Chapter 1361: Chapter 982: The Prosperous Age of the Empire (Grand Finale)_3 Chapter 1361: Chapter 982: The Prosperous Age of the Empire (Grand Finale)_3 The nations participating in this meeting in Sydney were few, but they were all significant components of Arthur’s strategic deployment.

At the forefront were Finland, the United Kingdom of the West Coast, and the Kingdom of California, followed by the Philippines, Kalimantan, Sweden, and Norway, including the Baltic States.

Lastly, there were a few powers from the Island Nation, and the matter of whether to integrate the Island Nation was something William would have to consider in the future.

The reason for summoning so many countries to Australia for the meeting was to stabilize Australasia’s global hegemony while defensively positioning against Britain and Russia, the current second and third strongest countries in the world.

Actually, the threat posed by Britain and Russia to Australasia was quite limited. Unless these two countries joined forces, they posed no fatal threat to Australasia.

But then again, was Australasia afraid of these two countries uniting?

Not exactly.

If Britain and Russia were to join forces, it would be the European Nations that should be most afraid. This would essentially push the European Nations into the arms of Australasia, for which Arthur would indeed have to thank the British talent.

As for the likelihood of Britain and Russia uniting, that would depend on how important Africa and India as colonies were to the British.

After all, Arthur was only temporarily not planning to destroy the colonial system; this did not mean that Arthur lacked methods to destroy it.

If the British were smart, they could still be the world’s second strongest country,
If not, they would end up as just another strong country in Europe.

The treaties signed with these countries were confidential, designed to counteract the expansion of Russia and Britain.

Should any country suffer an attack from Britain or Russia, Australasia would help that country win the war.

This was just a typical defense alliance, essentially a declaration of war against the whole alliance when attacked.

This defensive alliance, along with global military base construction, was enough to ensure that neither Britain nor Russia would pose a significant threat to Australasia.

After completing all this, Arthur finally relaxed.

Looking at the current situation, Australasia’s global hegemony would continue to stabilize. It would take Russia at least about ten years to recover from the war, and during these years, Australasia’s technology would not come to a halt.

Arthur had already conveyed various ideas on nuclear-powered submarines, medium and intercontinental missiles, and nuclear power stations to the Royal Science Academy and had heavily funded their development.

This would ensure that Australasia had a continuous flow of cutting-edge technologies leading the world, at least until the arrival of the 21st century.

As for matters further in the future, those were beyond Arthur’s control and prediction. However, as the carefully nurtured successor, Arthur believed that William could lead the country to even greater strength.

In less than 40 years, Arthur had created the strongest nation in the world and believed that William could make the country stronger, sustainably, and perhaps eternally, at the summit of the world.

For Arthur, for his old self, the subsequent few days were, of course, about enjoying life, appreciating the joy of a complete family.

………..

Decades later.

“Has everyone arrived?”

The elderly William, filled with the authority of a superior, directed his inquiring gaze toward his grandson.

“Everyone has arrived, Grandfather,” replied Little Arthur, the Crown Prince of the Empire, nodding.

Crown Prince Arthur was one of only two people named Arthur in the entire Australasian Royal Family, now renamed the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Saint Arthur Castle family.

His name originated from the founder of the Empire, Arthur, who was overjoyed to see his great-grandson, thereby breaking his tradition of disliking duplicated names and allowing his great-grandson to carry his own name.

And it was very likely that Little Arthur would become the second emperor named Arthur–the Emperor Arthur II.

“Let them all come to see Father for the last time,” William, who had been silent for a long time, quietly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes before he finally spoke.

The Crown Prince Arthur also nodded heavily, his mood somber.

For the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Saint Arthur Castle family, this was indeed an extremely heavy day. Such a somber mood affected the whole of Australasia and even the entire world.

For the founder of the Empire, the great Emperor Arthur, had passed away peacefully after a brief reunion with his entire family, at the age of 101.

Over the next three days, flags were at half-mast throughout Australasia to honor this great monarch, the most revered human in all of Australasia.

In respect for this monarch, nearly every nation in the world also flew their flags at half-mast, including the highly important United Nations.

Historians, both domestic and international, held the 20th-century monarch in high esteem, giving him glowing accolades and reviews.

Considering only the most influential media, Arthur still achieved several “world’s greatest” titles and was hailed as the greatest monarch of the 20th century, the most influential national ruler of the 20th century, and the wealthiest individual of the 20th century, and so on.

Even most Australasians directly regarded Arthur as the greatest monarch and ruler in human history, citing the example of Arthur single-handedly creating the world’s strongest nation to prove this fact.

Even Arthur’s funeral, as he bid farewell to this world, was likewise the grandest in the world.

Rulers from almost all the nations of the world participated, with the number of attending kings reaching several dozen.

And there were even kings from some countries who simply did not qualify to approach Arthur’s coffin up close. This funeral was also called the Funeral of the Century and was acclaimed as the highest standard of funeral in human history.

Aside from the many national rulers and monarchs participating, up to several million people attended to send off their ruler at Saint Arthur Castle that day, solely because the streets could no longer accommodate more people.

Meanwhile, within the few days of Arthur’s funeral, Australasia directly welcomed tens of millions of tourists, most of whom came to participate in Arthur’s funeral or even just to catch a glimpse from afar.

The scene of millions of tourists bidding farewell to Arthur was also made into an oil painting, which was purchased and collected by the Australasian Royal Family for over 100 million Australian dollars.

Whether life is short or long, Arthur’s reign of over forty years and his life of 101 years had completely come to an end.

But the story didn’t end; the legend of Australasia continues, and the people’s remembrance of Arthur will never cease.

(End of the book)