Chapter 9 chapter eight

Alia was dressed in black and stood on the platform south of the temple like a sentinel.The temple was built especially for her by Paul's men, next to his castle. She hated this part of her life, but didn't know how to escape the temple without causing everyone's destruction.The number of pilgrims (damn it!) is increasing by the day, and the lower verandahs of the temple are filled with them.Vendors wandered among the pilgrims and peddled their offerings.Many lowly sorcerers, diviners, and seers also traded there, trying to imitate Paul Muad'di and his sister. Alia saw that the red and green packets containing the new Dune Tarot stood out in the peddlers' bags.She didn't know why tarot cards were so popular, and who pushed this kind of thing into the Arakon market?Why is Tarot so popular at this time and this place?Use it to predict the future?Addiction to spices can bring precognitive magic to some people, and the Fremen are notoriously easy to acquire this ability.But is it accidental that so many people are suddenly interested in possible futures, here and now?She secretly decided to get to the bottom of it whenever she had the chance.

A gust of wind blows from the southeast.The wind is very small, and after being blocked by the shielding wall and mountain, it has become the end of its strength.The shield wall mountain stands tall.The evening sun dyed the mountainside orange, and there was a mist of dust floating in the light.The warm wind blew on her cheeks, arousing bursts of homesickness.She missed the desert, the big, safe place. The last wave began to descend the wide greenstone steps of the veranda.They sang and gathered in small groups, stopping now and then to look at the souvenirs and holy amulets that the vendors lined the street shelves.Some people are still talking about something with the last low-level warlock who lingered.Pilgrims, prayers, townspeople, Fremen, and peddlers finishing their day's business make up a chaotic scene that stretches deep into the palm-lined blocks that lead to the center of the city.

Alia watched the Fremen from a distance.These sand people had expressions of piety and awe on their faces, but they carried a ferocious air on their bodies, and they deliberately kept a distance from other people.These people are both her strength and her danger.To this day, they are still catching large sandworms for transportation, entertainment and sacrifice.They hated the pilgrims from outside, could hardly bear the lowlands where the citizens lived, and could not understand the cynicism of the street vendors.These rough Fremen were never approached, and kept as far away as possible, even in crowded places like the Temple of Alia.Murder is forbidden in the Holy Land, but there is always a way to let you die on the street... After the pilgrimage, of course.

The departing crowd raised clouds of dust.The sour, metallic stench hit Alia's nostrils, sparking a longing for the vast desert.She found that since the arrival of the undead, her understanding of the past has become clearer.How happy and free they were before their elder brother ascended the throne.The days of laughing and joking, the days of cheering up on the little things.They enjoy every beautiful morning and sunrise, every moment... every moment... every moment... On those days, even the danger is clear and everyone knows where it comes from place.There is no need to be bound by the power of foreknowledge, and there is no need to peer into the gloomy future through veils of mist.

The savage Fremen said it well: "There are four things that cannot be concealed—love, smoke, a pillar of fire, and a man who walks in the open desert." Alia felt a sudden wave of boredom.She stepped off the platform and merged into the shadows under the temple.She walked briskly on the balcony.The hall of the oracle shone with a milky light, and the sand on the tiled floor crunched harshly underfoot.Prayers always bring sand into the Holy Chamber!Without looking at the squires, guards, novices, and the ever-present jester of Chizara priests, she rushed up the spiral staircase leading to her private bedroom.There, amidst the couch and thick mattresses, hung a tent, a souvenir of the desert.She sent away those vicious Freemen women--the personal bodyguards Stilgar sent just for her, but more like spies to spy on her!They all grunted their disapproval as they went, but they were more afraid of her than Stilgar.She took off her robe, hung the screeching blade with sheath around her neck, and threw her clothes all over the floor.She wants to take a bath.

He was getting closer, she knew it.She could feel a faint figure of a man in her future, but she just couldn't see him clearly.Annoyingly, precognition also fails to reveal any physical traits of that shadow.Only when she peers into other people's lives can she stumble upon him.Occasionally, she could see a vague silhouette standing in an isolated dark place.She sensed his innocence, but also his desire.There he stood, just beyond the uncertain horizon of the future.She felt that if her foreknowledge could expand to a considerable extent, she might be able to see him.There he was, constantly harassing her consciousness, feverish, dangerous, evil.

