Mrs. Longman’s reaction made Siles realize that Alfonso Carte seemed to have quite a reputation at Lamifa University, though it wasn’t necessarily a positive one.
Siles replied, “Before I was hired, I rented a place in the West City, and he was my neighbor. Mrs. Longman, what happened with Professor Carte?”
Mrs. Longman hesitated, her fingers unconsciously rubbing against the table. Finally, she said, “His reputation… isn’t very good.”
Siles waited quietly. He knew that since Mrs. Longman had already spoken up, she would definitely explain it clearly to him.
After a moment, Mrs. Longman took a deep breath. “I don’t want to talk behind a professor’s back, but it’s not like I’m the one who decides these things. You know, universities always have some honorary professors.”
“I know. Professor Carte is such an honorary professor.”
“Exactly,” Mrs. Longman said, subconsciously looking left and right before whispering, “But the origin of his honorary professorship isn’t very ‘honorable’. If you ask me, he seems almost like a fraud.”
“…A fraud?”
Siles was slightly startled.
“Nowadays, everyone knows the fog in the Ashless Land is slowly dissipating. But there are still many places covered by the fog,” Mrs. Longman said. “About six or seven years ago, Alfonso Carte brought out some sort of item.
“He said it came from a tribal civilization in the Ashless Land that hadn’t been discovered by anyone else. That alone was bizarre enough.
“Besides himself, has anyone else discovered the existence of that place? Is there any corroborating evidence to prove the tribe he spoke of really exists? It was just his one-sided claim, yet he became famous overnight because of it.”
Siles suddenly understood.
According to Mrs. Longman, the reason Alfonso Carte was able to become an honorary professor at Lamifa University was that he claimed to have discovered a tribal civilization in the Ashless Land.
But no one else could verify his words.
Siles had never heard of this matter, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Did he not have any companions when he discovered that tribe?”
“No,” Mrs. Longman said. “I remember the newspapers saying he returned from the Ashless Land completely alone. He’s always been vague about what exactly happened. This is also why many people think he’s a fraud.
“At the time, an archaeological team even went to the Ashless Land to look for the ruins he spoke of, but they found absolutely nothing.”
Siles nodded thoughtfully.
At this moment, another person walked through the library entrance. He was wearing a brownish-red top that was extremely loose, covering down to his knees like a long dress. He wore a pair of pointed leather shoes and carried a dirty brown satchel.
This strange attire made Siles immediately notice it was Alfonso Carte.
Following behind Alfonso was a short man. He was dressed in a relatively decent suit, quietly trailing Alfonso.
“Professor Noel!” Alfonso called him softly. “You arrived so early!”
Siles bid farewell to Mrs. Longman and walked toward Alfonso. “I didn’t want to keep you waiting.” He asked, “Are you looking for a book here?”
“Oh, yes,” Alfonso said. “Then I’ll go ahead.”
Siles nodded, sat down on the sofa in the lobby on the first floor of the library, and watched as Alfonso communicated with Mrs. Longman. Mrs. Longman did not show her attitude of suspecting Alfonso was a fraud, and went about looking for the book for Alfonso in a strictly professional manner.
Subsequently, Alfonso took the short man with him into the reading room on the first floor.
Siles pondered over the words Mrs. Longman had just spoken.
He couldn’t say he had no doubts. Alfonso Carte was an eccentric man, chattering, neurotic, and always dressed like a madman. However, generally speaking, Siles didn’t think Alfonso was a bad person.
He wouldn’t change his attitude toward Alfonso just because of Mrs. Longman’s words, but he was indeed somewhat curious about Alfonso’s past.
By the time Alfonso left the reading room and walked up to Siles, Siles had already well-concealed the emotions and thoughts in his heart.
“The book I’m looking for can only be read inside the library, but I hired a scribe,” Alfonso said smugly. “By the way, here is the stuff you wanted.”
Alfonso took out a stack of crumpled papers from his satchel and said, “I’ve copied down all the relevant information.”
“Thank you,” Siles said sincerely.
“You’re welcome, it is my honor,” Alfonso said. “I got this from an old friend at the Folklore Society; it wasn’t much trouble. He’s from the Duchy of Kansas… Oh, do you know of the Duchy of Kansas?”
Siles paused for a moment. “I know. The old friend from the Folklore Society you mentioned, is it Mr. Emmanuel?”
