The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

"Good morning, Professor."

The two apprentices walked into Siles' office together.

"Good morning." Siles sat them down on the sofa and handed them a reading list. "Second reading list. There are still seven weeks until the end of the semester."

Jules took it, then looked down nervously.

Dorothea looked much more relaxed, and after a couple of glances, she boldly asked, "Professor, we're going to decide on the topic of our thesis today, aren't we?"

Siles nodded and said, "Yes. But first, let's discuss the last few questions of the first book list."

Both Jules and Dorothea nodded.Half of the two hours were spent in such a discussion.At nearly eleven o'clock, Siles turned the conversation to their paper.

Dorothea was more proactive, so Siles started with her paper.He asked, "Do you have any thoughts of your own?"

"I have thought about some of the questions you raised before." Dorothea said, "I still want to study the changes in the style of Atkinya's hymns.

"But I want to focus on a specific period of time and a specific country, not just taking the fall of Atkinya as the only element and research object, but also exploring changes in society, economy, and cultural customs.

"These can be felt from the changes in the style of hymns, the changes of the times."

Siles nodded and said, "This may require collecting a lot of information."

In a way, Dorothea's essay is somewhat similar to Siles's essay on the wandering poet.They all want to place a certain group of people in a specific era for research.

From this point of view, Dorothea can be said to have perfectly inherited the philosophy of Siles.

"I know, Professor," said Dorothea confidently. "I can do it."

Siles nodded, and didn't comment on Dorothea's self-confidence.He knew that Dorothea was the revealer, and judging from the ideas of her grandfather she brought back one after another, she might also be a staid and long-established family behind her.

But Siles still said: "If you need anything, you can come to me."

Dorothea said seriously, "I will."

Then there's Jules.Jules was a hard-working student with a rigid and overly withdrawn personality.But Siles admired his true, stubborn nature.

Jules said: "I intend to study and compare the different situations in which the topic of 'children's education' has evolved in literature before and after the emergence of Antinam."

"Education?" Siles was slightly taken aback.

"Yes." Jules smiled a little shyly and nervously, "Perhaps you don't know, I am not a native of Lamifa City. I come from a city near the Land of Eternity in the Principality of Const, Mal Ci.

"Malts is not as prosperous as Ramifa City, but we also enjoy good educational resources. According to some older people, we have never enjoyed such a good educational environment and atmosphere in the Silent Era.

"My parents, and other parents in the mist, they would take the initiative to send their children to school, so that future generations can receive education; but earlier, this was not the case."

Dorothea didn't know what to think of, a gloomy expression appeared on her face, and she said: "Yes. You should see that I come from an ancient noble family.

"In my family, until one or two hundred years ago, there were still some traditions of tutors and internal education, especially for women. If it wasn't because my grandpa was an enlightened person...

"Professor, you may feel that my grandfather is a rigid and mean old man because of the remote communication with him, but he is already enlightened enough in our family, at least he is willing to let me study at the University of Ramifa.

"If it wasn't for him, then I might just become a pawn in the family's marriage. In the future, I will marry a noble old man or a fool I don't know. I will spend my whole life talking with other noble ladies about makeup, gardens, servants, and lovers. I will never be able to get married. Get out of this circle."

Young Dorothea Grant had an angry look on her face.

She was suddenly aroused by the resentment in Jules' words.I'm afraid that what happened not long ago made her emotions explode in an instant.

Jules looked at her in bewilderment.

And Siles said, "Now you have escaped such a fate."

Blood slowly appeared on Dorothea's pale face.After a while, she said in a stiff tone, "I'm sorry." Then she slowly softened, "I understand what you mean, and I appreciate you very much. Jules, you too."

Jules' face turned red all of a sudden, and he stammered, "Uh, uh...you will...will live the life you want in the future. I believe it."

Dorothea gave a forced laugh.

After a while, Jules continued: "Professor, in the first book list you gave me, there is a book that inspired me a lot."

Siles thought for a while and said, "From Home Library to Public Library?"

It is actually a historical book about the changes in the library from the Age of Silence to the Age of Mist. The reason why it appears on Jules's book list is because the Church of the Past, which believes in Antinam, is precisely promoting the city's public books. Museum supporters.

