Chapter 45 second quarter

Janov Pelorat had a rare look on his face, but it wasn't fanaticism, or anything more volatile.He just narrowed his eyes, every corner of his face looked a little excited. His voice was not as hesitant as usual: "Tell me, how do you know this?" "I told you," Comp said, "it's from my ancestors." "Stop the bullshit, young man. You're a member of parliament, which means you must have been born somewhere in the Al Qaeda world. It's Smirnor, as I recall you mentioned." "correct." "Very well, then what do you mean by 'passed down from your ancestors'? Do you mean that because you have genes from the Sirius region, you were born familiar with the myths and legends about the earth in the Sirius region?"

This question was beyond Comm's expectation, and he quickly answered, "No, of course not." "Then what are you talking about?" Comp paused for a moment, as if he was sorting out his thoughts, and then he said in a calm tone: "My family has kept many ancient books on the history of the Sirius region. When I say that it has been handed down from the ancestors, I don't mean it is inherited. This kind of It's not the right thing to tell the public, especially to someone who's interested in politics. Trevize seems to think I say it to everyone I meet, but trust me, I only mention this to good friends."

With a hint of grief in his tone, he continued: "Theoretically speaking, every base citizen is equal, but those who were born in the original members of the Federation are more equal than people from other worlds; People in the non-federal world are the most unequal among all citizens. But don’t mention this kind of thing, in addition to those ancient books, I have also visited those ancient worlds. Trevize—hey, come back— " At this time, Trevize left his seat, walked to a corner of the hall, and looked out through a triangular window.These windows are designed so that people can enjoy the view of the sky, but not much of the street view, which not only helps in lighting, but also ensures privacy.Trevize stood on tiptoe in front of the window, craned his neck and looked down.

Soon he crossed the deserted hall and returned to the other two. "The window design is interesting," he said. "Are you calling me, Mr. Senator?" "Yeah, remember that trip I took after college?" "When you just graduated? I remember it very clearly. At that time we were buddies, buddies forever, life and death, and the two of us were invincible together. You went to go on your long journey, and I joined the fleet with all my heart. Don't know What's the matter, I just don't want to go with you—there's an instinct telling me not to go, and I hope that instinct stays with me."

Complon didn't take the bait, and went on: "I visited Complon, and according to family word of mouth, my ancestors came from that place—at least in the paternal line. Long ago, the place had not been conquered by the Empire. At the time of annexation, our family was still the ruling class, and my name originated from that world—at least that’s what the ancestors said. The star surrounded by Complon has an ancient and poetic name, Chenlong Aritanie." "What does that mean?" asked Pelorat. Comm shook his head. "I don't know what it means, but it's a tradition anyway. It was a very old world, and the local people kept countless traditions. They have a lot of detailed records about the history of the earth, but no one wants to talk about it. They are very concerned about the earth. There is a superstitious fear, and whenever the word is mentioned, they raise their hands and cross their index and middle fingers, hoping to ward off bad luck."

"Have you mentioned this to anyone since you returned from your trip?" "Of course not, who would be interested? I don't want to force anyone to hear the story. Come on! I have my political future, and the last thing I want to do is emphasize my exotic origins." "What about the satellite? Describe the Earth's satellite." Pelorat pressed. Comm seemed surprised. "I haven't heard of any satellites." "Does it have a satellite at all?" "I don't recall ever reading or hearing it, but I'm sure if you look up Complon's records, you'll be able to find the right answer."

"But you don't know anything?" "I have no concept, no impression of that moon." "Alas! How did the earth become so radioactive?" Kang Pu just shook his head without answering a word. "Think about it," said Pelorat. "You must have heard something." "That was seven years ago, professor. At that time, I didn't know that I would be forced to ask you like this today. There is indeed some kind of legend, but they regard it as history..." "What kind of legend?" "Radioactivity appeared on the earth...rejected and ravaged by the empire, so the population dropped sharply...people on the earth tried to destroy the empire..."

"A dying world, intending to destroy the entire empire?" Trevize couldn't help interjecting. Comm defended himself: "I said it was just a legend. I don't know the details. But I do know that Bel Avadan has a place in this legend." "Who is he?" Trevize asked. "He is a historical figure. I have investigated his deeds. He was born in the early days of the empire. He was a well-known authentic archaeologist in the Milky Way at that time. He insisted that the earth is located in the Sirius region." "I have heard the name," said Pelorat.

"He's a national hero in Complon. Listen to me, if you want to know the details, you should go to Complon. It's no use poking around here." Pelorat asked: "According to them, how does Earth plan to destroy the Empire?" "I don't know." There was a bit of displeasure in Kang Pu's voice. "Does radioactivity have anything to do with this?" "I don't know, in some of the legends, it's mentioned that Earth ever developed some kind of mind expander called a 'neuronal synapse amplifier,' or anything like that."

"Did they create a supersoul?" asked Pelorat in disbelief. "I don't think so. I just remember that the thing is not smart. It can make people smarter, but it will shorten their lives." "It's probably just a moral allegory, and if you get to the bottom of it, you're going to get the clues mixed up," Trevize said. This sentence annoyed Pelorat, who turned to Trevize and said, "What do you know about moral fables?" Trevize raised his eyebrows and retorted, "You and I may have different fields of expertise, Janov, but that doesn't mean I don't understand your field at all."

"Mr. Compu, do you remember anything else about the so-called 'neuronal synaptic amplifier'?" Pelorat continued to ask. "No more, and I refuse to be questioned again. Listen, I was ordered by the mayor to follow you, and she did not direct me to contact you directly. I am doing this now to warn you about being followed , and at the same time, I want to tell you that regardless of the mayor's purpose, you are just her tools. Besides, I should not discuss with you, but you suddenly mentioned the earth, which makes me really excited. Surprised. Well, let me repeat: whatever existed in the past—Bel Avadan, synaptic amplifiers, or anything else—has nothing to do with the present. Emphasize once again: Earth is a dead world, and I solemnly suggest you go to Complon, where you can find everything you want to know, and get out of here as soon as possible.” "Of course, you'll dutifully report to the mayor that we're headed for Complon, and you're bound to follow up to make sure we haven't slipped away. Maybe the mayor knows all about it, I suppose, Every word you just said to us was probably ordered by the Mayor and carefully rehearsed in front of her. Because according to her plan, we must go to Complon, am I right?" Kang Pu's face turned pale, and he stood up abruptly, trying his best to control his excitement, and he could barely speak clearly. "I tried to explain to you, tried to help you, and I regret it now. Go jump your black hole, Trevize." After speaking, he turned around immediately, without looking back at them again, he walked away angrily. Pelorat seemed a little taken aback. "It's really unwise of you to do this, Grant, old partner. I could have gotten more information from him." "Impossible, you can't do it." Trevize said in a serious tone. "Anything he doesn't want you to know, you can't get it out of his mouth. Janov, you don't know this man—even I didn't recognize his true face until today."