Transcription
Novak was chasing Duraka and Schmidt. To escape the pursuit, Schmidt decided to stay behind, slowing Novak's steps. "I wish you success," he said, then turned to face Novak. With a few swift moves, he took down Novak's henchmen, but ultimately, he could not defeat Novak.
Novak said, "Drown in your own blood. Such a fate truly suits a believer in the Earth's motion theory." But Schmidt replied, "But this is the fate I chose myself."
Duraka successfully escaped and arrived at his target town. After bribing the gate guards to enter the city, he went straight to the church. The person he was looking for was Bishop Anthony. He wanted to talk to Anthony about the future, about making money. Anthony, hearing about money, was no longer sleepy. He told his subordinates to step back, then asked Duraka to speak.
Duraka said it was about books. The coming era would be one of personalized items and best-selling books. What citizens wanted now was not religion, but entertainment. This could be seen from how street performances and even executions could draw crowds. Everyone craved excitement. This was where books came in. Words could directly convey ideas, and they were incredibly convenient as they didn't pick a time or place. Coupled with movable type printing, copying books was cheap, simple, and fast. "So, I want your help to get a printing press and a publishing license."
Anthony listened and then asked, "What will be the content of the books?" "That is precisely the issue. It's about cosmology, hypotheses about nature. To put it plainly, it's about the Earth's motion." Anthony was surprised, and Duraka added, "Do you think this is a heretical idea? But what I'm about to say next is the real point. Think carefully, have you ever heard of cases in history where the Earth's motion theory was suppressed? Does this theory truly possess heretical qualities?"
Anthony said, "How could there not be? Do you know how many people my father condemned for the Earth's motion theory?" But in the next instant, he suddenly thought, he truly hadn't heard of other places suppressing the Earth's motion theory. "Indeed!" Duraka had gambled correctly. On the surface, the Earth's motion theory contradicted the idea of God's creation. Generally, it would be deliberately avoided, and one might even be punished for it. So, one had to be very cautious. But conversely, as long as one was cautious enough, it wasn't necessarily something that had to be forbidden. "Moreover, don't you think this could serve as stimulating entertainment material?"
Anthony understood. Whether the Earth's motion theory was heresy or not entirely depended on the discretion of the contemporary authorities; it could be changed in any way. Anthony quickly moved to a practical question: "How will the profits be split?" Duraka wanted a fifty-fifty split, but Anthony would only accept eighty-twenty. Duraka had no choice but to agree. The deal was thus settled. Duraka wanted to send a letter when the book was published. Anthony said, "No problem," and told his subordinate to give Duraka a carrier pigeon.
At the same time, Novak followed the horse's tracks to the town. He took out his inquisitor's permit and asked the gate guards if they had seen any suspicious individuals. The guard said there was a woman just now who went in the direction of the church. Hearing "church," Novak then asked if there was a shop selling strong liquor. Novak opened the church door. At this moment, Anthony was handing the carrier pigeon to Duraka. Novak still wanted to remind Anthony that Duraka was a heretic of the Earth's motion theory. Anthony showed no reaction after hearing this, and Novak became agitated.
Anthony retorted, "What do you think is wrong with the Earth's motion theory?" Novak could only stammer, "It's... it contradicts God's creation." Anthony said, "That's too vague! If you want to call someone a heretic, and then torture and kill them, you must at least have a legitimate reason, investigate thoroughly, be able to explain it clearly, and be responsible for your actions." Novak said, "Right, the Bible mentions..." Anthony helped Novak by quoting two verses from Psalms and Chronicles in the Bible. But then he added that if one just thought about it, these could not be decisive evidence to reject the Earth's motion theory. The Earth's motion theory was merely a hypothesis; claiming it as the sole truth could be dangerous. But if it was just a mathematical assumption, what was the problem?
"Moreover, what if the Earth truly does move? Wouldn't it be our task to re-interpret the Bible based on that premise? We should not resist new opinions and discoveries, but rather take them into consideration. Isn't this attitude precisely what faith needs most today? Furthermore, the Earth's motion theory, with the sun at its center, could even serve as natural corroboration for the Trinity. Theologically, it might even be an important discovery that praises God." "But... your father clearly..." Novak was already crying in distress.
