Zhang Yuan arrived at the railway station without any detours.
A line of message popped up on his phone: [Dahua Transportation] Dear passenger Zhang Yuan, your ticket has been paid successfully at 10:03, 14 July 2263. Your train number is G888, Second Class. Donghua (10:30) - Xisha (11:45). Ticket number 781234…"
It was about time for boarding. Zhang Yuan boarded the train and found his seat.
A gentle electronic voice then sounded in the cabin: The train is heading for Xisha and the estimated duration is 1 hour and 15 minutes…
The greyish large black bridge that resembled a dragon was lying on top of the sea. The current carbon nanotube materials could be used to build a space elevator that was 36000km high, not to mention a small bridge across the sea.
These large bridges could also easily withstand a Category 16 typhoon.
Traditional modes of transportation such as aircrafts were gradually eliminated. They could use hydrogen fuel as a replacement for traditional fossil fuel, so it was not a problem with the lack of fuel. Instead, it was because the capacity and operating costs of aircrafts could not be compared to a magnetic levitation train, which was also known as a maglev train.
In addition, the speed of maglev trains was only slightly lacking compared to aircrafts. It was also much cheaper and more comfortable, without the problem of tinnitus caused by air pressure. As a result, aircrafts gradually lost their competitiveness and was currently at the edge of elimination.
One hour later, a few blurry shadows finally appeared on the azure blue sea—they were nuclear fusion power plants.
The power plants were three hundred meters tall and due to the large amount of heat it released, the surrounding white fog was all water vapor. This water vapor would be collected for the city to use.
Xisha Aviation City was situated at the southernmost sea area of Xia Country. A few centuries ago when there were territorial disputes with the surrounding smaller countries, all kinds of accidents such as detaining of fishing boats and firing of guns would happen often.
However, with the development of time, the progress of society, and the rise of Xia Country, those idiotic disputes had turned into dust.
'Controllable nuclear fusion was really a good invention. Electricity now only costs 3 cents per kWh. One can imagine how much the production cost had been reduced. How could the other countries possibly compete with them?'
The nuclear fusion power plants were not some sort of beautiful tourist site. The larger it was, the more stable its operation, lowering operating cost. Moreover, due to the limitation of human technology, they were incapable of miniaturizing the nuclear fusion power plant. Ultimately, it resulted in every single power plant to be the size of a small mountain.
The nuclear fusion and space economy had allowed Xia Country to be the first country to enjoy a banquet feast. Since they had a table full of delicacy themselves, they did not mind deliberately leaking some soup to their surrounding little brothers. As such, the territorial disputes had ended ages ago. A just cause would attract much support and an unjust one would attract little. All in all, benefit was the closest link that tied countries together.
The train rapidly passed by the nuclear power plants.
"Hey, take a look! It's the space elevator!"
"Where is it?"
"That one… the one that is as thick as a strand of hair."
As they narrowed their eyes, they could vaguely see a slender column that was towering the clouds similar to a kite line.
Under the illumination of the sun, it gave off a surreal feeling.
Tall.
It was really very tall…
Many people who were seeing the space elevator for the first time in their lives could not help but press their face on the glass window and start taking pictures of it.
The legendary Tower of Babylon was a miracle throughout history. There were a total of 17 towers like it on this planet and it was estimated to increase to over 30 in the next three decades.
The first space elevator in human history, Tengyun, was located in Xisha Aviation City and its geographical location was around 300km away from the equator. Maintaining a slight slope would allow the space elevator to maximize the use of the Earth's rotation force, and thus increasing the carrying capacity of the elevator.
After nearly a century of development, Xisha had become a large-scale international city.
"It won't collapse, right?"
"How can it possibly collapse. The principle used to build a space elevator is different from normal buildings. It mainly relies on pulling force instead of gravitational force. Do you know what rope tension is?"
"Wouldn't an elevator like that attract terrorists?" One of the more curious spectators had his thoughts running wild.
"It's said that attacking a space elevator is similar to initiating a nuclear war and the attacker would be hunted down with equal force. The security of Xisha City is stricter than any city. Plus, there are army troops stationed in the vicinity and aircrafts are not allowed to fly past.
