铁玻璃城 City of Iron and Glass

作者：Graham McNeill

“温，快点！”简科大叫：“尖啸马上就来了！”

“Hurry up, Wyn!” shouted Janke. “The Rising Howl’s on its way!”

“我知道！”他也大吼起来：“用不着你说！”

“I know!” he shouted back. “You don’t need to tell me!”

温正扒在一条通风管里头往上爬。抹了油的铁架发出让人牙酸的摩擦声。海克斯压力运送机越来越近了，通风管震动起来。

Wyn could hear the squeal of greased iron and the taste of metal tingling on his teeth. The interior of the vent pipe he was climbing vibrated with the hexdraulic elevator’s approach.

他的背紧贴着带倒角的铁框，把抽筋的双腿抵住对面。抬头看去，通风管出口投下一块四四方方的亮光，显得遥不可及。上方探出一个脑袋，是他的哥哥尼克。

He pushed his back against the beveled ironwork, keeping his cramping legs braced on the opposite side. Looking up, the square of light that was the way out of the pipe seemed impossibly distant. A head appeared above him; his older brother, Nico.

“就快到了，小伙儿。”尼克朝他伸出一只手。“你要我下来吗？”

“Almost there, little man,” said Nico, reaching back to offer his hand to Wyn. “You need me to come down?”

温摇摇头，使出全力继续往上爬。他的背脊挺得笔直，腿上的肌肉火烧火燎。他一寸一寸地往上挪，终于够到了哥哥的手。

Wyn shook his head and dug deep, pushing with his spine straight as the muscles in his legs burned. Step by step, he inched upward until he was close enough to reach for his brother’s hand.

尼克抓住他的手腕，用力把他拉出了通风管。温双脚发软，脸朝下趴倒在地。这是崖壁上的一个凹洞，祖安的小孩没有不知道的。凹洞的空间不大，勉强够他们贴着身子站起来，边缘则是极其陡峭的悬崖。凹洞外面，隔着大约十码远的地方矗立着三根升降机的柱子，每根直径两码，用熟铁铸造。

Nico grabbed his wrist and hauled, pulling him from the pipework. Wyn landed badly and stumbled, falling flat on his face in the cliff-side alcove known to every kid in Zaun. The space was barely wide and tall enough for them to stand next to each other with a sheer drop at the edge. Maybe ten yards beyond the edge were the elevator’s three support columns, each two yards wide and wrought from heavy ironwork.

费恩站在悬崖最边缘的地方往下看，脸上挂着疯子一样的笑意。大风狂卷，翻起他那满是补丁的衣服和一头乱发。尼克身边站着凯茨。她很兴奋，双颊飞红。简科在大腿上紧张地打着拍子，生气地盯着温。

Feen stood at the farthest part of the ledge, looking down with a manic grin. The wind billowed around him, his patchwork clothes flapping and his hair wild. Kez stood next to Nico, her cheeks flushed with excitement. Janke beat a nervous tattoo on his thigh with the palm of his hand, glowering at Wyn.

“你差点儿害我们错过了。”

“You almost made us miss it.”

“尖啸还没来。我们不会错过的。”温咬着牙说。

“Howl ain’t here yet,” snapped Wyn. “We ain’t missed nothing.”

简科瞪着温，但是因为尼克在场，他也不敢造次。当他们还是在”希望之屋”的孤儿时，简科是个霸王。但是霸王时常会成为炼金男爵手下恶棍的眼中钉，而被狠狠的修理。

Janke glared at Wyn, but with Nico here, he didn’t dare say or do anything. Back at Hope House for Foundling Children, Janke was a bully, but a bully it was sometimes handy to have around when low-rent Chem-Baron thugs fancied kicking downward.

凯茨想拉他站起来，温笑了一下，握住了她伸过来的手。

Kez reached to help Wyn up. He smiled and took her hand.

“谢谢。”

“Thanks,” he said.

“不用。”她凑近了点儿，好让噪音不会盖过她的话。

“My pleasure,” she said, leaning in to be heard over the noise.

温嗅到了一股苛性皂的味道，像是化合柠檬汁的酸味，应该是她早晨洗漱用的。考虑到这趟远足要去的地方，凯茨也在衣着方面花了些心思。她从衣服箱里翻出了一件旧裙子。这些衣服都是大孩子穿不下淘汰了的，或者是到了年纪，离开孤儿院之后留下的东西。尽管温已经拍干净了身上的尘土和油垢，但他在凯茨身边站定时，心头却突然尖锐地涌上一股无地自容的感觉。

Wyn smelled the caustic soap she’d washed with that morning - like chemical lemon juice. Given the nature of this excursion, she’d made an effort with her clothes too, digging out an old dress from the boxes of clothes discarded by kids who’d outgrown them, or who’d left the foundling home when they got too old. Wyn had beaten the worst of the dust and grime from his own threads, but he suddenly felt acutely scruffy next to Kez.

“我从来没搭过尖啸，”她仍然紧紧抓着他的手不放，“你呢？”

“I’ve never ridden the Howl,” she said, still holding tight to his hand. “Have you?”

刺耳的咆哮声越来越响。巨大的咔嗒声灌进岩洞，撞在湿漉漉的苔绿色墙壁上，发出震耳欲聋的回声。费恩回头看着他，旁边简科的脸上也满是乖戾的笑容。当你生怕自己被人看不起的时候，撒谎就显得非常顺理成章了 。

The screeching roar was getting louder. The clattering rattle of the elevator’s mechanisms echoed deafeningly from the dripping, algal-green walls of the alcove. Feen was looking back at him and Janke had an ugly grin plastered over his face. Fear of looking like a dumb kid made the lie easier to tell.

“我吗？数不清了！”话一出口他就意识到自己犯了个错误。温转过身，看到其他人已经聚到了边缘，一个个绷紧了腿迎风而立。

“Me? Yeah, loads!” he said, knowing instantly it was a mistake. Wyn glanced over his shoulder. The others were gathered at the edge; legs braced, leaning into the wind.

他凑近凯茨的耳边。

Wyn leaned close to Kez’s ear.

“对不起，我不知道为什么我这么说。其实我没干过，一次也没有。别跟他们说，我胡说的。”

“Sorry, I don’t know why I said that,” he said. “I ain’t done this before. Not never once. Don’t tell the others, but I’m crapping it.”

她松了口气。

She let out a relieved breath.

“真好。我可不想自己一个人。”

“Good. I didn’t want to be the only one.”

扒尖啸，是祖安的孩子们需要经历的众多仪式之一。其他仪式还包括四肢健全地爬上老饥饿钟塔塔顶，找一个男爵的手下割钱包，戏弄一个蹬着高跷的地沟拾荒人等等。这些仪式无穷无尽，凶险异常，但只有这样才能证明你是一个惹不起的街头小子。

Riding the Rising Howl was one of many rites of passage for the kids of Zaun. Like reaching the top of Old Hungry with all your limbs intact, cutpursing a baron’s man or playing knock-and-run with a stilt-walking sump-scrapper. Zaun had a seemingly endless procession of insanely dangerous tests you had to pass to truly count yourself a hard-bitten street kid.

但是，要鼓起勇气跳出岩洞边缘，温觉得这个测试绝对是最疯狂的。升降机的尖叫变得更响亮了，岩洞里充斥着金属刮蹭的厉响和齿轮咬合的重击声。

But gathering his courage to leap from the rocky ledge, this test seemed to Wyn to be the craziest. The scream of the approaching elevator was getting louder, filling the alcove with the shriek of metal on metal and the boom of ratcheting gears.

尼克站起来，身子探出去往下望了一眼。他回头邪气地一笑，比了个拇指。随后膝盖一弯一弹，把自己扔出了悬崖。他手脚乱挥着消失在其他人的视线里。简科不想被抢了风头，所以也站起来，狂吼一声蹦了出去。费恩紧接着跟上，笑声活脱是个疯子。

Nico stood, leaned out and stared down, turning back with a crooked grin and a thumbs up. He bent his knees and threw himself out from the cliff. Arms and legs flailing, he vanished from sight. Not wanting to be shown up, Janke went next, hurling himself from the ledge with a wild whooping yell. Feen followed his friend, laughing like a maniac.

“准备好了吗？”温的声音完全被尖啸淹没了。

“Ready?” yelled Wyn, his words drowned out by the Rising Howl.

