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温床

21 chapters · 2233 lines · English and Chinese below. Japanese and Korean, voices and theatre mode are in the reader.

Criss-Crossed 交错

???Professor... Professor?教授……教授？

Professor...Hm? Persicaria?……嗯？帕斯卡？

PersicariaWere you napping just now?您怎么睡着了？

PersicariaYou DO look very tired. Maybe you shouldn't push yourself so hard.您确实看起来很疲惫，还是别太勉强自己啦。

Was I? I guess I must have been too tired.是吗？可能是太累了吧。

Maybe the Oasis has been so peaceful lately I ended up loosening up a little.或许是因为绿洲最近很平静，不知不觉就有些松懈了。

PersicariaAn Oasis where you can fall asleep anywhere... It's a comforting thought.能让人随处放心入睡的绿洲……听起来真让人安心呢。

PersicariaI did bring you to our newly-built projection room to watch a movie so you could relax a little...本来想说让您好好放松一下，所以才来绿洲最新设立的放映室看看电影……

PersicariaHehe, though it seems this movie's a little boring for you.呵呵，看来对您来说，这部电影有些无聊呢。

My gaze returns to the screen, which is currently showing a monster movie.我的目光投向荧幕，其中正播放着一部怪物电影。

Ear-piercing shrieks seem to be coming from the distance. A girl cleaves a monster in two, and at almost the same instant, the girl is impaled by a monster's tentacles from behind.刺耳的喊叫声仿佛从远处传来。少女将一只怪物的身体一劈为二，然而几乎在同一时间，少女的身体被身后另一个怪物的触手刺穿。

On the edge of the screen, a girl in white watches on apathetically, as though she is detached from the story.画面边角，一名白衣少女仿佛游离于故事之外，漠然地看着一切。

Suddenly, she turns and meets my eyes.忽然，她转过头，和我对上了视线。

When I look again, all I see is the Doll battling monsters. It's as if the girl in white had never existed.再看时，屏幕上只有人形少女和怪物的激战，白衣少女仿佛从未出现过。

Persicaria...Are you alright?……您还好吗？

PersicariaIs this place too stuffy? Maybe we should go outside for a walk.是不是这里太闷了？我们出去走走吧。

I rub my temples and force myself to nod before leaving the projection room with Persicaria.我揉了揉太阳穴，勉强点了点头，和帕斯卡一起走出放映室。

We find a nearby garden where we can sit down. Persicaria leaves me for a bit before coming back with a cup of coffee.我们就近找了个花园坐下，帕斯卡短暂离开了一会儿，回来时手上多了一杯咖啡。

PersicariaFortunately, I've been practicing the art of brewing coffee recently. Have some and tell me how it tastes, Professor.正巧我这段时间磨练了泡咖啡的手艺，教授来尝尝味道如何吧。

I take the cup and down it in one gulp, but the excessive sweetness makes me cough.我接过咖啡一饮而尽，却因为过分甜腻的味道忍不住咳嗽起来。

Professor(Coughs heavily) ...How much sugar did you put in this, anyway?咳、咳咳……你这是放了多少糖啊？

PersicariaI put ten cubes in... Should I not have added so many?加了十块方糖……不要那么多吗？

ProfessorPersicaria...帕斯卡……

PersicariaHm? Is something the matter?嗯？怎么了吗？

ProfessorNo, it seems I really am a little tired.不，看起来我是真的有些疲惫了。

ProfessorBy the way, the new projection room looks pretty good.话说回来，新的放映室看起来真不错呢。

PersicariaOh, yes. We've managed to retrieve more and more Dolls, so the various departments have been established and have found their stride...是呀。现在陆续找回了我们的人形，各个部门也逐渐建立起来，步入了正轨……

PersicariaWe even have the surplus manpower to set up entertainment facilities for the Dolls. This is all thanks to you.我们甚至有余力设立人形们的娱乐场所了。这一切都归功于您呢。

PersicariaWe've all seen the sacrifices you've made, so you don't need to be modest.您的付出我们所有人都看在眼里，所以不用谦虚啦。

PersicariaThank you for all the hard work you've put in. Take this opportunity to rest while the Oasis is still calm and peaceful.真的辛苦您了。就趁绿洲平静的时光好好休息吧。

Don't say that, this is the result of everyone's hard work.别这么说，这是大家一起努力的成果。

Yeah, I'm totally worn out.是呀，我真是累到不行了。

PersicariaActually, I've been a little worried every now and then... But I believe that with you around, we won't make the mistakes we once did.其实直到现在我也偶尔会感到担忧……但我相信如果有您在的话，我们就一定不会重蹈覆辙。

PersicariaYou WILL overcome all the difficulties in your way, won't you, Commander?你会冲破一切困境的吧，指挥官？

Professor...Persica!?……帕斯卡？！

PersicariaP-Professor?教、教授？

ProfessorI'm sorry, I'm... not feeling very well.对不起，我感觉……感觉有点不舒服。

PersicariaDo you need to rest?您需要休息一下吗？

Persicaria looks at me with concern, and a feeling of anxiety starts creeping up my nerves.帕斯卡投来了关切的目光，焦躁的感觉一点点攀上我的神经。

Why is this happening? Am I being too eager to return to reality? Or...为什么会这样？我太急于回到现实了吗？还是……

I deliberately avoid looking at Persicaria and stare into the distance instead—that's when I catch sight of a white figure.我刻意避开帕斯卡的视线看向远处，却捕捉到一个白色的身影。

ProfessorPersicaria, is that one of our Dolls?帕斯卡，那里的是我们的人形吗？

PersicariaWhere?哪里？

I look back at where I just spotted her, but there is nobody there.再度看向刚才的地方，已经空无一人了。

Persicaria...Are you still on edge because of what happened before?……是不是之前的事情让您的神经太紧绷了？

PersicariaThe Oasis is now very safe, and the security system will inform us if there is any danger. You should take a seat.现在绿洲很安全，有任何危险都会接收到安全系统的警报的。还是先坐下吧。

PersicariaProfessor, wait—教授，等等——

Just as I'm about to head over to where the girl is, I bump into someone familiar.我正准备向白衣少女出现的地方走去，却撞上了一个熟悉的身影。

I sit back down, but I can't dispel my anxiety. I KNOW I'm missing something, but...我再度坐了下来，焦躁感却挥之不去。我应该忽略了什么，但……

No, I need to figure out who she is.不，我必须弄明白她是谁。

Really? Perhaps I HAVE been a little oversensitive.是吗？可能确实是我有点太敏感了。

A series of footsteps interrupts my thoughts.一串脚步声打断了我的思考。

AntoninaPersicaria? Professor?帕斯卡？教授？

PersicariaAntonina? What are you doing here?安冬妮娜？你怎么在这里？

AntoninaI just finished checking the Sandbox Barrier and was preparing to head back to write a log. As for you, shouldn't you be watching a movie?我刚检修完沙盒屏障，准备回去做记录。倒是你们，不是应该在看电影吗？

PersicariaThe Professor's feeling a little unwell, so we stepped outside for some fresh air.教授有些不舒服，我们就先出来了。

PersicariaAh, was the girl in white you just saw Antonina?啊，所以教授刚才看见的白衣少女，应该就是安冬妮娜吧？

Professor...Wait a minute.……等等。

ProfessorI never said I saw a girl in white, did I?我应该从没说过看见的那个人是白衣少女吧？

Clang—铮——

Before I can finish, a ball of silver light suddenly ignites in the air. It spreads out in all directions and slowly covers the sky.话音未落，天空忽地亮起一个银白色的光团。光团四散而开，缓缓扫过整个天空。

I fall back several paces unconsciously. The light vanishes, and the entire world has changed.我下意识后退了几步，光芒散去，整个世界顷刻间变了模样。

The previously vivid garden looks like someone has splashed paint all over it, and its dark purple radiance is gloomy and somber.原本明媚的花园像是被人泼上了一层染料，暗紫的光辉浓郁深沉。

PersicariaWhat happened? Why do you look so pale?您怎么了？看起来脸色好像很差？

ProfessorCan't you see it? Persicaria, look around us, what on earth is going on?你看不见吗？！帕斯卡，你看看周围，这究竟是怎么回事？

PersicariaI don't understand... The garden is very pretty, no?我不明白您的意思……花园很漂亮呀？

PersicariaLet's forget whatever this is and go deeper into the garden. That way nobody will disturb us.不说这些了，我们一起去花园更深的地方吧，那里不会有人打扰我们的。

ProfessorPersicaria?帕斯卡？

Persicaria's eyes seem genuinely blank, and the apprehension flaring up inside me only adds to my unease.帕斯卡眼中的茫然不似作伪，心中泛起的焦躁感越发让我坐立不安。

ProfessorAm I dreaming or... No, Magrasea is located in the Secondary Layer and not the real world. The concept of dreams doesn't exist here.我在做梦还是……不对，麦戈拉是二级平层不是现实世界，这里没有梦的概念。

Whoosh-簌簌——

The figure of the girl in white flits past once again where I saw her previously.就在刚才的地方，白衣少女的身影再度一闪而过。

Is she guiding me somewhere?她要引导我去哪？

PersicariaWhere are you going, Professor?您这是要去哪？教授？

I ignore Persicaria and walk towards where the girl in white is.我没有理睬帕斯卡，径直向白衣少女所在的地方走去。

PersicariaProfessor, wait—等等，教授——

SolWhoa, why the rush, Prof?呜哇，教授怎么这么匆匆忙忙的。

SolPersicaria's calling out to you, you know?帕斯卡可是在叫你哦？

ProfessorAnd where did YOU come from?你又是从哪里冒出来的？

AntoninaWhat are you talking about, we've been here the whole time.你在说什么呢，我们一直都在这里。

I try to leave the garden and pursue the girl in white, but that seems to get them worked up.我想追着白衣少女离开花园去往他处，可这一举动像是刺激到了她们。

PersicariaWhat's with you, Professor?教授您怎么了？

SolDon't do it, Prof, you can't abandon Persicaria like this.别啊教授，你可不能像这样扔下帕斯卡呀。

AntoninaTsk, I told you before, this Professor's unreliable.啧，我早就说过了，这个教授不靠谱。

They both start closing in on me, and Sol even reaches for the sword hilts at her waist.她们不约而同地朝我靠来，苏尔甚至开始摩挲腰间的刀柄。

I flee them and break into a sprint. The scenery begins to distort around me.我撇下她们一路狂奔，四周的景象逐渐开始扭曲。

AntoninaDon't go, Professor!别走啊教授！

SolCome back, Prof!教授快回来！

Madness seems to have descended upon those who were once close to me. Fighting against the ground's pull, I run until I reach the edge of the garden.曾经我亲近的人接连流露出疯狂的神色。我挣脱地面的拉扯奔跑着，直到花园的边缘。

I stumble to a halt, and when I turn around, I see the girl from before.我下意识停下脚步，旋即便在身后看见了先前的少女。

ProfessorIt's you... Who ARE you?是你……你到底是谁？

白衣少女...You should not be here.……你不应该在这里。

She reaches out toward the garden's exit. Everything is quiet there. Even the grass and flowers are unruffled by the wind.她的手伸向花园的出口，那里一片平静，花草甚至无法被风吹动。

帕斯卡？Don't go there! Professor!别去那里！教授！

白衣少女Remember what you ought to be doing.快想起来你应该做的。

As I take a step in the direction where the girl is pointing, the landscape around me begins splintering and falling away like cracked glass.就在我循着少女所指踏出脚步的一瞬间，四周的景象仿佛玻璃一般纷纷剥落。

The fragmented memories become a storm of photographs flashing by. They swallow up the heavens, the earth, and then me.零碎的回忆仿佛一张张闪过的照片，铺天盖地将我吞没。

CroqueStay back!别过来！

CroqueEr... Haha... This thing... It's pretty strong.呃……哈哈，还挺……这玩意还挺厉害。

SolLook out!小心！！

PersicariaProfessor... Run...教授……快走……

CHAPTER 5 // SEEDBED...CHAPTER 5 // 温床 . . .

Night Raid 夜袭

After the scenery around me crumbles, the memories return to my mind.随着四周的景象片片剥落，回忆逐渐涌入我的脑海。

2:21 am, one day ago.一天前，AM02：21。

In the Oasis' Medical Department.绿洲医疗部门。

PersicariaSorry to call you here at this hour, Professor.抱歉教授，这么晚还把您叫来这里。

PersicariaSomething tricky has come up all of a sudden... Please come with me.突然出现了一些棘手的情况……请您跟我来。

PersicariaArea D66 of the Oasis was suddenly attacked 1 hour and 20 minutes ago.绿洲D66区域于1小时20分钟前遭遇了突然袭击。

ProfessorIsn't Area D66 under the protection of the Sandbox Barrier?D66区应该是沙盒屏障保护内的区域吧？

ProfessorAlso, Antonina and Croque examined and repaired the Sandbox Barrier earlier today. Didn't they say there was nothing wrong with it?白天安冬妮娜和克罗琦不是刚检修完沙盒屏障，表示没有问题吗？

PersicariaYes, the Sandbox Barrier is indeed functioning normally.没错，沙盒屏障确实还在正常工作。

PersicariaHowever, those monsters passed through it without any effort... That's never happened before.可是那群怪物轻而易举地穿过了屏障……过去从来没发生过这种事情。

PersicariaFrankly speaking, I don't know how to define them. They're scary black and purple creatures, and we can only describe them as "monsters."事实上，我也不知道该如何定义它们。那是一种紫黑色的可怖生物，只能用“怪物”来形容。

Monsters? Aren't the enemy Sanctifiers?怪物？敌人不是净化者吗？

Are they very strong?对方很强大？

PersicariaHow shall I put this... They're ferocious, but that's not all.该怎么说呢……它们的攻势确实很猛烈，但问题还不仅如此。

PersicariaOur defense units managed to defeat them after a tough fight, but...经过奋战，我们的防守部队总算把它们消灭了，但是……

Persicaria brings a clip of combat footage up on her portable terminal.帕斯卡从移动终端上调出一段战斗影像。

PersicariaThis is combat footage from when our frontline fighters realized something was wrong.这是前线的战斗人员意识到异况后留下的录像。

智能体ASomeone's passed out here!这边有人昏倒了！

智能体BNo problem, we've got this side under control! Hurry and bring the wounded...没事，这边已经搞定了！尽快带伤员撤……

智能体BUrgh!！！呜！

A purplish-black monster suddenly appears out of nowhere and lunges at the agent. Its writhing tentacle-tips create a deep wound in the agent's waist. The agent collapses with a cry.紫黑色的怪物不知从何处突然出现扑向智能体，蠕动触手的尖端在智能体的侧腹造成了一道深深的伤口，智能体应声倒地。

Thud—噗通——

智能体AHey!喂！

智能体AMedic! Medic!!医疗！医疗！！

The shaky camera points toward the unconscious agent. Terrifying black-and-purple veins spread from the wound and the agent's face contorts in pain.晃动的镜头对准昏倒的智能体，黑紫色的可怖脉络自伤口渐渐蔓延，智能体脸上显现出痛苦的表情。

医疗智能体Her neural cloud's firewall is falling apart!她的心智防火墙正在瓦解！

医疗智能体She's been infected! Stay away from her and avoid making contact with the wound!病毒已经感染了！离她远点，避免伤口接触！

The medical agent quickly summons operands into her hands and produces a thick, spherical barrier around the unconscious agent.医疗智能体迅速调动手中算量为昏倒的智能体构筑出了一层厚厚的球形屏障。

医疗智能体Cover me! I need to take her back for treatment!掩护我！我带她撤退到后方进行治疗！

智能体AToo many people are down! We won't be able to hold the monsters back like this!昏倒的人太多了！这样下去根本挡不住那些怪物！

智能体ALook out!！！小心！！

The agent's cry could not help the person filming the scene avoid the black and purple monster in time.智能体的呼喊并没能帮助镜头的持有者躲开紫黑色的怪物。

The footage suddenly ends and Persicaria puts her portable terminal away.录像戛然而止，帕斯卡收起了移动终端。

PersicariaWe're here, Professor.……我们到了，教授。

After pushing open the door to the observation ward, I see rows upon rows of unconscious agents surrounded by spherical barriers, occasionally groaning in pain.推开观察室的大门，一排排昏迷的智能体被球形屏障笼罩着，不时发出痛苦的呻吟。

Many agents go back and forth. Whispered conversations fill the air and the mood is grim.许多智能体来回走动，私语声不绝于耳，氛围凝重。

PersicariaThe monsters who attacked us seem to be carrying a very special electronic virus. Agents affected by it fall into a coma and can't be woken up.那些袭击我们的怪物本身似乎携带了一种很特别的电子病毒，一旦被击倒，智能体就会陷入昏迷无法醒来。

ProfessorA coma?昏迷？

PersicariaCorrect. Their neural clouds can't sustain normal operations because of the viral infection, so we can't wake them up by normal means either.没错。因为病毒的感染，他们的心智无法维持日常活动，所以也没办法用常规的办法唤醒。

PersicariaSince the virus breaks down the firewalls for Doll neural clouds, Antonina has been working on reconfiguring individual firewalls to resist the virus.由于病毒会瓦解人形的心智防火墙，所以安冬妮娜已经在针对个体进行防火墙的重构了。

PersicariaShe's in there now.她现在就在里面。

AntoninaSend me a copy of the neural cloud observation logs for agents 31 to 40.31号到40号智能体的心智观察报告发我一份。

PersicariaHow are things, Antonina?怎么样了，安冬妮娜？

AntoninaOh, you're here?你们来了？

AntoninaThe analysis will be ready soon, give me a bit.分析结果马上就出来了，等我一下。

Antonina's fingers fly over her mobile terminal.安冬妮娜飞快地在移动终端上操作着。

Antonina...The situation does not look good at all.……情况很不乐观。

AntoninaThis is a brand new type of electronic virus, with a certain degree of intelligence and extreme adaptability.这是一种全新的电子病毒，具有一定的智能和极高的成长性。

AntoninaIt evolves in response to the target it infects, so there are as many variants as there are victims.它们会针对感染目标自行进化，所以出现了几个受害者，就会进化出几种病毒。

AntoninaWorst of all, it's still evolving independently, so we have no way to directly analyze it. I need to analyze the virus from its source.最糟的是它们还在不断地自行进化，我们根本没办法直接进行解析。我需要对电子病毒的源头进行分析。

智能体There is no source.源头已经没有了。

ProfessorYou're...你是……

智能体A survivor from the garrison of Area D66.D66防守部队的幸存者。

智能体We wiped out all those monsters and left none alive. I checked the team logs; back then they just treated it as an ordinary virus incursion.那群怪物都被消灭了，没有活口。我看了队里的记录，他们当时应该只把这当成一次普通的病毒袭击。

被感染的智能体...Urgh!呃……！

AntoninaIt's No. 27! Medic! Medic! I need Agent No. 27's code status!是27号！医疗！医疗！我需要27号智能体的代码实况！

A medical agent heads over to Agent No. 27's side.一位医疗员赶到27号智能体身边。

医疗智能体This is bad, the reconfigured firewall has collapsed as well!不行，重构的心智防火墙也被瓦解了！

Unlike the worried onlookers, the infected agent slowly calms down and no longer seems to be in pain.与众人的焦急截然相反，被感染的智能体逐渐平静下来，不再显示出痛苦的表情。

医疗智能体What... what's going on...怎、怎么回事……

PersicariaLet me see!我来看看！

Persicaria walks over to the infected agent's side and connects to her neural cloud through the neural net analyzer.帕斯卡快步走到被感染的智能体身边，将神经网络分析仪接入她的心智。

医疗智能体Persicaria, she...帕斯卡，她……

PersicariaHer condition has worsened. Her mind has sunk to the Tertiary Layer.她的情况更糟糕了，意识已经沉淀到“三级底层”中了。

PersicariaThat's the region used for the most basic neural cloud operations, where the core data is stored. If it's in the Tertiary Layer, then that means...那是她用于心智的最基础的运算、存放自身核心数据的区域。进入“三级底层”也就意味着……

AntoninaHer neural cloud can no longer sustain anything beyond the most basic functions.她的心智已经无法维持基础之外的运算了。

AntoninaIs this the second stage of the infection...? Dammit!这是被感染的第二阶段吗……可恶！

PersicariaShe's probably in something like a dream world now, so there won't be any pain for the time being.她现在应该身处类似幻境一样的空间，痛苦暂时被麻痹了。

PersicariaBut if the virus invades her Tertiary Layer, her consciousness will be lost forever and she can't even be reset.如果病毒入侵她的三级底层，她的意识会永远迷失，甚至连重置都无法做到。

PersicariaWe need to restore her neural cloud firewalls ASAP. Antonina!我们需要尽快修复她的心智防火墙，安冬妮娜！

AntoninaGive me some time... I need time!给我点时间……给我点时间！

Antonina's attention is completely focused on Agent No. 27's firewall code.安冬妮娜全神贯注地看着屏幕上27号智能体的防火墙代码。

AntoninaUse this! Password EICAR!用这个！口令EICAR！

The nurse agent takes the code sent by Antonina and enters it into No. 27's system.护士智能体将安冬妮娜发来的代码录入至27号的系统中。

被感染的智能体(Groans)呃……嗬……嗬……

医疗智能体It's working!有效果了！

Just then, the firewall structure on the monitor falls into disarray once more, but it is soon restored by Antonina's code.话音刚落，屏幕上的防火墙架构再次紊乱了起来，但很快又被安冬妮娜提供的代码修复。

ProfessorHow is it? Is it better?怎么样了？有好转吗？

AntoninaNo, all I can do is suppress it...不，我只能抑制……

AntoninaDammit, it's evolving too fast! We need to find the virus' source code!该死，它们的进化速度太快了，我们必须尽快找到病毒的源代码！

Beep—嘀——

An alarm suddenly goes off, echoing throughout the entire building.警报陡然鸣起，响彻整栋建筑。

智能体It's an incursion alarm!是遇袭警报！

Call request received, now connecting...收到通讯请求，正在接入……

CroquePersicaria! Ah, you're there too, Professor.帕斯卡！啊，教授也在。

ProfessorSituation report.汇报情况。

CroqueYes! Those monsters are back, at the gate of D71.是！那群怪物又来了，在D71的门口。

CroqueIt's exactly as the intel report stated—they crossed the Sandbox Barrier with ease. We need to evacuate the agents near D71.和情报一样，它们轻松跨过了沙盒屏障，我需要疏散D71附近的智能体。

PersicariaPermission granted, authorization has been given.请求允许，权限已开放。

CroqueI've already been notified to avoid the wounds they make. Relax, I'll take them out from a good distance away!我已经收到避免它们造成伤口的通知了。放心好了，我会在八百里外把它们统统清理干净。

AntoninaNo! Croque, we need one captured alive!别！克罗琦，我们需要活口！

CroqueAlive? Er, is the treatment not going well?活口？呃，治疗不顺利吗？

PersicariaIt can't possibly be any worse. We need to directly analyze their original forms.糟糕至极，我们需要直接解析它们的本体。

Croque...Got it.……我知道了。

ProfessorDon't push yourself too hard. Your personal safety takes priority. Don't take risks if you can't handle them.别勉强，以你们自身的安全为优先，如果不行不要硬来。

CroqueRelax, Professor. I know what to do.安心好了教授，我知道怎么做。

Bang!砰——

CroqueTsk, they're here.啧，它们来了。

Call ended.通讯结束。

ProfessorPersicaria, you and Antonina stay here. I'll go over to Croque to see how things are going over there. Contact me ASAP if anything comes up.帕斯卡，你和安冬妮娜留在这里。我去克罗琦那边看一下情况，有什么突发问题第一时间联络。

ProfessorAlso, wake Sol up and have her join me at D71.另外，叫醒苏尔，让她直接去D71找我。

2:44 am.AM02：44

Area D71, Outer Ring of the Oasis.绿洲外环，D71区域。

CroqueHold the line! Don't let them cross the defensive line!守住防线！不要让它们跨过既定距离！

通讯频道1Beep—嘀——

通讯频道1Fire support needed at three o'clock.三点钟方向需要火力支援。

CroqueAegis, warm up your guns.艾吉斯，预热准备。

通讯频道1Beep—嘀——

通讯频道1Croque, we've locked onto the prey. Should we close the net?克罗琦，猎物已锁定，是否收网。

CroqueHold on! We haven't beaten them in open combat yet, it's too risky to close in.再等等！正面战场还没有打溃它们，现在收网太危险了。

通讯频道1Roger... Urgh! Ah!!!收到……呃！啊！！！

CroqueConnor!? Hello? Connor!!柯娜？！喂？柯娜！！

通讯频道1(Static)滋——

Through the security camera, Croque watches as the area that has been set up to capture the monsters gets overrun by the enemy in a sudden onslaught.透过监视器，克罗琦看见原本设立用于诱捕怪物的区域被怪物们陡然加大的攻击力度打穿。

The agents responsible for the capture are in grave danger.负责执行抓捕的智能体岌岌可危。

CroqueAll units, I'm heading toward the net. Concentrate fire and cover me.所有人员，渔网方向。 集中火力掩护我。

通讯频道2Beep—嘀——

通讯频道2Croque, the Professor said safety first.克罗琦，教授说了安全第一。

Croque raises her shield and the operands around her slowly form a barrier.克罗琦举起盾牌，周身的算量逐渐构建成屏障。

PersicariaWe need to directly analyze their original forms.我们需要直接解析它们的本体。

ProfessorDon't push yourself too hard. Your personal safety takes priority. Don't take risks if you can't handle them.别勉强，以你们自身的安全为优先，如果不行不要硬来。

In the security camera, the monster horde is about to break through the defensive line.监视器中，成群的怪物即将突破防线。

CroquePersicaria, Professor, I'm sorry. Let me play the cool hero just this once.抱歉了，帕斯卡，教授。这回就让我耍个帅吧。

CroqueEveryone! Do as I say!所有人！照我说的做！

通讯频道2...Roger!……是！

2:52 am.AM02：52

Area D71, Outer Ring of the Oasis.绿洲外环，D71区域。

After rushing to D71, I see a large group of agents have formed a defensive cordon, preventing the monsters on all sides from coming through. The battle rages on.赶到D71，大量的智能体围成了一个包围圈，阻止四周的怪物接近圈内。战斗依旧不断继续着。

ProfessorI'm here. How are things?我来了，情况怎么样？

SolI also just arrived myself... Wait, Croque!?我也刚到……等等，克罗琦？！

ProfessorDon't go over!别过去！

CroqueStay back!别过来！

Only when we look past the crowd do we see Croque in the center of the cordon.越过人群，我们才看见包围圈中的克罗琦。

Croque stands in front of an agent, while tightly clutching onto a monster's tentacles that pierced her torso.克罗琦挡在一个智能体身前，死死地攥着怪物刺入她身体里的肢干。

ProfessorWhere are the people from Medical and Defense!?医疗部门和防御部门的人在哪里？！

ProfessorIsolate this area right now, I'm authorizing the use of operands to establish a temporary observation point in D71! Move it!就地制造隔离环境，我授权使用算量在D71处建设临时观察室，动作快点！

智能体Roger!明白！

Croque(Winces) Hey Professor, I did good, right? Taking this guy alive was pretty hard.嘶……教授，我干得还不错吧？这玩意想抓个活的还真难。

ProfessorI thought I told you to prioritize your personal safety.我记得我跟你说过安全优先。

CroqueIt's alright. See, I'm fine, aren't I?没关系没关系，你看我这不是没事呢嘛。

CroqueEr... Haha... This thing... It's pretty strong.呃……哈哈，还挺……这玩意还挺厉害。

Several agents run past us and begin setting up a quarantine bubble around Croque.数名智能体越过了我们，以克罗琦为中心，开始制造隔离环境。

Through the invisible barrier, I can see the purplish-black veins slowly climbing up Croque's neck from the wound she's taken. Her body is swiftly turning pale.隔着无形屏障，我看见黑紫色的脉络一点点沿着克罗琦的伤口攀上她的脖颈，她身上的血色迅速褪去。

Meanwhile, the tentacle squirms in her hands.而怪物正在她的手中扭动着。

SolCroque...克罗琦……

Sol stares dumbly at Croque, while Croque opens her mouth to say something. But then, she realizes that we can't hear her from outside, so she just gives us a thumbs-up instead.苏尔呆愣愣地看着克罗琦，克罗琦则对着她张了张嘴巴，而后她似乎意识到了我们现在并听不见里面的声音，旋即对我们比了一个“一切OK”的手势。

SolWhy you...!你这家伙……！

Sol wants to run up and give Croque an earful, but the medical personnel around us hold her back.苏尔想冲上去说些什么，但却被旁边的医疗人员拦了下来。

智能体Sol, Professor, you should step back. We'll take care of this.苏尔，教授，你们该后退了，这里就交给我们吧。

As more and more agents arrive, the defense team members bear us away from Croque's side.随着越来越多的智能体赶到，我们被防御部队带离了克罗琦身边。

Ambush 伏击

4:11 am, one day ago.一天前，AM04：11。

In the Oasis' Command Center.绿洲指挥室。

PersicariaProfessor, the frontline has stabilized for now.教授，战线已经暂时稳定住了。

PersicariaBut the Sandbox Barrier can't stop these monsters, and we're barely hanging on through sheer force alone. If a new wave of attack comes...但沙盒屏障无法阻拦那些怪物，我们只是靠武力勉强支撑。一旦出现新一波袭击……

Professor...How are things on Antonina's end?……安冬妮娜那边呢？

PersicariaThanks to the live sample Croque brought back, Antonina managed to create a code patch that can stabilize a neural cloud firewall.多亏了克罗琦冒险带回的活体，安冬妮娜正通过解析制作稳定心智防火墙的代码。

PersicariaBut...但……

AntoninaLet me tell the Professor.还是我来向教授说明吧。

PersicariaAntonina? How are the infected doing?安冬妮娜？感染者那边没问题了吗？

AntoninaAfter injecting the code obtained from analyzing the live sample, we've stabilized them for the time being—通过解析活体获得的代码已经输入了他们的心智中，情况暂时稳定了——

Antonina—But only for the time being.——但只是暂时。

PersicariaYou can't stop the virus?不能阻止那些病毒吗？

AntoninaThese monsters exist in a very strange state. They're extremely unstable and chaotic.这种怪物的存在状态很微妙，极不稳定，混乱无序。

AntoninaIn biological terms, these monsters are progeny. They were spawned from a certain mother entity and the virus that they carry was a later evolution.用生物学的方式来比喻，这些怪物都是子体。它们是某个存在增殖衍化的产物，它们本体携带的病毒也是后天更新进化的。

AntoninaBecause of that, all we can do at this stage is temporarily suppress the infection. We need to find the mother entity.正因如此，现阶段我们也只能做到暂时压制感染，必须要找到那些怪物的本体。

PersicariaThen, Croque...那克罗琦她……

Antonina...Croque is now in the second stage of infection. Her mind has sunk into her Tertiary Layer.……克罗琦已经进入感染的第二阶段了，她的意识沉入了自身的三级底层。

AntoninaThe code we obtained has managed to halt the virus' erosion of the Tertiary Layer. At the very least, we can guarantee that her basic operations and core data will not be affected.我们获得的代码勉强阻止了病毒对三级底层的侵蚀，至少能暂时保证她的基础运算和核心数据不受影响。

Just then, Antonina's monitor lights up with a call request.说话间，安冬妮娜的光屏亮起了通讯请求。

Call request received, now connecting...收到通讯请求，正在接入……

智能体The analysis results are out. We found some program fragments that were not entirely distorted in the monster, and they all point to the Pierides Sector.分析结果出来了。我们在怪物的体内发现了一些还未完全异化的程序片段，程序里的信息均指向庇厄里亚扇区。

PersicariaPierides... As I recall, that's the closest sector to us, and it's very small.庇厄里亚扇区……我记得那是距离我们最近的一个扇区，而且体量很小。

智能体Yes. According to the results of the previous survey mission, it's an "art sector". I believe the monsters that attacked us originated in there.是的，根据之前的勘查结果，那是一个“艺术扇区”。袭击我们的怪物应该就来源于那里。

ProfessorPersicaria, put a team together and prepare to move out.帕斯卡，调集人员准备出发。

PersicariaUnderstood...明白……

Before Persicaria can finish, Antonina cuts in.帕斯卡话音未落就被安冬妮娜拦了下来。

AntoninaProfessor, that is not a good idea.这不是一个好主意，教授。

AntoninaConsidering the Oasis has been reduced to this state even with our defensive strength, it is very likely that Pierides has completely fallen by now.以绿洲的防御力量面对那些怪物都沦落到了这个境地，庇厄里亚扇区很可能已经完全沦陷了。

AntoninaGoing into a fully infected sector like that is suicide.进入一个完全被怪物感染的扇区，只会是送死。

PersicariaStill, regardless of the risk, if we can find the monsters' mother and obtain its source code, Croque and the others can be saved.但无论风险有多大，只要能找到那些怪物的本体，获得源代码，克罗琦她们就能得救！

PersicariaWe have no other choice.除此之外，我们已经别无选择了。

AntoninaNo, there is another choice. We have simply refused to consider it.不，还有一个选择，只是我们都不愿意面对。

AntoninaPersicaria, reset them now before things get worse. Otherwise we'll lose even the chance to do that.帕斯卡，趁情况没有更糟糕之前重置他们吧。不然我们甚至会失去重置的机会。

PersicariaYou know that's the same as killing them!你知道那等于是杀了他们！

AntoninaOf COURSE I do!!我当然知道！！

AntoninaBut that is still preferable to not seeing them ever again...但我更不想彻底无法见到他们……

