The culinary town exuded a warm, lively atmosphere, mingled with the sweet scent of butter and the greasy aroma of meat.
The entire town was situated on the eastern side of Mount Hughes, not far from the channel where the Canla River flowed. The scenery was quite beautiful. The buildings in the town were scattered but orderly, all very petite and charming.
Lamifa City was now gradually building higher due to the limited usable area of the city. However, this culinary town consisted entirely of low, one- or at most two-story buildings. People bustled through the narrow streets, their footsteps hurried.
At the entrance, a wooden frame supported a signboard. Many young people wearing grey vests and white shirts were distributing advertisement cards here.
Siles also received one. Looking down, he saw it was an advertisement card for a Greyson Company shop.
The front of the card featured a picture of a young woman looking pleasantly surprised at a table full of desserts, while the back listed the shop’s address and some recommended desserts. Lanmere’s name was printed in the corner. Clearly, this stemmed from the business deal Siles had observed previously.
Lorenzo, standing beside Siles, said, “I’ve been to this shop before, the taste is excellent.” He subconsciously licked his lips. “The prices are also very cheap. However, precisely because they are so cheap, you can’t help but buy a lot.”
Siles casually slipped the card into his pocket and said, “Perhaps we can go take a look later.”
At the entrance to the culinary town, Siles spotted Mrs. Fuller. She was waiting for the others in a clear area to the side. Siles asked Lorenzo to wait a moment, then walked over.
Several people stood around Mrs. Fuller—some were servants, others were her younger relatives. In front of her family, Mrs. Fuller appeared both gentle and strict. It seemed the Fuller family’s upbringing was very strict; Siles noticed a few children standing there obediently, not saying a word.
Siles greeted her: “Good morning, Mrs. Fuller.”
Mrs. Fuller’s family seemed very curious about Siles, their gazes turning toward him. However, until Mrs. Fuller spoke, no one proactively inquired about Siles’s identity.
“Good morning, Professor Noel,” Mrs. Fuller said. “We happened to run into each other.”
Mrs. Fuller’s tone sounded somewhat distant and polite, but Siles understood her meaning. They seemed to need some awareness of secrecy, at least not appearing too intimate. So, Siles just smiled faintly.
Mrs. Fuller reached out to a servant, took a business card, and handed it to Siles, saying, “Room 52.”
“Thank you for your generosity,” Siles took it, thanked her, and then said, “I hope you enjoy a pleasant day here.”
Mrs. Fuller let out a genuine chuckle and said, “There’s no need to be so polite with me.”
They exchanged a few pleasantries, their eyes meeting with a shared sense of suppressed amusement. Siles soon bid Mrs. Fuller farewell, and as he left, he heard her tell the servants to stay put and wait for the others to arrive.
Siles quickly found Lorenzo, who was currently standing in front of a shop, hesitating and peering inside.
“Oh, my dear roommate, you’re finally back,” Lorenzo said. “I’ve already picked out our brunch; I was just waiting for you.”
Siles said, “Then let’s go.”
The shop was packed with people, making Siles, who disliked physical contact with others, frown slightly. However, he still enjoyed the meal here with Lorenzo.
Lorenzo mumbled an introduction: “This is a delicacy from another country… I like the way they prepare the eggs.”
Siles nodded in agreement.
Although Lorenzo claimed to have spent all his salary, he didn’t actually make Siles treat him. They each paid their own way, then left the shop to sample other delicacies.
Of course, the town didn’t only have a wide variety of food; it also had some entertainment facilities.
According to Lorenzo, he had spent the entire two days here last weekend and knew the place like the back of his hand. Under his guidance, Siles indeed tasted many delicacies, feeling quite refreshed.
By 3:00 PM, both of them were feeling a bit stuffed, so they strolled along the edge of the town to digest their food. Looking at the surrounding mountains and rivers, Siles felt a long-absent sense of relaxation and joy.
Of course, he hadn’t forgotten Eric’s mention of Mount Hughes being prone to accidents over the past decade or so.
However, he couldn’t spot anything unusual. The only anomaly might be… that the culinary town had an overly fervent atmosphere, as if everyone had become a gluttonous beast, frantically wanting to devour all the food around them.
Siles, drawing from his experience of having tasted countless Earth delicacies, scrutinized this behavior and felt it was somewhat excessive, even… mad.
