btw since we're somewhat on the topic: i did think that maybe i should have translated Willard as Villard in the JotWE translation, as it fits better with some of the other Svartian names we've seen. ultimately i didn't, since... lack of linguistic confidence to make the call, i guess, and Willard was the more common translation when i checked online. but this is just to show that 1) i'm aware, and 2) yes i will probably be kicking myself over this when it's october.
my annual card translation xD if you saw my excerpt of this card from before, you knew this was coming and you've already read some of it.
disclaimer + spoiler warning: this is a fan translation and i am not fluent in chinese, so keep in mind that there will be mistakes. also, this card is from a main story event (similar to Island Suspense), so there are some spoilers for the main story and/or the event. please see the the translator's note in the beginning for details. feel free to let me know if you have questions, concerns, or comments.
do not repost without explicit permission. if you want to quote this or reference parts of the translation, credit and link back to me.
check my masterlist for more of my analysis/translations.
timestamps go along with the card video here. it’s not mine, please support the uploader 日和风物诗 if you can! note that these are bilibili links, as i haven’t yet found a youtube video with this card’s SCN dub. i’ll edit this link if i find one later.
[T/N (i apologize for the length):
Regarding spoilers: I believe most of them are relatively minor or vague, though I haven't read all of the event story or CN main storyline so I'm not certain what would constitute a spoiler. There are some lines that seemed to spoil the event finale or major developments, so I omitted some information in this translation. I believe that the changes do not significantly impact the card story. The altered sentences are indicated by having [square brackets] around them and a footnote where I will link to the original line. That way, you still have the choice to see the original line translated.
The event premise (may have mistakes as I am not caught up on the CN server storyline): NXX has traveled to Svart to investigate, among other things, another pharmaceutical company and the person behind it. One thing that has come up in their investigations is a drug called VK-809, which has been described as a miracle drug. One of the persons of interest is named Millet. There are a couple English-subtitled videos on youtube of the event PV, which can give you the vibes for the event. Also, I’ll be using some screenshots from the PV when they come up in the card story.]
[PART ONE]
[00:41] Charon – Train Compartment
Howling wind rattled the windows of the train car. Through the cracks, snowflakes forced their way in like swarms of restless insects. Although the horizon was getting faintly paler, sunlight was unable to penetrate the thick layer of clouds, gradually eroding our sense of time. The steel exterior of the train offered no protection from the creeping cold, and I huddled against the chill.
MC: It’s been one night since we left Skovborg. We’ll probably reach the next stop tomorrow…
The light above my head suddenly flashed, and the door to the compartment opened. I stood up in reaction.
Artem: Don’t worry, it’s me.
Artem turned sideways to enter, casually picked up the suitcase lying by the door, and smiled at me in reassurance.
MC: Mr. W—
Artem: I have already given instructions to the staff in the dining car, my lady.
He cut me off in a deferential tone. Taking the train invitation that I had been reexamining, he locked it back in the suitcase while constantly scanning the room.
Artem: Warm the milk to 42 degrees, fry the eggs on one side only, no black pepper, gluten-free bread only… I shall see to it that everything is identical to what you are accustomed to at home. Is there anything else you require?
He picked up a pen and paper from the bookcase, masking the sound of his writing with conversation. Then, like any perfect, professional butler, he elegantly looked at me for my response.
MC: Nothing for now.
I waved my hands and forced out an answer, but felt an awkwardness that I couldn’t say aloud.
MC: (How is Mr. Wing able to say all this so naturally? Agh, if I’d known this ahead of time, I wouldn’t have said that when we were boarding the train. Now it’s too late…)
[1:55] Inside the Car
Frost bloomed wildly on the windows, forming intricate patterns on the glass. They blocked off the fierce snowstorm outside, while also swallowing up the mountains and shoreline in the distance. The night grew darker, with any light vanishing into the swirling snow. I couldn’t see a thing, but was unwilling to give up.
MC: Mr. Wing’s already been gone for half an hour. Why isn’t he back yet?
