Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, all I could do was to look at the kids and reply. "I am."
我不知道该哭还是该笑，我所能做的就是看着孩子们回答。“是的。”
And then, I heard the warning message next.
然后，我又听到了警告信息。
[Warning! You have come in contact with some of <Kim Dok-Ja Company>'s members!] [Chaos residing somewhere deep inside you have begun wiggling.]
警告！你已经接触了金道子公司的一些成员!][你内心深处的某个地方已经开始混乱了]
*
[Judge, 'King of Stone Monkeys', has revealed his displeasure!] [The contest this time doesn't have anything interesting to watch.]
[“石猴王”评委透露了他的不满!][这次的比赛没有什么有趣的东西可看。]
A young monkey covered entirely in a coat of rather beautiful golden fur roughly scratched his mane and, while looking at the screens displayed on holographic panels, yawned over and over again.
一只小猴子全身披着一件相当漂亮的金色毛皮，它看着全息显示屏一遍又一遍地打着呵欠。
Another monkey wearing a cowboy get-up watched that from the sidelines before making a retort.
另一只穿着牛仔装束的猴子在旁边看着这一切，然后反驳道。
[Judge, 'Manager of Heaven's Stables', is chastising the 'King of Stone Monkeys'.] [Meihouwang (Handsome Monkey King), you truly are an impatient one. If you took your time perusing, then you'd have found one or two interesting stories by now.] [Hng, Bimawen (Keeper of Heavenly Horses), so was it your lofty patience that allowed you to clean up horse shit for over two weeks straight?] [….I'd like to talk about only the refined matters in this place, if we could.] [I can already tell what you're going to do with my eyes closed. I mean, you'll just slap high scores to any story that doesn't feature stables in it, anyway.] [But, don't you also lose your mind in excitement whenever a story features Mountain of Flowers and Fruit?] [Oiii, Great Sage! What do you think? Have you found something interesting to watch yet?]
[法官，‘天堂马厩的经理’，正在惩罚‘石猴王’。]美猴王，你真是个没耐心的家伙。如果你花点时间仔细阅读，那么你现在应该已经发现了一两个有趣的故事[Hng，Bimawen(天马看守)，所以是你的崇高的耐心，让你清理马粪超过两个星期连续?]如果可以的话，我只想谈谈这个地方精致的东西我已经知道你闭着我的眼睛要干什么了。我的意思是，不管怎样，只要故事里没有马厩，你就会给它打高分(但是，每当一个故事以《花果山》为特色时，你不也会兴奋得忘乎所以吗?)大圣！你觉得怎么样？你找到有趣的东西看了吗?]
That question was directed to a certain pure-blonde haired man yawning loudly with his chin supported by the Ruyi Bang. He lazily opened his lips. [This year doesn't seem to have anything fresh, that's for sure.]
这个问题被问到一个金发纯净的男人，他大声地打着哈欠，下巴由如意帮扶着。他懒洋洋地张开嘴。(今年似乎没有什么新鲜的东西，这是肯定的。)
[Thought so.]
[我也这么想]
[We had quite a few people running around with wild imaginations in the past, hadn't we? Like, how we were portrayed as members of a battle-maniac species that grew stronger by overcoming deadly hurdles….] [Hmm, yeah. That was really fun back in the day. But I didn't like the way they portrayed us as humans.]
过去我们有不少人满脑子都是胡思乱想，不是吗？比如，我们被描绘成一个战斗狂物种的成员，通过克服致命的障碍而变得更加强大......][嗯，是的。那时候真的很有趣。但是我不喜欢他们把我们描绘成人类的方式
Bimawen's words elicited a smirk from the Great Sage. [Oi, looky here. You guys might be monkeys, but I'm almost human, you know?] [….But you changed only because of that Fable's influence, didn't you?]
比马文的话引得大圣得意地一笑。喂，看这里。你们可能是猴子，但我几乎是人类，你知道吗?][...但是你的改变仅仅是因为那个寓言的影响，不是吗?]
Meihouwang, Bimawen, and the Great Sage.
梅后王、比马文与大圣。
They were different Fable Bodies of the one that enjoyed the true name of 'Sun Wukong'. At first, they were all one being, but after each of the Fables developed separately, the various personalities split apart from one another as well.
它们是享有“孙悟空”真正名字的人的不同寓言体。起初，他们都是一体的，但是在每一个寓言故事分开发展之后，各种各样的人格也分开了。
[This kid, Fei Hu's rate of growth is no joke…. At this rate, we might have ourselves a brand new 'Sun Wukong'.] [Yeaaah, sure. Something that hasn't happened in the last few thousand years will suddenly happen now. Sure thing.]
