The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

Aneurin Moore stood beside Siles and asked with a serious face: "Professor, is there anything missing? Your manuscript..."

When he was in the office last Saturday, he saw Siles writing something in a scratch pad.However, he left earlier than Siles, and didn't know that Siles took the draft with him.

Siles' eyes moved slightly, and he suddenly realized something, so he said, "I have to look for it."

He did not say at this point whether he had lost anything.

He did not put any important things in this office, materials, notebooks, manuscripts, nothing.This is just a place where he usually goes to study the tribe's feet, and it doesn't matter.

However, here—it should be said that the doorknob of room 390 has theoretically only his authority.Even his assistant, Aneurin, couldn't enter room 390 without Siles present.

So the question is: who broke into his office?Who turned the room into such disarray—chairs, bookshelves down on the floor, some decorative books turned up, and even the windows were left wide open—who did such a thing?

More importantly, if the intruder really wanted to find the relevant information on the subject proposed by Siles and take it away, then he should not be so arrogant.

He's so swaggering, messing everything up, like trying to give Siles a bad rap—"I know where your office is, and, I'm free to come and go."

This is a very high-profile and ostentatious behavior, which is completely opposite to the purpose of understanding the progress of Siles' project.

It's fine if you find it; if you don't find it, isn't it a warning to make Sirius realize that someone is secretly dealing with him?It is even more impossible for him to leave important clues and information in the office.

So... His purpose is not really to find relevant information about the subject.

Moreover, if that person could really avoid the doorknob's authority and enter Room 390, then he must have a high status in the Historical Society and must have some special information and authority.

That being the case, why did he come to room 390?Can't we just start with Director Bello of the Research Department or Siles himself?Why do you need to make the room look like this?

... After all, Siles thought, someone was warning him.

Even if he didn't realize it was a warning, he would be shocked by the intrusion into his office and slow down the research process.From the perspective of the mastermind behind the scenes, it was impossible for Siles to be in the mood to do research before finding the culprit.

And if he realized that this was a warning, he would also be aware of the authority and power of someone who could break into his office without making a sound.

Did he break the doorknob ritual?Hard to destroy?Or is he a high-ranking member of the Historical Society who has the ability to enter a certain room?In any case, Siles seemed to have provoked an enemy he could not fight.

Aneulin obviously also realized this, and there was an uncontrollable tension in his seriousness.

Siles stood at the door, looking at the chaotic scene in the room, his eyes were very unpredictable.After a while, he said, "Where is Director Bello?"

"Should be in his office now."

Siles said, "Come on, let's go find him."

He closed the door without changing anything inside.

Aneulin asked in a panic: "Professor, are you planning to..."

"What?" Siles turned his head and looked at him with a calm expression.

"...Give up on this subject?"

Siles was a little surprised and said: "No, of course not." He paused for a moment, and then seemed to realize Aneurin's thoughts, so he smiled vaguely, "You are wrong, Aneurin."

Aneurin looked at him a little excitedly.

Siles said: "If the ultimate purpose of this threat is to make me give up the project, then of course I should ask Director Bello where are the revelators who volunteered to participate in my experiment, shouldn't I? "

Aneurin nodded repeatedly, he thought for a long time, and finally said: "Professor, you are too powerful."

Siles laughed.

For him, the damage to his office did affect his mood.However, he is not an impulsive and reckless person.The point of contradiction between him and his enemies is his subject.

And Siles was never one to give up easily.

To complete his project and prove that human will can indeed resist the pollution of gods, that is the best counterattack against his enemies.

Of course, the matter of the office being destroyed can't just be left alone.

When Siles arrived outside Supervisor Bello's office, Aneurin seemed a little excited along the way.Siles patted him on the shoulder, told him to leave first, and told him not to tell anyone about the office affairs, and then knocked on the door himself.

"Come in" came from the door.

When he opened the door and walked in, Sirius sighed in his heart.It occurred to him that the research department is actually not a clean place. Look at the gazes cast on him by the enlighteners along the way.

However, Supervisor Bello should be on his side.

Siles opened the door and went in. Director Bello was sitting behind his desk, looking at him with a smile: "Siles! You came just in time. I'm about to bring those revelators to your office."

"Oh, you can wait first." Siles said nonchalantly, "My office has been broken into by thieves."

