The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

Perhaps the Grayson incident was indeed manipulated by shadow believers behind the scenes, although even the two behind-the-scenes masterminds may not know this.

In fact, considering the existence of that portrait, Siles had been aware of this possibility earlier.The possible connection between Jeremy Forbes and the mysterious organization that Boleyn Elgar joined only further proves the correctness of this guess.

Regardless, the Grayson incident is over.Even if Jeremy is really the behind-the-scenes controller of that organization, he has no influence on the outcome of the Grayson incident.

Therefore, what they really need to pay attention to now is the impact of this possibility on the complicated situation they are now facing.

Namely, the mystery of the death of Jeremy Forbes.

Detective Jon thought for a while, and then said: "First I have to tell you about Jeremy Forbes' itinerary during those days. He died on the night of Wednesday, August 8th, or early in the morning the next day.

"I told you before that Jeremy's daily schedule is very fixed. He receives visitors in the morning, works or socializes in the afternoon, and socializes or has private time in the evening.

"In the two or three days before he died, his schedule was basically like this. On the morning of his accident, I saw him at a club, and he seemed to go there for lunch.

"In short, the only time in those days that didn't fit that schedule was Wednesday afternoon, the afternoon before he died after I met him at the club. He ate at the club After lunch, I hurried to a place.

"At first we didn't think there was anything wrong with that place...to be honest we knew about it a long time ago, but at the time we thought that was his normal job. It was later in the investigation process that we gradually felt that it seemed a bit strangeness."

Qin Duo asked, "Where is it?"

"Lamifa Chamber of Commerce." Jon said quickly.

Siles was slightly taken aback, and he said: "It sounds like nothing wrong. Doesn't he often deal with those businessmen? Maybe it's for some work, so he went to the chamber of commerce?"

"Indeed." Jon showed a mysterious smile, "If David Babbitt didn't show up that day."

Siles suddenly realized.

When Jon said this, Siles also realized that Jon should be suspicious. The mysterious organization that Jeremy Forbes secretly joined was actually the one in the Lamifah Chamber of Commerce who believed in Menawaka. organize.

Because David Babbitt and Jeremy Forbes appeared in the Chamber of Commerce at the same time, and they knew early on that the former belonged to that merchant organization.

However, because of Jon's consistent mysterious style, he didn't express his thoughts bluntly. Instead, he reminded Sirius of the strange organization related to Temia Law behind the Grayson incident.

This is also a small coincidence.

Of course, this gave Jon another possibility.

Before that, Jon probably thought that the two of them were going to the Chamber of Commerce to participate in the party organized by that organization.Maybe that day was indeed a meeting time for that group, but... maybe they just wanted to see each other.

"They met on Wednesday afternoon, and just a few days before there had been an attempted murder at the Ernestine Fair in which David Babbitt was involved." Silles said in a low voice, "… …the whole thing is about them.

"So, it was after the limelight passed that David met with Jeremy Forbes privately. Maybe they were discussing what to do next...or maybe it was just David who came to apologize to Jeremy."

Judging from Jon's investigation, Jeremy and David have a rather complicated friendship.

Jeremy, who was just fledgling at the time, provided David with a large order, allowing the latter to leave the smuggling life that was born and died, and live stably in Lamifa City for the time being.

Therefore, Siles thinks that this point can be inferred that David may have been secretly helping Jeremy with things.

It's hard to say whether David even knew that Jeremy was a follower of the shadows—or, say, a follower of the Old Gods—but David did show up here and there, like the attempted murder, and like The connection between him and Kailan.

And businessmen like David Babbitt, for the Fillmore family, I am afraid that there are quite a few.For example, Ed Gissing, the owner of the map store, is a proof.

The Fillmore family was originally a nobleman of the Principality of Const, so they naturally had the opportunity to win over this group of businessmen.

Maybe the Fillmore family couldn't get them to be willing to help a big businessman like Langmire; but in a situation like David Babbitt, it seemed easy for the Fillmore family to use them many.

These businessmen may not know what their "little favors" mean, but they can't refuse, because the Fillmore family is an incredible big man to them.

The collection of artworks that Jeremy Forbes bought from David Babbitt just to please the elders of the family is just one of the ordinary collections in the Fillmore Family Museum.

