Pre-election Inquiries

"Your Highness!"

"Long live Your Highness!"

Amid cheering voices, Arthur stepped calmly down from the carriage and, escorted by several guards, headed into the State Assembly.

Entering the State Assembly, Arthur saw Governor Evan directing his subordinates in tallying the candidate counts.

As Australia's most populous state, the New South Wales election was also the most fiercely contested.

Though holding the most Lower House seats among Australia's six states, the race was exceptionally difficult, and describing it as one in a thousand was not enough to capture its challenge.

As the governors of Australia's six states and members of the Temporary Cabinet, several governors had been granted special permission by Arthur to directly enter the Lower House.

Of course, this was only for this time. If the six governors failed to win the upcoming gubernatorial election and lost in the next Lower House election, they would have to temporarily bid farewell to Australian politics.

"Your Highness!" Governor Evan, with his sharp eyes, spotted Arthur's arrival and quickly halted his work to greet him.

"Your Highness!"

Everyone throughout the State Assembly joined in the greeting.

"Well, Governor Evan, how is the election coming along? Is everything proceeding smoothly?" Arthur nodded, looking at the half-man-high stack of documents beside Governor Evan as he inquired.

"Of course, Your Highness. Up to now, everything has been proceeding in an orderly fashion. We have not yet discovered any cheating whatsoever, which is wonderful news worth celebrating," Governor Evan said with a smile.

Ever since Arthur solidified his royal authority during the last meeting, Governor Evan had accepted his fate.

Instead of biting off more than he could chew and struggling with Arthur for power, it was better to use his own competence to earn a position under Arthur, securing at least a high-ranking standing within Australia.

"Is that so? That's good. How many new candidates registered today?" Arthur asked as he walked out of the State Assembly and approached the candidate registration area.

"The number of candidates registering today has dropped significantly compared to the first six days. Perhaps realizing that registering on the very last day meant losing the advantage, there are currently only these few candidates today," Governor Evan said, gesturing toward the people standing in line.

Arthur cast his gaze outward. Although the surrounding crowd was large, very few people were actually registering as candidates—there appeared to be fewer than fifty.

This was a sharp drop compared to the grand electoral spectacle of the previous days. After all, since it was the final day of the election, even registering today meant very few votes could still be rallied.

Arthur smiled and stepped forward, fixing his gaze on a man who looked thoroughly fanatical, and asked, "Sir, what is your name?"

"Kang Kanglei, Your. Your Highness." Seeing Arthur draw closer and even speak to him directly, the fanatical man was immediately overwhelmed with excitement, his speech turning stuttering.

"Conrad, is it? No need to be nervous; this is just a normal conversation. Are you here to run for office?" Arthur minded neither the nervousness nor the fluster of the man before him, asking with a smile.

"Yes, Your Highness. Had our place not been so far away from Sydney, I wouldn't have had to rush over only today." The man named Conrad took a long moment to recover, making his speech fluent at last, though his eyes still dared not look at Arthur, dropping down to gaze at his own boot tips.

"Keep it up, sir." Sensing Conrad's awkwardness, Arthur smiled, patted Conrad on the shoulder, and shifted his gaze to the others.

"Are you two also here to run?" Arthur looked toward the onlookers and spotted two unusual-looking middle-aged men in the crowd.

Facing Arthur's gaze, the others showed not only excitement and thrill, but also nervousness and apprehension.

This was the normal reaction expected of ordinary citizens, given that they faced Arthur, the supreme ruler of this country.

Although these two men also showed slight nervousness, compared to those around them, they were far more composed.

Confirming that Arthur was speaking to them, the two immediately replied eagerly, "Yes, Your Highness."

"May I have a brief self-introduction?" Arthur asked with a smile.

"Of course, Your Highness," Henris started to continue, only to be preempted by Martin.

"My name is Martin, and I am an official in the Sydney City Government," Martin said respectfully.

Seeing his friend steal the initiative, Henris was undeterred; waiting for Martin to finish, he continued, "Your Highness, my name is Henris, and I am also an official in the Sydney City Government."

"Well, could you tell me your purpose in running? Or rather, what do you plan to do once you become assemblymen?" Henris's unhurried steadiness and the composure of both men slightly piqued Arthur's interest, prompting him to ask a few more questions.

"Naturally, it is to develop the country and strive to raise the living standards of all Australians," Martin replied.

Although most Australians evolved from Western immigrants, in reality, the living standards of Australians fell far short of major powers like the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the United States.

Thus, when questioned by Arthur, Martin's very first thought was to raise the economic income and living standards of all Australians.

"Well, very good. And you?" Arthur turned his gaze to Henris, continuing his inquiry.

Of the two, Arthur was most interested in Henris and eagerly anticipated his answer to this question.

"Your Highness, in the decades I have spent serving as a city government official, I have seen far too many cases of death resulting from being unable to afford medical care, and far too many families driven to bankruptcy just to save their loved ones. I know that completely solving this problem is not something that can be accomplished in a short time, but I am willing to fight for it." Henris observed Arthur's expression, noticing his deep interest in what was being said, and then continued: "Of course, I know all this must rely on the premise of national development. All Australians should not fixate on immediate gains; we must prioritize developing our country into a prosperous and advanced nation so that the government will have sufficient funds to relieve the poor and improve everyone's living standards. The people trust the country, and the country protects the people. Thus, how could Australia fail to become a powerful nation, and how could Australians fail to improve their lives?"

Clap, clap! Clap, clap!

Arthur took the lead in applauding, smiling as he said to Henris, "Well said, Henris. As long as the people are filled with trust in the country, we will pull together with one heart to develop our motherland. Once our country prospers and grows strong, possessing sufficient economic strength, we can then turn around and nurture our people. The people and the nation complement one another; national rejuvenation and the people's prosperity are our ultimate goal!"