Alfonso’s eyes went wide. “How do you know?!” He looked as if he was entirely shocked by Siles’s words, stared at Siles nervously, and couldn’t help but say, “Could you be… a Prophet?”
“…A Prophet?” Siles was startled by this strange term.
“Yes!” Alfonso muttered rapidly. “Last time you already knew in advance that the gathering I went to was for the Divine Birth celebration in October… You actually possess the Prophet’s bloodline!”
He looked extremely excited overall, but his voice was involuntarily lowered, as if this matter was a major secret.
Siles, both amused and exasperated, asked Alfonso to sit down and calm down a bit, then said, “The two things you mentioned are nothing but coincidences; it doesn’t mean I am a Prophet.
“The last time was because I heard about the Archduke’s Withered Wasteland development plan, and this time, it was because I had heard of Mr. Emmanuel’s existence beforehand and knew he was from the Duchy of Kansas, so I just asked. I didn’t expect him to happen to be your friend.”
“No, no, no, no.” Alfonso shook his head desperately. “You misunderstand.”
Siles froze.
Alfonso whispered a long string of words to Siles rapidly: “In the definition of the tribe I discovered, a Prophet is not someone who can inexplicably know the future or spout prophecies; those are all things on the mystical side.
“What I mean by Prophet is that every piece of information you learned before could be used at some point in the future. That is a Prophet. This is not a coincidence or anything—that would be too much of a coincidence!
“You knew the Archduke’s plan, so you could deduce the purpose of the gathering I attended; you knew of Emmanuel’s existence, so you were just able to associate whether my friend was Emmanuel.
“It’s like two black dots randomly drawn on a piece of white paper; when people fold the paper in half, these two seemingly unconnected black dots can overlap.
“This is no coincidence! This is the power of a Prophet!
“Oh, this is too marvelous. The coincidence of fate, being destined to know in advance, destined to answer my question at this moment, two destined overlapping black dots… destined to let me, someone who knows of the Prophet’s existence, know of your existence…”
Alfonso looked as if he had fallen into some sort of marvelous imagination.
He still addressed Siles as “You [formal],” but compared to the polite and distant emotional tone from before, this form of address now carried a much greater change.
Looking at Alfonso, Siles began to lean toward Mrs. Longman’s perspective in his heart—Is Alfonso Carte really not a madman?
He could actually understand Alfonso’s reasoning to a certain extent.
According to his description, the so-called “Prophet” in his mouth was like a detective who had grasped too much information and had an extremely active, agile mind.
Therefore, whenever encountering any situation, this detective could immediately review their own knowledge system and memory landscape to find a correct answer from within.
Because the speed is too fast, and they can notice clues that others haven’t discovered, this magical deduction looks like foreknowledge.
Siles naturally wasn’t that amazing, but the two examples Alfonso brought up happened to line up by a freak combination of factors.
Yet Siles found it very difficult to refute Alfonso’s misunderstanding, because Alfonso was completely immersed in his own theory.
The Prophet he spoke of wasn’t on the mystical side, but according to this kind of description, it was a “power of destiny”… like a god? And he held a subtle fanaticism toward the existence of this kind of Prophet.
…The tribe he discovered. Siles suddenly noticed this point.
This concept of a Prophet came exactly from the tribe he discovered. It seemed this tribe really did exist, but, perhaps it was also because Alfonso had gone mad due to the fog of the Ashless Land?
Siles remained silent the whole time, and Alfonso gradually calmed down as well.
He smiled a bit embarrassedly and guiltily. “Sorry, I scared you.” He stammered, “I, sorry… I just, I’ve always been looking for someone like this.”
Siles nodded, not fussing over this point, and merely asked, “You said this kind of Prophet is not on the mystical side. Then, what kind of power do you think it is?”
“…Destiny,” Alfonso said deeply. “That is the power of destiny.”
Siles said, “To me, it’s just the result of logical deduction.”
The Archduke of Const wanted to develop the Ashless Land, and the gathering Alfonso went to was related to the Divine Birth celebration in October, and also related to some folklore outside the Duchy of Konst.
Combining these key terms made Siles think about whether their gathering might be due to the Archduke’s plan.
