Seeding on Mercury: Redemption 水星播种

Source: http://blah.me/book/1476 Author: Wang Jinkang Translator: Congee Reviewer: 张三 (St. John) and Brian

不知过了多长时间，图拉拉隐约感到人群回来了，圣府大厅里一片闹腾。他努力喊奇卡卡，喊胡巴巴，没人理他，也许他并没喊出声，他只是在心灵中呼喊罢了。闹腾的人群逐渐离开，大厅里的震动平息了。他悲怆地模模糊糊地想，我真的要在圣府中横死么?

Draylor faintly felt a returning crowd into the Holy Mansion after he had lost track of time. The hall grew noisy. He tried to call Teehuck, and Hubbarb, but nobody answered. It could be that he was only yelling out loud in his mind. The noise gradually faded and the crowd seemed to be leaving. He felt heartbroken in the emptying hall and asked himself, "Am I really going to die dishonorably here in the Holy Mansion?"

能量渐渐流入体内，思维清晰了，有人给他换了能量盒。睁开眼，看见奇卡卡正怜悯地看着他。他虚弱地闪道：“谢谢。”

He felt energy slowly filling into his body, and clarity returned to his mind. Someone changed his energy box. He saw a merciful look from Teehuck when he opened his eyes. He blinked feebly, "Thank you."

奇卡卡转过目光，不愿与他对视，微弱地闪道：“你一直在低声唤我的名字，你说你有未了之事。我不忍心让你横死，偷偷给你换了能量盒。现在——你好自为之吧。”

Teehuck turned his eyes to the side and did not want to look at him, and blinked dimly, "You kept mumbling my name and said you still have something to do. I pitied you and changed your energy box just now, without anyone noticing. You are now on your own."

奇卡卡像躲避魔鬼一样急急跑了，不愿意和一位丑恶的“横死复生者’待在一起。图拉拉感叹着，立起身子，看见奇卡卡为他留下四个能量盒，足够他返回到有光地带了。化身沙巫呢?他急迫地四处查看。没有了，连同他的神车都没有了。他想起胡巴巴临走说：要禀报教皇，迎回化身沙巫的圣体，在父星的光辉下唤他醒来。一阵焦灼的电波把图拉拉淹没，他已知道沙巫的身体实际上是很脆弱的，那些愚昧的信徒们很可能把他害死。他可是索拉人的恩人啊。

Teehuck rushed away like fleeing from a devil, not wanting to stay near a wicked dishonorable. Draylor sighed, stood up, and saw four energy boxes left for him, which were enough for him to exit the polar darkness. But where was Avatar Shaw? He anxiously looked around. Not here anymore. The Holy Wagon was also missing. He recalled what Hubbarb said when he left, "...go back and consult the Pope himself, to bring to light the Holy Body of Avatar Shaw.... to wake him up under the bright rays of the Father Star..." He felt horrified, because he already knew that Avatar Shaw had a vulnerable body and the naive crowd very likely would kill him, the guardian of the Solor Planet.

他要赶快去制止!这时他悲伤地发现，在经历了长期的半死状态后，他身上的金属光泽已经暗淡了。这是横死者的标志，是不可豁免的天罚。如果他不赶紧爆灭，他就会在人们的鄙夷和仇恨中生活。

This must be stopped! It was only until then that he noticed sadly that the metallic luster on his skin had vanished after he remained half dead for such a long time. This tarnish was the marker of the dishonorable, a castigation never exonerated. He would live in hatred and rejection should he not implode as soon as possible.

但此刻顾不了这些，他带上能量盒，立即赶回卡路里盆地。那是索拉星上最热的地方，所有隆重的圣礼都在那儿举行。他爬出了无光地带，无数横死者还横亘在沿途，他歉然地想，恐怕自己已没有能力实现自己的承诺，收殓他们了。进入有光地带后，他看到索拉人成群结队向前赶，他们的闪孔兴奋地闪烁着：化身沙巫的复生大典马上要举行了!图拉拉想去问个详细，但人群立即发现了他的耻辱印，怒冲冲地诅咒他，用尾巴打他。图拉拉只好悲哀地远远避开。

But there was no time. He brought all energy boxes and rushed back to the Caloris Basin, the hottest place of the Solor Planet where all major ceremonies were held. He noticed the innumerable dishonorable dead on his way back after he left the darkness, and he felt sorry for not being able to do what he had promised in mind. He later saw groups of Solorians rushing forward in one direction utterly excited, blinking fervently about the upcoming "awakening ceremony of Avatar Shaw." Draylor wanted to ask for details, but everyone noticed his tarnish in no time and swore madly, scourging their tails at him. Draylor had to keep away.