"Brother Zhang Yuan, you've arrived at Xisha City? I just saw your social media location update~~" Just then, his cousin Ye Qingqing called him. "Are you going up to space already? I really wish I could go there once for a vacation, but my parents want me to work hard and earn my own money. Where can I even earn 30 grand for a single trip…?"
She was practically dying of envy.
"Truthfully, space tourism is not at all wonderful. I mean it." Zhang Yuan chuckled and said, "You can slowly study and work to earn the money. Moreover, before the age of 18, you're unable to get a tourist visa."
It was one thing to apply for a visa and another issue obtaining a tourist quota.
The space elevator had a daily freight volume and therefore, there were not many tourist quotas. Not only did they have to fork out the ticket fee, but perhaps they also had to rely on connections to get a ticket. The old way of relying on one's connection would never be completely eliminated, regardless of what era it was.
While they conversed, the train speed gradually came to a stop.
"Dear passengers, we have arrived at the destination, Xisha City. Please ensure you have your belongings with you and get ready to alight…"
When the train arrived at the station, the tourists were all excited to view the space elevator nearby. Regardless of which direction they were in, they could see that thick sky pillar as long as they looked up.
The prowess originating from science and technology had fully stimulated the national pride of every Xia Country citizen. Xia Country's technology and shares were present in almost all the space elevators worldwide.
As he had been in contact with space elevators on numerous occasions, Zhang Yuan did not have any special feelings. He only minded his own business and rented an autonomous motorboat.
*Spash!*
The motorboat sailed rapidly within the Xisha City, and the high speeds caused the water to splash about.
It was summer all year round in Xisha City, but the temperature in July was less than 30 degrees Celsius. In any case, it was much more comfortable compared to Donghua City.
The city basically consisted of numerous artificial islands with bridges connecting each island. There were also large numbers of waterways beneath so some tropical fishes could be seen swimming about from time to time.
There was an instance where a leader wanted to close down all the waterways and replace them with land roads to improve traffic efficiency. However, the result was a unanimous opposition from the citizens and the reasons were because… they felt that motorboats were much more fun than driving cars and that it would boost tourism.
And facts have proven that the citizens were right for once. The omnipotent air-rail had resolved the traffic problem while water transportation had boosted tourism.
"Beep… Rental Fee: 16 yuan."
Zhang Yuan got off the motorboat and arrived at his destination.
"I am an astronaut of Earth Age, can I check with you if I'm allowed to check-in now?"
The service staff of Shenzhen Space Planning Bureau swiped Zhang Yuan's ID card and revealed a smile and said in response, "Mr Zhang, you still have 19 days left on your vacation. You've arrived too early. It's not yet your turn to board the spaceship."
"No… I mean to ask if there are any places I can stay in?"
The service staff maintained the smile and said, "My apologies, if you had arrived three days earlier, we could have assisted you with your accommodation. However, we don't have such arrangements at the current moment."
"Perhaps you can seek help from the neighboring universities to see if they have any empty dormitories. I will assist you to issue a proof of identity."
Zhang Yuan furrowed his brows. It seemed like he had come too early and was unwelcomed. But it was normal and the staff was merely acting in accordance with the rules and regulations.
"Alright then, thank you."
"You're welcome!"
There were many aviation universities in the vicinity and some of them were international universities that accepted students from around the world. However, as it was summer vacation right now, the majority of the students were on a break so the universities were now rather empty.
Soon, Zhang Yuan saw the two large words written in pure gold, 'Xisha University'. As he looked like a student based on his outer appearance, he did not receive any obstruction when he entered.
Zhang Yuan asked for directions several times before he arrived at the lobby of an office building.
[Deep Space Foundation (Xisha University Branch)]
"Hello, I would like to meet with Wang Zhong, Professor Wang."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"… I don't have an appointment."
"My apologies, Professor Wang is very busy. If you don't have an appointment, I can't let you in."
Zhang Yuan had no choice but to bring out his trump cards, which were his identity as an astronaut and his father's identity card.
In any case, this kind of act of relying on his father was very embarrassing for him.
"I am Zhang Qiming's son, and I would like to visit Professor Wang. Would that be possible?"