But for David Babbitt, it was a lot of money that would allow him to live and work in Ramifa City.

Just to repay the favor, or greedy to get more benefits, David will definitely do things for Jeremy; and when he "helps" more and more, he will be stuck in the mud and it is difficult to escape The sphere of influence of the Fillmore family is gone.

...David and Jeremy met in the Lamifah Chamber of Commerce.Siles thought about it.

There are actually two organizations involved here. The first is the secret organization within the Lamifah Chamber of Commerce, that is, the organization that believes in Menawaka and uses the balance brooch as a token. Perhaps it can be called the "merchant organization" for the time being. .

The second is that Jeremy Forbes gradually established based on the investment affairs of the Fillmore family, the related smuggling route serving the nobles in Lamifa City, which gradually formed an organization.

… If this organization is the one Boleyn Elgar once joined, timing seems to be an awkward question.After all, Jeremy Forbes was only 27 years old when he died, and Elgar should have joined that organization 20 years ago.

Siles considered the question for a moment.

Of course, this is also a good explanation. The investment affairs of the Fillmore family cannot be established solely by Jeremy, a young man, and he probably just inherited the work of his ancestors.

The smuggling route may indeed have been established by Jeremy, but it is very likely that this organization existed before that.Jeremy is "taking over" the organization.

Perhaps this organization could be called a "smuggling organization".

They believe that these two organizations exist, but a rather delicate question is, to what extent do the respective personnel of the merchant organization and the smuggling organization overlap?

David Babbitt seems to be involved in both organizations.

However, Siles doesn't think the two organizations are exactly the same, or even the same.

Because the lady Eugenia Beard is a member of the merchant organization, but she seems completely unaware of the existence of the smuggling organization.

If she knew, then she would definitely tell Siles about the existence of the smuggling organization when Siles asked about Jeremy Forbes.But she didn't say that.

She doesn't even mention Jeremy's affiliation with the Merchant Organization, which means she probably hasn't even met Jeremy in the Merchant Organization.

Of course, it's also possible that Jeremy changed his appearance.But Siles felt that this statement seemed far-fetched.

Because when he carefully thought about what happened in those days and their context, he suddenly realized that the lady seemed to have sent him the message about "Jeremy wants the lady to help" on that Wednesday afternoon. Sell ​​something to the Never Embers" thing.

And according to Detective Jon's investigation of Jeremy's whereabouts, that afternoon, Jeremy was at the Ramifa Chamber of Commerce, and he was in his original form.

...So, it was at the Lamifa Chamber of Commerce, during a normal meeting (not a meeting organized by businessmen, otherwise the lady should have mentioned this detail), Jeremy and the lady made this request.

Siles slowly collected his thoughts.

Jeremy Forbes is supposed to be a member of the Ramifah Chamber of Commerce, but he won't be a member of that group of merchants.

On the one hand, although he was doing some business, he was doing things for the nobles after all, and that merchant organization believed in Menawaka.It's unlikely he'll join it in his own right.In this era, merchants and nobles are after all very different.

On the other hand, there is actually no need for Jeremy to join it. After all, David Babbitt, or some other businessmen related to the Fillmore family, are already members of the business organization.Jeremy already has enough information channels, and there is no need to do it himself.

...so if he was going to meet David, why did he have to go to the Chamber of Commerce?

In his relationship with David, Jeremy is clearly more dominant, so it is Jeremy who decides where they meet, not him to accommodate David's schedule.

Jeremy comes to the chamber of commerce...

In order to find a lady for that favor?

He probably heard from somewhere that the lady was at the chamber of commerce that day, so he made a special trip to meet David by the way.Maybe he himself didn't expect that on this night, he himself fell into endless darkness.

And Detective Jon seems to think that Jeremy Forbes is likely to take the part he took from the Graves family assets in advance to the chamber of commerce.

Because apart from this one itinerary, there was nothing suspicious about Jeremy's other schedules.

...Besides, since Jeremy planned to ask the noble lady for help on that Wednesday, it is also very possible that he would bring the relevant items with him, and if the noble lady really agreed, he would hand them over to the other party immediately.

Thinking of this, Siles pondered for a moment, and he said, "Is there any place for the chamber of commerce to store things?"