Anthony said, "My father was very strict about cosmology; I don't know why. But you know he used to study astronomy. Perhaps due to some setback, his yearning for the sky turned into an inferiority complex. Maybe it was just an authority figure who deeply hated cosmology, and there happened to be a group of people studying the Earth's motion theory in his jurisdiction. So, they were unfortunately branded as heretics. Then everyone started to get the impression that 'the Earth's motion theory is taboo.' Later, those dirty jobs were handed to outsiders, to you, a mercenary by origin, instead of inquisitors from religious orders. If that's the case, suppressing the Earth's motion theory isn't a holy war to protect Christianity; it's just a simple misunderstanding caused by a small group of people."
Novak became hysterical upon hearing "simple misunderstanding." He had dedicated his life to eradicating the Earth's motion theory... "Herbert! Raphael! Ockham! Badeni!" He remembered every person he had executed. "I truly killed them, executed them all because of the Earth's motion theory. And... my daughter, too..." Their records were all preserved. But Anthony said these were not public executions. "All the cosmological work you handled involved non-public executions. And I have already sent people to investigate if there are any records of Novak. Once found, they will all be destroyed. By tomorrow morning, everything will have vanished completely."
It turned out that only Novak had persecuted the Earth's motion theory. In this world, there was only him. If he had been born in another place, another era, there might have been other possibilities. But now, it was already impossible. This was what was called fate. "It's regrettable, but you can only accept it. You, and those heretics you were responsible for, are not figures in history."
Novak knew that Anthony was absolutely not doing this for faith. The motive was purely money. "Duraka bribed the clergy!" Duraka said he wasn't trying to advocate for any special idea. He was just taking a step ahead on a path everyone would eventually walk. "The coming era will be the era of 'money'." "Abandon God and rely on money?" Novak said. "Will that be a good era? Money is equivalent to value and meaning; will that be a good era? Not long ago, I saw your organization's leader commit suicide with gunpowder. Seeing that sight, knowing such an era was coming, wouldn't anyone feel sad? Intellect and technology have advanced excessively, and under the name of civilization and reason, massacres incomparable to the era in God's name have occurred. Losing God means losing guidance for humanity; the end of humanity will come. If God is lost, people will always be bewildered."
"However, within bewilderment, there will certainly be ethics. Perhaps, as you said, the coming era will be one of mass death. But the responsibility for those deaths will not be God's, but humanity's. So, what will be there is not sin and salvation, but reflection and self-reliance. The intellect gained through suffering will one day become an intellect that allows us to be fully bewildered. This intellect can prevent civilization from spiraling out of control and can harness abnormal technologies." Novak only felt that this idea was too naive. "However, to 'think' in a world 'without God' can open up entirely new paths. And most importantly, even if God disappears from society, He will not be erased from the human soul."
Anthony then interjected, saying the conversation was over. "Novak's work is done; the tide has turned. You've worked hard; now rest well." Anthony suddenly smelled a strong scent of alcohol on Novak. Novak had a trump card; he stabbed Anthony to death. "If all of us die here tonight, who will the citizens think is the murderer? People misunderstand; they are all prejudiced. Now the tide has turned again, hasn't it? This way, the impression that the Earth's motion theory is dangerous can be maintained among the public."
Duraka, seeing the situation was bad, tried to escape the church. But outside the church, Novak had already set a raging fire with alcohol. Novak seized the opportunity to stab Duraka. Duraka counterattacked with the carrier pigeon's cage, then took the chance to pull out the knife and stab Novak before rushing out into the sea of fire. After Duraka escaped, the fire had grown so large that Novak could no longer escape. Wounded, he sat in the center of the church.
He saw a phantom of Raphael. Raphael asked, "After that, how have you been?" "Terrible, it's all your fault. Not just me, how many lives were ruined because of your stone box? But in the end, it's truly comical. To tell me that the Earth's motion theory isn't a heretical idea, it's ridiculous." He took out the necklace inherited from Herbert and said he wanted to return it to Raphael. But Raphael was just a phantom and couldn't accept the necklace. "Besides, that's no longer just mine."
Novak knew he was the loser in this struggle. "What exactly have I been doing all this time...? When I heard that the Earth's motion theory wasn't heresy, I realized that I was actually the villain of this story." Raphael said, "That's right, we confirmed we were adversaries. This world has all sorts of different people, so naturally, there will be endless disputes. However, for people of the past, future, and posterity, all of us here now are merely 'people of the 15th century.' Although emotionally and rationally I resist this idea, I still want to believe that all of us who happen to exist here now, even if we constantly hate and kill each other, are still partners who created the same era together."
