Chapter 6 chapter Five

Alia understood that the State Council was about to break up again.She sensed dissatisfaction brewing, gathering strength: Irulan turned her back on Jani, Stilgar fiddled with papers nervously, Paul stared sullenly at Chizala Koba. She took a seat at the end of the long gold conference table so she could see the dusty afternoon sun through the patio window.Koba was speaking when she came in, and he said to Paul, "Your Majesty, I mean, there are not as many gods as there used to be." Alia threw back her head and laughed.The black hood on the robe was shaken off, revealing the face below: blue-to-blue "spice eyes", ivory skin like her mother, thick blond hair, small nose, wide Q.

Koba's cheeks were flushed orange, nearly the color of his robes, and he glared at Alia.It was a shriveled old man, bald and angry. "Do you know what I'm saying to your brother?" he asked aloud. "I know what everyone is saying about you, the Chizara Sect." Alia retorted, "You are not anointed with the aura of God, you are just his spy eyes and ears." Koba turned his eyes to Paul for seeking Support, "Our work is authorized by Muadhi himself, he has the right to know his people deeply, and his people have the right to hear his voice." "A spy," said Alia.

Koba pursed his lips aggrievedly and fell silent. Paul looked at his sister and wondered why she deliberately made things difficult for Koba.He suddenly found that Alia had become a woman, with youthful beauty and brilliance shining all over her body.It's strange that I didn't realize that she had grown up until now.She was fifteen--soon to be sixteen.A virgin who has never been a mother, a priestess who keeps her virginity, and a superstitious crowd both fear and respect-Alia the sharp knife. "Now is not the time and place for your sister to make trouble." Yirulan said.

Paul ignored her and only nodded to Koba, "The square is full of pilgrims. Go out and lead them to pray." "But they want you to go, Sire," said Koba. "You wear a hood," Paul said, "so they can't see it from this distance." Yirulan tried her best to suppress the anger of being ignored, and watched as Koba was ordered to go out.She was suddenly disturbed: perhaps Edric had failed to conceal her enough to let Alia know of her activities.What do we really know about Muad'di's sister?She is very caring. Chani clasped her hands tightly in her lap.She glanced across the table at her uncle Stilgar, now Paul's chancellor.Had this old Freeman Nab longed for the simple life of a desert cave, she wondered?She noticed that Stilgar's temples had turned gray, but the eyes under the bushy brows were still piercing, the eyes of a hawk cultivated in the wild.He still has the imprint of the water storage pipe on his beard, which is the sign of wearing a distillation suit for a long time.

Uncomfortable at Jani's gaze, Stilgar turned his gaze to the surrounding Council members and finally to the terrace window.Koba was standing outside with outstretched arms in prayer of blessing.A ray of afternoon sunlight hit the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him, casting a red halo.For a moment he saw that the court Chizara seemed to be a victim bound to a steamer.Koba lowered his arm, and the hallucination disappeared.But Stilgar was still deeply shocked by it.Immediately, his thoughts turned to the flatterers waiting in the interview hall, and the hateful pomp and glamour that surrounded Muad'di's crown, and he felt angry and frustrated.

These people, Stilgar thought, who had been summoned by the Emperor to a meeting, were actually trying to find a flaw, a mistake, in him.Although this may be a kind of blasphemous psychology, even Stilgar can't help harboring such thoughts. Koba came back, bringing in the clamor of the distant people.There was a bang, the balcony door closed, and the room became quiet again. Paul's eyes followed the Chizara.Koba found a seat on Paul's left and sat down with a calm and serene expression, his eyes shining with the ecstasy of faith.The religious power at that moment made him feel supremely happy.

