生日：3.19
Dear Detectives, Norton rarely asks for things, but today he asks for you to be with him for it's his birthday! Let's share a cake with the Prospector today!
“危险越近，机遇越近。”
2020 来不及寄出的信
An Unsent Letter (2020)
To Norton:
You rascal!
Why did you leave without saying goodbye and disappear?
I just can't stay in this dump any longer.
I'm dreaming of returning to the mines day and night, looking for that sparkling gold ore.
You wouldn't...
You wouldn't...
You wouldn't...
You wouldn't have gone by yourself, would you?
If you did then you're, you're...
Don't leave me behind, I beg of you.
What kind of person are you behind your polarized facade?
Even to an old man... You wouldn't trick an old miner who'd spent half his life crawling in mines, right?
Norton, my good boy, show some respect to your father. Don't leave this old pal behind.
No!
No...Norton, dammit, you fool's gold!
"Iron Chisel" Benny
致诺顿:
你这个臭小子!
为什么突然不辞而别，再也不来看望我了?
这个等死的粪坑我是再也待不下去了。
我日夜思想回到矿洞，找到金灿灿主矿脉——
你不会吧!
你不会吧?
你不会吧?
你不会自已就先去了吧?
那样你可真是、真是一个……
别抛下我，求你了。
你那张时而阴沉，时而灿烂的笑脸后面，到底藏着一颗怎么样的心?
连一个老人…你不会欺骗一个在煤矿里摸爬滚打半辈子的老矿工吧?
诺顿，好孩子，看在你父亲的面子上。
不要抛弃他的老伙计。
不!
不…诺顿，该死的，你这块愚人金。
铁凿本尼
2021 笔记的最后一页
The last page of the notes (2021)
(Aged handwriting)
Account entry: Payment to be settled before August, 30% paid
Location: Oletus Manor
Keep the transportation receipts! Lease to be renewed. Find another place to stay upon return.
(New handwriting)
Such a large amount of money!
I've never seen so much money before, not least in a mine. I'm sure many people will risk their lives to grab it!
This is simply unfair. The poor find it difficult to lead a comfortable life, while all the rich need to do is wave their banknotes around.
Over the last 20 years, I lived like a rat in the gutter. I spent days under the ground in the dark just so I could earn a minimal living. Scars from the blasts crawled all over my face like maggots. The constant scorn and ridicule... I endured it every time just so I'd get a chance to climb up the ladder.
It's ridiculous how much effort I put into this—anyway, I've finally managed to crawl out from the rat hole. I no longer have to pick and pull on the disgusting ash. Those who did nothing but laugh at me deserve to stay underground and be stepped on like maggots forever.
I and only I deserve that money! Think about it, Norton Campbell. There won't be a better chance. Such a simple "game", such a generous employer. Clear an obstacle and you'll get a load of money. Isn't this much simpler than what you used to do?
No life is more precious than others. Just think about that woman, think about how arrogant she is!
Get rid of her before she takes any action!
(陈旧的字迹)
账目:8月前结清酬劳,三成已付
地点:欧利蒂丝庄园
保存交通票据!续租,回来寻找新的落脚点。
(新的字迹)
那么大一笔钱!
我还是第一次见那么多钱,这要是在矿上,得让多少人豁出命去争抢!
瞧瞧,这就是不公平,穷人的人生难得安逸,而那些有钱人、老爷夫人们——他们只要躺着挥挥钞票就够了。
过去的二十多年,我活得像阴沟里的老鼠,用暗无天日的地底生活换取苟且偷生的机会,拼了命的下井挖矿只为换点可怜的吃食。爆破的疤痕像蛆一样爬在我脸上,那些唾弃和嘲讽……我每次忍耐,就为了一点点向上爬的机会。
真可笑啊,我费了这么多力气，这也只是底层人的努力——不过是终于从老鼠洞里爬了出来,不用再没日没夜地扒拉那些令人作呕的煤灰。而那些只会嘲笑人的可怜虫们,他们只配永远待在地底、被人踩在脚下腐烂生蛆。
那笔钱是我应得且仅有我能得到的!想想吧诺顿·坎贝尔,这是多好的机会。简单的“游戏”,慷慨的雇主。铲除一个障碍、获得一大笔钱,这不比你以前做的那些容易得多?
没有谁比谁的命更金贵,想想那个女人,想想她那副该死的倨傲的姿态!
