The World Controlled By Dice Chapter 5
Translator: Endless Veil
Editor/Proofreader: NONE, so comment section
Chapter 5: A Coincidental Encounter
This single sentence of Carol's brought up countless connections in Siles' mind.
He didn't rush to ask. He simply stared at Carol, pondering the definition of a Revelator in his mind, and waited for Carol to give more information.
Though Miss Clayton did not have his same patience. After hearing Carol's words, she immediately blurted out a question, "Replicate?!"
"That's right, Miss Clayton." Carol smiled and snapped his fingers. "All of our powers come from what had occurred in the past."
He could tell from the looks of the people present that they didn't understand what he had said at all.
So, he gave an example: "To put it simply, let's say three hundred years ago, someone killed a person with a machete. Three hundred years later, you learned about this incident and obtained some related items—for instance, this machete.
"Afterwards, you can borrow the power of a potion to try to kill someone with the same machete. This is the process of replicating the past. Once you have successfully replicated the past, you can use the previous killer's 'strength.'"
"This is equivalent to strengthening your physique and strength. It will also be easier for you to kill people."
"This is the simplest way to use it. Of course, I don't want you to become a Revelator just to kill your enemies. Killing people is not the solution to your problems."
Carol smiled as he spoke, satisfied to see everyone nod thoughtfully.
He gave another example: "Take the book you see here. Why can I shrink it?"
The teenage youth, who was probably only sixteen or seventeen, couldn't wait to ask, "Why?"
Carol carefully took out a small piece of yellowed paper from his pocket and said, "This book is what we call the 'Knowledge Box'. The first edition and original copy of the book is kept in the Church of Yesterday, and what I took out is just a copy of it in the society."
“And this piece of paper is part of the earliest paper used in the process of making, writing, and shaping the ‘Knowledge Box.’ This is a relic."
"The so-called relic represents the trajectory of time. To be precise, it is about specific objects, such as the machete that killed people, or a piece of paper from the past. There are also some other things, which I will not go into here."
“…Speaking of which, can anyone understand why I can shrink the book?”
Everyone looked at each other.
The old woman said slowly in her scratchy voice: "That's not shrinking... that's, rewinding."
"That's right!" Carol nodded in appreciation. "This small piece of paper was torn from the Knowledge Box. At that time, the Knowledge Box was just a small booklet, and not nearly as thick as it is now."
“As long as I repeat actions related to ‘folding’ and ‘writing,’ the power of the ritual acts on the Knowledge Box itself, and then the Knowledge Box can rewind back to its earliest appearance."
"And once this power disconnects, the Knowledge Box will return to its current state."
As he spoke, Carol took out a pen and a piece of paper from a drawer nearby and put an ink dot on each side of the paper. He then folded the paper in half so that the two ink dots overlapped.
"This is the power of the Revelators! We can fold time and space and allow the powers of the past to reappear at this point in time!"
Miss Clayton's eyes lit up, and she asked quickly, "Can any past be recreated?"
Carol smiled and explained, "The power of the Revelators comes from three parts: the potion, the relic, and the ritual. The specific process of making the potion is quite complicated, so I won't explain it for now."
"To summarize, the potion is the key to unlock the power of time. In other words, it's the power that enables the blank piece of paper to fold. After taking the potion, we can freely and 'safely' use the power of the ritual for a period of time."
"The relic, as I said, is an object from the past, a trajectory of time. It is a locator for leveraging the power of time. If there's no relic when performing the ritual, you cannot be sure what power you want to replicate."
“The ritual is the process of the ‘replication.’ If you want to borrow the power of the past, then you must know what happened in the past and also re-enact it."
“If you want to borrow the knife that kills people, then you have to kill people; if you want to restore the form of the Knowledge Box, then you have to repeat the process of its production."
"...So, has everyone realized under what premise does the Revelator perform the ritual?"
The six newly promoted Revelators all remained silent.
They failed to realize the so-called "premise" because, in Carol's statement, everything seemed to happen naturally.
