Well, that’s the Night of Masks over and done with, and not a moment too soon. Wasn’t Kerillian’s fault, if you can believe that. In fact, she and that silvered mask of hers never showed their faces. So I hear, she spent the whole night out by a broken waystone a couple of leagues away, mask in place and whispering to herself. One of the lads had the temerity to follow her, and came back white as a sheet. Unperforated, so he got off light.
假面之夜总算过完了，早他妈该过完了。信不信由你，这次假面之夜就没凯瑞莲什么事儿。
说起来，她和她那张银色假面压根就没在假面之夜露面。
听说那晚她人在几里格之外的一块破路标石边上，戴着她的面具跟自己叨咕了一宿。
有个小伙子胆子也是肥嘟嘟的，居然跟了过去。回来的时候也只是脸吓得跟张白纸似的，身上没被射成筛子，运气挺不错的。
Anyway, about the Night of Masks. Things were going fine right up until the point Kruber, drunk three-quarters of the way out of his skull, clambered up onto the Sigmarite Temple’s steps, proclaimed “I’m the Bloody King of Masks, ain’t I?” and promptly took it upon himself to play at matchmaker. All went a bit disorderly at that point, even before he started … well, ‘singing’ doesn’t quite fit, but it paints a picture.
还有，假面之夜那天晚上本来一切都挺顺当，直到喝得五迷三道的克鲁伯闪亮登场：这货手脚并用地爬上西格玛神庙的台阶，对着下面一声吼“老子就是他妈假面之王！谁赞成？谁反对？！”吼完就自封媒人①。
打那会儿起，场面就有点乱了，这还是在他开……呃……“唱”这个字儿不妥，那货的嗓子不配，反正你大概能脑补出那画面。
All Bardin’s idea, apparently, who in turn had it put in his head by Catrinne, who’d rather been hoping Saltzpyre might show his face down in the village so Kruber could give him an obliging nudge in her direction. All for nothing, in the end, as Kruber passed out rather quickly.
用屁股想都知道，克鲁伯整这出是让巴丁给忽悠了。
但巴丁也不会出这馊主意，一定是卡特妮妮指使巴丁干的。
而卡特妮妮的计划又是什么呢？她本来盼着萨尔茨皮雷能下村里来露个面，到时候耍酒疯的克鲁伯顺势把萨尔茨皮雷往她这边一推……
可惜大个子很快就喝断片儿了，精心的策划也全白搭了。
But it’s not all bad. Speaking of our resident pointy-eared reprobate, she seems to have given up stashing mysterious charms about the place. Or leastways, she’s hiding them better. I’ve stopped having those recurring dreams about the snakes. Been replaced by crows, for some reason, but I don’t mind that so much, even if some old hag’s cackling in the background the whole time. Sounds like a cross between my old mother and Olesya, and if that’s not a thought best left unexamined, I don’t know what is.
不过也不全是坏事。说起咱们家那位尖耳朵的祸害，她好像不再往犄角旮旯里塞那些神秘护身符了——要不就是藏得更隐蔽了。
反正最近我倒是不再反复梦见那些蛇了，只是不知道为啥，蛇又换成了乌鸦。
乌鸦本来也没什么，就是梦里一直听到个老太婆在那儿嘎嘎笑，那声音听着像我老妈跟奥蕾丝雅掺一块儿……打住，可不敢细想了。
Yeah, so poor old Catrinne’s efforts came to nothing. And it’s not as if Saltzpyre was ever going to drop by the masquerade, not with things being the way they are. I mean, a year ago, sure. He’d have been stalking between the fires, nose twitching for heresy, and hectoring all and sundry for their cavorting with unseemly foreign customs – fun enough in its own way, if you’re a sociopath. But for weeks now he’s spent every moment of spare time locked into this research project. He’s been looking paler than ever – if that’s possible – and barely eating enough to keep a mouse alive.
是啊，可怜的卡特妮妮白忙活一场。再说了，就现在这大环境，萨尔茨皮雷根本就不可能来这假面舞会。
我的意思是，这要搁一年前，他必来——他一准抽着鼻子在篝火之间四处嗅着异端的味道，逮着谁训谁，骂他们跟那些不三不四的外国习俗厮混。
我跟你讲，你要是多少带点反社会人格的话，光看这一出就挺有意思。
但这几周以来，他一有空就扎进那个研究项目里，饭都顾不上吃。好吧，他吃的那点东西，连只耗子都养不活。以至于脸色比以往更苍白了，要是他那张脸还能更苍白的话。
Reckoning enough was enough, I finally asked him if I could have a word.
