The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

Mrs. Langman's reaction made Siles realize that Alfonso Carlyle seemed to have a good reputation at the University of Ramifa, but it might not be positive.

Siles replied, "Before I started working, I rented a house in West City, and he is my neighbor. Mrs. Longman, what happened to Professor Carlyle?"

Mrs. Langman hesitated for a moment, and unconsciously rubbed her fingers on the table.Finally, she said: "His reputation...is not very good."

Siles waited quietly.He knew that since Mrs. Langman had already spoken, she would definitely explain it to him.

After a while, Mrs. Langman took a deep breath: "I don't want to arrange professors behind my back, but this matter is not up to me. You know, there are always some honorary professors in universities."

"I know. Professor Carlyle is such an emeritus professor."

"That's right." Speaking of this, Mrs. Langman looked around subconsciously, and then said in a low voice, "But his honorary professor source is not very 'famous'. If you want me to say it, he looks like a liar."

"……fraud?"

Siles was slightly taken aback.

"In these years, everyone knows that the fog in the land of no embers is slowly dissipating. However, there are still many places covered by fog." Mrs. Longman said, "About six or seven years ago, Alfonso Carlyle Take out something.

"He said it came from a tribal civilization in the Everlands that no one else had found. That's bizarre enough.

"Did anyone else find out that place existed besides himself? Is there any circumstantial evidence that the tribe he said existed? That was his family's claim, and he made his name out of it."

Siles suddenly realized.

According to Mrs. Langman, the reason why Alfonso Carlisle was able to become an honorary professor at La Mifa University was because he claimed to have discovered a tribal civilization in the Land of No Ashes.

But no one else could confirm his words.

Siles had never heard of this, so he couldn't help asking: "Then when he found that tribe, didn't he have any companions?"

"No." Mrs. Langman said, "I remember the newspaper said that he came back from the Land of Never Embers alone. He has been vague about what happened. This is why many people think he is a liar.

"At that time, an archaeological team went to the Land of No Embers to search for the ruins he mentioned, but they found nothing."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully.

At this time, another person walked in at the door of the library.He was wearing a brown-red top, and the shirt was so wide that it covered his knees like a long skirt.He wore pointed leather shoes and carried a dirty brown satchel.

This strange outfit made Siles notice Alfonso Carlyle at a glance.

Alfonso was followed by a short man.Wearing a more decent suit, he followed Alfonso quietly.

"Professor Noel!" Alfonso called him softly, "You came so early!"

Siles said goodbye to Mrs. Longman, and then went to Alfonso: "I don't want you to wait for me." He asked, "Is there any book you want here?"

"Oh, yes," said Alfonso, "then I'll go first."

Siles nodded, sat down on the sofa in the lobby on the first floor of the library, and watched Alfonso communicate with Mrs. Longman.Mrs. Longman did not show the attitude of suspecting that Alfonso was a liar, and looked for books for Alfonso in a businesslike manner.

Afterwards, Alfonso took the little man to the reading room on the first floor.

Siles was thinking about what Mrs. Longman said just now.

He could not say that there was no doubt.Alfonso Carlyle was eccentric, chatty, nervous, and always dressed like a madman.On the whole, though, Siles didn't think Alfonso was a bad guy.

He would not change his attitude towards Alfonso because of Mrs. Longman's statement, but he was indeed a little curious about Alfonso's past.

When Alfonso left the reading room and walked in front of Siles, Siles had already restrained his emotions and thoughts well.

"The book I'm looking for can only be read in the library, but I found a scribe." Alfonso said triumphantly, "Yes, what you want."

Alfonso took out a stack of crumpled papers from his satchel and said, "I have copied all the relevant information."

"Thank you." Sirius said sincerely.

"You're welcome, I'm honored," said Alfonso. "I got it from an old friend at the Folklore Society, and it didn't take much trouble. He's the Duchy of Kansas... oh, you know the Duchy of Kansas ?”

Siles paused: "I know. The old friend of the Folklore Society you are talking about is Mr. Emmanuel?"

Alfonso's eyes widened: "How do you know?!" He looked as if his whole body was shocked by Siles' words, looked at Siles nervously, and couldn't help but say, "Don't you Is it... a prophet?"

"... Prophet?" Siles was taken aback by this strange statement.

