Chapter 10 Chapter 10 The New Century and Ancient Civilizations

Bailey was in an air vehicle again, just as he was from New York to Washington.The difference is that this flying vehicle is not airtight, its windows are all transparent. The weather was apparently fine.From Bailey's seat, all the windows were blue, monotonous and plain.Bailey tried to keep himself from curling up, but finally couldn't take it anymore and buried his head between his knees. This is a test of his own choosing.However, his victor's mentality, the extraordinary freedom and joy of defeating Atobixi and Daniel successively, and the feeling of maintaining the dignity of the earth in the confrontation with the outsiders, seemed to require him to pay. Great price - he had to accept this test.

The ordeal begins when he walks dazedly into the open space to where the flying vehicle is parked.This feeling made him quite happy, and he was even dizzy with complacency, ordering that there was no need to close the windows in a nervous manner. He thought: I must get used to all this.He forced himself to look at the blue windows until he saw his heart beating fast and something stuck in his throat that he couldn't bear.He closed his eyes and buried his head in his arms. Every once in a while, he has to repeat this.Bailey's confidence slowly faded.Even if he reached out to touch the recharged blaster, it couldn't bring back his lost self-confidence.

He tried to concentrate, to think about his plan of attack.First of all, he has to learn the way of life of this planet, to know a little bit of the background of everything, otherwise he cannot understand these things. Next, he's off to see a sociologist! He once asked a robot who was the most famous sociologist here.One benefit of asking bots for information: They don't ask any questions. The robot told him the sociologist's name, some important personal information, and said that the sociologist might be Have lunch and ask him to get back in touch later. "Lunch!" snapped Bailey. "Stop that nonsense, it's two hours before noon!"

The robot replied: "Master, I'm talking about local time." Bailey's eyes widened, and then he understood.In the various cities of the earth, people's night and day, sleeping time and waking time are controlled by people to meet the needs of society and the whole planet.But in the Solari world, everything is exposed to the sun, day and night are not a choice for people at all, they have to accept the natural flow of the sun, moon and stars. Bailey tried to imagine a planet that was turning bright and dark because of its rotation, and he found that it was not easy to imagine that kind of scene.He thought that these superior outsiders could not do anything about the irresistible natural rotation of the planet, and had to let it determine how they divided "time", and he couldn't help looking down on them.

He said to the robot: "Don't care about him, you can contact me!" When the flying vehicle landed, some robots came to pick him up.Baley stepped out, into the open space again, and found himself shaking so badly. He whispered to the robot closest to him, "Let me grab your arm, Robot." The sociologist was waiting at the other end of the corridor. When he saw Bailey, he forced a smile: "Good afternoon, Mr. Bailey." Bayley nodded breathlessly. "Hi, sir. Would you please close the curtains?" The sociologist said: "It has been pulled. I have some understanding of the customs of the earth people. Please follow me."

Bailey followed him as calmly as possible without the support of the robot.He lags far behind the sociologist, following him into a maze of corridors.Finally, Baley sat down in a large, well-decorated room, glad to finally have the opportunity to rest for a while. There were many recesses in the walls of this room, and in each recess was a pink or gold statue.Although these statues are pleasing to the eye, it is not clear what they represent.Also, there was a large, box-like thing in the room, with white pipes hanging from it and pedals underneath, that looked like a musical instrument. Bailey looked at the sociologist standing in front of him.The appearance of this outsider is exactly the same as the one he saw in the video earlier.He was tall and thin, with white hair.His face was a regular triangle, with a large nose and deep-set eyes that were piercing.

His name is Anselmo Kuimate. They just looked at each other like that, and after a while Bailey felt he could speak in a normal tone.The first sentence he said had nothing to do with the investigation of the case, in fact, he hadn't thought of saying it beforehand. He said, "May I ask you for a drink?" "Drinks?" The sociologist's voice was high-pitched and uncomfortable. "Would you like some water?" he said. "Preferably alcoholic beverages." The sociologist seemed even more uncomfortable, as if he had no idea what hospitality was. Bailey thought: He's acting real.On a planet where people only communicate with each other through images, no one will understand the principle of sharing food together.

A robot brought a drink, a pink liquid in a sleek china cup.Bailey sniffed the scent cautiously, and took a cautious sip.The drink was hot in his mouth, and then his entire esophagus was hot.He took a second sip unceremoniously. Quimart said, "If you still want—" "No, thank you, not now. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me." Quimate seemed to be trying to force a smile, but couldn't: "It's been a long time since I've done anything like this." He seemed terribly embarrassed when he said it. "I think it's going to be difficult for you to do that," Bailey said.