She soaked in the bathtub, the warm steam surrounding her.The habit of bathing came from the countless memories of the Virgin that she had absorbed, and they were strung together by her consciousness like shining jewels.She slid into the bottom of the tub.Water, warm water soothing her skin.Underwater green tiles adorned with red fish create a marine motif.Such a place, so much water, just to wash people's skin!Old Man Freeman will definitely be extremely angry when he sees it. He is getting closer. She knew that this was a desire suppressed by chastity.Her skin longs for a companion.To a Madonna who presided over cavernous orgies, there was nothing particularly mysterious about sex.In addition, the memory of the Holy Mother in the past also let her know all the details of this kind of thing.The desire at this moment is purely physical, the physical body yearns for the intimacy of another physical body.

let's move!The urgency to act overcame the drowsiness of soaking in lukewarm water. Alia jumped out of the bathtub, dripping wet and naked, and strode into the training room that adjoined the bedroom.The training room is oval in shape with a skylight, and various heavy or delicate instruments are placed there.These instruments train Bee Geist's body and mind for any contingencies.There are mnestics; toe grinders from Ix that make fingers and toes both hard and sensitive; odor synthesizer tactile sensors; temperature change scan fields; mock traitors (in case some of your own habits are Leaked by Renegade); Alpha Wave Response Trainer; Strobe Synchronizer, which enables trainees to distinguish colors under various brightness conditions…

On the wall is a sentence written in her own handwriting. Each letter is ten centimeters square. It is the instruction of Bee Geist: "Before us, all methods of learning were constrained by human instinct. Only we have truly mastered the art of learning. Before us, researchers who wished to overcome the constraints of human instinct could only focus on the project for a limited period of time , usually not over a lifetime. They never thought of working on a project over fifty years, or over a lifetime. The concept of holistic physical-mental training was unheard of." After entering the training room, thousands of Alia's mirror images were reflected by the crystal protective prism in the center of the dummy target's heart.The longsword was on a stand beside the target, waiting for her.She thought: Yes!I'm going to wear myself out, drain my carnal appetites, and clear my head.

She held the long sword in her right hand, pulled out the Screaming Blade from the scabbard around her neck with her left hand, and touched the activation button with the hilt of the sword.Target's shielding field activated, and she felt the field's resistance immediately, parrying her weapon slowly but surely. The protective prism gleamed, and the dummy darted to her left. Arya's long blade followed closely behind.This thing is almost like a real person, but it is actually just a servo motor with complex reflection circuits, which can trick the trainee's eyes from seeing danger.Interfering with the trainee, this is its training idea.This instrument will react with her reaction, like her shadow, which can move with her, and the light refracted by the prism will also shake accordingly, pointing at her at the same time as the counterattacking blade.