"Their hearts were awakened," he said. "Thank God," Alia said. Koba's lips grew pale. Paul looked at his sister again, wondering what her motives were.He reminded himself that her innocent expression often concealed deceit.She, like herself, is a product of Bee Geist's cultivation.What effect had Kwizaki Hadenatch's genetics had on her?There was always something mysterious about her, and there was something about her as a fetus in the womb, when the mother had just narrowly escaped the poison of spices.Both the mother and her unborn daughter are the Virgin at the same time, but despite this, the two are not the same.

Alia's account of that experience is that, in one terrifying moment, her consciousness was suddenly awakened, her memory imbibing countless other lives that were being absorbed by her mother at the time. "I became my mother, and so many others," she said. "I was not yet formed, nor born, but a proper old woman." Alia noticed Seeing that Paul was paying attention to her, he smiled at him.His expression suddenly softened.He asked himself, how could he deal with a man like Koba other than ridicule?What could be more ironic than a death squad suddenly turned into a priest?

Stilgar clapped the documents on his hands. "With His Majesty's permission," he said, "I wish to discuss these documents. These matters are very urgent." "You mean the Tobaixing contract?" Paul asked. "The Space Guild insisted that we sign the contract first without knowing the exact positions of the parties to the Tubai Star agreement," Stilgar said. "They have the support of the Legislative Council representatives." "What kind of pressure did you exert?" Yirulan asked. "His Majesty has arranged for this," Stilgar said.The voice was indifferent and formal, showing disapproval of the princess lady.

"My dear husband." Irulan said while turning her head to Paul, forcing him to face himself. Paul thought that it was Irulan's stupidity to deliberately emphasize his superiority in terms of status in front of Chani.At the moment, he disliked Irulan as much as Stilgar did, but compassion softened him.In the end, Irulan was nothing more than a pawn in the hands of the Bee Geist Sisterhood. "What is it?" Paul said. Irulan glared at him, "If you seize their spices..." Jani shook her head in disapproval. "We must move very carefully," said Paul. "Until now, Tubai has been the refuge of the defeated Great Houses. To our opponents, it symbolizes the last nest, the last place to live. This place is quite sensitive."

