... accidentally lost my way. Mr. Xia, just showed up. He pointed me in the direction and said I need to go there, La Miafa City .”

Both Siles and Heidi were a little confused.

"...he said someone might kill me there," Arkwright said slowly, "and that might be my destiny. If I want to change all that, then I have to go to Ramifa City .

"However, even if I come to Lamifa City, everything may be irreversible. Therefore, I have to have the determination to die... I must come to Lamifa City."

Heidi's eyes widened, and she murmured in a low voice, "It's not like Arkwright said that."

"It's Mr. Xia's words, Heidi." Arkwright said, and he smiled again, "Mr. Xia... told me so. I will remember it."

Siles asked again: "Did he tell you anything else besides this?"

Arkwright thought for a while, then said, "He also said that if I came here, I could avenge Mickey."

Heidi said in surprise, "But Mickey..."

She stopped talking, and then revealed a wry smile.She didn't go on.

Siles was also silent for a moment.

Arkwright said, "No more."

... Mr. Xia sent the clown to Lamifa City.Siles thought.As for Mr. Xia's words, it sounds quite... confusing.

Obviously, Mr. Xia knew the truth, including the content of the running group script.

So why did Mr. Xia say that to Arkwright when the apostate Hamlin had already been arrested?Why did he say the Joker is going to be killed by someone?

unless……

Siles was stunned for a moment, and then decisively shifted his thoughts to other places - if this Mr. Xia is really his future self, then it is impossible for him to destroy his own plan.

As for the revenge for Mickey, the head of the circus, it is easier to understand.

After all, if Arkwright came to Lamifa City, it would mean that the eight runners would gather here, and they might have to deal with the "evil god" together, even though they didn't know each other's existence.

...and the Keeper knows.

Siles fell into thought for a moment.So does Heidi.

And Arkwright saw that both of them were silent, so he asked: "Heidi, can I have another one?"

Distraught, Heidi pushed the cake plate in front of her to Arkwright.So Arkwright happily smashed the cake with a spoon again and ate it bit by bit.

Heidi sighed, and she turned to say: "So, Professor, can you tell me the truth?"

"Mr. Xia," Silest paused for a moment, his voice was very low to ensure that no one else could hear him, "he is the representative of Antinam."

Heidi froze for a moment, she looked dumbfounded and in disbelief.

After a while, she came back to her senses. She looked at Arkwright who was eating the cake stupidly, and asked a little suspiciously: "But, what is there in Arkwright that this...Mr. Xia should personally contact?"

Siles shook his head. He said, "I'm not very clear either. Do you know any more information about Arkwright?"

Heidi frowned and thought for a while: "...I only know that he was already crazy when he came to the circus."

"How old was he then?"

"Teenage?" Heidi said uncertainly, asking Arkwright, "How old were you when you came to the circus?"

Arkwright was stunned for a moment, counting with his fingers, and said with uncertainty, "Teen?"

Heidi was silent for a moment, then shook her head: "Forget it. His memory is always not very clear."

"Ma'am, I remember you were adopted by a circus?" Siles asked. "Is it similar to Arkwright? Are there many such cases?"

"Many... can't say very much." Heidi said, "You know, we have been staying at Hales House. There are quite a few orphans, maybe the children abandoned by the explorers in the post, or the parents died A child on an expedition... In short, there are many such cases.

"However, most of the time, it's not the circus' turn to adopt them. The owners of some taverns, hotels and restaurants are happy to adopt these children; in addition, those adventure groups will also come to select children with the qualifications of enlighteners.

"Only those street children who are not valued and homeless can be adopted by the circus. Even if adopted, becoming an astrologer, a clown, or a magician, an animal trainer, or even the head of the troupe is a very complicated process. the process of.

"Many children are just doing odd jobs inside the circus, they can't really participate in the work and performance of the circus."

Siles pondered for a moment, then said, "But, you just said that Arkwright became a clown not long after he came to the circus."

"Yes." Heidi nodded.

"...What about the clown before him?"

