Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Heading to Complon

It was drizzling now, and when Trevize looked up, the sky was thick gray and white. The rain hat he was wearing not only stopped the rain from falling on him, but also bounced the raindrops far in all directions.Pelorat stood outside the range of the raindrops, not wearing any rainproof equipment. Trevize said, "I don't see why you're getting yourself wet, Janov." "I don't care at all, my dear brother." Pelorat's expression was as solemn as ever. "The rain is light, and it is quite warm, and there is no wind at all. Besides, to paraphrase an old proverb: In Anak Let’s go to Ryan, just like the people of Anacreon.” He pointed to several Gaia people who stood silently watching near the Far Star.Those people were scattered evenly, like a few trees in the Gaia grove, and none of them were wearing rain hats.

"I think," Trevize said, "they're not afraid of getting wet because the rest of Gaia is wet; all the trees—the grass—the dirt—are wet now, and Gaia's The same goes for other members, of course, including all Gaians." "I think your words are quite right," said Pelorat. "The sun will come out soon, and then everything will be dried quickly. Clothes will not wrinkle or shrink, and people will not feel cold; here No unnecessary pathogenic microbes, no need to worry about catching a cold, cold or pneumonia. So what does a little wet matter?" Of course Trevize understood this truth, but he didn't want to let it go, so he said: "Although it is so, there is no need to pick on the rain when we leave. After all, the rain falls at will. If Gaia doesn't want it, she must not." It's going to rain. It's raining like it's going to show us contempt."

"Perhaps," Pelorat pursed her lips slightly, "Gaia is crying because she doesn't want us to leave." "Maybe, but I don't feel that way," Trevize said. "Actually," Pelorat went on, "I think it may be that the soil in this area is too dry and needs rain, and this factor is more important than your desire to see sunshine." Trevize smiled. "I suspect you're really in love with the world, don't you? I mean, even if it's not for Bliss." "Yes, that's true." Pelorat said with a touch of self-defense: "I have lived a peaceful and regular life for many years, and you should be able to imagine how much I am used to this place-the whole The world is trying to maintain peace and order in life. Anyway, Grant, we build a house, or that spaceship, in the hope of having an ideal place to live. We equip it with everything we need , and try to control and adjust various internal environmental factors, such as temperature, air quality, lighting and lighting, etc., so that we can live comfortably in this habitat. Gaia puts this pursuit of comfort and safety into What's wrong with extending to the entire planet?"

"The problem is—" Trevize said, "my house or spaceship is designed and built to suit my needs, and I don't have to adapt to them. If I become a part of Gaia, no matter how the planet is designed The fact that it's so ideal and fits my needs, and I still have to adapt to it, is extremely disturbing to me." Pelorat pouted. "We can say that every society deliberately shapes its constituent elements. After customs and habits are naturally formed in society, each member has to strictly follow them to meet the needs of the society as a whole." "But in the societies I know, members can also do the opposite, so there will always be weirdos, even criminals."

"Do you wish there were weirdos and criminals?" "Why not? The fact that you and I are weirdos, we certainly can't be considered typical residents of Terminus. As for criminals, the definition is different. If criminals are the price that must be paid for rebellion, desperation and genius, then I would like to Accept, I insist that this price must be paid." "Is the criminal the only possible price? Why can't we have geniuses instead of criminals?" "Without a group of people who are different from ordinary people, it is impossible for geniuses and saints to appear, and I don't believe that people who are different from ordinary people are concentrated on the good side. I think there must be some kind of symmetry. In short, Gaia is just a line. A star-rated comfortable residence is definitely not enough, I need a better reason to explain why I choose Gaia as a model for the future of mankind."

"Oh, my dear partner, I'm not trying to convince you of my choice, I'm just presenting my point of view...He stopped abruptly at this point, because Bliss was striding towards them. She had black hair Drenched all over, her gown clinging tightly to her body, accentuating her full buttocks, she nodded to them as she walked. "Sorry to take your time," she panted a little, "I didn't expect it to take so long to discuss with Doom." "Of course," Trevize said. "You know everything he knows." "That doesn't mean we all interpret things in the same way. After all, we are not the same individual, so we have to communicate frequently. Listen to me," her tone became a little harsh, "You have two hands, each They're all part of you, they're not different in any way except they're mirror images of each other. But you don't treat both hands the same, do you? Some things you do more with your right hand and some things you do with your left hand, that's a difference, too. interpretation."