And the matter with Emmanuel was even simpler. He asked both Kellogg and Alfonso for help, and they both mentioned a folklorist from the Duchy of Kansas in the Folklore Society.
There couldn’t be that many folklorists from the Duchy of Kansas in Lamifa City, so Siles naturally thought whether they had sought help from the same person.
This was a deductive result based on association and logic, not the destiny or foreknowledge Alfonso imagined.
Alfonso shook his head. “It’s hard for you to understand this, I can get that. But, I hope you won’t waste such a gift.”
Siles: “…”
He felt they were talking past each other.
Alfonso seemed to be praising Siles’s outstanding deductive ability and agile thinking, but in reality, he wasn’t praising Siles’s IQ, but rather seeming to praise Siles’s… Spirituality. The Spirituality from the role-playing game setting.
Siles was speechless.
Finally, Siles thought that this was a world with gods. So, Alfonso’s association couldn’t exactly be called wrong. After all, the power of the gods in this world did carry an unknowable quality.
Siles thought about it and decided not to entangle himself in this issue anymore, shifting the question: “You just said, the tribe you discovered?”
“Right,” Alfonso said something first before explaining, “You don’t need to call me ‘You [formal]’.”
Siles glanced at him and said, “You too.”
Alfonso revealed a subtly resistant expression, as if his conviction that Siles was a “Prophet” had somehow caused him to develop an undeniable respect and reverence for Siles.
But he didn’t refute these words.
He just said, “Alright. I did indeed discover a new tribe in the Ashless Land that had never been noticed by people before… its ruins.”
He said.
“Ruins?” Siles was slightly surprised. “I thought it was still existing.”
Alfonso shook his head. “There are not many still-existing tribes left in the Ashless Land now. They either cooperate and slowly assimilate with each other to form large settlements, or they go to other countries and gradually become residents of those nations.
“Besides those, the vast majority have already disappeared. Of course, we have no way of knowing whether there are still some… creatures hidden in the fog.”
He used the word ‘creatures’.
Siles asked with interest, “But there are still quite a few ruins left?”
“Yes.” Alfonso nodded. “I was lucky to discover a brand new ruin that hadn’t been noticed before. There, I found a… damaged parchment, which recorded some words related to destiny, and, ‘Prophet’.”
“According to what you said, I thought such Prophets were just some smart people?”
“No,” Alfonso said. “I can understand your… your confusion. It’s like this. Perhaps you think the two examples I just brought up that happened between us are not enough to convince you…
“You can imagine, what if such a thing happened every moment, in your interaction with anyone?”
“Every moment, with anyone?” Siles asked word by word.
Alfonso looked into Siles’s eyes and said, “Yes. Imagine, when anyone interacts with you, the questions they raise, their thoughts, their topics, can all be traced within your life, your past, your memories.”
Siles was slightly taken aback. “That’s very… strange.” He pondered for a moment. “It’s like my destiny encompasses their destiny.”
“Exactly!” Alfonso got excited again and slapped his thigh hard. “That’s exactly how it is! You understand! So that is a Prophet! A Prophet’s life encompasses the destinies of others!
“Even though that’s not everything, even though it’s impossible for the Prophet to experience everyone else’s experiences, but, it’s a kind of… conceptual encompassment. For example, Emmanuel and I are old friends, and even though you never knew him, you knew his name!
“This is enough! This creates a trembling connection between you and him, like an invisible silk thread connecting you two just like that! We are all puppets in a puppet show, and the Prophet is the one manipulating the puppet strings!”
Siles felt a slight discomfort from Alfonso’s description.
He thought for a moment, then asked, “What use is this?”
Alfonso suddenly froze. “What?”
“I mean, in actual real life, even if such a Prophet you speak of exists, what use is such an ability?” Siles asked extremely calmly. “Real life is not a script.”
Alfonso was stunned, looking at Siles blankly.
After a moment, he said with difficulty, “It’s just… it’s just such a, concept. Don’t you find such a concept extremely fascinating?”
Siles thought about it and said, “It’s okay, I suppose.”
On Earth, during the information explosion of the internet era, he knew countless bizarre theories. Alfonso’s description of the Prophet certainly had some novelty, but it wasn’t quite enough to make an Earth novelist marvel greatly.
This was about imagination, not Prophets.
Alfonso swallowed hard, and after a moment, said, “I understand. I know, you are right.”
