The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

The moment Siles left the Historical Society, he suddenly remembered that this was the first day of September.

Wednesday.After the meeting with Grenfell in the morning, Siles had nothing to do.So he decided to go back to Ramifah University.He had lunch in the cafeteria of La Mifa University, and then went back to the dormitory to take a nap.

... If I really wake up on time at four o'clock in the morning every day in the future, then this habit of taking a nap may be retained.

Siles was awakened by a knock on the door downstairs.He went downstairs to open the door and took a letter from the postman.It was Alfonso Carlyle writing him.

Siles temporarily put the letter on the desk, took out the box Grenfell gave him and the potions from his bag, then went to the bathroom to wash his face, feeling himself awake, Then he sat down at the desk, and first slowly opened the envelope.

There is a stack of papers inside, not a piece of letter paper that Siles imagined.

He was a little startled, put on his glasses, found the letter paper, and started to read it.

"... More than half a month ago, you asked me about the custom of 'death in a foreign land', and finally, I found a related description in a book called "The Stranded Death Whale".

"This book is about some unique marine life, and it talks about the process of whale fall. I think you should have heard of it.

"But the point is not the whale fall, but the fact that the book mentions an ancient tribal group. They would follow this practice in the early days. The old people who are about to die will leave the tribe silently, die alone in the wild, and feed themselves back to nature.

"In the long history, this practice has gradually become that anyone in this tribe who leaves the ethnic group will choose to die in a foreign land. It is not that they will not return home, but they will not choose to return to their roots when they are about to die.

"Perhaps that's what you want to know, the practice of 'destined to die in a foreign land'.

"This book only mentioned the existence of this tribe, and did not mention any more relevant news. However, this practice of the old man leaving silently when he is about to die is not uncommon in some ancient tribes in the Faith Period and the Empire Period .

"So, pardon my incompetence. I'm afraid that's the only relevant piece of information I can find.

"...

"...Another reason for writing to you is that Emmanuel contacted me a few days ago, and he said that he had translated the first third of the travel book.

"But he doesn't know your address, so I'll pass it on to you. Of course, I've written back to tell him your address, and he should write a letter himself and send the translation to you.

"About his state of mind, and the matter of Isherwood... I really want to sigh. It is difficult for me to stop him. He seems to intend to leave the Principality of Const and go to the Land of No Embers after the translation is completed.

"But... I really don't know what to say. I don't seem to have any position to stop him, and I also feel ashamed of those dead companions. This matter may be a deadlock between us.

"...He said that he would die in the land of no embers, and he would rather repay his life to those companions who died because of him. Such a statement shocked my heart, and reminded me of the years I spent in the Principality of Constance ... enjoying fame and fortune.

"The companions who discovered the tribe's ruins with me died in a foreign land that no one knew about. And I even used this incident to seek fame and interests for myself...

"Siles, I feel a heavy guilt and anxiety. At the same time, I deeply feel that Emanuel should not go to the Land of Ashes, and should not continue to look for his damned brother.

"Cities that don't exist. Since they don't exist anymore, why can't they 'not exist' forever...

"...

"...you may think I'm going crazy. Yes. I've written to Emmanuel numerous times over the past fortnight.

"He was obsessively and frantically translating that travel note (I don't mean to blame you), and at the same time, he was also obsessively and frantically wanting to go to the Land of Embers. And I was about to be mad at him.

"After the translation is completed, if I disappear with him, then please don't be surprised. We must have gone to the Land of No Embers, and it must be to find that damned Isherwood, to... Our companions die together."

Siles' eyes were fixed on the last line of Alfonso's letter.

He closed his eyes, and wanted to write a letter to comfort Alfonso and Emanuel, but in the end, he felt very powerless.

They seem to have made up their minds, and it doesn't seem like a good choice for Siles to dissuade or let him go.

Things happened in the distant past, and, in the long years, new bitterness and pain were brewing.Siles is just a bystander in their lives.

He had witnessed the secret, kept the secret, but could not do anything, reaching out to help his friends.

……No.He felt there was always a way.He couldn't really be powerless and let it go.Siles took a deep breath, thinking so.

"City That Doesn't Exist".