"She left you speechless." Pelorat was obviously very satisfied. Trevize nodded. "It's a pretty vivid analogy, but I'm not sure if it's true. Cutting the stick, can we get on a spaceship now? It's raining." "Okay, okay. Our staff have all left, and everything is ready on the Far Asterisk." Then, she suddenly looked at Trevize curiously. "You're all dry, the rain didn't hit you." "That's right," Trevize said. "I kept myself from getting wet on purpose." "Wouldn't it be nice to get wet once in a while?"

"That's absolutely true, but I have to choose the timing, not let the raindrops decide." Bliss shrugged. "Okay, as you like. We're all packed, let's go up now." So the three of them walked towards the Far Star.At this point the rain has become lighter, but the grass is already quite wet.Trevize walked carefully step by step, but Bao Qisi kicked off the sandals and held them in his hands, and stepped across the grass with bare feet. "It's so satisfying," she said, responding to Trevize's gaze at her feet. "Very good." He replied casually, and then said a little unhappy: "The other Gaians, what the hell are they doing standing there?"

Bliss replied, "They're documenting this because Gaia thinks it's a big deal. You're very important to us, Trevize. Imagine if the results of this exploration changed your mind." , and instead decided to veto us, we will never be able to develop into a Gaia galaxy, and even Gaia itself cannot be maintained." "So, I control the life and death of Gaia's entire world." "We believe that is the case." At this time, the blue sky appeared through the gaps in the dark clouds. Trevize suddenly stopped, reached out and took off his rain hat, "But at this moment, I still support you. If you kill me now, I will never change my mind."

"Glenn," Pelorat said in a low voice, startled, "it's really scary to say that." "This is the typical thinking of an isolated person." Bao Qisi said in a calm tone: "You have to understand, Trevize, what we are looking at is not you or your support, but the truth and the truth. Fact. Your importance is to lead us to the truth, and your support is the indicator of truth, which is the real reason we need you. We are only deluding ourselves if we kill you to prevent you from changing your mind That's all." "Would you all gladly die if I told you that Gaia is not the truth?"

"Maybe not absolutely delighted, but in the end it was all the same." Trevize shook his head. "If one day, I finally decide that Gaia is a terrible monster and shouldn't exist in the world, it may be the inspiration from your statement just now." Having said that, his gaze returned to those patient onlookers (presumably Gaians who are also listening patiently). "Why are they spread out like this? Why are so many people needed? Even if only one person looks on and stores it in his or her memory, wouldn't everyone else on the planet have access to it? If you like , can't it be stored in a million different places?" Baoqisi replied: "They observe this matter from different angles, and everyone stores it in their brains differently. If you study these observation records carefully, you can find the comprehensive results of everyone's observations. It is more detailed and understandable than a single observation." "In other words, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." "Exactly. You have grasped the fundamental reason for Gaia's existence. You, a human being, are made up of about fifty trillion cells, but as a multicellular The sum of the two is more important, and you should certainly agree with that." "Yes," Trevize said, "I agree with that." He stepped into the spaceship and looked back at Gaia again.The brief rain shower brought a breath of fresh air to the atmosphere, and what appeared before us was a verdant, fertile, quiet, and peaceful world; it seemed to be a park uncontested in the turbulent Milky Way. — yet Trevize sincerely hoped never to see it again. When the airlock closed behind them, Trevize felt that what was blocked was not only a nightmare, but some alien monster so terrifying that he couldn't even breathe smoothly. He knew very well that a part of this monster, incarnated as Bao Qisi, was still close by his side.Wherever she went, Gaia went—yet he also believed she was indispensable.This