第七章 大地上的半球
Amidst a hazy expanse of gray fog, a giant hemisphere was suspended ahead, like a slowly rotating ancient dome.
朦胧灰雾弥漫之地，一道巨型半球悬浮前方，如同一个缓缓转动的古物穹顶。
Inside this massive spherical creation, as if it blocked the edge of the world, roads weaved between intricate buildings, and corridors paved with vintage tiles were lined with all sorts of artistic old mechanical devices.
这仿若堵塞世界边缘的巨大球形造物内部，道路交织于错综复杂的建筑之间，复古瓷砖铺就的长廊两旁是各式各样充满艺术气息的旧式机械装置。
{What is that?}
{那是怎么回事。}
Inside an old room, a faint exchange of thoughts took place rapidly in the darkness.
一间古老房间内，黑暗中微弱的心念声快速交流。
{The forbidden Kinesis Field has continued to evolve over time. Is a collapse of that revered one’s [Rank] underway?}
{禁止的念境场时间继续演化了，这是那位的[格位]在崩塌？}
{That cannot be. It hasn’t been many years. You must be seeing things.}
{不可能，这才多少年，你看花眼了。}
Screens in the darkness, displaying various wavebands and data, began to tremble, then went black, as if merging with the darkness itself.
黑暗中显示着各种波段与数据的屏幕开始颤抖，然后黑屏，如同成为黑暗的一部分。
But soon, a blurred silhouette, like a snowy signal, flickered to life on the screens.
但随即屏幕上亮起了个模糊的雪花信号般的身影轮廓。
Monte, dressed in leather and sporting a rugged look, entered the room. He raised his stubbly chin, fixing his gaze on the ancient screen hidden in the shadows.
身穿皮服作硬汉打扮的蒙西走入这房间，抬起充满胡渣的下巴盯向隐藏于暗影中的古老荧幕。
“A higher-rank being has invaded this Saint’s Lost-Frequency Kinesis Field.”
“是有高格位者入侵这位圣者的失频念力场了。”
These screens seemed to have existed for untold years.
这些屏幕不知存在了多少岁月。
Whether the Lost Illusion Company brought them into being, or they gave rise to the Lost Illusion Company remained uncertain. Regardless, the objects in the room had stubbornly clung to a strange, enduring life throughout the long passage of time.
不知是因有遗失幻境公司的存在，才有了它们；还是因为有它们，才诞生了遗失幻境公司。不论如何，房间中的东西自漫长岁月以来都始终顽强地延续着怪异的生命。
A screen displayed an ancient eye-like symbol drawn in simple lines.
一个屏幕内张开线条勾勒的古拙眼眸符号。
{Within the Kinesis Field, there are no living beings. How can you be so certain? Or have the dead entered it?}
{念力场里面没有活着的生命，你如何确认的？难道是死人进去了吗？}
“Correct. There’s no living mental waveform inside, yet the world evolved by the Kinesis Field continues to sustain its vitality.”
“对，里面没有活人的精神波段，却能让念力场所演化的世界继续维持活力。”
{I lost my comedic streak long ago. Don’t crack jokes with me. How could such a thing happen?}
{我的搞笑细胞早就丢失了，你不要给我讲笑话。那种事情怎么会发生。}
“I am not Montgomery. I don’t have a penchant for dry humor like he does.”
“我不是蒙东，我不会像他一样讲冷笑话。”
{So what you mean is…}
{你的意思是…}
Monte said, “Which is why that higher-rank being is not a life form.”
蒙西道：“所以那个高格位者不是生命体。”
Monte turned his head to look at the adjacent room and walked over to it.
蒙西转头看向隔壁房间，他走了过去。
“Who is Montong?”
{蒙东是谁。}
An ancient screen asked.
一个古老屏幕问道。
“Made it up. Your bad joke cell really has been lost.”
{编的。你的冷笑话细胞果然丢失了。}
……
……
Montai’s body passed directly through the dim glass wall as if transparent, appearing in the lively office.
蒙西的身体如透明般直接穿过了昏暗的玻璃墙体，出现在热闹的办公室内。
Here, various mechanical sounds clattered, like a busy monitoring workstation. A grid of glowing miniature screens displayed data fluctuations, with whispered discussions buzzing everywhere.