He didn’t have long to think. Lorenzo suddenly said, “Right, we haven’t been to that dessert shop yet.”
“The Greyson one?” Siles was actually already feeling a bit full. This kind of binge eating didn’t quite suit his habits. But since Lorenzo wanted to go, Siles would naturally accompany him.
He said, “Let’s go.”
They walked back from the outskirts of the culinary town. Siles realized the town was getting more and more crowded, like a sea of people. Lorenzo sighed, “It really is the weekend, people all choose this time to come out with their families.”
His words couldn’t entirely dispel the doubts in Siles’s heart. A faint, lingering unease constantly hovered in his mind.
…Why are there so many people? Even if it’s for food and entertainment, could it attract so many people that it’s almost difficult to move through the town?
The closer they got to Greyson’s dessert shop, the more crowded it became. Forced to repeatedly brush against others, Siles couldn’t help but frown deeply and said to Lorenzo, “Why don’t we come back when there are fewer people… Lorenzo?”
He turned to look at Lorenzo, only to catch a glimpse of craving and greed in his eyes. Lorenzo was staring angrily at the crowd ahead, chattering curses because these people were blocking the way.
Siles was slightly taken aback and narrowed his eyes. He said, “Lorenzo?”
“…What?” Hearing Siles’s voice, Lorenzo sluggishly returned to his senses, turning to look at him. “What’s wrong? Weren’t we going to eat dessert?”
“There are too many people,” Siles said calmly. “Let’s come back later.”
“…Oh. Oh.” Lorenzo nodded slowly, looking reluctantly in the direction of the dessert shop, then walked with Siles in the opposite direction of the crowd.
Because more and more people were moving in that direction, their attempt to go against the flow proved very difficult.
A flash of inspiration hit Siles. He took the black umbrella out of his bag. The small canopy opened, creating an invisible, semi-circular blue protective shield that silently separated Siles from the others.
People would be pushed aside by an invisible, gentle force, clearing a path, allowing Siles to walk out.
Siles thought to himself, When I got the [Warrior’s Black Umbrella] ritual, I never imagined I’d use it in such a situation, in this manner.
He had considered whether to use [The Warrior’s Black Umbrella] or [Formless Shield], but considering how bizarre the current situation was, it was highly likely a Revelator was pulling strings in the dark, so Siles ultimately chose the black umbrella.
Sure enough, people unconsciously avoided Siles’s side.
Lorenzo followed behind Siles, looking back every three steps, not even noticing why they were able to leave the crowd so smoothly.
After a moment, the crowd on the street gradually thinned out. Although there was still a steady stream of people, they weren’t swarming forward like on that previous stretch of road. However, Siles noticed that the vast majority of people were walking in that direction.
Siles closed the palm-sized black umbrella and put it back in his bag.
Beside him, Lorenzo sighed regretfully, “How awful. I thought I’d be able to eat the desserts I tasted last week, but there are actually this many people. Sure enough, the culinary town’s reputation has spread; it’s not as convenient as last week.”
Siles listened quietly, not saying a word.
He noticed that, without realizing it, they had walked to the open area near the entrance. The sky was slowly turning gloomy.
From a distance, Siles spotted several figures faintly glowing with blue light, along with some ordinary people. When he left the house that morning, just in case, he had specifically consumed enough potion to last the entire day.
He had noticed a few Revelators in the town earlier, but they were scattered. But now, he saw about a dozen Revelators gathered together at the entrance. This number was very unusual.
“Something’s not right,” one of the older Revelators, wearing a deerstalker hat, frowned and said loudly.
Siles and Lorenzo were still some distance away from the gathered Revelators. Lorenzo didn’t hear clearly what the man said, and couldn’t help but ask, “What are they discussing?”
Siles thought, Probably the problem with this culinary town.
This excessive fanaticism and craving for food carried an unrealistic flavor. Even if the Duchy of Konst hadn’t reached the standard of industrial development on Earth, it was still a competent agricultural nation; it wouldn’t let its residents fall into starvation.
Under these circumstances, the culinary town was nothing more than a place to relax, have fun, and taste fresh food in one’s spare time.
However, such a frenzied pursuit of food… was somewhat incomprehensible.
