The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

Alfonso was sitting alone by the campfire, his tired face was outlined by the silent night and the flickering flames.He was half asleep and half awake, waiting boredly for the arrival of Mr. Ghost.

...To be honest, this picture reminds Mr. Phantom of the lonely and boundless wilderness and the turbulent gray-black fog when he first went to the Everland.This also reminded him of the evening conversation around the fire when he passed through the Land of Eternity for the second time.

Thinking about it now, that was indeed a rather distant memory.

In the past year, especially in the six months since Middleton's trip, time seems to have been sped up.They acted, investigated, waited, and then came to the end of the moment.

"Alfonso." Mr. Ghost called out his old friend's name.

"...Oh." Alfonso rubbed his eyes sleepily, and then joked, "I'm almost falling asleep in a dream. If I sleep in a dream, will there be a dream in a dream?"

"It depends on which world you regard as real." Mr. Ghost replied casually.

Alfonso was obviously taken aback, then thought for a while, and looked at Mr. Phantom with a rather subtle look, and then said: "Professor, this really seems like something you can say."

Mr. Ghost laughed.

"It's really real here." Alfonso didn't rush to explain his purpose, but stretched out his hand to fan the bonfire, and the flames did sway with the gust of wind, "...It's very much like the real world."

Mr. Ghost watched the scene silently.For a moment, he thought, it's because the "truth" is indeed here.

...He suddenly felt a little bit of a smile, thinking that Qinduo was his unique "reality", and he was Qinduo's unique "illusion".Love is always so wonderful.

Alfonso didn't pay much attention to Mr. Ghost's expression, his gaze was fixed on the only flame in the darkness.It illuminated the dense darkness around them, and he just stared at the flame for a long time.

He suddenly said, "Will this darkness ever dissipate?"

Mr. Phantom was slightly taken aback, and then said: "We will see the dawn one day."

Alfonso turned to look at him.

"It's not eternal darkness," said Mr. Ghost, "it's just one night."

"Though the night is so long."

"Though the night is so long, there will be a sunrise," whispered Mr. Ghost.

Following his words, the endless darkness in Alfonso's dream was gradually dispelled by the sunlight.The surroundings became brighter.The light that came from nowhere illuminated the place.

The surroundings gradually became clear according to Alfonso's thoughts.They saw the barren land of the Neverland, and the gray-black mist around them.Everything here is very similar to the land of no embers, including the sunset and sunrise.

Alfonso stared blankly at this scene, and after a while, he suddenly said: "We are going back to the headquarters of the adventure group."

Mr. Ghost said cautiously: "It's a good thing."

"...If you didn't see so many deaths along the way."

Mr. Ghost was slightly taken aback.

Alfonso sighed, then rubbed his face wearily, and said, "Last time I told you that many people were crazy, but now, they are all dead. It should be said that the area in the southwest of Never Emberland A lot of people have died in Bian recently.

"As I told you before, most of them are related to the Booth Mountains in the south, and the 'Menawaka's Fortune'... Perhaps it is because of this that they died.

"However, their deaths have attracted more people, because the latter think that since so many people died here, there must be corresponding wealth. This kind of statement has attracted more and more attention."

Mr. Phantom said in a low voice: "People die for money."

Alfonso nodded.

And Mr. Ghost thought of more things.

In the past period of time, he and Qindo would solve some accidents caused by the "shadow" approaching Fisher's world from time to time.Something crazy and unlucky people messed up.

However, they have not paid attention to the death of the land of no embers—it is better to say that the things caused by the "shadow" almost all happen in the "borders of civilization", such as cities, such as villages and towns; even if they are not within the scope of the country , and must have been Galsworth in the Everlands.

Thus, the incidents in Gladstone, or even Gainstead, in the Never Embers may have been part of the daily correspondence from House Praia, if they had occurred.Qin Duo will also mention it to him, but generally speaking, they will not pay special attention to this matter.

...However, since Alfonso specifically talked about this issue, and even revealed the emotion that this incident brought to him, I am afraid that the number of such deaths is already quite large.

Is it because of Trisley's power?

The last time he met Alfonso, Alfonso had mentioned an unnamed forest in the southwest of the Everlands.

