The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

There was a thick stack of club applications sent to Siles.

Siles roughly counted, there are probably about a hundred.From these he was to select not more than twenty students to join his club.

He sifts through them one by one, looking at the names first, and taking out the ones that look familiar to him first.That led him to Herman Grove, Angela Clayton, Annette Melvin—a student who was always actively answering questions in elective classes—and Kellogg, among others. .

Two of his apprentices also applied to his club, and Siles naturally took out their forms as well.

When he noticed Angela's application form, Siles also noticed that it was a form with the same handwriting, whose name was Millicent Austin.

The name reminded Siles for a moment.It occurred to him that this was the one who sat with Angela Clayton, her companion, throughout the elective class.

So Siles also took out this application form and put it together with Angela's form.

So there are already seven people.

Siles didn't want to choose too many, and his ultimate goal was about fifteen people.

He picks and chooses among the remaining application forms.

He noticed a few names, they were the juniors of the original body.A few months passed, and Sirius Noel, who had been a senior, turned into a professor in the college.

And they are also bitter researchers.

Siles took out these application forms—five in total.

In this way, there are still three places left.

Siles thought for a while, and planned to choose some students of different majors, and finally selected two students from the School of Medicine and the School of Theology.

For the last spot, Siles thought about it, and then randomly took out a piece of paper from the stack of papers.

He took a look at the School of Literature and History, a student named Doreen Lucas, majoring in Literature in the Fog.

Siles put the application form with the others and sorted it out.He copied the fifteen names in his notebook so as not to forget them, and then put the application form in a folder, intending to send it to Professor Aitley tomorrow afternoon.

Afterwards, he took out the reading notes of the two apprentices, Dorothea and Jules.

Just as he imagined, the homework completed by two apprentices with completely different personalities is also very different.

Dorothea's reading process was a little more proactive.She took the initiative to choose some books that she thought were more useful, and read them first, and the content of the reading notes was also very personal.

But Jules followed the book step by step, reading the books in the order listed by Siles, and wrote some rigid reading notes: book title, author, reading passages, excerpts, thoughts, etc.

Siles couldn't say which one he liked or which he hated.As a professor, his job is to train these young students.

He carefully read the reading notes of the two apprentices, made corrections and annotations, and also wrote down some of his thoughts.These things will be discussed when they meet next Thursday, which is still early, but Siles intends to finish it sooner.

After all, he didn't know if he would be very busy in the coming week.

Next Monday, the two apprentices should send some reading notes.He hoped that he could solve everything as much as possible.

Around eight o'clock in the evening, Siles finished reading the study notes of the two apprentices.

He stood up, went to the window to look into the distance, and relax.He looked down at the puppet placed on the window sill, and inexplicably felt that he had gradually left his own traces in this world.

This is what he bought, it looks useless, but it is indeed an item he likes.Such items and decorations adorned his windows and rooms, and it seemed that, to some extent, he also adorned his soul.

Siles smiled slightly, reached out and stroked the wooden box.He thought, six ugly and cute puppets.

He rested for 10 minutes without doing anything, just idly staring at the window in a daze.Occasionally, he sighed that it would be nice to have a cup of cold milk tea to relieve the hot weather.

After a while, he returned to the desk, tidied up the messy papers on the desk, unfolded the materials sent by Bunyan and Kellogg, and read them carefully.

He looked first at the works of the wandering poets of the past and of the exile poets of the present, which Kellogg had helped to collect.

He was particularly impressed by one of them.

"The world is empty, as silent as my heart.

"The distant grave is covered with cold ashes and my love.

"She must go alone to distant mountains and wilds,

"She must have died in a foreign land. In my heart.

"The world is lonely and silent. Like me. Like her."

The reason why Siles was so impressed with this poem was that he once looked through the "Kansas City Population Stratification Survey Report" in the library and saw similar works in it—are they from the same poet?

A dead love, a silent foreign land, a lonely grave.

Siles was able to confirm that these works, or in other words, these wandering poets and singers of foreign lands, were indeed followers of Lycardia, the god of leaving home and traveling.However, in their works, why do they always appear...images from far away places and foreign lands?

grave?Cemetery?dead lover?

He didn't know that Lygardia had anything to do with death.