"Yes!" Alfonso murmured quickly, "Last time you knew in advance that the rally I went to was for the God's Birthday celebration in October... You actually have the blood of the prophet!"

He looked very excited, but his voice was involuntarily lowered, as if this matter was a big secret.

Siles couldn't help but ask Alfonso to sit down and calm down, and said: "The two things you said are just coincidences, and it doesn't mean that I am a prophet.

"The last time was because I heard about the Grand Duke's plan to develop the withered wasteland, and this time, because I heard about the existence of Mr. Emmanuel in advance and knew that he was from the Principality of Kansas, so I asked. I didn't expect that he happened to be Your friend."

"No no no no." Alfonso shook his head desperately, "You misunderstood."

Siles was taken aback.

Alfonso whispered and quickly said a series of words to Siles: "According to the definition of the tribe I found, the prophet is not inexplicably able to know the future, or speak prophecy, that is all mysterious side things.

"By prophet, I mean that every piece of information you've learned before might be useful at some point in the future. That's what a prophet is. It's no coincidence or anything—it's too much of a coincidence!

"You know the Grand Duke's plan, so you can know the purpose of the rally I participated in; you know the existence of Emmanuel, so you can only think of whether my friend is Emmanuel just now.

"It's like two black dots randomly drawn on white paper. When people fold the paper in half, these two seemingly unrelated black dots can overlap together.

"This is no coincidence! This is the power of the prophet!

"Oh, this is amazing. A coincidence of fate, destined to know in advance, destined to answer my question at this moment, destined to overlap two black dots... destined to let me, who knows the existence of the prophet, know your existence..."

Alfonso seems to have fallen into some kind of fantastic imagination.

He still called Siles "You", but the current address has changed much more than the polite and unfamiliar emotional color before.

Siles looked at Alfonso, and began to gravitate toward Mrs. Longman's statement—isn't Alfonso Carlyle really a lunatic?

He could actually understand what Alfonso said to a certain extent.

According to his description, the so-called "prophet" in his mouth is like a detective who has too much information and is very active in thinking.

Therefore, when encountering something, the detective can immediately review his own knowledge system and memory image to find a correct answer.

Because it is so fast and able to notice clues that others have not seen, this kind of magical reasoning is like a seer.

Of course, Siles is not that powerful, but the two examples Alfonso cited coincided by accident.

It was difficult for Siles to refute Alfonso's misunderstanding, because Alfonso was completely immersed in his own theory.

The prophet in his mouth is not mysterious, but according to him, it is a kind of "power of fate"... like a god?And he has some kind of subtle enthusiasm for the existence of this kind of prophet.

...the tribe he found.Siles suddenly noticed this.

This kind of prophetic statement came from the tribe he discovered.It seems that this tribe really exists, but, maybe it's because Alfonso has gone crazy because of the fog of the Everlands?

Siles remained silent, and Alfonso gradually calmed down.

He smiled a little embarrassedly and guiltily: "Sorry, I scared you." He stammered, "I, I'm sorry... I just, I've been looking for someone like this."

Siles nodded, without thinking about it, he just asked: "You said that such a prophet is not mysterious. So, in your opinion, what kind of power is that?"

"...Fate." Alfonso said in a low voice. "That's the power of fate."

"To me, that's just logical reasoning," Siles said.

The Grand Duke of Const wanted to develop the Land of Eternity, and the gathering that Alfonso went to was related to the celebration of the birthday of the gods in October, and it was related to some folk customs outside the Principality of Const.

The combination of these key words made Siles think whether their gathering might be due to the plan of the Grand Duke.

And Emanuel's matter is even simpler.He called Kellogg and Alfonso at the same time, and they also mentioned a folklorist from the Principality of Kansas in the Folklore Society.

It is impossible for there to be so many folklorists from the Principality of Kansas in Lamifa City, so of course Siles wondered if they turned to the same person for help.

This is the reasoning result based on association and logic, not the fate imagined by Alfonso, or the prophet.

Alfonso shook his head: "It's hard for you to understand this, I can understand. But I hope you don't waste such a talent."

Siles: "..."

He felt as if they were talking chicken and duck.

Alfonso seemed to be praising Siles's outstanding reasoning ability and quick thinking, but in fact he was not praising Siles' IQ, but seemed to be praising Siles'...spirituality.The spirituality in the running group setting.

