The world controlled by dice [Western Fantasy]

"I thought it was going to be more...complicated," said Siles. "Your attitude made me think it was not that simple. But we just—"

Grenfell said: "Do you feel disappointed that Ordinary turned in the lead and then left?"

Siles shook his head: "I just feel strange."

They were back in room 177 of the Historical Society.

Grenfell lazily picked up the novel he had read halfway through, and said, "It's not surprising, after all, I went with you. I guarantee that Grosvenor won't doubt you."

Siles was slightly startled, and then said apologetically, "Sorry, I'm not..."

"Okay, you bastard." Grenfell said a little impatiently, "What are you talking about? I brought you in, and you are half of my student. What is there to be sorry for?"

Siles said, "Teacher."

Grenfell was silent for a moment, then coughed uncomfortably: "You are really..." He muttered something, and then sighed, "You are still the first student I accept. "

Siles was a little curious about his teacher's past - this was not the first time he had this thought, but he still kept silent very self-aware.

Grenfell said: "You must feel that those enlighteners in the space behind the door have a very strange attitude towards me. This is also normal, after all, I have betrayed my former teacher-at least his philosophy."

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

"What is the idea?" Grenfell was silent for a moment, then shook his head, "Forget it, I still can't say it myself. After you finish the introductory course for little Carol, you will understand."

Siles looked at Grenfell with a little trouble.

"We... or rather, the revelators in the Historical Society are different from the revelators in the church in the past. We all pursue our own paths. You should have heard little Carroll say this."

Siles nodded: "Potions, timing, rituals, and academic research."

"Yes, four roads. But generally speaking, most of the revelators of the first three paths will also study some academic issues. It may not be the weird questions you are curious about, but there will always be some of their own ideas about the power of the revelator .”

"This has caused...contradictions within the Historical Society?" Siles asked cautiously, without using more serious words.

"Contradiction?" Grenfell showed a weird smile, "You can call this phenomenon, split."

Siles hesitated to speak.

Grenfell shook his head. He said, "You'd better not reveal that you are my student. Let little Carol recommend you to the research department. It is cleaner and suitable for you to spread your thinking."

Siles nodded: "I understand."

Grenfell glanced at the time and found that it was almost eleven o'clock, so he said, "Since you call me a teacher, then I will also do some things that a teacher should do."

He took out a backpack from the side cabinet, handed it to Siles, and said, "Go back and look at the contents. If there is anything you don't understand, ask me next Wednesday."

Siles took it, and looked at the contents of the backpack with a little curiosity.

Grenfell coughed, and pretended to be casual and said: "It's just something I prepared for you. I have almost learned the introductory courses, and it's time to learn some advanced ones.

"If I remember correctly, you will learn about potions this afternoon, right?"

"Yes."

Grenfell nodded in satisfaction, and glanced at Siles again: "Why do you see me like that? I edited your introductory courses, of course I know."

Sirius looked at him in surprise.

Grenfell gave a smug laugh and said, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking." He added, "Okay, you can ask one last question, and then go eat by yourself."

Siles thought about it carefully, and finally asked: "You said before that time should include the present and the future... But why do you know that the power of Anti-Nam does not include the present and the future?"

Grenfell was stunned almost immediately, he thought for a moment, then laughed again: "You—forget it, I knew you would ask some weird questions."

Siles touched his nose a little embarrassedly.

Grenfell said: "You know that the title of a god is divided into three parts: godhead, god position, and god name? For example, the god of the past and history, the guardian of the space-time rift, Antinam.

"'God of the past and history', this is the godhead; 'Guardian of the gap in time and space', this is the god's position; 'Antinam', this is the name of the god."

Siles nodded. He thought about what Grenfell meant, and then said, "You mean that the title of a god contains the power of a god?"

"Yes. Also, don't want you to come and go, it sounds really annoying." Grenfell said, "The past and history, this is the godhead possessed by Anti-Nam."

have.Siles pondered the delicate word.

It sounds like the godhead is something that actually exists.Or, is it a level of life similar to a person?

Siles tried to use the novel setting on the earth to apply it to the power of the gods in this world.