Siles secretly believes that the reason why the church of the past did this is to let those ancient books that are polluted by the old gods or other dangers go from the private collection of the family to the public city library, so that the old books can be released. The church checks out some risks.

But objectively, the church of the past did promote this matter, and Antinam's attitude was obviously supportive.To a certain extent, this has developed the people's ability in reading, knowledge and education.This is the simplest form of public basic education.

This is a way to understand Antinam's attitude towards books, especially literature, from one side. However, Siles did not expect that Jules would think of family and children's education because of this book.

Siles appreciated the subject and said, "It seems you've found the specific piece?"

Since it is necessary to compare the development of concepts from the Silence Period to the Mist Period, it is necessary to connect the context from the exact works, just as Siles also hoped that he could select a specific poet among the wandering poets.

Jules nodded quickly, and said the three books he had chosen.Siles nodded after listening, and said, "They are all well-known novels, but no one has ever studied them from this angle."

He appreciated the choice of topics for the thesis of the two apprentices, and he was also relieved.If they failed to choose a subject themselves, it was up to Celes himself to instruct them.

Fortunately, his two apprentices seemed weird and disobedient, but they were actually quite capable.

Siles turned and said, "Continue to read the book list and organize the context of the paper. If you have any questions, please contact me. You all know my mailing address.

"In addition, as my teaching assistant, you also have some things to do in the next period of time."

Jules and Dorothea listened attentively.

Although they felt that the status of a teaching assistant was troublesome at first, but now they have realized that this may be a good opportunity to stay in school.Needless to say Jules, even Dorothea thought it would be a good job to stay on and teach.

Moreover, the status of a university professor is enough to explain to her family.

Siles said: "First of all, for the elective courses on the basic education side, I have assigned a class assignment before, which should be handed in this Friday, and you will need to correct it by then. I will bring it to you tomorrow afternoon. "

Siles considered it for a while, and added: "Give the score according to the truth, don't be soft."

Jules complied seriously, but Dorothea, as a student who also experienced the basic education of La Mifa University, couldn't help but look at Siles, thinking, an elective class assignment ...Can't you be a little soft-hearted?

Dorothea didn't know whether to sympathize with the students in Sirius' class, or to worry about whether her paper would meet Sirius' standards.

"As for the other thing," Siles didn't know what the apprentice was thinking, he just continued, "This Friday afternoon is the time for club activities, and you should have received the notice."

Dorothea and Jules nodded simultaneously.

Siles said: "The school has distributed funds for the activities. I will give you part of it. Every Friday afternoon, you can buy some refreshments, drinks, snacks and so on. There are 15 students in total."

With that said, he took out a hundred-coin bill from the drawer and handed it to them.Dorothea looked at Jules, and Jules said, "You take it."

Siles said: "I will conduct six club activities this semester. You can use this hundred-dollar bill. If you have leftover money, don't give it to me."

Siles put it mildly.He actually wanted to say that if you can’t use it up, you can spend it yourself, but after thinking about it, it’s not good to say it directly, so he didn’t say that.

However, Dorothea doesn't look like a person who is short of money; Jules' family may be more ordinary, but now he is Siles' assistant teacher, and he has a monthly subsidy, so he will not be embarrassed.

After saying this, Siles thought for a while and said, "There's nothing else. Do you have anything else to ask?"

"Professor, what will your club activities be?" Dorothea immediately asked curiously.

Siles smiled slightly and said, "You will find out tomorrow. Alright, let's go eat, you must be hungry too."

Such an answer from Siles obviously couldn't solve the puzzle, but he was determined to save the puzzle until Friday, and Dorothea couldn't do anything about it.

Dorothea murmured: "You are very fit to keep a secret."

The speaker has no intention and the listener has the heart.Dorothea's words almost immediately reminded Sirius of his identity as the Keeper of Secrets.After the two apprentices left, Sirius restrained his expression and looked down at his right hand coldly.

The dice melted in his right hand, and it has not appeared since then, except when the character of the running team forced a judgment, in the space where time stopped, the dice would appear in front of him again.

Other times, he couldn't see the dice at all, let alone communicate with them.

This made Siles a little uneasy and annoyed.

In the end, he could only sigh and put this matter behind for the time being.After all, he has many, many other things to attend to.

