The Rise Of Australasia

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April 1932 had arrived, and after enduring endless hardships, Nicholas II and his family finally reached Sydney from Vladivostok by boat.

Arthur saw the family of Nicholas II on the second day, April 7th.

At this moment, Nicholas II no longer had the spirited appearance he once possessed; he looked like an exhausted old man nearing the end of his life.

If it weren't for his features and attire, which confirmed his identity to Arthur, most people would assume he was a refugee fleeing famine from Ukraine.

"Nicholas, cousin, how did you become like this?" Arthur asked with a hint of surprise.

According to the agreement between Britain-Australia and Russia, Nicholas II and his family should have been treated with honor. Even if Russia wanted to eliminate Nicholas II, the troublemaker, under pressure from Britain and Australasia, they could only ceremonially escort all members of the royal family out of the country.

But the state Nicholas II was in did not seem like someone who had been ceremonially escorted out.

"Arthur..." Nicholas II stepped forward, clasping Arthur's hand tightly, with what seemed like tears swirling in his eyes, yet he stubbornly held them back.

"This must be little Sheyana," Queen Mary said, turning her gaze towards the little girl held in Empress Alexandra's arms, smiling as she inquired.

"Your Highness, the Queen," Princess Sheyana, under Empress Alexandra's guidance, called out to Queen Mary properly.

"Don't be so formal, Sheyana," Queen Mary said, smiling as she patted Princess Sheyana's head, telling the little one, "After all, we're relatives."

"Alright, cousin Nicholas, I have prepared rooms for you all; you can rest for a while. There's a banquet prepared for you this evening; attendants will come to invite you," Arthur said, interrupting the greetings between the two families and speaking to the visibly exhausted Nicholas II and his family.

From Saint Petersburgh to Siberia, then from Siberia to Vladivostok to take a ship to Sydney—the journey was long and undoubtedly rough.

Nicholas II was clearly spent, and even on the second day in Australasia, the weariness in his eyes had not faded.

Hearing Arthur's words, Nicholas II nodded, foregoing further pleasantries, and followed the attendant to the prepared rooms.

"She's a very lovely little girl," Queen Mary said with a smile once Nicholas II and his family had left.

"It's hard on the child. She's the only one who can inherit and carry on the throne, the thorn in the side of the Russian government," Arthur nodded, equally fond of the very well-behaved Princess Sheyana.

Although in the royal line of succession, the importance of a prince far outweighs that of a princess, this was not the case for Arthur.

After all, Arthur only had one daughter, Princess Anna Miller, and his affection for her was naturally beyond words.

"Do you plan to have Sheyana follow cousin Nicholas and the others to London? Such a little one going to London doesn't seem safe," Queen Mary asked with a furrowed brow.

Traveling from Sydney to London, no matter which route taken, covered half the globe. Such a great distance would undoubtedly be a heavy burden for a young child like Princess Sheyana.

"That depends on cousin Nicholas's attitude," Arthur said with a meaningful tone: "If Nicholas is willing to give up Sheyana's right of succession, then the little one could live more safely."

Unlike Arthur, who was waiting for Nicholas's decision, Nicholas II was also reflecting on his own choices.

Nicholas II tended towards giving up the Russian throne and continuing previous cooperation with Arthur; it was enough to ensure the continuation and prosperity of the Romanov Family.

But the throne of the Russian Empire had been with the Romanov Family for hundreds of years; to forsake it so abruptly was indeed painful for Nicholas II.

Yet, now in Australasia, he had to come to a decisive answer. After careful consideration, Nicholas II still decided to fulfill his agreement with Arthur.

The Russian throne was now useless to Nicholas II, almost like a chicken rib, it might even become a threat to the safety of the royal family members.

If Nicholas II still refused to abandon the Russian throne, did that mean he still harbored thoughts of restoration?

If that were true, it wouldn't just be the Russian government's opposition he'd face; even Australasia wouldn't agree.

"Alexandra, do you think if we ask Arthur to be Sheyana's godfather, he would agree?" In a luxuriously decorated room, Nicholas II sat alone on a couch, asking Empress Alexandra, who was holding Princess Sheyana on the side.

"Perhaps he would, Your Majesty," Empress Alexandra reassured, "After all, Arthur has become the godfather of Princess Elizabeth of Britain, hasn't he? Sheyana, being the heir to the Russian throne, surely isn't inferior to Princess Elizabeth in status, right?"