Grenfell said: "The godhead, god position, and god name are collectively referred to as the title of gods. This is the anchor point of their power and the...end of their power. Therefore, the god of the past and history, Antina Mu, His power cannot transcend the two categories of the past and history.

"He cannot have a present and a future. He is a fog from the past."

After leaving Room 177 and coming to the restaurant near Atherton Square, Siles still kept repeating Grenfell's words in his mind.

He cannot have the present and the future.He is a fog from the past.

He always felt that Grenfell meant something when he said this sentence, but because of the limitation of Sires' own level, he didn't understand what Grenfell was implying at all... Or, in Sarcastic something.

Siles couldn't help but smiled wryly, thinking, Mr. Glenn, as for playing riddles with his students?

But he is also very clear that in this world of extraordinary power, "knowing" may mean risk.

Siles took a deep breath and tasted the fried rice he bought with five marquis coins.He stared at the complicated ingredients in the rice grains—meat, vegetables, ingredients—at this moment, he suddenly thought of his fleeting inspiration.

He wants to sell recipes.

But he really doesn't have much time recently... Maybe he can wait for Bertram Finn to contact him to talk about Stardust's business, and then discuss this possibility with him?

After all, he remembered, Bertram was able to cooperate with Grayson Foods because his fellow travelers had access to recipes from the Never Embers.

Siles wondered, the recipes on the earth should also prevail in Fisher's world, right?Because he wrote novels, he happened to know some specific methods of food, sauces, desserts, etc., which may come in handy now.

After dinner, Siles returned to the Historical Society again, walked into room 666, and waited for the afternoon party.

Once again, he couldn't help but think of Grenfell's example of Antinam.He suddenly thought, if Anti-Num's power is limited to the past and history, then what is going on with his divine position, the "keeper of the rift in time and space"?

He used to unconsciously doubt whether Anti-Nam was related to his time travel because of the statement about the position of the god.But when Grenfell gave an example, he seemed to ignore this title intentionally or unintentionally.

Siles couldn't help shaking his head, feeling that he was being fooled by that mysterious and weird teacher.He took out a pen and paper from his bag, and wrote down his confusion about Anti-Nam's position in a small notebook.

He has recorded a lot of things in his little notebook, including his thoughts on the world and his itinerary.Out of caution, he used Chinese.

However, the former Earth novelist couldn’t help wondering curiously, if another traveler came to Fisher’s world in the future and got his notebook, would he be terrified that there had already been a traveler in this world? senior?

And he, Sirius inadvertently thought, what changes will he bring to this world as a time traveler?

Siles didn't waste his time alone in room 666.He took a history book about the Sardinian Empire and read it again, thinking about the topic of his thesis.

He kept the backpack that Grenfell had given him beside him.

At 01:30, Siles got a little inspiration.

His gaze rested on a certain line of text in this thick historical monograph.

"...Wandering poets who were not recognized in other countries came to the Sardinian Empire and became an indelible part of the secular culture of this ancient empire.

"These wandering poets may be disgusted by others, and may be considered blasphemy or defilement of the gods. They may sing hymns related to the gods, or on the contrary, ridicule and slander the existence of the gods.

"Only in the Sardinian Empire can they have a place to stay. They didn't leave many written and literary works that were actually recorded, and most of them were passed on orally.

"In the study of the life of ordinary people in the Sardinian Empire, which is only popular in modern times, we can find clues from people's correspondence with each other, some newspapers and official archives.

"At any rate, in that age, in that age of silence and nation-to-nation vigilance, the common people of different nations depended to a great extent on such wanderers to supply them with some , novel news and rumors.”

wandering poet.

Siles stared at the term thoughtfully.

It's not that he doesn't know wandering poets.However, as the passage says, the wandering poets left very little of their actual works, the only possibility being a few fragments.

In history, their names may be only one or two famous enough.

But this is not an impossible subject to study.

Siles thought he might be able to get some help from Alfonso Carlyle.If the wandering poet had really contributed to the secular cultural exchanges between countries in the Silent Age, then he might be able to get more information on folklore.

Siles breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that his academic tasks this year had finally found a direction.

