The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

On the first night when Sirius came to Hales House, he met the manager here.

The visitor had an unexpected slick and flattering feeling, very much like the stereotype of businessmen in this world.He handled the situation very skillfully - dismissed the irrelevant onlookers away, and then asked the few people present what happened.

At the same time, a person went to the body and seemed to be doing some inspections.He took out a small knife that might be a time track, and cut on the corpse, maybe it can be compared to an autopsy?

Siles was a little interested, but he was not in the ritual time at the moment, and it was not good to take out the potion to drink at this moment.In fact, after coming to the Land of No Embers, there was no occasion for Sirius to use potions.

... The sense of security brought by Qin Duo is really reliable enough.

Siles could only glance at the place where the corpse lay.

"That ceremony is called [The Butcher's Hand]." Qin Duo seemed to understand what Sirius was thinking, so he explained it softly in Sirius' ear, "It is rumored that the butcher knows the structure of the human body very well."

Siles was slightly stunned, thinking, so it can be used not only for murder, but also for autopsy?

He glanced over there, then whispered, "Make the most of it."

This seems to be the style of Never Emberlands.

Qin Duo couldn't help laughing, and he said casually: "People just prefer to use this kind of ritual that can bring multiple effects."

Siles was about to ask something, but the man who looked like a businessman had already walked in front of them.

He gave a mock cough, and said, "Good evening, everyone! You can call me Miles. There's a dead man, so we're going to take you a minute. Anyway—anyone know the identity of the dead man?"

The three Siles shook their heads and remained silent.They had only arrived at this place today and did not know the deceased.

Although Siles had some doubts about the dead man's suspected arm of the statue, the revealer who was inspecting the corpse now blocked the corpse tightly, so it was difficult for him to confirm his thoughts.

The drinkers also shook their heads.One of them even had a belch, and looked drunk, and his sanity was not clear.

The little tavernkeeper said with a pale face, "Sir! Sir! This has nothing to do with my tavern. It's the first time I see this guest today!"

Miles said, "Tell me about this guest, boss."

The tavern owner recalled for a moment, and then slowly calmed down: "This evening, this man walked into my tavern. He ordered a glass of beer, and then quickly sat quietly in the corner, drinking slowly."

"Did he do anything else besides drink?"

"Other..." The tavern owner thought for a while, "he was reading a book! No, it wasn't a book... a notebook! I don't know what it is. He read it for a while and put it away, and then he kept thinking , drink slowly...

"If it wasn't for the normal business today, then I might have become impatient with him! He died in the end!"

When it comes to business, the tavernkeeper gets excited instead.

It doesn't look like he's lying.No one who has been in the tavern at Hales House for ten years needs to lie at this moment.It looked more like he was annoyed that the deceased had interrupted his business.

Miles nodded with a smile, and then said to the person who was examining the corpse: "See if there is any paper in the arms of the deceased!" Then he looked at the tavern owner, "Is there anything wrong with your wine?"

The tavern owner blushed, and he said, "How can there be a problem! I have been here for ten years! Miles, you have drunk my wine yourself, is there a problem?"

Miles coughed and shrugged: "It's just a routine inquiry."

The atmosphere of their conversation was unexpectedly relaxed.Sure enough, Siles thought, death is the least common occurrence in the Everlands.

A person died because of reading some mysterious, ancient and dangerous writing?This is not uncommon.

So... Siles suddenly realized that the most likely cause of death of the deceased was the mutation caused by reading?

Extremely severe mental pollution may lead to physical mutations, which was something Celes already knew.He once witnessed the mutation of Marquis Austin and his extremely fast death.

If we analyze its principle, according to the three-element theory proposed by Siles, it can be said that the crazy spirituality has exceeded the scope of the will, and has further affected the external physical condition.

And the pollution of the old gods can be superimposed and become more and more serious.

This...explorer—probably his identity—may have accumulated extremely high mental pollution during his past adventures, and then fell into madness and confusion when he read the notebook, and finally into death.

...has he become a sculpture?So is he contaminated by Huddhoka?

To swell into a mass of flesh—a mutation tainted and eventually tainted by Themian law; and to become a statue—this seems to be the power of Huddoka.