What worried Siles even more was that, judging from the gathered Revelators, they seemed able to resist this influence. Yet, the vast majority of people in the culinary town were ordinary people. They were frantically grabbing for, craving food.
What if conflicts and fights broke out?
At this critical juncture, Siles didn’t even have time to ponder where this atmosphere originated from.
Upon realizing he couldn’t squeeze into the crowd and taste the desserts, Lorenzo’s entire demeanor wilted. He looked incredibly disappointed, sighing constantly.
Siles glanced at him sideways and said, “Do you want to go rest over there for a bit?”
There were some tables and chairs set up near the open area at the town entrance, provided for tired walkers to rest their feet. Lorenzo nodded absentmindedly and walked over in a daze to sit down.
Seeing him like this, Siles suddenly felt a bit suspicious about what Lorenzo had actually encountered in the culinary town last week. Without Siles’s reminder, would he too be like the crazed crowd, desperately fighting for food in the packed streets?
Siles had no time to dwell on this. He walked toward the group of Revelators and spotted his companions nearby.
Eric, Angela, Mrs. Fuller… where was Darrell?
They were standing in different areas, with their own family or friends. Siles considered for a moment, then walked toward Eric, because Angela and Mrs. Fuller had quite a few servants or relatives around them.
Eric spotted Siles, and as he approached, immediately said, “We have a problem!”
The atmosphere seemed to suddenly tense up with Eric’s words.
Siles said calmly, “Don’t panic. Where is Darrell?”
“I didn’t see him,” Eric shook his head. Beside him, Eric’s wife, whom Siles had met before, and Eric’s daughter, whom he hadn’t, both wore somewhat panicked expressions.
The young girl stared at Siles with wide eyes, seeming curious about his identity, while simultaneously casting terrified glances toward the surging crowd in the distance from time to time.
From the corner of his eye, Siles noticed that the gathered group of Revelators seemed to be planning something. The leader discussed a decision with the others, then they each reached into their pockets, about to step forward.
Just then, Darrell and his older brother Lloyd Hobbs squeezed out of the crowd, each pulling a middle-aged person along.
Darrell shouted in panic, “A fight broke out inside!”
Before he even finished speaking, a young Revelator suddenly pointed toward the distance: “Over there…!”
Siles turned to look, witnessing a shocking scene: the crazed crowd had formed a human ladder, desperately clambering toward their perceived feast of delicacies.
“Damn it!” he heard someone curse. “How could…”
The situation reached a stalemate for a moment. Even if Revelators possessed bizarre powers, they couldn’t possibly fight against thousands or tens of thousands of ordinary people simultaneously. That was a difference in orders of magnitude.
Siles frowned, thinking for a moment. The crowd was this crazy because they were chasing after food, but ultimately, this was most likely because someone was manipulating things in the dark.
To completely resolve this, they had to find the mastermind behind the scenes; but if they just wanted to disperse the crowd…
Thinking of this, Siles strode toward the gathered group of Revelators. He asked, “What do you plan to do?”
The older Revelator in charge sized Siles up. Perhaps because of Siles’s youth, his tone was somewhat impatient as he said, “Pull those people apart!”
Siles said, “You can’t forcefully take everyone away.” He paused. “Does anyone have a way to amplify sound? Tell them that business is too booming in the culinary town today, causing a shortage of ingredients, and they have to close early.
“The crazed people need to know they have no chance of getting food before they can slowly break out of this state. My friend withdrew from the crowd precisely because he realized he couldn’t get what he wanted to eat.”
Siles’s tone carried a calm, composed meaning, making the Revelators present slowly calm down and consider the feasibility of this method.
Not far away, Darrell was anxiously advising his parents, telling them not to squeeze into the crowd anymore. But his words seemed utterly useless; his parents were still staring intently at the distant street, stubbornly wanting to taste a certain food.
And Darrell’s older brother Lloyd, though appearing much more normal, also couldn’t help but occasionally cast his gaze in a certain direction.
At this moment, Darrell heard Siles’s words, turned his head to look at him, and then without hesitation, said to his parents, “Did you hear that? Business is too good here today, so everything is sold out! We can’t eat it! Let’s hurry up and go home!”
“…Sold out?” his parents asked vaguely.
