The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

One thing that surprised Sirius was that he always thought that the men in the armor of the female knight were the victims.

This idea comes from the death of Brewer Darrow.The death of this former companion made Siles preconceived that the other dead were also victims who knew nothing about the truth.

But from Dominic's letter, he glimpsed an unexpected possibility—those deceased probably had expected, even expected, their own death.

They waited for that day, and so eagerly mentioned it to others.

……why is that?

They are one of the sacrifices, so they are full of expectations for their own death?This is indeed a possibility.

Perhaps they are believers themselves.Siles thought thoughtfully.

but……

But Brewer Darrow is a special case.

Maybe the gang behind the scenes originally wanted to slowly assimilate Brewer Darrow, or even the entire Darrow family, through marriage; however, Brewer accidentally possessed the aptitude of a revelation and joined the Historical Society.

Once he becomes the revealer, Breuer will gradually learn about the situation of the followers of the old gods. At the same time, he will also realize that his fiancée, and even people related to his fiancée, have some problems.

Even if he didn't realize it at first, as time goes by, he will definitely realize it, because he will definitely come into contact with various people and clues related to the followers of the old gods.

...So, that group of people started fighting ahead of time?

The possibility lingered in Sirius' mind.

He thought of the painter.Once he thought it was just an ordinary painter, but after Brewer died, the painter disappeared.It was really like spying on Brewer around the Historical Society.

It is very likely that Brewer's aptitude as a revelation was an accident, which disrupted the plans of the mastermind behind the scenes.

... So, Brewer Darrow is likely to be the "chosen" one too.Like the previous dead, he should have died wearing the armor of the female knight, but because of this sudden incident, he ended up lying naked on the wilderness in the eastern suburbs.

Thinking of this, Siles couldn't help sighing.

He felt that this line of thought was quite possible.From a certain point of view, if those deceased were all cooperative, then it is quite normal that this matter has not attracted higher-level attention over the years.

Otherwise, for so many years, a corpse would appear from time to time at the end of May, which would definitely make people feel frightened.

When someone dies, the family members of the deceased will definitely call the police.If this happens from time to time, it must be a little bit of an impression on older investigators or police officers.

But judging from the current known situation, this serial murder case is little known.

Siles believes that this serial murder case does exist, but the frequency may not be as high as he previously thought.That is likely to happen every few years, or even ten years.

Because it was something planned by an organization, not an ordinary psycho killer.

He couldn't help thinking, then, there must also be some kind of...time law.What on earth is the man behind the scene planning to kill a man in the armor of a female knight every once in a while?

This is arguably a rather troubling question.

He thought about the three known cases that happened 50 years ago, 30 years ago, and 11 years ago.

And if Brewer Darrow's death counts, it's number four.In terms of these four deaths alone, the deaths have gradually become more frequent rather than rare.

Is the man behind the scene starting to lose patience too?Siles thought.

He thought this way because Dice had told him before that "Shadow" was also gradually losing patience.

Thinking of the dice, Siles couldn't help but glance at the current date.He realized that it had been a long time since the last conversation with Dice, so he thought about it, took out the piccolo from the small room, and made a judgment.

He thought to himself, he has done this many times, maybe it can be called... "Dice Recovery Ritual"?

He amused himself at the thought, but didn't show it.

"Oh, Keeper. Long time no see," said Piccolo. "It's nice to get some fresh air. So, what are you going to ask?"

Siles said, "I'm not going to ask anything, but I'm just asking you to come out and get some air."

Piccolo moved in shock, and said, "You are so sweet. I do prefer the real world to that dark place."

Speaking of that place, Sirius thought of the Dark Sea and the problems he and Qindo had been bothering.

He thought about it for a while, and finally decided to mention the business, just to change his mind, so as not to be stuck in this troublesome serial murder case.

He then said, "Did Lygardia go to the dark space when he set foot on the journey? Or the dark sea?"

"Both are fine," Piccolo said. "The Sea of ​​Darkness is about humans, not gods. Gods actually have access to 'worlds' in all senses, not just certain parts."

Siles nodded thoughtfully, and he also had some psychological expectations for this statement.He said, "You said earlier that we need a more secluded place to talk. So, can I go to your place?"

