۞
The short history of time travel
時間穿越簡史
~
Giacomo Andrea de Ferrara
賈可蒙·安德烈·德·費拉拉
❅
頁面1
Part one
一
About king Frederick and his Order of Justice
腓特烈國王與正義騎士團
1212-1465
——————————
۞
頁面2-3
This extraordinary story begins a long time before I or Master Leonardo were born.
這段非凡的歷史發端之際，在我與老師列奧納多降生的長久之前。
It was the year 1212 and Frederick II had just become king.
彼時還是1212年，腓特烈二世剛剛登基。
He was a wise man, interested in the sciences.
此人英明智慧，熱衷科學。
He appreciated people for their merits and skills rather than their position in society.
比起人們在社會中的地位，他更重視其品德與能力。
——————————
۞
頁面4-5
The young king quickly showed his aptitude for governance, and it wasn’t long before he was crowned emperor of the Romans.
年輕的國王很快展現出了治國的天賦，沒過幾年便登上了羅馬皇帝的寶座。
His open-mindedness and (according to some) his lack of a moral compass cost him the favor of the Pope and the Church.
他思想開明，部分人還說他不辨善惡，這兩個品質令他失去了教宗與教會的支持。
And so it happened that he stood before a fateful decision.
於是，他遇到了關乎命運的選擇——
Would he let himself be excommunicated, or would he take his men on a Crusade into the Holy Land of Jerusalem?
他要任由教會將他開除教籍，還是率領軍隊東征聖地耶路撒冷？
——————————
۞
頁面6-7
The Crusade was perilous, but with it came an unexpected discovery.
東征之途危險重重，不過他們收穫了一項意外發現：
Somewhere in Palestine in a desert cave, Frederick and his men found a miraculous device.
腓特烈與部下於巴勒斯坦境內某處沙漠巖洞發現了一臺神奇的機器。
The king called it “The Gate to the Temple of Wisdom” and he brought it back to Europe with him.
皇帝稱之“智慧神殿之門”，將其帶回了歐洲。
——————————
۞
頁面8-9
The device allowed them to visit times when miracles were more common and human knowledge was without bounds.
這臺機器能夠令人到達其他時代，看到奇觀隨處可見，看到人類的知識不再有邊界。
But Frederick very well understood the power that slept within the device and the consequences if it fell into the wrong hands.
不過，腓特烈非常明白這個機器蘊含了怎樣的潛能，也明白一旦落入歹人之手又會產生怎樣的後果。
And that is why he created the Ordo Iustitialis, sworn and bound to the protection of the gate, and built a remote and defensible fortress for it.
正因如此，他創建了正義騎士團，團內成員誓言終生保護神殿之門，並在偏遠之地為其修建了固若金湯的城堡。
——————————
۞
頁面10-11
After his death, the order went into hiding and fell into obscurity, but it never stopped protecting the gate… until the year 1465.
腓特烈二世駕崩後，騎士團遁入城堡，逐漸不再為人所知。但他們一直都在守護智慧之門，自始至……1465年。
Generation after generation of popes took it upon themselves to seek the order’s hideout.
一代又一代教宗孜孜不倦，尋找騎士團的藏身之處。
But it took two hundred years before one of them was successful.
尋找二百餘年，終於心願得償。
Paul II became the architect of the end of the independent Ordo Iustitialis.
保祿二世發現了城堡的所在，也剝奪了正義騎士團的獨立。
——————————
۞
頁面12-13
One fateful night, the pope’s men infiltrated the order’s fortress under the clock of darkness.
那個命運的夜晚，教宗的部下趁著夜色進入了騎士團的城堡。
The most able and loyal brothers either died by their hand or scattered into the surrounding countryside.
騎士團最忠誠、善戰的成員，要麼死在他們手中，要麼被迫逃至周邊鄉下。
But not before they were able to destroy the gate.
不過他們成功摧毀了智慧之門。
Paul II took over the remains of Ordo Iustitialis, but neither demands nor pleas could bring the power of the gate under his control.