This was already our fourth night in Skovborg, and yet I still had not gotten used to this sense of anxiety. All I could do was stare fixedly in the direction Artem had disappeared to, praying that his familiar figure would soon appear from the desolate cliffs.
Suddenly, a dark shadow obstructed my view. Artem opened the car door, snow and darkness rushing in along with him. With coffee and bread in his hands, he nimbly slid in the car, causing a small snowfall inside.
Artem: …Were you waiting for long?
I shook my head, and without a word I took the coffee and aimed the car’s warm air toward the driver’s seat. Artem seemed to be frozen stiff; he sat for a while before slowly unwrapping the brown paper to take a bite of redem, a rye bread that was a Skovborg specialty. (1)
Artem: It’s snowing too hard today and a lot of stores are closed, so it took some extra time.
As he mechanically continued to chew, he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his other hand in front of the air vent, until all the white flecks on his collar melted into dark water stains.
MC: Maybe we should take turns getting food, Mr. Wing. It’s too much work for you to go every time…
Artem: It’s fine.
He quickly finished his remaining bread, then grabbed the suitcase from the backseat and opened it in front of us, taking out a sheet of parchment from within.
[During our investigations, Artem and I had found some of Millet’s personal belongings.] (2) Among the items of interest were the VK-809 research data, along with this invitation to a train and its attached ticket. Written on the primitive parchment in gilded Svartian script was the Charon train and its timetable. (3) This should have been a lead for us to follow, but… the name of each station on the timetable was fictional. We couldn’t make any sense of it.
Artem: According to the time on this invitation, it should be tonight.
It was extremely rare to hear that bit of uncertainty in Artem’s voice.
MC: Mr. Wing, are you worried about something?
I handed Artem the coffee that I had placed on the vent to warm, and slowly chewed my redem. Even if there weren’t a snowstorm, this bread would have been hard to swallow.
Artem: I didn’t realize I was being so obvious…
He could have easily leaned back against the chair to relax, but Artem was still sitting upright.
Artem: Look at these station names on the invitation. In Norse mythology, these are the nine realms located on the world tree. The first station is Asgard, the realm of the gods, which is situated at the end of the tree. And the last stop is Helheim, the home of the dead, which is an underworld ruled by the goddess of death.
We had already analyzed these station names before, so rather than a discussion, what Artem was doing now was more like talking to himself. He seemed to be constrained by some kind of emotion, and only through continuous thinking could he reorient himself.
Artem: Starting from the home of the gods, traveling through the nine realms, and finally arriving at the last stop… death.
Artem dropped his gaze and stared out in front of him, where dense snowflakes were hitting the windshield head-on. Farther away, all that remained of the abandoned Skovborg station was a giant, blurry gray shadow.
MC: The train to death, huh…
Originally, there was scarcely any information about the Charon, and most people had never even heard the name. There were only a few people familiar with it who called it “the train to death”, and the rest kept their lips sealed.
MC: Mr. Wing, you must be worried that it’ll be dangerous on the train.
Artem: Yeah… Although I don’t have any solid evidence right now, I have a feeling that coming here is already playing right into someone’s hands. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have heard that rumor right as we were investigating the Charon.
Just as we were beginning to investigate, a drug similar to VK-809 emerged on the market, and rumor had it that it came from the mysterious Charon train. This had undoubtedly increased the urgency of our investigation. That was also when all of the clues had emerged and connected, leading us here.
Artem: And there’s also the three reminders that were on the invitation… Everything having to do with the Charon is strange.
Even the air vent seemed to fall silent as he quietly recited the words we had committed to memory.
Artem: “No leaving the compartment after sunset. The darkness cares only for the dead.”
“For any matter, please ask an attendant. The living are priority.”
“Do not enter the twelfth car unless invited. Those who enter the River Styx cannot turn back.”
Rather than reminders to passengers, these were more like rules, and the ambiguous latter half of each one hinted at consequences for violating them.