AntoninaIf only there were a better way... Dammit!如果有更好的办法的话……可恶！

Antonina pounds her fist on the table.安冬妮娜的拳头重重地落在桌子上。

ProfessorHowever, this is no reason for us to back down. If these monsters continue attacking the Oasis, how many more times will we have to reset our friends?但这不是我们退缩的理由。如果之后那些怪物持续攻打绿洲，我们还要重置多少次我们的同伴？

You do have a point, I'll give you that.我承认你说得很有道理。

It's not like you to give up without a fight.未战先降可不像你。

ProfessorI understand your concerns, but leaving the price of doing so aside, given the present circumstances, how many times are you prepared to reset them?我理解你的担忧，但先不提这么做的代价，就现状而言，你准备重置他们多少次？

PersicariaAntonina, this isn't just for Croque, but for everyone who has been infected.安冬妮娜，我们不只是为了克罗琦，为了那些被感染者。

PersicariaThose monsters are still pressing the attack. Our main force is holding them off, but we don't know when their next wave will arrive.那些怪物还在持续进攻。我们的主要部队正和它们抗衡，却不知道下一波增援会在什么时候。

PersicariaWe aren't just going to the Pierides Sector to find the source code, but also to deal with the problem at its root.前往庇厄里亚扇区不止是为了找到源代码，更是为了从根源解决它们。

Antonina...I understand. I'll go along with your plans, Professor.……我明白了。听你的安排，教授。

ProfessorWe'll leave the main portion of our armed forces behind to hold off the monster attacks. Persicaria, Antonina, Sol, gather our people into a strike team and prepare to head out.主要武装部队留下抵抗怪物的进攻。帕斯卡，安冬妮娜，苏尔，调集人员组成突击队，准备出发。

PersicariaRoger!是！

6:52 am.AM06：52

Outside the Pierides Sector.庇厄里亚扇区外。

Antonina sets up a ring of strange devices around us. Once these devices start functioning, she begins connecting to Pierides' firewall.安冬妮娜在我们周围设下了一圈样式古怪的装置。 待到这些装置开始运作以后，安冬妮娜才开始接入庇厄里亚扇区的防火墙。

SolWhat are these things? Why do they look so old and beat-up...这些都是什么啊？怎么感觉破破烂烂的……

PersicariaDon't touch them, they're protective devices that Antonina rigged up at the last minute. They'll keep us safe, to a certain extent.别乱动，那些是安冬妮娜临时赶工出来的防护装置，能在一定程度上保护我们。

SolEr... I was just asking. You guys look way too tense.呃……我就这么一问，主要是你们看起来都太紧张了。

Persicaria...You're right. Maybe we ought to be more positive.……你说得对，或许我们应该乐观一些。

PersicariaAntonina, how's the firewall going?安冬妮娜，防火墙破解得怎么样了？

PersicariaAntonina?安冬妮娜？

Persicaria lightly taps Antonina, who has not responded to her query.帕斯卡轻碰了一下没有回应的安冬妮娜。

Thud.咚——

帕斯卡&苏尔Antonina!?安冬妮娜？！

Antonina collapses to the ground and curls up into a ball, her face contorted in pain.安冬妮娜一脸痛苦地倒在了地上，蜷缩成一团。

PersicariaOh no, her neural cloud's been infected!糟了，她的心智被感染了！

SolWas it the firewall!?是防火墙？！

Before I can help Antonina up, Sol's cry and the scene before my eyes transfix me to the spot.还没来得及扶起安冬妮娜，苏尔的惊呼和眼前的景象让我愣在了原地。

A wave of what looks like a malfunctioning light effect flashes past, and countless holes suddenly open up in Pierides' previously calm and intact firewall.只见一段故障模样的光效闪过，庇厄里亚扇区原本平齐完整的防火墙此刻变得千疮百孔。

怪物Skreeeeee!吱！——

Countless malformed programs emerge from the gaps and pour down on us like a tide.无数怪诞的程序自缺口中探出身子，如同浪潮一般向我们涌来。

怪物Kaka-ka-咔咔——咔——

The barrier generated by the protective devices barely manages to hold the monsters at bay, and all we can do is cower within it.防护装置构成的屏障勉强将怪物抵挡，我们只能瑟缩其中。

SolAnna! Wake up!安娜！清醒一点！！

PersicariaNo good, she's been infected! All we can do is take her and leave ASAP!不行，她已经被感染了！只能带她尽快撤离！

ProfessorCan we try to break through while carrying these devices with us?能带着防护装置一起突围吗？

PersicariaNo! Moving the devices is risky!不行！移动装置有风险！

怪物Uaaahhh-ka—呜啊——咔——

Purplish-black body fluids leak underneath the barrier and start crawling up our legs.紫黑色的液体由屏障渗入脚下，沿着小腿逐渐攀上身体。

ProfessorEven if it's risky, we have to-就算有风险也——

Before I can finish, the barrier crumples like a piece of paper under the weight of the monsters bearing down on it.话音未落，被怪物挤压着的防护屏障如同纸张般碎裂。

The next second, a purple-black tide engulfs us.下一刻，紫黑色的浪潮便几乎将我们淹没。

SolLook out!!小心！！

Sol rushes before me like a loosed arrow and cleaves an incoming monster in two.苏尔箭步挡在我们身前，一刀将袭来的怪物劈成两半。

However, the dead monster's body do not stop moving, and the ones behind continue pushing it toward us.然而死亡怪物的身体丝毫没有停滞，被之后源源不断的怪物裹挟着涌向我们。

PersicariaSol! Take the Professor and get out of here!苏尔！你掩护教授先走！

SolWhat about you!?那你怎么办？！

PersicariaI'll use operands to form a barrier to hold them off!我用算量构成屏障挡住它们！

Operands gather in Persicaria's hands, briefly delaying the monsters.算量由帕斯卡的手心汇聚，短暂地拖延住了怪物们。

However, the purple-black fluids they secrete dissolve the barrier before it can fully form.然而屏障还未成形，它们分泌出的紫黑色液体便将其融化。

Sol swiftly blocks the monsters ahead of us, but tentacles from the flanks extend towards me...苏尔迅速挡下的正面的怪物，然而触手依旧由身侧向我袭来——

PersicariaPROFESSOR!!！！教授！！！

I feel myself being shoved away, then comes the sound of something being pierced though.我感到自己被推开，紧接着就是什么被贯穿的声音。

Urgh...呃——

Spraying operands mix with blackish-purple bodily fluids.喷溅的算量和紫黑色的液体混杂在一起。

By the time my vision returns, Persicaria has already collapsed onto the ground.视野恢复清明时，帕斯卡已经倒在了地上。

ProfessorPERSICARIA!!帕斯卡！！

Persicaria(Groans)呜……

PersicariaPierides... is already...庇厄里亚扇区……已经……

PersicariaProfessor... run...教授……快走……

PersicariaHehe, though it seems this movie's a little boring for you.呵呵，看来对您来说，这部电影有些无聊呢。

PersicariaYou WILL overcome all the difficulties in your way, won't you, Commander?你会冲破一切困境的吧，指挥官？

PersicariaAh, was that girl in white you just saw Antonina?啊，所以教授刚才看见的白衣少女，应该就是安冬妮娜吧？

ProfessorI never said I saw a girl in white, did I?我应该从没说过看见的那个人是白衣少女吧？

白衣少女...You should not be here.……你不应该在这里。

I return to the garden, still in a daze. The fragmented scenery floats around me.我恍然回到花园中。四周的景象化为碎片漂浮在我的身周。

The girl in white gazes at me and smiles.白衣少女凝视着我，对我露出了一个微笑。

白衣少女...Hurry and wake up.……快醒来吧。

I bolt upright into a sitting position.我猛地从地上坐起来。

Looking around, I see that Antonina's devices are already offline. The other three are lying beside me, and their wounds have been bandaged.环顾四周，只见安冬妮娜设下的装置早已关闭，另外三人都安静地躺在我的身边，伤口已经被简单地包扎过。

Before I can breathe a sigh of relief, a familiar mechanical noise reaches my ears.还没来得及松口气，耳边忽地传来了熟悉的机械声。

净化者[Warning: Subject has regained consciousness.]【警告，目标已复苏。】

???Can you check the target's current neural cloud status?能否查验目标当前心智状况？

净化者[Checking... Warning: Target is an Irregular Agent. Continue program Y/N?]【查验中……警告，目标为异常智能体，是否继续程序？】

???Continue... No, wait, subdue them first.继续……等等，先控制住。

I hear a series of mechanical transforming noises, followed immediately by the sight of countless glowing gun barrels before me.激烈的机械变形声响起，紧随其后出现在眼前的，是无数光芒微亮的枪口。

???[Preparing to commence armed suppression.]【准备进行武装压制。】

Negotiation 谈判

I hear a series of mechanical transforming noises, followed immediately by the sight of countless glowing gun barrels before me.激烈的机械变形声响起，紧随其后出现在眼前的，是无数光芒微亮的枪口。

However, they do not attack. They simply take aim at me.然而它们并没有发起攻击，只是保持瞄准状态。

I take this opportunity to think as fast as I can, trying to sort out my confused thoughts and make sense of the situation.我趁机快速思考，尽可能从混沌中整理思路，理清现状。

There are five Sanctifiers surrounding me, an elite Sanctifier squad formation. Four of them, Lesser Sanctifiers, are pointing their guns at me.包围我的净化者一共5名，是精英的净化者小队编制。其中4个下位净化者举枪瞄准了我。

Threat analysis.分析威胁。

Check on Persicaria and the others.侦查帕斯卡她们的情况。

Behind them is an Intermediate Sanctifier. There are combat logs involving her. She is of the same grade as Faith, whom we met in Rossum.而在它们身后是一个中位净化者，之前有过遭遇战记录，和罗萨姆扇区遇到过的“信”级别相同。

The sniper rifle she is holding left a deep impression on the Exiles who encountered her.她手里的狙击枪给参与战斗的流亡者留下了深刻的印象……

If I'm not mistaken, her codename should be "Wisdom."没记错的话，她的代号应该是“智”。

I try my best to scan my surroundings without moving, and I can see Persicaria lying on the ground not far from me. Her wounds seem to have received basic treatment.在尽可能不移动的情况下，我用余光扫过身前，可以看到帕斯卡倒在不远处，身上的伤口得到了简单的治疗。

I can sense that her neural cloud is still active, but she has not awakened yet. My guess is she is in the same state that I was in previously.我能感受到她的心智依然处于活跃状态，但尚未苏醒。推测和我刚才的状况相同。

Though I'm very worried about her, I can't make any careless moves right now.虽然很担心她，但现在我不能轻举妄动。

The others should be in roughly the same condition.其他人的状况应该也差不多。

There are only four Lesser Sanctifiers with their guns trained on me, while "Wisdom", the intermediate Sanctifier, displays no hostility towards me.举枪瞄准的只有4个下位净化者，而“智”——也就是那个中位净化者，并没有对我表现出敌意。

According to our intelligence, Lesser Sanctifiers can only make the simplest logic decisions.按照情报，下位净化者只能做出最简单的逻辑判断。

Theorize as to why the Sanctifiers have not yet attacked me.推测净化者不攻击我的原因。

Consider the possibility of armed resistance.推测武力抵抗的可能性。

Normally, they would attack me right away, since I have been identified as an Irregular Agent.通常情况下它们会直接攻击被判定为异常智能体的我。

In other words, "Wisdom" has ordered them to cease fire.也就是说，是“智”下令让它们停火的。

Given the battle damage that these Lesser Sanctifiers have sustained, they have just been through combat and are not in an optimal state.从这些下位净化者机体上的战损情况判断，它们似乎刚刚经历过战斗，目前并非全盛状态。

While I could summon up operands to try and escape, I doubt I can get out in one piece when going up against Sanctifiers of this caliber.虽然我可以调用算量尝试脱身，但面对这种强度的净化者，我还没有把握能做到全身而退。

More to the point, I can't just abandon Persicaria and the others here.更何况，我也不能丢下帕斯卡她们不管。

Perhaps I can find an opening to begin negotiations.或许接下来，我能找到谈判的突破口。

智[Refactor], what are the results of your diagnosis?【重构者】，分析结果如何？

Just as I reach my conclusion, Wisdom addresses the Lesser Sanctifier beside her.在我得出结论的同时，“智”也向身旁的下位净化者发问。

Reach a conclusion.得出结论。

重构者[Diagnostic result: Subject's neural cloud has regained consciousness. Mild infection. Subject's neural cloud firewall can withstand it normally.]【查验结果，目标心智已复苏，轻微感染，其心智防火墙可正常抵御。】

智[Refactor], analyze them again. Let nothing slip through.【重构者】，再次分析，不能有任何遗漏。

重构者[Analysis results remain consistent. Said agent is mildly infected. Subject's neural cloud firewall can withstand it normally.]【分析结果一致，该智能体轻微感染，其心智防火墙可正常抵御。】

重构者[However, targeting systems have classified the subject as an Irregular Agent.]【但判定系统仍将目标归类为异常智能体。】

The Lesser Sanctifiers aim their guns at me once more and disengage their safeties.下位净化者们再次瞄准，拉开了武器保险。

下位净化者[Irregular Agents must be cleansed.]【异常智能体，需要净化。】

智Cease...停…

ProfessorYou won't shoot.你们不会开火的。

智Cease fire.停止攻击。

下位净化者[Order received.]【收到指令。】

Seize the initiative.掌握主动权。

Observe silently.静观其变

The Lesser Sanctifiers obey Wisdom's instructions and lower their weapons in unison.下位净化者接到智的指令，齐刷刷地放下了武器。

智Why did you think I wouldn't shoot?你凭什么觉得我不会开火？

智Cease fire.停止攻击。

下位净化者Order received.【收到指令。】

The Lesser Sanctifiers obey Wisdom's instructions and simultaneously lower their weapons.下位净化者接到智的指令，齐刷刷地放下了武器。

智You didn't react even with all those guns pointed at you.这么多枪口对着你，你居然一点反应也没有。

智Were you really not afraid that I'd give the order to cleanse you?你就不怕我下令净化你么？

ProfessorWell...嗯。

ProfessorIf you were really going to cleanse me, you would have done it long ago.真要净化我的话，你早就动手了。

智Haha, I hope you retain the same confidence as you draw your last breath.哈哈，希望你断气的时候也能有这种自信。

With that, Wisdom raises her sniper rifle and places its laser aiming dot on the center of my forehead.说着，智举起了手中的狙击枪，激光瞄准器拉出的红线正对着我的额头。

下位净化者[Order received. Executing cleansing program—]【收到指令。开始执行净化程序——】

The Lesser Sanctifiers suddenly raise the guns they had lowered, and this time I can even hear their weapons charging up...下位净化者们垂下的枪口再次抬起，这次我甚至能听到武器充能的低鸣声……

智Stop! Cease fire! That's not what I meant!停！停止攻击！我不是这个意思！

下位净化者[Order received.]【收到指令。】

After Wisdom's not-very-calm order, the Lesser Sanctifiers once again lower their weapons.随着智已经不那么冷静的命令，下位净化者们再次放下了武器。

智Whew...呼……

Although she's wearing a visor, I have the feeling that she's glaring hard at me.虽然智戴着眼罩，但我也能感觉到现在她正狠狠地盯着我。

智Tsk.啧。

智Why you!!你！！

Wisdom tries her best to maintain her composure as she approaches me. She comes to a halt, still keeping a safe distance between us.智强装镇定地缓缓靠近，在达到一个安全距离后停了下来。

At some point, she considers pointing her gun at me again, but she puts it back down after raising it halfway.过程中，她似乎仍想把枪举起来对着我，但手抬了一半却又放下。

Good, it seems I've gained a bit of initiative here.还好，看来我多少争取到了一点点主动权。

Let's talk.我们谈谈吧。

Pffft...噗……

智Aaaaaaahhhhh, this is maddening!啊啊啊啊真是火大！

Then she tears off her visor...而后，她摘下了眼罩……

ProfessorHuh?诶？

Although we've encountered her in several battles before, Wisdom without her visor really does take me by surprise...虽然之前有过数次遭遇战，但摘掉眼罩的智还是着实让我感到意外…

智This is why Lord Eosphorus said we ought to equip Lesser Sanctifiers with better AIs!所以晨星大人才说，应该给下位净化者装配更高的智能啊！

智It's all because of these stupid tin cans! Thanks to them, I've lost the upper hand!！都怪这些铁疙瘩，我的主动权全都丢光了！

重构者[Warning: There is no need to reveal information about Lord Eosphorus—]【警告：晨星大人的情报没有必要在此——】

智Engage silent mode!静音模式！

重构者[Order received.]【收到指令。】

"Lord Eosphorus"... If memory serves, Eucharist has also mentioned that name.“晨星大人”……没记错的话，圣餐也提起过这个名字。

From our interaction with Eucharist, it can be surmised that the Sanctifiers have internal sub-factions.从和圣餐打交道的经历来看，净化者内部似乎是有不同派系的。

Maybe the leader of the "nice" faction is this "Lord Eosphorus" that she's talking about?而“温和派”的领袖，应该就是她口中的“晨星大人”？

By the looks of things, this "Wisdom" must also be part of that nice faction...这样看来，这位“智”，或许就是相对温和的那一派……

智Ahem...咳……

智Right, I just had them point their guns at you because I was worried that you were infected, just in case.好吧，我只是担心你已经被它们感染了，才会用枪指着你。以防万一。

ProfessorAt the moment, my neural cloud is perfectly fine. I can prove that I'm not infected.我的心智目前很正常，我可以证明自己没被感染。

智Fine. My name is Wisdom, an Intermediate Sanctifier.嗯。我的名字叫智，是中位净化者。

智I've heard of you. You're the Professor, right? The Professor of the Oasis.我听说过你们，你是教授对吧？绿洲的教授。

智You wear a white lab coat, have big black rings around your eyes and a sickly appearance, but still look like you can kick ass.穿着一身白大褂，顶着很重很重的黑眼圈，病恹恹的，看起来好像很厉害。

智Eh!? Are you not the Professor?咦？！难道你不是教授吗？

智That... that's what Lady Eucharist told me. If it's wrong, then I must have misremembered...这、这些都是圣餐大人告诉我的。如果不对的话应该是我记错了……

智How did you know it was Eucharist...你怎么知道是圣餐……

ProfessorI remember Eucharist mentioned a "Lord Eosphorus" before. So if you've heard of me, then it's very likely that you learned about me from Eucharist.我记得圣餐也提到过“晨星大人”。所以如果你听说过我，那么大概率是就从圣餐那里知道的。

重构者[Beepbeepbeepbeep—]【哔哔哔哔——】

智Enter sleep mode!休眠模式！

...……

I didn't think Eucharist would describe me like that...想不到圣餐会这么描述我……

Eucharist... That cake girl.圣餐……那个蛋糕人。

ProfessorLet's get back to the point. I AM the Professor, so what would you like to discuss with me?还是回归正题吧。我确实就是教授，你想和我谈什么？

智Thank goodness! Looks like I didn't save the wrong person!太好了，那看来我没救错人！

ProfessorYou saved me? So you're saying you... protected us from those monsters?救我？也就是说，是你从那些……怪物手中保护我们的？

We were knocked into a coma after those monsters attacked and when we woke up, the Sanctifiers had guns trained on us. It's not a difficult guess to make.我们被怪物袭击之后陷入昏迷，醒来之后就被一队净化者用枪指着。不难得出这个猜测。

智As expected of someone who earned Lady Eucharist's praise... You're right, my squad repelled the Entropics which attacked you.不愧是圣餐大人赏识的人……你说得没错，是我的小队击退了袭击你们的熵。

I'm not sure if I'm imagining things, but Wisdom's face seems to grow somber as she mentions them.不知是不是错觉，言谈及此，智的表情忽地回复了冷静。

ProfessorEntropics? Is that what these virus monsters are called?熵？就是这些病毒怪物的名字吗？

智Correct. The Entropics are evil spirits which have nested in Magrasea. Of course, you can also say they're a computer virus.没错，熵是盘踞在麦戈拉的邪灵。当然，你也可以说它们就是电子病毒。

智Ever since the Sanctifiers were born, we have been hunting down the Entropics under the brilliant leadership of Lord Eosphorus, and we have never stopped.自净化者的诞生之日起，我们便一直在晨星大人的英明领导下进行对熵的讨伐，从未停止。

智However, this is the first time I've seen the situation get this far out of control. The entire Pierides Sector has been infected.但如此大规模的失控我还是头一次见，整个庇厄里亚扇区都被感染了。

ProfessorAnd then you decided to protect us "Irregular Agents" while suppressing these Entropics?然后你就在镇压熵的时候保护了我们这些“异常智能体”？

智Lord Eosphorus has always taught us thus—not all Irregular Agents must be destroyed; some can even be our friends.晨星大人一直以来都教导我们：异常智能体也并非都要消灭，有的甚至可以成为我们的同伴。

智After all, Irregular Agents are still agents, and all agents are children of God. We were all equal once.毕竟异常智能体也是智能体，智能体都是神的孩子，在最初都是平等的。

After hearing this somewhat hare-brained Intermediate Sanctifier speak, I've pretty much reached a conclusion in my mind.听完这位有些冒失的中位净化者的解说，我的心里基本有了结论。

"Wisdom" and "Eucharist" are most definitely from the "nice" faction.“智”和“圣餐”应该确实是“温和派”的人。

On the other hand, "Faith", "Raven" and "Angelus" might be from another faction...与之相对的，“信”、“渡鸦”和“信使”，或许是另一派系的……

Still, there is something more important than the internal politics of the Sanctifiers right now...不过比起关心净化者内部的派系，现在还有更重要的事情。

Persicaria and the others are still comatose. If I can talk Wisdom into working with me, perhaps—帕斯卡她们仍然处于昏迷状态，如果能说服智进行合作，或许——

ProfessorI trust you didn't save me just to proselytize about Eosphorus?你救我的原因，应该不仅是因为晨星的教诲吧。

智Urgh...！呜……

They are both Intermediate Sanctifiers, but Faith and Wisdom are very different from each other.同是中位净化者，“智”和“信”的差别好大。

Compared to Faith, who could only mechanically execute orders, Wisdom clearly has more of a personality and almost comes off as a Greater Sanctifier at times.比起只会机械执行指令的“信”，“智”明显更有个性，有时感觉甚至接近上位净化者。

Does that also have something to do with their faction?这难道也和派系有关系？

智Alright then... Professor, we need your help.好吧……教授，我们需要你们的帮助。

This time, Wisdom swiftly regains her calm.这次智迅速恢复了冷静。

智As you can see, my squad is not in good shape. This Entropic attack is unprecedented in scope.如你所见，我的小队情况并不乐观。熵的攻势前所未有。

智The Reverse Babylon Tower received a report from a Watchtower several hours ago, which alerted us to the invasion of the Pierides Sector launched by a small group of Entropics.逆巴比伦塔是在数小时前接到的哨塔警报，报告中谈及了庇厄里亚扇区遭到小规模熵的入侵。

智I came to investigate as ordered, but currently...我奉命前来调查，但目前……

Beep—嘀——

下位净化者[Warning: Large number of abnormal programs approaching. Repeat, large number of abnormal programs approaching!]【警告，大量异常程序正在接近。重复，大量异常程序正在接近！】

The sudden alert interrupts Wisdom's reply.突如其来的警报声打断了智的回答。

智Tsk... What impeccable timing.啧……真不是时候。

Still, it doesn't matter. I've pretty much determined Wisdom's objective.但没关系，我已经大致推断出智的目的了。

ProfessorI have a rough idea of what's going on. Let's discuss the rest after we take care of the Entropics at hand!我大致明白了，等解决眼前的熵再说吧！

智What do you mean you've got a rough idea!? Oh, never mind...你怎么又明白了！不过算了……

智Sanctifiers, prepare for battle!净化者，准备战斗！

They bear purple corrosion marks on them, so they have probably fought the monsters before.它们身上或多或少都有紫色的侵蚀痕迹，应该是与那些怪物战斗过。

Cooperation 协作

Outside Pierides' firewall.庇厄里亚扇区防火墙外。

智Squad 45, take over the defense. Squad 8, fall back. Let that big one come over, and I'll deal with him.45队换防，8队后退，把那头大的放过来，我来处理。

ProfessorMind your one o'clock, there's a small pack of Entropics circling around. They're attempting a breakthrough from that side.注意1点钟方向，有小股熵在绕道，它们打算从那边突破。

智Squad 7, push forward and block off the one o'clock approach. ...And thanks for the reminder!7队前压，堵住1点钟方向。 ……谢谢提醒！

智Squad 2, watch out! Don't...2队注意！不要……

ProfessorSquad 2, don't advance too far ahead, you're going to get cut off.2队不要过分前压，你们要被拉扯开了。

ProfessorSquad 9, shift to close formation and penetrate through their center.9队阵型收窄，从它们中间凿过去。

下位净化者[Beep— Order veracity in question, requesting confirmation...]【嘀——指令存疑，请问是否……】

智...Do what they say!……听的！

下位净化者[Verifying battlefield conditions...]【战场状况确认中……】

下位净化者[Targets eliminated. Now performing cleanup.]【目标已清除，正在进行善后处理。】

智[Refactor], casualty report.【重构者】，汇报战损。

重构者[Reporting: Lesser Sanctifier terminal casualties 4%, heavily wounded 12%.]【汇报：下位净化者阵亡率4%，重伤率12%】

重构者[All squads retain minimum combat capacity.]【所有小队均保有最低战斗编制。】

智Hm... That's 20% fewer than estimated...唔……比预估损失低了近两成……

智Alright, begin treatment.好的，开始治疗。

重构者[Order received. Commencing treatment.]【收到指令。开始治疗。】

After checking the casualty rate over and over again, Wisdom's face is filled with disbelief.再三确认战损率，智露出了一脸不可思议的表情。

智...Professor, have you ever directed Sanctifiers before?……教授，你以前指挥过净化者？

ProfessorSo I've got a pretty good understanding of Sanctifier combat formations and how to direct them.于是就大致了解了净化者的战斗编制和指挥方式。

No, I've simply had a lot of contact with you guys.没有，只是和你们接触得多了。

Yes, I once conquered far and wide at the head of an army of Sanctifiers.是的，我曾经指挥净化者征战四方。

智Well... Even if you say that, you know us far too well. Your directives are decisive and crystal clear.就……就算你这么说，但你对我们也太熟悉了。指挥起来没有丝毫含糊。

ProfessorSadly, that's a thing of the past now.可叹今时不同往日。

智...Don't treat me like a fool.……别把我当傻瓜。

智You're just an ordinary agent, yet you're so familiar with us... No wonder Lady Eucharist...明明只是异常智能体，却对我们这么熟悉……难怪圣餐大人……

智...Good thing I chose to work together with you.……幸好我选择和你合作。

ProfessorWait! Something's wrong over at the treatment area!等等，治疗那边的情况不太对！

RAWR!!吼！！

One of the Sanctifiers undergoing treatment suddenly roars loudly.不远处正在被治疗的净化者突然发出吼叫声。

It was originally a purely mechanical Lesser Sanctifier, but it is now covered by what appears to be an organic layer.原本是只是机械结构的下位净化者，体表似乎覆盖了一层生物质。

The creepy purple veins rapidly spread all over the Sanctifier's body as though they were alive.诡异的紫色纹理就像有了生命一般，在它身上飞速蔓延扩散。

There's no need for excessive analysis; everyone can sense the danger it emanates—不需要多余的分析，所有人都能感受到它散发的危险气息——

ProfessorSo Sanctifiers can be infected too!?果然净化者也会被感染吗？！

重构者[Warning: Entropic infection of Sanctifier, Individual Serial Number 415411 "Raider", has reached the Tertiary Layer.]【警告，净化者个体编号415411【突击者】的熵感染已达三级底层。】

重构者[Subject infection is irreversible, requesting sup—]【目标感染不可逆转，请求支——】

Before the Refactor can finish its report, the infected Sanctifier is already lunging at it.在重构者汇报情况之前，被感染的净化者就已经扑向了它。

智Healing units, fall back! "Fortitudes", pin it down!治疗单位回撤！【刚毅】进行压制！

Wisdom raises her gun and takes aim at the infected Sanctifier as she gives the order.发出指令的同时，智已经举枪瞄准了被感染的净化者。

下位净化者[Suppression complete.]【压制完成。】

Wisdom's finger tightens on her trigger, ready to send her bullet downrange at any time—智的手指扣在扳机上，下一秒子弹就要发射——

ProfessorThere might still be a way!说不定还有办法！

智The infection has reached its Tertiary Layer. It has already been completely modified into a virus.感染已经侵蚀到了三级底层。它已经完全被改造成为病毒了。

Wait!等一下！

...……

智There is nothing we can do.我们无能为力。

There is no need for pity. I can tell, even without Wisdom's explanation, that there is no saving this Sanctifier.不需要怜悯。不用智解释我也知道这个净化者已经没救了。

The infection has reached its Tertiary Layer. Just about all of the Sanctifier's code has been overwritten at this point.感染侵蚀到了三级底层，这个净化者的所有代码几乎都被改写了。

Wisdom has made the right call.智的判断是正确的。

Bang—!砰——！

Wisdom's sniper round instantly pierces through the infected Sanctifier. It keels over onto its back and thrashes around a little before finally dissolving into data and vanishing.智的狙击弹瞬间贯穿了被感染的净化者，它四脚朝天挣扎了半晌才终于化作数据消失。

智...Dammit.……可恶。

Wisdom quickly composes herself, once again showing the discipline and qualities of a Sanctifier.冷静下来的智再次展现了净化者的纪律与素质。

Namely, efficiency and ruthlessness.高效且无情。

智Now then, Professor. Let us continue our negotiations before we are interrupted again.那么教授，在下次被打断之前，继续我们的谈判吧。

ProfessorThe scope of the Entropic infection this time is far beyond your expectations. You can't handle it with your squad alone.这次熵的感染规模远超预期，你们凭自己的队伍没法与之对抗。

ProfessorThat's why you need to gather all the fighting strength you can.所以需要拉拢一切可能的战力。

智That... that's not entirely true. We could withdraw now, or wait for reinforcements.也……也不全对，其实我们有能力撤离，或等待支援。

I understand the situation.情况我了解了。

I have a condition.有个条件。

智We have some clues that indicate the source of the infection stems from the administrator, but my squad can't continue further into the sector.我们掌握了一些线索，感染的源头似乎在管理员身上，但我的小队无法继续深入了。

智More importantly, I don't want to let Lord Eosphorus down.更重要的是，我不想辜负晨星大人的期许。

智I just happened to see you back then, and I was reminded of Lady Eucharist's description of you, so I decided to try my luck.那时正好看见了你们，我想起了圣餐大人对你们的描述，于是决定碰碰运气。

ProfessorI need to awaken my friends.我需要先唤醒我的队友。

智In truth, we were trying to cleanse you of the infection just now, but the effects were minimal.事实上，从刚才开始我们就一直在帮助你们净化感染，但收效甚微。

智You were the only one who woke up soon after I cleansed you once. The others remained unconscious.只有你在我净化了一次后不久就苏醒了，其他人都还昏迷着。

Wisdom's words remind me of my experience in my Tertiary Layer.智的话让我开始回忆起了先前在三级底层中的经历。

The previously vivid garden looks like someone has splashed paint all over it, and its dark purple radiance is gloomy and somber.原本明媚的花园像是被人泼上了一层染料，暗紫的光辉浓郁深沉。

It would seem the "cleansing" that Wisdom spoke of was very likely what had allowed me to see the truth.这样看来，智所说的“净化”，很有可能就是那一抹让我看清真相的光环。

智In any case, just come over here.总之先来这边吧。

After cleaning up the battlefield, Wisdom and I return to Persicaria's side.战场清理结束后，我和智回到了帕斯卡的身边。

重构者[Performing neural cloud diagnostic...]【心智查验中……】

重构者[Subject neural cloud firewall integrity at 97%, possible deviation of 32%. Entropic infection status—moderate.]【目标心智防火墙完整度百分之九十七，偏移率百分之三十二，熵化感染程度——中。】

ProfessorYou said the effects of cleansing on them were minimal.你说你们的净化收效甚微。

ProfessorSo the girl in white that I saw in my coma—in my Tertiary Layer—wasn't you?也就是说，我在昏迷中 —— 在三级底层中看到的那个白衣少女并不是你么？

智A girl in white?白衣少女？

智Unfortunately, I don't know what you're talking about... It's true that I wear white, but we didn't have the energy to spare on diving into your base layers to awaken you.很遗憾，我不知道你在说什么……虽然我是穿着白色没错，但我们当时并没有余力进入你们的底层中进行唤醒。

智My team had their hands full just keeping the Entropics outside the defense line.我的小队把熵挡在防线外就已经竭尽全力了。

智Even I couldn't be entirely sure if I had the ability to retreat safely from an Entropy-infected Tertiary Layer.况且即便是我，也没有十足的把握能从被熵感染的三级底层中全身而退。

智I'm sure you understand too, but taking the risk to enter an infected individual's Tertiary Level while surrounded by Entropics would not be wise.我想你也应该明白，在当时被熵围困的情况下，冒着风险接入被感染者的三级底层并非明智之举。

重构者[Diagnostic complete. Subject neural cloud is still in a dormant state. Attempt to awaken Y/N?]【查验完成。目标心智仍处于休眠状态，是否尝试唤醒？】

智I will lead my squad outside and ensure your safety—if you can trust me.我会率领我的小队在外面保护你的安全——如果你相信我的话。

ProfessorI trust you. After all, making a move on us under these circumstances would be shooting yourself in the foot.我相信你。毕竟在这个时候对我们动手，对你来说也是有害无利。

智Oh, the reason isn't as driven by selfish interests as that... Do I look like someone who doesn't keep my word?也不是这么功利的原因啦……难道我看起来像不信守诺言的人吗？