In the afternoon, after the public elective class ended, Siles stopped Kellogg.

"Professor," Kellogg asked, running her fingers around her braid, "what's the matter?"

Kellogg has an exotic aura, which makes Sirius feel very strange.He said: "Remember that travel book I told you about last week? I've got in touch with Emanuel, and he's willing to translate it for me."

"That's really great!" Kellogg didn't hide his joy, and laughed foolishly.

Siles also smiled slightly, and he turned to say: "Kellogg, I remember that your major is the history of the Shadow Age?"

"Yes, Professor." Kellogg nodded vigorously.

Siles said: "Before I said that if you need anything, you can ask me for help. But this time, I have to ask you for help again. What I want to ask you is whether there is any record of the fall of gods in the Shadow Period ?”

"God...fallen?" Kellogg was stunned for a moment.

Siles looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "No?"

Kellogg shook her head, and she said again: "Professor, the history of the Shadow Period is not very complete, and a lot of... materials have been lost. Therefore, most of the time, we are trying our best to restore those materials. Then, let the historical connection become A whole."

Siles nodded and said, "I understand. First, determine how the world changed during the Shadow Period."

"That's right." Kellogg said, "So...I can't answer your question. Because, the history of the Shadow Age is...faulted and divided. At least in the history we know, there is no god who fell. Record.

"However, some gods...during the Shadow Era, there is... no news. So, I'm not so sure."

Siles listened thoughtfully.

He knew that the history of the Shadow Era was not complete, and that humans had lost a lot of information about that era and era, but he did not expect that so far, people still know little about the history of that thousand years, and there are even gaps. shadow of history.

Siles said: "In this case, can you recommend me some books about the gods of the Shadow Age?"

"Of course! Professor, let's go to the library together." Kellogg said, "I need to find it from my borrowing records. I have read it before, but I can't remember the specific book for a while. name."

Siles nodded, packed everything, and walked to the library with Kellogg.

He noticed a piece of information he didn't know before: "Borrowing records?"

"Yes, on Mrs. Langman's side, all the borrowing records of professors and students are kept." Kellogg explained, "Of course, only I can check it, that's what Mrs. Langman said."

Siles thought about it.What he thought of was, do all the borrowing records of professors and students exist?

So, can he investigate, what books in the library have Professor Kabell borrowed?

He was still very uneasy about the necklace in his office.He once asked Dominic of the Church of the Past if he could ask the Church of the Past to send investigators to deal with this thing.

Unfortunately, the necklace is now perfectly normal and has never been "active".In other words, in their view, this is an ordinary necklace, and it is impossible to handle it in their usual way.

But even if the necklace looked normal, it was impossible for Sirius to touch the thing.He could only temporarily put the necklace aside and not touch it.

It's okay to deal with it coldly for a while, but he can't keep this thing in his office forever.It would be great if we could find out where Professor Cabell got this necklace.

He couldn't do anything before, because when Professor Kabell left, he packed his things too cleanly.Siles had sorted out and read the pile of papers in the office, but there was no usable information.

... The only useful thing in the pile of paper files was the manuscript that Siles had accidentally pulled out.

However, if Professor Kabell really left a borrowing record in the library, it would be a good help and progress for Siles to investigate what he was researching in the past.

What's more, Siles never thought that the library would keep borrowing records.By analogy, maybe Kabel will also be negligent about this, leaving clues and traces.

Siles made up his mind secretly.

They walked to the library in a short while.Kellogg asked Mrs. Langman for a thick booklet, found his name in it, and read it in order.

After a while, she said, "I found it! Professor, the name of that book is "Gods and Believers in the Shadow". It's a thin little book."

Siles was already mentally prepared when she heard that it was a thin book, but when he actually got the book, he couldn't help being a little dazed, because it was really too thin .

There may be only a hundred or so pages in total, including illustrations and a preface.This is more of a bedtime read than serious academic work.

Kellogg looked a little ashamed and said, "Sorry, Professor. That's all I can think of."

"It's nothing, Kellogg, you've helped me a lot," said Siles.

Kellogg shook his head, still looking wrestling with the matter.She said seriously: "I will ask my professor for you to see if there are any other materials. However, they may be papers."

"That's good." Siles considered his tone, "Kellogg, I am very grateful for your help."