When they solved the star map problem before, Heidi once introduced her own life experience.She also joined the circus when she was a child, and was led by the astrologer inside the circus to learn about star charts and divination.

After the death of the old astrologer, Heidi took over as the circus astrologer.

...so, what about the clown?

A circus is impossible without clowns.There must have been a clown in the circus before young Arkwright showed up.But in Heidi's description, the previous clown seems to have never appeared.

There was a hint of confusion in Heidi's expression.She thought about it for a while, and then said uncertainly: "He seems to be... dead. It should be."

"You don't remember any more?"

Heidi thought about it for a while, then she shook her head: "For the first time, I feel that my memory is so vague... that clown seems to have disappeared from my memory.

"Let's see... I came to the circus before the clown, maybe two years, maybe more. The circus back then... yes, the circus back then was supposed to have a clown, but...

"But I don't have much impression of him. After Arkwright came to the circus, Arkwright became the new clown. He did a good job, and people didn't miss the previous clown...

"...It's incredible, I do remember this man, but I have no memory of him at all. I don't remember his name, his face, his deeds, his voice... I don't remember anything!"

Heidi showed a very surprised expression, and she quickly realized that this situation was actually quite familiar: "It's like the one you asked me to investigate... that, Mr. Dreyson! I do know This person, but it is vague, like a shadow!"

Siles also showed a little surprise.

He did think of the ex-clown's existence, but only to learn more about Arkwright.However, he seemed to have discovered an omission by the other party by mistake.

Believers in "Shadows", fairly obvious.he thinks.

But... who would it be?

A quite logical possibility appeared in Siles' brain: Could it be Mr. Dreyson when he was young?

This follower of the "Shadow", great-uncle of Hud Dreyson, "worker" of the Dreyson family, seems to have been in Hales in the Land of Never Embers from a very young age. Home, incognito, became the tentacles of this group of followers of the old gods.

Adolf Dreysen once said that he met his brother when he was young. At that time, this Dreyson wore a hat, which seemed to be the symbol of this group of "workers".

……age.Siles thought.This is a rather important question.

As a young Dreyson stayed at the Hales House, he wanted to find an appropriate identity to gather information without arousing suspicion - circus clown, isn't this a very suitable choice?

More importantly, the clown can also cover his facial features with oil paint.This is very important, and it can further facilitate him to hide his identity.

However, as he grows older, Dreyson may not be able to continue to be a clown.

This mysterious Mr. Dreyson is Heard's great-uncle, and Arkwright came to the circus more than ten years ago; at that time, this Dreyson may have been 50 or [-] years old.

At this age, if he continues to be a clown in a circus, he may not be able to bear it anymore.His aging body was no longer flexible and strong, and the profession was no longer suitable for him.

Therefore, he might use Arkwright's arrival to get rid of his identity as a clown and find another job in the Hales House.

It could be a gatekeeper, it could be a patroller.In any case, it would be much more suitable for him to do the job in his old age, and it would also not attract attention.

A very important premise of this inference is that Siles does not think that in the same inn, this group of people will arrange multiple "workers" who hide their identities.

The Land of Ashes is a huge area, and the posting station is only a small part of it. Like the adventure group, the village, and the city of Galsworth, they are all places with a lot of traffic.

In other words, if this group of people wanted to grasp some information with certainty, they would probably choose to cast a wide net; even if more people were needed, a large city like Biddle City would be a more suitable choice.

With Dreyson staying at the Hales House, this is completely enough, there is no need to send more people - besides, do they really have so many people?

The Fisher world is pretty big.House of Hales is just a small part of Never Embers, which is a small part of Fischer's world.If many people are sent at the Hales House, how many people are needed elsewhere?

Based on the evolution of age and time, and based on guesses about the number of followers of "Shadow", Siles tends to believe that this mysterious former clown is the mysterious Mr. Dreyson.

But he still tried to confirm his speculation, and he asked Ms. Heidi: "This former clown, does he wear a hat?"

Heidi didn't quite understand why he would ask this question, she thought for a while, then nodded slowly: "It seems so... I left this impression because Arkwright just came to the circus He often wears a hat too.

