Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Henry walked down the West Avenue, one of the four main avenues constructed in the capital to centralize commerce. Each avenue had its own purpose and character, reflecting the resources flowing into the heart of Stahl. The West Avenue, where he now strolled, was dedicated to blacksmiths and iron goods, where most of the iron from the western mines arrived, where craftsmen hammered it into weapons, tools, and armors. The capital was rapidly developing into something similar into an industrial city and a distribution center as the blacksmiths from all over the kingdom assembled.

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The North Avenue, in contrast, was where goods from the Frozen Forest, collected by the barbarians, were traded. The northern part of the capital was occupied mostly by the barbarians that had been relocated inside the capital by Henry’s orders. The commerce within this region was a great tool to make the other residents accept the barbarians, but conflicts still arose between the original residents and the barbarians. The integration of both cultures were happening, but it would still take some time.

On the other side, the East Avenue was relatively quiet, focused on seaborne trade, like fish, salt and oceanic goods from the coastal territory. The development of ship’s technology was also being concentrated in the Eastern Avenue, but the most common good being traded there was salt, with people still unused to coastal food. Lastly, there was the Southern Avenue, now bustling with life as goods from the two new annexed kingdoms of Luak and Aritreia was rapidly being brought to the capital, from new types of medicinal herbs to luxury goods.

Henry and Luke were standing in front of an imposing building located in the West Avenue - "Impressive…" - Luke couldn’t help but mutter these same words every time he looked at its grand architecture, built of stone and finely crafted wood, with large windows that could only be seen in rich houses that had enough firewood to keep fires burning day and night. A flag with an emblem of an owl perched on top of an ancient weight scale, the new symbol of the Sun God Company.

Contrary to the impressed and excited Luke, Henry looked up at the imposing structure, his expression laced with a tinge of impatience - "How much did we spend on it?" - he asked, his tone edged with displeasure.

Luke hesitated, sensing the king’s irritation, but he knew there was no use hiding the truth. "Around three thousand gold coins, my king," he replied, his voice low. He turned his eyes away from the building, which suddenly felt less majestic and more like a monument of shame.

Henry’s jaw tightened, his hand rubbing his forehead as he took a slow breath, trying to rein in his temper. "So you are telling me that this single structure cost half of what we used to rebuild the entire West Avenue?"

Luke shifted uncomfortably under Henry’s gaze. "I understand the need for a headquarters," Henry continued, his voice barely containing his frustration, "but couldn’t we have achieved that with something… simpler?"

Henry began to have doubts about Luke’s judgment. Until now, he had trusted the midget implicitly with the kingdom’s finances, viewing him as the equivalent of a Chief Financial Officer from one of Earth’s major corporations. Luke had a good head for administrative matters, but budgeting didn’t seem to be one of his strengths. Things might need a change in the future.

Luke swallowed hard, sensing Henry’s displeasure. Taking a deep breath, he began to explain, choosing his words carefully - "My king" - he started, his voice steady but humble - "The Sun God Company is the crown’s arm in the economy. It’s where all merchants within your reign must be affiliated, with the crown taking over more than half of the net profit. All the gold, iron, and copper coins we have funneled into the kingdom’s infrastructure… they have come from this company."

Henry said nothing, his gaze indifferent, forcing Luke to continue. Looking down at the documents in his hands, Luke tried to clarify, "The Sun God Company is like the lungs of the crown, giving it the breath to grow and thrive. And since it’s the kingdom’s lifeline… shouldn’t it be grand? No, shouldn’t it become more? This place will serve not only as a center of trade, but also as a resting place for merchants, a hub where they can exchange goods, knowledge, strategies and all kinds of information."

Henry’s eyes shone as Luke’s words and thoughts had unknowingly reached the same vision as his own. He envisioned the Sun God Company as a place where commerce and economic strategies could be developed, using the merchants brains to make it happen and bring development to the whole country, allowing them to profit as to make them work harder. It would become a guild and an university, focused on developing better way to trade.

He built the Sun God Company to be like the State-Controlled Trade in the Ottoman Empire, where the sultan’s agents meticulously regulated the flow of goods with all significant trade and resources passing through their oversight, ensuring that wealth, power, and loyalty remained tied directly to the throne. In the end, if someone desired to own something, whatever it might be, the crown would take its share. If something breathed and made money while trading, auctioning, buying or selling, the crowd wanted its due share through the Company.

And now, Luke had presented an even broader vision: a center not just for economic control but also for intelligence gathering and influence. It was something he had planned on doing, but without using the Sun God Merchant as an agent.

"So, the Sun God Company will become a hub for gathering intelligence… not just for controlling the flow of goods, the trade and the money of the crown?" Henry murmured, his mind racing as he realized the potential before him. He didn’t need to built an intelligence sector from scratch…he had one before him.

"Yes, my king," Luke replied, his confidence growing as he saw the glimmer of approval in Henry’s eyes. He dared to look up, catching the king’s gaze as Henry looked at the imposing building before them, his expression now one of appreciation rather than annoyance.

"Luke," Henry said thoughtfully, his eyes still fixed on the building. "Let’s expand this idea. We have been establishing small administrative posts throughout the kingdom, but let’s change our approach." - He gestured toward the headquarters - "I want a structure like this…perhaps not as grand, in every significant city. From North to South, East to West, every region will have a Sun God Company outpost such as this one and they shall have a manager that must gather, filter and send all kind of collected information to the palace."

Luke nodded eagerly, his face brightening with excitement. "I knew you’d see it, my king! I knew it!" He let out a small laugh, crumpling the documents in his hands before quickly regaining his composure, bowing slightly in apology.

"Good work," Henry said, giving Luke a firm pat on the shoulder. "Consider this a victory. You’ll be rewarded when we return to the palace. Let’s go, the heads must be waiting for us."

With that, Henry entered the building, Luke following closely behind. Inside, they were greeted by a spacious, almost empty hall with a single wooden desk ahead, where an old secretary sat with his head down, scribbling on parchment. Behind him, a grand staircase led upwards, hinting at the many floors and offices beyond, voices could also be heard from above.

Henry looked around, taking in the excessive empty space. An idea struck him, a way to turn even this area into something profitable and maximize its value. He turned to Luke, his gaze shining like a dragon’s looking at a gold mine - "There is no need for such an expansive, empty hall. Turn it into a tavern. Make the alcohol cheap. I want this to be a place not only for merchants but for all citizens, a gathering place where people talk and drink. It will make gathering information even easier."

Luke’s eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face as he realized the implications. A tavern would attract people from all walks of life, and with the Sun God Company’s reach, the conversations and secrets that flowed within these walls would be invaluable.

"As you command, my king," Luke said, his voice filled with admiration.