Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen

In the banquet hall of the great family of Arakane, the chandelier shone brightly in the dusk, and the yellow light reflected the black bull's head with blood on its horns and the oily portrait of the old duke on the wall. Beneath the ghouls, the white tablecloth reflected the silverware of the Atrez family, meticulously placed on the long table.Well-groomed squires are always ready to serve.The ancient candelabra in the center was unlit, and the metal chains that hung from it concealed a lifting mechanism. The Duke stood at the door to see that everything was in order.He's thinking about the test key and what it means in society.

The Duke thought: It's all a pattern.You can get to know us in our language... That kind of accurate and smooth expression may hide murderous intentions.Is anyone going to put poison in their drink tonight? Or poison the food? He shook his head. A jug of water stood next to each plate on the long table.The Duke secretly estimated that the water on the long table was enough for an ordinary family in Alakane for a year. The Duke stood in the entrance hall, flanked by green and yellow china decanters for washing and washing hands, and towels hung beside the china basins.The housekeeper explained: "When the guests come in, respectfully dip their hands in water, then sprinkle a few cups of water on the ground, wipe their hands with a towel, and then throw the towel into the pit outside the door. This is a local custom. After the banquet, Beggars gather outside the door, begging for the water wrung out of the towel."

The Duke thought: This is a typical Harkonnen style, and it is extravagant.He took a deep breath, feeling a pang of anger in his chest. "That's the end of the habit!" he said angrily. He saw a maid coming out of the kitchen and passing the hall, an old woman recommended by the housekeeper.The Duke made a gesture to her.She stepped out of the shadows and approached the Duke around the table.The Duke noticed her rough skin and blue eyes. "What's your order?" She lowered her head and looked down. He made a gesture and said, "Remove these basins and towels."

"But... respectful master..." She raised her head, at a loss. "I know the custom!" cried the Duke, "and carry the basin outside the gate. Every beggar who comes is given a glass of water before we finish eating, do you understand?" Her old face twisted together: disappointment, anger... The Duke suddenly understood, realizing that she must be planning to sell the water out of the towel, and perhaps this is also a habit. The Duke's face darkened, and he said dissatisfiedly, "I will send a guard to supervise the execution of my orders." He turned and strode across an aisle to the hall, a flood of memories swirling in his mind, like toothless old women babbling.He thought of the wide waters, the undulating waves, and the green grass, instead of the yellow sand day after day.

It's passed. He thought: I am old too!I can already feel the cold hands of doomsday, vicious and greedy. In the hall, as people stood in front of the fireplace, Ms. Jessica became the center of attention. Lamps cast speckled orange on jewellery, lace patterns and expensive textiles. The Duke recognized from the crowd a manufacturer of filtration suits from Cassegg, an importer of electronics, a water dealer with a summer cottage in the Arctic, a representative of the Gilder Bank, and a spice-mining facility. A spare parts dealer, and a lanky woman with a strong expression who was known to provide protection services for alien travelers, often covering various smuggling, espionage and blackmail operations.

Most of the women in the hall seemed to have been carved out of the same mould...well-dressed, richly decorated, and strangely sensitive in their manners. Even if Jessica wasn't the mistress, she would stand out from the crowd, the duke thought.She wore no jewels, a long gown in warm tones, almost the color of the lights, and a khaki headband in her brown hair.The duke is aware of her secretly expressing displeasure, and he's been a little distant from her lately.Jessica was well aware that the Duke liked her in the hue. Duncan Idaho stood nearby in a bright tuxedo, looking more like a guard than one of the guests.He had no expression on his face and his hair was neatly combed. Hawat had brought him back from the Fremen specifically to keep Ms. Jessica under surveillance for her safety.

The Duke glanced across the hall. Paul stood out in a corner surrounded by a group of rich Arakane kids. Among them were three family guard officers.The duke noticed one girl in particular, who seemed a good fit for his heir to the title, but Paul seemed measured, dignified, dignified and impartial. The title of duke is very suitable for him, the duke thought, he must be able to take up this important task.The Duke suddenly realized that this kind of thinking was very unlucky, and couldn't help shivering. Seeing his father standing in the hall, Paul avoided his eyes and looked at the jeweled, well-groomed, chattering guests in the hall.Paul suddenly felt a distaste for those people.They are like cheap masks imprisoned in a corrupt mind, full of nonsense.

I'm in such a bad mood, he thought, what Gurney would say. He knew why he was in a bad mood.He didn't want to go to this banquet at all, but his father was determined not to budge. "You have a place and a duty to perform. You are old enough to be grown up." Paul saw his father appear in the foyer, surveying the house, then approaching the group surrounding Jessica. As the duke walked that way, the water trucker was asking, "Is it true that the duke is going to install a climate control system?" The duke, standing behind the man, replied, "We haven't thought about it, sir."

