Chapter 6 Chapter two

The Hari Seldon of this period was unremarkable.Like Emperor Cleon I, he is also twenty-two years old, but his height is only 1.72 meters.His face is smooth and cheerful, his hair is a dark brown that is close to black, and his clothes have a kind of rusticity that can be seen at a glance. For those descendants who see Hari Seldon as a legendary demigod, Seldon's image at this moment-no gray hair, no wrinkled old face, no wise smile, no sitting In a wheelchair - seems like a sacrilege.Yet, even in his octogenarian age, Seldon's eyes still glowed with pleasure, a characteristic that remained constant in him.

At this moment, his eyes looked particularly happy because he had just presented a paper at the Decade Conference.This paper attracted a little attention, and the old Osterfitz even nodded to him, saying: "Creative, young man, really creative." This sentence came from Osterfitz's mouth, which shocked him Feeling good and useful, the sense of accomplishment in my heart can't be added. But now there was a new and rather unexpected development, and Seldon wondered if it would make him happier and more fulfilled. He glared at the tall, uniformed young man in front of him.On the left chest of the man's short-sleeved top, there is a handsome "starship and sun" logo.

"Lieutenant Alben Willis." The guard officer said and put away his ID card. "Will you come with me now, sir?" Of course, Willis came armed, and there were two guards waiting outside the door.Seldon knew he had no choice, although the other party was deliberately polite.But anyway, he had the right to make things clear, so he said, "To see the Emperor?" "Go to the palace, Your Excellency, that's all I've been instructed to do." "But why?" "I don't know, sir. I have strict instructions that you must come with me, by whatever means."

"But then it's as if I've been arrested and I haven't broken any law." "It should be said that it is as if we are escorting you-if you don't waste any more time." Seldon did not delay any longer.He closed his lips tightly, as if to seal all other questions in his mouth, nodded, and then walked forward.Even if he really went to see the emperor and accept the emperor's award, he didn't feel that there was anything to be happy about.His efforts are for the entire empire, in other words, for the peace and unity of all human worlds, not for this emperor.

The lieutenant walked in front, and the other two Janissaries followed.Seldon smiled at everyone he passed, pretending to be nonchalant.After leaving the hotel, they boarded an official ground vehicle (Seldon couldn't help but feel the seat cover, he had never been in such a luxurious vehicle). Their location was one of the wealthiest areas on Trantor.The dome here is high enough to give the feeling of being in an open space.Anyone would have sworn they were basking in the sun, even Hari Seldon, who grew up in the open air.Although there was no sun or shadow of any kind, the air was clear and fragrant.

The dome began to bend downward and the walls narrowed as the surrounding scene quickly receded.They soon entered a closed tunnel, in which a sign of "starship and sun" appeared at regular intervals.The tunnel was obviously (Seldon thought) reserved for official transport. A door in front opened in time, and the ground vehicle passed through quickly.After the door was closed again, they were in the open space—the real open space.This is the only 250 square kilometers of open-air surface on the surface of Trantor, on which the magnificent palace sits.Seldon would have liked the chance to wander the land—not because of the palace, but because there was the Imperial University and, most of all, the Imperial Library.

But having passed through the dome-enclosed world of Trantor to the open woodlands and fields, he found himself in a world covered by clouds and a cold wind blowing against him.He pressed the switch casually and closed the window. It's a cold day outside.