4

Along the way, Suzuki Satoru -- who had no choice but to hide his face with an illusion and change his clothes -- opened the indicated door leading to a store, and he was mildly surprised.

路途中，不得已利用幻术掩盖了面容更换了服装的铃木悟，打开了指定的店面的房门，稍稍吃了一惊。

This was a bar.

这是一间酒吧。

However, this did not look like the restaurant at night from the inn, and neither did it look like a hostess bar, but rather a place where customers could sample fine wines in peace -- in other words, a high-class establishment.

只是、这里既不像是兼营旅馆的大众食堂的晚间经营模式，也不是那种有异性陪酒的地方，而是那种在昏暗的店内静静地品尝名酒的——被称为高档酒吧的地方。

It was an extremely classy place, and the atmosphere was something else entirely.

档次非常之高，气氛完全不一样。

I see. Suzuki Satoru understood why they had to meet here.

原来如此、铃木悟理解了为什么要在这里碰头。

He had never entered such a place during their journey. As one of the undead who could not eat or drink, Suzuki Satoru would naturally not need to go there, to say nothing of bringing along Keno, who looked like a child. Even in his previous world, he had only been to places like these twice, in order to entertain clients.

旅行的途中并没有进过这样的店。作为不死者没有办法饮食的铃木悟自然不会去这种地方，更不要说还带着看起来像是个孩子的琪诺了。在以前的世界也只有招待客户的时候去过两次。

In other words, Suzuki Satoru had no idea how to behave here. However, the show had to go on. It would be bad if he embarrassed himself here. Just as Suzuki Satoru was at a loss, an attendant in a stylish outfit walked up to him.

也就是说铃木悟完全不懂这里的规矩。但是剧本已经开演了。在这里丢人的话后面就不好办了。

铃木悟还在不知所措的时候，穿着时尚的店员便凑了上来。

“Welcome.”

「欢迎光临」

The attendant bowed.

店员深鞠了一躬。

Before the man had approached him, Suzuki Satoru sensed that he had been sizing up his outfit. If he had not made the grade for entering the bar, he would probably have been politely asked to leave. In other words, he had made it through the door.

在店员过来之前，铃木悟感觉到他好像上下打量了一番自己的服饰。大概如果没有达到进店的合

格线的话就会被礼貌地劝离吧。也就是说、第一关已经过了。

As a precaution, he had changed his clothes after hearing about the atmosphere inside this place. It would seem that had been the right thing to do.

听说了店里的氛围之后为了保险起见换了衣服看来是正确的。

Still,he should probably keep quiet about changing in the middle of the street under the cover of [Perfect Unknowable].

不过使用<完全不可知化>在大街上换衣服的事情还是得保密的。

He looked inside the darkened bar -- doing so was no problem for Suzuki Satoru, who was undead -- and saw a man sitting on a sofa waving to him.

向昏暗的店内看去——这对铃木悟这个不死者来说没有任何问题，沙发席上坐着的一个男人正在招手。

He was a man with a keen gaze, and his clothes clearly showed off his muscular body. He had a crystalline horn on his head. He was one of the humanoids known as the Sharp Horns.

那是一个眼神锐利的男人，强健的体格隔着衣服都一览无余。额头上长着一根水晶般的角，那是被称为尖角种的人类种。

Suzuki Satoru pretended that he had not spotted the man right away and continued looking around for a while before walking over.

铃木悟装作没能立即发现对方，又张望了一番之后才走了过去。

He sat on the sofa opposite the man.

在男人对面的沙发上坐了下来。

“Sorry for the wait.”

「久等了」

He had chosen to adopt a haughty attitude as a show of strength, The man did not seem to disapprove, but that was only to be expected. The employer -- or rather, money -- was boss; that much was the same no matter which world one was in.

为了表现出自己是强势一方而故意采取了高傲的态度。那个男人对此并没有表示出什么不满。不过这也是理所应当的。雇主——或者说出钱的人是大爷这一点无论在任何时代、任何世界都是一样的。

“No, no, you were on time. I was simply too early.”

「没有没有，时间刚刚好。只是我来的太早了」

There were no cups on the table in front of the man, but it was clear that he had had a few drinks already, given the scent of alcohol hanging around him. The man had come early because this was such a high-end establishment and Suzuki Satoru was footing the bill. Of course, that was not all.

男人面前的桌子上一个杯子都没有。但是从漂浮着的酒气很明显能看出他已经喝了几杯了。这个酒吧是如此高档，而且铃木悟也会为他买单，为此这个男人才那么早早的就到了。当然、还不止是这样。

He was the leader of a skilled band of mercenary pathfinders. There had to be some other reason for here besides drinking.

他是优秀的佣兵探索者队的领队。除了喝酒之外应该还有其他的目的。

These pathfinders were not like mercenary companies who numbered in the dozens or hundreds. For starters, there were less than ten of them, all elite, in their group. They took work without being bound by national loyalties. The missions they accepted involved wars between nations, investigating ruins said to be monster lairs, clearing out monsters, and various other tasks related to violence. If one was being nice, they could be called elite mercenaries. If not, they were a band of thugs.

佣兵探索者与那些有几十上百人的佣兵团有些不同，首先就是基本上都是不满十人的精锐所组成的队伍。他们不受国家限制地寻找工作。接受国家间的战争，调查被作为怪物巢穴的遗迹，清理怪物等等一切与暴力相关的委托。说的好听点叫精锐佣兵，说的不好听就是一群恶棍。

Over a month ago, in a nearby city, Suzuki Satoru had hired them to carry out an investigation. He had come here today to learn the results of their work.

一个多月前、铃木悟在相邻的都市委托他们进行调查，今天来这里就是为了听取结果的。

“Tell me, then.”

「那么就说来听听吧」

“Oi oi. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but don’t you drink? I’ll feel bad if I drink alone, you know. Drinking helps simplify negotiations too.”

「喂喂。我以前就在想了你难道不喝酒的吗？我一个人喝的话可是会有罪恶感的啊，酒也可以让交涉变的简单一些呐」

The man seemed to be using some kind of proverb, but Suzuki Satoru had never heard of it before. Of course, Suzuki Satoru knew that he was lacking in knowledge, so that might just have been a normal way of speaking. The man beckoned and a waiter quietly walked over.

男人口气听起来像是在引用什么谚语，但铃木悟却没听说过。当然、铃木悟知道自己的知识欠缺，所以这也可能只是一般的话语而已。男人轻轻地招了招手，服务员静静地走了过来。

“Give this old -- ah, my apologies. Give my generous employer something to drink.”

「给这位老——啊、抱歉。给我那阔绰的雇主来点喝的」

“No need for that,” Suzuki Satoru coldly refused.

「不必了」

铃木悟冷冷地拒绝了。

It was an act, just like before. In order to avoid having to keep refusing various offers, it was easier for him to act like this. From an adult’s perspective, if one kept refusing invitations to go out drinking, then eventually people would stop inviting you out.

这是跟刚才一样的表演。为了避免拒绝各种劝诱，摆出一副自己就是这种人的样子比较轻松。也就是、从成年人的角度来说，就是一直拒绝去喝酒的邀请的话，以后也就不会有人再来请你了。

“Ah, don’t mind me, just go ahead and drink.”

「啊、不必在意我，你喝就是了」

“”Like I was saying just now…” The man;s words trailed off as he scratched his head. “Ahhh, in that case, I’ll have a Clare.”

「刚才我也说了……」男人咯吱咯吱地挠着头「嗯那么、来一杯克雷尔」

“Very well. Which year?”

「好的、请问要几年的？」

The eighth. Give it to me straight.”

「八年。什么都不要加」

“Certainly.”

「好的」

Suzuki Satoru watched the waiter leave, and the man lowered his voice to speak.

铃木悟目送店员离开后，男人压低了声音开始说道。

“Now then -- I’ll give you our findings. The city we were told to investigate was taken over by yuriniggers. There’s no telling if there’s anyone living there.”

「那么——我就直接说调查结果了。受命前去的都市已经被僵尸占领了。不知道有没有活人」

“Is that so.”

「是吗」

That was the outcome he had expected, and so Suzuki Satoru’s voice was calm. Perhaps the man was unhappy with that, because he changed his tone. However, he might have faked it. He was the sort of person who would not let his true feelings show even when drunk. Therefore, he was probably trying to emphasize how he felt.

