The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

Jon thought for a while, then shook his head: "I can't say that completely... I have to say, some people dare not even object to 'Shadow'. It is true that the existence of this god brought us together in the sharing session, but our The position is also different.”

Siles nodded knowingly. He said, "I think many people just want to deal with their own pollution."

For these people, they have no choice, because few people in this world know the existence of "shadow", and naturally, few people know how to solve the pollution from "shadow".

In this case, when they happen to know that there may be a group of people who have some relevant information, they will desperately seize this opportunity, even if it may just be a medical emergency.

And after that?

Will the revelators who are polluted by the old gods want to completely erase the existence of the old gods?It's almost impossible.

Therefore, even if it is a sharing meeting, not all the people in it may want to fight against the "shadow".

"That's true." Jon said, "There are some... out-of-the-way solutions within the sharing session. For example, some specific rituals, weird practices, certain vague concepts, etc., are used to deal with this kind of pollution.

"I can't say how useful that was, but it did help me a bit when I first got contaminated. Then came the 'Reincarnation' ritual.

"...I have to say, that saved many of us. So, you have a lot of prestige inside the sharing session."

Siles couldn't help being taken aback.

"I guess, the next thing you are going to do is to fight against the 'shadow'?" Jon's eyes carried a rather heavy thing, "...I mean, maybe the sharing session can help, At least in terms of information.

"They may not dare to really get involved, but they may be able to provide some information intentionally or unintentionally, or provide help in some irrelevant places."

Siles nodded slowly, and said in a low voice, "This is indeed a solution."

The information sharing meeting is a group of people who can't distinguish between good and evil.Characters like Forrest are not uncommon there.

They may have immersed their souls in things such as interests, power, power, wealth, and evil thoughts, but in essence, they at least understand the existence of "shadows".

Therefore, some things are better left to them than others.Of course, exactly what to do is another question.

The most important thing is that with the detective in front of him, Siles can give them a certain amount of trust.

Jon obviously didn't expect Sirius to agree with him so easily, and he paused in surprise.

Qin Duo chuckled and said, "Mr. Detective...do you think we still suspect you?"

Jon was silent for a while, and then sighed: "I just don't think it's too serious to be too serious about this matter. After all...that's the 'shadow'."

"Don't worry too much." Siles said, "Leave the 'Shadow' to me and Qindo. What you need to deal with are his followers."

Jon looked deeply at Siles, and he said, "Professor, do you think I won't worry about you if you say this? No, it makes me worry even more."

Siles was silent for a moment.

"Sometimes I feel that it might not be a good thing for this world shrouded in fog to maintain its original appearance." Jon whispered, with a tone of self-talk that didn't require anyone's response means.

He said: "After all, we have come out of the disaster. We have progressed, developed, and explored. We are embarking on a new path. When I say maintain the original state, I don't mean to rest on our laurels, but to continue along this path." way to go.

"This is exactly why I am against Anti-Nam—no, I can't simply mention Anti-Num, it should be said, this is why I am against the gods. After leaving the gods, humans seem to be doing well .

"That's what I used to think. So determined.

"...But, this world is not that simple, is it? Whether it is humans or gods, the situation is not that simple. Life or death can not sum up this world. Death can't solve everything, and life can't save everything.

"I used to think that Antinam oppressed humans in the name of gods. But as I got older, I realized that even if there were no gods, humans themselves would oppress other humans in the name of gods.

"The world is like this. When gods disappear, other humans will make up for them; and if gods don't disappear, evil gods like 'shadows' will appear.

"I can't wishful thinking that without something, human beings will be better; with something, the world will be worse. I can't be so naive.

"...I discussed the position with you once."

Jon said suddenly.

Siles was taken aback for a moment, he recalled a moment, and then nodded."I remember, you thought I was hiding my position," he said.

"But I think you're right now," said Jon, "it's better to be in the present than to discuss positions. 'Now', that's what I want to be in today; and right now, we need to fight the 'shadow', which is what we urgent task.

"Perhaps in the future, we may become enemies again."

He made a small joke, then shook his head: "No, it's just a joke. Maybe it's better for me to be an ordinary detective. It turns out that I don't have any ambition to change the world. It's just a young It’s just people’s resentment.”

