The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

As Siles expected, the Historical Society really had a "finding" ceremony.

Moreover, this ritual can even judge the status of the item.

Therefore, when Director Bello said, "The revealer in the second corridor found that your manuscript has been burned", Siles was calm on the face, but he was unavoidably a little scared in his heart.

Fortunately, he chose to burn that notebook carefully, otherwise this lie might really be exposed in the end.Of course, when he decided to do this, Siles considered the possibility of revealing his secrets.

The subsequent development of this matter satisfied Siles, at least after he changed his office, there was no sign of someone breaking in.

However, with the accumulation of Siles' reputation in the Historical Society and the spread of some rumors, he suspected that the mastermind behind the scenes might already hate him very much and was just waiting for an opportunity to do something.

This possibility did not surprise Sirius.

He tried to keep himself on guard.

He stayed in the office until noon, sorted out all kinds of ideas and possibilities, and then went out for a meal. In the afternoon, he returned to the Historical Society and went to Ms. Bonita Aston.

Bonita Aston is a capable and steady lady in her 40s.She always wears a lady's suit and has short hair, which is out of place in the women's fashion of this era.

Siles had also met her husband, who was also a member of Ms. Aston's subject.

He seemed so proud of his wife's honor and research that he didn't seem upset or angry when she was called "Ms. Aston" instead of "Mrs. Boyle."

"My wife became a member of the research department before I was married. They are more used to calling her Ms. Aston. Of course I know that. Besides, she didn't become my wife because she So respected," Mr. Boyle would explain.

Mr. Boyle is also somewhat famous within the Historical Society because of such a husband and wife relationship.

"Professor Noel."

When Siles walked into Ms. Aston's study room, Mr. Boyle greeted him.Siles nodded towards him, looked around, but was surprised to find that Ms. Aston was not there.

"Are you looking for Bonita?" said Mr. Boyle. "She has something to do and is away."

Siles suddenly realized.

Mr. Boyle looked around, confirmed that the other revealers hadn't noticed the conversation between them, and took Siles to another empty room.

When he got here, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Professor Noel, forgive me for being cautious. In fact, it was because of you that Bonita..."

Siles frowned involuntarily: "What's going on?"

"Because of your subject," whispered Mr. Boyle. "Of course, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your subject. But some people think there's something wrong with your subject."

Siles was silent.

He thought, is he... isolated?

"Bonita will not refuse to cooperate with you because of this matter. She wants me to tell you so, and... we also hope that you can pay attention to safety."

Siles felt a little unbelievable, he said: "I think my subject is meaningful."

"Of course, of course .

Siles thought to himself, this is how many people have reminded him like this.He sighed slightly and said, "Do you think... someone will kill me?"

Mr. Boyle was taken aback. This middle-aged man was a little timid.He hesitated for a while, and finally said, "You're young...I mean, there are some things you don't know."

Siles said, "Has anything like this ever happened?"

"It's more straightforward than you." Mr. Boyle said, "There was once a reckless young man who said directly... that a man can become a god, and he really researched in this direction.

"And... he really... made some... I don't want to say that, but that can be called an achievement. He reproduced the power of the gods, at least part of it."

Siles suddenly and sharply asked: "How long ago was that?"

"...14 years ago." Mr. Boyle's eyes seemed to have a meaning, "You may have heard of this time."

14 years ago.The seat of the Grand Duke of the Duchy of Const was replaced.Mr. Xia from the Historical Society and the Dawn Enlightenment Society had a falling out.Grenfell breaks with his teacher.

Sirius' heart sank slightly.

He thought that Grenfell had told him about it lightly.Grenfell said that there have been attempts to borrow the power of gods from the past, and some have died and some have gone mad.

At that time, Siles didn't think so much, thinking that this was just normal academic research.

But now, when he himself was deeply involved, he realized how much controversy this research had caused within the Historical Society.

And it's a taboo that people don't want to mention until now.

Siles' subject was just brushed aside, and so many people rushed to remind him to pay attention to safety.

Siles was silent for a moment, and finally said: "That young man...how is he now?"

"He's dead," said Mr. Boyle. "Some people think he died in that experiment. Others think someone else killed him. So...you know what I mean? You must, please Please, don't mention the three elements of the gods again."

Siles nodded.

Concerned, Mr. Boyle bade him come back next week and say good-bye to Cilles.