凯茨点点头。她不可能听到了他说什么，但也不需要听见。她仍然没放开他的手。他笑了，然后两人一起冲向悬崖。温的心提到了嗓子眼，怦怦狂跳，仿佛有一把气动锤不停地砸在他肋骨上。他脚下的步子有些迟疑，但已经太晚了。他踏上洞口的边缘，大吼一声壮胆，一步就跳进了风里。

Kez nodded. No way she could hear him, but she got the message. She still hadn’t let go of his hand. He grinned, and they ran toward the cliff edge. Wyn’s heart was in his mouth, beating like a pneuma-hammer against his ribs. His step faltered, but it was too late to stop now. He reached the edge of the cliff and leapt into the wind, yelling a defiant roar of fear and bravado.

落脚的地面消失了。几百码之下就是祖安的下层区，与他之间只剩下空气。炽烈的恐惧陡然攫住了温的心，像一把铁匠用的老虎钳似地挤空了他的肺。他发现自己正在翻滚着往地面摔去，四肢忍不住像风车一样乱舞，仿佛这样就能像悬崖上的伯劳鸟一样学会飞了。他往下看。尖啸那玻璃和钢铁打造的卵形座舱正飞速地扑上来。

The ground vanished beneath him. Only empty air between him and the lower levels of Zaun, hundreds of yards below. Sheer, undiluted terror seized Wyn. It clamped him in a smith’s vice and squeezed the air from his lungs. Wyn saw himself tumbling to the ground, windmilling his arms as if he might suddenly learn to fly like the cliff-shrikes. He looked down. The ovoid, glass and iron shape of the Rising Howl was below him, coming up fast.

尼克、简科和费恩已经在上面了。他们手拉着座舱顶上巴洛克式的栅格，或是紧紧抵着支架。温整个人拍在厚厚的玻璃上，然后朝一旁滚开。他沿着弧形的窗户流线向外滑去，手脚拼命搔爬，想要抓住什么地方。他汗湿的手掌一直打滑，双脚胡蹬乱踹。不管什么东西，只要能拖住他就行。

Nico, Janke, and Feen were already on it, clinging to its baroque latticework frames or braced against its structure. Wyn slammed into the thick glass and rolled. He flailed for a handhold, sliding down the curve of the outer windows. His sweaty palms slipped. His feet scrabbled for purchase. Anything to slow his descent.

但什么都没有。

Nothing.

“别别别……”他喘着粗气，从弧顶滚到了边缘。“迦娜在上！”

“No, no, no...” he gasped, sliding over the curved topside toward the edge. “Janna’s mercy!”

一股强风涌起，把他吹得翻起了身子，正好让他看到升降机侧面支着一只铜钩。他尽力扭动身体扑过去，背后的风似乎推了他一下，不多不少。他的手指死命挂住铜钩，终于在鬼门关前保住了命。

An updraught of wind flipped him over onto his front and he saw a bronze hook standing proud on the giant elevator’s side. He threw himself at it, and it seemed the wind at his back gave him just enough of a push to reach it. His fingers closed on the metal and his sliding descent to oblivion halted.

就差一点儿，温就要在空中拉出一条长长的射线，最后变成戛然而止的端点。他找到了落脚点，急切地寻找凯茨的下落。他看到她在高处，歇斯底里地大笑着，庆幸自己活了下来。温也忍不住想笑，他一边往尖啸更平坦的顶端爬去，一边像神经病一样咧嘴傻笑。

With the threat of a long fall, followed by a hard stop, averted, Wyn was able to get his feet under him and looked around for Kez. He saw her higher up, laughing hysterically at having survived. Wyn felt the urge to laugh, and couldn’t stop grinning like a lunatic as he clambered up to where the upper surfaces of the Rising Howl were less angled.

尼克看到他，欢叫一声，同时擂了简科一拳。

Nico gave a whoop when he saw him and punched Janke in the arm.

“看到没？说了他没问题的！”

“See? Told you he’d make it!”

温爬到哥哥身边，他感觉自己双腿柔若无骨，仿佛是刚刚经历了一夜狂饮烂醉。他大口地呼吸，空气清新无比。在地沟，空气里是有东西的。但在这样的高处，空气清冽如刀，让他舒服得有些头晕。

Wyn clambered to his brother, his legs rubbery as a shimmerfiend’s after an all-night bender. He sucked in a great draught of clean air. Down in the Sump, the air had texture, but getting higher, it had a sharp clarity that made him pleasantly light-headed.

“不错嘛，小伙儿，干的不错。”尼克拍拍他的背，自己咳了一下，往玻璃地上吐了一口灰痰。尼克抹抹嘴巴，温不由得留意到他手心里留下的口水。

“Not bad, little man, not bad,” said Nico, giving him a slap on the back. His older brother coughed and spat a wad of gray phlegm onto the glass. Nico wiped his lips with his palm and Wyn couldn’t help but notice the brackish residue left on his hand.

“那还用说。”

“Yeah, no bother,” said Wyn.

尼克被他强撑镇定的样子逗笑了。“这趟值了，对吧？”

Nico laughed at his bravado. “Worth it though, eh?”

“真美。”凯茨说。

“It’s beautiful,” said Kez.

温也这么觉得。远远地看下去，祖安像一卷光影交杂的深绿色布匹，在峡谷的岩石地面上伸展开来。工坊林上方笼罩着蒸汽，彩虹勾连其间。炼金熔炉散出的闪光烟雾盘旋直上，随风轻舞。从这里看，地沟水池盈盈摆摆，如同翡翠色的海市蜃楼。阴影里明灭不定的炉火，宛如细密的星辰——在希望屋，星星实在难得一见。

Wyn had to agree. Far below, this part of Zaun spread over the rocky floor of the canyon in a glittering, bottle-green swathe of light and color. Vapor rainbows arced over the Factorywood and spiraling plumes of shimmering smoke danced over the chem-forges. From up here, sump pools wavered like emerald mirages and the winking hearth-lights in the darkness were like the stars he rarely saw from Hope House.

泪水刺痛了温的眼睛，他安慰自己是风太大了。远在高处，象牙、黄铜、紫铜和黄金的塔楼群熠熠生辉，将皮尔特沃夫托在光晕里。确实很美，但祖安的美却是来自生活。大街小巷生机洋溢，熙熙攘攘，人们摩肩接踵，生气勃勃。温很喜欢祖安。虽然这个城市有问题，而且还不少，但它的繁盛，还有无边无际的可能性，都是你在皮城很少能看得到的精彩。

Tears pricked Wyn’s eyes, and he told himself it was the keenness of the wind. High above, Piltover shone in towers of ivory and bronze, copper and gold. Beautiful also, but Zaun’s beauty was lived in. Its streets were filled with life and vitality, every one bearing a heaving, bustling mass of humanity. Wyn loved Zaun. For all its faults, and there were many, its sheer unpredictability and exuberance gave it a pulse you didn’t often find up in Piltover.

透过脚下的玻璃，温看见几十个人正抬头盯着他。尖啸的乘客虽然对搭便车的人早已见怪不怪，但并不意味着他们喜欢这样。乘客之中一部分是祖安人，但大部分是趾高气扬的皮城佬。他们要么是在气灯明亮的交易所商场、要么是在有着玻璃房顶的食肆、再要么就是祖安的重型音乐厅里玩够了，现在正要回去。

Wyn looked down through the glass beneath his feet to see scores of people staring up at him. The passengers of the Rising Howl were used to folk hitching a lift upward, but that didn’t mean they liked it. A few were Zaunites, but most of them were well-heeled Pilties, returning after an evening spent in the gaslit commercia arcades, glass-ceilinged food parlors, or pounding music halls of Zaun.

“该死的皮城佬儿。”简科说：“跑到下面来找找乐子就觉得自己的生活很刺激了，可一到晚上还是要溜回皮城去。”

“Bloody Pilties,” said Janke. “Coming down to slum it in Zaun. Think they’re living dangerously, but at the end of the night they run back up to Piltover.”

“要不是这样，祖安能赚的可就少多了。”凯茨应道。“皮城佬靠祖安赚钱，我们也要靠他们吃饭。而且我们在皮城不是有很多好日子吗？记得去年进化日时候在日之门放的焰火不？记得你喜欢上的那个皮城小妞不？你嘴硬什么呢，简科，明明是你最爱拉着我们往上跑的。”

“Be a lot less coin flowing down in Zaun if they didn’t,” pointed out Kez. “Pilties do well outta Zaun, and we do well outta them. And how many grand days out we had up in Piltover? Remember the fireworks over the Sun Gates last Progress Day? Remember that Piltie girl you were sweet on? You talk big, Janke, but you’re the one always wants us to head up top.”