"It's very difficult." Kuimat turned suddenly, walked across the room, turned the chair away from directly facing Bailey, and sat down.He clasped his gloved hands tightly, and his nostrils moved slightly. After his drink, Bailey felt his limbs warm, and he even felt a little more confident. He said, "How does it really feel to have me come here to see you, Dr. Quemart?" The sociologist murmured back: "This is a very unusual personal problem." "I know. But I think I explained it to you before when I saw your image. I am investigating a murder case and I have to ask you many questions, some of which must be personal."

"I'll assist you as much as I can," Quemarte said. "I hope you're asking serious questions." He tried not to look directly at Bailey as he spoke.Occasionally his eyes fell on Bailey's face, and he always moved away as soon as he touched it, never staying. "I'm not just asking how you're feeling out of curiosity. That's important for investigative work," Bailey said. "I don't see how it's important to the investigative work." "I have to know as much as I can about the planet, I have to know how the Solari feel about things in general. Do you understand?"

Now Quimat doesn't look at Bailey at all.He said slowly: "My wife died ten years ago. I always have a hard time seeing her, but of course, everyone has to learn to live with this kind of thing, and she's not like that." The kind of person who likes to bother people. Ever since I had my——” He looked at Bale, as if hoping that Bale would help him carry on.When he realized that Bailey had no intention of doing so, he had to continue in a low voice: "After childbearing age, I have no quota for renewing. Since my wife passed away, I am even less used to seeing people." "But how do you feel?" Bailey persisted. "Are you afraid?" He thought of himself in the flying vehicle. "No, I'm not afraid." Quemart turned his head and glanced at Bailey, but then looked away. "But, Mr. Bailey, to be honest, I think I can smell you." Bailey immediately leaned back, feeling very uncomfortable: "Can you smell my body?" "Of course, this is just imagination." Kuimat said, "I don't know if you have body odor, and I don't know how much you have, but even if you have a lot of body odor, the filter on my nostrils can block it. The smell. But in my imagination..." He shrugged. "I understand." "Worse, after I actually see you, I'll have the feeling that some slimy, dirty thing has touched me and I'll keep flinching. It's very uncomfortable. Please Forgive me for saying so, Mr. Bailey." Bailey rubbed his ears thoughtfully, trying to control his anger.After all, it was just Quimate's own neurotic reaction to a simple situation. He said: "If that's the case, I'm really surprised that you agreed to meet me so easily. You must have known that this kind of thing is very uncomfortable." "I know. But you know, I'm curious. You're an Earthling." Bailey sneered, this should be another reason for his reluctance to meet. "So what if I'm from Earth?" he asked. Quamat's voice suddenly became eager: "I can't explain this in a few words. In fact, I can't explain it to myself. I've been studying sociology for ten years, and I really want to do it with all my heart." research. I have come up with some very new insights, startling but basically true. One of them has particularly interested me in the Earth and its people. You see, if you think about Sora If you look at the society and way of life of the Solari world, you will find that the Solari world is actually a direct imitation of the society and its way of life on Earth, and the two are very similar." "What?" Bailey couldn't help but yelled. After a moment of silence, Kuimat looked behind Bailey and said, "I'm not referring to the current culture of Earth, not this." Bailey said, "Oh." "I mean the past culture, the ancient history of the earth. You are an earthling, of course you know it." "I've read some books," answered Bailey cautiously. "Then you understand." Bailey didn't really understand. He said, "Mr. Quimate, let me explain what I want. I want you to tell me as much as you can. Why is Solari world so different from other outer worlds? Why is it so different? There are so many robots? Why is your custom like this? Forgive me if you feel as if I'm deflecting you." Bailey was indeed eager to change the subject, and discussing the similarities and differences between Solari's world and Earth's culture would only focus his energy on it.But it could take him all day without getting him any useful material. Kuimat smiled and said, "You want to compare the culture of the Solari world and the outer world, not the culture of the Solari world and Earth?" "I know Earth, sir." "Whatever you want," said the Solari, with a slight cough. "Do you mind if I turn the chair all the way around to face you? It'll be more—more comfortable." "Whatever you want, Dr. Quemart." Bailey said stiffly. "Okay," Quemart said.At his whispered command, a robot turned the chair around for him.As the sociologist turned his back on Bailey, out of his sight, his voice gained life, and even its pitch became deep and powerful. Kuimat said: "The world of Solari began to be inhabited three hundred years ago, and the Nexus people were the first to colonize it. Are you familiar with the Nexus