这里各种机械声音嗒嗒作响，就像个繁忙的监听工作站，一格格辉光小屏幕显示着数据波动，到处是嗡嗡议论声。
“Montai Officer.”
“蒙西干事。”
A staff member clad in a uniform reminiscent of the industrial era stood up.
穿着类似工业时期常见制服的工作人员起身。
“Fortunately, you arrived in time; otherwise, we were already planning to report to the Administrator.”
“还好您及时赶来了，否则我们已经打算上报管事了。”
Montai gave a hum and said, “Though rare, it’s likely that some ‘Ancient Gold’ grade information crystal has resonated at the same frequency as the psychic field. There’s a high probability it’s man-made. If not, oh well, it’s almost as if a comet hitting the Earth and wiping out the dinosaurs is unfolding right before our eyes.”
蒙西嗯了声，“虽然很难见到，但应该是某个‘古老黄金’级别的信息结晶与念力场发生了同频。很大概率是人为的，如果不是人为，呵呵，那基本相当于彗星撞地球砸死恐龙的事件正在我们面前上演了。”
“As expected of Montai Officer, you saw through what’s happening at a glance. I just wonder which entity is behind this.”
“不愧是蒙西干事，一眼就看出来发生了什么。就是不知道是哪位存在在干这种事情。”
“Don’t think about it, don’t speculate.” Montai shot a glare at the speaker. “Careful not to mentally sync with something bad.”
“不要想，不要揣摩。”蒙西瞪了说话的那人一眼，“小心跟不好的东西进行精神同频。”
The person stuck out their tongue in reply.
这人吐了吐舌头。
“—Class A alert lifted; it’s not a premature collapse of the psychic field.”
——“A级警报解除，不是念力场提前崩塌。”
Montai turned to look at the glass wall of the room he had just entered.
蒙西转头看了眼方才进入的屋子玻璃墙。
Aside from faint flickering background noise, the ancient room’s screen showed only the eerie figure, with no other reference data available. Pointing across the glass wall, Montai said, “Who was the last person to sync with the off-resonance field of the Saint ‘Asna’?”
古老房间内的屏幕上除了闪缩的细微背噪，就只有那诡异的人影，其他可参考的数据都没有。蒙西指着玻璃墙对面：“最近与圣者‘阿斯纳’的失频力场同频的人是谁？”
Everyone immediately busied themselves. The person in charge of this out-of-sync mental field quickly retrieved the file and handed it to him.
众人立即忙碌起来。负责这道失念念力场的人很快调出了档案递给了他。
“Yang Zicang…”
“杨子藏…”
He looked at the paper in his hands.
他看着手中的纸张。
— Yang Zicang, male, with a model count of 1+3, the five elements dominated by wind attribute, highly aligned with the first layer of the lunar realm and the frequency of the Chronos Temple.
——杨子藏，男，模型条数为1+3，五行为风属性为主导，契合月界第一层，高度契合时序神殿频率。
He glanced through it and snorted, “He’s after the communication upgrade artifact.”
他翻看了下，哼哼了声，“打升频道具的主意。”
One person tore off another person’s profile that had just come from the typewriter and also handed it to Officer Montai.
一人撕下刚从打字机上出来的另一人的人物资料，也递给了蒙西干事。
“This person has also entered.”
“这个人也进入过。”
“Got it. Register Yang Zicang as a low-level employee of the company. I want to personally monitor him entering the mental field and see what’s inside. If something has been implanted that could bring disastrous information that damages the out-of-sync mental power, I want to gain control early.”
“知道了，把杨子藏录入公司成为低级雇员吧。我要亲自盯着他进去念力场，看看里面有什么，如果埋入了什么会对失频念力造成破坏的灾难性的信息，好早点控制住。”
“After all, this concerns such an out-of-sync thought of a Saint’s. Should this person’s information be reported to the Fate Track?” one person asked.
“毕竟关系到那种圣者的失频心念，这家伙的资料需要上报给命运轨迹吗？”一人问。
Montai was about to speak when a faint ring of light suddenly lit up on his chest.
