The basic education schools in Australia, namely the primary schools, opened alongside the universities.
Compared with the relatively strict enrollment requirements of universities, Australian primary schools had very low requirements—indeed, they basically had none.
Unlike universities, basic education did not require expensive tuition fees. With Arthur having already waived half the fees, Australians were still quite willing to send their descendants to receive a basic education.
More importantly, compared with the considerable investment required by universities, the only significant expenses for primary schools were teachers and textbooks. Everything else was practically free.
Even an ordinary middle-school graduate could barely qualify as a primary-school teacher. Under such circumstances, the cost of establishing primary schools had been reduced as far as possible. The expense of building all the primary schools in Australia was even equivalent to only one Australian National University.
On October 21, Arthur once again embarked on a journey to the Isle of Wight.
More than four months had passed since his last trip to the Isle of Wight. Under Arthur's administration, Australia had already begun to flourish, and order had essentially stabilized.
At the same time, however, Queen Victoria's health had been steadily declining. Although she had outlived the three months her private doctor had previously predicted, the flame of her life had truly burned down to its last flicker. Her days were numbered.
This time, Crown Prince Edward had been the one to notify Arthur. He had traveled all the way from the United Kingdom aboard a warship.
When he saw his uncle again, Crown Prince Edward seemed like an entirely different person compared with his frustrated self several months earlier. His face was shining, and he looked utterly carefree.
Although the bad news about Queen Victoria had robbed Crown Prince Edward of his smile, the satisfaction and relief in his heart still revealed themselves involuntarily.
"Arthur, long time no see!" After meeting Arthur, Crown Prince Edward gave him an enthusiastic slap on the shoulder and said with a smile.
"Yes, Uncle. It's been more than half a year since we last met." Arthur nodded calmly, calculating Crown Prince Edward's intentions in his heart.
"How have you been doing in Australia?" Crown Prince Edward asked with a smile.
"Very well." Arthur nodded.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward, but fortunately, they soon arrived at the port of the Isle of Wight. The warship slowly pulled into the harbor, and Crown Prince Edward and Arthur disembarked.
No one had come to receive them this time. Everyone was busy caring for Queen Victoria, and there truly were no people to spare.
"Come on, Arthur. Let's go see your grandmother." Crown Prince Edward chuckled twice and walked straight toward Queen Victoria's estate.
As soon as he entered the estate, Arthur smelled a strong medicinal odor mixed with the pungent scent of disinfectant.
The servants within the estate were run off their feet. Some failed to notice the arrival of Crown Prince Edward and Arthur, while those who did were gestured by Crown Prince Edward not to bow.
Arthur hurried into Queen Victoria's room. By then, the room was already surrounded by Queen Victoria's descendants, and she was chatting with all of them with a smile.
When Queen Victoria saw Crown Prince Edward and Arthur enter, her eyes lit up. She hurriedly said, "Arthur! Come here to Grandmother."
Hearing Queen Victoria's words, everyone quickly made room for Arthur, allowing him to reach her side with ease.
"Arthur, good boy, how have things been in Australia lately?" Queen Victoria tremblingly took Arthur's hand and asked with a smile.
"I'm doing very well, Grandmother. You don't need to worry about me. With the Guard Army there, I'm the safest person in Australia." Arthur answered with a smile.
"That's good, that's good, child. You've really had it hard, my good boy. Australia is a poor and barren land. You must have suffered there." Queen Victoria skillfully touched Arthur's forehead as she spoke.
"Mother, since everyone is here, why don't we eat first? These youngsters should have been hungry for quite a while too. We can chat after the meal, all right?" Princess Beatrice asked when she saw that Queen Victoria was in such high spirits.
In recent days, perhaps because of the combined effects of her physical and psychological illnesses, Queen Victoria's appetite had been getting worse and worse. She could barely manage two slices of bread and a cup of milk each day.
It had not been easy for Princess Beatrice to see Queen Victoria in such good spirits this time, so she wanted the Queen to have a proper meal.
When the Queen nodded, Princess Beatrice hurriedly ordered the servants to bring in lunch.
Since the room could not accommodate so many people dining at once, most of them had to eat in the dining room next door.
When she saw Arthur preparing to leave with them, Queen Victoria quickly held him back and said, "Arthur, stay and have a meal with Grandmother today, all right?"
Looking at the hopeful expression in Queen Victoria's eyes, Arthur truly could not bring himself to refuse. He could only nod vigorously.
Queen Victoria's lunch was very simple. Since they had to consider that it might be difficult to digest, her main dishes were mashed potatoes and milk, along with a few pieces of beef stewed until extremely tender.
"How is life in Australia? There aren't that many delicious foods there, especially since Australia can only barely maintain food self-sufficiency." Queen Victoria stirred the mashed potatoes in her bowl as she asked.
"It's all right, Grandmother. Australia still has a fairly large amount of arable land. Even if the population grows in the future, it will be more than capable of supporting everyone. The variety of food may not be especially rich, but it's entirely sufficient for me. You're the one I'm concerned about. The Isle of Wight is so far away, and although New Zealand's Animal Husbandry is fairly developed, the supply of basic food still depends largely on support from the United Kingdom. If Australia had any local specialties, I'd really want to send you something from time to time." Arthur spoke with an apologetic expression.
"I heard that you established a university in Australia some time ago. How is it progressing? Do you need support from the United Kingdom?" Queen Victoria asked tirelessly.
"Very well, Grandmother. Given the number of students and teachers available in Australia, the university only enrolls eight hundred students a year. This year's enrollment has ended, and the university has officially begun operating. So far, its establishment has been very successful. Conservatively speaking, three years from now, the university will be able to train at least eight hundred outstanding university graduates for Australia every year. These graduates will enter all walks of life in Australia and accelerate the country's development and construction." Arthur was largely satisfied when discussing the university's achievements.
In an era when universities were generally not very large, the Australian National University, which enrolled nearly one thousand students each year, already counted as a fairly substantial university.
Although the university's teaching quality was not particularly high at present, the graduates it could produce were entirely sufficient for Australia's development and construction.
Second update—please show your support! Queen Victoria's era is about to end, and Arthur's era is about to begin. Please show your support, bookmark, comment, invest, follow the series, and support me!
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