Take the potion, use the relic, perform the ritual... Then, the power of the past would reappear in this world. Those traces of the past that have disappeared in the long river of time would see the daylight again at that moment.
What could be the premise?
Suddenly, Siles, who had only introduced himself by name after entering Room 666, opened his mouth to say, "The premise is that you need to know what happened in the past."
Carol laughed out loud and praised Siles' sharpness and wisdom. Then he frowned and said seriously, "Yes, you must make sure that when you use each ritual, you are very clear about what had actually happened in the past."
"I can trace the Knowledge Box back to its original appearance because I know the entire process and steps of making the Knowledge Box. As for you guys, even if you did get this small piece of paper, it would be impossible to transform the appearance of the Knowledge Box."
"If it's not clear enough, if it's not definite enough, then don't use the ritual—and don't use relics from unknown sources. These are all very dangerous things to do."
At last, the others suddenly understood.
These powers were incredible and powerful, but also dangerous and mysterious.
No one can know for sure whether the past hidden in the fog of history was exactly what they knew it to be.
When facing and using these powers, they must remain calm and cautious.
Carol expanded on this a bit, telling several stories about people who used relics and rituals inappropriately, mostly beginners, and ended up with less than amicable outcomes. Some were dead, some were injured, and some lost their minds.
This frightened everyone present, and they couldn't help but reveal serious and solemn expressions.
Only Siles remained calm and indifferent.
He suddenly understood why he was able to get that business card.
His discovery of the existence of Grenfell's Antique Bookstore first proved that he had the possibility of becoming a Revelator. That bookstore might be similar to the space behind the door of the Historical Society, which could only be discovered by a Revelator.
Under these premises, his communication with Grenfell in the bookstore seemed like a case of chicken talking to a duck. The people who entered the bookstore were probably all Revelators, but Siles knew nothing.
Grenfell most likely realized this too.
When Siles mentioned that he was studying the literature of the Age of Silence, Grenfell decided to give him this business card so that—he would at least understand the dangers that were involved.
When studying the literature of the Age of Silence, one was bound to come into contact with the traces of the past, including original tomes and manuscripts from different periods, which were obviously a kind of cultural artifact—a type of relic.
Siles had the qualifications of becoming a Revelator, but not the knowledge and ability of a Revelator. It was hard to say when he would "replicate" the corresponding ritual of a relic and gain some kind of uncontrollable power.
Just now, when Carol mentioned the potion, he said that the purpose of the potion was to allow Revelators to use this power freely and "safely" for a period of time.
Safely?
Why did he have to emphasize this point?
It was probably because—even if he didn't take the potion, he could still use the power of time—in a dangerous way. And according to Carol, even if he did take the potion, if he didn't know the specific meanings of the relic and the ritual, something bad would still happen.
Uncontrolled powers could bring great danger.
Siles sorted out his thoughts and then ascertained that there were no mistakes with his thought process.
He couldn't help but feel a little fortunate, fortunate that he hadn't come into contact with dangerous relics since he came to this world, and that before he really did come into contact with them, he learned about the existence of the Revelators.
At the other side, after he used several stories in a row to scare everyone present as white as a sheet, Carol finally retracted a little in satisfaction: "Of course, you don't have to worry too much."
"Relics themselves are certainly dangerous, but that is why we have to learn how to use and control them."
"Will we encounter this kind of danger in our daily lives?" Miss Clayton couldn't help but ask. "If we do encounter it..."
"Oh, then rush to the Church of Yesterday or the Historical Society and ask for help," Carol said. "Many things..." He used some vague words, "are solved by us—and also by you in the future."
These words suddenly made several native residents of Lamifa City present feel some weight.
As Carol spoke, he folded the yellowed paper in his hand twice, and threw it onto the heavy Knowledge Box. Then, a light blue halo emitted, and when the light faded, the Knowledge Box turned back into the ordinary booklet it was at the beginning.