The man turned around, a dull, round face, tanned by the sun."Ah, duke, we are waiting for you," said he. Ledo glanced at Jessica and said, "I have something to do just now." Then he turned to the water carrier and told him about the water in the hall. "For me, those bad habits end here." "Sir, is this a ducal decree?" he asked. "I'll leave it to your conscience," said the duke. Turning around, he noticed Keynes coming his way. One female guest said, "I thought it was an act of generosity...to give water to..." She was stopped.

The Duke looked at Keynes and saw that the planetologist was wearing an old-fashioned black and brown uniform, with royal epaulets and a gold rank badge hanging from his collar. "Is the Duke criticizing our customs?" asked the water-carrier in an indignant tone. "This custom has changed." Redo replied to the water carrier while nodding to Keynes, noticing Jessica's frown, thinking: It doesn't matter if she frowns, but it may trigger us Rumors of a bad relationship between the two. "If the Duke has no objection," continued the water-carrier, "I would like to ask a few questions about customs."

The Duke recognized the mellowness of the tone, and noticed that everyone around him fell silent, and everyone in the hall began to turn their attention this way. "Is it time to eat?" Jessica asked. "But our customers still have problems." Lei Duo looked at the water carrier and said.The round face, with its large eyes and thick lips, reminded the Duke of Hawat's memo. "...this water carrier is worth noting... Linga. Boot, remember the name. The Harkonnen used him, but they couldn't completely control him." "Water customs are interesting," said Boot, with a smile on his face. "I wonder what you're doing with the conservatory in this house, and plan to keep showing it to people, sir?" Leido suppressed his anger and stared at this man, his mind full of thoughts.It takes courage to challenge such a person in your own castle, especially if this person has signed a cooperation agreement with us.He who takes action must know his power.Water is power here.For example, if a water supply facility is equipped with landmines, it can be destroyed by sending a signal... This person seems to be the one who does such a thing.To destroy the water supply is to destroy Arrakis.It's entirely possible that this is the big stick that Bout is holding on the Harkonnen. "Your Excellency, I have a plan for the greenhouse." Jessica said to Leido with a smile, "We intend to keep it, there is no doubt about it, but only as a symbol of trust for the people of Arrakis .Our ideal is that in the future the climate of Arrakis will become beautiful, and these plants can be planted and seen anywhere.” Lei Duo thought: Thanks to her!Let our water merchants think about these words! "It's clear that you're interested in water and climate," said the duke. "I suggest you do something else. Someday, in Arrakis, water won't be an expensive commodity." And the duke was thinking: Hawat should redouble his efforts to infiltrate this bout's establishment.We must get to work on building a backup water supply immediately, and I must not let the stick be held on my head! Boot nodded, still smiling, and said, "A respectable dream, sir." He took a step back. The expression on Keynes' face caught Leido's attention.The man stared at Jessica as if possessed... like a man in love... or someone struck by the power of religion. Keynes' mind was finally conquered by the words of the prophecy. "They share that most precious dream with you." He asked Jessica directly: "Is there any way you can shorten the time to realize it?" "Ah, Dr. Keynes," said the water carrier, "it's not easy for you to come to this place today under the escort of the Fremen. It's rare!" Keynes glanced at Boot with a mysterious look."It is said that the possession of a great deal of water in the desert may produce fatal negligence and carelessness in man," he said. "They have many strange sayings in the desert." Bout said, but his tone showed great anxiety. Jessica walked up to Leido and put her hand in his arm, taking the time to calm herself down.Keynes just said: "...shorten the time for its realization." This means "Kwizaki Hadnaci" in the old saying.No one else seemed to notice the oddity of the planetologist's question.Now he was leaning over to listen to a lady whispering