Siles frowned, feeling that Alfonso seemed to have thought of something else.
Alfonso said slightly dejectedly, “We cannot possibly manipulate the lives, or destinies, of others. This is something that shouldn’t happen. However,” he added, “I still believe that Prophets exist.”
Siles thought for a moment and asked, “Is the Prophet you speak of a specific person, or a metaphysical concept?”
“These are different stages,” Alfonso said, hesitating for a moment before finally saying, “On that parchment, the people of that tribe believed that such a person could be called a Prophet, and as the destinies of others… the concepts of others he encompasses become more and more, he becomes…
“A God.”
Alfonso said it softly, as if afraid of disturbing something.
Siles couldn’t help but freeze, asking subconsciously, “That is a God?”
A metaphysical concept… that is a God?
Alfonso said, “In their definition, yes.”
Siles was momentarily speechless, thinking, Can a God be defined?
…Well, as an Earthling, how am I not as open-minded as the humans of this era?
Siles silently reflected on himself, then shook his head. “Such a topic seems too far removed from our lives.”
“Indeed,” Alfonso sighed. He looked at Siles, his expression seeming to become calm and composed.
After a moment, he said, “However, Professor Noel, I mean what I say. A Prophet… or, in your words, logical deductive ability, is a gift, an ability. I hope you can utilize it well.”
Siles felt somewhat awkward in his heart; finally, he nodded as indifferently as possible and said, “I will.”
He felt that Alfonso Carte, this mad folklorist and Revelator, even if he looked relatively normal on the surface, his brain actually seemed to have been… polluted by something.
Yes, just like the pollution of the Old Gods.
Siles somewhat missed the stone block in Teacher Gren’s drawer. He really wanted to test Alfonso with it right now.
However, based on Alfonso’s current behavior, he really didn’t know which God had polluted him.
Destiny?
It seemed there was no God’s power related to destiny.
Siles pondered secretly.
Afterward, their topic shifted to their original purpose: the wandering bards of the Sardinian Empire.
They chatted about a whole bunch of irrelevant things, only remembering after they finished that they weren’t actually here for this. Siles cast his eyes down at the stack of crumpled papers, suddenly feeling some curiosity in his heart.
He pondered for a moment, then asked, “The reason I knew of Emmanuel’s existence was because I have a student who is also from the Duchy of Kansas. She said she also sought help from Emmanuel and then helped me find some works of the wandering bards.
“Alfonso, when you went to find Emmanuel, didn’t he mention this to you?”
Alfonso froze for a moment, then shook his head. “I contacted him by letter; he gave me a book list, and then I went to the Folklore Society’s collection to copy a portion of the useful materials, which is what I gave you.
“I don’t know anything about your student.”
Siles nodded somewhat troubledly.
Alfonso asked, “Do you have some matter you plan to find Emmanuel for?”
He sensed Siles’s thoughts.
“Yes,” Siles said thusly. “I previously purchased a travelogue about the Ashless Land, written in the language of the Duchy of Kansas. I want to find a translator. Perhaps some publisher would be willing to publish this travelogue.”
“A travelogue of the Ashless Land!” Alfonso was surprised. “That is indeed an excellent piece of material. If published, right when the Archduke’s plan coincides, you might be able to earn a sizable profit!”
He inadvertently used the “You [formal]” address again.
Siles maintained his calmness and nodded. “I hope so too.”
He might not need much wealth, and wouldn’t acquire wealth through deception or fraud, but if he could obtain it, he naturally wouldn’t actively refuse it. This was a good quality every Earthling should have.
“You haven’t contacted Emmanuel yet, have you?” Alfonso asked.
“No,” Siles shook his head. “I only learned of his existence yesterday.”
Alfonso opened his mouth, looking as if he wanted to tell Siles about his “Prophet” theory again, but he finally held back and just said to Siles, “Professor Noel, why don’t we go find my old friend right now. Are you free this afternoon?”
Siles froze for a moment, then said sincerely, “Of course I’m free. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Alfonso said briskly. “I consider you a friend worth making.”
“You too,” Siles said in a low voice.
They then stood up. Alfonso went to the reading room to say a few words to the scribe, then came out and left Lamifa University together with Siles.
Alfonso’s tone carried a hint of attentiveness. “The Folklore Society is not far from Lamifa University, about a twenty-minute walk. How about we walk over?”
