星火巷里的老屋 House on Emberflit Alley

作者： Rayla Heide

维克托的第三只手放出一道极细的光，又稳又准地将金属焊进了他的左臂。人肉烧焦的味道不再让他觉得不适，他也可以泰然自若地看着自己的左腕皮开肉绽，血管和肌腱与机械增强体交错融合。他没有畏惧和退缩，反倒是有一种成就感，因为他看到合成材料与生物材料之间的无缝结合。

Viktor’s third arm emitted a thin ray of light that welded metal into his left arm with steady precision. The smell of burning flesh no longer bothered him, nor did the sight of his left wrist splayed open, veins and sinewy muscle fused with mechanical augments. He did not wince. Instead, he felt a sense of achievement gazing at the seamless blend of synthetic and organic materials.

孩童们的叫嚷声让维克托暂停下来。很少有人会冒险下到星火巷的浓雾边界范围内。他特意选的这个人迹罕至的地点 —— 他希望自己不被打扰。

The sound of children shouting gave Viktor pause. Rarely did anyone venture down the fog-bound confines of Emberflit Alley. He had chosen this location for that very reason — he preferred not to be interrupted.

维克托保持左手静止，调整了一下虹膜透镜的银刻度盘。这个装置通过一组反射透镜调整光路，让他看清了实验室窗外街道上的景象。

Keeping his left arm immobile, Viktor adjusted a silver dial on his iridoscope. The device contained a series of mirrored lenses that angled light to allow him full view of the street outside his laboratory.

几个孩子正在粗暴地推搡着一个瘦弱的小男孩，将他赶进了维克托精工打造的铁门。

Several children were violently shoving a malnourished boy toward Viktor’s wrought iron gates.

“我怀疑奈夫能不能在里面挺过一分钟，”一个眼睛上方镶嵌着合成宝石的女孩说道。

“I doubt Naph will last a minute in there,” said a girl with imitation gemstones embedded above her eyes.

“我打赌他回来的时候会变成铜脑袋。”另一个满头红色乱发的男孩说。“或许随后他的脑袋就不再像进了灰霾一样笨了。”

“I bet he comes back with a brass head,” said a boy with a shock of red hair. “Maybe then his brain won’t be dull as the Gray.”

“你最好带回来一些能卖钱的东西，不然就轮到我们给你换个脑袋。”最大个子的孩子一边说一边揪住小男孩的脖子，提着他往前走。其他孩子都退到了后面。

“You better return with something we can sell, or we’ll be the ones to give you a new head,” said the largest one, grabbing the small boy by the neck and forcing him forward. The other children backed away, watching.

小男孩颤抖着靠近了高大的铁门，随着他轻推缓缓敞开并发出吱嘎的响声。他经过了正门外的齿轮咬合图案，在一扇敞开的窗户前面摇摆不定。警报声突然想起，小男孩从窗户跳了进来

The young boy trembled as he approached the towering gate, which screeched as he pushed it open. He passed the front door encrusted with interlocking gears and shimmied through an open window. An alarm blared as he fell to the floor.

维克托叹了一口气，按下了一个开关，关闭了警报铃。

Viktor sighed and pressed a switch that quieted the ringing.

瘦弱的男孩环顾自己所处的新环境。玻璃缸，里面的绿色液体里飘着肉体与金属混合的器官，摆满了好几面墙。一张轮床，皮革表面血渍斑斑，还放着一把机械手钻，静静躺在屋子中间。数十个机械人一动不动地靠在每一面墙上。对于维克托来说，他的实验室是他最具创意和重大意义的实验成果的圣所，但他也能想象这里可能会吓到小孩子。

The skinny boy stared at his new environment. Glass jars, containing organic and metal organs floating in green fluid, lined the walls. A leather gurney stained with blood, upon which lay a mechanized drill, sat in the center of the chamber. Dozens of automatons stood motionless against every wall. To Viktor, his laboratory was a sanctuary for his most creative and vital experiments, but he could imagine it might seem frightening to a child.

小男孩看到了工作台上的维克托，还有他皮开肉绽的手臂，惊恐地睁大了双眼。躲到了附近一个木箱的后面。

The boy’s eyes widened in shock when he saw Viktor at his workbench, arm splayed open on the table. He ducked behind a nearby crate.