Siles felt deeply troubled.However, in the works of those wandering poets, such images and related descriptions are not uncommon.

And in the writings of those... who now call themselves poets of foreign lands, these images are lost.They began to miss their homeland and their families, and described the loneliness and exhaustion in a foreign land. However, only the beloved who died in a foreign land and the tomb in a foreign land were missing from the wandering poets.

Siles thought thoughtfully, which side is closer to Lycardia?

The elements in the works of the foreign poets seem more pure and unitary, but Siles felt that the ancient wandering poets conveyed part of Lycardia's power more vividly.

...In other words, with the passage of time, the believers of the gods are gradually moving away from the gods they believe in.

Not just followers of Lygardia, but others as well.For example, would Brancani take comfort in the fact that his disciples were studying torture?

I'm afraid not.

After losing the real gods, the so-called believers are only believing in themselves, or other human beings.

And they are so crazy, to a large extent, has something to do with the power system of this world.Invisible power and pollution from the gods are pervasive and transmitted to people through different forms.

Ordinary people may not know these things at all—Kellogg, for example, has no knowledge of the secrets of the Song of Strange Lands.

As for the Revelators, they may know something, but it doesn't seem to help.After all, they can indeed eliminate the polluted humans, but can they eliminate the source of these pollutions?

At this moment, some faint thoughts and inspirations flashed in Sirius' mind, but in the end, it just fell into silence.

These works, which Kellogg helped collect, are a very good argument.There have never been works by Lygardian disciples in Silent literature, but now, this gap seems to be filled.

This is a good research and discovery, which can be used to meet the academic requirements of the Academy of Literature and History for Siles this year.Of course, such a few works may not be enough.

After all, relevant papers on the history of literature should be based on literature, analyzing its origin, evolution, development, ideas, forms, etc.

Outside of the thesis, Siles was very interested in this group of Lygardian followers, including their strength and life, but within the thesis, he could only discuss the quality of their works in a formal manner.

This strikes Siles with a subtle sense of humor.He felt as if he had invisibly dispelled the... arrogant personality of the power of the gods.Because, in the final analysis, it is just something that must be dismantled, discussed and evaluated in the paper.

Thinking so, Siles put Kellogg's notebook away.

After reading the materials sent by Bunyan and talking with Alfonso, Siles felt that he could start to conceive the title and structure of the paper.

Although it is only August now, the journals he wants to be published in are all monthly, and every December, these journals will stop publishing, sort out the papers of the year and assemble a collection of papers.

Therefore, he only has the three-month opportunity of September, October, and November.If you think about it, it's not that easy.

Everyone is rushing to work at the end of the year... Siles sighed.

This unspoken rule was once complained to him by Professor Bright.At that time, Siles Noel was still a student, and he overheard his tutor talking about this kind of rush to work at the end of the year, and his eyes widened in surprise.

The short and stout Professor Bright said angrily: "What do you think? Sirius. University professor is just a slightly more respectable job."

Now Siles is deeply convinced.

Instead, he took out the materials sent by Knight Commander Bunyan.

The scribe that Bunyan found had neat and elegant handwriting, which looked pleasing to the eye.Siles sorted it out a bit, and first looked at the more messy records.

It mentioned a lot of similar content with the Kansas City investigation report.

For example, the former wandering poet was very xenophobic, except for drinking in taverns, he didn't have much contact with the residents of the city.Of course, singing loudly while drunk and dancing with the residents is another matter.

For another example, it is true that no one has ever seen wandering poets establish a stable intimate relationship with anyone of the opposite sex. They are always alone or mixed with other wandering poets.

Of course, some people doubt whether they are homosexuals, or have other weird aesthetic hobbies, but judging from the occasional expressions of wandering poets and their works, they are just obsessed with a strange and lonely state.

For another example, the poverty of wandering poets is well known, but they still like to drink.After drinking, they either left the tavern quietly, or shouted loudly, talking about their poems and their mother country.

There is a subtle polarization in their attitudes toward the gods.On the one hand, they showed a very disdainful attitude towards those gods who had fallen or had little news, similar to the residents of the Sardinian Empire at that time.

But on the other hand, they were in awe of some gods that were still alive at that time and their power, for fear that they would offend them if they said something disrespectful.

