Chapter 51 first quarter

As soon as Pelorat stepped into the Far Star, his nose wrinkled. Trevize shrugged, and said: "The human body is a powerful odor emitter, and the air circulation system cannot expel body odor instantly. Artificial deodorants can only suppress those odors, and cannot replace them." "I'm guessing that as long as the people on each ship are different, no two ships will smell the same." "That's true. But after you've been on Seschel for an hour, do you still smell anything?" "No." Pelorat admitted. "Okay, then after a while, you won't be able to smell the smell here. In fact, if you live on a certain ship long enough, you will like the smell in it. Once you return to the ship again If you smell that smell on board, you will feel at home. One more thing, if you become a galaxy ranger, Janov, then you have to remember that criticizing a ship or a world Smell, it's quite disrespectful to the members above. Of course, it doesn't matter between the two of us."

"It's really interesting to say, Trevize, I do regard the Far Star as my home, at least it was made by the base." Pelorat smiled, "You know, I never think of myself as a Patriots like to think they identify with all of humanity. But I have to admit, now that I'm away from the base, my heart is filled with love for it." While making the bed, Trevize replied: "You know, you are not really far away from the base. The Seychelle Alliance is almost surrounded by the territory of the Base Federation. There are our ambassadors here, as well as many representatives below the consul level. The Seychelles like to talk against us in words, but they are usually very cautious in their actions and dare not do anything to offend us. Janov, go to bed, we have nothing today, and tomorrow we will have better results Just do it."

Although the two had already entered their respective dormitories, the voices of each other's conversations were still clearly heard.After the lights were turned off, Pelorat tossed and turned on the bed, unable to fall asleep, and finally couldn't help calling softly, "Glenn?" "Ok--" "Aren't you asleep yet?" "Of course I can't sleep when you talk." "Actually, we still have a little gain today. That friend of yours, Komp—" "Former friends!" Trevize yelled. "Whether he is friends with you or not, he mentioned the earth. He told us one thing that I have never encountered in my past research, and that is radioactivity!"

Trevize propped his elbows on the bed and sat up halfway. "Listen, Janov, even if the earth is really doomed, it doesn't mean we have to go home. I still want to find Gaia." Pelorat exhaled deeply, as if blowing away a feather. "Of course, my dear brother, I think so, too, and I don't think the Earth is dead. What Comm tells us, perhaps he himself believes to be true, but almost every sector of the galaxy, There are legends of their own, that the birthplace of human beings is a nearby world. They almost all call that world 'Earth', or call it by some synonym.

"In anthropology, we call this phenomenon 'homestar centrism'. Humans have always had a tendency to think that their own world must be superior to the neighboring world, and that their own culture is older and superior than other worlds. The good things in other worlds are all passed on from themselves; while the bad things in others are distorted or misused in the process of spreading, or they come from other places at all. There is also a common tendency , is to equate superiority with eternity. If they can’t justify their home planet as the earth—the birthplace of human beings, they will always try their best to put the earth in their own star area, even if they say It doesn't matter if it's not in the right place."

Trevize said: "You want to tell me that Comm also made this mistake, so you say that the earth is located in the Sirius star region. But then again, the Sirius star region does have a long history, and every world in it should have a name. , even if we don't go there, it's not hard to check his statement." Pelorat chuckled a few times. "Even if you can prove that every world in the Sirius region is not the earth, it will not help at all. You underestimated the degree to which mysticism buryes rationality. Grant, there are at least six or seven reclamations in the galaxy, and the authoritative scholars in them have repeatedly Emphasizing local legends that the Earth—whatever they call it—is hidden in hyperspace and impossible to find unless they happen to. A smile."

"Did they mention that anyone just happened to meet?" "There are countless legends like that. Even if the content is absurd, outsiders will never buy it, but in the world that created those legends, because of the local consciousness, people always refuse to deny it." "Then, Janov, at least we don't have to believe those claims ourselves, let us enter the hyperspace of sleep." "However, Grant, one thing that interests me is the idea that the Earth is radioactive. I think it seems plausible—at least a little." "What do you mean when you say something makes sense?"

"Well, the so-called radioactive world means that the radiation intensity of that world is higher than that of a normal world. In this kind of world, the probability of biological mutations is higher, and the evolution is therefore faster and more diverse. I I told you—if you remember—that almost all the legends have in common that the earth is teeming with an unimaginable variety of life, including millions of species. Probably because of the nature of life Diversification—this kind of explosive development has led to the generation of intelligent creatures on the earth, and then gradually flocked to all corners of the galaxy. If the earth is radioactive for some reason—I mean strong radioactivity, it is also That is, more radioactive than other planets, which may explain Earth's uniqueness in various ways."

Trevize was silent for a while, then said, "First of all, we have no reason to believe that Comp is telling the truth. He may have been talking nonsense at all, just to lure us out of this place, and then go crazy to the Sirius region as quickly as possible, which I believe to be the case. Conversely, even if he was telling the truth, he meant that there could be no life on Earth because of its excess radioactivity." Pelorat made another blowing sound. "The original radioactivity of the earth will not be too strong to prevent the emergence of life. Once life is formed, even if the environment becomes worse, it is still possible to continue. If it is said that life did appear on the earth, and it continues to multiply , then the original radioactivity cannot be too strong. And as time goes by, the radioactivity will only gradually decay, and it is absolutely impossible to increase automatically."

"Is a nuclear explosion possible?" Trevize gave an example. "What's the matter?" "I mean, what if there were nuclear explosions on Earth?" "On the surface of the earth? Absolutely impossible. No society will be so stupid as to want to use nuclear explosions as a weapon of war. Even if you search the history of the galaxy, you can't find such a record. It will make everyone die together .During the Triple Planet Rebellion, when both sides were almost out of ammunition, Jandiporus Korat once suggested that a nuclear fusion reaction be triggered..."

"As a result, he was hanged by the soldiers of his own fleet. It's not that I haven't read the history of the galaxy, but I thought something might have happened." "The accident you mentioned is enough to increase the radioactivity of the entire planet many times, and there has never been such a record in the history of the galaxy." He sighed, and said: "I think that when we solve the problem at hand, , must go to the Sirius star area to do some exploration work." "One day, maybe we'll go, but for now—" "Okay, okay, I'll shut up now." Sure enough, Pelorat didn't say a word anymore, and Trevize lay in the dark for nearly an hour, evaluating the current situation—has he attracted too much attention? Should he go to the Sirius Star Region immediately, Then wait until everyone's attention has shifted before quietly turning to Gaia? When he fell into a deep sleep.I haven't made a clear decision in my heart, so I don't feel stable even in the middle of my dreamland.