"Times have changed," Nicholas II sighed, looking gravely at Empress Alexandra and commanding, "Now that we are in Australasia, let's never speak of the succession to the Russian throne again.

We must face reality; the empire is long gone, and modern Russia has become a republic."

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When he said these words, Nicholas's voice clearly trembled, showing the immense courage it took to utter them.

"Your Majesty," Empress Alexandra turned her gaze to Nicholas II, her eyes carrying a hint of surprise.

"I have decided, Alexandra. Tonight at the banquet, I will explain to Arthur that Princess Shey Anna will voluntarily renounce her succession rights to the Russian Empire, and she will be just an ordinary princess," Nicholas sighed, but his tone was very firm.

What Arthur hadn't anticipated was that not only did Nicholas II proactively suggest that Princess Shey Anna renounce her claim to the throne, but he also stated that the imperial throne of the Russian Empire was at Arthur's disposal.

Arthur had no interest in the Russian throne and expressed that Nicholas II would always be the Tsar of Russia.

In the end, Nicholas II requested that Arthur become Princess Shey Anna's godfather, which Arthur gladly accepted.

Nicholas II's initiative to compromise was unexpected for Arthur, but it was undoubtedly a good thing for him.

Especially since Nicholas II had brought with him a substantial amount of Russian capital. This capital, accompanying Nicholas II to Australasia, was also a significant boost to the economy of Australasia.

Moreover, there was no immediate need to worry about the loyalty of this Russian capital. After all, in comparison to Russia's republic, these capitalists were clearly more reassured by Australasia's monarchy.

To avoid domestic purges in Russia, their only option was to come abroad and station themselves in a monarchical country like Australasia.

The arrival of Nicholas II also signified one thing, that the reign of Tsarist Russia had completely dissipated like smoke.

Under the coercion of Britain and Australasia, Russia was forced to let the Romanov family go.

But for others who were loyal to the original royal family, including various capitalists who exploited the Russian common people, the Russian government was not so accommodating.

Since the flight of Nicholas II from Russia, the Russian government carried out extensive purges internally, seizing a great deal of capitalist wealth and causing all the capitalists throughout Russia to flee abroad.

After securing control of Saint Petersburg, Russia, according to agreements with Britain and Australasia, organized a portion of the military to move eastward, beginning to take control of Siberia and the Far East Region.

At this time, the Far East was far from peaceful; the presence of the Russian army was not a good sign for the Island Nation.

The Island Nation protested, but evidently, neither British-Australasia nor Russia were too concerned about it.

Though Russia was not looking to start another war, this did not mean the Russians were afraid of the Island Nation. Especially given the hatred from the previous conflict between the two, if the Islanders dared provoke a fight, Russia and the Island Nation were inevitably headed for a clash.

This directly resulted in a very clear current world situation.

Arthur was initially worried whether the historical alliance between Germany and Russia might become a reality, but after seeing the current world situation and the attitudes of various countries, he gradually dismissed the idea.

From a fundamental interest standpoint, an alliance between Germany and Russia was simply impossible.

There was only Poland between the two countries, and one Poland was clearly insufficient to satisfy both their appetites.

If Germany and Russia allied and partitioned Poland, they would have to turn their attention to the Balkan Peninsula next.

But the Balkan Peninsula was already a powder keg involving several Powers, and the distribution of interests in the Balkans between Germany and Russia was doomed to be unbalanced.

And don't forget, Germany also had Italy as an ally. Italy had its designs on Austria and the Balkan Peninsula as well, and if Italy were to get a share, the possibility of a German-Russian alliance would be even less likely.

Besides, in the original history, Germany also had an alliance with the Island Nation.

Based on the current rate of development, this alliance could very likely be revived in this world. The relationship between the Island Nation and Russia was not very good either, with significant conflicts of interest in the Far East.

If Germany were to form an alliance with Russia, it would not only have to sacrifice a considerable part of its interests but also risk breaking the alliances with Italy and the Island Nation, with the benefits not proportionate to the costs.

Bear in mind that in Europe at this time, people did not know how powerful Russia would become.

Before Hitler came to control the German discourse, even he wrote in his book that Germany should not be content with its borders of 1914 but should look eastward instead.

"Our first objective in our eastern expansion should be Russia and her vassal states."

Besides, Hitler was a proud nationalist. He openly despised the Russians, that is, all Slavs.

Under such conditions, if Germany and Russia could still move toward alliance, then Arthur could only say this war was doomed.