According to what he later heard from Qiuqiu, that was probably where Menawaka tried to devour Trisley but failed.Because of His attempt, that forest was completely destroyed.

And this matter seems to be related to human beings, that is, it is very likely that Menawaka drove some believers, or secretly lured some human beings, asking them to help fulfill this wish... Maybe it is because Trisley does not know Wary of humans.

All in all, it seems that with the help of Akamala or other gods, Trisley was able to survive at that moment.

However, this incident may have caused Trisley to have a prejudice against human beings, which in turn caused the human beings who were mutated by his power to have deep hatred and hostility towards other human beings.

Mr. Ghost thought, but still listened to what Alfonso said.

Alfonso said: "When they died, some people even had mutations... You know, spiritual pollution will eventually produce mutations, right? You have seen the birdmen in the land of no embers, and you have heard of them. The existence of subterranean creatures.

"...It's as if the power of the old gods has merged with the human body.

"That kind of power doesn't simply act on human souls, but also acts on their bodies, as if... using your analogy, the power of the 'inside world' has invaded the 'outside world'."

Mr. Ghost nodded.After he first went to the Land of No Embers and settled the matter of House of Hales, he once mentioned his guesses about the inner and outer worlds to Qin Duo and Alfonso.

In fact, it really corresponds to "the world" and "outside the world" by mistake. Of course, their essence is different.

Mr. Phantom asked, "What kind of mutation are they?"

"There are flowers growing on their heads, on their faces, even on their arms, on their bodies," whispered Alfonso, with a subtle, deep yet comical terror.The fear was real, of course, but the scene was funny enough.

"...Are there many people with such a mutation?"

"Not much, but not too little." Alfonso said, "We just heard some relevant news when passing through some post stations and villages along the way. The explorers in the southwest of the Never Emberland talked about it.

"Many of the mutants aroused fear among the fellow explorers, so that when they died their bodies were immediately burned by their companions.

"In addition, even if they haven't mutated, they will wear hats and long trousers, as if they can cover up their abnormalities. And now that it's autumn, it's not strange to dress like this .

"So, the vast majority of people who have been polluted may not have attracted the attention of others from the time they had problems until they died, and then their bodies were burned. Whether they really mutated is still unknown."

Mr. Phantom couldn't help frowning, he said: "It's hard to count the specific figures."

"Indeed." Alfonso shrugged. "And, as far as I know, this pollution seems to have a tendency to spread to the east. Some explorers who fled in a hurry brought this pollution to the east."

Mr. Phantom nodded and said, "Biddle City already had problems in early September."

"Early September...that's early enough." Alfonso sighed.

Mr. Phantom felt a little confused: "Are they just near the Booth Mountains, or other suspicious places, so they are polluted? This seems a bit too simple. Isn't there anything else..."

He paused suddenly, and showed a thoughtful expression.

Alfonso rubbed his chin, not noticing the expression of Mr. Ghost, he said to himself: "I am also confused. Like us, we also went there for the 'Menahuaca's wealth', but we Nothing happened.

"...It should be said that there are many people like us who didn't have any accidents. Moreover, the other explorers who had accidents took all kinds of strange routes, and there was no repetition at all.

"Besides, the 'self-reappearance' ceremony is of course also a problem. Some people may not have mastered it well enough. However, there are also powerful and experienced veterans among them, but they still have accidents and have no resistance.

"...Maybe, they just have one thing, no one knows, in common?"

When the incident in Biddle City happened, they had considered the commonality of those deceased, and at that time they concluded that these people had all been in contact with Hurd's team, and it was very likely that they had a relationship with the person who was affected. Contaminated explorers have been exposed.

In other words, these dead were indirectly exposed to the pollution from Trisley in the southwest of the Never Emberlands.

But why are these the dead?

There must have been others who had been in contact with that team of explorers, but nothing happened to the others.

In the same way, since the "Menawaka's Fortune" has attracted the attention of so many explorers in the southwest of the Land of Embers, why did some people survive while others sank into the abyss?

...Mr. Phantom did think of a possibility, about the nameless forest, about the southwest of the Everland, about Trisley's experience.

But instead of expressing his thoughts in a hurry, he turned to Alfonso: "Do you have any guesses about this?"