一个索拉星日过去了，他赶在中午时到了戛杜里盆地的中央。眼前的景象令他瞠目，成千上万的索拉人密密麻麻地聚在圣坛旁，群聚的感情场互相激励，形成正反馈，其强度使每个人都陷于癫狂。连图拉拉也几乎被同化了，他用顽强的毅力压下自己的宗教冲动。好在痴狂的人群不大注意他的耻辱印，他夹在人群中向圣坛近处挤去。那辆神车停在那里，车门关闭着，化身沙巫的圣体就在其中，仍紧闭着双眼。人群向他跪拜，脑袋和尾巴猛烈地撞击地面。这种撞击原先是杂乱的，逐渐变成统一的节奏，竟使地面在一波波撞击中微微起伏。

He made it to the center of the Caloris Basin after one day. It was noontime and the scene in front of him was shocking. Millions of Solorians amassed near the Holy Altars. The collective emotional field from the frantic people cumulated in some reinforcing feedback that washed everyone into mass delirium. Draylor was almost carried away as well, and he tried really hard to suppress his religious impulse. Fortunately the maniacal crowd did not pay much attention to his tarnish, and he squeezed his way inside closer to the Holy Altars where the Holy Wagon parked. Inside was the body of Avatar Shaw, who still slept soundly with his eyes closed. The crowd chanted and worshipped, with heads and tails slamming the ground. The initially erratic pounding gradually formed some unified rhythm with which the ground trembled.

教皇出来了，在圣坛边跪下，信徒的跪拜和祈祷又掀起一个高潮。这时，一个高级执事走上前，让大家肃静，这是奇卡卡!看来教皇对这位背叛科学投身宗教的人宠爱有加，他的地位如今已在胡巴巴之上了。奇卡卡待大家静下来，朗朗地宣布：

The Pope showed up and knelt down by the Holy Altars, which brought a new wave of worship and prayer from the crowd. A senior deacon signaled the crowd for silence. It was Teehuck! It seemed like the Pope was appreciating him so much for giving up on science and submitting to religion that he had risen to an even higher status than Hubbarb. Teehuck declared after the crowd became quiet,

“我奉教皇敕令，去北极找到了极冰中的圣府，迎来了化身沙巫的圣体。此刻，沙巫神将在父星的光辉下醒来，赐给我们大的恩宠!教皇陛下今天亲临圣坛，跪迎沙巫大神复生!”

"Under the command of Pope Your Majesty, I went to the North Pole to find the Holy Mansion buried in the polar ice and brought back the Holy Body of Avatar Shaw. Under the glorious rays of the Father Star, Avatar Shaw will now wake up and bless us with immense grace! Pope Your Majesty is at the Holy Altars here today to welcome the resurrection of Avatar Shaw!"

教皇再次叩拜后，奇卡卡拉开车门，僧侣上前，想要抬出化身沙巫的圣体。图拉拉此刻顾不得个人安危，闪孔里射出两道强光，烙在一名僧侣的背上，暂时制止了他。图拉拉强烈地发出信息：

Teehuck pulled the door open after the pope bowed again, and clerics stepped forward to carry Avatar Shaw out of the Holy Wagon. Draylor was too worried to care about his own safety and instead cast two glaring rays at the back of one cleric and stopped him momentarily. Draylor blinked forcefully with his flash holes,

“不能把他抬出来，那会害死他的!”他急中生智，又加了一句有威慑力的话，“是沙巫神亲口告诉我的，你们不能做渎神的事!”

"Do not take him out! That will kill him!" The emergency prompted quick wits and he threatened, "Avatar Shaw told me in person! You must not desecrate!"

人们愣住了，连教皇也一时无语。奇卡卡愤怒地转过身，大声说：“不要听他的，他是一个横死者，不许他亵渎神灵!”