我寻思他这么玩命不行啊，差不多得了，所以最后还是去找他聊了聊。
Turns out that Balthasar Gelt – Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic, and walking cautionary tale as to why one should handle black powder and fulminating chemicals with extreme caution – has taken it upon himself to create a great big bloody wall between Kislev and the Empire.
敢情是因为拜尔沙泽·盖尔特②，咱们帝国魔法学院首席大导师，那位时刻提醒人们处理黑火药和烈性药剂时为啥得万分小心的反面教材，他打算在基斯里夫和帝国之间建他妈一条宏伟、巨大的长城。
The Auric Bastion, he’s calling it. Well, I imagine someone else figured out a marketable name. Gelt’s more the sort to label it ‘Magical Wall to Contain Marauding Northlanders, Iteration Three, Variant 16f, Trial Version’, which don’t exactly roll off the tongue. It’s a remarkable feat, either way.
“金辉壁垒”③，这是他给这条长城取的名字。好吧，我猜这名字是懂营销的人替他想的。因为盖尔特那种人，只会贴标签似的取名，诸如“用于遏制劫掠成性之北方蛮族的魔法墙，第三迭代，变体16f，试用版”这种念起来就拗口的玩意。
但甭管叫啥名儿吧，事情本身就已经够牛逼了。
What makes it even more remarkable is that he’s not done it using magic alone, but faith and all. I mean, I heard rumours that he’d done something similar in Sylvania to keep the vampires locked in and out of trouble, but this is another scale entirely. Miles and miles of shimmering golden … something … sealing the invading northlanders back behind the border.
而且更牛逼的是，这东西他不光使了魔法，连信仰之力什么的都搭进去了。
我的意思是，听说他之前还在希尔瓦尼亚干过类似的事：用魔法把吸血鬼圈在里头，省得他们出来惹祸。
但这回完全是另一个量级了：延绵万里的……闪着金光……呃……挡住北佬入侵的玩意儿。
Victor was muttering about it something fierce, warning that using that much magic’s bound to turn Gelt a little funny. Or funnier, I should say. Gold Wizards are always a little odd. It’s that obsession with changing one thing into another. In my business, you work with what you’ve got and make the most of it. Victor’s also furious that the Empire’s pretty much upped and abandoned their long time allies to the north, and I can’t say I don’t agree. Reckon Olesya won’t be any happier, what with them being her people.
维克多琢磨的就是这事儿，他嘟囔着说这么大规模的使用魔法，准把盖尔特弄疯，或者说是更疯才对。
有一说一，黄金学院那帮法师确实就这尿性，非得把一样东西变成另一样东西。干我这行都是手头有啥就用啥，物尽其用就行了。
说到后面他都气得不行了，说帝国居然把北边处了多年的盟友说卖就卖了。唉，谁说不是呢。估计奥蕾丝雅也不好受，那边可是她的同胞。
By strange coincidence, it turns out this innovative idea wasn’t Gelt’s alone, but rather that of a mutual acquaintance. Would you believe she stopped by the keep a couple of days back, when the gang were out performing a bit of derring-do, and we had a good natter. She’s still the same. Dark sense of humour. Fleeting glances at my jugular, followed up by contrition. And never looking a day older, of course. Still, she sounded different. As if the world’s a bad joke she’s sick of hearing. Never thought I’d see it, if I’m honest, but it was nice to see her – even if I’m not allowed to tell anyone she was here.
说来也巧，这个点子与其说是盖尔特自己的，还不如说是我们都认识的一位熟人的。
说出来你都不信，前几天她还顺道来了趟城堡，那会儿家里这五个人正出门当英雄去了，我俩好好唠了一通。
她还是老样子，还是那股子黑色幽默，眼神还是时不时往我脖子上那根静脉瞟，瞟完又一脸愧疚。
当然了，还是一天都没见老。
不过，她说话的味儿变了。像是这世道成了个她早就听腻了的烂笑话。老实说，我没想过会看到她这副样子，可见着她终归还是高兴的，哪怕我不能跟任何人讲她来过。
But this Auric Bastion? That’s gonna be trouble before we’re done. Feels like an escalation, if you know what I mean, and that never ends well. What with the Twin-Tailed Comet being back, I guess you could say I’m not exactly hopeful for what comes next.
那金辉壁垒呢？
在尘埃落定之前，这玩意就得惹出大麻烦。
因为感觉就是在搞豪赌啊，你懂我意思吧？
这种事从来就没什么好下场。
再赶上双尾彗星又回来了……你细品，反正我是说不上有多乐观。
