African Entrepreneurship Record

"Thank you for your advice, Your Highness," Princess Maria said politely.

Prince Maxim waved his hand and said, "It’s nothing. Next, let me introduce Rhein City to you."

"Rhein City’s history is far younger than your Russia’s Saint Petersburg. It has only been established for more than a decade, but it is one of the fastest-developing cities in East Africa."

"Your Highness Aleksey, how do you think Rhein City compares to Saint Petersburg in urban development?" Maxim asked Prince Aleksey.

Prince Aleksey said, "Saint Petersburg is more ancient, with profound historical heritage, whereas Rhein City looks very new with broad streets and more high-rise buildings than Saint Petersburg."

"Moreover, Rhein City’s architecture appears uneven, which is quite different from the design in Saint Petersburg, where many buildings are quite regular and uniform."

Princess Maria added, "Prince Maxim, the construction of Rhein City is, as Aleksey mentioned, very distinctive, unlike most cities we have seen before. I feel East African urban development seems to lie between Europe and the United States."

"Although I have not been to the United States, I have seen many pictures and movies, especially with a strong impression of New York, where there are many skyscrapers."

"European cities appear more ancient and classic, lacking the impact of New York, while East African cities fall somewhere in between, with traditional and modern buildings juxtaposed."

"Rhein City is exactly like this, breaking away from the stylistic constraints of many European city buildings, while not as bold as the United States."

Maxim said with a smile, "You’ve summarized it very well. Our East African architectural style is deeply influenced by my father. He is quite accomplished in architecture, personally designing roads and bridges and even guiding the construction of both the Rhine Palace and Sweet Palace."

Maxim’s father is naturally Ernst, the Emperor of the Rhein Empire, and his achievements in the architectural field are just a matter of professional expertise for Ernst.

Maxim continued, "Father does not like the exaggerated style of American cities but also dislikes the rigid compliance of European buildings. Thus, the construction of East African cities has been deeply influenced by my father, creating this unique style."

"According to my father, East African cities may not seem innovative, but they are visually appealing, more practical, and have stronger comfort, involving a transformation in lifestyle that adds new content to architectural change."

"For example, currently the steady advancement of electrification in East Africa, with electric lights, telephones, radios, and other electrical appliances entering households, inevitably affecting the functionality and aesthetics of residential buildings."

"In the past, residences lacked electrical appliances; if one wants to experience the convenience of electrification, research is needed on the placement of appliances and the installation of electrical wiring, among other aspects."

"Aside from electrification, changes in energy sources also impact many ordinary residences in East Africa, such as the major change in cooking methods with the vigorous promotion of natural gas."

"You might notice that many European buildings have chimneys, whereas a majority of buildings in Rhein City, especially new buildings, do not. These have been replaced by more discreet exhaust vents or ventilation outlets."

"This is because the use of electrical appliances or natural gas prevents extensive production of cooking smoke, contributing to Rhein City’s relatively good air quality."

"Of course, with the increasing number of cars in Rhein City nowadays, it will definitely offset part of it."

Car exhaust pipes are a major source of pollution, especially in a city like Rhein City, with cars numbered in the tens of thousands.

"However, Rhein City does not focus on industrial development, which is the primary reason for its cleaner air," Maxim finally said.

Princess Anastasia, holding her younger brother, said, "Indeed, we’ve been in Rhein City for a week, and there’s certainly a scarcity of tall chimneys, which is very different from Saint Petersburg, where there are many factories."

Maxim explained, "Actually, there are quite a few factories in Rhein City, but except for some essential ones, like power plants, very few severely polluting industries are allowed in Rhein City. Most factories here cause relatively little pollution."

"If you visit the surrounding New Frankfurt City or Kabwe City, you will see the difference since Rhein City is the empire’s capital, so it focuses more on a living environment closer to nature."

"My father once said that living in an ’utterly polluted’ environment like London would be a disaster."

"Of course, this doesn’t mean my father disregards industrialization. He believes there’s no need to concentrate industry in the capital region; industrial development can be handled by other cities."

London, known worldwide as "Wudu," had hardly changed in the early twentieth century, which was also typical of many United Kingdom cities.

During this era, most countries admired industry, whether it was the smoke drifting over London or the blackened waters of the Thames River, symbols of industrial civilization.

This "civilized" symbol could significantly impact Japanese students who sought to study in London during this era.

In comparison, East Africa’s industrial development model can be considered exceptional, though it doesn’t prevent East Africa from experiencing environmental degradation due to industrial growth.

Compared to East Africa’s rapid industrial growth, the measures taken by Ernst are just a drop in the ocean, and only cities like Rhein City that don’t heavily rely on industry can truly avoid this.

In response to Maxim’s teasing, Princess Maria merely smiled and didn’t comment much, considering Maxim was using London as a point of humor, whereas the United Kingdom is currently Russia’s ally.

Then Aleksey interrupted, "Brother Maxim, are you saying industrial development is harmful to our health?"

Maxim quickly denied, "Little one, do not misinterpret my words. I’m talking about industries that severely pollute the environment, and living in such environments long-term is not good."

"For instance, the smoke emitted by factories contains many fine pollutants, affecting air quality, or the wastewater discharged by textile mills, making river water undrinkable."

"While these issues exist, they don’t deny that industry is more beneficial than harmful to our society."

"Moreover, these negative factors can be avoided through technological improvements, like our current efforts in East Africa to promote electrification."

"During electrification, power generation greatly increases, and East Africa’s proportion of hydroelectric power is also continuously rising. This mode of power generation doesn’t cause pollution, and as I mentioned earlier, natural gas is a relatively clean energy source."

"This indicates that as technology advances, it’s possible to continually improve upon negative factors within industrial development, and industrial expansion is a fundamental driver of technological progress."

"So at present, and for a considerable time frame, East Africa will definitely prioritize industrial development, and only later consider other issues."

Maxim’s words undoubtedly broadened the horizons of the three, since, under Ernst’s influence, the East African princes have a broader vision, and much of past knowledge and experience have been imparted to them by Ernst.

For example, the terms mentioned by Maxim such as electrification, air quality, clean energy, are unfamiliar to the three.

Especially for Crown Prince Aleksey, he was most deeply influenced by Maxim’s words, given his young age, whereas Maria and Anastasia’s thoughts and understanding of the world have mostly solidified.

At the same time, Crown Prince Aleksey is also most moved by this trip to East Africa, with its industrial development far surpassing Russia and ahead of Europe—a "new world" that Aleksey, the Russian crown prince, has never seen before.