Chapter 21 Chapter fifteen

Their conversation came to an end, and Seldon began to observe the various buildings in Striring District as they passed by.Some buildings are quite low, and some seem to reach the "sky".The wide land bridge interrupts the road from time to time, and you can often see some large and small lanes. At a certain moment, he suddenly thought that although these buildings developed upwards, they also took root downwards. Maybe their depth exceeded their height.As soon as this idea came to his mind, he believed that it was so. Occasionally, he would see a few green fields in the distance, all of which were far away from the maglev MRT route, and there were even some small trees in some places.

He stared for a while, then noticed the light gradually dimming.He glanced left and right, then turned to look at Hummin, who had already guessed his question. "The afternoon is drawing to a close," he said, "and the night is coming." Seldon raised his eyebrows, and the corners of his mouth curled down: "This is really spectacular. A picture emerged in my mind, the entire planet went dark at the same time, and after a few hours, it brightened again." Hummin gave his customary, wary smile: "Not really, Seldon. The planet's lights are never completely turned off, and never fully turned on. The shadows of dusk gradually sweep across the entire planet, and after half a day, everywhere , there will be another dawn break. In fact, this effect is quite close to the real day and night on the dome, so in high latitudes, the length of day and night will change with the seasons."

Seldon shook his head: "But why seal the planet, and then imitate the open-air situation?" "I think it's because people prefer it that way. Trantorians like the virtues of a closed world, but don't like being reminded of that fact by too many phenomena. You know very little about Trantorian psychology, Seldon." Seldon blushed slightly.He was only a Helicon, and knew next to nothing of a million other worlds, and this ignorance was not limited to Trantor.How, then, could he expect himself to find practical applications for psychohistorical theory? A group of people, no matter how large in number—all together—could not constitute enough understanding.

It reminded Seldon of a quiz he had read as a boy: Can you find a fairly small piece of platinum with a handle attached to the face, but no matter how many people you find, you can't lift it with your bare hands? The answer is yes.A cubic meter of platinum weighs 22,420 kilograms at standard gravity.Assuming that each person can lift a weight of 120 kilograms from the ground, then 187 people are enough to lift the piece of platinum.But you can't squeeze one hundred and eighty-seven people around a cubic meter of platinum so that everyone can grab it; you can probably squeeze no more than nine people around it.And levers or similar devices are completely useless, because the prerequisite must be "with bare hands".

By the same token, there may never be enough people to handle all the knowledge that psychohistory requires. Even if those historical facts are stored in the computer, not in the individual's brain.And only with the help of computers can people surround themselves with this knowledge (so to speak) and exchange knowledge with each other. Hummin said, "You seem lost in thought, Seldon." "I'm reflecting on my ignorance." "It's useful work, and trillions of people should join you so everyone can benefit. But it's time to get off the bus." Seldon raised his head: "How do you know?"

"Just as you'd know if you took the maglev on your first day on Trantor, I followed the signs along the way." At this moment, too, Seldon saw a signpost that was about to disappear: "Trantor University—Three Minutes." "We get off at the next dedicated station. Watch out for the steps." Seldon followed Hummin down from the carriage, noticing that the sky was now a dark purple color, and that the sidewalks, corridors, and buildings were all brightly lit, and there was a yellow halo everywhere. It could also be Helicon's evening hour.Had he been brought here blindfolded and then removed, he might have believed he was in the heart of a larger city in Helicon.

"How long do you think I'll be at Trantor, Hummin?" he asked. Hummin replied with his usual coolness, "It's hard to say, Seldon, maybe a lifetime." "what!'' "Maybe it won't be that long. But after you published that psychohistorical paper, your life was no longer your own. The Emperor and Demerzel sensed your importance immediately, and so did I. According to me You know, there are a lot of people like us. You know, it means you don't belong to yourself anymore."