coquettishly. Jessica thought: Kwizzaki Hadenaki, did our Guardian Mission leave that legend here too?The thought aroused her hope that Paul was Kwizaki Hadenatch, which he probably was. Gilder Bank representatives chatted with the water tanker.Bout raised his voice and was heard saying, "Many people want to change Arrakis." The Duke noticed that these words had irritated Keynes, and he straightened up and left the obsequious lady. The whole hall suddenly fell silent. A soldier coughed lightly behind Lei Duo and said, "Your Excellency, the banquet is ready." The Duke cast a questioning look at Jessica. "It's a custom here that the hostess and hostess sit after the guests," she said with a smile. "Your Excellency, should we also change this habit?" He replied coldly: "This habit is very good, and there is no need to change it now." He thought: I must maintain the illusion that she is a mole.He looked at the guests passing by.Ask secretly: Who among you believes this lie? Jessica felt his alienation, as she had for the past week.She wondered: he seemed to be fighting with himself.Is it because I arranged this banquet too early?But he knows that it is very important for our officers and soldiers to get to know people from all walks of life in the local society.We are their parents, and nothing expresses this more fully than organizing a social event. Leido looked at the crowd passing by, and remembered Safi Hawat's attitude towards this banquet: "Sir, it must be stopped!" An imperceptible smile appeared on the corner of the Duke's mouth, what a spectacular sight!When he insisted on attending this feast, Hawat shook his head and said, "My lord, I think it's a bad thing to do. Everything in Arrakis is going too fast. It's not Harkonnen style, not at all. " Paul walked past the Duke accompanied by a young woman half a head taller than he was.He glanced at his father dissatisfied, the woman said something, and he nodded. "Her father made filtration suits," Jessica introduced. "I heard that only fools would be stuck in the desert in his suits." "Who was that man with the scar on his face who walked before Paul?" asked the Duke. "I didn't recognize it." "The last person to be added to the guest list," Jessica whispered, "Gurney arranged, was the smuggler." "Gurney arranged?" "I made him do it. Hawat knew it too, and I think he was a little reluctant about it. The pirate's name was Took, Esma Took. He was a powerful one among the smugglers. Everyone here knew him .He has attended many banquets of great families." "Why did you invite him?" "Everyone here asks that question," she replied. "Toke's presence will arouse suspicion. He can show people that you are going to strengthen the anti-bribery laws, even at the cooperation of smugglers. Hawat also likes that." like." "I'm not sure if I like the arrangement." He nodded at a couple passing by, seeing that there were not many guests left. "Why didn't you invite some Fremen?" "Isn't that Keynes?" she said. "Yes, Keynes is here," he said, "Did you arrange any other little accidents for me?" He walked into the dining line with Jessica on his arm. "Other arrangements are made as usual," she said. Jessica thought to herself: Honey, don't you understand that this smuggler has a fast distance ship in his hand?You can buy him off.We must leave a way out.We also have a door out of Arrakis when things get too bad. After they entered the restaurant, Jessica took out Leido's arm and asked Leido to lead her to a seat.Redo strode to the front of the table, and a footman helped him with a chair.With the sound of clothes and chairs, everyone else sat down, but the Duke remained standing.He raised his hands, and the house soldiers around the table, dressed in servants' clothes, stepped back and stood intently. An uneasy stillness permeated the house. Jessica looked at the other end of the long table, and found that the corners of Leido's mouth were trembling slightly, and there was a sullen expression on his face.She thought to herself: what angered him?Certainly not because I invited the smugglers. "I've been questioned about changing the customs of water," the duke said. "It's my way of telling people that many things will change." There was an awkward silence at the table. Jessica thought: people would think he was drunk. Leido raised the water glass, and the light from the chandelier reflected from