Siles was silent for a moment, then said: "But we are creating a new future right now."

Jon froze.

After a while, he laughed again: "Professor, I was just about to calm myself down, and your words made me excited again. Yes, we are creating a future, and we are creating a future with our own hands. Anyway, no more There will be worse times than now."

"The long rainy season is coming to an end," said Siles.

Jon nodded slowly.

Qin Duo reminded from the side: "Going off topic, gentlemen."

Jon couldn't help laughing, he thought for a while, and then said: "So what else should I say... By the way, about my current status."

"detective?"

"Yes." Jon nodded, "Why did I create this identity... When I first joined the 'family', I was very excited, thinking that I would create a big career."

His eyes dropped, looking at the table in front of him, he shook his head after a while, and laughed self-deprecatingly: "But that's unlikely. The truth is, I was soon overwhelmed by the strict officials inside the 'family'. , The cold atmosphere hit.

"Can you imagine the feeling? A young man who thought he was going to find a more like-minded company, only to find out that this place is worse than the one before it - that's so depressing.

"So I gradually lost my enthusiasm, and only occasionally participated in the affairs of the 'family'. But when I was considering whether to quit this organization, I accidentally discovered the existence of sharing sessions.

"They will invite people in the 'family' to participate in the sharing session, but whether they can actually join is another matter. In other words, this is a two-way selection process. They will ask those who want to join to provide some ...how should I describe it, 'qualification'?

"Specifically, it is some kind of material, information, etc. related to 'Shadow', or other old gods. That can prove that you at least have the courage, courage, and courage to accept these things, or you must not Not so.

"...And I did become interested in this matter at the time. After all, I was quite confused and uneasy at that time, and felt that my past was like a joke. Of course, I still retain some of the remnants of that time... emotions, and thoughts.

"In short, I realized that the identity of a homeless person is not enough to give me access to those suspicious materials. Of course, the identity of a homeless person is not noticeable, and it can even disappear and reappear logically.

"But, I needed... 'investigation'. Yes, investigation. At that moment, curiosity about something suddenly filled my soul.

"So I excitedly found myself a detective job. I changed many detective identities. It should be said that the current detective identity of 'Jon' has only been used in recent years and has been well received. Repercussions, so I kept it.

"The identity of a detective allows me to easily come into contact with events, materials, and past stories that ordinary people don't know much about. Therefore, I can find some problems from the cluster, so I can join the sharing session.

"In fact, after joining the sharing session, I was able to really understand the existence of 'shadow' and some related concepts. Therefore, ten years ago, I slowly formed my own team to investigate some... ...something I'm curious about."

Having said that, Jon thought about it carefully, then nodded: "Yes, that's roughly the case."

Siles understood, and he asked curiously, "Your team?"

"Yes, a small team of less than ten people... By the way, I remember you know the Lamifa City Detective Club?" Jon asked.

Siles nodded: "I do know."

"My team is hidden in this club, and most of them are detectives or related occupations." Jon said, "We share a lot of information, such as I mentioned to you before, those family members file."

Siles suddenly realized.

Qin Duo asked with great interest: "So, you know Lamifa City very well?"

The gathering of a group of detectives, of course, they probably know quite a lot about every aspect of the city.When they investigated house 32 in the city before, Jon's team provided very useful help.

"Indeed." Jon did not deny this, "This seems to be helpful when dealing with those 'shadow' believers."

Siles agrees with this.

He turned to say: "In this way, Jon, I'm afraid your side will be quite busy."

Jon shrugged: "I don't mind, after all, I'm an idle detective."

... This word is a bit familiar.Siles thought.

"However..." Jon said a little distressed, "How should we contact each other at a critical moment? I was very concerned about this issue when I solved the May serial murder case before."

"I'm trying to build a ritual that allows us to communicate in real time." Siles thought for a moment, "But it may take a while to experiment."

"That's pretty good." Jon said with some surprise, he thought about it for a moment, and then showed an even more shocked expression, "Professor, if this ceremony can be promoted on a large scale..."

He paused, then murmured: "That will really bring about a new era."

Siles was well aware of this, but he added: "But, at least for a while, it should be limited to us."

