帝君尘游记 Rex Incognito

帝君尘游记·一 Rex Incognito (I)

璃月的幻想小说，讲述了岩王帝君化为凡形行走人间的旧事。天下珍宝尽来的时代里，或真或假的故事与旧梦在商港汇聚。

A Liyue fantasy novel that tells the tales of Rex Lapis' incognito excursions in the mortal realm. Set in an age when the treasures of the world flocked forth, fact merges with fiction and both blend with old dreams in this charming tale set in the commercial port of Liyue.

璃月乃天下奇珍荟萃之地，有宝物，便自然有识宝的明眼人。

Liyue is a land where all kinds of rare and exotic treasures congregate, and where there are precious treasures, one is sure to also find those with a discerning eye.

「希古居」的首代店主玟瑰，便是这样的一位特立独行的藏家。

The very first owner of Xigu Antiques — the unconventional collector, Min'gui — was just such an individual.

绯云坡的古董店「希古居」时常有雅客光顾。这家字号白日闭门谢客，仅在月升时分开张。接待的绝非寻常顾客，而是眼光超群的名玩。

Xigu Antiques of Feiyun Slope was frequented by well-to-do customers. Closed during daylight hours, it only opened to customers once the moon began to rise in the night sky. The shop's customers were anything but ordinary: they were the wealthy and leisurely, people with outstanding taste.

不论是枫丹的精密钟表、须弥的熏香、蒙德旧宗室留下的酒壶，还是仙人坐过半时辰的木凳、岩王爷曾品过一口茶的玉石杯盏、邻国风神失手打破的青瓷酒瓶……皆在店中陈列妥当，只等有缘的顾客光临。

A meticulously crafted timepiece from Fontaine, incense from Sumeru, a wine goblet once owned by an aristocrat of old Mondstadt, a wooden stool whose surface was once graced by the buttocks of an adeptus for all of one hour, a delicate jade teacup from which the Lord of Geo once supped a sip of tea, a priceless celadon vase that Liyue's neighbor deity, the Anemo Archon, once accidentally knocked to the ground, shattering it to pieces... All these and more were laid out for the customers to peruse at their leisure, each item just waiting for that one person with whom it shared a certain affinity.

是夜，一位贵公子在店中偶然停驻，细细观赏着陈列架上的诸多古物。

One night, a wealthy young man who was walking by happened to pause in front of the shop, and began carefully examining the items on the shelves.

店主注意到他身穿山岩般肃穆的黑色长衫，双眼如同金珀。

The owner was struck by his long, black robes, dark and solemn as the looming mountain peaks, and by his eyes, which were the color of amber.

这位贵公子绝非凡俗之辈。玟瑰一眼便知。

This was no ordinary young man. This Min'gui could tell with one look.

「欢迎光临，客人看上了哪件古物，请尽情自行挑选。」

"Welcome to Xigu Antiques," she said. "Please peruse at your leisure, and let me know if you find something you like."

店主轻柔的声音打破了深夜寂静的氛围。

Her soft voice broke the dead silence of the night.

「嗯…哦，不好意思。」

"Ah...? Oh, I'm sorry."

贵公子笑了笑，语气略显为难。

The young man smirked, and spoke in a subtly coy manner.

「我只是对这件精巧的赝品颇感兴趣。」

"I'm just rather taken with this exquisite counterfeit."

他所注目的是一枚残缺的古老玉牌。

The item that had caught his eye was a damaged jade plaque.

月光落在图案稍完整的一面上，透出絮状玉瑕的阴影，又沿着玉牌表面沧桑纵横的沟壑流泻而下。这枚玉牌表面磨损严重、边缘残损，已经看不出其上曾勾勒了怎样的笔迹或画面。似乎它经历了一段并不安逸的时光。

The face exposed to the night sky was the one on which the pattern was slightly more intact, and as the moonlight shone down, it seeped into the intricate blemishes in the jade, revealing them, and cascaded down into the ravines produced by the crisscrossing texture on the plaque's surface. The severe wear and tear on the front and the disintegration around the perimeter made it impossible to discern the words and images that had once been written on it. By all accounts, it seemed to have lived a turbulent life.