Isherwood disappeared to find this place.Emmanuel and Alfonso's companions also died in a dangerous tribal relic while searching for this place.

Siles believed that there were many more people who fell into a tragic and hopeless fate because of this location.

If he wants to untie this knot, then he has to try to find this place, try to find the truth of this place.

To be honest, he didn't know if he could do it, he even felt like Alfonso had fallen into that delusional fantasy; but at least it was a way, a way .

He thought, what would be the relevant information about non-existent cities in this travel book?

Siles thought for a moment, then temporarily put Alfonso's letter aside.

Aside from the matter of Never Embers, the book "The Stranded Whale of Death" mentioned in Alfonso's letter also made Siles secretly pay attention.

An ancient tribe with mysterious customs.he couldn't help thinking.Is this the tribe once protected by Lygardia?Is it the origin of those wandering poets of the Silence Period?

He is so skeptical, but so far has not been able to draw a conclusion.

... He felt that his thesis was really off the mark.It's not that his topic selection and the content of the thesis were off track, but that in the process of collecting materials for the thesis, he learned too much information that was not so relevant to the works of wandering poets.

And it was precisely this information—the information related to Lygardia, the ancient tribe, that made him very interesting.

Siles wrote this down in his notebook, and then looked at the other papers.According to Alfonso, those should be the translations of the first third of the travel notes sent by Emmanuel.

Siles took out one and read it.

"...

"Third year into the Everlands. August 8th.

"Meet a queer man at Bevin's Inn in Gladstone. He seems to have some feathers on his brow. People say he's a half-breed of man and bird. But I think he's just tainted.

"Before I entered the Land of Embers, I never would have imagined that this kind of pollution would directly mutate a person's body.

"Sometimes when I fell asleep in the middle of the night, I felt itchy all over my body. I knew that it might just be a bug biting me, but when I was half asleep and half awake, I couldn't help thinking, wouldn't I also have to mutate?

"..."

Siles just looked at it casually, and couldn't help but stare at the words on the paper in shock.

Will the pollution of the old gods cause the mutation of the human body? !

This doesn't seem to be unimaginable, but the previous Siles had no contact with this aspect at all, which caught him off guard now.

No wonder everyone said the Everlands were a crazier place, he thought.

...But why has no one ever said that such a mutation exists in the Everlands?

He thought for a moment, and slowly understood one thing.

Even in the Never Emberlands, this kind of mutation should be very rare.People may have gotten crazier, but physical mutations weren't all that common either.

This made Silas slightly relieved.

Looking at the stack of translations, he hesitated for a while.He felt that these words might completely change his impression of the Everland.

He sorted it out.

There are a total of ten sheets of paper for the translation, about the size of letter paper, folded in half, and filled with two pages.This is the content of the first third of the entire travel note, and if calculated in this way, the entire travel note is not too much.

Emanuel's handwriting is a little scribbled.I don't know if he was awakened when he was translating, the memory of exploring and wandering in the land of no embers?

Siles thought, and then slowly read through the ten translations with a feeling of anxiety and anticipation.When he finished reading, there was already a misty night outside the window.

He felt that he had been holding his breath, and he didn't really relax until he had finished reading it all.

Holding a feeling of not knowing whether to be regretful or grateful, Sirius realized that his imagination of the Land of Never Embers, at least in some places, was real.And the land of no embers was not as chaotic and crazy as he imagined.

On the whole, the Emberlands—or should I say, those withered wastelands that have not been shrouded in mist—are a large piece of empty, flat, and barren land.

Some land has been developed and connected by several railways.Most of that is land close to neighboring countries.These countries have not claimed territorial rights to these lands, but they are quietly seizing and developing them.

In the travel notes, Siles saw many texts mentioning the explorer's experience of traveling to different lands by train.

The outskirts of this Blighted Waste, near known countries, are collectively known as Galsworth.Galsworth is a safer and more prosperous place for revelators and even ordinary people.

A little further in Galsworth, the place is called Gladstone.

Gladstone is the largest area in the entire Blight.This is undeveloped land, and it has been a while since the fog dissipated, so overall, it is relatively safe.

Here is the gathering place of explorers, merchants, tribes, and the end of all train lines.

