Chapter 3, The Mad King Summary

Despite feeling that everything has suddenly gone wrong, the next day Genly Ai meets with the king. As the First Mobile, Genly is the sole representative of the Ekumen, as they believe that given time, one voice speaking truth is a greater force than fleets and armies. In the anteroom prior to meeting the king, Genly hears on the radio a proclamation that Estraven is to be stripped of all his titles and exiled from the kingdom for committing treason.

Genly tries to convince the king that he is an envoy from another planet. Genly tells of how, about 40 years earlier, a team of Investigators came to the planet to observe it and its people. Genly opens a case that contains his ansible communicator and various pictures. The king is incredulous when he sees the picture of...