Raphael seemed to be comforting Novak, but Novak could not accept this kindness. Because Novak actually had some thoughts about Raphael, feelings he shouldn't have for "heretics" like them, so he had always pretended to forget them. It was sorrow. "When I saw your choice back then, I felt so pitiful. How could someone so young be killed by their own beliefs and the faith of others? Perhaps that was the first and last chance God gave me. But that emotion was too troublesome, so I always ignored it. So I... am indeed still a villain."
The fire grew larger and larger, reaching the end of Novak's life. He finally asked Raphael, "My daughter, can she go to heaven?" But Raphael didn't know; no one knew what happened after death. "However... if you wish for it so much, then while you are still alive, do what you think you should do, do what you haven't finished. So, farewell."
Only Novak remained in the church. He took out the hand left by Yolanda's self-destruction and put on the glove he had always carried with him. "So you also found it, found something worth going to hell for. God, all my daughter's mistakes stemmed from my misunderstanding. All the fault lies with me. If the Earth's motion theory does not violate Your doctrine, please, please bless her so she can go to heaven."
Here, one must talk about this segment of Novak's death. It is clear that Raphael is purely Novak's hallucination. This segment primarily uses the dialogue between the hallucination and Novak to round up the entire third chapter. I believe the theme of the third chapter is "ethics naturally exist within bewilderment." The three main characters all experienced bewilderment that tested their beliefs. Their different attitudes towards bewilderment determined their changes.
Duraka's belief was shaken after learning about Yolanda. Yolanda's death led Duraka to reflect on his own beliefs. So, afterwards, to speed up the printing of books, Duraka used the turban and blood money left by his father. This was the ethics Duraka found in his bewilderment. It could also be said that Yolanda successfully passed on her inspiration to Duraka.
Another character whose belief was challenged was Schmidt. Because of Duraka's change and Frey's betrayal, he chose to decide his own fate in his bewilderment, rather than relying on "nature." That's why he defied the result of the coin toss and, before dying, said that this fate was his own choice.
The third character who also experienced bewilderment was Novak. His "heartache" when he saw Raphael commit suicide was his bewilderment. That's why his hallucination at the end of his life was Raphael, representing his bewilderment. But unlike Duraka and Schmidt, he ignored his bewilderment and continued to cling to his original beliefs. This later led to Yolanda's tragedy. This is what Yolanda originally said: "When you encounter something that makes you forget your beliefs, remember that feeling. Because once forgotten, belief will turn into a curse." Novak's ending is that forgetting bewilderment turned his belief into a curse.
Many people think that "Orbital" is about pursuing truth and upholding beliefs. But in fact, this story, from the first chapter, set the theme: it is about "inspiration" (感動). Precisely because your beliefs are shaken, you can feel inspiration. And the Earth's motion theory is just the outer garment of this inspiration. When Duraka was still focused on making money, whatever Yolanda said was useless. It was only after Yolanda's death, which shook Duraka's beliefs, that he felt the inspiration within it.
If you remember, Raphael in the first chapter was also like this. His initial belief was to be a people-pleaser, to please everyone. It was precisely the inspiration of the Earth's motion theory that shook his ideas, leading him to choose to protect the stone box, allowing the inspiration to be passed on. But closing one's heart and clinging to beliefs will, on the contrary, turn into a curse. The fourth chapter will also talk about no longer being able to feel miracles.
Also, at the end of his life, Novak said he was actually the villain of the story. This can be understood as the suppression of the Earth's motion theory being the antagonist in history. Novak's final breakdown was not just because he lost, but because he suddenly realized that the Earth's motion theory, which he had always regarded as heresy and for which he had even sacrificed his life to persecute, might ultimately not be heresy at all. In other words, the order he had dedicated his life to the church and to faith might actually be something that power and money could easily rewrite. For Novak, this was not just his stance being overturned, but the entire meaning of his life collapsing. He was not someone who simply enjoyed evil. He had always sincerely believed he was doing the right thing within a distorted belief system. It was only at the very end that he discovered he might just be the character in history responsible for playing the oppressor, the阻擋者 (obstructor).
