Narration: Following an idea he felt to be inspired, Trurl did nothing himself to solve the problem of creating happiness, only grafted onto his Angstromanians a hedotropic impulse, engineering this in various ways.

Narration: Sometimes he would install a separate hedotropic unit in each and every individual, sometimes he would divide it up and distribute the components equally—the business of happiness then became a group effort, a matter of teamwork.

Narration: Those created by the first method glutted themselves with selfish pleasure, overindulged and in the end quietly came apart at the seams. The second method proved more fruitful.

Narration: Culture No. 1376 embraced Emulation, No. 2931 Cascading, and No. 95 Fractionated Salvation within the pale of Ladder Metaphysics. The Emulators competed in the pursuit of perfect virtue by splitting into two camps, the Whigs and the Houris.

Narration: fully intending to cast them off at the Appropriate Time.

Narration: However, this apprenticeship soon became a permanent occupation, or so claimed the Whigs.

Narration: When Trurl returned to the Emulation strain a little later there was nothing but chaos, everyone running wildly about in search of some rule left to break and terrified because there wasn’t any.

Narration: A few still duelled, read palms, went nude and drank so much they couldn’t find their way home—but the fun had gone out of it.