这是预想中的结果，铃木悟的声音很平淡。似乎对此很不满一样，男人的口气改变了。但那应该是装出来的。他就算喝醉了也不是那种会简单吐露心声的人。应该是在故意强调自己现在是那样想的哦。

“This is the third yurinigger-infested city you’ve had us verify, you know? ...It’s about time you told us why, no? Why won’t you let us go into the cities and investigate in detail? What do you want?”

「这已经是第三次让我们去确认被僵尸占领的都市了啊？……应该告诉我了吧？为什么不让我们进入都市详细调查？你的目的是什么？」

While there was no need to answer that question, it would be bad if they had decided to barge in of their own accord. It would be best if he could answer in a way that did not reveal his intentions and removed their interest in the matter.

虽说没有必要回答这些，但是如果他擅自调查就不好了。最好是既不暴露想法又能降低他对此的兴趣。

“Then I will answer your question with a question. I laid down the ironclad rule that ‘You are not to enter the city’. Did you do so?”

「那我就用一个问题来回答你的问题。我严令你们『不可以进入都市内』，你们进去了吗？」

“No.”

「没有」

“And why should I believe you?”

「我应该相信你吗？」

“We obey the instructions given to us by our employer. I guarantee it. After all, you’re paying us so much.”

「我们会遵守委托人的指示。这一点可以保证。毕竟约定的报酬可有那么多啊」

That was not trustworthy. The amount that Suzuki Satoru had agreed to pay out would look like peanuts if they had entered the city and plundered its treasures.

这并不值得相信。侵入都市掠夺财宝的话，铃木悟所约定的那点报酬就算不上什么了。

It was not yet time to learn the truth with mind control spells. Those were not a good choice; there would be trouble once the spell ended. He could seize him and use [Alter Memory] on him, but he was not confident in his ability to adjust memories with magic.

还不到使用精神操作系的魔法问出真相的时候，那不是个好的选项。魔法效果结束之后就有麻烦了。也可以抓住他之后用<记忆操作>，但是对于能否用魔法调整记忆这一点还不太有自信。

Getting good at these alterations would take a very long time, and his practice would involve turning a person into a potato. Given that he did not possess a proper base of operations, it was an unrealistic course of action.

要熟练操作的话，得花很长时间，并且把一个人弄成废人来练习。在目前这种没有完善的据点的情况下，怎么想都是不现实的。

Should he silence him or place his trust in him?

要封了他的口还是相信他呢。

Suzuki Satoru wanted to silence him.

铃木悟个人是想封了他的口的。

If they killed the yuriniggers and looted the city’s treasures, it might cause a threat to Keno’s country. This was especially true for private groups, whose actions were very hard to control.

如果让他们消灭了僵尸开始掠夺都市内的财宝，就可能对琪诺的国家造成危害。特别是这种私人团体的行为非常难以控制。

It would seem the countries around Inveria had not sent out their armies to quell these cities.

茵贝利亚的周边邻国目前似乎还没有派出士兵压制这些都市。

However, these countries should have known about their neighbors’ citizens all becoming yuriniggers. Some of those countries might have had the same thing happen to their people. Whether or not those countries had chosen to take military action or were preparing for that remained to be seen.

但是这些国家应该已经知道了邻国国民全部变成僵尸这一点。其中有些国家可能也有都市发生了变异。只是这些国家是否采取了军事行动或者是否在准备行动就不得而知了。

Unfortunately, there was no way to verify this. A traveller like Suzuki Satoru would not be able to learn such state secrets no matter how much he paid. Still, he could think of a few reasons why the surrounding countries had not taken action yet.

很遗憾的是、没有办法确认这到底是不是真的。无论花费多少金钱，这种机密情报都不会透露给

铃木悟这样的一介旅行者。但是要说各国为什么没有采取行动的话，还是能想到一些理由的。

Since the undead were enemies of all living beings, there was no direct benefit to eliminating them.

因为不死者是全体生者的敌人，要扫清他们并没有任何直接利益。

Even if they exterminated the yuriniggers and liberated a city, all they would gain was land without a workforce. Such land would be useless to them..

就算消灭了僵尸解放并占领都市，也只是获得了土地而没有劳动者。那样的土地是没有任何意义的。

Perhaps it might be useful if they had excess mouths and ample manpower. But if they did not have that much population, then taking and holding unnecessary territory would only become a burden, since one needed bigger garrison forces as one’s territory grew.

如果说有多余的人口，劳动力丰富的话可能还有些意义，但是如果没有那么多人口的话，领土越大需要的防卫兵力就越多，占领不需要的领土只会成为负担而已。

But if they left the undead alone, it might lead to the appearance of more powerful undead, so they would have to send their armies in eventually. However, negotiations would be needed in order not to agitate their neighbors when moving their forces, and then the nobles would push the responsibility for taking part in exterminations and so on to each other. Such matters would take a very long time.

但如果放任不死者不管的话，就可能会出现强大的不死者，所以迟早会派出军队的吧。然而、为了调动军队时不刺激邻近国家需要进行交涉，还有贵族之间关于讨伐时谁来参与这样的脏活也会互相推诿扯皮，诸如此类的事还是需要很多时间的。

And another thing was that so long as the cause for the situation was unknown, sending their troops in might lead to them turning undead. Anyone with a brain could tell that.

还有一点就是、把士兵派到那种事态发生原因不明的地区的话，士兵也可能会不死者化。只要是有点脑子的人都能想到这一点。

Therefore, these masterless men who were driven by the desires were the more threatening opposition here.

由此看来还是这些身上一无所有，被欲望驱使着还不考虑后果的私人团体比较可怕。

Thus, he would need to disabuse them of that notion with a preventative measure, even if it meant lying to them.

所以为了让他们打消这个念头要先给他们打个预防针，即使是谎言也可以。

“I see… that’s good,” Suzuki Satoru said as he deliberately lowered his voice. “I say, why do you think the people in the city turned undead?”

「原来如此……那就好」铃木悟故意压低了声音说道「我说、你觉得为什么那些都市里的人都变成了不死者？」

“You mean it wasn’t because a monster showed up? You know, like a Soul Eater? I heard that a lot of people died when that monster showed up in a certain country.”

「难道不是出现了那种怪物吗？知道噬魂魔[Soul Eater]吗？听说那种怪物出现在某个国家的时候死了很多人呢」

Well yes, a lot of people would die if it walked around on the street with a channelled ability active, Suzuki Satoru smiled bitterly in his heart. Granted, such undead beings were nothing special to him, but it would seem that they were very powerful in this world.

一边发动着特殊技能一边在街上走的话，确实会死很多人呢。铃木悟心中苦笑道。虽然那种程度的不死者对自己来说没什么了不起，但在这个世界似乎已经很强大了。

I remember there was a magic warrior riding a Soul Eater among the members of Corpus of the Abyss, but he was incredibly weak. Oh well...

（记得“深渊之躯”的成员里也有个骑着噬魂魔的魔战士，虽然弱爆了就是。哎呀……）

“I don’t think so. We believe that there might be some kind of plague or curse at work here.” The man’s expression did not change upon hearing “we”. Suzuki Satoru ignored him and continued speaking. “It’s probably not poison. If there were a toxic cloud that could cover an entire city -- of course, a cloud that turned creatures undead would be something else -- but I’ve never heard of anything like that before.”

「我不这么想。我们认为是某种瘟疫或者诅咒」听到了“我们”这种说法男人的表情并没有变化。铃木悟没有在意他而继续说了下去。「应该不会是毒素。要是有什么能覆盖整座都市的毒云——

不死者化的云那种东西的话就另当别论了，不过我是没听说过有这种东西」

“So it can’t be a plague, then?”

「那么也就不会是瘟疫了吧？」

“No, it’s more likely than a poison. After all, there are plagues which are unique to the undead. Perhaps this yurinigger plague is something like that -- highly infectious, spread by an airborne vector, and which can’t be treated by [Cure Disease]... A cursed disease.”

「不、比起毒素还是有可能的。毕竟也有那种不死者特有的瘟疫啊。僵尸化的瘟疫可能是那种——有着很强的传染力，通过飞沫感染，还不能用<疾病治愈>来治疗……附加诅咒效果的病」

“Ah, ah -- I see. Like Demon Dever, then. That’s why you didn’t want us to go in.”

「啊、啊——原来如此。就像魔鬼热那样的吧。所以才让我们不要进去啊」

It would seem he had taken the bait.

看来是顺利地让他上当了吧。

“I’m glad you understand. Normally, the infectious organisms should have died after so long, but it seems things are not normally. This special disease is different from the others and might be lurking in the bodies of the yuriniggers. Also, they might not be ordinary yuriniggers, but a new, infectious strain of yuriniggers.”

