以强为尊：步离文化考察与辩白 Respect Only the Strong: A Borisin Cultural Study and Commentary

罗浮学者宗光撰写的倡议书，然而奇异的是，它所呈上的对象并非罗浮六御。 A proposal authored by the Luofu scholar Zongguang. What's strange about this is that it was not addressed to the Luofu's Six Charioteers.

上禀十王：

To the Venerable Ten Lords,

在下罗浮善宏学宫文化人类学博士宗光。

I'm Dr. Zongguang, a PhD in cultural anthropology from the Luofu's Grand Virtue Academy.

此番擅自离开罗浮，加入白狼猎群的彦游，的确是我门下弟子。他叛离联盟，堕为「白狼」，我难辞其咎，愿接受惩罚，以儆效尤。

I can confirm that Yanyou, who recently left the Luofu without authorization to join the Whitewolf Pack, is indeed my disciple. He betrayed the Alliance and reduced himself to a "White Wolf" and I must bear the blame. I am willing to accept my rightful punishment in order to set an example for others.

然而我也不得不承认，彦游所为，并不令我感到惊奇。步离人「野蛮」的生活方式，对很多生活在「文明」中的人来说，有着致命的吸引力。

However, I must admit that this move by Yanyou does not come as a surprise to me. These "barbaric" lifestyles of borisin have a certain fatal attraction to many of those who live within "civilized societies."

实际上，在第三次丰饶民战争尘埃落定、步离人已不再可能掀起更大波澜的当下，我们也许准备好了去面对一个过去不敢谈论的话题——步离人真的「野蛮」吗？

In actual fact, now that the dust has settled on the Third Denizens of Abundance War and borisin are unlikely to be causing any more major disruption, perhaps we are now prepared to face a topic that we never dared face in the past... Are borisin really "barbaric"?

我不由得想起，在148年前，我曾随授业恩师介廉先生前往一颗名叫「毗舍阇」的行星，当时那里是犀犬猎群的属地。

I cannot help but recall a time 148 years ago, when I followed my mentor, Mr. Jielian, to a planet known as Pisdo. At the time, it was a Rhinohound Pack territory.

我们以星际和平公司专员的身份，同犀犬猎群的开创者只里古汗进行了会面，并在「毗舍阇」居住了六个星历月。

We met with the Rhinohound Pack founder — Geliko Khan — as IPC specialists and lived on Pisdo for 6 Star-Calendar months.

那是我们第一次真正意义上与步离人平等地交流——不是作为彼此的敌人，也不是作为战俘或奴隶。即使是介廉先生这样步离学领域开宗立派的大师，也从未有过如此机会。

That was the first time that we truly communicated with borisin as equals — not as enemies, nor as prisoners of war or slaves. Even Mr. Jielian, the master who founded the sect of borisin studies, had never had an opportunity like this before.

与通常印象里的步离人首领不同，只里古汗是个天生瘦弱的步离人。在强者唯尊的步离人社会中，这样的身体状况无异于天缺。

Contrary to the common impression one has of borisin chiefs, Geliko Khan had always been thin and frail. In borisin society, where strength rules, a body like this was basically tantamount to an Incomplete One.

只里古汗并未继续在他不擅长的道路上痛苦前行，而是选择了另一条道路——技术研究。他带领一批同样不擅长或不愿意学习「古老战斗技巧」的步离青年，开始研究能提高自身战斗能力的新式武器。

Geliko Khan had not chosen to walk a painful path in which he did not excel. Instead, he chose another path — technological research. He led a team of other young borisin who, like him, either did not excel at or refused to study "ancient martialism" and began researching new forms of weaponry that could help to improve their fighting ability.

不到一百年后，只里古汗就带着一群身着外骨骼动力甲的步离人自立门户，以「犀犬」为名，建立了自己的部族。

Less than a century later, Geliko Khan set up his own tribe of borisin, equipped his people with powered armor exoskeletons, and named them the "Rhinohounds."