"...Thief?" Director Bello was at a loss.

"The window was open, and I suspect he climbed in through it," Siles said. "Don't you think the security of the Historical Society is worth reconsidering? Maybe other rooms will be invaded as well."

Supervisor Bello looked at Siles in trouble, and asked after a while, "Have you lost anything?"

"I lost a manuscript—a draft book." Siles said without changing his face, "I wrote some thoughts and inspirations about the three elements of gods on it, when I was in the office last Saturday Wrote it and left it there.

"Now, that manuscript is gone. Although I can copy it, but... it does record many of my thoughts."

When Siles said so, Director Bello immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.He frowned and said, "Is it really a thief from the outside world?"

"I don't know." Siles said in a low voice, "However, I heard that the doorknob in each room of the Historical Society is a ceremony, and only those who are recorded by the doorknob can enter the room."

Director Bello fell silent for a moment.

There must be something weird about it.Siles thought.Even if the doorknobs did record the ceremony, it is an unspoken rule that the higher-ups of the Historical Society cannot actually keep certain rooms in the building closed.

It's like some anonymous communication site on the planet.Users do have access to those anonymous secret rooms, and the site claims that only those users can enter.However, does the administrator of the website really have no relevant authority?

It is impossible for an organization to let its members and locations harbor some malicious secrets.

But this is also a private agreement that cannot be made public.This is the handle that the other party sent to the door.

Somebody gave Siles a slap in the face, and Siles would give it back.The other party has exposed his sinister intentions of using power for personal gain, so Siles must let some smart people inside the society understand this.

Are there really thieves from outside?How can it be!The space behind the door is a special area that is completely independent and not connected with the outside world.No one can climb the window to enter the space behind the door from the outside, and it is even more impossible for ordinary people without the aptitude of apocalypse to enter.

Anyone who cares will understand that this is a struggle within the Historical Society.

Siles didn't know which high-level inside the academy was targeting him, but someone always knew.Using this method of abusing the rules to deal with the enlightener within the academy... the power on the opponent will be dispelled.

Even if he doesn't care - Siles guesses that most people who use this method will not care about these false names - then, can a manuscript that is made out of nothing and related to the three elements of gods play a role in differentiation and separation? ?

The other party didn't get it, but Siles said he lost a manuscript.No one suspects that a victim is lying, so everyone assumes the other got it.He couldn't argue with a hundred words.

Inside the Historical Society, there are not a few high-level executives who have doubts about Siles' subject.Therefore, since Siles said so, the high-level person who really did it will definitely be asked to produce the manuscript by others.

He said he didn't get it?Others must have doubts; doubts that he was wavering, doubts that he was selfish, doubts that he was persuaded by the above ideas.

Even though he reacted quickly and realized that Siles was framing him, and said that he destroyed the manuscript in anger, but the people under him——Siles didn't think he would do it himself. This kind of thing - the person who did it, but knew that he didn't get any manuscript.

Therefore, his subordinates will suspect that the boss has sent other teams.

A chain of suspicion from top to bottom.As long as Siles believes that he has lost a manuscript.And who knows whether Siles is lost or not?He did have a manuscript that recorded his thoughts, and Aneurin clearly knew of the existence of the manuscript.

Moreover, when Siles and Aneulin separated at the door of Bello's office, Aneulin didn't know whether the manuscript was lost or not.Only Siles knew the whereabouts of the manuscript - in his backpack.

"...You're right." Director Bello looked at Siles and sighed, as if he didn't notice Siles' selfishness at all, "I will find the person in charge of the third corridor. They will re-examine Learn internal security, and help recover your manuscript."

"Thank you, Director Bello." Siles didn't say much, "Please rearrange an office for me."

Bello nodded and said, "I will arrange it as soon as possible. You may have to wait..." He looked at the time, "Half an hour."

"Okay." Siles said, "Then I'll go to the salon."

The salon is where many revelators relax and hang out.

Bello said, "You go."

Siles immediately went to the salon.He adjusted his image in the entrance hall, instead of entering the salon with the appearance of a croupier, he changed to an ordinary image of a postman.

He had seen many people using this image in salons before.

There was no way he could be using the image of the croupier at this time, and that would have linked Siles Noel to the croupier—just the right time, wasn't it?