"The future is possible." Piccolo first said affirmatively, "but you are not yet a god in the true sense. You do have the power of a god, but..."

"So how do I become a god?" Siles said so, and then said, "'become', can gods also 'become'?"

"...I am amazed at your acuity." Piccolo said rather obsequiously, but it could also be said that it had the vivacity of its nature, and it continued, "Aside from those premises, human beings do Can 'become' a god."

Siles was silent for a moment.

He thought, leaving aside the "premise".

...so how many "premises" are there?

Piccolo said again: "As for the way to become a god... I can only say that you are already on the road to becoming a god. It is always easier and more powerful to master the power of a god first and then become a god. .”

Siles frowned, because the tone of the dice's riddle was really annoying.

But he also knew that the dice couldn't tell everything.For Siles, knowing all the information at once is not a good thing.

Then he said, "I see. I mentioned Lygardia because Cindor found a canoe in the Tomb of Tau. That seems to point to the Sea of ​​Darkness?"

"Oh, it seems to be the case." Piccolo said with some uncertainty, "Maybe Lycardia has planned something in his own paradise, but I have no chance to know."

Siles said a little confused: "Perhaps you will know more about Lygardia. What we have been confused about is how to drive this canoe?"

Piccolo also thought about it for a while, and then it said: "Perhaps... the timing of the start is a problem? I don't think Lycardia will leave any problems for the bloodborn in his own paradise. He has a completely different personality from Akamala. Same."

Siles froze for a moment, surprised again by the familiar tone of the dice describing the old god.

However, he was also stunned by the saying of the dice.

This statement of the dice means that Lygardia will not deliberately embarrass his own blood.In other words, the "oars" already existed, but they are not needed now, so they are hidden.

Perhaps it was because the Dark Sea was closed to them now, so the canoe could only berth, and the oars did not appear at the same time.Or maybe it's because they didn't have a..."map" to go to the Dark Sea?

A destination that actually exists?A directional marker?

For example, a human who strayed into the Dark Sea?

After all, the Dark Sea is a chaotic, bizarre place.It was a mishmash and a mixture of things, and it was very different from the solidity, stability, and clarity of the real world.They may not be able to get into it normally.

... Siles suddenly felt dumbfounded.He realizes that he and Gyndo may be thinking completely wrong.

They wanted to find "paddles," but maybe the canoe didn't need "paddles" in the first place.Maybe the boat doesn't need any external force at all, and it can row by itself?

If he hadn't asked about the dice on a whim today, then they might still be troubled and confused.

It also gave him some caution.He thought that professional matters had to be consulted with professionals.Dice is obviously much clearer about things related to the old gods, but they can only speculate from a human standpoint.

But this possibility also made Sirius breathe a sigh of relief.All along, the existence of the Tau cemetery has given them a little pressure.It's always disturbing that Cindor was able to enter Tau's Tomb, but he didn't get more power.

It wouldn't be surprising if this was because they haven't yet found a place to use this power.The problems that bother them may not even exist.

He decided to discuss this possibility with Qin Duo after he came back.Maybe they can go to Dreamland tonight.

Piccolo said, "Actually, you don't have to worry about the Tau cemetery... Lycardia is a very reliable and low-key god. If you ask me, he is quite similar to the sense of security you gave me. And Akama La is the exact opposite."

Saying so, Piccolo couldn't help sighing.

"Akamala seems to have been quite active historically," said Siles, "in the name of his avatar, of course."

"That's true." Piccolo said, "People may not be very clear about it now. But in the past, He always used his avatar to go to different places, and then sent people nightmares or sweet dreams according to what he observed.

"Akamala doesn't need to sleep, because dreams are real to him. He lives in a place between reality and fiction. Therefore, the relationship between him and Lycardia has always been quite good."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully.He thought that according to the rumors, Cynthia never slept.

...Cynthia, who never sleeps, will bring very bad things once she falls into a deep sleep.This rumor has actually been proved.The fall of Akamala brought a three-day nightmare to the world.

He couldn't help but sigh a little, realizing that they couldn't ignore any rumors that seemed outrageous.Maybe it reflects the reality of this world from a certain angle.

However, the idea of ​​dice also caused unexpected waves in Sirius' heart.