When he finally discovered he was the villain of the story, it meant that he finally accepted that the "heartache" brought by Raphael's suicide back then was the true turning point in his life. And he only understood which side of history he stood on at his death.
Finally, there is a question that few people notice: Why did Novak set the fire at the end? With Novak's combat ability, he could have killed Anthony and Duraka, then faked Duraka killing the bishop and himself coming to the rescue. What was the need to set a fire? I believe Novak intended to die; he wanted to commit suicide. And this method of suicide was fire. This is a wonderful arrangement, because Yolanda died by self-destruction. So Novak realized that the leader of the liberation front was Yolanda. Therefore, in the end, he chose to die in the same way as Yolanda. The church represented the faith he dedicated his life to. Fire represented his daughter. He, the faith he pursued his entire life, and the daughter he lost because of it, converged in the same fire. This is why the author arranged for Novak to set the fire and why this fire ended his life. Because this fire was a reflection of his life.
Returning to the story, Duraka escaped the town. Carrying the carrier pigeon, he sat down in front of a rock in the wilderness. The only thing he could do now was release the carrier pigeon. Blood flowed incessantly from his wound; he was doomed. Everything was over: the money earned, the knowledge gained, the future dreamed of—all gone. "I'm going to end my life in a place like this. What was my life for, anyway...?"
At this moment, the morning sun rose. "May you one day also look at the morning sun and smile." Duraka's eyes were first stung by the sunlight. Then he looked at the morning sun, at the sky illuminated by the sun. He spread his arms to feel. Life, too, ended here.
In 1468, in the Kingdom of Poland, Albert, who worked at a bakery, finished work as usual today. After work, the boss said that Albert had made the business flourish. Because Albert collected data, predicted market trends, and estimated prices, the boss could produce a fixed quantity of bread that sold very well. So the boss wanted to send Albert to university to thank him for his help. But Albert refused; he didn't want to go to university. He believed that knowledge would only be harmful. Curiosity would devour people. Research would spiral out of control for selfish purposes. His current life was already satisfying enough. "But why do you still keep the astrolabe in your room?"
The boss could tell that Albert's claim of being satisfied with his current life was not true at all. The boss remembered Aristotle saying that everything has its specialty. Like a bird's specialty is to fly; a chair's specialty is to be sat upon. The boss's specialty is baking bread, "so what about you?" Aristotle also said, "People are happiest only when they use their specialty." "Interest is the mission God gives us. It is also the belonging of 'who I am.' So you don't need to hide it; indulge in your interests while you're young. There might be many complaints, but it doesn't matter; move forward!" The boss then told Albert to reconsider going to university.
On the road at night, Albert looked at the starry sky, intending to draw the constellations with his finger. But he suddenly remembered past events and lowered his head again.
The next day, the bakery had to deliver bread to the church. The boss told Albert to deliver it. But when he arrived at the church, he didn't see anyone. Instead, he saw the confessional booth and, out of curiosity, walked in. The priest inside asked Albert if he had anything to confess. Albert said he was just there to deliver bread. The priest said, "You are the first confessor to arrive. Since you have this rare opportunity, why not confess a worry?" Albert said someone told him to go to university, but he didn't want to, because there was something he wanted to forget. Then he put down the bread and wanted to leave. "Does that mean you still can't forget?" the priest said. "If only you speak, it might be hard for you to say. So after you confess, I can also tell you a worry I've never told anyone. So, why don't you try to speak? Sometimes speaking out is the best comfort."
Albert grew up in a single-parent family, with only his father at home. His father valued learning greatly, believing that if everyone increased their knowledge and helped each other, they could surely create a world where no one had to suffer and everyone was prosperous. So Albert also studied and learned to read and write. Later, an astrolabe appeared in their home, and he made observation records every night. One day, he discovered a star in the sky that barely moved. He told his father, who said that star was the North Star. "What's the use of this discovery?" "Huh? For example, that star can help with navigation, becoming an aerial map. Knowledge only gains meaning when it can be put to use. Otherwise, it's all in vain; you must engrave this in your heart." Then his father asked Albert if he liked learning, and Albert said yes. His father then asked what knowledge he wanted to know. He said he wanted to know everything; every time he saw the night sky, he was amazed. "Why are there stars in the sky? How many are there in total? I want to know everything." "Then why do you want to know?" his father asked. Albert didn't know; he just wanted to know in his heart. "That is your own desire," his father said. "From now on, when you learn, you must remember one thing: doubt. Doubt your own knowledge, the common sense of the world, your motives, and your methods. The urge to explore cannot be stopped; it might create irreparable monsters. So you must doubt. If you embark on a path that cannot help others, stop as soon as possible."
