Next, the planetary governor and a group of officials took Li Qinwu down to the surface via the space elevator and actually began showing him the planet's development.
They rode in a large anti-gravity aircraft, its sides almost entirely made of glass. It was clearly designed for sightseeing tours.
The anti-gravity aircraft flew over sugarcane fields. Li Qinwu saw neat, gridlike rows below, with drones occasionally flying past to spray pesticides.
Irrigation channels crisscrossed the land, while automatic sprinklers sprayed water over the sugarcane fields.
The planetary governor stood beside Li Qinwu and explained with a genial smile:
"Lord Inquisitor, sixty years ago, our planet produced thirty billion tons of sugar annually.
"But today, sixty years later, we have adopted new production technologies, a more rational and scientific industrial structure, and advanced environmentally friendly fertilizers. Our annual sugar output has surged to one hundred and twenty billion tons!"
Li Qinwu's brow twitched.
"You increased the planet's sugar output fourfold in just sixty years?"
The planetary governor nodded proudly.
"This is precisely the optimal outcome of our bold industrial transformation and adoption of a new production structure."
Li Qinwu neither agreed nor disagreed, merely glancing out through the glass window.
He saw quite a few farmers in conical hats harvesting sugarcane at the edges of the fields with sickles in hand.
On one side were drones spraying chemicals over semi-automated farmland; on the other, farmers manually harvesting with sickles. Li Qinwu could not help asking,
"Why do you still use farmers for harvesting when you already have drones and automatic irrigation equipment? Why not automate the harvesting process as well?"
The planetary governor immediately put on a compassionate expression.
"Society may be advancing, but there will always be people unable to keep pace with its development. At times like this, we