(这孩子，费虎的成长速度可不是闹着玩的.....。照这个速度，我们可能会有一个全新的“孙悟空”是的，当然。过去几千年没有发生的事情现在会突然发生。当然可以
Three separate Sun Wukongs had gathered inside this large judge's office to take a gander at the various Fables of the 'Journey to the West Remake' being played out on the holographic panels. Some of them were boring, while a few seemed to be promising enough. They even pressed the 'Like' button on a couple of unfamiliar but interesting ones, too. They also didn't forget to assign scores as the three of them constantly bickered among themselves.
三个独立的孙悟空聚集在这个大法官的办公室里，看着全息显示屏上正在上演的《西游记》的各种寓言。他们中的一些人很无聊，而一些人看起来很有前途。他们甚至还在一些不太熟悉但很有趣的网站上点击了“喜欢”按钮。他们也没有忘记分数，因为他们三个经常争吵。
Meihouwang asked. [Hey, Great Sage. I forgot to ask you. What happened to those guys the last time?]
美厚王问。[嘿，大智者。我忘了问你。上次那些家伙怎么了?]
[Which guys?]
(哪些人?)
[You know, back when you asked us for help so Bimawen and I lent you our powers.] [Ahh, you mean the 'Great War of Saints and Demons'? It worked out alright. But their representative went missing.]
[你知道，当你向我们寻求帮助时，比马文和我把我们的力量借给了你。]啊，你是说“圣魔大战”？结果还不错。但是他们的代表失踪了
That prompted a retort from Bimawen. [Are you talking about that fool whom you kept chasing after but never chose you as his sponsor?] [….Hey, I never chased him around, got that? I only responded once or twice at his ardent pleas, that's all.] [Oh, but for that once or twice, I remember you willingly sacrificing some of your scant hair, though?] [Shut up.] The Great Sage roughly dug his ear with the Ruyi Bang and changed the topic. [By the way, why hasn't Douzhanshengfo (Victorious Fighting Buddha) arrived yet? All the Sun Wukongs have gathered in one place, so how come he's missing from this occasion?]
这引起了Bimawen的反驳。[你是在说那个你一直在追求却从未选择你做担保人的傻瓜吗?]嘿，我从来没有追过他，明白吗？我只对他热情的恳求作了一两次回应，仅此而已(哦，不过有那么一两次，我记得你是愿意牺牲一些稀少的头发的。)闭嘴大圣用如意棒挖耳朵，换了个话题。顺便问一下，为什么斗胜佛还没有到呢？所有的孙悟空都聚集在一个地方，为什么这次他不见了?]
[You know that nerd's always late.]
你知道那个书呆子总是迟到
[What about Bajie and Wujing?]
[八戒和吴京怎么样?]
[They went to speak to the Heavenly Palace people.] [….That Jade Emperor dude, is he thinking of butting in during the judging again?] [As long as our opinions don't clash, it doesn't matter if that side wishes to interfere.] [But, our opinions have never matched before, so there's our problem.]
他们去向天宫的人们讲话[......那个玉皇大帝，他是不是又想在评审的时候插一脚?][只要我们的意见不冲突，那一方是否想干涉也没关系。](但是，我们的视角从来没有一致过，所以这就是我们的问题。)
As if they were waiting for this very moment, the door to the judge's office was pushed open, and Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing made their entrance.
法官办公室的门被推开，朱八杰和沙五经仿佛在等待这一刻的到来。
[Excuse me, hyung-nims. The higher-ups say that it's about time we announce this year's best candidates….] [Shut it. Can't you see we're still busy?]
对不起，亨尼姆。高层说是时候宣布今年的最佳候选人了......[闭嘴。你没看到我们还在忙吗
Both Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing flinched from Meihouwang's threatening voice and took hurried steps back.
在Meihouwang的威胁声中，朱八姐和沙五经都退缩了，匆匆向后退了几步。
The Great Sage asked them. [By the way, who's the lady behind you?] [Ah, apologies for the late introduction. She's this year's new judge. I heard that she's also Sakyamuni's successor.]
大圣问他们。[顺便问一下，你后面那位女士是谁?]啊，很抱歉这么晚才介绍你。她是今年的新评委。我听说她也是释迦牟尼的继承人
[….Sakyamuni had a successor?]
[...释迦牟尼有继承人?]
Someone entered the office in a calm, composed gait.
有人以平静、镇静的步态走进办公室。
However, the moment the Great Sage saw the woman wearing a fine, elegant Buddhist robe and a slender crown, his eyes trembled from shock.
然而，当大圣看到这个女人穿着一件精致典雅的佛袍，头戴一顶纤细的皇冠时，他的眼睛震颤了起来。
Bimawen sensed that and asked him. [Someone you know?]
