仙舟风物志 Travelogue on Xianzhou

一位博识学会成员对仙舟上下的考察笔记。 The research notes of an Intelligentsia Guild member on Xianzhou.

洞天 Delves

很多年前，我初次造访仙舟「罗浮」时，庞然的舰船给我留下了相当深刻的印象。

I remember being in awe of the Xianzhou Luofu's enormity when I first saw it years ago.

当我们乘坐的星舰逐渐靠近那艘「旗舰」，仙舟的轮廓第一次在同行乘客眼中变得清晰时，我听到身后传来一阵阵赞叹声，甚至低声的欢呼。这些巨舰如此庞大，且有着古怪但华丽的审美偏好…彼时我也已经算是见多识广了，但也在内心暗暗赞叹仙舟的第一印象。

The starship that we were on inched closer and closer to the "flagship," until the Xianzhou's outline became visible to us passengers. That was when I heard people gasping in awe behind me. Some of them even started cheering softly. The ship was so majestic in its enormity that it projected an aesthetic aura that was strange and yet splendorous. As seasoned a traveler as I was, I found myself helplessly enamored by the sense of wonder the Xianzhou had left on me.

但在登陆港口前，我注意到了一个惊人的事实：以文明的体量而言，仙舟旗舰未免也太小了。

But just before arriving at the port, I made a startling discovery. The Xianzhou flagship might be a bit too tiny to house any civilization of note.

在辽阔的银河之中，建立在人造物上的文明不胜枚举。整个恒星系连缀成一片的巨构建筑群，一眼望不到边的人造行星，围绕着黑洞建立的环形城市…无论是哪一种情况，都需要一个真正意义上巨大的人造物，来维持其上有机体所必须的生活空间和生态环境。

Throughout the vast expanse of the cosmos, there exist innumerable civilizations entirely established on artificial entities. A massive building complex formed by linking an entire star system together, a sea of artificial planets that seem to have no boundaries, a ring-shaped metropolis built around a black hole... No matter what the specific case it might be, maintaining a habitat and ecosystem — which are prerequisites for supporting any living organism — requires a genuinely enormous infrastructure to be built.

与这些动辄横跨星河的巨构造物相比，仙舟旗舰实在是太小了。博识学会一些语焉不详的历史记载中，仙舟原本是一支拜谒星神的船队，不过即便是按现存数目之谱，六艘仙舟也不足以承载一个强盛的星际文明所需的生存空间吧。

Compared with these gargantuan creations that could easily span entire galaxies, the Xianzhou flagship is simply too tiny. Some historical records from the Intelligentsia Guild have vaguely stated how the Xianzhou ship was once part of a fleet of vessels that were sent to visit Aeons. But even going by the number of all the currently remaining ships, six such Xianzhou ships would still be far from enough to provide the necessary space for any powerful interstellar civilization to survive.

然而，等到我们的渡船驶入港口，同行乘客完成了天舶司复杂的手续，实际踏上仙舟「罗浮」后，以上这些唐突的感叹又很快变成了笑话。

However, when we finally moved into the port, went through all those labyrinthine boarding procedures with the Sky-Faring Commission, and eventually set foot on the Xianzhou Luofu, all preconceived doubts about the viability of the Xianzhou ship suddenly became comically unwarranted.

进入「罗浮」上被称为「星槎海」的繁荣空港时，我怀疑自己的距离感产生了混乱——毫无疑问，这片「星槎海」肉眼所见的一切空间，是足以填满整艘「罗浮」的。奇异的行星高挂在天上，与我在外层空间看到的景象完全不同。这是某种幻术吗？

When I got to the bustling skyport that is the Luofu's Starskiff Haven, I started to question if my spatial sense had gone completely haywire. Without a doubt, all this visible space in Starskiff Haven is enough to fill up the entire Luofu. Strange planets were hanging up high in the sky. Everything looked completely different from the view on the outside. What kind of sorcery was this?

随行的天舶司接渡使带着职业化的微笑告诉我，许多化外民第一次抵达时都这么吃惊。这便是仙舟人所谓的「洞天」奇景。

An Amicassador from the Sky-Faring Commission welcomed me with a professionally-trained smile and told me that many outworlders were just as amazed on their visit. The marvel I had just witnessed was simply referred to as "delve" by the locals on the Xianzhou.

随后几周，我造访了仙舟上的其他「洞天」——我觉得，倒不如说是仙舟「船舱」。这些洞天大小不一、形态各异，但都绝不是一艘舰船可以容纳的规模。有些洞天中容纳了长乐天这样的繁华街区，另一些则容纳了永狩原这样生机勃勃的辽阔原野……

In the weeks that followed, I visited several other delves on the Xianzhou ship, or should I say, the cabins of the Xianzhou. These delves all varied in size and shape, but they were all on a scale that was just too large for any normal ship to contain. Some of these delves could hold up entire commercial districts, such as Exalting Sanctum, while others could even contain vast luxuriant prairies like the Ever-Hunt Plains.

我的理性告诉我，即便问具体原理，对方也不会回答。如果不是什么视觉骗局，那么这多半是某种超乎想像的空间折叠技术——「洞天」，哼哼，换个名字便有了一番异国情调。

By simple logic, I knew these people here would never disclose to me the exact principles at work in these delves. If this wasn't just a visual facade, then it probably was some kind of mind-blowing space-folding technology. "Delve." Hmph. They just called it a different name to make it sound more exotic.

空间折叠并非什么新鲜玩意儿，大到旅行，小到收纳，许多文明都有自己的空间折叠手段。但是，像仙舟一样如此大规模地使用空间折叠技术作为日常生活的基石，却仍是罕见的。理由也很简单：折叠空间的体积与其所耗能源成正比，而这对绝大多数文明来说，这笔开销都是不可承受的天文数字。但仙舟人轻易做到了这一点，这样的力量毫无疑问与星神有关。

Space folding is hardly anything new. On a large scale, it can be used for space travel, and when done on a smaller scale, it can be used as a means of storage. Many civilizations have developed their own methods of space folding. But it is still very rare to see such ubiquitous usage of space-folding technology on a scale so large that it has become a cornerstone of Xianzhou's daily life. The reason why this is particularly difficult to accomplish is surprisingly simple. The level of energy required to fold space grows in proportion to the volume of the space being folded. For most civilizations, the cost of pulling this off would just be too astronomical. But the people of Xianzhou have achieved this so effortlessly, the power behind which must have something to do with the Aeons.