Siles walked into the salon, and then the dealer appeared.Such an order is bound to raise suspicions among some.Therefore, he had to change his identity.

The postman walked into the salon with his messenger bag on his back, wandered aimlessly, and then walked to the stage.He lifted the curtain and went in.Behind the curtain, only one road appears.

He knew that it was because he only joined the Faculty of the Dawn Enlightenment Society.

The postman went to the room of the Dawn Apocalypse.It was empty because the Dawn Revelations meeting was on a Saturday afternoon.

He took out his draft book from the messenger bag.

There are two books he prepares daily, one is a notebook and the other is a draft book.The former records some more important things, such as reading notes, schedules, etc., while the latter is written casually.

The notebook is usually placed on his desk and will not be taken out; while the draft book is carried with him, and it was the notebook that Aneulin saw him writing last Saturday.

The draft book is used quickly, and it takes only one or two pages to write casually, so the draft book in Siles' hand was only used last week, and there is not much recorded.This is good news.

The postman put the draft book in the corner of the bookshelf, behind two heavy books.He looked at the tightly covered draft, with a slight smile on his lips—now, his manuscript is really lost.

Soon, half an hour later, the postman left the salon and returned to the research department.

His office is ready. Room 450.

There were still two people standing in the office.Siles thought to himself, this is probably the revealer who volunteered to participate in his experiment.

Bello introduced him to the two and left.

The two enlighteners were a man and a woman, both in their 30s, with the same cold and haggard expressions.The corners of their lips would twitch occasionally, as if uncontrollably.There was a tired coldness in their eyes.

"Good morning." Sirius greeted them.

That man, his name is Colin.The female name is Doris.Neither of these names looked like his real name, but Siles didn't care about that either.

After hearing Sirius' voice, Colin trembled slightly, and said, "Please... get straight to the point."

Doris also nodded slowly.

"Then, please introduce yourself." Siles and the two sat down on the sofa.

When the three of them really sat down face to face, Siles felt that this scene was actually very similar to the psychological counseling on Earth.However, Siles also knew that pure psychological counseling might not be able to completely eliminate the pollution of the old gods.

"My name is... Colin Lane," said Colin. "I am a revelator in Corridor [-]."

"I'm Doris Kelly," said Doris. "I'm from the Second Corridor."

Siles thought for a while: "So, the old god's pollution that Doris received came from the investigation of the second corridor. So, what about Colin?"

It is easy to understand that the second corridor is exposed to the pollution of the old gods. After all, they need to come into contact with archives, books, various dangerous objects, and even directly confront the followers of the old gods.

However, the Third Corridor is more about combat than research and investigation.In this case, the third corridor is more like a thug.

Colin was silent for a long time, and finally said: "I am not polluted by... the old gods. It's..." There seemed to be a slight trace of fear and malice in his eyes, and he said slowly, "I don't Stop... borrowing power, that patron's, polluting."

Siles was slightly taken aback.

Colin's voice was like a wandering soul, and every word he pronounced seemed very weak. Therefore, his tone seemed to be telling some unknown secret.

He said: "It was like... I became... another person. His thoughts, his concepts, his devotion to the gods... I could feel everything. He was so close to me. .

"...No. His ghost is all around me. I can hear his voice, I can feel his movements. It's an invisible person, a shadow. He's in my shadow."

Colin shivered suddenly, his whole body seemed to collapse, profusely sweating.

He screamed: "I don't want to be him!"

Siles looked at the man cautiously and calmly.After a while, he asked, "Who does he believe in?"

Colin showed a struggling and desperate expression, and finally, he said, "Huddoka."

God of Sin and Lies, the shadow side of the world, Huddoka.

Huddhoka is a controversial deity.Rather, there has never been any god and his believers, like Huddoka and his believers, almost everyone shouted and beat them.

That is, after all, synonymous with evil.

However, people who follow morality and law publicly sneer at Huddoka, but in private they do not.Huddhoka is worshiped by criminals, virtuous and liars.

Almost everyone thinks he protects crime and lies.Therefore, after some people have done bad things, they will secretly pray to Hood Doka for protection, as if Hood Doka has taken responsibility for his crimes.

A person of extraordinary power who is blessed by Huddoka, known as the "Apostle of Evil".