比马文感觉到了，就问他。(你认识他吗?)
The Great Sage didn't reply and simply stared at her face for a while. The woman didn't reciprocate that gaze, instead choosing to cross the table and head towards the panel displaying the Fables.
大圣没有回答，只是盯着她的脸看了一会儿。女人没有回应这种凝视，而是选择穿过桌子，朝着展示寓言的面板走去。
Bimawen used his chin to point and speak. [This is actually good news. It might not be a bad idea to hear the newbie's opinion. Hey, Miss Sakyamuni's successor, which Fable takes your fancy?]
比马文用下巴指指点点说话。这实际上是个好消息。听听新手的意见也许不是个坏主意。嘿，释迦牟尼小姐的继任者，你喜欢哪个寓言?]
The woman's robe, busy swaying about, came to a stop in a certain spot.
那个女人的长袍忙着摇摆，在某个地方停了下来。
Sakyamuni's successor stared at a certain story with a pair of still eyes. Her hand slowly reached out and touched the display, causing ripples to spread out like the emotions of longing itself.
释迦牟尼的继任者用一双平静的眼睛盯着某个故事。她的手慢慢地伸出来，触摸着屏幕，激起一阵阵涟漪，就像渴望的情绪一样蔓延开来。
[I seem to like this Fable the most.]
我似乎最喜欢这个寓言
*
⸢Y ou kn ew al re ady Kim Dok Ja.⸥ [The 4th Wall] was right. In a way, you could say that I knew something like this would happen. I kind of suspected that the folks in this Fable chamber might be the <Kim Dok-Ja Company>'s members.
你知道今天的KimDokJa。(第四道墙)是对的。在某种程度上，你可以说我知道这样的事情会发生。我有点怀疑这个寓言室里的人可能是金道子公司的成员。
[The agreement with the Wenny King is in danger!]
[与温尼王的协议有危险!]
And also, I thought that it'd give rise to such a result, too. Even then, I couldn't not make this choice.
而且，我认为它也会产生这样的结果。即使那样，我也不能不做出这样的选择。
You've been warned not to get in contact with them.
我们警告过你不要和他们联系。
[999] sitting on my shoulder whispered to me. Just by meeting the kids, a change was already taking place within my Incarnation body.
坐在我的肩膀上轻声对我说。仅仅因为见到了孩子们，我的化身身体就已经发生了变化。
[The transformation to the Outer God is accelerating due to the risk to the agreement condition.] 'I haven't gone against the agreement itself. Technically speaking, the content of the deal was to [never reveal my identity to Kim Dok-Ja Company], wasn't it?'
[由于协议条件的风险，向外神的转化正在加速。]”“我并没有违背协议本身。从技术上讲，这笔交易的内容是(永远不向金道子公司透露我的身份)，不是吗
The moment they find out, everything will be over.
一旦他们发现了，一切就都结束了。
'I know that already, so stop worrying.'
我已经知道了，所以别担心了
[Outer God transformation progress percentage: 3%]
[外神转化进度百分比:3%]
Most likely, I'd end up as an Outer God like the 'Secretive Plotter' when that percentage maxes out. I was thinking that honestly, it shouldn't matter as long as I fulfil our agreement before that. For now, I was happy to see the kids walking in front of me in such great harmony.
最有可能的是，当这个百分比达到最大时，我会变成一个外神，就像“秘密阴谋者”一样。我在想，老实说，只要我在那之前履行了我们的协议，这就不重要了。现在，我很高兴看到孩子们如此和谐地走在我的前面。
[A small number of audience members complain that Sanzang can't be two people.]
[一小部分观众抱怨三藏不可能是两个人。]
While listening to the messages streaming in, I continued to walk behind the kids leading in the front. I heard that children grow remarkably fast every day; that statement really hit home, after realising that they indeed had grown so much taller already.
听着信息如潮水般涌来，我继续走在前面领队的孩子们后面。我听说孩子们每天都长得非常快;在意识到他们确实已经长高了这么多之后，这句话真的打动了我。
Now that I thought about it, it sure had been a while since I spent some time with them like this.
现在我想起来了，很久没有像这样和他们在一起了。
I had no idea what either Yi Gil-Yeong or Shin Yu-Seung were thinking about most of the time. It was what the Scenario Master had said. I 'saved' them on my whim, and abandoned them behind with no thoughts of taking any responsibility.
我不知道李吉英和申玉升大部分时间在想什么。这正是情景主持人所说的。我一时兴起“保存”了它们，然后抛弃了它们，没有想过要承担任何责任。
Just like how it was like for me in the past, these two kids had been left alone and neglected by me.