MC: They’re indeed strange, but don’t they also point us where to investigate once we’re on the train?
Artem: Yeah, we’ll definitely need to visit Car Twelve…
He paused like he thought of something crucial, then turned slightly to look at me.
Artem: Once we’re on the train, don’t get separated from me. I can only ensure your safety when you’re within my sight.
MC: Alright, but the same goes for you, Mr. Wing.
Artem: Huh?
MC: We’re partners. I’ll do my best to protect you, too.
Artem: You…
Artem froze for a moment, then just as he was about to speak, a very faint whistle broke through the noise of the storm. It sounded so distant that it seemed imaginary.
MC: Did that come from Skovborg station?
Chooooo! Instead of a response, we heard a steam whistle clearer than the one before. It was still warped and twisted by the gales into something like a beast’s warning cry, but without question, this was the Charon that we were waiting for.
Artem: Let’s go. It’s time to check our ticket.
Artem confirmed what was in the suitcase, then took out a miniature wireless earpiece and put it in place. I nodded, grabbed the suitcase, and when I opened the car door, all the warmth of my body was swept away in an instant.
[6:29] Inside Skovborg Station
Artem: In Norse mythology, Midgard is the only one of the nine realms that humans can see in its entirety. It’s surrounded by deep oceans, and at the bottom of those oceans lives the giant sea serpent Jörmungandr.
As the snowstorm approached the edges of the fjord, it accumulated more blustering force. Amid this turbulent white chaos, I recalled what Artem had said about how he determined Skovborg station to be our target.
Artem: The station names are fictional, but a train needs a railway track to operate. It can’t be a track that’s currently in use, however, or else the Charon wouldn’t be so mysterious to outsiders. The train’s departure time on the invitation was one day ago. If we manage to find the fourth station in time, we’ll be able to board the train.
Using those key terms to screen for and check potential locations, we zeroed in on this long-deserted station built along a sea cliff as the fourth station. And based on the scene we saw before us, it was clear that Artem’s guess was spot-on.
Station Announcement: Attention passengers, the Charon train is now arriving.
When we had visited Skovborg station during the day, it was like the skull of a steel monster that was half-buried in the snowy hills. Now, however, it had come back to “life” in the eeriest way.
Station Announcement: The train will stop on time at Platform Zero. Please make your way to…
An electric screech briefly overrode the announcement, and Artem and I stood in place, momentarily unsure of what to do. The winds of the snowstorm poured in from a hole in the ceiling, forming a waterfall that eventually melted atop the dust and rubble. Under this pale curtain, in the center of these ruins… silently stood a number of people.
MC: Mr. Wing, they’re… still alive, right?
They were like rigid statues strewn about the empty hall. Some sat on the snow-covered benches, some leaned against the mottled walls, and others just stood without a word, letting snowflakes fall onto their shoulders. They tucked their faces into upturned collars, their breaths drowned out by the howls of the storm, enveloping their bodies in utter silence.
Station Announcement: Attention passengers of the Charon train, we are now beginning to inspect tickets. Please have your belongings and train ticket ready and prepare to board.
The staticky announcement began again, and the fractured digital timetable began to flicker with green light. Soon after, the other people began to move. As if a giant, invisible mainspring had started to unwind, everyone walked toward the ticket inspection gate and quickly formed an orderly, but still silent, line. We joined the end of the queue. Suddenly realizing a fatal problem, I tugged on Artem’s sleeve to ask him about it.
Stranger: Ahem–
In front of us, a tall man in fine clothing turned around to look at me. His cough was quiet enough to not sound like a warning, but nevertheless I understood the message. All I could do was smile back apologetically, but he ignored me. He lightly snorted, then slowly turned back around.
MC: …
Having learned my lesson, I didn’t risk talking to Artem again. But evidently, the issue would not be resolved by me holding my tongue.
[…]
The line inched forward in silence, with only the crisp click of the stamp to be heard. Finally, it was our turn.
Ticket Inspector: Please present your ticket.