He closed the book and put it on the shelf.Then, a few people opened the door and walked in.It was Angela, Mrs. Fuller, Eric and others.Their relationship has improved a lot and they can even talk and laugh now.

Siles greeted them.

Angela's lively voice sounded, and she seemed to have stepped out of the haze of "Cilles is actually my professor", and said with a smile: "We are discussing which middle school Eric will send his daughter to!"

Siles said, "Have you reached a conclusion through your discussions?"

"If you go to school in the West City, you have only one choice; if you go to the East City, you may have more choices." Mrs. Fuller smiled and said calmly, "However, I think the West City may be a more practical choice."

Eric also nodded and said, "I'm going to ask my daughter what she thinks."

Angela interjected, "Mrs. Fuller gave Eric some advice. In fact, going to school in the West Side is not that bad, at least it's close to home."

Her way of comforting people is not so considerate, but straightforward.

After a while, young Darrell Hobbs also appeared.He happily joined the conversation, which focused on how tough the teachers were and how much homework he had since he started school.

Speaking of this, Angela looked at Siles unconsciously——Professor Siles Noel assigned a [-]-word essay to the students of the public elective course, and it has been widely spread in La Mifa University .

When Angela went to class this morning, her companion whispered to her about it, and began to worry about how much homework Professor Noel would give students in elective courses.

...I'm afraid it won't be a very small number.

Angela really wanted to beg for mercy for her future self, but she felt that this matter might be self-defeating and it would be bad.In the end, she still remained silent.

They had a lively discussion until, at two o'clock sharp, Carol pushed open the door and walked in.

Carol greeted them with a smile, and was about to say something when he suddenly froze: "Hey, where is Mr. Brewer Darrow?"

The other five people were slightly startled, and then realized in surprise that it was already two o'clock, and Breuer hadn't appeared in room 666 yet.

Darrell said inexplicably, "Is he late?"

Siles thought of what Brewer said to him the day before yesterday, so he opened his mouth to explain to Brewer: "Brewer got engaged yesterday, maybe he is busy with family affairs."

"Oh!" Angela exclaimed, "He got engaged yesterday? He didn't tell us!"

Siles explained for Brewer: "He wanted to mention it, but he forgot about other things. He and I were the last to leave, so he told me. He plans to share the joy of engagement with you today. .”

But I didn't expect that he didn't show up at all today.

Angela nodded, and she didn't seem to be particularly serious.She just muttered: "This is engagement. How old is this?"

Carol listened and nodded with a smile: "Since it's an engagement, it's understandable. Maybe I'm still busy with the engagement ceremony, so I can't come in time."

"Maybe I'm too happy, drunk, and haven't woken up until now." Darrell said gloatingly.

It seems that this young boy has an inexplicable longing for engagement, which is completely different from Angela's mentality.

Eric and Mrs. Fuller, who were older, had no intention of participating in such a conversation at all.

Carol laughed and said again: "Okay. The only regret is that he may have missed this important lesson today."

Angela asked excitedly: "Are we going to learn about potions today?"

"Yes." Carol laughed.

Everyone restrained their emotions and listened carefully to Carol's words.

"Before this, we have learned about the fit of the ritual and the completeness of the time track. Then, guess what the dimension of the potion will be?"

Angela thought for a while, and was the first to answer: "Appearance?" She guessed, "After all, it sounds like a medicine."

Eric thought from another angle: "The strength of the hidden power?"

"Your two statements can be summarized into one concept, that is, the purity of the potion." Carroll said, "The purity of the potion involves the preparation process of the potion."

Darrell asked almost in amazement: "Can the potion be manually configured?"

"Of course." Carol said with great interest, "what else?"

"I thought...it was like...a magical pool of water, and the potions we drank were all filled from it." Darrell said his thoughts seriously, "It's like some adventures novel!"

Carol laughed, realizing for the first time that Darrell was a young, middle-school boy.

So he smiled and said, "There is a part... er, at least a certain part of the potion ingredients, which is in line with what you said."

Darrell looked at him expectantly.

"To configure a bottle of compliant potion, a total of three types of necessary materials need to be prepared. In addition, there are also non-essential extras, which we will talk about later.

"Three necessary materials are: main material, auxiliary material, and pleasing object.