"The only thing I remember is that someone seemed to say to me that Arkwright picked it up from that clown before — not exactly pointing at it, but in a vague sense — and then After a while, Arkwright stopped wearing a hat.

"... Arkwright, do you remember this?"

Heidi's question made Arkwright think for a while.It was hard to say whether the expression on that pale, vaguely hesitant face counted as "thinking," but he did think for a while.

Then he nodded, and he said, "Yeah...yes. I liked wearing hats. I learned from others."

Siles nodded.He didn't know whether he should breathe a sigh of relief or sigh.

If Dreyson is indeed the ex-Joker, this raises a rather complicated question: To what extent did Dreyson's belief in the "Shadow" influence Arkwright?

Is it possible that Arkwright's high spirituality and low will come from this?

Heidi hesitated, then asked: "You ask this question because...?"

"The Mr. Dreyson I asked you to investigate before," Siles simply replied, "seems to have this habit of wearing a hat. As far as I know, it is a symbol of some members of a mysterious organization.

"And this mysterious organization...is me, Mr. Xia, and more people—the object we are fighting against. They believe in an evil god, and they plan to do something to Lamifa City.

"However, Mr. Xia is quite elusive, and my contact with him is not stable, so I can't say why he let Arkwright come to Lamifa City."

He explained what they were doing clearly in a few words, but it also left Heidi dumbfounded.

Arkwright tilted his head, and muttered a little strangely: "Mysterious...mysterious organization?"

Heidi looked at him, then at Celeste, and after a moment she said, "I almost thought you were talking about something from a novel, but..." She paused, and said softly, " But it's true, isn't it?"

Sirius was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"...Really, really." Arkwright said from the side.He began to eat the third cake, and the sound of the metal spoon hitting the ceramic plate was quite disturbing.

Heidi was silent for a while, and then her tone gradually became firm: "I understand...Professor, you said that because you also need us to do something?"

"There are indeed some things that need your help, but..." Silestus paused, "It's mainly Lamifa City."

Heidi listened intently.

Arkwright looked at the two of them, and pretended to be listening carefully.

Siles thought for a moment, and then said: "We are not sure what those people are going to do in Ramifa City, but their goal is quite clear. Before that, we need to make preparations in Ramifa City, welcome their arrival.

"I'm looking for a possible way to make our connection more convenient. But that still needs more experiments... In short, please take this first."

Siles handed Heidi an eight-petal rose brooch.

Arkwright is suspected to be wise and stupid-in fact, he remembers everything he should remember, doesn't he?But there is no certainty about such things.At this juncture, all Celes needs is certainty.

Therefore, since Arkwright and Heidi are both staying at the Lancelot Theatre, it is enough to give them only one brooch, and he is more inclined to give this brooch to Heidi.

As for Carlos Ranmier, Siles is still not sure whether it is necessary to clarify the issues of gods and followers of the old gods with him... Perhaps it is more appropriate to contact his father.

When Siles custom-made brooches before, a total of [-] brooches were ordered; besides him, Qin Duo, and fifteen students, there were still thirteen brooches left.He gave Grenfell one the morning before yesterday, and now it's the second one.

Heidi took the brooch, looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, and then she said, "Is this... a status symbol?"

"... There are many possibilities," said Siles, "I have to consider the worst case... If we fail, then we need a last insurance measure, a way to confirm whether each other can be trusted.

"This brooch is a protective barrier. At some possible point in time, maybe you can only trust the person who holds this brooch.

"...Of course, this is just the worst possibility. We may not touch this possibility. In addition, this brooch can also be used as a proof of contact with each other.

"In addition to this brooch, there may be real-time contact tools and a transit location. I will use other methods to notify these things later."

Heidi listened quietly, and then she smiled slightly: "I understand. Professor, this is an invitation." She looked out the window and saw the bustling square and the bright sunshine. After a while, she Whispered, "... an invitation to guard the city."

Siles smiled too, and said, "That's true."