Soon, the man who was examining the body said, "Found it." He handed Miles a messy stack of papers, and then complained, "This is the case again. This guy's internal organs have become Ash……"

Miles cast a stern look that silenced the other.

But the half-sentence that had already been spoken made Siles understand.

It seems that Hales House has not been very peaceful in the past period of time.Keep popping up about explorers turning into statues and dying in the process?

Before the dead man was fully transformed into a statue, though, he died.Perhaps it was because his body could no longer maintain vitality after his internal organs became a hard, lifeless statue.

So at that moment, he died.

But Siles has indeed heard of things that have been completely turned into statues, whether it is the expedition that Cindo encountered, or the statues that fell in the shadow of the temple mentioned by the worker Dua in his diary, and the statues hired by the merchant Ranmir. those workers.

...what's the difference between the two?

One is the slow infiltration of the old god's pollution, and the other is the irreversible instant burst caused by the power of the old god?One chronic, one acute?

Siles felt that this kind of guessing was possible... Pollution and power seem to correspond to different elements of gods.Pollution corresponds to the will of the gods, and power corresponds to the spirituality of the gods?That is the godhead.

However, Siles had no evidence to prove his idea after all.

In a blink of an eye, the person who inspected the corpse had picked up the corpse and stood aside without saying a word.And Miles said with a smile: "Okay, everyone, you can continue to enjoy the wonderful night."

The tavern owner still stood there with a blank face, and the rest of the drinkers let out silly laughs of unknown meaning.

Siles stared at Miles silently.He suddenly realized that, although judging from the situation in that half sentence, the House of Hales had been in a dark tide in the past period of time, but at least on the bright side, no one seemed to take this matter very seriously.

His thoughts were confirmed a few minutes later.

After Miles left, the drinkers also left.It took only ten minutes to deal with a death.

The tavernkeeper went back behind the bar with a sigh.He muttered something under his breath, seemingly complaining that the dead man was interfering with his business.

Mary said to Siles: "Don't worry, Mr. Noel, this matter will not affect our investigation."

Siles nodded, and then said, "However, what I'm curious about is, has this kind of thing happened often in the past?"

The tavern owner said: "It's always like this. People die every day. Who knows why they die. There are so many puzzles these days, and few people have the heart to solve them.

"The worst thing is that this guy died in my shop this time. Oh, what a trouble. After this news gets out, my business will not be very good for at least a month."

Siles was silent.

"Oh, sir, what did you want to ask just now?"

Siles also changed the topic along the way: "What I want to inquire about is whether two men have appeared together recently. They may be inquiring about news related to the 'non-existent city' in the past few years."

The tavern owner listened, and then suddenly showed a strange expression: "You want to ask about the two of them?"

Siles paused, then said, "What?"

"I knew those two. One of them did say that perhaps someone would come here to see them. . . or maybe it was you, sir?" said the tavernkeeper, "but they've gone away."

Siles frowned: "Leave?"

"About six or seven days ago." The tavern owner thought for a while, "Ah, by the way, Anti-Nam's birthday."

Sirius nodded slowly.

The tavern owner narrowed his eyes suddenly. He looked at Siles and said, "Sir, I can tell you their whereabouts. But you have to prove your identity."

Siles said, "Did he leave anything when he said someone would come for them?"

"Wait, I don't have a good memory. I remember I wrote it down..." The tavern owner was looking for something in the drawer of the counter, where there was a big ball of paper, "Ah! I found it!"

He squinted his eyes to read the paper, then said, "A place. You need to name the place, sir."

a location?

Siles pondered for a moment, then said, "13 Milford Street."

"Aha, congratulations, you got the answer right!" The tavern owner casually stuffed the paper back into the drawer.

Siles thought to himself, judging from the papers in this drawer, it seems that this tavern also acts as a kind of ... information transfer station?

Indeed, the tavern that has been open at the Hales House for at least ten years should have a function that is a little more peculiar than the tavern.Previously, Siles had heard that explorers would go to the station every once in a while to update the latest information, such as changes in the fog, developments in rumors, and so on.

If this information is updated in the tavern, it seems to be a very normal thing.

"Where should I start with this matter..." the tavern owner pondered.

"There's no hurry, boss." Siles said in a low voice.

Beside him, Qin Duo was fiddling with the wooden wine glass boredly.