「你能理解我很高兴。一般来说过了这么长时间病原菌应该死亡了，但是这似乎不是一般情况。特殊的疾病有所不同，也有可能潜伏在僵尸之中。而且不是普通的僵尸，也许是那种可以传播疾病的新型僵尸」

The man listened in silence, and Suzuki Satoru continued spinning his tale.

男人默默地听着，铃木悟接着编了下去。

“While we don’t know the cause for it, it’s possible that one of you might have gotten infected too. It would be bad enough if you had turned into yuriniggers on the spot over there, but the worst case scenario is if it has a fixed incubation period. That would be troublesome. The infection might spread to this city and the surrounding villages.”

「虽然不知道是什么原因，但是有可能让潜入其中的你们也被感染。如果在那里立即变成僵尸也就罢了，最坏的结果是有一定的潜伏期，这就麻烦了。感染有可能会在这座都市和沿途的村落扩散」

“Oi oi oi oi, boss. You should have told us about this danger beforehand, right?”

「喂喂喂喂、老大。这种危险应该提前说明吧」

“And if I told you, who would have taken the job? Also, a death would have proven whether or not the city was safe. In any case, I’m not going to lose a moment of sleep if you end up dying because you couldn’t follow instructions.”

「说了这些还有谁接这个工作？而且如果有人送命了的话就能够确认是否安全了。反正不按照我的指示行动而送了命的话，我是一丁点儿罪恶感也没有的」

The man’s gaze grew keen.

男人的眼神犀利了起来。

“So we’re canaries, then…”

「金丝雀吗……」

Suzuki Satoru smiled coldly, but did not reply.

铃木悟冷笑着没有对此作出回答。

“Then let me ask you again. Did you go in?”

「那么让我再问一次，你进去了吗？」

“We didn’t. I stick to my agreements… and I swear that I’ll continue keeping my word in future.”

「没有。我是那种遵守委托人约定的人……我发誓以后也会遵守约定」

The man’s reply came instantly. After seeing his lack of hesitation of unease, Suzuki Satoru was certain that he was not lying.”

男人立即回答道，看到这种没有任何犹豫和不安的反应，铃木悟基本认定了他没有在说谎。

“Well, what a shame -- ah, I meant that you missed out of a chance to make a big sum -- that is, the chance to gather an entire city’s wealth.”

「那还真是遗憾——啊、我的意思是你们错失了发一笔大财的——将一整座都市的财宝都收入囊中的机会」

The man furrowed his brows, as though on purpose.”

男人像是故意的一般皱起眉。

“You pay well -- but you’re a terrible boss.”

「你出的价钱是不错——但作为委托人真是糟糕透了啊」

“Am I? If I really were a terribly boss, wouldn’t I have urged you to enter the city? I’d have baited you with the lure of some rare item, no?”

「是吗？如果真是最糟糕的委托人的话，应该会怂恿你们进入都市的吧。并以那里藏有什么稀有道具为诱饵」

The man appeared to have accepted those words.

男人似乎也接受了这种说法。

Just then, the waiter brought the wine over.

话说到这、店员把酒端了过来。

The man took a mouthful of it and then loudly exhaled a breath of alcohol-laden air.

男人喝了一口酒。哈的一声呼出一大口酒气。

“Well, thanks for the job. We’ll take the payment as arranged, then.”

「这次的活儿谢谢啦。那么就按约好的报酬付款吧」

Suzuki Satoru dumped a small pouch on the table. Then, he placed a large bag on the table, which clinked.

铃木悟把一个小口袋丢到桌子上。然后又把一个大口袋放到桌子上，发出咕咚一声。

The man opened the smaller pouch, checked that there were four large gemstones inside, and then closed it back up.

男人打开小口袋，确认了里面四颗大宝石之后，把袋子合了起来。

Since gold coins were too heavy, big transactions were typically made with gemstones and the like. Some countries used gemstones to make a type of extremely high-value currency called gem coins, or they made coins of mithril or adamantite, or “gold plaques” which had value beyond their weight, but this country did not do those.

因为金币太过于沉重，所以高价格的交易都用宝石之类的东西支付。有的国家会用宝石制作一种叫做宝币的超高额货币，或者用秘银或精钢制成货币，还有制作成板状拥有重量以上的价值的“金板”之类的东西，但是这个国家没有。

“And… this is?”

「那么……这是？」

The man had already opened up the bag and checked the gold coins inside. It was a large sum.

男人已经打开了一边的袋口，确认了里面的金币。这是一大笔钱。

“The two bags together are the payment for the job. Take it.”

「两袋加起来才是委托的金额、收下吧」

“Then you could have just used gems for both bags. It’s hard to carry this stuff home when you’re drunk.”

「两袋都用宝石不就好了嘛。喝醉了之后提着这种东西走路太麻烦了啊」

“Sorry about that, but please make do. This money isn’t quite enough for a gemstone.” Suzuki Satoru then muttered to himself, “Finances are pretty tight on my end too…”

「不好意思你就将就一下吧。这些钱要买成宝石还不太够」铃木悟小声嘀咕道「我这边预算也不是很宽裕啊」

Perhaps there was no point in such a fabrication, but it was worth trying. It would be fine as long as it could delay the man just a little.”

这种诓骗可能没什么意义，但是有一试的价值。只要能稍微拖住男人一下就好。

“Then we’ll go to the appraiser’s together. The gems’ value--”

「那么就一起去鉴定士那里吧。宝石的价值——」

“--Ah, you don’t need to do that. Don’t be mistaken, but I trust you, you know? After all, it’s the third time you’ve hired us, and you’ve never once welched on the payment or tried to haggle the price too much. If I doubted you even then, it’d be pretty shameless of me.”

「——啊、这就不劳烦你了。别看这样、我可是很信任你的哦？这已经是第三次雇我们了吧，报酬也从没有赖过账，也没有讲过价扯过皮。即便这样还单方面怀疑你的话，可就有点恬不知耻了啊」

“No, it doesn’t matter even if you don’t believe me. We need to make sure there are no problems between us in order to avoid trouble.”

「不，即使你不相信也没有关系。能明确地弄清彼此之间都没有出问题才不会有麻烦」

After Suzuki Satoru said so, the man exploded into laughter.

铃木悟这么说后，男人发出爆笑。

He laughed for a while, and then the man addressed Satoru, the afterglow of his mirth still on his face.

笑了一阵子，脸上仍留有余韵的男人对悟说道。

“You’re the one who doesn’t trust us, right? Well, it can’t be helped. Haha! Then let me come clean. I didn’t go with you earlier because this is a classier place and I don’t get the chance to come here often, so I wanted you to buy me a few more drinks.”

「你才是还没相信我们吗？嘛、这也是没办法啦。哈哈！那么就让我说些实话吧。之所以不和你一起去是因为这里是稍微比较高档的店，没法那么简单的跑来喝，所以还想要让你多请几杯呢」

I see… in other words, he wants me to foot the bill. Well, that’s fine...

（原来如此……也就是说得我来掏腰包咯。嘛、也没关系啦……）

“Well, that’s it, then. I’ll be heading back first.”

「嘛、就那样吧。那我就先回去了」

Suzuki Satoru rose from his seat. The man raised his glass and watched him leave.

铃木悟从位子上站起来，男人举起杯子，目送他离开。

“Please continue taking care of us.”

「今后也请继续关照喔」

But will there be a next time? With that thought in mind, Suzuki Satoru smiled in a very meaningful way.

还会有下次吗。心里这么想着，铃木悟意味深长地翘起了嘴角。

Employing the same pathfinders might arouse suspicion, so he was no longer willing to hire this man’s team again. That was why he had paid him in gold.

太经常雇用一样的佣兵探索者的话说不定会招人怀疑，所以已经没有意愿再雇用这个男人的队伍了。正因为如此才用金币付给这个男人。

Paying in gems would have been simple enough, but he had not done this because he wanted to take the gold that he had stolen from “Corpus of the Abyss” to him.

用宝石来支付全部的报酬很简单，之所以不这么做的原因是想要把“深渊之躯”那里抢来的金币交给他。

He remembered that certain divination spells could determine the location of marked items. The higher the tier of the spell, the more accurately they could track that position. However, he could not place such a mark after entering this world, unless they were distinctly different from other mass-produced items.