保祿二世接管了騎士團的餘黨，可無論厲喝還是懇求，都無法將神殿之門恢復如初。
——————————
۞
頁面14-15
Part two
二
About how I became a sp^y against my will
誤打誤撞成臥底
1495-1496
——————————
۞
頁面16-17
In the year 1495, the young but very ambitious Duke Cesare Borgia showed heavy interest in having his man employed in the service of Leonardo.
1495年，抱負遠大的年輕公爵愷撒·博爾吉亞意欲安插自己的人在列奧納多身邊，為其效力。
He wanted Leonardo to be unable to keep secrets from him.
他不希望列奧納多對他有所隱瞞。
But Leonardo was a demanding master. And Borgia’s men might have been loyal, but very rarely quick-witted. That’s how I fit into the story.
但列奧納多對助手要求頗高，且博爾吉亞的手下不論忠心與否，個個蠢鈍庸碌，我才有了出場的機會。
At the time I was staying in the damp cells of Castello Estense.
我當時人在埃斯特城堡的獄中，幾乎再無出獄希望。
Borgia waited until I had lost almost all hope of ever seeing the light of day again. And then he came with his proposition.
博爾吉亞等到我萬念俱灰，方才表示有意保我出獄。
——————————
۞
頁面18-19
My freedom in exchange for me becoming a sp^y in Leonardo’s workshops.
我的自由有其條件：我需要進入列奧納多的工作室成為臥底。
I accepted. Although I still needed to complete the master’s test.
我接受了，不過我依舊要通過老師的考驗。
Many claimed that it is impossible, but I had another advantage over them besides my wit: a device called the Oculus Perpetua.
許多人稱列奧納多的考驗根本無法通過，然而本人擁有另一項優勢：名為永恆之眼的裝置。
It allowed me to see right inside mechanisms and pierce the very fabric of time.
它能令我透視機械內部，也能穿越古今時間。
It was no coincidence that if found its way into my hands at that time. But I had no way of knowing that yet.
我彼時遇到此物絕非巧合，只是當時我還無從明白這個事實。
——————————
۞
頁面20-21
A year came and went and I became an invaluable assistant to Leonardo.
一年後我成為了列奧納多的得力助手。
The Borgias had their hands full as well.
博爾吉亞家族也收穫頗豐。
During the same year, Cesare’s father Rodrigo Borgia became the pope and took upon himself the name Alexander VI, and one of the documents ending up on his desk was a treatise on Ordo Iustitialis.
愷撒的父親羅德里哥·博爾吉亞同年就任教宗，聖明亞歷山大六世，且拿到了有關《正義騎士團年代記》的一本典籍。
——————————
۞
頁面22-23
Alexander VI was an extremely ambitious man. Some would say he was predestined for the position – whether they meant it as an insult or a compliment.
亞歷山大六世雄心勃勃，有些人說他當教宗是命中註定，也不知是貶損還是讚揚。
And so when he learned about the order and the gate, he immediately started thinking about how he would use the power.
因此，當他知道騎士團和智慧之門的存在之後，便立刻開始思考如何令這二者為自己所用。
But first he needed to acquire it.
但首先他需要掌握他們。
He decided to entrust the task to someone he could count on completely: his son.
於是他決定將這個任務交給了兒子愷撒·博爾吉亞，因為他對愷撒非常放心。
He became a member of Ordo Iustitialis and was charged with taking care of the miraculous time machine.
愷撒因而加入了正義騎士團，受命負責那臺神奇的時間機器。
——————————
۞
頁面24-25
Cesare, like many influential Italians, employed many different artists and scholars.
愷撒與很多意大利權貴一樣，資助了很多工匠與學者。
When he got his hands on the plans for the gate, he knew right away that it would be almost impossible to build something like that.
他拿到智慧之門的圖紙時，就知道建造此物近乎不可能。
But he also knew that if anyone were to do it, it would have to be master Leonardo da Vinci.
但他也明白，如果有人能做到，那必然是列奧納多大師。
——————————
۞
頁面26-27
For a time, Leonardo could work in peace. Slowly but steadily, he revealed the mysteries of the miraculous device.
