Although the Mett Bar on Christmas Island has not been renovated at this time, there are only some bar counters and chairs made of logs, but it has become the only hotel on the island with entertainment and accommodation as a whole, and Ellie and Adams sit face to face, patiently listening to his experiences in the past few months.

"So, Captain Adams, you have discovered where the old Australian homeland is, and you should know what their true strength is."

"Oh, Lieutenant Eli, the strength of Australia's old age, I think you have also seen it, this time they have transported another batch of supplies from the mainland to here, just to compete for the strength here, it is said that the power of the cannon they transported here this time is even greater than the power of the big iron ship loaded last time, this is what I saw with my own eyes, and they specially invited me to visit the test firing of the new gun."

"Then is it really impossible to give the old Australian mainland an attack, their strength is really that big. Ai Li asked a little unwillingly. ”

"I think so, although the city of Manchester in Australia where I am staying is not large and the population is not as large as that of Batavia, according to the Australian elders, their capital is built in the heart of Australia, where there is a city with a population of more than one million."

Ai Li was shocked, a city with a population of more than one million, how big is that, that is, the population of the seven provinces of the Netherlands combined is only two million, not even yet, the population of this Australian city is equivalent to the population of the entire country of the Netherlands, how can Ai Li not be shocked.

Of course, he was also skeptical, and Adams said that he had not been to any other town in Australia, but only to a small coastal frontier town, and the total population of the city was only a few thousand, and many slaves, and even if you counted these, the population was definitely not more than 10,000.

"Captain Adams, don't you suspect that the Australians may not have such a large city in the outback, or maybe they are just bragging."

"Oh no, Lieutenant Eli, I've seen their army escort native captives back from the hinterland, and I've seen a local officer head inland with a small group of men, who, according to him, are going to build a railroad connecting the hinterland to the port city, and connect all the towns along it."

Railroad, a new word, was the first time Eli had heard it, and he frowned a little puzzled, waiting for Adams to explain.

"Well, how do you explain it," Adams suddenly remembered, not knowing how to explain the working principle of the steam engine to his fellow Dutchman, and then remembered the simple explanation that Wang Tiehammer gave him when he first saw the steam engine.

"Do you see the ship we are on, they have built a machine that boils water with coal, and uses the pressure of steam to push another machine to work, simply put, they are going to build a ship on land that will run on itself, and this ship runs on a roadbed made of steel, which is called a railroad."

Ai Li shook his head, he didn't seem to understand this explanation very well, but he also thought of the key question, paving a road with steel, how much iron does it take, is this Australian really rich and has no place to burn? No wonder His Excellency the Governor would say that the Australians were a loser.

After listening to Adams talk about these strange things in Australia, Eli still didn't figure out what the strength of Australia was, but there was one thing that made him feel strange, this Australian would actually ask Adams to teach them the skills of operating a sailboat, is it really as Adams said, just to grasp what the other party is doing more accurately in the next battle, it seems that this is a lot of news, and you must tell His Excellency the Governor when you go back.

"Captain Adams, you don't really teach the Australians all the techniques of running a sailboat." Eli suddenly thought about the seriousness of the problem.

"Well, almost, if you were in that environment, you might do the same, the Australian old man threw us into a slave camp, it was not a place for people, only one meal of black bread a day, and hundreds of people had to fight for a dozen fist-sized loaves of bread at the same time, if you didn't get it, you would have to wait hungry until tomorrow."

"Well, maybe I'm thinking too simply, I sympathize with you for what has happened to you, maybe I should do something for you, Australia can't do this to our noble Dutch, I'm going to protest to their consul."

Seeing that Allie said indignantly, Adams suddenly said with some worry: "Don't do this, in fact, the Australian old man is very good to us, and he provides us with special Dutch food and soy milk every day, which is the kind of thing made from soybeans like milk, if you protest, they will definitely reduce their treatment of us." ”

Not to mention, Adams still likes Manchester City, in addition to being watched, he feels that life in Manchester City is very good, he can see all kinds of novelties every day, and every day when he walks on the street, he will be respected Hello Adams, once upon a time he was so respected as a running boat, if it weren't for his life at sea to save the governor's life, in Batavia, his identity is not as high as the young officer sitting opposite.

Adams looked at the watch time on his wrist, it was already 22 o'clock in the evening, and it was indeed a little late, "Okay, Eli, let's talk about this today, go back and please say hello to me and His Excellency the Governor, and tell him that Australia is very strong, so strong that the whole of Holland is not his opponent, and I think even the Spaniards cannot be their opponent." ”

"How can those slackers in Spain compare with us Dutch, Captain Adams, you seem to think too highly of Australia, do you really not want to go back to Batavia with me, Your Excellency the Governor has always kept you in mind." Eli tried to dissuade Adams from going back with him, but he didn't know what was going on in Adams' mind.

Before coming out, Wang Tiehammer specially told the five of them not to talk nonsense, if they met a familiar Dutch asked where they had gone in the past few months when they disappeared, they said that they encountered a storm at sea and happened to be rescued by the Australian elders, as for the ship, it was also about to sink to the bottom of the sea when it was dragged to the shore by the Australian sea ship, and it could only continue to sail after repair, because they broke into the Australian territorial waters, so the ship was confiscated.

"No, I have signed a contract with the Australians, and I cannot return to Batavia without their consent, so in order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble to His Excellency the Governor, I will stay in Australia for the time being, and this beautiful glassware will be given to His Excellency the Governor for me, and this is a gift to you." Adams stood up and handed the two boxes he had brought into the bar to Eli.

"Okay, I'll deliver it for you, please take care of yourself in Australia, I hope the next time we meet is Batavia."