Chapter 55

"Whoo..."

To bid farewell to its passengers at the end of the journey, the Bria cruise ship let out a high-pitched whistle, then slowly fell silent like an exhausted beast.

"Huff..."

After stepping down the last step and firmly planting his feet on solid ground, John's legs gave out, and he felt as if his whole body was about to fall apart. He couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. However, it wasn't time to completely relax yet. He turned his head and asked with concern, "Mr. Alber, how are you feeling?"

"Much better."

After uttering these two words like a mantra, the butler staggered forward a few steps and struggled to steady himself.

"Hello, gentlemen, do you need any assistance?"

At that moment, a young man in a short coat approached and greeted them respectfully.

"Find two carriages and take us to a comfortable hotel!"

Without hesitation, John stated what he needed most at the moment. After a long sea voyage, the butler, Hans, had been seasick the entire way, and John, who had to take care of the person who was supposed to be taking care of him, was also exhausted. They both desperately needed a good rest.

"Sure, sir!"

The young man in the short coat, who had been serving wealthy gentlemen at the dock for years, understood John's request and immediately whistled. Two carriages trotted over.

Before getting into the carriage, John couldn't help but look back at the Bria, feeling secretly relieved. On one hand, he was grateful for his good birth in this life and the sufficient dollars he had earned before departure, which allowed him to enjoy the best room and service. On the other hand, he was also grateful that it was 1882. If it had been a few decades earlier, there wouldn't even have been first-class cabins on cruise ships, and the journey would have been much more miserable!

John and Hans got into one carriage, while the workers placed their luggage in another. They soon left the dock.

Finally, they had arrived.

Liverpool, one of the most important cities in Britain at the time.

John, of course, had heard of Liverpool in his previous life, but his impression of the city was mainly due to the once glorious Red Army and the Beatles. However, now, the Liverpool Football Club had not yet been born, and the grandfathers of the Beatles might not have been born yet. It was just an important commercial and shipbuilding center.

The intense fatigue made John have no interest in appreciating this world-renowned city. He arrived at a decent-looking hotel in a daze, checked in, and fell into a deep sleep...

He slept for three days without leaving the hotel.

John was young and strong, and after a good night's sleep, he had recovered about 70-80% of his energy. However, Hans wasn't so lucky. The butler, who had never traveled far in his life, was completely worn out. Even after three days of rest, he was still listless, a stark contrast to his energetic self in New York.

John wasn't in a hurry, but after three days of rest, the butler couldn't bear it anymore.

"Sir, I think we should continue our journey."

In the morning, after knocking on John's door, Hans, still showing signs of fatigue, forced himself to say, "There's still a long way from Liverpool to our destination. I just checked with the hotel reception, and there's a ship to Hamburg tomorrow morning..."

"No, Mr. Alber, we're not going to Hamburg first!"

Before the butler could finish, John smiled and waved to interrupt him.

"Not going to Hamburg?"

Hearing John's words, Hans was startled and immediately widened his eyes.

According to the prior agreement between John and old Hunter, the purpose of his study abroad in Europe was to go to Germany, the old man's hometown, for three to four years. He was allowed to travel to countries like England and France during holidays. However, now John suddenly said they wouldn't go to Hamburg first, which confused and worried the butler.

"Yes, we're going to London first!"

Ignoring the butler's surprise, John smiled and said, "Since we're in England, let's take a detour to London. I'm quite curious about the largest and wealthiest city in the world... Mr. Alber, don't worry, it won't take too long. And taking the train will give you more rest. Otherwise, if we take a few more days of sailing tomorrow, I'm afraid your health might not hold up!"

Seeing John's concerned expression, Hans was genuinely moved.

Given their roles, John was the master, and Hans was the butler. However, on the cruise ship, their roles had almost reversed. Hans, suffering from seasickness, was barely able to take care of himself and needed John's constant care, which made him feel quite ashamed. Now, hearing that John wanted to visit London, he immediately nodded and said, "Alright, sir. I'll book the train tickets to London and we'll leave as soon as possible."

"Alright, thank you."

Chuckling, John saw his butler off.

John's interest in London was genuine. After all, Britain was the world's dominant power, and London was the undisputed political, economic, and cultural center of the world, with a strong appeal to anyone. However, what John was more interested in was a professor currently working at the Royal College in London, a super star in the history of world medicine!

As a surgeon, how could he not visit this great figure in London during this era?

Moreover, although there were direct ships from Liverpool to Hamburg, in terms of distance, London was more convenient. Taking a train to London and then a ship to Hamburg seemed like the best plan to John...

...

It wasn't until they arrived at Liverpool railway station and were waiting for the train that John finally had the leisure to appreciate the surroundings.

Compared to the New York Central Station he had visited before, Liverpool's railway station was clearly much older, but John found it more charming. Especially when he saw the well-dressed British gentlemen with top hats, holding walking sticks, politely greeting each other, a sense of "old photograph" emerged.

However...

"Didn't the British invent the electric light? Why doesn't it seem to be in practical use?"

Seeing the waiting room still lit by kerosene lamps, John frowned and asked Hans, puzzled. Not only at the Liverpool railway station, but also at the high-end hotel they had stayed in, there were no electric lights, which made John quite curious.

Although Thomas Edison was the most famous inventor of the electric light in the future, John knew about the famous dispute between British and American inventors. During the centennial celebration of the electric light, the British and Americans had a verbal battle, and they held separate events because a British man named Joseph Swan had also succeeded before Edison. John also knew that Edison was later forced to collaborate with Swan in Britain.

Why, then, had he seen almost no electric lights in Liverpool?

Even if the cost of light bulbs was still high and most families couldn't afford them, and the difficulty of power supply was significant, electric lights were already widely used in public places like stations and hotels in New York. Why was Britain, the world's strongest country, so slow to react?

"Because of vested interests."

Smiling, Hans whispered, "I once heard Mr. Hunter talk about this. It seems that the gas companies' obstruction has made the development of electric lights in Britain very difficult..."

"Oh."

Hearing Hans' explanation, John immediately understood.

In fact, he should have been able to figure it out himself. Although Britain was incredibly powerful and had colonies all over the world, this very strength had adverse effects. The vast colonies allowed British factories to easily find markets for their products, so they didn't need to upgrade their technology or replace their machinery. The obstruction of various vested interests also made Britain fall behind in the Second Industrial Revolution.

"So, in this sense, choosing Germany was also a good decision!"

After thinking it through, John couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

If he ignored the influence of his bloodline and other factors, he would have preferred to choose Britain, given the country's obvious advantages. However, unfortunately, Germany was the vanguard of medical development in this era and would maintain this advantage for a long time, until it was gradually surpassed by Americans about fifty to sixty years later. As for the British...

"I just want to meet that great figure."

Putting aside his thoughts, John became increasingly eager to meet Joseph Lister.

At that moment, a loud announcement came from a distance: "Gentlemen, boarding for the train from Liverpool to London is now beginning..."