He asked, "Akamala's avatar... what kind of existence is it? Is it real?" He paused, and then added, "Escape is not a good act, dice."

Piccolo was silent for a moment, then said reluctantly, "It's as if you're saying, 'You're a bad boy to avoid the facts.'"

Siles: "..."

Sometimes when he faced the dice, he really had the feeling of facing a child.

Piccolo sighed: "You... Actually, you already have some ideas, don't you? It's just that you may not be able to find evidence. Actually, I don't know that well. I followed you back to Fisher... …Well."

It stopped suddenly, probably realizing that it had slipped up.

"Follow me to Fisher's world?" Sirius repeated this statement, "So, you were not in Fisher's world before... You are going to Earth to find a suitable savior?"

Piccolo coughed and said, "Would you like some music? I can play you one."

Siles: "..."

It's... at a loss for words.

Without waiting for Siles to respond, Piccolo played a melodious tune by itself.Seriously, that sounds pretty good.

Surrounded by music, Siles stopped asking those questions.The veil of all truths will finally be lifted, he believes so.

After a while, the sound of the flute fell.Piccolo said: "This is Akamala... It should be said, the music played by Cynthia when she appeared in the puppet play that Cynthia was in."

Siles nodded slowly, and he said, "I remember, Cynthia was born in the forest?"

"Yes." Piccolo whispered, "Cynthia's existence has affected Akamala to a considerable extent."

Were the gods influenced by humans?Siles remained silent.He thought that he had already learned about this matter from various angles, but he was still a little surprised by it.

Here at Akamala, this effect is not considered negative.But maybe it was because it wasn't considered negative that Siles was a little surprised.

"...Then, Keeper, I'm leaving now." Piccolo said briskly, "I look forward to meeting you next time."

"See you next time." Sirius said the same.

Piccolo lay silently on the table.Even though there was no difference on the surface, Siles could vaguely sense a subtle difference.

This made him think about his own spiritual problems.

He guessed that his spirituality might also be around 90, but he also felt that such a high spirituality was a bit abnormal.However, there seems to be a lot of abnormalities in him.

... Siles suddenly thought of the perfect fit of the ceremony when he was performing the ceremony, and the magical vision full of blue light.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, wrote it down in his notebook, and reminded himself to remember to ask the next time he had a conversation with Dice.

Then he got up and put the piccolo back in the closet.He sorted out the letters from Catherine and Dominic and put them in a drawer before starting his original plan for today - reading.

The book that Siles borrowed from the library is called "The Original Kingdom: The Kingdom of God", which is the work of Hector Griffin, a well-known historian in the early period of the Mist.

Siles has heard about this historian. When he was studying the literature of the Silence Period, he occasionally needed to study the historical development at that time, so he would involve some related historical books.

Hector Griffin is one of the unavoidable masters.When it comes to the relationship between gods and humans, Hector usually withdraws to examine the changes and development of this complex relationship with a more independent, objective and rational attitude.

This also makes his work quite popular with research scholars, because they can cite it with confidence without worrying that the author's arguments in the citation part will affect the overall direction of their paper.

Most of Hector's works also involve quite a lot of historical data.He himself seemed to be a fairly well-known bibliophile, but the Griffin family hadn't had any famous big names since him.

"The First Kingdom" is the most well-known book among Hector's descriptions of the history of the Empire, although it is already a fantasy for ordinary people.

Moreover, with the development of the times, people are gradually no longer interested in the things of the ancient era.I am afraid that only for scholars who really study the history of ancient times, such books are what they need to study and study on a daily basis.

The Imperial Era is, after all, a rather old, distant Era.For people in the Mist Age today, mentioning the Empire Era is like mentioning dinosaurs to people on Earth, it is an almost incomprehensible behavior.

However, it is precisely because of this that most of the historical events of the Imperial Period are recognized by people, and even rarely make mistakes in the collective impression, or have any changes, because it is too far away and vague, so people keep silent.

The main part of this book is divided into three chapters, namely "The Kingdom of the Old Gods", "The Kingdom of Gods Neglected by People", and "Beyond the Kingdom of Gods". Chapter 2 refers to the Kingdom of Gods of the weaker gods.

Siles glanced at the catalog and felt that it might be difficult for him to finish reading the book immediately today.But he hopes he can at least read Chapter 1 carefully.