“No problem,” Siles said.
They then walked out of the school grounds, heading west along Hayward Street. Alfonso said that following this road straight ahead would take them to the Folklore Society.
Passing by 6 Hayward Street, Siles asked Alfonso to wait, then went upstairs to get the travelogue of the Ashless Land before leaving with Alfonso.
Along the way, Alfonso also carefully introduced this old friend of his to Siles.
Alfonso had been to the Ashless Land many times, and he had also met Emmanuel in the Ashless Land. They had explored many places in the Ashless Land together and had always maintained a deep friendship.
Siles asked with some curiosity, “Then, why did Mr. Emmanuel come to Konst?”
“Because the Duchy of Kansas is a very chaotic place.” Alfonso seemed to have some understanding of the Duchy of Kansas, so he explained, “It’s… not very peaceful there.”
“War?”
“No, the internal situation is not very good,” Alfonso said. “You might know that the former Kansas City was an extremely prosperous commercial city, and also the commercial center of the Sardinian Empire.”
“Yes, I know. The wealth gap in the former Kansas City was extremely huge.”
“That is also the situation in the current Duchy of Kansas. And the people… can somewhat no longer stand this state continuing any longer. For hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of years, wealth and power have always been concentrated in the hands of a few, while commoners are merely those they exploit, raise… whatever.”
Siles nodded thoughtfully.
“However, just a psychology of rebellion is of no avail. So they opted for some more radical measures, which is perfectly understandable,” Alfonso said rather implicitly. “However, this also made the internal situation of the Duchy of Kansas even more chaotic.”
“Even so, the Duchy of Konst still wants to cooperate with Kansas?”
Alfonso hesitated to speak, and finally said, “Even with the chaos, wealth and power are still firmly in the hands of the higher-ups of the Duchy of Kansas.”
Siles was silent for a moment, then said, “They are still walking on a long road.”
“Indeed,” Alfonso sighed. “If you could visit the Ashless Land once, you would know how pleasant peaceful days are.”
Siles shook his head and said, “Changing a rigid society is never easy.”
The chaos in the Duchy of Kansas was different from the chaos in the Ashless Land.
Alfonso Carte gave Siles a surprised look, seeming to want to say something, but finally, he just said, “You are right.”
They arrived at the Folklore Society twenty minutes later.
Compared to the History Society, the Folklore Society looked plain, low-key, yet exquisite, like a small building standing in a garden.
The surroundings indeed had very beautiful scenery. To the side was a city park, and further away, one could overlook the Kanla River winding through Lamifa City.
Alfonso said, “This used to be the residence of the first president of the Folklore Society; later he donated this villa to serve as the Folklore Society’s office premises.
“When you met me for the first time, I was going out to attend a gathering of the Folklore Society. We often gather together to discuss the cultures and customs of different tribes, nations, and countries.”
Siles nodded, thinking to himself, How many of the participants in the gatherings Alfonso speaks of are Revelators?
However, Alfonso’s words gave Siles a bit of association. He suddenly remembered that in Karacoc’s diary, the wandering bards of the Sardinian Empire claimed their destined fate was to die in a foreign land.
This seemed like a peculiar custom.
Would Alfonso Carte have heard of it?
They walked a circle around the Folklore Society; the time was already approaching two o’clock in the afternoon.
Siles thought about it, and taking advantage of the fact that they hadn’t yet entered the Folklore Society, asked, “Alfonso, when I was researching the wandering bards of the Sardinian Empire, I heard that it seems there was a tradition of dying in a foreign land among the wandering bard community.
“Are there any other nations or tribes with such a tradition?”
“Dying in a foreign land?” Alfonso looked somewhat surprised. “Dying during the journey of wandering?”
Siles observed his expression, noticing that he seemed completely unaware of this, and hadn’t realized that such a habit could be connected to Ligadia.
Indeed, Ligadia was considered by modern people as the patron god of journeys. Because He had already vanished without a trace in the Shadow Era, this god was rarely mentioned.
Alfonso thought about it and answered, “I have never heard of such a tradition.” He said cautiously, “Perhaps you can let me check some materials later. Dying in a foreign land… well, there are many, many customs regarding death.”
As they spoke, they had already stepped into the Folklore Society.