「赝品…？何以见得？」

"Counterfeit, you say? What makes you so sure?"

玟瑰对客人的挑衅本习以为常，但如此直白的嘲讽还是让她心内恼火。

Min'gui was quite used to customers making such provocative claims. But this young man spoke so bluntly and bitingly that she could not help but feel aggravated by his accusation.

更何况这件古物曾由一个冒险家从深渊的废宫之下舍命发掘而出，当年她磨破嘴皮、几乎花费了大半家当才勉强买下。若它真是赝品，不仅资产蒙受亏损，而且「希古居」识宝的名声也要大打折扣。

Added to this was the fact that this particular item had been snagged by an adventurer from an abandoned palace deep in the heart of the abyss, who had then barely made it back out of that place alive. She recalled how she had haggled relentlessly with the adventurer to acquire the piece, and how in the end it had still cost her the better part of her fortune. If this truly was nothing more than a counterfeit, not only would it imply that she had lost an immense portion of her wealth, but it would also mean irrevocable damage to the reputation of Xigu Antiques as connoisseurs of quality.

于是，玟瑰暗自决定，不仅要打发走这位砸场子的生客，还得想办法把这枚玉牌出手卖给他才行。

Min'gui knew what she had to do: Not only must she somehow get rid of this calamitous customer who threatened to ruin her entire business, but she must also find a way to sell this jade plaque to him in the process.

「希望客人能细细评价。」

"Please, continue," she said. "I would hope that you can give a detailed appraisal."

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「众所周知，两千五百年前，提瓦特大地横遭灾异，魔神率众混战，今日凡世七国之境皆遭波及。在那时虽无七国，凡人亦有自己的聚落、城邦和国度…

"As we all know, Teyvat was plunged into chaos two and a half millennia ago when the gods declared war on each other, the ensuing conflict spreading to all people in all corners of the land. Teyvat may not have been divided into the same seven nations we know today back in that age, but then, just as now, the people had their own settlements, cities and civilizations..."

「在漫长的遗忘中失去名字的魔神，曾经也被他们的子民纪念、崇拜，甚至爱戴。因此，先民们以海滩的珠贝、深山的软玉，草间的顽石，地中的盐晶，各自塑造神的形象。

"Gods whose names have now long since been forgotten were once venerated, worshiped, even adored by their people. Our forebears took pearls and shells from the sea, jade from the mountains, rocks from the plains, and salt crystals from the earth, each to build idols in the form of their gods."

「此种玉牌就是那个时代的遗物，来自一个崇拜岩王帝君的古老部落…当然，在那时，我们的岩王爷或许还不叫岩王帝君。

"Jade plaques of this kind are relics of that era. They belonged to an ancient tribe who worshiped Rex Lapis... though, of course, the Geo Lord probably did not yet go by the name Rex Lapis at that time."

「在那个诸神在凡人头顶厮杀的时代，岩王帝君尚未为七国定立货币，创生摩拉。因此，该部落便以偶然发掘而出的金石作为中介物，以岩王肖像作为价值稳定的担保。

"This was an age when the people watched their gods clash in bitter battles before their very eyes. Rex Lapis would not establish the currency of the seven nations and cast the first Mora coins for quite some time. So the tribes traded using pieces of ore they would chance across from time to time, with idols made in the likeness of the Geo Lord to ensure price stability."

「如你所见…凡人的智慧竟如此神奇。甚至提前于岩王的安排，便为自己找到了出路。」

"As you can see... mortal wisdom is quite a fascinating thing. They were making their own way in the world even before Rex Lapis had made provisions for them to do so."

贵公子停顿一下，似乎在思忖自己刚刚的品评。

The young man paused as if to further contemplate the observation he had just made.

银白月光笼罩下来，仿佛稍稍缩小了他的身形。

He stood there, cloaked in a veil of silver moonlight, which somehow served to make him ever so slightly more diminutive in stature.