is the function of the black box again, and Trevize sincerely hopes that he will stop having too much confidence in the black box. He glanced around and felt that everything was too good to be true.It had been the base's mayor, Hera Burano, who had forced him into a spaceship and sent him among the stars of the galaxy—a living lightning rod for the electric sparks of her perceived enemy.Now that the mission was over, the spaceship still belonged to him, and he had no intention of returning it. He had owned the spaceship for only a few months, and he already felt at home with it.As for the home on Terminus, he had only vague memories. Endpoint Star!This is the center of the base at the edge of the galaxy.According to the Seldon Plan, the base was destined to form another, greater empire within the next five centuries.Yet he, Trevize, derailed the plan.By his own choice, he completely negates the role of the base and replaces it with a new type of society, a new vision of life, an astonishing revolution.Nothing has matched evolution since the emergence of multicellular life. At this moment, he is about to embark on a critical journey, ready to prove (or disprove) to himself that his original choice was correct. Trevize found himself lost in thought, and had stood there for a long time, so he shook his head in displeasure.Then he walked briskly to the cockpit to see that his computer was still there. The computer gleamed, the cockpit gleamed everywhere, and you could tell it had been cleaned with extreme care.He pressed a few switches at random, and the responses were perfect, and he was obviously more comfortable than before.The ventilation system was so quiet that he had to put his hands next to the vents to make sure the airflow was indeed unobstructed. The aperture on the computer emits a moving and brilliant light. As soon as Trevize touched it, the light immediately diffused and spread over the entire desktop, with the outlines of left and right hands appearing on it.He took a deep breath, only to realize that he had held his breath for a while.The Gaia people don't understand the technology of the base at all, and they probably broke the computer by accident.Fortunately, so far, he has not found any signs of damage, and the outlines of the two palms are still there. Next, it should be a key test, which is to put your hands on it.But he hesitated for a moment, because if there was any problem, he would have noticed it immediately-but what should he do if there was any problem?If he wanted to repair it, he had to return to Terminus. If he did, he believed that Mayor Burano would never let him go again.If you don't go back... He could feel his heart beating wildly, and there was no reason to let this uneasy feeling continue. He stretched out his hands suddenly, pressing one left and one right on the outline of the table.At the same instant, he felt as if another pair of hands were grabbing him.His senses began to extend outward, and he could already see Gaia from all directions.The outside is still green and humid, and the Gaia people are still watching in place.He moved his mind to look up, and saw the sky covered with large clouds; he continued to drive his mind, and the clouds disappeared without a trace, showing a cloudless blue sky and the big and round Gaia's sun. He exerted his willpower again, and the blue sky split in two, and the stars appeared in front of him at the same time. After pushing away the stars, he thought again, and saw the entire Milky Way, shaped like a pinwheel seen through a telescope.He tested the computerized images, adjusted the relative orientation, and changed the apparent time, so that the windmill began to rotate slowly, and then turned in the opposite direction after a while.He found Sechel's sun, the nearest conspicuous star to Gaia.Then, in turn, he found the sun of Terminus, and then the sun of Trantor.Hopping from star to star, he navigates the entire galaxy in and out of his computer. Then he withdrew his hand and was in the real world again, only to realize that he had been standing, bent over in front of the computer, with his hands on the desktop.He felt stiff all over and had to stretch his back muscles to sit down. He stared at the computer, feeling relieved.The computer