卷五 2920年

Skill: Restoration

增加恢復(fù)系

Second Seed

次種(月份)

Book Five of 2920

卷五 2920年

The Last Year of the First Era

第一紀(jì)元的最后一年

by

Carlovac Townway

卡羅瓦克唐威

10 Second Seed, 2920, The Imperial City, Cyrodiil

10th，次種，2920，皇城，塞洛蒂爾

“Your Imperial Majesty,” said the Potentate Versidue-Shaie,

“陛下，”君主，貝西多—沙耶說(shuō)道，打開(kāi)了他房間的大門(mén)。“最近我很少看到您

opening the door to his chamber with a smile. “I have not

的行蹤。我還以為您或許已經(jīng)…厭惡與可愛(ài)的蕾加小姐繼續(xù)相處了呢。”

seen you lately. I thought perhaps you were ... indisposed with the lovely Rijja.”

“She's taking the baths at Mir Corrup,” the Emperor Reman

“她到腐爛米爾那里泡澡去了，”雷曼三世語(yǔ)氣糟糕地說(shuō)。

III said miserably.

“Please, come in.”

“請(qǐng)進(jìn)，陛下。”

“I've reached the stage where I can only trust three people:

“我現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)到了只能相信三個(gè)人的境地了：你，我兒子，還有蕾加，”皇帝暴

you, my son the Prince, and Rijja,” said the Emperor

躁地說(shuō)道。“我的理事會(huì)里除了間諜其他什么都沒(méi)有。”

petulantly. “My entire council is nothing but a pack of spies.”

“What seems to be the matter, your imperial majesty?” asked

“是什么讓您如此擔(dān)憂(yōu)，陛下?”貝西多 沙耶同情地問(wèn)，同時(shí)拉上他房間里厚

the Potentate Versidue-Shaie sympathetically, drawing

厚的窗簾。一下子就將外界的所有聲音隔絕在外，包括回響在大理石大廳中的腳

closed the thick curtain in his chamber. Instantly all

步聲以及春潮花園中清脆的鳥(niǎo)鳴。

sound outside the room was extinguished, echoing footsteps in the marble halls and birds in the springtide gardens.

“I've discovered that a notorious poisoner, an Orma

“我找到了一個(gè)臭名昭著的下毒者，一個(gè)來(lái)自黑沼澤的奧瑪部落名叫卡琪卡的女

tribeswoman from Black Marsh called Catchica, was with the

人，當(dāng)我的軍隊(duì)在凱爾薩維奧扎營(yíng)時(shí)她就混在里面，而那時(shí)剛好我兒子不幸中毒，

army at Caer Suvio while we were encamped there when my son

就在博得朗姆戰(zhàn)役之前。我確定她會(huì)更希望能毒殺我，但沒(méi)有這個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，”皇帝

was poisoned, before the battle at Bodrum. I'm sure she

明顯正在氣頭上。“理事會(huì)建議說(shuō)在告發(fā)她之前，我們需要證據(jù)來(lái)證明她的罪行。”

would have preferred to kill me, but the opportunity didn't present itself,” The Emperor fumed. “The Council suggests that we need evidence of her involvement before we prosecute.”

“Of course they would,” said the Potentate thoughtfully.

“他們當(dāng)然會(huì)這么說(shuō)，”君主體貼地說(shuō)道。“特別是當(dāng)他們有一天也會(huì)處在那個(gè)位

“Particularly if one or more of them was in on the plot. I

置上的時(shí)候。我有一個(gè)主意，陛下。”

have a thought, your imperial majesty.”

“Yes?” said Reman impatiently. “Out with it!”

“嗯?”雷曼沒(méi)耐心地應(yīng)著。“快說(shuō)!”

“Tell the Council you're dropping the matter, and I will

“告訴理事會(huì)您不想再在這件事上多做糾葛，然后我會(huì)派人跟蹤那個(gè)叫卡琪卡的

send out the Guard to track this Catchica down and follow

女人。我們可以看看她的同伙是誰(shuí)，甚至可能對(duì)這個(gè)威脅到皇帝性命的陰謀有所

her. We will see who her friends are, and perhaps get an

了解。”

idea of the scope of this plot on your imperial majesty's life.”

