The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

At night, Siles packed everything, and then opened Professor Kabell's borrowing record.

He had obtained this record last Thursday, but for various reasons, he only started reading it now.He noticed that the record was handwritten by Mrs. Longman, and there were several columns in all.

The left side is the title of the book and the location of the book, and the right side is the borrowing time, return time, notes, etc.

Professor Kabell has a lot of borrowing records.But what surprised Siles was that the first time Professor Kabell started borrowing books was only seven years ago.In other words, he was only then a professor at the University of Ramifa.

Siles always thought that Professor Kabell had been teaching at La Mifah University for decades.

When he realized this, he immediately thought, in this case, what was Professor Kabell doing before he came to La Mifa University?What are you studying?Why did he become a professor at Ramifah University?

If it was before, when Professor Kabell hadn't disappeared, and Siles hadn't learned all kinds of information related to him, then he wouldn't doubt Professor Kabell's past.

Of course, a scholar may be immersed in his own research for a long time, even isolated from the world and not caring about world affairs.Especially in this day and age.Siles could understand this.

But Professor Kabell's withdrawn, gloomy, crazy image and its rumors have been deeply rooted since Siles Noel entered La Mifah University four years ago.

And at that time, only three years had passed since Professor Kabell entered La Mifah University.When Siles enrolled, there must have been students who had been in contact with Kabell since he was a new professor.

Therefore, there is a high probability that this image has been the case since Kabel became a professor.Otherwise, according to the apprenticeship atmosphere of this era and the degree of respect of professors, Siles doesn't quite believe that Professor Kabell's reputation will be like this.

...Then, Professor Kabell's eccentricity did not appear after he entered Ramifa University, but he was already like this before that.His research and projects had already started long before he entered Ramifa University.

According to the running group, at the moment he became a professor, Kabel's spirituality was already high, and his will was already low.

What exactly is he researching?The truth about the fall of the gods?Siles couldn't help thinking.

He pondered for a moment because of the start time of this borrowing record, and then continued to read.

Realizing that Professor Kabell might have started his own research before entering Ramifa University, Siles felt that the borrowing record might not be of that high value.

...but not necessarily.Siles turned a corner in his thoughts.

Kabell's research had already begun - so why did he enter Ramifah University as a professor?Judging from his past performance, he is not an amiable teacher who loves to teach.

So, he has a purpose.

I just don't know whether the purpose is internal or external.Does he need some help from within Ramifa University, or does he need the title of professor of Ramifah University outside?

Siles thought for a moment, and didn't waste time on this kind of question that couldn't come up with a result.

He started flipping through the checklist, focusing on books that had been out for longer periods of time.In the end, he picked out the three books with the longest loan periods and suspicious titles.

The stipulated return time of the La Mifa University Library is three months.And these three books, without exception, were more than six months old.

What makes a senior professor study for a full half a year?

He observed the titles of the three books: "The Two Sides of the Scale: Commerce and Civilization," "The Evil Gods," "Lost Legacy: Manuscripts That Are Famous but Lost."

The first book is obviously related to Menawaka; the second book makes Sirius a little suspicious. Interfering with the running of the human empire.

As for the third book, Siles could not judge anything from the title.

Siles is not completely unimpressed by these three books.The first book itself seems to have been read, but that was a long time ago.It didn't have much to do with his major, so he just skimmed through it.

Siles had seen the second book, but it had nothing to do with his major, so he didn't pay attention to it.

As for the third book, Siles had no impression.Perhaps, he thought, he could ask Mrs. Longman.Seriously, he's also very interested in manuscripts that have been lost throughout history.

In addition to these three books, Siles also noticed that, as Mrs. Longman said, it was always too late for Professor Cabell to return the books.

For the three-month borrowing time, Professor Kabell can always delay it for more than two months, and often returns it within the specified time on the last day.

Thinking of the messy look in the room when he came to the office for the first time, Siles couldn't help but have a kind of "sure enough" thought.

Professor Cabell's living habits don't seem to be very good.he thinks.

Siles read the borrowing record several times from the beginning to the end, and after confirming that he did not miss anything, he was slightly relieved.

There were no important discoveries, but he found some interesting books from this borrowing record.Maybe ask Mrs Longman tomorrow.