the glass to the surroundings."I salute the water as a royal nobility," he said. Everyone picked up their water glasses and looked at the Duke. In the brief silence, a breeze blew from the kitchen corridor, shaking the chandelier, and the shadows danced on the Duke's hawk-like cheeks. "Here I am, and I shall live here!" he roared. The glasses were raised to their mouths, but the Duke did not move, and so did the others.The duke continued: "My blessing represents our heartfelt admiration for those noble principles, 'Commerce makes progress! Wealth flows everywhere'!" He took a sip of water. The others followed suit, exchanging questioning looks. "Gurney!" cried the Duke. Halleck's voice came from the cabin behind the Duke: "Here, Your Excellency." "Sing a song for us, Gurney!" From within the cabin came the sound of a nine-string barris.The Duke made a gesture, and the servants began to serve dishes... BBQ sand rabbit, assorted salads, stewed wild delicacies, oily prawns, coffee, red wine, spiced vegetables... The duke is still standing. The guests waited, a little overwhelmed by the delicious food in front of them and the standing Duke.Leido said: "In ancient times, the host's duty was to entertain guests with his intelligence." He squeezed the water glass tightly, his fingers turned white: "I don't know how to sing, but I can tell you the lyrics that Gurney sang. Please come again Take a drink... a drink in honor of our heroes who got us to our station safely." There was an uneasy commotion at the table. Jessica looked down at the people around her...the round-faced waterman and his wife; Took with a scar on his face, his pure blue eyes sunken deep in their sockets. The Duke recited the last sentence, letting his voice draw out and gradually end.He raised his glass and took a long swig of water, then put the glass down on the table with a loud snap, and the water splashed from the edge of the glass. Without saying a word, the Duke took a sip of the cup embarrassingly, then raised his glass and poured all the remaining water on the ground. He knew that everyone else had to do the same. Jessica was the first to repeat the Duke's action. Everyone froze for a while, and then poured the water in the cup on the ground.Jessica saw Paul sitting next to his father, watching everyone's reactions.She herself was fascinated by the variety of her guests...especially the women.This is pure, portable water, not like the water on a towel that you throw away.The hand holding the water glass is trembling, hesitant, and the nervous laughter...all show that they are very reluctant, but they have to do it.A lady dropped her water glass on the floor, and when her male companion picked it up for her, the lady looked away deliberately. However, it was Keynes who particularly caught her attention, who hesitated so much that he ended up pouring the water into a container under his clothes.Noticing Jessica's attention, he smiled at her and toasted her with his empty glass.There was no sign of embarrassment on his face at all. Halleck’s music still haunts the house, but now it’s less mellow and more bouncy, as if he’s trying to liven up the dinner table. "The banquet begins," the Duke announced, sitting back in his chair. Jessica thought: He is irritable and has mood swings.Losing the mining locomotive hit him harder than he had imagined.It must not be just the loss of a factory.It was as if he had been put in a desperate situation and had to be desperate.She held up her fork, hoping to hide her resentment.why not?He was simply insane. Gradually, the table was revived, and the dinner party began to liven up.The dialysis suit maker praised Jessica's cook and wine. "We brought both from Caladan," she said. "Excellent!" he exclaimed, tasting one dish. "It's delicious! There's not a trace of spices. It's tiresome to have everything without spices." The representative of Gilder Bank looked at Keynes on the opposite side and said, "Dr. Keynes, I understand that another spice mining truck was swallowed by the sand lizard." "How fast the news travels!" said the Duke. "So, is this news true?" the banker turned to ask Duke Leido. "Of course, it is true!" the Duke replied unhappily. "The damn carrier has disappeared. It is impossible for such a big thing to disappear without a trace." "When the sand lizard came out, there was no vehicle to move the