「这种玉牌存世稀少，往往埋藏在山涧之内。又因为出于凡人亲手精工雕刻，每一枚都独一无二…所以往往在市场被炒到天价，若说价值连城也绝非夸张。

"This type of jade plaque is a rare find in this day and age. Most of them are buried in riverbeds up in the mountains. And since each one is hand carved, they are all unique... That is why they typically sell for astronomical prices. To claim that they are priceless would not be an exaggeration."

「只可惜，贵店这枚是近代的仿品。年代之近，或许仅能追溯到您的父辈。

"So, it is quite a shame indeed that the one you display on your shelf is a recent counterfeit. By recent, I mean that it was probably made in your father's generation at the earliest."

「行话中所谓『无瑕不玉』，这一枚玉瑕太少，玉质太过透亮…反而不似先民时代的遗物。

"There is an industry saying: 'The jade without blemish is no jade at all.' This jade, for instance, has remarkably few imperfections, and the translucency is too good to be true... All of which points to the fact that it is unlikely to be a product of our forebears' making."

「又加之玉牌上雕刻的形象乃一女性，这种形象罕见于先民的其他遗物之中。」

"As a side point, I would also add that the image carved onto this jade is that of a woman. This is a highly unusual thing to see among similar relics from the era in question."

贵公子举起玉牌，在月光下细细打量，

The young man held the plaque up to the moonlight to inspect it in more detail.

「虽然民间流传着些许传说，但岩王帝君化为女身的说法，从未见诸任何史籍，也无实物佐证…」

"Although there are plenty of rumors to this effect, the claim that Rex Lapis once took the form of a woman is not attested to by any of the historical records, and there is no physical evidence of it ever occurring..."

这位贵公子虽然年轻，却有股老学究的气质。

Though young, the man had the air of an old and infuriating pedant about him.

「这就是客人有所不知了…」

"Ah, well this is where you're wrong..."

玟瑰微笑着，仿佛狡猾的狐狸在挑衅经验不足的猎人，

Min'gui smiled faintly, much as a fox does when toying with an inexperienced hunter.

「不知客人是否愿意赏光听我讲段故事？」

"Perhaps you'd be willing to listen to my story before making your final verdict?"

店主眯起细长的眼眸，随后将故事娓娓道来…

The shop owner narrowed her eyes and began the process of reeling out her story...

帝君尘游记·二 Rex Incognito (II)

璃月的幻想小说，讲述了岩王帝君化为凡形行走人间的旧事。在蕴玉的山峦间，有形的表象与无形的妄言恍然得以对照。

A Liyue fantasy novel that tells the tales of Rex Lapis' incognito excursions in the mortal realm. Between lofty mountain peaks where bounteous jade lies beneath, substantial ideas and empty lies are suddenly shown up side by side.

在众神尚且漫步大地的年代，今日万民敬仰的岩王帝君也是诸多神明中的一位。

Back in the age when the gods still walked upon the earth, the deity whom we now worship as Rex Lapis was but one among many.

在那个时代，坊间据传岩王爷曾是一位冷酷无私的神明。处事公正，决断无情，但却缺乏凡人应有的感情，如同永恒的磐岩一样冷硬。

In those days, the rumor among the common folk was that the Lord of Geo was a cold and unfeeling god. His conduct was just in all things, and his judgments were rational and dispassionate, but he lacked normal human sentiment. Like the rocks, he was without warmth or softness.

尽管如此，人们仍旧敬畏他，信任他。因为他的一切法度皆能保证交易的公平，生活的安全有序。而岩神同样从信仰中强化着自己的存在与力量。

Despite this, people revered and placed their faith in him all the same. This was because his laws served to guarantee that trade was fair and that life was safe and orderly. The Geo Archon grew in strength and stature because of the people's belief in him.

但即使是神，也无法左右凡人的信仰与质疑。

But even gods are powerless to control the beliefs and doubts of their mortal followers.

即使是公道的守护神，也无法将条理分明的规则钉入每个人心底。

And even a god who is the guardian of justice has no means of instilling the words of his rules and regulations into the heart of every individual.

在明蕴镇曾有一位玉匠，性格戏谑、玩世不恭。每当接受委托，皆会以令人意想不到的方式、在期限的最后一天将之完成。

In Mingyun Village, there was an incorrigibly irreverent jade craftsman who loved to jest. Whatever job he took on, he would complete it in the most unorthodox means imaginable, and would always finish the job on the very last day before it was due.