The tavern owner came back to his senses, and then said, "Just call me Andy."

Siles nodded and introduced his name.

The short Andy has been standing on a low stool, so he can be at the same level as them.He said: "Those two people arrived here in early October, they..."

Just as Andy started talking, there was a loud noise from the door of the tavern.Several people swarmed into the tavern, interrupting Andy's words.

"Andy! Have a drink!" said the leader.

This person is clearly dressed as an explorer, and he has a rather unrestrained feeling on his body, and the tone of his mouth is also wild and meaningless: "Hurry up! You are not busy here..."

Cinder glanced there.

Suddenly, the explorer's voice stopped.

After a while, he smiled mischievously: "It's Qin, Qin Duo... Why did you come to the House of Hales?"

Qin Duo simply said: "There is something."

The man ran to the corner in desperation and sat down with his companions.Boss Andy prepared drinks for them, and then brought them over.

Siles could faintly hear what they were talking about.

"……unlucky……"

"...forget it...just downstairs...the circus..."

"...Ramifa...really boring...money...businessman..."

"...I don't know if I can...do my best..."

Siles glanced over there, thinking, is this an expedition hired by the lady?

They mentioned the circus and the city of La Mifa, and the money of the merchants, which made Siles think of it.And that's not impossible.In contrast, their timidity in the face of Qin Duo is not so conspicuous.

...But now Siles' focus is still on the information Andy provided.

Mary said at this time: "It's almost ten o'clock, I'll go to the third floor and wait for the two gentlemen. We can meet there then."

Siles and Qindo both nodded.Qin Duo said with even more interest: "Don't worry, I'm here." He pointed to Siles, "I will protect our Professor Noel."

Siles stared at him silently.

Mary laughed and said, "Mr. Cindo, Mr. Noel is not that fragile. Maybe you can rest assured."

Cindo said, "I have to worry about his self-esteem, I understand." He glanced at Sirius.

Siles glanced at his wine glass, only to realize that Gindo had already finished a small glass of kirsch in boredom.He looked a little drunk, and his words and actions were a little presumptuous.

"But..." Qin Duo whispered, "I just have to protect him."

He leaned against Sirius and smiled softly.

Siles nodded to Mary nonchalantly, and said, "Ma'am, you should go to the third floor first."

Mary bid them farewell without any surprise and left.

After Mary left, Siles pushed the violin and said, "Sit down."

"Oh... sit down." Qin Duo sat down slowly, then smiled at Sirius, "Listen to you."

Siles couldn't help sighing inwardly, shook his head, and said, "Actually, you're not drunk."

"Of course," Ginkgo said, "I'm not that bad at drinking. But don't you think this scene is interesting?"

"I don't quite understand your intentions," said Siles.

"...You are my companion. My friend." Qin Duo suddenly lowered her voice, "You are mine."

His emerald green eyes were fixed on Sirius.Siles saw a small version of himself in his pupils.

"I don't belong to you." Siles said in a low voice.

Qin Duo showed a rather insolent smile.He reached out, wrapped Sirius around him, and then let go."That's the way it is now," he said.

"You want others to think so too?"

"Of course." Qin Duo said with a smile.

Siles glanced at him calmly, then said, "You're so childish, Gyndo."

"Whatever you say." Qin Duo shrugged, "I hope..."

His voice gradually softened, with a little drunkenness, he looked at Siles' calm face almost obsessively.

"I feel like our meeting was arranged by fate. Huddoka, Ligardia..." Qindo said, "I feel that at a certain moment... I have you. And what I have is always on my fingers countable."

"Sounds a bit..." Siles considered for a while, "Poor."

Qin Duo laughed, and he murmured, "You don't know much about my past." After a while, he returned to normal, and said nonchalantly, "Maybe we can find a chance to talk about each other's past."

Siles remained silent.He thought, Qin Duo actually took the initiative to mention his past.

When we met at the very beginning, Qindo would always cover up his past, and then aggressively ask Sirius about his situation; Much past.

For example, he learned that Qindo was looking for secrets related to the old gods, so he would accompany some explorers; for example, he learned about the origin and purpose of Qindo's necklace, and even got an invitation to travel to Kansas.

Therefore, Siles feels that his relationship with Cendo has crossed the line.