In an instant, the prism shot out countless blades, but only one was real.She counterattacked the real blade, and the long sword crossed the shielding field and hit the target.The lights came on, refracting a bright red light... more disturbing refracted knife light. The thing attacked again, much faster once the lights were added.She dodged and blocked, and rushed straight into the danger.Her howling blade hit the mark. The prism lights up a second light. The speed increased again.The thing rushed up on its own rollers, like a magnet attracted to her body and the point of the sword. Attack - dodge - counterattack. Attack - dodge - counterattack... She activated four lights.The thing got more dangerous, with each additional light moving a lot faster and with more distracting refracted light. Five red lights. Sweat was dripping on her bare skin, she was covered by the knife light from the target, her bare feet stepped on the training floor, and the functions of consciousness, nerves, and muscles were exerted to the limit to fight against exercise with exercise. Attack - dodge - counterattack. Six red lights... seven... Gossip! She had never challenged the eight rays of light before. An urgent voice sounded from the depths of consciousness, as if loudly protesting this madness.The target with the prism knows no thinking, nor prudence, nor mercy.Moreover, it holds a real sharp blade, otherwise, this kind of training would be meaningless.However, that attacking blade could seriously injure her, even kill her.Even the best swordsmen in the empire never dared to take the risk against the seven rays of light. Nine ways! Alia experienced extreme excitement.The edge and target of the attack became increasingly blurred.She felt the sword come to life in her hand, against the target.It's not she who is driving Jianfeng, but Jianfeng is driving her. Ten ways! Eleven! Something flashed over her shoulder, flew over, slowed down as it approached the shield around the target, slid in slowly, and poked at its stop button.The light dimmed suddenly, the prism and the target flickered and stopped. Alia, who was disturbed, flew into a rage and turned around abruptly.The man threw the knife with such delicacy that Alia was fully alert when she turned.The throw is really accurate, the timing is just right, it can just penetrate into the shielding field, and it won't be blocked by the force field because it is too fast.A dummy target with eleven lights, a one-millimeter-diameter stop button—it actually hit. But then, her vigilance suddenly relaxed, similar to that of the dummy target.She saw the knife thrower.She was not at all surprised at the man's subtlety. Paul stood at the door of the training room, and Stilgar followed him three steps away.The brother's eyes looked at her angrily. Realizing that she was still naked, Alia made a reflexive attempt to cover herself, and found the idea ridiculous.It is impossible to erase what other people's eyes have seen.She slowly inserted the Screaming Blade into the scabbard around her neck. "I should have guessed," she said. "I guess you know how dangerous it is," Paul said.He saw changes in her face and body: skin flushed from strenuous exercise, lips moist.The younger sister is full of female longing and anxiety that she has never had before.Strangely, the person in front of him who was so close to him no longer looked as familiar as before, even though his body was still the same. "It's madness," Steve said gruffly, and came to stand beside Paul. The voice was angry, but Alia heard the awe in it, and saw it in his eyes. "Eleven." Paul said shaking his head. "If you didn't interrupt me, I would have to practice until twelve," she said.Under his gaze, her face turned pale, "I should have worked hard to hit it. Otherwise, what is this damn thing doing with so many lights?" "A Bee Gist to get to the bottom of what's behind the adjustable system?" Paul asked. "I guess you've never tried more than seven lights!" she said a little exasperated.His concern annoyed her. "Only one time," said Paul. "I was embarrassed when Gurney Halleck came to see me unexpectedly at ten o'clock. I won't say much about it. Well, speaking of embarrassment..." "Maybe you should give a prophetic word before you come in next time," she said. Passing past Paul, he walked into the bedroom, found a loose gray robe and put it on, and combed his hair in front of a mirror on the wall.She felt tired and lost, like the faint blues after sex.She wants to take another shower...and sleep. "Why are you here?" she asked. "Your Majesty," said Stilgar in a strange voice.Alia could not help but turn her head to look at him. "It's a bit strange," Paul said. "Irulan suggested we come. She thinks—and Stilgar's message confirms—that the enemy is preparing for a major offensive..." "Your Majesty!" said Stilgar, his voice urgent. Her brother turned his head in bewilderment, and Alia was still staring at old Freeman Neb.Something about him made her feel strongly that this was a primitive man.Stilgar believed that the supernatural world was close at hand, speaking to him in a pagan language and reassuring him of doubts.His universe is violent, unruly, and not at all as organized as the Empire. "What's the matter, Stilgar," Paul said. "You want to tell her why we're here?" "Now is not the time to talk about that," Stilgar said. "What's the matter, Stilgar?" Stilgar glared at Alia, "Your Majesty, didn't you see it?" Paul turned to his sister, beginning to feel a little uneasy.Among all the subordinates, only Stilga dared to speak to him in this tone.But Stilgar is only used occasionally when it is urgent. "The child needs a mate!" Stilgar blurted out. "If she doesn't marry, something will happen. And fast." Alia turned her head sharply, her face flushed.How could he break through my defense all of a sudden?Somehow, at this moment, even Bee Geist's self-control skills are helpless.How did Stilgar do this?He doesn't know how to practice magic sounds.For a moment, she was a little bit annoyed. "The great Stilgar