"The main ingredient is some kind of material that matches the selected time frame and the nature of the ritual you want to perform. Plant or animal materials can be used. For example, the root of a certain plant, the blood or viscera or fur of an animal."

Following his words, the faces of some people present became ugly, and some even touched their stomachs subconsciously.

That seemingly clear and slightly blue liquid is actually made of this kind of thing as the main ingredient? !

Carol suppressed a smile, and continued: "The pleasing object, or in other words, the pleasing, is when the potion is nearly finished, as a price for borrowing power from Anti-Nam, so I offer my own pleasing object.

"Strictly speaking, pleasing objects are not materials to be added to potions, but they are indeed an integral part of the potion configuration process. Pleasing can be behaviors, such as dancing, singing hymns, or items, or even living things .

"However, the use of living creatures—that is, sacrifices in the usual sense—is a relatively rare thing. Because many people, including those inside the church in the past, thought this process was too bloody."

Having said that, he paused for a moment, and then said: "As for the relationship between the Revelator and Anti-Nam, I think, in the past time, you should have understood it subtly, right?"

The five enlighteners looked at each other and nodded in unison.

Revelation - A power from the past.This is all in line with Antinam.Therefore, when they heard that something was needed to please Anti-Nam during the preparation of the potion, they were not surprised.

Carol also nodded: "It's good to understand. This matter..." He seemed to want to say something, but finally shook his head, "Forget it, I don't think any of you will try the road of potion , so, it’s better not to understand too deeply.”

Siles guessed that what he wanted to talk about was some thoughts and disputes within the Historical Society about the god Antinam.

He had already heard Grenfell's hint, so he couldn't help but nodded in agreement in his heart.He also believes that there is no need for a new enlightener to join such unnecessary disputes.

And those enlighteners who scorned Anti-Nam in their hearts and words, wouldn't they continue to use the power of the enlighteners?

Of course they will still use such power.This is a dispute over the nature of power.

Except for Carol and Siles, who knew the inside story, the remaining four enlighteners looked at each other, unable to understand what Carol was talking about.

"Then, there is only one last material left—the auxiliary material." Carol brought the topic back, "There is only one auxiliary material, and it is exactly what I just told Darrell."

Darrell looked at him eagerly: "Something that brings magical power?"

Carol nodded with a smile and said, "That's called stardust."

...stardust? !

At this moment, the impact on Siles' heart was greater than that of anyone present.

He was almost—although his face was calm, but he was dumbfounded and thought in his heart, what, Stardust? !Isn't that the "oil" of this world? !

So in the final analysis, the energy of this world still comes from some kind of supernatural power?

Among the six people present, except for Siles, no one seemed to know that in the Land of Never Embers and some other countries, star dust is considered an excellent energy source.

Carroll said to himself, "You probably haven't heard of star dust. It's a crystal, with a blue shimmer, and a very beautiful appearance, so it's called star dust.

"During a long period of boiling in warm water, the star dust will turn into a highly concentrated blue liquid. And the star dust is also a direct factor affecting the purity of the potion."

He took out a few bottles of potions from his pocket, placed them in a row on the table, and said, "These are potions with different degrees of purity. Can you see the difference?"

Mrs. Fuller observed it, and said, "The darker blue potion...is also more pure?"

"That's right!" Carol said appreciatively, "This is determined by the amount of star dust added during the potion configuration process. Potions with higher purity can provide more powerful time power; and potions The capacity determines the length of the ceremony."

He roughly talked about the difference between potions of different purity and capacity.

The purity and capacity of the potion and the power and time of the ritual show a positive correlation trend as a whole.The higher the purity and capacity of the potion, the greater the power and time of the ritual.

Siles kept his eyes on the potion bottle and listened to Carol's words.

But his whole heart was completely in a trance state.He couldn't help but think, so, the star dust, which is considered as energy source in other places, has already become an indispensable material in the preparation of the enlightener's potion?

He couldn't help but think, no wonder the production of Stardust is so small.He guessed that it might be because most of the star dust was used to make potions.

…So, what Bertram Finn told him before, is the mine for mining star dust under the observation of the church in the past?Or, is this simply the business of the church in the past?