他们都笑起来，而简科却脸红了。

They laughed as Janke went red.

“我来给他们点好东西看看！”费恩怪笑道。这个骨瘦如柴的小子迅速地除下背带裤的肩带，裤子一脱，就地一坐，把屁股印在了玻璃上。“喂，皮城佬，今晚的月亮圆不圆啊？！”

“I’ll give ‘em something to look at!” said Feen with a grin. The scrawny lad shucked the braces from his shoulders, dropped his trousers, and planted his ass on the glass ceiling. “Hey, Pilties, there’s a new moon out tonight!”

就像一条狗在地上蹭背一样，费恩沿着玻璃往下滑，两瓣屁股压开了花，让底下的人大开眼界。

And like a dog dragging its backside along the ground, Feen let himself slide down the glass with his ass-cheeks splayed for the viewing pleasure of the people below.

孩子们哄笑起来，但升降机中的乘客纷纷面如土灰。大人们一边挡着自家孩子的眼睛，一边生气地朝着头顶这个祖安的小流氓挥拳头。

They laughed uproariously at the horrified expressions of the elevator’s passengers - men covering the eyes of children and shaking their fists at the filthy Zaunites.

“我们不直接到顶。”尼克好不容易喘匀了气，抹着笑出来的眼泪说：“巴蓓特在中层。”

“We’re not going right up top,” said Nico, getting his breath back and wiping tears from his eyes. “Babette’s is on the Entresol level.”

“谁知道埃乐蒂妈妈会不会在那里。”简科说。

“We ain’t even sure Mama Elodie’s gonna be there,” said Janke.

“她一定在的。”温说：“我看到她桌上的节目单了。上面画着她在舞台上唱歌。板上钉钉，就像天一黑灰霾就会来。但我们得抓紧了，钟响八下她就要上场，现在已经过了六下了！”

“She’ll be there,” said Wyn. “I saw the playbill on her desk. Painted picture of her singing on stage, sure as Gray follows Day. But we gotta hurry, she goes on at eight bells and it’s already gone six!”

埃乐蒂妈妈是希望屋的院长。这家孤儿院的由来，是因为那场撕裂祖安的灾难让许多孩子一夜之间就没了父母。孤儿院里一开始有两百多个孩子，资金来源是一些搬到了皮城的家庭，后来他们变成了家族集团。但是在孤儿院设立了一百多年之后，账上的钱越来越少，因为已经没有资金从上面的新城流下来了。那些富有的上流家庭终于觉得，他们已经付出了足够的金钱来弥补自己的内疚，就这么多了。

Mama Elodie was the mistress of Hope House, a foundling home dedicated to the welfare of the many orphans created in the wake of the disaster that tore Zaun apart. Initially funded by the families who would go on to become Piltover’s clans, more than two hundred orphans had been cared for within its walls. But in the century or so since its opening, the institution’s fortunes had waned as the money from the newborn city on high stopped flowing. The wealthy upsider families eventually decided they’d assuaged their guilt with enough gold, and that was that.

埃乐蒂妈妈是在孤儿院没钱之后唯一一个留下的员工。她的肤色很深，她说自己其实是一位艾欧尼亚的公主。温怀疑那不过是一个美好的故事，用来吸引炼金男爵们的捐赠。但他喜欢这个故事，因为她说她不愿在宫殿里度过无聊的一生，她要看看外面的世界。温没法想象居然有人会放弃那样富裕的生活，不过他也从来没见过别的艾欧尼亚人，就算是他常常在码头上帮海员们打下手。

Mama Elodie was the only member of staff to stay on when the funds dried up, a dark-skinned woman who said she was an Ionian princess. Wyn suspected that might just be a story to charm donations out of the Chem-Barons, but he liked it when she told how she’d chosen to see the world instead of living a boring life in a palace. Wyn couldn’t imagine turning your back on wealth like that, but he’d never met anyone else from Ionia - even when he’d run errands for seafarers down at the docks.

希望屋的每个小孩都听过埃乐蒂妈妈在煮饭洗衣时唱的歌。她的声音无比美妙，温小时候就不止一次被她抱在怀里，听着她的摇篮曲睡着。那天，温去给埃乐蒂妈妈送草药茶，恰巧看到一沓卷边的信纸里塞着一张叠好的巴蓓特大剧场的节目单。他只来得及匆匆瞥了一眼，但他敢用一箱子金齿轮打赌，上面画着的就是埃乐蒂妈妈，穿着她最精美的礼服，在脚灯簇拥的舞台中央歌唱。她看到了他的表情，于是便叫他出去了，并且还尖声责备他不该多管闲事。温只好捂住了自己的耳朵。

Every waif and stray in Hope House had heard Mama Elodie singing as she cooked and cleaned. Her voice was extraordinary, and Wyn had fallen asleep to her lullabies more than once as a babe in arms. Wyn had been delivering a cup of herbal tisane to Mama Elodie when he’d seen the folded playbill for Babette’s Theatrical Emporium tucked under a sheaf of dog-eared letters. He’d only had time for a quick look, but swore on a chest of golden gears that it was Mama Elodie, dolled up in her best finery and singing on a footlit stage. She’d seen his look and sent him on his way with a cuff round the ear and a sharp rebuke for being nosy.

他跟其他孩子说了这事，不到一个钟头，他们就已经想好了溜出去看她唱歌的计划。

He told the others what he’d seen, and within the hour they’d formed a plan to sneak out and see her sing.

“快看！”温推了尼克一把，叫嚷起来。

“Look!” yelled Wyn, nudging Nico in the ribs.

尼克低头看看，点了点头。升降机里，一个穿着制服的操作员正对着一条通话软管大叫。

Nico looked down and nodded, seeing the uniformed conductor shouting into a flexible speaking tube.

“他在通知上面的人小心搭便车的祖安人。”尼克说：“但没关系，反正我们不会一直坐到顶上。”

“He’s warning the staff above to watch out for freeloading Zaunites,” said Nico. “But it don’t matter. Remember, we ain’t riding it all the way to the platform.”

“那我们在哪里下？”费恩爬起来，大发慈悲地穿上了裤子。

“So where we getting off then?” asked Feen, clambering to his feet and, mercifully, hauling up his trousers.

“月台下面有一台旧绞车。烟囱帽的位置很合适，又平又阔，旁边有一个没封口的下水管。”尼克指着上面说。

“There’s an old winch mechanism just below the embarkation platform,” said Nico, pointing upward. “The cowl’s nice and flat and wide, and next to it, there’s a vent pipe that’s lost its cover.”

“我们要再跳一次？”温问哥哥。

“We’re going to have to jump again?” asked Wyn.

尼克笑着朝他挤挤眼睛。

Nico grinned and winked.

“对啊，可是你这样的老手有什么问题呢，嗯？”

“Yeah, shouldn’t be a problem for a seasoned pro like you, eh?”

温哆哆嗦嗦地呼出了一口气。他的手心满是血迹，因为抓到了绞车上生锈的烟囱帽。他第二次跳进狂风里的经历和第一次差不太多，把他吓得肚子里翻江倒海，不过起码这一次他心里知道自己是可以的。尖啸一路继续往上，温欣慰地看着它远去。

Wyn let out a shuddering breath, his palms bloody where they’d grabbed the rusted cowl of the winch. His second jump into thin air had been just as gut-wrenchingly terrifying, but at least this time he’d known he could do it. The Rising Howl continued upward on its way, and Wyn was glad to see it go.

但至少回去的时候会简单一些。陡峭的山壁上有凿好的石阶，又或者，悬崖建筑群下方吊着的螺旋楼梯，一头扎入地下，只是要忍得住头晕才行。

At least heading back down to Zaun would be easier. They’d take the steps cut into the sheer rock or slide down the dizzying screw-stairs plunging through the overhanging structures cantilevered from the side of the cliffs.

绞车的烟囱帽旁边就是一个敞开的下水管，跟尼克说的一样。管道里满是有毒污水留下的臭气，不过好在基本上是干的。更难得的是，里面的空间足够让人站起来，说明这条管子往祖安排的烂泥臭水可不少。

The winch cowl was right next to an open vent, just as Nico had said it would be. The inside reeked of toxic runoff, but at least it was mostly dry. Thankfully, it was large enough to stand upright, which meant it had likely carried a whole lot of gunk and deposited it down into Zaun.

“这通到哪里？”凯茨正小心地避让着地上的水洼，里面积着绿汪汪的污泥。

“Where does this end up?” asked Kez, careful to avoid the greenish slime that pooled in depressions in the iron.