This attitude led to wandering poets being dubbed "mad poets".But they don't seem to care much about this matter.

On one of the excerpts, Siles saw a part of the records about the subsequent ending of the wandering poet.

In the Kansas City report, the writers dismissively and simply assumed that this group of thirty or so wandering poets would eventually die of starvation and poverty.

That's exactly what happened.

These wandering poets came to different parts of the Sardinian Empire about 200 years after the establishment of the Sardinian Empire.And 100 years later, they once again disappeared in the Sardinian Empire.

The Silent Period lasted a total of 600 years.The Sardinian Empire was established in the first year of the Silent Era, and collapsed at the end of the Silent Era.The life of this empire lasted almost 1 years.

In other words, in the third year of the Silence Period, wandering poets appeared in the Sardinian Empire one after another; in the fourth year, the wandering poets disappeared.

Until the arrival of the Mist Age, that is, 200 years after the disappearance of the wandering poets, different wanderers came to Kansas, where the country had been established.Parts of it seem to follow the tradition of wandering poets, taking over their roles.

But at this time, they have already called themselves the poets of foreign lands, not the original title of "wandering poets".

Siles pondered the process.

It occurred to him that, in some rumors, Lygardia once protected a tribe of strangers and wanderers.Are the wandering poets who first appeared in the Sardinian Empire the descendants of this tribe?

However, he did not know exactly when Lygardia fell.When the time came to the Silence Period, Lygardia was already silent.If Lygardia fell in the earlier Shadow Period, then the relevant information is estimated to be very little.

Siles shook his head and did not continue to think about matters related to Lycardia.He stacked the papers and picked up another stack.

This is an excerpt from Karakak's journal.

"...

"May 3.

"Drinking at Jon's Tavern today. The proprietress tried to kick me out. I just don't have a lot of money, bitch. Luckily some poet helped me out.

"He said he was a poet, and asked me what time it is. I think he's drunk too much, and he's forgotten his days. I know this group of poets are like this. I drank with him.

"Life is still the same.

"...

"May 3.

"These poets are really boring. They mutter their poems after drinking. If you want me to say, a rotten person like me will not be interested in their poems. They should go to those rich ladies , or the ladies. They always hang out with people like me.

"...

"May 3.

"A poet died. I helped them carry the coffin. They couldn't find anyone else. It was said that several of them were sick and waiting to die. I asked them why they didn't go to the doctor, and they said, death It is their destiny to be in a foreign land.

"Ha, I don't understand what they're talking about. Anyway, I carried the coffin too, and I just used the money to drink!

"Die in a foreign land. This is also my foreign land.

"My home is far east of Kansas City. Anyway, I can't go back until I die. I am the waste and garbage left behind by life. There must be some meaning of those poets in this statement.

"I've seen a lot of things in the world, I've met a lot of idiots and rotten people, I've quarreled and fought with many men and women, and I've seen a lot of men and women quarrel and fight or do something not so decent.

"These things don't mean much to me. I'm like an ant, thinking that my home is so beautiful, but in fact, a cruel child can trample it to pieces.

"...I was the only ant that survived.

"...

"May 4.

"Recently, I became acquainted with a poet. Acquaintance means that I can confidently ask him to buy me a drink. He is a very rich man, and I don't know how he is rich.

"(Note on April 4) Damn, I finally found out! This guy actually told the little girl his love story! And this way of defrauding money! He really deserves to be a fucking poet!

"...

"May 4.

"That poet is the guy I said I got acquainted with a few days ago. He is different from other poets when he is drunk. He is always talking about his love story.

"I get tired of listening to it too much.

"He said his... well, to use his words, love. He and his love at first sight, but the girl's parents didn't agree. So they planned to elope. It turned out that his love (that's a disgusting word) in While wandering, he fell ill and died just like that.

"The poet said that he wanted to die with his beloved, but he had to bury his beloved and let his beloved's soul rest in peace.

"I asked him, are the vagabonds still so hypocritical? They are all dead, so what kind of burial is there? Burn it to ashes on the spot and scatter it?

"It was rude of me to say that, of course I know. But I was drinking and not sober at the time. Well, it's not easy to write your own thoughts in the diary. I feel assimilated by them.

"And the poets replied to me that it was their habit.