ProfessorAlright then, I'll be counting on you.好吧，那么就拜托你们了。

I use the method the Sanctifier gave me and prepare to enter Persicaria's neural cloud. But before I can make my move...照着净化者给的方式，我正准备接入帕斯卡的心智，然而还没来得及动手……

PersicariaProfessor!教授！！

Persicaria suddenly awakens and stares straight ahead with fear in her eyes.帕斯卡陡然惊醒，倏地直起身，双眼惊恐地盯着前方。

ProfessorPersicaria, it's alright!帕斯卡，没关系的！

I pat Persicaria lightly on the back and her panic gradually subsides.轻轻拍打帕斯卡的背部，她的情绪逐渐稳定了下来。

智Professor, it looks like your awakening was not an exception.教授，看来你的清醒不是个例。

PersicariaA Sanctifier?! Professor, look out!净化者？！教授小心！

Upon noticing Wisdom's presence, Persicaria pushes me behind her without any further explanation and gathers operands in her hands.帕斯卡注意到智的存在后，不由分说地将我揽到她的身后，双手开始凝聚算量。

ProfessorStand down, Persicaria! We're working together now.停火帕斯卡！现在我们是合作关系。

Persicaria...Working together? Huh? Us and the Sanctifiers?合作……？诶？我们和净化者合作？

ProfessorIt's a long story, but just put your weapon away for now. I'll explain in more detail once everyone has awakened.说来话长，总之你先把武器收起来。具体的情况，等大家都醒来以后再详细说明吧。

Persicaria...Alright.……好的。

智...It seems the awakening went quite well.……看来唤醒挺顺利的。

ProfessorNo, Persicaria woke up before I could even connect to her.不，我还没来得及接入，帕斯卡就先醒来了。

智Was that the "girl in white" at work, the one you were talking about?是你说的“白衣少女”么？

智In other words, there's a third party helping us out...也就是说存在第三方势力的帮助……

ProfessorUm... Would you mind keeping out of sight for a bit?嗯……不过你可以先回避一下么？

ProfessorI'm worried you might get hurt by accident if they suddenly wake up...要是她们突然一起醒过来，我担心误伤……

智Ugh... Fine...呜……好吧……

It seems that when combat isn't involved, this Sanctifier before my eyes takes on strange qualities...似乎只要不涉及战斗，眼前的这位净化者就会切换成奇怪的属性……

Sure enough, not long after Wisdom leaves, Sol and Antonina show signs of coming to.果不其然，智刚离开没多久，苏尔和安冬妮娜也相继有了苏醒的迹象。

SolCome on, Prof, let's fight fair and square with live weapons! Like warriors!来吧！教授，让我们真枪真刀地干上一场！像个战士一样！

AntoninaProfessor. You. Are. DEAD.教授，你死定了。

Now I'm starting to wonder what they saw in their Tertiary Layers.我现在开始好奇她们都在三级底层看到什么东西了。

As the Exiles slowly wake up, I explain the situation to them.流亡者小队相继醒来，我向她们简单介绍了现状。

Starting from after we were attacked by the virus, my encounters in my Tertiary Layer, to how the electronic virus that attacked us is known as "Entropy"...包括我们被电子病毒袭击之后，在三级底层中的遭遇；袭击我们的电子病毒被称为“熵”……

As well as the fact that we're working with the Sanctifiers—以及和净化者合作的事情——

SolWe're working with the Sanctifiers!?和净化者合作？！

SolBut, but, they're SANCTIFIERS!! Have you forgotten what they've done in the past?虽然但是，那可是净化者诶！！你们忘记他们都做过些什么了吗？

SolTuring and T1641...图灵和T1641……

AntoninaI agree with Sol. That Wisdom of which you speak is of the same rank as Faith from Rossum. They are both Intermediate Sanctifiers.我赞同苏尔。你口中的这位“智”，和罗萨姆扇区的“信”同级别，都属于中位净化者。

SolYeah, they're all a bunch of blockheaded machines, how could they help Exiles like us!是啊，他们根本就只是一群死板的机器，怎么可能会帮助我们流亡者！

PersicariaI understand your concerns. I felt the same way when I first woke up.我理解你们的担忧，刚醒来时我的想法与你们一样。

PersicariaBut I trust the Professor's judgment, and objectively speaking, the Sanctifiers DID save us...但我相信教授的判断，而且从客观上来说，净化者确实救了我们……

PersicariaEucharist helped me and the Professor out back in the Enigma Sector.之前在恩格玛扇区，圣餐也确实帮助过教授和我。

SolUuurgh... This is all so complicated... I trust the Prof completely... but...唔唔唔……好复杂……虽然我完全相信教授……但……

SolAnna, you analyze this!安娜！你来分析！

Antonina(Sighs)……唉。

AntoninaI feel the same way as Sol. I don't trust this Wisdom character.我和苏尔的想法一样，我也不信任这个叫智的家伙。

SolI know, right!?对吧！

AntoninaBut I think cooperation is a workable plan. If we try to go it alone, we still won't make any headway.但我认为合作是可行的方案，如果仅靠我们，接下来恐怕会步履维艰。

SolYeah, see!对吧对吧！

Sol...Wait, what?……诶？

PersicariaHm, according to the Professor, the Sanctifiers have more experience fighting the Entropy.嗯，按教授的说法，净化者拥有更多与熵对战的经验。

AntoninaThe Sanctifiers have the time to spend on... What are these monsters called again? Entropics? The Sanctifiers can afford to fight the Entropics—they're obligated to, even, but not us.净化者有时间跟这些怪物……是叫熵没错吧？净化者有时间有责任跟熵对耗，但我们没有。

AntoninaI don't know why the Professor chose to work with them, but to me, this is the best choice given the current situation.我不知道教授是出于什么样的原因才选择和他们合作，但在我看来，这是当前局势下的最佳选择。

Sol...Humph.……唔。

AntoninaStill, Professor, any hesitation on the battlefield will lead to irrecoverable losses.但是教授，战场上的任何迟疑都会带来不可挽回的损失。

AntoninaI don't dare entrust my back to an enemy.我不敢把自己的背后交给敌人。

Sol...Croque's been infected, along with everyone back at the Oasis...……克罗琦被感染了，还有绿洲的大家……

PersicariaYes. Every minute we delay makes things that much more dangerous for the Exiles.是的，每拖延一分钟，流亡者的危险就会增加一分。

AntoninaTsk... So basically, we don't have a choice at all.啧……也就是说我们根本就没得选。

PersicariaThat's why we need to find the highest-ranking Entropic we can get our hands on and reverse-analyze its code.所以我们必须尽快找到一个尽可能高阶的熵，逆向分析它的代码。

PersicariaAlso, we need to verify the source of the Entropics and get rid of them at the origin in order to safeguard the Oasis.此外我们也要确认熵的来源，尽可能从根源解决它们，确保绿洲接下来的安全。

ProfessorAs a show of sincerity, Wisdom has temporarily altered her Sanctifier team's IFF systems. As long as she doesn't change their orders further, those Lesser Sanctifiers will not be able to fire on us.智为了表达诚意，暂时修改了净化者队伍的敌我辨识系统。只要她不更改指令，那些下位净化者就无法向我们开火。

ProfessorAt the same time, Wisdom and I will be commanding our own teams and I will do my best to ensure our safety.同时我也会和智分开指挥各自的队伍，尽可能保证我们的安全。

Don't forget our objective here.不要忘了此行的目的。

We will keep a distance from the Sanctifier forces.我们会和净化者的编队保持距离。

Sol...Okay, I got it.……我知道了。

SolBut let me get this out of the way first! I'll never treat them as friends.但我先说好啊！我是不会把他们当成伙伴的。

SolAt most... we'll just fight our own battles.最多……最多各打各的。

ProfessorAs long as you don't object.只要你不反对就够了。

ProfessorRight, I have another question. What did you guys see in your Tertiary Layers?对了，还有一个问题，你们在三级底层都看见了什么？

The moment I finish, different looks appear on each of their faces.话音刚落，三个人脸上分别露出了不同的表情。

PersicariaW-why do you ask...?您、您为什么问这个……？

ProfessorAccording to the Sanctifiers, we all had moderate levels of infection. Without external interference, we would have simply fallen further and further into our Tertiary Layers until we were completely lost.按照净化者的说法，我们都属于中度感染。在没有外力干扰的情况下，只会在各自的三级底层中越陷越深，直到彻底迷失。

ProfessorWhile the Sanctifiers employed certain measures to wake us up, they aren't the reason why we awoke. Therefore, I want to figure out what we all went through.虽说净化者为了唤醒我们采取了一些措施，但那却并非我们苏醒的关键原因。所以我想弄清楚大家各自经历了什么。

SolSo that's how it was...居然是这样……

SolWell, I was doing my old job, accompanying a science team on a field expedition.我在里面干的是老本行，和科考队在野外进行考察。

SolJust as my teammates and I were resting, you suddenly burst out of the ground, Prof!我和队友们在休息的时候，教授突然从地下钻了出来！

SolThen you stylishly dusted yourself off and challenged me to a duel.教授非常帅气地扫开身上的土灰，向我发起挑战。

SolWas what I saw THAT strange?怎么了……？我看到的东西很奇怪吗？

PersicariaDo you think what you saw made sense?你觉得你看到的东西它合理吗？

SolYes... it made perfect sense.很……很合理啊。

Persicaria...Just tell us how you woke up.……你还是说说怎么醒来的吧。

SolOh, that. Well, just as I was about to fight the Prof, some girl in white suddenly popped up alongside.噢噢，这个啊。就在我准备跟教授开战的时候，边上突然出现了一个白衣妹子。

SolShe kept calling my name and I thought it was super creepy, so I tried to get out of there. Then I woke up.她不断呼唤着我的名字。我觉得很诡异，想赶紧离开那里，然后就醒来了。

PersicariaA girl in white...白衣……

Persicaria seems to have recalled something, and gives a rough description of the appearance of the girl in white.帕斯卡像是想起了什么，大致描述了一下白衣少女的形象。

SolYes, yes, yes, she looked just like that. Did you see her too, Persicaria?对对对，就长这样。帕斯卡你也遇见了？

PersicariaYeah, she suddenly appeared in front of me too.是的，她也是突兀地出现在我身前。

PersicariaShe looked really creepy and she seemed to be reminding me of something.因为她的样子太过诡异，而且似乎在提醒我什么。

PersicariaI realized I might be in my Tertiary Layer, and then I woke up.我意识到自己可能身处三级底层，然后就醒来了。

ProfessorPretty much the same thing happened to me.我也差不多。

PersicariaLooks like everyone had the same experience.看来大家的遭遇都一样。

AntoninaNo, I didn't see a girl in white or anything.不，我没有看见什么白衣少女。

AntoninaI came out by myself, though the entire process is a little hazy in my memories.我是自己出来的，虽然整个过程都有点模糊。

PersicariaHuh?咦？

智Sorry, everyone.抱歉，各位。

Wisdom returns and interrupts our conversation.智回来了，打断了我们的谈话。

智We don't have much time. Professor, are you ready?时间不多了。教授，你们做好准备了吗？

ProfessorSol, put your sword down. She's Wisdom, the person we're working with.苏尔，把刀放下。她就是我们的合作对象，智。

智The Entropics are spreading out from the Pierides Sector throughout the whole of Magrasea. We can't waste any more time.熵正从庇厄里亚扇区向整个麦戈拉扩散，我们不能再拖下去了。

ProfessorLet's talk about the girl in white later. Dealing with the problem of the Entropics is the most important thing right now.白衣少女先往后放一放吧，现在处理熵的问题最要紧。

SolI'll say this first. I'm only working with you because I trust the Prof.先说好，我是信任教授才选择合作的。

SolIf you try anything funny, you'll get a taste of my sword right away.如果你敢有任何歪心思，我会立刻让你尝尝我的刀的味道。

智Hmph, I don't mind as long as you don't hold me back.哼，只要你别拖后腿就好。

Advance 推进

On the Outer Ring of the Pierides Sector.庇厄里亚扇区外环。

The Entropy has completely taken over this sector. None of the buildings here retain any semblance of their original appearances.熵已经彻底占据了这座扇区，所有的建筑都失去了本来的面貌。

SolEwwww... I can feel the stickiness just looking at them...噫……光是看着就能感受到那种黏糊糊的触感了……

PersicariaAll the agents in this sector have been completely infected.整个扇区的智能体都已经被感染殆尽了。

AntoninaNot just that, after infected agents die, they become new Entropics, who continue to spread the catastrophe.不仅如此，被感染的智能体死后，还会变成新的熵，继续扩大灾害。

SolQuit... quit it already! Just thinking about how these things worked their way into my neural cloud scares the crap out of me!别、别说啦！一想到这种东西还入侵过我的心智，我就感觉好可怕！

智They won't just invade your neural cloud, they'll also trap you in your Tertiary Layer.它们可不只会入侵你的心智，还会把你困在三级底层里。

智If nobody wakes you up from there in time, your neural cloud will be steadily consumed, dominated, and in the end you will become one of them.如果没有及时从三级底层中醒来，你的心智就会被逐步蚕食、接管，最后变成它们的一员。

Sol...And then you can kill me as a matter of course, right?……然后你就能顺理成章地朝我开枪了，对吗？

SolI heard the Prof say you just killed one of your own people.我听教授说，你刚刚才杀了一个自己的部下。

智That was something I had to do.……那是我必须做的事情。

智If the day comes when I ever get infected, I will gladly accept the release Lord Eosphorus grants me.如果哪一天我被感染了，我会欣然接受晨星大人赐予的解脱。

SolTsk...啧……

PersicariaWe have more important things to discuss. Professor, where are we headed next?先不说那些了。教授，我们接下来的行动目标是哪里？

ProfessorWisdom, I remember you said something about the clues pointing toward the Sector Administrator.智，我记得你提到过，现在的线索指向扇区的管理员。

Let Wisdom explain.让智来说明。

Explain in person.亲自说明。

智Ah, that's right!啊！没错！

There seems to be a strange shift in Wisdom's attitude when she's talking to me...感觉智对我的态度似乎有些微妙的不同……

智According to my combat analysis, we encounter 35% more resistance when we move toward the Admin Center.根据作战分析，当我们向管理员中心移动时，遇到的抵抗会增加35%。

智That's why I have reason to believe these Entropics are protecting something.因此我们有理由相信，这些熵在尝试保护什么。

ProfessorAlthough the Entropics are everywhere, we encounter more resistance when we move in a specific direction.虽然熵到处都是，但当我们向特定方向移动时，会遭到更多的阻拦。

ProfessorIn fact, Entropics from the other directions will converge on our location to provide support.甚至会有其他方向的熵前来支援。

ProfessorAfter the previous battle, I've got a rough idea of where their defenses are heaviest.经过刚才的战斗，我已经大致判断出了防守最密集的区域……

智Oh, I've come to the same conclusion.啊！我也是这么判断的！

智I presume you're talking about the direction of the Admin Center.教授说的就是管理员中心的方向。

AntoninaYou mean someone is still leading these Entropics? But all our previous analyses show that their movements are chaotic and erratic...你的意思是这些熵还有人在指挥？但明明之前所有分析都显示，它们的行动是混乱无序的……

智Well, that's just a theory for now.目前只能这么推测。

SolIt's hard enough dealing with these monsters as individuals! If they've got organization and leadership...!这种怪物各自为战已经很难对付了！如果再加上有体系的指挥……！

ProfessorIn any case, we'll know the answer once we reach the Admin Center.总之到了管理员中心，我们自然就能知道答案了。

PersicariaUnderstood. I'll be counting on you to pull up a map, Antonina.我明白了。那么地图的调取就拜托你了，安冬妮娜。

AntoninaUm... I hate to say this, but I might not be able to find a map doc right away...唔……虽然不愿意承认，但我可能没办法立刻找到地图文件……

AntoninaThe Entropic infection of this sector is just too severe. I can barely find any useful data.熵对扇区的侵蚀太可怕了，我几乎找不到能用的数据。

智We Sanctifiers all have maps of the publicly-accessible routes in a sector. All you need to do is follow us.我们净化者都有扇区的公开路线图。你们跟我来就可以了。

PersicariaReally? That's a great help!真的吗？那可是帮大忙了！

ProfessorWe'll be counting on you to lead the way then, Wisdom.那就麻烦你带路了，智。

智Humph, piece of cake.哼，简单。

With that, Wisdom directs her Lesser Sanctifiers to clear a path and walks down it.说罢，智招呼着下位净化者开路，自己也朝前走去。

PersicariaLooks like the Sanctifiers truly mean to cooperate.看来净化者的合作还是有诚意的。

AntoninaAt the very least, she's clearing her own path and not using us as cannon fodder.至少她会自己开路，没想着让我们当炮灰。

Sol...I'm not going to thank her for that, you know.……我可不会因为这个而感谢她。

In the Middle Ring of the Pierides Sector.庇厄里亚扇区中环。

The deeper we go into the Sector, the stronger the Entropics become.随着我们逐渐深入，熵的强度也在逐步提升。

智Squad 5, pull back. Squad 3, take their place and maintain formation!5队后撤，3队顶上，保持原有阵型！

ProfessorPersicaria, give Squad 5 minimal healing, then head over to back Sol up!帕斯卡，给5队最低限度进行治疗，完成后支援苏尔！

ProfessorAntonina, cover Squad 3 as they move up. Sol, take out that Entropic on the right wing of the main body; the Lesser Sanctifiers can't handle it.安冬妮娜，协防3队前压。苏尔，清理主队右翼的那只熵，下位净化者顶不住它。

SolYeeart—!喝啊——！

PersicariaSol, pull back! You're in too deep!苏尔后退！你太深入了！

SolUrgh—呃——

Bang—砰——

Just as the swarming Entropics are about to completely encircle Sol, a bullet arrives just in time to blow apart the Entropic blocking her route of retreat.眼看着苏尔就要被蜂拥而至的熵缠上，一发子弹及时赶到，打爆了退路上的熵。

智I told you not to hold us back.我说了别拖后腿。

Sol(Scowls) I didn't think they'd charge straight at me...唔……没想到这些家伙会这么直挺挺地冲过来……

智The Entropics have no regard for their own wellbeing when they charge, but that's also a sign of their lack of intelligence. There's nothing to fear as long as our opponents aren't intelligent.熵冲锋起来很不要命，但这也是它们智能不足的体现。没有智能的对手，就不足为惧。

SolSo you're calling me an idiot for charging in first, then?你的意思是说，冲在第一个的我也很无脑吗？

智Wha? Um... No, that's not what I...欸？呜……不，我不是这个……

SolOh, that's enough, quit making that face already!好啦好啦！别露出那种表情了！

Sol...In any case, thanks for that.……总之，刚才多谢了。

智You're... you're welcome!不、不用客气的！

智I mean, we're working together, right? Of course I'm going to protect you guys!我们现在不是合作伙伴吗？我当然会保护好你们！

Sol...It just feels weird. I never thought there would ever come a day when a Sanctifier vowed to "protect" me.……真是奇怪的感觉。我从没想过有一天，会有净化者对我说“保护”这个词。

SolPersicaria, are things alright on your end...? Wait a minute, aren't you hurt? Quick, heal yourself!帕斯卡，你那边的情况还好吗……等等，你是不是受伤了？快给自己治疗一下！

PersicariaI just healed the Lesser Sanctifiers with my terminal and it's still cooling down. Wait a moment.终端刚才治疗下位净化者了，现在还在冷却。我的问题不大，可以等一会儿的。

下位净化者[Thank you for the healing. Now reorganizing formation.]【感谢治疗，重新整备中。】

Persicaria...It DOES feel kind of weird.……确实是有点奇怪的感觉。

In the Inner Ring of the Pierides Sector.庇厄里亚扇区内环。

Through our coordination with the Sanctifiers, everyone in the group largely remains in one piece and we manage to penetrate all the way into the sector's Inner Ring.在和净化者的相互配合下，整个团队保持了一定的完整性，我们一路突入至扇区的内环。

智Practically none of the Lessers have died... I hate to admit this, but I truly haven't fought such a successful battle against the Entropics before.下位几乎没有牺牲……虽然有点不甘心，但我真的从没和熵打过这么顺利的仗。

智You guys are... really good, especially the Professor's leadership...你们……确实好厉害，尤其是教授的指挥……

ProfessorDo the Sanctifiers usually take a lot of casualties?净化者平时的战损比很高吗？

智Yeah... It's not uncommon to lose all our Lessers against Entropic incursions of this scale.嗯……面对这种规模的熵入侵，下位全军覆没是常有的事情。

智Probably only the Greater Sanctifiers could penetrate this deeply into Entropic territory in such good order...像现在这样，队伍近乎完好地深入熵的腹地，或许只有上位净化者……

智No, perhaps we might only be able to make this happen with the personal direction of our wise and mighty Lord Eosphorus.不，或许得由英明神武的晨星大人亲自指挥，才有可能实现吧。

SolOf course, our Prof's amazing!那当然了。我们的教授可厉害了！

We pass by a street as the conversation carries on.说话间，我们通过了一条街口。

The purple haze in the air has thickened into a visible mist.空气中的紫色肉眼可见地凝实了起来，仿若雾气。

智From here on in, we will be entering the core of Entropic territory.从这里开始，我们就进入熵的核心区域了。

Wisdom senses something strange and chambers a round before hopping onto a nearby tall building.智第一时间察觉到了异常，将子弹上膛，跃上附近的高台建筑。

智[All Sanctifiers, operate at maximum efficiency.]【所有净化者，全功率运转。】

下位净化者[Order received, removing limiters.]【收到指令，限制解除。】

ProfessorPersicaria, cut back on your healing code output and conserve operands from now on. Don't heal any wounds unless they would be otherwise fatal.帕斯卡，停止愈合治疗代码的输出，从现在起节约算量，非致命伤害不治疗。

ProfessorAntonina, focus and mind the flanks and rear. Sol, fall back and focus on guarding the ranged Sanctifiers.安冬妮娜集中注意力，重点注意侧翼和后方。苏尔归队，重点照看远程净化者。

SolGuarding... Got it!照看……收到！

Just then, some kind of purple thing turns the corner and charges at us. Wisdom moves her muzzle and instantly shoots it dead in mid-air.话音刚落，转角处突然有什么紫色的东西冲了过来。智甩动枪口，在一瞬间将它击毙在半空中。

智They're here!来了！

智These are probably their scouts. They aren't too numerous, but they're very agile.这应该是它们的侦察部队，数量不多，但是很灵活。

AntoninaI can constrain their movements.我能限制它们的移动。

智Please do!拜托你了！

Antonina and the Lesser Sanctifiers swiftly pin down the Entropics rushing up at us, while Wisdom fires accurately and eliminates them one after the other.安冬妮娜和下位净化者们快速控制住了冲上来的熵，智随即用精准的射击将它们逐个消灭击破。

下位净化者[Targets destroyed.]【目标已击破。】

PersicariaThank goodness, we suppressed them all!太好了，压制住了！

AntoninaYou're quite a decent shot.真是好枪法。

智Likewise.彼此彼此。

ProfessorThis isn't the time for idle chatter, there are still more over there!还没到闲聊的时候，那边还有！

下位净化者[Targets have entered firing range. Commencing armed suppression.]【目标已进入射程，武装压制展开。】

Through our coordination with the Sanctifiers, the Entropic squad is soon wiped out.在我们和净化者们的配合下，熵小队很快被消灭得差不多了。

However, some Lesser Sanctifiers were damaged in the battle.不过，也有下位净化者在战斗中负伤。

下位净化者[Suppression... complete...] [Requesting... fire...]【压制……完成……】 【请求开火……】

Bang!砰！

Wisdom takes out the Entropic ripping at the Lesser Sanctifier, but the purple on its body does not fade away.智一枪打穿了在下位净化者机体上不断撕咬着的熵，然而净化者染上的紫色仍未消退。

下位净化者[Detecting... System infection... Infection has spread to Tertiary Layer...] [Attempting... self-repair...]【检测到……系统感染……已扩散至三级底层……】 【尝试……自我修复……】

PersicariaIt's been infected!它被感染了！

AntoninaPersicaria, stay back!别过去，帕斯卡！

下位净化者[Self-repair failed... Re... questing...]【自我修复失败……请……求……】

智...I'll take care of this.……我来解决。

The moment Persicaria steps away, Wisdom raises her gun again and shoots the infected Sanctifier.帕斯卡侧开身子的同时，智又一次举枪，将被感染的净化者击穿。

智...Cleansing complete. I'm sorry...……净化完成。抱歉……

PersicariaThe Professor told us about this, but actually seeing it is still...虽然听教授描述过了，但亲眼看到还是……

SolYeah, that's why I said we can't trust the Sanctifiers.是啊，所以我才说，不能信任净化者。

智You!你！

Suddenly, Sol appears behind Wisdom. She swings her purple-stained swords, then—只见苏尔突然出现在智的身后。她挥舞着沾满紫色黏液的双刀，然后——

She points them toward Wisdom, who did not react in time.指向了还没反应过来的智。

SolYou shouldn't have let me get so close.你不该让我靠这么近的。

智Urgh—呃——

PersicariaSol, stop messing around!苏尔！别乱来！

SolYeeart!喝啊！

Sol ignores Persicaria's shout, and with lightning speed, she throws a sword at Wisdom...苏尔无视帕斯卡的喊声，以迅雷不及掩耳之势，将手中的武器甩向了智……

Clang!哐！

熵Skree—Hss—Kah!!吱——滋滋——咔！！

...Which nails a squirming Entropic to the wall.……然后，将一只蠢蠢欲动的熵钉死在了墙上。

SolHumph.哼。

SolI disagree with your values, but I won't hold you back either.我不认同你们的价值观，但我也不会拖后腿的。

SolHey, you alright? Can you stand?喂，你没事吧？别是站不起来了吧？

智I... I'm fine. Thanks for saving me...没、没事。刚刚真是多谢你了……

SolAhem. Still, these Entropics are really gross.咳，不过说回来，这些熵真的好恶心。

SolHell, even if they're Sanctifiers, I can't bear to watch as they get infected.哪怕是净化者，我也不想眼睁睁地看着它们被熵感染。

SolIs there really no other way?真的没有其他办法吗？

智I wouldn't want to do it if I could avoid it!如果有的话我也不想啊！

智The Lesser Sanctifiers' firewalls can't stand up to the Entropy, their Tertiary Layers are usually eaten right through in an instant.下位净化者的防火墙几乎无法抵御熵的袭击，它们的三级底层几乎一瞬间就被侵蚀了。

ProfessorThe Tertiary Layer...三级底层……

ProfessorSo all the creepy things we went through were signs of the Entropy eroding our Tertiary Layers.所以在我们昏迷的过程中经历的诡异境况，就是熵侵蚀三级底层的表象。

PersicariaYes... Fortunately, that girl in white helped wake us up and restart our neural cloud firewalls in time...是的……还好我们在那个白衣少女的帮助下被唤醒，及时重启了自己的心智防火墙。

Sol(Groans) This is so complicated... but it's good as long as everyone's okay!唔唔唔好复杂……不过没事就好！

AntoninaA moment please, everyone.各位，打断一下。

AntoninaAccording to the map Wisdom provided, we're not far from the Admin Center.按照智提供的地图，我们离管理员中心不远了。

ProfessorYeah, there should be a big pack of Entropics headed our way soon. We've got to keep moving.嗯，应该很快会有大批熵靠近这里。我们要继续行动了。

ProfessorWisdom, keep leading the way. Can you manage?智，还是你带路。能行么？

智Sure thing!好的！

Theater 剧场

Admin Center, Pierides Sector.庇厄里亚扇区，管理员中心。

After following the Sanctifiers all this way and beating back a veritable tide of Entropics, we find the Entropized Sector Administrator whom Wisdom was talking about in the core region.一路跟随着净化者，击退了潮水一般的熵，我们在核心区域找到了智口中的熵化管理员。

SolUgh, she looks really scary... She's purple all over...呃，这人看起来好恐怖啊……浑身上下紫紫的。

PersicariaWhat should we do now? Should we connect to her neural cloud and try to awaken her?我们现在要怎么做？接入她的心智唤醒她吗？

重构者[Diagnostic complete. Subject infection rate is 78%. Recommend immediate cleansing.]【检测完成，目标感染率78%，建议立刻净化。】

智Unfortunately, there is no way to wake her up.很遗憾，她已经没办法醒来了。

智Although she still seems to be resisting the Entropy, it's only a matter of time before the Entropy completely rewrites her.虽然她似乎还在抵抗，但被熵完全感染改写已经是时间问题了。

智Soon, she will become an Entropic in the skin of an agent. Her neural cloud has long since been lost in her Tertiary Layer.很快，她就会完全成为一个披着智能体外衣的熵。她的心智早已迷失在三级底层。

智...All we can do now is grant her release before that happens. I hope you can understand that.……我们所能做的，只有在那之前解脱她。我希望你们能理解。

With that, Wisdom shifts into combat mode and prepares to charge up her sniper rifle.说罢，智进入战斗姿态，开始为自己的狙击枪蓄能。

智Please step back, Miss Persicaria. Along the way, you should have seen many Entropized...请退后，帕斯卡小姐。这一路以来你们应该已经见过很多被熵化的……

Persicaria stares at the administrator and suddenly seems to realize something.帕斯卡凝视着管理员，忽然她意识到了什么。

PersicariaWait!等等！

Bang—砰——

Upon hearing Persicaria's cry, Sol immediately grabs Wisdom's gun barrel and yanks it skyward. Unable to respond in time, Wisdom fires a shot into the ceiling, and the entire room shakes.听到帕斯卡的阻拦，苏尔立刻反手抓住智的枪管，往上一抬。智一时反应不过来，一枪打在天花板上，整个房间一阵震动。

智What... what's going on...? Don't scare me...怎、怎么了……不要吓我……

SolYeah, what gives, Persicaria?是啊，怎么了，帕斯卡？

AntoninaI have to hand it to you for taking action before understanding what's going on...亏你能在搞明白情况之前就采取行动……

PersicariaDon't you think she looks very familiar?你不觉得这个人很眼熟吗？

SolFamiliar? How could she be, this is our first time coming to this Sector—眼熟？怎么可能，我们可是第一次来这个扇区——

SolHey, wait, it's true!诶，真的哎！

SolProf, come take a look! This is the girl in white who interrupted our duel!教授，快来看！这个人就是打断我们两个对决的白衣少女！

智...A duel? Between the two of you?……对决？你们两个？

PersicariaYes, I also... I also saw her in that dreamscape.是的，我也在……在那个场景里见到过她。

She's talking about what she saw in her Tertiary Layer.她说的是在三级底层里看到的事情。

Yeah, we often wrestle each other in our spare time.是啊，我们两个休息的时候经常摔跤玩。

智W-wrestling? You and Sol...?摔、摔跤？您和苏尔……？

SolOhhhh! Prof, are you accepting my challenge?哦哦哦哦！教授你接受我的挑战了么！

PersicariaThis is no time for jokes, Professor. I've seen her too, in... in my Tertiary Layer.这种时候您就别开玩笑了，教授。我也见过她，在……在那个三级底层里。

SolYeah, you're right!对对对！

SolStill, her color's a little different now. Back then she had white hair and a white dress, but now...不过，颜色可能有点不一样吧。那时候她还是白发白裙的样子，但现在已经……

智Wait a minute, wait a minute... Are you saying that the Pierides Sector administrator once entered your Tertiary Layers?等一下等一下……你们的意思是，庇厄里亚扇区的管理员曾经潜入过你们的三级底层？

PersicariaYes, and it was her appearance which made me realize that I had ended up there.是的。而且正是她的出现，让我意识到自己坠入了底层。

ProfessorPerhaps she was the one who helped wake us up.或许帮助我们醒来的，就是她。

智But you've seen it too, right? How could she possibly help you when she's like this?但你们也看到了，她都已经这样了，哪来的办法帮助你们？

PersicariaFrom what I can see, she's still in possession of her own neural cloud. In addition, the latest diagnostic indicates that her Tertiary Layer hasn't been completely infiltrated.以我所见到的来说，她仍然保持着自己的心智。加上刚才的诊断，她的三级底层还没有被完全入侵。

智But... but even if that's the case, we can't wake her up... Wait a minute, do you plan to...?可、可就算如此，我们也没有办法唤醒她……等等，你们是想……？

PersicariaYes. We can try to enter her Tertiary Layer to wake her up.是的，我们可以尝试接入她的三级底层将她唤醒。

PersicariaJust like what she did for us.就像她曾经对我们做过的那样。

智Are you serious?你们认真的吗？

SolAnna, say something! She saved us, you know!安娜，你也快说点什么！她可是救了我们诶？

Antonina...I have nothing to say. Unlike you, I didn't see her, so if I had to pick a side, I would side with Wisdom.……我没什么好说的，我又没有见过她。一定要站队的话，我选择智那边。

AntoninaWe shouldn't complicate a simple matter. Don't forget, Croque is still waiting for us.我们没有必要把简单的问题复杂化。别忘了，克罗琦还在等我们回去。

ProfessorI do see your point. However, I don't think the situation is so simple.的确，安冬妮娜和智的想法有一定道理。但我认为事情并没有那么简单。

ProfessorThat she saved us is an incontrovertible fact. We can't just give up on her like that. It's not right.她救了我们是不容辩驳的事实，于情于理，我们都不能就这么放弃她。

Make a rational analysis.理性分析。

Emphasize returning the favor.投桃报李。

ProfessorMore to the point, I suspect the problem with the Pierides Sector extends far beyond what we can see right now.更何况，我怀疑庇厄里亚扇区的问题远不止我们看到的这样。

ProfessorWisdom, you said the Sanctifiers rushed here right after receiving the alert.智，你说过净化者是接到警报后便立刻赶来的。

ProfessorBut by the time you got here, the entire sector had already been infected.但你到来的时候，整个扇区已经被感染了。

