The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

The two came out of Room 666, walked side by side through the corridor and hall of the space behind the door, and finally left the Historical Society.

Eric replied, "From this Saturday until next Wednesday."

"Five days?" said Siles. "That doesn't sound like a long time."

"The big shows are actually on Wednesdays," Eric said. "If you want to go, you can go shopping on Wednesday nights. There may be some ... less legal merchandise at that time."

Siles nodded: "I'm still very curious about the Land of Never Embers."

"The Land of Embers is much safer now." The older Eric said, "When I was young, I also knew some friends who wanted to go to the Land of Embers to find a chance to develop. In the end, most of them Most never made it back."

Siles sighed: "Danger always coexists with opportunity."

"That's right," said Erik, muttering to himself, "but no one wants to miss it. When I was young, I didn't have the courage to go to the Everlands with those people, but now... I I don’t want to give up that power.”

"The power of the Revelator is also very dangerous."

Eric laughed: "It may not be much more dangerous than working in a tavern under the control of the Communist Party."

Siles laughed too at his comparison.

He said: "I haven't asked... Maybe it's a bit presumptuous, what is the opportunity for you to become a revelation? I discovered a bookstore in the old city that no one else could find."

"I was at the pharmacy called Hume," Eric said. "I was buying medicine for my wife, only to find bottles of potions on the shelves. The others didn't seem to see the potions. "

Siles nodded thoughtfully: "But, you haven't seen it before?"

"I haven't seen it. I don't know why I saw it that time." Eric said, "When I came to the Historical Society, I was afraid that I would be kicked out. Maybe it was just... some awe and fear."

Siles said, "You have become a revelator. Besides, the rainy season is over."

"Thank you," whispered Eric. He paused. "You're really well suited to be a professor."

Siles smiled, and then changed the subject: "How is the old city?"

"It can't be said to be good or bad." Eric said, "But the news about the Grand Duke's development of Everland has intensified."

"This is an era that seems to be stable, but in fact has moved towards turbulence." Siles said, "No one knows what will happen in the future."

"This year is the 4th year of the Fog Age." Eric said with a sigh.

Siles asked, "Are you going to the fair?"

"No." Eric said so, and then added, "I was already there, and I had to take shifts in the tavern. Fortunately, it was a shift system, otherwise I might not have been able to arrive at the Historical Society on time.

"At this moment, it would be a pity to miss any class."

Siles thought of Brewer Darrow, and felt a little regretful for a while.

Carol probably won't explain anything about potions for Brewer's sake.But what happened to Brewer?Was it really because she was so happy about the engagement that she got drunk and passed out?

Siles and Eric parted at the gate of the Historical Society.

Eric said to Siles: "Sometimes, I forget that you are a young man in his early 20s. In this era, you seem very mature and sophisticated."

Siles replied: "I left home when I was young and went to school in Ramifa City. There should always be something to grow."

Eric shook his head, didn't say anything, patted Siles on the shoulder, and then left in a public carriage.

Siles stood where he was - it was four o'clock in the afternoon.The sun is still hot, and people around are still coming and going.He solved many problems, such as the two gatherings on Wednesday, such as the manuscript left by Professor Cabell.

However, he felt that everything was still ready to go.

He stood silently for a moment, and then also took a stagecoach—to save some money—and wandered back to La Mifa University.He went straight to the cafeteria for dinner, and then returned to 6 Hayward Street.

His roommate, Lorenzo Grantham, probably heard him coming back, poked his head out from the foyer on the second floor: "Good evening, Professor Noel."

"Good evening, Professor Grantham," replied Siles.

Lorenzo said: "I didn't expect a person like you to be able to joke."

Siles: "..."

He vaguely felt that similar thoughts had appeared in his mind today.

"There are three letters from you, I put them on the coffee table in the living room for you, remember to check them." Lorenzo reminded, "You are such a busy person, you don't see anyone all day long."

Siles said: "Thank you. I will treat you to dinner tomorrow, and you have helped me get letters several times."

"canteen?"

Siles tilted his head and glanced at him: "Maybe you want to eat something else?"

Lorenzo thought for a moment: "Forget it. You are about the same age as me, and your wallet is probably more radiant than your face."

Siles was silent for a moment, then said in a deliberate tone, "Thank you?"

But he really didn't have any savings, at least for a while.