Then, his father hired a private tutor for Albert. That tutor was Raphael. Raphael taught Albert mathematics, but he wasn't very interested. Albert liked looking at stars, and Raphael also happened to like stars. He asked Albert why he recorded stars every day. He said he wasn't sure himself; he just wanted to know. Then, Raphael pointed out the constellations in the sky to Albert. "This is Sagittarius, like a centaur holding a bow and arrow." But Albert said it didn't look like it at all. Anyone who looks at stars should understand that connecting the stars of those constellations into Sagittarius or Scorpio is simply too much imagination. But Raphael said that although it required more imagination, shapes were easier to remember. "By connecting disordered information with lines, you can see things you couldn't see before. How can our reason create such things? Moreover, since ancient Greece, constellations have been associated with myths. Sagittarius is Chiron, the wise centaur. A sage is a seeker, unafraid of difficulties, pursuing universal truth. You must understand that feeling, right? Just by looking at the night sky, you can feel wonder. The most primitive wonder in the pursuit of intellect. A body that can be moved by the beauty of the world. A spirit that wants to pursue that inspiration. The moment of feeling '?'"
Raphael believed that knowledge did not necessarily have to be beneficial to human society. It was enough to learn simply because one wanted to know. When seeking truth, the most important thing was to believe. Believe in intuition, believe in the absolute beauty of the world. No matter what happened, do not deny curiosity. Afterwards, under Raphael's guidance, Albert learned more constellations. And he knew that mathematics helped explore the mysteries of the universe, which also improved his math skills.
But one day, when Albert came home, he discovered that Raphael had killed his father. Raphael explained that he had originally wanted to resolve it peacefully. Because his father had astronomical data, a theory that could change the shape of the universe. So Raphael wanted his father to share the information and study it together. But his father refused, because the theory's views differed from the mainstream and could lead to persecution. So he wouldn't do such a dangerous thing. When Raphael persistently tried to persuade him, he actually said he would burn the data. "So, Raphael had no choice but to calm him down. I had no choice. Your father was unwilling to share knowledge and wanted to monopolize it. Now, the knowledge inherited by your father will not disappear. For the beauty of this world, this was a necessary sacrifice." He thought Albert would accept it this way. But soon, someone discovered his abnormality, and he was arrested.
Albert felt that his father's words about doubt led him not to trust anyone. He was killed for not sharing data. His teacher said to believe, but then he killed for his own beliefs. "This is the fate of those who seek knowledge. Learning, truth, are too heavy a burden for humanity. So going to university is simply foolish."
The priest retorted, "Must you take a side? Can't you have both doubt and belief? Although they contradict each other, they can coexist. Because this is humanity. Humans are neither gods nor beasts, but somewhere in between. That's why they can accept all sorts of intermediate, ambiguous, and chaotic things. Precisely because there are contradictions, reason can breathe. You have now lost God. You cannot feel the existence of miracles in the world. You used to be able to feel them; you knew that everything in this world was a miracle. But you exchanged those experiences, memories, past, homeland, and pain for the loss of miracles. Miracles should have been your anchor in life. What you should do now is look at the sky and take a deep breath."
Then, the priest shared his own story. He had once failed to save a colleague. His colleague had violated major regulations at work, doing something irreparable. In the end, he died. "However, precisely because his sins were so grave, he should have been taught and redeemed even more. At that time, I couldn't think of the right way, and I don't know if I ever will." (Incidentally, this priest was the other newcomer who let Yolanda go. The one who failed to save was naturally the one who let Yolanda go.) "One thing is certain: from then until now, I have been unwilling to face this past. Today, I spoke this worry for the first time. It is my first step. And you are the same; you told me those things. So, you can definitely move forward. We must transcend ourselves, face God properly, and then continue to question whether we are beings that can be recognized by God. But... no matter how much we ask, God will not speak." "Yes, that's why we can always keep thinking. I want to believe this is a happy thing. Finally, I will ask you one more question: If you pay money, you get bread. If you pay taxes, you get rights. If you put in labor, you get remuneration. Then, what must you pay to understand the knowledge of the world? Please go and find the answer to this question. To live in the world again, may God bless you."