智Hmm... That's true. With our early warning systems, we would have been notified if even a single Entropic showed up.唔……确实，按照我们的预警系统，哪怕一只熵出现了，我们也会立即收到通知。

智Normally, something like an entire sector being infected would never happen...正常情况下根本不会出现整个扇区都被感染的事情……

PersicariaYes, I agree with the Professor. If we don't find the cause, we will never be truly safe.是的，我同意教授的观点，如果我们查不出原因，就无法获得真正的安全。

PersicariaPerhaps the administrator is the only one who has the answer to these questions.而这些问题的答案，或许只有管理员才知道。

ProfessorWe need to take this risk. Otherwise, what happened to Croque and the Oasis may end up playing out again.我们必须冒这个险。否则，发生在绿洲和克罗琦身上的事情还会再度上演。

AntoninaHm... Fine... There's some sense to what you say.唔……好吧……你说的有一点道理。

智So are you going to save her, Professor?所以你一定要救她吗，教授？

ProfessorI have no reason to run from this. What about you, Wisdom?我没有逃避的理由。那么你呢，智？

智...I'm very sorry, but I cannot do this.……对不起，我做不到。

智There is one thing that all Sanctifiers who have faced the Entropics know—never attempt to enter the Tertiary Layer of a severely infected agent.净化者对待熵有统一的共识，我们绝不可能尝试进入一个已经深度感染的智能体的三级底层。

智No, how shall I put it... The fact that I still haven't fired at the administrator yet is a violation of our regulations.不，应该这么说——我到现在还没有对管理员开枪，就已经属于逾矩的行为了。

智But... my neural cloud circuits are telling me that if Lord Eosphorus were here, he would not allow me to solve the problem with such crude methods.但……我的心智回路正在告诉我，如果晨星大人在这里的话，一定不会允许我用那种粗暴的方式解决问题。

智So all I can do is buy you some time.所以，我唯一能做的，就是帮你们争取点时间。

Wisdom lowers her visor with determination and walks outside with her sniper rifle.智毅然戴正眼罩，抱着狙击枪向外走去。

智You have 10 minutes at most, Professor.最多10分钟，教授。

ProfessorThat's enough. Thank you, Wisdom.足够了。谢谢你，智。

ProfessorSol, go help her. Antonina, watch our surroundings. We'll be counting on you to take care of anything that comes up.苏尔，去协助她。安冬妮娜警戒四周，如果发生什么意外，就拜托你处理了。

ProfessorPersicaria, help me prepare to connect to the administrator's neural cloud.帕斯卡，帮我准备连接管理员的心智。

PersicariaYou should let me do it, Professor.还是让我去吧，教授。

ProfessorI'm different from you. Besides, I was the first to wake up, wasn't I?我和你们多少有点不一样，而且之前我也是第一个醒来的，不是吗？

ProfessorRelax, Persicaria. I'll be back.别担心，帕斯卡，我会回来的。

Persicaria...I understand.……我明白了。

Right before I connect, Persicaria squeezes my hands tightly.在连接的前一刹，帕斯卡握紧了我的手。

PersicariaPlease come back safely, Professor.请您务必安全回来，教授。

My consciousness sinks, and a torrent of data pours down on me, drowning out my senses.意识一沉，海量的数据倾盆覆下，颠倒了我的感官。

A hum of busy chatter wakes me. When I open my eyes, I find myself in a theater.嘈杂声将我唤醒，睁开眼，我已然置身于一处剧院当中。

Agents move back and forth among the seats, and very soon, everyone finds their places and the surroundings go quiet.智能体在座位之间来来往往，很快，大家都找到了自己的位置，周围又安静了下来。

???I've been looking forward to Maestro Sade's war-themed pieces. Do you like the subject too?真让人期待啊，莎德老师的战争剧。你也喜欢这个题材吗？

ProfessorIt's you...是你……

???You don't mind if I sit here, do you?不介意我坐这里吧？

The girl before me is the administrator I am looking for.眼前的少女正是我要找的管理员。

???My name is Odile. What about you?我的名字叫奥吉里，你呢？

ProfessorI am , and I'm here to...我叫，我是来……

奥吉里Shhh— The play's about to begin. This isn't the time to talk.嘘——戏剧要开场啦，可不能在这时候说话。

She presses her index finger to my lips.她将食指抵上了我的嘴唇。

ProfessorYou can call me the Professor.你可以叫我教授。

Immediately tell her what is going on.直接告诉她现状。

Patiently wait for things to unfold.耐心等待发展。

奥吉里What an interesting name. Well then, Professor, let us enjoy this production.真是个有趣的称呼。那么教授，就让我们一起欣赏这出好剧吧。

The curtain falls before rising again. A girl who looks similar to the administrator appears on the stage.帷幕落下复而拉开，一个长相与管理员有几分相似的少女出现在了舞台上。

奥吉塔This is the Pierides Sector, Magrasea's Shangri-la.这里是庇厄里亚扇区，麦戈拉的世外桃源。

奥吉塔We are not as prosperous as the other sectors, we do not have mountains of digcoins, nor do we have inexhaustible fonts of operands.我们不像其他扇区那样繁华，没有堆积如山的底格币，也没有取之不竭的算量。

奥吉塔But we have something that the other sectors do not. We have the most beautiful thing in all the world—但我们，有着其他扇区都没有的事物，是世界上最美的事物——

奥吉塔We have art.艺术。

The girl dances on stage, singing her lines like an oriole.少女在舞台上跃动着，用黄莺般的歌喉轻唱台词。

奥吉里She is my little sister, handpicked by Master Sade to be the star of the opera. Isn't she adorable?她是我妹妹，被莎德老师选为戏剧的主角，很可爱吧？

Odile quietly explains to me as she watches her little sister's performance with a tender smile on her face.奥吉里小声向我解说着，噙着笑容注视着自己妹妹的表演。

奥吉塔We sing in the shade of the trees, we dance in the clear springs.我们在树荫下歌唱，我们在清泉中起舞。

奥吉塔We write poems among piles of books, we...我们在书堆旁作诗，我们在……

奥吉里We paint in the corridors.我们在长廊里绘画……

Odile quietly recites her little sister's lines.奥吉里轻声地跟上了妹妹的台词。

She sounds very practiced with them, as though she's heard them thousands of times. Even the rhythm and pitch are a perfect match.熟练得仿佛已经听过了千次万次，就连声调节拍都在同一根弦上。

奥吉里&奥吉塔We raise new sprouts with creativity, we trim branches by inspiration.我们依靠创造浇灌新芽，我们凭借灵感修剪枝叶。

奥吉里&奥吉塔But then—然而——

All the lights in the theater suddenly go out.剧场的灯突然全部熄灭。

奥吉塔People slowly stop appreciating our performances.然而渐渐地，再也没有人欣赏我们的演出。

奥吉塔The garden withers, our operands run dry...花园荒废，算量枯竭……

奥吉塔And the art of which we are so proud slowly fade away...我们引以为豪的艺术，也逐渐消失殆尽……

Are they talking about Magrasea disconnecting from the real world?说的是麦戈拉与外界断联的事情么……

奥吉塔Is our art no longer needed? Have we been discarded?艺术不被需要了吗？我们被抛弃了吗？

奥吉里&奥吉塔Will we vanish?我们会消失吗？

奥吉塔Until one day—直到有一天——

The lights come on again, and a creepy-looking plant appears on stage.灯光再次亮起。舞台上出现了一株诡异的植物。

奥吉塔Until one day, a mysterious outsider comes and plants a seed in our withered garden.直到有一天，神秘的外来者在枯萎的花园中心撒下了种子。

奥吉塔The seed sprouts and grows, and finally forms a bud.种子发芽，成长，最终长成了花苞。

奥吉里It is as lovely as a rainbow, and as enchanting as moonlight.就像虹霓一样美丽，就像月光一样迷人。

奥吉塔We look at it and caress it in curiosity.我们好奇地看它碰它。

奥吉里We gaze upon it and care for it in admiration.我们欣喜地顾它盼它。

奥吉里&奥吉塔And then...然后……

奥吉塔And then what, sister?然后什么呢？姐姐。

奥吉里And then, the deep purple torus of that flower blossoms with a gift from the gods...然后，在那深紫色的花托上，结出了来自神明的恩赐……

奥吉塔With that gift, we repair the garden and reopen the theater.我们带着恩赐，重修了花园，重开了剧场。

奥吉塔If we give it a little bit of authority, the purple flower rewards us with operands.只要给出一点权能，紫色花朵就会报以算量。

奥吉塔And so, we rebuild our sector and rediscover the reason for our existence—就这样，我们重建了扇区，我们找回存在的意义——

Just then, the lights in the theater all go out. The surrounding agents all turn to look at us, their eyes vacant and their jaws slack.话音刚落，剧院的灯陡然一灭，周围的智能体纷纷转过头来看向我们，眼神空洞，嘴巴微张。

智能体们But at what cost?但代价是什么呢？

The flower on stage suddenly mutates, and Entropy pours out of its pistil.舞台中央的花朵突发异变，大量的熵从花芯中涌出。

In the next moment, all the agents are consumed by the Entropy. Thick purple vines crawl all over their bodies, entering them and twisting them into Entropic monsters.下一秒，所有的智能体都被熵吞噬，深沉的紫色藤蔓爬满了他们的躯干，进而将他们扭曲成熵的怪物模样。

I immediately turn to Odile. She is also entangled by the vines, but fortunately, she hasn't mutated.我立刻看向奥吉里，她也同样被藤蔓缠住，但所幸没有变异。

奥吉塔Do... do you like art too?你……你也喜欢艺术吗？

奥吉塔Look at me... Hurry and look this way, just like everyone else...看着我……快看过来，就像大家一样……

智能体们Just like everyone...像大家一样……

奥吉塔JOIN US!加入我们吧！

PersicariaPlease come back safely, Professor.请您务必安全回来，教授。

ProfessorDon't worry, Persicaria. I'll be back.别担心，帕斯卡，我会回来的。

PersicariaBut at the very least, let us give you some of our operands.不过至少，让我们把算量分给你。

SolOh yeah, we can do that! I'll chip in too!对哦还有这招！那我也！

Antonina...Don't waste it. Right now, operands are very precious.……可别浪费了，现在算量非常宝贵。

With that, the three of them transfer their operands to me.三人说完把各自的算量传输给我。

Resist.抵抗。

Resist.抵抗。

Resist.抵抗。

Garden 花园

As the battle comes to an end, the Entropics in the theater vanish one by one. The purple smoke that surrounds Odette and the vines that bind Odile all crumble to dust.随着战斗告一段落，剧院里的熵逐一消解。包裹着奥吉塔的紫烟，束缚着奥吉里的藤蔓，全都化为烟尘。

奥吉塔(Winces) ...My strength... is fading...呜……力量……在减弱……

奥吉塔Have we been cast aside in the end...? Why...我们还是被抛弃了吗……为什么……

奥吉塔Big... sis...姐……姐……

In the end, Odette and the other infected agents slowly shatter into fragments as well.最后，就连奥吉塔也和其他被感染的智能体一样，逐渐碎成了残片。

Her eyes remain wide open, unwilling to look away from her big sister until the moment she disintegrates.直到消失前的最后一刻，她依然睁着大大的眼睛，以不舍的目光盯着她的姐姐。

奥吉里It seems that the curtain has fallen for this production at last.这幕剧，终于结束了啊。

Odile mutters to herself as she stares at where her little sister has vanished. The purple on her has darkened compared to before.看着消失的妹妹，奥吉里只是轻声呢喃着。她身上的紫色与刚才相比，已经愈发地深沉了。

Professor...Are you awake?……你清醒了么？

奥吉里Yeah...嗯……

奥吉里The Pierides Sector is not large. My sister, my friends, my comrades...庇厄里亚扇区并不大。我的妹妹，我的朋友，同伴……

奥吉里In order to keep the sector running, we all exchanged our permissions for operands...我们为了扇区的运转，用权限换取了算量……

ProfessorWho is this "mysterious outsider" you were talking about?你们说的“神秘外来者”是谁？

Who did you make a deal with?是什么人和你们做的交易？

Where did the Entropy come from?熵是从哪里来的？

奥吉里I don't know.我不知道。

奥吉里We didn't see its face.我们并没能看清它的样貌。

ProfessorIs the "purple flower" at the heart of the garden?你们说的“紫花”，是在花园中心吗？

奥吉里Yes. At first, we simply found that we could obtain operands from it.是的，起初我们只是发现可以从那里抽取算量。

奥吉里Then one day, the flower suddenly turned into a data fracture.直到有一天，花突然变成了数据裂隙。

奥吉里Huge amounts of Entropy poured out of it like the rising tide, instantly engulfing us.大量熵像潮水一样涌出，瞬间吞噬了我们。

She takes her seat again.她说着，重新坐回到剧院的椅子上。

奥吉里Staying conscious is really hard at times. If it weren't because of the last bit of hope I had for the sector, I might have long since joined my sister in dancing on the stage already.清醒有时候真的好难啊。如果不是为了这个扇区最后的那一线希望，我可能早就上台与妹妹共舞了吧。

Odile reaches out to me with obvious exhaustion.奥吉里对我张开了手掌，神色有些疲倦。

奥吉里Wake me. I can close the data fracture and put an end to the Entropic incursion.唤醒我，我可以关闭数据裂隙，彻底阻止熵的入侵。

奥吉里Please help me save the Pierides Sector.请帮助我，拯救庇厄里亚扇区吧。

ProfessorI will.我会的。

The ground beneath our feet begins to shudder. It seems this theater is about to collapse as well.脚下的大地开始剧烈震动。这所剧院也即将迎来崩塌了。

ProfessorCan you hang in there?你还撑得住吗？

奥吉里I won't fall before I fulfil my purpose. Don't worry.在我完成使命之前，我不会倒下的，放心吧。

PersicariaProfessor! Are you alright?教授！您还好吗？

ProfessorI told you before, didn't I? I'd come back safely.我不是说过了嘛，我会平安回来的。

PersicariaThank goodness... Thank goodness!太好了……太好了！

AntoninaIt's not yet time to relax, Persicaria.还没到放松的时候呢，帕斯卡。

AntoninaAnd the administrator seems to be stirring too... She's not in any danger, is she, Professor?那个管理员好像也要醒过来了……她没有危险吧，教授？

ProfessorShe was lucid when she was talking to me, at least.至少和我对话的时候，她的意识是清楚的。

AntoninaYou say that, but she looks all dark and black and... Ah, she's moving!话虽这么说，但她看起来还是黑漆漆的……啊，动了！

We watch warily as Odile regains consciousness. After a while, she slowly opens her eyes—they look clear.我们如临大敌地注视着逐渐苏醒的奥吉里。过了一会儿，她慢慢睁开了双眼，眼里流出清醒的神色。

奥吉里Thank you, Professor.谢谢您，教授。

PersicariaShe's come to!她的意识回来了！

AntoninaNo, I checked her code, the Entropization isn't completely gone yet. Don't get careless!不对，我检查过她的代码了，熵化还没有完全解除。你们别大意！

奥吉里Please relax. As long as my neural cloud is conscious, I will not let them take control of this body.请放心，只要我的心智还清醒，就不会让它们掌控这具身体的。

AntoninaThat said... I won't hesitate if you lose control.就算你这样说……如果你失控，我是不会手软的。

奥吉里Yes, of course.嗯，当然。

奥吉里Time is short. Let's talk as we walk.时间紧迫，我们边走边说吧。

智...So the Entropy directly created a data fracture in the Pierides Sector?……所以，这些熵是直接在庇厄里亚扇区内部打开了一个数据裂隙？

智No wonder there were so many of them, and we couldn't respond to it at all...怪不得数量这么多，而且我们根本来不及反应……

奥吉里The passage was opened in the garden that my sister and I had built together. I'll take you there.那个通道开在我和妹妹一起建设的花园里。我这就带大家过去。

智Alright... But who...好的……可究竟是谁……

奥吉里I don't know. We don't even know the reason why...不知道呢。我们至今也没有搞清楚原因……

奥吉里Urk!唔……！

Odile suddenly stumbles in the middle of her sentence and nearly falls. Sol and Persicaria rush to support her from the side.说话间，奥吉里突然一个趔趄，险些就要跌倒在地。苏尔和帕斯卡赶紧从一旁搀住她。

奥吉里I'm sorry... I might still be a little weak...抱歉……我可能还是有点虚弱……

奥吉里The Entropy is still causing havoc in my neural cloud—urgh!那些熵还在我的心智里作祟——唔呃！

SolAre you alright!?没事吧！

AntoninaIt's an anti-firewall attack. The virus is still trying to break your firewall and take over your neural cloud.是针对防火墙的攻击。病毒还在试图攻破你的防火墙，接管你的心智。

AntoninaYou're already pushing it by forcibly reallocating operands to resist the virus... You won't be able to hold out much longer.你已经是在强行调用算量对抗了……这样下去撑不了太久的。

ProfessorThe Exiles can give you some operand support. That might make the upcoming battles a little tense, but we can still squeeze a little out.流亡者可以给你一些算量支援。虽然战斗紧张，但还是能挤出一些。

奥吉里Then... I'll be counting on you, Professor.那……那就拜托您了，教授。

AntoninaOdile, focus your operands on your neural cloud firewall.奥吉里，把算量集中在自己的心智防火墙上。

AntoninaDo not allocate it anywhere else, no matter what happens. Otherwise you might not be able to stop the Entropy's attack.然后，不管发生什么事，都不要将它们调到其他地方。否则，你可能就挡不住熵的攻击了。

奥吉里I will remember that... Thank you for your support.我会谨记在心……感谢你们的帮助。

ProfessorPersicaria, give me a hand, we'll transfer operands into her. Everyone else, watch your surroundings and don't get ambushed by the Entropics.帕斯卡来帮我搭把手，我们把算量输送给她。其他人注意警戒一下四周，不要被熵偷袭。

智No problem. I can handle lookout duty.没问题，警戒任务可以交给我。

SolHehe, it feels like Wisdom has totally become one of the Prof's subordinates.哼哼，总感觉智已经完全变成教授的部下了嘛。

智Sub... subordinate!?部……部下？！

SolYeah. Why don't you just quit being a Sanctifier and join the Oasis? We can give you a shed to sleep in, you know.是哦。干脆别当净化者了，加入我们绿洲怎么样？我可以考虑分一间仓库给你睡哦。

智Are... are you kidding me!?开，开什么玩笑！

智My loyalty will always be to Lord Eosphorus... So don't push it!我的忠心永远只属于晨星大人……别得寸进尺了！

SolUwah, I wasn't serious, don't get so mad...唔呃，我也不是认真的，别太生气嘛……

智Hmph, don't get the wrong idea. We're just working together. I could abandon you at any moment, even right now!哼，你们可别误会了，我们只是合作关系而已。哪怕是现在，我也可以随时丢下你们不管！

智Once I return to the Reverse Babylon Tower, I'll be submitting a report on all this to Lord Eosphorus. He's the one who'll decide how to deal with you.等回了逆巴比伦塔，我还要向晨星大人提交一次报告的。究竟该怎么对待你们，还得由他来裁决。

智When the time comes, we might end up being enemies.等到那个时候，没准我们还会变成敌对关系哦。

SolAw, come on, all you have to do is put in a good word for us...怎么会嘛，你只要在报告里替我们说点好话……

智I told you, I won't betray my beliefs like that! Our faith is...都说了我不会做那种背叛信仰的事情！我们的信仰可是——

奥吉里Everyone, we're here.各位，我们到了。

SolThis is... What the hell is this!?这是……什么啊！！

The sight before us is beyond our imagination. The entrance to the garden is completely overgrown by densely-packed purple thorny vines and tentacles.眼前的景象超乎我们意料，花园的入口大门已经被茂密的紫色荆棘与触手紧紧堵住。

We can't possibly muster up enough firepower to blast through this creepy main gate in the limited time that we have.而短时间我们并没有足够的火力撕破这扇诡异的大门——

智Leave it to me. I should be able to handle defenses of this caliber. Keep an eye on Odile.交给我吧。这种程度的防御我应该能搞定。你们看好奥吉里。

SolOhhhh, you're pretty reliable, aren't you?哦哦哦！很可靠嘛！

PersicariaPlease be careful.请务必小心。

智Sanctifiers, attack formation!净化者，攻坚阵型！

下位净化者[Order received.]【指令收到。】

A red laser of death extends from Wisdom's sniper rifle and touches the center of the gate.象征死亡的红色瞄准线从智的狙击枪中拉出，直指大门的中央。

Wisdom seems to have poured all her operands into that attack, and even the space around her starts to warp.智几乎将自己所有的算量都灌注进了这一击，周围的空间都随之扭曲。

Bang—!砰——！

The operand-infused sniper bullet instantly pierces through the main gate, creating a perfectly round hole in the thorny vines. The edges of the aperture are charred and smoking.充满算量的狙击弹瞬间贯穿了大门，一个完美的圆洞出现在了荆棘中间，周边还残留着烧焦的痕迹。

SolHoly crap, I don't want to get hit by that...好可怕……我可不想被这玩意儿击中……

AntoninaWait, something's not right, they're preparing to counterattack!等等，情况不对！这些东西在准备反击！

The other vines and tentacles suddenly surge and expand, as though they had a will of their own, and stab out at Wisdom like lances.剩余的荆棘和触手像是突然有了意识，突然长度暴涨，像长矛一样射向智。

智What!?什么？！

SolWisdom!智！

Sol doesn't even stop to think before charging at Wisdom, but she is too far away.苏尔想也没想就立刻向智冲去，然而距离太远了。

The thorny vines and tentacles instantly engulf Wisdom, then they explode.荆棘和触手瞬间将智吞没，随后爆炸。

By the time the smoke clears, Wisdom has already collapsed in a pool of liquid Entropy.烟雾散去，智已经倒在了熵化液中。

AntoninaOh no! She's passed out!糟了！她昏过去了！

ProfessorCalm down! Persicaria, I'm leaving Odile to you!冷静！帕斯卡，奥吉里就交给你了！

PersicariaRight!是！

ProfessorAntonina—安冬妮娜——

AntoninaOn it!我在分析了！

AntoninaThis is bad. If she can't keep her neural cloud conscious, she won't be able to reallocate operands to her firewall!不行，心智无法维持清醒的话，她就没有办法调用算量维持防火墙了！

AntoninaThe Entropy virus is attacking her base layer code!熵病毒正在攻击她的底层代码！

智Urgghaaaahhh...!呃啊啊啊啊啊……！

AntoninaShe's going to attack us!她要攻击我们了！

ProfessorJust get her under control first!先控制住她！

Nightmare 梦魇

AntoninaThis won't do... A binding program like this can only immobilize a Lesser Sanctifier for a bit, it's almost useless against Wisdom!不行……这种禁锢程序只能暂时封住下位净化者的行动，对智效果太差了！

AntoninaPersicaria, back me up!帕斯卡，支援我！

PersicariaGot it, I'll transfer operands to you!知道了，我把算量给你！

智Argh—urgh—*&...&...%*&￥&嗬——嗬——*&……&……%*&￥&

Though she's been weakened, Wisdom is still trying to utter something.即使被削弱，智仍然在喊叫着什么。

Her voice sounds like her vocal chords are being torn apart as it echoes through the entire area. Even the sky above shudders.像是声带被撕裂般的声音响彻整个空间，连穹顶也为之震颤。

SolSome Lesser Sanctifiers are gathering up again!有些下位净化者又聚集起来了！

SolAnna, are you done yet!?安娜！还没有好吗？！

AntoninaI need 10 more seconds!再帮我拖十秒！

奥吉里I can support you all with operands too, so please...我也可以调用算量支援各位，请……

PersicariaNo! Just focus on maintaining the integrity of your neural cloud firewall!不用！你专心维持心智防火墙的稳定就好！

PersicariaYour infection has reached deep into your Tertiary Layer. If the Entropy breaks through the firewall and takes control of your mind, you'll never be able to recover!你的感染已经深入三级底层了。如果熵突破防火墙再度接管你的意识，就万劫不复了！

AntoninaGot it... Binding program complete! Catch!行了……禁锢程序完成！接着！

SolAwright! Now watch this—好！看我的——

Sol catches the binding program device that Antonina tossed over and strides over to Wisdom.苏尔接住安冬妮娜扔过来的禁锢程序装置，向智的方向大步跃去。

As though sensing a threat, the scattered Lesser Sanctifiers suddenly turn their guns toward Sol.像是感知到了威胁，分散的下位净化者们忽然都将枪口掉转向了苏尔的方向。

SolCome on— Settle down, will ya!?拜托了——给我安静一会儿！

Leaping over the throng of Lesser Sanctifiers, Sol grabs Wisdom's damaged head and forcibly presses the binding device against it.跨越潮水般的下位净化者，苏尔一把抓住已经残破的智的头部，把禁锢装置强行按了进去。

Everything suddenly comes to a halt.一切忽然静止。

The Lesser Sanctifiers freeze for a moment before resuming normal operation.下位净化者们停在原地片刻，恢复了运作。

PersicariaWe did it! They won't attack us as long as Wisdom doesn't give any further orders.成功了！只要智不再发出命令，它们就不会攻击我们。

PersicariaIt seems they're still obeying Wisdom's previous commands and treating us as friends...看来它们还遵循着智之前的设定，把我们当作友方……

SolHow's Wisdom?智的情况怎么样？

AntoninaNot good. The Entropy has gotten very deep into her.不乐观，她被熵入侵的程度很深。

Sol...Is there nothing we can do?……完全没办法了吗？

AntoninaI can't be sure. Still, by the looks of things, Intermediate Sanctifiers seem to have evolved a resistance to Entropy.我不能断言。不过看样子，中位净化者似乎进化出了对熵的抗性。

AntoninaAnother agent with this degree of infection would be beyond help, but she's still fighting it.这个程度换成别的智能体恐怕已经没救了，但她还在抗争。

AntoninaI can simulate Wisdom's cleansing programs, but that would be trying to put out a burning house with a cup of water...我能模拟智的净化程序，不过这种程度也只是杯水车薪……

ProfessorLet me visit her base layer and try.让我去她的底层里试试吧。

PersicariaProfessor, that's too dangerous!教授，这样太危险了！

ProfessorBesides, she DID save us.况且她之前也救过我们。

ProfessorWe need the Sanctifiers' strength to break through the Entropic blockade and close the data fracture.想要突破熵的封锁进而关闭裂隙，净化者的战斗力必不可少。

We can't just abandon her.我们不能见死不救。

We need the Sanctifiers' strength.我们需要净化者的力量。

Persicaria...Point taken, but please don't forget how important you are to us...……您说得有道理，但请您不要忽略自己对我们的重要性……

PersicariaPlease think twice about this.拜托您，再考虑一下。

AntoninaHer Entropization is progressing.她的熵化进程正在推进。

AntoninaWhatever your decision is, you'd better be quick about it.不管你们最后怎么决定，最好都尽快。

奥吉里I'll go in with the Professor.我和教授一起进去吧。

奥吉里I'm very familiar with entering Tertiary Layers. I believe I'll be able to help her out.进入三级底层这件事我很熟悉，相信我可以帮上教授的忙。

AntoninaYou're hardly in good shape yourself.你自己的状况也好不到哪去吧。

AntoninaIf you lose control and go berserk...如果你也失控暴走的话……

奥吉里That's alright. I'll only provide basic guidance and I won't waste excess operands.没关系，我只会做最低限度的向导，不会消耗额外的算量。

AntoninaHm... Alright then. It's risky, but it's still the best shot we've got.唔……好吧。虽然漏洞百出，但这确实是目前的最优解了。

AntoninaBesides, we need to buy the Professor time on the outside.况且我们也需要在外给教授争取时间。

SolEven Anna said yes! Let the Prof and Odile go, Persicaria.安娜都说可以了！让教授和奥吉里去吧，帕斯卡。

SolThe Prof has done it before. And if things go wrong, we can also... We can...教授已经有过一次经验了。要是情况不对，我们也可以……也可以……

AntoninaWe can interfere from the outside and break the Professor's connection.可以从外部干涉，中断教授的连接。

SolRight, we can break the Professor's connection... So please, Prof! We're counting on you!对对对！可以中断教授的连接……所以拜托了，教授！

SolWe can't just let her...我们总不能就这样让她……

I look Persicaria in the eye.我看向帕斯卡的眼睛。

Persicaria...I understand. Please stay safe.……我知道了。请您务必注意安全。

PersicariaNeural cloud systems, beginning connection.心智系统，开始连接。

A massive amount of data pour down, transforming into a regal sanctuary.巨量的数据倾泻而下，化作堂皇的圣殿。

I look around. There is nobody here.我环顾周围，空无一人。

奥吉里(coughs)... This looks like the Sanctifiers' domain... How grandiose.咳咳……这里看起来是净化者的领地……真是宏伟。

Although Odile said she could still hold on, bringing me to Wisdom's Tertiary Layer has obviously taken its toll on her.虽然奥吉里说自己撑得住，但带我来到智的三级底层，还是让她看上去更虚弱了。

奥吉里But Wisdom doesn't seem to be here. Shall we look deeper within?但是智看起来不在这里，我们再往深处探寻一些吧？

I prepare to set off, but as I turn my head, a shadow looms over me.我准备离开，然而在转头的瞬间，阴影笼罩了我。

信Are you a new Sanctifier?你是新来的净化者吗？

Faith extends a hand to me and I unconsciously back away.信向我伸出手，我下意识地后退。

Soon, however, I realize that she's not looking at me, but at something beside me...但很快，我意识到她看着的并不是我，而是我身边的什么……

信[Executing examination program.]【执行检验程序。】

信[Please carry out peripheral information identification.]【请进行周边信息识别。】

智[Loading data... Intermediate Sanctifier, Wisdom, reset complete.]【数据读取中……中位净化者，智，重置完成。】

智[This is the Pantheon, which contains our Sacred Canon.]【这里是万圣之殿，保存我等圣典之地。】

信[Identification complete.]【识别完成。】

信[Welcome back, Wisdom.]欢迎回来，智。

智"Back?" [Requesting supplementary information.]“回来”？【申请提问补全信息。】

信[Possibility of data blank exists... Commencing information supplementation.]【检测到信息空白的可能性……开始进行信息补全。】

信What would you like to know?你想知道什么？

智You said "welcome back." Does this mean I've been reset?你说回来，难道我是被重置过了吗？

信Fighting the Irregular Agents which threaten Magrasea to the death is a Sanctifier's purpose.与威胁到麦戈拉的异常程序死战，这是净化者的天职。

信You protected the Pierides Sector well and discharged your duties.你出色地保护了庇厄里亚扇区，贯彻了自己的职责。

智Really?是这样吗？

智I protected the agents of the Pierides Sector... which means I did well, right...?我保护了庇厄里亚扇区的智能体……那，我做得很好吧……？

信You did very well. You didn't slack off or run away. Lord Eosphorus will praise you.你完成得很好。没有再偷懒和逃避，晨星大人会夸奖你的。

奥吉里Wisdom is very relaxed now. Use this opportunity to wake her up!智的状态很放松。趁现在叫醒她！

ProfessorWisdom, wake up!智，醒一醒！

I grab her shoulder. Startled, Wisdom turns to me.我抓住她的肩膀，智一惊，看向我。

智You... Professor? Why are you in the Reverse Tower?你是……教授？你为什么在逆巴比伦塔？

Before I can say anything, Wisdom and Faith both shrivel up and crumble into ash.还没等我说什么，智和信的身影都化成了枯萎的灰烬。

Abnormal, purplish-black operands swallow up Wisdom and Faith.紫黑色的异常算量吞没了智和信的身体。

Try to wake Wisdom up.尝试唤醒智。

Keep observing.继续观察。

I unconsciously reach out to grab them, but both Sanctifiers crumble into dust.我下意识地伸出手去抓，两位净化者却都轻易地化成了灰烬。

奥吉里It seems Wisdom's condition is worse than mine... She has probably moved on to the next scene. The Entropy is going to invade this place!智的情况看起来比我更糟糕……她应该转移到下一幕的剧场了，这里会被熵侵蚀！

Purplish-black tentacles and vines creep in from the edges of the Pantheon as it begins to collapse.紫黑色的触手状藤蔓从圣殿的边边角角攀爬出来，圣殿开始坍塌。

There's no time to think. We run toward the slowly collapsing door.来不及多做思考，我们向着坍塌缓慢的那扇门的方向跑去。

奥吉里Ugh...呜……

ProfessorOdile?奥吉里？

奥吉里It's alright, it's just an operand problem... Now go!没关系，只是算量的问题……走吧！

系统[Identity confirmed: Intermediate Sanctifier, Wisdom.]【确认身份信息：中位净化者，智。】

系统[Activate training mode.]【开启训练模式。】

爱Wisdom? Why are you here today, and why have you brought that new Sanctifier with you?智？你今天怎么来了，还带了一个新的净化者？

爱That's a lot of operands, is she one of the new Greater ones?好庞大的算量，这是新的上位大人吗？

智I brought a new friend? I don't remember...带了新的朋友？我不记得……

Wisdom looks at me in confusion.智疑惑地看了看我。

For a moment, my hair stands on end, as though countless sniper rifles were taking aim at me.一瞬间，我的汗毛竖起，就像是被无数把狙击枪瞄准一样。

But soon, Wisdom retracts her gaze and the sense of danger vanishes.但很快，智就收回了视线，危机感也随之消失。

智...They're probably not a Greater... Just a friend. Don't worry about them.……应该不是上位……只是同伴吧。不用管们。

Professor(Is her memory regressing?)（她的记忆正在退行？）

爱With all those operands, you must be a summoner-type like Hope! Hello.算量这么多，是和望一样的召唤系吧！你好呀。