In the chaos, danger, and complexity of the Everlands, things don't seem so bad.Anyway, they did travel together.But what about when he returns to Ramifa City?

Siles felt that his nerves were also stimulated by something.He also acted irrationally and vigilantly.He didn't distance himself from Qindo at the right time, and now it seemed too late.

People who travel are always more indulgent because it's not the places and people they're used to.

Thinking, he sighed slowly.

"You're sighing again." Qindo asked troubledly, "Is the situation really that bad?"

"It's just an expression of emotion." Siles felt that he was also a little drunk, he touched the wine glass - in fact, he only drank two or three sips, "Qin Duo, don't do things that misunderstand me again Yes, seriously."

"Misunderstanding?" Qin Duo laughed, "Don't misunderstand. Think in the direction that upsets you the most."

He tilted his head and leaned on Sirius' shoulder.The little braid of his gray hair touched Sirius' shoulder too.

"...someone." Siles said helplessly.

"What are you afraid of?" Qin Duo said almost provocatively, "If they dare to say a word, I will pull out their tongues!"

Siles laughed because of the vicious-looking words.

Andy came back and looked at the two of them oddly.Qin Duo narrowed his eyes and glanced at him, so Boss Andy quickly withdrew his gaze.

"He's drunk," said Sirius. "Ignore him."

Qin Duo didn't seem to bother to refute this sentence.He took Sirius' shoulder.

"Uh...cough, I see." Andy said, "Then I will continue."

Siles nodded.

Cendo began to push his feet, he held Sirius' hand, and then played with Sirius' fingers.Siles squeezed his fingers warningly, and Cendo calmed down a little.

He still seemed to be obsessed with what happened on the stairs just now, so he was content to hold Sirius' finger now.He propped his face quietly, looking at Siles with emerald green eyes with a trance and pure smile.

Siles didn't seem to notice, just listening to Andy's words.

...According to Andy, Alfonso and Emanuel came to Hales House in early October.He had forgotten the exact date, but it was probably the first few days in October.

They came so fiercely that they visited almost all the taverns in Hales House.

Alfonso Carlisle himself is quite famous in the land of no embers. After all, he once claimed to have discovered a tribal ruin, but there was no second person to prove it.

Some people think that he is a liar, some people think that he is a sensationalist, and of course, some people suspect that he has swallowed the products of the ruins.

In short, the two of them investigated the "non-existent city" with great fanfare this time, and it did attract some people's attention.

"In fact, they also found me here." Andy said, "Then when I saw one of them, I thought of what happened ten years ago-a city that didn't exist, explorers, survivors..."

His voice gradually lowered.

After a while, Andy said: "My memory is not very good, so I always record everything and write it down on paper. Because of their appearance, I searched for the diary from ten years ago.

"I just remembered that there was a guest, who was dressed like that man, and came to my tavern. He was covered in blood, shaking and drinking. He said he had just escaped from a ghost place. He said, He's sorry for Isherwood."

Siles was slightly startled, then frowned: "Did he really say that?"

"Yes," said Andy, "Isherwood. I'm impressed by the name. Because, ten years ago, it was this man who organized an expedition to find the 'City That Doesn't Exist'. I was in This tavern has been here for a few years.

"Thinking about it now, ten years have passed."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully.

Andy's words solved a problem in his heart: the brotherhood of Isherwood and Emmanuel does not seem to be widely known.However, the original relationship between the brothers was not very good.

No one knew that Isherwood had a brother.Therefore, no one would tell Emmanuel when they met that survivor.Even the survivor himself probably didn't know the existence of Emanuel.

After ten years, can they still find the original survivor?

Siles asked, "Should they go find this survivor?"

"Yes." Andy said, "They should have found it."

found it?

Sirius said, "So the survivor is at the Hales House?"

"Well, that seems to be the case." Andy said, "But I don't know much about their specific actions. I only saw them three times. The first time they came to ask for some news about the 'non-existent city' .

"The second time I came here to ask about last year's treasure map... Carl? It seems that the explorer with this name sold the treasure map last year. But I don't know much about it.

"When they came for the second time, I told them about the survivor. They seemed very surprised and excited. But I don't know why, maybe they want to know more information.