Among the thirteen old gods, those who are known to possess the Kingdom of God include the six gods Akamala, Amois, Luthmi, Thaddeus, Pessonari, and Trisley.

Akamala's kingdom of God is called Dormaine, a kingdom that likes to study dreams and sleep, and also perform puppet shows.This kingdom was quickly established and quickly destroyed.

Amoys' kingdom of God was called Mar, and it used to be a very militaristic country, so it didn't last too long.

Luthmi's kingdom of God is called Mingguang, a country that is fanatical and obsessed with the stars and the universe, and even wants to explore the interstellar world during the Imperial Age.Its economic level could not bear such a heavy responsibility, so it collapsed in a short period of time.

The latter three once protected the August Empire together, and then August split, and Thaddeus and Pessonari each established a kingdom of God.After that, Trisley did not establish a separate kingdom of God of her own.

In addition, as far as Siles knows, Lygardia also protected a tribe of wanderers.It can be said to be a kingdom of God to some extent, but it seems that little is known about Lygardia.

In short, regardless of Lygardia, the above six old gods are the gods that people clearly know and once established their own kingdom of God.

In the Imperial Age, there were of course more than that many countries at that time, but from the birth to the end of many countries, none of the old gods stood up and clearly acknowledged that this country was a country protected by him.

As far as the concept of the Kingdom of God is concerned, Middleton today cannot be called the Kingdom of God. It can only be said that it is a country that believes in Amois.

Middleton can still accept the existence of other beliefs, such as people's belief in Antinam.Although there are not many people who believe in it, they do exist and live well.

But in the Imperial Age, it is impossible for those kingdoms of God to accept the existence of other beliefs within the borders.

The August Empire is an exception.Today, when people refer to Augustus, they are less likely to think of it as the kingdom of a particular god.But occasionally people call it the "Kingdom of God", because there are indeed three gods who openly claim such blessings.

In addition to the kingdoms of these old gods, there are kingdoms of gods that are even weaker.However, these kingdoms of God basically do not attract people's attention.

It should be said that since the Faith Era, these weak gods have gradually disappeared in human history.They themselves do not have the powerful power of the old gods. At the same time, with the development of human civilization in Fisher's world, their conceptual power may also be polluted.

The Kingdom of Gods of these gods had caused a certain degree of chaos in the early days of the Imperial Era, but as time went by, it gradually faded away without a sound.In the second volume of the book, Hector treats the kingdom of these gods equally.

In the third volume "Beyond the Kingdom of God", Hector began to pay attention to the relationship between those countries that are not considered to be the kingdom of God and the gods.Of course, that also exists, such as Const and Antinam today.

The Principality of Const is not a kingdom of God, but everyone knows that Antinam protects Const to a certain extent.

...It should be said that the current Anti-Nam protects every country.However, it is impossible for any country to consider itself the kingdom of God in Anti-Nam.

To a certain extent, Antinam is indeed a more lenient god.

Siles roughly scanned the contents of the entire book, and then began to carefully read the parts he was interested in.This is his personal habit when reading such literary and historical classics.

He paid extra attention to the country of Dormaine.Today, this former country can be said to have a little involvement with Sires.

"...

"Dormaine was short-lived in the early days of the Imperial Age. It should be said that it is because it is the kingdom of God in Akamala, so people, especially researchers, pay a little attention.

"If it was just an ordinary country, then no one would care about the demise of this small country. The existence of Akamala, and the importance Akamala attaches to this country, gave Dormaine more s concern.

"...

"Overall, Dormaine is a country with a very peaceful atmosphere and a wonderful sense of joy. It is recorded more than once in many related classics that people went to Dormaine and received warm hospitality. And had a nice trip.

"This temperament is obviously also inseparable from Akamala and the purpose of establishing this country at the beginning.

"Some kingdoms of God have some god-related intentions since their establishment; such as the Mar Empire and the Mingguang Empire. The same is true for Dormaine, but—for the sake of sleeping and dreaming—I have to say that this A peculiar and harmless reason.

"...

"Therefore, dreams are a rather complicated topic in Dormaine. People attach great importance to them, and even compare dreams with each other.