博识尊在上，若能更进一步探查，也许就有机会理解仙舟是如何创造这样的异空间。我的发现必定可以为博识学会创造巨大的经济效益。

By Nous, if given a chance to further examine this closely, I would perhaps be able to comprehend how Xianzhou managed to create such unusual dimensions. My discovery would definitely bring enormous economic benefits for the Intelligentsia Guild.

星槎 Starskiff

说起进入罗浮仙舟的第一印象，很多人脑海里想象的都是「星槎」犹如鱼群或飞鸟在玉界门川流不息的样子——

Speaking of the first impressions of the Xianzhou Luofu, many people would first think of the starskiffs that flow endlessly at the Jade Gate like a huge school of fish or a flock of birds.

不，飞行器川流不息没什么稀奇的。我在唐怀瑟星门旁见到过飞船大堵塞的壮观场景，我也见过朋克洛德空中出租车的样子。但当这些优雅的小舢板滑过绿玉般的飞檐时，我确实感受到了异邦的文化冲击。

Nah, an endless stream of flying vessels is nothing unusual. I've once witnessed the traffic jams of spaceships at Tannhauser's portal and the flying taxicabs in Punklorde. But it was still quite a culture shock to witness these elegant skiffs gliding past the jade-green eaves.

在仙舟人的语言里，他们把所有拥有飞行能力的载具都称为「星槎」，就跟我们称呼「飞船」似的。不过根据我这段时间的调查，狭义的星槎应该专门指那种民用的、尖角流线型、只往返于仙舟星区境内的小型载人飞行器。

In the Xianzhou language, they refer to any vehicle that can fly as a "starskiff," much like how we call them "spaceships." However, based on the research I have conducted thus far, the term "starskiff" also has a more limited use case, where it specifically refers to those small passenger aircraft that have a streamlined design with a pointy end and are only for civilian usage within the Xianzhou's delves.

在我抵达仙舟的若干个标准月里，这些星槎屡屡载我穿梭在不同的洞天之间。负责接待我的接渡使是个美貌的狐人少女（天知道也许她比我奶奶年纪还大），她曾露出循循善诱的笑容，问我要不要试着驾驶一下星槎：「很简单的，在罗浮上，四十来岁的小年轻都知道怎么驾驶它…」我摸了摸自己的秃顶，笑着回绝了。

In the standardized months since I arrived at Xianzhou, these starskiffs have shuttled me around to different delves. The Amicassador accompanying me was a beautiful foxian girl (God knows, she might even be older than my grandmother). Then, she gave me an encouraging smile and asked if I wanted to try my hand at piloting a starskiff. "It's fairly simple, really. Here on the Luofu, it's natural for any young person around the age of 40 to know how to pilot one." I rubbed my bald head and simply smiled back as I turned down her offer.

在闲暇之余，我仔细观察了这些星槎的结构，其尾部安置着某种结构简单的反重力设备——形如一枚玉器（接渡使告诉我，那东西叫「玦轮」）。有意思的是，我没能在船身上看到明显的结构拼接的痕迹，从船底到甲板再到舷首浑然一体。这样的制造技术，唤起了我的好奇心，不过直到六个月后受邀参观「迴星港」时，这好奇才得到了解答。

In my free time, I got to closely examine the design of these starskiffs, and I found out that their sterns were all equipped with a type of basic anti-gravity device that had the appearance of a jade piece. (The Amicassador informed me this was known as a "jade wheel.") It was quite intriguing that I could not spot any visible traces of the ship being pieced together. From the bottom to the deck and to the bow, the entire body of the vessel seemed to come in just one single piece. This kind of manufacturing technology piqued my curiosity, but I didn't get an answer until I got an invitation to visit the Stargazer Navalia six months later.

在那里，我见到了星槎流水线。不是由复杂的工业机械臂阵列组成，而是一系列培养基，或者说盆栽皿构成的。他们的船只制造流程比起机械制造业，更像是一种「培植植物盆栽」的仿生技术流水线。所谓船只龙骨、龙筋、甲板等一系列部件都由「种子」在培养基中生长出来，最终造就了浑如一体的星槎。

It was there that I got to see the starskiff assembly line. These ships weren't manufactured by some convoluted array of industrialized machinery. Rather, it was a series of petri dishes, or perhaps I should say they were more like pots for growing plants. These ships are made in a bionic assembly line that is more comparable to plant cultivation than it is to industrialized manufacturing. The ship's skeleton, hull, deck, and all other parts were all made from seeds grown in petri dishes, which were eventually made into a starskiff as one.

单纯从航天技术的先进程度来看，我认为星际和平公司的载具毫不逊色。但从需求量和制造速度来看，我也多少能理解为何公司的舰船没有在仙舟普及开来。

In terms of the advancement of space flight technology, I'm of the opinion that Interastral Peace Corporation's vessels are not inferior to these. Nevertheless, I can also see why the IPC's ships aren't more common in Xianzhou, judging from the perspective of demand and production speed.

地衡司 Realm-Keeping Commission

对于化外民而言，地衡司无疑是最常接触的司部。

Without a doubt, the Realm-Keeping Commission is the one department that outworlders get to interact with the most.