worked fine, if anything it was more responsive.Only the word "love" can describe how Trevize feels about it.After all, when he held its hands (in fact, he had long believed that they were "her" hands, but he refused to admit it), he felt that they had become one, and his will commanded, controlled, and experienced a The Greater Self is also a part of this Greater Self.Just now, he and it must have experienced a small "Gaia feeling" (he suddenly had this disturbing thought). He shook his head.wrong!The fusion of the computer and him is completely controlled by him—Trevize, the computer is just an absolutely tame device. He got up and walked out of the cockpit to the narrow kitchen and dining area.It is full of food of all kinds, with convenient cold storage and simple heating.He had just noticed that the films and books in his cabin were in order, and he was quite sure—no, I should say absolutely sure—that Pelorat's personal library was also in good order, otherwise he would have heard him complaints. Pelorat!He seemed to have thought of something suddenly, and immediately walked to Pelorat's cabin. "Can Bliss fit in here, Janov?" "Oh, of course no problem." "I can convert the public cabin into her sleeping cabin." Baoqisi raised her head, her eyes wide open. "I don't want a separate sleeping cabin. I like living with Pei very much. But I think, when necessary, I will borrow other cabins, such as the fitness cabin." "Of course, except for my stateroom." "Very well. If it were up to me, I would do the same. Needless to say, you can't set foot in our room either." "Of course," Trevize said, looking down, and found that his shoes had crossed the line.He quickly stepped back half a step, and said seriously: "This is not a honeymoon suite, Baoqisi." "This stateroom is squeezed like this, and I think Gaia would make it half as wide, and it would still be a decent honeymoon suite." Trevize tried to suppress a smile. "Then you must be very harmonious with each other." "We do," said Pelorat, evidently uncomfortable with the subject, "but really, brother, you'll let us arrange everything ourselves." "I'm afraid not," Trevize said slowly, "I still want to make it clear that this spaceship is not a means of transportation for a honeymoon trip. I will never object to what you both agree to do, but you must understand, You have no privacy. I want you to understand that, Bliss." "There's a door to this cabin," said Bliss, "and once it's locked, I'm sure you won't disturb us—unless it's an emergency." "Of course I wouldn't, but there's no soundproofing here." "Trevize, I think you're saying," said Bliss, "that you'll hear every conversation we have, and every sound we make when we're having sex." "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Now that you understand this, I hope you will restrain yourself. It may be very inconvenient for you, but I can only say sorry, because that is the way it is." Pelorat cleared her throat, and said gently: "Actually, Grant, I have had to face this kind of problem myself. You should know that when I am with Bao Qisi, any feeling of her is completely overwhelmed." Ya can experience it." "I've thought of this, Janov." Trevize seemed to suppress a disapproving expression, "I didn't intend to mention it—I'm just afraid that you didn't think of it." "I'm afraid you are worrying too much," Pelorat said. Bliss added, "Don't make a fuss, Trevize. On Gaia, there may be thousands of people enjoying sex at any one time, and millions of people eating, drinking and merry. These activities make up a pleasant atmosphere, Gaia Each part can empathize. The lower animals, as well as the plants and minerals, can also produce some milder joys, and these emotions will also add to the overall joyful consciousness. All parts of Gaia can always share this consciousness, Such an experience cannot be felt in other worlds.” “We have our own joys,” Trevize said. “If we want to, we can share them with others in some form; if we don’t, we can taste them alone.” "If you could feel our joy, you would understand how poor your isolation is in this regard." "How can you know how we feel?" "Although I don't know your feelings, I can still make reasonable inferences. In a world where all people enjoy themselves, the joy of feeling must be