Can you outsmart Fate and break her ancient curse? - Dan Finkel

翻译人员: Sophia Ye 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

Legend has it, hundreds of years ago a distant ancestor of yours

传说，几百年前你的远祖

stole a magical tarot deck from Fate herself.

从命运手上偷走了 一叠神奇的塔罗牌。

Today, your family is known the world over as the world’s greatest fortune tellers.

如今，你的家族被世人认为是 世界上最伟大的占卜师。

While the deck has increased your fortunes many times over,

虽然这副牌让你的财富与日俱增，

it came with a terrible cost.

随之而来的是可怕的代价。

Once every 23 years, a door appears in your house.

每隔 23 年，一扇门 会出现在你的房子里。

One member of your family must enter,

你的一位家庭成员必须进入，

and face Fate in a duel with arcane rules only known to your opponent.

并在决斗中面对命运， 而且只有你的对手知道神秘的规则。

And every time, generation after generation,

而每一次，一代又一代，

the outcome is the same:

结果都是一样的：

Fate claims their soul.

命运夺去了他们的灵魂。

23 years ago, your father accepted the challenge and lost.

23 年前，你父亲 接受了挑战然后输了。

Today, it’s your turn.

今天，轮到你了。

You’re pacing the dueling room when you stumble across something

你在决斗室中踱步，突然发现了

that just might change everything:

一个可能改变一切的东西：

your father hid a camera in the room.

你父亲在房间里藏了一台相机。

The tape shows him lay out the 22 cards of the major Arcana.

录音带显示，他把大阿卡那牌的 22 张牌摆了出来。

Fate then places an additional card, the Soul, and speaks:

命运又出了一张灵魂牌，说道：

“You may take any card that has at least one factor on the table.

“你可以拿走桌上 至少有一个因数的牌。

I’ll then receive every factor.

然后我会收走它的因数对应的牌。

Take the Tower, for example.

以塔牌为例。

It is 16, with factors 1, 2, 4, and 8.

它是 16，因数为 1、2、4 和 8。

Those now belong to me, making our score 16 to 15.

这些牌现在都归我了， 所以我们是 16 比 15。

If your total at the end of the game is higher than mine, you’ll win.

如果你在比赛结束时的总和 比我高，那就你赢。

Play again and know that if you run out of moves,

再玩一次，如果我知道你没招了，

I’ll take all the cards that remain.”

我就会把剩下的牌都拿走。”

As the game continues,

随着游戏的继续，

Fate remarks that if your father were to win and hold the 10,

命运说，如果你的父亲要赢了， 手上还拿着 10 号牌，

that would grant him great fortune.

那就会给他巨大的财富。

6, true love.

拿着 6 号牌（恋人）， 就会获得真爱。

And the 2 would end the family curse forever.

拿着 2 号牌（女祭司） 就可以永远结束家族诅咒。

But none of that matters because in the end his total comes up short.

但这些都不重要，因为 最后，他的总和会输。

As the video turns to static, Fate arrives.

视频播完了，命运来了。

Feeling as if you’re in a dream,

你感觉好像在梦中，

you hear her offer you the Tower to begin the game.

听到她给了你塔牌，开始了游戏。

How can you defeat Fate,

你怎么才能打败命运，

and what other good fortune can you win for yourself?

你还能为自己赢得什么财富呢？

Pause here to figure it out for yourself. Answer in 3

暂停一下，自己想一想。 答案在 3 秒后揭晓，

Answer in 2

答案在 2 秒后揭晓，

Answer in 1

答案在 1 秒后揭晓。

If you want to outplay Fate, you’ll need to take the long view.

如果你想胜过命运， 你需要从长远来看。

Accepting the 16 gives Fate the 1, 2, 4, and 8.

接受 16 会给命运 1、2、4 和 8。

She effectively has the 23, 19, 17, and 13 too,

她绝对能拿到 23、19、17 和 13，

since you can’t take prime numbers once 1 is off the board.

因为只要 1 不在桌子上， 你就不可能拿走素数牌。

Smaller primes like 11, 7, 5, and 3 will also go to Fate,

小的素数，如 11、7、5 和 3 也会交给命运，

but you’ll be able to take their multiples, like 22 and 21.

但是你可以取它们的倍数， 比如 22 和 21。

That means these are the remaining cards in play.

剩下的就是这些牌。

You can eventually claim at most half of them, rounded down,

向下取整，你最后最多 可以得到其中的一半，

since Fate gets at least one for each card you take.

因为你每拿走一张牌， 命运至少可以拿走一张牌。

So the best you can possibly do is take the seven largest cards.

所以你的最佳选择就是 拿七张最大的牌。

Add those together with the 16 and your total would be 138.

将这些与 16 加在一起， 你的总和将是 138。

And Fate’s total? Also, 138.

命运的分数是多少？ 也是 138。

Ties go to Fate, so it’s clear that by offering your ancestors the 16

如果打平，算是命运赢， 所以很明显，在解释完整规则之前

before explaining the full rules,

把 16 交给你的祖先，

Fate has been manipulating the game to guarantee her victory.

命运一直在操纵游戏， 以保证她的胜利。

But thanks to your father, you now know better.

但多亏了你父亲，你现在更明白了。

Speaking of your family, if you want to take the 2 and break the curse,

说到你的家人， 如果你想拿 2 去打破诅咒，

you’ll have to do it on your first turn, since it’s prime.

你必须在你的第一回合就这么做， 因为它是一个素数。

If you do, Fate will get 1,

如果你这样做了， 命运就会拿到 1，

and once again, Fate is guaranteed the high primes.

同样，命运绝对能拿到大的素数。

In theory, you can get at most 8 of the remaining 17 cards.

理论上，在剩下的 17 张牌中， 你最多能拿到 8 张。

Taking the eight largest would give you a nail-bitingly narrow victory

拿下最大的八张牌会让你以

of 140 to 136.

140 比 136 的微弱优势获胜。

But is it possible?

但这可能吗？

You need Fate to get as few cards as possible for each one you take.

你每拿一张牌，都得让 命运拿走尽可能少的牌。

You can start with the 22 and 14.

你可以从 22 和 14 开始。

With the 7 gone, you can take the 21, then the 15.

然后 7 会被拿走， 你可以拿 21，然后 15。

You still need these, and the next one you take will give Fate two cards.

你还是需要这些牌的， 你拿的下一张牌会让命运拿走两张牌。

That’s okay though.

不过没关系。

Try the 16, for example, and Fate gets the 4 and the 8,

以 16 为例，命运得到 4 和 8，

but you’ll still get the 12, the 18, and the 20.

但你可以拿走 12、18 和 20。

Following similar reasoning,

同样的道理，

you could take the 23 on your first turn and win the 10 or the 6.

你可以在第一回拿 23， 赢走 10 或 6。

But claiming more than one reward is impossible.

但你不可能赢走超过一个奖励。

So do you take wealth, love, or break the curse?

那么你会选财富、爱，还是打破诅咒？

Fate is waiting, but the choice is up to you.

命运在等待，但选择取决于你。