即使时至今日，仍有很多步离人认为，犀犬猎群背叛了父狼都蓝开创的神圣生活方式，但没有任何一个步离人敢因为他们肉体的孱弱而轻视他们。

Even to this day, there are many borisin who believe the Rhinohound Pack betrayed the sacred way of life that Duran the Father Wolf had created for them. However, not one of them dares look down on the Rhinohounds for their physical weakness.

我们对步离人的文化有一个相当经典的误读——步离人信奉「以强为尊」，所以只看得起最强大的战士。

There is a classic misunderstanding regarding borisin culture... Borisin "respect only the strong," so they must only have respect for the most powerful of warriors.

事实并非这样单薄。步离人的确「以强为尊」，但他们对「强大」的判定并非单一的，而是多元的。

The truth is actually much more profound than this. Though borisin do indeed "respect only the strong," their definition of "strong" is not set in stone, but diverse.

对于步离人来说，什么是强大？像呼雷一样一骑当千？这当然是「强大」。像只里古汗一样聪明？这也是强大。像凿齿猎群的基因巫师们一样擅长培育武器和兽舰？这同样是强大。

What is strength in the eyes of borisin? Someone like Hoolay that has the strength of a thousand men? Naturally, that is "strength." What about someone who is as intelligent as Geliko Khan? That is also strength. What about the genetic warlocks of the Chiseltooth Pack who excel at cultivating weaponry and beast ships? That is also strength.

居住在「毗舍阇」的六个月里，我发现步离社会多元化的评价体系，使得他们的社会生活并不压抑，甚至充满活力。

Over the six months that we lived on Pisdo, I discovered that the diverse evaluation system of borisin society actually led to bustling vitality, not oppression at all.

的确在传统的步离社会，有些职业选择会让人瞧不起，比如商人和农民——实际上，步离社会（除了较为「新潮」的犀犬猎群）也根本不需要这两种职业。我那位可怜的朋友阿合马，当初就是因为想做商人，而在家乡饱受欺凌。

Indeed, there are certain jobs that may cause you to lose respect in borisin society, such as a merchant or a farmer — In fact, borisin society doesn't need these two professions at all, aside from the more "new-age" Rhinohound Pack. My poor friend Arma was brutally bullied in his hometown due to his desire to become a merchant.

除此之外的绝大部分职业选择——战士、谋士、兽舰役者、医生、基因巫师、祭祀、吟游诗人…都具有平等的社会地位。

These jobs aside, the majority of professions — such as warriors, advisers, beast ship operators, doctors, genetic warlocks, priests, and bards... All of these jobs are considered equal in borisin society.

即使是最为强大的战士，也不敢随意嘲讽一位瘦弱但天才的老诗人。如果这位战士这样做了，那么在步离人的评价体系中，他会被判定为「不懂得尊重强者」，而被人所唾弃。

Even the most powerful warrior would not dare mock a frail but genius poet without careful consideration. If they were to do this, they would be judged as "disrespecting the strong" in the borisin social system and be shunned.

另一方面，步离人「以强为尊」的信仰，使得他们真正做到了「英雄不问出身」。只要你是步离人，并真心崇敬「长生主」（这一点存疑），那么无论你出身多么低贱，都可以凭借自己的强大走上台前，书写属于你自己的历史。

On the other hand, the borisin faith in "respect only the strong" has allowed them to really master the concept of "a hero's roots do not matter." As long as you are a borisin and truly revere the Master of Immortality (this I doubt), then no matter how humble your beginnings are, you can rely on your strength alone to lead you to the forefront and write your own history.

大夷离堇（即步离语中「最高武官」之意）叱力延，在升任大夷离堇前，不过是只里古汗偶然买下的一个瘦弱的战奴。据坊间传闻，只里古汗买下他，只是因为从他身上看到了儿时的自己。

Before the current Great Erkan (top military officer in the borisin tongue) Chiliyan took his post, he was just a weak war slave that Geliko Khan purchased by chance. Word on the streets was that Geliko Khan purchased him simply because he saw his childhood self in this boy.