"It would be terrible if those followers of the old gods found out." Qin Duo also said helplessly.

This would of course be a nice ritual, greatly improving people's efficiency.But, at least for now, the world of Fischer does not have the soil to promote this ritual.

After all, it's a ritual.Followers of the Old Gods are almost all Revelators, and they can all use this ritual; however, the human population is mostly ordinary people.

In other words, it's a ritual that's convenient for bad guys, like followers of the Old Gods.

Therefore, at least in the short term, Siles does not want to promote this ritual on a large scale.This is their advantage, there is no need to abruptly pull each other back to a fair starting line.

Of course, the premise is that he can indeed successfully construct this ceremony.

Jon understood immediately, and he sighed: "I really hope we can solve this group of followers of the old gods immediately."

Afterwards, they discussed the group of uninvited guests who came from afar.

"What do you think they will do?" Jon asked with some confusion. "Kill some important people? Spread terrible pollution? Secretly carry out the ritual of resurrecting 'Shadow'?"

"I think they are likely to target the Church of the Past." Siles said objectively, "Almost all the shadow believers on the northern sea side have come to the Principality of Const.

"And the only special thing about the Principality of Const is that this is the birthplace of Antinam, and also the center of the church in the past. Therefore, their purpose is likely to be related to this."

In the previous conversation between Siles and Anti-Nam, Anti-Num once mentioned that "Shadow" knew Anti-Num's identity, and he also knew that Anti-Num only retained the power of "Time".

However, after a long time, "Shadow" might doubt this; or, at least, he would guess that Antinam might know the whereabouts of "Destiny".

As a result, he might send his followers to the Principality of Const to try to find what he wanted.

Jon nodded thoughtfully. He didn't show any strange expression because Sirius mentioned the Church of the Past and Antinam.

But after a while, he said again: "So, for so long in the past, was Antinam and the Church of the Past fighting against the 'shadow'?"

"No, not exactly." Sirius said, "Antinam is indeed doing this, but the Church of the Past is actually no more aware of the existence and concept of 'shadow' than you."

Jon was surprised to learn this.

Siles thought to himself that he would also use the identity of Mr. Xia to talk to the church of the past about the "shadow" issue.

In fact, Antinam has been avoiding people from knowing the existence of "Shadow".There are indeed a small number of people who understand this, but the more people understand this, the more the "shadow" will pollute the concept of history, and it will affect the power of Anti-Nam.

On the side of the "Shadow" believers, they seem to know this too, so they deliberately hide themselves among the followers of other old gods.

From the position of the church in the past, they seem to have confused the concept of "shadow" believers and followers of the old gods, at least from their investigation of the apostate Hamlin, they are equally disgusted with these two groups of people .

……and many more.

Siles suddenly remembered something at this time, and asked Jon: "Do you know anything about the apostate Hamlin? For example, his status in the 'family'?"

"What?" Jon was a little surprised.

"During the investigation of the apostate in the past, the church found that he seemed to have some relationship with the sea in the north... In other words, he seemed to be a follower of the 'shadow'." Siles explained succinctly.

Instead, Jon showed a somewhat surprised expression. He thought for a while, and then said: "I don't know much about him. As far as I know, he seems to be a high-level person in the 'family', but a long time ago Already undercover in the Church of the Past.

"...it's hard to say what exactly his stance is. As you may have realized, the 'Family' is really just a mob whose only common denominator is that they all oppose Antinam. Based on this, no matter what kind of people they and Cooperation is quite normal.

"As for 'Shadow'... I mean, it's very difficult for people to ascertain one's true beliefs, especially in a secret society like this."

Siles understood.

However, in this way, the internal situation of the "family" is really quite mixed.

After thinking for a moment, he realized a question: "What if there are 'shadow' believers mixed in the sharing meeting?"

The Sharing Club is a secret group within the "family".In other words, even if the high-level members of the "family" do not know about the existence of this group, there must be someone inside the "family" who has participated in this group, and it is difficult to fully confirm the position of this group of people.

Jon also had to admit that this was very possible."That makes the situation a bit more complicated," he said.

"Indeed," said Siles, "but...it's nothing. If we know them and they don't know us, then it's a pretty good situation.