“你跟着那个箱子什么也学不到，孩子。”维克托说。“不过在它上面，有一把刻骨刀。麻烦给我递过来。”

“You will not learn anything from that box, child,” said Viktor. “But on top of it, you will find a bone chisel. Hand it to me, please.”

他颤抖地将一只手伸向箱子顶部，摸到了上锈的金属，然后握住了手柄。刻骨刀顺着地面滑了过来，维克托将其捡起。

A trembling hand reached to the top of the crate and grasped the handle of the rusted metal tool. The chisel slid across the floor to Viktor, who picked it up.

“谢谢你。”维克托说着将工具擦干净，然后继续处理自己的手臂。

“Thank you,” said Viktor, who wiped off the instrument and continued work on his arm.

维克托听到男孩急促的呼吸声。

Viktor heard the boy’s rapid breathing.

“我正在移植腕屈肌跟腱，咳咳，我手腕里坏掉的结构。”维克托一边说着，一边探入手臂深处调整一颗螺栓。“你想来看看吗？”

“I am replacing the twisting flexor tendons — ahem, the broken mechanism in my wrist,” Viktor said, reaching into his arm to adjust a bolt. “Would you like to watch?”

小男孩从木箱后面伸出半个头。

The boy peeked his head around the crate.

“不疼吗？”他问。

“Doesn’t it hurt?” said the boy.

“不疼，”维克托说。“如果一个人断绝了对痛苦的预判和恐惧，疼痛就很容易接受了。”

“No,” said Viktor. “When one eliminates the anticipation and fear of pain, it becomes entirely bearable.”

“哦。”

“Oh.”

“另外缓解疼痛的也在于我的手臂已经几乎全都经过机械化改造了。你自己来看。”

“It also helps that my arm is almost completely mechanized. See for yourself.”

小男孩离开了木箱，坐在维克托不远处，目不转睛地看着他的手臂。

The boy stepped away from the crate and sat across from Viktor without a word, eyes fixed on his arm.

维克托继续将下一个螺栓焊接到了皮肤下面的跟腱上。完成以后，他将几片游离的表皮拼合到手臂表面。最后用激光照射接缝处，烧灼皮肉，封闭切口。

Viktor resumed welding a new boltdrive onto the tendons beneath his skin. When he had finished, he sealed the flaps of dermis onto his arm. He drew the beam of light across the seam, cauterizing his flesh and fusing the incision.

“你这是为了什么？”男孩问。“你的手臂不如从前灵便了吗？”

“Why did you do that?” the boy asked. “Didn’t your arm work fine as it was?”

“你知道人类最大的弱点是什么吗？”

“Do you know what humanity’s greatest weakness is?”

““不知道......”男孩答道。

“No...” said the boy.

“人类一直都在对广阔无限的可能性视而不见，只想维持现状。”

“Humans consistently ignore the endless infinity of possibilities in favor of maintaining the status quo.”

男孩一脸茫然地看着他。

The boy gave him a blank stare.

“人们惧怕变革，”维克托说。“他们觉得‘还行’就行了，而不去追求卓绝。”

“People fear change,” Viktor said. “They settle with fine when they could have exceptional.”

维克托走到自己的小火炉旁，向一口炖锅中倒了一些暗色粉末和猪驴奶油，然后用激光加热这锅液体。

Viktor walked to his stovetop. He mixed a blend of dark powder and Dunpor cream into a saucepan, heating the liquid with his laser.

“来一杯甜奶吗？”维克托说。“这是我的弱点，但我一直都喜欢茴香的味道。”

“Would you like a glass of sweetmilk?” said Viktor. “A weakness of mine, but I have always enjoyed the anise flavor.”

“呜......你不打算锯掉我的头然后换成个金属脑袋吗？”

“Um... you’re not going to saw off my head and replace it with a metal one?”

“啊。他们现在都是这么说我的吗？”维克托问。

“Ah. Is that what they think of me now?” Viktor asked.

“差不多。”小男孩说。“我听说有一个孩子的脑袋被换了，只因为他得了咳嗽。”

“Pretty much,” said the boy. “I heard one kid had theirs replaced just because they had a cough.”