Their powers are usually related to damage, darkness, and concealment, like assassins in the night.

Sometimes people who are attacked by the evil apostles don't even realize they have been hurt.Because Huddoka itself has the meaning of lying, so the evil apostle can deceive those injured people into thinking that they have not been injured.

This kind of fraud can naturally be placed elsewhere.

Rumor has it that some people worship both Huddhoka and Menawaka.Fraud and business are a match made in heaven.

Most followers of Huddoka think highly of themselves, thinking that they are eloquent and resourceful.They are evil and cynical to a certain extent, and their lies are often condescending and perfunctory.

Perhaps, that's because they believe that their lying behavior is blessed by the gods.

... Siles suddenly understood the meaning of Colin's facial expression just now.Before saying the god name Huddoka, he seemed to be struggling, as if he wanted to say another name.

But in the end, he chose to confess.

This means that he has indeed been polluted, and part of him has become a believer in Huddoka, so he instinctively wants to hide himself; but another part of him still maintains a little reason.

But... Siles turned to think, if the other party showed a struggling expression when he said Huddoka's name, does that mean that the main will of the other party has been biased towards the followers of Huddoka? ?

Siles thought for a moment, then said, "Who is hiding in your shadow?"

"He!" Colin yelled, "that damned..."

"Colin Lane?" Sirius asked calmly.

Colin's words stopped suddenly, his eyes widened, and he asked in disbelief, "How did you find out?! My lie can't be exposed!"

Siles said: "You hesitate at two places. First, when you say your name is Colin Lane; and second, when you say your religion is Huddoka. "

"Just because of that?"

"That's why," said Siles, "it doesn't hurt to try once, does it?"

Colin showed a cloudy look.

Doris watched from the side, thoughtful, and moved a little away from Colin without a trace.

Siles sighed slightly: "Apocalypse like you, I'm afraid there are not a few in the third corridor, right? The patron ceremony that uses the same path for a long time..."

He once again thought of Grenfell's evaluation of [Warrior's Black Umbrella].If the will of the person who borrows power is too firm, then perhaps the enlightener will be influenced by the other party in turn.

Siles thought of some of his own thoughts earlier.

He once felt that the way the Enlightener used his power was incredible, like... a thief.On the surface, all the revelators have the same caliber, saying that they are borrowing the power of history.

However, is the person they borrowed their strength really willing to be borrowed by them?

For example, Bunyan, he knew that Sirius needed such power protection, so he offered to provide his own shield fragments.But kind people like Knight Commander Bunyan are in the minority after all.

Borrowing someone else's power without even saying hello... Is it really a borrowing?

Although those patrons in the past were all dead, their spiritual will will affect the enlightener invisibly.It's like a potential act of revenge.

...but does that qualify as a resurrection?Siles' thoughts suddenly turned in this direction.

Sires couldn't judge the nature of the power of the enlightener, after all, it was a complete power system.

However, when it comes to the pollution of the old gods and the patrons, if this kind of pollution completely occupies the entire brain of the enlightener, can it be regarded as a kind of "resurrection"?

Is this the "vessel" that the followers of the old gods wanted?

Judging from Colin's performance, to some extent he has completely changed his way of thinking, changed his beliefs and concepts, and even changed his character and personality.

Such a radical transformation made Celes deeply disturbed.

He had also experienced that half-mad-not-mad feeling.However, that state did not last long.He couldn't help thinking, if he couldn't get rid of the pollution of the old gods, would he be able to maintain his calmness and heart in this long-term state?

...this seems like an unanswerable knot.

If he could maintain his sanity, then he would have been able to get rid of the pollution of the old gods long ago; and if he could not maintain his sanity and self, then of course he would be shrouded in the pollution of the old gods, and he would never be able to escape.

Siles couldn't help sighing.

In front of him, Colin seemed to be in a trance.

Pollution from the old gods, pollution from the Revelator... What kind of power is that?Siles watched him, and thought in his mind.

A spiritual force of will that lasts for countless years?For people on earth who live in an objective and materialistic world, they are a bit unable to understand such subjective idealism.

... more like something out of a novel.Siles thought.

He vaguely had a subtle inspiration.Fiction—that was his old line.And that inspiration...