"Yes. Merchants occasionally temporarily store goods in the Chamber of Commerce, so there will be such locked containers over there, both large and small." Jon said, "But Jeremy's trip to the Chamber of Commerce is public, Fei The Ermore family must also know."

"So the item should not be in the chamber of commerce, otherwise the Fillmore family would have found it long ago." Siles understood what Jon meant, and he said, "Since they met that afternoon, David Might know something about it.

"Did you find David about their meeting?"

"I did look for it, but unfortunately, David was unwilling to explain the whole thing clearly." Jon shook his head, "Even though we threatened him in every possible way, he insisted that he and Jeremy didn't meet that day.

"To be more precise, what he meant was that he did do business with Jeremy once, but after that business, he completely changed careers and never had contact with Jeremy again.

"Their connection is indeed careful and concealed, and there is no evidence left by the lady secretary. If I didn't know the existence of the shadow believers in advance, then I might believe that they really have nothing to do with each other.

"...Speaking of which, I'm afraid they have known each other for almost ten years. I really don't know what he did for Jeremy."

Jon said in a rather subtle tone.He might have had a moment of contempt for the businessman, but the contempt was tinged with a deep sigh at the thought that David might not know the truth of the matter.

And Siles also thought about this question carefully-how did David help Jeremy?

He has to say that there are many possibilities for this question.

But when he thought of the Lamifah Chamber of Commerce, the merchant organization and the smuggling organization, and the Grayson incident... Siles couldn't help but have a possibility in his mind.

He first stated his thoughts on these two organizations, and then said: "David Babbitt is probably in both the merchant organization and the smuggling organization. Bolin Elgar is probably because of the latter That organization got the painting."

Qin Duo said sharply: "Do you suspect that David gave the portrait of the chef to Elgar?"

"I really think so." Siles said, "And David has traveled between the Land of Embers and the city of Ramifa, and he is also very familiar with the situation in the Land of Embers - he has this ability, which gives Elgar Introducing the circus, though I'm not sure why they had to bring the circus over."

Siles still remembered that the businessman in charge of liaising with the circus and also the manager of Grayson Foods, Billy, seemed to be accustomed to wearing a scale brooch on his clothes.

According to the lady, that doesn't mean that Billy is necessarily a member of the merchant organization, but maybe he just heard about or saw the brooch from some source-such as David Babbitt- , so he deliberately followed suit and deliberately wore this brooch.

Of course, the Grayson incident has passed a lot after all, and now they are dead without evidence, and there is no need to investigate the details.

In the final analysis, Siles mentions this possible reason is...

"Obviously, this can be used to break through David Babbitt's psychological defenses." Inspector Jon said in a tone of interest, "It's been too long since the Grayson incident.

"If David really helped do something behind the scenes, then he might not even have thought that someone is here to settle his old scores."

Siles also nodded - of course, before meeting Jon today, he had never thought of this possibility at all.

However, as he had thought before, characters like David Babbitt, although they are inconspicuous, just one small screw after another in the huge and dark evil plan of the shadow believers, they are very important. important.

Like a firefly, the light is weak, but it slightly illuminates this infinitely dark road.

Jon nodded. He glanced at the time and said, "It seems that I can visit that Mr. Businessman again this afternoon."

He thought for a moment, and seemed to have something else to say.

Soon, Jon turned to say: "In the sharing session, that Mr. Forrest has hinted to us many times what will happen on this year's God's Birthday." He repeated with great interest, "'If you don't want to die, you're going to have to do something that day.'

"Professor, what did you tell him? I didn't expect this old man to help us one day."

"We may not be his friends, but 'Shadow' must be his enemy." Siles smiled slightly, and said lightly, "So he has also recognized the current situation. He can only cooperate with us."

Jon also showed an expression of exclamation, he said: "I think this old man may be more influential than we imagined. At least the news from my detective friends is that many secret organizations in the city have him secretly active figure.

"...Of course, he may have noticed that his actions have been discovered by some people. We are helping to cover it up, but he seems to have restrained himself a little bit."

Siles nodded.He faintly felt the undercurrent surging in the city, and the closer he got to that time, the more nervous he felt.