"We can use some information to mislead the believers of 'Shadow'; of course, the premise is that we have confirmed their existence."

"I'll try to observe it." Jon propped his chin and said, "... But, to be honest, it's best to ask the old guy Forrest about this. He has more information about the people in the sharing meeting. Learn more."

Siles nodded and said, "I'll try to contact him."

Jon also breathed a sigh of relief.He reviewed their conversation today, and said, "It seems that what I need to do in the next period of time is quite clear. But... what about you?" He paused, and said, "How are you going to deal with that god? ?”

"About this point..." Siles said, "Actually, I have just mentioned related methods."

Jon raised his eyebrows in surprise.He thought about it for a moment, then smiled amusedly."I don't know exactly what you're going to do, but ... I like the idea, from my standpoint," he said.

Siles smiled too.He glanced at the time and found that it was almost three o'clock.

The conversation with Jon meant that they already knew the detective quite well and could indeed identify him as a suitable helper.This is a good thing.

Siles doesn't want too many people to know the existence of "Shadow", and Jon can help them share a large part of the work.

Jon sat there, thinking for a moment, then whispered, "It's going to be a pretty busy time ahead."

"It's for the further future," said Siles.

Jon was taken aback for a moment, and then said easily, "Yes. For the further future."

They chatted endlessly about some things in Lamifa City, such as some things about the renovation of the city.However, Jon also mentioned another thing in passing.

He said: "Because the response to the poker tournament in May was quite enthusiastic, so I heard some news, it is said that there will be a larger-scale poker tournament soon?"

Siles thought of what the businessman Ranmeer had said in his letter, he was silent for a moment, and finally said: "Perhaps it has been put on the agenda."

Jon couldn't help laughing, and he said, "This may be rare good news."

"...That's true." Siles finally admitted it.

Noel Solitaire has indeed brought a lot of joy to people.There is no denying this.

Soon, Jon said goodbye to them: "I think you still have a lot of things to do, and today's conversation is long enough. Professor, I'm waiting for your ceremony where you can communicate in real time, it will save a lot of trouble."

Siles smiled and said, "See you next time."

Jon left first, while Siles and Gyndo sat for a while in Ernestine's Tavern.

Cinder said: "Mr. Detective is a good helper."

"That's true." Siles nodded, "At least he can help us a lot with regard to the followers of the old gods. 'Family'... the existence of this organization makes people uneasy and relieved Tone."

There are many people who oppose Antinam.Within the Historical Society alone, people's opinions on this god are not uniform, let alone those enlighteners outside the Historical Society.

And a rather frustrating thing is that one of the founders of the Historical Society was the former Mr. Xia—that is, Antinam at that time.

As a member who saw the truth, Siles couldn't keep a cool attitude about it no matter what.He inevitably produced a helpless sigh.

In any case, the existence of "family" at least brings a group of people together, and they don't have to look for a needle in a haystack.Siles was sure that after those shadow believers came to Lamifa City, the "family" and even the sharing session would become active.

These are two secret organizations that are not known to the public.

Thinking of this, Siles said thoughtfully again: "Perhaps, I should ask Mr. Xia to contact the Dawn Enlightenment Society."

Qin Duo counted the time and said, "Tonight's dream?"

"Yes, I have to ask about this matter first from Qiuqiu's mouth, such as how Mr. Xia will contact the Dawn Revelation Society." Siles pinched the bridge of his nose helplessly, "I don't know what the Dawn Revelation Society will be now. What is the situation."

Siles was indeed a member of the Order of the Dawn—well, barely.But he actually knew nothing about the current situation of the Apocalypse at Dawn.

After what happened 14 years ago, Mr. Xia disappeared without a trace, and the Dawn Revelation Society fell into complete silence.If nothing else, those core members should still maintain contact, even though Mr. Xia has disappeared for 14 years.

Hope to get something tonight.Siles thought.

...However, a question that makes him a little worried is...he won't see any acquaintances among the core members of the Dawn Revelation Society, right?

Once he thought of the scene when he exchanged identities with the noble lady and the newsboy, Siles couldn't help but feel that it is quite necessary to think about this issue in advance.