当时根据我们粗略计算，仅在「毗舍阇」一地，像叱力延一样从战奴升为实权高官的人物就足有14名。这一方面当然是因为只里古汗本人较为开明，但另一方面也足见步离社会重视能力远大于出身的特征。

According to our rough calculations, there were 14 people alongside Chiliyan who had managed to rise from war slaves to positions of power in Pisdo alone. Naturally, this was partly because Geliko Khan was more liberal-minded, but it also clearly shows how borisin placed more importance on capability than that of birth.

我们如今讳莫如深的白狼猎群不也是一个例证吗？狐人奴隶揭竿而起，建立起了一个全新的猎群——不但没有步离人用他们的「奴隶血统」来攻击他们，甚至大多数步离人都因为「白狼」们过于残酷的行事作风而忌惮他们。

Is the dreaded Whitewolf Pack of today not yet another example? The foxian slaves rose up and formed their very own pack. Not only did borisin not use their "slave lineage" against them, the majority of borisin now fear them due to their savage and merciless actions.

这样「以强为尊」且评价体系多元的社会，实际上催生了相当高效的决策体系——没有人可以长期尸位素餐，没有人可以躺在功劳簿上吃一辈子，军事议会上拥有决策权的，永远是真正有才能的步离人。

This "respect only the strong," alongside their pluralistic societal ranking system, has actually birthed a very effective system of policies. No one is free to slack off at a desk for their whole lives, and no one can rest on their laurels and milk past successes for a lifetime. The ones who have decision-making power in military meetings will always be borisin who have true talent.

说回我的徒弟彦游。他的父母认为文化人类学是「注定找不到工作的学科」，甚至因为他坚持要进修人类学，而与他断绝了关系。而等到他排除万难，如愿进入学宫后却发现，那些「学术泰斗」（包括我），无一不来自几千年历史的「学术世家」。

Back to my disciple, Yanyou. His parents always believed that cultural anthropology was "a pointless discipline that will never help you find a job." They were so set on this that when he insisted on advancing with his anthropology studies, they cut off all ties with him. Then, when he did make it through all the challenges and entered the academy as he had wished, he discovered that all the "leading academics" there (myself included) came from "academic families" with thousands of years of history.

这样的人会被仅以能力论英雄的步离文化吸引，走上极端错误的道路，难道是一件很令人意外的事吗？

Such people would naturally be attracted to borisin culture of only using meritocracy to select heroes. Though the path that he has taken is undeniably deplorable, is it really surprising?

当然，即使如此我还是震惊于他的愚蠢。对于步离人来说，「人类学」大概是更没意义的学科。如果步离人对文化人类学有半点尊重，都不可能杀害介廉先生。

Of course, even with this being the case, I am still shocked by his foolishness. As far as borisin are concerned, anthropology is likely an even more meaningless profession. If borisin had just a single ounce of respect for culture and anthropology, they would never have killed Mr. Jielian.

但不敢欺瞒十王——我也认同步离人的这一项社会文化。虽然在呼雷被擒，步离帝国分崩离析的当下，过去那样纯粹的「以强为尊」的文化也在逐渐消失。新一代的步离贵族们，在人才选拔思路上开始变得越来越「文明」，更加重视自己政治上的「基本盘」，而罔顾整个猎群的盛衰。

However, I shall not attempt to deceive the Ten Lords... I also approve of this specific aspect of borisin society. I will point out, however, now that Hoolay has been captured and the Borisin Empire has collapsed, their pure "respect only the strong" social norm has started to disappear. Their new generation of aristocrats is becoming more and more "civilized" when it comes to their selection of talents, growing more concerned solely for their own "political bases" regardless of how this would affect the pack as a whole.

但对于仙舟联盟而言，这是一个抛弃过去思想包袱，向「野蛮」学习的大好机会。仙舟社会上笼罩着的死气，也许可以藉由「强者为尊」的文化一扫而空。

Nevertheless, for the Xianzhou Alliance, this offers a prime chance to ditch outdated ideologies and adopt lessons from the "barbarians." Embracing a culture where strength rules could rejuvenate the stagnant atmosphere within Xianzhou society.

罗浮善宏学宫博士 宗光

Dr. Zongguang, Anthropologist from the Luofu Grand Virtue Academy