"If they can hide people there, they can also hide other things there," said Stilgar in a low voice, "like an army, or a rudimentary spice culture, which... " "But you can't drive people nowhere," Alia said, "if you want to live with them in peace." She regrets being dragged into an argument that meant nothing to her . "That is to say, we wasted ten years on negotiations, but in the end we got nothing," Yirulan said. "My brother's actions never go for nothing," Alia said. Irulan picked up a document and clung to it so tightly her knuckles turned white. Paul could see that she was controlling her emotions the way Bee Geist did: look inside, take a deep breath.He could almost hear her repeating the meditation prayers in her mind. After a moment, she spoke: "What did we get?" "We caught the Guild off guard," said Jani. "We want to avoid a showdown with our enemies as much as possible," Arya said. "Not necessarily to eliminate them. Enough massacres have occurred under the banner of Atreides." She feels it as much as I do, Paul thought.Oddly enough, they both feel strongly responsible for this rambunctious, idolatrous universe that is now completely obsessed with religious intoxication and madness.Should we, he wondered, protect humans from their own tea poison?They are doing nonsense all the time: empty lives, empty words.They ask too much of me.He felt a constriction in his throat.How many precious moments will he lose?what son?what dream?Was it worth the precious moments his prophetic visions showed him?In that distant future, who would say to the people in the future, "If there is no Muad'di, there will be no you"? "It won't work if you don't give them spices," said Jani. "If you do, the Navigators of the Guild will lose the ability to see time and space; and your sisters of Bi Geist will not be able to see; An early death is possible; the exchange of information is disrupted: who will be to blame then?" "They won't get there," Irulan said. "No?" Jani asked, "Why not? Could the crime still fall on the Astronautics Guild? It's not their fault, they can't do anything, and they will definitely prove it to everyone." "That's how we signed the contract," Paul said. "Your Majesty," Stilgar said, looking at the papers in his hand, "I have one more question." "Huh?" Paul stared at the old Freeman. "You have some kind of... er... magic," Stilgar said. "While the Guild refuses to reveal the location of the other side of the agreement, can you find it?" magic!Paul thought.In fact, what Stilgar wanted to say but was hard to say was: "You have magical powers of prediction. Can't you find clues in the vision of the future you see, so as to discover Tubai Xing?" Paul looked at the solid gold table top.It's an old question: how to make others understand the limitations of one's vision of an unspeakable future?What he sees are pieces one by one, seeing that various forces are inevitably going to perish. Could it be that he just tells others that this is not enough?Ordinary people have never experienced the predictive ability of spices. How can they imagine a state of being sober but not aware of the time, space and orientation they are in? He looked at Alia and saw that she was paying attention to Irulan.Arya caught his gaze, glanced at him, and nodded to Irulan.Oh, yes: any conclusions they draw now will be recorded in Irulan's special report and sent to the Sisterhood of Bee Gist.They never let go of any prophecies made by Kwizaki Hadnaci. Still, Stil deserves an answer.Naturally, Yirulan would also get this answer. "The uninitiated imagine precognition as obeying some kind of natural law," says Paul.He pressed the fingertips of both hands together, "But this kind of statement is actually meaningless, just like saying that it is a voice from heaven, it has no meaning. It can be said that the predictive power is a kind of coordination, coexisting with people, Coexist with human behavior. In other words, the present surges into the future, and foreknowledge accompanies this process. Do you understand? On the surface, foreknowledge seems to happen naturally. But this power cannot be used to predict goals, Foretell the purpose. Can the fragments swept up by the waves tell where it will be taken? The oracle has no cause and effect, it just transmits and gathers, and you can only accept it. Then you know There are many things that the intellect cannot detect. Your rational consciousness will reject them, and in the process of repelling, reason also becomes part of the precognition process and is finally conquered by this process." "Does that mean you can't do it?" Stilgar asked. "If I consciously use my precognitive ability to search for the planet Tubai," Paul said directly to Irulan, "it may instead be excluded from my precognitive range." "This is chaos!" Irulan retorted, "It is inconsistent with the laws of nature." "I said it obeys no laws of nature," Paul said. "So, your magic power has its limits, what you can see is limited, and what you can do is also limited?" Yirulan asked.Before Paul could answer, Alia said, "My dear Irulan, there is no limit to the ability to predict. As for the