"...maybe because they know something we don't?" Alfonso said. "That's why they are polluted. And if we don't know about it, we won't be polluted."

This is one of the underlying rules of the world, ignorance is safety.

When Garrett Gielgud and others were trapped in the shadows of the sea before, they used the ritual of "self-reappearance" to pollute the present self with their past self, and then temporarily forget those sea legends, and then It naturally stepped out of the shadow range.

...Of course, for the explorers of the Everland who seek wealth and thirst for power, it is impossible for them to keep themselves in a state of complete ignorance, because they need this information, even if this information may put them to death.

Mr. Ghost nodded, and said, "I agree with that."

"So, what do they know more than us?" Alfonso rubbed his chin, thinking, and then he shook his head, "Forget it, I finally returned to a safe place, and I don't want to get involved again."

Ten years ago in the Neverland, he had learned to maintain a proper level of curiosity.

He turned to say: "Actually, the death of these explorers is not what I really want to tell you. Death is never uncommon in the Land of No Embers, but this time it involved a wider range.

"What I really want to say is... we are currently staying at a station very close to the adventure group, located in the northwest of the Land of Embers. I got a piece of... a bit unexpected news here."

Mr. Ghost was aroused by Alfonso's statement, and he asked, "What news?"

"Uh... let me give you some supplementary information first, so that you can better understand what I mean." Alfonso said, with a slightly sinister and appetizing meaning, "Stations like this , and there are many, many in the Never Emberlands.

"They are located in some wilderness ridges, close to cities and villages, but they cannot reach those cities and villages in a short time. Therefore, many explorers will temporarily stop at this kind of post during their exploration or travel.

"The most noteworthy thing about this kind of station is that it is not so friendly to strangers, or people who have just arrived in the Land of No Embers. They will kill a fortune and be confident.

"Even if some customers find out later, they won't be able to find this kind of inn—if this kind of small inn makes such a business, then they will leave immediately and change places—or, they can't beat the exploration of the inn By.

"Some explorers, especially the elderly, if they can't find a suitable adventure group to stay, then they will be hired by this kind of post. This is a kind of... ecology of the land of no embers, perhaps it can be said .”

Mr. Ghost listened in silence.He thought, black shop.

However, the existence of such black shops is not surprising.He even felt that it would be a strange thing if there were no such black shops in the Land of Ashes.He even suspected that there were more dirty and sinful things in the Land of No Ashes, but he hadn't come into contact with them.

Of course, what he is even more curious about now is what news Alfonso has found out.

"We came here last night." Alfonso said, "It's only one day away from Angus' adventure group, but this is almost Galsworth, so we plan to rest here for a day, Don't be in a hurry.

"Of course, it's also because we've been on our way for a while, so we just took this opportunity to inquire about some news at the station. So, this morning, we immediately went to the tavern. You know, the tavern is always a place for explorers to communicate. place of information.

"We heard about the deaths, we heard the gossip about which explorer had found another treasure in the mist - which, by the way, has happened a lot lately - and then I heard about another one thing.

"The owner of the tavern said that the owner of this inn—that is, the owner of the inn hotel, generally speaking, the hotel is the core of an inn—has encountered a 'group of big fat sheep' some time ago, and slaughtered them mercilessly. Dayton, I have been excited for more than a month.

"I was a bit surprised, because usually, if they do make a fortune, the posting-house should get out of the place soon enough to save anyone from trouble.

"However, they didn't leave, because when we set off from the adventure group, this inn had already stayed here, and the location has not changed at all.

"The owner of the tavern may have seen my surprise, so he explained with a smile, because those 'fat sheep' are very harmless, know almost nothing about the Everland, and are dead now, so they No fear of reprisals at all.

"I was a little curious - I have to admit, so asked more about these so-called 'fat sheep'. They said it was a party of three... By the way, did you guess?"

Alfonso changed the subject and asked suddenly.

Mr. Ghost said: "Those three people from the Dreyson family?"

"Sure enough, you can think of it." Alfonso said, with a look of expectation.

Mr. Phantom thought to himself that he had just taken the title of "prophet" for himself.However, he didn't want to argue with his old friend about this issue at the moment, and he paid more attention to the information Alfonso got, which was indeed quite—surprising news.