However, Siles, who was the center of the vortex, remained calm, even pure.It seems that his companions have gradually realized that he needs to deal with a more terrifying enemy, so many things don't need to bother him.

Soon, Jon left excitedly, probably to continue dealing with that David Babbitt.

Siles and Cinder sat for a while longer in the Ernestine's Tavern.

"It seems that the mystery is about to be revealed... about the circus?" Qin Duo was quite interested, he knew that Sirius had always been very curious about the clown Arkwright.

Siles nodded too.He was eagerly awaiting the outcome of the puzzle.

Qin Duo held his hand affectionately, and asked: "There is still a long time in the afternoon, what are you going to do?"

Siles thought about it for a while.

When the real thing came to an end, they were actually free, because the arrangements had already been made, and the remaining troublesome things couldn't be solved in a while.

Like...the Paradise of Celes.

To become a god, a willpower of 100 is necessary, but not sufficient. 100 points of will means the strength of the soul, but the god of civilization is always connected with the real world.

He needs to find a "possession" object in the real world.

At this point, Siles and "Shadow" are facing the same distress, but the progress of the latter may be better than him, because "Shadow" seems to have found a breakthrough, and he wants to become "the sewer of civilization" .

This is really a genius-like idea, and in a sense it even perfectly fits the identity of "Shadow" itself as "outside civilization".

And Siles was still a little confused about this.

...he might need a little inspiration.He was genuinely aware of this.

In the past period of time, he did think of many possibilities.

A rather critical issue is that, to be precise, he has several different powers of gods: time, destiny, dreams, and illusion.

Which power should he choose to be part of Paradise?

Dice and Balls used to say that Siles could choose as he pleased.Of course he can choose at will, but they are facing the "shadow" now, so this matter cannot be too random.

He can't directly choose "Fate" as the obvious power, because of course it will be noticed by "Shadow".

And "time" may be able to, but he doesn't want the mirror of Fisher to disappear - if he uses the power of "time" to build his own paradise, then the mirror of Fisher will obviously be broken up and reorganized.

Now Antinam is still sleeping in the mirror of Fisher.This god once thought that he would eventually fall, so of course it doesn't matter whether Fisher's mirror exists or not.Fisher's Mirror is still barren.

...In fact, Antinam's approach is really the same.

He thinks that the power of the revealer will disappear eventually, so he let this power appear messy, undisciplined and dangerous; Be empty and empty.

This kind of pessimistic and lonely thoughts has always permeated Anti-Nam's soul, causing him to choose not-so-good results many times.

... Siles hoped that "Mother" would finally realize that this world and the human beings in this world are always with him, and as a foreigner from another world, so is he.He was never alone.

All in all, the power of time can be put aside for the time being, then there is still the power of Akamala.

Dreams and illusions.

But here comes the problem again, Akamala's Paradise is still there.Whether it's Deep Sea Dreamland or Kanyo Farm, he doesn't want to destroy these two places.

... Time, dreams, and illusion, these three forces already have corresponding paradises.So from this perspective, it seems that he can only use the power of fate to build his own paradise.

Therefore, he has to choose one that is related to fate, but cannot be seen by the "shadow" as something related to fate.

... Does such a thing still exist in this world?

Siles couldn't help but feel a little troubled.

He thought for a while, then said to Qin Duo: "Let's go to Geisha for a walk."

"Okay." Qin Duo said happily, "Let's take a break with you."

"Do I really look that troubled?"

"I'll always be aware of your troubles." Qin Duo clasped his fingers with him and said complacently, "You can't doubt my sensitivity in this matter."

Siles was taken aback, then couldn't help laughing.

They said hello to Eric Collens, and then they left Ernestine's and walked to Dawson Street.The business of the Geisha Grocery Store is as good as ever, and there are some children in the store who are shopping and playing with the newly released toys.

... Siles had to admit that even with the help of his home Earth culture, he now had to carefully search the memories in his brain before he could bring some novel toys to the children in Fisher's world.

But at least the kids did enjoy the toys quite a bit.

The business of Geisha Grocery Store was also promoted by businessman Ranmir, and gradually spread to other cities and countries.However, the promotion in this area is relatively slow, and it is easy to receive some imitations.

Relatively technical toys like the Rubik's Cube are better, but toys like puzzles and origami are quickly introduced by local businesses.