It was dark at night, Siles packed the desk, thought about what to do tomorrow, and fell asleep early.

He woke up at six o'clock the next morning.It's already his biological clock.After washing up, Siles went out.He went to the cafeteria to have breakfast first, and then went to the library.

"Good morning, Mrs. Longman." Siles greeted Mrs. Longman, and then handed back Professor Cabell's borrowing record.

"Good morning, Sirius," said Mrs. Longman. "Anything?"

"There are some." Siles said, "You said that Professor Cabell always returns books late, but after I checked his borrowing records, I found that only three books were beyond the return deadline."

"Oh, Sirius," said Mrs. Longman somewhat disapprovingly, "three! Isn't that enough?"

Siles smiled apologetically, and then said, "Can I borrow these three books?" He mentioned the titles of the three books.

Mrs. Langman said, "Of course. Those are the books on the second floor."

The books on the second floor can be borrowed, not just read in the library.

Siles took the list written by Mrs. Longman, went to the borrowing area on the second floor, and took the three books he wanted.He then bid farewell to Mrs. Longman.

"I hope you don't learn the style of that Professor Kabell." Mrs. Langman seemed to have a very strong opinion of Professor Kabell. "Of course, Sirius, you are a good boy."

Siles said politely: "I will return it on time, Mrs. Longman, don't worry."

Mrs. Longman smiled with satisfaction.

Siles took the three books to the office.He found an envelope under the door of his office.He opened the door, put the books on the table, then turned around and picked up the letter on the ground.

He looked at the signature on the envelope—Horatio Dwight, and was startled.Then he remembered that Horatio had met him shortly after the term had begun to talk about something connected with the Chronicle of Suffering society.

Horatio also said at the time that he would write to Siles about the content and results of the activities after the weekly activities.

Siles felt a little ashamed, because he had completely forgotten about the society.And Horatio Dwight was a conscientious club president.

Siles sat down, opened the envelope, and read the contents of the letter.

Horatio was as polite as ever, and his tone was respectful.In the letter, he mentioned the content of the club activities on Saturday afternoon.They summed up the known behaviors of believers of different gods, such as self-discipline and self-punishment, and divided the work, each responsible for a part.

He mentioned some self-restraining behaviors. For example, some believers will adopt the practice of fasting days, and some believers will prohibit bathing and hair washing on specific days.

Although their subjects were very specific and meticulous, Siles could faintly see a subtle uncertainty in them.

Horatio said their eventual intention was to write a thesis, but judging by the current activities of the society, they seem to focus only on the behavior, rather than the meaning behind the behavior.

For example, what does such self-regulating behavior mean?Do gods restrict human beliefs and ideas?So, is Horatio's attitude critical or in favor, and how to confirm the significance of such behavior to human beings and even human civilization?

Siles couldn't help but think a little deeper.

He thought that if he had the opportunity in the future, maybe he could participate in the activities of this club.

He put the letter in a drawer in his office.

There was still more than an hour before the start of the morning elective class. After thinking about it, Siles took the "Lost Inheritance: Those Famous But Lost Manuscripts" and started to read it casually.

On the cover of this book, there are some "stains" that Mrs. Longman may have mentioned.Siles reached out and touched it, and it felt like some... black mud?

He couldn't help frowning, wiped the dirt a little, and then opened the book.He first looked at the table of contents of the book.

As Siles thought, the content of this book is very interesting.

It mentions many manuscripts that have been lost, disappeared, or damaged in history, including letters, notes, drafts, diaries, etc., and the contents of different eras are covered.

Stone carvings from the Birth of Gods, murals from the Faith Period, wooden boards from the Empire Period, parchment from the Shadow Period, and paper from the Silence Period...these are all traces left by different eras.

To Siles' surprise, there was even a reference to Conan Fremont.Of course, there is no mention of where to find other volumes of Conan Fremont's work, but it does mention some Fremont-related information.

It was really strange that the original body had never found this book when he was writing his graduation thesis.

Just as Siles thought about it, he suddenly froze - no, that's not the case.

Originally working hard and earnestly, Siles couldn't believe that he failed to find this book.

Siles carefully recalled the date when Professor Cabell borrowed the book and the date when it was returned.Then, Sirius couldn't help sighing.

That happened to be the first half of this year, which was also the moment when Yuan Chen was writing his graduation thesis.