Siles was grateful for Mr. Boyle's reminder, but also guilty of the trouble he had caused Ms. Aston.However, the corners of his lips could not help but set off a sarcastic arc.

He thought, the three elements of the gods...he didn't even analyze the power of the gods in detail, but just explained the name of the gods...someone was so eager to warn Ms. Aston.

Could such warnings be related to previous office break-ins?Because he didn't stop his project after that, and even continued to conduct experiments?

He thought that after that incident, he announced that he had lost the manuscript, which would make the black hands behind the scenes feel a little jealous.But now it seems that the other party is acting recklessly.

Maybe you will feel that his resistance is just a mantis arm.

This is really...

Siles shook his head involuntarily.

He recalled his conversation with Grenfell.

Grenfell said that within the Historical Society, some people are too superstitious that "gods are gods, and people are people", while some people are too arrogant to believe that the power of gods should be controlled by humans.Grenfell himself is a centrist.

Superstitious faction, power faction, middle faction.Siles believed that there were other classifications among the three.

What happened 14 years ago may have been an attempt by the power faction.They failed.After that, the superstitious faction gained the upper hand, and the centrist faction became increasingly out of place.

Judging from various aspects and the tone revealed by different people, most of the current members of the Presbyterian Church are old men who are stubborn and clique-forming, and this trend has a tendency to spread downward.

Consider Carroll's previous complaints about the museum janitor's theft.He even quarreled with Mr. Grace, the person in charge of the second corridor, over this matter.

The root of these things may all come from the issue that broke the balance of power between the two sides 14 years ago.

Grenfell 14 years ago may have been young and reckless, and he may not have recognized the arrogance of the power faction, but he also believed that it was worth trying—human beings cannot always be covered by the shadow of gods, right?

His teacher, Joseph Morton, vice president of the Historical Society, doesn't seem to think so.

But judging from the few words Grenfell once said to Joseph Morton, this vice president does not belong to the superstitious faction.

It should be said that Morton believes that the revelator is a powerful force, and this power should be mastered by humans, but a more conservative and safe method should be used, and he is superstitious about the authority of the gods.

…Joseph Morton was a centrist superstitious?And Grenfell is a centrist power faction?

Siles couldn't help but think that just a historical society can fight like this. 400 years have passed, and the power system of the Apocalypse has not been fully clarified, but this group of people fought happily.

He thought, if this is the case, then the dispute over his subject is far from over.

Perhaps, some people think of this topic 14 years ago.They projected the image of that reckless young man onto Sirius.

The reason why Siles was not treated more harshly was because the things he researched were indeed meaningful enough, and the second was because Grenfell and some other aggressive high-level officials were protecting him.

The most important thing is that Siles is still weak enough, and he hasn't researched anything useful.

If he can really find a ritual that is enough to remove spiritual pollution, and if his reputation continues to grow positively within the Historical Society, then this is just a warning level of hostility that will soon escalate.

...But, even so, is he really going to give up this subject?

No, he won't do that.He hopes to develop a ritual that will remove the pollution.

It was he who faced the begging gazes of those spirit-polluted enlighteners, he who brought them a ray of hope, and it was he who, through the judgment of the dice, confirmed that human will can resist the will of gods.

Siles made up his mind, and didn't continue to think about the struggle behind it.He turned and left the Historical Society, and took the stagecoach back to the University of Ramifa.It was only two o'clock.

On the way back, he noticed some changes in the road.

The weather is getting colder and it will soon be October.

The October market starts from the second week of October and lasts until the end of the month, a total of more than half a month.

Therefore, at this time, people have already started preparations for the market.

A whole block of roads was cleared, and a slow lay-out began.Different merchants and booths need to be confirmed, the goods need to be delivered here, and leaflets, booth pictures and catalogs also need to be prepared in advance.

During the meeting last week, Siles heard Mrs. Fuller talk about these things.When he visited the Finn's family not long ago, he also heard Bertram Finn's complaints.

Bertram said that the preparations for this year's October market were extraordinarily grand because of the upcoming announcement of the Blight Wasteland development plan, but correspondingly, various preparations were also very chaotic.

Although the preparations started half a month in advance, the specific booth numbers and divisions have not been clearly informed to the merchants until now.Some merchants' goods were stuck halfway due to the weather, and they were not even sure whether they could participate in the market.