Galsworth still has small cities founded by some nations.Gladstone explorers occasionally return to Galsworth to relax.But Gladstone has no cities, only posthouses, villages, tribes, and wandering bands of wanderers.

There are still many unexplored lands and even ruins in Gladstone.In the travel notes, the explorer once imagined how great it would be if he could also discover a tribal relic.

……Yes.To Siles' surprise, Alfonso Carlisle seemed to have quite a reputation among explorers of the Never Embers.The main reason is probably because he discovered the ruins of a tribe in Gladstone.

Gladstone is so vast that it doesn't even have a border by popular definition.

According to the travel notes, the fog sometimes changes, it may expand, or it may shrink; sometimes, there will be some "things" running out of the fog, which will cause that area to become a dangerous area.

The Danger Zone, that's what people usually call the area beyond Gladstone, closer to the mist.More formally, people would say it was Gainsted.

Gainsted is not shrouded in fog, which is very important.So the danger here doesn't actually come from the fog.

Gainesd is the land where the mists have just lifted.There may still be some very dangerous mutants, some crazy, mutant humans, and some weird, scary tribes.

In any case, Gainested's "stuff" is very xenophobic and offensive.

In his travelogue, the explorer records a conversation he had with an explorer who ventured deeper into Gainesd.They met at Gladstone, and when he saw the explorer, he was blind in one eye and limping.

The other party claimed that when they entered Gainesdale, there were 25 people in their party, but only three people managed to leave in the end.And although he is now physically handicapped, he still has the ability to move.

His other companion was not so lucky.Although the man is still alive, his legs are disabled and he cannot walk normally.

What about another one?explorer asked.

The man faltered a bit, but finally replied that the last survivor was intact.Thanks to him, the two of them were able to leave Gainesde alive.

So what happened to you?The explorer asked again.

What follows is the longest narrative among the ten translations.It is estimated that the other party was talking while the explorer was recording.

"(The following is the full description of the explorer encountered by chance.)

"...

"When we entered Gainested, we divided into three teams and set off alternately to explore the way. After the first team arrived at our target location, they stopped there, waiting for the second team to follow.

"Then the second team kept going. When the second team stopped, the third team followed and continued to move forward. When the third team stopped, the first team followed and moved forward. Walk.

"We chose such a formation. It's enough to be cautious, right? In the end, it's damn! With this method, we haven't walked a few rounds, and the front team disappeared inexplicably.

"The three of us who survived are very lucky. But we are... let's say the team that disappeared in the front is the first team, and we are the third team.

"After the first team disappeared, we immediately decided to return. Also alternately.

"And then...at that time...

"(The explorer swallows.)

"We saw holes in the ground.

"(Then he was reluctant to speak. I begged him for a long time before he was willing to open his mouth and continue.)

"Well... well... I'm saying this to advise you, don't go to that damned Gainesd. That's not where we should be. Gladstone is enough for us to explore. Don't mess with those... …disgusting, weird guy.

"I was lucky enough to meet a powerful explorer, and then escaped, still alive. But...but...others may not have such good luck.

"...In short, there are .

"They... probably had no escape because of the fog, so they finally chose to go underground. They dug a hole in the ground and used various means to escape the fog.

"... Now, although the fog has dissipated, they are used to living underground. Any creature that breaks into their territory... the land above their heads will be considered an enemy by them.

"It's like an ant nest. It's like...an ant nest in the ground."

When he saw this, Sirius felt a slight shock in his heart.Another "ant's nest" metaphor.He knew it should be just a coincidence, but he had to feel unspeakable emotions because of such a coincidence.

Under the mist, human beings are really like ants, powerless to parry.

Siles was silent for a long time before continuing to look back.After this conversation, the owner of the travel notes spent a certain amount of time analyzing what this person said and the information revealed in his words.

And from this analysis, Siles can see that the danger of Gaines is not limited to those underground creatures.All kinds of outlandish things may appear in Gaines.

In addition, the dividing line between Gainstead and Gladstone is not so clear, and it is often spread by word of mouth.

There are no instant messaging tools in this era, so every time an explorer arrives at a station or village, he must try to get information from other people, such as whether there have been recent changes or expansions in Gainesd.