world?" "Not familiar with." "It is very close to Solari World, only about two parsecs apart. In fact, Solari World and Nexon World are the two closest planets in the Milky Way, and they are also two planets with people. Before there were humans Before inhabitation, the Solari world already had living creatures, and it was very suitable for human colonization. At that time, the Solari world was very attractive to the Nexus world, which was overpopulated and could not continue to maintain a proper standard of living." Bailey interrupted him: "Overcrowded? I thought the outside world was controlling the population." "The Solari world is controlling the population, but the other outer worlds are not so strictly controlling the population. Three hundred years ago, the population of the Nexus world was already two million. Due to the large population, they must In order to limit the number of robots a family can have, some wealthy Naxans build summer houses in Solari World, where the land is fertile, the climate is mild, and there are no dangerous animals. "It was easy for the pioneers back then to go back to Nexus, but they could live the life they wanted in Solari World. They could use as many robots as they wanted or felt they needed to. Besides, they The land can be as big as you want. Solari World is very empty, space is not a problem, and the number of robots is not limited, so the labor resources to develop the land is not a problem. "There are more and more robots, each equipped with radio communication equipment, and this is the beginning of what we are known as the robot industry. We began to develop all kinds of new robots, new equipment, new functions. Culture dictates invention, I I think I said that first." Kuimat chuckled triumphantly. Behind the chair, at the command of an unseen movement from Bailey, a robot brought Quimate a drink.The drink was similar to the one Bailey had earlier.The robot didn't offer Bailey a drink, and Baley decided not to ask for it. Kuimat continued: "Those pioneers who came from the Nexus world, obviously found the advantages of living in the Solari world. The Solari world became a place where hipsters lived, and more and more Nexus People built their homes here, and Solari World became what I call a 'Villa Planet'; more and more settlers stayed here year-round, and let their brokers handle their industries on Nexon World .They built a factory for manufacturing robots in Solari World, and developed farms and mines at the same time.The quantity of products they manufactured has reached the export standard. "In short, Mr. Bailey, if this situation lasts for a hundred years, the Solari world will become as crowded as the Nexus world. If you find such a new world, but lose it because of lack of foresight, That is both absurd and regrettable. "I don't need to say much about the complicated political issues. In short, Solari World has finally managed to gain independence, and become an independent planet without fighting. We produce robots with various special functions to meet the needs of the outer world, which makes us exist Gained a lot of friendship and help when fighting for independence. "After Independence, our main concern was not to overgrow the population beyond what was reasonable. We controlled immigration, we controlled birth control, and increased the diversity of robots to take care of everything for us." "You haven't answered my question yet," Bailey said, "why don't the Solarians want to see each other?" He wasn't too pleased that Kuimat avoided the topic and went on to detail the history of the pioneering of the Solari world. Kuimat turned his head and peeked at Bailey from the corner of the chair, and then turned his head: "This is inevitable." He said, "Our land is too big, more than 20,000 square kilometers, of course, There are still many deserted areas in the largest lands. Although my land is only more than 2,400 square kilometers, it is full of fertile land. "In short, the level of a person's social status determines the size of the property he owns. In a so-called large property, you can walk around aimlessly, but it is impossible to go to your neighbor's property and meet him. You Understand?" Bailey shrugged. "I think I understand." "In short, we Solari pride ourselves on not being able to see our neighbors. Besides, we are self-sufficient in our own territory under the care of robots. We don't have to meet our neighbors. This reluctance to meet people, It leads to the perfecting of video-viewing devices, and the more perfect the video-viewing devices are, the less one needs to see one's neighbors. It's an ever-increasing cycle, a feedback effect, you know?" "Hey, Dr. Quamat," Belley said, "you don't have to explain this to me in such a simple way. I'm not a sociologist, but I did take some basic sociology courses in college. Of course, I I only went to the university of the earth." Bailey reluctantly added the last sentence, so as not to be humiliated in vain by retweeting him with the same sentence. "But I do understand math," he added. "Mathematics?" Kuimat's voice became sharp, revealing a hint of disdain. "Well, I'm not talking about the mathematics used in robotics. I'm an outsider. But I can figure out various relationships in sociology. For example, I