The crowd was confounded, and even the pope was at a loss. Teehuck turned around angrily and yelled, "Do not listen to him! Do not let a disgusting dishonorable infringe Avatar Shaw's sanctity!"

人们这才发现了他的耻辱印，立刻有一条尾巴甩过来，重重地击在他的背上。他眼前发黑，但仍坚持着发出下面的信息：“不能让化身沙巫受父星的照射，你们会害死他的!”

The words reminded the crowd of Draylor's tarnish. In no time a tail whipped on his back and brought him down. He almost passed out, but still insisted and beamed, "Keep Avatar Shaw away from the light of the Father Star! You are killing him!"

又是狂怒的几击，他身体不支，瘫倒在地，仍有人狠狠地抽击他。奇卡卡恶狠狠地瞪了图拉拉一眼，举手让众人静下来。迎圣体的仪式开始了。四个僧侣小心地把化身沙巫抬出车，众人的感情场猛烈地进射、激励、加强，千万双闪孔同时感颂着沙巫神的大德和大能。

Furious lashes followed and finally knocked him down, and angry blows kept coming. Teehuck stared at Draylor furiously and signaled the crowd to calm down. The ceremony started. Four clerics carefully carried Avatar Shaw out of his Holy Wagon. Millions of flash holes synced into a resonating emotional field, singing the immeasurable power and immense virtue of Avatar Shaw.

这种感情场是极端排外的，现场中只有图拉拉的感情是异端，他头疼欲裂，像是被千万根针刺着神经。他挣扎着立起上身，从人缝中向里看。化身沙巫的圣体已摆放在一个高高的圣台上，教皇领着奇卡卡、胡巴巴在伏地跪拜。图拉拉的神经抽紧了，他想可怕的事马上就要发生了。化身沙巫坐在圣台上，眼睛仍然紧闭着。在父星强烈的照射下，在720度的高温中，他的身躯很快开始发黑，水分从体内猛烈蒸发，向上方升腾，在他附近造成了一个畸变的透明区域。随之他的身体开始冒烟，淡淡的灰烟。然后，焦透的身体一块块进脱，剩下一副焦黑的骨架。

This emotional field was extremely xenophobic. Draylor was the only one not in sync and his head felt cracking pains. He struggled to look to the front between the people. The Holy Body of Avatar Shaw was already erected up a high Holy Altar and the pope led Teehuck and Hubbarb to bow in the front. Draylor was nettled and knew that catastrophe was about to come. Avatar Shaw sat on the Holy Altar with eyes firmly closed. Under the strong lights from the Father Sun and at 720 °C in the day, his body quickly darkened and moisture quickly evaporated, flowing upwards and leaving a deformed transparent silhouette around him. His body then started smoking dim grey fumes. Finally, the thoroughly baked body gradually fell apart, leaving only a skeleton of tar.

教皇和信徒们都目瞪口呆，这是怎么回事?索拉人的金属身体从不怕父星的曝晒，那些未经爆灭的遗体能千万年保存下来。但化身沙巫的圣体为什么被父星毁坏?人们想到刚才图拉拉的话：“不能让他受父星的照射，你们会害死他的。”他们开始感到恐惧。千万人的恐惧场汇聚在一起，缓缓加强，缓缓蓄势，寻找着泄洪的口子。

Everyone was appalled. What happened? The metallic body of Solorians never had problems with the irradiation of the Father Star, which was why the remains of those that did not implode could be preserved for millions of years. But why did the rays of the Father Star destroy the Holy Body of Avatar Shaw? The words of Draylor came to the minds, "Keep Avatar Shaw away from the light of the Father Star! You are killing him!" Fear accrued in the crowd, in the collective emotional field, about to burst from any fissure.

教皇和奇卡卡的恐惧也不在众人之下——谁敢承担毁坏圣体的罪名?如果有人振臂一呼，信徒们会把罪人撕碎，即使贵为教皇也不能逃脱。时间在恐惧中静止了。恐惧和郁愤的感情场在继续加强……忽然奇卡卡如奉神谕，立起身来指着那副骨架宣布：“是父星惩罚了他!他曾逃到极冰中躲避父星，但父星并没有饶恕他!”

