Seldon said, "Have you ever heard of robots?"
The old woman shuddered and her voice was almost a scream. "Why do you ask such things? Those were artificial human beings, evil in themselves and the work of the Evil worlds. They were destroyed and should never be mentioned."
"There was one special robot, wasn't there, that the Evil worlds hated?"
Mother Rittah tottered toward Seldon and peered into his eyes. He could feel her hot breath on his face. "Have you come to mock me? You know of these things and yet you ask? Why do you ask?"
"Because I wish to know."
"There was an artificial human being who helped Earth. He was Da-Nee, friend of Ba-Lee. He never died and lives somewhere, waiting for his time to return. None knows when that time will be, but someday he will come and restore the great old days and remove all cruelty, injustice, and misery. That is the promise."
At this, she closed her eyes and smiled, as if remembering...
Seldon waited a while in silence, then sighed and said, "Thank you, Mother Rittah. You have been very helpful. What is your fee?"
"So pleasant to meet Outworlders," the old woman replied. "Ten credits. May I offer you some refreshment?"
"No, thank you," said Seldon earnestly. "Please take twenty. You need only tell us how to get back to the Expressway from here.-And, Mother Rittah, if you can arrange to have some of your tales of Earth put into a computer disc, I will pay you well."
"I would need so much strength. How well?"
"It would depend on how long the story is and how well it is told. I might pay a thousand credits."
Mother Rittah licked her lips. "A thousand credits? But how will I find you when the story is told?"
"I will give you the computer code number at which I can be reached."
After Seldon gave Mother Rittah the code number, he and Dors left, thankful for the comparatively clean odor of the alley outside. They walked briskly in the direction indicated by the old woman.
Dors said, "That wasn't a very long interview, Hari."
"I know. The surroundings were terribly unpleasant and I felt I had learned enough. Amazing how these folktales tend to magnify."
"What do you mean, 'magnify'?"
"Well, the Mycogenians fill their Aurora with human beings who lived for centuries and the Dahlites fill their Earth with a humanity that lived for millions of years. And both talk of a robot that lives forever. Still, it makes one think."
"As far as millions of years go, there's room for- Where are we going?"
"Mother Rittah said we go in this direction till we reach a rest area, then follow the sign for CENTRAL WALKWAY, bearing left, and keep on following the sign. Did we pass a rest area on the way in?"
"We may be leaving by a route different from the one we came in. I don't remember a rest area, but I wasn't watching the route. I was keeping my eye on the people we passed and-"
Her voice died away. Up ahead the alley swelled outward on both sides. Seldon remembered. They had passed that way. There had been a couple of ratty couch pads resting on the walkway floor on either side. There was, however, no need for Dors to watch passersby going out as she had coming in. There were no passersby. But up ahead in the rest area they spotted a group of men, rather large-sized for Dahlites, mustaches bristling, bare upper arms muscular and glistening under the yellowish indoor light of the walkway. Clearly, they were waiting for the Outworlders and, almost automatically, Seldon and Dors came to a halt. For a moment or two, the tableau held. Then Seldon looked behind him hastily. Two or three additional men had stepped into view.
Seldon said between his teeth, "We're trapped. I should not have let you come, Dors."
"On the contrary. This is why I'm here, but was it worth your seeing Mother Rittah?"
"If we get out of this, it was."
Seldon then said in a loud and firm voice, "May we pass?"
One of the men ahead stepped forward. He was fully Seldon's height of 1.73 meters, but broader in the shoulders and much more muscular. A bit flabby at the waist, though, Seldon noted.
"I'm Marron," he said with self-satisfied significance, as though the name ought to have meaning, "and I'm here to tell you we don't like Outworlders in our district. You want to come in, all right-but if you want to leave, you'll have to pay."
"Very well. How much?"
"All you've got. You rich Outworlders have credit tiles, right? Just hand them over."
"No."
"No point saying no. We'll just take them."
"You can't take them without killing me or hurting me and they won't work without my voiceprint. My normal voiceprint."
"That's not so, Master-see, I'm being polite-we can take them away from you without hurting you very much."
"How many of you big strong men will it take? Nine? No." Seldon counted rapidly. "Ten."
"Just one. Me."
"With no help?"
"Just me."
"If the rest of you will clear away and give us room, I would like to see you try it, Marron."
"You don't have a knife, Master. You want one?"
"No, use yours to make the fight even. I'll fight without one."
Marron looked about at the others and said, "Hey, this puny guy is a sport. He don't even sound scared. That's sort of nice. It would be a shame to hurt him. I tell you what, Master. I'll take the girl. If you want me to stop, hand over your credit tile and her tile and use your right voices to activate them. If you say no, then after I'm through with the girl... and that'll take some time"-he laughed-"I'll just have to hurt you."