“Yes,” Darrell, noticing the softening in his parents’ attitude, immediately said. “Look, with so many people and only these few shops and small houses, how could they possibly supply enough food and drink for everyone?”
Logical and convincing.
His parents stared blankly at him, then finally stopped their struggle to continue moving forward, murmuring regretfully, “How could it be sold out… how could it…”
This immediate effect also made the Revelators realize that Siles’s proposed method was effective.
So, one of the Revelators said without hesitation, “I have a ritual here.” He took a piece of paper out of his bag and quickly wrote a line of text on it.
Then, the paper floated into the air, slowly dissolving into the atmosphere. In Siles’s eyes, a blue radiance covered the entire piece of paper, then slowly eroded it.
The moment the paper disappeared, it was as if countless voices suddenly rang out in the air, speaking in unison: “Business is booming today… shortage of ingredients… closing early… Business is booming today… shortage of ingredients… closing early…”
These sentences echoed in the air many, many times. Some people on the outer edges gradually calmed down and withdrew. Then came the people further in.
The Revelator explained, “This is a blank lyric sheet from a choir, I repurposed it.” He paused, then added, “It’s nothing too valuable, don’t worry about it.”
Siles listened silently from the side, finally understanding the source of this ritual.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, a group of people suddenly arrived from outside the town, led by a pot-bellied, well-dressed merchant. He said furiously, “Who is spreading rumors and causing trouble?!”
The older man who had organized the Revelators earlier asked without hesitation, “I’m the one who wants to know what exactly your place is doing!”
The two instantly began to argue.
Siles took two steps back, found Darrell, and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Darrell looked at his parents, young but with a worried look. He whispered, “There won’t be any aftereffects from this, will there?”
“There shouldn’t be. Just don’t come here anymore,” Siles said. “To be safe, perhaps you could visit the Church of the Past.”
Darrell seemed relieved and said, “Then I’ll tell my brother about this.” He looked back at those exquisite small houses, smelled the cloying sweet scent in the air, and couldn’t help but shiver.
“How terrifying,” he whispered.
Angela and her friend also walked over. She glanced at Darrell but didn’t speak to him, only saying to Siles, “Professor, is this matter considered resolved?”
Beside her was a female student, who also called out “Professor” to Siles.
Darrell was taken aback for a moment, looked at Angela, and then realized. They seemed to have formed a tacit understanding not to reveal their acquaintance in front of outsiders, making their gathering truly feel like a secret organization.
Realizing this, Darrell wasn’t angry; he just seriously thought, My brother seems to already know about the connection between the five of us. That shouldn’t matter, right? After all, my brother is a knight of the Church of the Past.
…In other words, our sphere of influence has expanded from the History Society to the Church of the Past!
Darrell suddenly felt a strong sense of pride and fortune.
Siles looked at Angela, nodded, then looked at the female student beside her. She was also his student, and one of the students in his club—Millicent Austin.
Millicent’s expression looked very pale, and she possessed a fragile, anxious aura. She was clearly terrified by this unusual atmosphere.
She wasn’t a Revelator.
Siles suddenly thought of something.
The first time he met Angela was on the first floor of the History Society. At that time, Angela said a friend had introduced her to some magical power and brought her to the History Society.
Now it seemed this friend wasn’t Millicent. Who could it be?
Siles’s curiosity flashed past, and he looked at his two students, saying, “It should be fine now. Don’t come here again.”
Angela nodded earnestly. She glanced sideways at the merchant arguing loudly with the Revelators and said with a bit of annoyance, “What exactly is this place planning to do… If it weren’t for you… and that person who suddenly displayed magical powers, how would this have ended!”
Siles said softly, “I expect there will be follow-up investigations.” He paused, then added, “However…”
Who was the main culprit of this incident? Was it the culinary town? Was it Greyson’s shop? Or… was it related to the endless stream of incidents at Mount Hughes over the past decade or so? Siles couldn’t be sure.
On the surface, the biggest problem was the food. But the temptation of this food hadn’t reached an unscrupulous level. When people realized they might not be able to get the food, they slowly calmed down.
Rather, the true problem lay in their emotional and psychological activities… which seemed to be artificially amplified or induced.
People wanted to eat, so this appetite was infinitely amplified; and when the food disappeared, this appetite similarly receded.
…An Old God follower?