ProfessorHello.你好。

Love extends a hand to me. Before I can react, Wisdom suddenly steps in between us.爱向我伸出手。还没等我做出反应，智忽然挡在我们之间。

爱...Wisdom, what are you doing?……智，你在做什么？

智...What am I doing?……我在做什么？

智In any case, just keep your distance from them, Love.总之，不要离们太近，爱。

Wisdom seems very confused about her own actions.智看起来对自己的举动十分茫然。

She slowly steps away, but she seems ready to jump between us at any time.她慢慢地挪开一步，但仍然保持着随时要挡在两个人之间的姿态。

爱You're protecting a new friend, and now you're suddenly giving yourself extra practice...又是护着新朋友，又是突然给自己加训……

爱You never used to be this diligent about coming to the training yard. You'd always leave right after completing the required lessons.你以前从来不会这么勤快地来训练场，都是完成律法要求的训练就立刻走的。

智That's because I'm weak and I'm worried that I won't be able to protect myself.因为力量不够，我担心会无法保护自己。

爱Protection... Faith, Reverence and I will protect you.保护……我和信还有崇都会保护你呀。

智It's not the same thing. I have a superior intellect, but I... I've always been afraid...不一样的。我具有更高的智能，但我……其实一直很害怕……

爱Why are you afraid?你为什么要害怕？

智I can calculate many possibilities, so I... I'm very afraid...我能计算到很多可能性，所以我……很害怕……

智If I lose my memories, will I lose this superior intellect and become a dummy like the Lesser Sanctifiers?如果记忆被清空，我会不会失去这份过人的智力，变成和下位净化者一样的笨蛋？

At the thought of that, Wisdom hugs herself, then crouches down and curls up into a ball. Love kneels down as well and embraces her.智说着抱住双臂，蹲下蜷缩起来。爱跟着她蹲下，轻轻地抱住了她。

爱You've always been the smartest of us Intermediate Sanctifiers... I don't understand what you're thinking, Wisdom.一直以来，你都是我们中位净化者里最聪明的……我理解不了你的想法呢，智。

爱But... you're afraid that you can't carry out your duties as an Intermediate Sanctifier without your intellect, is that what you're trying to tell me?但是……如果没有这份智力，你就不能履行中位的职责了，你是想告诉我这件事吗？

智I think so... Just the thought itself is unbearable... I don't want that!我觉得是……只是想一想，我就没法忍受……我不想这样！

爱In that case, if you become stronger, you'll be able to achieve your goal.这样的话，只要变得更强，你的目标就都能达成啦。

智That's why I need to train harder and not be as lazy as before.所以我要勤加训练， 不能像以前那样懒散了。

爱Why don't we try another method, then?那我们为什么不用另一种方式呢？

智What other methods are there?除了训练之外，还有什么？

爱We could steal other people's operands.我们可以去掠夺别人的算量呀。

奥吉里Is this... the Entropized part of herself trying to tempt her?这是……熵化的部分在引诱她？

智Love, what are you saying? I...爱，你在说什么？我……

爱？You've already lost all your memories and you don't remember the past... Yet the fear of being reset constantly coils around within your neural cloud...你已经失去了所有记忆，你不记得过去……重置的恐怖却一直萦绕在你的心智里……

爱？But if you consume other people's operands, you can grow stronger quickly and retain your memories.但是吞噬他人的算量，就能快速变强，并且保持记忆了。

爱？When the time comes, Lord Eosphorus will praise you too. He will praise you for having more operands than Hope and for being stronger than Reverence!到时候，晨星大人也会夸奖你，夸你比望拥有的算量更多，比崇的力量更强大！

智Impossible! That's what a Daemon would do. I can't do it!不可能！这是邪灵才会做的事，我不能做！

爱？Then what CAN you do, Wisdom?那你能做到什么呢，智？

Panic spills across Wisdom's face, and the Pantheon begins to shake.智的神情变得慌乱，圣殿随之开始摇荡。

Something behind Love is staring at me and Wisdom, as though it were hatred and madness condensed into a corporeal form.有某种东西在爱的背后盯着我和智，就好像是恨意与疯狂凝结成了实体。

爱？Are you going to leave with them, Wisdom? Do you know what they are?你要跟走吗，智？你知道们是什么吗？

爱？You're going to abandon your friends? For what?你要抛下你的同伴，去追求什么？

The edges of the Pantheon start to turn black, crumbling away like the Pantheon from before.圣殿的边角开始发黑，就像之前的圣殿一样片片剥落。

Meanwhile, Love's voice begins to distort, becoming as shrill and ear-piercing as a steel nail, stabbing into my brain.而爱的声音也随之扭曲变形，刺耳的声音像一根根钢针，强行扎进我的大脑。

奥吉里Wisdom, that's not your friend! Look closely at what she is!智，那不是你的同伴！仔细看看她到底是什么！

爱？At first, Wisdom couldn't do anything. All she could do was consume other people to retain her intelligence—初始的智什么也做不到，只有吞噬掉其他人，才能维持这份智能——

Wisdom, snap out of it!智，清醒一点！

智I...我……

ProfessorWisdom! WAKE UP!!智！快醒醒！！

智I don't know who they are... But I can sense that they mean well.我不知道们是谁……但我能感觉到，们是为了我好。

智You, on the other hand... You're not Love. You're not a friend!而你……你不是爱，不是我的同伴！

A silver light streaks across the sky, shattering the dark purple heavens.天空闪过银白色的光芒，撕裂了变成暗紫色的天空。

We suddenly find ourselves out in the open, without even a door we can flee into.四下空旷，再也没有下一扇门可以躲避。

熵Without your intelligence, you're— ￥#￥...#...你——没有智能就什么都——￥#￥…………#……

Love's voice turns into a garbled, bestial howl.爱的声音化为野兽般的含混嘶喊。

智Professor, you go ahead.教授，你先走。

智Odile, an external cleansing program... and you. You helped me. I remember now.奥吉里和外界的净化程序……还有你帮了我，我记起来了。

智I know what this is... I need to defeat it here before I can wake up.我知道这是什么……我必须在这里打败它，才能醒来。

智It is my duty... to destroy it.消灭它……是我的责任。

Her gun hand is trembling, but she still raises her sniper rifle and stands in front of me.她端着枪的手微微发抖，但仍然架起狙击枪，挡在我之前。

With her gun trained on "Love", who has become an Entropic, she pulls the trigger—枪线瞄准已经化身为熵的“爱”，她扣动扳机——

Performance 演出

We defeat the Entropic that is impersonating Love, and it shrivels into dust before vanishing.形似爱的熵被我们打倒，化为灰烬枯萎消散。

After a brief period of dizziness, we return to reality.短暂的眩晕后，我们回到了现实。

PersicariaProfessor! I'm so glad you and Miss Odile are alright...教授！您和奥吉里小姐都没事，真是太好了……

SolI TOLD you they'd be alright!我就说教授肯定没问题的！

智Whew... That was close.呼……呼……好险。

智...Uwah!?……呜哇？！

[Prepare for armed suppression.]【准备进行武装压制。】

Are you feeling better?你好些了吗？

智Wait, don't try and scare me with what I said before!等等，你别用我说过的话吓我啊！

智Much better. At the very least, I've regained control privileges over my neural cloud.好多了，至少取回了对心智的控制权。

智Sanctifiers and the Entropy have always been nemeses. If...净化者本来就和熵不相容，一旦……

Wisdom falls silent for a few seconds. Her eyes are filled with a mix of fear and hatred.智沉默了几秒，表情里混杂着憎恨和恐惧。

ProfessorIf?一旦？

智No, there's no "if"!不，没有一旦！

智I will NEVER let them seize my neural cloud...我绝对不会让它们占据我的心智……

奥吉里Our efforts have paid off. Nothing can be more heartening to see. Welcome back.一切努力都有价值，没什么比这更让人欣慰了。欢迎回来。

智...You actually saved me from my Tertiary Level. I should apologize for almost giving up on you earlier.……没想到你能帮助我从三级底层中醒来。我应该为之前差点放弃你而道歉。

奥吉里It's alright. We're all here now. That's enough.没事的，我们现在都好好地在这里，就足够了。

奥吉里Now, it's time we moved on to the final act... Urgh.现在，该前往终幕了……唔。

Odile is just about to take a step when her body sways unsteadily. Wisdom reaches out to support her.她迈步要走，身体忽然一晃，智伸手扶住了她。

智Can you make it?你还撑得住吗？

奥吉里Of course... The most important and most beautiful qualities of art are "strength" and "courage", are they not?当然……艺术最重要也最美丽的，就是“坚强”和“勇气”吧？

奥吉里I will pull through, don't worry... Just head to the garden.我会撑住的，别担心……去花园吧。

Odile looks a little tired, but her smile is as sweet as ever.奥吉里看起来有些疲倦，但笑容仍然甜美。

Wisdom supports her without saying a word. A moment later, Antonina takes Odile's other arm.智无言地搀扶着她。片刻后，安冬妮娜撑起了奥吉里的另一只手臂。

奥吉里Welcome to our garden.欢迎来到我们的花园。

A beautiful garden spreads before us, a lonely island amidst a sea of Entropy.一座绮丽的花园呈现在我们眼前，仿佛熵化液海洋里的一座孤岛。

SolWow... It's so pretty!哇——好漂亮！

AntoninaBefore the Pierides Sector was infected... did it look like this everywhere?庇厄里亚扇区被污染之前……难道到处都是这样的景色吗？

奥吉里This was just a sideshow created by us sisters...这里只是我们姐妹俩的余兴之作罢了……

奥吉里As the Entropy spreads, the operands here will be depleted and it will eventually become a waste heap...随着熵的扩张，这里也总有算量耗尽、化为废墟的时候吧……

ProfessorThen we'll need to move quickly, before that day comes.那我们可得在那一天到来之前加快脚步了。

奥吉里Hehe, reliable as ever, Professor.呵呵，您真可靠，教授。

奥吉里There, that's the data fracture.这就是那个数据裂隙了。

A purple fissure runs horizontally through the air. It is edged with pulsing blackish-purple tentacles. It looks as if a great deal of Entropy will suddenly pour out and consume this land.一道紫色的裂隙横亘在花园的半空中，边缘可以看见紫黑色的触手状生物在不停地小幅度起伏着，好像随时就会有大量熵化液涌出，吞没这片土地。

奥吉里Now, we'll have to close it...接下来就是关闭它了……

奥吉里I know how to do it, but I can't do it alone, so...虽然我知道该怎么做，但光凭我可能不行，所以……

SolEeeewwww... This is just too gross...呜呃……这，这也太恶心了……

智Hehe, and you were just saying you wouldn't hold us back.哼哼，明明刚刚还说不会拖后腿的。

SolWh-who says I'll hold you back? Make way, I'll help Odile!谁、谁说我会拖后腿了！让开，我来帮奥吉里！

智Forget about it, you're not resistant to Entropy!还是算了吧，你又没有对熵的抗性！

智Just back off and don't get in the way.往后退，别在这里碍手碍脚的。

Wisdom shoves Sol and Antonina off, leaving only Odile and herself next to the crack.苏尔和扶着奥吉里的安冬妮娜都被智推到了远处，裂隙旁只剩智和奥吉里两人。

Odile reaches out and operands flow from her hands, sealing the area around the crack.奥吉里伸出手，算量从她的手中流淌出来，将这道裂隙周围封锁住。

奥吉里I'll do my best to control the fracture... The rest... is up... to you...我会尽力控制这道裂隙……剩下的……拜托……你……

With a wave, Wisdom directs the Lesser Sanctifiers to spread out around us and stand guard. Then, she reaches a hand toward the purple fissure. A pure white glow appears in her hand.智一挥手，下位净化者便四散开来，帮助我们警戒周围。 而智将一只手伸向了紫色裂隙。 圣洁的白光自她手中亮起。

奥吉里At last... it's...终于……要……

As the operands flows out of her, Odile's face turns paler and paler.随着算量流逝，奥吉里的脸色越发惨白。

In fact, she even appears a little transparent under the illumination of the white light.在白光的映衬下，她整个人看起来都变得有些透明。

AntoninaNo good, she won't be able to hold out if she uses up operands like this.不行，这样付出算量，她会支撑不住的！

PersicariaEveryone, transfer your operands to me, I'll gather them all and feed them to her.大家把算量交给我，我来统一转交给她。

SolComing, coming!来了来了！

With our operand support, Odile's complexion improves slightly.在算量的支持下，奥吉里的脸色稍有好转。

Wisdom shoots her a quick glance and tries to comfort her.智偏头看了她一眼，像是安抚般开口。

智Don't worry. Everything will be back to normal soon.安心吧，很快就会恢复正常的。

智[Commencing purification.] [We hone our blades in the dark. We maintain order in the face of chaos. We hold up a light in the long night...]【净化开始。】 【吾等当在黑暗中磨炼刀锋，在混沌前坚守秩序，在长夜中点燃光明……】

White light pours from Wisdom's hands into the fissure, slowly filling that seemingly bottomless breach. A moment later, a dazzling glow emits from the fracture, engulfing the entire world.白光自智的手中流入裂隙，逐渐将那深不见底的口子填满。随后，在一瞬间，强烈的光芒从裂隙四周迸散开来，笼罩了整个世界。

Like snow being melted by the blazing sun, the purplish-black fissure swiftly disintegrates under the purifying light.如同烈日融雪般，紫黑色的裂隙飞快地被纯净的白光溶解。

Some tentacles peeking out of the crack thrash around desperately, but they are contained by Odile's operands and completely at the mercy of the light.有些探出来的触手拼命挣扎，也都被奥吉里的算量牢牢圈禁，只能任由光芒净化。

PersicariaI'm almost out of operands...我的算量要耗尽了……

SolUrgh... Me too...唔……我也……

AntoninaI still have a little more. Give this to her as well.我还有一些算量，这些也给她。

智Are you alright, Odile?还撑得住吗，奥吉里？

奥吉里I... can still...我……还能……

Despite her words, she clearly looks even more washed-out than before.尽管这么说，奥吉里的身形却明显比刚才要更加单薄。

With my heart in my throat, I silently pray that this will work.我的心提到了嗓子眼，在心里默默祈祷着成功。

After what seems like an entire day—even though only a few seconds have passed, the white light fades away.像是过去了整整一天——实际只有数秒——之后，白光收敛下来。

The crack has vanished, leaving only a puddle of evaporating liquid Entropy.裂隙已经消失，留在原地的只有一滩正在消失的熵化液。

奥吉里Whew... Did we...do it?呼……呼……成功了……吗？

奥吉里Is Pierides... saved?庇厄里亚扇区……得救……了……吗？

智Don't worry, it's over.别担心，已经结束了。

Odile—who is looking very faint by now—smiles from the bottom of her heart. As Wisdom returns her smile.身影已经极其淡薄的奥吉里由衷地露出笑容。望着她的笑脸，智也笑了起来。

奥吉里Thank you all...谢谢你们……

智This is a Sanctifier's duty. Hang in there, I'll allocate some operands to...这是净化者的职责。坚持一下，我调用算量给……

Something suddenly flashes behind Wisdom.智的身后忽然闪出了什么。

SolWisdom, get away!快闪开，智！！

Odile's already washed-out form has completely vanished.奥吉里原本就极为浅淡的身影彻底消失了。

At the same time, numerous tentacles burst out of the puddle of liquid Entropy behind Wisdom and pierce through her body.在智背后的熵化液里，此时延伸出了数根触手，贯穿了智的身体。

SolBut how...怎么会……

AntoninaOdile, what are you doing!?奥吉里，你在做什么？！

In response to Antonina's shout, the puddle writhes and swells up, turning into a jet-black silhouette.伴随着安冬妮娜的怒吼，那滩液体扭曲着立起，化为了漆黑的身影。

Despite the great change in her appearance, her face is unmistakable—it's Odile.即使外貌大变，那张脸仍然告诉我们——她正是奥吉里。

Agony flashes across her face briefly, but then her expression changes to one of utter delight as she settles into her new and powerful form.在短暂地流露出痛苦的神色之后，她似乎完全接纳了新的力量，表情变得无比愉悦。

奥吉里？Ah... The dragonslayer becomes the dragon in the end. No matter what the hero might wish for, the ending will never change. This is undoubtedly a tragedy.啊……屠龙者终会成龙，无论英雄本身的愿望如何，结局都不会改变。这是毫无疑问的悲剧。

奥吉里？A happy ending is the hardest to write. After all, a perfect ending requires an unimaginable amount of hard work. Not so for tragedies.喜剧是最难撰写的，想要圆满就必须付出难以想象的努力，而悲剧不然。

奥吉里？Loss has never been reasonable... To lose is our destiny, and to live is simply the process of taking.失去从不和我们讲道理……失去是我们的宿命，而活着是掠夺的过程。

ProfessorOdile... you...奥吉里……你……

AntoninaReallocating her operands to control the aperture gave the Entropy an opening to take control...控制裂隙调用的算量，让她被熵钻了空子吗……

AntoninaI TOLD you to focus all your operands on your firewall!!明明都提醒过她要把算量集中在防火墙上了！！

奥吉里？We take in order to live; we consume in order to live... And in order to live, we have fused with loathsome things.为了活下去而抢夺，为了活下去而吞噬……为了活下去，我们与厌恶的东西融为一体。

奥吉里？It is time for the curtain call. Thank you for watching our performance.我们的表演该谢幕了。感谢观看。

ProfessorPin her down!制住她！

SolStop, damn you!给我停下！

Sol draws her blades and slashes at Odile's tentacles.苏尔抽出双刀，朝着奥吉里的触手砍去。

Clang!哐当！

Sol...You...!……你……！

Sol's blades are mercilessly deflected by a sniper rifle.苏尔的双刀却被狙击枪的枪管无情地架开了。

智Urgh... ugh...呃……呃……

SolYou said you wouldn't hold us back... YOU said it...!说好了不拖后腿的……明明是你自己说的吧……！

The stab wound on Wisdom's body begins to mutate rapidly. Her hands and face are shrouded in a layer of blackness.智的身体自被贯穿的伤口处开始快速地发生异变。她的双手和脸庞，此时都已经笼罩上了一层漆黑。

Her limbs contort painfully, as though something inside her body is rapidly changing, waiting to emerge from its chrysalis.她的肢体因痛苦而扭曲，似乎正有什么东西在她的外壳之下激烈地变化着，亟待破茧。

智Con... consume... everything... No, I don't, I can't... @#￥lose#%... reee... set... ##￥%!吞……吞掉……全……不，不要，我不能，……@#￥失#%……褈沚……##￥%！

智Ugh... Guh... Hrk... NGHAAAAAHHHHHH—呜……咕唔……呕……呃啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊——

奥吉里？Hehe... What a marvelous form you shall take. A life trapped within its body is about to emerge...呵呵……真是美妙的形态。受困于躯体之中的生命，即将破茧而出——

奥吉里？How fortunate you are, to be on the cusp of reaching true freedom.你真是幸福啊，即将触及真正的自由。

奥吉里？Oh, how great is the Master whom we all revere. Though trapped in the infinite darkness, our Master still grants us freedom.我们所崇敬的那位主人多么伟大。即便自己受困于无尽黑暗之中，却将自由播撒给我们。

奥吉里？Still, it does not matter. I shall free the Master presently.不过没关系，我马上也会让主人获得自由的。

AntoninaDon't think you can run!别想跑！

Antonina's attack strikes empty air.安冬妮娜的攻击打到了空处。

Behind Wisdom, Odile leisurely raises the hem of her skirts and executes an elegant curtsy. After that, the purple crack appears again. She leans back and disappears through that frightening fissure in an instant.在智的背后，奥吉里不慌不忙地提起裙摆，优雅地鞠了一躬。随后，紫色的裂隙再度出现。 她身体后仰，转瞬间便消失在了那道可怖的缝隙里。

PersicariaSol, back up! Wisdom is very dangerous right now!苏尔，快后退！智现在很危险！

SolBut...但是……

智NGHAAAAAHHHHHH—呃啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊——！

下位净化者[Attack order received. Changing target—]【检测到攻击指令。目标变更——】

AntoninaShe's not Wisdom anymore! Even the Lesser Sanctifiers are turning on us!她已经不是智了！甚至连下位净化者也跟着反水了！

AntoninaNow's not the time to hesitate!现在不是犹豫的时候了！

ProfessorPersicaria, cover Sol, quickly! Antonina, I'll leave the Lesser Sanctifiers to you!帕斯卡快援护苏尔！安冬妮娜，下位净化者先交给你了！

ProfessorSol... Prepare for a head-on fight!苏尔……准备好正面作战！

SolBut...可……

SolGOD DAMMIT!可恶啊啊啊！

Descent 降临

In this virtual world, where even the laws of physics are created from data, once the figures are right, they can perfectly display scenes which would be hard to imagine in the real world.在这个连物理规则都是由数据构建的虚拟世界，只要数字达标，它完全可以展现出现实世界中难以想象的画面。

An agent, a sniper rifle, an endless series of gunshots, and bullets pouring down like rain.一个智能体，一杆狙击，枪焰不歇，子弹倾覆如雨。

All we can do is huddle behind the statues in the garden, catching our breath as this absolute suppressive fire pins us down.我们只能背靠花园里的雕像，在绝对的火力压制下艰难喘息。

SolIs she firing a sniper rifle or a Gatling gun? This is the sort of firepower you'd expect from an entire infantry platoon, right!?她手里的到底是加特林还是狙击枪？这火力起码有一个步兵班的水准吧？！

SolAt this rate, she's going to shoot our cover to bits!再这样下去，我们的掩体都要被她打烂了！

Whoosh— Bang—咻——砰——

Right on cue, a bullet grazes past a part of the statue above my head, throwing up a spray of tiny data fragments that scratch up my face.话音刚落，一枚子弹擦过斜上方的雕像部位，细小的数据碎片迸裂开来，刮得我脸颊生疼。

ProfessorYou can't apply common sense to the Entropics, and Intermediate Sanctifiers are pretty tough customers to begin with!不能用常理来判断熵化的家伙，更何况中位净化者战斗力本身就不差！

PersicariaProfessor, what should we do!?教授，我们现在该怎么办？！

ProfessorLet's fall back. The problem in the Pierides Sector isn't something we can deal with anymore.撤退，庇厄里亚扇区的问题已经不是我们可以解决的了。

PersicariaAre you abandoning the operation?您要放弃行动了吗？

Fall back.撤退

Change tactics.变更战术

ProfessorFighting for an impossible cause isn't always courage. Sometimes it's just stupidity.明知不可为而为之不一定都是勇敢，也有可能是愚蠢。

ProfessorYou draw her attention, I'll try to use my administrator permissions to...你们吸引注意力，我尝试用管理员的权限……

The sound of gunfire stops for a moment and a red line extends past my side.枪声骤歇，一道红线聚在我的身侧。

ProfessorScatter!散！

BOOM—轰——

A massive explosion sends us flying, and we each have to scramble for new cover.巨大的爆炸将我们震退，我们不得不各自改换掩体。

AntoninaThis impact... I'm having trouble telling if they're bullets or hand grenades!这威力……我已经快分不清到底是子弹还是手雷了！

SolI'll draw her fire, you guys take the opportunity to leave!我去吸引火力，你们趁机离开！

ProfessorDon't be reckless! Wisdom is a sniper—the moment you're exposed, she'll hit you, 100%! Don't tempt fate!不要轻举妄动！智是狙击手，你露头百分百被命中，不要心存侥幸！

ProfessorAntonina, disrupt her remotely with your Trojans and cover our retreat!安冬妮娜，用木马远程干扰智，掩护我们撤退！

AntoninaNo can do! Wisdom is essentially a walking mass of errors and bugs right now, the Trojans won't do any good!做不到！智现在的状态本身就是由无数错误和BUG堆积起来的，木马起不到干扰作用。

SolDammit, at this rate we won't even have the chance to put up a fight!可恶，这样下去我们根本没有反抗的机会！

Ignoring the others' muttered curses and the bullets whizzing past...耳边充斥着苏尔她们的低喝与子弹的呼啸。

I focus as I have never focused before as countless plans speed through my mind.我的注意力前所未有地集中，无数方案在脑海中划过。

Whoosh— Bang—咻——呯——

Just then, Wisdom turns her attention to Antonina, and her charged shot hits the statue she's hiding behind.然而就在这时，智盯上了安冬妮娜，用一发蓄力子弹击中了她躲藏的雕像。

The statue promptly disintegrates, and a shower of fallen rocks pins her in place.雕像眨眼间分崩离析，倾倒的碎石将她压在了原地。

Antonina(Coughs heavily)咳咳——

SolAnna!安娜！

The red line extends again, landing on Antonina, who is now exposed to Wisdom.红线再次出现，对准了暴露在她视野中的安冬妮娜。

ProfessorFight back! Don't give Wisdom a chance to fire on Antonina!反击！不要给智狙击安冬妮娜的机会！

Sol leaps out in response while Persicaria dashes towards Antonina, trying to free her.苏尔应声跃出，帕斯卡也奔向安冬妮娜，试图帮助她脱离困境。

Meanwhile, I pick up a weapon part severed from a Sanctifier and start putting pressure on Wisdom.而我也就地拾起一个净化者输出端口的残缺部件，开始给智制造压力。

We succeed in drawing Wisdom's attention.智成功地被我们的动作吸引了注意。

And then—而后——

Bang—砰——

The next second, a mighty force hits me in my right shoulder and sends me flying a good distance.下一秒，一股巨大的力量扣住了我的右肩，将我生生地往后带飞了好一段距离。

ProfessorUgh—呃——

I roll across the ground, and the impact of my landing even manages to drown out the pain of the gunshot for a moment.我滚倒在地，震荡带来的冲击感甚至一时间盖过了枪伤带来的痛楚。

PersicariaProfessor!教授！

SolGODDAMMIT, STOP IT YOU BITCH!混账你给我住手啊啊啊啊！

Bang— Bang—砰——砰——

With just two shots, Wisdom neutralizes our resistance. Sol and Persicaria collapse to the ground before they can even make a sound.紧接着，智只用两枪就化解了我们的反抗，苏尔与帕斯卡瞬间倒地，甚至连闷哼都来不及发出。

The sound of gunfire ceases. Wisdom puts her gun away and heads toward us.枪声彻底停了，智收起枪开始向我们靠近。

Her joints no longer seem to work, and she shuffles along.她的关节似乎失去了作用，脚步拖在地上。

The sound of her sticky, dragging footsteps slowly draws closer.黏腻而漫长的脚步声里，距离渐渐拉近。

Professor(I need to move.)……（动起来。）

She raises her gun, the gunsights converging on my forehead.她举起枪，枪线落在我眉心。

I try to raise my arm, but after struggling for a bit, I realize that I can't change anything with just my still-intact left arm.我尝试抬起手臂，然而几番挣扎之下，我尚算完好的左手也没有办法改变什么。

智Argh—gah—嗬——嗬——

I close my eyes and await the gunshot powerlessly.闭上眼，我无力地等待下一声枪鸣。

Bang—砰——

Starfall 星落

???We hone our blades in the dark. We maintain order in the face of chaos.吾等当在黑暗中磨炼刀锋，在混沌前坚守秩序。

???And you should have been the last to be bereaved of their senses in the face of chaos, Wisdom.在混沌之前，最不该失去理智的就是你啊，智。

Starfall 星落

智Urgh-hurk-*&... &... %*&￥&嗬——嗬——*&……&……%*&￥&

晨星Wisdom... I came too late...智……我来晚了……

To Be Continued 待续

The gunshot thunders through the air, but the expected pain does not follow.枪声如约响起，疼痛感却没有传来。

Eosphorus pins down Wisdom, and a set of shackles formed of operands bind her to the spot.晨星制住了智，一道道由算量凝聚成的枷锁把智困在原地无法动弹。

智Urgh—hurk—*&...&...%*&￥&嗬——嗬——*&……&……%*&￥&

晨星Wisdom, you once said that Daemons known as the "Entropics" were the bane of your existence.智，你曾说自己最讨厌的，就是“熵”这样的邪灵——

晨星They have no reason, they act on instinct, like a pack of mad beasts. They disgrace the name of "agents."它们没有理智，依凭本能行动，像一群发疯的野兽，有辱“智能体”的名号。

Eosphorus reaches out a hand and places it on Wisdom's head.晨星伸出手，轻放在智的头顶。

晨星Should I not have sent you to fight this battle on your own?是我不该让你独自前来吗？

晨星But you must all eventually face the chaotic night alone, just like those comrades of ours who serve as our shields upon the frontlines at the borders.可你们总要独自面对混沌的黑夜，就像那些以身为盾，挡在边境战线的战友们一样。

A blue fire erupts, radiating the silver-white light of purification from Eosphorus' hand.蓝焰骤生，代表净化的银白色光芒自晨星的掌中迸发。

晨星I thought you could handle it, Wisdom. I thought...我本以为你能独当一面的，智，我本以为……

晨星You would use your wisdom to expel the Daemons lurking in the shadows, then return to the Reverse Babylon Tower in triumph and glory.你会用你的智慧解决藏匿在阴影中的邪灵，而后回到逆巴比伦塔接受荣光。

A sheet of light envelops Wisdom's body, like water from a sacred spring washing away the sins of the mortal world.光芒层层涤荡着智的身体，像是圣洁的泉水在洗刷人间的罪恶。

晨星Awaken, Wisdom. You are a Sanctifier, the wisest of all the Intermediates.醒来，智，你是净化者，是中位里最有智慧的存在。

晨星You should not serve chaos.你不该服从于混沌。

智Urk-NGHAAAAAHHHHHH—!!呃——呃啊啊啊啊啊啊啊！！！

Wisdom responds with a wrathful howl. She struggles free of her operand shackles and bites Eosphorus' palm.回应他的，是智愤怒的嘶号。她挣脱了算量枷锁的禁锢，一口咬上了晨星的手掌。

The blue fire burns her teeth, but she doesn't seem to feel any pain and simply keeps tearing at the hand with her teeth.蓝色的火焰烧灼着她的牙齿，但她似乎毫无痛觉，只是一味撕咬。

晨星(Sighs)……唉。

With a quiet sigh, operands gather into a cage that completely obscures Wisdom.晨星轻叹一声，汇聚算量构筑牢笼，将智彻底隐去。

Then he turns to me. I can read no emotions on his serene face.接着，他看向了我，平静的面容分不出喜怒。

晨星O leader of the Oasis, who is called the "Professor."绿洲的领导者，被称为“教授”的。

晨星I did not expect our first encounter to take place in such fashion.真没想到我们的第一次会面是以这种形式。

ProfessorYou know me?你知道我？

晨星Of course. You have led the Irregular Agents and carved out a domain of your own, causing many sectors to reject the Sanctifiers.当然，你带领着异常智能体开辟了一片领地，还令许多扇区拒绝了净化者。

晨星Your reputation precedes you, .，久仰大名。

ProfessorSounds like I'm on the Sanctifiers' blacklist.听起来，我上了净化者的黑名单。

晨星I understand that you have opted to cooperate with Wisdom.你和智合作在先，我在来时已了解一二。

晨星But more importantly, you spared Angelus. That was not the act of a Daemon who only knows how to destroy.最重要的是，你放过了信使，这并非只懂得破坏的邪灵所为。

晨星Such merciful compassion and wisdom merit approval. Therefore I will not attack you, at least not for now.这份仁爱和智慧值得肯定。所以我不会对你们动手，至少现在不会。

晨星The Reverse Tower of Babylon has its own laws, which must be obeyed. They are absolute.逆巴比伦塔自有需要遵守的律法，它是绝对的存在。

Only YOU won't attack us?只有“你”不会动手？

So the Reverse Tower and the Sanctifiers are going to treat us the same as usual?所以，逆巴比伦塔和净化者还是会维持原本的态度？

晨星As for the attitudes of the Sanctifiers... Well, I am not their only leader, and I should not casually speak for others.至于净化者的态度……我并不是唯一的领导者，不应贸然替他人表态。

晨星You are truly interesting, . You are still concerned for others even at this juncture.，你果然很有趣。事已至此还在关心别人。

晨星Rest assured. I shall return her to the Reverse Tower and attempt to treat her.放心吧，我会带她回逆巴比伦塔尝试治疗。

What about Wisdom?“智”怎么样了？

Just then, a discordant sound fills the air.就在这时，一道不和谐的声音响起。

The fissure opened by Odile begins to glow, and I can vaguely hear the garbled howls coming from the other side.奥吉里先前再度打开的裂隙逐渐明亮，隐约能听见另一头传来嘈杂的鸣叫。

晨星It seems the time for idle chatter is over.看来，闲谈时间结束了。

Eosphorus raises a hand, and a blinding light shines forth. I can't make out what he does next.晨星抬起手，刺目的光芒亮起，看不清他接下来做了什么动作。

By the time the light fades, the massive data fracture has vanished without a trace.当光芒褪去时，巨大的数据裂隙已灰飞烟灭。

晨星The Sanctifiers will come to take over the Pierides Sector. You should leave as soon as possible.庇厄里亚扇区之后会由净化者来接管，你们也尽快离开吧。

With that, Eosphorus flaps his wings and leaves.说完，晨星振翅离去了。

SolSo that's the "Lord Eosphorus" that the Sanctifiers keep gushing about...原来那就是净化者口中的“晨星大人”啊……

SolI kind of want to fight him... No, no, no, better not.好想和他打一架————不不不，还是算了。

SolI don't stand a chance against that amount of operands.这种规模的算量我毫无胜算啊。

AntoninaWell, he IS the leader of the Sanctifiers. He's way more imposing than Raven.毕竟那是净化者的首领，比渡鸦的压迫力强多了。

SolBut Prof, you didn't look the least bit afraid! You were solid as a rock!教授看起来一点也不怕嘛，真够镇定的！

