The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

In the deep sea dream, he quietly looked at the plants in front of him.

In the past period of time, he traveled to the dreams of many people.That's people from different parts of Fisher's world.It is because he has mastered different languages ​​​​through the dolls, so he can understand the names of these people.

Typically, he would pick a language and then pronounce a few common names in that language.If he happens to be able to find the dream bubble, then he will simply go to the dream bubble, and will not communicate with the owner of the dream.

In a short period of time, more than a dozen plants appeared on the isolated island.

The reason for this, of course, is to perfect the reflection of the planet in the lake of Kanyo Farm.These dozen or so dream bubbles made the reflection of the planet much clearer and more complete, and also allowed him to go to those places through the puppet in the future.

In the past period of time, he experimented with several possibilities that he had considered, and basically succeeded.It's all about preparing for certain possibilities in the future.

Of course, this approach is just in case.

Judging from the current actions of the shadow believers, they seem to be targeting Lamifa City.For the time being, he hasn't noticed any related movements in other parts of Fisher's world.

I don't know if this is good or bad.This strong purpose gave him a subtle premonition.

...as if the "Shadow" made believers do this on purpose.

For this group of believers, they certainly don't know the old stories related to the gods; however, the "shadow" must know.He himself has spent several epochs with Fisher's world.

He must know that Antinam—in the name of the new god—was born near the city of Lamifa.

Therefore, the Shadow Believers came to Lamifa City on purpose.But what exactly they plan to do in Ramifa City is still unknown.At least for now, their actions do not have an exact direction.

...except, "art".

A murder in the Theater District seemed to kick off the show.He's patiently waiting for more information, more investigation, but now, too, he has a lead he's not sure will work.

Emil Harrison.

His hand lightly touched the boy's dream bubble.

"...good evening, Emile," said Mr. Ghost softly.

After a long time, Emil's dream became the corridor of the never-ending museum again.But this time he didn't go in, but just stared blankly at the scene at the entrance of the corridor.

"Good evening, Mr. Phantom." Emil said sullenly, "I'm back here again."

"why?"

"...Grandpa, it seems that he has regretted it." Emil sighed in frustration, "...I don't know what happened to him. Obviously he knows that I don't like painting...Obviously he is willing to let me put away those painting tools , is no longer used.

"However, he found those things from the storage room some time ago. Maybe he regretted it. I thought so, but..."

Mr. Phantom said patiently: "Is there any special reason?"

"I... I'm not sure." Emil whispered, "Grandpa seems... wants me to draw a picture."

"A picture?"

"...a specific painting." Emil said, "but I don't know what to paint. It's just that grandpa seems to have a whim and wants me to paint again."

After a year of growth, Emile has obviously grown too.He is no longer the child who was completely powerless about his own life. Although he was still unable to resist the demands of his elders, this time he began to think and observe.

Emile hesitated before saying, "Grandpa seemed to be... frightened by something. I noticed that he was always chatting privately with Mom, and if I walked over, the two of them immediately fell silent or moved away." topic."

Mr. Ghost listened thoughtfully.

Emil Harrison's grandfather, Alden Bridges.

He first came into contact with this old painter because of the book gift from the bibliophile Professor Calverley.The two men, together with Dorothea's grandfather Adolphus Grant, had a rather strong friendship.

Alden Bridges has drawn a number of exlibris for Professor Calverley.

The first book that made him notice Cynthia's story, the collection of strange stories "Little Cynthia's World", was presented to Professor Calverley by Adolphus Grant, and the bookplate in it was Alden Bridge drawn by S.

In the Jonathan Bryant investigation, Alden Bridges provided some information.These families—Bridges, Grant, Calverley, and Bryant—are probably all followers of Thaddeus, the god of death and disaster.

The first three all rely on art, literature, etc., to pin their beliefs; while the Bryant family turned to power.

Mr. Phantom is not very clear about the situation of the Grant family and the Calverley family; but he once had a conversation with Alden Bridges.

At that time, Alden also vaguely showed a subtle emotion. He thought he had always believed in Atkinya, but it was not until he was old that he learned from his elders that his family actually believed in Sardi Erce.

Are beliefs so easily changed?This is a nagging question.

Alden had only one daughter, but her husband left for the Never Embers, never to return.So she returned to the Bridges family with her son, Emil Harrison.