"Habit? I really don't understand. In short, the poet said that he has buried his beloved. But I don't see him earning any money. How can he have money to buy a cemetery? These days, a grave is extremely expensive.

"If I'm dead, I'm sure I'll be kicked out. That's the way it is.

"...

"May 4.

"This place has been rough lately.

"But it has nothing to do with rotten people like us. Anyway, it's rotten wherever we go. Maybe the other side doesn't want us to rot there.

"The poet said, This attitude of mine is too rough.

"What's so rough? That's the way the world is. It's either rotten here or there. People always rot after death. I just started to rot a little earlier!

"...

"May 5.

"The situation of the poets doesn't look very good. There are not many of them, and they don't communicate with others. I just know one of the poets better.

"By the way, his name is Aldous Gershwin.

"I said the name sounds decent, how did he become like this?

"Then he started babbling about his love again. Bah, bad luck. Talking to this guy is all about drinking, and every word reminds him of his love.

"But anyway, he bought me a drink.

"...

"May 11.

"The weather is getting cold.

"The poet said that he was going to visit his beloved's grave. He has been away for several months. Recently, he has not had a good time drinking. Charities have begun to distribute things for the winter.

"I would say that the gentlemen of the charity organization should look at the bridge hole where we live. What's the use of a thin quilt, it needs to be thicker to prevent air leakage. However, the place where they sleep is different from us. They There are still women in bed.

"I still have to turn out last year's quilt, but who knows how many times I was bitten by mice and how many eggs were laid by bugs. I understand all this, but there is no way. The gentlemen hug soft women, I just Can hold bugs. The bugs will bite me.

"...

"May 3.

"Winter was over, and the poet came back. I don't know where he went. He came back looking refreshed, as if his love had been resurrected.

"The poet says he too is meeting his fate.

"It took me a while to understand what he meant by fate. These poets were destined to die in a foreign land.

"I'm .

"I hope this isn't the last time I'll see him. Come to think of it, we've both known each other for two years.

"He's also my only... friend. Aldous. Aldous Gershwin.

"He died in the warmth of spring."

This is the last mention of the wandering poet in Karakak's diary.

Siles held his breath, and only exhaled lightly when he saw the last line, feeling a burst of complicated emotions spreading in his heart.

Aldous Gershwin.It seemed likely that this was the author of the two poems about dead loved ones.

A well-meaning but doomed poet to die in a foreign land.

Siles allowed his thoughts to immerse himself in the poet and his friend and beloved for a while, and then restrained his thoughts and began to think about the things revealed in this diary.

Among the materials sent by Bunyan, some papers specifically introduced the excerpted books, including "Karacak Diary".

This diary covers the last ten years of Karakak's life in the Sardinian Empire.He stayed in Kansas City for about three years. During these three years, he met some wandering poets, but most of them stayed at the level of wine and meat friends.

Except Aldous Gershwin.

The image and description of Aldous Gershwin in Karakak's diary also provided Siles with a lot of information, as well as doubts.

First of all, why are wandering poets doomed to die in a foreign land?Why is this their... "destiny"?

Siles brooded over this.

This, he realized, might be a result of their belief in Lygardia.

However, in the conversation between Aldous and Karakak, they did not reveal their beliefs at all.

On the contrary, some descriptions in Karakak's diary give people the feeling that this kind of behavior is the custom of Aldous's hometown, including his actions of burying and sweeping the grave of his beloved.

...so were they really from that rumored tribe that had been protected by Lygardia?

This is also difficult to verify.

Second, is the love of Aldous.Siles does not doubt Aldous's love.It was also not uncommon for Aldous to bury his lover after his death.

But it would seem strange if the two poems known to Siles were indeed written by Aldous.

Why are there so many references to graves, cemeteries, and cemeteries in poetry?

Maybe it's because Aldous always misses his lost lover, maybe that cold tomb is the despair between life and death, maybe...

But Aldous's description of the tomb is: empty and remote.This seemed a bit out of line with his emotional tone.

Siles pondered for a while, but it was difficult to accurately describe this strange feeling.

At the end of their lives, they even solemnly ask someone to bear the coffin.As Karakak said, they were already so poor, why should they maintain such customs and habits?

Die in a foreign land, die in a foreign land... Siles thought, as if death was their final destination.