That night, Albert looked up at the night sky again. His finger pointed at the stars, moving past memories and pain, drawing the constellations in the sky. The starlight thus entered his eyes. Albert agreed that any sacrifice could be made for the pursuit of the world's beauty. But he believed that his teacher's method ultimately could not achieve beauty. "I don't know what exactly must be paid to understand everything in the world. But I am certain that concealment (father) and exclusion (teacher) are not effective methods. Teacher, I will continue to feel wonder and constantly affirm it. I will use a different approach than yours, moving forward with doubt, then returning to the origin with belief, continuing to pursue that brilliant beauty to the extreme."
The next day, Albert told his boss he had decided to go to university. After completing the enrollment procedures, Albert walked out the door and saw the sun in the sky. He walked down the street full of vigor. Someone on the street told a neighbor that they had received a strange letter, saying to give Potocki one-tenth of the book's profits, but there was no such person. The name of that book was "On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres." Albert heard it and thought, "It's the celestial spheres that are moving." But after a few steps, he paused. In 1468, Albert enrolled in the University of Krakow. He later served as a teacher at the school for 20 years. He consistently expressed doubts about the existing geocentric theory in his courses but reserved his conclusions. And one of his students was Copernicus.
This storytelling is the ending of "Orbital: On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres." The legacy of the Earth's motion theory dwindled with each chapter. From Raphael leaving the stone box, to Ockham having only one book left, to Duraka ultimately having only the book's title. But the inspiration that Herbert initially brought to Raphael, which is the "wonder" mentioned in the fourth chapter, was still passed on.
The real-life Raphael killed Albert's father, which precisely corresponds to Yolanda's statement that belief without bewilderment turns into a curse. According to the narrator's interpretation, what is meant by "without bewilderment" is actually having only belief but losing value. Duraka's bewilderment was because he had the belief in making money, but at the same time valued human life. That's why he was bewildered when he learned that Yolanda died for her belief. Whereas the real-life Raphael, because of his belief, disregarded value. That's why he thought Albert would accept it even after he committed murder.
This is what I like about the story of "Orbital." It doesn't describe a story of pursuing truth or upholding beliefs. It's not a story of a scientist sacrificing for truth. Instead, it's a story about value and inspiration. At the end of the previous episode, I mentioned that the Earth's motion theory was not actually persecuted in the real world. And the author created this story precisely based on this premise. People's misunderstanding of the persecution of the Earth's motion theory is precisely like the characters' misunderstanding of the Earth's motion theory as heresy in the story. People often misunderstand the world, but it is also from misunderstanding that thinking begins.
The author intentionally uses this to discuss "how misunderstanding generates belief." Just as the Earth's motion theory, for Raphael, Badeni, Ockham, Yolanda, and Duraka, was not a fully proven theory, but merely at the hypothesis stage. How can a theory that may not be true inspire so many people to dedicate themselves? Just like the story of "Orbital" itself, a story that may not be accurate or historically true can still evoke real emotions and thoughts. The story of "Orbital" is precisely about how humans begin with misunderstanding, how they are attracted by beautiful hypotheses, how they turn incomplete knowledge into belief, and are even willing to sacrifice their lives to uphold a story that makes the world meaningful. And in reality, the persecution of the Earth's motion theory depicted in the story of "Orbital" is also a beautiful fictional story.
"Orbital" itself is also testing the reader. Are you moved by it because it tells real history? Or is it because it created a version that is more dramatic, has more moral tension, and better fits human narrative desires than history? This is the biggest impact of "the Earth's motion theory was not persecuted" on interpretation. It makes us realize that the work is not just about humanity's pursuit of truth; it also demonstrates how humans are persuaded by a story about truth. Therefore, all interpretations of "Orbital" online, if centered on "science resisting religion," clearly have not fully understood the entire story.
Raphael, who appears in the last chapter, is warning that this story does not advocate pure intellect or truth. Fanatical intellect is as dangerous as fanatical religion. The story ultimately revolves around two words: inspiration, or the wonder mentioned in the last chapter. If one believes the story is only about intellect and truth, then one has not yet received the inspiration the story intends to convey. I truly believe my interpretation is uniquely excellent in the Chinese-speaking world. As smart as it is said.