The Everlasting Lands are also in chaos due to the development plan of the Blight Wasteland.Everyone wants a piece of it, let alone big businessmen.

The most critical is the railway development plan.

And there is one more debatable detail in this.

When people first explored the land of no embers, each country used its own rail system to lay the railways of the land of no embers.As a result, the gauges of many of the Neverland's railroads are not equal.

Now that countries are planning to join forces to jointly develop the withered wasteland, the gauges of these railways need to be unified so that transportation can be facilitated.

And this matter has caused various countries, different factories and businessmen to fight to the death.

No one knows whether the place where the new railway track will be laid is safe, how much material and workers will be consumed, whether it will run smoothly after the laying is completed, and whether it will become an important transit point for goods and passengers.

But those tracks that have already been laid are different.There is a known condition, but now it needs to be resurfaced and repaired.

Some ambitious factory owners naturally set their sights on the new rails, while some businessmen looking for stability focused on the profits from re-laying the old rails.

In short, this matter has been in trouble all over the place recently.

The Emberlands were so chaotic that it even affected the Revelator's market.All kinds of potions and time tracks have been increasing in price recently, at least from Siles' observation in the salon, the price increase is not small.

Siles couldn't help sighing slightly: What a troubled time.

Siles returned to 6 Hayward Street, and bumped into Lorenzo at the door who was about to go out.

"Good afternoon, Sirius," said Lorenzo. "I'm going to Professor Dunlop's class. I'll be busy after that."

"Good afternoon, Lorenzo."

Siles greeted him.

I don't know if it's because of what happened in the gourmet town before, but in the past two weeks, Lorenzo seems to have gotten rid of the habit of going out to have fun, and he is very peaceful, which impresses Celes.

Of course, according to his own statement, it was because he had spent all his wages.

Salary will be paid again in a few days, and Siles is very curious whether Lorenzo will continue his life of drunken dreams.

But Lorenzo said he was "getting busy".

Siles couldn't help asking: "Why are you getting busy?"

Lorenzo replied casually: "Because someone discovered a new catacomb in the Land of Never Embers, so Professor Dunlop is probably going to lead a team to go archaeological. I have to help with the class, and of course I will be busy."

Siles was stunned, and he asked with some interest: "When will we leave?"

"Maybe in mid-October, just a few more weeks. It always takes some time to prepare. I don't know if they can catch up with the God's Birthday celebration." Lorenzo said, "So I only have a few weeks left. It's time to get familiar with the lesson plans. It is estimated that Professor Dunlop will not be in school this year."

Siles thought to himself, the archaeological team of La Mifa University... Will Herman Grove be involved?

In the running group plot, the apostate Hamlin might be mixed into the archaeological team of La Mifa University, thus leaving the city of La Mifa.Could the archaeological team mentioned in the script be the archaeological discovery this time?

So, maybe Herman Grove will also participate in this archaeological activity?

Siles hoped this would go well.After all, the apostate has already been caught, and this time the archaeological operation should not cause any accidents.

Lorenzo said goodbye to Cilles, and left 6 Hayward Street.

Siles walked up, returned to the bedroom on the third floor, opened his notebook, and pondered over the recent affairs.

Here at Ramifah University, everything is going on in an orderly manner.Classes, apprenticeships, clubs, societies, papers, everything is moving forward in an orderly manner according to the plan.

A novelist's side hustle is similar.He was planning to go to the novelists' party Benton was talking about this weekend.Don't forget the autograph Grenfell asked for, he reminded himself secretly.

As for the new novel... put it away for now.Although he had told Mr. Benton that he had an idea, and he did, he hadn't had much time for it lately.

Things on the Revelator's side fell into a subtle deadlock.

His project is still going on, and Siles thinks that he has indeed found a feasible solution.But the problem is, he seems to have to be more cautious.This change in mentality made Siles somewhat helpless.

Additionally, several matters requiring investigation have stalled.

The whereabouts of the apostate's files remain unclear.Siles had reminded the Church of the Past to investigate Dr. Chester before, but until now there has been no follow-up, making Siles wonder, is it so difficult to investigate Dr. Chester's past?

The same goes for Professor Cabell's disappearance.Siles read the books that Professor Kabell had borrowed, and wondered if Professor Kabell had found the manuscript mentioned in the "Lost Inheritance", so he left Lamifa City.