“正好在彭斯卡泵站后面，应该是。”尼克说。

“Comes out just behind the Bonscutt Pump Station, I think,” said Nico.

“应该？我还以为你来过呢。”简科说。

“Don’t you know?” said Janke. “I thought you’d done this before?”

“我是来过，但那是一年之前了，我不知道这些管道有没有变过。”

“I have, but it was about a year ago and I ain’t too sure the layout’s gonna be the same as it was.”

他们继续往前走，脚下的路渐渐抬头，在岩层里七拐八弯。山崖开始震动，下水管被挤压得发出了吱吱嘎嘎的呻吟。

They followed the pipe as it rose and twisted through the rock. The metal groaned and creaked with the movement of the cliffs.

“悬崖又开始说话了。”凯茨说。

“The cliffs are muttering again,” said Kez.

“说了什么？”温问。

“What are they saying?” asked Wyn.

“谁知道。埃乐蒂妈妈说，自从他们切开大地开通运河那件事以来，这些岩石就一直伤心到今天。她说不管什么时候，如果悲伤积得太多，山崖就会哭泣，所以大地就会震动。”

“Nobody knows,” she answered. “Mama Elodie once told me the rock was still sad about what happened when they split the land to make the canal. She said that every now and then, when the rock’s sorrow gets too much, it sobs, and that’s what shakes the earth.”

“所以按你说的，这条水管的出口可能是一堵墙或者一堆破铜烂铁咯？”

“So for all you know, this might end in a wall of rock or a barrier of twisted metal?” said Janke.

“有可能。但我不觉得。看。”

“Could be,” said Nico. “But I doubt it. Look.”

尼克指着前方的一小块光亮，尘埃的微粒悬在逆光之中幽幽转动。温看到了一架生锈的梯子，通往水管顶部的一个方形豁口。

Nico pointed to thin spars of light up ahead. Swirling motes of dust hung in the air, and Wyn saw a rusted ladder rising into a square-cut channel in the pipe.

“看来我们找到出口了，”尼克说。

“Looks like we got ourselves a way out,” said Nico.

温长这么大只来过几次中层，但每一次都给他留下了异常鲜明的印象。中层位于皮城和祖安语焉不详的交界下方，而这条界线实际上也一直在变动。交易所商场、餐饮会所、演讲厅和烟花之地比比皆是，让中层成为了人口最为稠密的城区之一。在这里生活劳作的人们也习惯将中层当作真正意义上祖安的实际所在。

Wyn had only traveled to Zaun’s Entresol level a couple of times in his life, and on each occasion it had left a singularly vivid impression on him. Situated just below the notional border between Piltover and Zaun - a fluid and ever-changing line at best - the Entresol was a flourishing hub of cosmopolitan commercia arcades, supper-clubs, recital halls and joy houses, making it one of the most populated districts of the cities. It was also widely regarded by the people that lived and toiled there as the place where the real work of Zaun got done.

一行人从管道里钻到地面上，很快就融入了人群，一路摸索着朝某条大道进发。他们之中只有温和凯茨的识字水平足够看明白指路牌，所以凯茨带着他们走到了一条人潮涌动的宽街上。温就看到了他有生以来见过的，最美好的一群人。

Emerging from the pipework, they’d quickly got their bearings and navigated toward one of the main thoroughfares. Wyn and Kez were the only ones who could read well enough to decipher the cursive street signs, and Kez led them to a wide boulevard thronged with the most amazing people Wyn had ever seen.

来自皮城和祖安的男男女女正欢乐地徜徉在鹅卵石铺就的街道上。他们身着五颜六色的华服，头戴缀有长羽的帽子。女人们穿着圆环纹领的褶裥裙，披着亮彩的饰带。男人们则是长袍大衣和锃亮的靴子——要是在下面的垃圾堆里连一天都坚持不了。

Men and women from Piltover and Zaun happily mingled on the cobbled street, dressed in colorful finery and plumed hats. The women wore pleated dresses with scoop-lined necks and brightly colored sashes. The men looked dashing in their long frock coats and polished boots that wouldn’t last a day in the muck below.

“他们都很高兴，每个人都在笑哎。”他感觉自己的嘴角也受到了感染，忍不住想上翘。

“Everyone is smiling,” he said, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch upward in imitation. “And laughing.”

“如果你不需要每天都为吃饭发愁的话，你也会笑的。”简科说。

“You’d laugh too if you weren’t struggling every day to feed yourself,” said Janke.

温刚想回嘴，却看到尼克摇了摇头。简科来到希望屋时候的年纪比多数孩子大，现在已经到了离开孤儿院自己谋生的前夕。所以他会挖苦并不出奇。

Wyn started to reply, but Nico shook his head. Janke had come to Hope House older than most foundlings, and was on the verge of having to leave and find his way in the world. Small wonder he was bitter.

温倒是很明白他心头的苦涩。毕竟，谁不希望能够拥有更多？谁不希望有能力生活得更好？这个世界最冷酷的现实就是，一个人活得体面与否完全由荷包决定。大多数人对于自己的处境都是凑合的态度，但温所渴望的是在某个地方，他能和一个美丽的姑娘手牵着手，一起散步，一起看戏，一起在月光下享用美餐，随心所欲。他渴望就这样度过一生。

Wyn understood that bitterness. After all, who didn’t want more than they had? Who didn’t want to live somewhere nicer if they could? The harsh reality of the world was that folk lived as high as they could afford. Most folks were content with their place in the grand scheme of things, but Wyn yearned for a life spent in a place where he could walk hand in hand with a beautiful girl, take in a show, and eat a meal under the moonlight whenever he wanted.

他激动地握住了凯茨的手，她没有抽开。他的心跳比第一次跳尖啸时还要激烈许多。尼克带头，一群人走在大路中间，仿佛他们自然而然就属于这里。虽然道理上没错，但他们脏兮兮的褴褛衣衫所吸引来的目光已经不言自明——尽管没人要把他们一脚踢回下面去，他们仍然是不受欢迎的存在。

On impulse he took Kez’s hand, and when she didn’t pull away, his heart beat harder than it had when he made his first jump. With Nico in the lead, they strolled down the center of the street like they had every right to be there. Which, of course, they did, but the stares their grimy attire attracted made it clear that, while no one was going to kick them back down, they weren’t exactly a welcome sight.

恍惚有一刻，温不由得幻想他们可以永远地呆在这里，信步走在炼金流明管照亮的大街上，身边的人会告诉他们哪一家熟食店卖的脆皮油鸭最棒，或是极力向他们推荐哪一家戏院的节目万万不可错过。他想象着自己打扮成翩翩公子的模样，与周遭的人们礼貌地互相问候，朝着家族集团的大人物们脱帽致意。

For a moment, Wyn fantasized that they could stay here forever, walking along a street of glowing chem-lumens, surrounded by people who could direct them to the best delicatessens with the creamiest crag-duck confit, or advise which plays they simply had to see. He pictured himself dressed like a dandy, greeting his fellow citizens and doffing his hat to visiting clan representatives.

“那是培养塔吗？”温指着前面的悬崖边缘问。那里有一个铁网箍住的玻璃穹顶，里面雾气蒸腾。

“Is that a cultivair?” said Wyn, pointing to a latticework dome of smoky glass leaning out from the edge of the cliff.

“我猜是。不过我只从下面看过。”凯茨说。

“I think so,” said Kez. “I’ve only ever seen them from below.”

紧绷的钢索把玻璃穹顶固定在岩石上，向外探出一座铁桥。他们停下脚步，艳羡地欣赏着眼前的美景。玻璃后面有一座小型的丛林，高大的树木枝叶肥阔如蓬。一位身穿长袍的园丁在林间工作，光头上纹着刺青。一地怒放的鲜花，红的、金的、蓝的，在一片苍翠的映衬下格外艳丽。温从来没见过这么漂亮的景色。他朝着园丁挥挥手，心里渴望着能和凯茨一起在丛林中漫步，闻着花朵的馨香，感受着柔软的草叶拂过脚心。

An iron bridge and taut cables tethered the glass dome to the rock, and they paused to take in the beauty of what it contained. Behind the glass, a small forest of tall trees with broad leafy canopies were tended by a robed gardener with a tattooed and shaven head. A riot of flowers, with petals of red, gold, and blue stood out in contrast to the greenery within. Wyn had never seen anything quite so beautiful in all his life. He waved to the gardener, wishing he could walk with Kez through the forest, smelling the perfumed blooms and feeling the soft grass between his toes.

园丁笑笑，也朝他挥了挥手，然后继续手头的活计。

The gardener smiled and waved before returning to his duties.