列奧納多一度潛心研究智慧之門，且漸漸瞭解了這臺機器的神奇之處。
But as he learned of the gate’s power, he started to understand what ramifications there could be if it fell into the wrong hands.
但隨著他瞭解到這道門的強大，他意識到此物如果落入歹人之手將會產生怎樣的後果。
On the one hand, he regretted that he ever took such a task upon himself, while on the other he felt that the greatest mystery in human history was just in front of him.
他一面後悔接下這項任務，一面又感覺自己眼前的圖紙蘊含著人類史上最偉大的秘密。
——————————
۞
頁面28-29
Part three
三
About the joys and sorrows of Cesare Borgia
愷撒·博爾吉亞的喜憂
1498-1503
——————————
۞
頁面30-31
I wouldn’t describe Cesare Borgia as the most patient of men, but he understood that work on such an undertaking takes time.
在我看來，愷撒·博爾吉亞雖然絕對不是個慢性子，但也明白研究這種東西並非一日之功。
Even then, from time to time he was unable to control himself and showed a glimpse of his true nature.
話雖如此，他有時依舊無法掩飾自己的急躁，從而露出本色。
It was 1498 when I witnessed this first-hand.
1498年的某天，我親眼看到了他的真實面目。
He pressed Master Leonardo, and when unsuccessful he came to remind me of my part of our deal and took my sketch of Leonardo’s plans to build the time machine.
他催促列奧納多老師儘快完工，結果催促未遂，便找到了我，還從我手中奪走了列奧納多給時間機器畫的圖紙草圖。
At the same time, the Oculus vanished from my room, but it was comforting to know that he was not behind it.
與此同時，永恆之眼也在我的房間不翼而飛，而後得知此事與他沒有關係，我心中慶幸萬分。
——————————
۞
頁面32-33
Cesare had his hands full for the next couple of years.
愷撒在接下來的幾年忙得不可開交。
He earned a reputation for being powerful and cunning warrior.
他名利雙收，聲名遠播。
With full support of both the pope and the French king John III of Navarre, nobody could stand in his way.
身後有教宗與法蘭西國王胡安三世撐腰，誰也不敢奈他何。
He conquered city after city on his way to creating a unified dominion of northern Italian provinces completely in the hands of the house Borgia.
他攻城略地，一路拿下了意大利北部的多個省份，盡皆歸入博爾吉亞家族之手。
——————————
۞
頁面34-35
But nothing lasts forever. Cesare became a victim of circumstance that completely reversed his fortune.
然而，好景不長，命運的無常徹底改變了愷撒的境遇。
In 1503, he was visiting his father when both of them suddenly came down with an illness.
1503年某日，他正在探訪他父親，突然雙雙患病。
Alexander VI never awoke and Cesare had lingering symptoms for life.
亞歷山大六世再也沒有醒來，愷撒也落下了終生不去的病根。
Of course, illness is only one possible explanation.
誠然，患病只是一種可能的說法。
Whether it was just a coincidence or if there was an intent to poison both men is something I will leave to the reader’s imagination.
至於此次事件僅為巧合，抑或卻有他人有意毒害父子二人，那就留待讀者自行揣摩了。
——————————
۞
頁面36-37
It seemed that even after the death of his father, Cesare could bring their plan to fruition.
即便父親去世，愷撒似乎依然有望完成他的計劃。
The new pope, later known as Julius II, assured him that he would support his campaign if Cesare helped with the election.
新任教宗，即儒略二世，向愷撒保證，只要他能幫助自己勝選，就助他成功。
But right after he sat upon the throne of Saint Peter, he changed his tune.
誰知他剛一坐上聖伯多祿的寶座，就變了心意。
Borgia lost everything.
博爾吉亞失去了一切。
His most powerful ally, his domain in Northern Italy, and even his position in Ordo Iustitialis.
他失去了強大的盟友，失去了意大利北部領土，連他在正義騎士團的位置也沒了。
——————————
۞
頁面38-39
But whatever his fate, Cesare Borgia had no intention of giving up. On the contrary. And his way forward was to have the time machine made by Master Leonardo.