就像我过去的生活一样，这两个孩子被我一个人丢下，被我忽视了。
"Oii, Demon King of Salvation."
“奥伊，救世魔王。”
"Yes?"
“什么事?”
….So, this was more or less the punishment that I deserve.
所以这或多或少是我应得的惩罚。
Shin Yu-Seung watching on from the side spoke up. "You shouldn't be so rude to someone you don't know."
旁边的ShinYu-Seung看着，大声说道:“你不应该对不认识的人这么粗鲁。”
"But, Su-Yeong noona said I should act like this, you know?"
“但是，素妍诺娜说我应该这样做，你知道吗?”
"Even then, you should still stick to basic etiquette."
“即便如此，你也应该坚持基本的礼仪。”
As expected of my Incarnation.
不出所料，我的道成肉身。
She studied me with pitying eyes, before whispering to Yi Gil-Yeong via [Nebula Chat]. Of course, since I was also a member of the same Nebula, I could hear her words just fine.
她用怜悯的眼神看着我，然后通过[星云聊天]对YiGil-Yeong耳语。当然，因为我也是同一个星云的成员，我能很好地听到她的话。
This way, he'll trust us more, you dummy. What will you do if he decides to wreak havoc later?
这样，他就会更信任我们，你这个笨蛋。如果他以后决定搞破坏，你会怎么做？
I felt goosebumps break out on my skin.
我感到浑身起鸡皮疙瘩。
….You're actually scared of him? Look at his current state, will ya?
你真的怕他?看看他现在的样子？
For sure, I didn't buy the [Great Sage, Heaven's Equal Avatar Set] sold by <Emperor> so my current attire consisted of nothing more than the 500-year old "standard" ragged clothing.
可以肯定的是，我没有买皇帝卖给我的那套“大圣天上平等的化身套装”，所以我现在的服装只不过是500年前的“标准”破旧衣服。
Shin Yu-Seung patted the dirt away on my clothes and politely greeted me. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Constellation-nim. We'll be in your care."
申玉升拍拍我衣服上的泥土，礼貌地向我打招呼。”很高兴认识你，Constellation-nim。我们将由你照顾。”
"I'll be in yours as well. Ah, also. How should I call you both?"
“我也会在你的生活中。啊，还有。我该怎么称呼你们两个呢?”
Yi Gil-Yeong replied as if he was waiting for that. "I'm the monk Xuan (玄). And she's the monk Zang (奘). Call us that from now on."
李吉英的回答就好像他在等待那一天。“我是玄和尚。她就是那个臧和尚。从现在开始这样称呼我们。”
His voice was full of mischievousness as if he was playing a game.
他的声音充满了恶作剧的意味，好像在玩游戏。
So, then. Yi Gil-Yeong was the monk 'Xuan', while Shin Yu-Seung was the monk 'Zang', was it? To think, they'd split the name of the monk Xuanzang and give it to the kids. It was indeed a rather adorable idea.
那就这样吧。一吉英是玄和尚，申玉升是藏和尚，对吗？想想看，他们会把玄奘法师的名字分给孩子们。这确实是一个相当可爱的想法。
[A portion of audience members think that the two monks are quite adorable.] [Portion of judges find the setting of 'Two Monks' interesting.]
(一部分观众认为这两个和尚很可爱。)[部分评委觉得《两个和尚》的背景很有意思]
[4 points have been acquired.]
[已获得4分]
Yi Gil-Yeong, still drunk on all these new settings, continued to yap about himself. Meanwhile, Shin Yu-Seung whispered in my ear. "I'm sure you're a little bit confused by all these strange set-ups, yes? I'm really sorry. Our Scenario Master is a bit of an eccentric, so…."
易吉英仍然沉醉于这些新的场景，继续谈论着自己。与此同时，申玉升在我耳边低语。“我敢肯定你对这些奇怪的安排感到有点困惑，是吗？我真的很抱歉。我们的剧本大师有点古怪，所以......”
"No, it's fine."
“不，没关系。”
I could guess who the Scenario Master was already. Well, there could ever be only one person capable of coming up with such an out-there story in <Kim Dok-Ja Company>, after all.
我可以猜到谁已经是情景大师了。毕竟，在金道子公司，只有一个人有能力编出这样一个离奇的故事。
"Still, you don't have to worry about anything. We'll definitely look after you well. All you have to do is to ride the bus well and just quietly follow us."
“不过，你不必担心任何事情。我们一定会好好照顾你的。你所要做的就是好好地乘坐公共汽车，然后静静地跟着我们。”
Tears almost broke out from my eyes after being subjected to all this friendly treatment. It would've hardly been enough for me to console the kids first, yet they were worried about me, instead?