一部份情报系魔法可以在记忆中──调查加上了标签的道具所在。越是高阶就越能知道正确的位置。但是到这个世界后无法加上标签，除非和其他的量产品有着明确的不同点。

For instance, if he wanted to trace an ingot, it would need to be clearly distinct from other ingots -- so little things like leaving an obvious scratch or some other mark on it would be important.

比方说要追踪铸块的话，就要有和其他的铸块明确的不同──记住自己留下清楚的伤痕之类的小技巧是必要的。

However, if the spell used was not of such a high tier, then once it was placed in a sealed container or some other place -- like his inventory, for instance -- it would be unfindable. Even high-tier spells would not be able to detect it through the appropriate magical defenses.

但是、使用不是那么高阶的魔法的情况下，要是放进密封起来的容器或地方──道具箱之类的话，就会找不到了。就算是高阶的魔法，只要施加适当的魔法防御也会变得感知不到。

That said, after considering the danger of retaining anything which carried even the faint possibility of allowing others to track his position, Suzuki Satoru had decided to distribute these coins all over. He had kept this a secret from Keno.

虽说如此、考虑到将有些微可能感知到己方位置的东西留在手边的危险性，铃木悟将夺来的交易金币四处分散。对琪诺是保密的。

Naturally, while he had dominated the members of “Corpus of the Abyss”, he had asked them several times if items could be used as trackers. However, none of them had heard of anyone doing such a thing. That said, if even Suzuki Satoru could think of a trap like that, who was to say that the undead members of “Corpus of the Abyss” could not do the same?

当然在把「深渊之躯」的成员置于支配下之际，有追问过几次有没有把道具弄成可以追踪，不过谁也没说有人在做这样的事。但是就连铃木悟都能办到的陷阱，谁能保证所属于“深渊之躯”的不死者其中一员没有设置呢？

What I can do, others can do too… who knows, there might be a being out there who can control me with undead domination.

（自己能做到的事，别人也办得到……说不定也有能用不死者支配来支配我的存在）

Both he and Keno were fitted out with equipment that improved their resistances to undead domination, but that was by no means a guarantee of protection. Even Suzuki Satoru, who had supremely specialized necromancer, could not claim that. Moreover, Suzuki Satoru’s knowledge was rooted in YGGDRASIL.

琪诺和自己都装备了提高对不死者支配的反抗力的道具。但是那并不能保证绝对能够保护下来。即使是将死灵系钻研至极致的铃木悟也不行。然而、铃木悟的知识不过只是基于YGGDRASIL的。

It was true that most of his YGGDRASIL knowledge had been proven correct over the last five years, which had also been a great help to Suzuki Satoru. But it was also true that certain things -- like how [Wish Upon A Star] functioned -- had been changed. In that case, it might be possible that there was a way out there to dominate a level 100 undead being.

确实这五年间、YGGDRASIL的知识在相当程度上都是正确的，也帮了铃木悟不少忙。但是像<向星星许愿>[Wish Upon a Star]一样有一部分遭到改变也是事实。既然如此、说不定也会有能支配百级不死者的方法。

Carelessness was the province of fools.

愚者才会疏忽大意。

Suzuki Satoru would not be bothered even if “Corpus of the Abyss” captured that man for questioning.

就算“深渊之躯”抓住那个男人将情报问出来，铃木悟也不会有任何困扰。

That man did not know Suzuki Satoru’s true face and most of the things he had told him were lies. Anything they could learn from him would only end up protecting Suzuki Satoru instead.

这个男人对铃木悟的真面目什么也不知道，给予他的情报多数也都是欺骗性的。从这个男人夺取情报，反而是保护了铃木悟。

Even learning what Suzuki Satoru had employed him for would not be a problem. If the members of “Corpus of the Abyss” tried to use that in their schemes, it would play into Suzuki Satoru’s hands instead. After all, he might end up learning more from them when he attacked them as a result of this.

就算知道了铃木悟委托的内容也没什么问题。“深渊之躯”的成员要是想用这个来谋划些什么，反倒正如铃木悟所愿。毕竟袭击他们时所得到的情报，也有可能会因此而增加。

...But nothing’s happened to them until now. I paid them twice already… ah well, I won’t lose anything even if my efforts were in vain.But the situation I’m in now… is it money-l*undering?

（……但目前为止，这些家伙都没事呢。明明都已经付过两次钱了……嘛、就算是徒劳一场也没什么损失。是怎么说来着、这种状况。洗【】钱？）

As he thought absentmindedly about all this, Suzuki Satoru paid the barkeep three times the value of what the man had drink so far.

一边心不在焉的想着这些，铃木悟将男人到现在喝的金额的三倍的钱付给了酒保。

There was no telling how much more he would drink, but since he had already given him so much, he could pay for the rest out of his own pocket if it still was not enough. With that thought in mind, Suzuki Satoru left the bar.

虽然不知道男人之后还会喝多少。不过都已经给了这么多，要是不够的话就自己付吧，这么想着铃木悟离开了店。

The man -- Bez Ku Broven (Bez, son of Broven, of the Ku tribe) had drunk quite a lot, and he could feel the alcohol circulating inside him. Still, it was not enough to make him unsteady on his feet. It was still alright if it only slowed this thinking. Being a mercenary who had made his fair share of enemies, Bez would not show anyone any weaknesses.

男人──库族普罗温之子贝兹[贝兹‧库‧普罗温]喝了不少，感受到酒精在自己的体内循环。虽然如此、也没有到无法好好走路、思考变得迟钝的地步还算安全。作为佣兵招了不少怨的贝兹是不会做出露出弱点的事的。

While there were times when he had actually gotten drunk to bait the enemy out, he had friends with him then. And today, there were no friends with him.

虽然有为了引诱出敌人而真的醉了的时候，但是那种时候会有同伴跟着。而今天他并没有让同伴们跟来。

While I wanted to have them follow the client… actually doing that would be stupid.

（虽然是想让他们去跟踪那个委托人……不过真要那么做了就是笨蛋了啊）

His mecenary’s instinct told him that doing so would be treading on a Dragon’s tail.

身为佣兵的直觉正对他诉说着、这是在踩龙尾巴的行为。

Bez waved the waiter over.

贝兹朝店员挥手。

“Bill please.”

「麻烦结账」

He had a pouch in an inside pocket and bag that was so full that it was hard to walk around with it. Compared to what his client had given him, his expenses here were nothing much.

怀中有一个小袋子和一个装得满满地很难带着走的袋子。对那个委托人给的钱来说，这里的消费不是什么大金额。

“No, there’ no need for that.”

「不、没有结账的必要」

As he heard what the waiter said after walking over, Bez laughed merrily.

听到走过来的店员的话，贝兹眉开眼笑道。

“Oh, sorry about that.”

「喔、那还真是抱歉呐」

He had just been kidding back then, but it would seem his client was not in any financial trouble, judging from the way he could pay for Bez without even buying himself a drink.

原本只是打算开个玩笑，不过那个委托人自己一杯都没喝却替贝兹的份的都付了的样子。果然那个委托人在金钱方面没有任何困扰。

While he would very much like to have toasted the client in thanks, the glass before him was empty and he was not in the mood to ask for more.

虽然很想为亲切的委托人干杯感谢，不过面前的杯子已经空的，现在也没有心情多叫一杯了。

Then let’s go, he thought. It was only when he got to his feet that he realised the waiter had not yet moved away from in front of him.

那么就走吧、从沙发站起来的时候注意到店员没有从自己身前离开的事。

For some reason, a dangerous look began creeping into his eyes just as the waiter began speaking.

想不到理由、他眼中开始闪现危险的眼神和店员开口几乎是同一时刻。

“Dear customer. May I know who that guest just now was?”

「客人。请问刚才的那位客人到底是何方神圣？」

“Hm?”

「嗯？」

Bez’s brows knotted in displeasure. To think he was actually asking for personal information about a customer -- how the hell was this place training its people?

贝兹不悦地皱起脸来。居然打听客人的个人情报，店里到底是怎么教育的。

Perhaps he would not have minded the question if this was some hole in the wall tavern in the city. But this place was different. There ought to have been a respect for their customer’s privacy which matched the amounts changing hands here. There must be a guild of some strength backing this place up, probably. One needed a certain degree of power to chase away the riffraff. Perhaps they might have ties to illegal organizations, in order to easily deal with rude customers.