While Siles was thinking, Qin Duo showed a strange expression.He asked suspiciously, "Qiaoqiu?"

Siles: "..."

He was embarrassed for a moment, and then explained: "It's 'time'."

After Qin Duo came back, of course Siles had told him what he had gained, but Siles intentionally or unintentionally ignored the somewhat silly title of "Ball".

But now, Sirius accidentally said it.

Qin Duo was even more surprised and said, "You took it?"

"No, it's dice."

Qin Duo's expression calmed down instantly: "No wonder."

Siles: "..."

...how should I put it...but this is the power of time and fate!

Siles sighed helplessly again, then turned to say, "Shall we go?"

"You go to Grenfell, my words..." Qin Duo thought for a while, "I will go to Geisha to see? I will wait for you there."

Of course he was referring to the Geisha grocery store.

"Okay," said Siles.

Half an hour later, he found Grenfell in the laboratory behind the antique bookstore.

Grenfell looked a little puzzled: "Why, what happened?"

"No, teacher, I just want to share an inspiration with you." Siles said.

They sat down.Naturally, there is no such comfortable thing as a sofa here, just simple tables and chairs.

Siles took out the eight-petal rose paper from his backpack—considering that this ritual needs to be kept secret, he decided to ensure that the timing of this ceremony can only be the eight-petal rose paper from the experimental stage.

As for the writing pen, he thinks that there is no need to ask too much.He himself usually carries two pens with him--one is the one from the Praia family, and the other is an ordinary writing pen.At this time, he took out the latter.

Grenfell took a pen of his own.

Siles explained his thoughts to Grenfell.Grenfell felt a little strange at first, but slowly fell into thought.

"...Do you think this is feasible?" Sirius asked.

"We could try it," Grenfell said. "It sounds like a possibility."

The power of the "resurrection" of the revelator encompasses everything in this world.

What they want to reproduce is the process of writing on paper at the same time, hoping that the handwriting will appear on the same paper again, for example, the words written on this paper can also appear on other paper at the same time. At least it sounds feasible.

Then, they made an attempt.Siles and Grenfell held the pens at the same time, and then wrote a few lines on the paper.Afterwards, Grenfell swallowed the potion.

Sirius didn't take the potion, because the doll's wooden body couldn't use the revelator's power.However, this does not affect the progress of this ceremony, Grenfell can conduct the experiment.

At this time, Grenfell's mind was full of this novel ritual, and he didn't notice Sirius' actions.He probably thought that Sirius had swallowed the potion before he came.

Siles took out another eight-petal rose paper and handed one of them to Grenfell.

"...You feel good writing on this paper." Grenfell said casually, he wrote another line on the paper, and then looked towards Siles.

Siles hesitated for a moment, then said, "It seems to be successful."

However, it can also be said that it was unsuccessful.

Siles originally hoped that Grenfell's handwriting would appear on the blank paper he was holding.But in the end, his handwriting just appeared on the eight-petal rose paper they wrote together.

On that paper, new writing appeared and the old writing disappeared.

In other words, in this ritual, the effect will only be manifested on the earliest piece of paper that was indeed written on "simultaneously".

Grenfell tried to write a few more lines, but these words still appeared on the original piece of paper, and at the same time, the original handwriting disappeared.The result made him frown.

Siles couldn't help pinching the bridge of his nose, thinking for a while.

He was a little surprised by this result, why did these words appear on the original piece of paper?And, why did the original handwriting disappear?

Grenfell pondered for a while, then said, "Because these are actually two items?"

Siles was taken aback.

"Paper and pen, although this is a matching, it is obviously not one." Grenfell said, "What do you think this ritual really reproduces?"

Siles pondered for a moment, and then said: "...reappeared, the process of pen writing on this paper...the emphasis is on 'writing', so the handwriting will appear on this paper?"

"I think so." Grenfell nodded, "...It doesn't seem to be the same as your idea."

Siles also nodded, and said in a low voice, "It's really different."

The ultimate goal he wants to achieve is that two people hold a piece of paper each, one person writes on one side, and the paper in the other person's hand will automatically display the words written by him.It's like real-time, remote communication, isn't it?