如果客人预订的是征服猛兽的猎人肖像，大概就会收到一尊仓皇逃窜的野猪。

If a customer ordered a statue of a hunter dominating a ferocious beast, they would receive a miniature statue of a distressed boar running for its life.

若问起来，回答大抵如此：

And when the customer demanded an explanation, he would tell them:

「正在征服猛兽的猎人即使不抛头露面，其英武之气也会令走兽胆寒。」

"When a formidable hunter closes in on a fierce beast, he may not show his face, but his imposing presence is enough to frighten the beast to its core."

如果客人预订的是位高权重之人的玉雕，大概便会收到一尊华丽的权座。

If a customer ordered a carving in the likeness of a powerful and mighty ruler, they would probably receive a statue of a majestic throne.

若追究起来，回答大抵如是：

And when asked about it, he would reply:

「位高权重之人秉权不过百年，其人未必比权座本身来得长寿。」

"No ruler takes the throne for more than one hundred years. The throne has more longevity than he."

就这样，玉匠在明蕴镇被视作「怪人」。而在商业发达的璃月港，富裕的买主们却引以为噱头，大多甘愿预订他的玉雕器物，也为了特意领教此人花样百出的捉弄。

The craftsman quickly developed a reputation as an eccentric in Mingyun Village. But the wealthy merchants in the prosperous commercial port of Liyue Harbor were most amused and were only too willing to place orders with him — if only to experience for themselves what it was like to be on the receiving end of this mischievous man's antics.

——————

——————

某天夜里，一个女人来到了玉匠的工坊。

One night, a woman came to his workshop.

她身穿一条修长的黑袍，在琉璃般的弯月下，眼眸闪烁着金珀般的光芒。

She was dressed in a long, slender black gown and her eyes shone a brilliant amber in the light of the crescent moon hanging in Liyue's sky that night.

玉匠此前并不认识她，却很快发现，他们总能聊得投机。说来奇怪，她了解明蕴镇的每一条矿脉、每一座玉石矿藏，谈起天地奇观如同说起姐妹，聊到美玉金石仿佛谈论自己的爱女…

The craftsman had never met her before, but he quickly found himself deep in conversation with her. Strangely, she seemed acquainted with every vein of ore and deposit of jade in the village. She talked about the wonders of the world like they were her sisters, and spoke of jade and precious metals with a fondness one would normally reserve for their beloved daughter...

但她唯独很少谈及人文习俗，待人接物的道理。

The only topics she brushed over were culture, customs, and social interactions.

或许是不通人事，或许只是不想多谈。但无论如何，此人出身定然不凡。

Perhaps she was not wise to the ways of the world, or perhaps she did not wish to discuss them. Regardless, there was certainly something out of the ordinary about this woman.

至少玉匠这样揣测。

At least, the craftsman thought so.

「我想要一方玉牌，上面刻着岩王肖像。」

"I would like for you to make me a jade plaque bearing the likeness of the Lord of Geo on its surface."

待聊到尽兴，临别出门时，女人才终于提出要求，

The woman finally stated her request once their broad-reaching and lengthy conversation had reached its end, and she was all but ready to leave.

「但你不可出于想象雕刻岩神的面貌，必须要以你亲眼见过的东西为模板，雕刻出真实的岩王肖像。

"But I have one condition: You may not conjure up our Lord's likeness from your imagination. You must carve the true likeness of our Lord relying on what you have seen with your own two eyes."

「否则，我不会付一摩拉。」

"Otherwise," she said, "I'm not paying a single Mora."

于是，两人约定，三日为期。

And so a deal was struck between the two, with an agreed turnaround of three days.

第一日，玉匠只顾与好友宴饮阔论。任何委托一概不接。

On the first day, the craftsman dined and drank with his good friends. He did not take a single new job on that day.

第二日，玉匠出门登山访玉，一整天不接待任何客友。

On the second day, the craftsman climbed a mountain to view the jade there, not seeing a single customer or acquaintance for the entire day.