Siles was speechless.

Finally, Siles thought, this is a world with gods.Therefore, the association of Alfonso cannot be wrong.After all, the power of the gods in this world does carry an unknowable meaning.

Siles thought for a while, then stopped entangled in this question, and asked instead: "You just said, the tribe you discovered?"

"Yes." Alfonso said first before explaining, "You don't have to call me 'you'."

Siles glanced at him and said, "You too."

Alfonso showed a subtle expression of resistance, as if he believed that Siles was a "prophet", to some extent, he had an inviolable respect and awe for Siles.

But he didn't refute this either.

He simply said, "Okay. I did discover a new, previously unnoticed, remains of a tribe of the Never Embered...."

He said.

"The relic?" Siles was slightly taken aback, "I thought it still existed."

Alfonso shook his head: "There are not many tribes that still exist in the Land of Ashes. They either cooperate and slowly assimilate with each other to form a large settlement; or they go to other countries and gradually become residents of the country. .

"Other than that, most of them have disappeared. Of course, we have no way of knowing whether there are some... creatures hidden in the mist."

He used the word biological.

Siles asked with great interest: "But there are still many ruins?"

"Yes." Alfonso nodded, "Fortunately, I found a brand new relic that hadn't been noticed. There I found a... broken parchment, which recorded some words related to fate , and, 'Prophet'."

"According to what you said, I thought such prophets were just smart people?"

"No," said Alfonso, "I can understand your . Your words……

"Can you imagine if something like this happened every moment, in your communication with anyone?"

"Every hour, everyone?" Siles asked word for word.

Alfonso looked into Siles' eyes and said: "Yes. Imagine that when anyone communicates with you, their questions, their thoughts, their topics, all in your life, your There are traces in your memory."

Siles was slightly taken aback: "That's...strange." He thought for a moment, "It's as if my fate accommodated theirs."

"That's right!" Alfonso became excited again and slapped his thigh hard. "That's how it is! You get it! So that's the Prophet! The Prophet's life includes other people's. destiny!

"Although that is not all, although it is impossible for the prophet to encounter other people's encounters, it is a kind of... conceptual tolerance. For example, I am an old friend with Emmanuel, although you have never met him, But you know his name!

"That's enough! This creates a trembling connection between you and him, like an invisible thread, connecting you and him like this! We are all puppets in a puppet show , and the Prophet is the one who manipulates the puppet strings!"

Siles felt a slight discomfort at what Alfonso said.

He thought for a moment, then asked, "What's the use of this?"

Alfonso was stunned: "What?"

"What I mean is, in actual real life, even if such a prophet as you said exists, what is the use of such an ability?" Siles asked very calmly, "Real life is not a script."

Alfonso froze, he looked at Siles blankly.

After a while, he said with difficulty: "It's just...just like this, concept. Don't you think such a concept is very fascinating?"

Siles thought for a while and said, "It's okay."

On the earth, the information explosion in the Internet age, he knows countless weird theories.Alfonso's description of the prophet is of course somewhat novel, but it is not likely to impress the earth novelist.

This thing has to do with imagination, not with prophets.

Alfonso swallowed, and after a moment said, "I see. I see. You are right."

Siles frowned, feeling that Alfonso seemed to have thought of something else.

Alfonso said slightly despondently: "It is impossible for us to manipulate other people's lives, or fate. This should not happen. However," he added, "I still believe that prophets exist."

Siles thought for a while and asked, "Is the prophet you are talking about a specific person, or a metaphysical concept?"

"It's a different phase," said Alfonso, who hesitated before finally saying, "On that parchment, the people of that tribe believed that such a man could be called a prophet, and with all that he included... ...the fate of others, the concept of others, more and more, he becomes...

"god."

Alfonso said softly, as if afraid to startle something.

Siles couldn't help being startled for a moment, and he subconsciously asked, "Is that God?"

A metaphysical concept...is that God?

"In their definition, yes," Alfonso said.

Siles was speechless for a moment, thinking to himself, can God be defined?

... Well, he is a person from the earth, how can he not let go of the human beings of this era?

Siles reflected silently, then shook his head: "Such a topic seems too far away from our lives."