An unlucky explorer who does not have access to real-time updates risks getting lost in Gainesd.This uncertainty greatly increases the risk of exploring in the Neverlands.

Of course, for some powerful explorers, these are nothing.

The owner of the travel notes mentioned some famous and powerful explorers, some of them traveled in groups, and some fought alone.But without exception, they all have all kinds of strange means.

Siles guessed that they should all be revelators.But it doesn't rule out that rich people send teams with firepower weapons to look for business opportunities in the land of no embers.

An explorer was specifically mentioned in the travel notes. His unparalleled strength and arrogant style made him have a mixed reputation in the land of no embers, but no one can deny his strength and his unstable , Insolent character.

The combination of these two makes people respect and fear this explorer.Most people respect it.

And he is a lone traveler who is unwilling to join any expedition group, fights alone, enters and exits countless dangerous areas, but remains intact.

Based on these descriptions, as well as the fear and admiration shown by the owner of the travel notes for this explorer, Sirius couldn't help but feel a little curious about him.

To be honest, he hadn't really appreciated the powerhouses in this world.It sounds like it belongs more to a chaotic place like Land of No Embers, and like Ramifa City, those battles took place in the dark.

Siles slowly breathed a sigh of relief, and then tidied up the ten translations.

He intends to find a time to find a scribe, and ask him to re-transcribe these words translated by Emmanuel and the first half of his own novel, and then he will send them to the merchant Langmeer.

In the letter, he would mention the publication of travel notes, and that he was also writing a novel, and asked Langmeer to help introduce a publisher.

He didn't hold out much hope for the publication of the novel, but there was no problem in trying.If that doesn't work, then he'll simply put the matter aside, or try to find a publisher from other sources.

He has too many things to do now.Moreover, he started writing to try to develop a side job, but he is not short of money now, so the side job can be postponed for a while.

Siles took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose subconsciously.

An afternoon of reading and accepting new information made his brain a little tired.He stood up and looked out the window at the slightly drowsy sky.He cleaned up the desk first, then went out to the cafeteria for dinner.

When returning to the dormitory, he happened to meet Lorenzo.

Lorenzo's mental state seemed to be much better, and he went to say hello to Siles in good spirits: "Good evening, my roommate!"

"Good evening," said Siles.

Lorenzo said, "You just came back from the cafeteria? How's the menu today?"

"Same as usual," said Siles.

School canteens are always like this, neither good nor bad, cheap and affordable but easy to get tired of.

"Oh, I knew it," Lorenzo said. "My dear roommate, don't you really want to go out and taste some fresh food with me?"

Siles looked at him suspiciously.

Lorenzo shrugged, and then said with some embarrassment: "Well, I actually don't have much money."

Siles couldn't help frowning: "I remember that the salary was just paid a few days ago."

"Yes, but I went to try some new things." Lorenzo said, "Did you know that a new food town has been developed in the southern suburbs recently? It's really amazing."

"Gourmet town?" Siles couldn't help being startled.

On Earth, such a place would be unremarkable; but in Fisher's world, this was the first time he had heard of the existence of such a place.

"Yes. I stayed there for two days, and I feel that my tongue is not used to the bland taste of the cafeteria." Lorenzo showed a memorable expression, "I really thank Grayson Foods for proposing this business plan."

"... Grayson?" Siles asked subconsciously.

"Yeah," Lorenzo said, "I saw the ad in the paper. Remember my habit of reading the paper? It was Grayson who started this wonderful food town, and then got a lot of restaurants in the city. welcome.

"They completed the project together in the southern suburbs. There are also a lot of food from the land of no embers. If you want me to say, I can stay there for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, after a weekend, I have to come back to work .”

In his statement, Siles also felt a trace of curiosity.He didn't like many foods in Ramifa City, especially those dry breads and weird thick soups.

Therefore, if there are some fresh delicacies in the southern suburbs, then Siles is also willing to try them.

...but only when he has time.It was a long way to run from La Mifah University in the northeast corner of La Mifah City to the southern suburbs, and he had to spare at least a whole day for it.

And Lorenzo's statement finally made Siles understand why Grayson Foods' earnings are so good.With the development of West City alone, Siles doesn't think that Grayson can make such a good profit in a short period of time.

Siles said, "If I have time, I will go."