第三日，玉匠才开始闭门雕琢璞玉，自清晨直至深夜，终于一气呵成。

Only on the third day did the craftsman close the doors of his workshop and begin carving away at the uncut jade, working from dawn till dusk, until finally it was complete.

待到弯月又一次升上夜空，瞳眸如金珀般的女人再度上门，

When the crescent moon once again began to rise in the Liyue night sky, the amber-eyed woman returned and approached his doorstep.

玉匠交出了自己的得意之作——

The craftsman proudly handed over the fruits of his labor:

一枚美玉雕成的神牌，其上正是女人的形象。

A jade plaque bearing the likeness of their god, in female form.

女人不解，蹙眉发问。

The woman was puzzled. She frowned, and demanded an explanation.

玉匠如是解释道：

And this was the explanation that he gave:

「第一日，我问遍智者与博学之人，得知了岩王之理的运作方式。但这仅仅是骨架。

"On the first day, I sought counsel from every wise and learned person that I know, and learned the principles of our Lord and how they work. But this was just the skeleton."

「第二日，我亲往山中，花费整整一天时间观察山岩，倾听元素的生长，揣测岩王的造物，但这仅仅是血肉。

"On the second day, I visited the mountains and spent a whole day observing the mountain rocks, listening to the ebb and flow of the elements, and pondering all that our Lord had created. But this was just the flesh."

「第三日，我蒙上双眼，随心所欲地在璞玉上雕刻切削，随心而起，随心而止。这才是灵魂。」

"On the third day, I covered both my eyes and began to carve from the heart, starting when it felt like the time to start, stopping when it felt like the time to stop. At last, this was the spirit."

说着，玉匠略显尴尬地一笑，

The craftsman smiled awkwardly, then added:

「可我也不知道，为什么就雕成了这样。」

"But even I'm not sure why it came out like this."

女人把玩着玉雕，若有所思：

The woman tilted the item back and forth in her hand, as if contemplating something.

「有趣。这倒是让我想起了另一个故事…」

"Interesting," she finally responded. "Incidentally, this reminds me of another story..."

说着，她抬起石珀色的双眼，娓娓道来…

She looked up at him with her amber-colored eyes and began the process of reeling out her story...

帝君尘游记·三 Rex Incognito (III)

璃月的幻想小说，讲述了岩王帝君化为凡形行走人间的故事。规则与公平的刻板含义，同样会在虚幻的故事中消解。

A Liyue fantasy novel that tells the tales of Rex Lapis' incognito excursions in the mortal realm. Iron-clad concepts of rules or equity fade into nothingness in this fantastical tale.

璃月乃天下奇珍荟萃之地，有宝物，便自然有识宝的明眼人。那是璃月港极盛繁华的时代，百货千财皆扬扬而来，纷纷而去。

Liyue is a land where all kinds of rare and exotic treasures congregate, and where there are precious treasures, one is sure to also find those with a discerning eye. At the height of Liyue Harbor's prosperity, a myriad goods and treasures flowed endlessly in and out of the land like the rising and falling tides.

像现在一样，那是属于富商与船长的时代。是与商场上的风波和大海中的巨兽搏命的人们主宰的年代。

That age belonged, as does the current one, to the wealthy merchants and ship owners. It was an age in which the ones who reigned supreme were those who dared wrestle with the tumultuous tides of the market and the wrathful beasts of the ocean.

同样，在那个年代里，港城宏大的码头上永远有无数忙碌的水手与工人。

Likewise, then as now, the port was constantly abuzz with sailors and laborers.

传说岩王帝君不仅会化身贵人与玉京台的诸位大人周旋，同样也时常化成凡民，在矿工与渔夫，水手与商贩中间行走。

Legend has it that Rex Lapis, when appearing in mortal form, does not always take the form of a distinguished gentleman fraternizing with the well-to-do of Yujing Terrace. Sometimes, it is said, he takes the form of a commoner and mingles with the miners, the fishermen, the sailors, and the peddlers.