Lorenzo sighed greatly and shook his head again and again: "How could I think you were an introverted and nice old man when I met you for the first time? Treat me to breakfast tomorrow."

"No problem." Sirius replied.

"But I will get up very early." Lorenzo said, "I have to go to the professor tomorrow to help maintain order in the classroom. But Professor Dunlop is in a really good mood recently, it seems that he met a good student."

"good student?"

"It seems to be called... Herman or something." Lorenzo thought for a while, "Probably so. You should have heard of Professor Dunlop, he is a real practical archaeologist."

Siles thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Professor Dunlop seems to think that the student is very suitable to join the archaeological team. He is the kind of outgoing, cheerful, but bold and meticulous young man, so he intends to promote him to the archaeological team of the college, or become an apprentice first, and then join the archaeological team .”

Siles listened in silence.

As he said that, Lorenzo yawned: "I have approved his homework, and the quality of the work is good."

Siles said calmly: "There will always be excellent young students."

"Indeed." Lorenzo seemed to be joking. "I suspect that if this student had appeared earlier, I would not be Professor Dunlop's teaching assistant. But having said that, the current teaching assistant is me after all."

"You are already very good."

Lorenzo nodded, and he said nothing: "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Lorenzo went back to the bedroom on the second floor, and Siles stood there for a while, thinking about something, then returned to the first floor, and got his three letters from the coffee table in the hall.

He went up to the third floor, returned to the bedroom, changed into softer and more comfortable home clothes, poured a glass of water and drank a few sips, then sat on the sofa, breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked at the three letters letter.

During this process, he arranged the night's affairs in his mind: first, he had to sort out the book list tasks assigned to the two apprentices tomorrow, and second, he had to look at the things in the backpack that Grenfell gave him.

Finally, he had to write a letter to Alfonso Carlyle asking for information about the wandering poets of the Sardinian Empire.

And when Siles finished reading those two letters, he secretly began to revise his schedule.

The three letters are of course from different people and represent different things.

The first letter came from Yuan Bo's mother. In the letter, she already knew the current address of Siles, and once again encouraged her child.A hundred-coin bill was attached to the letter again, which moved Sirius a little.

The second letter came from Bertram Finn. In his letter, he said that he had indeed contacted a businessman engaged in the business of Stardust, and wanted to ask when Siles would be free to meet with them.

The third letter came from Knight Commander Bunyan, who said that they had successfully captured the apostate this afternoon and they are now under trial.Siles' reward will be sent to him later.

The original mother's letter did not surprise Siles.He put the hundred-coin bill into the drawer and put it together with the previous one, then read the last two letters repeatedly, feeling a little... delicate mood.

The business of stardust; the capture of the apostate.No matter what happened, he was caught off guard.

After hearing that stardust is an indispensable supplement for the Revelator's potion, Sirius became very curious about the merchants who were engaged in the stardust business in the Everland.

Are they related to the church of the past, or are they engaged in this business without telling the church of the past?

But Bertram said that in other countries, vehicles powered by stardust are more common... Does this mean that stardust does have some unique uses in occasions other than revelators?

Siles thought about it, and finally decided to write back to Bertram, and agreed to meet at a restaurant near Atherton Square at [-]:[-] am this Saturday.

His wording in the letter was very cautious. He didn't say that he planned to confirm the investment right away, but that he wanted to know more about Stardust-related businesses.

He examined the reply letter for a moment, confirmed that there was nothing wrong with it, and then turned his attention to another letter from Knight Commander Bunyan.

Hamlin the Apostate was caught?

This news actually caught Siles even more off guard.

In the plot of the running group, the outcome of the apostate Hamlin is of course not decided at this moment.

The reason why he attracted such a strict arrest from the Church of the Past is because he has been hiding in the Church of the Past for many years, and finally stole the same important things inside the Church of the Past.

This kind of thing is also mentioned in the script of the running group. It is a list of priests from various dioceses in the past church.

This is a very confidential document, which has attracted the fury of the church.

But that is the story in the running group script.

After actually coming to this world, Sirius had a subtle feeling in his heart.In this world with extraordinary power, is that list more important than he imagined, and has more incredible uses?

Siles had some guesses about it.

However, now that the apostate Hamlin has been captured, the issue of that list should have been resolved as well.And what Siles was always worried about, the doctor's life should have been safe.