不過無論命運如何，愷撒·博爾吉亞不僅絲毫沒有放棄的意思，而且企圖擁有列奧納多老師造出的時間機器。
But for that to work, he needed Leonardo to actually finish it. And to be the first who got to use the completed machine.
但他想成功，就需要列奧納多把機器造出來，然後第一個使用它。
——————————
۞
頁面40-41
Life in Italy wasn’t easy even for a clever and experienced sellsword like Cesare Borgia, especially when he had to hide from his enemies every step of the way.
即便是愷撒·博爾吉亞這樣精明、老道的僱傭兵，意大利的生活也並不容易。況且他時時刻刻還要躲避敵人的追蹤。
Both paranoia and desperation made his visits to Leonardo’s workshop more and more frequent.
他天性多疑、處境艱難，因而三天兩頭造訪列奧納多的工作室，且日益頻繁。
It escalated to such an extent that the master began to fear for his life, and finally decided to move to Milan where he could continue his work without interruption. Or so he thought.
後來老師因為擔憂自己會有性命之虞，最終決定遷至米蘭，覺得到了那邊就能安心做事了。
——————————
۞
頁面42-43
Part four
四
About the time machine of Master Leonardo
列奧納多老師的時間機器
1506-1508
——————————
۞
頁面44-45
I understood how dire the situation was in the year 1506 when Leonardo invited me to his house in the Florentine Palazzo Gondi.
1506年，列奧納多邀請我去佛羅倫薩的貢迪府邸，我就知道了情況有多嚴峻。
Before my arrival, the master left me a series of notes and indices to lead me to his machine.
老師在府裡留下了若干字條和清單，引我找到了他的機器。
He had to use it himself before we could meet because both Borgia and the members of the secret society were on his heels and threatened to catch him.
他在我們見面之前不得不用了一次時間機器，因為博爾吉亞與秘密騎士團都在四處找他，還要將他抓去審訊。
——————————
۞
頁面46-47
Thus I had to find my own way through his house full of wondrous contraptions and inventions.
老師家中佈置了各種神奇的裝置和發明，我一路摸索。
Luckily I was able to find most of the indices before Leonardo’s pursuers, and I got my hands on a special glove that was made as a unique key to successfully use the time machine.
所幸最終我搶在其他人前面找到了絕大多數線索，拿到了一隻特殊的手套。只有依靠這隻手套，才能成功打開那臺時間機器。
——————————
۞
頁面48-49
At the last moment, Cesare Borgia showed me why he is such a dangerous foe when he attacked me near Leonardo’s machine and was successful in jumping through the gate after me.
我最終啟動了時間機器，卻遭到愷撒·博爾吉亞的襲擊。他不僅讓我明白了眼前的這個對手多麼危險，還緊隨我後跳入時間機器。
Before I came to, he stole the glove from my unconscious body and vanished.
趁我昏迷他奪走了手套，人間蒸發。
Fortunately he had no time to search the place carefully, otherwise he would have been sure to find the Oculus Perpetua prepared for me in the tower of Baida Fiorentina.
幸好他當時沒有時間仔細翻找那個地方，否則一定還會將老師在巴迪亞教堂裡留給我的永恆之眼一併帶走。
——————————
۞
頁面50-51
At the time, neither of us knew that everything had gone according to the master’s plan.
那時，我與愷撒都不知道一切盡在老師的掌握之中。
Borgia and I had been taken two years into the future to the year 1508.
我們兩人傳到兩年之後的1508年。
But Leonardo, just a few moments earlier, had used the machine to travel into the past, where he started working diligently to make everything fall into place.
然而列奧納多不久之前剛剛跳入機器回到了過去，開始勤加謀劃，以保自己的計劃天衣無縫、滴水不漏。
It was he who prepared the Oculus Perpetua for me when I needed it, and then took it back to sp^y on Borgia and the secret society.