一串钟声响起。温数了数，一共七下。

A series of bells rang out. Wyn counted seven in total.

“走吧，演出马上要开始了。”温着急地说。

“Come on,” he said urgently. “The show’ll be starting soon.”

简科问尼克：“你知道那地方在哪儿吗？”

Janke turned to Nico. “You sure you know where this place is?”

“巴蓓特？当然，我知道。”尼克捂着嘴又咳起来。“我带着阿力沙去过一次。我那时在喝酒大赛上赢了一个卑尔居恩来的商人，挣了点小钱。”

“Babette’s? Yeah, I know it,” said Nico, covering his mouth as he coughed again. “I took Aleeza there once, when I had a few coin to my name after I beat that merchant from Bel’Zhun in a drinking contest.”

温清楚地记得，那天晚上他不可思议地看着他哥哥一杯接一杯地灌下库埃西酒——恕瑞玛人说这种烈酒是用发酵的羊奶酿的。最后一共干了二十杯才把那个商人喝趴下。之后尼克醉了足足一个星期才爬起来挥霍他的奖金。

Wyn remembered that night well, watching in disbelief as his brother threw back shot after shot of kouaxi, a potent spirit the Shuriman had said was made from fermented goat’s milk. They reached twenty shots before the merchant finally keeled over. Nico was hungover for a week before he could spend his winnings.

“就在那儿。”尼克说着，带着他们走进了一个从悬崖上挖出来的洞穴广场。

“It’s just up here,” said Nico, as they entered a cavernous plaza hollowed out from the cliffs.

开阔的广场上人山人海，吵吵嚷嚷，各执己见，谈笑争论。几个带着金属增强体的人正穿过广场，每个身上都挂着某个炼金男爵的徽记。虽然只有寥寥几人，可他们吸引的目光远不止是有心人的警惕眼神。

People thronged the wide open space, talking, negotiating and haggling over who knew what. A few people with metallic augments strolled through the plaza, each bearing the sigil of one of the Chem-Barons, but they were few in number and attracted more than their fair share of wary glances.

在广场的尽头，耸立着一座庄严的建筑，流光溢彩，喧嚷非凡。票贩子们正不遗余力地推销着门票，向过路人派发演出的传单。黑色的大理石支柱上嵌着金条，撑起了气派的门廊，顶上是一溜雕像，有的是野兽，有的是龙，还有一些是披甲的武士，在绿莹莹的炼金灯的照射下，影影绰绰，栩栩如生。

At the far end of the plaza stood a grand structure of vivid color and noise. Barkers shouted inducements to enter and handed out playbills. Fluted columns of black marble veined with gold formed the building’s giant portico, over which was a series of statues of wild animals, dragons, and armored warriors. Greenish chem-lights illuminated them, and the wavering flames made it look like they were alive.

“各位观众，巴蓓特大剧场。”尼克说完，朝着光辉夺目的剧场深深地鞠了一躬。

“I give you Babette’s Theatrical Emporium,” said Nico, taking a deep bow and pointing to the brightly-lit structure.

“我们不能进去？你什么意思？”尼克说。

“What do you mean we can’t come in?” said Nico.

两个门卫虽然正装革履，但没有什么华服能够遮掩他们害人为乐的本性。他们的脖子和手腕上缠绕着纹身，其中一人的机械手正发出滋滋的充能声。让人搞不清楚是电击棒还是更致命的武器——或许只是接触不良也说不定。

The two doormen were well-dressed, but no amount of finery could conceal their experience in hurting people. Snaking tattooes covered their necks and wrists, and one of them had a mechanized arm that buzzed with something energized. A shok-club maybe? Or something even more deadly? Or perhaps it just wasn’t working very well.

“我们会付钱。”凯茨说。

“We can pay,” said Kez.

“跟钱没关系，小妞儿。”其中一个门卫说。温在心里给他起了个名字，炼金气罐。

“It ain’t the money, girly,” said the first doorman, a man Wyn mentally christened Chem-Breath.

“那跟什么有关系？”她追问。

“Then what is it?” she demanded.

“你们穿的不行。”

“You ain’t dressed right.”

“没错。”第二个门卫插嘴道。他的机械手仍在滋滋乱叫。“巴蓓特夫人要求她的客人在着装方面保持起码的……卫生。你们的衣服，恐怕达不到标准。”

“Indeed,” chimed in the second doorman, the one with the buzzing, mechanical arm. “Mistress Babette expects a certain level of... hygiene in her guests’ sartorial selections. Your attire falls somewhat below the expected standard, I fear.”

“所以啊，从哪儿来爬哪儿去吧。”第一个门卫说。

“Yeah, so go and crawl back to where you came from,” said the first.

“从哪儿来？这里难道不是祖安吗？”凯茨难以置信：“我们就是从这儿来的！你这地沟来的蠢货！”

“Where we came from?” said Kez, incredulous. “This is Zaun ain’t it? This is where we come from, you stupid sump-sucker!”

“滚吧，小杂碎。这里是祖安，但不是你们的祖安。”气罐说。

“Get lost, ya snipes,” said Chem-Breath. “This part of Zaun ain’t your Zaun.”

“行吧。”尼克转身就走。“我们走。”

“Fine,” said Nico, turning and walking away. “Let’s go.”

“等一下，你说什么？”温和其他人跟上尼克。“我们就这样回家了？”

“Wait, what?” said Wyn, as he and the others followed Nico. “We’re just going home?”

他哥哥没说话，一直走到了两个门卫听不到的地方。大门口的人群正好挡住了门卫的视线。

His brother waited until they were out of earshot before responding, making sure the crowds at the entrance obscured them from the two doormen.

“当然不是了。你看我多蠢，地沟的头号规矩是什么？‘走正门的都是冤大头。’”

“‘Course not,” said Nico. “Stupid of me. Forgot the first rule of the Sump: Only marks go in through the front door.”

他们沿着广场四周来回走了十分钟，终于发现了目的地。温一直留意着剧场的门口。人们还在进场，所以演出估计还没开始。

They traversed the length and breadth of the plaza for ten minutes before finding what they sought. Wyn kept one eye on the theater doors. People were still going in, so the show probably hadn’t started.

“那里。”费恩指着一处喷吐着翠绿烟气的屋顶说道。费恩在灰霾清理工马尔科夫手下做事，因为他极其瘦削，所以可以爬进狭窄的管道里铲掉堵塞气流的污垢，代价就是几个齿轮而已。

“There,” said Feen, pointing to a sudden plume of emerald smoke gusting from a nearby roofline. Feen worked for Gray-Scrape Malkev, a ductwork maintenancer who threw a couple of cogs the scrawny lad’s way to worm through the narrow ducts and clean off the scum when the breather pipes got too clogged.

烟气的源头是一家小餐馆，看起来他们既有祖安的街头小吃，也有高级的皮城美食。餐馆的装饰乏味又刻意，陈列的食物看起来精美得不像给人吃的。

The source of the smoke was an eatery that looked as if it served a fusion of Zaun street food and upscale Piltovan cuisine. The diners were languid, artist types, and the food looked almost too beautiful to eat.

“如果我的鼻子没出问题的话，这根烟囱是共用的。你看，你能闻出厨房里的味道，还有巴蓓特的水晶灯烧焦的气味。”

“That’s a shared pipe if ever I sniffed one,” said Feen. “See, you can smell the food from the kitchens and the burn-off from the crystal burners up at Babette’s.”

“我就知道带你来没错，费恩。”尼克带着大家走进餐馆和剧场之间的小巷。墙边高高堆放着码头上运来的箱子，头顶上则垂着嘶嘶呜咽的管道。壮汉们正在搬运货物，累得气喘如牛。没人在意这群小孩。

“I knew there was a reason we brung you along, Feen,” said Nico, leading them down the alley cut through the rock between the eatery and the theater. Heavy crates hauled up from the docks were stacked against the wall, and hissing, groaning pipes sagged overhead. Burly men hauled crates inside, grunting with the effort. None of them paid the kids so much as a second glance.

费恩伸手比划着管道的路线，一边听着动静，一边口里数着数。他嗅嗅空气，轻松地一笑。

Feen traced the routes of the ducts with his fingers, counting and listening as they gurgled and rattled. He sniffed the air and grinned.

“就是这个了。”他指着岩壁上的一条细管说。

“That’s the fella,” he said, pointing to a narrow vent that passed into the rock-face.

