The dungeon master's riddle - Alex Rosenthal

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

It’s a Monday,

今天是星期一，

which means yet another party of adventurers has broken into your lair,

這就意味著又有一群冒險家

闖入你的巢穴，

here to slay your minions and steal your treasures.

來殺死你的手下並偷走你的寶藏。

Judging by the trail of destruction,

根據破壞的痕跡研判，

you’re up against a fighter, a rogue, and a cleric.

你要對抗的是一名戰士、 一名盜賊，及一名教士。

The first two won’t be a problem for a powerful necromancer like you,

你是強大的死靈法師， 前兩者對你不是問題，

but the cleric’s spells are trouble.

但教士的咒語會是個麻煩。

If they can cast even one on you, you’re a goner.

只要他們能對你施加 一個咒語，你就完了。

Which is why it's lucky that the party has fallen prey to one of your traps.

這就是為什麼很幸運這群人已經 成為你其中一個陷阱的囊中物。

In order to enter your inner sanctum,

為了進入你的內殿，

each adventurer had to drink either a truth or lying potion.

每位冒險家都必須喝下 實話或謊言藥水。

Then, foolishly, one picked up a cursed skull

接著，一位冒險家幹了傻事， 拿起了被詛咒的頭骨，

which immobilized all three adventurers’ limbs for 10 minutes

導致三名冒險家的四肢 都動彈不得，要等十分鐘過去，

or until you physically interact with one of them.

或者等你和其中一人 進行實體互動才會恢復。

You rush to the scene bearing a magical ring that can render a cleric harmless

你趕到現場，帶了一枚能讓 教士變成無害的魔法戒指，

and have no idea which adventurer is which.

但你不知道這些冒險家誰是誰。

Well, that’s okay—

嗯，那也沒關係——

the potions they drank will compel each to answer one question

他們喝下的藥水會迫使 每個人都得用實話或謊言

with either the truth or a lie.

回答一個問題。

You demand, “which one of you is the cleric?”

你盤問：「你們當中誰是教士？」

Agan answers: Beorn is not both a lying-potion drinker and a cleric.

艾根回答：

畢歐恩不會同時是喝下 謊言藥水的人以及教士。

Beorn says, either Agan drank a lying-potion or I am not a cleric.

畢歐恩說，

若不是艾根喝下謊言藥水， 就是我不是教士。

And Cedar replies, the cleric drank a lying potion.

而西德回答，

教士喝下了謊言藥水。

Quick! Who is the cleric?

快想！誰才是教士？

Answer in 3

答案即將公佈：三

Answer in 2

答案即將公佈：二

Answer in 1

答案即將公佈：一

In order to find the cleric in this puzzle,

這個謎題最初是由邏輯學大師 雷蒙‧斯穆利安設計，

originally crafted by master logician Raymond Smullyan,

要猜出謎題中的教士是誰，

we’ll need to also figure out who drank what.

我們就得搞清楚誰喝了哪種藥水。

There are several paths to the solution,

有好幾條途徑都可以解出答案，

but Cedar’s statement is more straightforward than the other two,

但西德的說詞比其他兩人的更直接， 所以咱們就從那裡著手。

so let’s start there.

If Cedar’s telling the truth, she can’t be the cleric,

如果西德說的是實話， 她就不是教士，

since then the cleric would also have to be a liar.

因為如果是的話，教士也是在說謊。

But if she’s lying, she also can’t be the cleric,

但如果她在說謊， 她也不可能是教士，

because then the cleric should have told the truth.

要不然教士就是在說實話了。

So the cleric must be Agan or Beorn.

所以教士一定是艾根或畢歐恩。

Let’s assume that Cedar is telling the truth,

咱們假設西德說的是實話，

meaning the cleric is lying.

也就是說，教士說謊。

If Agan is also telling the truth,

如果艾根也是說實話，

Beorn must be the lying cleric by the process of elimination.