除掉她,至少在她下手之前!
2022 一篇调查记录
Investigation Records (2022)
...
The report on the mining incident mentioned the sole survivor—Norton Campbell.
According to the report, the illegal use of explosives caused a cave-in that led to a few dozen workers being trapped. The complex structure of the mine impeded search and rescue efforts.
The police report claimed the search and rescue team was at the brink of giving up when a survivor dug his way out through a mountain creek a few dozen meters away from the mine. Compared to the bloodied state the other victims were in, he'd suffered minor burns... That's all the information in the newspaper.
I suspected that there was more to it, so I spent time investigating Norton Campbell.
His father, a former miner, died of black lung many years ago, and his educations records are blank too. Like most of the poor, there's no choice but to labor. That's all the information I could get from his former colleagues and employers. He was a gloomy person who rarely spoke about himself. Norton Campbell was invited to this manor as a guest, and I finally got an opportunity to interview him today, but all I got were vague answers.
Question: Were you part of the illegal blasting that led to the cave-in last year?
Answer: It's a common thing in the mining industry. It doesn't take a genius to know explosives produce much faster results than drills.
Question: According to the investigation, you enter the mine 30 minutes earlier than everyone else...
Answer: It's just a habit of mine. Those slackers know only to follow me and wait for money and ores to fall into their arms.
Questions: All the others died beneath the rubble after the collapse, but you got away with minor burns on your face. Is it because you were closer to the source of the explosion but had time to hide somewhere safe?
Answer: Why don't you ask the police? Their investigation is much more detailed than anything I can describe.
The money I had was only enough to pay for 3 questions. Just like how he was when I spoke to him, Norton Campbell wasn't friendly at all during the interview, and he left in a hurry once he got paid. He didn't even try to conceal his hatred for the rich. After that I only met him once during dinner. He didn't speak much to the other guests, but his face was much gloomier than before. Mrs. Plinius did warn me to stay away from him, but I personally think his hatred is reserved for the rich.
After the interview and investigation, my theory grew clearer. All the guests seemed plagued by shocking rumors that can't be proved, and all these games seem to have a similar objective. However, he was an exception...
……
在那篇矿洞开采事故的报道中，他们提到了唯一的幸存者——诺顿·坎贝尔。
报道里是这样描述的：非法使用炸药导致了工作层矿顶的坍塌，数十名工人被困井下。复杂的矿井结构使救援工作难以开展。
警方称，在搜救队即将放弃搜救时，有幸存者从离矿洞外几十米的山涧中打通了缝隙。与已经血肉模糊的遇难者相比，他仅遭受了部分烧伤……见报的内容仅有这些。
我怀疑另有隐情，便花了些时间调查诺顿·坎贝尔。
同是矿工的父亲早死于尘肺病，教育背景也一片空白……他只能像多数穷人一样奔波于生计。从前工友和雇主口中只能打探到这些。他性格阴沉，很少谈起自己的事。诺顿·坎贝尔作为客人被邀请到这个庄园，今天我找到了机会向他采访，只得到了些模糊的回答。
问：一年前的矿难中，你是否参与了矿洞的非法爆破?
答：这是常见的事。煤矿法就是摆设，都知道爆炸比凿岩开采快得多。
问：根据调查，事故当天你提前了半个钟头下矿。
答：习惯而已，那群懒鬼只会跟在我屁股后面，伸手等钱和矿石从天上掉下来。
问：遇难者都死于坍塌时的乱石，你只遭受了脸部灼伤，是否说明矿难发生时你更靠近爆炸热源、但却有机会躲到安全地带?
答：这种问题怎么不去问警方？他们调查的比我说的更清楚。
我带的钱只够支付三个问题，和之前与他交谈时一样，诺顿·坎贝尔接受采访的态度并不友善，拿了报酬后便匆匆离开，他流露出的对富人的仇视是毫无掩饰的。
之后，我们只在晚餐时见过一面。他和其他客人也没什么交谈，只是脸色更加阴沉。尽管普林尼夫人告诫我远离诺顿·坎贝尔，但在我看来，他只是对生活富足的人抱有嫉恨。
经过采访和调查，我也有了更明确的猜想。被邀请来的人身上都有某个无法坐实的骇人传闻，这些游戏似乎指向了同一个目的。不过，那个人除外……
