角色故事•三(解锁条件:角色等级60)
“干将 · 莫邪”——这双剑是男子最趁手的武器,可以反复使用投影魔术制作,无论用坏多少把都毫不心疼。理论上,只要是男子充分理解的武装,都可以被他“无数次投影出赝品”;可出于某些渊源,唯有当投影对象属于“剑”的分类时,男子的投影魔术才能臻于完美。
“听起来很像卖盗版货的商人?啊,差不多就是那样。
“不是什么充满荣誉的手段,但用来对付那些自以为是、用自造的规则骑在别人头上作威作福的家伙,刚好合适。”
传说中,干将与莫邪是一对传奇的铸剑师,夫妇俩穷尽各种方法,试图改变这样的现状:铸剑师无法掌控所铸宝剑的品质,每次锻冶只能听天由命。
故事从这里分裂出许多个版本,其中一种说法是——莫邪以身殉炉,与金属熔液融为一体,让干将得以铸造出前无古人、后无来者的绝世好剑。
而在更负盛名的另一个版本中,暴君因为厌恶铸剑效率的低下而在干将造出宝剑后处死了他,莫邪带着他们的孩子隐匿在乡间;多年以后,这个长大成人的孩子与他在路上偶遇的侠士策划了对暴君的复仇,三人最终同归于尽。
男子的命运是否也与以上的故事有相似之处?如果有,他牺牲的是自己,伙伴,还是某种理想?
人们不得而知。
人们只知道,为心中之剑,他甘做其骨:以躯为钢,以血为火。
他打造过万千利刃,可最终仍是两手空空,一无所有。
正如他的心象风景。
“但这不就是人生吗?
“剑可无法停留在一个人手上。你要么把它束之高阁,要么把它转交他人,要么…就将它用至最后一刻。
“然后,你才能重新开始。”
Character Story: Part III
• Unlocked at Character Level 60
Kanshou and Bakuya, these twin blades are the man's weapons of choice, continuously reproduced through Projection Magecraft without a second thought for how many break in battle. Theoretically, any armament the man comprehends thoroughly can be "projected as a counterfeit countless times." However, due to some entanglements of karma, the man's Projection magecraft only reaches absolute perfection when creating objects that qualify as "swords."
"Sounds like a merchant selling knockoffs? Well, that's about right."
"It's hardly the most honorable approach, but it's perfectly tailored for dealing with those self-important types who fabricate rules to stand above others and exert their authority."
According to ancient legends, Kanshou and Bakuya were master swordsmiths. A husband-and-wife duo who exhausted every conceivable method attempting to overcome a fundamental limitation: That craftsmen couldn't control the quality of their forged blades, leaving each creation to fate's whims.
From this point, the tale branches into numerous versions. One claims that Bakuya sacrificed herself to the furnace, becoming one with the molten metal, enabling Kanshou to forge blades of unprecedented perfection that would never be equaled.
In the more widely celebrated version, a tyrannical ruler, frustrated by the slow pace of sword forging, executed Kanshou after receiving the masterpiece blades. Then, Bakuya escaped to the countryside with their child. Years later, this grown child encountered a wandering swordsman, and together they plotted revenge against the tyrant, a confrontation where all three ultimately perished together.
Does this man's own destiny mirror these ancient tales? If similarities exist, what did he ultimately sacrifice? Himself, his companions, or perhaps some cherished ideal?
No one knows.
What people do know is that he offered himself as its foundation for the sword residing in his heart — His body serving as steel, his blood as flame.
Though he crafted thousands of blades throughout his journey, in the end, he stood empty-handed, possessing nothing at all.
Just like his mindscapeUnlimited Blade Works.
"But isn't this precisely what life is about?"
"No sword can remain in one person's possession forever. You must either store it away, pass it to another's hands, or... use it until its very last moment."
"And only then, can you truly start again with a clean slate."