has spoken!" said Alia, still turning her back to them.She realized that her voice was a little irritable, but she just couldn't control herself, "Stilgar, the Fremen, is actually qualified to talk about girls' minds!" "I must say it because I love you both," Stilgar said.The voice carried incomparable dignity, "If I can't even understand the relationship between men and women, what kind of Freemen patriarch am I? It doesn't take any mysterious magic power to see this kind of problem." Paul weighed Stilgar's words, recalling what he'd just seen, and the (undeniable) masculine urge he'd had.Indeed, Alia was full of spring, and her lust was hard to contain.Why come into the training room naked?And recklessly playing with life!Eleven lights!In his eyes, that clumsy automatic machine has become an ancient and terrifying monster, which is incompatible with this era.In the long past, such machines were computers with artificial intelligence, the Batraan Jihad ended it all, but this machine still smacks of the sinful air of ancient machines. Naturally, Stilgar was right.They must find a mate for Alia. "I'll arrange it," Paul said. "Alia and I want to talk about it...in private." Alia turned and stared at Paul.She knew very well how Paul's mind worked, so she knew that this was a decision made after Mentat's calculations. In that human computer, countless pieces of information were analyzed and finally assembled into a whole.This process is relentless, like the movement of the stars, which contains the laws of the universe, unstoppable and daunting. "Your Majesty," said Stilgar, "maybe we should..." "Leave that question now!" Paul said impatiently. "We have other things to do." Alia knew that she didn't dare to confront her brother, so she quickly put aside what happened just now with Bee Geist's mentality, and said, "Did Irulan ask you to come here?" She faintly realized that there was something ominous in it. "Not so directly," Paul said. "The information she gave us confirmed what we suspected: the Guild is trying to get a sandworm." "They're trying to catch a small one and grow spices on another planet," Stilgar said. "That means they've found the right planet." "It also means that they have Freeman's accomplice!" Alia shouted, "It is impossible for foreigners to catch sandworms!" "It goes without saying," said Stilgar. "No, you don't understand me," said Alia, furious at Stilgar's slowness. "Paul, you sure..." "Inner corruption has begun," Paul said. "We've known that for a long time. It bothers me that I never saw that other planet where spices could be grown in the prophetic visions. If they..." "Disturbing you?" Alia snapped. "There can only be one explanation: the navigators of the Astronautics used their foreknowledge to hide the place where the spices were grown, in the same direction as they hid the big family's shelter." Stilgar opened his mouth, closed it again, and said nothing.It would be blasphemous for two of his idols to admit to themselves their weaknesses. Sensing Stilgar's uneasiness, Paul said, "There is one more problem that must be dealt with immediately! I would like to ask for your opinion, Alia. Stilgar suggested extending the patrol to open areas in the desert, and at the same time strengthening the caves." The vigilance of the enemy. Perhaps we can detect the enemy's landing force and stop them. The possibility is not out of the question...” "With a navigator guiding them?" Alia asked. "The other party is aggressive." Paul said, "That's why I came here to discuss with you." "Did they see something that we didn't?" Alia asked. "Exactly." Alia nodded, thinking of the new Dune Tarot that suddenly appeared.She immediately expressed her concerns. "Expanding the number of people with the ability to predict, thereby interfering with the ability to predict on our side," Paul said. "With enough patrols," Stilgar ventured, "we might be able to prevent..." "We can't stop anything...never," Alia said.She didn't like the way Stilgar was thinking now: closing his eyes, turning a blind eye to what was most important.This was not the Stilgar she remembered. "We have to think that they can get a sandworm," Paul said. "Whether they can grow spices on other planets is another matter. Spices can't be grown with a single sandworm." Stilgar looked from his brother to his sister.He understood what they meant, and cave life had implanted the idea of ​​ecology deep in his mind.Without the ecological environment of Alakis, without those desert plankton and small manufacturers, it is impossible for the captured sandworms to survive.The problems facing the Space Guild are huge, but they are not completely impossible to solve.Whether the sandworm can survive in other places, even he himself is not sure. "So your prophecy magic didn't detect the Guild's little trick?" he asked. "Damn it!" Paul snapped. Alia watched Stilgar.The savage's mind was filled with a mess of things.He is fascinated by magic.magic!magic!Peeking into the future is tantamount to stealing the flame from the sacred fire.This approach is extremely dangerous, and adventurers are likely to be lost forever in the unseen future. Of course, it is also possible for people to bring back something tangible and graspable from that invisible and dangerous place.Now, Stilgar sensed another power, beyond the unknown horizon, perhaps greater than the witch king and wizard friend who stood before him.But in the face of this power, the two people he admired both exposed dangerous weaknesses. "Stilgar," said Alia, trying to cheer him up, "if you stand in the valley between the dunes and I stand on top of the dunes, I can see places you can't see, beyond the dunes. " "But there are things you still don't see," Stilgar said. "You always say that." "All power is limited," said Alia. "The danger may come from behind the dunes," Stilgar said. "Maybe that's what we're facing," Alia said. Stilgar nodded, staring at Paul's face, "But no matter what is hidden behind the mountains, it must pass through the sand dunes when approaching us."