According to his understanding of Professor Kabell, the latter was looking for the first draft and original of the book, and such manuscripts left in history may make Professor Kabel very obsessed.

But the problem is that Siles doesn't know what Professor Kabell got.So the question came back to the question of what materials Professor Kabell had read.

Both the museum gatekeeper and the Darrow family have been suspended from investigation by the second corridor.It's been so long, and there are indeed no new clues.

They didn't know what was going on with the gatekeeper's sick granddaughter, or what Brewer Darrow's fiancée really was.

Eric once said that he would investigate the recent actions of underground gangs, and wondered if he could bring any useful news.Of course, Siles didn't give much hope.

After the gatekeeper incident, underground gangs must be more careful.

Besides...

Just like the food town thing.What happened two weeks ago is now gone, and even Sirius has never heard of the investigation by the revealer.

Many things just disappear invisibly like this.

Siles couldn't help sighing.

After thinking for a moment, he happily put these troubles behind him and turned his attention to more urgent matters.

Deep sea dream tonight.

Last night he saw a ruin at the bottom of the deep sea dream.That scene has been deeply engraved in his brain, and he will never forget it in his life.

However, this new discovery did not bring any progress to his exploration of deep sea dreams.He still didn't know what that place meant or what he could do there.

Therefore, his intention after entering the deep-sea dream tonight remains unchanged. He hopes to try to see if he can influence those dream bubbles.

After making up his mind, Siles looked at his pocket watch: it was past two o'clock in the afternoon.

It was still early, and Siles thought about tomorrow's schedule and what he needed to do later, and decided to hurry up and sort out the content of the thesis.

The two apprentices are already sorting out the materials for the thesis.Their term paper was much simpler than Cilles's, so it went faster, and it was now conceived and written.

Siles also needs to speed up the progress of the paper. After all, he needs to have his paper published in a journal by the end of November.

That's two months away.

He spent a little time sorting out the structure, outline and reference materials of the thesis, and left the dormitory in the evening to have a meal in the cafeteria.

It was getting darker and earlier as October approached.By the time Siles returned to the dormitory after dinner, it was already dark.Siles took a quick hot shower, then did his laundry, tidied up his room, and read the newspaper and some of the September journal papers.

The habit of reading newspapers was learned from Lorenzo.Siles was also very curious about the newspapers of this era.At this point in time, he has been able to see a lot of news related to the October market.

It is mentioned that this year's October market starts on October 10th and lasts until the 25th, a full half a month.

And October 10th is the birthday of God.On that day, there will be a very lively and grand celebration of the birthday of God.Grand Duke Const is expected to announce the development plan of the Blight Wasteland on that day.

Darrell had previously told them that the Third Corridor had been discussing the plan for maintaining order on God's birthday long in advance.At that time, Siles hadn't realized that the storm was coming.

But now, when he clearly sensed the arrival of the October market and the imminent announcement of the Blight Wasteland development plan, he realized the crisis hidden in this excitement.

After all, there are many interests involved in the Land of Never Embers, including the interests of ordinary people and those of the enlighteners.A development program is certainly a good thing, but it may not be the case for everyone.

Moreover, the annual God's Birthday is a time of carnival for people.It seems that it is not uncommon to do things at such a time.

Siles was somewhat worried about this.

Before going to bed, he read a novel—there were only entertainment activities left for Siles in this era.He has no interest in smoking, drinking, eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, and even hates some of them.

Therefore, reading became the only way for him to relax.

At ten o'clock in the evening, he fell asleep on time, and entered the deep sea dream after that.

After a routine walk in circles, he stopped in the center of the isolated island, and fell into deep thought.Then, he chose a direction at random, walked to the edge of the isolated island, squatted down, and picked up some sea water with his right hand.

Dream bubbles were also floating in the palm of his right hand.

He looked at the randomly chosen dream.The owner of the dream seems to be a young child. At this moment, he dreams that he and other young friends are playing in the countryside. It looks warm and beautiful.

But the dream images always flashed fast, and soon, the child dreamed of some weird scenes.Escape, sickness, narrow alley, basement, mysterious man... The picture flickered and jumped, like a nightmare, and the owner of the nightmare was frightened and was about to wake up.

He chose to intervene at this time.He wasn't sure how much he could do, so he tentatively touched the seawater with his left hand.