That is to say, because Professor Kabell borrowed this book, Yuan Bo couldn't include this book in the graduation thesis book list.Of course, this is just a bit of a coincidence.

The reference books and papers Yuan Yuan found were enough to support his graduation thesis.

But this time Professor Cabell borrowed...

He disappeared precisely in July - after returning the book.This book is also the last book returned by Professor Kabell.

Siles couldn't help frowning, feeling that this matter was a bit strange, and felt that it was just a coincidence.

He shook his head, without thinking deeply, and flipped through the main text of the book.

Then, he stopped suddenly.

"...

"For many believers in the Silence Period, the fall of the gods made them unbelievable, so they did all kinds of crazy behaviors. In an incomplete diary of Huddoka's believers, we can glimpse some of them some dark parts.

"'I erect statues to my god; my god strips death for me.'

"This sentence has sparked controversy among some people, and different people, including believers in Huddoka, have different views and positions on this matter.

"In any case, after consulting relevant historical materials, the author believes that what happened at that time can be a perfect footnote for this sentence.

"At a certain stage of the Silent Era, people often found a corpse in a humanoid sculpture. But without exception, those corpses committed suicide and were voluntarily sealed into the empty and cold sculpture.

"They hope to use this to escape death. Or, borrow such a sinful behavior to try to get close to their gods?

"..."

Siles stood there stunned.

sculpture?sculpture? !

Siles raised his head almost subconsciously, looking at the bookshelf directly opposite the desk.He thought of the statue of the woman's head that was left by Professor Kabell on the bookshelf in the office.

A chill suddenly rushed into his heart.He couldn't help shaking his cold fingers, and an indescribable feeling of nausea and horror made him frown.

He thought that he was able to discover the strangeness of the statue of the woman's head when he understood the concept of the completeness of the time track.In other words, that statue...is not complete.

Siles frowned involuntarily.

It took a moment before he came out of the mood.

He closed the book, then stood up, walked to the window to look out at the scenery, and then slowly breathed a sigh of relief.He knew the two things couldn't be equated, but...

Siles couldn't help closing his eyes.He pinched the bridge of his nose, then thought about other things.

Professor Cabell left three things - a statue of a woman, a necklace, and a pen.

If the statuette of the woman points to the Huddhoka and the necklace to the Menawaka, what about the pen?Which god does this correspond to?

Followers of Huddoka once performed this act of enclosing corpses in sculptures.However, Siles felt that such a thing could not have appeared out of thin air.Any custom or behavior has its own motivation in its essence.

For example, the wandering poets, who have the custom of "die in a foreign land", also have the intention and hope that "God's Paradise only accepts those souls who died in a foreign land".

So the followers of Huddoka, what does their behavior mean?Does it also correspond to Huddoka's "Paradise"?

An act... similar to sacrifice?

This was also the first time Siles had heard of such a thing.

It wasn't until ten minutes before ten o'clock that Sirius suddenly came back to his senses.He hastily cleaned up the table, took the lesson plan and went to the classroom.

He was a little absent-minded throughout the class, but fortunately his expression was always calm, so the students didn't notice his distraction.

At the end of a class, Siles looked down and sorted out the lesson plan papers, thinking that he should still have time to have a meal in the cafeteria, and then go to Atherton Square to meet Langmire.

Just as he was thinking, a voice suddenly sounded next to his ear: "Professor."

He looked up and noticed that all the students in the classroom had left, only Angela Clayton and her friend Millicent Austin remained.

"Miss Clayton, Miss Austin." Siles greeted them, "What's the matter? What's in the class..."

"It's not like that, Professor." Angela said, "What we want to tell you is... about the gourmet town."

Siles was slightly startled, and then said: "Did you hear any news?"

Millicent, who had been standing quietly by the side, mustered up her courage at this moment, and said softly to Sirius: "Professor... yes, it is like this. I heard a piece of news from my father. I think... ...you were there the day before yesterday, so ... I should also tell you."

Angela added for her: "Millie's father maintains close contacts with many businessmen, and also has good relations with many people in the principality."

That is probably a great nobleman.Siles thought so.

He asked, "What's the news?"

"My father said," Millicent said in a soft voice, "someone used some kind of price to make the principality officials give up investigating this matter. And the gourmet town... They promise that this will not happen again. "

Siles frowned involuntarily.

