Colonizers

Archduke Franz viewed Hawaii Island as a short-term trade transit hub, firmly believing that the value and importance of this archipelago would only become more apparent as time passed.

After all, transoceanic trade would only grow more frequent in the future.

At present, the three pillars of the Hawaiian economy were sandalwood exports, whaling, and pearl harvesting. While Archduke Franz did not hold high hopes for the long-term prospects of these industries, he believed that money was money and should be earned regardless.

Archduke Franz set his sights on the sandalwood and pearl trades, as both required minimal capital investment while offering lucrative returns.

As for the whaling industry, Austria did not possess a single whaling ship, nor did it have the necessary technical personnel or technological reserves.

Furthermore, in terms of sustainable development, whaling was far too fragile compared to the other two luxury-oriented industries. Moreover, the petrochemical and rubber industries that the Empire would later rely upon would eventually render whaling obsolete.

Whether it was whalebone or whale oil, both would be replaced by cheaper industrial products; this was an irreversible trend.

This transition would not take long, as oil extraction in North Africa had already succeeded, and rubber cultivation in Southeast Asia had matured.

A massive influx of cheap raw materials would greatly accelerate the development of these two industries, influencing the course of history to a degree that, while perhaps not as obvious as the electrical revolution, would be just as significant.

Of course, beyond what was mentioned above, Archduke Franz also focused on coffee and sugarcane cultivation. After all, this would prevent labor surpluses while simultaneously allowing for the enclosure of land—a move that served two purposes at once.

However, Friedrich's progress at this time was not going particularly smoothly. His previous conflicts with the