The three members of the Dreyson family, specifically, Hurd's parents and grandfather.The three of them came to the land of no embers from the city of Lamifa for "atonement" (because Hurd did not complete the sacrifice at sea).

They were going to spend the rest of their lives in the oasis in the mist, but they happened to meet Sirius and his party who were going there at that time, so they relied on their own will, the help of the "self-reappearance" ceremony, and the assistance of others. Leaving the oasis.

After they left the oasis, however, their fate was not forgiven.

They followed Angus Keyes, Alfonso Carlisle and the others to the west of the Land of Embers, probably wanting to stay away from La Mifa City and the oasis.

After arriving, they did not intend to join Angus' adventure group - in fact, this is a rather good choice, and considering the existence of Sirius, Angus will probably agree to this matter, but Drey The three of the Mori family appear to be planning to fend for themselves.

That's not a bad thing either, as there are plenty of relatively safe jobs in Neverland.

However, they may be forced to make a living, or they may be obsessed with money, but they suddenly participated in the related expeditions about "Menawaka's wealth", and eventually they were polluted and died quietly.

... According to Alfonso, maybe there is something else hidden in it?

Alfonso readily revealed the answer: "It was the inn that deliberately slaughtered the guests and took away all the belongings of the three members of the Dreyson family. I am afraid that is why, in order to survive, they chose to look for 'Mr. Navaka's wealth'."

A detail here is that the inn is actually not far from Angus Case's adventure group, and the three members of the Dreyson family can actually return to the adventure group for help.

Even, the adventure group might be able to get their money back.

But they chose not to do so.Maybe it's because of self-esteem, maybe it's because of some kind of fear, maybe it's to say goodbye to the past... In short, they can almost be said to force themselves to explore the secrets of the Everland.

But for them, the land of no embers is too strange and dangerous land after all.They fell here, perhaps in some unexpected way.

…these three members of the Dreyson family were indeed victims of Trisley's contamination.

Those other explorers have been immersed in the land of no embers for a long time, but these three members of the Dreyson family were once pampered nobles in Lamifa City. What can they have in common?

The three members of the Dreyson family may serve as a reference benchmark, but they may also be an exception.thought Mr. Ghost.

Alfonso explained again: "I inquired about the cause and effect of the matter. It is said that when the three people were asked to pay a huge sum of money, they even threatened the hotel by saying the names of some people, although they never said that Ange The name Sky Case.

"...According to the tavern owner, they mentioned... er, Ed Gissing... and, David Babbitt?"

Mr. Ghost narrowed his eyes slightly.He thought that there really was some connection between them.

Alfonso repeated the two names a little uncertainly, then shrugged and said, "There are other names too. It seems that they know them, the explorers from the land of no embers.

"But that's just that they are familiar with these names. The owner of the inn doesn't know these people, so of course he thinks this kind of threat or identification is very ridiculous.

"So, the owner of the inn took all their belongings, and then drove the three of them out of the inn. Later, some news showed that they were dead, so this matter became even more... For those explorers, It's even more ridiculous."

After all, he was a fellow traveler who had been with him for a while, and Alfonso couldn't help showing a sigh.

But that was only for a moment.

He quickly went on to say: "And it's worth mentioning that I asked what the inn master had taken from them, and learned that one of them was a... er, postage stamp.

"A postage stamp with considerable commemorative value can also be said to be a work of art. It is said that when the city of Lamifa expanded to the east, the Grand Duke Const invited a well-known painter to draw the face of the stamp. The Kanla River and the cityscape are depicted on the ticket.

"For the collectors of La Miafa City, this is a commemorative stamp with almost inestimable value, but for the owner of the post station, it is almost a piece of waste paper.

"On the contrary, the owner of the tavern is very knowledgeable and bought it from the owner of the inn at a low price, so I also saw the appearance of that stamp with my own eyes.

"...The Dreyson family used to be aristocrats in Lamifa City, and I'm afraid that's why they were able to collect this stamp. But it's a pity..."

Having said that, Alfonso couldn't help shaking his head.

Mr. Phantom listened quietly, and at a certain moment, he thought of a certain possibility.

As he and Alfonso guessed, those who were polluted by Trisley probably had information that others did not know, so they were polluted.But what can this group of people from all over the world have in common?

