#illusory forest

[brambletakatoil]

Hello everybody, as of right now the novels (excluding illusory forest) seems to have been either deleted or taken down.

I thankfully have a copy of illusory forest and phantom deity, and I’ll be sharing it when I make a pdf or doc backup first (in case this is a copyright issue)

If anybody has a copy of wandering castle (the fan translation), that’d help tremendously!

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Illusory Forest

ＰＡＲＴ　０１

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novel Professor Layton and the Illusory Forest. The original novel was written by Kei Yanagihara under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

Somewhere in this world lies the Book of Fate.

This book knows the destiny of all humans.

Whoever has it in hand will rule the world… Past, and future.

Surpassing time and space, one could control everything.

And yet, if someone acquires it… The world will slowly fall to ruin.

The heavens will judge those who would attempt to lay their hands on it despite these warnings.

Chapter 1: A Wedding Under Attack

“The ‘Book of Fate’… Hmm.”

The glowing light of a fireplace illuminates the profile of a man engulfed in darkness.

This man is wearing a mask. The cloak on his shoulders is rather gaudy, and whenever the flames flicker, they make him look like some sort of clown. Despite this, his attire looks strangely fitting, when placed within the setting of an old English study.

His old butler humbly clears his throat, urging him to continue with an encouraging look.

The masked man speaks quietly. “At the west end of England lies Neverlace, a land inhabited by curious forest people.”

“Neverlace, you say?” the butler repeats in a whisper.

The man nods. “Legend has it that there is a forest haunted by strange phenomena within Neverlace, and that those who step foot in it will never come back. As if they were possessed by it.”

The butler bows his head lightly. “The people of England have all been familiar with forests from an early age, and have known to both admire and fear them. This is the kind of story that everyone loves to hear.”

From behind his mask, the man gives a mischievous wink.

“Oh, but there is more to it. Hidden in that forest is the Book of Fate… A book which knows the fate of all of humanity.”

The butler shakes his head sadly.

“I do believe that this haunted forest really exists. But a book that knows the future, now…? You should not be surprised that I find this tale quite dubious.”

The masked man says: “It may be hard to believe, indeed. But if it were true, what would you do? If such a book really existed, anyone could control the fate of humanity as a whole.”

The butler straightens his back and retorts with dignity:

“With all due respect, I believe that such a thing should only be used in the name of the divine, master.”

The masked man, named Descole, replies with a chuckle:

“This is precisely why I must have this book. No matter what it takes.”

　⇚　　　　　　　⇛

[call-me-rucy]

so you’re like one of the leading layton translators around here afaik, have those japan only layton novels ever been translated?

Hi!

They have, yes! I have not participated in these, and haven't checked them out either, so I'll just leave here the links that have been going around and tell you to thank those hardworking translators if you read them ^^

Here's Illusory Forest

Here's Phantom Deity and Wandering Castle

Hope that helps! <3

[itsmespicaa]

Luke: I’m the professor’s Number ONE apprentice! Emmy: Oh? Did the professor tell you that?

A bunch of Luke (plus others) bc I love this precious boi so much aaaaa<3 And a redraw of one of my fav scenes from the movie!

[everylaytoncharacterforayear]

Day 108: Sania Cornell from Professor Layton and The Illusory Forest

Some friends on Discord to draw the character in the Sailor Moon pose, so here we are! Hope you like it! 

[miss-antique]

There is a book which is called the “Destiny Book” somewhere in the world. That book knows all that has happened and will happen to all humans of the world. This book can grant the owner to ability to conquer all of time. The past and the future of all and this can drive anyone mad with power. It can exceed space and time, and can give one anything they desire. However, if it falls into the wrong hands the world could collapse. The Gods in the sky who bestowed this book upon us will punish the wrong doers or anyone who knows about it.

ATTENTION ALL PROFESSOR LAYTON FANS

For those of you who don’t know, there are three canon novels for this series that were only released in Japan. After many months, a friend of mine actually translated one of these novels, Professor Layton and the Illusory Forest, into English for those of us who are not fluent in Japanese. It is a FANTASTIC story, which isn’t surprising since this is still written by Level-5. 