He is not a person who is particularly good at expressing such emotions as moving and grateful. He knows this himself, so he just thanked the student from a foreign country with a sincere tone.

Kellogg froze for a moment, and finally smirked: "Thank you, Professor. I am also very... thank you."

After Kellogg left, Siles thought for a while, and said to Mrs. Langman: "I want to ask, do you have any borrowing records of Professor Cabell?"

"Professor Cabell?" Mrs. Longman asked strangely, "Why do you want his borrowing records?"

Siles moved out the prepared reason: "You may not know...Professor Kabell has disappeared. I am using his office now.

"I found some manuscripts in the office, which have some very interesting themes. I suspect that it may be related to Professor Kabell's disappearance, so I want to see if I can find clues from his borrowing records."

These statements are all true, but they may not be connected with the borrowing records.After all, Siles believes that the books corresponding to Professor Kabell's manuscript are absolutely impossible to appear in the collections of the university library.

But such reasons have been able to convince Mrs. Longman.

Mrs. Langman's face changed, she muttered: "I knew... this former professor is not such a decent person."

Siles was slightly taken aback, and asked, "What?"

Mrs. Longman said: "This may be my prejudice, but do you think a librarian can like the kind of person who always doesn't return books on time? What's more, the books returned by Professor Cabell Not always that clean."

Delay in returning books, books that are not very clean.Siles pondered these two clues in his mind.

Just as he was thinking, Mrs. Longman had already found Professor Cabell's one from the thick borrowing record book, and handed it to Siles.

She said, "Take it. You have to return it later."

Siles thanked, and then asked: "Mrs. Longman, do you know where I can hire a scribe?"

"In the school. There's a scribe in that little room off the side of the library. But he's probably more expensive," said Mrs. Longman. "If you want something cheaper, you'll have to go outside. Find those publishers."

Siles nodded knowingly, and bid farewell to Mrs. Longman.

In the end, in order to save trouble, he directly asked the scribe in the school library to help with the copying.He handed over ten translations and the first half of his novel manuscript to the scribe.

The scribe with a stiff face and clumsy eyes flipped through the pages, checked the number and word count, and finally said, "10 duke coins, come and pick them up tomorrow afternoon."

...It is indeed a bit expensive.But Siles paid the money anyway, without counter-offering.

After solving this problem, Siles also breathed a sigh of relief.He went to the cafeteria to have a meal, then returned to the dormitory, washed, washed clothes, and tidied up the room.He noticed that there were more and more books and materials in the study room, and there were more and more books that he hadn't finished reading.

He couldn't help but sigh.

Two books I got from the bibliophile Calverley, a small book I just borrowed from the library, and Professor Cabell's borrowing records.These few things alone are enough for him to study for a long time.

Siles thought for a while, and finally decided to study "Gods and Believers in the Shadow" first.The main reason is that this book is light and short enough, and it is also what Sirius is most curious about at the moment.

There are only about a hundred pages in total.Siles had finished all the pages before eight o'clock in the evening.

He pondered, thinking, is the content in this book true or false?

As most people think, the three eras of the Birth of the Gods, the Age of Faith, and the Age of Empires are the era in which gods and humans develop together, and it is also the most stable moment in which the two-way relationship between gods bless mankind and humans believe in gods is the most stable.

But in the Shadow Age, things suddenly changed.

Just like the name "Shadow Period", it seems that a shadow suddenly covered the whole world.Neither gods nor human beings were spared.

This book is somewhat like the "Ghost of La Mifa" that Siles read not long ago.

Siles chose to buy "The Ghost of Ramifa City" at the trade fair because of the rumor that came from nowhere in the west city.In the past half a month, he has turned it over intermittently.

The content of the book disappointed him a little, because it contained too much rumors, conjectures, and fabrications, and it was more like a fantasy novel than an urban ghost story.

Of course, from the perspective of fantasy horror novels, the content of this book is actually quite interesting.

And now the "Gods and Believers in the Shadows" in Siles' hands is also more like roadside literature.

It outlines the conditions of the gods and their worshipers during the Shadow Age.This is what makes Siles most dissatisfied, because some gods who disappeared in the Shadow Age are randomly fabricated some experiences in this book.