蒙西正待说话，忽地他胸前亮起一抹微弱的环形光芒。
[Councilor 41 communicating with me.]
[41号议员与我沟通。]
{Leave him be.}
{不用管他。}
Upon hearing this Councilor’s voice, Montai, who had taken the files, breathed a sigh of relief.
听到这位议员的声音，接过文件的蒙西松了口气。
“It’s fine. Just wait and see. As long as the mental field doesn’t collapse, it’s okay.”
“没事了，静观其变就好。只要不是念力场崩塌就行。”
“Should we still recruit Yang Zicang? After all, he’s suspect.”
“那杨子藏还要招录吗？毕竟他有疑点。”
“Yeah, just follow the procedures.”
“嗯，走流程吧。”
Montai relaxed and placed the paper containing Yang Zicang’s profile down on the desktop.
蒙西变得轻松的将杨子藏的资料纸张按在桌面上。
“Just want a channel-upgrading tool, nothing major. If you can pass, then come in. Xiaoqian, are you free tonight?”
“想要个升频道具而已，不算什么。过得了就进来吧。小倩，今晚有空吗？”
“Sorry, Officer, I already made plans with Xiaotian.”
“抱歉，干事大人，我约了小天了。”
“What a heartbreaking way to address me.”
“真是令人伤心的称呼。”
“Mengxi left, and this order was quickly transmitted to another department. However, since they weren’t essential invitees, they didn’t need to take the initiative to appear in the Out-of-Frequency Zone.”
蒙西离去，这份命令很快传导至另一个部门。不过因为不是必须邀请的人，他们不需要主动出现在失频之地上。
“In an unnoticed corner, the trend line of Yang Zicang’s fortune on the small screen—which hadn’t been switched off after the previous chart—began to rise slightly again after its downward trough.”
而在无人注意的角落，小屏幕上还未切换掉的属于杨子藏的运势曲线图，往下的波峰也随即开始重新上升了一点。
……
……
“Within this sphere-shaped building, a few minutes ago in a nearby area, Zorro stepped out of a room.”
这球形建筑内，在附近某个区域，几分钟前，佐罗从一间房屋中走出。
“Zorro looked around and saw the office area cleverly divided into multiple tiers and a maze of corridors. Without guidance, turning carelessly here would lead to getting lost.”
佐罗放眼看去，办公区域被巧妙地分割成多个层级和迷宫般的走廊。如果没有引导，在这里随便一个拐弯就会迷失。
“A girl in her twenties, with fair skin and delicate features, passed by the doorway and looked at him as she spoke:”
一位皮肤白皙、面容精致的二十来岁女孩从门前路过，看向他道：
“Zorro, have you used up all your work hours for today? Want to go to the Literature Department with me to relax?”
“佐罗，今天的工作时间已经消耗完了？要不要跟我去文献部散散心？”
“Nothing would please me more.”
“求之不得。”
“Along the way, they saw some people hurrying toward a certain passageway. Zorro stopped under a brass sculpture and looked toward the majestic and dignified large door at the other end of the corridor.”
路上他们见到些急匆匆的人往某个通道而去。佐罗停下脚步，站在个黄铜雕塑下看向通道另一端庄严肃穆的雄壮大门。
“It seems something happened over there,” Zorro said.
“那边好像发生了什么。”佐罗道。
“I’ve never seen such a tense atmosphere before. I suspect there might be an issue with some kind of mental field.”
“还从未见过这样紧张的气氛，恐怕有什么念力场出问题了。”
“Oh? What are they monitoring inside that room?”
“哦？那间屋子里面监测的是什么？”
“The woman looked reverently at the imposing door:”
女人崇敬地看向那扇威武大门：
“Over there, the monitoring equipment is capturing the lingering mental wavebands of powerful beings from this world that have yet to dissipate after their sacrifice.”
“那边监听的都是这个世界的强大存在们牺牲之后还未消散的念力波段。”
“This…”
“这…”
“Although the strong have passed away, their proud and magnificent spiritual energy can still endure for a long time, guiding our growth from the void and providing us with training experiences to handle various crises. This is their final tribute. Thus, we call them the Sages or the Wise.”