Of course there were similar toys in Fisher's World, but the fog of the Silent Age and the hardships of the Middle Age of Fog left people with no time to think about these things.Perhaps only some archaeologists understand how humans used toys to coax children.

However, with the stability of the situation and the development of the economy, these things must become more and more popular, just as more and more people push their children to school, asking young children to learn a trick.

Today is Thursday, and it is not Jimmy who is watching the store in Geisha, but his companion.Siles had also met these two children once, and greeted them quite friendly.

One of the girls, she seemed quite interested in origami.

Another boy who looked after the store here scratched his hair and said, "Lisa doesn't like to talk...but she is very dexterous and can always fold all kinds of small animals, as if we really raised them." So many small animals!"

Siles couldn't help smiling.There is always something new about talking to young, innocent children.

They looked at the child named Lisa, who was folding a piece of red paper with her head bowed.As her companions remarked, the girl's hands were deft and steady, with a precision to the nearest millimeter, a rare quality for manual work.

She folded it without distraction, and soon, a beautiful eight-petal rose appeared in her hand.She folded it and carefully placed it in a basket beside it.

Only then did Siles notice that there were already several eight-petal origami roses in the basket.

The boy explained: "Ms. Irene came up with the idea. Now it is the October market, and she wants to let the customers who come to shop get some small gifts, so when we look at the store here, we will Just fold something and give it to your guests.

"...Because this is 'Gesia', the most I fold are roses. This can be given to parents who bring their children to shop, and they will like this little gift very much."

As the boy explained, the girl was still folding.Soon, she folded an eight-petal rose again, and subconsciously raised her head to look forward.She was a little surprised to see Sirius and Cendo, probably because she hadn't noticed their arrival just now.

So she showed a shy smile, put the newly folded eight-petal rose on the counter, and said softly: "For you."

Siles looked at the little girl in surprise, and then smiled.He took the eight-petal rose and handed it to Qindo.He said, "Thank you, Lisa."

Qin Duo held the rose a little at a loss.He was stunned, and then hastily followed Siles' words, and also thanked the little girl.

They stayed at Geisha for a while longer before leaving, intending to return to 99 Kelly Street.They planned to go to a nearby carriage shop to pick up a carriage.

But on the way to the carriage house, Siles held the folded eight-petal rose and thought about it.

Qin Duo didn't disturb his thinking, but when they got into the carriage, Qin Duo did ask a little curiously: "What did you think of?"

Siles pondered for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Paper."

Qin Duo was taken aback.

"...I feel like I'm a little too slow." Siles murmured in a low voice, "In fact, the answer was already in front of my eyes, but I turned a blind eye to it."

Qin Duo pondered for a while, and then said: "Can you do me a favor? Either don't keep it secret, or don't tell me the mystery at all."

Siles couldn't help laughing.He said, "I'll let you know when I go to Dreamland at night."

"...You said the same thing last time." Qin Duo lamented, "But it was so many long hours."

Siles looked at the guy with a slight amusement.

Of course, he did tell Qin Duo his thoughts in the dream.

"I mentioned to you that when I went to the universe of gods to find Anti-Nam's Paradise, the endless dark and complicated information eventually evolved into a book." Mr. Ghost said.

They are in Qin Duo's dream.Qin Duo hugged him and calmed his breathing slowly, but when he spoke, his voice was still a little hoarse.

"I remember that ... you said that the information was recorded in a way that you could understand," he said.

"Yes." Mr. Phantom lifted Qin Duo's sweaty hair and kissed his forehead, "At that time [Akamala's spectacle frame] helped me. The relevant information of the universe of gods formed a book.

"...Although, the content of this book, I may only understand a tiny part of it."

Qin Duo leaned his head on Mr. Ghost's shoulder and asked, "Are you mentioning this because of the origami flower in the afternoon? Because of... paper?"

His gaze was clearly confused because he didn't see the connection.

"It's all paper. From simple records and folds to books that write stories and the fate of mankind." Mr. Ghost's voice was very low, "It's all-encompassing, and it's 'conceptually related' to many things."

Qin Duo was obviously stunned for a moment, and then he whispered: "Eight-petal rose paper."

Eight petal rose, with, paper.