Emile is still named Harrison today, but when he is truly an adult, he is likely to change his mother's surname and become the heir of the Bridges family.

... After all, will Alden let Emil inherit the family's beliefs?

From Alden's previous words, he seemed to be a little shaken, and he didn't seem to intend to let the young people of the family inherit this burden.He agreed with Amir to drop his paintbrush and agreed with Amir to go to school.But now, he regretted it.

...Apparently, something happened.

"Emile, I think, you have to figure out what's going on first. Why your grandfather changed his mind is the key." Mr. Ghost said, "Maybe he was just influenced by some people."

Emil listened carefully.

"...Ask from your mother, it may be a good choice." Mr. Ghost suggested, "However, be careful not to let your grandpa find out."

Emil was stunned for a moment, and then said in a low voice: "I understand. I'm a little worried about Grandpa. He's always been in a daze recently, and sometimes he would tell me about his past. He seems...he seems to be... Something was terrified."

The emir mentioned this statement again.Of course, it was impossible for him to know the inside story, it was just the keen intuition of a certain young child, which made him feel uneasy.

He didn't show any obvious resistance to painting, just a little frustrated and restless.It's a testament to the kid's growth... Of course, it would be even better if he didn't have to learn to draw.

"Tell your mother what you think." Mr. Ghost encouraged him, "You are no longer a child, Emile, you have grown up. You also want to contribute to the family, don't you?"

Emily nodded vigorously.

He thought about it carefully, and said firmly: "If Grandpa has something... I mean, he needs me to learn how to draw, then I am willing. But they can't keep everything from me, Just forcing me to do this thing.

"...I'll go ask mom first...what happened."

Mr. Ghost couldn't help but smile.

He hoped that Emil could figure out the reason, not just for the fact that "Alden started him to learn to paint again".

Emil's mood has eased, he thanked Mr. Ghost, and said that Mr. Ghost is really a good helper to solve the children's problems.

This compliment made Mr. Phantom dumbfounded for a moment.

Emil asked curiously again if there were any new toys recently.He said that he worked hard to promote Geisha's toys among his classmates, and they were welcomed by many children.

Although Emil didn't say it, Mr. Ghost understood from his thanks that perhaps these toys helped Emil integrate into the group.

After all, Emil just started school not long ago, and strange groups and strange environments made him feel uneasy.And his classmates may not be so friendly to a new kid.

But these toys apparently brought Emil a windfall, even, friendship.

That's a good thing, of course.

Mr. Ghost said a little apologetically that there are no new toys recently.Emil also felt a little regretful, but he was anxious to solve the doubts in his heart now, so he didn't care too much.

He was about to say goodbye to Mr. Ghost, but Mr. Ghost seemed to have discovered something suddenly. He asked, "Emil, can I ask you a question?"

Emil's eyes widened in confusion: "What?"

Mr. Ghost stared at the corridor of the museum in front of him.

He still remembers the scene in his dream when he first came to Emil.It was a dark, endless corridor with framed paintings hanging on both sides, but the contents of the paintings were either some messy lines or blocks of color, or they were blank.

But now, the paintings looked much more normal—he meant, landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and so on, normal paintings in frames, and the quality of the finished paintings looked pretty good, like a normal museum.

Emil had also mentioned it to him.He said that his grandfather forced him to go to a museum, where he spent his whole day observing and copying paintings.He stayed there for many days.

... This time, when he first came to Emil's dream, he hadn't noticed any changes in these paintings.But now, he noticed this detail.

Mr. Phantom asked calmly: "About this museum in your dream. Is it the museum in Lamifa City?"

Emil scratched his hair, and he replied: "Yes...it's just a private museum, which seems to be the family business of my grandfather's friend. This museum mainly collects paintings, so my grandfather asked me to study there before. "

"Do you know the last name of this family? Where exactly is the museum?"

Emil thought about it carefully for a while, and said uncertainly: "I'm not particularly impressed... It seems to be Berkeley or Beckett, I heard people call the owner of the museum that way.

"As for the location... it should be in the East City... Comstock Street? I don't quite remember, but my family's carriage picks me up every time. It's probably near there."

Mr. Ghost narrowed his eyes.He thought, the Berkeley family?