在那时，璃月的码头上有一位渔船老板，为人苛刻挑剔，对待帮工十分粗暴。每当事不称意，时常不顾帮工的申辩而动辄责骂，甚至扣除工钱。

Back in that day, there was a certain fishing vessel owner who was notoriously harsh and critical in his temperament. He was always rude towards those who worked for him, and whenever something wasn't to his satisfaction, he would jump to conclusions and start scolding them, even docking their wages, without giving them the opportunity to explain their side of the story.

这一天里，渔船老板遇到一位少年。

One day, the fishing vessel owner met a young man.

他是船老板新雇来的帮工。身穿短褐，头上系着头巾，与一般船夫无二。但肤色与神情透露出他是自轻策庄而来寻找出路的山民，他的脸上有山岩的轮廓。

He had just been hired by the fishing vessel owner, and his attire was indistinguishable from that of any other seafarer of the day: a loose-fitting brown shirt and trousers, and a bandana around his forehead. But from his tanned skin and the rugged, karst-like contours of his facial features, it was clear that he was a commoner from Qingce Village who had come down from the mountains into the city in an attempt to reverse his fortunes.

他就像其他山民那样笨拙木讷。更令人恼火的是，在分拣渔获时，他总会厌恶地避开那些带触手的、黏糊糊的海鲜。

Like most mountain-dwellers of his day, he was a simple-minded and unsophisticated fellow. But what dismayed his new boss more than this was his reluctance to go anywhere near the catches of the slimy and tentacled variety.

「挑三拣四，有何出息！你是什么富家公子吗！」

"You don't make money by being choosy! Who do you think you are, lord of the manor?"

这句话便成了渔船老板克扣工钱的借口。

This was the only justification the ship owner gave for docking the newly hired mountain man's pay.

以往，少年总会木讷地笑笑，然后继续手里的活计，一如往常。

The youngster simply smiled bashfully and continued with his work. This set the tone for many of the interactions between the two.

但终于有一天，少年开口问道：

But one day, the youngster responded instead with a question:

「既然人人都有所好有所厌，为何要择其恶者而行呢？」

"Everyone has likes and dislikes, so why should we do the things we hate the most?"

被榆木脑袋的学徒吓了一跳，渔船老板忿忿地在他头上拍了一掌：

The fishing vessel owner was taken completely by surprise by this random question. Incensed, he slapped his simpleton apprentice on the head and barked back at him:

「人世的规矩如此！若没人做自己所不喜欢的工作，则永远无法成事！」

"Them's the rules of the world, you moron! Listen good: You'll get yourself nowhere in this world if you won't do a job you don't like!"

「可这恐怕不是岩王帝君订立规矩的本意…」

"But maybe that wasn't what Rex Lapis meant when he made the rules..."

「哪那么多废话！」

"Shut up, you idiot!"

「这样，不如我给您讲一个故事好了。」

"Hmm, maybe you'll understand better if I tell you a story."

少年的眼睛在夕阳光照下闪闪发亮，像是山间的金石。

The young man's eyes shone like amber from the mountain mines in the light of the setting sun.

「你还会讲故事？」

"Oh? So you're a storyteller now, are you?"

听到这个榆木脑袋也会讲什么故事，渔船老板倒是来了兴趣，

At the thought of this simpleton from a sleepy mountain village telling him a story, the fishing vessel owner found himself suddenly quite curious.

「讲吧…欸，手别停！」

"Go on then... But I expect you to work and talk at the same time!"

少年狡黠地一笑，眼中透出一点光芒，

A mischievous smile flickered across the youngster's face, and a twinkle flashed in his eye.

「那就让我讲讲，一枚玉牌的故事…」

"Well then, let me tell you a story about a certain jade plaque..."

就这样，在少年的故事中，店主忘记了时间，也忘记了他克扣佣工而来的收入正被另一双手悄悄摸走，分发给众人。

And so, the young man proceeded to tell his tale. His boss listened so intently that he never noticed the anonymous pair of hands that were sneaking into his pocket — hands which subsequently pilfered the money he had made from all the wages he had docked before and which then distributed the money back out to the laborers.