如果这里是城边的小酒馆，就算被抛来这种问题也不会太在意吧。但是这里不同，应该要和支付的金额相应地尊重客人的隐私才对。恐怕后盾是有一定力量的工会在吧。驱赶低级的客人需要一定程度的力量，说不定和非法的组织也有联系。为了能轻而易举地应对无礼的客人。

“I’m terribly sorry. That customer was dressed in exquisite clothing, so I was wondering what manner of person he must be. I was very interested. In it.”

「实在非常抱歉。刚才那位客人身穿的衣服做工实在出色，所以才会对到底是身处何等高位的大人，感到很有兴趣」

The waiter had said all that despite Bez not saying anything. In other words they were saying, “we’ll give you information too, so please reveal something to us”.

明明没有问却说了这些话。也就是说、我方也会给出情报的，所以请透露点什么吧、的意思。

“Ah, his clothes, ah--”

「啊─、是怎样的衣服啊、那个」

“THe tailoring, the needlework, the material, it’s all excellent. He would probably be one of the best-dressed customers we’ve had here so far -- the very best, in fact. In truth, I have no idea what those clothes are even made of.”

「剪裁、针脚、材质，不管哪个都很出色。即使在迄今光临敝店的客人中也是顶级──绝对的顶级吧。老实说、首先就连服装的材质是什么都不清楚」

If even the employees of this establishment did not know, then it must be something amazing.

如果这家店的店员都说不知道的话，那可能真的是相当不得了的东西。

While this was the first time Bez had come here, he had heard that this place was patronized by the the highest circle of citizens. Perhaps tribal chiefs -- on the level of kings -- might come here.

虽然贝兹是第一次来这里，但也听说过这里是被称为超上级市民的人所使用的店。说不定相当于哪个国家的王的种族长也会来这里。

Oi oi oi, what kind of amazing outfit was that… but honestly, where did that guy come from?

（喂喂喂、到底是穿了多厉害的衣服过来的啊……说真的那个人到底是什么来头？）

So he’s more amazing than a tribal chief? He wanted to ask that, but that might be taken for agreeing to a trade of information. Bez had no intention of going any further, and so he shrugged.

比种族长还要厉害吗？虽然很想这么问，但说不定会被人认为是接受了情报交易。没打算更进一步进行情报交换的贝兹耸了耸肩。

“I heard he’s a trader.” That sounds incredibly fake, Bez thought, but he had said it anyway. “So I guess it’s made of fabric from a distant land. Who knows, it might just be ordinary stuff over there.”

「说是商人来着」听起来超假，虽然贝兹是这么想的，但事实上他就是这么说的「所以是用远方的布料做的东西，在那边的国家可能只是一般材质也说不定」

“Surely you jest. If it really was cheap stuff, as you say, then he must have traded with very advanced nations… definitely not a country in the region.”

「您可真爱开玩笑。若真是那样的便宜货、那就只可能是和相当先进的国家在做交易了吧……这一带的国家是不可能的」

“Doesn’t that mean he must have come from a really faraway place, then?”

「那样的话不就是从很远的地方来的吗」

Though he said that, it was true that Bez was very interested in his client.

尽管贝兹嘴上这么说，但心里却对委托人产生强烈兴趣。

Bez felt that saying he was a trader was not too far from the truth. That was because he could not sense a hint of violence from his client -- he felt like a ordinary person.

说是商人虽不中亦不远矣，贝兹曾这么觉得。这是因为从那个委托人身上闻不到一丝暴力的味道──只感到与一般人一样。

When he had hired them for the first time, one of Bez’s friends, a beast warrior, had snorted and concluded that he was an easily beatable opponent. But the second round, he had started having his doubts.

第二回被雇用的时候，贝兹同伴中的兽战士哼了一声，判断那是能够简单战胜的对手。但就在第二回的时候，突然感到了疑问。

For starters, the contents of this mission were quite strange, when one sat down and thought about it. It was like he was sending them in because he knew there would be something to find. Moreover, what would their client gain from learning about this?

首先、冷静想想这个委托内容很奇怪。彷佛就像是知道有什么才让前去调查的不是吗？然后调查这个对于委托人来说到底有什么利益。

It was as though he had been deliberately leaking information just now.

刚刚也似乎是刻意地泄漏情报的样子。

It felt like he was taking precautions to keep Bez from looking further into the matter, but also like he was deceiving him. If it was the former, it would allay the suspicions in his heart, but the dread in his heart would not go away if it were the latter.

那感觉就像是为了不让贝兹有更进一步的兴趣，而事先做好的预防，也感觉像是欺骗的样子。只是、前者的话就能回答心中的疑问，但后者的话心中的疙瘩就仍然没有解消。

However--

不过──

“I’m sorry. A client like that who pays without grumbling and who even foots the bill for my drinks is the best client I can hope for. There’s nothing I can tell you.”

「抱歉啦。不管怎样都是我们的委托人，而且不发一句牢骚照说好的付钱，也会请喝酒的钱，是最棒的委托人。没有能和你们说的话」

--There was no need to go treading on the Dragon’s tail.

──果然没有去踩龙尾巴的必要。

The wealth of a city -- no, three cities -- was enough to make him drool. But if that man was backed by a country, then it would be bad if he bore a grudge.

都市一座、不、三座份的财宝是让人垂涎三尺。但如果那个男人的背后有国家撑腰的话，被记恨就麻烦了。

Taking the treasure and fleeing to another country would be one thing, but the matter was not as simple as that. Sometimes, hatred could draw out unimaginable power. Bez did not want to spend the rest of his life being hired by elite assassins hired by some country.

夺走财宝后全力逃往他国就好，问题可没有那么简单。有时怨恨会发挥出想不到的力量。贝兹可不想过上被国家雇用的优秀暗杀者追杀的人生。

As long as the other guy did not betray him, Bez would not betray him either. That was Bez’s secret of happiness.

只要对方不背叛的话，我方也不会背叛。这就是贝兹幸福的诀窍。

“Is that so? Then I apologize.”

「是这样吗？这还真是失礼了」

The waiter brought out a bag loaded with a lot of money. What is this, Bez asked with his eyes, and then the waiter replied:

店员拿了装了不少钱的小袋子出来。这是什么、以眼神提问后店员开口回答。

“The drinks are on the house, so I am returning the payment to you. Please come again, and please thank your client on our behalf.”

「这次的饭钱就当作敝店请客。所以这笔钱就退还给您。今后也请多多光顾，还请您也向那位委托人打声招呼」

This was probably an apology from the bar for prying about a customer, or was this hush money?

这是店里对于打探来客身份的赔罪，又或是封口费吧。

For a moment, Bez wanted to refuse it. But he decided that it would be a bad move, and it would sow the seeds of ill-will between him and this bar.

一瞬间、贝兹还想说就不收了吧。但是他判断这是一招坏棋，毕竟这样和店里的关系会留下祸根。

While he did not think it would be immediately life-threatening, that would depend on how the bar thought of that client. If he wanted to maintain ties with that client, then something might happen to Bez before he could tell the client unnecessary things.

虽然不觉得会立刻成为性命之争，但那就要看店方是怎么评价那位委托人的了。若是想和那位委托人保持来往的话，在贝兹向委托人说些多余的话之前会想要做点什么也说不定。

In order to prevent himself from being silence, he ought to take it.

为了避免祸及自身的封口，这里应该要收下。

In that case, I’d better not ask about the matter.

（那样的话就不要想着打探情报啊）

Bez snatched the purse away, somewhat annoyed.

有点不爽的贝兹粗暴地拿走了皮袋。

“I’ll be back.”

「还会再来的」

It would not hurt to be polite.

说些好听的话也没什么损失的。

“We’ll be waiting.”

「就拜托您了」

After hearing the waiter speak from behind him, Bez stepped outside.

听着背后店员的声音，贝兹走出了店门。

Along the way, he opened the pouch the store attendant had given him and saw a valuable-looking gem among the gold coins. His employer had probably not given this to the store to pay for the drinks, so it would seem best to treat it as hush money.

归途中、打开店员给的皮袋一看，一颗看起来很昂贵的宝石混在了金币之中。这个怎么说也不应该是委托人当成酒钱交给店里的，所以应该将其理解成封口费吧。

Bez did not have the keen senses of a Ranger or a thief, but he had senses of his own that had been honed after many battles. He deployed those senses fully and took a roundabout route back to his own inn to check if he was being followed.

贝兹没有游击兵[Ranger]和盗贼[Thief]所有的敏锐感觉，但在经历过多次的战斗中锻炼出了独自的感觉。他将那些感觉全力发动，沿途注意有没有被跟踪并绕了远路回到旅馆。

Part of the inn’s first floor was a cafeteria, and his friends were drinking in a corner.