mining locomotive," Keynes said. "That's impossible," continued the Duke. "Nobody saw it go?" asked the banker. Keynes said: "The people at the observation station generally only pay attention to the situation in the desert. They mainly monitor the sand lizard. There are usually four crew members on the carrier...two pilots, two assistants. If one... Even two crew members were bribed by the Duke's enemies...then..." "Oh, I see," said the banker. "What do you, the contingency judge, think of the subtleties of this?" "I will seriously consider this matter from my point of view," Keynes said, "of course it is not convenient to discuss this matter here." Keynes thought to himself; this idiot skeleton!He knew that I was ordered not to interfere in this matter. The banker smiled and went on eating. Jessica remembered what she had learned at Bee Geist School, where the courses included espionage and counter-espionage, and the teacher was a chubby, optimistic Madonna.Her cheery voice was an odd contrast to the course content. It is worth noting that any graduate of espionage and counterespionage school has a similar pattern of responses.Any closed discipline and restraint will imprint on the students and form a fixed pattern.Such patterns and imprints are easy to spot with careful analysis and research. "Now, almost all spies have almost similar motivation patterns. That is to say: spies from different schools and different purposes have some very similar motivation patterns. You will learn how to find out these factors through analysis...First Find out the inner tendency of the person being questioned by asking, and then conduct a detailed study on the language thinking tendency of the person being researched. You will find that it is not difficult to determine the basic language form of the person being tested. Of course, it is necessary to change the ending of the voice and speech patterns to confirm." Now, sitting at the dinner table with her son, the Duke, and other guests, Jessica felt a sudden chill as she listened to the Gilder Bank representative: This man was the Harkonnen spy.He was using the Ji Plemen speech pattern .He seemed to be telling her about his identity. Jessica asked herself: Does this mean Gilder himself has turned against the Duke?The thought shocked her.She ordered someone to add more food to hide her emotions, and at the same time listened carefully to the man's every word, hoping to know the purpose of his trip.He would change the subject and say something innocuous, but he would hide his wit.Jessica said to herself: This is his pattern. The banker swallowed his food and took a sip of water. The woman next to him said something, and he laughed.He seemed to be listening to someone next to the duke explain that the native plants of Arakane had no thorns. "I like to watch the birds in flight over Arrakis," said the banker, turning his attention to Jessica. "Of course, all birds eat carrion, and many survive without water, because they are Vampires." At the other end of the table, sitting between Paul and her father, the filtration gown manufacturer's daughter frowned and said, "Oh Sue, Sue, what you say is disgusting." The banker smiled and said, "They call me Sue... Sue because I'm a financial advisor to the Water Retailers Association." Jessica still looked at him without saying a word.He went on to say: "Because the water sellers shouted: 'Su... Su... Laika!'" He learned it so well that everyone laughed. Jessica heard the boastfulness in his words, and noticed the suggestive way the young girl spoke.She paved a rung for the banker.She glanced at Linga.Bout, he was engrossed in eating.Jessica seemed to hear the banker saying, "I also control Arrakis' supreme source of power...water!" Paul noticed the camouflage in the woman's voice beside him, saw his mother listening to the conversation with Bee Geist's intense attention.On a sudden whim, he decided to say a few words to solve the mystery.He said to the banker, "Sir, do you mean that these birds are cannibalistic animals?" "That's a strange question, my lord," said the banker. "I only said that these birds suck blood, and that doesn't necessarily mean that they suck the blood of their own kind, do they?" "It's not a surprising question," Paul said.Jessica noticed the trained sharp probing tone in his voice. "Most educated people know that the fiercest