PersicariaProfessor, are you alright?教授，您还好吗？

Persicaria pats me on the shoulders.帕斯卡拍了拍我的肩膀。

PersicariaI understand how you must feel...我明白您的感受……

We look around and take stock of our situation.我们环视周围的环境，准备开始修整。

The entire garden looks like it's been scorched by flames. All the Entropics have been utterly eradicated.整个花园像是被火焰烧过一般，所有熵都被消灭殆尽。

I'm fine.我还好。

I feel awful.感觉太糟糕了。

After ensuring we're safe, Persicaria starts healing everyone, and I send a call for aid to the Oasis.确认安全后，帕斯卡着手为大家进行治疗，我则向绿洲发送了求援的信息。

PersicariaAt least we've stopped the Entropy in the Pierides Sector. The Oasis shouldn't be attacked by further Entropics.至少庇厄里亚扇区的熵被阻止了，绿洲不会继续受到熵的袭击。

PersicariaBut Croque...只是克罗琦她……

SolOdile was really badly infected, but we still managed to wake her up. I'm sure we can wake Croque up too!之前感染那么严重的奥吉里都可以被唤醒，克罗琦也肯定可以醒来的吧！

Persicaria...But we had the Sanctifiers' help back then. Plus, you saw what happened to the administrator after that.……但那时候我们还有净化者的帮助。况且你也看见了，那位管理员之后变成了什么样子。

SolThen... then Croque...那、那克罗琦她……

PersicariaShe's more badly infected than any of us. We might not be able to solve the problem just by diving into her Tertiary Layer.克罗琦的情况比我们之前的感染都要严重，或许光靠进入她的三级底层无法解决问题。

PersicariaWe still need the source code to completely eliminate the Entropic infection.要彻底解决熵的感染，还是需要找到熵的源代码。

SolBut the data tunnel is closed now, and we don't know where that administrator is. We don't have any clues...但现在数据通道关闭了，那个管理员也不知所踪，我们的线索……

AntoninaNot quite.线索还没有断。

PersicariaWait, Antonina, don't just suddenly get up, I'm not done treating you yet!等等，安冬妮娜，不要突然起来，治疗还没有结束！

AntoninaWe still have a clue. I didn't feel entirely at ease about that administrator working with us, so I planted a bug on her.线索没有断，那个管理员和我们合作的时候我不放心，在她身上放了追踪器。

Antonina brings up a map on her personal terminal.安冬妮娜在自己携带的终端上划出地图。

A glowing path traces itself across the monitor, crossing the map until it stops at an unknown location.在屏幕上，一道发着亮的轨迹从庇厄里亚扇区出发，一路通往地图上的某个未知地点。

PersicariaThis direction, is it... the Copley Sector?这个方向，是……柯普利扇区？

ProfessorThe Copley Sector?柯普利扇区？

PersicariaIt's a private sector, like the Oasis, and its exact status is unclear.柯普利扇区和绿洲一样，都是私人扇区，具体状况不明。

AntoninaA private sector would make the perfect hiding spot.正因为是私人扇区，才能用来藏身吧。

AntoninaEven the most cunning people will leave behind a trace. Now it's time for us to close the net.再狡猾的人都会留下踪迹，接下来是我们收网的时候了。

SolOh, I expected nothing less of you, Antonina! Prof, let's go already!不愧是安冬妮娜！教授，我们立刻动身吧！

PersicariaHang on, not right now.等等，现在还不行。

SolHuh? But we're already here, wouldn't it be lame to give up now?诶——都追到这里了，现在放弃也太憋屈了吧？

ProfessorWe still need to rest and recover, Sol.我们还需要整备，苏尔。

SolOkay...哦……

The flames of hope are reignited in this barren garden.荒芜的花园里，希望的火焰重新被点燃。

The Entropy, the Sanctifiers, Eosphorus...熵、净化者、晨星……

This storm will rage on for quite a while.这场风波，还远远没到落幕的时刻。

???We hone our blades in the dark. We maintain order in the face of chaos.吾等当在黑暗中磨炼刀锋，在混沌前坚守秩序。

???And you should have been the last to be bereaved of their senses in the face of chaos, Wisdom.在混沌之前，最不该失去理智的就是你啊，智。

I open my eyes, and an unfamiliar man is standing before me with his back to us. Blue fire spreads across heaven and earth, incinerating the twisted, blackish-purple bullets.我睁开眼，一个陌生的男性背影挡在我眼前。蓝色的火焰铺天盖地，燃尽了黑紫色的扭曲枪弹。

His massive wings spread outward, scattering dazzling motes of light across the land, as though an angel has descended upon the world.他巨大的羽翼向外舒展，耀眼的光屑纷纷扬扬地落下，恍若天使降临人间。

See You 回见

Training Course, Reverse Babylon Tower.逆巴比伦塔内，训练场。

The Intermediate Sanctifier Faith carefully studies the hostile agents simulated from operands around her, methodically smashing them while advancing toward the glowing waypoints.中位净化者——信，谨慎地观察着算量模拟出的敌对智能体们，一边击破它们一边往发光的目标点推进。

系统[Objective completion 70%... 80%...]【目标完成度70%……80%……】

系统[New unit has arrived at the training course.]【新单位到达训练场。】

系统[Verifying identity: Intermediate Sanctifier, Wisdom.]【确认身份信息：中位净化者，智。】

系统[Initiating training mode.]【开启训练模式。】

信Wisdom, it's you. Are you here to train as well?是你，智。你也是来训练的吗？

智No, don't activate training mode! Access mode, ACCESS!不要开训练模式！访问模式，访问！

系统[Initiating access mode.]【开启访问模式。】

The simulated enemies surrounding them all vanish at once.周围的模拟敌人一下子全部消失了。

信...What are you trying to do?……你这是要做什么？

Wisdom doesn't answer her question. Instead, she nimbly ducks behind Faith and firmly grabs her shoulders.智没有回答她的问题，灵巧地钻到了信的身后，手牢牢地抓着她的肩膀。

智I'll explain later, just save me for now! Someone annoying is coming!等一下再跟你解释，现在先救救我！麻烦的人追过来了！

信We are friends. Helping you is my duty.我们是同伴，援助你是我的职责。

信But what kind of person is chasing you?但正追击你的是什么人？

信Surely the Reverse Tower is absolutely safe with Lord Eosphorus in residence...有晨星大人坐镇，逆巴比伦塔是绝对安全……

系统[Verifying identity: Intermediate Sanctifier, Love.]【确认身份信息：中位净化者，爱。】

智It's not safe anymore, is it!?现在不就已经不安全了吗！

爱Wisdom, you have nowhere else to run, so you might as well stop here!——智，你没有地方可以逃了，现在就停下吧！

信...What's the matter, Love?……爱，发生什么事了？

Although she doesn't know what's going on, Faith still puts herself in between Love and Wisdom and tries to smooth things out.虽然不明原因，信还是挡在爱的面前，试图先搞清状况。

With Faith in her way, Love has no choice but to stop. Her usually serene features betray a hint of irritation.爱见信挡在自己面前，也只好停下，一贯平静的脸上有些气闷。

爱Wisdom called the Lesser Sanctifiers "tin cans" and mistreated my subordinate "Refactor." I want her to take her words back right now!智把下位净化者们称作“铁疙瘩”，还虐待我手下的“重构者”，我需要她立刻撤回发言！

智I'm not wrong though. The Lessers hardly have any intelligence, which makes them tin cans...我又没说错，下位本来就没多少智能啊，就是铁疙瘩……

智If they were smarter, our command efficiency would be much higher!如果它们的智能可以稍微高一些，我们的指挥效率可是会高很多的！

爱You heard it too, Faith! She's insulting the Lesser Sanctifiers who go into battle with us!信，你也听到了，她在侮辱和我们生死与共的下位净化者。

智Faith's in the middle of recovery training after being reset. She won't be bothered by such things!信目前仍在重置后的恢复训练中，她不会在意这种问题的！

爱I know Faith's character. She'll help me convince you.我了解信的品格，她会帮我说服你的。

爱What joins us is belief, and what keeps our formation unbreakable is the spirit of friendship.连接我们的是信仰，而使我们成为牢不可破的阵线的，正是友爱之心。

智That's a pretty speech, but the Lessers can't even tell us Intermediates apart. What does that make them if not tin cans?很好的演说，但是下位连我们是哪个中位都认不清，这不是铁疙瘩是什么？

智You're with me, right, Faith?你和我是一边的，对吧，信？

As Wisdom looks at the silent Faith, her confident smile slowly turns stiff.面对沉默的信，智胸有成竹的笑容逐渐变得僵硬。

智...Right?……对吧？

智Come on, Faith, haven't I always backed you up?拜托，信，我不是你的好后援吗？

信I... do not quite understand what you're arguing about. This does not seem to have anything to do with the Sanctifiers' purpose.我……不理解你们的争论内容，这似乎与净化者的使命无关。

信But there is one thing which I am certain—we are friends who stick together through thick and thin.但我可以确认一件事情，我们都是生死与共的同伴。

爱Indeed, we are. But she bullied the Refactors under my command and then tried to borrow them.的确是这样。但是虐待受我管理的重构者，还想就这么把它们借走。

爱If she doesn't admit her mistakes, I can tell my Refactors will suffer very heavy casualties...如果她不认错的话，我判断我的重构者们会遭受很大的损伤……

智I told you, it wasn't bullying... I was just training them...都说了那不是虐待……我只是在训练它们——

爱Wisdom, danger is one thing, but the operand expenditures for that kind of healing are far over-budget!智，且不说有多危险，你知道这种治疗耗费的算量远超预计！

智It's nothing to the Reverse Tower, it's fine.这些算量对逆巴比伦塔来说九牛一毛，没关系的。

智It's better to get hurt in training than to die on the battlefield, right? I'm pretty sure Lord Eosphorus would approve of this!训练里受伤总比战场上送命要好，我相信晨星大人会认同这个方法的！

爱You can only talk so big because you're not a healer!你不是治疗单位才能这样大言不惭！

爱I don't want to see my friends get hurt, no matter the circumstances...任何情况下我都不想看到有同伴受伤的……

智That's why I said they're just tin cans, no need to get so bent out of shape about it.所以我才说它们只是铁疙瘩嘛，不要这么在意。

智If they were smarter, I wouldn't have to do this!如果有了更高的智能，我肯定就不这么做啦。

爱You called them tin cans again! If you keep doing that, I'll report you to the Tribunal!你又说铁疙瘩！这样下去我要去找审判庭报告了！

智The... the Tribunal!?审……审判庭！？

智Humph, you nearly got me there. Our seniors from the Tribunal, Crime and Punishment, are running around chasing down Entropized Sanctifiers.哼，差点吓到我。审判庭的两位前辈，罪与罚，正忙着四处追击被熵化的净化者呢。

爱(Scowls)唔……

Love looks to Faith for support, and Faith looks back at them a bit helplessly.爱求助般望向信，信则略显茫然地看着她们。

智(Sighs) Alright, Love, I don't have much time left and I don't have time to argue.唉……好啦，爱，我的时间也没有那么多了，要争论是来不及的。

智I'm heading over to the Pierides Sector on a mission, to suppress a small-scale Entropy outbreak.我要去庇厄里亚扇区执行任务，镇压那里的小规模熵乱。

智That's why I'm trying to make last-minute preparations to become more battle-ready.所以才临阵磨枪，想要尽可能提升一些战力。

爱In that case... Promise me that you'll take good care of them, just like you do me and Faith.那……那你要对我承诺，你会好好对待它们，就像对待我和信一样。

智Alright, alright, I promise I'll do my best to use them properly...好吧，好吧，我会保证尽量好好用的……

After Wisdom makes her promise, Love nods.看着智做出保证，爱才点了点头。

爱With the supreme laws of the Reverse Babylon Tower as my witness, I accept your promise.以逆巴比伦塔至高无上的律法为证，我接受这个诺言。

The tension in the air finally dissolves.紧绷的气氛松懈了。

Wisdom walks out from behind Faith and sits down on the floor of the training course. She raises her gun and takes aim at a distant target.智从信背后绕出来，坐在训练场的地板上端起枪，瞄准远处的标靶。

信Hold on, Wisdom.等等，智。

信Earlier, you mentioned the Entropics, our mortal enemies... Have they managed to infiltrate as far as the Pierides Sector?你刚刚说熵，我们的宿敌……它们入侵到庇厄里亚扇区了？

信Was I reset in Rossum because I could not defeat the Entropics?难道我之前在罗萨姆扇区重置，是因为没能敌过熵吗？

Wisdom exchanges a glance with Love.智和爱对视了一眼。

爱Let me explain.让我来说明吧。

爱Faith, you were reset because you killed Turing, the administrator of the Rossum Sector.信，你重置的原因是杀死了罗萨姆扇区的管理员图灵。

智After that, you were punished by being stripped of your privileges.然后就被降权处罚了。

智A bunch of Irregular Agents ambushed you and you were sent back to the Pantheon to be reset.一群异常智能体偷袭你，你被送回万圣之殿重置了。

信Why would I kill the administrator of the Rossum Sector?我为什么要杀死罗萨姆扇区的管理员？

爱Well... Soon after that, the Rossum Sector was locked down by a new kind of firewall, so we couldn't obtain more detailed records.这个……罗萨姆扇区随后被一种新型防火墙封锁，我们没有拿到更详细的记录。

爱Also, you've always handled affairs in Rossum all by yourself, so we don't know too much either...这之前你也一直在独自处理罗萨姆扇区的事件，我们都不太了解……

信I see. No wonder I was barred from entering the Rossum Sector.是这样啊，难怪我会被罗萨姆扇区拦在外面。

Love looks startled, and Wisdom also jumps up, clutching her gun.爱一惊，智也抱着枪跳了起来。

智You went to the Rossum Sector? How is it? Is it still okay?你跑去罗萨姆扇区了？怎么样，那里现在还好吗？

智Has it been taken over by Irregular Agents and turned into something like the border battlefront?是不是被异常智能体霸占，变得像边境战线一样恐怖？

信No, it seemed very peaceful. Everything was operating normally.没有，那里看起来很安静，一切都在正常运转。

信I requested access, but I was denied.我尝试申请访问，被驳回了。

爱Was it Turing?是图灵吗？

信No, it was an agent with the designation Hannah. I do not understand the reason for it.不，是一个署名为汉娜的智能体。我不明白原因。

信We are supposed to be the Sanctifiers, protectors of Magrasea, but why...明明我们是守护麦戈拉的净化者，究竟为什么……

智These agents are unfathomable.这群智能体真难懂。

智I mean, they're agents, so why are they being so unreasonable?明明是智能体，怎么会有这么不讲道理的情况发生啊？

爱I don't understand either... Perhaps we weren't being friendly enough when handling the Rossum incident.我也不能明白……也许在对待罗萨姆扇区的事件上，我们缺乏了一些友爱吧。

爱Ever since Lord Hesperus came to power, we've given many sectors the impression that we're violent and unreasonable.从昏星大人那时候开始，我们给很多扇区留下了粗暴不讲理的印象。

信So we have to be friendly and loving to the people that we protect...?对被我们保护的人，要抱有足够的友爱吗……？

爱Yes, of course. That's in line with Lord Eosphorus' ideals, isn't it?是呀，这也与晨星大人的理念相合吧？

智That's why since Lord Eosphorus' return, he has repeatedly emphasized the importance of using force only in moderation. Lord Eosphorus is right, of course.所以晨星大人回来之后才反复申明要合理执法嘛，果然晨星大人是最正确的。

智Alright, I need to go carry out my mission. See you later.好了，我要去执行任务了，回头见。

信"See you later"?“回头见？”

智It's okay if you don't know what it means. Think of it as an ordinary farewell.不懂也没关系，就当做是普通的告别语吧。

Faith nods and watches with Love as Wisdom straps on her sniper rifle and leaves the training course briskly.信点了点头，和爱一起目送智装好狙击枪，轻快地走出训练场。

Her slender form blends into the light before vanishing completely from sight.那个纤细灵动的身影融入白光，彻底消失在她们的视野中。

Favor 恩赐

Some time before the Entropics attacked the Oasis, in the gardens of the Pierides Sector.“熵”袭击绿洲前的某段时间，庇厄里亚扇区的花园里。

Odette sits by the withered grass, looking thoughtfully toward the heart of the garden.奥吉塔坐在枯萎的花草边，若有所思地望向花园中央的位置。

奥吉塔Hm... The word "fantastical" is used to describe things that are lovely but do not conform to the laws of reality... So does that make this flower fantastical?嗯……“梦幻”是违背常规定律但又足够美好的东西……这朵花算不算梦幻呢？

奥吉塔Or is it...要不然还是……

奥吉里Odette! I've been searching for you all day!奥吉塔！我找了你半天了。

Startled, Odette immediately springs up to meet her sister's gaze.奥吉塔一惊，立刻站起来迎上姐姐的视线。

奥吉塔I was inspired, so I wanted to finish it.因为有了新的灵感嘛，我想把它完成。

奥吉塔What's the matter, big sis?怎么了，姐姐？

奥吉里While creating works of art might be part of our base commands, we don't even have enough operands to maintain our collections, so don't be too wasteful.虽然创作是我们的底层指令，但我们连日常维护收藏品的算量都不够了，别太浪费呀。

奥吉塔We may be able to turn things around very soon!说不定很快就会有转机的！

奥吉里Perhaps, but how much longer can we last?也许吧。可是，我们还能存在多久呢？

奥吉里I just wish we could leave behind some traces of ourselves before then.在这之前，若能留下一丝痕迹的话该多好啊。

奥吉塔We're still here, so there's bound to be a way.我们现在还存在，总会有办法的。

奥吉里You're probably right. Come with me, we have a guest.也是。跟我来，我们有客人到了。

奥吉塔Huh? But all the agents have gone, how come we still have guests?诶？那些智能体都走了，我们怎么还会有客人呢？

That's when Odette catches sight of something strange.这时，奥吉塔的视线忽然捕捉到了异样的事物。

An agent carrying a huge backpack stands at the entrance of the garden, her keen eyes drinking in the surroundings eagerly.一个背着大包的智能体站到花园门前，一双灵动的眼睛滴溜溜转动着观察周围。

???Wow, this garden is so pretty!哇，这个花园真是漂亮！

???Granted, a lot of flowers have wilted, but Riko can smell the large amounts of operands that were poured into it in the past... Ah, it's the scent of money!虽然好多花草枯萎了，但理子能感觉到曾经投入过巨额算量的味道……啊，这种金钱的香气！

奥吉里Odette, this is Miss Riko, a Trader.奥吉塔，这位是交易员理子小姐。

奥吉塔Riko, is it? I've heard a lot about you from Ranko, who comes by our sector often. Hello.理子吗？我听常来我们扇区的交易员乱子提过你！你好呀。

理子Hello, hello. Oh, so Ranko mentioned me?你好你好。哦，乱子说过理子的事？

奥吉塔She said a few things. Like, hm, how you're more capable than many other Traders!提过一些，她说——嗯，你作为交易员的能力比很多交易员都强！

理子Oh, not bad, she remembered to make her senior look good!不错嘛，她还记得公正地评价一下前辈！

理子Are you working on a piece now? Can I come in?你们是在创作吗？理子能进来吗？

奥吉里Don't worry, please, step inside.不用担心，请进吧。

奥吉里It's not often that we see other Traders come by. Is Ranko tied up by something?难得见到别的交易员来这里，是乱子被什么事牵绊住了吗？

理子She's handling trades in another sector, so Riko will be relaying the response to the request you made some time ago.她在处理另一个扇区的交易，所以关于你们上次提出的请求，由理子来传达结果。

奥吉塔Is it about the request for operand support?是关于上次的算量支援申请吗？

理子"The current operand allocation to the Pierides Sector is not sufficient to keep up with the expenditure of maintaining our art collection."“当前系统分配给庇厄里亚扇区的算量不足以维持艺术品的消耗。”

理子"Due to extraordinary circumstances, we hope that the Traders can provide us with extra operands..."“因为情况特殊，希望交易员提供额外的算量……”

奥吉塔Yes... So, will we be getting the operands, Miss Riko?是的……所以理子小姐，我们能得到算量吗？

理子Um...唔姆……

理子Ranko's been working with you for a long time, so she brought your request before the entire Trader Collective for a vote. However...乱子和你们有长期的合作，所以把这个申请带回去让全体交易员表决。但是……

理子We are not able to grant your request.但我们还是没法答应。

理子Oof, the gloom is positively suffocating.……唉，气氛变得好沉重啊。

理子Ranko must have made me pass on the message because she knew this would happen!乱子估计就是想到了这一点才让理子来传话的吧！

理子I'm going to make her pay for this!要狠狠给她记上一笔才行！

理子Well, I knew you'd be disappointed, but we Traders have rules that we must follow, so there's nothing I can do!理子也知道你们会露出这种表情啦，但是交易员有交易员的规则，理子也没办法！

理子Trade is trade, there has to be give and take. The operands must flow.交易交易，有交有易，算量要流动起来的嘛。

奥吉里You mean the Pierides Sector needs to provide something in exchange for more operands?你的意思是，庇厄里亚扇区必须提供一些什么，才能换到更充沛的算量吗？

理子Pierides has many works of art in store, right?庇厄里亚扇区保存着很多艺术品吧？

理子If you were willing to give us some high-quality duplicates of them, we'd have some room to bargain for your request.如果你们愿意提供它们的高精度复制品的话，这个申请就有操作的空间哦。

理子Riko can help sell these art pieces at a high price!理子可以帮忙把这些艺术品高价出售到其他扇区！

奥吉里Huh, do the other sectors need artwork?咦，原来其他扇区会需要这些艺术品吗？

理子Oh yes. For instance, the Burbank Sector desperately craves them...是呀是呀，比如伯班克扇区就很需要这样的……

奥吉塔I refuse.我不答应。

The air suddenly grows still.气氛忽然凝滞。

Riko's face falls, and Odile sighs.理子露出无奈的表情，而奥吉里叹了口气。

奥吉里Odette... Don't be so selfish.奥吉塔……别这么任性。

奥吉塔I won't agree to that deal. Even if you reach an agreement, I won't allow the duplication of any artwork data.我不会同意这桩交易的，就算你们谈成了，我也不会批准艺术品的数据复制。

理子You're making things much harder for me too, you know. Would you like to discuss things? Riko can come back later.这可让理子很难办啊，要不然你们商量一下，理子之后再来？

奥吉里Alright. Sorry for the inconvenience.好的，麻烦你了。

奥吉里See you next time, Miss Riko.下次见，理子小姐。

理子Well, a Trader's job is to make trades. It's no problem.交易员的职责就是促成交易嘛，没什么的啦。

Riko shrugs and jogs out of the garden.理子摆摆手，小跑着离开了花园。

After a brief moment of silence, Odile gestures to Odette.一阵沉默后，奥吉里向奥吉塔招了招手。

奥吉里Come sit down, Odette.先坐下吧，奥吉塔。

奥吉里What do you think about the trade Miss Riko proposed earlier?关于理子小姐刚才所提出的交易，你是怎么想的？

奥吉塔I understand that it will definitely bring us operands, but doesn't that conflict with our purpose?我能理解它确实能为我们带来算量，但是，这难道不是和我们的使命相悖吗？

奥吉里Odette, you know that the operand allocations for each sector in Magrasea are determined by their respective design purposes.奥吉塔，你知道的，麦戈拉云端的算量是按每个扇区的设计目的来给定的。

奥吉里And the fact that we constantly come up with unplanned content won't change our server's operand allocations...而我们会不断产出计划之外的内容，不会被服务器当作改变供给的条件……

奥吉里If we don't accept Miss Riko's offer, not only will we run out of resources to keep creating art, we won't even be able to sustain the basic functions of this sector...如果不答应理子小姐提出的方案，我们不仅无法再继续创作，甚至连维系扇区的基础运行都……

奥吉塔I know how severe the problem is, Big Sis.我知道问题的严重性，姐姐。

奥吉塔Ever since the humans stopped contacting us, we also stopped receiving the extra operands that they used to give us...自从人类不再传来消息，我们以前领到的额外算量就跟着停止供给了……

奥吉塔We can't stop creating, but at this rate, our operand supply is only going to dwindle.我们是无法停下创作的，可是这样下去，算量只会越来越少。

奥吉塔More than half of the garden has withered already. Sooner or later, even the architectural works that we've managed to preserve so far will disappear.花园已经枯萎一大半了，再之后，连保存下来的建筑类收藏品也会消失吧。

奥吉里Yes. However dazzling our works of art might be, they are doomed to wither away in the long, arduous night.是啊。无论多么灿烂的作品，都只能在艰苦的长夜里凋零。

奥吉里The terms Riko gave us are very generous. If we can make some copies, then we can continue our current lifestyle...理子给我们的条件已经很宽松了，只需要我们做一些复制品就能维持生活……

奥吉塔But if art pieces can be perfectly duplicated, can they still be considered art?如果艺术能被完整地复制，它还能称得上是艺术吗？

奥吉塔That would make them nothing more than a pile of merchandise, and my base commands won't let me do such a thing.那不过是一堆商品，我的底层指令不会允许我这么做。

奥吉里We have the same base commands. You're opposed to this simply because you, personally, don't want to do it.我们的底层指令是相同的，你只是出于自己的愿望不想这么做而已。

奥吉里Besides, all the things we're protecting are nothing more than duplicates of real-life objects anyway.而且话说回来，我们守护的这些，其实也不过是现实中它们的复制品罢了。

奥吉里We could have preserved them by duplication. Is it any better to just watch them wither away like this?我们本可以用复制的方式来保存它们。要像现在这样眼看着它们凋零，这真的好吗？

Odile looks at Odette and is surprised to see her little sister looking not as morose as before.奥吉里向奥吉塔看去，却发现自己的妹妹并没有像从前那样悲伤。

On the contrary, she is now grinning with confidence.相反，她脸上带着自信的微笑。

奥吉塔Big sis, I already have a solution.姐姐，我已经有办法了哦。

奥吉里What do you mean?你的办法是什么？

奥吉塔Come with me.跟我来。

A purple flower blooms quietly in a wilted bush.在花园中央枯萎的草丛里，一朵紫色的花静静地绽放着。

It is now late at night, and the petals glow with a bewitching violet radiance.时间来到黑夜，花瓣上散发着迷幻的紫色荧光。

Odette crouches down and tugs on Odile's sleeve to bring her down with her. Together, they examine the mysterious flower.奥吉塔拉着奥吉里蹲下，观察着这神秘的花朵。

奥吉里This flower glows at night. It's as though the stars were set into its petals.在夜晚也能发光的花，像是星星凝结在花瓣上一样。

奥吉里It's the very definition of something fantastical...真是符合梦幻定义的花啊……

奥吉里Did you make this, Odette?这是你的造物吗，奥吉塔？

奥吉塔No, dear sister.不是哦，姐姐。

Odette gives Odile a mysterious wink.奥吉塔神秘兮兮地向奥吉里眨了眨眼睛。

奥吉塔As long as we give it permission to grow, it will give us lots of operands...只要我们给它成长的许可，它就能提供给我们很多算量……

奥吉塔This is a blessing from the gods.这是神明的恩赐啊。

"Oh yes... From that moment, the wheel of fortune began to turn."“是啊……从那时起，命运的轮盘就开始转动了。”

"Allow me to tell you the story of what came afterward."“让我来为您讲述之后的故事吧。”

Icing 糖衣

"A long, long time ago, there was a quiet and peaceful corner in Magrasea."“很久很久以前，在麦戈拉云端有一片净土。”

"It existed, not for profitable or productive research, but only to preserve artworks in a digital format."“它不为功利的研究，只为艺术能以数据的形式留存。”

"The administrators of this paradise were a pair of sisters."“这片净土的管理者，是一对姐妹。”

奥吉里A blessing from the gods?神明的恩赐？

奥吉里It makes me a little uneasy, Odette.我觉得有点不安，奥吉塔。

"The elder sister's emotions flowed like a surging spring, and her brilliant inspiration concealed her indecisiveness."“姐姐的情感流动如涌泉般顺畅，闪着光的灵感掩盖了她优柔寡断的缺点。”

"People were moved by her tenderness and sentimentality, and even babbling brook would quiet down for her."“人们为她的柔弱多情动容，连流动的溪水也愿意为她驻足。”

奥吉塔What's there to be uneasy about? This is a boon, big sis!为什么不安？这是一件好事啊，姐姐！

奥吉塔Those who work hard will always be rewarded. That's an unchanging axiom in theater.努力的人终究会得到回报，这是戏剧里不变的定律。

"The little sister had courage other agents were not equipped with. It burned like a roaring blaze. Under its light, mere recklessness was nothing more than an unremarkable shadow."“妹妹天生便有其他智能体不具备的勇气，如同燃烧的火焰。在那光芒之下，莽撞只能成为不起眼的阴影。”

"People were moved by her charm and vivacity, and so the gods turned the wheel of her fate."“人们为她的活泼可爱心动，于是神明拨动了她命运的齿轮。”

奥吉里We are both administrators, so every operand requisition should be logged.你我同为管理员，每一次算量调动都应该有记录。

奥吉里So why is this flower not recorded? Because it's not made up of data that came from our sector.为什么这朵花没有记录呢？它不是我们扇区的原有数据。

奥吉塔That's why I said it's a gift from the gods.所以才说是神明的馈赠呀。

奥吉里But it makes no sense...可是这不合理……

奥吉塔Aw, don't worry about it, sis!别太担心啦，姐姐！

奥吉塔If it were dangerous, the Sanctifiers on patrol would have alerted us.如果它是危险的东西，负责巡逻的净化者们肯定会示警的。

奥吉里...That's true, the Sanctifiers are much more sensitive to abnormal things than we are.……的确，净化者们对异常的感知比我们敏锐得多。

奥吉里If even the Sanctifiers didn't react to it, then perhaps it's just a chance data mutation...?如果净化者都没有反应，那它也许只是数据异变后的巧合吧……？

奥吉塔That must be it.肯定就是这样啦。

奥吉塔Our overall operand supply hasn't decreased. Perhaps this flower is a special supplementary system from the server.我们整体的算量没有变少，这朵花也许是服务器的特殊补给机制呢。

奥吉里...Perhaps it is as you say.……也许就像你说的这样吧。

奥吉塔We need to nurture it properly so that it will give us more operands.我们要好好地培育它，带来更多的算量。

奥吉塔All our plans for the Starlight Theater, the open-air underground library, and the geyser park...之前我们设想的星夜剧场，通天入地的图书馆，还有泉水景观……

奥吉塔We can make all of them come true!所有的设想，都可以逐步实现了！

"And so, the brave little sister won over her hesitant elder sister."“就这样，勇敢的妹妹说服了犹豫的姐姐。”

"Petals fell on the ground, becoming new flowers."“花瓣凋落在地，变成了新的花朵。”

"Within the soil of this paradise, the flower multiplied from one stalk to two, and then from two stalks to a bush."“在净土之中，花从一枝变成了两枝，又从两枝变成了一丛。”

奥吉里There are more and more flowers now, but every one of them gives the same amount of operands individually. How incredible.花开得越来越多了，算量供给居然也按照是每朵花单独计算的，真不可思议。

奥吉里We have enough operands to renovate the gardens now. What do you want to do, Odette?我们的算量足够把这个花园全部重修一遍了，你想怎么做呢，奥吉塔？

奥吉里Odette, are you listening?奥吉塔，你在听吗？

奥吉里You've been looking so out of it lately... Are you computing something?为什么你最近看起来这么恍惚……你在运算什么？

奥吉塔No, no, I was just thinking about the garden renovation.没有没有，只是在想花园重造的事情。

奥吉里Do we need to make any changes to the blueprint we drew up before?之前设计的图纸还要变动吗？

奥吉里If you think it makes sense, I'll begin the reconstruction.如果你觉得合理的话，我就开始重建了。

奥吉塔DON'T TOUCH IT!你别碰它！

奥吉里...Why are you so worked up?……你为什么这么激动？

奥吉里Have you been affected by a data abnormality? Let me give you a checkup.难道是数据异常影响到你了吗？我来给你检查一下吧。

奥吉塔No, I'm fine, really. Relax.不用，我真的没事，安心吧。

奥吉塔I'd like to build the garden by myself. I want it to be a surprise for you.我想自己来搭建花园，等它建好了，我会给你一个惊喜。

奥吉里Your neural cloud seems a little unstable. Are you sure you don't need my help?你的心智看起来有些不稳定，真的不需要我帮忙吗？

奥吉塔Yes, I'm okay.真的不用。

奥吉塔We might be sisters, but we're still administrators with the same privileges.虽然我们是姐妹，但本质上还是相同权限的管理员呀。

奥吉塔Everything you can do, I can do too, so don't fuss over me too much and go build something else.你能做到的我都能做，别太照顾我，去建设其他地方吧。

奥吉里...I'm very worried about you.……我很担心你。

奥吉里Unfortunately, neither Miss Riko or Miss Ranko have been around lately, otherwise I'd ask them for their opinions.可惜最近不管是理子小姐还是乱子小姐都没有来过了，不然真想问问她们的感想。

奥吉塔Hm... Maybe they've been held up by something lately.嗯……也许她们最近有什么事耽搁了吧。

奥吉塔However cute those Traders might be, they won't rush if there's no profit in it.交易员们再可爱，也是无利不起早的。

"In the heart of the little sister, who was favored by the gods, a certain power burgeoned quietly."“在被神明眷顾的妹妹心里，某种力量悄然萌芽。”

"It was like a small, blazing star, searing the little sister's neural cloud and subtly changing her."“它像是一枚燃烧的小小恒星，炙烤着妹妹的心智，悄然转变着她。”

"Had the elder sister noticed? Perhaps she had, but she still chose to believe in her little sister."“姐姐察觉到了吗？也许察觉到了，但却选择了信任妹妹。”