In the information given to him by Detective Jon before, the Berkeley family was one of the families he paid attention to.

This family had already come to Lamifa City at the turn of the Silence Period and the Fog Period. They were enshrined as nobles because of their outstanding performance in that war. They were investors behind many well-known art galleries and art galleries in the city. It also maintains close ties with many nobles.

The Berkeley family appears to be linked to Middleton.It is said that this family originally came from the north; at the same time, after the Blight Wasteland development plan was proposed last year, it was the Berkeley family that held a Middleton art exhibition in Lamifa City.

And now, the family is involved with the Bridges family.

That's not surprising, of course.After all, Alden Bridges was a well-known painter in the city, and the Berkeley family already had close contacts with artists and nobles.There is indeed an intersection between them.

However, when this connection is placed at the current node, it becomes a rather delicate problem.

Besides... Comstock Street.

Some secret club in Comstock Street, where the Graveses "blinded" selected men and women.Meanwhile, the Lancelot Theater is located at 32 Comstock Street.

More broadly speaking, this private museum belonging to the Berkeley family is located in the theater district of Ramifa City, where the murder has just occurred.

……coincide?

Mr. Ghost doesn't think it's a coincidence, it's a fairly direct connection.

The connection was always there, he just hadn't noticed it before.Of course, it's not too late to find out now.

He was silent for a long time, which made Emil feel strange.

Emil said, "Is there something wrong with this place?"

"It's possible." Mr. Phantom didn't deny it.For young children, curiosity is both a push to explore the world and a catalyst for their potential to go astray.

Therefore, he could not completely conceal the matter, especially at the moment when the emir had noticed the problem.

However, he still warned Emil: "But, Emil, you can't pay attention to this issue for the time being. This matter may be related to your grandfather's change. Don't worry, try it out from your mother first."

Emil's expression became a little serious, and he nodded seriously.

This keen and clever boy has already realized what Mr. Ghost is saying.As a child of a nobleman, he knew some dangers hidden under the mask of world peace earlier than his peers.

He didn't ask too much, just took a deep breath, and murmured in a low voice, "Ask mom first...after getting some clues...then study other things. Yes, Emil, just do it."

Mr. Ghost smiled."Looking forward to hearing from you, Emile," he said.

Soon, he left Emil's dreamland.He stood on the isolated island and thought for a moment, feeling that this intricate relationship inspired his inspiration at a certain moment.

The private museum of the Berkeley family is located in the theater district, and the Kermit family, which he had asked Ms. Heidi to investigate before, happened to be a major investor in Ramifa City theater.

Will there be some connection between them?For example...they might all be shadow believers lurking in Lamifa City?

And their family businesses seem to be related to art intentionally or unintentionally.So before that, have they already broken through the identity of "hidden people" and learned about each other's existence?

This is a hypothesis, but he did not ignore this possibility.

He thought about it, and planned to go to Qinduo's dream, and chat with Qinduo about his views.But at this moment, another dream bubble appeared, making him stop.

Garland's dream.

The little girl is playing in the wild at the moment, but she looks like she is waiting for something bored.

...waiting for Mr. Ghost?

A little surprised, he reached out and touched Garland's dream.

"...Oh, Mr. Phantom! Good evening!" Garland was lying on the ground, but now she quickly got up, bouncing up and down, looking in a good mood, "Nice to meet you!"

In fact, Mr. Ghost hasn't come to Garland's dream for a long time.This girl's real life is probably quite busy, and she may have participated in some of the actions of the church investigators in the past, considering her and Nanisar's outstanding revelation talent.

...Although the origin of this talent makes people feel a little sigh.

Mr. Ghost also greeted her with a smile.

After the initial hello, Garland showed a slightly embarrassed expression.She faltered for a moment, then said frankly, "Mr. Ghost, I heard something."

"what?"

"Today, I heard something about the theater district... Do you know the theater district in Ramifa?"

Mr. Ghost couldn't help but nodded, and he nodded.

Garland jumped for a little joy, and she said, "I heard that another Garland's story is going to be adapted into a drama! Do you think it is possible for me to be the actor who plays that Miss Garland? I think I I know her pretty well!"

...I am afraid that there is no one in the world who knows another Garland better than the Garland in front of him.If there is, then it is Mr. Ghost who is present at this moment.