The Pope and Teehuck were also as frightened as everyone else. Who were to blame for destroying the Holy Body? The religious mass would tear apart the culprit alive with any slightest incitement, and nobody would escape that, not even someone as noble as the pope. Fear and anger escalated in the emotional field. Time appeared frozen. Teehuck suddenly stood up and pointed to the skeleton as if following an oracle, "The Father Star punished him! He fled into the polar ice to avoid punishment, but that is just wishful thinking!"

恐惧场霎时间无影无踪，信徒们的神经一下子放松了。是啊，圣书说过，化身沙巫失去了父星的宠爱，藏到极冰中逃避父星的惩罚，现在大家也亲眼看见，是父星的光芒把他毁坏了。奇卡卡抓住了这个时机，恶狠狠地宣布：“杀死他!”

Collective fear vanished in no time and everyone felt relieved. Right, the Holy Bible mentioned that Avatar Shaw lost the grace of the Father Star and fled into the polar ice to avoid punishment. And the bright rays of the Father Star destroyed him right in front of everyone. Teehuck took the opportunity to denounce, "Kill him!"

他的闪孔中闪出两道强光，射向沙巫的骨架。信徒们立即仿效，无数强光聚焦在骨架上，使骨架轰然坍塌。教皇显然仍处在慌乱中，他没有在这儿多停，起身摩挲着奇卡卡的头顶表示赞赏，随后匆匆离去。

He blazed from his flash holes onto the skeleton and the crowd followed immediately. The skeleton crumbled after irradiation by the countless rays. The pope was apparently still panicking and did not stay. He gently stroked Teehuck's head for appreciation and quickly left.

信徒们也很快散去。虽然他们用暴烈的行动驱走了恐惧，但把暴力加在化身沙巫的圣体上，这事总让他们忐忑不安。片刻之后，万头攒动的场景不见了，只留下圣坛上一副破碎的骨架，一辆砸扁了的神车，一副白金雕像，还有地上一个虚弱的图拉拉。

The crowd also quickly disappeared. Even though fear was dissipated with collective action, it was unsettling after all for one to exercise violence upon the Holy Body of Avatar Shaw. The hustle and bustle vanished very shortly, leaving behind only a broken skeleton on a Holy Altar, a flattened Holy Wagon, a platinum portrait, and Draylor who lay frailly on the ground.

图拉拉忍着头部的剧疼，挣扎着走到骨架边。灰黑色的骨架散落一地，头颅孤零零地滚在一旁，两只眼睛变成两个黑洞，悲愤地瞪着天边。片刻之前，他还是人人敬仰的化身沙巫，是一个丰满坚硬的圣体，转瞬之间被毁坏了，永远不可挽救了。图拉拉感到深深的自责。如果他事先能见到教皇，相信凭自己的声望，能说服他采用正确的方法唤醒沙巫——毕竟教皇也不愿圣体遭到毁坏呀。可惜晚了，来不及了，这一切都是由于缺少一个备用能量盒，是由于自己该死的疏忽。他深深地俯伏在地，悲伤地向化身沙巫认罪。

Draylor struggled to make his way to the skeleton despite cracking pains in his head. The grey bones scattered, the skull rolled aside, with two hollow holes staring at the sky in immense grief. The Holy Body of Avatar Shaw was admired by everyone just a moment ago, but was destroyed in no time, irreversibly. Draylor blamed himself heavily. If only he could have visited the pope ahead and convinced him with his scientific reputation to wake up Avatar Shaw in the right way... the pope did not want to damage the Holy Body after all. But it was too late. All because of a damn energy box, an unforgivable oversight. He prostrated in front of the skeleton wishing that Avatar Shaw could pardon him.

他立起身，小心地搜集沙巫的骨架。为什么这样做?不知道，他没有什么目的，只是想以这种下意识的动作来驱散心中的悲伤和悔恨。

He stood up and carefully collected the remains of the skeleton. Why did he do so? He didn't know. He had nothing in mind. He just subconsciously did something to drive away his anguish and remorse.

此后1000年是索拉星的黑暗时期，狂热的教徒砸碎了和科学有关的一切东西，连索拉人曾广泛使用的能量盒，也被当做渎神的奇技淫巧被全部砸坏。羽翼未丰的科学遭到迎头痛击，一蹶不振，直到1000年后才慢慢恢复元气。

The next millennium was the dark age of the Solorian Planet. Fervent church believers destroyed everything related to science, and even the once popular energy box was also ravaged as a sacrilegious artifact. The fledgling of science took a heavy blow and did not recover until 1000 years later.