帝君尘游记·四 Rex Incognito (IV)

璃月的幻想小说，讲述了岩王帝君化为凡形行走人间的故事。天下珍宝明鉴的时代里，一句小小的戏谑之语便能拆穿妄言。

A Liyue fantasy novel that tells the tales of Rex Lapis' incognito excursions in the mortal realm. In an age when scrutiny was laid upon the treasures of the world, one humble witticism was all it took to expose all lies.

那是万千奇珍异货齐聚璃月港的时代。

It was a time when countless exotic curios and items would flow into Liyue Harbor.

这天夜里，「希古居」的店主玟瑰正与无名的贵公子研读古物，共叙故事。

This night, Min'gui, mistress of Xigu Antiques, was researching relics and narrating ancient stories with an unnamed son of nobility.

他们争论的中心是一枚玉牌。

The focal point of their debate was a jade plaque.

众所周知，伪造一枚古代玉器，在璃月并不需要付出太多本钱。打造一枚精美的赝品，或许代价稍微昂贵，但对于商家而言也可以接受。

As many knew, creating a counterfeit jade item was not a matter that cost much capital in Liyue. Creating a beautiful fake might be a shade more expensive, but it was a cost that most merchant houses could absorb.

难点在于伪造一个精美的故事。

The real trick lay in weaving an intricate but spurious tale.

正像深山中游荡的玉匠，行事古怪的渔工少年那样，离经叛道者总是更接近本心。

Like a jade smith wandering deep into the mountains, or the youth of the fisherfolk whose habits are strange, those considered deviant often in fact strike closer to the heart of things.

岩王帝君订立规则与契约，却不强迫凡人以权威的完美模板生活，因为他深知规则与契约仅是手段而非目的，真正的平衡与隽永在于每一个人的觉醒与抉择。

Rex Lapis laid down rules and contracts, but never forced the ordinary folk by his authority to live by them as a perfect template, for he knew that laws and stipulations were a means, not the end. The timeless balance lay, in truth, in a person's awareness and their ability to make choices for themselves.

苛刻的渔船老板并不理解这点，因而只收获了帮工的畏惧与戏弄。

The harsh boss of the fishing vessel did not understand this principle, and so earned the fear and mockery of his hired help.

凡人如此，古董也是如此。尽管受稀缺程度与工艺水平所限，但真正决定其价值的，却往往是「物」背后的「故事」。

As humans are, so too are antiques. Artistry, quality, rarity and perfection are limiting factors, yes, but the true worth of a relic lies in its backstory.

挑剔的贵公子并不完全理解这一点，因此才会无所顾忌地指出那玉牌是一件赝品，贬低它的价值。

The picky young noble seemed not to wholly perceive this idea, and so had no qualms about calling the jade plaque a fake, denigrating its value.

但「希古居」中无数珍宝，若是尽皆以看破金石的犀利目光切削，怕是会化作齑粉。

But if all of Xigu Antiques' treasures were to be scrutinized with such a piercing and empirical eye, their worth would have been ground into dust.

比如海中恋人为船长流下的泪滴，化作了永恒的珍珠；又比如旧时某位凡人之王为亡妻雕刻肖像，又将自己的灵魂封入其中。

Like the tears of a maiden for her captain, which became eternal pearls, or a mortal king who himself carved a portrait of his deceased queen, before sealing his own soul into it...

这些是注定消逝的故事，却也是保存在古物的外壳下蠢蠢欲动的传说。

These stories, these legends that should have faded with time were preserved, and thus teemed with life under the outer husk of those relics.

「故事很有趣，这件赝品我买下了。」

"A fine story. I'll take this fake, then."

贵公子点点头，金石般的双眼中带着笑意。

The noble son nodded, his golden eyes smiling.

「听了我的故事，你还在认为这是赝品吗？」

"After all that, you still think this is a fake?"

玟瑰轻叹了口气。

Min'gui sighed lightly.

「当然，」

"Of course,"

贵公子不禁莞尔，似乎从进店起他从来没有笑得如此开心。

The young noble could not help but smile and indeed had never seemed happier since entering her shop.

「正如你的故事，什么玉牌是古代货币之事，也是我随口胡诌的。」

"After all, the story you told about jade plaques being ancient currency — it's nonsense. Nonsense that I made up."