Siles breathed a sigh of relief, then felt as if he had used too much "should".

He was silent for a moment, then put away the letters.

He took out the letter paper and reworked the first draft of the letter he had written to Alfonso Carlyle, confirming that he wanted to ask for information related to the wandering poets of the Sardinian Empire.

Then he wrote the address of 13 Milford Street on the envelope, and put it together with the letter to be addressed to Bertram Finn, intending to post it tomorrow morning.

He also breathed a sigh of relief after a few things were done, and there were only the last two important events left.

The list of books given to the apprentices, and the backpack that Grenfell gave him.

Siles had already considered the list of books for the apprentices.

Jules and Dorothea have different research directions, and of course they need different reading lists.

Dorothea's good stories are basically literature, research reports, papers and academic works related to the Silence Period and Atkinia, and there are a total of more than a dozen items.

Siles framed a general scope for her, such as certain chapters of a certain book, notes such as the key reading of a certain paper, and then put this book list aside for the time being.

Jules' book list gave Siles a headache.His research on literature related to modern Anti-Nam was far from Sires' professional scope - and he didn't know why the academy assigned him this apprentice.

Siles thought for a moment, and finally considered listing a series of book titles on the draft paper.

"Silent Chronicles of Anthropomorphism", "The Age of "Man", "The Impact of the Fall of the Gods on the Development of Human Civilization", "The Ins and Outs of "Profane Literature", "The Emergence of New Gods"...

Among these books, except for "The Emergence of the New God", which is directly related to Anti-Nam, most of the other books discuss the influence of the two concepts of "man" and "god" on the literature of the Silence Period.

Jules happened to be studying the "human" part of Antinum-related literature, and that was fine.Secular texts have appeared since the Silent Age and monopolized the market, which is an unavoidable part.

From these books, Siles selected some chapters for Jules to read by referring to his own notes and thoughts.

This is the first book list for this semester, so Siles did not give some particularly esoteric content and academic assignments.He stared at the two book lists, then took out a piece of draft paper, and listed the prototype of the second book list on it.

As he thought and wrote, countless book titles and dissertation titles flashed through his mind.He pondered and deliberated for a long time, and finally decided on some books tentatively.

As for the exact book list, we have to wait until the two apprentices have actually completed the reading task of the first book list.

During this process, Siles also lamented the vastness and complexity of the knowledge in his memory.He thought of what Professor Bright had said of him—the old Sirius Noel, I should say.

Yuanshen was indeed a very, very good and outstanding student, and it was no wonder he was able to become an official professor at La Mifa University at such a young age.

...However, Sirius couldn't help thinking, why would such an alien soul like him occupy the magpie's nest?

Judging from Yuan Bo's memory, he was living a normal day and nervously waiting for the professor's interview.But for some reason, that night, He Jiayin became Siles Noel.

What happened?Or... did the time travel happen so naturally?

Siles was somewhat incomprehensible.

Before his arrival, the original body had never had anything to do with the revealer.Even though he was about to become a professor of literary history, he hadn't passed the interview at that time, so it was impossible for him to be related to Professor Kabell's matter.

Thinking about it, Siles shook his head.He recorded the question, but couldn't get an answer either.

He neatly stacked the two book slips and the two letters together, and finally opened the backpack that Grenfell gave him.

Siles thought many times what would be in the backpack.When he was holding the backpack, he felt that there was nothing too heavy in it, but when he opened it, he still felt a little surprised.

He saw bottles of potions, an odd-looking object - presumably a time track, and a notebook.

He took out everything in the bag and observed it carefully.

魔药一共有10瓶，都是标准容量的魔药玻璃瓶。瓶身上贴着标签，写出了这些魔药的纯净度，分别是1%、5%、10%、20%和50%的纯净度。

其中1%和5%的各三瓶，10%的两瓶，20%和50%的各一瓶。

Potions with a purity higher than 10% are already very precious, but there is actually a bottle of potion with a purity of 50% here.

Carol didn't specify how much such a bottle of potion would cost, but by analogy, this bottle of potion is estimated to be worth Siles' salary for a year.

Siles couldn't help but admire Grenfell's generosity.

He secretly thanked Mr. Glenn in his heart, and then put away all the potions with higher purity, leaving only the 1% and 5% pure potion bottles.