inconsistency, the universe does not necessarily have to maintain any consistency." "But he just said..." "How can you insist on my brother explaining the limitations of something without limitations? It's completely beyond the scope of reason." It was abominable that Aria did this, Paul thought. She was playing tricks on Irulan.Irulan's mind was clear, but that clarity depended entirely on the idea that everything in the world had a limit, and it was this limit that constituted the limits of things.He turned his eyes to Koba, who was sitting like a pious believer listening to the revelation, concentrating on it, listening with all his body and mind.How will the Order of the Chizara use this conversation?More religious mysteries?To evoke even greater awe?no doubt. "And that's how you intend to sign the treaty?" asked Stilgar. Paul smiled.Fortunately, with Stilgar's words, the issue of the oracle can finally come to an end.Stilgar's goal is victory, not the discovery of truth.Peace, justice, and stable currency circulation—this is the world of Stilgar.What he wanted was tangible and tangible—such as a signature on a peace treaty. "I'll sign it," Paul said. Stilgar took out another file folder, "This is the latest news from the Commander of the Exxon War Zone, which talks about the enthusiasm of the local people for making the Constitution." The old Freeman glanced at Chani, and Chani shrugged . Yirulan just closed her eyes, put her hands on her forehead, and used her powerful memory to memorize everything from the meeting.Then she opened her eyes and looked at Paul intently. "The Exon Federation has expressed its surrender." Stilgar said, "But their negotiators questioned the tax amount of the empire, and they..." "They want to legally limit the will of the Empire," Paul said. "Who wants to limit me, the Legislative Council or the Yulian Company?" Stilgar took out a note from the folder, "This was obtained by one of our spies, and it is a memorandum of the secret meeting of the minority of the Yulian Company." He read the secret letter in a calm voice, "'It must be stopped The Emperor's quest for dictatorship. We must reveal to the world the Atreides for what he is, and for the world to see his machinations under the guise of legislative statutes, religious practices, and bureaucratic regimes.'" He put The note was stuffed into a file folder. "A Constitution," murmured Chani. Paul looked at her, then at Stilgar.The foundations of jihad are beginning to shake, Paul thought, and it's a pity the shaking didn't come sooner before I got involved.Thinking of this, he couldn't help but have mixed feelings.He recalled the visions of the war he had foreseen long before it broke out, and the intense terror and loathing he had experienced at the time.Today, the visions he saw are even more terrifying.More importantly, he experienced actual violence firsthand.Countless times he had seen his Fremen charge past him, fueled by unwavering faith into crusade.Of course, jihad is also limited. Compared with eternity, it is only a short moment.But the terror it brought dwarfs all the horrors of the past. And all in my name, Paul thought. "Maybe they should be given a formal constitution," Chani suggested, "but not a real constitution." "Deceit is also a tool of statecraft," Irulan agreed. "Any power must be limited, and those who have pinned their hopes in a constitution will no doubt find that," Paul said. Koba changed his reverent posture and straightened up, "Your Majesty?" "What?" thought Paul, yes!Here is a man sympathetic to a constitution that does not yet exist. "We can first try to enact a religious constitution," said Koba, "so that the faithful can..." "No!" Paul snapped. "The Council of State must issue an order. Are you taking notes, Irulan?" "Yes, Your Majesty." Irulan said.The voice was indifferent and dull, and it was obvious that he disliked the boring job he was forced to undertake. "The Constitution can become an extreme despotism," Paul said, "its power is supreme. The Constitution is social power agitated, devoid of any morality or conscience. It can destroy every class of society and ruthlessly obliterate all dignity and individuality. It has no Stable standard, and without any limit. Compared with this, I am limited. In order to provide absolute protection to my people, I prohibit the promulgation of a constitution. By this order of the Council of State. Year, month, day. etc." "How to deal with the tax issue raised by the Exxon Federation?" Stilgar asked. Paul looked away from Koba's flushed face with exasperation, and said: "You've got an idea, Stilgar?" "Control of the taxation must remain in our hands, Your Majesty." "The Astronautics Guild got my signature on the Tubai contract, but it has to pay a price." Paul said, "The price is the tax paid to us by the Exxon Federation. Without the Astronautics Guild providing transportation, the Exxon Federation would not be possible." Trade. They'll pay for it." "Excellent, Your Majesty." Stilgar picked up another folder and cleared his throat, "This is the report from the Chizara Order on the planet Salusa Secundus. Irulan's