在路上盘查居留证的是地衡司、上门调查人口的是地衡司、在各大节日庆典上维持秩序的是地衡司、在街上抓小偷的是地衡司、在永狩原考察生态的是地衡司、在仙舟途经强引力星体时颁布最新「星时制」的也是地衡司……

Checking resident cards on the streets? That's the Realm-Keeping Commission's job. Doing surveys for census records? That's the Realm-Keeping Commission's job. What about maintaining order for major festivals and ceremonies, arresting thieves, and inspecting the ecosystem of the Ever-Hunt Plains? These are once again within the purview of the Realm-Keeping Commission. Finally, which department is in charge of issuing the updated star-time standard when the Xianzhou is passing through the strong gravitational pull of a celestial body? You guessed it, it's the Realm-Keeping Commission...

化外民和地衡司的接触如此频繁，以至于有那么一段时间，我不禁怀疑这篇考察文章根本就是多余的，任何人只要在仙舟上住些时日，自然能对地衡司的职能如数家珍。

Outworlders interact with the Realm-Keeping Commission so frequently that there was a time when I couldn't help but wonder if these notes about the commission were superfluous. Anyone who stayed on the Xianzhou long enough would naturally become familiar with the functions of the Realm-Keeping Commission.

可是，当我坐下来来仔细审视地衡司时，却发现地衡司是一个非常奇怪的组织。

But when I sat down and examined the Realm-Keeping Commission in detail, I discovered that it turned out to be a highly unusual organization.

翻阅他们公开发行的官方文件——比如每个化外民都会收到的《化外民趣味法律宝典》和因内容荒谬而广为流传的政绩宣传纪录片《守护星槎海》，你所看到的地衡司，或者说地衡司呈现给你的样貌，都是一个标准的执法部门。

If you were to flip through some of their publicly released official materials — such as "A Collection of Interesting Outworlder Laws," which every outworlder would get upon arrival, and "Protecting Starskiff Haven," the commission's self-celebratory propagandist documentary, which only went viral due to its absurdity — you might think, or rather the commission wants you to think, that they are just a typical law enforcement agency.

可是，当你审视他们的实际工作，却会发现他们的工作范围广到不可理喻。

However, when you take a closer look at what they actually do, you'll find that the scope of their work is mind-boggling.

治安、消防、人口、历法…建制齐全的政府部门很难同时具有以上众多职能。

Public security, firefighting, population statistics, calendar system... Even a fully staffed government department would be hard-pressed to take on all these duties.

另有一点，我觉得颇为奇怪：地衡司在名义上负责处理仙舟的普通刑事案件（重案似乎是十王司的工作），可大部分普通刑事案件的抓捕行动却是由云骑兵负责的。同样，地衡司在名义上负责颁布历法，可数据收集是天舶司的工作，而数据推算则是太卜司的工作。

Another thing that I found to be particularly unusual. The Realm-Keeping Commission is nominally in charge of handling misdemeanor cases in Xianzhou (felony cases seem to fall under the jurisdiction of the Ten-Lords Commission). But in the vast majority of misdemeanor cases, arrests are actually made by the Cloud Knights. Likewise, the Realm-Keeping Commission is the one department nominally responsible for releasing the calendar system, yet the data collection work is actually done by the Sky-Faring Commission and the data extrapolation is handled by the Divination Commission.

根据我收集的资料来看，地衡司对外展示的面貌，就是替所有司部打杂、为兄弟机关善后的职能部门，换句话来说就是「下水道」。他们辛苦劳累，为了仙舟上所有人平静的生活而忙得团团转……

Based on the documents that I've sourced, the Realm-Keeping Commission presents itself to the public as a body that does odd jobs and offers support for all other departments. To put it bluntly, it functions like a sewer into which all the work flows, always working hard so that everyone else on the Xianzhou may continue their peaceful way of life...

然而，真的是这样吗？难道世上会有这么一群人，就甘愿为了别人的幸福而辛劳吗？我想肯定不会是这样简单。

Is that actually the case, though? Is there a group of individuals who are prepared to endure everything for the happiness of others? In my opinion, it can't possibly be this simple.

基于我的社会常识推测，人们实际上弄反了地衡司和各司部之间的关系。地衡司并不是所有司部的下属，而是所有司部的实质上级。

Based on my basic understanding of how human society operates, I'm of the opinion that people have in fact misconstrued the relationship between the Realm-Keeping Commission and all other departments. The Realm-Keeping Commission must have been superior to all other departments, contrary to what most people would have you believe.

他们遍布社会的各个角落——从穷街陋巷到象牙塔顶，辛苦的执法者是他们，伏案的学者是他们，幕后的操控者依然是他们。在仙舟上，没有任何人逃得过地衡司的眼睛，因为他们是明牌的间谍，堂而皇之地站在我们当中，而我们却对此视而不见。

Members of this commission can be found in every corner of society, from rundown ports to the ivory tower. They are the executive branch of the law, they are the hard-working scholars, and they are the scheming masterminds behind the scenes. On Xianzhou, no one can evade the watchful eye of the Realm-Keeping Commission as they are the officially licensed spies. We just can't spot them, even if they are standing right before us in plain sight.

想到这里，我不禁感到有些悚然，冷汗沾满了脊背。

When I start to think about all this, I can't help but feel a chill running down my spine.

工造司 Artisanship Commission

在外界看来，仙舟总是一个充满了神秘色彩的地方。外界关于仙舟制造的故事，也总有强烈的传说色彩。

For outsiders, Xianzhou is a place filled with mysteries. And legendary tales about Xianzhou's manufacturing sector are quite widespread.

但实际上，工造司的工业流水线与其他文明并无二致。唯一称得上神秘的一点是，仙舟社会极为缓慢的新陈代谢，以及其特殊的封闭性，使得他们在一些风俗上较为「存古」。

But the reality is that the Artisanship Commission's industrial assembly line is no different from all those that can be found in any other civilization. The only parts that can be described as mysterious are how incredibly slow the Xianzhou people's metabolisms are and how unusually closed off the commission is with the outside world, thus making some of their customs quite antiquated.

