Poland's "Good Big Brother"

Several of Paris's main streets had now been completely "asphalted." As far as the eye could see, they were smooth and pleasant, filled with a futuristic air far beyond this era.

The carriage stopped in the "New Paris Business District" between Paris and Versailles Palace. Prince Poniatowski sighed, "I truly hope Warsaw can be this prosperous one day as well." He stepped out of the carriage, raised his eyes, and saw the newly built Sports Stadium ahead. Its appearance was clearly modeled after the Roman Colosseum.

The surrounding buildings seemed somewhat sparse, and there were not many pedestrians. Only two Wooden Railways stretched rather forlornly toward the Sports Stadium. But considering that this place had been forest and wasteland three years ago, the overall pace of construction was already remarkably fast.

Prince Poniatowski first followed the French officials who had come to receive him into the Athletes' Hotel, where he visited the Polish athletes participating in this Olympic Games.

The athletes' food, lodging, and round-trip travel expenses had all been provided by the French Government—as long as one met the qualifying standard for registration, one could receive these funds.

Thus, Poland had sent a full eighteen athletes to Paris. The entire Athletes' Hotel was bustling with people. The French official beside him told the prince with a smile that more than two hundred athletes from countries around the world had come for this Olympic Games.

One had to know that even the first Olympic Games more than a century later had only a little over 250 athletes. In the eighteenth century, when transportation remained extremely underdeveloped, this was absolutely an unprecedented grand occasion.

However, Prince Poniatowski's mind was not on the Olympic Games at all. After briefly offering the Polish athletes a few words of encouragement, he hurried without pause