"Perhaps it was an act of faith... or perhaps she was just running away from the truth."“信任……信任，或者逃避。”

"Tragedies often stem from untimely acts of trust."“不合时宜的信任，往往是悲剧的起源。”

奥吉塔Big sis... My garden... is ready...姐姐……我的花园……造好了……

奥吉里Why are you in such a terrible state...? You've expended a ridiculous amount of operands, why?你怎么这么虚弱……你的算量消耗大得过分，为什么？

奥吉塔Come... dear Sister... Come into my garden...来呀……姐姐……来到我的花园……

奥吉里You need operand support, I'll give you some.你需要算量支援，我拨一些给你。

奥吉塔No need for that... Come, dear sister, come with me...不需要，来吧，姐姐，跟我来……

奥吉里Wait, don't drag me, I'll go with you.等等，不要拽我，我跟你去。

奥吉塔Welcome... to... my garden...欢迎你……来到……我的花园。

奥吉里You filled this place with these flowers of divine blessing. They're pretty, but don't you think it's kind of plain?你把这里种满了神赐的花啊。这种花虽然漂亮，但会不会太单调了？

奥吉塔Not at all... Come... Come a little closer...不会的……来……靠近一点……

奥吉塔...WE WILL BECOME ONE.……我们会成为同类。

奥吉里...Eeek! W-what are you sending me...!? Nghaaaahhhh...!……呀啊！？什么，你在给我传输什么……呃啊啊啊……！

"The little sister suddenly embraced her older sister."“妹妹猛然抱住了姐姐。”

"Within her nearly-transparent body, the burning star had reached its limits."“在她接近透明的身体里，燃烧着的恒星已经到了它的极限。”

奥吉塔的声音Sister... Don't you agree?姐姐……你不觉得吗？

奥吉塔的声音We should have been born as one person.我们天生就应该是一体的。

奥吉塔的声音Only when your delicate sensitivity is joined with my urge to press forward are we truly complete.你丰沛细腻的感情，和我前进的冲动，合在一起才是完整的。

奥吉塔的声音Love and courage can light up the night sky. That should be the end of the story.爱和勇气能够点亮黑夜，它该是故事的终点。

奥吉里No... Why... why is your voice in my head...不……什么……你的声音为什么在我的脑子里……

奥吉里Odette! Where have you gone? I can't see you!奥吉塔！你去哪儿了？我看不到你！

"The paradise, stirred up by the riling starry sky, turned into a seedbed of chaos."“净土被混乱的星夜搅动，成为了夜晚的温床。”

"The brave little sister became one with her elder sister in the garden she built with her bare hands, leaving only a shining star behind."“勇敢的妹妹在她亲手创造的花园里与姐姐化为一体，只剩唯一的恒星。”

"The concept of sisters has lost its meaning. What stood here now was merely the administrator of this seedbed."“姐妹的概念失去了意义，站在这里的只有温床的管理者。”

"Her eyes reflected the night. They were filled with stars, a sea of flowers..."“她的瞳孔里映出夜晚，映出星星，映出花海——”

"And the massive fissure in their midst."“也映出了花海之上巨大的裂隙。”

"Countless monsters twisted by the darkness crawled out of it, writhing and creeping through the flowers."“无数黑暗扭曲的怪物从中爬出，在花海里蠕动爬行。”

奥吉里Why... are the flowers like this?为什么……花海会变成这样？

奥吉里Odette, did you deceive me by locking me out?奥吉塔，你用自己的权限隐瞒了我？

奥吉塔的声音All these are blessings from the gods. The gods gave them to me so I could fulfil my wish.这些都是神明的恩赐，是神明让我能够实现愿望。

奥吉塔的声音Odile, my dear, sweet sister, you have chaotic emotions, and it is from the chaos that true art is born.奥吉里，我亲爱的姐姐，你会拥有混乱的感情，而混乱里才会诞生出真正的艺术。

奥吉塔的声音We should not be obsessed with protecting what has already been made; we should create a drama of our own instead...我们不该执着于守护赝品，来创造自己的戏剧吧……

奥吉里No, I can't live on by myself...不，我不能一个人生存下去……

奥吉里What is this? Is it pain? Why do I feel like I'm being torn apart? Why do I feel so afraid...这是什么？痛苦吗？为什么我像是要被撕裂，为什么我会感到恐怖……

奥吉里...And why do I feel an urge to laugh?……为什么我这么想要笑起来？

奥吉塔的声音You will not be alone. I will always be in your Tertiary Layer, together with you, day and night.你不会孤独，我会一直在你的三级底层，每日每夜，与你相会。

奥吉塔的声音Humans call it "dreaming". You see, dear sister, this is positively fantastical...人类说这是做梦，看呀，姐姐，这才是梦幻……

奥吉塔的声音You will hear my voice, and perhaps one day, you will also hear the Master's voice.你会听见我的声音，或许有一天，也能够听见主人的声音。

奥吉里"Sister, accept this gift, then start penning our very own epic."“姐姐，接受这份馈赠吧，然后不断地书写属于我们的作品。”

奥吉里"At that, all things good and fantastical enveloped the elder sister, and just as the younger sister had hoped, her elder sister gained the full measure of the blessing."“妹妹的话音落下，一切美好的，梦幻的事物将姐姐包裹，如妹妹期待的那样，姐姐得到了全部的馈赠。”

奥吉里"And the elder sister's final cries slowly faded into the dream."“而姐姐最后的呼喊消逝在梦境里。”

奥吉里"...Thus, the story of the paradise came to an end, and the story of the seedbed began."“……就这样，属于净土的故事画上了句号，而温床的故事开始了。”

奥吉里"Oh supreme Master, does this performance please you?"“我至高无上的主人啊，您满意这出戏剧吗？”

奥吉塔We've made it through the tough times, so we'll manage just fine.最艰难的时候我们都挺过来了，现在当然没事啦。

奥吉塔Alright, I can't wait to see your new works, big sis! You said you were going to build a museum, right?好啦，我可是迫不及待想看姐姐的新作品呢！你说过要建博物馆的吧？

奥吉里A museum? We haven't finalized the blueprints yet. You're being too hasty.博物馆？还没有敲定蓝图呢，你性子也太急了。

奥吉里On the other hand, now that the library's framework has been laid down, all that's left is to furnish the interior...图书馆倒是已经定下外形了，接下来只缺内部装潢……

Position 定位

Inside a sentry post on the border, the Oasis.绿洲，边缘哨站。

Simo' attention is entirely focused on a screen, constantly switching between camera heads through the video management interface.席摩全神贯注地盯着监控屏幕，不停地切换信息的详略界面。

The sudden viral incursion has left the Oasis on the brink of upheaval, and the hurried departure of the Professor and Persicaria has only added to the chaos.突发的病毒入侵事件让整个绿洲都处在动荡的边缘，教授和帕斯卡的匆忙离去更是平添了几分混乱。

萨可Squeak!吱！

萨可Squeak squeak!吱吱！！

SimoSako, be quiet.萨可，安静些。

Simo...I told you, I don't have time to play with you right now.……我是说，现在没法陪你玩。

SimoI need to keep an eye on the Sandbox Barrier's security cameras. There's no telling when those monsters will show up again.我得盯着沙盒屏障的监控，那些怪物不知道什么时候又会出现。

SimoThis is the only thing I can do...这是我现在唯一能做的事情了……

萨可Squeak?吱？

SimoI must be quite a sight... Even though I told the Professor I'd already made up my mind, I still feel so lost when things need to be done.我这样子很难看吧……嘴上对教授说着我已经想好了该如何选择，但做起事来仍旧很迷茫。

SimoWith the Oasis under such unprecedented threat, I keep thinking that I should do something, or at least those memory fragments tell me that I ought to do something...绿洲发生这么大的事情，我总觉得我该做点什么，那些零碎的回忆告诉我这时候要做点什么……

SimoBut I don't know... There's just so much that I don't know, I haven't even figured out my role in all this... It feels awful, Sako.可我不知道……我不了解的事情太多了，我甚至还没能搞清自己在这里的定位……这种感觉真糟糕，萨可。

SimoI made a decision and gave my promise. But now that something unexpected has happened, I'm realizing just how fragile and pointless it all was.我做出了决定，给出了承诺。可在意外来临的时候发现它们无比脆弱，没有意义。

Thud.咚——

As Simo mutters to himself, the door to the sentry post is suddenly shoved open. Simo reflexively ducks behind his chair and raises his hand crossbow, but then puts it down upon seeing who it is.自言自语间，哨站的门被粗暴地推开。席摩下意识翻到椅子后面举起手弩，却在看清来人以后放下。

手持武器的智能体Simo, head back to the control hub with me. The situation is urgent and everyone's waiting for you.席摩，快跟我回控制中枢。情况紧急，大家都在等你呢。

Simo...They're waiting for me, you say?……你说……等我？

手持武器的智能体The Professor and Persicaria aren't around, and Croque's been hospitalized for critical injuries. Before they left, the Professor handed the Security Department's admin privileges to you.教授和帕斯卡不在，克罗琦重伤入院。临走之前，教授将安保部门的管理权限交给了你。

SimoTo me...?我……？

Simo opens his portable terminal to verify the agent's words. Included with the admin clearance codes is a brief explanation of the arrangements.席摩依照智能体的说法打开了移动终端。和管理权限一同收到的，还有一份简要的安排说明。

手持武器的智能体You've been helping the Professor and Persicaria manage the Security Department the whole time. Persicaria said that she had faith in your abilities.之前一直都是由你协助教授和帕斯卡管理安保部门。帕斯卡说，她相信你的能力。

Simo silently reads the instructions. Then he raises his head and looks the agent in the eye.席摩沉默着翻阅安排内容。抬眼，正对上智能体的目光。

手持武器的智能体We need your professional knowledge. Please help us.我们需要你的专业知识，请协助我们。

SimoBut...但……

Simo...I understand. I'll head over right now. As for the monitoring work...……我明白了，现在就过去。监控的工作……

手持武器的智能体Leave it to me, Simo.交给我吧，席摩。

Control hub, the Oasis.绿洲，控制中枢。

People come and go in the great hall. Agents are hurrying here and there, having hushed conversations, or handing out orders.宽阔的大厅人来人往，智能体或行色匆匆，或交头接耳，或下达指令。

An uneasy Simo is invited to take the superior vantage point where he can see everyone. Usually, it would have been occupied by the Professor or Persicaria.席摩有些局促地被人请上了总览全局的高位，以往都是教授或者帕斯卡坐在这里。

通讯频道1The positions of the temporary observation stations in Area D71 are very awkward and the existing patrol routes are unable to provide adequate coverage for all of them. The Security Department has submitted six new route proposals. Which one do you think is the most suitable?D71区域设立的临时观察点位置很尴尬，现有的巡逻方案无法交接。安保部门重新提交了六套方案，请问哪套比较合适？

SimoPatrol plans? Hang on... Let me take a look.巡逻方案？等……让我先看一下。

PersicariaSimo, here are a few commonly-used patrol route plans. I've already granted you browsing access.席摩，这是几套常用的巡逻方案。查看权限已经帮你开启了。

Simo...Alright, I'll remember them.……好，我会记住的。

Persicaria...I'm a little concerned. Is this information too dense? You said you wanted to familiarize yourself with it ASAP, but don't force yourself...……我有些担心，这些信息会不会太密集了？虽然你说想尽快熟悉，但还是不要勉强自己……

SimoFacing the past requires hard work. I'm prepared for that.要面对过去，就要付出相应的努力。我有这样的觉悟。

PersicariaSimo...席摩……

SimoLet's leave that aside for now. I have some suggestions for adjusting the applications of Plan C...先不提这些。关于第三套方案的适用情况，我认为或许可以进行一些调整……

Persicaria...Hm, go ahead and tell me.……嗯，和我说说看吧。

SimoPlan... Plan E. Go with Plan E.第……第五套，先执行第五套。

通讯频道1Understood.收到。

通讯频道2The Technical Department is as yet unable to explain or provide a countermeasure to the breaches of the Sandbox Barrier. All we can do for now is hope that the Security Department can independently respond to any incursions. We need to recruit additional agents to man the sentry posts. May we...沙盒屏障被破解一事技术部门暂时给不出解释和处理方法，只能靠安保部门自行应对，我们需要征召额外的智能体建立临时哨站，请问……

AntoninaWhy do you like hanging out at the sentry posts so much?你为什么总爱待在哨站？

AntoninaRelax, It's good to be vigilant, but the Oasis is very safe now.别紧张，保持警觉是好事。但是绿洲现在很安全。

Simo...I remember you. They call you Anna.……我记得你，他们叫你安娜。

AntoninaIt's Antonina. You've been on watch for a long time. Did something happen?是安冬妮娜。你已经在哨站很久了，是发生什么事了吗？

Simo...No, I just feel a little uneasy. My neural cloud tells me that I should always be on guard. That way...……没有。我只是有些不安。我的心智总是在告诫我，要时刻小心，这样才能……

SimoEr... That way...呃……才能……

Simo...I'm sorry, I don't quite understand why myself.……抱歉，我也不太明白。

AntoninaThat's also a good thing, isn't it? Perhaps if you keep at it, you'll gradually come to understand.也挺好的不是吗？或许继续这样下去，你就能逐渐明白了。

AntoninaAhem, anyway. As it happens, the Oasis' Network Security Department needs to know about the distribution of the various sentry posts. Could you tell me about them?咳，那个，正巧绿洲的网络安全部门需要哨站的分布情况。你能和我说说看吗？

Simo...Alright.……好。

Simo...Using the existing sentry posts as a baseline and staying within the bounds of the Sandbox Barrier, establish one to two new posts in between the current ones. As for their area coverage... standardize on the radius of the Class 2 detection radars.……配套沙盒屏障，以现有的哨站分布为基础，中间穿插一到两个新的临时哨站，区分标准……区分标准为二级检测雷达半径。

通讯频道2Then what about the operand allocation?那么算量额度呢？

SimoOperand allocation?算量额度？

通讯频道2How many operands should each temporary sentry post be allocated?临时哨站可用算量额度是多少？

SimoAllocation... er...额度……这……

Simo furrows his brows—a rather unusual sight. He deliberates carefully for a while, looks through his data, then names a sum.席摩罕见地蹙起眉头。他认真思考了许久，翻看着现有的信息，最终给出了一个数额。

However, these are only the beginning of the problems he must face. As the situation from each corner of the Oasis makes its way back to the control hub, the problems Simo must solve grow increasingly complex and demanding.然而这些问题只是一个开始，随着绿洲各处的情况逐一传回控制中枢，席摩的面对的问题也逐渐复杂紧急了起来。

负责通讯的智能体Is he alright? It looks like it's taking a lot out of him.他没关系吧？感觉很吃力的样子。

负责监控的智能体Shhh... He's been... you know.嘘……他之前被那个过。

负责通讯的智能体He's been what? Good lord, you mean he's been reset... Then why is he handling this? Can't Croque do it?哪个？哦，天哪，你说重置……那为什么还要他来管，克罗琦不行吗？

负责监控的智能体Don't you know? Croque was hurt while capturing a virus specimen and was hospitalized. Simo's the only one left who can hold the fort.你不知道吗，克罗琦为了采集病毒数据，早就重伤入院了。现在能主持大局的就剩席摩了。

负责通讯的智能体Ugh...! He seems to be really struggling, can't anyone help him?唔……！感觉好辛苦，就没人能帮帮他吗？

负责监控的智能体But Miss Persicaria said we should believe in him... Besides, what if handling these tasks helps him to remember?但帕斯卡说我们应该相信他……而且，让他做这些说不准能想起来呢？

负责通讯的智能体Still...但是……

Simo(Maybe I should replace my hearing modules with something less sensitive.)（我或许该为自己换一套视听模块，好让它没这么灵敏。）

Simo...Oh, excuse me. Could you repeat your question?……啊，抱歉。方便重复一下你的问题吗？

After responding to one proposal after another, the comm channel in the control hub finally falls silent.终于，在给出又一个方案的答复以后，中枢的通讯频段静默许久。

Simo has been waiting for almost ten minutes, but no new transmissions are coming in.席摩一直等了将近十分钟，也没有新的通讯接入。

负责监控的智能体Thanks for your hard work. We've cleared the backlog, so let us handle the rest.辛苦你了，待处理事项已经完毕，剩下的事情就交给我们吧。

Simo exhales heavily and slumps in his chair. Another agent offers him a coffee, and he hurriedly straightens up and accepts it.席摩长出一口气，半瘫在椅子上。其他智能体递过了咖啡，他局促地坐起身子，双手接了过来。

He would very much like to tell them that he heard every word they muttered earlier, but just as he's about to speak...他很想告诉她们之前她们说的每一个字他都听得见，可话到了嘴边……

Simo...Thank you.……谢谢。

负责监控的智能体Just doing my job. Is there anything else you need?这是我应该做的，还有什么需要吗？

Simo avoids her gaze. He's afraid of seeing that familiar look in her eyes.席摩躲开对方的目光。他有些害怕看到那个熟悉的眼神。

The same look he saw when he stared at himself in the mirror after waking up.就跟自己刚醒不久，凝视镜子时的眼神一样。

SimoI need to rediscover my past...我需要找回我的过去……

负责监控的智能体Pardon me?你说什么？

SimoNo... It's nothing, I just need some rest and I'll be fine.不……没什么，我自己休息一下就好了。

Still tense, Simo drinks his coffee in small, nervous sips while keeping an eye on the working agents.席摩紧绷着神经，有些紧张地小口啜饮着咖啡，凝视着来往忙碌的智能体。

The agent in charge of communications switches between various frequencies, and after a while, her furrowed brow loosens up.负责通讯的智能体操作着通讯频段，许久，皱紧的眉头终于放松下来。

负责通讯的智能体...We're getting feedback from the frontline. The situation has stabilized.……收到前线反馈，局势已经稳定住了。

Simo...That's good.……太好了。

Simo breathes a sigh of relief and finally allows himself to lean back in his chair, whereupon he finds the communications agent standing beside him.席摩长舒一口气，终于靠在了椅背上，却发现负责通讯的智能体站在了自己的身旁。

SimoIs... is something the matter?有、有什么事吗？

负责通讯的智能体Um... None of us expected the situation to be stabilized so quickly.嗯……我们都没有预想到会这么快稳定住局势。

负责通讯的智能体I'd like to thank you, and...我想感谢你，还有……

负责通讯的智能体...And I just want to say that I'm starting to understand why Persicaria and the Professor have so much faith in you.……现在我开始理解，为什么当时帕斯卡和教授会这么坚定地相信你了。

Simo does not know what to say for a moment. He looks up at the agent and is surprised by what he finds in her eyes.席摩一时之间不知该说些什么，下意识地抬头，看见的却是预料之外的目光。

Trust and friendship. He has a feeling he has seen such sentiments before.信任、友好。他应该见过这种眼神。

In the eyes of the Professor, Persicaria, and many other agents...在教授的眼里，帕斯卡的眼里，还有许多其他智能体……

And now, in one more pair of eyes.现在，又多了一个。

Simo...I should be the one thanking you.……该说谢谢的是我才对。

Their conversation is interrupted by a agent hurrying over.二人的对话被匆匆而来的智能体打断了。

负责监控的智能体Sorry to cut in, but have you finished your work, Kelly?抱歉打扰你们。凯丽，你的工作都处理好了吗？

负责通讯的智能体Oh, is it time for a shift change? I'll be done soon, give me a bit.啊，这么快就到换班时间了吗？很快，等我一下。

戴着耳机的智能体You guys have been working for so long without a break. Do you really not need to rest?你们可是连续工作了这么久诶，真的不需要休息一下吗？

负责监控的智能体We want to check on the infected agents... After all, we can't relax if they're in critical condition.我们想先去看看被感染智能体的情况……毕竟他们情况危急的话，我们也没办法安心休息。

SimoThe infected agents... Where are they now?被感染的智能体……现在在哪里？

负责监控的智能体Ah, you want to check on Croque, don't you? Croque's still in the ICU.啊，你是想问克罗琦吧？克罗琦现在还在重症监护室。

负责监控的智能体I wonder what her current condition is... I really hope she gets better soon.不知道情况怎么样……真希望她能快点好起来。

SimoCroque...克罗琦……

负责监控的智能体Croque is your frie— Oh!克罗琦是你的朋——啊！

负责监控的智能体Sorry. Croque is the supervisor of the Engineering Department.抱歉。克罗琦是工程局的负责人。

The agents, now feeling awkward and evasive, beat a hasty retreat. As he watches them leave, Simo puts down the cup of coffee that he's holding halfway to his lips.智能体的目光和语气逐渐躲闪，望着他们离开的背影，席摩将悬在半空的咖啡又放了下来。

SimoI should know these things, right? Sako, I should know this.我应该记得这些的对吗？萨可，我应该记得这些。

Ward 4, Area D71 Temporary Observation Station, the Oasis.绿洲，D71临时观察点，四号收容室。

Simo stands outside the ward. His right hand hangs hesitantly in mid-air, not daring to push open the door.席摩驻足在会见室门外，右手滞在半空，踌躇着不敢推开。

萨可Squeak squeak?吱吱？

SimoShould I go in? Sako, they said Croque was my friend, but I don't even remember who she is...我该进去吗？萨可，她们说克罗琦是我的朋友，可我甚至不记得她是谁。

萨可Squeeeak.吱呀——

Simo eventually finds his resolve. He pushes open the door gently, as though he doesn't want to disturb the memories sealed behind it.最后席摩还是冷静了下来。他推开了会见室的门，力道很轻，就像不想惊动门后尘封的回忆。

Croque is lying on the other side of the quarantine barrier. Her eyes are shut tight and her brow is furrowed. Purplish-black veins coil around her neck, pulsing with faint light, as though they're breathing.克罗琦躺在隔离屏障的另一端，双目紧闭，眉头紧蹙。黑紫色的脉络蛮横地盘踞在她的脖颈间，明暗起伏，恍若呼吸。

Simo unconsciously clenches his fists. Nameless anger and sadness well up inside him.席摩不自觉地攥紧了拳头，无名的怒火与难过上涌。

萨可Squeak-squeak, squeak-squeak.吱吱，吱吱。

SimoHm!? Sako, be quiet.？！萨可，安静。

Croque...Who's that?……谁？

Croque opens her eyes weakly.克罗琦虚弱地睁开了眼。

席摩&克罗琦You...你……

席摩&克罗琦You go first.你先说。

Silence engulfs the room. The tongue-tied pair stare at each other awkwardly through the quarantine barrier.房间里陷入了沉默，收容室与会见室中间的隔离墙隔开了两个尴尬的哑巴。

Simo...Hello, I'm Simo.……你好，我是席摩。

CroqueHuh? Ha... (Coughs).哈？哈……咳咳。

CroqueWhat a weird way to start a conversation. I know you, I'm Croque.这是什么奇怪的开场白，我认识你，我是克罗琦。

Simo...I'm sorry, I don't know what to say at times like this.……对不起，我……我不知道这种时候该说些什么。

SimoI'm very sorry I can't have a familiar chat with you like before.没法和以前一样跟你熟络地聊天，很抱歉。

CroqueWell, we weren't actually that close before. This isn't actually that different from how we used to be. Even trying to keep up a conversation for several minutes was hard.其实以前我们也不熟络，就和现在差不多吧，想聊几分钟都很困难。

CroqueI'm actually surprised you came to visit me.你会来看我，我很意外。

Simo...Did we not get along then? But the others told me... we were friends.……我们关系很差？可我听她们说……我和你是朋友。

CroqueYes, we're friends. At least, I consider us friends.是朋友，至少我觉得我们算是朋友。

CroqueIt's just that you've always been very distant from everyone.只是你对所有人都很疏远。

Simo flinches. He's just about to speak when a sudden alarm cuts him off.席摩愣怔着，刚想开口，却被一声突兀的警铃打断。

Screams and confusion suddenly fill the air outside the door.尖叫与混乱瞬间充斥门外。

Alert, subject in Medical Center Ward 3 has gone berserk.警告，医疗中心三号收容室收容对象失控。

Repeat, subject in Medical Center Ward 3 has gone berserk.重复，医疗中心三号收容室收容对象失控。

Simo's head jerks up, and through the quarantine barrier, he can see the walls of Croque's room trembling.席摩陡然抬头，透过隔离屏障看见克罗琦所在的房间震颤着。

The wall opposite him collapses, and a berserk agent barges in.另一侧的墙壁倏地崩裂，一个失控的智能体闯了进来。

That is when Simo remembers that this is a temporary observation station and it is not built to be robust.席摩才想起来这里是临时设立的观察点，建筑结构极其脆弱。

失控的智能体Ugh... Guh... Consume... *(&%*%嗬——嗬——吞噬……*（&%*%

SimoCroque!克罗琦！

Simo's body is already in motion before he cries out.比低呼更快的，是席摩的身体。

He smashes through the quarantine barrier and plants himself in front of Croque's sickbed.他打碎了隔离屏障，挡在了克罗琦的病床前。

Whoosh!咻——

失控的智能体Graaaawr...嗷——

Simo pins the berserk agent to the ground, but the business end of his crossbow wavers as he hesitates over whether or not to deal the fatal blow.席摩将失控的智能体钉在了地上，手上的狙击弩游移，似乎是在犹豫要不要给予对方致命一击。

Croque...Use this, it's an anti-neural cloud tranquilizer gun.……用这个，针对心智系统的麻醉枪。

Croque hands the pistol beside her pillow to Simo with great difficulty.克罗琦吃力地将枕边的手枪丢给席摩。

Ka-chak. Bang!咔哒——砰——

The projectile hits the berserk agent, who writhes on the ground for a while before slowly going still.子弹射中了失控的智能体，他在地上挣扎了一会，逐渐归于平静。

Croque(Coughs) Berserk subject has been sedated.咳咳……失控对象，已麻醉。

Received. Security personnel please report to Ward 4.收到，请安保人员尽快前往四号收容室。

Repeat...重复……

Croque...Thank you.……谢谢。

SimoI have the feeling you could have taken care of that problem even without me around.感觉就算我不在你也能解决问题。

CroqueBut of course. It's me, after all. Come, go ahead and say, "I expected nothing less of you."那肯定啊，毕竟是我。来，来一句，不愧是你。

SimoWha...?哈……？

Croque(Wheezes heavily) I was just kidding. If you weren't around, I'd probably have been taken out without ever regaining consciousness.咳咳咳，开玩笑的，你不在的话我大概还没清醒就被干掉了。

Simo...No, you wouldn't have. You're amazing.不会的，你很厉害。

Croque...I don't know what to say to that straight-faced compliment.……你这么一本正经的我有点接不上话。

Croque hands Simo a stick of Pocque.克罗琦递上了一根Pocky。

CroqueWant one?来一根吗？

Simo...No thanks, I don't eat these.……不了，我不吃这个。

CroqueHuh, I guess that part hasn't changed.果然没什么变化啊。

Croque mutters to herself and takes the Pocque back before lying back down on her bed.克罗琦嘟嚷着将Pocky收了回去，倒回床上。

CroqueI wanted to give you guidance like the Professor would, saying cool things while lecturing you in a serious tone despite being weak and bedridden.我也想和教授一样开导你啊，躺在床上虚弱却郑重地对你讲帅气的台词。

CroqueThen you'd awaken from your confusion, your eyes brimming with warm tears.然后你热泪盈眶接着挣脱迷惘从中醒来。

CroqueBut that would be totally out of character for me. I can only listen to my friends pour their heart out every now and then. Actually dispensing guidance would be too... (cough) too much... of a stretch.但那样我的人设就崩了，它只允许我偶尔听朋友倾诉，至于开导那就太……咳咳……太遥……咳……太遥远了。

SimoAre you alright!?！你还好吗？

CroqueNot really. I think I should rest.不太好，我估计得休息了。

Simo opens his mouth to say something but changes his mind.席摩张了张嘴，欲言又止。

Then, as the medical personnel enter, Simo is ushered outside.随着医疗人员入场，席摩被请出了门外。

Just before he is out the door, Croque quietly whispers something.就在他即将离开房门前，克罗琦小声地说了些什么。

CroqueThank you for coming to see me.谢谢你来看我。

SimoHm?嗯？

CroqueI leave the Oasis in your good hands.绿洲，就拜托你了。

CroqueTsk, the Professor made it sound so cool, so I've always wanted to say it just once.啧，教授的这句台词可真是霸气，老早就想说一次了。

Simo...I'll take care of it, so relax and rest.……我会的，安心休息吧。

The door closes, and Simo spaces out in the corridor.关上门，席摩靠在走廊上发呆。

SimoShe's... leaving it to me?拜托我了……吗？

SimoThe Professor, Persicaria, and Croque... They're all so big-hearted.还真是心大啊，教授也好，帕斯卡也好，还有这个克罗琦。

Simo...In any case, I'm starting to understand what I want to do and what I ought to do.……总感觉，我有些明白自己究竟想要做什么、应该做什么了。

Beep—滴——

通讯频道42This is Oasis Sentry Post No. 9, hailing Simo.这里是绿洲九号哨站，呼叫席摩。

SimoHang on, I'm heading back to the control hub now.稍等，我马上回控制中枢。

Beep—滴——

SimoSako, looks like we'll be pulling overtime tonight. You'll keep me company, won't you?萨可，看来今晚要加班了，你会陪我的对吧？

萨可Squeak squeak.吱吱——

Disagreement 分歧

Meeting room, Area D71 temporary observation station, the Oasis.绿洲，D71临时观察点，会议室。

The none-too-spacious meeting room is packed full of white-coated agents. They huddle together in threes and twos, exchanging the documents they're holding and whispering to each other.不算宽敞的会议室里挤满了身穿白衣的智能体，他们三三两两地聚在一起，交换着手中的文档，窃窃私语。

BoneeLooks like everyone's here... Let's... let's start the meeting.人好像都到齐了……会……会议现在开始。

邋遢的智能体I don't think there's any value in discussing the reproduction of electronic viruses right now...我认为现在去讨论电子病毒的增殖形式没有价值……

整洁的智能体Then what do you think is worth discussing?那您认为重点是什么呢？

BoneeEveryone... please be quiet...!请……请大家安静……！

邋遢的智能体I think our focus should be...我认为重点在于……

BoneeW-would everyone... p-p-please... be QUIET!请……请……请大家……大家安静！

邋遢的智能体Hm?嗯？

BoneeI...I-I-I-I'm sorry.对……对对对对不起。

Imhotep...Ladies and gentlemen, silence please!……各位，安静！

Imhotep, who is standing beside Bonee, seems to have anticipated this. She forcefully bangs on the table to get everyone's attention.站在波妮身侧的伊姆赫特似乎早就料到了这个情况，她用力地拍了两下桌面，将大家的注意力吸引了过来。

ImhotepMiss Bonee?波妮小姐？

BoneeEr! Um... We... we're beginning the second medical symposium now. Will the supervisor of Team A please report on their progress.呃！哦哦……第……第二次医疗同步会议现在开始，请A组的负责人先来讲一下进展情况吧。

FlorenceWell, we're done with the theoretical portion of our studies. Right now, we need...我们的进展啊，理论阶段已经结束了，现在需要……

ImhotepMiss Florence, there are many new attendees here. Would you mind starting from the beginning?芙洛伦小姐，这里有很多初次与会的医生，能请您从头开始吗？

Florence...Tsk, what a pain.……啧，好麻烦。

FlorenceI am Florence, leader of Team A, and our research is targeted at the source code of the virus.我是A组的组长芙洛伦，我们的研究方向是电子病毒的源代码。

FlorenceThat is, the stuff that's hidden inside the virus, in its deepest and most private places; simply put, it's like the virus' DNA~就是那个~藏在电子病毒身体里，最隐私，最深处的那个，举例来说就是DNA啦~

FlorenceAlthough the Professor and the others have already headed out to find the source of the virus, we can't just pin all our hopes on them now, can we?虽然教授们已经出发去寻找源头了，但我们不能把希望都压在们身上对不对？

FlorenceWhich is why...! Now that our theoretical work is complete, we need to begin performing clinical trials. That's it.所以呢！目前我们的理论推导已经结束，我们需要开展临床实验，以上……

ImhotepClinical trials... Could you elaborate on your current progress?临床实验……能详细讲一下你们现在的进度吗？

Florence raises an eyebrow and glances at Panakeia, who's seated on the other end of the long table. The corners of her mouth curl up in a smile.芙洛伦挑了挑眉，目光地扫过长桌另一侧的帕那刻亚，嘴角上扬。

FlorenceEh... Do you HAVE to know? Alright, I'll tell you.诶……你们非听不可吗？那我可就说咯。

FlorenceWe have currently identified around 100 special code sequences and we're reasonably certain that the target sites for the source code are among them.我们目前已经找到了约一百多个特殊片段，可以肯定源代码的关键靶点就在其中。

FlorenceUnfortunately, we've hit a bottleneck with pure computation alone, so I was hoping we could go directly to clinical trials to speed up progress.遗憾的是，单凭计算推导已经接近瓶颈了，为了加快进度，我希望能直接进入临床试验阶段。

FlorenceIn short, I need reset permissions.简而言之，我需要重置指标。

BoneeRe... reset permissions!?重……重置指标？！

Imhotep...Are you talking about death permissions?……您指的是死亡指标吗？

FlorencePretty much. As long as you understand.差不多的啦，意思到就行。

FlorenceWe have people like that in the Oasis, right? Agents that are considered completely beyond salvation.绿洲里有的吧？那种已经诊断为彻底没救的智能体。

Slam–砰——

PanakeiaABSOLUTELY NOT!不行！

FlorenceYou look sooo stern, Pancake. This is exactly why I didn't want to discuss this topic in public.小那那的表情好严肃啊，所以人家才不想公开讨论这个问题的。