stronger than that of isolated individuals." "Probably so, but even if my pleasures are meager, I still wish to keep my sorrows and joys private; thin as they are, I am content. I would rather remain isolated than fraternize with the rock beside me." "Don't laugh at us," said Bao Qisi, "the bones and teeth in your body, the consciousness of each mineral crystal in it, although no higher than ordinary rock crystals of the same size, you still cherish them very much and don't want them to be affected. any harm." "You're quite right," Trevize said reluctantly, "but this seems to be a bit off topic. I don't mind all Gaia sharing your joy, Bliss, but I don't want to join in myself. Our cabin The rooms are very close, and I don't want to be forced to participate in your activities, even if only indirectly." Pelorat said: "This is a pointless argument, my dear brother. I do not wish to infringe upon your privacy, nor do I wish to lose my own. Bliss and I will be careful, Isn't that right, Bliss?" "It will definitely satisfy you, Pei." "After all," said Pelorat, "we must spend far more time on the planets than in space. And on planets, the opportunity for real privacy..." "I don't care what you do on the planet," Trevize interrupted him, "but on this spaceship, everything is up to me." "Of course," said Pelorat. "Now that the matter has been spelled out, it's time for liftoff." "Wait a minute," Pelorat reached out and grabbed Trevize's sleeve, "Where are you going to fly to? You don't know where the earth is, neither does Bao Qisi and I, and even your computer doesn't know. I remember a long time ago, you told me that the computer didn't have any information about the earth. So, what do you want to do? You can't just wander around in space, my dear brother." Trevize's reaction was just a slight smile, as if he was very happy.For the first time since he fell into Gaia's grasp, he felt in control of his own destiny again. "I assure you," he said, "I have no intention of wandering in space, Janov, I know exactly where I am going." Pelorat knocked lightly on the door and waited for a long time at the door, but did not hear any response.He quietly walked into the cockpit only to find that Trevize was staring at the star field in a daze. Pelorat called out, "Glenn—" and waited quietly for his answer. Trevize looked up. "Janov! Sit down, please. Where's Bliss?" "Sleeping—so we've gone into space." "Exactly." Trevize was not at all surprised by Pelorat's slight surprise.In this new type of propulsive spaceship, the takeoff process is not even noticeable, because there is no inertial effect from the beginning to the end, no acceleration thrust, no noise, and no vibration at all. Far Star is able to isolate part or all of the gravity field of the outside world, so that when it lifts off the surface of the planet, it seems to be floating in the ocean of space.During this period, however, the gravity effect inside the spaceship remained miraculously normal. ．Before the spaceship leaves the atmosphere, there is no need to accelerate, so there will be no whistling and vibration caused by the rapid passage of the airflow; after leaving the atmosphere, even if the spaceship accelerates rapidly, the passengers will not feel anything. This was already the limit of comfort, and Trevize couldn't imagine what could be improved.Unless human beings find some way in the future that allows people to fly back and forth directly in hyperspace without using any aircraft, they must worry that the nearby force field may be too strong.Now, the Far Asterisk had to spend several days sailing away from Gaia's Sun as soon as possible, and could not start the hyperspace jump until the force intensity was reduced to an appropriate level. "Glenn, my dear companion," said Pelorat, "may I speak to you for a moment? You are not very busy, are you?" "It's not busy at all. Once I give the correct order, the computer can handle everything. Sometimes, it seems to be able to predict my order in advance, almost before I have thought about it, it has already completed it first." Cui Wei I flicked the computer desktop, showing a very fond look. So Pelorat said: "Glenn, we have become very good friends in a short time: although I must admit, I think this period of time is not short, and