The three fell into silence for a while.

Afterwards, Angela said: "This is the way of the world." Her tone was quite depressed.

Siles thought for a moment, then said, "It's not surprising."

Although the gourmet town the day before yesterday had reached a critical juncture, the large-scale conflict did not break out after all, so correspondingly, the subsequent accountability cannot be too serious.

Of course, Siles also suspects that the investigation on the surface is gone, but it is still unknown whether the investigation on the revealer is still going on behind the scenes.

Angela and Millicent looked rather depressed.

"If you're going to do something, keep other people out of the southern suburbs as much as possible ... in case the next accident happens," Siles said.

The two students looked at each other, then nodded firmly: "We will."

They bid Sirius farewell and left.

Siles stood alone in the classroom, thinking carefully about the gourmet town.

It is not surprising that this matter has developed to this result, but the speed is a bit exaggerated.

Millicent had come to tell him the news today, which meant that at least this morning, and maybe even yesterday, the decision had been made.And if there is no real big shot to make the decision, Siles doesn't think that the administrative organization of the Principality of Const has such a high efficiency.

It should be said that there is no such thing as any administrative agency.The complex nature of a tragedy that never happened but almost happened made it difficult to make a quick and effective decision.

However, the decision was made precisely in such a rapid time.

...either it's behind the scenes, or it's food town.Either of these two, there must be a real big shot behind it.

Maybe it has something to do with the Revelator.If the investigation on the Revelator's side is also stopped.

Sirius sighed involuntarily.

He had lunch in the canteen, and then hurried into a cab to Atherton Square.With 10 minutes before one o'clock in the afternoon, he arrived at the agreed place.

Langmeer, Emanuel, and a strange middle-aged man have arrived, and the three of them are talking happily.

"Sorry, I'm late." Siles said apologetically.

"No, Professor Noel!" said Ranmere enthusiastically. "You came just in time."

Siles sat down and said, "It seems that you have a good chat?"

Langmeer said: "Indeed, Mr. Emanuel is a learned and wise scholar." He nodded towards Emanuel with a smile.

Siles looked sideways at Emmanuel, he still looked haggard and tired, but perhaps because he had to meet someone today, he specially tidied up his appearance and put on a beautiful formal suit.

It's not the suit style of the Principality of Const, but the dress of the Principality of Kansas. The exquisite embroidery is all over most of the upper body coat, which looks luxurious and complicated.

"We were talking about the explorer," Emanuel whispered.

Siles was silent for a moment.

Ranmere didn't know the deep meaning hidden in their conversation, he just said: "Yes. I met the explorer by chance in the land of no embers, and he was dying. I took care of him for a few days .

"Although he still lost his life regrettably, he handed over his travel notes to me before he died."

"Did he say what to do with this travel note?" Emmanuel asked.

"No, he asked me to do whatever I want."

Emmanuel pondered for a moment, then said, "Did he mention anything about the Everlands? Gladstone or Gainested... You know, I'm a folklorist, and I'm very familiar with these things." interested."

Siles understood Emmanuel's intentions - he wasn't really interested in the Never Embers, he was just interested in the explorer's experience in the Never Embers, about why he knew "a city that doesn't exist" Interested in related news.

However, Siles didn't know much about "The City That Doesn't Exist", and he also didn't know the content of the last two-thirds of the travel book.

Ranmir looked a little surprised, and asked, "Is this related to the translation of travel notes?"

"There are some ambiguities in this travelogue. I hope to learn some relevant information from the words of this explorer before his death. Of course, if..."

"No, no, it's okay. I'm just a little curious." Ranmir said, "The explorer, he doesn't know much Const language, so he has relatively few conversations with me. However, I am very interested in his appearance. deep impression."

"Why?" Emmanuel asked.

Siles and the other publisher also looked over curiously.

Langmeer seemed to have suddenly remembered something, and said instead: "By the way, I haven't introduced you yet, Professor Noel. This is Mr. Enoch Benton, a publisher."

But Enoch Benton said unceremoniously: "Well, Ranmere, don't be fooled." He turned to Siles and said, "Good afternoon, Professor Noel, I have read your novel, and then Very good. Of course, this matter can be discussed slowly.

