I received the book and stood around in a daze, but somehow managed to ask the butler in the end. “When was it that her majesty gave you this book, again?”
我接过书，茫然地站在那里，但最后还是设法问了管家。“陛下什么时候又把这本书送给您的?”
“It was 40 years ago when she gave me the first manuscript. And for the next ten years, she consistently gave me more manuscripts. All I did was to bind them into a single book, your highness.”
“40年前，她给了我第一份手稿。在接下来的十年里，她不断地给我更多的手稿。我只是把它们装订成了一本书，殿下。”
“Have you read its contents?”
“你读过它的内容了吗?”
“I swear on my life, I’ve not read a single line, your highness. Let me emphasize it again that I only merely organised them and bound them, sir.”
“我以我的生命发誓，我没有读过一行字，殿下。请允许我再次强调，我只是把它们组织起来并捆绑起来，先生。”
I quickly opened the book and was greeted by the clean, well-organised table of contents.
我迅速打开书，迎接我的是干净整洁的目录。
‘…..’
’
Episode 13. Counterattacking Princes
第十三集:反击王子
Episode 14. One Prince and I
第十四集王子与我
Episode 15. Three Methods
第十五集三种方法
…..
.....
I frantically leafed through the pages. Although the collected book itself was rather thick, I didn’t have too much trouble reading it, thanks to the special effect of my attribute.
我疯狂地翻阅着书页。虽然收集的书本身相当厚，但由于我的特质的特殊效果，我读起来没有太多困难。
Someone here was still unhappy about my reading speed, however.
然而，这里还是有人对我的阅读速度感到不满。
“You’re reading it way too quickly.”
“你读得太快了。”
“It’s you who’s slow, ‘older brother’.”
“反应迟钝的是你，‘哥哥’。”
“What does it say?”
“上面写了什么?”
I didn’t reply right away.
我没有马上回复。
As I flipped through the pages, this vague listlessness washed over me. Each page was thick with the fatigue of the passing time and the sense of desperation, an urgency. I couldn’t be sure whether that was Han Su-Yeong’s intention or not.
当我翻阅书页时，这种模糊的无精打采冲刷着我。每一页都充满了时间流逝的疲劳和绝望的感觉，以及一种紧迫感。我不知道这是不是韩素英的本意。
But, I was sure that she had foreseen the moment of me reading her book arriving in the future.
但是，我确信她已经预见到我读她的书的那一刻即将到来。
I stopped reading the page I was on and went straight to the very last portion of the book. That was where the <Author’s Afterwords> were.
我停止阅读正在阅读的那一页，直接进入书的最后一部分。这就是作者的后记。
⸢Seriously now. There are always those folks who go straight to the author’s afterwords when first reading a book.⸥
现在说真的，总有些人在第一次读一本书的时候就直接去看作者的后记
The words greeted me as if they were waiting for my arrival. Even though I knew that couldn’t be the case, I almost broke out into an unconscious chuckle, nonetheless.
这些话向我致意，好像在等待我的到来。尽管我知道这不可能，但我还是几乎无意识地咯咯笑了起来。
⸢By the time you’re reading this book, I….⸥
当你读这本书的时候，我.....
I steeled my heart and read the next line of the text.
我冷静下来，读了下一行文字。
⸢…I’d still be living a pretty good life, I guess. Hahah, were you scared?⸥
我想我的生活还是不错的。哈哈，你害怕了吗
This idiot…
这个白痴..。
⸢In any case. If my prediction is correct, then the person reading these words is Kim Dok-Ja. Prince Kim Dok-Ja, no less. What an unfortunate thing that is, not being able to spectate on that sight.⸥
无论如何。如果我的预测是正确的，那么阅读这些文字的人就是KimDok-Ja。还是金道子王子。那是多么不幸的事情啊，不能在那里观看。
Han Su-Yeong’s trademark dry sarcasm could be sensed so vividly among each and every word she wrote.
韩素妍标志性的冷嘲热讽，在她写的每一个字里都能清晰地感受到。
⸢You wanna know how I can tell? Well…. Actually, even I can’t be sure. There’s a limit to how much I can guess what would happen, you know. It’s just that, I looked at all the potential circumstances on how you might arrive here, as well as countless cliched conditions attached to it, and predicted the one with the highest odds, that’s all. Ah, of course, my prediction could be wrong, though.⸥
你想知道我怎么知道的吗？好吧。事实上，连我自己都不确定。你知道，我能猜到的事情是有限度的。只是，我看了所有你可能到达这里的潜在情况，还有无数陈词滥调的附加条件，然后预测了最有可能的情况，仅此而已。当然，我的预测可能是错误的。
These words were written in a playful manner. However, the contents being conveyed were definitely not a joke.