In fact, Mr. Ghost felt a subtle touch immediately after Garland asked this question.

Nona became Garland and differentiated herself from the other Garland, but now, she wanted to play that Garland again.Reality and fantasy seem to be entangled in this little girl's life.

Some invisible premonition told Mr. Ghost that this approach would be good for him.It was as if the power of the dream had given him a hint.

But he didn't immediately agree.

He just said, "But, Garland, that's just a drama."

Garland didn't seem to understand what he meant.Mr. Ghost felt a little troubled.

Perhaps the practice of "Garland playing Garland" can allow him to further grasp the power of Akamala, but will this confuse Garland's self-cognition?

God knows how shocked and uneasy he was when Nona said that she was Garland.

This incident may have saved Nona, but it was a blessing in misfortune.But now, he didn't want Garland to completely become the Garland in the novel. "Playing" will bring a kind of danger, and the little girl in front of her, she may not be able to tell the difference.

Mr. Ghost looked deeply at Garland.He decided to be a little more frank.

He said: "I'm a little worried about ... Garland. Do you really think of yourself as the Garland in the story?"

"No." Garland shook his head vigorously.

"But you haven't really acted yet..."

"I've tried it!" Garland said at once, and when she had finished she gave a subtle, guilty look, and then she coughed and said, "I tried it in my room tonight— - Play as Garland!

"That's not my Garland, that's another Garland. She's very close to me, but also very far away from me."

Mr. Ghost's expression gradually became serious.

Garland continued: "You once said that the end of Miss Garland's story is that she will go home and have a new adventure. I have also read Miss Garland's full story and I know the ending what is it.

"But my story is different from Miss Garland's, isn't it? You've always wanted me to know that, to remember this, you've always wanted me to remember my own story."

Mr. Phantom froze for a moment, his eyes became thoughtful.

"You've been, have been, been telling me about it!" Garland emphasized. "I've seen it!"

This little girl's innocent and childish performance made Mr. Ghost feel helpless and funny.

Garland said: "I lost a lot of memories... right? It was a story of who I was. I can't remember it now, and maybe I won't remember it in the future.

"...I'm like Garland who has lost his memory and can't find his way home."

Mr. Phantom was a little taken aback by these words. He thought about what to say, but Garland didn't give him the chance.

"However, you also said that the future will be decided by the future. I will always have my own story." Garland's voice became softer, but also became more serious, "I live very well in the Church of the Past , Moreover, I also have a friend who is almost as unlucky as me."

She said Nanisar.But the description "unlucky"...

Mr. Ghost looked at Garland helplessly.

"...So," Garland pretended that he didn't understand the meaning of Mr. Ghost's gaze, "I've actually worked very hard to write my own story, don't you think so?"

"...Yes, of course. Garland, you've done a great job."

"So don't worry about mine! Mr. Ghost, I can play that Garland!" Garland said, "She'll be happy for me to play her too!"

The former sentence made Mr. Ghost feel a little bit softer, but the latter sentence made him feel a little worried.

Garland seemed to be aware of this problem too. She thought about it and said, "You really don't have to worry about this problem."

"Can you promise?"

"...I think if I say that, you will definitely worry about me again. But..." Garland hesitated, "I have lost a lot of memories."

Mr. Ghost nodded, he didn't quite understand what Garland meant.

"It was like a... huge void, void, void," Garland whispered, "and that Garland wasn't like that. Her past was full and full. She wasn't like me. My... I A piece of my soul is missing."

Mr. Phantom was stunned. He looked at the little girl in front of him and didn't know what to say for a while.

"...So I said, you don't have to worry about me." Garland quickly showed a light smile, "Because I am different from that Garland. I understand this very well."

Mr. Ghost was silent for a moment, sighed softly in his heart, and then said: "Then, why do you want to play that Garland?"

Garland has clearly distinguished himself from the other Garland.And she did quite like that story, too.

But that's a completely different situation from her "playing" Garland on stage.She had thought of herself as Garland, and that might have been a complicated, hard-to-describe state of mind.

Judging from the fact that they met for the first time in the dream after Nona became Garland, Garland may not regard this as a very pleasant experience.Even if there is a certain sense of relaxation, it is impossible to be completely like this.