father has been Commanding his corps to practice landing tactics." Yirulan played with the palm of her left hand, as if she suddenly found something interesting on it, the blood vessels in her neck jumped. "Irulan," Paul asked, "do you still insist that your father's only legion is nothing more than a show?" "What can he do with a Legion?" she asked.Eyes narrowed and stared at him. "I can use this legion to kill myself," said Jani. Paul nodded, "Of course I'm the one to be blamed for this." "I know some jihadist commanders," Alia said. "When they heard the news, they would definitely take immediate action." "But that's just his security force!" Yirulan retorted. "Then there's no need for them to practice landing tactics," said Paul. "I suggest you state my opinion frankly and directly in your next note to your father, and tell him to keep his feet." She lowered her head, "Yes, Your Majesty. I hope this matter ends here. If something happens to my father, your opponents will make him a martyr." "Well," said Paul, "my sister won't break the news to those commanders without my order." "Attacking my father is a big risk, not necessarily a military risk," Irulan said. "People are already missing the dynasty he ruled." "You're getting further and further away." Jani said, with a murderous Freeman tone in her voice. "Enough!" Paul ordered. He weighed Irulan's words, and thought of the nostalgia that arose among the people.Yes, her words did speak a certain truth.Yirulan once again proved the value of her existence. "The Bee Geist Sisterhood has sent a formal request." Stilgar said, handing over another folder. "They want to discuss the continuation of your bloodline." Chani squinted at the document as if it contained a deadly plot. "Prevaricate as usual," Paul said. "Do we have to do this?" Irulan asked. "Maybe . . . this should be discussed," said Jani. Paul shook his head resolutely.They didn't know that he didn't intend to make such a compromise, at least not now. But Jani went on, "I went to the prayer wall in the cave of my birthplace and prayed," she said, "and went to the doctor. I still knelt in the desert and told the sand what I thought. Xia Hulu deep in the ground. But," she shrugged helplessly, "it's useless." Science and superstition, both failed her, thought Paul.Have I failed her too?After all, I didn't tell her what it meant to bring a son to House Atreides.He looked up and saw pity in Alia's eyes.This expression of his sister disturbed him. Did she also see that terrible future? "Your Majesty should know how dangerous it is for the empire to have no heir." Irulan said, with the smoothness and persuasiveness of Bee Geist's voice, "These things are very difficult to discuss, but it must be made public. The Emperor Not just an ordinary man. He is the leader of this empire. If he dies without an heir, the slaughter of the courtiers fighting for the throne will follow. You love your people, do you have the heart to have such a disaster happen? " Paul leaves the long table and walks to the patio window.The breeze slowly blew away the curling smoke rising from the city.The sky gradually darkened to a silvery blue.Dusty night fell from the screened walls, dimming the light even more.He gazed at the cliffs to the south that protected the domains to the north from the wind and sand.He wondered why he didn't notice this barrier when he was in a peaceful state of mind. The attendees sat behind him, quietly waiting.They knew that he was only one step away from wrath. Paul just felt time rushing back and forth inside him, past, future, and present tangled together.He tried his best to be calm, clear and peaceful, and balance all elements.Only by balancing all parties can a brand new future be built. Let it go... let it go... let it go, he thought.What if I take Jani, and only her, and get out of here with her, and find a hiding place on Tubai?But his name will remain, the jihad will find a new and more terrifying foothold, and he will be condemned for it.He felt a sudden dread that in the pursuit of new goals he would lose what was his old and most precious, that at the slightest whisper of his own, the universe would collapse utterly into a heap of fragments from which he could no longer work. Below, a large crowd of pilgrims crowded the square, green and white, becoming a blurred background.They walked up and down behind the Arakon guards, like a boa constrictor without a head or a tail.Paul remembered that his reception hall must be full of such pilgrims at the moment.pilgrim!Their wives and sons' pilgrimage became an uncomfortable source of revenue for the empire.The religious footsteps of the pilgrims are all over space, and they keep coming, coming, coming. How did I start this movement?he asked himself. Of course, it was religion that fueled the movement.It has been lurking in the genetic genes of human beings, and it has been struggling for many centuries to look forward to this short burst. Driven by a deeply hidden religious instinct, people come in search of spiritual resurrection.Here the pilgrimage ends—"Arakis, land of rebirth, land of death." The cunning old Fremen