这些话是以一种戏谑的方式写出来的，但是所传达的内容绝对不是一个玩笑。
⸢In all honesty, I wish I was wrong, though. Me, waiting for someone for decades and decades…. You think such a thing is even possible? You crazy fool.⸥
老实说，我希望我是错的。而我，等了几十年，几十年的人..。你认为这样的事情有可能吗？你这个疯狂的傻瓜。
Han Su-Yeong’s <Author’s Afterwords> wasn’t written in one sitting, it seemed. Most likely, she began collecting records the moment she possessed someone in this world. And then, committed those records to these pages once she was finally able to write them down.
韩素英的《后记》似乎不是一口气写成的。最有可能的是，当她拥有这个世界上的某个人的时候，她就开始收集唱片了。然后，一旦她终于能够把这些记录写下来，就把它们写在这些页面上。
Her records continued on.
她的唱片还在继续。
⸢I’m sure you have figured it out, but well, I was born into that woman’s body. At first, I really thought that I had reincarnated, you know…. I almost went crazy out of boredom and frustration during the first year. If I hadn’t activated [Avatar] in my head and organised my memories, then I might have really lost my mind back then. Things got better a little bit when I hit four years old and began writing stuff. What a screwed up thing that is, me being a wordsmith and needing to write things even in moments like this. Maybe I want to be saved by writing.⸥
我相信你已经明白了，但是，我是在那个女人的身体里出生的。起初，我真的以为我转世了，你知道..。在第一年里，我几乎因为无聊和沮丧而发疯。如果我没有在脑海中激活[阿凡达]，组织我的记忆，那么我可能真的已经失去了我的头脑。当我四岁开始写东西的时候，事情好转了一点。我是一个语言大师，即使在这样的时刻也需要写东西，这是多么糟糕的事情啊。也许我想通过写作得到拯救。
I didn’t know whether to laugh or shed a tear. All I could do right now was to silently turn the page.
我不知道是该笑还是该流泪。我现在能做的就是默默地翻过这一页。
⸢At first, I thought you’d show up in three years at the latest. I mean, you did show up three years later before. But then, after three years went by, then four, and five…. (Don’t be mistaken that time flew by just because I’m writing like this, okay?) My thoughts changed. And from a certain point on, I accepted it.⸥
起初，我以为你最迟三年后会出现。我的意思是，你三年后才出现。但是，三年过去了，四年过去了，五年过去了......(不要误会，时间过得飞快，仅仅是因为我这样写，好吗?)我的想法改变了。从某种程度上来说，我接受了。
It was getting harder and harder to flip the pages.
翻页变得越来越困难。
⸢I see. Kim Dok-Ja isn’t going to show up for a while.⸥
我明白了。金道子一时半会儿不会出现
Han Su-Yeong’s handwriting seemed to be trembling just a little.
韩素英的笔迹似乎有点颤抖。
⸢That damn asshole told me to wait for him, yet he’s still not here.⸥
那个该死的混蛋让我等他，可他还是不在这儿
What could I possibly say to her?
我能对她说些什么呢？
⸢However, I guess this can’t be Kim Dok-Ja’s fault.⸥
但是，我想这不能是金道子的错
What the hell. It was as if whatever I wanted to say already was conveyed to Han Su-Yeong just as she began writing this.
管他呢。就好像我想说的话，在韩素妍开始写这个的时候，就已经传达给她了。
⸢My bad, I’m sure you don’t want to read about something like this, either. But, the thing is, it’s not easy to complain in this place, you know?⸥
我的错，我相信你也不想读这样的东西。但问题是，在这个地方抱怨并不容易，你知道吗？
Her words continued on.
她继续说着。
⸢I had no idea when I was still writing novels, but now that I’ve been living in this place, there’s just way too many cumbersome details that I haven’t thought of before. Like, the shower facility being really terrible, and there are bugs the size of my fist crawling around in my bedroom, and as for food…. Let’s not even mention that, shall we.⸥
我不知道什么时候我还在写小说，但是现在我住在这个地方，有太多繁琐的细节我以前没有想到。比如，淋浴设备真的很糟糕，我的卧室里到处都是拳头大小的虫子，至于食物..。我们还是别提那件事了，好吗。
On the sixth year….
到了第六年..。
⸢Did you know that my speech is becoming weird lately? I’m beginning to sound like some kind of a high-class lady from medieval times or something.⸥
你知道我的演讲最近变得很奇怪吗？我开始听起来像某种中世纪或什么的高级女士。
And on the seventh year…
在第七年..。
⸢Dear Sir Kim Dok-Ja, just when will you come?⸥
亲爱的金道子先生，你什么时候来
Eighth year….
