Chapter 32 Chapter Thirty

"You've seen it all..." Slati Bartfast said, absent-mindedly trying to clean up his messy study a little bit. He picked up a paper from the top of a pile of papers, but couldn't think of it for a moment. I couldn't put it anywhere else, so I had to put it back on top of the original pile of papers, but the whole pile fell down, "Deep thought designed the earth, we built it, and you live on it." .” "The Vogons came and destroyed it, just five minutes before the end of the whole procedure." Arthur added resentfully. "Yeah." The old man said, paused, and looked around the room without hope, "10 million years of planning and work have just been wasted. Ten million years, people on earth, can you imagine such a long time?" ? During this time, a galactic civilization can even cycle five times from a simple caterpillar. Just drift away." He paused again, "Oh, it's a bit bureaucratic for you." he added.

"You know," said Arthur thoughtfully, "that makes a lot of things explainable. All my life I've had this inexplicable feeling that something was going on in the world. Something very important, even dangerous, is happening in the world, but no one has ever been able to tell me what it is." "No," said the old man, "that's just the most common symptom of paranoia, and everyone in the universe Has it." "Everyone?" said Arthur. "Well, if everyone has it, maybe it means something! Maybe somewhere beyond our known universe..." "Said Possibly, who cares?" Slati Bartfast said before Arthur got too excited, "maybe I'm old and tired, but I'm always thinking about the possibility of finding out what's really going on It's so slim, it's almost ridiculous. The only thing we can do is suspend the meaning of things and focus on doing it ourselves. Look at me: I design the coastline, because Norway won an award." He said in a pile of junk. He checked it out and pulled out a large plexiglass sign with his name on it and a model of Norway cast in the middle of the glass.

"What's the point of that?" he said. "I couldn't have figured it out. I've been making bays all my life. They were trendy at one point, and I won a major award." He holds the sign in his hand He turned it over, shrugged, and casually tossed it aside—but not completely indifferent, he avoided all hard things. "On this replacement Earth we're building, they gave me Africa to do. Of course I made it all bays, whoever I happen to like them. I'm an old-school aesthetic, and I think they give this The continents add a grotesque but lovely touch. They tell me it's not close enough to the equator. Close to the equator!" He let out a hollow laugh. "What does it matter? Sure, science can make some wonderful things. but I have always believed that there are more delightful things than being right."

"Then did you do what you felt?" "No. Of course there is a compromise on this issue." "It's a pity." Arthur said sympathetically, "otherwise it sounds like a pretty good idea." Lifestyle." At this moment, a small white light on the wall lit up. "Come," said Slartibartfast, "you will meet the rats. Your arrival has caused a great stir on the planet. As far as I know, this event has been exclaimed as a cosmic The third most improbable event in history." "What are the first two?" "Oh, maybe it's just a coincidence." Slartibartfast replied casually.He pushed open the door and stood there waiting for Arthur to follow.

Arthur looked him up and down again, and then at himself, at his sweaty, wrinkled clothes, and the marks he had left in the mud on Thursday morning. "It seems that I have encountered considerable difficulties in my way of life," he murmured to himself. "Excuse me, what did you say?" the old man asked gently. "Oh, nothing," said Arthur, "just a joke."