"That is good, child." Queen Victoria affectionately stroked Arthur's forehead once more, then asked with a smile, "Do you have any preliminary plans for the development of Australia? And is your funding sufficient?"
"Grandmother, I believe that the most important things for Australia at present are the development of basic industries and education. Compared to European countries, Australia is weak in every aspect and needs to drastically raise its most foundational industrial strength. Both industries and other sectors require cultivating a large number of talented individuals before they can truly develop. Therefore, education is also a crucial link that we must grasp," Arthur thought for a moment and said.
This was something Arthur had planned out far in advance. Developing various advanced industrial systems in Australia over a short period of time was simply impossible.
For one, Australia's basic industries were extremely backward, and for another, its talent reserves were severely insufficient, lacking the essential conditions required to develop advanced industries.
Rather than aiming too high and falling short, it was better to focus targets in the short term on building basic industries and developing education.
Once initial development yielded results after a few years, the focus could then shift toward building advanced industries and tech enterprises, catching up to European countries.
"Mm, Arthur, I am very gratified that you haven't let temporary success lead to unrealistic ambitions and complacency. Even with the support of massive funds, it will be impossible for Australia to catch up to the development of European countries within five years. But through the accumulation of basic industries and education-driven talent, coupled with attracting a vast amount of talent and immigrants from Europe, there is still great hope for Australia to take on a completely new look after a decade," Queen Victoria nodded in satisfaction, speaking to Arthur with great gratification.
"As for you, the environment Australia currently finds itself in is also quite advantageous. To the west lies the territory of the British Empire, and to the east is the vast Pacific Ocean. To the north, neither the Qing Empire nor the island nation could possibly take the initiative to strike against you. Under such circumstances, you have a massive amount of time you can use for development," Queen Victoria continued taking steps forward, holding Arthur's hand as they walked and talked.
Arthur nodded continuously. What Queen Victoria said was entirely correct; Australia was indeed currently in a golden stage of development. Both its geographical location and mineral resources gave Australia the capital to become a powerhouse.
The population resources it lacked the most could also be supplemented by utilizing the current timing—while the clouds of the European War hung heavy and the European population was migrating outward in large numbers—to introduce immigrants.
All in all, Australia could definitely be considered a country with top-tier development potential during this time period. As long as the ruler's decisions did not encounter major problems, Australia would certainly find its place among the ranks of the major powers decades later.
"You should still be living in that Government Building right now, shouldn't you?" Queen Victoria suddenly asked.
Earlier, when Queen Victoria was in Australia, she and Arthur had been arranged to stay on the top floor of the Government Building.
Although the top floor had undergone simple decoration, it was still only furnished sparsely, which did not match the status of Duke Arthur.
Now that Arthur possessed over two hundred million pounds in wealth and an entire country, this building fit Arthur's status even less.
"That's right, Grandmother. Even you are living in such an ordinary estate, so me living there would only make me appear too high-profile," Arthur said with a smile.
Arthur knew what Queen Victoria wanted to ask. After all, Arthur now held power and possessed a vast amount of funds in his hands, so building a palace for himself naturally seemed like a matter of course.
In reality, however, Arthur had no such intentions in the short term. Even for an extremely rudimentary palace, the funds expended would certainly not be a small sum.
What's more, with Australia's basic industries and infrastructure both lagging far behind, even a small palace would require a very long construction period.
Besides, once a palace was built, it would inevitably attract the attention of all Australians.
If Arthur made a grandiose public declaration about developing Australia on the one hand, and then turned around and spent heavy funds building a palace for himself on the other—even if it was Arthur's own money—it would inevitably disappoint certain people.
It was better to invest all the funds into national development first, and then recoup them after the country was built. That way, when Arthur finally built his palace, the Australians not only would not object, but they would even find it entirely natural.
"Mm, actually, this is also what I want to tell you. Although it currently seems that you possess funds reaching over two hundred million pounds—making you even richer than the royal families of certain European nations—once these funds are poured into the bottomless abyss of national development, you will find that this money is merely a drop in the bucket. You have gained massive prestige in Australia, which is very good, and therefore you must never easily squander that prestige." Queen Victoria nodded in satisfaction once again, looking at the boy before her who was already half a head taller than she was, and spoke with a hint of emotion: "Originally I worried about you in every possible way, but now it seems you have initially grown into a qualified ruler. Arthur, I am proud of you. If your father knew about all of this, he would surely be very gratified as well."
Arthur did not reply with anything, only offering a firmer hold as he supported Queen Victoria's arm.
Pleasant times are always fleeting. As Queen Victoria and Arthur walked and paused, the afternoon slipped away in the blink of an eye before either realized it, and by the time they reacted, the sun was already setting behind the western hills.
"Alright, Arthur, let us stop here. I know you still have many matters in Australia, and your grandmother has not yet reached the point where she is failing, so you do not need to accompany me every single moment." Queen Victoria finally patted Arthur's hand, speaking to him with a smile.
"Grandmother." Arthur felt somewhat reluctant to part. He had originally planned to stay on the Isle of Wight to accompany Queen Victoria for a few more days, never expecting that after just a few hours Queen Victoria would already be driving him away.
"Good child, go back to Australia. No matter what, you must always remember that you must never be swayed by emotions. As the ruler of a country, the nation is the most important thing to you," Queen Victoria stroked Arthur's forehead and instructed him.
"Mm, Grandmother, I know." Arthur nodded forcefully and bid his final farewell to Queen Victoria.
At the port.
By the time Arthur stepped onto the ship to prepare for his return, Princess Beatrice arrived tardily, handed Arthur a suitcase, and said, "Arthur, your grandmother asked me to give this to you. Your grandmother said inside here are things you will find useful in the future, but she also asked me to warn you: at least within five years, do not touch the contents inside, even for her sake."
Before you continue