"Now, let's hear that wonderful story from this guy's mouth first. This is a leisurely afternoon, suitable for listening to stories."

Ranmeer laughed.He changed into a comfortable position, and then said, "When I met that explorer, he happened to be busy with Stardust business.

"The mining lode of star dust we discovered is located in Gladstone. We need to transport the mined star dust to Galsworth by rail. Of course, this mine has been mined now and has become abandoned.

"...it was about this time last year, in October, and it was raining all the time. So we all thought the shipment would be difficult that day. Stardust is a delicate thing.

"At that time, I was also a little anxious, so I kept urging the workers to move quickly so that the rain would not wet the stardust. After moving, we counted the inventory and the number of workers. When we were about to leave, we found that with a person."

Benton asked, "Is that the explorer?"

"Yes." Langmeer nodded, "He was seriously injured. Because he noticed the lights on our side of the railway, he wanted to come for help. But he passed out.

"If it hadn't been for the rain that made his blood flow to our feet, then I'm afraid he would have gone away quietly. Although... the result seems to be the same."

Ranmir sighed.

Then Emanuel said, "Did he say where he got hurt?"

Ranmeer asked: "Isn't it mentioned in the travel notes?"

Emanuel shook his head: "At the end of the travel note, he just mentioned that he was going to venture into an unexplored area... However, there is no process of exploration and how he left."

Siles listened silently from the side, thinking to himself, the last expedition location, is the "non-existent city"?If so, how did the explorer get away?Or maybe, somewhere else?

"It turned out to be like this." Langmeer said, "I thought he would write that experience into his travel notes. However, I don't know much. As I said just now, his Const language is not very good, so I didn't understand a lot of what he said."

Emanuel showed a regretful expression.

Ranmere said uncertainly: "He said... he said that in that place, he encountered many... er, statues?"

statue.This key word made Siles focus almost instantly.

"Statue?" Emanuel seemed very interested in this keyword, "What statue?"

"...Humans. It should be." Ranmeer said, "but he didn't elaborate on it. He seemed to be terrified of that place. Even though he had fled, he still woke up from a nightmare all night and couldn't fall asleep.

"...Perhaps it is precisely because of this that his injuries became more and more serious, and he passed away unfortunately."

"And what about his companion?" Emmanuel still seemed unwilling.

Ranmere said: "His companions ... seem to be dead."

Siles looked at Emmanuel without any trace, and as expected, he saw Emmanuel's trembling lips and deep eyes.Obviously, what happened to the explorer reminded Emanuel of his previous experiences.

Emmanuel was silent.

Langmier didn't care, he continued: "We stayed together for three or four days. Because his injury was too serious, we could only place him near the mine vein, and then found a doctor to treat him.

"When I go to the mine every day, I talk to him. His mental state seems to be going from bad to worse, and he talks less and less after that.

"He said that he was from the Principality of Kansas, and he had stayed in the Land of No Embers for nearly ten years, and hadn't been back to his hometown much. So he hoped that I could transfer his ashes to the people of the Principality of Kansas after his death - this I done.

"In addition, he also talked about his adventures in the land of no embers."

These words made Emmanuel's pupils light up suddenly: "What did he say?"

Ranmir shook his head: "I can understand your curiosity—but his words are fragmented, sometimes more like raving in a dream. He did mention some...experiences, but they are all messy keywords Or some painful murmur.

"I'm thinking about...for example, statues, the death of companions, overcast skies, shadows...and also, mud, sea water and so on."

"Sea water?" Hearing this, Benton said a little strangely, "I also know something about the Land of Never Embers. But, have you ever found an ocean in Land of Never Embers?"

Ranmeer shook his head.

The Everlands have never found an ocean—no, it should be said that the world's oceans are still covered in mist.

Emmanuel said absent-mindedly: "There is a country... that is farther away from the Principality of Kansas. That country is near the sea... Let me think about it, it should be called Middleton?"

"Oh, that's strange!" Langmeer nodded again and again, seeming to be very interested in this country—of course, a country near the sea, if you think about it, it is completely different from the completely inland country of the Principality of Constance.

Commodities, specialty products, customs... In other words, it means business opportunities.

Of course, a big businessman like Langmeer would be very interested.

Langmeer said: "A piece of news like yours is worth my countless years of traveling."