记得初到仙舟的那段时间，我经常被这个文明极为古怪的风俗习惯搞得摸不着头脑。也许大部分曾在仙舟居住过的化外民都可以认同的我的话——最早令我们感到困惑的，毫无疑问就是那些工造司的造物。

I remember how often I would be left scratching my head at the extreme oddities of Xianzhou customs when I first arrived. I think most outworlders who have lived on Xianzhou before know exactly what I mean. What bewildered us first were, without a doubt, those creations made by the Artisanship Commission.

当时，我想简单地买一个便携照明装置，作为住所应急防灾储备的一部分。可走遍了商店的每一个货架，我却依然找不到自己需要的东西——一个普通的手电筒就可以，一个从远古到现代，设计就没怎么改变过的、随处可见的、用于应急照明的小型电器。

All I wanted was to buy a portable lighting device that could be used as one of my disaster response gadgets. I walked by all the shelves in the store and still couldn't find what I needed. Any kind of basic flashlight would have been fine. I just wanted a small device with a design that has basically remained the same from the ancient past to our modern age, a device that you can find anywhere and that can emit light in emergencies.

最终，在一位店员的帮助下，我找到了仙舟上最「普通」的手电筒。

I ultimately found the most "normal" flashlight on Xianzhou with the help of a store clerk.

工造司将它制造成了一条鱼的形状，镂空的鱼腹可以发光，还能按照不同的需求发出不同强度、不同方向的光。我拎着鱼背上的把手，心中充满了疑问。似乎在仙舟人看来，这只是一个「普通」的照明用具，可按照我的标准来看，这是一个繁复华丽到可以称之为艺术品的…手电筒。

The Artisanship Commission created this flashlight device in the shape of a fish, with its belly done as an open framework that could emit light. This flashlight could also produce light of adjustable intensity and emit it from different directions. As I grabbed the handle located on the fish's back, questions swirled in my mind. People on Xianzhou seemingly believed that this was a "normal" device for providing illumination. But this product just seemed so intricate and sophisticated to me that I would even call it a work of art... of a flashlight.

在随后的一段时间里，我开始收集这些仙舟上工造司制造的「普通」电器，再寄到博识学会去研究。从反馈回来的报告上来看，学者们大多对这种过度包装的习气不太理解。

Not long after that purchase, I started to collect these "normal" devices that were manufactured by the Artisanship Commission. I would then send what I found to the Intelligentsia Guild for further research. Judging from the feedback I received in their reports, most of the scholars didn't quite understand this custom of making objects overly decorative.

我印象最深的莫过于在其中一封报告中，作者写道：「这个金属制成的小兽做工非常精良。很难想象他们如何将如此精密的运动模块缩小到这种地步。最为引人注目的是，它不依靠任何能源，而是仅靠风力驱动，就能栩栩如生地活动起来。但有一点尚不明确：这件器物的用途是什么？也许和小兽身上的铃铛有关？」

One report in particular left the strongest impression on me. The author wrote, "The craftsmanship of this miniature metallic beast is excellent. It is difficult to imagine how they were able to make a moving module of this precision so small. What draws my attention the most is how this device does not require any internal power source. It merely requires wind power to come to life. However, one thing still remains puzzling to me. What is the purpose of this device? Maybe it has something to do with the bell on the beast's body?"

我这位可怜的同行被工造司的奇技淫巧搞花了眼。实际上，他离正确答案已经很近了，那个「金属小兽」，就是一个「铃铛」。仙舟人把它挂在店门口充当门铃，或是挂在院子中当做装饰，仅此而已。

My poor colleague had been overwhelmed by the lavishness of the Artisanship Commission's brilliant skills. In reality, the author of the report was not far off the mark. This "miniature metallic beast" was indeed meant to serve as a bell. The Xianzhou people use them as doorbells or hang them in their yards as decorative pieces. That's it.

毫无疑问，这种给器物增加华丽装饰（有时装饰甚至比器物本身更精密）的风俗，就是源自于仙舟「存古」的传统。从他们离开母星、探索宇宙、获得不死，到他们和外界广泛接触，对我们而言这是一段极为漫长的时间，而对他们来说不过是几代人的光景罢了。

It is clear that the practice of adding ornamental features to ordinary objects (at times the decorative parts were made to a greater degree of precision than the object itself) stems from an antiquated Xianzhou tradition. To us, it seems like an eternity ago when they first left their home planet. But for them, it has been just a few generations ever since they gained immortality.

所以，那些早已失去了实际意义的旧时代风俗，也作为一种「共同记忆」传承到了今天。

So, even if these customs from the Old Era have long lost their practical meaning, they can still serve as shared memories, passed down for generations.

工造司尤为重视这种传统，这一点从他们所热衷的各种仪式中就能看出来。

The Artisanship Commission in particular values this tradition, which is apparent from their deep interest in a wide variety of ceremonies.

新生产线制造出第一个产品，要举行仪式；旧生产线制造出最后一个产品，也要举行仪式；新工坊落成，要举行仪式；旧工坊拆除，也要举行仪式…工造司可能并不信仰除了自己技术以外的任何事物，但这并不妨碍他们对于各种仪式的热衷。

A ceremony would be held for the first product manufactured on a new assembly line. A ceremony would also be held for the final product of an assembly line that is being put out of commission. There is a ceremony for newly opened shops and there is one for old workshops going out of business. The Artisanship Commission perhaps may not have faith in anything other than their own technology, but that does not damper their passion for holding ceremonies.

而出于工造司的这种风俗习惯，即使是他们随手创造的小物件，也会精妙到不可思议。因此我想，为了更长远的利益，对工造司的技术进行进一步研究，是十分有必要的。

The Artisanship Commission has a propensity to turn even the most minor objects into breathtakingly wonderful pieces of art. I am therefore convinced that it is necessary for us to research the Artisanship Commission's techniques further for potential long-term benefits.

玉兆 Jade Abacus

无论在民间还是官方，「玉兆」都有着相当广泛的运用。

The jade abacus has seen wide usage among both the government and common folks in general.

