```
Arthur's firm refusal caught the American Ambassador off guard and left him stunned, having believed an agreement was within reach.
After desperately thinking of a response, the American Ambassador said with a slightly embarrassed tone, "Your Majesty, are you really not willing to reconsider? The United States is willing to become allies with Australasia on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, to jointly manage and rule the entire Pacific.
If your country is willing, we can deepen our cooperation in industry and economy, which would be beneficial to the development of both our nations."
Arthur shook his head even more resolutely. The United States may well be the world's number one in industrial and economic scale, but the Great Depression is just a few years away.
If Australasia's economic ties with the United States were to deepen, the impact of the Great Depression—which is going to hit the United States hardest—would inevitably affect Australasia as well.