...But don't they believe in Lycardia, the god of leaving home and traveling?Do they really believe in the god of death and disaster, Thaddeus?

Siles shook his head, turning his thoughts to the last doubt.

Karakak said he was the last ant alive.

What happened in Karakak's hometown?He encountered an accident, so he left his hometown for a long journey?

From Karakak's diary, it can be seen that this is a well-educated person who even has a bit of cultural background. Some of his emotions are cynical and disheartened.

What has he been through?

He seems to be from the Sardinian Empire, and his home is east of Kansas City...

The reason why Siles cares about this is because Kellogg once told him that the Duchy of Kansas is far to the west of the Duchy of Const.

In other words, isn’t the east of Kansas City and the hometown of Karakak during the Silence Era the past appearance of the present land of the Principality of Const?

How did Karakak's diary end up spreading to the capital of the Principality of Const?When was this book published?

The first Grand Duke Const was awarded this place for his meritorious service, and that was at the end of the Silent Era.Within a few years, the Sardinian Empire collapsed, and the Age of Fog arrived when everyone was caught off guard.

...No, not right.Siles suddenly thought that he seemed to have overlooked a piece of information that he once knew, but was carelessly ignored.

When Brewer Darrow described the family archives to him, he mentioned the whole story of the family's migration to Conster.That was the moment when the period in the fog had just arrived.

He said that when the fog dissipated, the land of the Principality of Const was caught off guard and exposed to the eyes of other countries and was under siege.

During the Silent Era, the fog had already appeared in Fisher's world, and gradually spread to cover different lands.Even in a unified country like the Sardinian Empire, the territory in its territory would occasionally be covered in fog, and such territory had to be abandoned.

Now, no one knows why the fog appeared.

In short, in retrospect, according to Brewer, at least a large part of the land of the former Principality of Const was covered by fog.Because of this, when the fog dissipated, the Principality of Const was caught off guard by attacks from other countries.

Two countries next to each other, because the fog separates their territory, so they don't even know each other's existence!

In this case……

Siles thought, could the hometown of Karakak have encountered a sudden fog?

This is an inference with a bit of conjecture.

Because Karakak's hometown is in the east of Kansas, and Const, which is also located in the east of Kansas, was once covered by fog, so Siles speculated that what happened to Karakak's hometown was covered by fog.

Apart from a hint of inquiry and curiosity, Sirius also felt an indescribable sympathy.Faced with the fog, people seem to have no power to resist.

Once the fog falls, it will be like a child stepping on an ant nest, instantly destroying human homes and peaceful lives.

Rumor has it that human beings can't see anything in the fog.Moreover, the mist also seems to contain a... "psychedelic" ingredient.

People who enter the mist are either crazy or demented, and there is no cure for such symptoms.

... If Karakak really escaped from the mist, then he is very lucky indeed.However, if his family and friends are killed in it, then it is not sure whether it is a kind of luck.

Siles sighed.

Then, he closed his eyes and leaned back.In the darkness, he pondered how helpful this information would be.For the paper, the information he has collected so far is not enough.

Of course, it does not mean that he chose the topic of the thesis, but that he has not yet learned about other scholars' research on this aspect.This follow-up can be followed up slowly.

As for himself, the research on the wandering poets themselves has given him endless reveries.

[Knowledge +2. 】

A reminder sounded in his brain.

Celeste snapped his eyes open.

Added two points?he couldn't help thinking.How could it be two o'clock?He thought a little was normal.

He learned about things related to wandering poets, and he also indirectly learned about the situation of the Sardinian Empire and Kansas City at the time. This can be regarded as increasing his historical knowledge, which can be regarded as a little bit.

What about another point?

Siles wondered in surprise, did he accidentally guess something right?

He thought for a moment, and felt an undoubted fact: he needed to borrow the "Karacak Diary" from the Church of the Past, and there might be many secrets hidden in it.

It's a pity he couldn't use the power of the dice.

However, Sirius now also has some insights.He realized that when he triggered the judgment of the dice, that is, as a university professor, Sirius Noel, if he wanted to trigger the judgment, it must be related to the revelation.

For example, the first time the judgment was triggered, he discovered Grenfell’s bookstore; the last time the judgment was triggered, it was because he found the doll at the trade fair—but he failed to discover the secret behind the doll, the required attribute The value seems to be high.