understand the Traminian relation." "What relation, sir?" "Perhaps you use another name. I mean privileged convenience and unprivileged inconvenience, the relationship between the two is differential..." "What are you talking about?" The outsider's tone was stern and bossy.Bailey stood there and fell silent. Doesn't he know?To learn how to control people and avoid their dissatisfaction, it is necessary to understand the relationship between privilege and the inconvenience it causes.Assuming that someone uses a private room for personal use, and X people are waiting outside, then the probability that these X people are struck by lightning at the same time can be calculated by the Tramin relation. The value of X will change to a certain extent under the change of two known conditions—environment and human nature.Without understanding the Tramin relation, it is impossible to grasp this subtle change. But then again, on a planet where there were no inconveniences but privileges, the Traminian relation might be rendered useless.Maybe he gave the wrong example. Bailey tried again: "Hey, sir, it's one thing to have a qualitative understanding of why your obsessive paranoia grows day by day, but it doesn't serve my purpose. What I want to know is about the A paranoid analysis so I can react correctly. I'm going to convince people like you to meet me." "Mr. Bailey," said Quemart, "you can't think of human emotions as the reactions of a positronic brain." "I didn't say you were going to do that. What I was saying was that robotics is a deductive science and sociology is an inductive science, both of which apply to mathematics." After a moment of silence, Quimate trembled: "You just admitted that you are not a sociologist." "Yeah, but I've been told you're a sociologist, and the best sociologist on the planet." "I'm the only sociologist on the planet. You could even say I invented this science." "Oh?" Bailey hesitated, should I ask him the next question?Even he himself felt very rude about this question, "Have you read any books on this subject?" "I've read some books about this in Aurora World." "Have you read the books on Earth?" "On Earth?" Quimate smiled awkwardly. "I didn't even think about reading science books on Earth. Well, I didn't mean to offend." "Well, I'm sorry. I thought I could get some definitive information from you that would help me talk to people face to face without—" Kuimat suddenly made a faint strange sound, as if something was choked in his throat.Then the big chair he was sitting in slid back and fell down with a bang. In a panic, Bailey heard him say "I'm sorry" in a muffled voice, and stumbled out of the room. Belle raised an eyebrow.God, what the hell did he say wrong this time?What did you do wrong again? He was about to stand up, but before he could straighten his feet, a robot walked in. "Master," said the robot, "I have been ordered to inform you that my master will come to watch your video later." "Watch my video?" "Yes, master. You might like a drink now?" There was an extra cup of pink drink and a plate of hot and fragrant snacks at Bailey's elbow. Bailey sat back, picked up the drink, took a sip carefully, and drank it.The plate of dim sum was hard and hot to the touch, and it melted in the mouth. Although the stuffing inside was a bit hot, it was extremely soft and smooth.Bailey couldn't taste what it was, and he suspected it might be a spice or seasoning unique to Solari's world. He couldn't help but think of the limited production of yeast food on earth, and wondered if there was a market for yeast products imitating the flavors of other worlds. Suddenly, Kuimat appeared in front of him, interrupting his thoughts.This time Quimate was actually facing him, but the surrounding walls and floors were different from those in Bailey's room.Now, Kuimat sits in a smaller chair, a smile that deepens the fine lines on his face.Paradoxically, it made him look younger and more radiant. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Bailey. I thought I could bear to see you, but it turned out to be a fantasy. I couldn't take it anymore, and your words made me completely out of control." "Which word, sir?" "You said, with someone else—" He shook his head and licked his lips. "It's better if I don't say it, I think you understand what I mean. Your words remind me of the air we exhale each other, it's too scary." The outsider seemed to be in the scene again , so scared that the whole person shrank, "Don't you think this is disgusting?" "I don't know if I ever thought that." "That seems to be a dirty habit. When you said that sentence just now, this image immediately appeared in my mind. Although I am not facing you, we are in the same room after all, and you spit out your lungs. The air must have flowed to me, into my lungs. Because I'm a sensitive person, so—” "My God!" said Bailey, "the air in your Solari world has not only passed through me, it has passed through the lungs of thousands of people, it has passed through the lungs of animals, and even the gills of fish!" "It's true," said Kuimat, rubbing his face sadly. "I'd better not think too much about it. But you're here, and I feel so close when we breathe. Now I meet you by video." , it made me feel so much more at ease, which really surprised