用消去法，畢歐恩 就一定是說謊的教士。

But Agan’s statement contradicts this by saying that Beorn

但艾根的說詞和這點矛盾，

他說畢歐恩不會同時說謊又是教士，

can’t be both lying and a cleric, leaving no possible cleric.

因此他就不可能是教士。

If, on the other hand, Agan is lying,

另一方面，如果艾根說謊，

then her statement means Beorn is a lying cleric.

那麼她的說詞就意味著 畢歐恩是說謊的教士。

Now we need to look at Bjorn’s sentence.

現在我們得要來看看畢歐恩的句子。

And this is where things get tricky, because the way it’s structured,

因為這個句子的結構， 讓它變得很難搞。

it can be confusing understanding what a lie would be.

可能會很難搞懂什麼是謊言。

So let's simplify.

所以咱們把它簡化。

Beorn stated two facts, and said that exactly one of them is true.

畢歐恩陳述了兩個事實，

且他說其中之一是真的。

So if Beorn is telling the truth,

所以，如果畢歐恩說的是實話，

it could be that 1 is true and 2 is false, or 1 is false and 2 is true.

那就有可能一是真的，二是假的；

或者一是假的，二是真的。

And if Beorn is lying, it means that 1 and 2 are both true or both false.

如果畢歐恩說謊，

那就表示一和二都是真的 或者都是假的。

This is equivalent to the XOR, or exclusive OR, function in Boolean algebra,

這相當於布林代數中的 互斥或（XOR）函數，

a branch of mathematics that deals with logical operations.

布林代數是在處理 邏輯運算的一門數學分支。

Boolean algebra is the underpinning of the electronic logic gates

布林代數是電子邏輯閘的基礎，

that allow computers to function,

電腦靠它才能運作，

using 1′s and 0′s instead of true and false.

只是使用的是一和零，而非真和假。

So now let’s assess Beorn’s statement based on what we know.

現在，根據我們所知的， 可以來評估畢歐恩的說詞。

We’re assuming that Agan is a liar, making 1 true and 2 false—

我們假設艾根說謊，

因此一是真的而二是假的——

because Beorn would be the cleric.

因為教士就會是畢歐恩。

But in that case, Beorn would be telling the truth,

但若是如此，畢歐恩說的就是實話，

which contradicts the idea that the cleric is a liar.

這點就和「教士說謊」有所矛盾。

In other words, if Cedar is telling the truth,

換言之，如果西德說的是實話，

Agan can't be telling the truth or lying.

艾根就不可能說實話或說謊。

Therefore, Cedar must be lying, so the cleric is telling the truth.

因此，西德一定在說謊，

那麼教士說的就是實話。

So again, let’s consider the possibilities for Agan.

我們再用同樣的方法 來思考艾根的可能性。

She can’t be lying, because then Beorn would be a lying cleric,

她不可能說謊，因為那樣 就表示畢歐恩是說謊的教士。

which we know isn't possible.

我們知道這是不可能的。

So Agan must be telling the truth,

所以艾根說的一定是實話，

and we’re back to our truth table for Beorn.

於是又回到畢歐恩的真假表。

Statement 1 is false.

說詞一是假的。

And if the second were false, Beorn would be a lying cleric;

如果說詞二也是假的， 畢歐恩就是說謊的教士；

again, impossible.

同樣的，這不可能。

So statement 2 is true, making both Agan and Beorn truthtellers,

因此，說詞二是真的，

表示艾根和畢歐恩說的都是實話，

and Agan the cleric.

而教士就是艾根。

You slide the ring onto her finger,

你把戒指戴到她的手指上，

polymorph all three into skeletal mice—

把三個人都變成骷髏鼠——

temporarily, of course, you’re not a monster—

當然只是暫時性的，你不是惡魔——

and send them on their merry way.

送他們開開心心地離開。

But in that moment, was there a... connection?

但在那一刻，有連結產生了嗎？