They let out astonished gasp. It was their first time seeing a ritual being carried out, and it was an eye-opener for them.
"When is next time?" Miss Clayton eagerly asked.
"We can meet here every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at two pm. Your next time will be the day after tomorrow." Carol smiled and nodded, "The door handle has memorized you all. You can enter room 666 at any time."
After thinking for a moment, Carol added, "Before you try a real ritual, I don't recommend you to contact those Revelators out there. A considerable number of them are... speculators."
Carol didn't explain much about this matter. He just nodded and clapped his hands. "Alright, Revelators. What is about to open before you is the door of knowledge and time. However, caution and thoroughness are the most important things we should remember when we step through this door."
Several people present nodded in agreement.
"Well then, see you on Wednesday." Carol said. When everyone stood up and prepared to leave, he added, "Before you leave, please sign this agreement. The contents are that you're not allowed to actively disclose any information related to Revelators to ordinary people."
He took out a piece of parchment that looked even more ancient and whose words were completely handwritten.
The appearance of this agreement was not unexpected, and its contents were very simple. Some people hesitated for a moment, but in the end, everyone signed it. The names and handwriting of the six people stayed on the parchment for a short while, and then disappeared.
Carol most likely discovered the discontent in some people's hearts, and said: "Safely using powers is what we always pursue. You will learn more secrets about Revelators in the future."
Not long after, several people dispersed.
When he stepped out of the room, Siles heard the die in his mind turning slightly, but no skill check had occurred, and instead, a prompt came.
[Spirit +1, Knowledge +1]
This made Siles pause for a moment, and then he continued walking without changing his expression.
He still hadn't discovered a way to communicate with the die... He wondered if it had something to do with his initiation into the world of Revelators.
Siles had planned to speak with Carol for a while, but he noticed that Carol had no intention of staying, so he decided to give up for the time being. He inadvertently walked together with Miss Clayton.
"Truly a mysterious power." Miss Clayton sighed, "Perhaps that's how mysterious and beautiful the world really is."
Siles politely agreed.
Miss Clayton added: "I never knew there was such a force hidden in our world before."
"I never knew either, Miss Clayton."
Miss Clayton said, "You can call me Angela. We'll be classmates from now on, won't we?" The young lady blinked her eyes, "I have a feeling that you'll definitely become an excellent Revelator."
Siles smiled slightly but said nothing. He was honestly a taciturn, reserved, and calm person.
On the second floor, Siles said goodbye to Miss Clayton and went to retrieve his belongings. When he left the Historical Society, the entrance was already empty.
Fine raindrops floated in the gloomy air once again. Surrounded by the crowded traffic and bustling crowds, Siles felt that he had suddenly returned to the real world.
He opened his pocket watch and found that it was nearly four o'clock. By the time he got back to 13 Milford Street, it would probably be past five.
Siles sighed imperceptibly.
The stagecoach had arrived, and Siles protected the stack of manuscripts in his arms and got on the carriage. As he had expected, it took more than an hour to get back to Milford Street after a bumpy ride.
The rain was getting heavier.
Siles bought a small loaf of nut bread and a bottle of goat's milk for dinner at the bakery in Logan Market. He had to return the glass milk bottle after drinking it, so he had to register his address at the bakery.
But he was planning to go to Logan Market tomorrow to buy some daily necessities anyways.
Then, Siles hurried back with a head of wet hair, thankful that the house he rented provided hot water. A vague thought flashed through his mind, hesitantly wondering what type of energy this world was actually using.
…It didn't seem like there was anything like coal or steam like how it was on Earth. The mechanical structures were indeed there, but the pollution in the air wasn't as serious.
After a day of running around and gaining a lot of knowledge, Siles' stomach was growling and all he wanted to do was to put the manuscripts in his arms back into his room before going out to find food.
But just as he walked up the stairs to the second floor, a man walked out of the room opposite of his.
This power sure sounds like a hassle! Thanks for the chpt~
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