“虽然强者都已死去，但它们那骄傲而伟大的精神能量依旧能存在较长时间，于虚无处指导着我们的成长，为我们提供应对各种危机的训练经验。这是它们最后的奉献了。所以，我们称它们为圣者或贤人。”
Zorro silently pressed his palms together in the direction of that place, closing his eyes respectfully for a few seconds before opening them again.
佐罗默默对着那个方向合掌，恭敬地闭眼了几秒才再次睁开。
The woman turned her head to look at Zorro and said gently:
女人扭头看向佐罗，温和道：
“Let’s go to the archives. Later, I will teach you how to select suitable items from the old world for those ‘world echoes that can be synchronized’.”
“我们走吧，去文献库，后面我教你如何为那些‘能够被同步的世界残影’，挑选合适的旧世界物品放进去。”
“Sure, thank you, senior.”
“嗯，谢谢前辈。”
“Hee hee, calling me that makes me sound old, you know? I’ve only been chosen to enter the Lost Illusion for a year now.”
“嘻嘻，你这样可把女孩子叫老了哦，我也才被选中进入遗失幻境一年而已。”
“Wow, in just one year you’ve become this beautiful—your spiritual rank must have advanced very quickly.”
“哇，一年时间你就能这么漂亮，精神等级肯定提升得很快咯。”
……
……
When they arrived at the “Historical Documentation Department,” towering bookshelves extended all the way to the ceiling.
行至“历史文献部”，高耸的书架直通天花板。
The archives were vast in area, adorned with technological elements from different eras alongside vintage furniture, as well as carvings, paintings, and works of art.
文献库的面积很大，它里面装饰着不同年代的科技元素与复古风格家具，以及雕花与画卷、艺术品。
These were all testimonies of history, harmoniously placed together without any sense of incongruity, much like an ancient library and museum combined.
这些都是历史的见证，和谐地被放置在一起，没有任何突兀之处，犹如古老的图书馆兼博物馆。
“I suggest starting here. These are books and records about the composition of plants and minerals in the lands of the former continent, though there are no place names—those are forbidden. I’ve already finished reading these, so I’ll head over to that area—you take your time here. If you need anything, you can borrow them.”
“我建议从这里看起，这里面是关于曾经大陆上一些植物与矿物成分的书籍与记录，不过没有地名，那是被禁止的。这儿我已经早看完了，我去那边区域，你先看着。如果有需要，你可以借阅。”
Zorro glanced over the countless bookshelves. “Thanks.”
佐罗扫了眼无数的书架：“谢谢。”
After the girl left, Zorro let out a soft sigh and reached up to touch the bookshelf beside him. It was lined with yellowed books, ancient scrolls, and precious film reels. Beyond, the quiet figures of distant travelers paused beneath various shelves, or rode ladders to consult volumes.
等女孩离开后。佐罗轻轻呼出口气，抬手抚摸身旁的书架。它们上面摆满了泛黄的书籍、古老的卷轴以及珍贵的胶片。远处安静的行人身影在不同的书架下驻足，或乘梯查阅。
[I am urgently searching for that ancient bookshelf mentioned in the “superfluous memories.”]
[我迫切地在寻找“多余记忆”中所指的那处古老书架。]
The voice of thought suddenly sounded unbidden.
心念声突然不由自主响起。
[I wonder if I can find its traces today. Dozens of task acceptors have contributed their fame to bring me here…]
[不知道我今日能否找到它的身影，十数位任务接受者们为我贡献着名气，才让我走到这里…]
Perhaps it was the excitement of a long-concealed goal finally within reach.
或许是因为长久隐耐的目标近在眼前而激动。
[And I don’t want that field to be forever hidden from the common people.]
[我也不想让那种力场永久的不为普罗大众所知晓。]
[Perhaps I can find it right away.]
[或许我可以立即找到它。]
“Shut up!”
“住嘴！”
Zorro had to forcefully restrain the murmuring in his mind.
佐罗赶紧按捺住心中的自言自语。
Moments later, he whispered tenderly within himself…
几秒后，内心轻轻地道…
[But I know too: this cannot be rushed.]
[可是我也知道，这是急不来的。]