旅馆的一楼部分是一般的食堂，同伴们正聚集在一个角落里饮酒。

“Yo.”

「唷」

He knew from a glance at the label of the winebottle that this was better than the usual stuff -- it was the best stuff that the inn had. Of course, it was nothing compared to the bar where Bez had just been drinking.

看到红酒的牌子就知道是比平常好的──这个旅馆中的话是最高级的好东西。当然和贝兹刚刚喝的店里比起来根本不算什么。

“Welcome back -- looks like things ended uneventfully. You look happy, you smell of liquor, and you’re back late.”

「欢迎回来──没发生什么问题就结束的样子呢。表情很开朗，有酒味，回来的很晚」

The man who said this was around 120cm tall. He was not a child, but a proper adult. He belonged to the humanoid race known as Hill Dwarves. While they were relatives of the Dwarves, they had an affinity for the ranger profession and keen senses of direction.

身高约一百二十公分左右的男人这么说道。他并不是小孩，而是堂堂的大人。属于被称为山丘矮人[Hill Dwarf]的人类种。虽然是矮人[Dwarf]的近亲种族，但和他们不同，在种族上游击兵[Ranger]之类的职业适性较高，拥有优秀的方向感。

“After all, you’d have come back sooner if something had happened.”

「毕竟要是出了什么事的话，就会更早回来了嘛」

The speaker was a man whose spear was leaning against the wall. He had the head of a serpent and his entire body was covered in scales. He was a Snakeman, a demihuman race.

将枪靠在墙壁上，大口吞着下酒用生肉的男人说道。拥有毒蛇般的头部，全身长满了鳞片。他是被称为蛇身人[Snake Man]的亚人种。

“Ahhh, he paid up the amount he promised. That said, he didn’t pay extra.”

「啊啊、有好好地付了约定好的报酬。虽说如此、但也没有追加报酬啦」

“Hah, sounds like even if you did, you would have drunk it away. I don’t touch alcohol, so don’t take it out of the party funds.”

「哈、明明有拿到却变成酒钱消失的一干二净了吧。我可喝不了酒，那笔不要从团队资金里出啊」

“But you ate a whole pile of fresh meat, didn’t you? You don’t mind taking that out of the party funds, do you?”

「相对的不是吃了一堆生肉吗？从团队资金出钱也没问题吧？」

The person saying so was a humanoid make whose race was a relative of the Orcs. His muscular body made him seem twice the size of Bez. While one could call his race relatives of the Orks, they were more like superior specimens of the same, much like the way Hobgoblins and Goblins were related.

对蛇身人这么说的是和半兽人[Orc]相近人种的男人。肌肉发达的体格感觉比贝兹还要大上一圈。

可以说是半兽人的近亲种、也是上位种的野半兽人[Orks]，和大哥布林与哥布林之间的关系相似的种族。

The weapon on his waist was over two meters long and known as an odachi. He could skilfully employ it as a ronin.

腰上挂着超过两公尺长、被称为大太刀的武器。就任浪人这个职业的他能够巧妙地运用那个武器。

In addition to those three, the two others who were not present made up Bez’s companions.

加上这三名，还有不在座位上的两人总计六人就是贝兹的伙伴们。

“Right right, let’s appraise it. Bez. take out the gems.”

「好了好了。那么开始鉴定吧。贝兹、拿出宝石」

Bez handed the pouch with the gems to the Hill Dwarf. The Hill Dwarf upended its contents onto the table and began evaluating them by lamplight. He took a minute for each one before he was done. By that time, his friends had already finished counting the gold coins and informed him of the amount.

贝兹将装了宝石的袋子交给山丘矮人[Hill Dwarf]。山丘矮人[Hill Dwarf]将袋子里的东西倒在桌上，拿油灯的光照着开始鉴定。然后以一分钟一个的速度全部看完。那段时间里别的同伴也数完了金币的数量，告知了金额。

“Right. The sum’s what we agreed on. The gems might sell for more or less depending on the buyer, but that’s not our client’s fault.”

「好─啦。的确是说好的金额呢。虽然根据卖的地方多少会有点误差吧，不过那也不是委托人的错」

The Snakeman twisted his head at an angle that humans could not manage and looked at Bez. Even though he was used to looking at those eyes which betrayed no emotion, it still made Bez uncomfortable.

蛇身人[Snake Man]一边扭着头──以人类来说不可能的角度看着贝兹。即使是习惯了那双几乎看不出感情的眼睛的贝兹也感到有些不舒服。

“Now then, why would he pay so much for such a simple job? Did you learn anything after a few drinks with him?”

「那么、为什么会为这么简单的工作支付这么多的报酬？碰杯过后稍微得到点情报了吧？」

That was why they had chosen to meet in that incredibly high-end establishment.

指定那家超高级酒吧的目的就是这个。

Considering the job was just to check out a city -- even if it was infested with the undead, but only on the level of yuriniggers -- this was a ridiculously generous sum. That was what had bothered Bez about their client’s true intentions.

以只是看看都市状况这种简单的──虽然冒出来的不死者很多，但只有殭尸这种低等的不死者──委托来说，这份报酬高的离谱。正因如此、贝兹他们才对委托人真正的目的在意得不得了。

However--

然而──

“Not at all.”

「完全没有」

Bez shrugged. That was because he had concluded that it would be safer not to pry too deeply into this.

贝兹耸耸肩。这是因为判断不要深入比较安全。

“Oi oi… isn’t it possible that we might be visited by retrievers soon?”

「喂喂……那样的话不是也有回收人过来的可能性吗？」

“Beats me.” Retrievers here referred to assassins and the like. “We did our job well. Don’t you think he’d rather make use of us rather than kill us off?”

「不知道」回收人是指暗杀者之类的事「有好好干活了。是觉得比起杀掉，再多派上点用场才更好吧？」

“Well, another job would put me somewhat at ease.”

「要是有下次的委托就稍微能放心了呢」

“What a shame. I did my best to put on a show, but the client didn’t have a new job for us right away. He might be talking to his boss.”

「可─惜。虽然我有在表现了，但是委托者大人没有立刻给来新的工作。可能是要和上头谈谈吧」

After verifying the earnest look in his friends’ eyes, Bez began telling them about their conversation in the bar and his own postulations.

确认同伴的认真眼神后，贝兹开始讲起酒吧里的谈话还有自己的推测。

“Ah~ in that case, I think your conclusion’s on the mark, Bez. Or rather, I can’t think of anything else.”

「啊─、那样子啊、贝兹的判断应该没错。不如说也想不到其他的」

“Yup. He must be from some country. Ah~ is looting the treasure of three cities just a dream~”

「就是说啊─。应该是某个国家的人吧。啊─赚到三座都市份的财宝只是场梦吗─」

The Hill Dwarf agreed with the Ork’s words. Bez’s mercenary band was a group of experts, and they were confident that they would not lose out to the troops in the region. But much like Bez, they did not want to spend their lives on the run.

山丘矮人[Hill Dwarf]也同意了野半兽人[Orks]的话。贝兹的佣兵团尽是些高手，对于这一带的士兵有绝对不会输的自信。但是和贝兹一样，也没有人想要过着每天被暗杀者追杀的生活。

“So what should we do next? We’ve taken a lot of jobs here. Resentment’s starting to build up.”

「那接下来要怎样做？在这一带也接了不少活了，差不多开始招人恨了吧」

“That’s true. Maybe we should head over to Soba. I heard the Tsar of the eastern countries is recruiting talented mercenaries. Might be a good idea to head there. In any case, we should prepare to move out.”

「说的也是。或许去索巴看看不错吧。听说更东边国家的王[Sar]正在召集优秀的佣兵。去那里可能也不坏。总之先做好移动的准备比较好」

After hearing his companions voice their approval, Bez nodded.

听到同伴们认同的回答后，贝兹点了点头。

Suzuki Satoru walked a short distance after leaving the bar and then took a turn into a small alley..

离开店的铃木悟，在途中转了个弯，走进了一条小巷。

After ensuring that there was nobody in there, he cast [Perfect Unknowable.]

确认那里没有任何人后，他发动了<完全不可知化>。

He waited there for almost a minute, but nobody entered that little alley.

就那样等待了几十秒后，也没有人进入那条小道。

It would seem he could be sure that he was not being followed. According to his experiences, Suzuki Satoru knew well that there were precious few entities in this world who were powerful enough to see through spells of this tier.