第八年..。
⸢Blergh….⸥
呃..
Finally, ninth year.
终于，九年级了。
⸢This is like a bad joke, a person’s life fleeting past this quickly.⸥
这就像一个糟糕的笑话，一个人的一生转瞬即逝就这样过去了
From here onwards, the records were occasionally cut off. The sequence of time was not consistent, and I discovered parts that seemed to be added in later on every now and then.
从这里开始，记录偶尔被切断。时间的顺序并不一致，我发现有些部分似乎是后来不时添加进去的。
⸢God damn it.⸥
该死的
⸢Kim Dok-Ja, you son of a bitch.⸥ ⸢Just what the hell do you want from me, you stinking Dokkaebi bastards?⸥
金道子，你这个狗娘养的。你到底想从我这里得到什么，你们这些臭狗杂种
…
……
......
⸢The years I’ve been living in this place is now almost the same as what I spent living on Earth.⸥ ⸢….So, like, when you see me again next time, you better call me noona, got that?⸥
我在这个地方生活的岁月，现在几乎和我在地球上生活的岁月一样。所以下次你再见到我的时候最好叫我诺娜，明白吗？
Han Su-Yeong’s handwriting was changing bit by bit, with the distinct feeling of it slowly becoming something no longer hers but someone else’s.
韩素英的笔迹一点一点地变了，有一种清晰的感觉，慢慢地变成了别人的笔迹，而不再是她的。
⸢Honestly, I’m writing this because I can pretty much guess what will happen to me in the future. And also, in a way, the future of this world view, too.⸥
老实说，我写这篇文章是因为我可以很大程度上猜测未来会发生什么。在某种程度上，这也是这个世界观的未来。
Decades would prove to be a short length of time for Constellations. However, it’d not be the same for a human being.
几十年对于星座来说是一段很短的时间。然而，对于一个人来说，这是不一样的。
Han Su-Yeong had to endure yet another lifetime in this place.
韩素英不得不在这个地方再忍受一辈子。
⸢I thought that, this scenario probably isn’t in the ‘Ways of Survival’. Because, we’ve changed too much of the original storyline, right?⸥
我认为，这种情况可能不在‘生存之道’中。因为，我们改变了太多的原始故事情节，对不对？
‘We’.
我们。
You have experienced that lengthy amount of time all by yourself, yet you can still call me that….
你已经独自经历了那么长的时间，但你仍然可以这样称呼我.....。
⸢If I take the hands-off approach here, the idiot you and Yu Joong-Hyeok will probably go around doing dumb things and mess up the scenario, instead…. So.⸥
如果我在这里采取不干涉的方法，你和余重赫这个白痴可能会到处做一些愚蠢的事情，把事情搞得一团糟，而不是..。所以。
At that moment, it felt as if Han Su-Yeong was standing right in front of me. I mistakenly thought that she was here and speaking to me in her usual confident and shrewd tone of voice.
那一刻，就好像韩素英就站在我的面前。我错误地以为她在这里，用她平时那种自信而精明的语调跟我说话。
⸢Oh, my sole reader. This is the tale of a certain woman who managed to survive in the messed-up scenario.⸥
哦，我唯一的读者。这是一个关于一个女人在混乱的情况下生存下来的故事
Goosebumps began slowly rising up from the ends of my neck.
鸡皮疙瘩开始从我的脖子末端慢慢升起。
This was the recorded history of Han Su-Yeong’s life; words containing her rage, her resentment, and her longing.
这就是韩素妍生平的历史记载，包含着她的愤怒、怨恨和渴望的文字。
⸢I don’t know whether you’re a suitable guy for this ‘three methods’ or not, but at the least, I’m sure of this one thing.⸥
我不知道你是否适合这种“三种方法”，但至少，我确信这一点。
The following words were eerily similar to a certain body of text that I was familiar with.
下面的文字与我熟悉的某一段文字惊人地相似。
⸢The you reading this story will definitely make it out of here alive.⸥
如果你读了这个故事，你一定能活着离开这里
Han Su-Yeong’s afterwords came to an end there. For the longest time, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the full-stop at the end of the sentence.
韩素英的后记到此结束。有很长一段时间，我的眼睛都离不开句号。
“Ricardo.”
“里卡多。”
I looked to my side to find Yu Joong-Hyeok staring at me.
我向身边望去，发现余重赫正盯着我看。
“Did that woman possess the power to predict the future?”
“那个女人有预知未来的能力吗?”
“….Maybe.”
“也许吧。”
Now originally, the [Predictive Plagiarism] was the 1863rd-turn Han Su-Yeong’s power. The Han Su-Yeong of this turn, the one responsible for writing this book, also had acquired that power now.