“Yes,” said Reman with a satisfied frown. “That's a capital

“確實(shí)，”雷曼滿(mǎn)意地皺起眉頭。“這確實(shí)是一條上策。我們可以好好查查這條詭

plan. We will track this scheme to whomever it leads to.”

計(jì)，不管這陰謀到底是哪個(gè)混蛋的主意。”

“Decidedly, your imperial majesty,” smiled the Potentate,

“明智的決定，陛下，”君主笑著拉開(kāi)窗簾，示意皇帝可以離開(kāi)了。而正站在門(mén)

parting the curtain so the Emperor could leave. In the

外的就是貝西多―沙耶的兒子，薩維利恩―卓拉克。這個(gè)小伙子向皇帝鞠了一躬，

hallway outside was Versidue-Shaie's son, Savirien-Chorak. 然后走進(jìn)了房間。

The boy bowed to the Emperor before entering the Potentate's chamber.

“Are you in trouble, father?” whispered the Akaviri lad.

“又有什么麻煩了嗎，父親?”這個(gè)亞龍人小伙子低聲問(wèn)道。

“I heard the Emperor found out about whatshername, the

“我聽(tīng)說(shuō)皇帝已經(jīng)找出某某女士，那個(gè)下毒者。”

poisoner.”

“The great art of speechcraft, my boy,” said Versidue-Shaie

“語(yǔ)言藝術(shù)的最高境界是什么，我的孩子，”貝西多―沙耶向他的兒子說(shuō)。“是告

to his son. “Is to tell them what they want to hear in a

訴他們想知道的，但能將他們的思維引向自己想要的方向，這樣他們的作為就無(wú)

way that gets them to do what you want them to do. I need

法逃出你的控制。我需要你去給卡琪卡寫(xiě)封信，確保她能?chē)?yán)格遵照我的命令行事，

you to get a letter to Catchica, and make certain that she

不然她所要承擔(dān)的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)可比我們多得多。”

understands that if she does not follow the instructions perfectly, she is risking her own life more than ours.”

13 Second Seed, 2920, Mir Corrup, Cyrodiil

13th，次種，2920，腐爛米爾，塞洛蒂爾

Rijja sank luxuriantly into the burbling hot spring,

蕾加將她自己深深埋進(jìn)冒著泡泡的溫泉里，皮膚上的刺痛感讓她覺(jué)得像是同時(shí)被

feeling her skin tingle like it was being rubbed by millions

千萬(wàn)個(gè)小石子一起摩擦。頭頂上的石架子恰到好處地幫她擋住那連綿不絕的小雨，

of little stones. The rock shelf over her head sheltered

又能讓陽(yáng)光照進(jìn)來(lái)，如流金般在層次分明的樹(shù)葉中流竄。這個(gè)時(shí)刻總讓她享受，

her from the misting rain, but let all the sunshine in,

在悠閑的生活中最為放松的時(shí)刻，而當(dāng)她完成這些時(shí)，她的美麗動(dòng)人又能完美地

streaming in layers through the branches of the trees. It

回歸身體。她只需要一場(chǎng)沐浴，一杯水，一些芬芳的香氣，聞起來(lái)就像滑石粉一

was an idyllic moment in an idyllic life, and when she was

樣。

finished she knew that her beauty would be entirely restored. The only thing she needed was a drink of water. The bath itself, while wonderfully fragrant, tasted always of chalk.

“Water!” she cried to her servants. “Water, please!”

“水!”她向她的女仆喊道。“拜托來(lái)杯水!”