"As for the third time, it was the day of God's birthday. They came to me and said that they were going to leave Hales House, but someone might come here to find them, so leave a letter with me and let me know when the time comes. Transferring it to... It seems that it is transferring it to you."

"A letter?" Sirius asked.

Andy nodded: "Yes, it's at the back. I'll get it to you later."

Siles nodded.Actually, he thought, Andy didn't know if Alfonso and Emmanuel had found what they were looking for.

He said: "So, there was a period of time between when they learned of the existence of the survivors and when they left Hales House. Does anyone know what they experienced during this time?"

Andy shook his head in confusion, and said, "I'm not that clear...ah wait, I suddenly remembered." He said, "They seem to be staying at Audrey's hotel. You can go over there and ask Ask the lady boss."

Siles understood and thanked Andy.

Although Alfonso left him a letter, it was still necessary to investigate what they had done at Hales House.

. . . They left Hales House on God's birthday.Siles thought.

At that time, they should have received the letter from Siles, otherwise it would be impossible to send a message from Andy.However, they still left Hales House.

This meant that they must have received very important information, so they couldn't wait for Sirius' arrival and left Hales House impatiently.

Hopefully that letter from Alfonso has provided enough clues.

Andy said, "You're welcome, sir." He smiled and said, "They paid for it anyway."

Siles was silent, thinking to himself, it really is so.

Andy went to get the letter and handed it to Sirius.The letter should not have been opened, at least the sealant on the envelope showed no signs of damage.

Siles didn't open it in a hurry, he wanted to go to a more hidden and safe place to read the letter again.He put the letter in his inside pocket, and said to Cinder: "It seems we can go back."

Qin Duo let go of Sirius' hand.Siles flexed his fingers, then paid for the drink - the currency of the Principality of Const can also be settled here - and then bid farewell to Andy politely.

After they left, the explorers who had been silent in the tavern suddenly started talking loudly.

"That's actually Cindo Playa!"

"Who has seen such a docile Qinduo! Oh, this description can make me sick!"

"Unbelievable, incredible..."

"Ha, will the arrogant mad dog ever recognize his master?"

"But his 'Master' doesn't look like someone from Neverland. It's like..."

"City people."

"Yes, city people."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, I really hope that this harmless townsman doesn't die in the Land of Embers!"

They laughed maliciously.

Only their leader did not speak.The short-haired explorer looked at the direction where Sirius and Qindo left, showing a slightly suspicious and vigilant expression.

The short tavern owner stood quietly behind the bar, and after a while, suddenly trembled.That's not some harmless townsman, he thought.That composure and serenity...is suspicious.

Siles didn't know how people judged him behind his back, and he didn't care.

Qin Duo led him to the potion shop on the third floor.

Siles asked: "You seem to be familiar with this place too?"

"The House of Hales is a must for explorers." Qin Duo's emerald green eyes were radiant, and he was not drunk at all, but Sirius was not surprised by this, "I just came to the Land of Eternal Embers. Explorers of the land will always come here to feel the... atmosphere of the land of no embers."

"Atmosphere?"

Cinder pulled Sirius to the railing, and he showed Sirius the scene of the central clearing.

Circuses, jugglers, magic shows, and, well, grotesque people.It's like opening a weird human museum here.

Cinder said: "This is the land of no embers, not the peaceful place they imagined. If even Hales House can't accept it, then I'm afraid there's no need to move forward."

Siles suddenly realized.

He saw a familiar figure in the central clearing—a circus clown.

His eyes were fixed on the silly looking clown standing there.The clown seemed to have noticed his gaze, raised his head, and looked over.After a while, the clown grinned and waved at him.

Siles didn't respond with any movement, and the clown naturally lowered his head and continued to stand there blankly.

Qin Duo said slightly unhappily: "You really know a lot of people." He paused, and then said, "This is the companion of the lady astrologer we met before?"

"Yes," said Siles.

Cendo's sharpness sometimes amazed Sirius.

Qin Duo nodded thoughtfully.

Siles asked: "The circus is in the Land of No Ashes..." He pondered over his words, "Is it a relatively special existence?"

Qin Duo thought for a moment: "I can't say that completely. There are many circuses in Neverland, and their reputations are not the same. This circus is resident in Hales House, so it is more famous. .