Alfonso took the opportunity to say, “If I find anything, I’ll write you a letter. But that might take a longer time.”
“That’s fine,” Siles thanked him.
The architecture of the Folklore Society overall was a three-story small building, with a gorgeous, heavy interior decoration full of a long-standing sense of age. However, the sporadically placed products of civilizations outside the Duchy of Konst brought an exotic freshness to the house.
Alfonso led Siles to an office on the second floor.
Siles thought to himself, Would the Revelators of the Folklore Society… also have a behind-the-door space? Or something else?
Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the ritual duration right now, otherwise, he could observe just how many Revelators the Folklore Society possessed here. However, he could confirm that Alfonso beside him must definitely be a Revelator.
…But that makes sense too. For a folklorist who could independently explore tribal ruins in the Ashless Land, if he didn’t possess a certain level of power, he probably couldn’t have successfully returned to the Duchy of Konst.
He thought so, and then after the office door opened, he met Emmanuel.
Emmanuel was a middle-aged man around forty, his face looking weather-beaten, his whole person alert and sharp. He also had long black hair braided into a plait. Kellogg was the same; it seemed this was a custom of the Duchy of Kansas.
He first saw Alfonso, greeted him enthusiastically, and then looked at Siles.
“This is Professor Siles Noel, serving at Lamifa University,” Alfonso introduced. Fortunately, he didn’t crazily mention Siles’s “Prophet” ability.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Emmanuel,” Siles said. “I heard of your existence from my student, Kellogg.”
“Good afternoon, Professor Noel,” Emmanuel said sharply. “It seems you are the professor who asked me about the wandering bards of the Sardinian Empire through Kellogg and Alfonso?”
“Yes, it is quite a coincidence,” Siles replied.
The three of them sat on the sofa in the office. On the side of the sofa, there was a display cabinet. Siles saw quite a few exquisite, quaint objects inside the display cabinet. He wondered, How many of these are Time Traces?
Probably quite a few.
Emmanuel proactively asked, “Have you come this time because there was some problem with the materials I provided?”
“No, that is not the case,” Siles said. “I am very grateful for your help. I came this time for another matter.”
Emmanuel looked at him troubledly, a hint of very natural suspicion in his eyes.
Siles then took out the travelogue with the parchment cover from his bag. He said, “This is a travelogue of the Ashless Land written by an explorer from Kansas. I came to find you to see if you would be willing to become the translator for this travelogue?”
Emmanuel looked at the travelogue critically, then looked at Alfonso. Seemingly giving face to Alfonso, he took the travelogue. He flipped it open casually to look, and after a moment, his expression suddenly changed, turning from the original casualness to exceptional focus.
Siles asked at the right moment, “Is there any problem?”
Emmanuel hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Where did you get this travelogue, Professor Noel?”
Siles couldn’t help but freeze, wondering why both Kellogg and Emmanuel showed this… strange expression after seeing the contents of this travelogue.
Could the contents of this travelogue really be that extraordinary?
Siles then said, “From a merchant who travels to and from the Ashless Land, Jerome Lanmere. I don’t know if you’ve heard this name.”
Emmanuel shook his head. He pondered for a moment, and said, “I can translate this travelogue. The time required might be relatively long. I will try my best to deliver the manuscript to you before the Day of Divine Birth. However…”
“Please speak.”
Emmanuel hesitated to speak. After seeing that travelogue, his attitude had undergone an earth-shaking change.
Siles was a bit troubled by this. He asked, “Why are you…?”
“Hesitating?” Emmanuel sighed, shook his head, and said to Alfonso, “Old friend, do you still remember Isherwood?”
Seeing that their topic had shifted, Siles remained silent.
Alfonso said in surprise, “Isherwood? You mean, your missing…”
“Yes, my brother. He was an archaeologist,” Emmanuel smiled bitterly. “This travelogue mentions… some… clues.”
“Isherwood’s whereabouts?”
“No, not that.” Emmanuel shook his head. “You know, before Isherwood went missing, he once told me he found relevant clues to a… place, so he decided to go look for it. Then, he never returned.”
Alfonso frowned. “This travelogue mentions relevant things?”
“Relevant… rumors,” Emmanuel said carefully. “The Non-existent City. Alfonso, you know this.”
“…That legend?” Alfonso seemed to fall into deep thought.