A gaunt woman with rags tied over her eyes ran to her side

一個(gè)憔悴的，眼睛上纏著破布的女人跑到她的身邊，放下一個(gè)上面放著水的山羊

and dropped a goatskin of water. Rijja was about to laugh

皮。蕾加差點(diǎn)就為她那略顯僵硬的動(dòng)作大笑出聲――她自己是一點(diǎn)都不為自己

at the woman's prudery -- she herself was not ashamed of

裸露的身體而感到害躁――但很快她透過(guò)破布的一點(diǎn)縫隙看見(jiàn)那個(gè)老女人根本

her naked body -- but then she noticed through a crease in the rags that the old woman had no eyes at all. She was

就沒(méi)有眼睛。她就像蕾加曾聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)的那些奧瑪部落成員一樣，雖然她從沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)一

like one of those Orma tribesmen Rijja had heard about, but

never met. Born without eyes, they were masters of their

個(gè)。他們天生就沒(méi)有眼睛，但他們?cè)谄渌泄偕峡胺Q(chēng)大師?？磥?lái)腐爛米爾的主人

other senses. The Lord of Mir Corrup hired very exotic

雇了些極具異域風(fēng)情的仆人，她想道。

servants, she thought to herself.

In a moment, the woman was gone and forgotten. Rijja found

也就這么一會(huì)兒，那個(gè)女人無(wú)聲無(wú)息地被遺忘且消失不見(jiàn)。蕾加發(fā)現(xiàn)在處于這種

it very hard to concentrate on anything but the sun and the

放松狀態(tài)的時(shí)候她很難集中注意力。她拔出那個(gè)瓶塞，但瓶子里的液體散出一種

water. She opened the cork, but the liquid within had a

奇怪的，帶有鐵銹味的味道。忽然之間，她意識(shí)到她并不是唯一一個(gè)在房間里的

strange, metallic smell to it. Suddenly, she was aware that

人。

she was not alone.

“Lady Rijja,” said the captain of the Imperial Guard. “You

“蕾加小姐”皇家守衛(wèi)隊(duì)長(zhǎng)說(shuō)。“你，依我看，與卡琪卡相識(shí)?”

are, I see, acquainted with Catchica?”

“I've never heard of her,” stammered Rijja before becoming

“我從未聽(tīng)過(guò)這個(gè)名字，”蕾加結(jié)巴地回答，但很快變得憤怒。“你在這干嘛?這

indignant. “What are you doing here? This body is not for

具身體可不是你能看的。”

your leering eyes.”

“Never heard of her, when we saw her with you not a minute

“沒(méi)聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)她，但我們看見(jiàn)你剛剛還和她在一起，”隊(duì)長(zhǎng)說(shuō)，撿起地上的山羊皮

ago,” said the captain, picking up the goatskin and

并放在鼻端嗅了嗅。“給你帶來(lái)了毒藥，是不是?來(lái)給皇帝下毒?”

smelling it. “Brought you neivous ichor, did she? To poison the Emperor with?”

“Captain,” said one of the guards, running up to him quickly.

“隊(duì)長(zhǎng)，”一個(gè)侍衛(wèi)快速跑向他，急促地說(shuō)。“我們找不到那個(gè)亞龍人，看起來(lái)她

“We cannot find the Argonian. It is as if she disappeared

似乎在樹(shù)林中消失不見(jiàn)了。”

into the woods.”

“Yes, they're good at that,” said the captain. “No matter

“確實(shí)，他們都很擅長(zhǎng)這個(gè)，”隊(duì)長(zhǎng)說(shuō)道。“不管怎樣。我們找到了她在宮中的內(nèi)

though. We've got her contact at court. That should please

應(yīng)。這應(yīng)該能讓陛下滿(mǎn)意。抓住她。”

his Imperial Majesty. Seize her.”

As the guards pulled the writhing naked woman from the pool,

守衛(wèi)們抓著那個(gè)裸著的女人，把她拉出水池，她尖叫著，“我是無(wú)辜的!我不知

she screamed, “I'm innocent! I don't know what this is all

道這到底是怎么回事，但我什么都沒(méi)做!要是皇帝知道了，他會(huì)把你們?nèi)繑厥?”

about, but I've done nothing! The Emperor will have your heads for this!”

“Yes, I imagine he will,” smiled the captain. “If he trusts

“是的，我想他會(huì)的，”隊(duì)長(zhǎng)笑著回答。“如果他相信你的話。”

you.”