Siles pondered in his mind, ultimately narrowing it down to two gods: Elco, the God of Alcohol and Hedonism, and Timiafa, the God of Gluttony and Greed.
The former represented hedonism and indulgence; the latter, appetite and greed.
But prior to this, Siles had never heard of the followers of these two gods being active in Lamifa City.
Conversely, Brancani, the God of Asceticism and Silence, a god completely different from the former two, had actually caught Siles’s attention due to the matter of the Torture Study Society.
Furthermore, Siles also noticed a problem—the Greyson Food Company. This company seemed to be playing a silent but hugely influential role in the culinary town, as well as in other places.
In the West City, Greyson had quietly captured the vast majority of the market, and anyone who had tasted Greyson’s ingredients and finished foods praised them endlessly for their quality and low prices. This even included Eric, a Revelator.
And the culinary town was also Greyson’s proposal and project.
Siles couldn’t help but wonder, if Greyson was also involved, could this whole thing be tied to a third god? Menavaca, the God of Commerce and Oaths?
And could this be related to Professor Cabel’s disappearance?
He thought for a moment, only feeling that various clues were tangled together, complex and impossible to unravel.
So he simply shook his head and said instead, “The incident this time didn’t fully erupt, but the culinary town will definitely be noticed.” He looked toward the serious faces of those Revelators.
These Revelators might be from the Church of the Past, they might be from the History Society, or they might be from other channels, but regardless, their appearance symbolized an attitude.
Siles said, “Let’s wait and see.” He paused, “I will visit a friend who might know the inside story to understand the situation.”
He was naturally referring to Bertram Fenn.
If Bertram hadn’t transferred those profit rights to Siles back then, Siles might not have even known of the Greyson Food Company’s existence. But now, in just over a month, Greyson’s momentum had been so rapid.
And, there was also the culinary town, and a tragedy that nearly erupted.
Siles felt he should investigate Greyson in some way. And Bertram’s side was naturally a safe and reliable channel.
As they chatted, the conversation between the merchant and the Revelator on the other side seemed to have reached a conclusion. The merchant’s attitude had taken a 180-degree turn, and he was sheepishly asking the people present to keep today’s events a secret.
However, he himself seemed to know that this matter couldn’t possibly be kept secret. So eventually, he left dejectedly. Siles watched his retreating back, deep in thought.
He had been paying attention to the merchant’s appearance and build just now, and he had the feeling he had faintly observed some detail. But it was only a fleeting spark of inspiration, uncaptured by Siles.
The merchant’s departure also seemed to bring today’s events to a close.
It was already nearing dusk. Siles bid his friends farewell and went to find Lorenzo. Lorenzo was waiting for Siles in utter boredom.
When Siles appeared before him, Lorenzo asked, “All settled?”
“I still don’t know what the follow-up will be,” Siles said precisely.
“Then let’s go, let’s head back to the university,” Lorenzo said. “Today was really terrible. But at least we had something good to eat at noon.”
The culinary town was in a remote location, so they had to wait outside for a rented carriage. Fortunately, many people were on family outings and had prepared carriages in advance, and were now leaving one after another. Only a few guests who had come alone needed to wait for rented carriages at this time.
While waiting, Siles looked at Lorenzo, carefully considered his tone, and asked, “Do you still feel regret because you didn’t get to eat dessert?”
“What?” Lorenzo was startled. Then, he subconsciously looked back at the silhouette of the culinary town against the setting sun. After a moment, he said regretfully, “Yeah. It’s really delicious. Really delicious.”
Siles observed his demeanor, unconsciously feeling a slight chill.
He said, “We could buy some to try on the way back.”
“No, that’s not the same,” Lorenzo said. “Cheap and delicious, that’s very rare. Sigh, it’s a pity we didn’t get to eat it today. There really were far too many people.”
“Didn’t you find the large crowd to be somewhat unusual?”
“Unusual?” Lorenzo thought for a moment, “I think it’s fine. After all, you can’t buy these things in the city.”
“…Even with how crowded it was just now?”
Lorenzo looked a bit baffled: “Have you ever been to a market? Isn’t it perfectly normal for places like this to be crowded? Besides, isn’t today the weekend?”
Siles wanted to say something, but finally shook his head and gave up, saying instead, “Perhaps it’s just because I’m not very used to places with so many people.”
