The carriage traveled along the smooth, broad highway leading to First Town, without the slightest bump. Through the windows, the East African road construction standards left the members of the Far Eastern aid delegation wide-eyed.
Li Ge asked Willex, who had been sent by the First Town government to receive them, "Mr. Willex, what are those wires hanging from the wooden poles at intervals along the roadside?"
Since Willex was Austrian, Aryan had to translate for the two of them.
Aryan said, "Those are communication wires. They can connect Dar es Salaam city with First Town."
Li Ge said, "Communication? Just with those two wires?"
Aryan said, "Yes. That is the charm of science. You might not understand if I explained the principles to you, but you only need to know that through these cables, news from Europe can reach East Africa within a single day."
Li Ge suspected that Aryan was questioning his intelligence. If Aryan did not explain the principles to him, how was he supposed to know how those two wires worked?
Li Ge said, "Mr. Aryan, I know that you Westerners have many inventions in the arts and crafts. You can build huge steamships, advanced guns and cannons, and industrial products for all kinds of purposes. In that respect, perhaps you are a little ahead of us Far Easterners, but it is only because we did not previously value the study of science and technology."
Aryan said, "Of course I know that, Mr. Li Ge. I was once a Far Easterner myself, so I understand it fairly well. The Far East is indeed quite backward in this regard. Not to mention ordinary people's understanding of science—even many officials may find something like the telegraph utterly inconceivable."
The Far East's educational standards were undoubtedly far behind those