“你是直接得知这个信息的吗？”维克托说。

“Did you get this information directly?” said Viktor.

“不是，是我邻居波玛的表哥，或者是舅舅。或者是别的什么亲戚。”

“No, it was my neighbor Bherma’s cousin. Or uncle. Or something like that.”

“啊，那就无话好说了。”

“Ah. Well in that case.”

“换脑袋能治咳嗽吗？”

“Would replacing someone’s head even get rid of a cough?” asked the boy.

“你这个问题问到点子了。”维克托说。“不能，我觉得并不会起到太多改善效果。咳嗽的病灶是肺脏，你要知道。而对于你之前的问题，我并不会锯掉你的头然后换个金属脑袋。当然，除非你主动要求。”

“Now you are asking the right questions,” said Viktor. “No, I imagine it would not be much of an upgrade. Coughing stems from the lungs, you see. And to your earlier point, I am not going to saw your head off and replace it with a metal one. Unless, of course, you want that.”

“不用了，谢谢。”

“No thanks,” said the boy.

维克托将浓稠的液体倒进了两个杯子里，给男孩递过一杯，此刻他正在充满渴望地看着这杯热饮。

Viktor poured the thick liquid into two mugs and passed one to the boy, who stared longingly at the hot drink.

“没有下药。”维克托一边说着一边举起自己的杯子喝了一口。随后小男孩开始大口痛饮自己的甜奶。

“It is not drugged,” said Viktor and took a sip from his own mug. The boy gulped down the sweetmilk.

“其他孩子还在门口盯着呢吗？”小男孩露出一口黑牙。

“Are the others still watching outside?” said the boy through stained teeth.

维克托通过虹膜透镜向外面瞥了一眼。另外三个孩子依然等在大门口。

Viktor glanced through his iridoscope. The three children were still waiting by the front entrance.

“的确还在。你想吓他们一下吗？”

“Indeed they are. Do you wish to give them a scare?” Viktor said.

小男孩顿时两眼放光，点了点头。

The boy’s eyes lit up, and he nodded.

维克托交给他一部挲呐叭，对他说，“用你最大的声音冲着它尖叫。”

Viktor handed him a sonophone and said, “Scream as loud as you can into this.”

小男孩发出了一声夸张的、令人血液凝固的尖叫，经过挲呐叭的放大，声音回荡在整条星火巷里，其他几个孩子惊恐地跳了起来，立刻四散逃窜。小男孩看了看维克托，露出开心的微笑。

The boy gave an exaggerated, blood-curdling shriek into the sonophone. It echoed along Emberflit Alley, and the other children jumped in terror, quickly scattering to hide. The boy looked at Viktor and grinned.

“我发现恐惧在多数情况下都是一种限制性的情绪，”维克托说。“我举个例子，你先告诉我一样让你害怕的东西。”

“I find that fear is more often than not a limiting emotion,” said Viktor. “Tell me something that scares you, for example.”

“炼金男爵。”

“The Chem-Barons.”

“炼金男爵之所以让人恐惧，是因为他们故意制造出一种无可匹敌的气氛，经常以武力相威胁。如果没人惧怕他们，人们就会挺身反抗他们。那么他们的权力就会化为什么？”

“The Chem-Barons are feared because they project an air of dominance and often the threat of violence. If no one feared them, people would stand up to them. And then where would their power go?”

“呜......”

“Uh...”

“乌有。没错。你想想祖安有几个炼金男爵，又有多少普通人。恐惧是少数权势之人用来控制弱者的工具，因为他们懂得恐惧带来的效果。如果有谁能够操纵你的情绪，那么这个人就能控制你的全部。”

“Away. Exactly. Think of how many Chem-Barons exist compared to how many people live in Zaun. Fear is used by the powerful few to control the weak because they understand how fear works. If someone can manipulate your emotions, they can control you.”

“我觉得有道理。可我依然害怕他们。”小男孩说。

“I guess that makes sense. But I’m still afraid of them,” said the boy.

“你当然会害怕。恐惧的法则深深刻在你的血肉之躯中。然而，钢铁却没有这样的弱点。”

“Of course you are. Patterns of fear are carved deep into your very flesh. Steel, however, has no such weakness.”