我曾询问一位太卜司的前卜者：「所谓『大衍穷观阵』究竟是什么？」

I once asked a diviner who used to work for the Divination Commission this question — "What exactly is this Matrix of Prescience Ultima?"

那位前卜者回答我：「其实没什么了不起的，只是由无数『玉兆』连缀而成的阵法罢了。」

"It's nothing special, to be honest. Just countless jade abaci linked together to form a matrix." the former diviner replied.

「其实没什么了不起的」，这句话在化外民耳中听来，大概是一种令人反感的炫耀吧。但我在仙舟上也算是待了很长一段时间，此人所言非虚。看看那些佩戴玉佩玉镯的仙舟人，他们身上华丽的玉石首饰其实就是民用型号的玉兆。

"It's nothing special, to be honest." This sentence has a showiness that could be considered revolting by outworlders. But my time on the Xianzhou ship allowed me to know that this diviner is telling the truth. Looking at the jade pendants and bracelets the people of Xianzhou wear, I can tell that their gorgeous jade jewelry is just the civilian version of jade abaci.

而且据我观察，这些首饰外观的玉兆，拥有着不输给其他任何民用计算机的强大性能。

And based on my observations, these jade abaci that are in the form of jewelry have a powerful level of performance that is on par with any other commonly available personal computer.

我并非是研究计算机科学的专家，于是，我将几块玉兆寄给了博识学会精于此道的同行。不久后，那人回信道：「陶德，我只看到几块宝石，你说的计算机在哪里？」嗨，要是我能明白，我也不必麻烦他了。

I am not an expert in computer science, and so I sent some jade abaci over to a colleague in the Intelligentsia Guild who specializes in that field. Later, they sent me a response, "Todd, all I see are some pieces of jade. Where are those computers you were talking about?" If I knew, then I wouldn't have needed to bother him.

在一段时间调查之后，他为我揭示了玉兆的机密——从原理上来讲，玉兆是一种晶石计算机。

After doing some investigating, he finally unearthed the secret of the jade abacus. In principle, the jade abacus is a type of crystal computer.

如果你拆开一个玉兆仔细研究，就会发现它也存在着半导体芯片相近的纹路，仙舟将这种技艺叫作「篆刻」。但即便纹路上刻录了能用的程序，但博识学会的同行始终检测不到类似电讯号传输的现象。

If you were to take apart a jade abacus and do a close inspection, you would find that there are lines similar to semiconductor chips. This kind of technique is known as "carving" in Xianzhou. Even though we found the lines carved into the jade contained executable programs, my colleague at the Intelligentsia Guild could not find any signals being transmitted.

我那位同行原话是这样说的：

This is what he said:

「我曾经见识过很多液体甚至气体的计算机，同样看不到任何计算机应有的结构，但却能发挥出极为强大的计算能力。可是，液体和气体计算机能够实现这样的性能，是因为液体和气体有着相对灵活的分子结构，可以按照需要即时地完成各种变换。而我并没有在玉兆的矿石结构上检验出类似的物理属性。它仿佛就是一块单纯的顽石，忽然被自然万物点化出了灵性。」

"I have seen many liquid-based and even gas-based computers that simply lack the structure that computers are supposed to have. But they are capable of performing powerful computations at scale because liquids and gases have a relatively flexible molecular structure, meaning they can be translocated in any way by design. I haven't discovered any similar physical properties in the structure of this jade ore. It is as if this jade was just a dumb rock that has suddenly been transformed into something heavenly by the forces of nature."

尽管我的同行摩拳擦掌，还想着继续深入地拆解结构。但是，我有了新的灵感：既然我们没能在玉兆上找到任何提供运算能力的元件，这其实意味着，玉兆并不完整，还需要其他元件补全。

My colleague was more than eager to continue dissecting the jade's structure, but I had a new stroke of inspiration. Since we cannot find any components that are supplying computing power, then that must mean the jade abacus is incomplete. It needs other elements to become whole.

这使得我产生了一个颇为疯狂的猜想（我发现自己很喜欢用「疯狂的猜想」这种说法）…玉兆本质上是一种量子通讯元件，整个仙舟联盟上数以千万计的玉兆之间存在着超距作用。那么，又是什么为玉兆提供了运算能力呢？

With this revelation, I made a wild guess (I just realized that I love using the phrase "wild guess")... The jade abacus itself is a certain type of quantum communication component. There was a force that existed among the tens of millions of jade abaci throughout the Xianzhou Alliance. The question is, what is supplying the computing power to all these jade abaci with?

也许很多人不知道，哺乳动物的大脑是宇宙中最完美的计算机之一。「天才俱乐部」的黑塔，她大脑的强大运算能力也受限于那一块蛋白球中，无法逾越硬件的桎梏。

Perhaps there are many people who don't know that mammalian brains are one of the universe's most perfect computers. Herta of the Genius Society has a powerful brain with computing abilities that are only limited by the blob of proteins between her ears. She can't advance beyond the constraints of her hardware.

可如果有一种方法，可以让千万颗大脑连接在一起，在亚空间中开辟出神经系统般复杂精致的信息通道，让万千的智慧与知识如汹涌的水脉般汇聚在一起，百川入海。而这万千颗大脑不仅意味着万千人脑中存放的信息，更意味着万千人的运算能力——那些思维活动曾是湖面上的涟漪，现在却成为了滔天巨浪，汹涌翻滚着的每一片水沫都蕴藏着数以亿计的神经突触释放电流、传递信息，观测、记录、运算……

But if there were a way that millions of brains could be linked together to create a complex and refined communications network like a nervous system that stretched across space, it would allow the intelligence and knowledge of those millions of people to converge together like surging rivers rushing out to sea. These millions of minds linked together would not just mean millions of minds' worth of information stored on this neural network. It would also mean that there is computing power that is at a level equal to the combined power of all these brains. A thought that once was a ripple on a lake would now be an enormous wave, every single drop of which contains hundreds of millions of synapses, releasing electronic currents and transmitting information, observations, memories, calculations...

