Chapter 61 - An offer you can not refuse (3)

Dante turned his attention to Crassus, his eyes flickering with interest. "So, where were we?" he asked.

Crassus blinked, then focused his gaze on the Duke. "Umm, you were considering if you would tell me a little bit about your plans before I give you my offer," he said.

Dante snapped his fingers, and a sly grin spread across his face. "Right, let's get started, shall we?"

He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, then locked eyes with Crassus and spoke in a serious tone. "Just so you know, all the information I am about to share with you is confidential. None of it should leave this room."

"Yes, sir," Crassus replied, nodding his head swiftly.

Dante raised his hand, and a red aura spread out from him, filling every nook and cranny of the room. He glanced around, satisfied that their conversation was safe from prying ears.

"The first step of our plan," Dante began, "starts with the minting of new currency. As you may be aware, the church has wrecked the economy of the empire beyond recognition. To beat the church's influence, we have decided to start minting a new currency."

Crassus raised his hand. "How will you get the gold, silver, and copper to mint the new currency? And wouldn't this question the church's authority? I am sure they would not be a fan of this."

Dante grinned. "The North has its fair share of secrets, let's just say that. As for the church, I will tell you about that at a later date, maybe."

After seeing that Crassus had nothing more to say after listening to his response, Dante continued, "Now back to what I was talking about regarding the new currency. All the minted coins will be made to be 90% pure gold, silver, or copper, and will be traded in a 1 to 1 ratio with the empirical currency for the first 15 years, after which the trade value will change."

He paused, studying Crassus's expression, which remained serious. "There is obviously more to this that I can't explain right now, as my steward is still ironing out the details, but I'm sure you can get a decent degree of understanding about this topic from the information I have given you."

Dante paused after he was done speaking about the minting of new currency, taking a sip of water as he watched Crassus for any signs of confusion or hesitation.

"Hmm, please continue sir, I will stop you myself if I have any questions," Crassus said, his tone measured and controlled.

Nodding his head in acknowledgment, Dante continued, "The next stage of the plan is infrastructure. We plan to make several new cities all over the walls, and in case you are confused, these will be cities strictly managed by the duchy and the Valorian government."

Crassus's expression was puzzled, and he asked, "Government? In the duchy?"

Dante's voice remained calm and understanding as he responded, "Yes, in the long term, I intend to make the duchy into a constitutional monarchy, similar to the Maritona Federation in a few aspects, but still under my rule."

Pausing to take another sip of water, Dante continued, "So all the new cities will be managed by people selected via a heavily scrutinized testing system."

As he spoke, Dante pulled out a few papers from his desk, handing them to Crassus. "That won't be the end of the new infrastructure initiative. We will also start the construction of several projects for the future, such as a system of aqueducts to bring water in from the abundant northern mountains, an improved sewage system, campuses, trading districts, amphitheaters, and several other things."The papers that Dante had just handed to Crassus were the district and city plans for the existing cities, plans that would be used in the redesigning phase that would take place after the war.

"Excuse me if I am wrong, but won't all these things slowly strip away power from you and all the nobles under you?" Crassus said as he looked at the plans that were detailed on the papers.

That son is the precise purpose of these reforms," Dante said a sly grin on his face. "These initiatives will not only improve the quality of life for the citizens but will also decrease the power the nobles hold. Their people will migrate from their poorly managed holdings to the cities managed by the Valorian government."

Crassus was about to speak up, but Dante beat him to it. "However, you have one misconception. While these initiatives will take away power from the nobility, eventually making their positions nothing but ceremonial, these projects will increase the power I hold over the duchy itself."

"Huh?" Crassus furrowed his brow, confusion evident on his face.

Dante chuckled. "Well, I can't say much of this right now, but just know that while the government and all its members will be selected via examinations and elections amidst the most qualified individuals, I will still hold supreme power within the territory."

There was a moment of silence before Crassus spoke again. "I see. Then what about the campuses? I can't imagine too many would be needed if only noble children are to be educated there. So, what is their purpose? And also, what will be traded in these trading districts you speak of?"

Dante took a moment to think before nodding his head. "Hmm. I will answer your second question first, as that will lead to an easier understanding of the answer to your first question. Most people, aside from those who live in the west of the empire and a few high-ranking people like your father, are unaware of the incredible amounts of natural resources available within the Valoria Grand Duchy."

He took a sip of water before continuing. "As you are young, I'm sure you don't know this, but we are constantly at war with the beasts that live inside the dark forests. As such, there is an abundance of monster, orc, and mana beast corpses, which provide us with a lot of meat, hide, and mana crystals, among other things. Some of these used to be either traded or given to the magic tower in the north, while most of that stuff just used to go to waste or was stored in our coffers. Then there are also a lot of high-value goods that are available nowhere else outside the north, both luxury and non-luxury. Beyond that, I will answer your first question now, as it is part of the answer to the last point of the second question."