Missing brides, a kidnapped assistant, a dangerous forest, all tied together with an elusive book that can control the fate of others - To put it plainly, the plot is truly Laytonesque and definitely worth the read. 

[lutiaslayton]

See you this Saturday for the beginning of Professor Layton and the Illusory Forest!

There it is my friends! Democracy has spoken, and thus Layton's Book Club will from now on update on Saturdays at 19:00 (7pm) UTC!

The prologue of Illusory Forest will therefore be posted in two days. In the meantime, have a little appetiser!

And what's more, the first few pages of the novel actually contain official character designs for three brand new characters!

(The following images are digital scans kindly provided by Shinjinotikari17)

[Hershel Layton] An archaeology professor at Gressenheller College.

[Luke Triton] An 11-year-old young boy. He admires professor Layton.

(Level-5 how could you do him so dirty you can't have that be his intro he deserves so much better than that???)

[Emmy Altava] Professor Layton's official assistant. Photography is her hobby.

[Inspector Clamp Grosky] Member of Scotland Yard. A hot-blooded police detective endowed with miraculous physical prowess.

幻影の森の中にある And now, in the heart of the forest of illusions...

[Aston Bloom] A wealthy youth living in the village of “Neverlace.”

(For the record, feel free to have all the headcanons you want, but he is not related to Leonard Bloom. Leonard Bloom's Japanese name is actually ロナード・ブルーマイル -- so his last name is not ブルーム like Aston, and his Japanese name actually reads as something along the lines of "Ronaldo Bluemile", with the L's and R's being interchangeable.)

[Sania Cornell] A beautiful woman who fell into a coma due to an accident which occurred one year ago.

[Village Mayor] The Village mayor of “Neverlace.” He will entrust Layton with the puzzle of a cursed dial.

(Imagine not even giving that guy an actual name 😭)

[Jean Descole] An unidentified masked scientist.

[Index] Chapter 1: A Wedding Under Attack Chapter 2: The Forest of Neverlace Chapter 3: A Residence Wrapped in Mystery Chapter 4: The Cursed Village Chapter 5: The Sleeping Bride Chapter 6: The Forbidden Grove Chapter 7: The Mystery of the “Ancient Tree” Last Chapter: The Fate of the Forest Prince Epilogue

Puzzle Production:　Shin Onodera Puzzle Illustrations:　Ritsuro Takamura Main Illustrations:　Takuzō Nagano (Level 5 Inc.) Binding:　Hitoshi Shirayama & Bay Bridge Studio

And that's it for today! Are you guys hyped? In either case, I hope you will enjoy the ride. Be ready for more than 300 pages of a brand new official Layton story!

And now that said Saturday has passed, you can now start reading!

» Click here to start!

[lutiaslayton]

Somewhere in this world lies the Book of Fate. This book knows the destiny of all humans. Whoever has it in hand will rule the world… Past, and future.

“It may be hard to believe, indeed. But if it were true, what would you do? If such a book really existed, anyone could control the fate of humanity as a whole.”

If Descole could get his hands on the “Book of Fate,” what would he do?

Burn it/Destroy it through any means necessary.

Use it to rule the world with an iron fist (regardless of intentions).

“Every member of Targent will die of a heart attack in forty seconds.”

Write an epic about the dramatic downfall of Targent and... (see the rest below)

“My idiot little brother quits archaeology and finally stops stealing my digs”

“From now on Bronev will step on a lego every morning before breakfast”

“Raymond the next time you suggest I take therapy for my anger issues I SWEAR”

All of the above, in that order (somehow)

Dear Tumblr, why can I only pick one option?

Other (specify, be as creative as you want to be)

Voting ended onDec 30, 2023

(*) Option 4 was too long for the character limit so let me write it in full here:

“Write an epic about the dramatic downfall of Targent, taking inspiration from the Silmarillion, the Iliad, and the Azran tales of the Great Riders of the Sky, adorned with endless twists and turns, then finally concluding the story with a five act tragedy sprinkled with music and pyrotechnics so he can then watch it weekly at his favourite opera house.”