According to Carroll's previous explanation, a potion with 1% purity and 1 standard potion bottle capacity can provide 10 hours of ritual time and the most basic power of time.

Going up further, a potion with 5% purity and 1 standard capacity can provide 50 hours of ritual time and a stronger power of time.

Regarding the power of time, Carol has not explained it clearly, but Siles can probably know from the clues he revealed that the higher the purity of the potion, the stronger the ritual power that can be reproduced. .

It's mutual.Rituals with stronger power require potions with higher purity, and potions with higher purity are usually used in more powerful rituals; if used in ordinary rituals, it would seem a bit wasteful.

The two rituals that Siles has learned before, [Flowing Wind] and [Invisible Shield] are relatively simple rituals that do not require too much time to push. Of course, the power that is reproduced is not very strong. .

However, they will eventually learn more powerful rituals and need to consume purer potions.

The potions that Carol gave them before were all 1% potions.He divided the potion with the capacity of a standard potion bottle into six parts, and the length of the ceremony time was also divided into six parts. Each person was roughly divided into more than an hour of ceremony time.

The purity directly affects the concentration of time power in the potion—that is, the power of the ritual that is reproduced, while the capacity directly affects the length of the ritual.

Most of the time, people would not drink the entire standard potion in one go, that would be a waste.

Now Siles was in no rush to take the potion either, although he missed the magical feeling of ritual time.

He glanced at his pocket watch and saw that it was nine o'clock in the evening.He got up and moved around, then went to the bathroom to clear up his slightly confused brain, then sat back at the desk, and opened the notebook seriously and attentively.

The paper of the notebook has been slightly yellowed and wrinkled, and the ink has faded, giving it an old and fragile feeling.

This is probably Grenfell's own notebook back then. The content is relatively basic, but it is also more complicated and detailed than the introductory knowledge explained by Carroll.

Siles benefited a lot from it.

For example, the issue of the power of time that he thought of just now, he got some verification from this notebook.

The powers that the revelators borrowed from the past were actually largely held back by the strength of those who borrowed them.For example [Invisible Shield], the power they can borrow is at most no more than the ability of that Knight Order knight.

And ordinary church knights are just ordinary people who are stronger.Therefore, they only need to use the most basic potions, time rails and rituals to borrow their power.

On this basis, if they want to borrow the power of past superpowers, they can't just rely on 1% potions.That can't reproduce the power of the strong at that time.

...Yes, those with extraordinary abilities in the past.

In Grenfell's notebook, Siles finally verified an idea he had once had.

Since the power of the revelator probably came from Anti-Nam, didn't those gods lend their power to believers before their fall?Was there no extraordinary power system at that time?

If the enlightener needs to borrow power from the past, is it just borrowing the power of ordinary people?How powerful can that be?

Grenfell had already said before that the consequences of the ritual of borrowing the power of the gods were not so wonderful.But where did the transitional class go from ordinary people to gods?

Those extraordinary powers that have long been wiped out in the dust of history may be a fantasy to ordinary people.

But in the Revelator, they can really reproduce those powers.

"Every old god means a path of power." Grenfell wrote in his notebook, "We call these people 'Blessed Ones', but the meaning is exactly the opposite, they are blessed by the gods at that time people.

"Like the revelators, we are the ones who receive the revelation, not the ones who give it to others."

Protector and Revelator.Siles took a deep breath, feeling the fog of the world dissipate again in front of him.

The fall of the old god also took away this group of people with extraordinary power who were blessed by the gods.

Siles couldn't help being dazed for a moment, then he continued to look down.

"The patrons embarked on the path set by the gods for them. And the revelators followed their footsteps after many years, stealing their power like thieves."

Siles thought about this sentence carefully.

"Like a thief".

These few words gave him sudden inspiration.He thought, this is why the followers of the old gods are so hostile to Anti-Nam and the Enlightenment?

Not only because of those pretentious rumors about Antinam's "blasphemy", but more importantly, the old gods have fallen—if they fall, they will fall, but the revelators are "stealing" the patron's power .

To put it mildly, that's called reappearance; to put it bluntly, it's called prying corners.

This sounds less like a rational power system and more like blatant provocation.

...The way the Enlightenment uses its power... Siles pondered for a long time, but still couldn't give a suitable evaluation.