He thought that the reason why the believers of "Shadow" would focus on Lamifa City was probably because it was the birthplace of Antinam (Merlin Town is a town under the jurisdiction of Lamifa City), and also because it was enough Huge and messy enough for them to fish in troubled waters.

And Siles' idea is that he wants to lay a net in this city.Perhaps no one can escape the capture of the web of fate.

"...and you?" Heidi asked sharply, "what are you going to do?"

Siles was silent for a moment, then said, "Something else...maybe."

Heidi was not very satisfied with this veiled answer, but she didn't say anything more.She looked at Arkwright at the side, and said: "Since you said so, then Mr. Xia asked Arkwright to come to Lamifa City because there is something he needs to do here?

"...I don't quite understand, what needs Arkwright?"

"I don't know for the time being." Siles said, "Perhaps... because of that Mr. Dreyson?"

However, there is a high probability that this mysterious Mr. Dreyson is dead.

Since the Dreyson family will pay the price for the failure in May, it is undeniable that this Dreyson will be the first to become the "price".

Thinking of this, Siles also shook his head.He said: "It's not a sure thing. Until then, let Arkwright stay in the theater and we can wait and see.

"By the way, Ms. Heidi, please do me a favor."

"Of course, what is it?"

"Do you know the Kermit family?"

Heidi thought for a while, and then said uncertainly: "I seem to have heard Carlos mention... a well-known theater investor in the city?"

"Yes. This family is from Kansas and came to Ramifa City in the last century." Siles said, "I'm not sure if this family is related to the organization we are going to fight, but I think we can investigate .”

"I see. I will try to find out some information from Carlos and other theater workers I know, hoping to gain something." Heidi replied readily, "But... the theater industry may be their Do you want to focus on it?"

"Art, to be precise." Siles said in a low voice.

Heidi was stunned for a moment, then sighed.She didn't say more, and looked at Arkwright again.She finally noticed that Arkwright had eaten all three small cakes she ordered without her knowing.

... She stared at Arkwright for a moment, then smiled a calm smile.

Siles bid them farewell just in time, and then left the dessert shop.

It was almost 10:30 am.After thinking for a while, he packed two lunches at a nearby restaurant and brought them back to No. 99 Kelly Street—he thought that Chin was probably still having a headache about work.

Sure enough, when he got home, Qin Duo was still on the third floor of the study, flooded by a large pile of paper documents.

When Siles called him to go downstairs for dinner, Cindo raised his head as if waking up from a dream.He asked, "What time is it?"

"Eleven o'clock," replied Sirius.

Qin Duo stood up and walked to Siles and hugged him. He muttered in a low voice, "Forget about eating and sleeping because of work... I can say that with confidence."

Siles laughed. He touched Qin Duo's braid gently, and said, "You can rest for a while in the afternoon."

Qin Duo thought for a while, and then breathed a sigh of relief, he said: "It's true, I've almost finished dealing with things."

Siles paused in surprise.

Qin Duo said cautiously: "What are you surprised about?"

"...you seem to love your work quite a bit now?" said Siles, "even after you've finished your work, you can relax and rest."

Qin Duo was at a loss for words, and then he said angrily: "Of course not!"

Siles waited for a moment.

Qin Duo said again: "Because..." He paused, and his tone became a little softer, "I love you. I love the feeling of working with you—no, work is just one of them, as long as I can work with you I'm happy to do anything with you."

Siles couldn't help being stunned for a moment, and he laughed: "Thank you for your love." He kissed Qindo's lips, and whispered, "You make my life easier and more enjoyable."

Qin Duo thought for a while, and then said happily: "My honor."

Soon, they went downstairs to eat.Siles packed lunch from the restaurant they used to eat at, and it still tasted pretty good to them.

At this time, Qin Duo suddenly said: "We are going to meet that Mr. Detective later?"

"Yes." Siles said, "You should have known it before? Why are you bringing it up now?"

"I want to say... Do you want to take this opportunity to try it? The method you mentioned in your dream to make the puppet talk." Qin Duo said, "It just so happens that I'm back."

Siles was stunned, and he asked with a little interest: "So, you can make those souls directly appear in reality?"