Emmanuel nodded, and then fell silent.
Siles looked at them and asked tentatively, “Excuse me, what is the Non-existent City?”
Alfonso snapped back to reality. He remained silent for a moment, then said, “It’s like this. Siles—please allow me to call you that.”
Siles nodded.
Alfonso continued, “The Ashless Land holds many legends… uh, you should be able to guess this point. And one of the long-famous legends is that on the maps of the Ashless Land, there is a city that does not exist.”
Siles was still somewhat confused.
Alfonso said, “You might not know, among the existing maps of the Ashless Land, there actually isn’t one that is universally acknowledged as completely correct. Everyone holds their own views, believing the one they bought is the most correct.”
Siles recalled some conversations he had heard at Mapa’s map store and slowly nodded.
The major nations of the Fisher world likely held the most authoritative maps of the Ashless Land in their hands, but those couldn’t possibly be brought out to share, let alone be obtained by the merchants and explorers of the Ashless Land.
Therefore, these people going to the Ashless Land could only purchase and look for maps through various channels. Those maps had truths and falsehoods, but at least they could provide some information about the Ashless Land.
“A long time ago, these maps were all hand-drawn. And people usually also believe that in the very beginning, the maps everyone possessed were more or less the same. In other words, all the maps of the Ashless Land, at least the vast majority of them, originally came from the same mapmaker.”
Alfonso paused here for a moment.
Subsequently, he said, “People believe that an error appeared in this mapmaker’s map, and this error has persisted to this day. No one is able to know where exactly this error exists on the complex map.
“There are only some sporadic legends saying someone discovered the existence of this error, and at that erroneous location completely mismatched with the map, discovered a city that does not exist on the map.
“So ‘the Non-existent City’ does not mean it truly doesn’t exist, or that it is transparent, formless, or the like. It refers to the fact that it doesn’t exist on the map.
“And that city contains countless treasures, wealth, and power. As long as someone can discover the problem in the map, then they can obtain these things.”
Siles thought for a moment and said, “A treasure map?”
He thought of Kellogg’s words. She said this travelogue contained clues to a treasure map.
Could the so-called treasure map refer to the “Non-existent City”?
“More or less,” Alfonso explained. “It’s said this error exists on any map of the Ashless Land, because that error is truly too ancient—so ancient that people simply don’t know from when the maps started having this error.”
“Then why can’t a new map be redrawn in the contemporary era, and then compared?” Siles couldn’t help but ask.
His question was very practical, but Alfonso and Emmanuel both shook their heads at the same time.
Emmanuel said, “Professor Noel, the situation is like this: in the Ashless Land, the position of the fog changes; we have no way to know the real-time situation of the entire Ashless Land.
“As for that original map containing the error, showing its locations… at least within the scope we have already explored, we haven’t found the location of that error.”
Siles suddenly understood.
He thought, Sure enough, this world needs a satellite.
He pondered over Emmanuel and Alfonso’s explanation, and finally said, “In that case, is that Non-existent City now already covered by the fog?”
“Many people think so.” Emmanuel laughed bitterly. “But there are also people who don’t think that way. My brother is one of them. He… is extremely stubborn.
“He believed that the Non-existent City is highly likely a plain and unremarkable thing that we have all… overlooked: a symbol, a mark, an… error.”
Siles was thoughtful. He was extremely curious about this story containing history, legends, and treasure, but this matter didn’t seem that simple.
An error that had existed since the first edition of the map of the Ashless Land; a stubborn archaeologist pursuing this error; an explorer who was already dead but whose travelogue mentioned news related to that “Non-existent City”.
As Siles was thinking, Emmanuel said, “Professor Noel, I hope that after I finish translating this travelogue, you can introduce me to that merchant.”
“That’s no problem,” Siles said. “At that time, we’ll also need to meet with the publisher together.”
Emmanuel forced a smile as well.
Siles left the travelogue with Emmanuel, and then left the Folklore Society together with Alfonso Carte. The sunlight outside was extremely blazing. They walked to the tree-lined path.
Alfonso looked left and right, and noticing no one around was paying attention to them, said, “Siles, about this matter… honestly, my old friend is a trustworthy person, except when it comes to Isherwood’s affairs.”
Siles asked with slight surprise, “Are there hidden circumstances?”