a lot of things happened during it. It is unbelievable to say. , When I calmed down and looked back on my not-so-short life, I found that half of my life experience was concentrated in the past few months, or it seemed to be like this. I can almost believe that..." Trevize held up a hand. "Janov, I think you're taking things a step further. You said at first that we became good friends in a short period of time, and yes, that's true, and nothing has changed now. Then again, you know Bo Qisi's time was shorter, but you are closer now." "Of course they are two different things." Pelorat cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed. "Of course," Trevize said, "but what do you want to infer from the strong friendship of our team?" "My dear companion, if, as you just said, we are still friends, then I must turn the conversation to Bao Qisi. As you just said, I cherish her very much." "I understand, so what?" "I know, Grant, you don't like Baoqisi. But, for my sake, I hope..." Trevize raised his hand again. "Wait a minute, Janov. I don't hate Bliss, though I don't bow down to her. In fact, I don't have any hatred for her. She's a charming young woman, if not, in your opinion." For my own sake, I like to think she's charming too—it's Gaia I don't like." "But Bliss is Gaia." "I know, Janov, that's why things get complicated. As long as I think of Bao Qisi as an ordinary person, everything will be fine. If I think of her as Gaia, the problem will come immediately." "But you didn't give Gaia a chance, Grant—look, man, I've got a confession to make to you. When Bliss and I were making out, she would sometimes let me share her heart, at most One minute, no longer than that, because she says I'm too old to fit in—oh, don't grin, Glenn, you're too old for that. If an isolated being, like you or me, and Guy If Ya fuses for more than a minute or two, it may cause brain damage; if it lasts for five to ten minutes, it will cause irreparable damage. I hope you have the opportunity to experience it, Grant." "Experience what? Irreversible brain damage? No thanks." "Glenn, you're deliberately misinterpreting my words. I mean a fleeting union. You don't know what you're missing. It's indescribable. Birkis says it's a pleasurable thrill. It's like you're dying of thirst. I don't even know how to describe to you the feeling of finally getting a little water. Think about it, you can share all the joy of a billion people, and it's not a constant high, otherwise you will quickly become numb. It is constantly vibrating, it is flickering; it has a strange pulsating rhythm that holds you tight. It is more pleasure than you can experience alone - no, not more, but a better The feeling. When she closed her heart, I almost cried..." Trevize shook his head. "Your eloquence is astounding, my friend, but it's pretty much what you're describing as a 'fake endorphin' addiction, or other psychedelic addiction, where you get a short-term high from them at the cost of a long-term To live in the abyss of pain. I don't want to! I will never trade my independence for some fleeting pleasure." "I still have my independence, Grant." "If you continue to indulge, how long can you hold on, Janov? You will demand more and more from yourself until your brain is damaged. Janov, you can't let Bliss do this to you— Maybe I should talk to her." "No! Don't go! You know it yourself, you are not gentle enough, and I don't want her to be hurt. I assure you, she is more protective of me than you can imagine in this respect. She is more worried about my brain than I am. You can rest assured that you are in danger of being damaged." "Well, then, I'll just tell you. Janov, please don't do that again. For fifty-two years of your life, your brain has been carrying your usual joy and joy. Don't do it again." Take up novelty vices, or you'll have to pay the price. Even if it's not in sight, you can't escape it in the end." "Okay, Grant." Pelorat replied in a low voice, looking down at her toes.Then he said, "Perhaps you can think of it this way, if you were a single-celled organism..." "I know what you're going to say, Janov. Come on, Bliss and I have already talked about the analogy." "I know, but it's worth thinking about again. Let's assume a group of single-celled organisms