现在原来，[预测剽窃]是韩素英1863年的权力。这一回的韩素妍，写这本书的人，现在也获得了这个权力。
And the result of that was this very book.
结果就是这本书。
Here was the brand-new signpost for me to follow, me who had read the ‘Ways of Survival’.
这是一个全新的路标，让我跟随，我曾经读过“生存之道”。
[The worldview is paying close attention to your conversation.] [Genre of the applicable scenario has tilted slightly towards ‘Fusion Fantasy’.]
[世界观正在密切关注你们的谈话][适用场景的类型稍微倾向于‘融合幻想’]
I flipped to the first page of the book. Now was the time to study the required information in-depth. For some reason, a line of text that I glossed over earlier caught my eyes.
我翻到书的第一页。现在是深入研究所需信息的时候了。出于某种原因，我之前忽略的一行文字吸引了我的眼球。
⸢PS: This novel is an original secondary creation related to ‘Ways of Survival’, and not created for the purpose of monetary gain.⸥
这部小说是与《生存之道》有关的原创二手作品，不是为了赚钱而创作的。
I ended up smirking just a little then.
最后我只是傻笑了一下。
⸢Episode 1. Birth of an SSS-rank Reincarnator⸥
第一集:一个sss级的转世者的诞生
I read and re-read the words that Han Su-Yeong had written with so much care.
我一遍又一遍仔细地读着韩素英写的那些话。
As if I was drunkard walking straight into another world, I voraciously ate up her words. Because that was the only courtesy I could pay to the author of this story as its reader.
仿佛我是个醉汉，径直走进了另一个世界，我贪婪地吞噬着她的话语。因为这是我对作为这个故事的读者的作者唯一的礼貌。
And it was fun, god damn it. In some passages, much more so than the ‘Ways of Survival’.
有些段落比《生存之道》更有趣。
Just how long passed by like that? I finally raised my head.
就这样过了多久?我终于抬起了头。
*
Han Su-Yeong had said this - that there were three ways of clearing this scenario.
韩素英曾经说过，有三种方法可以消除这种情况。
⸢The three clearing methods will represent each different genre.⸥
这三种清算方法将代表每一种不同的类型
The three would be, Fantasy, Romance, and Fusion Fantasy.
三个分别是:幻想，浪漫和融合幻想。
⸢The course of ‘dynastic revolution’ will fall mainly to the ‘Fantasy’ genre. If you select this route….⸥
“王朝革命”的进程将主要落在“幻想”类型上。如果你选择这条路线..
All the available route had pros and cons; if you got something, then, in turn, you’d have to lose something, as well.
所有可用的路线都有优点和缺点;如果你得到了什么，那么，反过来，你也必须失去一些东西。
However, there were certain things that would be lost regardless of which route was chosen. For instance, the first thing to be lost would be….
然而，无论选择哪条路线，都有一些东西会丢失。例如，第一件丢失的东西是..。
“P-please, spare me! Your highness!! Spare me!”
“求求你，饶了我吧!殿下!饶了我吧!”
….Yi Hyeon-Seong’s human rights.
李贤成的人权。
“Roll to your left.”
“向左转。”
“Euh-euhk, Keuh-euk!”
“呃，呃，呃，呃，呃!”
“To your right.”
“在你右边。”
“Y-your highness….!”
”殿下...!”
“I don’t remember permitting you to speak.”
“我不记得我允许你说话了。”
Like a military drill instructor, Yu Joong-Hyeok was in the middle of ‘punishing’ Yi Hyeon-Seong. As for me, I was spectating that from the side.
就像一个教育班长，YuJoong-Hyeok正在惩罚YiHyeon-Seong。至于我，我只是旁观。
“B-but, why are you making me do this?! Fourth Prince! Your highness! Please, say something to your brother!”
“可是，你为什么要我这么做?!四王子!殿下!请你对你的兄弟说点什么吧!”
“Can you recall anything now by any chance?”
“你现在还能想起什么吗?”
“Euh, euh-euh… My, my back…. I’m an old soldier, so why….”
“呃，呃，呃......我的，我的背......我是个老兵，所以为什么......”
In order to tread the route Han Su-Yeong’s [Predictive Plagiarism] had foreseen, we need to make Yi Hyeon-Seong regain his memories first. And certain memories were better remembered by one’s body, rather than one’s brain.
为了走韩素英预见的抄袭路线，我们首先要让李贤成恢复记忆。某些记忆更容易被人的身体而不是大脑记住。
⸢This might be a cruel thing for Yi Hyeon-Seong to go through, but….⸥
这对李贤成来说可能是件残忍的事，但是..
Unfortunately, we didn’t have any other choice right now.