Lorenzo also nodded, and was about to leave when he stopped suddenly: "By the way, I remembered something and forgot to tell you."

"what?"

"Do you remember the doll set in your room? I just remembered it today, so I asked Professor Dunlop." Lorenzo said, "He said it was from...uh..."

Lorenzo thought about it carefully, and then said: "The culture of a country called Dormaine, which was a country in the Imperial Age, has long since disappeared, but this kind of puppet has remained.

"In short, a set of six puppets is a repertoire. It is said that a good craftsman can control six puppets at the same time and present a performance for the audience.

"It seems to be more popular in the land of no embers now, and I haven't seen it much in the Principality of Const. Where did you buy that set of dolls?"

Siles replied: "An underground fair. Five dukes."

"Oh." Lorenzo cast a sympathetic look, "You must have been cheated, how could such a puppet charge such a high price."

Siles also had such a premonition in his heart, but he didn't really care about it.That set of dolls could trigger a roll of the dice, which was enough for Siles to buy it.

On the surface, he just nodded as if nothing had happened, thinking in his heart, Dormaine.He seemed to have heard the name of this country somewhere.

As he said goodbye to Lorenzo, went upstairs, and was taking a bath, he was suddenly inspired by the mist from the hot water—Dormaine.This is the former kingdom of Akamala.

On Monday, he looked up the exact time of Akamala's fall in the library, and indeed found it in a historical monograph.

And that historical monograph also mentioned some other things about Akamala, including the country that was blessed by him and liked to study how to dream.It's just that Siles flipped through it at the time and was not impressed.

The name of that country is Dormaine.

...and the six sets of puppet plays were handed down from Dormaine?

The warm water flowed over Sirius' shoulders, but he felt a chill down his back.He thought of the puppet standing on the surface of the sea in the deep sea dream, and after a long time, he exhaled slowly.

From a certain angle, his connection with Akamala seems to be getting deeper and deeper invisibly.Siles didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

However, at least he had never heard of Akamala's followers being active in Ramifa City.

Siles hurriedly took a shower, put on his pajamas and went to the study, staring down at the puppets on the windowsill.The small potted green plant was placed aside, and Siles replaced it with the ugly pottery pot given by Anthony Finn, and it seemed to be growing well.

Siles couldn't see what was wrong.In the end, he could only shake his head, and put this thing here for the time being, just like the necklace left by Professor Kabell, maintaining a cold treatment.

After he sat back at the desk, he opened the box that Grenfell gave him.

Siles thought about what would be in the box.

Grenfell said that it was a time rail that could protect him, but what could be contained in such a hand-long box made Sirius very curious.

When he actually opened the box, Sirius couldn't help but slightly opened his eyes.

Inside the box was a small black cloth umbrella.Siles took it out of the box and found that the umbrella could even be opened.But the opened umbrella can only block one of Siles' hands at most.It would be just right for those palm-sized dolls.

The whole umbrella appeared to be very strong, and the handle and ribs were made of a light and strong metal that Sirius had never seen before.The whole umbrella looks small and exquisite, like a delicate work of art.

However, this shape reminded Sirius of a certain god.

He found the instructions that Grenfell had written in advance from the bottom of the box.

"This ceremony is called [Warrior's Black Umbrella].

"The god of warriors and pirates, the umbrella of war and conquest, Amois. He is the backing of all warriors. Many people think that Amoise symbolizes the indomitable fighting spirit and brave and fearless fighting qualities.

"However, His title contains the meaning of 'protection'. Therefore, a considerable number of His patrons act as the side guards of the forward fighters, which are their shields.

"This umbrella is also derived from biophotographing technology. In a rain battle, a follower of Amois opened his umbrella and stood in front of his companions. His umbrella won a section for his companions. safe time.

"Therefore, the way to use this umbrella is to open it to block the attacks around it. If it is rainy or in a watery environment, it can provide stronger protection.

"Its weakness is that it has poor physical attack resistance; when carrying it daily, be careful not to scratch the cloth surface of the umbrella.

"Try to use potions with a purity of 5% and 10%. This believer's belief is very pious, so when reproducing his power, if the potion used is too pure, it is likely to be assimilated by his belief , become a fighting maniac.