Siles felt a little uncertain.

"It's amazing." Darrell sighed in a childish tone, looking at the bottles of potions.

Angela couldn't wait to ask: "Carol, what did you mean by the non-essential extras?"

Carol nodded, and began to explain the term: "After the revelation appeared, the potion initially only had three materials, which are the three necessary materials I just mentioned.

"However, some researchers have added some... special things in the process of configuring the potion. For example, some kind of herbal medicine, the organs of some strange creatures, or some... things that are hard to describe in words, For example, seven grams of soul.

"...By the way, I don't know if the seven-gram soul material really exists.

"In short, after adding these materials, the power of the potion seems to have undergone some...mutation. The weapon that was originally used to kill people has become a scalpel that can heal wounds and can't hurt others. Such a mutation."

Siles summed it up: "That is to say, will the additive cause the result of the ritual to change in an unknown direction?"

"Yes." Carroll said, "At present, we haven't been able to summarize a sufficiently detailed and complete result of the added substance. Of course, some potions with added substances that are considered safe enough have been used. "

Siles listened to these words in a daze.He felt a strange, subtle sensation.

The power of the Revelator is fragmented, incomplete, and crude.But it was a door, a door to the pinnacle of power.

He once again thought of the discussions he had with Grenfell.

Since the power of the past can be borrowed, why can't the power of the gods of the past be borrowed?But their attempts all failed without exception... Is it because human souls cannot compare with the mighty power of gods?

After Carol explained the ingredients of the potion, he said: "This is some basic information about the purity of the potion. As for how to configure the potion and how to ensure the success rate of the brewing process...these issues are too complicated It is not suitable for you to contact now.

"For ordinary enlighteners, the finished potion is enough."

"Finished potion?" Eric couldn't help asking, "Is it something we can buy directly?"

"Of course. Finished potions are potions that have been made, and there are also differences in purity. Generally speaking, most rituals can be used in common.

"It may not bring too much power in some ceremonies...but it is enough for you."

Eric nodded understandingly.

"You can buy it inside the Historical Society, walk through this corridor, and there is a meeting place at the back. Of course, you'd better go shopping after completing the introductory course.

"Also... I remember..." Carol recalled carefully, "A pharmacy called Hume will also sell potions in Lamifa City. It seems to be run by the church in the past."

A pharmacy, selling potions?

Siles thought silently in his heart, but there is actually no problem.It's just that this medicine is not that medicine.

"After you finish the introductory course, you will be free to buy potions." Carol said with a soothing tone, "However, you still have to be cautious with the power you have. After all, danger is everywhere."

Siles nodded approvingly.

Angela noticed Siles' movements, so she asked curiously: "Professor, have you ever experienced this kind of danger?"

Siles hesitated for a moment, looked at Carol, saw that the other party had no intention of stopping, and said, "I encountered a time track that was out of control before."

"Out-of-control time track!" Carol exclaimed, "Did you encounter an out-of-control time track?"

The worry and panic in his eyes were so obvious that Sirius was also slightly taken aback.

Siles said, "I've turned to the church of yesteryear to fix this problem. The out-of-control timeline is also a reference to the revelator who made the move at the time."

Carol was relieved.

"It's left over from a previous professor of literary history, right here in my office," Siles said.

Angela showed a trace of fear—Professor Noel's office is in the main castle of La Mifa University!That's not far from her classroom!

She already knew that the enlightener would face many dangers, but at this moment, she suddenly realized that that danger might be closer to her life than she imagined.

"I didn't expect that it was an out-of-control time track." Siles looked at Carol, "What is an out-of-control time track?"

Carol considered it for a while, looked at the equally curious and slightly nervous gazes of the others, and said, "Okay, okay. It just so happens that the content of the potion has come to an end.

"I originally wanted to mention this issue later, but I didn't expect you to encounter such a danger now."

He nodded to Sirius, and said, "You are lucky. Your strong will has saved you from that strange attraction. But you are also the most dangerous right now."

When it comes to their own safety, everyone sounds serious.

"The most striking feature of the out-of-control time track is that it has a certain...'activity'. As Sirius said, he felt a strange attraction from the statue of the woman, which made him instinctively want to touch.