"Yeah." Alfonso sighed, looking at Siles, his expression became calm and composed.

After a moment, he said, "But, Professor Noel, I mean it. Prophecy ... or, as you call it, logical reasoning, which is a gift, an ability. I hope you will Put it to good use."

Siles felt a little embarrassed in his heart, and finally, he nodded as coldly as possible and said, "I will."

He felt that Alfonso Carlyle, the crazy folklorist and enlightener, even though he looked normal on the surface, but in fact, his brain seemed to have been polluted by something....

Yep, like contamination from the old gods.

Siles kind of missed the rock in Mrs. Glenn's drawer.He really wanted to test Alfonso at this moment.

However, judging from Alfonso's current performance, he really doesn't know what god polluted him.

fate?

There doesn't seem to be any godly power associated with destiny.

Siles thought to himself.

Afterwards, their conversation turned to its original purpose, the wandering poets of the Sardinian Empire.

They chatted about a bunch of inconsequential things, only to realize that it wasn't what they were here for.Siles looked down at the stack of crumpled papers, and suddenly felt some curiosity in his heart.

He pondered for a moment, and then asked: "The reason why I know about Emmanuel's existence is because I have a student who is also from the Principality of Kansas. She said that she also asked Emmanuel for help, and then helped me find some wandering poets s work.

"Alfonso, didn't he tell you about this when you went to find Emmanuel?"

Alfonso froze for a moment, then shook his head: "I contacted him by letter, and he gave me a list of books, and then I went to the collection of the Folklore Society to copy some useful information, which is what I gave your these.

"I don't know anything about your students."

Siles nodded a little troubled.

Alfonso asked: "What do you plan to find Emmanuel?"

He sensed what Siles was thinking.

"Yes." Siles said, "I bought a travel book from the Land of Never Embers, which is in the language of the Principality of Kansas. I want to find a translator. Maybe there is a publisher who is willing to publish this travel book. "

"The Travel Notes of the Land of No Embers!" Alfonso was taken aback. "It is indeed a good material. When it was published, it happened to coincide with the plan of the Grand Duke. You might get a lot of money!"

He inadvertently used the title "you" again.

Siles maintained his composure and nodded: "I hope so too."

He doesn't necessarily need much wealth, and he won't obtain wealth through deception, but if he can get it, he certainly won't take the initiative to refuse it.This is a good quality that any earthling should have.

"You haven't contacted Emanuel yet, have you?" Alfonso asked.

"No." Siles shook his head, "I only found out about his existence yesterday."

Alfonso opened his mouth and seemed to want to talk about his "prophet" theory to Siles again, but he finally held back and just said to Siles: "Professor Noel, why don't we go to me now An old friend of mine. Are you free this afternoon?"

Siles was taken aback for a moment, and then said sincerely, "Of course I'm free. Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Alfonso briskly, "I think you are a friend worth keeping."

"You too," Sirius whispered.

They stood up.Alfonso went to the reading room and had a few words with the scribe, then came out and left the University of Ramifa with Siles.

Alfonso's tone was a little courteous: "The Folklore Society is not far from La Mifah University, and it takes about 10 minutes to walk there. What do you think of us walking there?"

"No problem," Sirius said.

They walked out of the school and headed west along Hayward Street.Alfonso said that you can go straight along this road to the Folklore Institute.

When passing by No. 6 Hayward Street, Siles asked Alfonso to wait, and then went upstairs to get the travel book of Land of Eternity, and then left with Alfonso.

On the way, Alfonso and Siles introduced his old friend in detail.

Alfonso has been to the Land of No Embers many times, and he and Emmanuel also met there.They explored many places in the Neverland together, and have always maintained a deep friendship.

Siles asked curiously: "Then, why did Mr. Emmanuel come to Constant?"

"Because the Principality of Kansas is a very chaotic place." Alfonso seemed to know something about the Principality of Kansas, so he explained, "There...is not very peaceful."

"war?"

"No, the domestic situation is not very good." Alfonso said, "You may know that Kansas City used to be a city with very prosperous business and trade, and it was also the commercial center of the Sardinian Empire."

"Yes, I understand. There used to be a huge gap between rich and poor in Kansas City."