He suddenly thought of what Grenfell said not long ago.Transcripts can eliminate those contaminations.why?Just because of the act of copying itself?

What if it is not completely transcribed?What if you add your own opinion?What if...it was turned into a fantasy...or at least, let others think that this is a fictional story?

It's just a glimmer of inspiration.Siles wanted to write it down in his draft book, but suddenly found that he had already put the draft book on the bookshelf of the Dawn Revelation Society.

He couldn't help but startled.

Opposite him, Doris watched him quietly.Noticing his expression, she asked, "professor, is there anything you want to find?"

"...my draft." Siles looked up at Doris, paused for a moment, then shook his head, "I always keep it with me. It's just..."

Doris' eyes moved slightly, and she said, "Maybe you can write it somewhere else first."

Siles nodded and didn't say much. He found a blank piece of paper from the drawer of the coffee table, wrote a few words on it, folded it casually and put it in his pocket.

This is his habit as a novelist.Any inspiration, any idea, should be recorded for later review.

During this period, room 450 fell into a brief silence.

Afterwards, Siles looked at Colin.Colin's eyes were a little dull, but he was struggling, as if he was thinking about something.

Siles pondered for a moment, then asked, "Now you know he's hiding in your shadow."

Colin's eyes slowly gathered, and he looked at Sirius.

"You and your shadow, can you tell the difference?"

Colin said vaguely, "I...I don't know."

Siles was a little curious about his state, so he asked, "Who do you think you are now?"

"Colin Ryan." Colin said without hesitation.

"And your shadow?"

"And my shadow..." Colin hesitated a bit, "He seemed... crazy... behind me, chasing me. He wanted to come to my side and surpass me."

Siles nodded, and he asked back, "Does this anxiety make you uncomfortable?"

"... Anxiety?" Colin didn't seem to understand, "Do you think my emotions are anxiety?"

"Because he's actually still on the way to chase. He hasn't caught up with you yet, let alone overtake you. However, you already feel that he is close at hand." Siles said calmly, "Anyone Everyone can see that you are strange, which proves that..."

Colin listened intently.

"He's not you yet," said Siles.

Colin Lane froze suddenly.

According to Siles, since Colin has the concept of distinction between self and other, he should be able to distinguish which is himself and which is his infected part.

However, things are of course not that simple. "Awareness" is far from "doing".

Moreover, Siles also realized that this era is different from the Earth era he came into contact with.In this era, people have far less access to information.

In a sense, Siles was once in the era of the Internet and the information explosion on the earth. He came into contact with different information in the Internet environment, and gradually learned to maintain his own position and heart in the process...

Contradictions of positions, rebuttals of concepts, contradictions of ideas, and mutual exclusion of identities.Earthlings watch countless quarrels and direct confrontations of opinions on the Internet every day, and that in turn reflects his own image.

He can know very clearly what he looks like.

This kind of test in terms of information volume is inconceivable to the humans in Fisher's world.

Siles was used to the feeling of being covered in other people's thoughts and ideas; and he was used to - and learned naturally - to wash his face.

But people in this world, they can touch so many things all day long, but they have to be infinitely close to another individual in the ceremony to ensure the fit of the ceremony.

Under this subtle influence, people's personalities will naturally undergo some subtle deflection.

Not to mention, this kind of pollution from the old gods and patrons is hidden in some kind of mysterious power.Revelators are inherently difficult to resist.

Siles looked at Colin quietly.

It's like a split personality, he thought.Some people lose their status of personality in the midst of muddling; some people inexplicably understand the tricks in mediocrity.

After a while, Colin said slowly, "He's not me yet. He's not me." He paused, "You mean, is that so?"

He looked at Sirius, and there was a kind of expectation and prayer that he didn't know.

Celeste paused, and was about to speak, when suddenly everything around him became still.There was a sound of dice rolling in his ear, very crisp.

[Keeper of Secrets, Colin Lane (Revelator) needs to make a determination of will. 】

Siles: "..."

For a moment, he felt emotionally fluctuating.

He felt that the dice were making trouble.Obviously his conversation with Colin went well.

First, he pointed out Colin's unknowing, self-awareness drift.Colin would pause unconsciously when speaking, he didn't notice it himself, but Siles, as a bystander, could clearly realize it.

