The Rise Of Australasia

Upon hearing Deputy Prime Minister Raul’s reminder, William hastily dispelled his feelings of complaint, displaying a very formal smile and walked towards Duke George who was approaching.

"William, welcome to London!" Duke George said with a smile on his face.

The two had seen each other during the National Day celebrations in Australasia before, and, being somewhat related, there was no awkwardness between them.

"It’s an honor for me, cousin George," William nodded, returning the smile.

"The weather has not been too good these past few days, so let’s go straight to the Royal Palace," suggested George, smiling at William, who clearly minded the haze outside.

As a member of the British Royal Family, William’s first stop was naturally the Royal Palace to meet King George V, before discussing the diplomatic visit with the government.

Additionally, considering the good relations between the two countries, the matters to be discussed during this diplomatic visit were all but guaranteed to be agreed upon.

William nodded and followed George into the car on their way to Buckingham Palace.

In the car, William couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Cousin George, is London’s weather always like this?"

As if he understood what William wanted to know, Duke George laughed and responded, "Strictly speaking, it’s not always like this. It’s worse when it’s cold; in the summer, it’s not too bad, and I’ve gotten used to this ghastly weather."

"That’s really bad, cousin George. Wouldn’t such severe smog have an impact on health? Why not find a way to deal with it?" William asked, somewhat surprised.

"The environment in the Royal Palace is still good, with plenty of trees and such," said King George V. "It seems only God can manage this environment; it’s impossible for others to do so."

"Why not try shutting down some factories?" William asked with a frown, looking at the thick smoke billowing from the factory chimneys as they made their way to Buckingham Palace.

"William, you have to understand, it’s not so easy to shut down the capitalists’ factories. For those greedy capitalists, they won’t care about the harm their factories’ emissions cause to the environment, to London, or the people of London.

As long as their factories are running, they make money; if they close, they lose money—that’s the simplest truth. Shutting down their factories would be no easier than rebuilding London," Duke George replied with a resigned shake of his head, explaining very seriously. @@novelbin@@

The biggest difference between the United Kingdom and Australasia, in fact, is that the capitalists in the United Kingdom have already established a climate and have become so large that they can influence the situation of the country. Find your next adventure on NovelBin.Côm

The British Government has to consider the capitalists’ opinions, because when the capitalists get angry, it also causes the British Government discomfort.

Australasia is different. Although capital has seen considerable development over the past 20 years, apart from Arthur, no one could create capital powerful enough to influence the country.

The capital in Australasia is mostly medium and small civilian capital, and with fairly strict control, Larian capital does not pose a threat to the country.

If it were under the rule of Australasia, then declaring a factory closed would be the end of it, and the government could even forcibly order capitalists to carry out environmental reforms.

But in London, if the British Government were to issue such an order, it’s feared that the capitalists would immediately stir up the workers and incite a riot.

Another important point is that the British Government lacks someone with the resolve to make such a decision.

The government fears taking responsibility and won’t actively take on such a burden, facing the risk of bearing public criticism and the hatred of capitalists.

After all, officers have their own lives to live; just not cooperating with capitalists is loyalty to the country already. Do they really have to oppose the capitalists for the sake of the country?

Even the most illustrious British Prime Minister has a limited term, but capitalists don’t have term limits. Between the choice of short-lived glory or long-term wealth and prosperity, most Prime Ministers are quite clever in their choice."

In theory, the King of the United Kingdom could be the one to make these decisions and lay down the rules. But regrettably, the power of the British Kings was already interrupted from the time of King George V.

King George V ascended the throne in 1910, at which point Germany and the United States had already become significant threats to Britain, and Victoria’s heyday was no longer.

Although changing his surname helped King George V to quell public anger, it also made him lose the favor of the European royal family and German nobility.

The current King of Britain is more symbolic than anything, and might not be able to compete with those powerful capitalists.

"By the way, cousin George, your first child is due soon, isn’t it?" William seemed to have thought of something, his gaze shifting to Duke George as he suddenly asked.

"Yes, the doctor’s predicted time is in late April. If you stay a bit longer, you should be able to witness the little one’s birth," Duke George replied. Although he didn’t understand the purpose of William’s question, there was no taboo about it, so George didn’t mind answering.

"Hmm, convey my father’s thoughts, would you mind my father becoming the godfather of your child who is not yet born?" William’s face changed, appearing slightly embarrassed as he asked.

Such behavior, scrambling to be a godfather before the birth, was entirely contrary to the mature and stable image Arthur usually projected, leaving William truly unable to understand what his father was up to.