me.” "But we're still in the same house, Dr. Quimate." "That's why I say, I was amazed by the reassurance. Even though we were still in the same house, meeting by video made all the difference. At least now I know what it's like to meet strangers , I will never do this kind of thing again.” "From your tone, you seem to be conducting a human experiment?" "I guess I could call it an experiment," said the outsider, "for a small motive, and with disturbing results, but it was interesting. It was a good experiment, and I might Will record it." "Record what?" Bailey felt puzzled. "My feeling!" Kuimat also looked at Bailey inexplicably. It's a really irrelevant game, always repeating the game.Bailey sighed: "I'm asking this because I thought you have some equipment that can measure emotional responses, such as a brain wave scanner." He looked around, but didn't see this kind of equipment, "Maybe You have an unplugged, pocket-sized brainwave scanner that we don't have on Earth." "I believe I can gauge the nature of my emotions without a device," insisted the outsider. "My emotions are obvious enough." "Yes, yes, of course, but in terms of quantitative analysis..." "I don't know what nonsense you're talking about!" Kuimat interrupted Bailey irritably, seeming to be angry. "Also, I have to tell you something—it's actually my own theory, it's not what I learned from the book. It seems that I am very proud of-" "What the hell, sir?" asked Bailey. "It's the Solari world's attitude towards developing culture that is based on the culture that existed on Earth in the past." Bailey sighed.If he doesn't let Kuimat speak his mind, the other party may not cooperate with him in the future.He could only ask, "What kind of attitude is that?" "Sparta!" Kuimat tilted his head, his white hair shone like a halo under the light, "I think you must have heard of Sparta, right?" Bailey breathed a sigh of relief.Fortunately, when he was young, he was very interested in the ancient history of the earth. For many people on earth, it was a very attractive knowledge, because at that time the earth was the only one, and it was at its peak; in that era, the earth Humans dominate the universe, and humans in other worlds don't exist at all.However, Earth's past history is extremely long, and it would be embarrassing for Kuimat to refer to a period with which he was not familiar. Fortunately, he knew about Sparta.Bailey said cautiously: "Yes, I have seen some film books on this." "Okay, good. Sparta in its heyday included Spartans, Periacs (vassals) and Hilos (serfs). The Spartans were the least in number, but they were all citizens. Periaces There are more people, they are the secondary class, and the largest number is the Hilos of the slave class. At that time, the population ratio of the Hilos to the Spartans was twenty to one, and the Hilos are different from robots, they are human beings , with all the senses and imperfections of a human being. "The Spartans became military experts in order to ensure that the Hilos, whose population far outnumbered them, could never rebel. Every Spartan lived like a war machine, and this type of society did Having served its purpose, the mutiny of the Hilos was never successful. "Now, we Solaris are a bit like Spartans. We also have our own serfs, but now they are not humans but machines. Although the ratio of robots to us is a thousand times worse than that of Sparta , but we don’t have to be afraid of their rebellion. We enjoy the benefits of the Spartans’ self-importance, but we don’t have to sacrifice ourselves to strictly control the robots. Therefore, in addition to learning from the Spartans, we also learn from the Athenians at the same time. A life rich in art and culture—” "I've seen the film books about the Athenians, too," Belley said. Kuimat's tone suddenly became enthusiastic: "The structure of civilization is pyramid-shaped. When a person climbs to the pinnacle of society, his leisure time will increase, and his opportunities to pursue happiness will also increase. When he continues As he climbs up, he will find that fewer and fewer people enjoy this opportunity, while more and more are deprived of it. In short, if measured by absolute status, no matter what level you are at the bottom of the pyramid, No matter how good your life is, you will always be the deprived. For example, although the worst-off people in the world of Aurora live better than the nobles on Earth, compared to the nobles in the world of Aurora, They are still dispossessed; they are compared with the people of their own planet. "Therefore, normal human society will never be without friction. Revolutions, counter-revolutions, and the struggles caused by revolutions, have caused human misery. History is full of such examples. "However now on the Solari world, for the first time, humans have ascended to the top of the pyramids, while the dispossessed below have become robots. We have the first new society, a truly new society. Since the Sumerians and the Egyptians It was the first great social invention since man invented the primitive city." Kuimat leaned back in his chair and smiled, seemingly very pleased with himself. Bailey nodded: "Have you published this theory?" "Maybe in the future," Kuimat said indifferently, "I haven't published it yet. This