Perhaps something in common about Trisley?

...river, perhaps.Mr. Ghost guessed.

To be more precise, they may have something related to the river and the development of human civilization.They have been entangled with this concept for a long time and cannot forget it.

Trisley is considered to be the mother of human civilization. Mountains and rivers, buildings and civilizations, these things that appear on the soil are always closely related to Trisley.

…Like these three members of the Dreyson family, they came to the Land of Never Embers with a stamp about the Kanla River. The influence of the French city.

As they embarked on the journey to find "Menawaka's fortune", they still had this stamp in their hearts.That contained unimaginable wealth for the owners of the inn, and some collectors would be happy to pay a high price for this stamp.

Perhaps, they still hold in their hearts that if they can get enough wealth, then they can redeem this stamp.In the end, however, they couldn't even redeem their own lives.

…The human civilization witnessed by stamps failed to help them, or perhaps, they themselves failed to help themselves.

Mr. Ghost and Alfonso were silent for a moment.

Afterwards, Mr. Phantom reminded him: "Perhaps the information contained in this stamp is the key to the pollution of the three members of the Dreyson family. I think, Alfonso, you will not be able to go to the southwest of the Land of Embers in the future. At least until we get this all sorted out."

Alfonso was obviously stunned for a moment, and then he smiled wryly: "This is really... an indiscriminate disaster."

Mr. Ghost agrees.

"Did other people who were contaminated also have, or have, or see something similar?" Alfonso said, "That should be able to be investigated."

Mr. Ghost thought for a while, and then said: "Is there really nothing in common with their whereabouts?"

"As you know, the explorers of Never Embers come from all directions. They may pass by the same station, stay in the same hotel, or watch the same show..." Alfonso shrugged, "But whoever There's no way to be sure that their journeys are exactly the same."

"...Wait, what show?" Mr. Ghost suddenly asked in a deep voice.

He thought of a possibility.

Alfonso was stunned for a moment: "You should also know... It's similar to the Hales House, a circus performance."

Ten minutes later, Mr. Ghost got the same answer from Hurd Dreyson.

"I found out the similarities between those dead, Mr. Ghost! I found out!" Hurd said excitedly, "They all once watched the same circus performance!"

Mr. Phantom's face was gloomy.He told Hurd to calm down a little, and then listened to him slowly describe his discovery.

Hurd has been busy investigating the identities and experiences of those deceased for some time.This is not a simple matter. After all, Biddle City is ostracizing him, but the investigation continues.

Perhaps Hurd himself could not explain why he was so stubborn, but he really had to investigate these deaths, because they haunted him, haunted his soul day and night.

He had never hated such a thing so deeply.

In the past, when the pollution of the old gods happened to himself, he seemed to bear it and get through it unconsciously, but when the hasty death happened around him, he seemed to suddenly raise his head to face the cruelty. reality.

So he has to investigate, to find the truth, to understand the story behind it all.

And he did.

He took a deep breath, and then said, "Explorers usually go back to Biddle City to relax and have fun... like a tavern or something.

"The merchants in Biddle City, and perhaps the tavern operators, also know that explorers need to relax. Therefore, they often arrange related entertainment activities, performances, dances, carnivals, or other things.

"Every day is different, and not all explorers go to the same place.

“…Generally speaking, this kind of arrangement is repeated on a weekly basis, what activities are arranged on Monday, what activities are arranged on Tuesday, and so on. The two days of the weekend are usually consecutive carnival days.

"For the ordinary residents of Biddle City, they don't take part in this kind of activities very much, and it basically has nothing to do with them. However, as you told me before, among the residents of Biddle City who can help me, one family It's a tavern, and they know some related news.

"The child of the owner of that tavern told me that explorers often come to drink in their house... In fact, one of the deceased met us by chance in that tavern.

“Then it occurred to me that maybe that connection, maybe that way the contamination is delivered, isn’t immediate, but kind of…I mean, conceptually, related.

"For example, they, including Cagle, they may have all been to the same carnival, watched the same show ... even they may not be the same day, the same show, but just the same content.

"Then they met Cagle again, at a different time, in a different place ... and then they were contaminated. It was like an invisible chain, bound around their necks, and finally ... strangled them together. "

Hurd murmured.