The ticket inspector, clad in a dark blue railway uniform, stopped Artem. As the inspector bent his wrist at the gesture, wrinkles immediately appeared on his overly-starched clothing. I reached past Artem and presented the ticket.
MC: He’s with me. Here’s the ticket.
The inspector looked up at me with lifeless eyes.
Ticket Inspector: No. Only one person may board per ticket. Please present your ticket.
Artem: Can I buy a ticket on the train? We were able to find this place, which proves we’re capable of boarding.
Evidently, Artem had also predicted this would happen. His reply was calm while also testing the waters.
Ticket Inspector: Please present your ticket.
He was immovable. We could hear a steam whistle in the distance, probably urging passengers to board.
MC: Mr. W…
[9:50]
Artem: Do you know who you’re talking to?
Artem abruptly switched to an aloof, yet ingratiating, tone that I had never heard before.
Artem: Standing before you is Lady Olivia-Selene Callisto Alastair-Astraea. The only daughter of the Alastair-Astraea family, the apple of Lord Cyrano-Helios’s eye, and the loveliest rose of in all of Svart. (3)
Rapid-fire, he rattled off a name that I had never heard before in an act of intimidation. At the same time though, he glanced at the suitcase in my hands, hinting at something.
MC: Take a good look…
I pulled out the ticket and brandished it at the inspector, then snatched it back. I was forced to do so, since it was Millet’s name printed on it.
MC: I am an honored guest of your train. Will you still stand in my way? There are grave consequences for delaying my travels!
Imitating the haughty nobles I had encountered in Svart, I pointed with artificial carelessness at Artem, who was stooping slightly.
MC: Oh, and that’s the butler my father forced me to bring along. To protect his precious daughter through this horrible snowstorm, he said. His ticket is my command. Are we done here?
The inspector’s gaze flitted back and forth between me and Artem. We knew that if he asked to examine our invitation, our entire plan would be exposed. Nonetheless, I held my head high and ordered myself to face his scrutiny.
The seconds ticked by.
Artem: I see we don’t need to waste more time here, my lady. Clearly, the Charon’s invitation to you was never sincere.
MC: I think you’re right…
Only once we echoed each other’s feigned indifference did the inspector finally react, and take the ticket from my hand.
MC: (Yes! We made it through!)
We still didn’t dare drop our façade. Coldly, we watched as he flipped the ticket over and stamped “PASS” on the back. The blue ink covered most of the original inscription, leaving only a faint outline visible. That text was written in an ancient language, and Artem and I had searched numerous historical records before we could find an obscure poem that held its meaning –
“No one can choose their own fate.”
[END PART ONE]
[PART TWO]
(1) 列德姆, which I’ve transliterated as “redem,” seems to be fictional. However, there’s a Wikipedia page on Nordic bread culture, and it mentions that use of rye flour as one common characteristic. Therefore, both this bread and the mythology references are signs that this card’s setting (and potentially more aspects of Svart) are inspired by Nordic culture.
(2) This line has been changed because it seems to spoil the finale of the event story. If you’d still like to know what the original says, you can see that translation here.
(3) “Charon” Big Data Lab entry [I don’t have access to its BDL entry, but will add the information if I do find it.]
(4) All of these names have some connection to ancient Greece. Most of those names are from Greek mythology (Selene, Callisto, Astraea, Helios); some have Greek etymology (Alastair, Cyrano (according to some sources)); and Olivia means “olive”, like how olive branches are associated with ancient Greece. This is fitting as the game itself is inspired by Greek mythology for many elements related to the main storyline and gameplay (e.g. the goddess Themis for the game’s title, the law firm, and imagery for the opening screen; the Trials of Themis; the person who goes by the name Oedipus; etc). The Charon train itself is also named after a mythical figure.