In the next second, he felt dizzy.When he did wake up, he was startled to realize that he was in a swaying, flickering black room.

…The fact that the room is shaking does not mean that the ground he is stepping on is really shaking, but a kind of dizziness and lethargy in the mind.It was as if I was in a photo, and someone was shaking the photo desperately.

"Wait...!" He said with difficulty, "Don't be afraid, it's okay."

Following his words, he felt a more intense... shock like a wild horse.Afterwards, everything around gradually calmed down.The dark room fell into silence.

"...Who are you?" A little girl's voice vaguely appeared in his ears.

He thought for a moment, and finally said, "I am the ghost of the dream."

He felt young girls would love the concept.

"Ah! Ghost!" The girl's voice sounded timid and restless, "I know ghosts. They are things that people become after death. I know this saying... I always feel that I will become a ghost too .”

Her words made him feel a little doubt.Why would a young girl think about death?

He didn't think deeply about it, but just asked, "What about you? Who are you?"

"I'm... I'm Nona," the girl said, "Mr. Ghost, you can call me Miss Nona."

"Okay, Miss Nona," said Mr. Ghost. "You're having a nightmare, aren't you?"

"...Yes." Nona's voice sounded timid, "But, Mr. Ghost, you appeared. After you appeared, I stopped having nightmares."

"Because I got your attention. If you still have nightmares in the future, think about something else. Imagine you and your friends playing in the countryside, imagine your family bringing you delicious snacks .”

"I will, Mr. Ghost," Nona said, "but I keep having nightmares."

"Why are you having nightmares?"

Nona was silent for a long time.

Mr. Ghost stood silently in the dark room.He couldn't see what was around him, and he didn't know where Nona was.It was Nona's dream, not his.

"...Mr. Phantom, I will only tell you one person." Nona said in a low voice, "You can't tell others either."

Mr. Ghost said patiently: "I will, Miss Nona. I will keep this secret for you."

Nona sounded relieved: "I'm locked up," she said despondently, "I don't understand...that's weird..."

There was a childish, not-so-serious anger and annoyance in her tone.

Mr. Phantom thought of Nona's words before, thought for a moment, and said, "Miss Nona, you are sick, aren't you?"

Nona let out a soft "ah".Then she said, "Mr. Ghost, you're so clever."

Mr. Ghost sighed in his heart: "Are you receiving treatment?"

"Maybe. But those things are really bad, and I feel pain." Nona said a little troubled, "I know, grandpa told me, that's the way to make me better. But... ..."

Her voice gradually dropped.

Finally, Nona said, "I'm a little scared, Mr. Ghost. I haven't seen Grandpa in a long time."

Mr. Ghost didn't answer Nona immediately, because he found a message from Nona's words, which caused a huge shock in his heart——Nona is...?

"...Mr. Ghost?"

The long silence made Nona a little uneasy, and there was a little crying in her voice.

Mr. Ghost said, "Don't be afraid, Miss Nona."

His steady voice calmed Nona.

Mr. Ghost said again: "I need to know about your situation, Nona. Otherwise, Mr. Ghost can't give you suitable advice."

"Mr. Ghost is just wandering in the dreams of children and helping us?" Nona asked.

Mr. Ghost whispered, "Yes."

"Then I'm lucky." Nona said pleasantly, and then she became depressed again. "But, Mr. Ghost, I don't know what's going on with me. I'm just locked up here, and someone is treating me."

Mr. Ghost said, "And do you know where you are?"

"I don't know," Nona said. "I passed out from the pain, and then I was in a dark room. I tried to escape, but they took me back easily.

"Now, I don't know how much time has passed."

Mr. Ghost said, "Who do you come into contact with every day?"

"There are a lot of people here, and I can hear them, Mr. Ghost," Nona said. "They don't seem to hear me, though. I try to get them to notice me, but they can't."

Mr. Ghost fell into a momentary confusion.

However, soon, the dark room shook.

Nona yelled and said, "Mr. Ghost, it seems that someone is waking me up!"

Mr. Phantom immediately said: "Miss Nona, please collect some information and try to understand where you are locked up. In another 21 days, I will come back to your dream!"

"Okay, Mr. Ghost." Nona replied briskly, "I'll see you another day!"