“你确定？你别搞错了，到头来我们一股脑儿全被冲回祖安去。”简科问。

“You sure?” asked Janke. “I don’t wanna find you picked it wrong and we get flushed out over Zaun.”

“错不了，耙地沟的。你不是跟我一样爬过那么多次烂泥吗，你也能闻得出这条管子通到哪里。”

“I ain’t wrong, sump-raker,” said Feen. “You crawl through enough soot and slime like I have, you get a nose for what leads where.”

他们等了一阵子，直到搬货工们休息的时候才爬上了屋顶。费恩很快就找到了管道侧面的一个矮门，得意地撬开了。温脸色苍白地看着矮门里滚滚而出的烟雾。

They waited until the men working for the eatery took a break before using the crates to climb up onto the roof. Feen quickly found them a crawl-hatch on the side of the pipe and prized it open. Wyn blanched at the fumes leaking from the hatch.

“这安全吗？”他问。

“Is that safe?” he asked.

“对地沟扒手来说没问题。相信我，你在黑街上走一圈吸的东西比这烟可多多了。”

“Safe enough for a sump-snipe,” said Feen. “Trust me, you’ll get more grit on your lungs walking the Black Lanes than you will from the fumes in there.”

温有些犹豫，但费恩已经爬进去了，简科和凯茨也立即跟上。尼克比了个手势，指着通风管。

Wyn wasn’t so sure about that, but Feen crawled inside, swiftly followed by Kez. Janke went next, and Nico gestured to the pipe.

“到你了，小伙儿。”尼克说。

“Your turn, little man,” said Nico.

温点点头，爬进了铁管。前面传来了膝盖擦地的声音，还有咒骂和咳嗽。费恩说的对，虽然这里头的味道实在难闻，但远远比不上灰霾弥漫的时候，那才真的是每一口呼吸都像在打仗。尼克跟在后面，手肘和膝盖的动静听起来非常富有节奏。光线从铁管拼接的裂缝里透下来，但很快就后就消失了，因为管道钻进了山崖里。

Wyn nodded and climbed inside, following the sounds of scraping knees, cursing and coughing. Feen was right about one thing; the air in here was pretty rank, but nothing like when the Gray closed in and made every breath a battle. Nico climbed in behind him and he settled into a rhythm of shuffling forward on his elbows and knees. Light filtered in through cracks in the metal where it had split, but that ended the minute the pipe plunged into the cliffs.

“还有多远？”尼克在他身后喊道，他的声音在管道里诡异地回荡着。可是没人回话。温尽量不去想为什么前面一片寂静。是像简科担心的，管道突然在悬崖外面断掉把他们扔下去了？还是前面的人被烟雾呛晕了？又或者是这里的岩石也变得悲伤起来，把他们这群迷路的小虫子挤扁了？

“How much farther?” called Nico from behind him, the sound resonating weirdly in the pipes. He received no answer, only echoes. Wyn tried not to think of all the reasons why there was only silence. Had the pipe emptied them out over the cliffs as Janke had feared? Had the others hit a pocket of gas that had knocked them out or suffocated them? Or maybe the rock hereabouts was sad too, and had chosen to crush the tiny figures crawling through it.

被悲伤的岩石挤死的恐惧几乎让温瘫痪在地。突然，一只手从上面伸下来，抓住了他的后颈。

Just before the thought of being crushed to death by melancholy cliffs paralyzed Wyn with fear, a hand reached down from above and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

“抓到了！”一个声音嘶声说，同时温被人从一个黑暗中看不见的出入口提了出去。他大叫着挣扎起来，直到他意识到是抓住他的人是简科。他们来到了一个木地板的黑屋子里。也不算是全黑，门缝底下有一丝纤细的光线。温缓了一下，眼前是琳琅满目的剧场行头，堆得满满当当。面具、艳丽的戏服、戏台的背景板和各种各样的道具，摆了好几个架子。

“Got ya!” hissed a voice as he was hauled up through a hatch that had been invisible in the darkness. He cried out in alarm and struggled before he realized it was Janke pulling him up. He was deposited on a wooden floor in a lightless room. No, not lightless, a thin bar of light shone from beneath a nearby doorway. As Wyn’s eyes adjusted, he saw the myriad paraphernalia of the performer’s art stacked haphazardly around the room; shelves upon shelves of masks, garish costumes, theatrical backdrops and fake props.

费恩头上套着一个假的马头，大笑着在房间里踢正步。凯茨戴着一顶金色的王冠，周围镶着假的宝石，中心有一块红色的石头。简科拿着一把木剑乱挥，剑刃上涂着银色的颜料。

Feen was laughing as he pranced around the room with the top half of a horse costume on his head. Kez wore a golden crown with paste-gems studded around its edges and a bright red stone at its center. Janke swung a wooden sword, its blade painted to look like gleaming silver.

温笑了，尼克也从铁管里爬了出来。他有些头晕，说不上是因为烟气还是兴奋。

Wyn grinned as Nico climbed from the pipe behind him. He felt light-headed, but couldn’t tell if it was from the fumes or the elation of getting inside.

“干得不错，费恩。”尼克拍拍身上的尘土，咳出一块灰痰。

“Nice work, Feen,” said Nico, dusting himself off and coughing out a wad of gray phlegm.

费恩有些不习惯尼克的称赞。他甩掉马头，尴尬地笑了。费恩刚要开口，却听到鼓声和管乐一齐传来。

Feen threw off the horse costume and beamed at this unaccustomed praise. He started to speak, but then they heard the beat of drums and the skirl of pipes.

“要开始了。”凯茨说。

“It’s starting,” said Kez.

巴蓓特大剧场里面的装饰与外面相比不遑多让。主厅装饰着彩带，包厢镀着金箔。天花板的拱顶上是画着震撼人心的风景：摇曳的丛林、绵延的山峦和蓝得让人心痛的湖泊。一盏硕大的水晶吊灯从拱顶上垂下，星座形状的光芒徐徐转动，整个大厅摇曳生辉。

The interior of Babette’s was no less impressive than its exterior. The main hall was adorned in colorful fabrics, gilded balconies, and a vaulted ceiling decorated with stunning vistas of sweeping forests, soaring mountains, and achingly blue lakes. An enormous chandelier of sparkling crystals hung from the center of the ceiling, wheeling constellations that sent beams of splintered light through the chamber.

大厅里塞着几百号人，有穿着入时的寻欢人士，还有除掉了大衣、也扔掉了拘谨的舞者。乐队在大厅一侧的半高台上，全神贯注地演奏着躁动的音乐，让人血液上涌，忍不住跟着跺脚。乐声非常有煽动力，凯茨拉着大笑的温跳进舞池。换做其他地方，五个地沟小孩的出现一定会激起人群的反应，但在这儿，挤在飞旋的舞者和歌手当中，他们几乎不会引起任何注意。

Hundreds of people filled the space, revelers in fashionable attire and dancers who had shed their coats and inhibitions both. A raised stage at one end was home to musicians who played from the heart, a pounding, driving beat that shivered the blood and got your feet tapping. The music was infectious and Wyn laughed as Kez dragged him onto the dance floor. The sight of five sump-snipes anywhere else might have provoked a reaction, but here, amid the spinning dancers and singers, it barely raised an eyebrow.

他们的身姿出奇地灵活，因为这些小孩儿能在一个心跳的功夫里挣脱皮城守卫的铁腕。费恩像个疯子一样，一边跺脚一边摆手，完全合不到拍子上。简科则是飞速甩头，彻底沉浸在自己的音乐世界里。尼克踏着眼花缭乱的舞步，流畅地左右摇摆，时不时停下来跟漂亮姑娘打情骂俏。温跳着波浪舞，与凯茨一起在舞池里穿梭旋转，纵情享受着欢乐。

They moved with the ease of those who knew how to slip out of a Piltover warden’s grip in a heartbeat. Feen stomped and threw his arms around like a madman, all elbows and knees. Janke shuffled and bobbed his head, lost in his own private world of music. Nico danced in a weaving pattern, smooth as you like, pausing every now and then to flirt with a pretty girl. Wyn waved as he and Kez twisted across the dancefloor, spinning each other around with euphoric abandon.

音乐喧腾得紧，两人根本说不了话。

The music was so loud they couldn’t speak.

他不在乎。

He didn’t care.