with human-like consciousness and the ability to think and judge, and suppose they have the rare opportunity to form a multicellular organism. These single-celled organisms Would they lament the loss of their independence, would they resent the fact that they would be forced to form a single organism? Did they do anything wrong? Can a single cell imagine the power of a human brain?" Trevize shook his head violently. "No, Janov, this is a wrong analogy. Single-celled organisms do not have consciousness or any thinking ability-even if they do, they are extremely small and can be ignored. For this kind of organisms, although they will lose their independence after combination , In fact, there is no loss at all. However, human beings are conscious, and indeed have the ability to think, and what will be lost will be true consciousness and independent mind, so your analogy does not hold." The two didn't speak for a while, the silence was almost suffocating.Finally Pelorat decided to change the subject, and said, "Why are you staring at the picture screen?" "Get used to it." Trevize replied with a wry smile: "The computer told me that Gaia's spaceship was not tracking us, and there was no Sessel's fleet waiting ahead, but I still stared at it uneasily. I can only really rest assured that I can't see any ships with my own eyes, although the computer's sensors are hundreds of times more sensitive and powerful than my naked eyes. In addition, computers can sensitively detect many properties in space. No matter how imperceptible it is to my own senses—although I understand all this, I still stare at it." Pelorat said: "Glenn, if we are really friends..." "I promise you, I won't do anything to embarrass Bao Qisi, at least within my ability." "I'm talking about another thing now. You haven't told me where you're going, as if you don't trust me. Where the hell are we going? Do you think you know where Earth is?" Trevize looked up, raising his eyebrows at the same time. "Sorry, I've been holding onto this secret, haven't I?" "Yes, but why?" Trevize said: "Yeah, my friend, I was also wondering if it was because of Bao Qisi's relationship." "Bliss? You don't want her to know? Really, old partner, you can trust her completely." "That's not the question, what's the use of me distrusting her? If she really wants to know, I guess she can wring any secret out of my mind. I think I have a more childish reason myself, and I think your present The attention was on her, as if I didn't exist anymore." Pelorat looked startled. "But that's not true, Grant." "I know, I was just trying to analyze my feelings. You came to me because you were worried about our friendship changing, and now that I think about it, I seem to have the same doubts myself. I haven't really admitted it to myself, but I think I I feel replaced by Bliss. Maybe I deliberately hid something from you and wanted to take revenge, which is really naive, I think so." "Glenn!" "I say it's really childish, don't I? But who doesn't do something childish every once in a while? But since we're still friends, we've agreed on that, and I'm not going to play that kind of game anymore—we're going to Complon." "Complon?" For a moment, Pelorat couldn't think of such a place. "You must still remember my friend, the Mann Lee Compo who betrayed me, we met him in Seychelle." Pelorat showed a suddenly realized expression. "Of course I remember that Complon is the home planet of his ancestors." "Maybe, I don't quite believe Complon. But Complon is a well-known world, and Complon says its inhabitants know what happened to Earth. Well, so, we're going to investigate there. It might be In vain, but it is the only starting point we have so far." Pelorat cleared his throat again, showing a look of disbelief. "Oh, my dear fellow, are you sure?" "It doesn't matter whether we are sure or not. We only have this starting point. No matter how slim the chance is, we have no other choice." "True, but if we're going to act on Comm's words, maybe we should take everything he said into account. I seem to remember him telling us, and saying it with pretty certainty, that Earth is no longer a living planet. planet whose surface is radioactive and completely lifeless. If so, then our trip to Complon is doomed to be a waste of