But the effect achieved by this ritual today is not the case. To put it more simply, the current effect of this ritual is like, "writing on two pieces of paper at the same time."

...Wait, from this point of view, isn't this a ceremony that requires the cooperation of two people?

Thinking of this, Siles said: "If only one person writes, can this effect be formed?"

"Try it and you'll know," Grenfell said.

He pulled out two sheets of paper again, wrote on one of them, and then wrote on the other.But this time, the effect they just achieved did not appear.

"Two people must write at the same time." Siles said thoughtfully, "So, when you write on other paper, it seems that there is an invisible pen writing on this paper.

"...I understand, it's because I'm not writing that this invisible pen chooses to reproduce what you wrote.

"And the ink comes from the original written notes, so the previous handwriting will disappear... In this way, to ensure that this ritual takes effect, there must be enough ink on the paper."

Siles felt a little dumbfounded.

He said: "We actually reproduced this pen, and the time track is the pen in our hands?"

Grenfell said thoughtfully: "It seems so. So, it is not necessarily necessary to use the eight-petal rose paper? Other paper should also work.

"The time track is actually the pen... No, it should be said that both the paper and the pen are the time track, but this piece of paper only passively presents the writing."

As he spoke, he casually took a piece of ordinary draft paper from the side, and wrote a few lines with that pen.Sure enough, that was also on the original eight-petal rose paper.

"The effect of this ceremony is a bit strange." Grenfell couldn't help saying, "In this way, these two pens are also dedicated time tracks."

Siles agrees with this.He was a little thankful that he was experimenting with that ordinary pen—of course, he couldn't be experimenting with that precious timepiece either.

Anyway, by accident, this ceremony also achieved part of the effect he wanted.

He said: "As far as the current effect is concerned, my goal is actually accomplished, although it is a one-way notification... No, you can make two time tracks, and then hold a piece of paper on each side, so that It’s kind of a conversation.”

"This can be used in an emergency, but it's a bit cumbersome, and it's easy to confuse the order of communication." Grenfell said, he is a bit of a perfectionist, "Besides, there must be enough ink...a piece of paper Can you stand such a toss?"

"This is indeed a problem." Siles nodded, he thought for a moment, and then said, "This means that this is not suitable as a way of 'communication' and 'dialogue', but only as a 'notification'. "

The size of the eight-petal rose paper is similar to the size of A4 paper on the earth. If you save it, you can indeed write a lot of things.However, this is a rather fragile tool.

The problem with ink is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that it can easily cover up the content of previous notifications. The disadvantage is that there is always enough ink on the paper.

This tool is also a bit troublesome to make, and two people must write on a piece of paper at the same time.Given the contamination, Cileus couldn't risk someone else's pen being used (unless it was an emergency).

In addition, they don't have much time to conduct more experiments now. It is best to use some results if they have some results, and then they will slowly research and improve when they are free.

Therefore, the best way should be...

"A transfer station," said Siles, "this person needs to have all the eight-petal rose papers used to present the information, and each person also has an eight-petal rose paper that was written at the same time as him.

"In this way, everyone's information is gathered to his side, and then he will pass on important information to others."

They will eventually form a relatively close secret group, and there may be as many as 30 to [-] people in this group (although it is impossible for everyone to find out all the time), this does not include the information channels of these people.

If each of these twenty or so people could communicate with each other, then Siles suspected that the eight-petal rose paper he kept was not enough.

So, a better pattern would be... "Cobweb".

There is such a central figure, who acts as a transfer station for information, analyzes and summarizes all the information received, and then gives some of the information to those who need it.

In this way, each person gets two eight-petal rose paper.One for submitting information and one for harvesting information; instead of getting the eight-petal rose paper for communication that belongs to everyone else.

To be on the safe side, this number can be doubled, and each person gets four; however, for companions like Ms. Heidi and the clown who have been staying together, there is obviously no need for them to count separately.

That way, the final eight-petal rose paper needed could be a hundred or so.

The number of eight-petal rose papers that Siles has in hand is about fifty.He might still need to write a letter to Alva Gillinny, and ask the Gillinny family printing house to make more paper in case he needed it.

also……

Grenfell said: "There is no doubt that the candidate is you.