(3 Months Later)
Another three months had passed since Jon had established the Astapor City Centre and the Pleasure House. It was now slightly more than six months since he had taken over the city and almost 9 months since he had fled Winterfell.
Under the various initiatives introduced by Jon, the city had transformed into something entirely different. All the infrastructure projects and renovations he had commissioned had now been complete. Compared to the city which he had conquered, 6 months earlier, Astapor had been completely transformed.
With each passing day, demand for his drinks had only grown stronger. The wine, the vodka, everything was in constant demand, earning money almost as if he were mining gold straight from the earth. Even so, the problem of the raw materials- the grains, the grapes, potatoes and the fruits required to brew the wine had to be imported and this was creating some problems and stopping it from reaching its full potential. But not that long.
The Astapor City Centre and the Pleasure House were yet more names in the long list of Jon's successful ventures.
Owing to their unique concepts and the trade opportunities they provided, large numbers of people flocked to Astapor from all over Essos and even from Westeros. Enjoying the prostitutes of the higher floor of the pleasure house had been become a synonym of status among the foreign merchants and traders.
They could not resist a curious "sneak peek" at the services offered on the higher floors of the Pleasure House, and most ended up pushing the limits of their spending for the status and the right to brag about it.
The Pleasure House itself offered nothing special beyond cleanliness and strict hygiene standards compared to brothels elsewhere in Essos but as Jon had expected, its exclusivity and careful branding made people crave it all the more.
Altogether, this combination of businesses led to a substantial flow of wealth into the city. That wealth did not only fill the empire's coffers; it reached the ordinary people too.
Commoners were finally climbing out of poverty, and the standard of living for an average family in Astapor was improving rapidly.
Riding on the growing the prosperity of the city or the empire, the Army too had seen rapid improvements. As Jon had set the target for Freydron, the total number of soldiers had crossed 20000 men, roughly touching almost 22000 and Jon was now ready for using them for the first time. His first planned campaign was coming closer.
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Meanwhile, Jon had also devised an elaborate administrative structure that would eventually govern his entire future empire.
He had formally declared himself king and established his empire, taking the official title of The Monarch or The Ruler.
He had divided his administration into eight major departments.
Department of Finance: This department oversaw the empire's income, taxation and its collection, the treasury's balances, disbursements of funds to other departments, and maintaining records of all spending.
Department of Defence and Conquest: This body governed the army and naval fleet, looked after the defence of the empire from outside threats, and prepared strategy and plans for conquering new territories.
Department of Internal Affairs: Responsible for managing the internal matters of the empire, including lawmaking and dispensing justice. Proper courts and formal laws were to be established in the future. This department was also given a small armed force to act as a city watch, to maintain law and order as the empire expanded.
Department of Trade and Commerce: This office managed businesses operated directly by the empire, like the Pleasure Houses and alcohol production, as well as overseeing private merchants. It framed laws governing commercial conduct and offered contract guarantees under the empire's stamp. If two merchants made a contract certified by the empire, one could seek justice if the other defaulted. Though currently limited in scope as it could only enforce it on Astapori merchants, this would become vastly more important as the empire grew.
Department of Infrastructure: Created to oversee the empire's physical development. Jon knew his dreams required more than the existing roads and cities. He needed better roads between cities, improved urban areas, and many other projects. Hence, this dedicated department.
Department of Social Welfare: Most of the population across the two continents was steeped in poverty. The common folk often struggled to secure even two full meals a day. Formal education was virtually non-existent. To bring long-term stability, Jon needed a happy, progressing population. And despite his measures like generating employment and building infrastructure, there would always remain a section in need of special support and sometimes free meals, orphanages, old-age homes, and similar initiatives. These fell under Social Welfare.
Department of Foreign Relations and Diplomacy: This branch managed Jon's empire's interactions with the rest of the world. Though he intended to conquer the entirety of both continents, that would take time. Meanwhile, this department would handle negotiations with foreign powers, sought diplomatic surrenders, and managed relations even during wartime.
Department of Records: By far the least powerful, its main duties were to train clerks and scribes for all other departments and to maintain systematic records of major events across the realm, along with important meetings conducted by The Monarch Aeos.
With the administrative system in place, the reign of Lord Aeos was to expand.
[This chapter can be considered to the end of the first arc of the story. A city had been captured, a model administrative and economic system which could be replicated everywhere established.
And now it is the time of the next arc. The scope of the story will widen. Jon will start his conquering phase. More characters will come into play. And I can very vell say, that the second arc is going to be a lot more interesting than the first arc. And did I say dragons? Stay tuned!!!]
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