Fate had already pointed out to him what his paradise should be, hadn't it?

Mr. Phantom almost laughed happily, he said: "Indeed...the answer seems to have always existed in front of us, but it was taken for granted but turned a blind eye."

His essential self-recognition——He Jiayin, is a novelist from Earth.The fact is that he also became a novelist (although he didn't have time to write many books) when he came to Fisher's world.

He never forgot his deep connection to books.There are many novels of his own in his study, as well as books by other writers from this world, such as historical stories, legendary novels, manuscript picture books, and diary monologues.

His life is full of paper, from eight-petal rose paper, to letter paper, to newspapers, to books, and of course the paper involved in his work, those materials, files, application forms, student assignments, papers, reading notes... …various and varied.

Sometimes people forget how valuable these thin pieces of paper are to humans living in distant times.

People used to use animal fur and plant fiber to find record carriers for themselves.The white paper was finally able to appear after a long time of accumulation.

- Carrier.he thinks.

Yes, he needs a carrier, a real carrier.He needs this carrier to support the strength he possesses, and he needs this carrier to support the weight of his life.

When he suddenly discovered the existence of the eight-petal rose paper in Fisher's world, he felt very happy, a kind of happiness after a long time of distress.

Because when he was on Earth, he didn't have to write on paper.New electronic tools have replaced many functions of paper.But after coming to Fisher's world, he had to do this, and had to adapt himself to the style of this era.

And when he found the eight-petal rose paper and realized that the paper made him write very pleasantly and smoothly, he seemed to have found a suitable place in this world-a person who could write what he liked in the way he liked. way of story.

…Honestly speaking, he does think handwriting novels is quite troublesome, especially after he has already gotten used to the electronic equipment in his hometown.

At the first moment, the eight-petal rose paper supported his usual career and ideals, allowing him to find a subtle foothold in this world, allowing him to shake hands with the world and admit that he had to get used to—to blend in— — many aspects of this world.

Now he is indeed getting more and more used to it, forgetting that he once sighed in his heart and complained about the fatigue of writing novels by hand, and the difficulty of using the quill pen.

Now he is used to using eight-petal rose paper, including recording his inspiration and schedule, including communicating information with his companions through the [Invisible Pen] ceremony, including writing his favorite stories and plots...

Many, many.

Since he came to this world, all the papers he has used and all the words he has recorded have been carefully placed in a certain cabinet in his study.

Even if it was a draft book that he had to throw away in order to deal with a certain important person in the Historical Society, he had copied all the contents of it carefully.

He didn't want to give up those things—the records, the writing.

In this era, when there are no mobile phones, no computers, and no electronic devices to help store his life memories, he can only use pen and paper.That records his past life, every minute and every second he has been in this world.

His life, his destiny...

……destiny.

In fact, this afternoon, when he was holding the eight-petal rose made of paper, he thought of so many things, and his thoughts stopped at the moment when he thought of "fate", because he Realized a possibility.

Paper seems to be his paradise.

To put it mildly, paper becomes the carrier of many things, including but not limited to novels, stories, news, diaries, manuscripts, conversations, and more.There are many, many forms, and each page is completely different.

On a larger scale, from ancient times to the present, paper—from simple stone chips, bamboo chips, parchment, kraft paper, to today’s complex and diverse paper, even toilet paper—has witnessed the development and progress of civilization.

That records the story of mankind, the history of tribes, the development of nations, and the destiny of the world.

That's... information.

He never underestimated the power of information, in fact, he valued it so much.

After thinking about it, Mr. Phantom said to Qin Duo: "Can you reproduce a pen and paper for me?"

"Of course, I am happy to serve you." Qin Duo said happily.This is his dreamland, so Mr. Ghost needs him to help.

In the next second, a small stack of eight-petal rose paper and a pen appeared in front of them.

"When I was trying to develop a ritual that would allow us to communicate in real time, I focused on paper, but the ritual that ended up being [the invisible pen]," said Mr. Ghost.

"Indeed." Qin Duo nodded, he propped his chin, his emerald green eyes were shining brightly, he liked listening to Mr. Ghost's words, "but now you are focusing on the paper again."

"Because there is no paper, [Invisible Pen] is useless." Mr. Ghost