"This is a kind of activity. Researchers usually believe that the activity of the out-of-control time track represents the time track that was originally a dead thing, possessing some kind of incredible, biological-like instinct.

"Chronicles will not produce 'consciousness' in the true sense, but they may use this activity to attract humans, thereby devouring human activity.

"People who are exposed to these out-of-control timelines usually end up as walking dead... idiots, lunatics, or vegetatives. You name it.

"They will lose their self-awareness and exist in this world like any dead thing. It cannot be said that they are dead. They still breathe and have a heartbeat. However, they also seem to have died."

What Carol said made everyone present nervous, and the younger Angela and Darrell even turned pale.

Only then did Siles understand what would have happened to him if he had actually met the statue of that woman's head.Walking dead, he secretly pondered the meaning of this statement.

Then he had a troubling doubt.

Siles struggled for a moment, then asked: "Is this process a transfer of human activity to the time track?"

His question made Carol look at him with complicated eyes.

It is not uncommon for a revelator who has learned enough knowledge and mastered enough rituals to ask this question, but Siles is even a rookie who has not even completed the introductory course.

He actually asked this question sharply.Carol couldn't help but sigh a little.

"Yes." His tone lost the impatience he always had to deal with Siles' messy questions, "This process is called the 'mental deactivation' of human beings."

Siles asked suspiciously, "Why does this happen?"

Carroll shook his head: "There are many theories and concepts, but there is no real... accepted explanation."

Siles was startled, and then thought, well—this is the era when the Revelator was born just a few hundred years ago.It is indeed impossible for them to grasp every bit of this power.

"Mental inactivation," Angela asked tremblingly, "Can it be avoided?"

"This is a risk that no apocalypse can avoid." Carol put away the smile that always appeared on his face, and said slightly serious and stern, "Any apocalypse cannot be without risk take control of that power."

Angela and the younger Darrell showed a little panic and uneasiness.They probably never thought of this aspect... It can also be said that they are too excited about the power they can control.

The flowing wind, the invisible shield... all deepened their desire for this magical power.They are too young to understand that any use of power has its price.

The power used by the enlightener is strong enough, and of course, dangerous enough.

Carol breathed a sigh of relief and eased his tone slightly: "Of course, as long as you are cautious enough and humble enough—as I said on the first day you stepped into this door, then the door of power will be safe. is open to you. I promise."

The dignified atmosphere in Room 666 dissipated a little unknowingly.

They were all silent for a moment.

"When you encounter an out-of-control time track or suspicious items, don't touch them or stare at them for a long time." Carroll instructed, "If you feel panicked or doubt the danger of this item, then go to Ask the Church of the Past or the Historical Society for help."

Carol glanced at Sirius and said, "Just like Sirius did."

After thinking for a while, he added: "You probably don't know any revelators in the Historical Society now, so you can go to the Church of the Past for help. They will be very happy to help you."

Hearing that there is a channel for help, the enlighteners present were also slightly relieved.

"I have mentioned the completeness of the time track before. This is also an important basis for judging whether an item is a time track or whether it is an out-of-control time track." Carroll said, "There are some studies that can show that the incomplete Timelines are more likely to get out of hand."

They all nodded.

Afterwards, Eric asked a question: "You just said that we are the most dangerous right now."

"Yes," Carol said, "I think...you should have the idea that not everyone can be a Revelator.

"When you step into the space behind the door on the top floor of the Historical Society, you become enlighteners—or in other words, it means that you have the qualifications to become enlighteners."

Siles asked keenly: "Are people with the qualifications of revelators more susceptible to out-of-control timing?"

This is exactly what he thought before, the most dangerous situation that Professor Kabell encountered—that is, he himself didn't know what kind of danger he was facing.Unprotected, unguarded, he puts himself in danger.

Carol nodded and gave an affirmative answer, which made Siles's heart suddenly fall to the bottom.

Carroll said: "It is difficult for ordinary people to be affected by out-of-control timing. And you have the qualifications of revelators, but you still have no ability to protect yourself."

After hearing this, the others became even more nervous, but Sirius just sat there quietly, as if he had thought of something else.