没错，在我的猜想中，仙舟借由玉兆将人与人直接相连。他们通过这样的手段观测着整个仙舟，记录每一个受造物，运算出此后的每一个瞬间，洞若观火。换言之，玉兆并不是一种晶石计算机，而是一种量子•生物计算机。

Yes. I believe that Xianzhou utilizes jade abaci to directly link people together. They use this kind of method to observe all of Xianzhou and record every creation. They can even calculate every moment in history. Everything is clear to them. In other words, the jade abacus isn't a kind of crystal computer. Rather, it is a type of bio-quantum computer.

博识学会相关专业领域的同行听完我的猜想后哈哈大笑，仿佛我是没有智力的爬虫。我倒是希望他可以更进一步查明这种技术的奥秘…如果量子•生物计算机能应用于博识学会，就能使整个庞大的学会变成一体的学者——足以觐见智识的星神。

After my Intelligentsia Guild colleague from the computer science field heard my conjecture, he burst into laughter, like I was some kind of brainless reptile. I just hope that he can ultimately unearth the secrets of this technology... If bio-quantum computers could be applied to the Intelligentsia Guild, then this massive academic association would become a single scholar whose wisdom would be worthy of an audience with the Aeon of Erudition.

博识学会从来就主张「一切知识必须如货币般流通」，这必然是一种效率最高的实现方法。

The Intelligentsia Guild has always believed that "All knowledge must flow like currency." This would be the most efficient way to make that happen.

长生种，其一 Long-life Species I

克利欧，见信安好：

Cleo,

首先我声明，鄙人主动放弃以本文向克利欧学士索取任何稿酬的权利。

I hope this letter finds you well.

好了，你就把这篇当成是一个老糊涂发泄挫败感的牢骚吧。在成行前，你反复问过我，为什么这把年纪还要接下这趟来「罗浮」的任务，我当时……很抱歉，我不记得当时怎么说的了。但我想我还是得郑重地答复你一下。

First and foremost, I hereby declare: I voluntarily relinquish any right to claim remuneration from Scholar Cleo regarding this article.

我知道，学会差我们来此，是为了有利可图的学术交流，而不是为了听我们在报告里一遍遍复述仙舟的风景。但在「长生」这个关键问题上，我和我的前任们一样，迄今唯一的斩获就只是看看风景。

Now, pretend this is a list complaining about all the setbacks of a foolish old coot like me. Before the trip, you kept asking me why I took on this Luofu mission at my age. Back then, I... I'm sorry, I don't remember what I told you at the time. But I know that I still owe you a sincere reply.

我来「罗浮」已将近12个标准月了——按照仙舟人的星历，一年已逝。我不顾腰椎间盘突出参加了星槎海热闹的「海市庆典」；我在接渡使的引介下喝了「苏打豆汁」这种堪称文化遗产的东西（它被称为遗产不是没有理由的，想像一下一碗放了一百年的发酵饮料，嚯，在仙舟人的生命尺度里一百年也不算很久）；我去丹鼎司接受「金针刺穴」的治疗，感觉年轻了二十岁，又能挨上几下家里老太婆的锅铲……

I know that the academy sent us here to engage in the profitable exchange of information, not to hear us ceaselessly repeat in our reports about the beautiful sights aboard the Xianzhou. But regarding the key issue of longevity, I'm like my predecessors whose only success has been managing to take in those beautiful sights.

在所有这些毫无意义的行动后，我应该像我失败的前任那样，提出那个至关重要的问题：「有什么办法，将我这个骨质疏松、记忆力衰退、皮肤皱的像一张旧床单的老头，重新变回年轻时的状态，再让我痛痛快快活上一千年——就像你们仙舟人那样？」

It's been almost 12 standardized months since I came to the Luofu — so one year has passed according to the Xianzhou star calendar. I've partied at the Grand Fair in Starskiff Haven, despite the herniated disc in my back; I've drunk the cultural heritage phenomenon of mung bean soda, as recommended by Amicassadors (and when I say cultural heritage, just imagine what a hundred-year fermentation process it is — it's nothing to the Xianzhou natives!); and I've been to the Alchemy Commission for their acupuncture therapy. I feel as though I'm 20 years younger! Still good for another few whacks from the old lady's turner!

我没有问，是的，克利欧，我一个字都没有说出口。这就是我为什么还能坐在这里一边喝茶，一边写下这堆牢骚的原因。

After all of these meaningless activities, I should have, as my failed predecessor should have, posed this crucial question: "How can I, with my osteoporosis, failing memory, skin sagged like an empty beanbag... How can I return to the days of my youth, and live out another thousand years of life — just like you folks here on Xianzhou do?"

全宇宙的智慧生命都想活下去，永葆青春。我们一边为生命的苦难痛不欲生；一边扪心自问，机会来了咱们一定得活的更久一些。

I never asked it though, Cleo — I never said a word. And that's why I'm sitting here sipping tea and writing up all of these letters of repine.

但若不借助科技，大部分灵长目智慧生命都会在短短百年不到的时间里自然衰老、死去。除了少数种族——那些被称为「长生种」的人类亚种。

All the intelligent beings in the universe want the secret to everlasting youth. Whilst we overwhelm ourselves with the suffering of life, we search inside ourselves and say: When our chance comes, we must take it and extend our lifespans.

受某位星神一时兴起的赐福（通常是药师），有些灵长目智慧生命跨越了死亡为血肉凡胎划定的界限。他们拥有漫长的寿命，繁衍成灾。更要命的是，他们侵略成性，肆意洗劫诸界资源，乃至改造其生态。你想必对这些民族熟悉的很，「丰饶之民」。

Yet without the help of technology, most intelligent hominids naturally wither and fade within the span of a hundred years. Except for a few races — those human subspecies known as long-life species.