Lorenzo laughed knowingly: “Professor Noel still feels uncomfortable, huh.”
Siles remained silent, ignoring Lorenzo’s teasing. More accurately, he was not in the mood to bicker with Lorenzo right now.
After leaving the culinary town and breaking away from that crazy craving for food, Lorenzo was still behaving like this, making Siles feel a heavy sense of unease.
He thought, It’s like a blinding incandescent lamp casting a shadow behind a person. Even though the incandescent lamp is turned off now, whenever the light is turned on again in the future, that shadow will reappear right there.
Exactly the same, unchanged. Just silently covering the person’s back.
Siles couldn’t help but steady his mind. He thought, Who controls the switch for that incandescent lamp?
Not long after, they got a rented carriage and spent some time returning to Lamifa University. The two of them were silent the whole way, each immersed in their own thoughts.
It wasn’t until they reached 6 Hayward Street that Siles remembered they hadn’t eaten dinner yet. He asked, “I’m going to the cafeteria to get something to eat, want to come?”
“I’ll pass.” Lorenzo seemed a bit dispirited. “My heart is still lingering with a huge sense of regret and loss.”
Siles: “…”
Even though he knew this matter might be related to supernatural powers, even though he knew Lorenzo had been silently influenced, even though he knew this emotion was very likely something Lorenzo himself couldn’t control…
Siles couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
He bid Lorenzo goodnight and went to check the cafeteria. It was already too late, and only some bread was left to choose from. Siles bought two, one for tonight’s dinner, one for tomorrow’s breakfast.
This world didn’t have refrigerators, and preservation methods were poor. Therefore, only when the weather grew cooler could Siles buy breakfast for the next day in advance. If it had been the humid heat of July or the sweltering heat of August, bread left overnight would definitely have spoiled a bit.
After returning to the dorm, Siles ate his bread, showered, and washed his clothes as usual. By the time he finished everything, it was already past nine o’clock.
He stood by the window for a while, gazing at the quiet night outside, feeling an elusive emotion fermenting. And the entire Lamifa City seemed to also be shrouded in this hazy fog, its future unclear.
Thinking of this, Siles suddenly let out a low chuckle.
He thought, Future? People from Earth know what the future of this world could be like; at least they know how this world could develop in the next one or two centuries.
If… the fog in this world could dissipate. If this world never possessed such supernatural powers.
This point made Siles feel even more gloomy.
He simply shook off these thoughts and instead pondered if he had overlooked any details or clues today.
He couldn’t think of anything for a while, then suddenly remembered a thought he had had not long ago—If I actively initiate a check on myself, can I control the result of the check?
Siles hesitated for only a split second before making up his mind.
There was another way to solve the incident today—he could have initiated a Will check on all the ordinary people present who had fallen into madness.
He hadn’t chosen that method. When the guard of Ernestine raised his gun to shoot Carol, he also hadn’t chosen to check that man’s Constitution. The reason for both was the same.
He didn’t like the feeling of casually manipulating others’ fates, nor did he know what butterfly effect such a check would have on fate. He didn’t have an RPG script in his hand right now. Moreover, he had other ways to solve the problem.
But at this moment, Siles’s heart was filled with a subtle sense of urgency. He felt that all around him, the entire Lamifa City seemed to be faintly sinking into danger.
So, he also planned to slightly change some of his thoughts. At least… confirm what this never-before-attempted, actively controllable check actually looked like.
Siles focused his mind, actively connecting with that subtle premonition and instinct that constantly lingered in his heart. He seemed to feel an invisible arrow drawn out in his mind, and he could control the direction of this arrow.
There was no one near him, only Lorenzo downstairs. Siles carefully pointed the arrow at himself—his perspective seemed to elevate significantly across space in that moment, viewing this world from an almost god-like vantage point.
His will… seemed to float invisibly in the air. He could even faintly see himself. Yes, he could see himself. Dressed in ordinary loungewear, standing by the window, silently gazing at the night outside.
…That is him. And also the target he wants to check.
In that instant, inspiration struck Siles, and he said in his heart: “Check the Spot Hidden attribute of Siles Noel.”
[Keeper, Siles Noel (University Professor) is currently making a Spot Hidden check.]