Secondly, he pointed out Colin's excessive emotional anxiety. The situation is actually not that serious, but Colin is hypnotizing himself, thinking that the situation is very serious.This in turn deepens his pollution levels.

In the end, he also makes Colin realize that he has always had a concept of the difference between "I" and "he".This is a very good entry point.

Some revelators are tainted by the old gods and don't know it.Half-mad-not-mad-as in the case of Sirius, who knew he was mad, but at the same time, he didn't think he was mad.It was an extreme, manic calm.

Siles felt that that state was more dangerous than Colin's split personality.

Siles considers himself like a therapist.He was about to point out a broad road to his patients.As a result... the dice stuck sideways, making it look like his previous efforts were useless.

...that's right.Of course, he can directly use the method of appointing someone to make a judgment, actively judge Colin's will, and let him try to get rid of the pollution.

But as a Keeper who didn't have a script in hand, Siles didn't want to do this kind of thing, whether it was based on morality or other aspects.

However, he never expected that when Colin asked him this, the dice were triggered.The dice are like a judgment robot, and the judgment is automatically triggered when the conditions are met.

Moreover, it is still a judgment that Cilles can control the value of the dice.

... This is the fourth way of judging.

The first three are the mandatory uncontrollable judgment triggered by himself, the forced uncontrollable judgment triggered by the running group characters, and the non-forced controllable judgment that he can take the initiative to make.Now it is a mandatory controllable judgment triggered by others.

Siles realized that every judgment seemed to be a turning point of fate.

The dice appeared in the palm of his right hand.The dodecahedron is still in its original shape, but now it has a faint blue brilliance.

Siles glanced at Colin Lane in front of him.

【Will: 39. 】

This is Colin's will attribute.

Siles could not see other people's attributes before, but in this state, he can.He had a vague premonition in his heart, thinking that this might have something to do with the time he was in the ceremony.

Because he was going to the Research Department of the Historical Society today, Siles took the potion when he went out in the morning, just in case.

The time of the ceremony plus the controllable judgment, these two allow him to directly see the corresponding attribute value that others need to judge.If it wasn't during the ceremony, he probably wouldn't be able to see it.

During the ceremony time, he could obviously see more information.

Colin is obviously a powerful revealer, and the rituals and different time tracks he has been exposed to are much richer than Siles.Therefore, there are not many choices in front of Siles now.

There are three options: 37, 45, 83.

There is only one option to rub the edge to make the judgment successful this time.

Siles considered it for a while, and finally chose to throw the dice, and rolled 37 points.He thought, could it be considered that he was secretly helping Colin cheat?

[Will: 39/37, success. 】

[This is a lucky guy.The dark hand of fate gave him a slight nudge.However, remember that nothing happens in a vacuum.After all, he already understood what was going on with his own shadow. 】

Siles was slightly taken aback, noticing certain details in what the dice said this time.

"The dark hand of fate" "cannot happen by chance".

The judgment of the dice does not appear out of thin air, and needs to meet the corresponding trigger conditions.

In other words, if there was no previous dialogue between Siles and Colin, if Colin himself did not realize the difference between "I" and "he" and understood it, then it would be impossible for Colin to trigger this judgment.

This made Silas slightly relieved.

This also means that dice are not the only way to rid the Revelator of pollution.After the conversation between Siles and Colin, Colin clearly realized his situation.In this state, he will surely get better slowly.

It's just that the judgment of the dice is faster and more thorough.It was like standing at the crossroads of fate, and someone gave him a gentle push behind him.That could be pushing the right path, or it could be the wrong one.But in any case, it was a destiny-changing thrust.

In addition, this may also have something to do with Colin's contamination coming from a patron.He was not polluted by the will of the old gods, but by the will of a patron, which made the situation much simpler.

Purely on the mysterious side, Siles certainly believed that the power of the gods was greater than that of humans.

After the judgment took effect, the originally stagnant scenes around Sirius suddenly changed.Siles heard himself saying, "Of course. He's not you, never was, isn't now, and never will be."

He saw that Colin's eyes suddenly moved, and a gray-black substance suddenly overflowed from his head.In the next second, his whole body seemed to be cleansed of dust, and he appeared to be full of energy.

Colin sat up straight unconsciously, staring at Sirius, then nodded, slowly