is only my third contribution." "Your other two contributions are as great as this one?" "That has nothing to do with sociology. I used to be a sculptor. The things you see—" He pointed to the statues "I made them. Also, I'm a composer, but I'm getting old. Ray Kai Dahlmann was always arguing with me that applied art is better than appreciating it, so I decided to study sociology." "From the tone of your voice, Dahlman seems to be your friend," said Bailey. "We know each other. Anyone my age knows every adult in Solari World. I do, however, know Rachael Dahlman well." "What kind of man is Dahlmann?" asked Bailey.Strange to say, the name reminded him immediately of Gnadia.He suddenly remembered the last time he saw her, the way she was so angry that his face was distorted. Kuimat said cautiously: "He loves the Solari world and this way of life very much. He is a very valuable person." "In other words, he's an idealist." "Yes, you're absolutely right. You can tell from his volunteer work on embryo engineering. You know, it's an applied art, and I just told you he prefers applied art." "Is it unusual to volunteer for this kind of work?" "Didn't you forget that you're an Earthling. Yes, it's very unusual. Someone has to do the job, but there's no one willing to do it. Usually there's someone assigned to the job, And it must be done for several years, but the person who is ordered to do this work will not feel very happy. Dahlman not only volunteers to do this work, but also is willing to regard it as his lifelong career. He thinks this work is too important to let the heart Reluctant assignee to take on the role. He also convinced me to agree with him, but of course I could never sacrifice myself to do the job voluntarily, I couldn't do such a thing. But Dahlman sacrifices more because he pays attention to Personal hygiene is just insane." "I still don't know much about his work." Kuimat's old face flushed slightly: "Wouldn't it be better for you to discuss this issue with his assistant?" "Sir," said Bailey, "if I had known he had an assistant before I came here, I would have discussed the matter with that assistant." "I'm sorry." Kuimat said, "Because Dalman attaches great importance to his social responsibility, he used an assistant. There was no assistant for this job before, but Dalman thinks it is necessary to pick a suitable young man to train himself, so that In the future, he will take over his job when he retires or dies." The elderly Solari sighed heavily, "He is much younger than me, and I didn't expect that I would live longer than him. I often play chess with him." "How?" Kuimat raised his eyebrows: "It's the same as everyone." "Have you seen each other?" "Why do you think so!" Kuimat looked horrified, "Even if I can bear it, Dallman will never allow this to happen. Although he is an embryonic engineer, his self-cultivation has not become any better because of it." Whatever, he's a picky guy." "Then how do you—" "It's like two people playing chess casually, using two chessboards to play." The Solari shrugged, and suddenly showed a very patient look, "Oh, I forgot that you are from Earth. Anyway, every move I make chess, it will be recorded on his chessboard, and vice versa, it's very simple." "Do you know Mrs. Dahlmann?" "We met on video. You know, she's a force field painter, and I've seen some of her work. It's nice and novel, but not as creative. But it's still interesting and shows a kind of sensitivity. of observation." "Do you think it's possible for her to murder her husband?" "I haven't thought about it. Women are elusive creatures. But there's nothing to argue about, is there? Only Mrs. Dahlmann can get close to Raika and kill him. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for others to see him in person for any reason. As I said, he is a very picky person. Maybe I used the word picky too much. There is nothing unusual about him, not at all. Pervert, he's a good Solari." "Do you think I'm a pervert for letting me see you?" Baley asked him. "Yeah, I think I would think so," said Quimate. "It's really unusual." "Could Dahlmann have been killed for political reasons?" "what?" "I've heard people call him a traditionalist." "Oh, we all are." "Are you saying that there are no non-traditionalist groups in the Solari world?" "It is undeniable," said Quimart slowly, "that some people think that extreme traditionalists are dangerous. These people are overly sensitive to the fact that our population is far smaller than other planets, and think that if other outer worlds attack , we are defenseless. They are foolish to think so, but there are not many of them, and I don't think they have any power." "Why do you say they are stupid? Solari World has a magic weapon that can affect the balance of power when the number of people is at a disadvantage? Do you have any new weapons?" "Of course there are weapons, but they are not new. The people I just mentioned, if they don't know that this weapon has always worked and is indestructible, they are not only stupid, but also blind." "Really?" Bailey narrowed his eyes. "certainly!" "Do you know what weapon that is?" “我们都知道。如果你仔细想想也会知道。也许因为我是个社会学家，所以我比大多数人更容易了解这一点。当然，这东西并不是拿来当武器用的，它既不会杀人也不会伤害人，但威力却无人能挡。由于没有人能注意到它，所以它更是威力无比。” 贝莱有些气恼了：“这种不会杀人的武器究竟是什么？” “正电子机器人。”奎马特说。