沙巫教则达到极盛。他们仍信奉沙巫，但化身沙巫不再被说成沙巫大神的使者，他成了一尊伪神，一个罪神。信徒的祈祷词中加了一句：“我奉沙巫大神为天地间惟一的至尊，我唾弃伪神，他不是大神的化身。”

The Church of Shaw arrived at its heyday. The Church still worshiped the Great God Shaw, but Avatar Shaw was no longer viewed as the messenger of God. Instead, Avatar Shaw became a bogus god, a sinful being. The new prayers had one extra line, "I worship the Great God Shaw as the only supreme being between heaven and earth. I despise the bogus god who is not the avatar of the real God."

不过，沙巫教中悄悄地兴起了一个小派别，叫赎罪派。据说传教者是一个横死后复生的贱民。他们仍信奉化身沙巫是大神的使臣和索拉人的创造者，他们精心保存着两件圣物，一件是焦黑的头骨，一件是白金制的塑像。赎罪派的教义中，关于沙巫之死的是非是这样说的：化身沙巫确实是沙巫的化身，原打算给索拉星带来无尚的幸福。但他被索拉人错杀了，幸福也与索拉人交臂而过。

However, a small sect called redemptionism gradually developed in the Church. The sect seemed to have evolved from the preaching of a condemned dishonorable who was resuscitated after unnatural death. Redemptionists still considered Avatar Shaw as the messenger of the Great God Shaw and the creator of Solorians, and they carefully kept two holy items, a burnt skull and a platinum portrait. In the doctrines of redemptionism, Avatar Shaw was indeed the shadow of the Great God Shaw and was about to bring immense grace to Solorians but was mistakenly killed by Solorians. And Solorians also missed out on their own blessing.

尽管新教皇奇卡卡颁布了严厉的镇压法令，但赎罪派的信徒日渐增多。因为赎罪派的教义唤醒了人们的良知，唤醒了潜藏内心深处的负罪感。对教庭的镇压，赎罪派从不做公开的反抗，他们默默地蔓延着，到处搜集与科学有关的一切东西：砸碎的能量盒，神车的碎片，残缺不全的图纸和文字等等。在那位180岁的赎罪派传教者去世后，再没人能懂得这些东西，但他们仍执著地收藏着，因为——传教者说过，等化身沙巫在下一个千禧年复活时，它们就有用了。

Despite severe repressive rules from the new pope Teehuck, redemptionism flourished because the doctrines awakened conscience and guilt deep inside its followers. Redemptionists never openly fought against the ruthless crackdowns of the Church but just quietly propagated, collecting everything related to science: smashed energy boxes, fragments of the Holy Wagon, broken drawings and texts, etc. Nobody understood any of those ever since the 180-year-old missionary passed away, but collection continued, because the missionary said they would become useful after Avatar Shaw comes back to life in the next millennium.

赎罪派只尊奉圣书的旧约篇而扬弃新约篇。他们在旧约篇上加了一段祷文：

Redemptionists dismissed the New Testament and only honored the Old Testament, and appended an additional prayer,

“化身沙巫越权创造了索拉人，父星惩罚了他。 索拉人杀死了化身沙巫，你们得到父星的授权了吗? 索拉人啊， 你们杀死了自己的生父，你们有罪了； 你们要世世代代背负着原罪，直到化身沙巫复生。”

"Avatar Shaw created Solorians without permission and Father Star punished him. Solorians killed Avatar Shaw but did you have permission from Father Star? Oh Solorians, You killed your own father, you have transgressed. You shall bear your original sin from generation to generation, until Avatar Shaw comes back to life."

Seeding on Mercury: Overture 水星播种 Seeding on Mercury: The Solor Planet 水星播种 Seeding on Mercury: Sketch of Mercury 水星播种 Seeding on Mercury: Exploration 水星播种 Seeding on Mercury: Shuttle Auntie 水星播种 Seeding on Mercury: Accident 水星播种 Seeding on Mercury: New Life 水星播种 Seeding on Mercury: Redemption 水星播种