Therefore, Mr. Phantom is a little unclear why Garland would have such an idea.

Garland hesitated for a moment, not answering the question immediately.

And Mr. Ghost reviewed their entire conversation, and suddenly narrowed his eyes.He said, "Garland...you heard about the theater district today?"

Today's Theater District...

...the murder?

Garland froze for a moment, then whispered, "Sure enough, you will notice."

Mr. Ghost watched her silently.

"...Okay, okay, let me tell you." Garland rubbed his face.

She looked around.With her movements, the surrounding scene also changed.A very delicate and ancient building appeared in front of them, it was a theater.Around this theater, other scenes are indistinct.

"A young man was killed in the theater district early this morning...about three or four o'clock. He was an actor, but he wasn't very well-known," Garland said. "The way he died...was a bit weird.

"People suspected that he was related to the power of the Revelator, so they came to the Church of the Past for help... To be precise, it was his companions who came to the Church of the Past for help. They seem to trust the Church a little more."

Having said that, Garland couldn't help but pause.

Mr. Phantom said, "Did you go to investigate with other investigators?"

Garland shook her head, and she said, "I'm in another place. It was Sal who went... Do you remember Sal? It's the same unlucky guy as me!"

Mr. Ghost nodded.Garland's description made him feel a little bit dumbfounded.

Garland said: "After they came back, I heard the whole thing from Sal. He said that this man died in the middle of the stage, with a huge picture frame behind him."

That seemed a little hard to grasp, so Garland quickly changed his surroundings again.They came to the theater and stood in the first row of the auditorium.

The lights were dim, and a man fell to the ground.He appeared to have been killed with a sharp knife, with a large gash on his stomach.Behind him, his blood stained the canvas red, revealing a distorted, blurred human form.

To be more precise, the huge picture frame can actually completely cover a person.Therefore, this blood-colored figure is about the same size as a human body.

Looking at this scene, Mr. Phantom had a vague idea in his mind: perhaps, it was someone who placed the deceased on the canvas, and then created this... "work" with his blood.

The thought made him frown.

The scene in front of me actually looks a bit shoddy.After all, Garland had never been to the murder scene in person, so he only constructed the scene based on Nanisar's description and his own imagination.

Mr. Ghost roughly understood what happened, so he asked, "So, this murder made you want to play Garland?"

Garland nodded, and she explained: "It's because, during dinner this evening, I heard some investigators say that the theater district didn't cooperate with their investigation... It seems that it's because of... xenophobia?"

She said the word uncertainly.

Mr. Ghost understood, saying, "They want to solve this problem internally."

This homicide obviously had a bad impact on the "business" in the theater district.

It was mentioned in Ms. Heidi's "message" before that Carlos Ranmier had already found a young actor to play Garland, but after the murder, the parents of this young actor were not happy to let their child Participated.

As the actors do, so do the audience.Before the truth of the case comes to light, people may not dare to watch dramas in this place where there have been murders.

The theater where the murder occurred is probably going to be closed for a long time.

Thinking of this, Mr. Phantom suddenly became a little curious about the place where the murder happened.He asked Garland about it. Unfortunately, Garland did not go to the murder scene in person, so he didn't know much about the theater.

They then brought the topic back to the issue of "acting".

Garland said: "Sal also knows about the other Garland. He heard something in the theater district... It seems that the parents of a young actor are arguing with someone, just for the role of Garland.

"The parents of the young actor were unwilling to continue the job because of the murder. Sal told me about it.

"I thought, if I could play Garland, then I might be able to sneak in and learn more about it. And, it just kind of fills the gap as an actor, and it kills two birds with one stone.

"...that's what I think. Mr. Ghost, do you think I can?"

Mr. Ghost was silent for a moment.

Going round and round, Garland is still "Garland" in the end.The thought made him feel helpless.

He asked, "Have you talked to the church about this idea?"

Garland's eyes lit up, realizing the softening of Mr. Ghost's attitude.She quickly said, "I've talked to Uncle Dominic about it, and he thinks I can try it!"

From Garland's words, Mr. Phantom detected a strange, overly excited emotion.

He looked at Garland for a while, and then suddenly realized the problem.