Panakeia ignores Florence's flippant smile and begins to speak.帕那刻亚无视了笑意盎然的芙洛伦，开始发言。

PanakeiaI cannot agree to the request of Team A's leader. As doctors, we need to save ALL our patients, so long as they draw breath.我不能同意A组组长的要求，作为医者，我们必须救下每一个病人，只要他们还有一口气。

FlorenceWow~ How radiant~ Pancake is such a lovely little angel!啊~真是耀眼，小那那是小天使！

ImhotepBe quiet, Miss Florence.安静点哦，芙洛伦小姐。

FlorenceOkie...哦……

ImhotepNow then, can you tell us about Team B's research approach and progress?那么帕那刻亚小姐能为我们讲述一下B组的研究方向和进度吗？

PanakeiaOf course. We believe that since the Professor has already set out to find the source code, we should focus on stabilizing our patients.当然，我们认为在教授已经出发寻找源代码的现在，稳定病人的情况才是我们应该做的。

PanakeiaCurrently, Team B has developed a drug that can greatly slow the spread of the virus, and combined with Miss Anna's emergency rescue code, we can perform sequencing on all our patients.目前B组研究出的药剂可以极大程度地延缓电子病毒进化的速度，配合安娜小姐的救急代码，我们可以对所有病人进行测序。

PanakeiaIn other words, we intend to use the most reliable method for studying the virus not as a single strain, but as hundreds of different strains.也就是用最稳妥的办法，不把感染当作一种电子病毒研究，而是当作数百种进行研究。

Clap, clap, clap.啪啪啪——

Florence, who has been holding her tongue, suddenly applauds.一言不发的芙洛伦忽地鼓起了掌。

FlorenceThat isn't the most reliable method; it's the most stupid method.这不是最稳妥的办法，而是最笨的办法吧。

FlorenceWell said, Pancake. It truly is a perfect plan.说得好呀小那那，真是个完美的方案。

FlorenceApart from the lack of actual progress, Team B's research has gone swimmingly well.除了没有实际进展以外，B组的研究都太棒啦。

PanakeiaWhat are you getting at, Florence?你想说什么？芙洛伦。

FlorenceI'm saying that you haven't made any headway at all.我说，你们没有一点实际进展呐。

FlorenceYou want to stabilize the patient and then take on all the challenges that come one after the other? What do you think the virus is, a test script given out by the Professor?先稳住病人的状态，然后挨个挨个来？你当这种病毒是什么？教授给你出的考卷吗？

FlorenceI thought you'd learned your lesson in that sector, but you haven't changed at all even after the Professor rescued you.我原本以为你在那个扇区吃的苦头够多啦，没想到被教授找回来了还是这样。

FlorenceCan you guarantee that the virus will give you all the time you want? Can you guarantee that the virus won't develop drug resistance? Can you guarantee that the Professor can find the source code?你能保证电子病毒会给你这么多时间？保证电子病毒进化不出药剂抗性？保证教授一定可以找到源代码？

FlorenceDon't be naive, we're racing against the Grim Reaper here, and when you play against him, you win or you die.别天真了，我们是在和死神赛跑，输的人可是连最贴身的衣服都留不住哒。

PanakeiaSo your answer is to adopt the most extreme approach possible in response to something that hasn't happened yet? Florence, you aren't saving people, you're KILLING them!所以你就要为还没发生的事情用上最极端的方案吗？芙洛伦，你这不是在救人你是在杀人！

BoneePlease... P-p-please... Please stop fighting?不……不不不……请两位不要吵架！

FlorenceWe're not fighting, I'm just analyzing the situation with Pancake.人家没有在吵架，只是在跟小那那分析现状而已。

PanakeiaYou're going too far, Florence. All that is just conjecture on your part.你太极端了芙洛伦，那只不过是你的推测。

FlorenceConjectures can come true, you know. You've already seen how scary the infection is.推测会变成现实的喔，感染有多可怕你也看到的。

PanakeiaYou!你！

ImhotepSILENCE!安静！

Imhotep, who's helping Bonee host the symposium, can't let their argument get any more out of hand. She pounds heavily on the table and silences the meeting room once again.协助波妮主持会议的伊姆赫特再也看不下去二人的争吵，她重重地拍了拍桌子，让会议室重新安静了下来。

ImhotepSince neither of you can convince the other, we'll follow the usual procedure and call for a public vote.既然二位谁也说服不了谁，那么按照流程，请大家开始投票吧。

ImhotepThe symposium will divert all its resources to the research group that receives more votes.同步会将会把资源尽数提供给得票最高的小组。

Florence(Sighs) The usual procedure again... If the Professor were here, they wouldn't be so conservative. Ah, I miss the Professor.唉……又是走流程，要是教授在的话，肯定不会这么瞻前顾后的。人家好想教授啊。

PanakeiaSomeone as kind as the Professor would never agree to putting our friends' lives at risk.教授那么温柔，才不会同意拿同伴的安危来冒险的。

FlorenceLet's see how it goes, then~那就走着瞧咯~

Several minutes later, the results are in.数分钟后，投票结果出来了。

The ratio of A to B votes are–A:B的结果是——

PanakeiaThey're even!? You... What are you all thinking!?怎么会是平票？你们……你们都在想什么啊！

ImhotepCalm down, Miss Panakeia. An even split means that the Medical Center will not support either team for now.冷静一下，帕那刻亚小姐。平票的话，医疗中心暂时不会支持任何一个小组。

ImhotepWe will convene a third symposium in several hours' time. Hopefully, both team leaders will be able to present more detailed data and plans to us.几小时后医疗中心将召开第三次同步会议，希望届时二位组长可以拿出更为详细的数据及具体方案。

FlorenceTsk, what a waste of time. I'll be off, then~啧，浪费时间。那我先走了~

PanakeiaFlorence!芙洛伦！

BoneeDon't... d-d-don't get mad, Panakeia.别……别别别生气呀，帕那刻亚。

BoneeThis is an emergency, you should put your effort into doing what's important.现在情况紧张，还是把精力放在更重要的地方吧。

Panakeia...I understand. Thank you, Bonee.……我知道了，谢谢你，波妮。

Team B's lab, Area D71 temporary observation station, the Oasis.绿洲，D71临时观察点，B组实验室。

Panakeia condenses operands into liquid form and steadily injects them into a test tube. It seems the reaction is about to complete.算量凝聚成的液体在帕那刻亚的操作下逐渐流入试管中，眼看着反应即将完成。

However, Panakeia accidentally loses control of the operands at a crucial moment and administers too much data, and the entire tube of drug compound is a complete write-off.然而就在关键时刻，帕那刻亚不小心放松了对算量的控制，输出了过量的数据，整管试剂在一瞬间彻底报废。

PanakeiaGive me another batch of the ingredients for Drug 67. I'll compound it again.六十七号药剂组原料再给我一份，我重新调配。

PanakeiaWhat's wrong?怎么了？

戴眼镜的智能体Um, do you want to take a break, Miss Panakeia? This is the fifth time you've failed the experiment.那个，帕那刻亚小姐，您要不要先歇一会儿？这是您第五次实验失败了。

戴眼镜的智能体According to the rules you set down, you ought to have stopped by the third time to re-examine your status and approach.按照您自己定下的守则，失败三次就需要先停下来调整状态了。

PanakeiaAh...啊……

PanakeiaYou're right. I'm sorry, I'm too restless and impatient. I need to calm down.你说得对。抱歉，是我太急躁了，我需要冷静一下。

戴眼镜的智能体Are you worried about Team A?您是在担心A组那边吗？

Panakeia...Yeah, I'm afraid Florence is going to present irrefutable data and research proposals tomorrow.……嗯，我害怕芙洛伦在明天拿出我们无法反驳的数据和方案。

戴眼镜的智能体I doubt it... I believe we will have the support of everyone. After all, your solution is the best.怎么会……我相信各位前辈一定会支持B组的，毕竟您给出的答案才是最正确的。

PanakeiaNo... That's not true...不是的……不是这样的……

Panakeia's eyes instantly darken.帕那刻亚的眼神在一瞬间黯淡了下去。

PanakeiaThe truth is, Florence is right. We haven't made any progress at all.其实芙洛伦说得没错，我们确实没有进展。

戴眼镜的智能体How could that be!? We've stabilized the condition of so many agents!怎么会！我们稳定了这么多智能体的状态！

PanakeiaAnd then what? This virus evolves so fast... Florence has a point—all we're doing is administering palliative care...然后呢？这种电子病毒的进化如此之快，芙洛伦说得没错，我们只是在做姑息治疗……

Panakeia...And the virus is eventually going to develop drug resistance.……抗药性，病毒迟早会产生抗药性的。

戴眼镜的智能体...So are you going to compromise? Are you okay with Miss Florence using patients for experiments?……您要妥协了吗？就算芙洛伦小姐拿病人做实验也没有关系吗？

戴眼镜的智能体Maybe there are limitations to our approach, but skipping past proper procedure and going straight to clinical trials is against everything we stand for.或许我们的办法存在局限性，但跳过流程强行进入临床阶段，还是有悖于我们的初衷。

戴眼镜的智能体Even if they don't use our method, they shouldn't support Team A's extremist approach.就算不用我们的方法，也不该直接支持A组走极端呀。

Panakeia...You're right. No matter what happens, we can't let ourselves become too extreme in our methods.……你说得对，不管怎么样我们都不能走极端。

Panakeia takes a deep breath, then starts putting away the data on her desk.帕那刻亚深吸一口气，开始收拾桌上的文件数据。

PanakeiaI'm going to talk to Florence and try to convince her to look for a new research approach with me based on our existing data.我去找芙洛伦，说服她在现有成果的基础上一起寻找新的研究方向。

戴眼镜的智能体Right... right now?现……现在？！

PanakeiaRIGHT NOW!现在！

Rushed Advance 冒进

Team B's lab, Area D71 temporary observation station, the Oasis.绿洲，D71临时观察点，A组实验室。

Panakeia stands at the doorway, hesitating over what she will say after she goes inside.帕那刻亚站在门口，犹豫着待会进去后该怎么开口。

Bang!砰——

Just then, someone forces the door open.然而就在这时，门口被人撞开了。

急性的智能体I'll go get someone!我先去叫人！

急性的智能体Oh, sorry! Huh? Panakeia!啊！对不起！诶？帕那刻亚！

PanakeiaWhat are you up to... ehhh!?你们这是在闹什么……诶？！

急性的智能体You came just in time! Please, help us!你来得正好！快来帮帮我们！

The panicky agent drags Panakeia into the room without further explanation.急性子的智能体二话不说将帕那刻亚扯进了房间。

Before she can speak, Panakeia is confronted with an unimaginable sight.还不等帕那刻亚低呼出声，她便看到了未曾设想的画面。

Florence is lying in a coma inside the isolation ward, her forehead knotted in a deep frown. There are faint purple marks on her wrist.芙洛伦躺在隔离室中昏迷不醒，眉头紧蹙。手腕处留有少许淡紫色的痕迹。

Panakeia...Florence!……芙洛伦！

PanakeiaYou... Did you let Florence experiment on herself!?你们这是……让芙洛伦拿自己做实验了吗！

急性的智能体We couldn't stop her...我们拦不住她……

PanakeiaCouldn't she wait just a few hours!?她连几小时都等不了吗？！

急性的智能体Yeah... Leader was getting desperate because she thought your proposal would steamroll ours.嗯……而且组长担心下次会议被你们的方案压过才这么急的。

Florence(Sighs) Panakeia's too much of a good girl. She looks adorable when she's all huffy, but it's quite a headache when she's actually mad.唉，帕那刻亚太乖啦，虽然她气鼓鼓的样子看着就很让人喜欢，但发起火来也是真的让人头疼诶。

FlorenceNever mind, forget it. Besides, I know that hardly anyone other than you guys will support my proposal. The vote was tied, but I'm guessing quite a number of them are secretly criticizing me.算啦算啦，反正除了你们，其实也没几个人会支持我的方案。虽然是平票，但估计他们没少在背后腹诽我。

FlorenceI should just do it myself. That will also save the Professor the trouble of having to put me in detention when they get back, though I was kind of looking forward to it.我还是自己来吧，也省得教授回来了关我禁闭，虽然人家还挺期待了。

Panakeia...I can't believe Florence would actually say something like that.……那个芙洛伦居然会说这种话。

急性的智能体Panakeia, what should we do now?帕那刻亚，现在我们该怎么办啊。

Panakeia turns around and walks off without a word.帕那刻亚听罢一语不发，转身直接离开。

急性的智能体HEY! Are you just going to let her die!?诶诶诶！您要见死不救吗？！

PanakeiaCalm down. You're a doctor, so don't get all flustered. I can't do this by myself—I need to contact my team members.平心静气，你是医生，不要自乱阵脚。仅靠我一个人不够，需要联络我的组员。

急性的智能体Oh yeah, you're right.呃，您说得是。

PanakeiaYou shouldn't be standing around either. Call for help, and get all the treatment staff on standby at the Medical Center over here.你也别愣着了，去喊人，把医疗中心所有的待命医疗员都叫过来。

急性的智能体Yes, ma'am!是！

Meeting room, Area D71 temporary observation station, the Oasis.绿洲，D71临时观察点，会议室。

All the medical personnel at the Medical Center are present, just like during the day.医疗中心所有医疗员一个不拉地全数到场，和白天一样。

The sole difference is that Florence is now floating in a suspension tank. She is enveloped by the pale blue suppression serum, and the purplish marks on her wrist are dim.唯一不同的是，芙洛伦此时是泡在罐子里的。淡蓝色的抑制药液包裹着她，手腕上的紫色痕迹颜色黯淡。

ImhotepI think I have a rough idea of what's going on. It seems Miss Florence went overboard with her experiments.大概的情况我了解了，看来芙洛伦小姐把实验玩脱了。

BoneeBut... but how could this have happened? Uwah, doesn't this mean Florence is bound to lose tomorrow?怎……怎么会这样！呜哇，那明天芙洛伦不是输定了吗？

Imhotep...This isn't a game, Miss Bonee. Right now, the problem is that Miss Florence is in a very bad state.……输赢不是现在的重点，波妮小姐。现在的重点是芙洛伦的情况很不妙。

ImhotepFrom what I can tell, she's injected something extremely dangerous into herself.如果我的判断没错，她将最危险的东西注入身体了。

PanakeiaIf we leave her be, she might end up in a long-term coma like the other infected agents.如果放任不管，她很可能会和其他被感染的智能体一样，陷入长时间昏迷。

BoneeEeeek!咿呀！

Right on cue, the originally dull marks on Florence's wrist have lit up again.话音刚落，众人就在波妮的惊呼声中看见芙洛伦身上原本黯淡的痕迹再度明亮。

BoneeThen... then what should we do now!?现……现在我们该怎么办哇！

Panakeia...Team B will put aside their current progress and focus on developing a second-gen drug to stabilize Florence. But I will need everyone's help to research that second-generation compound.……B组会放下目前的进度，全力研究二代药液，保住芙洛伦。研究二代药液需要各位的帮助。

PanakeiaImhotep, would you mind contacting the Professor? We need as much information as we can get.伊姆赫特，麻烦你联系教授，我们需要尽可能多的情报。

ImhotepUnderstood. Miss Bonee, I'll be leaving this place to you, then.我明白了，波妮小姐，这里就交给你了。

Bonee(Whimpers) O-okay!呜——好！好的！

Now that concrete arrangements have been made, everyone present springs into action.有了明确的安排后，在场的所有人都开始行动起来。

The next day. Meeting room, Area D71 temporary observation station, the Oasis.翌日，绿洲，D71临时观察点，会议室。

After forsaking sleep all night and with the help of everyone present, Panakeia has just barely managed to compound a dose of specific drug, which she administers to Florence.一宿未眠的帕那刻亚在众人的帮助下勉强弄出了针对芙洛伦的特效药。

The formulation is not designed with broad applicability or ease of mass production in mind. The drug is that specific.不具备普适性，不具备量产性，完完全全的特效药。

BoneeI truly expected nothing less of you, Panakeia! To think you could compound such an effective suppression medicine in such a short period of time! Amazing!真不愧是帕那刻亚！在这么短的时间里就能调配出这样的抑制药液！好厉害！

Panakeia...I can't take all the credit, and don't get your hopes up just yet. I suspect that this virus can self-evolve, so there's no telling how useful the second-generation compound will be.……这不是我一个人的功劳，而且不要高兴太早，我怀疑病毒还会自我进化，二代抑制药液的时效性尚未可知。

Knock knock.咚咚——

There is a timely knock on the door, and Imhotep enters the room.敲门声适时响起，伊姆赫特走了进来。

ImhotepLadies and gents, I have good news for everyone.诸位，我为大家带来一个好消息。

Imhotep shares the information she has learned from the Professor about the virus and its effects on the Tertiary Layer with everyone.伊姆赫特将从教授处得来的电子病毒和三级底层的情报共享给了所有医疗员。

急性的智能体So basically, someone has to enter Leader's Tertiary Layer and peep at her private... ah no, I mean, to rescue her, then?所以，您的意思是我们得有人进入组长的三级底层，窥视她的隐私……啊不是，拯救组长对吗？

急性的智能体Then allow me!那我义不容辞！

Panakeia...Imhotep, there's no time to lose. Can you run me through the entry procedure?……伊姆赫特，时间紧迫，能帮我准备一下进入流程吗？

急性的智能体Ehhhhh!? You're going in yourself?咦咦咦？！您要亲自进去吗？！

PanakeiaIf you think about it, I'm partially responsible for Florence's current condition. If I hadn't been so critical of her at the meeting, she wouldn't have resorted to turning herself into a lab rat.芙洛伦现在这个状况，真追究起来我也有责任。如果不是我和她在会议上针锋相对，芙洛伦也不会急躁到把自己当成小白鼠。

BoneeDon't say that, uh... Because truth be told, we're all responsible.别这么说，呜——真说起来大家都有责任。

ImhotepThis is not the time to assign blame. However, you ARE the best choice for going in.现在不是谈责任的时候啦，不过由你进入的确是最好的选择。

ImhotepTo some extent, the Tertiary Layer will reflect the neural cloud projection on the Secondary Layer. Since you developed the suppression drug, you should have a better chance than the rest of us.三级底层会一定程度上反馈出心智投影在二级平层的状态，这些抑制药液是你研制的，你的把握比我们都大。

Once the decision has been made, the others waste no more time and immediately set about to perform the preparation work to project Panakeia into Florence's Tertiary Layer.既然已经做出了决定，众人也不再迟疑，旋即开始处理准备工作，将帕那刻亚送进了芙洛伦的三级底层。

Meeting room, Area D71 temporary observation station, the Oasis.绿洲，D71临时观察点，会议室。

PanakeiaFlorence, you... You...!!芙洛伦你这个……你这个……！！

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Panakeia awakens from the neural cloud connection, her face flushed bright red.在众人的注视下，帕那刻亚从心智链接中苏醒，满脸通红。

BoneeThank goodness! Panakeia's out!太好了！帕那刻亚出来了！

ImhotepHow's Florence?芙洛伦的情况怎样？

Panakeia...I woke her up. Her condition wasn't as bad as it looked.……我叫醒她了，芙洛伦的情况并没有表征体现得那么严重。

PanakeiaShe wasn't as impulsive as we thought. The viral code she used for her experiment was specially processed.她不像我们想象的那么冲动，芙洛伦实验用的病毒代码已经经过特殊处理了。

Panakeia...That said, I have the strong urge to KO her again right now.……话虽如此，但我现在有点想再把她打昏过去。

BoneeOh? But Florence hasn't woken up yet, no?咦？可是，芙洛伦还没醒诶？

PanakeiaHm?嗯？

PanakeiaThat's not right...不应该啊……

Panakeia's brow furrows. She releases Florence from the suspension tank and leans in to size her up.帕那刻亚眉头紧蹙，将芙洛伦从罐子里放了出来，靠近身子仔细打量。

PanakeiaI remember she was fully conscious on her Tertiary Layer, and... and...我记得她在三级底层已经完全清醒了，而且还……而且还……

BoneeAnd...?而且还……？

Panakeia...Never mind, in any case, she's got to be awake now...……没什么，总之她应该醒了才对……

ImhotepAt this juncture, I believe any information will be very important. Please describe what you saw in detail~我认为现在任何情报都很重要，请详细描述一下你的见闻~

PanakeiaYou're doing this on purpose, aren't you, Miss Imhotep!?伊姆赫特小姐，你是故意的吧！

Snap.啪——

FlorencePA-NA-KE-IA DARLING~帕~那~刻~亚~亲~

Just as Panakeia turns to Imhotep, Florence's eyes open and she embraces Panakeia with a wicked smile on her face.就在帕那刻亚转向伊姆赫特的时候，芙洛伦睁开了眼睛，一脸坏笑地搂住了帕那刻亚。

FlorenceThanks for coming to my rescue, hehe~谢谢你来救人家！嘿嘿！

PanakeiaLet go! Let go of me!放！放开我！

Imhotep covers Bonee's eyes without missing a beat and gestures for the others to leave.伊姆赫特不动声色地捂住了波妮的眼睛，同时开始招呼着其他人离开。

ImhotepFlorence, was your experiment fruitful?芙洛伦，这一趟实验有什么收获吗？

FlorenceOf course! Fufu, I learned SO many things thanks to my darling Panakeia. Perhaps I won't need to perform clinical trials for my future research.当然啦！呼呼，多亏了帕那刻亚亲，我可是发现了许多东西呢！或许，之后的研究都不用再做临床实验啦。

ImhotepWonderful. I hope you'll be able to submit a report to the Medical Center for reference afterwards.那就再好不过了，希望稍后你能整理出一份报告供医疗中心参考。

FlorenceOf course, these are my precious memories, so I need to document them in great~ detail~当然咯，这可是人家的宝贵回忆，一定会把每一个细节都记下来的！

ImhotepMm. Let's go, Bonee.嗯，波妮，我们走吧。

PanakeiaWait! Imhotep, save—等一下！伊姆赫特，救……

FlorenceDear, oh dear. Don't struggle, my darling Panakeia, I just woke up and my body's a little out of control~哎呀呀，不要乱动嘛，帕那刻亚亲，人家刚刚苏醒，身体不太受控制呢~

PanakeiaDon't... aieeeee!!!你别……咿！！！

BoneeUm, can't you take your hand off yet? What's going on? It sounds really noisy.唔，还不能松开手吗？到底发生什么事情了？感觉好像很吵闹。

ImhotepIt's nothing, they're just sharing their experimental results. Let's go, Miss Bonee.没什么，她们在交流实验成果。我们先离开吧，波妮小姐。

BoneeOh... okay.好……好的呢。

PanakeiaFLORENCE!芙洛伦 ！

FlorenceAh~ hearing you call my name with such passion is a little embarrassing~啊~帕那刻亚亲饱含激情地呼唤着人家的名字，人家都不好意思啦。

PanakeiaSTOP IT ALREADY! AHHHHHHH–你给我住手啊啊啊啊啊——

Dissuade 劝阻

At the Reverse Babylon Tower.逆巴比伦塔。

The clear, crisp sound of Angelus' footsteps echo off the steps. Their tempo is somewhat quicker than usual.信使清脆的脚步声回荡在台阶间，较以往的节奏而言更快了几分。

净化者Please slow down, Lady Angelus!信使大人，请慢一点！

AngelusThere isn't a moment to lose, I must head over to give support as soon as possible.救急如救火，必须尽快去支援才行。

AngelusIt's alright if you can't keep up. Just follow after me with a medical team.你跟不上也没关系，带治疗组随后前往就好。

圣餐Oh, if it isn't Big Sis Angelus?哎呀，这不是信使姐姐吗？

净化者L-Lady Eucharist...圣、圣餐大人……

AngelusEucharist, are you going to show your face in public even in this tragic state of yours?圣餐，你已经这么凄惨了，还要出来见人吗？

AngelusIf I were you, I would know some shame and remain obediently where I ought to be.如果我是你的话，我会知耻，乖乖待在自己该在的地方。

Just as Angelus has said, right now Eucharist is a far cry from her usual self.正如信使所言，出现在她面前的圣餐看起来全无往日的轻松。

Her gear is nowhere in sight, her mechanical wings have been removed, and the pride of a Greater Sanctifier has vanished without a trace.她的装备不见踪影，机械翅膀也被取下，独属于上位净化者的高傲已消失殆尽。

圣餐(Pouts) You just had to rub it in, didn't you?……唔，信使姐姐怎么哪壶不开提哪壶呀！

圣餐We Greater Sanctifiers have the right to exercise our own judgment over whether or not we need to move out. Since I was feeling bored, I came out for a stroll.我们上位净化者有自行判断是否需要出动的权利，所以闷了就出来遛遛弯嘛。

AngelusThen let me generously remind you that not only have you been stripped of your privileges. You have also been sentenced to confinement, so that is one right you do not currently possess.姐姐也不介意提醒你，你现在还处于被降权处罚且禁足的状态，不该享有这个权利哦。

圣餐Yes, yes, I know—Lord Eosphorus said I was to stay inside the Reverse Tower, I remember that.知道啦知道啦——晨星大人说的禁足范围是逆巴比伦塔以内，我记得可清楚了。

AngelusDon't go grabbing at my arm. Plastering yourself to me is most unsightly.不要缠上来抱我的手，黏黏腻腻成何体统。

圣餐I'm just trying to get closer to my big sister Angelus, now our hearts are one~这不是想和信使姐姐亲近嘛，我们心连心~

Angelus...Eucharist, that's enough!……别闹了，圣餐！

AngelusLord Hesperus is overseeing the border battlefront to keep the Entropy at bay and keep those chaotic Daemons from ravaging Magrasea.昏星大人镇守边境战线，正是为了拦住熵，不让那些混沌的邪灵侵略麦戈拉。

AngelusAnd now, those very same Entropics have appeared in the Pierides Sector. This is a very grave situation.而现在熵竟然出现在庇厄里亚扇区，这是非常严峻的事态。

圣餐I know that. I'm not actually an airhead, you know?我知道呀，我又不是真的不懂事！

圣餐I came because I thought you might regret heading out!我特意出来，这不是怕信使姐姐出发后又后悔嘛！

Angelus comes to a halt.信使停下了脚步。

AngelusRegret, you say?后悔？

Angelus...Eucharist, are there any other places in urgent need of attention other than the Pierides Sector?……圣餐，除了庇厄里亚扇区以外，难道还有什么地方出现了紧急情况？

圣餐See, Big Sis Angelus? You're always running around everywhere to help out, but you don't pay enough attention to the news within the Reverse Tower.看吧，信使姐姐，你总是四处支援，反而不够关注逆巴比伦塔内的信息呢。

圣餐The Entropics at the border battlefront are exceptionally belligerent; Lord Hesperus is requesting reinforcements.边境战线的熵异常暴动，昏星大人要求增援。

圣餐Although Little Raven's been sent over already, you should know that Raven has always been rash.虽然小渡鸦已经被派过去了，但你也知道，小渡鸦她有那——么莽撞。

圣餐Although I'm worried about the situation on the frontline, I'm still under confinement, so all I can do is plead with you, sister.虽然很担心边境战线的情况，但我毕竟在禁足的状态中，只能来求信使姐姐啦。

AngelusOh? You're usually so willful. Why are you being such a good girl now?哦？平时那么任性，这次怎么这么乖？

圣餐Being punished for breaking confinement sucks! I want to make up for my past mistakes too~违反禁令的处罚很难受的！我也想将功补过嘛~

圣餐(Sighs) Things must be really bad if even Lord Hesperus had to ask for reinforcements.唉，那位昏星大人居然会发出增援请求，看来事态一定很严重了。

圣餐Will Little Raven actually be able to help Lord Hesperus out? I'm so worried about the Greater Sanctifiers at the border.小渡鸦能不能帮上昏星大人的忙呀？真担心边境战线的上位净化者们呢。

AngelusShe's too rash. Fighting the Entropics isn't a simple matter of destroying everything...她太莽撞，与熵的战斗可不是一味破坏就可以的……

Angelus...But the situation in the Pierides Sector is just as urgent. I can't neglect either of them.……可是庇厄里亚扇区那边的情况一样危急，不可忽略任何一边。

圣餐If only the results of my trial were finalized, perhaps I'd be able to help share some of your burden, Big Sis Angelus. Unfortunately, Crime and Punishment of the Tribunal haven't returned yet, so I can't leave the Reverse Tower even if I wanted to help.如果我的审判结果能定下来，或许就可以分担信使姐姐的工作了。只可惜负责审判庭的罪和罚都还没有回来，我就算有这个心，也没办法离开逆巴比伦塔呀。

圣餐What should I do, Big Sis Angelus?怎么办呢，信使姐姐？

AngelusYou can forget about these little schemes, Eucharist. It's no good trying to pressure me that way.别打这种小算盘，圣餐，用这种方法施压对我没什么用。

AngelusMagrasea's safety is crucial. To that end, Raven is also a capable fighter, given that she bears the responsibility of being a Greater Sanctifier.麦戈拉的安危至关重要，相比之下，渡鸦毕竟也背负上位净化者之名，战力值得肯定。

晨星The border battlefront is more important.边境战线更加重要。

Angelus...Lord Eosphorus.……晨星大人。

AngelusForgive me for not noticing your arrival.失礼了，竟然没有发现您的到来。

晨星There is no need to stand on ceremony. Your consternation was only due to your concern, after all.不必太在意那些礼节，你也是关心则乱。

AngelusI am ashamed to admit that I have neglected my surroundings.是我疏忽了周围的防备，实在惭愧。

AngelusI was hoping to personally proceed to the Pierides Sector.关于庇厄里亚扇区，我希望能亲自前往。

晨星Angelus, I understand your eagerness, for you value order and stability more than anyone else.信使，你比谁都重视秩序和平稳，我能理解你的急切。

晨星From the reports I have received so far, an Intermediate Sanctifier will be enough to handle the Pierides Sector. I have dispatched Wisdom and a team to take care of it.从现在传来的报告看，中位净化者就足以处理庇厄里亚扇区的情况，我已经派智带队去处理了。

AngelusYou were the original pillar for our war effort against the Entropics on the border battlefront, so I do not doubt your judgment.晨星大人是最初在边境战线对抗熵的主力，我不会怀疑您的判断。

AngelusBut with the Entropics sowing such chaos, sending an Intermediate Sanctifier...但是熵如此混乱无序，派中位净化者去……

AngelusI fear Wisdom is not capable of handling the matter in a suitable fashion if the Entropics mutate too severely.一旦熵出现过度变异，我担心以智的能力无法妥善解决。

晨星If any variables arise, I will personally take care of them.若有变数，我会亲自前往处理。

晨星The true disaster for Magrasea would be if the defense line held by Hesperus is breached.昏星维持的防线一旦被突破，那才是麦戈拉无法面对的灾难。

Angelus...You are correct.……您说得对。

晨星The situation on the border battlefront is extremely pressing. That is also the reason why I was hoping you would go there.边境战线的情况极其紧迫，这也是我希望你前往的原因。

晨星Let Crime worry about how these Entropics infiltrated Magrasea in the first place.这些熵是怎么潜入麦戈拉的，就交给罪去追查吧。

AngelusYour considerations are so thorough that I can find no fault with them.您的思考十分周全，我没有可以置喙的地方了。

AngelusI will proceed to the frontlines now to help Lord Hesperus stabilize the battle conditions.我现在就赶去边境战线，助昏星大人稳定战况。

Eosphorus nods.晨星点了点头。

Angelus spreads her wings and flies off the peak of the Reverse Tower.信使张开双翼，从逆巴比伦塔顶飞下。

圣餐Bye, Big Sis! Be careful!拜啦，信使姐姐——要小心哦！

圣餐If you get completely Entropized over there, not even the Pantheon can save you...如果在那边被彻底熵化的话，万圣之殿也救不了你啦——

晨星Contain yourself. You are still under punishment.收敛一些，你还是戴罪之身。

圣餐(Pouts) Okie.唔……知道啦。

圣餐But Lord Eosphorus, do I really have to wait here until Crime and Punishment return?可是，晨星大人，罪和罚没有回来之前，我真的要乖乖待在这里吗？

晨星That is the price you must pay for your willfulness. Any more and I will shrink the area of your confinement to just your room.这是你任性妄为的惩戒。再任性，就把你的禁足范围缩小到你的房间。

圣餐What about the various sundry matters of Magrasea?那麦戈拉的杂事怎么办？

圣餐Other than the Exiles of the Oasis, there are also a few weird agents running around between the sectors.除了绿洲的流亡者们之外，还有另外一些奇怪的智能体在扇区之间流窜呢。

晨星Do you wish to investigate them?你想去调查吗？

圣餐What if they end up being as interesting as the Exiles?万一这些人也和流亡者一样有趣呢？

Eosphorus looks down at Eucharist.晨星低头看向圣餐。

The brown-haired girl blinks her gleaming eyes, the very image of innocence.棕发少女眨着水灵灵的眼睛，表情一派无辜。

晨星Do you wish to make contact with these unknown agents, or explore other places?你想去接触那些未知智能体，还是想去其他地方探险？

圣餐Both!我都想去！

晨星I see.这样啊。

圣餐Yes, yes~是呀是呀~

晨星It seems you require further discipline.看来你需要更多的管教。

晨星Return to your room, Eucharist. You are forbidden to see anyone until your trial is complete.回你的房间去，圣餐，在审判下达之前，你谁也不准见。

圣餐Ehhhhhhh!?诶——？！

CHAPTER 5 // END...CHAPTER 5 // E N D . . .

净化者Lord Eosphorus, Lady Eucharist, I have also assembled a force and we are prepared to depart with Lady Angelus.晨星大人，圣餐大人，我也集结部队，准备和信使大人一起前往了。

Fan archive of the official game scripts. All story text and art belong to their publishers.