In the end, he put aside these thoughts and continued to study the notebook Grenfell had given him.

He generally introduced the power systems of several old god patrons.

Such as the god of asceticism and silence, Brancani.When Siles saw the student club not long ago, he thought of this god.The power system he blesses is to gain spiritual strength through asceticism, self-examination, and solitary training.

The Ascetic and "The Power of the Mind".These were the original words in the notebook, but Sirius didn't quite understand what kind of power this was.

As a comparison with Browncarney, Grenfell also mentioned a god who is completely the opposite of Browncarney, the god of gluttony and violence, Temiafa known as "the chef of the dinner".

The patrons of Themian law call themselves "drunk eaters".A mouthful of a name, but one that sums up their characteristics very clearly.

Their way of practice is completely different from that of ascetic monks.Most of them are indulgent, dissolute, greedy and arrogant, good at eating, drinking and having fun, and they are extremely extreme.Their unrestrained aura is in stark contrast to the ascetics.

And the power they can finally obtain is also "the power of the mind".

Grenfell did not explain in detail the difference between these two kinds of spiritual power in the notebook, but Siles had already guessed about this kind of spiritual power based on the descriptions of these two gods.

The strength of the ascetic monk is likely to be less aggressive and is an auxiliary; while the strength of the addicted eater is likely to use different desires to appeal to the weakness of the heart, and then defeat the enemy.

While thinking thoughtfully, Siles turned over the last page and looked over.

The last page of the notebook is a description of a ceremony.

【Quiet heart】.

From [Flowing Wind] [Invisible Shield] to [Silent Heart], the naming styles of these rituals seem to be the same, with a very rigid temperament.

But Siles was less concerned now with the thoughts of those who named these rituals.

When he saw the name of this ceremony for the first time, his heart couldn't help beating.

...Is that what he meant?The function of this ritual...

Siles carefully read the explanation about this ceremony with a sense of impatience.

"The revelator borrows the power of the patron, and in the final analysis it still comes from the power of the old gods. Therefore, the revelator who reproduces the power of a certain path for a long time may become hopelessly follower of the old gods." By.

"Therefore, every enlightener will learn a certain ritual to stabilize the mind and strengthen the heart after getting started."

Seeing this, Sirius felt at ease immediately.

Sure enough, this ceremony corresponds to the "will" attribute in the running group characters!

Just as his will attribute is as high as 90... now it is 91, so that he has successfully avoided the huge danger that time without knowing the danger of losing control of the time track.

He relies on his own quality, but the enlightener must be able to use magical rituals to add a layer of protection to his soul.

At this moment, he also understood why Carroll said that out-of-control timing is not so common.Because, this must have something to do with the followers of the old gods—or rather, the reason why the time track will get out of control is because it has something to do with the former patron.

Siles continued to look down.

"By the way, little Carol is just your guide, and will not continue to teach these things after the introductory course." This line seems to have been added not long ago.

Siles felt more gratitude to Grenfell, a hard-talking and soft-hearted teacher.

"So, looking for a reliable meditation ceremony is the first thing you new enlighteners need to do. Of course, you don't need it. I have prepared a suitable ceremony for you. It can also be said to be the most suitable of."

Siles smiled unavoidably.

He thought, since Grenfell said so, maybe he can also remind his classmates.However, he didn't know whether the ritual he used could be used by others.

He couldn't help but look at the strange-looking object.

That thing, to be precise, should be a brooch.The shape of the brooch is divided into two parts as a whole, and a thin silver-white chain connects different items at both ends.

At one end was a strange plant, and at the other was a disk-like metalwork painted with curved lines.

Siles found a description related to this timing and this ceremony in Grenfell's notebook.

“[Silence of Heart] came from an ascetic monk in the early Shadow Era. According to rumors, he was a very devout believer, so after he became an adult, he embarked on the pursuit of Blancaney and spent his entire life and time Circle the world.

"The moment when his life was exhausted was also the moment when he was closest to his faith, the god of asceticism and silence, Bronkani.

"He died next to a plant called Angelica dahurica, holding a map in his hand that recorded his route around the world. These two items eventually formed the basis for constructing this timeline, and finally formed this brooch .