He clasped his cup in trembling hands - the timing of his "reincarnation" ritual - and took a quick sip, slowly finding peace.

Mr. Ghost observed his expression and confirmed that Hurd was not hit again because of this, so he continued to listen noncommittally.

Hurd continued: "In Biddle City, there's always been a circus stationed. They perform once a week, and the content of the performance is randomly arranged, but basically it's the same kind of performance-clowns, animal trainers, The magician, the most important thing is these three.

"The main performance every week is one of these three people. What I have confirmed is that those who died...including Cagle, have all seen the performance of the clown."

"What did that clown do?" asked Mr. Ghost.

"...a funny show. It is said to be adapted from a legend that has been circulating in the Land of Never Embers for a long time, about the story of humans setting fire to the forest." Hurd explained, "The clown is the arsonist... It should be said, The Joker played the arsonist.

“In the stories, the clown is always so screwed up, and despite being ambitious and cruel, it’s always funny, like a villain making a fool of himself. That’s always going to make people laugh, you know.

"...When I looked into this, I talked to the kids. They said it was about... Cynthia? A story about Cynthia. They said you know the story."

Mr. Ghost nodded slowly, and then couldn't help but sighed in his heart."Yes, I do know," he said.

Hurd breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I went to the members of the circus, they were a little impatient, but they still gave me some information.

"They said that the clown's performance was called "Desert of the Forest". It was a traditional repertoire in the land of no embers, and it had been adapted in many different ways. Many post stations and cities would stage it, and it was basically performed by circus troupes. The clown came to perform.

"Of course, because this show is really old and traditional, the explorers got tired of watching it many years ago, and now many circuses have changed the content of the show.

"...It's just that, because the number of explorers in Land of No Embers has increased recently, their rehearsals for performances can't come through, so we have to show the ancient repertoire again.

"Fortunately, this show has been sealed for a long time, so newcomers or young explorers are also very interested. They also said that it is estimated that some circuses at Gladstone's post station will also perform this funny show.

"... Cagle saw that play once, too, but it was a long time ago. Years ago, perhaps. He owned a house in Biddle City, lived here occasionally, and must have seen it at that time of.

"When we arrived in Biddle City in early September, he also told us that the circus performances in Biddle City were not interesting, and that the performances were all old-fashioned, so we didn't have to go to see them.

"We all believed his statement. After all, he was considered a resident of Biddle City, so he didn't go to the circus performance.

"...Maybe it's because of this that we...we escaped unharmed."

At the end, Hurd's voice couldn't help trembling.He tried hard to take a deep breath for a while to calm himself down, and drank several more sips of water to maintain his mental state, although the things in the dream would not directly affect his reality.

Then he looked at Mr. Ghost expectantly, and said, "Will this result help you?"

Mr. Ghost nodded without hesitation, and thanked Hurd.

He thought about a question, that is, is the reason why the three members of the Dreyson family were infected the same as the reason why other explorers were infected?

The Dreyson family, they may be because of that stamp, or it may be because of something else.

But here in Biddle City, there is no doubt that Cagle and the dead were probably polluted because they watched the funny play "Desert of the Forest".That was directly related to what happened in that nameless forest.

... If—even if it was just a passing thought at one point—if they suspected that this was not just a farce, but hinted at something that happened in history related to the Old Gods, then they would be very happy. likely to be contaminated.

This is like adding 1 point to knowledge and spirituality in the setting of running groups.

If their spirit and will were already faltering, the situation might be even worse.

As for the other death cases that Alfonso heard about in the southwest of the Never Emberland, Mr. Phantom tends to have both possibilities—maybe there are even some followers of the old gods among the dead?

All in all, his main concern now was this farce.

When he heard Cynthia's story from Hal Goss, he didn't actually think about where these children got it from, and how these stories were passed down.

There is no doubt that literature, art, performances and other forms are the most important for the spread of these illusory stories.

There are no serious dramas or theaters in the Neverland.That kind of delicate stuff is out of place in the Everlands.So, in Land of Never Embers, the "performance" is almost entirely linked to the circus.

That is... the clown.thought Mr. Ghost.

The circus certainly not only