For example, Lygardia, the author of this book wrote: "As for Lygardia, the god of leaving home and traveling, he probably intends to practice Godhead himself, so he really embarked on a journey."

Siles: "..."

Is this a bit random?

He deliberately turned to the cover to see the author's name: Jan Calder.He memorized the name, classifying it as a juggernaut of roadside literature.

The whole book is full of this kind of atmosphere of making up and nonsense, without research, without basis, without reference, and it is far from the real historical monograph, even the kind of serious novel .

So, the more Siles watched, the more relaxed he felt, and in the end he couldn't help being amused by certain content.

This feeling came to an abrupt end when I read the last sentence of this book.

"...This is the situation of the gods of the Shadow Age, just for the reader's entertainment. As for the later gods, I have no way of writing."

Later gods?What later gods?

Siles stared at the last sentence in astonishment, and countless thoughts arose in his mind.

Of course, the simplest understanding is the gods after the Shadow Era.That is, the relevant deeds of the gods in the Silence Period.This is naturally a way of understanding, and echoes the previous text.

But... "later gods"?

This wording is very wrong.If it really refers to the post-Shadow Era, that is, the "later gods (situation)", why not make it clear that it is the gods of the Silent Era and even the Mist Era?

The old gods have all fallen, so what is "unable to write"?

Siles turned to the cover again, and Lekou, looking for an introduction to the author - but there was nothing.Jan Calder is like a ghost that wanders through history. There is no date of birth, history, photos, or any information about him.

Siles re-fixed his gaze on the last sentence.

"Later gods".

He thought, does this refer to Antinam?

After those old gods, the later gods were Anti-Nam, who only appeared in the Mist Age.

But if it was Antinam, why not mention his name directly?Antinam is an extremely tolerant one among the gods, as can be seen from the style of the church in the past.

Such a taboo, calling him "the later god" made Siles unable to understand.

unless……

Siles thought, unless it wasn't Antinam.

This possibility caught Sirius off guard with a profound uneasiness.

He knows that the vast majority of people, when faced with these four words, will have the previous two associations.But he just thought of the third possibility.

Later Gods...Later Gods...

later.He read the two words separately.This may be based on a novelist's instinct, a subtle feeling in the choice of words and sentences.Later gods.

He suddenly thought of the manuscript left by Professor Kabell.

In that manuscript, Professor Kabell seems to have copied some words.It is mentioned that something is always silent in the dark.

...the later god?

Siles took a deep breath, and handwritten these four words in his notebook.

He closed the book, and for a moment he felt that his mood of being relaxed and happy, even being amused by the author, was ridiculous.

……never mind.Perhaps the author is just playing a joke on the reader.Maybe that refers to Anti-Nam, or maybe it refers to the gods in the Silence Period.

Siles tried to enlighten himself.Not to mention, he thought again, the dice had no hints.

[Spirituality +1.Knowledge +3. 】

Siles: "..."

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling an indescribable emotion filling his heart.

Spirituality... just go up if it goes up.The main reason is that knowledge actually increased by three points in one breath at this moment.This is really a bit unbelievable. "Later gods".Are these four words so important?

Before Grenfell told him about the patron, his knowledge attribute had only increased by three points.Are these four words enough to compare with those complicated information?

But... the addition of so much knowledge to the dice hints seems to have, to some extent, verified Siles' guess.

Later gods.That means...

Siles took a deep breath and stopped thinking about it so much.He felt that he looked at the world more cautiously.Rather, he felt that the secrets of this world were not that simple.

He held the little book and thought about it.

If the last sentence proves to be something else, then are those seemingly gibberish contents also true or false?Even... are they true?

No, it can't all be true.Siles almost subconsciously denied this speculation.

For example, the book said that Thaddeus and Ruthmi had a child, and that Pesonari held a grudge against them and finally took revenge on them... What is this all about!Siles couldn't believe such gossip at all.

Moreover, gods can have offspring?Siles had never heard of this rumor, so he was even more dubious.

Putting these aside, the statement that Luthmi had to disappear in the Shadow Era because of the loss of power due to having a child... unexpectedly... has some credibility.

Siles sighed involuntarily.

He shook his head, and finally put the book on the shelf.He may have benefited a lot from those four words, but in the end he still couldn't believe this slightly exaggerated and unbelievable statement.

