Chapter 284: City of the Future (First update, please subscribe)

Along the way, the driver pulled the cart very fast on the road, and the bell on the handlebars kept ringing. He shouted "Liang Kao", "Liang Kao" while running. Of course, Verne didn't understand what he was shouting at all.

Although the rickshaw driver ran very fast, he could never catch up with the bicycle. When a bicycle occasionally sped past, Verne would glance sideways at it. He himself had a bicycle, so there was nothing new about it.

But it seems to be produced here. Well, it's really nothing new. It's just over a thousand francs.

Along the way, he was more surprised by the buildings on both sides - the height of the buildings was far beyond his imagination. Finally, when he arrived at the Atlantic Hotel, looking at the ten-story building, his heart couldn't help but beat violently.

"Do we really have to live in such a high place?"

As a science fiction writer, he once imagined that cities in the future would be full of tall buildings. He also imagined how to take the elevator to the top of a tall building. Naturally, he also imagined standing by the window and gazing at the street scene outside.

And now, when all his fantasies came true one by one in the next few minutes, the shock Verne felt was unprecedented.

Even after entering the room and standing by the window looking at Nanhua outside, he had not yet recovered from the unprecedented shock.

The elevator was so fast that it took him to the tenth floor!

Tenth floor!

I have to live in such a high place?

Verne just felt a little dazed, and at this moment, he saw some dim streets suddenly light up, and in an instant, all the streets were lit up!

Countless electric lights illuminated the streets of Nanhua, and also illuminated the city. A city that seemed to exist only in fantasy suddenly appeared in Verne's sight.

Standing on a tall building, one can seem to see that the lights in the distance are extremely bright. Looking at the city that is completely different from before, Verne seems to understand why those travelers and adventurers called this city the "City of the Future."

“This, this really is the future!”

It’s not that we have seen the future, it’s that we are in it…

Staring at those tall buildings, Verne found that he was a little out of date, because his fantasy seemed to have been realized here, at least to a certain extent!

After a quick wash, Verne went to the restaurant on the first floor. After enjoying a rich and delicious Chinese meal in the restaurant, he came to the hotel lobby and said he wanted to hire a tour guide and translator.

"Sir, if you want to hire a tour guide, the hotel can provide the corresponding service, but as for the translation, I'm sorry, you need to ask the employment agency..."

The hotel lobby manager was not refusing, but because there really were no interpreters. In Nanhua, even now, interpreters are relatively rare. Those who have the ability to earn this money would have gone to work as interpreters in companies long ago. Why would they be tour guides here?

In Nanhua, you never have to worry about finding a job. As long as you have a skill, you will be able to find a suitable job, just like those immigrants from Europe.

When they were in Europe, they even had trouble getting enough food, let alone working 16 or 17 hours a day in factories and being exhausted.

Skilled workers here not only get rich remuneration and a comfortable living environment for their families, but they can also get extremely cheap housing. It doesn't matter if they don't have money, as long as they have a job, banks are willing to provide them with loans.

Even if they can't afford it, it doesn't matter. The company will provide them with a dormitory. Although there is only one room, it can definitely accommodate a whole family. After all, bunk beds are cheap.

Compared to their lives in their hometowns in Europe, these people in Nanhua are definitely living in heaven. They only need to work twelve or thirteen hours a day to live a life without worries about food and clothing.

If they learn to speak Chinese, it will definitely bring extra rewards. Being a master or taking an apprentice will both be rewarding.

Even being a translator can bring in a lot of money. Of course, this also means that it is impossible to find a suitable translator in a hotel, after all, the income from being a translator in a company is higher.

Although there was no translation, the lobby manager still took out a map.

"Sir, you are new to Nanhua and are not familiar with the roads. This is a French map. Although it is not very detailed, the general roads and place names are clearly marked. You will definitely not get lost with it."

"Thank you, sir."

Verne was overjoyed when he heard this. He had originally thought that he would be unable to move forward without a translator, but he had not expected that there was a ready-made map! He took a look at it and found that the map was very delicately drawn. Not only were the road names marked, but even many place names on the roadside were clearly marked in French, making it easy to understand at a glance.

This kind of city traffic map is unique to Nanhua. It is no different from the "National Traffic and Tourism Maps" of later generations, but in this era, this kind of map is undoubtedly unique, and it greatly facilitates many people who come to Nanhua for the first time. Of course, some important departments, facilities and roads will be directly erased when printing.

Even so, with this map, Verne doesn't have to worry about getting lost. After all, the streets in Nanhua are straight.

After putting away the map, Verne left the hotel directly.

The straight roads are very easy to recognize - completely different from the maze-like streets in Paris, the streets and alleys here are straight and square. Except for a few main roads with special street names, the branch roads and alleys are numbered with "longitude and latitude". Even someone who has just arrived here like Verne can travel conveniently by referring to the map and the signposts at the intersections and alleys.

As we walked along, we saw more and more people on the streets: men and women, young and old. The nights here were lively, just like the Champs-Elysees. However, even in Paris, only a few streets were equipped with electric lights. Only with electric lights did we have a nightlife.

Because it was night, there were few people walking in a hurry. Most people were strolling leisurely on the street. Occasionally, they would enter the shops and department stores on the roadside, or walk out of the shops on the roadside. Although he had just arrived here, Verne could see that although these people were dressed in different styles, their expressions were peaceful and happy. It was obvious that ordinary citizens here also lived a comfortable life.

The further you go, the busier it gets. Especially when you leave Zhuque Street and come to the so-called "night market", the street vendors and storefronts are so numerous that you can't take your eyes off them. Just as some people describe in their travel notes, the shops in the night market never stop operating, and the lights of every household and the street lamps illuminate the streets like daylight. There are all kinds of goods and merchandise, and many stores have goods on display at the door with people hawking their wares.

“It’s so lively here!”

Verne just felt that his eyes were not able to see enough. He originally thought that Paris was lively enough and that in Paris he could see goods from all over the world.

But he didn't expect that it could not be compared with here at all. Not to mention other things, just the various snacks sold at the roadside stalls, there were many that he had never seen before - they were all snacks from all over China, which he definitely had never seen before.

Although he had never seen or tasted it, he could smell the aroma while walking in it, which made him swallow his saliva from time to time. He did not buy it not because he was short of money, but because he felt that eating while walking with something in his hand was not what a gentleman should do.

But soon, his idea was overturned - he saw several European girls in gorgeous dresses happily enjoying food from roadside stalls while walking, completely disregarding any ladylike etiquette.

Verne was stunned by the scene before him. He felt as if he had entered a whole new world. Not only was everything here so strange, but even as a science fiction writer, he did not dare to imagine all this.

"Is this Nanhua?"

The city before his eyes was different from any other European city. It was not just a prosperous city that never sleeps. It was also a peaceful city. In this city, there were no beggars, poor people, or criminals everywhere in European cities. There was only a seemingly affluent life, as if no one needed to worry about food and clothing.

Perhaps, this is the real future, because there is no poverty in the future he envisions.

That night, Verne couldn't sleep...

(End of this chapter)