"That's also the situation in the Principality of Kansas now. And people... Some people can't bear this situation to continue. Hundreds of years, thousands of years, and ten thousand years, wealth and power have always been concentrated in the hands of a few people, and the common people are just squeezed and raised by them. of...whatever."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully.

"However, it's just useless to resist. So they chose some more radical means, which is also understandable." Alfonso said more implicitly, "However, this also makes the internal situation of the Principality of Kansas It's getting more chaotic."

"Even so, will the Principality of Const cooperate with Kansas?"

Alfonso hesitated to speak, and finally said: "Even in chaos, wealth and power are still in the hands of the senior officials of the Principality of Kansas."

Siles was silent for a moment, then said, "They are still on a long road."

"Yes." Alfonso sighed, "If you can go to the Land of Never Embers, you will know how pleasant the days of peace are."

Siles shook his head and said, "Change in a solidified society is never easy."

The chaos in the Principality of Kansas is not the same as the chaos in the Never Embers.

Alfonso Carlyle looked at Celes unexpectedly, as if he wanted to say something, but at last he just said: "You are right."

They arrived at the Folklore Institute two and ten minutes later.

Compared with the Historical Society, the Folklore Society looks plain, low-key and refined, like a small building standing in a garden.

The surrounding is indeed very beautiful scenery.On the side is a city park, and further away, you can overlook the Kanla River that shuttles through the city of Ramifa.

Alfonso said: "This used to be the residence of the first president of the Folklore Society, and later he donated the villa as the office of the Folklore Society.

"When you and I first met, I was going out to attend a meeting of the Folklore Society. We often gathered together to discuss the culture and customs of different tribes, nationalities, and countries."

Siles nodded, thinking to himself, how many of the participants in the gathering that Alfonso mentioned were enlighteners?

But Alfonso's words brought a little association to Siles.It occurred to him that in Karakak's diary, the wandering poets of the Sardinian Empire claimed that they were destined to die in a foreign land.

It's like a peculiar custom.

Will Alfonso Carlyle hear of it?

They walked around the Folklore Institute, and it was almost two o'clock in the afternoon.

Siles thought for a while, and before they entered the Folklore Society, he asked: "Alfonso, when I was looking for wandering poets in the Sardinian Empire, I heard that there seemed to be dead people among the wandering poets. Traditions in a foreign land.

"Is there any other ethnic or tribal tradition like this?"

"Dead in a foreign land?" Alfonso looked a little surprised, "Did on the way of wandering?"

Watching his expression, Siles noticed that he seemed completely unaware of this, and did not realize that such a habit could be related to Lycardia.

Indeed, Lygardia is considered by people today to be a protector on journeys.Because it has disappeared since the Shadow Era, this god is rarely mentioned.

Alfonso thought for a while and replied, "I have never heard of this tradition." He said cautiously, "Maybe you can let me go back and look up the information. Die in a foreign land...well, there is a custom about death." Many, many."

With that said, they have already stepped into the Folklore Society.

Alfonso took the opportunity to say: "If I find anything, I will write to you. But it may take a long time."

"It's nothing." Sirius thanked him.

The building of the Folklore Society is a small three-story building. The interior decoration is gorgeous and heavy, full of a sense of time. Come to an exotic freshness.

Alfonso took Siles to an office on the second floor.

Siles wondered if the Revelator of the Folklore Society... would have a space behind the door, too?or something else?

It's a pity that he is not in the ceremony time now, otherwise we can observe how many enlighteners there are in the Folklore Society.However, he was sure that Alfonso beside him must be the enlightener.

...But yes, this folklorist who can explore the tribal ruins alone in the land of no embers, if he doesn't have a certain amount of strength, he probably won't be able to return to the Principality of Constance smoothly.

He thought so, and after the office door opened, he saw Emmanuel.

Emmanuel is a middle-aged man in his 40s, with a weather-beaten face, alert and sharp.He also has long black hair, braided.So does Kellogg, which seems to be a custom in the Principality of Kansas.

He first saw Alfonso, greeted him warmly, and then looked at Siles.

"This is Professor Siles Noel, who works at the University of Ramifa." Alfonso said, fortunately, he did not mention Siles' "prophet" ability insanely.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Emmanuel." Siles said, "I heard about your existence from my student, Kellogg."