"By the way, this time track construction method is called 'Biophotographing', which is still too advanced for you, just get a general understanding. (The ink color of this sentence is very new, obviously it is a follow-up supplement. )

"The way to use this ritual is to carry/preferably wear this brooch every day and cover it with the palm of your right hand in the morning and stand for 1 minute by the window gazing into the distance. This is in imitation of the past The way the ascetic friar prayed to the Brancani.

"During this process, the enlightener will feel that his mind is gradually becoming sober and rational—not the kind of sobriety during the ceremony, but more similar to the calmness of firm heart and seeing the way forward.

"Each ceremony can maintain a state of [quiet heart] for about ten hours (provided that it is during the ceremony time), and can avoid being influenced by the old gods and the followers of the old gods to the greatest extent.

"This ritual is also effective in dealing with out-of-control timing, and can avoid the risk of mental inactivation.

"The biggest problem with this ceremony is that it is likely to cause the enlightener to unconsciously have the idea of ​​respect and worship for Brancarney. But this is harmless, because the old god has excellent reviews in various documents and archives , is a basically harmless deity.

"Recommendation: Wear it every day; you don't have to imitate prayers every morning, you can do it when you need it. Continuous use is not recommended."

After reading these words, Siles set his sights on the brooch.

Just as he thought, the power of the path of ascetic monks is an internal and auxiliary power that can protect the will and soul of human beings to the greatest extent.

Grenfell sent this ritual to him, naturally because it was harmless enough and effective enough.Siles was also immediately interested in the ceremony.

However, it's already night, so it's obviously not a good time to use the ritual.He plans to give it a try when he wakes up tomorrow.

[Quiet Heart] To take effect, it must be in the ritual time.Since Siles intends to experiment with this ritual, he wants to do the best, so he finally chose a potion with 5% standard capacity.

Potions with a purity of 1% can usually only deal with ordinary rituals, but [Silent Heart] is obviously related to the old gods and the patrons. Potions with a purity of 5% contain more powerful power of time and are a better choice.

Grenfell included a small measuring cup in the bag.

A potion with 5% of the standard capacity can theoretically provide 50 hours of ritual time.Therefore, Siles intends to take one-fifth of the standard capacity, which happens to be the duration of a full [Quiet Mind].

He silently made a plan in his heart, and finally exhaled slowly, pulling his thoughts back from the complicated world of the Enlightenment.

[Knowledge +3. 】

Dice happened to remind him at this time.

It was nearly eleven o'clock.He spent two hours reading the notebook that Grenfell provided him word for word, and gained a lot.His knowledge attribute directly increased by three points, broke through 50 points, and reached 51 points.

The most critical of them may be the content related to the patron.

In Carroll's introductory course, he mentions some vaguely, but not quite as explicitly as Grenfell's notebooks - frightening and shocking.

Obviously, in Carroll's plan, it's not that the out-of-control time track, the old gods, and the patrons will not be mentioned, but they will not be mentioned so early.

However, Siles is a researcher, and he himself knows more about the Old Gods and the Silent Era. In addition, he was so unfortunate that he encountered a dangerous out-of-control time track, so Grenfell gave this backpack to him in advance. over him.

...yes, it should be in advance.Siles thought.

Carol had said before that they could only use potions on non-historical occasions after they had completed the introductory course, but now, Grenfell had sent potions of different purity levels to him.

The introductory courses were compiled by Grenfell, and of course he knew the rules of the Historical Society.But he still did it.

On the one hand, Grenfell is a person who does his own way, on the other hand, he is probably very worried that Siles will suddenly encounter something dangerous.

Siles couldn't help being a little moved. He solemnly put away the things Grenfell had given him, especially the few bottles of precious potions and notebooks, and then arranged in advance what he needed to bring tomorrow.

Siles is now like a child who has found a favorite toy, only to immerse himself madly in the sea of ​​knowledge of the Revelator.

but……

Tomorrow he was going to meet the two apprentices, and besides, there was a long elective class waiting for him in the afternoon.

Siles Adult Noel sighed slowly, sat at the desk for a while, then got up and went to the bathroom to wash up, and fell into a deep sleep early.

The next day, he woke up early in the morning.It was just 06:30, half an hour earlier than his usual wake-up time.

A slight tiredness crept through his body, but Sirius felt fine.He silently went to wash up, and then went to the study, looking intently at the bottle of potion.

He carefully poured out a fifth, and then a