Half a year has passed since Garland and Nanisar were rescued at the beginning of the year.In the past six months, the two children just studied hard, worked hard to grow up, and then went to investigate with the investigators.

It's been a pretty dull, uninteresting life for these two young kids.

…Why does Garland want to play the other Garland so much?For her, this is probably a very fun thing.

Investigation is of course one aspect, but she also wants to take the opportunity to have fun.

Mr. Phantom felt dumbfounded for a moment.He also realized that they seemed to be taking Garland and Nanisar too closely.These two children are still children after all.

"...Okay, Garland." Mister Ghost sighed, "You can try it."

Garland let out a cheer.

"Be safe, though," said Mr. Ghost.

Garland nodded with a smile, and seemed to have completely ignored Mr. Ghost's words.

Mr. Phantom said again: "Also, if there is any progress in the investigation of this murder case, please let me know by the way."

Garland froze for a moment, and his expression gradually became a little more serious."Is this case important?" she said.

Mr. Ghost stared at the blood-colored human figure printed on the canvas, and after a while, he whispered: "Yes. Perhaps, it is more important than we imagined."

Not long after, he also expressed a similar point of view in Qinduo's dream.

"...Is that a special ceremony?" Qin Duo stroked his chin thoughtfully, "The human figure in the painting seems to be very deliberate."

Mr. Ghost also nodded, he agreed with Qin Duo's idea.However, what this deliberate approach is for is another question.What are they trying to reproduce?

...It's impossible, "Shadow" will come to reality through this bloody human form... This sounds like it has nothing to do with "Shadow".

After thinking for a while, Mr. Phantom sighed and said, "We still know too little information."

"We will go to the theater district on Saturday. Maybe we can see the situation and see what we can see." Qin Duo said with great interest.

Mr. Ghost nodded and said, "I see. Let's talk about it on Saturday."

Qin Duo came over and hugged him, and he whispered, "I didn't expect these two children to be involved."

Emile and Garland.At their age, they should have been the most carefree, but the shadow of the old gods has always enveloped them.

Even in the first half of the year, they seemed to have lived a peaceful and leisurely life for a period of time, but this ordinary life is unsustainable.That's something that can be easily shattered by anything.

These two children do bring some useful, unexpected information now.However, Mr. Ghost would rather they maintain their original life and continue their happy childhood.

"Shadow" did not give them this chance.

Mr. Phantom said: "Perhaps, we should work harder. We can't let the minors rush to the forefront."

Qin Duo nodded, and he said: "The Praia family... the list of passengers who arrived in Ramifa City on Monday has been sorted out. To be on the safe side, I asked them to sort out all the lists for the four days from Sunday to Wednesday. one time.

"I reminded them to pay attention to the element of 'hat'. Combined with the information from the carriage house, maybe by the end of the week, their investigation will be able to gain something."

"I hope so," said Mr. Phantom. "This weekend... the Ernestine Fair will start this Saturday, right?"

"Yes." Qin Duo replied, "... I hope these damn followers of the old gods don't come to make trouble."

"Perhaps you should draw their attention to objects related to art," said Mr. Ghost. "Especially, related to paintings."

Qin Duo understood, he nodded, and said a little unhappy: "It would be great if we could find their residence directly, then we can catch them all in one go."

Mr. Ghost expected so too, though he knew full well that such an approach was only possible against followers of the Old Gods.

"Shadow" is the ultimate object of their attention.

"It's time to leave Dreamland," he said. "I'm afraid this weekend will be quite busy."

After a week of research, he's sure he'll have some interesting news over the weekend.And that obviously keeps them busy.

They were going to the Theater District on Saturday morning, and in the afternoon there was a meeting at 18 Houseville Street and Dawn Revelation.There was a private party at Ramifa University on Sunday morning, and it was relatively empty in the afternoon, but no one knew if there would be any emergencies.

All in all, being busy will be inevitable for some time to come.

Qin Duo kissed him affectionately, and then said, "Good night."

Mr. Ghost laughed.Saying good night in a dream is quite a unique experience.

But he also responded: "Good night."

Friday was a relatively quiet day.In the morning, Siles dealt with some professional internal affairs at Ramifa University.

He was a little surprised to find that this year's freshmen majoring in literary history, including those in the basic education stage and the advanced education stage, all had a small degree of improvement.