Chapter 18 (Humans are endlessly perplexing)

Erasmus, confined to a hidden core while Gilbertus is on Salusa Secundus, surveys the Mentat School through clandestine spy-eyes. He watches trainees dissect a swamp dragon, hoping an infected scratch will go untreated to observe delirium. Restless, he recalls his glory days of live human experimentation and his partnership with Gilbertus.

Shifting among classrooms, Erasmus notes memory and prediction drills, admiring human persistence despite “soft” brains. He reflects on his unique evolution after centuries trapped on Corrin and equates his current confinement with that creative crucible, believing Gilbertus could free him at any time.

Concerned about rising Butlerian hostility, Erasmus reviews the school’s heightened defenses for the Emperor’s sister and reveals additional secret measures he installed: concealed conduits and a microwave dispersal grid to incapacitate intruders. Despite these, he remains dissatisfied and urges a future escape and new identity for Gilbertus.

Erasmus focuses on Anna Corrino, who flawlessly deciphers a complex light-sequence exercise. After nightfall, he addresses Anna through hidden speakers, coaxing her to recount her lost lover Hirondo Nef and her resentment toward her brother Emperor Salvador. He prompts further details about Salvador and Roderick, as well as Lady Orenna and life on Salusa.

As Anna veers between analytical recitation and grief, Erasmus withholds comfort to study her emotional trajectory, savoring her vulnerability. He offers friendship and mentorship to secure her trust while privately imagining future invasive study of her brain. Concluding that Lampadas is increasingly perilous, he strengthens his resolve for departure, with Anna marked as a uniquely valuable subject.