Chapter 67 Chapter Fifty-Three

Hari Seldon stood up as the mystic approached.He had not the slightest idea whether this was the proper courtesy, but he knew full well that there was no harm in it.Dors Venabili followed him to his feet, keeping her eyes downcast carefully. The other party stood in front of the two of them.He is also an old man, but it is harder to tell his age than Mycelia Qier. Years seemed to have ennobled his still handsome face.His bald head was round and beautiful, and his eyes were a stunning azure blue, which contrasted sharply with the almost fiery red shoulder straps. The man said, "I can see you are foreigners." His voice was higher than Seldon had expected, but he spoke slowly, as if conscious of the authority of each word he uttered.

"We are," said Seldon in a polite but firm tone.He didn't see any reason why he shouldn't respect the other person, but he didn't intend to wrong himself. "Your names?" "I am Hari Seldon of Helicon, and my companion is Dors Venabili of Cinar. How about you, Mr. Myqusen?" The man narrowed his eyes in displeasure, but he also felt the majesty of the other party. "I am Tianwen Er," he raised his head a little higher, "one of the elders of the temple. What is your identity, a man from a foreign race?" "We," Seldon deliberately emphasized the pronoun, "are scholars at Trantor University. I am a mathematician, and my companion is a historian. We have come to study the customs and customs of Myqusheng."

"With whose permission?" "With the permission of Sun Lord Fourteen, he personally greeted us when we arrived." Tian Wen Er fell into silence for a while, and then a smile appeared on his face, and his attitude almost became amiable.He said, "Senator, I know him very well." "It should be so," said Seldon in a mild tone. "Is there anything else, Elder?" "Yes." The elder tried his best to regain the advantage, "Who was with you just now, and hurried away when I approached?" Seldon shook his head. "We've never seen him before, Elder, and know nothing of him. It was pure chance that we met him, and we only asked him about the Sept."

"What did you ask him?" "Two questions, Elder. We asked if the building was a sanctuary, and if it was open to foreigners. He answered yes to the first question, no to the second." "Pretty true. What aspect of the church are you still interested in?" "Your Excellency, we are here to study the customs of Myqusheng. Isn't the church the brain and heart of Myqusheng?" "It's entirely ours, reserved exclusively for us." "What if a certain elder or elder grants permission for us to go in because of our knowledge?" "Have you really got permission from the Senator?"

Seldon hesitated, and Dors raised his eyelids to cast a quick sideways glance at him.He decided he couldn't tell such a big lie, so he said, "No, not yet." "Or never," said the elder. "Although you have been granted permission to come to Myqusheng, even the highest authority cannot absolutely control the people. We cherish our church—no matter where there is one in Myqusheng." Alien people are very easy to arouse the excitement of the crowd, especially near the church. It only needs one impulsive person to shout 'aggression!' and a peaceful crowd like this will become a pack of beasts, and you will be crushed. It is not an exaggeration to say that you have to wait for ten thousand pieces to give up. Even if the elder treats you very kindly, for your own good, you should go. Immediately!"

"But the Sept..." Seldon continued stubbornly, but Dors was tugging at his robe. "What is there in the sanctuary that interests you?" said the elder, "and now that you have seen it, there is nothing in it worth looking at." "There's a servitor," Seldon said. The elder stared at Seldon in horror.Then he bent down, put his mouth in Seldon's ear, and whispered sternly, "Get out now, or I'll shout that 'aggression!' No chance will be given to you." Now Dors showed incredible strength, pulling Seldon away so quickly that he almost lost his footing.She dragged him along until he regained his balance and trotted after her.