炼金灯的光芒打在吊灯上，渲染出一道彩虹，随即散作了无数菱形的璀璨极光。温举起双手，仿佛要将光影握进掌心。凯茨环抱着他的脖子，也向高空伸出手去。他闻到了她身上的肥皂和汗水，还有发梢的香气和身体的炙热。他希望这一刻永远不会过去。

Chemlights threw a rainbow at the chandelier and it exploded in a dazzling borealis of colors in splitting lozenge patterns. Wyn lifted his hands, as if trying to catch the light. Kez threw her arms around his neck and reached for the lights as well. He smelled her soap and sweat, the perfume of her hair and the heat of her body. He never wanted this moment to end.

但它会的。

But it did.

一只肥厚的手掌按住了温的肩膀。他突然意识到，那一刻已经永远地消散了，一股巨大的失落顿时冲上他的心头。他想要咒骂，话已到了嘴边却又硬压住了——因为那个气罐门卫正俯视着他。

A meaty hand came down on Wyn’s shoulder and he felt the crushing disappointment of a moment that might never come again being snatched away from him. He cursed at the interruption, but the swears he was about to unleash died when he saw Chem-Breath the doorman looking down at him.

“我不是叫你们滚回地沟里去吗？”

“Didn’t I tell you to go back to the Sump?”

温瞟了一眼凯茨，看到她的胸脯正因为兴奋而微微起伏。她点了点头。虽然他没有问她，但她伸出的手已经作出了回答。

He glanced over at Kez and saw her chest heaving with excitement. She nodded, and the answer to his unasked question was in her outstretched hand.

温与凯茨十指紧握，大喊一声：“跑！”

Wyn laced his fingers in hers and yelled, “Run!”

他像泥鳅似地甩掉了气罐的大手，拉着凯茨箭一般地冲进了舞池中心。凯茨野性十足地尖叫着，两人在舞者之间左挪右闪，就像是在地沟里玩躲钩钩一样。他们拉着手一路狂奔，气罐在后面鲁莽地撞开人群，紧追不舍。但是凯茨和温两人打从知道走路起，就开始在祖安的街巷里跑跳了。他们跑赢过守卫、炼金无赖、地痞恶棍等等等等。

He squirmed from Chem-Breath’s grip and they bolted toward the heart of the dancefloor. Kez gave a wild yell and they wove through the dancers as if they were playing hook-dodge in the Sump. They ran hand in hand, Chem-Breath right on their heels. He barged through the dancers, but Kez and Wyn had run the streets of Zaun since they’d learned how to use their legs. They’d given the slip to wardens, chem-thugs, and vigilnauts alike.

一个胖门卫更是不在话下。

A fat doorman was no challenge at all.

他们听到气罐的怒吼甚至盖过了音乐，就好像他在配唱一样。两人有意引着他，穿过正在旋转跳跃的艺人们。凯茨一直紧紧扣住他的手。温抑制不住地大笑着，就算气罐越来越近也无所谓。然后，正当气罐马上就要摸到温的肩膀时，费恩斜刺里一记肘击，正中他的面庞。气罐栽倒在舞池里。

They heard Chem-Breath’s enraged shouts even over the music, as if he were singing along to it. They led him on a merry chase, ducking between the gyrating dancers and singers. Kez held tight to his hand. Wyn couldn’t help but laugh even as they let Chem-Breath get close. Then, just as the man’s hand reached for his shoulder, Chem-Breath fell to the dancefloor, smashed in the face by Feen’s flailing elbow.

他们把气罐留在地上杀猪一样打滚。温从来没有感受过如此醉人的兴奋。他每一下舞动、每一步踏出都恰好应和着音乐的节拍。每一段渐进的副歌都像是专门为此刻而作的。他们失心疯似的狂笑着，在迷乱的灯光和乐声中心手相连，从未想过他们有朝一日能够如此亲近。

They left him rolling on the ground. Wyn couldn’t remember a feeling this intoxicating. His every dancing, running step was in time with the beat of the music. Each soaring chorus felt like it had been written especially for this moment. They laughed like lunatics through the light and sound, united in a way they’d never known before.

音乐戛然而止。灿烂的灯光也随之熄灭，只剩下一盏炼金喷灯聚射着舞台。突然静止的舞者们不约而同地发出了一声轻叹——舞台中心缓缓升起了一位女士。这是魔法还是舞台效果？温不知道，也不在乎。这是多么卓绝的登场呀。

Then the music stopped. The lights were extinguished and a single chem-burner focused its illumination upon the stage. The suddenly stilled dancers gave a collective sigh as a woman rose from the center of the stage. Magic or stagecraft, Wyn didn’t know or care, it was a magnificent entrance.

“埃乐蒂妈妈。”凯茨说。

“Mama Elodie,” said Kez.

温当然知道是她，但他仍然没法把眼前的女神和希望屋里那个严厉的中年妇女联系起来。她的长发梳成了一簇繁复精美的发辫，间杂着珍珠母和翠玉，宛如初生的星辰一般。她穿着一条泛光的绿色长裙，裙身绵延着成片的皱褶，像是银光闪闪的蛛丝织成的。

Wyn knew it was her, but still couldn’t match the stern, matronly mistress of Hope House with this goddess before him. She wore her long hair tied up in an elaborate series of braids threaded with beads of mother-of-pearl and jade that glittered like newborn stars. She wore a radiant green gown that hung in sweeping folds and which shimmered like silken spider-skin.

她是他见过的最美丽的女人。

She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

埃乐蒂妈妈扬起脸，音乐一同响起。先是缓慢、冰冷的步伐，然后渐进为昂扬的心跳。她随着音乐抬起头来，深色的皮肤扑闪着钻石的粉尘。她的眼光扫过众人，透彻灵魂的凝视似乎要洞穿巴蓓特里的每个人。她微笑着，也许是惊讶于光临的客人之多，而她一双杏眼中的温暖也熨帖着每一个注视着她的人。温感到自己被她的神光完全浸没，身上未可名状的负担也一层一层地被揭去了。

Mama Elodie raised her head, and the music built from a slow, glacial pace to a rising heartbeat. Her head lifted in time with the music and her dark skin shimmered with diamond dust. Her eyes swept the crowd, seeming to fix everyone in Babette’s with her soulful gaze. She smiled, as if surprised to see so many people, and the warmth of her almond eyes reached everyone who saw her. Wyn felt her goodness enfold him, feeling as if burdens he didn’t know he carried were being peeled away, layer by layer.

然后她便开始唱了。

And then she began to sing.

他听不明白歌词，但她半唱半念，词句像蜜糖一样潺潺流淌。每一个音符都像是温暖的夏夜里飘飞的草叶，在大厅中盘飞轻转。她的歌声渐高渐亮，温觉得自己的皮肤也刺痒起来。他任由埃乐蒂妈妈的歌声冲进他的五脏六腑，整个人从内到外清透如洗。他感到一种莫大的温馨情绪正在他和凯茨之间膨胀。两人眼神对视，他便知道她的心境也一般无二。

The words were unknown to him, but they flowed like honey, half spoken, half sung. Every note drifted like leaves on a warm, summer night, flowing in spirals around the room. Her voice rose in pitch and volume, and Wyn felt his skin tingle with its touch. He let Mama Elodie’s song wash over and through him. Wyn felt a swelling feeling of connectedness between him and Kez. Her eyes met his and he knew she felt the same.

但还远不止这样。

But it was more than that.

温感到他和每一个观众都联结在了一起——这难以言喻的归属感，他做梦都无法想象。埃乐蒂妈妈伸手轻挥，像是在雕琢着身前的空气。她的声音充满了力量，也充满了整座大厅，其中的包容穿透了每个人的骨肉，抹平了所有的棱角。她的脸庞沁出了闪光的汗珠，脖上的血管也清晰可见。

Wyn felt a connection between him and everyone in the audience, a sense of oneness and harmony he’d never known or dreamed was possible. Mama Elodie’s hands sculpted the air as her powerful voice filled the chamber with harmonies that penetrated skin and bone and made every edge within them smooth. Sweat sheened her skin, and veins stood out on her neck.

无论她的歌声从何而来，代价显然是对身体的伤害。

However she was making this music, it was clearly taking a toll.

灯光逐渐暗下去，她的声音也变得越来越柔和。音符有如春雪初融，夕阳沉入了冬日大海的尽头。温的泪水滚滚而出，他也知道不止他一个人正在哭泣。十几个男女早已泣不成声，向着埃乐蒂妈妈伸出双手，恳求她的歌声。而她在舞台上轻轻摆动着身子，一曲将终。

The light filling the chamber dimmed as her voice grew softer and softer. The notes melted like snow in spring, sunset over a winter ocean. Tears flowed down Wyn’s face, and he knew he wasn’t the only one crying. Dozens of men and women wept, reaching toward Mama Elodie and imploring her to continue. She swayed on the stage, the song nearing completion.