永恆之眼正是由他為我而造，而後為了監看博爾吉亞與秘密騎士團，便又拿了回去。
——————————
۞
頁面52-53
He found a safe place in the past at the villa of his good friend Luca Pacioli, where he stayed for an incredible thirteen years before we met again.
他回到過去以後，住進好友盧卡·帕西奧利的莊園，找到了安身之處，足足待了十三年，直到我們再次相見。
He finally introduced me to his plan to destroy the time machine and made me understand that it is the only way forward.
也就是到了那天，他才告訴我自己計劃銷燬時間機器，而且向我解釋只有那樣才會有出路。
But first we had to obtain the secret of Ordo Iustitialis.
不過，我們當時的首要任務是瞭解正義騎士團的秘密。
——————————
۞
頁面54-55
Our first move was to visit a secret library in the monastery of Sacra San di Michele near Torino.
我們先是去了都靈附近的聖彌額爾修道院。
After a tedious and difficult search, we finally found the Chronicle of Ordo Iustitialis and for the first time we knew the roots of the secret society that hounded Leonardo and had such an interest in procuring his time machine.
費了一番周折，最終找到了秘密書房和《正義騎士團年代記》。到了這個時候，我們才知道這個秘密組織的來源，也才知道他們費了那麼多功夫是為了得到列奧納多的時間機器。
Regrettably, they hunted us down and we had to improvise…
熟料他們追了上來，我們只得隨機應變……
——————————
۞
頁面56-57
Part five
五
About the last journey through time
最後一次時間穿越
1508
——————————
۞
頁面58-59
The Oculus was damaged but luckily it was able to whisk me away from the greatest danger in time.
敵人一箭射壞了永恆之眼，所幸這個設備在危難之時依舊將我帶離了那個時間。
Though I am definitely no coward, it really scared me when I was falling through time and space, chaotically, endlessly.
我在時空之間落了很久很久，雖然我絕非懦夫，但那個場景也令我膽戰心驚。
In the end my fall was painful but left no serious injuries.
最後我終於重重落在地上，還好沒有摔出重傷。
I regained consciousness in rarely used catacombs and was able to put pieces of the Oculus back together, find the Chronicle of the Order once again, and finally slip unnoticed from the monastery.
我甦醒後，發現自己身處人跡罕至的墓道，而後得以將永恆之眼修復如初。我再次找到《年代記》，並悄悄溜出修道院。
——————————
۞
頁面60-61
When I finally met with Leonardo again, and for the first time with his host Luca, the master shared with us the details of his plan.
後來我終於又見到列奧納多，也見到了他的好友盧卡。老師詳細向我們闡述了他的計劃。
The gate must be destroyed.
智慧之門必須被銷燬。
Not just the machine Leonardo built using the plans of Ordo Iustitialis, but also the original one. Frederick’s Gate to the Temple of Wisdom. Completely.
不只是列奧納多造的那一臺，腓特烈原本發現的那一道也要銷燬。徹底銷燬。
But to do that we will need to use the time machine and all of Leonardo’s inventions: the Oculus and both special gloves.
可是，想要銷燬這兩臺機器，我們需要啟動那個時間機器，還要藉助列奧納多的發明：永恆之眼和兩隻手套。
It is time to visit Borgia.
該去會會博爾吉亞了。
——————————
۞
頁面62-63
I think we once again underestimated Cesare Borgia.
我感覺我們又低估了愷撒·博爾吉亞的城府。
He expected an attempt to infiltrate his hideout and was well prepared for me.
他知道有人會潛入他的藏身之處，就在樓內守株待兔。
As his prisoner, I had no option but to accept his offer to exchange the glove he stole from me earlier for an amulet symbolizing power over Ordo Iustitialis, which is in the possession of Pope Julius II.
我進了他的圈套，只能答應他的條件，幫他去教宗儒略二世那裡偷來象徵正義騎士團團長之權的護符，以此交換他手上的那隻手套。
With regard to what he told me about the order and the pope, this could actually work in out favor…
至於他說的那些關於騎士團和教宗的話，對於我們而言或許都是有用的信息……
——————————
۞
頁面64-65
With Luca’s help I got into the heart of the Vatican, to the personal quarters of the pope.