But obviously, the doll is very delicate and simple.It's the time track, but Siles doesn't know what the corresponding ceremony is.

From this point of view, the "Karacak Diary" in front of me is just a copy, not a time track in itself, so it is naturally impossible to trigger a judgment.

Siles sighed slightly regretfully.

Afterwards, he took some time to write a letter back to Bunyan, thanking him for the materials he had collected, and asking if the church could borrow the "Karacak Diary".He intends to post the letter tomorrow.

After writing the letter, Siles opened his pocket watch and glanced at the time, only to find that it was past ten o'clock.These materials are complicated and confusing, and it took him a long time to organize and read them, but it is worth the money.

It's getting late, and Siles has other plans tomorrow morning.He tidied up everything, then got up and went to the bathroom to wash up, and fell asleep early.

Before going to bed, he went to the window to look, and found that the night in mid-August had become cooler, and occasionally a gust of wind would blow.The wind blew through the treetops, bringing a rustling sound.

On Friday morning, Siles didn't get up very early.He woke up at about eight o'clock, stayed in bed for a while, and then got up.

He had an early lunch in the mess hall, and dropped off the letter for Bunyan at the carriage house.After nine o'clock, he returned to the dormitory.On the way, Siles collected a handful of leaves blown by the strong wind last night.

These leaves are exactly what he wanted to do this morning—practice 【Moving Wind】.

Tomorrow is Saturday, and he is going to the Historical Society on Saturday afternoon.According to Carroll, this time it will be an outing practice.

This is of course a good thing. Siles can observe some habits of the enlightener outside and learn some precautions.In the past, he never understood it, which is why he dared not show his identity as a revealer outside.

However, a problem brought about by this time of going out is that the current city of Ramifa is not peaceful.What if something unexpected happened while they were all out?

Siles' prudence made him decide to make some preparations in advance.

And among the few rituals he knew, the only one that could easily collect the time track was [Flowing Wind].He'd hoped to get a fragment of a shield from Captain Benyan, but he had no reason to ask Benyan, and he wasn't too embarrassed.

So, he decided to gather some leaves and give it a try.

[Flowing Wind] This ceremony is to reproduce the once harmless wind.Usually it's a light breeze, but it depends on how strong the wind was that the leaves encountered in the first place.

Siles took the potion with 1% purity, and the ritual lasted for 2 hours.He spent a lot of effort and tried different leaves - only a person like him who can see the blue light could make such an attempt.

He wanted to find a leaf that could create a strong wind.

When the other enlighteners were performing the ritual, their compatibility was not stable enough, with highs and lows.For example, in a ceremony like [Flowing Wind], the strength of the wind that reappears is different every time it is performed.

But Siles was different from them.He can stably output the same strength of wind, the only difference depends on the shape of the leaves in his hands.

So Siles, relying on his own (cheating) characteristics, tried to find a wind that fit his heart.

Finally, he chose one of them.It was a piece of tender green and vibrant leaves, the freshness of the color made one never imagine that it would fall off at this time.

And the result was similar - Siles fanned lightly in front of the leaves, and the next second, a violent gust of wind blew across the room, causing Siles to involuntarily narrow his eyes.

Such a strong wind is enough to blind the enemy without any precautions.

... Siles didn't think there was any problem with the sneak attack.A successful sneak attack is a successful attack, no question about that.

He carefully put this leaf into his pocket, thought for a while, and picked two other leaves from the pile of leaves—a leaf with a slightly medium strength, which can be used as an electric fan; and a stronger one, just in case one.

These three leaves—No. [-], No. [-], and No. [-] — are his self-defense items.

In fact, he also wants to buy some other self-defense items, such as knives and guns.Unfortunately, he still knows where to buy things like knives, but guns are really beyond his ability.

Even if he joined the Historical Society, he was not a member of an official violent institution that could use guns.

Therefore, he should use the small leaves to blow the wind.

After doing all this, Siles finally breathed a sigh of relief.

For tomorrow's trip, with Carol around, he is not worried about any major problems, but he still feels an indescribable premonition of danger.He knew it had something to do with his experience at the Ernestine Fair.

Underground of Xicheng