24 Shallow Water

24 Shallow Water Peanut was the last to land, her descent having taken longer because of the skywriting. Once safely on the ground, she looked up and was pleased to see that she'd left the words "I CHROMA" hanging elegantly in the air behind her. It felt like an appropriately arty contribution to the festivities. Peanut removed her illustrated harness and started to gather up her ink-rolled wing. Once done, she took a moment to take in the scene that was unfolding around her. The Resistance operatives, many of whom she had fought beside, were buzzing with excitement and getting ready for the celebrations. But what really blew her mind was the physical transformation of the area that had taken

24 浅水区 珀娜是最后一个落地的，因为在空中写字，她的降落花了更长时间。 安全落地后，她抬头一看，欣喜地发现自己留下的“我即色彩”四个字优雅地悬在身后的天空中。 她觉得这给庆典添了一抹恰到好处的艺术气息。 珀娜解开带印花的滑翔安全带，开始收拢浸了墨的滑翔翼。 收拾好后，她停下来打量周围渐渐展露的新景象。 不少反抗军战士都曾和她并肩作战，此刻大家兴奋不已，忙着筹备庆典。 但最让她震惊的，是这片地方自从她上次离开后发生的翻天覆地的变化

place since she'd last stood on this spot. It was truly remarkable. The entire crayon fence, whitewashed all those years ago on the orders of Mr White, had been restored to its former glory. It was now resplendent in reds, yellows, oranges, pinks, greens, purples and blues. The watchtowers that housed the RAZER guards had all been removed (except for one that was rigged with an enormous sound system made up of several very large speakers) and a huge opening had been cut into the fence between two of the drawbridges opposite Die Brücke— one of the city's most picturesque districts. This opening somehow made the fence feel less like a security barrier and more like a picture frame, put there to complement the dazzling view. The drawbridges on either side of the opening had been lowered to cross the lake and were already lined with crowds of cheering citizens and Resistance operatives, all eager for the refilling ceremony to begin. And then there was the breathtaking sight of the Spire itself. From Peanut's vantage point, it looked like the tower had exploded from the ground, blasting straight into the sky before shooting out of the earth's atmosphere and into the far reaches of space. It seemed to go on forever. But, having just jumped out of an opening she'd made in a wall in the Spire a few hundred metres above where she stood now, Peanut knew that there was a pointed tippy-top up there somewhere.

自从她上次站在这里之后。 这变化真的太不可思议了。 整道蜡笔围栏多年前被怀特先生下令刷白，如今已经恢复了往日的光彩。 现在它布满了红、黄、橙、粉、绿、紫、蓝各色，光彩夺目。 原来驻扎雷泽守卫的瞭望塔全都被拆除了，只留了一座改装成了装着多个大音箱的巨型音响；围栏在正对城中最美风景片区“魔桥”的两座吊桥之间开了一个大大的口子。 这个开口让围栏不再像一道安保屏障，反倒更像一个画框，把绝美的风景衬得更加动人。 开口两侧的吊桥已经落下横跨湖面，桥上挤满了欢呼的市民和反抗军战士，大家都迫不及待等着蓄水仪式开始。 而尖塔本身的景色更是美得让人窒息。 从珀娜站的位置看去，这座塔就像从地下破土而出，直冲云霄，仿佛要穿出大气层扎进遥远的太空。 它看起来仿佛没有尽头。 不过珀娜刚刚才从她现在站的位置上方几百米处的尖塔墙面上，自己开的口跳下来，她知道尖尖的塔尖就在上方某个地方。

The tower was still mostly white, but it wore with style the splatters of colour sustained during The Battle for The Spire. She couldn't help but wonder how magnificent it must have looked when it was first built. The smatterings of paint were likely nothing compared to its original kaleidoscopic splendour. Peanut walked towards "the opening in the crayon fence to join the others at the water's edge. "Darling, paragliding was AMAZING!" said Mum when she saw her eldest daughter. Her face was flushed with both adrenaline and happiness. "I never thought I'd be able to do something like that!" It really was fun!" said Leo. "Thanks, Peanut. This is already shaping up to be the best birthday ever. Little-Bit, meanwhile, was standing at the water's edge next to Mrs Markmaker and a bemused-looking Nerys. "I can't believe it," the little girl said, loudly. "Where has the water all gone? It was at least three-quarters full when we last saw it. Now it's virtually empty!" "Well, as you know, White redirected some of it up to the pool at the top of the Spire," said Mrs M. "But it turns out that most of the water has been stagnating in the disused cleaning channels underneath the city. Don't worry, though. With some guidance from your father, people have been working through the night to get the channels fully operational again.

这座塔大部分还是白色的，但尖塔之战留下的彩色污渍反倒让它别有风韵。 她忍不住猜想，它刚建成的时候该有多么宏伟壮观。 和它原本万花筒般的绚烂光彩比起来，这些零星的颜料根本不值一提。 珀娜朝着蜡笔围栏的开口走去，去水边和大家汇合。 “亲爱的，滑翔伞太酷啦！”妈妈看见大女儿说道。 她的脸因为兴奋和快乐涨得通红。 “我从来没想过我居然能玩这样的东西！” “真的太好玩啦！”里奥说。 “谢啦，珀娜。 这已经是我有过的最棒的生日了。 另一边，小不点站在水边，挨着马克梅克太太和一脸困惑的内里斯。 “太不可思议了，”小女孩大声说。 “水都跑到哪里去了？ 我们上次见的时候，湖至少还有七成满呢。 现在几乎都空了！” “唉，你也知道，怀特把一部分水引到尖塔顶的水池去了，”梅太太说。 “结果大部分水都积在城市底下废弃的清洁河道里，不流动了。 不过别担心。 有你爸爸指导，大家忙活了一整夜，已经让河道重新恢复运作了。

I've just been told that the water is already approaching 80 per cent effectiveness and will definitely be ready for the refilling ceremony. "Well, that's great news, Mrs—" Suddenly, Little-Bit stopped talking. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight and stared out over the lake. "Peanut," she said quietly. "Can you see that? Over there." She pointed towards something silver and shiny lying on the lake's bed, near the opposite bank. "I can. Hang on... is that...?" Peanut gasped. "Yes," said Little-Bit, sadly. "I think it's 72."

我刚得到消息，水已经通了八成，肯定能赶得上蓄水仪式。 “那真是好消息，梅——”突然，小不点停住了话头。 她抬起手挡住阳光，朝湖面望去。 “珀娜，”她轻声说。 “你能看见那个吗？ 就在那边。” 她指着对岸附近湖床上一个银光闪闪的东西。 “我看见了。 等等……那会不会是……？” 珀娜倒吸了一口冷气。 “没错，”小不点难过地说。 “我觉得那就是72号。”