The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 866 - 645: Rewards and Trials_2

The Royal financial group’s real estate company in New York was their largest investment, with over 20,000 properties built each year, and the annual profit alone had already exceeded 10 million US dollars.

Even that wasn’t a lot; behind the continuous rise in housing prices, some American capitalists saw business opportunities and influenced the government to push policies regarding various restrictions on self-built homes.

Now, in the suburbs of New York in the United States, it was very difficult to build one’s own home. Not only did one have to pass the government’s qualification approval, but it also required a considerable cost to connect utilities such as water and electricity, as well as to construct connecting highways and other roads.

These were stipulations written in the qualifications for self-built homes, and they were also the costs that Americans had to pay if they chose to build their own homes.

Thus, building a home oneself wasn’t necessarily a suitable or economical choice. Not to mention the difficulty of meeting various conditions, but just the extra expense of connecting utilities and roads alone was enough to deter many ordinary families.

It is worth mentioning that the real estate company in London, which was invested in by the Australasian Royal financial group, now completely belonged to William.

It was a gift Arthur had given to William when he turned sixteen—a real estate company with a market value of over 3 million pounds.

The concept of private property in The West was rather profound, and even between father and son, William couldn’t recklessly spend Arthur’s money without permission.

This also meant that aside from the fixed annual funds for Royal Family Members, William had to earn any additional spending and income on his own.

The annual annuity of Australasian Royal Family Members was fixed, and the funds William could access amounted only to fifty thousand Australian dollars, which was the same level as a Duke’s share of dividends.

Though fifty thousand Australian dollars seemed like a lot, in maintaining the luxurious lifestyle of Royal Family Members, it wasn’t really that much.

Even if William wasn’t extravagant, his annual expenses for clothing, food, housing, and transport exceeded ten thousand Australian dollars, and along with other expenditures, he had to spend at least twenty thousand Australian dollars.

This was still because William was underage and hadn’t made too many friends, so there was no need for additional funds for private parties.

The small parties among the Nobility often hosted by Queen Mary could cost tens of thousands of Australian dollars each, with just the expense of beverages enough to completely deplete a Duke’s annuity.

As the first in line to the throne, it was impossible for William not to host parties once he came of age.

Especially when Arthur allowed him to cultivate his own influence, the cost of parties couldn’t be too low, which was a test of William’s earning capacity.

Even though William had been frugal before, the total amount of annuities he temporarily held from Queen Mary was only about 500,000 Australian dollars.

The position of Royal Affairs Minister is quite a special one within the Cabinet, typically occupied by those extremely loyal to the royal family, where loyalty is required much more than capacity.

The former Royal Affairs Minister was the current Finance Minister Hunter, who is the younger brother of the former Prime Minister, Kent, and the second son of the Royal Palace Butler, Kent.

Of course, the identity of Yajedin Blanc is also quite special. He is the first close confidant truly nurtured by Arthur, rather than inherited from Duke Old Arthur’s power.

Upon arriving in Australia early on, Arthur began nurturing Australian orphans on a large scale, guiding them toward more suitable paths to serve as support for himself and future heirs to the throne.

Inherited power from Duke Old Arthur made it clear to Arthur that training heirs to the throne is crucial, but cultivating a group of loyal and capable subordinates for the heir is equally important.

Arthur’s smooth governance in Australia owed much to the numerous subordinates passed down to him by Duke Old Arthur.

The royal financial group’s expansion was so smooth because Arthur had a large number of faithful confidants, unlike the government officials.

Although the Kingdom of Australasia is part of Arthur’s territory, government officials and the King’s private retainers are entirely different concepts.

The government officials lean more toward national interest when contemplating issues, and while they often remain loyal to Arthur’s rule, exceptions are unavoidable.

The King’s private retainers are completely different. Servants of the King are part of the core circle serving Arthur; they prioritize the interests of Arthur and the royal family over those of the country.

This distinction between the monarch and national importance is a divergence within Monarchism. Those who prioritize the country believe it is superior to all, with the King merely being the ruler of the state.

But those who prioritize the Monarch, the private retainers, feel that the Monarch is above all, the true master of the country, and the Monarch’s interests greatly outweigh national interests.

Seen from different perspectives, these two philosophies naturally have their own truths. For a national monarch, how to better control these two forces is key to governing the country.

European Monarchies have many ways to balance the government’s power, one of which is a two-party system, introducing two parties with completely opposing ideas and looking for opportunities for the monarch to control power through the competition of two major parties.

However, this method is unnecessary in Australasia. There are many parties in Australasia: the National Party, Unity Party, Rural Party, Liberal Party, and so on.

But when it comes to the specific ideologies of the parties, a considerable portion of them still align with the conservative Royalist Party.

Due to Arthur’s immense prestige, he has become the symbol of Australasia. In Australasia, no one would call for the abolition of the King and the royal family, as that would be tantamount to disbanding the Kingdom of Australasia, turning their beloved country into a fractured and war-torn landscape.