A team of humans and their more cautious alien counterparts follow rumors to a remote, half-forgotten corner of the galaxy, hunting a hidden city that legend says was left behind by whichever vanished civilization built the artifacts scattered across known space. Silverberg's contribution to Isaac's Universe leans on brash human confidence against alien wariness, testing whether boldness or caution serves better when the thing you're looking for might not want to be found. It opens The Diplomacy Guild, the first Isaac's Universe anthology.
Summary by Loreful, from public sources
Placement
- contained in In Another Country and Other Short Novelscollection
- contained in The Diplomacy Guildanthology