"Good afternoon, Professor Noel." Emmanuel said sharply, "It seems that you are the professor who asked me about the wandering poets of the Sardinian Empire through Kellogg and Alfonso?"

"Yes, it's quite a coincidence." Siles replied.

The three of them sat on the sofa in the office.On the side of the sofa, there is a display cabinet. Siles saw many exquisite and simple objects in the display cabinet.He thought, how much of it is time track?

I'm afraid there are quite a few.

Emmanuel took the initiative to ask: "Are you here because there are any problems in the information I provided?"

"No, not really," said Siles. "I am very grateful for your help. This time I am here for another matter."

Emanuel watched him troubled, with a touch of natural suspicion in his eyes.

Siles took out the travel journal with a parchment cover from his bag.He said: "This is a travel book written by an explorer from Kansas, the land of no embers. I came to you to ask, would you like to be the translator of this travel book?"

Emmanuel looked critically at the travel book, and then at Alfonso. It seemed that he took the travel book for Alfonso's sake.He opened it casually and looked at it. After a while, his expression suddenly changed, from the original indifference to the extra focus.

At the right time, Siles asked, "Any questions?"

Emmanuel hesitated for a moment, then asked: "Where did you get this travel book, Professor Noel?"

Siles couldn't help being startled, thinking, why both Kellogg and Emmanuel showed such... strange expressions after reading the contents of this travel book.

Is the content of this travel note really so great?

Siles then said, "I don't know if you've heard of that name from a merchant in the Neverland, Jerome Langmere."

Emanuel shook his head.He pondered for a moment and said, "I can translate this travelogue. It may take a long time. I will try my best to deliver the manuscript to you before the birthday of God. But..."

"Please speak."

Emmanuel hesitated to speak.After reading that travel note, his attitude changed drastically.

Siles was a little troubled by this, he asked: "Why do you...?"

"Hesitating?" Emmanuel sighed. He shook his head and said to Alfonso, "Old friend, do you still remember Isherwood?"

Seeing that their conversations had changed, Sirius remained silent.

Alfonso said in surprise, "Isherwood? You mean, your missing..."

"Yes, my brother. He is an archaeologist." Emanuel smiled wryly, "In this travelogue, there are... some... clues."

"Where is Isherwood?"

"No, it's not." Emmanuel shook his head. "You know, before Isherwood disappeared, he told me that he found a clue about a... place, so he decided to look for it. Then, he Never came back."

Alfonso frowned: "Is there something related in this travel book?"

"Related... rumors," Emmanuel said, considering, "Cities that don't exist. Alfonso, you know this."

"...that legend?" Alfonso seemed lost in thought.

Emanuel nodded, then fell silent.

Siles looked at them and asked tentatively, "Excuse me, what is a city that doesn't exist?"

Alfonso came back to his senses. He was silent for a moment, and then said: "That's right. Siles—permit me to call you that."

Siles nodded.

Alfonso continued: "There are a lot of legends in the Everlands... well, you should be able to guess this. And one of the most famous legends is that there is a city on the map of the Neverembers that doesn't exist. "

Silas was still a little confused.

Alfonso said: "You may not know that there is actually no one that is recognized as completely correct among the existing maps of Neverland. Everyone insists on their own opinions and thinks that the one they bought is the most correct."

Siles nodded slowly as he thought of some conversations he had heard in the Mapa map store.

The major countries in Fisher's world probably hold the most authoritative map of Everland, but it is impossible to share it, and it is even less likely to be obtained by merchants and explorers of Neverember.

Therefore, these people who are going to the Land of No Ashes can only buy and find maps from various channels.Those maps may or may not be true, but at least they can provide some information about the Never Emberlands.

"A long time ago, these maps were all hand-drawn. And people usually think that the maps that everyone mastered at the beginning were similar. A map maker."

Alfonso paused here.

Then he said: "It is believed that this map maker's map has made an error, and this error has persisted until now, and no one has been able to know where the error exists on the complex map.

"There are only sporadic legends that someone discovered the existence of this error, and in that wrong place that did not correspond to the map at all, found a city that did not exist on the map.

"So 'non-existent city' doesn't mean that it doesn't really exist, or that it's transparent or invisible. It means that it doesn't exist on the map.

"And there are countless treasures, wealth and power in that city. As long as someone can find the problem in the map, then he can get