Meanwhile, Norse mythology has been associated with some of the forces opposing the protagonists. In this card story, mysterious train invitation uses fake station names inspired by the nine realms in Norse mythology, and the competing Baldr Legal Office is named after a god.
there's a high chance that this was something covered in the JotWE event story (which i did not read), and this post will look incredibly obvious and dumb in hindsight. but i just want to point out some connections between the auctions in chapter 8 and Artem's JotWE card:
(spoilers for Artem's card, which i translated here)
Both are exclusive, high-end auctions where anything, including morally dubious items, can be sold. In addition, they both take place on relatively isolated vehicles (cruise ship on the open sea, train in remote snowfields); this sealed-off environment also encourages any lawlessness that might transpire. These vehicles are also named after figures related to death in Greek and Roman mythology; Pluto for the cruise ship, and Charon for the train.
There are also specific procedures described for the Pluto that align with what we saw about the Charon. Here's Chapter 08-01 where Vyn is explaining more about the auctions on the Pluto:
On the Pluto, invitations "that can be 'purchased'" are lower-tier, while gold-trimmed invitations are sent to passengers with items to sell.
On the Charon, the NPC Lois says that "A permit with a price is the lowest, bloodiest ticket to the boat. [...] A true permit… would have been granted long before any of us boarded this train." This matches the idea that a lower-tier invitations are purchased, while gold-trimmed seller's invitations were given out. Artem and Rosa's invitation in JOTWE also happens to be gold-trimmed (based on the PV image), and ultimately that was also a seller's invitation (sent by the mastermind because they wanted the research data).
There's something else about the seller's suitcase, which Vyn describes in the first investigation of chapter 8:
The Pluto issues suitcases for the sellers to store their auction items, and sellers are responsible for taking care of the suitcase until shortly before the start of the auction.
The JotWE suitcase looks different from the one on the Pluto, and it's not explicitly stated (in Artem's card story, at least) that the suitcase was sent along with the invitation. However, with the context from chapter 8, it makes more sense why from the start, the suitcase was the focal point for everyone. With knowledge of these rules, anyone interested in stealing a seller's auction item would know to go after a suitcase, and all the antagonistic NPCs did exactly that. Artem also emphasized that they would need to protect the suitcase specifically, which has its own story reason, but also still aligns with the Pluto's rule for the seller.
my miscellaneous comments about artem's JotWE card: connections and realizations that i saw when rereading, and then just some personal thoughts because this card haunted my every waking moment for over a month
the working title for this was: "rating moments in artem's card based on how insane they make me feel"
major spoilers for the card!
some ratings because that the was initial idea:
(in rough order of when i thought of them)
saying "I'll do anything to keep her safe" while both of them know damn well that they agreed to avoid lies. 6/10, a good moment that gets an extra layer after you read part six, but not the craziest thing to ever happen
artem reframing the story when on top of train with Noah (i.e. laying out the argument that actually, Noah's the one with the biggest potential to lose out). very inspired by this post. 7/10, solid moment, always nice when the framework works
the pseudonym: we know from the confrontation with lancelot that artem actually knows quite a lot about svart's aristocratic families, at least enough to identify a name that doesn't appear as one. and he still chose That pseudonym. overload them with information i guess. 7.5/10, certified absurd
in focus fire, artem says that he always intended to teach her how to shoot. and now even in the main story, he's fulfilled that TTTTTTT 9/10 because i'm obsessed with moments from the personal/card storylines reflecting into the main storyline as well
ROSA was the first one to risk her life for that (decoy) suitcase. artem actually tried to stop her. it's arguable whether he thought this was taking the bluff too far, or if he only thinks it's too much when it comes to her but not him. there's probably more textual evidence that it's the latter and artem always intended to take such risks, but i would personally love it more if rosa's actions had forced/inspired him to up the ante. 10/10 made me crash out and reblog this post with tag commentary
man i might just be overthinking this, as it's just a natural extension of this whole sense of distance/boundaries because of their current relationship (main storyline, pre-relationship). and not sure if it came across well in my translation since it's clunkier to describe in english, but there are lots of moments that specifically point out when artem does, or doesn't touch MC. the couples charade when he does, and pulls her close. teaching her to shoot, when he gets close but stops short of contact, though his hands cover hers. right at the end, his hands ghosting at her cheeks, but then tightly covering her ears and eyes, and releasing once he's able. the awareness and closing of distance that we saw with his first year of cards? (i.e. one step away -> two hearts as one) 8/10 not quite sure if it's a Thing but it's making me think which fits the ranking criteria
echoes:
there are a LOT of parallels in this card, sometimes with other artem stories but many with itself (which i think it part of the reason why this card story felt so whole and complete to me). i'm sure this list is non-exhaustive, it's just what i caught as i was reading.
