They awoke the following morning within minutes of each other, feeling comfortable and relaxed. Bates shook his head experimentally. "No hangover," he muttered in surprise.
"No one ever feels bad after a party," said one of their guides, who had slept nearby. "The Oracle told us what to do, when we asked him."
"Quite a fellow, your Oracle," commented Bates. "Does he answer you in riddles, like most Oracles?"
The guide was shocked. "The Oracle answers any questions promptly and completely. He never talks in riddles."
"Can we go to see him now?" asked Farnum.
"Certainly. Come along. I'll take you to the Hall of the Oracle."
The Oracle appeared to live in a building of modest size, in the center of a tremendous courtyard. The structure that surrounded the courtyard, in contrast, was enormous and elaborate, dominating the wildly architectured city. It was, however, empty.
"Scholars used to live in this building, they tell me," said one of their guides, gesturing casually. "They used to come here to learn from the Oracle. But there's no sense in learning a lot of stuff when the Oracle has always got all the answers anyway. So now the building is empty. The big palace was built back in the days when we used to travel among the stars, as you do now."
"How long ago was that?" asked Farnum.
"Oh, I don't know. A few thousand years—a few hundred years—the Oracle can tell you if you really want to know."