"Some explorers... regard them as a kind of... It should be said, a state of relaxation. Seeing a circus means safety and enjoyment. They think so.

"Some explorers even regard the circus as a spiritual pillar - the bright colors in the ruins, the joy after endless emptiness and struggle, the meaning of existence... In short, it's such things. It's hard to say what they are thinking. "

Qin Duo's tone was a bit contemptuous, but it couldn't be said that he didn't understand those explorers.He just doesn't think this kind of behavior is worth advocating.

Sirius nodded thoughtfully.

From this perspective, the astrologer Heidi's words are supported by a side argument.

The circus is a special existence.They symbolize the "paradise" in the hearts of many explorers, where there is no danger, no disaster, only endless pleasure and indulgence.

In turn, the circus did provide them with such services.

Different characters in the circus acquire magical and strange powers precisely in this imprint that has been honed over countless years.Clowns become clowns, astrologers become astrologers.

……"become".

Siles noted thoughtfully the words he used instinctively.

In other words, conform.They conformed to the characteristics of their profession and did related things, so they truly possessed this power.

... What if you become a god?

It may not be that simple for human beings to become gods.Siles thought.Their cognition of the power of gods still stays on the simple three elements of godhead, god position and god name.They don't actually know what the power of the gods is like.

Can these people in the circus be called gods?Is the clown the god of clowns?

No, you can't say that.There is also a difference between strength and power.

Siles didn't continue to think about it, he just kept this matter in his heart.

They went to the third floor and joined Mary, Chester, and Alva.Alva's face was flushed with excitement. He seemed to like Hales House very much, at least the Hales House he knew.

But when Siles heard Alva's chanting words, he realized that there was another reason for Alva's excitement.

"I saw a lot of people holding Bonet's version of the map!" Alva said immediately when he saw Siles and Cendo.

He seemed to have said this many times, because Doctor Chester showed a very complicated and helpless expression.

But Alva still enjoyed it and kept giggling.

Family honor is still highly valued in this world.Siles thought.

He congratulated Alva, then opened his pocket watch and found that it was past ten o'clock.The day's running and the amount of information he had just received made Siles feel a little tired.

"Maybe we can go and rest," he said.

"Ah... yes." Alva yawned after speaking, "I'm already sleepy."

Mary smiled and said, "Come with me, please."

The place where they ended up living was not inside the tent, but outside in the low house where they kept their feather horses.Obviously, it's a little safer and safer there.

There were five of them in total, and the house Langmeer bought had three bedrooms, so the situation became logically one for Lady Mary, one for Sirius and Cindo, and one for Chester and Alva.

The beds are easy to arrange, and there is a single folding bed in the house, they just need to spread the quilt.The desert at night is still very cold, so you have to wrap yourself in a thick quilt.

Surprisingly, this detached house has hot water.

Mary explained with a smile: "Life in the camp is a little more inconvenient. However, this is a permanent resident after all... It's like a community, so some infrastructure has also kept up."

This did give them a big sigh of relief.After a day of running around, they all want to take a hot bath.

The house has two bathrooms, a thoughtful touch.Mary went to bathe in one, and the gentlemen in the other.By the time everyone finished taking a shower and laid down the quilt, it was almost twelve o'clock.

However, Siles still intends to open Alfonso's letter and take a look.

He goes back to the room.Ginto is spreading the quilt.He said, "I have already laid the quilt for you."

Siles said, "Thank you. Do you need my help with your quilt?"

Qin Duo laughed, stood up straight, looked at the clothes on his body, and said, "I've already laid it out. Now I hope you get under the quilt earlier. It's not summer now."

"I'll have to read that letter first," said Siles.

Qin Duo muttered something, probably saying that there are so many things about Siles.But in the end he just sat down and looked at Sirius quietly.

He was always very quiet at times like this.

Siles took the letter from his coat pocket, tore it apart, and opened the letter inside.This letter was written by Emmanuel, and the paper and handwriting appeared more formal and serious, much more dignified than the letter from Alfonso that Siles had received.

"...

"Professor Noel, when you read this letter, Alfonso and I should have already embarked on the journey to 'that place'. We don't really want you to be in danger, but we have to give you an explanation.

"We discovered a secret. A mistake, so to speak. We were so wrong, so we are now