said water could be squeezed out of these pilgrims. Who knows what they really want?Paul doubted.They claimed to have reached the Holy Land.But they should know that there is no Garden of Eden in the universe, and the soul cannot find a shelter like Tubai Xing.They called Arakis the unknown land, and believed that all mysteries could be answered here, and that this place was the link between this life and the afterlife.The most frightening thing is that when people leave here, they are all satisfied, as if they really found some answers. What did they find here?Paul asked himself. The pilgrims in religious fanaticism screamed wildly in the streets and alleys, like a flock of strange birds.In fact, the Fremen called them "migratory birds," and called the pilgrims who died here "winged souls." Paul sighed, thinking that every new planet the Legion conquered was equivalent to opening up a whole new birthplace of pilgrims, people who were grateful for the "peace brought by Muad'di." In fact, there is peace everywhere, Paul thought.Anywhere... except Muad'di's heart. He felt a part of himself sinking deep into an endless coldness and grayness.His predictive ability tampered with the image of the universe that has always been enshrined by mankind. He destroyed the peace of the universe and replaced it with a violent holy war.This universe of ordinary people, he defeated it, conquered it intellectually, conquered it with prescience.But, deep down in his heart, he knew that one day, this universe would slip out of his grasp and he would no longer be able to grasp it.The planet he had conquered had changed from desert to oasis, alive with life, its pulse as strong as that of the strongest man.It began to resist him, struggled, and gradually got out of his grasp... A hand stretched out gently.He turned his head to find Kani looking at him with concern in her eyes.Those eyes were fixed on him, and she whispered, "Please, dear, don't make it hard for yourself." The tenderness of her hand cheered him up. "My Desert Spring." He said softly. "We must get back to the desert as soon as possible," she whispered. He squeezed her hand, let go of it, and returned to the long table without sitting down. Janie sat down in her seat. Irulan stared at the document in front of Stilgar, her lips pursed into a line. "Irulan proposed that she herself be the mother of the heir to the Empire," Paul said.He looked at Jani, then at Irulan.Yirulan avoided his gaze, "We both know that she doesn't love me." Irulan didn't move. "I know it makes sense from a political point of view," Paul said, "but I'm thinking about it from a human emotional point of view. I think if the Princess Lady wasn't bound by the Bee Geist Sorority , making this request is not to gain personal power, my attitude may be different. But under the current circumstances, I have to reject her proposal." Yirulan trembled and took a deep breath. Paul sat down and thought, He'd never seen her so out of control.He approached her and said, "Irulan, I'm really sorry." She lifted her chin, and anger flashed in her eyes. "I don't need your pity!" she hissed, then turned to Stilgar. "Is there anything urgent to discuss?" Stilgar didn't look at him, but looked at Paul and said, "One more thing, Your Majesty. The Astronautics Guild once again proposed to establish an official embassy on Arrakis." "Is it some kind of space embassy?" Koba asked, his voice full of hatred. "Probably so," Stilgar said. "This matter should be carefully considered, Your Majesty." Koba reminded, "Representatives of the Astronautics Guild set foot on Arrakis. The Neb Committee will not like such a thing. They even hate being stepped on by members of the Astronautics Guild." Every inch of land that passes.” "They live in boxes and don't touch the ground," Paul said angrily. "Perhaps the Nabs will make their own decisions, Your Majesty," said Koba. Paul glared at him. "They are Freemen after all, Your Majesty." Koba said stubbornly, "We remember very clearly that the people who suppressed us were brought by the Astronautics Guild and encouraged by the Astronautics Guild. Also, in order not to let them Giving away our secrets to the enemy, we are forced to endure their blackmail, and they drain every one of us..." "Stop it!" snapped Paul. "You think I forgot?" Koba stammered, as if suddenly realizing that he had slipped impulsively. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I did not imply that you are not a Freemen, I did not..." "They will send a navigator," Paul said, "that is, the navigator did not foresee any danger here, otherwise he would not have come." Irulan's mouth was parched from the sudden fear, and she said, "Have you...seen a navigator coming here?" "Of course I don't see a navigator." Paul imitated her tone derisively, "but I can see where this man has been and where this man is going. Let them send a navigator, maybe I'll be of use." take his place." "That's it," Stilgar said. Yirulan covered her face with her hands, and smiled behind her palms: Then, it's true.Our emperor cannot see the navigator.They can't see each other.The conspiracy was not exposed.