with other stories:
(update: see this post for similarities between this card's auction and the one on the Pluto in chapter 8)
in focus fire, MC initially wanted to learn to use a pistol since she’d used it in military training before, but then wants to learn the one artem was using in competition. she learns to use a pistol in this card
focus fire PART TWO (writers were sneaky because most would think we were done with the referencing that card!!) when artem covers her ears in this card to block out an explosion
here's my post with some screenshots of comparisons (not all of them perfect parallels)
ad-hawkeye made a comment about how the ending contrasts with the ending of artem's IS card; although i don't know what she specifically was thinking of, i can see that this time, MC didn't allow artem to stay behind by himself in the dangerous situation. i'm wondering, did she think "i never want to experience that again" after the events of that card, and the anxiety of wondering if artem made it out okay? this time, she was determined to stay with him.
i know i didn't translate the card title, but it's drawn on some similar imagery as "Shadowed Boundaries"; my rough impression of the jotwe card title is something like "no light in this world", so that sense of darkness and a bounded area is kind of in common (don't quote me on this, i'm still not confident on my title interpretations which is why i rarely translate them!!)
also let me just remind us all of that handy dandy artem screenshot from island suspense
within its own story:
some of the very first lines of the card described how light was unable to penetrate the dense clouds; and by the end of the card, light has finally pierced through and it's dawn
also some early imagery that reinforces the idea of artem shielding MC from various dangers: the car blocking out the snowstorm raging outside (but MC is still worried sick because she'd rather know that artem is okay than just be safe by herself!)
in the final scene, MC seems daunted by all the work left for them to do. it reminded me the conversation after the rooftop when artem admitted he almost wanted to make the decision that would stop causing so much suffering instead of the one necessary for their duties
in the phone call, artem coughs and then says it was just because the window was open to the wind. exactly what he warned MC against in part two of the card, when he was still pretending to be her butler and cautioned her about catching a cold from the Charon's windows not closing properly
some personal thoughts:
i knew very quickly that i wanted to translate this card -- you probably already knew that if you saw my original liveblog of this set of SSRs (and i feel a little apologetic if you did; hopefully they didn't spoil too much of the story or detract from the experience!). the card has a great balance of plot and character moments, but one thing in particular that compelled me was the revelation of their bluff, which reframes the entire story. (if i ever made any references to "The Moment" when liveblogging the translation, that was the moment.) this gave the card a ton of reread value and kept things interesting for me, since i reread these lines over and over again in the process of translating. i felt like i continued to have new realizations even in my final passes of the last scenes of the card.
it's been a year since my last translation. some of the challenges felt very familiar, but there were many differences as well. in the past, i've chosen cards that were much more focused on characters, backstory, and emotional discussions. a few also had references to other works that i had to decide how to quote and incorporate.
this is the first time i've translated a card that's so plot-heavy and action-packed, so i hope those scenes didn't lose too much of their tension after translation. there were moments that had me stressed out and yelling at artem, so i hope you felt that too xD speaking of artem, this is the first time i've translated a card of his! so that makes two things that i checked off the list of things i wanted to try translating. now i just need an AU card
anyway, as always, thanks for reading and i'd love to hear your thoughts :)
so right on schedule, sherry's gaming notes did indeed upload artem's ssr xD so now you can all watch the SCN dub on youtube! eventually i will get around to updating the links and timestamps