盧卡帶著我來到了梵蒂岡的心腹之地——教宗的起居之所。
Borgia was telling the truth. Ordo Iustitialis was indeed beholden to the pope, and now I knew how it happened.
博爾吉亞所言不虛。正義騎士團現在確實為教宗馬首是瞻，而且我現在也知道是什麼原因了。
I also finally learned how to find the secret society. And the amulet I obtained for Borgia wasn’t just a symbol of power.
我最終知道了秘密騎士團的藏身之地，另外，博爾吉亞託我尋找的護符並非只是權力的象徵。
It was time to take the initiative, but first we needed to reconvene in the safety of Luca’s home.
現在，我們需要主動出擊，不過要先到盧卡家匯合，那裡比較安全。
——————————
۞
頁面66-67
Borgia had to be following us, because shortly after our arrival he was knocking on the gates with his underling following closely.
博爾吉亞一定跟蹤了我們，我們剛到盧卡莊園沒多久，他就帶著手下找上門來。
He apparently changed his mind about the trade as he wanted the pope’s amulet just like that.
顯然他改變了主意，現在企圖強搶教宗的護符。
He was definitely better armed than us. But he couldn’t anticipate Leonardo’s Oculus Perpetua, and with its help we were finally able to stop him.
他的裝備確實勝過我們，不過他不知道我們還有列奧納多的永恆之眼，幫助我穿越回過去，破壞了他的計劃。
With the complete set of the master’s inventions, the pope’s amulet, and knowledge of the place where the order likely hid the time machine, our goal was within our grasp.
如此一來，我們終於拿到了老師的三件發明和教宗的護符，還知道了騎士團藏匿時間機器的地方。成功已經不遠了。
——————————
۞
頁面68-69
Castel del Monte was full of Ordo Iustitialis secrets.
蒙特城堡藏了正義騎士團的太多秘密。
Some of them would require long periods of study; others perhaps couldn’t be understood without further travel through the gate.
一些需要長期研究才能揭破，一些可能需要藉助智慧之門才能理解。
I felt a tinge of regret knowing it will all be lost forever. But it was the only way.
想到這個東西即將永遠消失，我的心中升起了一絲愧疚，但這是唯一的辦法。
We couldn’t allow the gate’s power to fall into the wrong hands.
我們絕對不能讓智慧之門落入歹人手中。
They almost had us in the courtyard of the fort, but I was able to slip into the time machine at the last moment, and right after that continued through the original gate.
我們在城堡的院子裡險些被他們抓住，我在最後時刻跳進了時間機器，緊接著進入了原本的那道智慧之門。
I remained alone; hundreds, maybe thousands of years away from home.
再沒有第二個人進來，此時可能距離“現在”已是數百乃至數千年之遙。
——————————
۞
頁面70-71
The last part of my journey took place at a location known by the members of Ordo Iustitialis as the Temple of Wisdom.
最後我來到了正義騎士團所說的智慧神殿。
It was very hard to imagine that this huge, majestic building could have been the work of human hands.
這座建築恢弘闊大，很難想象出自人類之手。
Maybe there was a bit of truth in the tales of the mythical Nephilim.
或許真如傳說所言，這個地方實為神秘的偉人建築。
But there was no time to speculate. I had to ensure the gate’s complete destruction.
沒時間猜這些了，我必須徹底摧毀智慧之門。
When I saw the pillars falling around me and watched the irrevocable destruction of the last remnants of an ancient civilization, I felt like crying.
我看到身邊的立柱倒塌，目睹古代文明僅存的遺蹟就此覆滅，悲痛之情湧上心頭。
But it wasn’t just an end. It was also a new beginning.
不過，這並非只是終點，也是一個新的起點。
For me, Leonardo and Luca alike, and who knows, maybe even for Cesare Borgia…
於我如此，於列奧納多和盧卡如此，或許於愷撒·博爾吉亞而言，也是如此……