Chapter 39: Contradictions

Late the next morning, Kvothe and Wilem head to the Archives to meet Simmon and settle the previous night’s wagers. On the way, Wilem reveals Simmon’s background: he is the son of an Aturan duke from Dalonir, with older siblings already placed in inheritance, military, and church paths. Simmon was steered toward diplomacy but chose alchemy and poetry in the Arcanum, straining relations with his hard-edged father.

In their reading hole, they begin reviewing sources. Simmon’s selections largely support pagan rites around greystones, with some texts describing ancient trade-marker theories and one folkloric claim about a stone doorway to Felurian’s fair land. Wilem tallies Simmon’s books as mostly favorable to his position but notes mixed evidence overall.

Kvothe’s contributions shift the balance toward non-pagan, infrastructural explanations for greystones, leaving the bet inconclusive. They agree to call that wager a draw. Turning to the Amyr, Wilem presents a text quoting a proclamation limiting the Amyr’s judicial powers, arguing it proves they were part of imperial bureaucracy.

Kvothe counters with an authoritative source asserting the disbanding decree, the Alpura Prolycia Amyr, was issued by the church, not the emperor. Comparing Wilem’s Feltemi Reis against Kvothe’s Greggor the Lesser exposes a direct contradiction: emperor versus church as issuer of the decree.

Kvothe argues that while theories on greystones can vary, basic facts of a public decree should not conflict, especially given the decree’s role in the empire’s fall. Faced with irreconcilable accounts, Wilem proposes consulting a higher authority. The chapter ends with the decision to take the dispute to Puppet, finally giving Kvothe a chance to meet him.