16 Chapter 16: Pre-hospital Inquiries

"Your Highness!"

"Long live Your Highness!"

Amidst the cheers, Arthur calmly descended from the horse carriage and, escorted by a few guards, proceeded towards the State Parliament.

Upon entering the State Parliament, Arthur noticed Governor Evan directing his subordinates to count votes.

As the state with the largest population in Australia, New South Wales State's elections were also the most intense.

Although having the largest number of seats in the House of Commons among Australia's six states, the difficulty in running for office was immense, making it truly a struggle to get elected.

As governors of the six states of Australia and interim cabinet members, a few governors were approved by Arthur, earning them qualifications to directly enter the House of Commons.

Of course, this only applied to the current elections. If the governors fail to win their respective gubernatorial elections and lose in the next House of Commons election, they will have to temporarily say farewell to Australian politics.

"Your Highness!" Vigilant Governor Evan caught sight of Arthur's arrival and hurriedly stopped what he was doing to greet him.

"Your Highness!"

Everyone in the State Parliament followed the greeting.

"Hmm, Governor Evan, how's the election going? Are things going smoothly?" Arthur nodded and, looking at the half-person tall stack of documents beside Evan, asked.

"Of course, Your Highness. As of now, everything is going on in an orderly manner. We have not yet found any instances of cheating, which is good news worth celebrating." Governor Evan said with a smile.

Ever since Arthur affirmed his royal status in their previous meeting, Evan had resigned himself to his fate.

Rather than recklessly struggle for power with Arthur, it was better to use one's own capabilities to gain Arthur's position, which would at least grant a place in the upper echelons of Australia.

"Is that so? That's good. How many more candidates have signed up today?" As Arthur asked, he walked out of the State Parliament and arrived at the candidate registration area.

"Today's candidate registration has significantly dropped compared to the previous six days, perhaps due to the lack of advantage in signing up on the last day. Therefore, today's candidates only number these few," Governor Evan pointed at the people in line.

Arthur glanced around, and although there was a large crowd, there weren't many registering to run; it appeared to be less than fifty.

This was a significant reduction compared to the bustling elections of the previous days, and since it was the final day of registration, even participating today wouldn't bring in many votes.

Arthur smiled as he approached a particularly enthusiastic-looking man and asked, "Sir, what's your name?"

"Con...Conwright, Your...Your Highness." Seeing Arthur getting closer and even striking up a conversation, the enthusiastic man became over-excited, beginning to stutter.

"Conwright is it? No need to be nervous; this is just a normal conversation. Are you here to run for office?" Arthur did not mind the man's anxiety and stuttering, and asked with a smile.

"Yes, Your Highness. If it weren't for the great distance from Sydney, I wouldn't have arrived just today," said Conwright with a calmer demeanor, though still not daring to look into Arthur's eyes and keeping his gaze on his toes.

"Good luck, sir." Sensing Conwright's embarrassment, Arthur patted his shoulder and turned his attention to others.

"Are you two also here to run?" Arthur asked, spotting two middle-aged men who seemed out of the ordinary amidst the onlookers.

Besides excitement and eagerness, nervousness and uneasiness were also displayed by the people around when faced with Arthur's gaze.

These were typical reactions from common people as they faced the supreme ruler of their country, Arthur.

The pair appeared somewhat nervous, but compared to others, they were far more composed.

After confirming that Arthur was addressing them, the two men eagerly replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Can you give a brief self-introduction?" Arthur asked with a smile.

"Of course, Your Highness." Henris started to speak but was preempted by Martin.

"My name is Martin, an officer of the Sydney City Council." Martin respectfully said.

Seeing his friend getting ahead of him, Henris didn't mind and waited for Martin to finish before continuing, "Your Highness, my name is Henris, and I also work for the Sydney City Council."

"Hmm, can you tell me the purpose of your candidacy? Or what do you intend to do after becoming a member of Parliament?" Arthur was slightly interested in Henris's composure and level-headedness, asking an extra question.

"Of course, it is to develop our country and strive to improve the living standards of all Australians," Martin replied.

While most Australians descended from Western immigrants, their living standards were far from that of developed countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the Powerful Nations such as the United States.

Hence, upon being questioned by Arthur, Martin's first thought was to raise the economic income and living standards of all Australian people.

"Hmm, how about you?" Arthur turned his gaze to Henris and asked further.

The man Arthur was most interested in was Henris, and he eagerly awaited his answer to this question.

"Your Highness, during my decades as a city government official, I have seen far too many cases of people dying due to lack of medical treatment and families going bankrupt in order to save their loved ones. I know that completely solving this problem will not happen overnight, but I am willing to fight for it," Henris said, seeing Arthur's interest in his words before continuing, "Of course, I know that all of this relies on the premise of national development. All Australians should not be preoccupied with immediate interests but prioritize our country's development to become a prosperous nation. Only then will the government have sufficient funds to help the poor and improve everyone's living standards. When the people trust the country and the country protects the people, there is no reason why Australia cannot become a strong nation, and there will be no reason for Australians' lives not to improve."

Clap, clap! Clap, clap!

Arthur was the first to applaud, laughing as he spoke to Henris, "Well said, Henris. As long as the people are full of trust in our country and work together to develop our homeland, once our country has prospered and gained enough economic strength, we can give back to our people. The people and the country complement each other, and the country's revival and wealth for the people are our ultimate goals!"