似乎可以判定没有被人跟随了。根据经验、铃木悟很清楚，能够看穿这种阶位的魔法的强者，在这个世界上寥寥无几。

Suzuki Satoru cast [Fly] and then [Greater Teleportation] in that order.

铃木悟按照<飞行>、<上位转移>的顺序依次发动了魔法。

His destination was a point one kilometer above the city.

转移目的地是都市上空一千米的位置。

The clamor of the night could not reach that high. It was a place lit only by the gentle light of the moon.

夜晚的喧嚣也无法到达那里，那是一个只有月光温柔照耀着的空间。

Suzuki Satoru deftly folded his legs in mid-air and produced a map from his inventory, which he placed on his legs.

铃木悟灵巧地盘起腿坐在空中，从道具箱里取出地图，将其方在了腿上。

Now then… this place was converted to the undead as well. Which means...

（那么……这里也被不死者化了吗、也就是说）

He took out a pen and marked the cities which the mercenaries had visited.

他取出笔，在让佣兵去往的都市上画下了标记。

Keno’s eyes would have gone wide if she had seen this. The map was exquisitely drawn and depicted the countries near Keno’s homeland. It had been made by spending a great deal of the gold coins stolen from “Corpus of the Abyss”. If the intelligence personnel of the neighboring countries had seen this, they would have gladly spent money like water to obtain it.

如果琪诺看到的话一定会惊讶地睁大眼睛吧。这张地图描绘着琪诺国家近邻的各国，是一张非常精密的地图。是大量挥霍了从“深渊之躯”那里抢夺来的金币制作而成的。如果近邻各国身处要职的人物看到这个的话，即使挥金如土也会想要将其搞到手的吧。

During the five years since they had set off on their journey, Suzuki Satoru had spent a great deal of time conducting investigations, and he discovered that the yuriniggerfication had affected a very large area. While he was not sure exactly when each yuriniggerfication had taken place, analysis of the information he had collected suggested the time gap between each instance had not been very great.

在展开旅程后的五年里，铃木悟花费了大量时间进行调查，僵尸化所造成的影响相当广泛。虽然对于每一次僵尸化的准确时期还不是很清楚，但根据收集到的情报分析的话，各次之间并没有很大的时间差。

The question of who had done this and their aims remained unclear, but it looked like it was not targeted at Keno, and it was very unlikely that “Corpus of the Abyss” had done this. If “Corpus of the Abyss” had a magic caster who could trigger a phenomenon like this over such a wide area, then they would not have been picked off one by one so easily.

是什么人、为了什么目的而引发这种事态也依然不明，但看起来不是为了狙击琪诺等人，而且与“深渊之躯”这个组织有关系的可能性也非常低。如果在“深渊之躯”中有着能在如此广的范围内引发这种现象的魔法咏唱者存在的话，也不会被那么简单地一个个消灭掉吧。

The likelihood that this had not been accomplished through the personal power of the members of “Corpus of the Abyss”, but by some item obtained from somewhere was similarly very low. Therefore, it would probably best not to tell Keno that hunting “Corpus of the Abyss” had been done to procure funds and to steal the research that those undead beings had spent so much time compiling.

不是“深渊之躯”成员的个人能力，而是利用了从某处得到的道具来引发这种现象，这种可能性也相当的低。所以狩猎“深渊之躯”只是因为那是个不错的钱罐子，再有就是为了抢夺不死者花费了

大量时间调查到的研究资料，这种目的还是对琪诺保密吧。

He had kept all these things from Keno because she was simply too soft-hearted.

之所以像这样对她隐瞒了很多事情，是因为琪诺太温柔了。

Nobody else mattered to Suzuki Satoru besides himself and Keno. He simply acted with his interests as a priority. However, she would not have thought about things so simply. Therefore, doing so was also to avoid burdening her with excess guilt.

对于铃木悟来说，除了自己和琪诺以外、其余的人怎样都无所谓，只以利益作为最优先事项。但是她是不会这么简单地考虑事情的。所以这样做也是为了不让她抱有多余的罪恶感。

In that case -- which place is the most suspicious? After analyzing the information I’ve collected, the yuriniggerfication seems to be limited to this region.

（这样的话——哪里最可疑？根据收集到的情报分析的话，僵尸化的现象只波及到这一带）

Suzuki Satoru’s finger pointed to the safe cities, which had not been marked.

铃木悟的手指指着地图上没有做过任何标记的平安无事的都市。

Which means--

（也就是说——）

Suzuki Satoru’s line of sight shifted, and then stopped at a corner of the map.

铃木悟的视线开始移动，然后停在了地图的一角。

The yuriniggerfication phenomenon radiated from a certain point in the mountain range there.

以那座山脉的某一处为中心，僵尸化的位置呈放射状地扩散了开来。

There was a legend surrounding those moutnains.

那座山脉有着一个传说。

There was a fountain of wisdom somewhere in the mountains, and soaking in it would grant one wisdom. But many trials stood in the way of getting there, and it was said that nobody could come back alive from it.

在山脉的某处有一眼智慧之泉，在其中浸泡的话就能得到睿智，但在那之前有着多项试炼、据说没有人能活着回来。

However, that mountain range was also the lair for Wyverns and other powerful monsters, so it was very likely that those monsters would make any venture in there a one-way trip even before one could throw one’s life away in those trials.

不过那座山脉、也栖息着飞龙[wyvern]和龙等强大的怪物，在因为试炼丢掉性命之前，被那些怪兽袭击而有去无回的可能性也是有的。或许那本来就是试炼之一。

It might be fun to verify this legend if he had the time, but there was something he had to do before that.

如果有时间的话，去弄清楚这个传说的真相也挺有趣的，但在那之前还有该做的事。

Suzuki Satoru quietly said the name of the highest peak in that mountain range.

铃木悟小声说出了那座山脉中最高山峰的名字。

“Kaidinias, huh.”

「凯提尼亚斯、吗」

He had no proof that it was the source of the phenomenon. He had simply remembered the Brightness Dragon Lord, who had laired on the highest peak of the continent.

没有确切的证据证明这里就是现象的起因。只是想起了存在于最高山峰的七彩龙王罢了。

After all, there was a very large margin of error when considering the scale of the map, even if he was looking for the center of a radiating spread.

毕竟、就算是放射性的位置，如果考虑上比例尺的话，误差范围也是非常大的。

If it really was there, the source of the phenomenon was a magic item, and it had triggered the yuriniggerfication during transportation, then there would truly be no hope. The difficulty of finding it would be like trying to find a pearl in the desert.

假设真的是这里，如果现象发生的原因是魔法道具，是在搬运途中引发了僵尸化的现象的话，那就真的无能为力了。那样的话、难度就像是在沙漠之中找出一粒珍珠。

And even if it had been caused by someone, they would probably have run far away and hidden by then.

而且即使真的有某个人引发了这样的事件，也早就远远地躲起来了吧。

In that case, there was no way the sages of the nearby nations could not have thought of something that even Suzuki Satoru would have noticed.

这么想的话，这种——连铃木悟都能注意到的事，住在周边各国的智者们真的有可能都没注意吗。

But it was still possible.

还真有可能。

Yes, it really was possible.

对、真有可能。

It was possible that nobody had sent out investigation parties.

没有任何人派出调查队的可能性是存在的。

Suzuki Satoru had used [Greater Teleportation] to travel between the surrounding countries, spent a great deal of resources, and even hired people to conduct investigation despite the lack of immediate returns.

铃木悟使用了<高阶传送>等魔法往返于周边各国家，花费了大量的资金，即使无法立刻就获得收益，还是雇佣了人进行调查。

If anyone else had done what Suzuki Satoru had, they would have been able to reach the same conclusion. However, there was probably nobody who had done so to date. Even if there were people who wanted to take action in order to verify their information, it would have taken them longer than Suzuki Satoru to obtain information of the same standard that he possessed.

如果和铃木悟做了同样的事，应该是能够得出相同结论的，但目前应该没有会那么做的人。就算

存在着为了确认情报而采取行动的人，但想要收集到和铃木悟同等水平的情报，一定还需要更多时间的吧。

In other words, Suzuki Satoru was probably the closest to unravelling this mystery.

也就是说、铃木悟应该才是最先迫近这个谜团的人。

In that case, he might be able to find something left behind there that might work as a clue.