time." Now the three of them are eating lunch in the dining area, nearly filling the tiny space. "It's delicious," Pelorat said in a satisfied tone. "Is this the food we brought from Terminus?" "No, not at all." Trevize said: "Those have been eaten long ago. This is the food we purchased in Seychelle before we sailed to Gaia. It's very special, isn't it? It's a kind of seafood, but it's very crispy Yes. As for this, I thought it was kale when I bought it, but now it tastes nothing like it." Baoqisi listened quietly, without saying anything, just carefully picking and choosing from the dinner plate. Pelorat said softly, "You must eat some, dear." "I know, Pei, I'm eating." 崔维兹说：“我们也有盖娅食物，宝绮思。”他的口气透着些许不耐烦，但他实在无法完全掩饰。 “我知道，”宝绮思说：“不过我宁愿保留下来。我们不知道要在太空待多久，我终究还是得适应孤立体的食物。” “这些真难以下咽吗，还是盖娅非吃盖娅不可？” 宝绮思叹了口气。“事实上，我们有句谚语：'盖娅食盖娅，无失亦无得。'只不过是意识在不同的层级上下移动。在盖娅上，我吃的东西都属于盖娅，当食物经过消化吸收，大多变成我的一部分之后，它们仍属于盖娅。事实上，藉由我进食的过程，食物的某一部分才有机会参与较高级的意识。当然，其他部分则变成各种各样的废物，在意识层级中下降不少。” 她坚决地咬下一口食物，用力嚼了一会儿才吞下去，又说：“这可算是个巨大的循环，植物长成之后被动物吃掉，动物既是猎食者，有时也是猎物。任何生物死亡之后，都会变成霉菌细胞或细菌细胞等等的一部分——依旧属于盖娅。在这个巨大的意识循环里，甚趾蟋无机物质也参与其中，而组成循环的每个成分，都有机会周期性地参与较高级的意识。” “你说的这些，”崔维兹道：“可以适用于任何世界。我身上每个原子都有段久远的历史，它过去或许曾是许多生物的一部分，当然也包括人类；它也可能有很长一段时间身为海洋的一员，或者可能构成一团煤炭、一块岩石，甚至变成吹拂到我们身上的风。” “不过，在盖娅上，”宝绮思答道：“所有的原于也始终属于一个更高的行星级意识，而你对这个意识一无所知。” “嗯，这么说的话，”崔维兹道：“你现在吃的这些赛协尔蔬菜会有什么变化？它们会变成盖娅的一部分吗？” “会的，可是过程相当缓慢。而从我身上排泄出去的废物，则会慢慢脱离盖娅。由于我具有高层级的意识，所以能和盖娅维持较间接的超空间接触，然而任何东西一旦离开我，就会和盖娅完全失去联系。这种超空间接触可以——慢慢地——将我吃的非盖娅食物转变成盖娅的一部分。” “我们贮藏的盖娅食物又会有什么变化？会不会慢慢变成非盖娅物质？如果是这样，你最好趁早把它们吃掉。” 一这点你不必担心。 ”宝绮思说：“我们的盖娅食物都经过特殊处理，可以长时间保持为盖娅的一部分。 " 裴洛拉特突然说：“但我们若食用盖娅食物，那又会怎么样？还有，我们在盖娅时吃了不少盖娅食物，本身究竟发生了什么变化？我们自己也会慢慢转变成盖娅吗？” 宝绮思摇了摇头，脸上掠过一丝莫名的愁容。“不会，你们吃进去的食物是我们的损失。至少，经过消化吸收后，成为你们身体组织的那部分，我们永远要不回来。不过，你们的排泄物仍然属于盖娅，或者会慢慢变成盖娅的一部分，因此最后将达到一个平衡。但是无论如何，你们的造访仍使众多的原子脱离盖娅。” “为什么会这样呢？”崔维兹好奇地问道。 “因为你们无法承受转换的过程，甚趾蟋极小部分也受不了。你们是我们的客人，可说是被迫来到我们的世界，所以我们必须保护你们——即使盖娅将因此损失一小部分。这是我们愿意付的代价，虽然不能算是欣然付出。” “这点我们感到很遗憾。”崔维兹说：“反之，你确定每一种非盖娅食物都对你无害吗？” “是的，”宝绮思说：“你们能吃的食物，我全都能吃。只不过我多了一道麻烦，除了要将这些食物消化吸收，成为我的身体组织，还得将它们转换成盖娅。这就形成一种心理上的障碍，让我多少有些倒胃口，所以我才吃得这么慢，不过我会慢慢克服。” “传染病呢？”裴洛拉特问道，高亢的声音充满了惊慌。“我早先怎么没想到这个问题，宝绮思！我们要降落的每个地方，都可能有许多微生物，而你对它们毫无抵抗力，某种小小的传染病就会要你的命。崔维兹，我们必须掉头回去。” “别慌，亲爱的裴，”宝绮思带着微笑说：“微生物藉由食物，或是其他任何方式进入我的体内之后，也会全部同化为盖娅。如果它们有伤害我的倾向，被同化的速率会更快。一旦成为盖娅的一部分，它们就不会再伤害我了。” 此时正餐已经用完，裴洛拉特正呷着一杯温热的调味综合果汁。“亲爱的，”他一面说，一面舔着嘴唇。“我想现在又该换个话题了。我真的有种感觉，我在这艘太空船上，唯一的工作就是改变话题，为什么会这样呢？” 崔维兹以严肃的口气说：“因为宝绮思和我总是抓着一个话题不放，至死方休。我们得仰仗你，詹诺夫，帮助我们保持清醒。你想换个什么话题，老朋友？” “我查遍了有关康普隆的参考资料，康普隆所在的那个星区，每个世界都拥有许多古老的传说。根据这些传说，它们的建立可远溯到超空间旅行出现的第一个千年。在康普隆的传说中，甚至还出现一位名叫班伯利的缔造者，不过没提到他来自何方。他们流传着一种说法，康普隆原来叫作'班伯利世界'” “依你看，这些记载的真实性有多少，詹诺夫？” “也许只有故事核心吧，可是谁猜得出哪一部分是核心呢。” “在正史记载中，我从来没见过班伯利这个名字。你呢？” “我也没听说过。不过你该知道，在帝政末期，帝国之前的历史曾遭到刻意打压。帝国的最后数个世纪，时局始终纷扰不安，皇帝们都忙着压制本土意识，因为他们有充分的理由，相信本土意识是导致分裂的原因。因此，几乎银河中每个星区的正史，包括完整的纪录和确切的年表，都变成从川陀兴起的年代开始计算，当时那些星区不是已经和帝国结盟，就是已被帝国并吞。” “我很难相信历史会如此轻易被销毁。”崔维兹说。 “很多方面并非如此，”裴洛拉特答道：“但是一个有决心的强势政府，却能大大削弱历史的影响力，使早期历史只剩一些零散的资料，因此它们很容易沦为民间传说。这类民间传说全都充满夸大不实的记述，多半会将自己的星区说得比实际上更古老、更强盛。可是不论某个传说有多愚蠢，或者多不切实际，仍会成为本土意识的一部分，该区居民一定全都深信不疑。银河各个角落都有一些传说，提到最早的星际殖民是从地球开始，虽然他们对这颗母星可能有不同的称呼。” “还有什么别的称呼？” “有很多不同的名称，有时管它叫气独一世界”，有时称之为气'最古世界'。也有人用'有卫的世界'，根据某些权威的解释，这个名称源自地球有个巨大的卫星。可是也有人坚持它的意思是气'失落的世界'，而'有卫'则是'久违'的转音，那是个出现于银河标准语之前的词汇，意思是'失落'或'不见踪影'。 " “停，詹诺夫，”崔维兹温和地插嘴道：“你的权威、反权威理论会说个没完没了。这种传说到处都有，你是这么说的吗？” “喔，是的，我亲爱的伙伴，几乎俯拾即是。你得全部看过之后，才能体会人类这种共通的习性——一旦有了某个事实的种子，便会在上面加上一层又一层美丽的谎言，就像芮普拉星牡蛎那样，可以由一粒砂慢慢生成一颗珍珠。这个极佳的譬喻是我在……” “詹诺夫！别再说啦！告诉我，在康普隆的传说中，有没有跟其他世界不同的地方？” “喔！”裴洛拉特木然地凝视着崔维兹，一会儿之后才说：“不同？嗯，他们声称地球就在附近，这点颇不寻常。其他的世界如果提到地球，不管他们选用哪个名称，大多都有一种倾向，那就是将它的位置讲得暧昧不明——不是说不知道有多远，就是说位于某个虚无缥缈处。” 崔维兹说：“是呀，就像在赛协尔上，有些人告诉我们盖娅位于超空间中。” 宝绮思突然笑起来。 崔维兹立刻瞥了她一眼。“这是真的，我们亲耳听到的。” “我不是不相信，只是觉得很有意思。当然啦，这正是我们希望他们相信的事。如今我们只希望不被打扰，难道还有比超空间更安全、更隐密的地方吗？如果大家都以为我们在那里，即使事实并非如此，也跟我们藏在超空间中没有两样。” “没错，”崔维兹冶冷地说：“同理，大家相信地球不存在，或者位于很远的地方，或者它的地壳具有放射性，也一定是有原因的。” “可是，”裴洛拉特说：“康普隆人相信地球和他们距离相当近。” “但却说它的地壳具有放射性。只要是拥有地球传说的民族，不论说法如何，都一致认为地球无法接近。” “差不多就是这样。”裴洛拉特说。 崔维兹说：“赛协尔上有许多人相信盖娅就在附近，有些人甚至还能正确指出它的恒星，可是一致公认盖娅是个去不得的地方。而在康普隆上，或许有人能指认出地球的恒星，虽然他们坚持地球具有放射性且早已失去生机。即使他们这样说，我们仍然要向地球进发，我们要拿当初进军盖娅的行动作榜样。” 宝绮思说：“当时盖娅愿意接纳你，崔维兹。你在我们的掌握中一筹莫展，下过我们完全无意伤害你。如果地球也是一样威力强大，却对我们并不友善，那该怎么办？” “我无论如何都要试图接近它，下计一切后果。不过，这是我个人的任务，等我找出地球的下落，准备向它前进时，你们若要离开仍然不迟。我会将你们留在最近的基地世界，如果你们坚持的话，我也可以带你们回到盖娅。然后，我再一个人前往地球。” “我亲爱的兄弟，”裴洛拉特显然感到很不舒服，“别说这种话，我作梦也不会想到丢下你。” “而我作梦也不会想到要丢下裴。”宝绮思一面说，一面伸出手来摸摸裴洛拉特的脸颊。 “这样太好了。我们很快就能进行跃迁，直奔康普隆，然后嘛，希望再下一站——就是地球。”