维克托拿过来一个试管，里面装着奶白色的液体，中间飘着细小的银珠。

Viktor retrieved a vial containing miniscule silver beads floating in milky fluid.

“接下来就是我能帮上忙的了，”他说。“我开发出了一种增强装置，可以完全消除恐惧。我可以让你暂时尝试一下。”

“That is where I may be able to assist,” he said. “I have developed an augmentation that eliminates fear altogether. I could let you try it out for a short time.”

“暂时是多久？”

“How short?”

“植入体会在20分钟后消解。”

“The implant will dissolve in twenty minutes.”

“你确定效果不是永久性的？”

“You’re sure it’s not permanent?”

“可以是永久的，但这次不是。你会发现没有了恐惧，你的那些朋友们就无法控制你。恶霸需要以恐惧为食，你要知道。没有了恐惧，他们就会饿死。”

“It can be, but not this one. You might find that without fear, your friends out there lose their grip. Bullies feed on fear, you see. And without it, they will starve.”

男孩又喝了一口甜奶，考虑着这个提议。想了一会以后，他对维克托点了点头。维克托将一根细针穿进试管，然后将一粒银珠注入了男孩耳后的皮下。

The boy nursed his drink, considering the offer. After a moment he nodded to Viktor, who inserted a thin needle into the vial and injected one of the silver beads into the skin behind his ear.

男孩颤抖了一阵，然后他笑了。

The boy shuddered for a moment. Then he smiled.

“你有没有感受到自己的弱点消失了？”维克托问。

“Do you feel your weakness falling away?” Viktor asked.

“噢是的。”男孩说。

“Oh yes,” said the boy.

维克托陪他走到了门口，扭动了一个圆盘打开了门锁，随后向男孩挥手告别。

Viktor walked him to the door and twisted a dial to unlock it before waving him out.

“记住，如果你想要更加持久的效果的话，随时都可以回来找我。”

“Remember, you can always return if you wish a more permanent solution.”

一股烟雾在男孩的周围勾勒出鬼影般的轮廓，伴着他从实验室里走了出来。维克托回到了自己的工作台，通过虹膜透镜观察这次实验。

A wave of fog created a ghostly silhouette around the boy as he emerged from the laboratory. Viktor returned to his workbench to watch the experiment through his iridoscope.

星火巷空无一人，但小男孩走出去以后他的同伴们立刻出现了。

Emberflit Alley was empty, but as soon as the boy walked out his companions emerged.

“我们的纪念品呢？”红发的男孩问。

“Where’s our souvenir?” asked the red-haired boy.

“看来小奈夫并没有完成自己的约定，”那个女孩说道。

“Doesn’t seem like little Naph has held up his end of the deal,” said the girl.

“看来我们不得不惩罚他了，”个子最高的男孩说。“毕竟我们曾经承诺过给他换个新脑袋。”

“Guess we have to punish him,” added the large boy. “We did promise him a new head today, after all.”

“别碰我。”奈夫说。他挺起胸膛，让自己显得尽量高大。

“Don’t you touch me,” said Naph. He raised himself to his tallest height.

小恶霸伸手去抓奈夫的脖子，但奈夫却一个回身，一拳正中他的面门。

The bully reached for Naph’s neck, but Naph turned and punched him square in the face.

小恶霸的鼻子淌出了血。

Blood streamed from the bully’s nose.

“抓住他！”小恶霸大喊道。

“Grab him!” the bully screamed.

但他的同伴却丧失了抓他的兴致。

But his companions were no longer interested in grabbing him.

奈夫向小恶霸们迈进。他们向后畏缩。

Naph stepped toward the bullies. They stepped back.

“离我远点。”他说。

“Get away from me,” he said.

几个小恶霸互相看了一眼，扭头便跑。

The bullies eyed each other, then turned and ran.

维克托关闭了虹膜透镜，继续回到工作中。他伸展了一下手指，测试刚刚修好的手臂，在桌面敲打起满意的节奏。

Viktor closed his iridoscope and returned to his work. He stretched the fingers of his newly repaired arm and tapped them on his desk in satisfaction.