Emmanuel smiled hoarsely, and said, "It's just because I'm from the Principality of Kansas. Our country has had some contact with Middleton, of course, not very closely.

"As a folklorist, I have been involved in such contacts and have some information."

"Can you introduce that country a little bit?" Ranmeer asked curiously.

Emanuel hesitated for a while, and finally said: "Of course. Middleton... that country seems to have a coastline for most of its borders, so it is more like a peninsula.

"The people there are very martial, respect strength, have good sea navigation technology, and a well-developed fishing industry. I think they are all followers of Amois, the god of warriors and pirates."

"All of them?" Ranmir exclaimed, "But hasn't Amoys already fallen?"

"Indeed." Emanuel also looked a little confused, "Maybe it's because that country is near the ocean? So, they always retain their belief in Amois."

Ranmeer sighed regretfully: "No wonder I've never heard of this country."

The other three were all startled.

Benton couldn't help asking: "What? Old friend, you seem to be hiding something from me."

Langmeer said: "Ha, this is something that many merchants who do business in the land of no embers know. The Principality of Const will not deal with any country with stubborn beliefs in the old gods, at least for business. impossible."

"There is such a rule?" Benton said in surprise.

"It seems that Const has always maintained this habit because of some things that happened in the early days of the Mist Era." Langmeer didn't seem to care, "However, with the development of the times, this habit will gradually disappear. .

"After all, we still have to do business with the whole world. The development of Neverland is already on the agenda, and in the process of development, we will inevitably have to deal with other countries."

Benton suddenly realized.

Siles thought to himself, what happened in the early period of the Mist—could it mean that when the fog dissipated, the territory of the Principality of Const was exposed to the sight of other countries, and then it was besieged?

From this point of view, who were the countries that besieged the Principality of Const?

Will there be a Duchy of Kansas?Will there be Middleton?Or, what about some other countries?

Siles also knows some other countries, but due to the obstruction of the fog and some shortcomings in technological development, it is not so convenient for people in this world to travel, especially to other countries.

A trip may take ten days and half a month, or even longer.

This makes people other than businessmen, diplomats, etc., not know much about other countries and the appearance of the whole world.

This information, revealed by Ranmere, inspired Siles.

The development plan of the withered wasteland is already in the preparation process. After the plan is officially announced, the Duke of Const is likely to abandon the previous practice of not dealing with countries that have the belief of the old gods.

Therefore, it is very likely that residents of the Duchy of Const will have easier access to people from other countries.

For Siles, this is good news.After all, he desperately wants to understand the true face of the world and find a way home.

Emanuel said at this time: "I don't know much about Middleton. A lot of information is kept in the Principality of Kansas. I have never seen it here in Const."

Ranmeer said, "That's nothing, Mr. Emmanuel. You've given me a lot of information."

Emmanuel smiled: "You too."

It's just that Langmeer may never realize what information he provided Emanuel.

Siles could also learn some information simply from what Ranmir said just now.For example, the explorer finally appeared near the Stardust mine vein, and he was already seriously injured at that time.

There's no way he'd go very far in that situation.Therefore, most of his last expedition locations were near that stardust mine vein.

It was impossible for Emanuel to directly ask about the exact location of the mine vein, but he could get some information from the Land of No Embers—looking for the miners who used to mine the star dust, and the direction of the train.

Also, statues...

Huddoka?Siles wondered if this had anything to do with followers of Huddaka.After all, statues are not uncommon in this world. For example, in the central cathedral of the church in the past, isn't there a huge statue of Antinam in the nave?

In any case, Emmanuel has harvested very important clues.Siles thought so.

He worried about Emmanuel's palpable joy.

Ranmere added: "I am afraid I cannot tell more about the explorer. I did not know his name until his death."

"His name is Friedman." Emmanuel said softly, "He wrote this name in his travel notes."

Ranmere nodded slowly, and he turned to Benton: "So, old friend, I think this travelogue, and Professor Noel's novel, both can be published, right?"

Benton nodded cheerfully, and said, "I am very optimistic about the prospects of these two books. The travel notes can be used in conjunction with the Grand Duke's development plan of the withered wasteland, if there is time. And Professor Noel's novel..."

Siles said in good time: "I'm afraid I can deliver it in a few days."

Benton immediately