competition any newborn organism faces is that of its own kind," he said, deliberately forking a piece of meat from his neighbor's plate, and putting it in his mouth, "they were on the same animal." Eating in a pot has the same basic needs.” The banker shuddered and frowned at the duke. "Don't mistake my son for a child," said the Duke with a smile. Jessica glanced around the table and saw Boot excited, Keynes and Smuggler Took grinning. "It's an ecological law," said Keynes, "and the little host seems to understand it deeply. The struggle among the living agents is a struggle for free energy in the system. Blood is a variable energy source." The banker put the fork on the plate and said angrily, "I heard that the Freeman bastard drinks the blood of the dead." Keynes shook his head and said in a lecturing tone, "Not blood, sir. But the blood on a man's body belongs entirely to his people...his tribe. If you live in the great plains deep in the desert, it must be , water is very precious there. And 70% of the human body is water. Of course dead people don’t need this water.” The banker put his hands on either side of the plate, and Jessica thought he would walk away. Keynes looked at Jessica and said, "I'm sorry, Your Excellency. Such a disgusting topic should not be discussed at the dinner table, but someone who spreads falsehoods should be clarified." "You've been with the Fremen for too long and you've lost your mind," said the banker roughly. Keynes looked at him calmly, his face was pale and trembling. "Are you challenging me, sir?" The banker was startled, took a breath, and said bluntly, "Of course not. I don't want to hurt the master." Jessica sensed fear in the man's voice, expression, and breathing, the veins on his forehead exposed.The man was afraid of Keynes. "Our masters can judge for themselves whether they have been insulted," Keynes said. "They are brave men who know how to defend their dignity. They are now in this place... Arrakis, and they are going to live here. Showed that they had courage that we admire." Jessica noticed that Leido appreciated these few words very much.Others disagree.Everyone sitting at the table was ready to flee, their hands already under the table.Two notable exceptions were Boot, who watched the banker's embarrassment with glee, and Took the smuggler, who seemed to be waiting for a cue from Keynes.Jessica also saw Paul looking at Keynes with admiration. "How?" Keynes said. "I meant no malice," murmured the banker, "if I have been impolite, please accept my apology." "Enemies should be resolved rather than knotted." Keynes smiled at Jessica as he said, and continued to eat as if nothing had happened. Jessica was also relieved to see the smuggler.She noticed that this man was ready to jump up at any time and help Keynes with all his strength.There is a kind of tacit understanding between him and Keynes. Leido played with a fork and looked at Keynes with admiration.The behavior of the planetary scientist indicated that his opinion of the Atrez family had changed.As they flew over the desert, Keynes seemed nonchalant. Jessica waved her hand, another dish and drinks were served, and the servants brought red wine and fermented mushrooms with sauce. Gradually, people started talking again, but Jessica could hear an anxiety and concern.The banker grimaced and ate his food.She thought: Keynes would kill him without hesitation.She also realized that Keynes didn't seem to care about killing people, that he was a careless killer.She thought it was probably the Fremen style. Jessica to the dialysis suit manufacturer on the left: "It always amazes me how important water is at Arrakis." "Very important," he agreed, "what kind of dish is this? It's delicious!" "Rabbit tongue with a special sauce," she said, "an ancient recipe." "I have to copy this recipe down," he said. She nodded: "I will send someone to send it to you." Keynes looked at Jessica and said, "Newcomers to Arrakis often underestimate the importance of water. You see, we're dealing with the Law of Minimum." She heard Keynes' tentative tone and said: "Because the reality of the minimum amount of demand restricts growth, the growth rate is also limited to the minimum level, which cannot achieve the minimum satisfactory effect." "Very few members of the extended family are aware of planetary ecological issues," Keynes