"...Of course, Sirius, I hope you never use this track."

Seeing the last sentence, Siles was slightly taken aback, and couldn't help feeling a slight sigh.

It took him a moment to restrain his emotions, and then he thought about the information brought by Grenfell's explanation.

First of all, the defense ability of this umbrella is definitely better than Bunyan's shield fragments, especially in defending against the attacks of the Apocalypse. After all, Captain Bunyan is not the Apocalypse.

However, the physical defense ability is weak.How weak is it?Is it better than Bunyan's shield fragment, or is it worse?Siles felt that he might need an experiment.

If both have their own strengths, then Siles may have to carry both of them with him.

Secondly, Grenfell said that if a higher purity potion is used, it is likely to be assimilated by that believer's belief.

Siles had never heard such a statement before.

Reappearance, reappearance... Does it mean not only reappearing the power in the past history, but also reappearing the... person?

This made Siles suddenly feel a subtle unease.

He knew where the anxiety was coming from.It comes from the pervasive pollution of the old gods, from the endless followers of the old gods and the out-of-control time track, from... "containers".

After Brewer Darrow's death, Carol used the [Words of the Dead] ritual to let Brewer tell the intentions of those behind the scenes—they tried to find a container to revive the old gods.

What is a container?Why can containers revive the old gods?

Neither Siles nor Carol understood this at the time.However, now Siles accidentally found some inspiration from Grenfell's description.

He might be able to ask Grenfell... but that would have to wait until next Wednesday.His mysterious teacher has not given him a mailing address so far, maybe he can go to the antique bookstore in the west city to find him...

No, not right.Brewer's matter has nothing to do with Grenfell, and Grenfell doesn't understand the cause and effect.Siles thought.He should have spoken to Carol directly about it.

And this Saturday, he might be able to find Carol at the Historical Society.During the last Dawn Apocalypse meeting, the Cavaliers once said that they would hold a meeting at the salon every Saturday afternoon.

So this Saturday, try to hint it to Carol.

After making up his mind, Siles turned his attention to the black umbrella.

He carefully poured out a little potion, 5% purity, which can last for about an hour.Then he drank it.After thinking for a while, he took out the fragments of Knight Commander Bunyan's shield from his bag.He wanted to test the two time tracks together.

He tries separately.The blue light provided him with more accurate information.

After a while, Siles got the answer he wanted: the two time tracks really have their own advantages.

Knight Commander Bunyan is probably already the strongest among ordinary humans.His shield fragments were under the 5% purity potion, which brought Sirius a surprising defense ability, especially physical defense.

Siles tried to throw a knife at him from the opposite direction, but the knife was thrown out directly, even the blade was curled.Siles didn't use much effort at all, but he got this result, which shocked him greatly.

He didn't know whether it was because the material of the decoration was extremely special, or because the 5% pure potion and the strength of Knight Commander Banyan had caused a qualitative change in the defense of the shield fragments.

In addition, this shield fragment is the eye pattern decoration on the original shield. In other words, when facing this metal product, most people will not immediately think that it is a shield, which greatly enhances the error tolerance rate of Siles in battle. .

And that black umbrella also surprised Sirius.

First of all, the range of defense is larger than that of shields.The shield is square after all, but the canopy is round.The small black umbrella was stretched open, and the defense surface finally formed by the blue light was a hemisphere surrounding the front of Siles.

Secondly, perhaps because of the cloth surface, the defense of the black umbrella is softer.If it's a weapon or attack coming from a distance, then this umbrella can provide a stronger buffer than the shield, so that Sirius won't be knocked down directly.

In the end, Siles also tried Grenfell's statement that the defense ability under water conditions is stronger - and then he found that it was not a little bit stronger.

It was just a faint layer of blue radiance at first, but after Siles sprinkled a little water on the surface of the black umbrella, the blue radiance suddenly became more intense. In the end, it almost formed a solid blue protective layer, allowing the Siles was particularly amazed.

He thought, do we have to carry a bottle of water with us in the future?

He felt he might need to buy a new backpack... a happy annoyance.

The only weakness of the black umbrella is its weak physical defense.In the test of Siles, with the same knife and the same strength, the shield fragments can directly bounce the knife back, but