"The vast majority of the residents of Dormaine record their dreams. For them, the notebook that records their dreams is like a diary. The few residents who do not record their dreams are also because of their age—too old or Too small - so can't do it.

"However, even very, very elderly residents will record their dreams in various ways. Such as dictation, such as storytelling.

"Some elderly residents even attract many people to listen to their dreams, like a lecture. People are proud of their dreams.

"It is said that Dormaine even has the habit of recording and publishing interesting dreams every month, every quarter, and every year. People will gather those interesting and memorable dreams into books, and then distribute them for free—rather than selling them. Selling dreams It's against the law in Dormaine.

"What's even more interesting is that in Dormaine's legal provisions, the punishment for criminal behavior is to let this person have a nightmare. According to some ancient classics, the nightmare will make the criminal feel personally .

"And the most terrible punishment is to let a person fall into a nightmare forever.

"Among these topics, the most wonderful thing may be that the god Akamala himself will also participate in it. He may send sweet dreams to the humans he prefers, and may also contribute to the nightmares of those criminals.

"...

"Akamala's participation in Dormaine's related affairs is not only reflected in the dream, but also in the six popular puppet shows in Dormaine's country.

"Most of the time, the inhabitants of Dormaine are immersed in illusory dreams, and only a few times, when they wake up, they will devote themselves to the real world.

"One of the important things in their real world is the puppet show.

"The puppet show has appeared earlier, but it really flourished in Dormaine. When people mention the puppet show today, they may not think that it is related to the kingdom of Akamala. But the fact is that in this way.

"The popularity of puppet shows has naturally led to the popularity of theaters and the maturity of the craft of making dolls. Dormaine's dolls are also items that some collectors will love.

"Of course, nowadays it is impossible for people to buy dolls that are actually from Dormaine, only dolls made by imitating his craftsmanship.

"In Dormaine, the dolls are sold in sets, which are called 'six sets'. The six sets are actually only six dolls, but because a single doll can play different roles, so It will be called six sets of dolls.

"The so-called six-set puppet show means that at most six puppets can be used to complete a play. A capable puppeteer can control six puppets to perform at the same time.

"...

"Some information from the Imperial Age pointed out that Akamala even observed and enjoyed Dormaine's puppet show in secret. Perhaps it is precisely because of this that the residents of Dormaine are more fanatical in their pursuit of this matter.

"At the height of the puppet show's rehearsals, there may be more than 1000 performances going on in Dormaine at the same time.

"It is obviously impossible for Akamala to pay attention. Therefore, there are many classic plays that will be repeated non-stop, hoping that Akamala can see one of the performances.

"Probably the clearest record of it is Dormaine's first play. It's about a little girl who accidentally steps out of the house and goes on an adventure.

"This repertoire has been repeated for more than 500 performances in Dormaine, almost every month. The script of this repertoire has also influenced the birth of many derivative works in later generations.

"(Note: Interested readers can find the script of "The Little Girl Cynthia Embarked on a Journey" or related translations by themselves.)

"..."

Siles read Hector's records about Dormaine, and thought about it from time to time.

He realized that this highly reputable historian was indeed familiar with the situation of the Kingdom of God in the Imperial Age.Many details mentioned by Hector have triggered Siles' deeper thinking.

After reading this part, he came back to his senses and found that it was already noon.He went downstairs to make himself a casual lunch, musing over the information.

First of all, of course, the play, "Since a Little Girl Cynthia Goes on a Journey".

When he saw the name of the play, Siles had to admit that he was a little surprised and expected.

Little girl, let's go on a journey.pretty good.Nice combination of related concepts from Akamala and Lygardia.He was very curious about who the author of this play was...wouldn't it be Akamala who wrote it himself?

...probably not.It is very likely that it was written by Akamala's agent, or someone who understands the relationship between Akamala and Lygardia.If it's really a coincidence... Siles doesn't quite believe it's a coincidence.

Moreover, Hector also mentioned that people at that time would enjoy a pleasant journey in Dormaine.This kind of statement also made Siles quite concerned.The powers of Lycardia and Akamala always seemed inextricably linked.

He memorized the name of the play, and after preparation, he went to the library of Ramifa University and the library of Ramifa City to try his luck, maybe he could find the script of this puppet show.