关于丰饶之民，博识学会的研究项目不算少（就我所知，其中一些毫无人道可言，当然和丰饶民谈人道，也许是我多虑了）。学士们的结论是相同的，「丰饶之民」的延命方法与其基因特征密切相关——生噬同类、输入异兽血液、成为集群生物的巢、又或者以冬眠和蜕鳞的方式修复身体……大部分丰饶民在唾手可得永生的同时，往往心智沦丧，形如恶兽（就算剑齿虎能星际旅行，他们造成的恐慌也不会比丰饶民更深）。学会就算寻得其中的秘密，也没法将之商业化——有钱人压根不会为不做人的长生疗法买单的！

Blessed by a whimsy Aeon (usually Yaoshi), the lives of some intelligent hominids cross that threshold set for them by death. They possess a long lifespan, and multiply in disastrous quantities. What's more worrying is their natural aggression in plundering resources from various homeworlds, sometimes completely converting entire ecosystems. You must be pretty familiar with these lifeforms: The Denizens of Abundance.

最后，学会把目光转向了更文明的长生种——仙舟联盟。同为长生种，他们却和丰饶之民互为死敌，鏖战不休。仙舟联盟看起来能理性沟通，所以我们是不是可以花点钱，向他们买来长生的秘密？

These Denizens of Abundance have no small volume of literature researched about them by the Intelligentsia Guild (as far as I know, many are utterly inhumane, but of course, Abundance don't listen to reason). The researchers have all reached the same conclusion: The life-extension protocols of the Denizens of Abundance are intrinsically connected to their genetic make-up — cannibalism, interspecies blood transfusions, a hive mentality, rejuvenation via hibernation or molting... Despite easy access to longevity, most of the Denizens of Abundance lose their minds as they warp into twisted beasts (even if those saber-toothed tigers have somehow had access to interstellar travel, they would have caused less panic than the Denizens of Abundance do). Even if the Guild uncovers their secrets, nobody could commercialize it — rich people will never stump up the cost of treatment for inhuman long-living!

哼，资源交换、政治斡旋、贸易战……能用的手段都完蛋了，只换来了定期的学术交流。学会依然不打算放弃，还把我们的这样的倒霉蛋源源不断地送上仙舟。学术交流？拜托，我们就差在脑袋上写上「间谍」两个字了。仙舟人难道不知道我们的意图？难道他们会在街边拉家常时，一不小心说漏嘴？难不成管理学派的大师们都是白痴？

In the end, the Intelligentsia Guild turned their research toward a more civilized long-life species: The Xianzhou Alliance. They are mortal enemies locked in eternal combat against their fellow long-life species, the Denizens of Abundance. The Alliance seems rational, can we invest some money in learning the secret to long life from them?

克利欧，真抱歉，发了那么多牢骚，也许我才是那个白痴。我明知这是个不可能完成的任务，但我还是来了。因为我不再是当年为你上课的那个中年人——我老了，我的关节不再听使唤，里面长出了一蓬铁蒺藜，每当我从椅子上起身时就要诅咒这个宇宙。他妈的，为什么，为什么科技无论如何进步，关节炎却永远没法治疗呢？我真后悔拒绝了公司提供的赛博化医保方案，那时候的我太骄傲了，总觉得自己和衰老无缘。

Hmph, resource exchange, political mediation, trade wars... They have exhausted all possible methods to achieve nothing but regular academic exchanges. The Guild still doesn't plan on giving up, and keeps sending a stream of silly, cursed fools like us aboard the Xianzhou. Academic exchanges? Please, we might as well have the word "SPY" carved onto our foreheads. Do you really think the Xianzhou people don't get what we're up to? Will they just spill the beans while out doing grocery? Is it possible the masters governing the schools are all in fact idiots?

但我错了，我希望能在咽气之前有所发现。

Cleo, I'm sorry about all this blathering. Maybe I'm the idiot here. I know it's an impossible task, but here I still am. Because I'm no longer the middle-aged guy who used to teach you back then — I'm old now, my joints all creak and crunch like there're caltrops inside me, and I curse the universe every time I have to rise from my chair. $?%*&! Why? Why — no matter how far our tech advances — there is still no cure for arthritis? I truly regret not taking up the company on their cyber-medical insurance policy. At the time, I was filled with hubris and thought that I'd never grow old.

你的老师，陶德·雷奥登

But I was wrong. Now I hope to see a breakthrough before I die.

长生种，其二 Long-Life Species, Part 2

克利欧，见信安好：

Cleo,

首先我声明，鄙人主动放弃以本文向克利欧学士索取任何稿酬的权利。

I hope this letter finds you well.

最近我总算是和几位丹鼎司的职员混熟了（这花费了不少经费），希望能从他们手中搞到一些普通化外民搞不到的知识。我说尽了好话，灌了他们好几斤龙泉老窖，却依然没办法让他们给我看看那些不能公开发行的医书和药典。用他们的话说：「这可是掉脑袋的事。」

First and foremost, I hereby declare: I voluntarily relinquish any right to claim remuneration from Scholar Cleo regarding this article.

好在，他们总算是被我的「诚意」打动，愿意分享给我一些对他们而言价值不大的医学报告。这些医学报告的内容，是关于狐人的「自然死亡」。

Recently, I finally got acquainted with a few employees of the Alchemy Commission (which cost a lot of money), hoping to get some knowledge from them that ordinary outworlders can't get. I have sweet talked them and poured who knows how many catties of Dragon Spring Brew into them, but I still couldn't get them to show me the medical books and pharmacopoeia that cannot be released to the public. In their words, "This can cause you to lose your head."

我将报告的原文附在了这封信后，请你自行取阅。

The good news is that they were finally impressed by my "sincerity" and were willing to share with me some medical reports that were of little value to them. These medical reports were about the natural death of foxians.

从结论上来讲，狐人的自然死亡和所有长生种的最终结局一样，笼罩着一层仅凭浅薄的科学技术难以穿透的迷雾。

I have attached the original report to this letter, so please pick it up for yourself.