said. "Water is the most unfavorable factor for life on Arrakis. Note that growth itself can also create unfavorable conditions if not tightly controlled." Jessica sensed that there was something in Keynes's words, but she didn't know the deep meaning.She said, "Growth, you mean Arrakis could have had a more regular water cycle mechanism to sustain human life under more favorable conditions?" "It's impossible!" said the water peddler. Jessica turned to Bout and said, "Isn't it possible?" "It's impossible in Arrakis," he said. "Don't trust this dreamer. All the experimental evidence is against his claims." Keynes looked at Bout, and Jessica noticed that everyone else had stopped talking.Turning his head, he watched the discussion on their side. "Laboratory evidence often blinds us to the simplest facts," Keynes said. "The fact is that the problems we're talking about here arise from plants and animals that live normally in the wild." "Normal!" Boot sneered. "There's nothing normal in Arrakis." "On the contrary," Keynes said, "a certain balance and harmony can be established along the autotrophic belt. You just have to understand the limitations of the planet and the pressures on it." "It's never going to happen," Bout said. The Duke suddenly understood why Keynes's attitude changed. It was because Jessica said that she would keep those greenhouse plants for Arakis. "Dr. Keynes, how can this self-supporting system be established?" "If we could get three percent of the greens in Arrakis to make carbohydrate synthetic food, the circulatory system would kick in," Keynes said. "Is water the only problem?" asked the Duke.He sensed that Keynes was very excited, and he was deeply infected. "Water also complicates other issues," Keynes said, "that there is a large amount of oxygen without accompanying components on this planet ... widespread plant life and a large source of free carbon dioxide due to natural phenomena such as volcanoes." .a remarkable process of chemical communication takes place across the vast surface of this planet." "Do you have an experiment plan?" asked the Duke. "We have long been building and implementing a project on the Tasri effect ... a series of small unit experiments based on amateur experiments, from which my science can get working evidence and facts," Keynes said. "There's not enough water," Boot said, "just not enough water." "Mr. Boot is an expert on water," Keynes said, laughing as he began to eat. The Duke swung his right hand sharply down and cried, "No! I want an answer! Is there enough water, Dr. Keynes?" Keynes stared at his plate. Jessica watched the change of expression on his face and thought: He is very good at hiding himself.But she had recorded Keynes now and knew he was regretting what he had just said. "Is there enough water?" the Duke continued. "Maybe... yes." Keynes replied reluctantly. He was pretending not to be sure!thought Jessica. Paul's polygraph awareness also told him that Keynes had other hidden secrets. He had to use all the knowledge he acquired during training to judge Keynes' hidden motives. There must be enough water to see through his disguise!But Keynes would not let people know. "Our planetary ecologist has many fascinating dreams," Boot said, "and he fantasizes with the Fremen...indulging in prophecies and legends." There were a few strange laughs around the table, and Jessica noticed that the people who laughed were Toke the Smuggler, the Daughter of the Filter Clothes Manufacturer, Duncan Idaho, and the woman with the mysterious bodyguard . Jessica thought: It's a strange night, the tension has been there.Too many things escaped my attention.I must develop new sources of intelligence. The Duke looked from Keynes to Boot, then to Jessica.He felt inexplicably annoyed, as if something important was being kept from him. "Maybe," he said to himself. Keynes said quickly, "Your Excellency, perhaps we should discuss this at another time. There are many..." At this moment, an Atrez soldier in military uniform hurried in and interrupted the planetary scientist.He walked up to the Duke and whispered something to the Duke. Jessica recognized him as one of Hawat's subordinates from the hat decoration. She suppressed her inner unease and turned to talk to the female companion of the filtration suit manufacturer. This woman was small, with black hair and a baby face. . "Your