这样的话、在这座山上或许真的残留着能够成为线索的东西。

However, going there would also be very troublesome. That was because he could not teleport to a place he had never been to before. He could only teleport to a city he could reach and then go on foot from there. Naturally, that would waste a lot of time, and so he would have to explain various things to Keno. He had barely managed to bluff his way through until now, and when he thought about it, Suzuki Satoru’s head ached.

但是、要去那里也是很麻烦的。因为没有去过一次的地方无法使用转移魔法，只能转移到能去的都市，然后再步行过去。这样的话必然会花费很多时间，所以也要对琪诺说明各种情况吧。至今为止好不容易才蒙混了过去，一想到这一点铃木悟的头就痛了起来。

Keno had not mentioned her homeland since two years ago.

从两年前的那天起，琪诺就再没有提过自己国家的事了。

Before that, she had been searching for a way to cure the yuriniggerfication and help her people. But ever since that say -- no, several days before that, she had not brought it up again. After that, she seemed content to carry on in their adventures together.

在那之前明明一直都在寻找着治愈僵尸化和帮助人们的方法。可是、从那天开始——不、那之后的几天、就从未再提起了。那之后、她似乎就开心地置身于两人的冒险之中了。

Had she really let go of it, or had she simply buried it deep in her psyche? Suzuki Satoru could not tell which was the case. Or perhaps Keno had hidden it very well, or perhaps Suzuki Satoru was very bad at reading the hearts of others. Digging too deep into the hearts of others was not good either, which was how they had made it this far.

是真的想开了吗、还是硬生生地将其深埋起来了呢。铃木悟无法判断究竟是哪一边。或许是琪诺隐藏得很完美，也可能是因为铃木悟很不擅长解读他人的内心。而且鲁莽地探究他人的内心也不太好，才一直走到了现在。

...I guess asking would have been fine. Even so, I didn’t do anything. Was it because I didn’t want to feel the helplessness of not being able to ease the suffering of a fellow travelling companion?

（……问一下应该也没有问题。但即便如此也没有采取行动，是因为不想怀抱连共同旅程的同伴的痛苦都无法解消的无力感吗？）

For Suzuki Satoru, the only people who had accompanied him on adventures for so long were the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, and by sheer length of time, Keno had surpassed even them. Therefore he had chosen not to poke at the matter in order to let his feelings remain in a comfortable place.

对铃木悟来说、能在这么长的时间内都一直和他一起进行冒险的人也就只有“安兹·乌尔·恭”的成员了，而只考虑时间长度的话，琪诺甚至在他们之上。所以为了维持让自己的心情保持舒畅的环境，才选择了不去碰触的做法吧。

I’m really useless… but what will I do from now on?

（真是没用啊……今后又该怎么做呢？）

Collecting this information had simply been a matter of interest on his part. At the same time, it was also to find a way to ease Keno’s pain, even if just a little. However, after gathering so much information and pinpointing a suspicious location, he had started waffling instead.

收集这些情报从根本上来说单单只是因为兴趣而已。同时也是为了找出能稍微减轻琪诺痛苦的方法。不过、即使像这样收集了很多情报，搞清楚了可疑的地方之后，反而变得犹豫不决了。

He did not know if there were any merits to doing this. Quite a few demerits came to mind, however.

不清楚是否存在着有利点。不利点的话、倒是立刻就想出了好几条。

If there was someone there who had triggered this phenomenon -- a wide-ranging event which had indiscriminately brought tragedy to people -- then there was no way they could be normal. If he actually encountered that person, then surely battle would be unavoidable.

即使真的有什么人在的话，引发了这种现象——影响广范围的无差别惨剧之人，根本就不可能会是什么正常人。如果真的和对方相遇的话，战斗应该是无法避免的吧。

Was there any gain at all in opposing someone who could affect an area which even YGGDRASIL magic could not hope to reach?

能够在YGGDRASIL的魔法都无法实现的范围内产生影响，与那样的人对立真的有利可图吗。

It was not as though the yuriniggerfication would recur, and even if it happened again, it was very unlikely that it would affect Suzuki Satoru and Keno.

以后、僵尸化的现象也不会继续发生，即使真的再次出现，会对铃木悟和琪诺产生影响的可能性也非常低。

And if that change could even convert Overlords and Vampires into yuriniggers, then it would be safest to avoid dangerous people like that.

而且如果那种异变是连死之统治者和吸血鬼这种不死者都能变成僵尸的话，那样的危险人物还是不要去靠近才更安全吧。

If it was merely due to the unusual functioning of an item, then recovering it might be a good idea… I definitely want to lay my hands on an unknown World-Class Item. However, if someone had deliberately done so, what would be the aim of triggering such a phenomenon?

（如果只是道具的非正常运行引发了这种现象，将其回收倒是不错的选择……自己所不知道的世界级道具，绝对是想要拿到手的。不过如果是有人故意这样做的话，引发这种现象的目的又是什么呢？）

Perhaps he might be able to formulate a response if he knew the opposition’s aim, but right now he simply did not know enough.

如果知道对方的目的，还能稍微做出对应，但现在的未知数实在太多了。

Suzuki Satoru touched the World-Class Item in his belly.

铃木悟触摸着位于自己腹部的世界级道具。

Which is more dangerous, leaving it alone or investigating it?

（放置不管的危险性和前往调查的危险性。究竟哪边要更大呢）

If someone really was scheming in the shadows, then it would be a bad idea to give them time.

如果真的是什么人在暗中捣鬼，给予对方时间是最糟糕的选择。

If they were on the level of the Brightness Dragon Lord and he sat back to watch them grow stronger, then all he could do was run and hide.

如果是那个七彩龙王的级别、还眼睁睁地让其变得更强的话，那也就只剩下逃跑和藏匿一途了。

It seems the Dragon Lords harbor hostility to YGGDRASIL players… if someone like that keeps getting stronger,I won’t be able to handle them by myself, right? I came out even with the Brightness Dragon Lord -- no, it was only a draw because I ran away… well, if that’s his limit, I’ll be able to beat him next time.

（龙王这种存在对YGGDRASIL的玩家似乎抱有着敌意……那种家伙继续变强的话，我一个人是

无法对付的吧？和七彩龙王也是双方平手——不、因为逃走了才勉强算是平手……嘛、如果那就是那家伙的极限的话，下次就能赢了吧）

He was not being a sore loser or being stubborn.

这并不是不服输或嘴硬。

Both hiding his trump cards and letting his opponent beat on him was all in preparation for the next battle.

无论是隐藏起自己的手牌，还是单方面承受对方的攻击，全都是为了下一次战斗而做的准备。

Suzuki Satoru had always done this when PVPing in YGGDRASIL. Due to the rule of victory going to the one who won two matches out of three, losing the first battle was not a problem. That did not change, even in his first life-or-death struggle in this world.

铃木悟在YGGDRASIL里PVP的时候一直都是这样做的。因为三战二胜为最终胜者的规则，就算初战落败也没有关系。即使要面对在这个世界最初的死斗，这点也是不会变的。

The advantage of this fighting style remained, even when fighting under extreme circumstances like not knowing if he could resurrect after death.

即使是在不知道死后是否能复活的这种极限状况下进行的战斗，这种战法的优势依然存在。

The strategy for certain victory that his former friend had taught him had not changed, even now.

曾经的伙伴教给自己的必胜战法，即使是现在也没有改变。

--No.

——不。

It was precisely because he was battling under such a dire situation that he should place even more faith in his old friends.

正因为是在极限状况下的战斗——才更应该信任曾经的伙伴。

That said, Suzuki Satoru did not want to fight an enemy of that level again. It was best to avoid danger.

话虽这么说、但铃木悟也并非想再次和那个级别的敌人战斗。危险这种东西还是越少越好。

The smart way of doing things was only to fight battles he was confident of winning and choosing to flee if he would lose.

只打有把握之战，会输的战斗则选择逃避，这才是聪明的做法。

Suzuki Satoru looked at the world.

铃木悟看着这个世界。

Brilliant points of light remained, even as the world at night was cloaked in silence.

夜晚的世界尽管被寂静笼罩、却依旧闪耀着耀眼的光辉。

Perhaps his old friends might have said, “I want to protect this beautiful world!” or something like that. However, no such feeling overflowed in Suzuki Satoru’s heart.

如果是曾经的伙伴，大概会说出「我要守护这个美丽的世界」这种话吧。但铃木悟的心中，却没有涌出这样的心情。

However.

不过。

“This really pisses me off,” he muttered to himself.

「真让人、不爽啊」

小声地嘟囔道。

Indeed.

没错。

Right now, Suzuki Satoru was very pissed off.