在狐人一生中的绝大多数阶段，他们体内的诸多器官中都会储存大量全能干细胞。这些全能干细胞会不断修复狐人的肉体，使得衰老和损伤都会在短时间内得到治愈。

In terms of coming to their end, the natural death of foxians, like the ultimate end of all long-life species, is shrouded in a fog that is difficult to penetrate with superficial science and technology.

直到他们「寿终正寝」前数年，这些全能干细胞的数量会逐渐减少，但依然足矣维持他们不老的容颜。在狐人的年龄达到250-450岁之间时（顺带一提，中位数是307岁），这些全能干细胞会彻底停摆，失去自由分化的功能。

During the vast majority of a foxian's life, a large number of pluripotent stem cells are stored in numerous organs of their body. These pluripotent stem cells will continuously repair the physical body of foxians, allowing aging and damage to be healed in a short period of time.

随之而来的，就是多器官功能衰竭所带来的死灭。这种「自然死亡」来得很快，患者往往会在全能干细胞失去分化功能后的3-4天内死亡。好在，大部分人都会在体内器官开始出现各种「老年病」时早有准备，不至于来不及准备后事。

Until a few years before their end of life, the number of these pluripotent stem cells gradually decreases, but still remains sufficient to maintain their ageless appearance. At the age of 250 to 450 years (Note: The median age is 307 years), these pluripotent stem cells come to a complete halt and lose their ability to divide freely.

当然，无论是丹鼎司还是我，都搞不清楚是什么因素促使这些全能干细胞在某个时间点突然失效的。

What ensues is a death that comes with multiple organ failure. The natural death comes quickly, with patients often dying within 3 to 4 days after the pluripotent stem cells have lost their ability to divide. The good thing is that most of them are prepared for the various age-related diseases that begin to develop in their organs, so it is typically not too late to prepare for the aftermath.

二十多年前，博识学会和步离人打仗的时候，我们做过一些相关的试验，不知道你还记不记得…哦，你应该不记得，那时候你还没多大。当时我们切除了一些步离人的肝脏，发现他们在几小时内就变成了一个巨大的、充满攻击性的「癌细胞团」。考虑到步离人和狐人在分子生物学上的亲缘关系，我认为其中的原理大概是相通的。

Of course, neither the Alchemy Commission nor I could figure out what factor prompts these pluripotent stem cells to suddenly fail at some point in time.

另有一些不可解之处：在大量医案中，医士完整切除了狐人患者的整个肝脏，但从未有过狐人因此变成「癌细胞团」的记录。事实上，大部分狐人在此类手术后，会生长出新的肝脏，并可以正常康复出院。（虽然记录显示，失去肝脏比起失去其他器官，复生速度要慢得多。）

Over twenty years ago, when the Intelligentsia Guild fought the borisin, we did some related experiments. I don't know if you remember... Oh, you shouldn't remember, you weren't even that old then. At that time, we removed the livers of some of the borisin and found that they turned into a huge, aggressive "cancerous mass" within a few hours. Considering the phylogenetic relationship between the borisin and foxians, I think the principles involved are probably similar.

我目前认为这件事有两种解释：

There is something else that is unexplainable: There have been many case studies where the entire liver of a foxian patient is completely removed, but there has never been a record of a foxian turning into a "cancerous mass." In fact, most foxians grow a new liver after such a procedure and are discharged from the hospital with a normal recovery. (Although the records do show that losing a liver results in a much slower to regenerate compared to the loss of other organs.)

1、狐人的全能干细胞并非由肝脏生成，而只是因为某种原因聚集在肝脏处。（所以失去整个肝脏后的复生速度会变得较为缓慢。）

I currently believe there are two explanations for this:

2、狐人与步离人有着某种生物学上的差异，而这种微妙但巨大的差异，决定了两者「仙舟住民」和「丰饶孽物」的区别。

1. Foxian pluripotent stem cells aren't generated at the liver, but just gather there for some reason. (Which explains why the regeneration rate becomes slower after losing the entire liver.)

显然，狐人这种不完全的「长生」并不能为我们所用。但我发觉其中依旧蕴含着相当程度的商业价值——虽然那些「全能干细胞」并不全能，但它们依然能够使得狐人直到死去之前都维持着年轻时的容颜。

2. Foxians have some kind of biological difference with the borisin, and this subtle but huge difference determines the difference between the Xianzhou natives and Abominations of Abundance.

克利欧，我动身出发之前，你就和我说过：「雷奥登老师，我不想长生不死。活得那么长，再有意思的事都变没意思了。但我怕变老，衰老太可怕了。」

Obviously, the incomplete "immortality" of foxians is not accessible to us. But I find that there is still a considerable degree of commercial value in it — while these pluripotent stem cells aren't actually "all-powerful," they can still enable foxians to maintain their youthful appearance until their demise.

当时我没怎么夸奖你（甚至还对你摆了冷脸），但现在我得说，你也许是正确的。我们在银河中能找到的大多数潜在客户，可能都持有和你一样的想法。他们未必打算活得像宇宙一样长，但总归希望在自己短暂的生命周期中能永远保持活力（或美貌）。

Cleo, before I set out, you said to me, "Teacher Riordan, I do not want to live forever. In living so long, even the more interesting things in life become meaningless. But I'm afraid of getting old, aging is terrifying."

如果你最近不忙的话，帮我做个市场调研吧。也许狐人的全能干细胞，能让我们靠「永葆青春」来赚到不少钱。

I didn't pay much heed to you at the time (and probably was even a little cold to you), but now I have to say that you were probably right. Most of the potential customers we can find in the cosmos probably hold the same thoughts as you do. They don't necessarily intend to live as long as the universe itself, but they merely wish to preserve their youth (or beauty) in the fleeting time that they have.

如果我没办成这件事就死了，那么专利权全是你的了。

If you're not busy these days, do some market research for me. Maybe the foxian pluripotent stem cells will allow us to make a lot of money from "eternal youth."

你的老师，陶德•雷奥登

If I die without achieving this, then the patent is all yours.