慢慢地，慢慢地，她开始从舞台上的活板门缓缓下降。歌声愈发轻柔，渐渐转成了呢喃。

Slowly, so very slowly, she descended through a trapdoor into the stage until she was gone. Mama Elodie’s voice grew softer and softer, until it was little more than a whisper.

很快，呢喃也消散了。

Soon, even that was gone.

房间里陷入了彻底的黑暗。灯光重又缓缓亮起，温颤抖着呼出了一口气。他眨眨眼睛，适应着炼金灯熹微的光亮。埃乐蒂妈妈唱了多久？几个小时，还是几分钟？他根本无从得知。温觉得疲惫不堪，但同时又焕然一新。他的头脑变得轻飘飘的，肺里的空气也比以往更加清澈。他转头看向凯茨，发现她脸上也是重获新生的神情。在共同度过了这梦幻般的时刻后，人们微笑着相互拥抱致意，无论彼此是否相识。

The chamber was entirely dark now. Wyn let out a shuddering breath as the house lights gradually came up. He blinked as his eyes adjusted, seeing how low the chemlights had burned. How long had Mama Elodie’s song lasted? Hours? Minutes? He had no way of knowing for sure. Wyn felt exhausted, but renewed at the same time. His thoughts were lighter, his lungs feeling clearer than than they had in months. He turned to Kez, and saw she too felt the same sense of rejuvenation. The audience members were smiling; friends and strangers alike embracing in the shared magic of what they had just experienced.

尼克、费恩和简科凑了过来，几个人似乎都经历了灵魂的深刻洗礼。虽然温不知道具体的内容，但每个人的变化都显而易见。

Nico, Feen, and Janke came over, and every one of them had experienced some profound revelation. What that was, Wyn couldn’t know, but that every one of them felt changed was clear.

“你有没有……？”温说。

“Did you...?” said Wyn.

“嗯。”尼克说。

“Yeah,” said Nico.

五个祖安的孤儿抱在了一起。他们不知道这样心意相通的时刻将来是否还会再现，只能在当下紧紧拥抱着彼此。当他们分开时，才看到那两个门卫，气罐和滋啦手，正握着拳头站在一旁。气罐的鼻梁歪向一边。温觉得他变帅了。

They hugged, five orphans from Zaun, sharing a brief moment of belonging they would never know again. By the time they broke apart, it was to see the two doormen, Chem-Breath and Buzz-Arm, standing with their hands balled into fists. Chem-Breath’s nose was askew on his face. An improvement, thought Wyn.

“我是不是说过了，你们要回家去。”滋啦手说。

“I believe we told you to go home,” said Buzz-Arm.

“该死的地沟耗子。”气罐捂着还在流血的鼻子，恶狠狠地说：“还以为能耍我们是吧？”

“Bloody sump-rats,” snapped Chem-Breath, still nursing a bleeding nose. “Think they can give us the runaround.”

“你们该离开了。而且我没法保证一点都不痛。”滋啦手的语气差点儿就带上歉意了。

He thumped one meaty fist into his palm for extra emphasis.

“没那个必要。”他们身后传来一个悦耳的声音。

“It’s time for you to leave, and I can’t promise it won’t be painful,” said Buzz-Arm, sounding almost apologetic.

温不由得松了一口气。埃乐蒂妈妈把手放在了他的后颈上。她的手指很温暖，传来一阵舒缓人心的暖流。

“There’s no need for that,” said a melodious voice behind them.

“他们和您一起的吗？”气罐问。

Wyn let out a relieved breath as Mama Elodie put a hand on the back of his neck. Her fingers were warm and he felt a calming sensation flow through him at her touch.

“确实是的。”埃乐蒂妈妈说。

“They with you?” asked Chem-Breath.

两个门卫面面相觑，想要再多问两句，但他们很快得出了结论——当着这些如痴如醉的观众的面，和他们的头牌歌手争执显然不太明智。门卫退后几步，眼神却把他们五个人挨个儿盯了一遍，让他们明白这次算他们走运，逃过了一顿好打，但下次再敢来就真的是非常非常糟糕的主意了。

“They are indeed,” replied Mama Elodie.

温转过去面对着埃乐蒂妈妈。无论她刚才在台上织就了什么魔法，现在都已经烟消云散了。艾欧尼亚的公主不见了踪影，取而代之的是一位祖安的主妇。她看着他们，眼神严厉，有如铁石。

The two doormen looked as though they wanted to take this further, but came to the conclusion that arguing with the headline act in front of her bewitched audience probably wasn’t a good idea. The doormen backed away, making eye contact with each of the kids to let them know that they may have escaped a beating this time, but coming to Babette’s again would be a really bad idea.

“我真应该把你们交给那两人，让他们好好教训你们一顿。”她推着他们走向剧场的前门。几个孩子耷拉着脑袋，不敢在她的怒火面前开口。但是只有温捕捉到了她眼底一闪而过的笑意。即便这样，他也已经预见到了繁重的家务在等着他们。

Wyn turned to face Mama Elodie, but whatever magic she had woven on stage was now entirely absent. The Ionian princess was gone and the Zaunite housemistress was back. She glared at them with hard, flinty eyes.

“您真了不起。”凯茨说。埃乐蒂妈妈押着他们走出剧场，往落街方向走去。通向祖安的晚班升降机在那儿附近有一站，所以起码他们不用再冒险跳崖或者去爬长长的楼梯了。尼克、费恩和简科和他们挥手告别，因为他们年纪够了，可以自己决定什么时候回去。温倒不介意，他和凯茨还有埃乐蒂妈妈一起，正好一起乘着月光下去。

“I should have let them give you a good beating to teach you all a lesson,” she said, ushering them toward the front door of the theater. The others nodded in mute acceptance of her anger, but only Wyn caught the glint of amusement in her eye. Even so, Wyn could see a great deal of menial labor in all their futures.

“您在哪里学的唱歌呀？”凯茨问。

“You were amazing,” said Kez as Mama Elodie marched them from the theater and turned toward Drop Street. The late-running descender to Zaun had a station there, so at least they’d be spared more jumping onto elevators or a lot of stairs. Nico, Feen, and Janke waved and ran off, old enough to head home on their own without needing to ask permission. Wyn didn’t mind; he was with Kez and Mama Elodie, so he’d enjoy this moonlit descent to Hope House.

“我小时候，我母亲教的。”埃乐蒂妈妈说：“她是那种……老派的艾欧尼亚人，但她的歌声比我强太多了。”

“Where did you learn to sing like that?” asked Kez.

“那首歌很美。”温说。

“My mother taught me when I was a girl,” said Mama Elodie. “She was of... an old Ionian line, though her voice was far superior to mine.”

“瓦斯塔亚的每首歌都很美，但也非常忧伤。”埃乐蒂妈妈说。

“It was a beautiful song,” said Wyn.

“为什么？”温问道。

“All the vastaya songs are beautiful,” said Mama Elodie. “But they are also sad.”

“真正的美都是短暂的。所以为什么有一些歌伤感得让人没法演唱。”

“Why are they sad?” asked Wyn.

温不是很明白。为什么会有悲伤得唱不出来的歌呢？他想问多几句，但他们离巴蓓特越来越远，这些问题也就越发不重要了。

“True beauty is only beautiful because it is finite,” said Mama Elodie. “That is why some of their songs are too sad to sing now.”

他抬头看去，炼金灯和星光幽幽地照耀着这座铁玻璃城，也照耀着悬崖下回家的路。温看到一轮银月从云层后探出头来，他深深地吸了一口洁净的空气，心里明白短时间内恐怕是没有机会了。

Wyn didn’t really understand. How could a song be too sad to sing? He wanted to ask more, but the farther they walked from Babette’s, the less important it seemed.

“这一周接下来的地板和碗筷都是你们来负责了，不用我说了吧？”埃乐蒂妈妈问。

He looked up. Chemlights and reflected stars shimmered on the city of iron and glass as they navigated the cliffside streets toward home. Wyn saw a sliver of moonlight peeking out from behind the clouds, and took a deep breath of clean air, knowing it might be his last for a while.

温点点头，但他不在乎。他仍然牵着凯茨的手。一周的家务活根本微不足道。

“You know you’re all scrubbing floors and pots for the rest of the week, yes?” said Mama Elodie.

“当然。听起来不错。”他说。

Wyn nodded, but didn’t mind. He was still holding Kez’s hand. A week of scrubbing seemed like a small price to pay.

“Sure,” he said. “Sounds good.”