The second thing that attracted Siles' attention was Hector's explanation of the concept of "six puppet plays".

The term "six sets of puppet shows" does cause some misunderstandings.Theoretically speaking, a quantifier like a set of dolls will make people feel that there are several dolls in it.And the six sets of dolls make people feel that these are six different sets of dolls.

But in fact, the "six sets of dolls" are just six dolls.It is because one puppet can play different roles, so one puppet can form a set of roles, so this kind of play is called "six sets of puppet plays".

This naturally made Siles think of the six dolls he got.

He raised his eyes and looked at the puppet he had placed on the desk.Doll No. [-] consciously took two steps forward, as if being called out by name.Those little round black eyes stared at Siles.

Siles looked at it for a while, thinking, this can't be an antique from Dormaine, can it?

...Shouldn't it?Thousands of years have passed since Dormaine is now, and the wood at that time is probably rotten.

But the thought still lingered in Sirius' mind.

He thought again of the mysterious man who sold him the set of dolls.He was very suspicious of that person's identity now, but after that, he never met that person again.

...Of course, there is also a mysterious person he has never met before: Mr. Xia.

After thinking for a while, he couldn't help shaking his head, feeling a subtle concern.

The third thing that caught Sirius' attention was about dreams.

He hated what Hector had said about "those nightmares where the perpetrator would be there."

Since nightmares can be immersive, so can beautiful dreams.In other words, Akamala's dream power covers this kind of "disgusting the real" power.

... So, what about him?

No, it should be said, was he influenced by this power?

Does Canyo Farm in Merlin really exist?Does his mysterious mother really exist?

Siles was rather skeptical about the answer to this question.

He also thought of the things in the dream becoming reality, the dolls in reality can be manipulated from the dream, and so on.He felt that the answer to this question was already at hand.

But this possibility also made him slightly relieved.

If Siles Noel was a non-existent person, if his identity, family background, and memory were all just fabricated illusions for the arrival of He Jiayin, then he would not be so resistant to time travel.

After all, he didn't like the feeling of "being" someone else.He will feel as if he has killed a real life invisibly.

And it would be much easier to accept, at least for him, if it had been an identity meant for him, a fictional character made up for him to fit into the world.

Of course, he still needs to continue looking for evidence of this possibility.

Thinking of this, Siles shook his head.

The coy attitude of the dice is obviously a circumstantial evidence.But he needs to find some more direct and clear evidence.It is a better choice to start with the clues left by Akamala in the past.

He didn't continue to think about it.

As the newsboy had said earlier, it was a great weekend, and he didn't want to spend his time on one thing or another, even though he had spent the morning on business.

...or don't think so.In other words, he at least has a free afternoon and evening.

In the afternoon, Siles continued to read the book.

After four o'clock, Qin Duo finally came back.He mentioned today's work progress to Siles a little depressed.

Many businessmen have sent application letters, wanting to join the trade fair in August.But their application letters are so varied that they have to spend a little time sorting out the content.

Qin Duo noticed a few familiar names, such as Langmeer, Bertram Finn, etc., and he naturally passed them all.But other merchants still need further detailed verification.

"After the list is finalized, you have to start arranging booths, right?" Siles asked.

"That's right." Cendo said, "But when that happens, I can leave this matter to the people of the Praia family. I don't have to do it myself."

Siles couldn't help laughing.Occasionally he feels a little sympathy for the Playa family, but most of the time he just prefers Cindo, who is so bluntly clingy.

He said, "It's getting late, shall we go out for a meal?"

"Of course," said Cinder. "Any one near Atherton Square?"

"It's okay if you want to go further afield," said Siles.

Qin Duo thought for a while, then said: "Today, someone said that a new restaurant opened in a block a little south, with some unique dishes, why don't we try it?"

Siles nodded: "Then let's go."

He took a coat with him.It wasn't until he left No. 99 Kelly Street that he suddenly realized that he was holding the coat that Cindo often wore.This made him smile.

"I took the wrong clothes and brought yours out," he said.

Qin Duo also froze for a moment, he looked at the coat that Siles was holding in his hand, and after a while, a very strong smile appeared in those emerald green eyes."That's really nice," he said.

"Where is it?" Sirius asked suspiciously.