If you really want to believe some of these statements... Siles pondered for a while, and then thought, he felt that if Jan Calder was really a person who knew a lot of secrets, then these exaggerated and funny statements are very likely It is also a kind of camouflage, a kind of whitewashing.

It's like adapting a cruel dark fairy tale into a bedtime fairy tale that can be told to children.Although related to each other, they are actually not the same thing at all.

He thought, or record some of these statements in his notebook.

For example, the reason why Lygardia has no news in the Shadow Age is because he went on a trip; for example, Thaddeus and Ruthmi gave birth to a child; for example, Pessonari broke with them; for example, Amois was addicted to fighting Forget to respond to believers...

For example, Akamala overslept; for example, Alcohol was poisoned; for example, Temiafa and Brown Carney had a meal together; for example, Menawaka actually had a crush on Trisley...

Every time Siles wrote an article, he felt his bottom line was challenged.In the end, when he wrote everything down, he simply turned the page.

Time has entered the night.Siles paid attention to the time, thought for a while, and finally decided to slowly change his biological clock.

The deep sea dream will come every 21 days.And as long as he enters that dream, he must wake up at four in the morning the next day.

It is usually impossible for Siles to get up at four o'clock in the morning every day, but he can slightly advance his usual wake-up time, so as to avoid his body being too uncomfortable when the deep-sea dream comes.

The former novelist living alone on the earth knows very well that if you want to keep healthy, you'd better go to bed early and get up early, and keep a good and stable schedule, try not to break it.

For example, a few times before, when he got up at four in the morning, he felt very uncomfortable with his body.Of course, this body is young and strong, and the fatigue is very slight, even negligible.

But Siles still felt a subtle languor.

Usually, Siles gets up between seven o'clock and eight o'clock, the specific time depends on when his biological clock wakes him up.Now, Siles decided to get up between six and seven.It is best to be able to stabilize at six o'clock in the morning.

...It was a time when the rising sun could not be seen in winter.

So, that night, Sirius fell asleep at ten o'clock in the evening.I don't know if it was because he was exposed to the power of Akamala, so he felt that he fell asleep almost immediately after lying on the bed, and the quality of sleep was very good.

On Friday morning, at six o'clock, he woke up on time according to his own ideas.

Siles was stunned for a moment, and finally had to admit that Akamala's power, at least in the matter of sleeping, was very pleasant.

On Friday morning, Siles had a major elective class.He had assigned classwork before, and it happened to be collected in this class.The expressions of the students seem to want to spend a semester with their homework.

But Siles was unmoved.After all the homework was collected, he began to teach and finished class on time.

This elective course will last for two semesters, mainly explaining the literature of the Silence Period and its three representative figures.Siles intends to finish the first two in the first semester.

The last Conan Freemont, and the summary of the whole class, Siles plans to put it in the second semester.

After class, one o'clock in the afternoon is the time for Siles' club activities.Time is still tight.Siles went to the cafeteria to have a meal, then went near the library to pick up the manuscript written by the scribe, and then went straight to the activity room on the first floor of the main castle.

The activity room is uniformly allocated by the school, and the location of Siles' club activities will also be fixed here.

When he came over, several people were already sitting in the activity room.Jules and Dorothea were distributing some drinks and refreshments, and when they saw Sirius they offered to greet him.The rest of the people also called out to the professor.

Siles nodded, and handed over the collected elective homework to the two apprentices - he noticed that there were several elective students, such as Angela Clayton, who stared nervously at Siles' hands workbook.

This made Sirius feel a little funny.

It's still early, there are still about twenty minutes before the start of the club.He saw several familiar faces.Some of these students knew each other, and some were completely unfamiliar. They talked with each other and gradually became familiar with each other.

When the time was approaching, fifteen students had already arrived.Siles looked at the time and decided to start this club activity.

It started with self-introduction and the students' self-introduction.Siles mentioned that he will give priority to selecting his future apprentices in the club, which is an unspoken rule of the professor club.

Afterwards, Siles also asked the students what they hoped to achieve in the club.Although Siles had scheduled six different topics, he still wanted feedback from the students.

After collecting some information, Siles officially started the club activities this time: trains, railways and travel notes.

There is no such thing as a road movie in this world, but there are