Chapter XXXVIII
The city of Alexandria was founded in 332 BC. In old times, it was the most important port city in Egypt. During the "Apocalyptic War", the entire city was destroyed in the flames of war. Nearly 100 years after the founding of the Republic, the world-famous city was rebuilt by the top natural scientists, sociologists, historians, and construction and engineering experts of the time.
The new city of Alexandria completely retains the essence of the original city and has innovated it. Examples include the redesign of the Lighthouse of the Republic (formerly Faroe Lighthouse), the Westport Pier and the Library of Alexandria, which were redesigned on historical sites.
When it comes to the Library of Alexandria, it is generally considered to be one of the oldest libraries in human history. The museum was built during the reign of Ptolemy I, and at the beginning of its establishment, a large number of ancient documents were collected through a series of means. Unfortunately, this great library had a bad fate, as it was burned by two fires during its lifetime, and most of its precious books and materials were lost. At the end of the twentieth century, the Library of Alexandria was rebuilt on the original foundation. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long, and this great building representing the old civilization eventually died with the selfish desires of human beings.
In addition to its original function, the current Library of Alexandria is a warning monument to the people of the Republic that the current life is not easy to come by, and that a new civilization must be reborn under the new order. In fact, the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina did just that. Most of the books preserved in the library bear witness to the development of the Republic in the past two hundred years, but there are very few books about the old era. This fully reflects the determination and will of the people of the world to say zaijian to the past.
Locals generally introduce new visitors to New Alexandria to visit the Library of Alexandria. They speak fluent Republican Chinese and communicate with visitors from all areas of Shijie. Speaking the Chinese language, it is actually the official language of the republic and is generally used in formal settings. In reality, because there are hundreds of languages in Shijie, and these languages have a strong national character, the republic cannot achieve complete linguistic unity, so in general, the government does not force residents in all fields to use the republican Chinese. But the residents of New Alexandria are consciously using the official language of the government, not only out of respect for the country, but also on a larger level, to reflect their own self-cultivation. They use a flowery and formal language to sell the ancient culture to the outsiders in order to prove that the place where they live is still the civilized capital of Shijie.
When Mo Beitian and Nazar arrived here, they met such enthusiastic locals. He insisted on inviting them both to visit the Library of Alexandria. Mo was not interested in the invitation because he wanted to meet Paul sooner, but Nazar was extremely interested in this great building, and he kept begging him to take him to the Library of Alexandria. In this way, Mo was very helpless, and Zuihou could only promise little Nazar, but he told the little guide that he could not stay there for too long, and that he had other very important things to do when he came to New Alexandria. Of course, little Nazar wouldn't have bothered to ask Mo Yantian what was going on, his mind was full of libraries now.
In fact, if it weren't for Xiao Wanlong's entrustment, Mo Yantian would be willing to accompany Nazar to take a good look at this famous Shijie library. When he was a student, Mr. Szeto used to say that he and Paul would take him and Paul to see here. The old gentleman believes that this is a sacred place to study the history of the Republic, and it is a place that all scholars yearn for. I didn't expect Nazar to be so interested in the library at such a young age, and it seems that even in the most difficult and isolated places, human beings can't change their desire for the infinite unknown. Thinking of this, Mo Beitian couldn't help but feel a little emotional, he should have been a scholar too, and he gave up his studies to work in the government to realize his dream, but as a result, his dream not only did not come true, but also caused countless troubles. His life has really deviated from the original track, and if his life can be repeated, he would rather choose to live the same life as Nazar. Although it is hard, I still have that simple persistence.
Mo Beitian and Nazar were guided by passers-by to the New Library of Alexandria. This is the city's landmark. It was built on a wide esplanade and has an area of 80,000 square meters, which is twice the size of the library rebuilt in the old days. The main body of the library is octagonal, and there is also a planetarium and service building with a sphere on the left hand side of the library, and a general dining and accommodation area on the right hand side of the library. These facilities are for students who come from other parts of Shijie.
Walking into the library, in the center of the main hall is a statue of the muse, the goddess of science and art. Behind the idol is a long staircase through which the second floor can be accessed. The second floor mainly preserves some books and materials of the old era and unearthed daily necessities, in fact, the entire second floor is not a place to store books but a huge museum exhibition hall, which contains historical relics before the establishment of the Republic.
Nazar was not interested in the shijie before the "end war". He pulled Mo Beitian and trotted all the way to the third floor. This is where the books are properly stored. Nearly 10,000 books are stored on hundreds of shelves, and each type of book is organized by a robot according to the code every day.
Human beings have invented electronic reading products as early as the 21st century, but out of respect for their ancestors, people have not given up paper books. This remained the case until the time of the highly technologically advanced republic. Of course, there is a large collection of e-books, but that is only a small part of the total collection.
Mo Bantian took little Nazar to visit one by one bookshelves. This half is all military-related books. They stopped in front of a bookshelf on military doctrine. The reason why I stopped here is not because little Nazar likes these books, but because he is a person! The man he had been looking for - Paul!
Mo didn't dare to walk over immediately, he was a little apprehensive in his heart. In his opinion, even if Xiao Wanlong had told him that the Paul in front of him was everyone's ally, it could not erase the fact that he had lied to himself. He just stood dumbfounded, his mind racing.
Paul had already seen the acquaintance, and he responded to his old friend with his usual smile on his head. Seeing that Mo was not moving, he asked in a slightly reproachful tone, "Why are you so entangled when you see me?" ”