food hasn't moved much, honey," Jessica said. "Can I order you something else?" The woman took one look at the clothing manufacturer before replying, "I'm not hungry." Suddenly the prince stood up, and said in a hoarse voice: "Sit still, please. Forgive me, but I must attend to one thing myself." He stepped aside. "Paul, please do my lordship on my behalf." Paul stood up, wanting to ask his father why he was leaving, but he knew he had to pick himself up and take on the task.He went to his father's seat and sat down. The Duke turned to Gurney and said, "Gurney, please sit in Paul's seat. There cannot be singular numbers at the banquet. I may let you send Paul to the CP area. Wait for my call." Halleck came out of the cabin, in uniform.他巨大的身躯和丑陋的长相，看起来与珠光宝气的环境很不相符。他把九弦巴喱斯靠在墙上，坐到保罗的位置上。 “没有必要发警报，”公爵说，“但我必须强调，卫兵没通知大家一切安全之前，谁也别离开。你们呆在这里是绝对安全的。我们一定会迅速清除这点小麻烦。” 保罗从他父亲的话里辨别出密码……卫兵，安全，迅速解决。 麻烦是来自安全保卫领域，而不是暴力。他看见母亲也辨别出了密码，两人都松了一口气。 公爵迅速点点头，猛地转身，大步朝门外走去，身后跟着他的士兵。 保罗说：“请大家继续用餐。我想凯因斯博士正在说有关水的事。” “咱们可以下次讨论这事吗？”凯因斯问。 “当然可以。”保罗说。 杰西卡看着儿子镇定自若、成熟老练，感到很自豪。 银行家拿起水杯，对布特举起来。“咱们这儿没人能在用词华丽方面超过林加。布特先生。有人差不多认为他就要取得大家族的地位。来吧，布特先生，领我们干一杯。你一定为这位小大人准备了不少甜言蜜语。” 杰西卡的手在桌子下捏成了拳头，她注意到哈莱克传了一个手势给伊达荷，房子里靠墙站着的卫兵全都各就各位。 布特狠狠地瞪了一眼银行家。 保罗看了一眼哈莱克，看到卫兵已各就各位。保罗注视着银行家直到他放下水杯。保罗说：“有一次，在卡拉丹，我看见一具打捞起来的渔人尸体，他……” “淹死的？”滤析服制造商的女儿说。 保罗犹豫了一下，接着说：“是的，被沉到水里直到淹死。” “这种死法真有意思。”她轻声说。 保罗的微笑变得难看，凝成了冷冰冰的表情，他转头对着银行家继续说：“有意思的是这人肩上有伤……是其他渔民的爪靴造成的。这个渔民是沉船上的船员之一。另一个获救的船员说他已不止一次在失事船员身上看到这种瓜靴伤痕，这意味着另外一个被淹渔民为了逃到水面而踩在这个可怜家伙的身上，以便获得呼吸。” “这为什么有趣？”银行家问。 “是因为我父亲由此而得出了一个结论。他说为了救自己而爬上你肩头的被淹者是可以理解的……但在客厅里发生这种事就要例外了。”保罗犹豫了一会儿，让银行家有时间明白意思，然后接着说，“而我要说，除非你在餐桌上碰到这种事。” 屋子里突然一下沉静下来。 杰西卡想：这太鲁莽，银行家可能有足够高的身份向我儿子挑战。她注意到伊达荷已高度戒备，准备行动。家族卫兵也做好了准备。哥尼·哈莱克不动声色地盯着对面的那个人。 “哈……哈……哈……”这是走私者吐克，笑得前仰后合，毫无顾忌。 桌子周围的人脸上都露出了神经质的笑容。 布特咧嘴笑着。 银行家已把椅子向后推，愤怒地盯着保罗。 凯因斯说：“谁要跟阿特雷兹人玩花样，都是自讨没趣。” “羞辱客人是阿特雷兹人的习惯吗？”银行家问道。 保罗还没来得及回答，杰西卡倾身向前说：“先生！”她一边心里想：我们必须弄清这个哈可宁畜牲到底要玩什么把戏。他是到这儿来对付保罗的吗？他还有帮手吗？ “我儿子展示了一件普通外衣，你想对号入座吗？”杰西卡问，“真是出色的表演。”她把手滑到绑在腿部的啸刃刀刀柄上。 银行家转身怒气冲冲地瞪着杰西卡。她看着银行家离开了桌子，准备动手。保罗全神贯注于那密码词：外衣……准备应付暴力。 凯因斯向杰西卡投去一个探询的目光，给吐克做了一个不显眼的手势。 走私者一下站起身，举起水杯说：“我要敬你一杯，为年轻的保罗·阿特雷兹，一个貌似年轻，却有男子汉作风的人。” 他们为什么要插进来？杰西卡问自己。 银行家现在看着凯因斯，杰西卡注意到他脸上又露出了胆怯。 杰西卡想：凯因斯到哪儿，人们便跟到哪儿。他在告诉我们他站在保罗一边。他那神秘的力量源于何处？不可能是因为他那应变法官的身份，那只是临时的。当然也不会因为他是皇家文职官员。 她放开自己握着刀柄的手，向凯因斯举起水杯，凯因斯也举了举自己的水杯。 只有保罗和银行家空着手。（苏……苏！真是个愚蠢透顶的绰号。杰西卡想。） 保罗想：我做得对，可他们为什么要介入？他暗暗看了一眼坐得离自己最近的男性客人。准备应付暴力？从哪来的暴力？当然不会是位什么银行家。 哈莱克动了动，好像不是要跟某个特定的人说话，注意力对着人们头顶以外的地方。他说：“在我们的社会里，人们不应该大敏感，这常常意味着自杀。”他看着滤析服制造商的女儿问：“您以为如何，小姐？” “哦，是的，不错，确实如此，”她答道，“太多暴力，我感到恶心。许多时侯并不存在什么恶意，可却有人丧命。这毫无道理。” “确实没有道理。”哈莱克说。 杰西卡注意到这女孩毫无漏洞的应答，意识到：这个不动脑筋的女人并不是一个头脑空虚的小女人，她注意到威胁出现的方式，知道哈莱克也发现了这个事实。他们计划用女色引诱保罗。杰西卡松了一口气。她的儿子也许是第一次目睹它……他的训练却没有忽略这种明显的阴谋。 凯因斯对银行家说：“是否再道一次歉？” 银行家对杰西卡勉强地笑了一下，说：“女士，恐怕我喝的酒太多了一点。您提供的酒后劲太大，我有点不习惯。” 杰西卡听出他语气里饱含恶意，便甜甜地说：“陌生人相聚，应该充分容忍风俗习惯的差异。” “谢谢您，阁下。”他说。 滤析服制造商那长着一头黑发的女伴欠身问杰西卡：“公爵说在这儿很安全，我真希望别打仗，不会有更多的冲突吧？” 杰西卡想：她受命这样抛出话题。 杰西卡说：“也许根本就没什么大麻烦。但最近有好多事都需要公爵亲自过问。只要阿特雷兹和哈可宁之间存在敌意，我们就必须万事小心。当然，公爵也曾发誓，坚决消灭阿拉吉斯的全部哈可宁间谍。”她瞟了一眼吉尔德银行代表，接着说：“宪法自然也支持他这么做。”她转身对着凯因斯说：“是这样吗，凯因斯博士？” “确实如此。”凯因斯答道。 滤析服制造商轻轻地拉了一下女伴。她看着他说：“我想我现在确实要吃点东西。我想要你们刚才上的那种鸟肉。” 杰西卡给一个仆人做了一个手势，然后对银行家说：“先生，你刚才说到鸟和它们的习性。我发现阿拉吉斯有许多有趣的事。告诉我，什么地方能找到衰微香料？香料开采者要进入沙漠深处吗？” “哦，不，女士，”他说，“我对沙漠深处所知极少，对南部地区也几乎一无所知。” “有一个传说，认为在南方有巨大的香料田矿源，”凯因斯说，“但我怀疑这纯粹是一种想象，只是为了一首歌。有些胆大的香料勘探者确实经常深入到中心带的边缘，但那尤其危险……导航设备不稳定，经常出现大风暴。离屏蔽墙越远，伤亡率越高。也许如果我们有了气象卫星……” 布特抬起头，满嘴食物，他说：“据说弗雷曼人可以去那儿，他们什么地方都能去，还在南纬区找到了泛水区和吸井区。” “泛水区和吸井区？”杰西卡问。 凯因斯迅速说：“不着边际的谣传，阁下。其他星球上可能会有，但阿拉吉斯绝不会有。一个泛水区是指水渗到地面或可以根据某些特征掘出水来的地方，吸井区也是泛水区的一种，在那儿人们可以用麦管吸水……这就是传说。” 杰西卡想：他话里有假。 保罗也奇怪：他为什么撒谎？ “多么有趣的传说，”杰西卡边想边说，“据说……”这儿的人有着非常奇特的言语方式。他们还不知道这已暴露出他们对迷信的依赖。 “我听人讲你们有一个说法，”保罗说，“即：城市滋生华丽，沙漠造就智慧。” 凯因斯说：“沙漠上有许多谚语。” 杰西卡正准备问另外一个问题，一个仆人递给她一张纸条。她打开纸条，是公爵的字迹，用密码写的，杰西卡扫了一眼。 她告诉大家：“有一个好消息，公爵说麻烦已全部解决。丢失的运载器找到了。飞行员中有一个哈可宁间谍将飞船劫持到了一个走私基地，希望卖掉它。现在人和机器都回到了我们手里。”她朝吐克点点头。 走私者也点头回应。 杰西卡卷起纸条，塞进了衣袖。 “我很高兴这没有引起战争，”银行家说，“人民满怀希望，希望阿特雷兹能带来和平和繁荣。” “尤其是繁荣。”布特说。 “咱们现在上甜点吧。”杰西卡说，“我让厨师准备了一卡拉丹甜食，甜酱糯米糕。” “听起来非常吸引人，”滤析服制造商说，“可以得到配方吗？” “你想要的配方我都给。”杰西卡说，一边把这人记录在脑子里，以后再告诉哈瓦特。他是一个可怕的野心家，可以收买。 大家又开始叽叽喳喳地聊起来：“这布料质地不错……”“他的衣着与戴的珠宝很相配……”“下一季我们要努力增加产量……” 杰西卡低头看着自己的盘子，心里想着雷多字条上的密码：哈可宁人试图运进一批激光炮。我们抓住了他们。但这意味着他们已运进了几批激光武器。这说明他们并没有过多指望屏蔽，请采取相应措施。 杰西卡想着激光炮，觉得很纳闷。那种白热高温光束可以切开任何物质，但屏蔽除外。事实是屏蔽的反馈聚变会使激光武器和屏蔽一起毁灭，似乎哈可宁人对此并不担心，为什么？激光……屏蔽爆炸能引起异常危险的聚变反应，其威力比原子弹还要巨大，会杀死开炮人和穿屏蔽的人。 找不出答案使她感到极度不安。 保罗说：“我从不怀疑我们会找到运载器。只要我父亲着手解决问题，麻烦就会迎刃而解。哈可宁人也开始知道这是事实。” 杰西卡想：他在说大话，他不应该说大话。任何人都无权夸夸其谈，如果他晚上要睡在地下深处以防备激光炮的话。