[Spot Hidden: 30/…]
The voice prompt vanished at this moment, and different options unfolded before Siles. To his surprise, the selectable numbers were very few, even fewer than with Colin Lane previously.
There were only two choices: 25 or 37.
Siles was slightly startled, thinking, Is this because he is a Revelator, or for some other reason?
He was a bit confused, but didn’t think too much about it at the moment, and instead chose the number 25 without hesitation.
[Spot Hidden: 30/25, Success.]
[You’ve finally thought to cheat for yourself, congratulations. Regrettably, this attempt only made you notice a very subtle little detail, and you probably don’t know what it represents. Regardless, it’s at least an attempt, isn’t it?]
Siles: “…”
Why did he feel like this die was mocking him?
This harmless emotion didn’t affect Siles; his attention turned to the detail that appeared in his brain due to the successful check.
…No, it couldn’t be said to have appeared abruptly.
Before initiating the check, Siles had been thinking about everything that happened in the culinary town. So, after the check, a certain piece of information naturally appeared in his mind. It was indeed something he had thought of himself.
However, according to the rules of tabletop RPGs, if the check was unsuccessful, Siles would be blind to it. Even if he could theoretically remember it, even if he was just about to remember it… that information would still slip through his fingers.
—The merchant who appeared later. On his collar, he wore a brooch shaped like a scale with one side tipped down.
That design was exactly the same as the necklace left in Professor Cabel’s office.
The die said Siles didn’t know this detail—what this scale-patterned brooch exactly represented. That was indeed the truth. He guessed it might symbolize Menavaca, the God of Commerce and Oaths.
But, perhaps this merchant had just heard of Menavaca’s reputation and wished for the protection of this god who governed commerce, so he chose a brooch with this design? Or perhaps, he simply chose a simple-looking brooch to wear at random.
A brooch. A necklace. Siles couldn’t definitively know the connection between these two things.
…But, if there was one… if there was one…
Siles thought of what Dominic of the Church of the Past had told him.
Some secret organizations of Old God followers would use items related to Old Gods as proof of membership. Only those holding the relevant items could join that organization.
An ornament featuring a scale with one side tipped down… could this be the credential for a certain secret organization?
Siles guessed as much, but he had no way of truly finding that organization—he didn’t even know if this organization existed. This was merely a conjecture.
Siles couldn’t help but sigh.
However, since this check could take effect, did that mean the result of the check might be related to Revelators or some other supernatural power? Siles guessed this, since the past few checks had all been like this.
Another piece of good news was that this controllable check was indeed a method to alter fate.
Siles actually wasn’t sure if he hadn’t chosen to make the check, whether he would still have remembered the issue with the brooch. It was very hard to say.
Maybe he’d wake up tomorrow and suddenly think of this issue, or maybe he would never remember it again.
But after choosing to make the check, he could ensure he would 100% remember it. Furthermore, he could very easily avoid the possibility of failure. Because the die’s value was something he could control.
…Just as the die said, this was an act of cheating fate.
Siles warned himself in his heart not to lose himself in this power to manipulate fate. Of course, he trusted his moral principles.
Realizing how this controllable check operated, Siles also breathed a slight sigh of relief. Similar to the check triggered by Colin Lane previously, he still needed to make a choice.
Siles pondered for a while, then cleared his mind and let himself lie in bed to get a good sleep. Akamara’s power still protected him, allowing him to fall into a peaceful slumber.
Early the next morning, Siles woke up, boiled hot water, and ate yesterday’s bread.
It was Monday, September 6th.
He planned to visit the Fenn family. Of course, he might make the trip for nothing; after all, there were no instant communication tools in this era, and Bertram might not be home. But Siles was willing to take the risk. The events at the culinary town yesterday had made him uneasy.
Aside from this matter, he also wanted to read the two books he had obtained from Professor Calverley previously, and additionally, study Professor Cabel’s borrowing records.
If there was time for everything, he could even write a bit of his novel tonight.
Just as he was about to head out, there was a knock on the door downstairs.
Siles went down and received a letter from the postman—from Jerome Lanmere.
Seeing this name, Siles was slightly startled. He thought, It seems Lanmere has already received the letter I sent yesterday, and replied the very next day.
Replying so quickly… Siles felt a touch of anticipation regarding the contents of this letter.
Holding the letter, he returned to his third-floor bedroom and tore it open.