"Yes, there is no need to rely on dreams for this." Qin Duo thought for a while and added, "It should be said that they can go back and forth between Tau's cemetery and the real world."

"This is really quite amazing." Siles said with admiration.

Compared to the inconvenience of dolls in the real world, these souls are indeed quite powerful.

So, after lunch, they conducted an experiment in the study on the third floor.

Siles chose the No. [-] puppet as the subject of this experiment.He made it his own.Qin Duo stood opposite the puppet, looked it over carefully, and couldn't help saying: "I can't see any difference at all...except for the dull expression."

"I'm not manipulating it right now, after all," said Siles.

He took the potion, put on [Akamala's Spectacle Frame], looked around, and whispered, "I can't seem to see the existence of those souls."

"It seems that only dead and dying people can do this." Qindo confirmed this, "Of course, I can see it too. Now he is floating behind you."

Siles: "..."

He silently glanced at Qin Duo.

Qin Duo smiled sullenly, and then said seriously: "I was wrong. It's just that he just happened to be floating there...I didn't mean to scare you on purpose."

Siles shook his head helplessly.

Later, Qin Duo said: "I have given you his command, you can try it."

Siles shifted his consciousness to the puppet.

In the quiet study room, he carefully experienced the deep feeling that something was connected to his soul.Even though he really couldn't see the existence of that ghost, he could indeed "feel" it.

Slowly, he could realize the existence of that thing.As if in the darkness, he gradually saw a point of light, a fog, a gleam of light.He focused there, but carefully not too much.

After a while, he said a word in his mind: come here.

The flow of thinking is always faster than speaking, so when the word has not really formed in his brain, he feels that thing flashing towards him quickly.

He was a little surprised, and subconsciously opened his eyes, but after opening his eyes, he still couldn't see the ghost.

"What's wrong?" Qin Duo asked with concern.

"It's okay. It's just a kind of..." Siles stopped suddenly.He was surprised to realize that he has not returned to his original body, but is still using the body of the No. [-] puppet.

He just wanted to speak subconsciously, but he really said it, and he did hear his own voice.

In other words, the quote comes from…

"...It's the ghost talking. I saw this scene, and he became your voice actor." Qin Duo was also surprised to realize this, "You succeeded."

"It's amazing." Sirius exclaimed.

He was getting used to this scene.The truth is, the ghost has become his second brain—specifically speaking.

Without thinking about it, he could let the ghost speak for him whenever he wanted to.It was even his own voice, tone and idioms, completely indistinguishable from himself.

However, this "thinking" process fell into reality, and there was such a short, tiny pause, but it was not a big deal, it was just like he paused and thought for a while before speaking.

And, as Siles got used to the practice, the brief pause was even more unnoticed.

Of course, he also reminded himself not to ignore any possibility.Maybe someone is keenly aware of this?

Soon Siles practiced this practice well.This wooden body has no heartbeat, no internal organs, but from the outside, it looks like a real person.

Even if you really touch the skin, you can still feel the soft and warm texture...Of course, all of this may come from the power of Akamala.That is illusory, deceptive power.

Siles stared at his palm prints for a moment, then looked at the main body sitting on the sofa with closed eyes.He suddenly sighed: "I almost doubt that I am in a dream."

Qin Duo was also a little surprised.But he said without hesitation: "It's much safer for you."

It is quite a natural idea to hide the body and use a substitute.

By all accounts, their enemies had noticed the presence of Professor Siles Noel.They may not devote a lot of attention to it, but maybe they will focus on Siles and Qindo.

In this case, if there are suitable substitutes—not just Siles, but also Cendo—then, in some dangerous or critical moments, things will be much easier to handle.

The puppet was unable to speak before, which obviously failed to achieve this goal, but now, the situation is much more convenient.

Cinder looked at Sirius thoughtfully for a moment, and then he said, "I suddenly had an idea."

"what?"

"Do you think... if ghosts control the puppets, we can let them handle the work?" Qin Duo paused, "I mean, the puppets can become human-sized, but not