The dark room froze for an instant, then shattered.In a daze, he returned to the lonely island.He still maintains the previous posture, but the sea water in the palm of his right hand has leaked out.

He was stunned for a moment, feeling a little disappointed.He got up, looked around, and felt that nothing had changed in this place.

... no, wait.

He seemed to sense something suddenly, and walked towards a certain direction of the isolated island.

A few minutes later, he found a green seedling on the soft red mud of the withered island.A drop of water sticks to the seedling like a dream bubble.But at this moment, there is nothing above the water drops, which seems to indicate that the owner of the dream is not dreaming.

At this moment, Sirius woke up suddenly.

He took a deep breath of the icy morning air and woke up.The warm quilt has a huge temptation, so he doesn't want to get up at this time.

But he still got up to wash, put on his clothes, turned on the wall lamp in the study, and fell into deep thought under the faint light.

Nona.Could the young girl in the dream be the gatekeeper of the museum, the granddaughter of Anselm Norrisen?

This is an easy question to verify, as long as he asks what the gatekeeper's granddaughter's name is.And his intuition made Sires feel that he seemed to have come to the dreamland of the gatekeeper's granddaughter by accident.

Where is Nona being held?Those who locked her up, what did they make her drink?Why does Noona feel pain all the time?What the hell is going on with Nona?

Siles thought of many questions, he wrote them down, and then sighed with some regret.

If he wanted to know the answers to these questions, he might have to wait until 21 days later, when he went to Nona's dream again.The investigation in reality can indeed continue, but it may not be possible to really investigate anything.

Of course, Sirius now has more incentive to investigate the incident.

In addition to Nona's current situation, this attempt in the dream also allowed Sirius to get a lot of information.

He can indeed enter other people's dreams, all he needs to do is touch the dream bubbles with his hands.In addition, the dreams he has entered will leave traces on the isolated island, that is, the newborn seedlings.

Siles wasn't sure if such a seedling would grow and take on other forms.

He thought, if entering other people's dreams would leave a seedling in the red mud of the isolated island, then, would this once barren and silent island have been lush and green like a real paradise?

However, now only the soft red mud and the silent sea surface are left, as well as the tall, lifeless dolls, as well as those rotten stars and cold mist, quietly gazing at the dreams of human beings and the seabed. ruins.

What happened?What does this scene mean?

Siles could not come to a conclusion.

He felt that if the Deep Sea Dreamland was really Akamala's "Paradise", then it shouldn't be like this, at least it never was.Perhaps it was the fall of Akamala that changed everything.

Right now, the deep sea dream is like an empty shell.

However, not everyone can enter this dream.Siles thought.

You can enter only if your spirituality is high enough, and you can enter safely only if your will is high enough.

Siles suspects that Leon, the former painter, encountered the remaining power of Akamala and has a relatively high spirituality, so he dreamed of this picture.However, Leon's willpower was not high enough, so the moment he saw this picture, he fell into madness.

Siles has always had some doubts and uneasiness about why he was able to set foot on the isolated island, and why he was able to maintain his sanity and sobriety.

The only thing that could explain all of this was the judgment he made when he woke up after entering the deep sea dream for the first time and faced himself in the mirror.His will check was successful, so he was able to enter the dream repeatedly and always remain sane.

After 21 days, he will have two chances to enter the deep sea dream again.He must make good use of such opportunities.

If Siles guessed correctly, then the practice of "entering other people's dreams" is not considered a new discovery, so you won't wake up after entering someone else's dream.

Waking up this time was after Sirius discovered that new seedlings had grown on the isolated island.

But it shouldn't be possible for him to enter other people's dreams infinitely.Siles couldn't help thinking.

One of the functions that Celes wants to try most now is "search".He wanted to see if he could enter someone's dream.In addition, I just want to try to see if I can actively influence and modify other people's dreams.

21 days……

Siles calculated the time in his mind.That is the 13th and 14th of October.

Very long.

He could not help but sigh.

When the sky was getting bright, Siles changed his clothes, went to the cafeteria to have breakfast, and then went to the office to prepare for the conversation with the apprentices and the public elective class in the afternoon.

It's an unremarkable Thursday.

On Friday morning, Siles picked up a letter addressed to him from the postman before heading out to his elective classroom.When he saw the signature of Knight Commander Banyan on the envelope, he was slightly taken aback.

It might be about Dr. Chester, he thought.