Several men sat at a dining table waiting, these men were the representatives of the farmers, craftsmen and traders who reside in Valum.
Soon Max came into the room flanked by a knight.
The men immediately stood up and bowed their heads in greetings.
" Please, sit. " Max said gesturing for them to sit.
" Sir knight, I think you should give us some space I'm sure these noble men mean me no harm. "
The knight grunted before leaving. Max then turned to the representatives and said,
" Pay no attention to him, he is just angry that he is serving under a bastard."
The men just sat there, nobles could be unpredictable, they could say something that could change his mood so they just planned to stay and endure anything that was thrown at them.
" You may be wondering why I called you all here, I was not lying when I said that my sole purpose was to develop and bring prosperity to this region.
But to do that I will help from all of you. "
" What do you need us to do my Lord? "
Maximilian looked and the man for some time before asking, " What is your name? "
" Omaly my Lord , I am a blacksmith. "
" And how much do you make in a year before and after paying tax? "
The man thought about it for some time before replying.
" Before tax I get may be ten or twelve gold coins a year but after tax I get one and half or maybe three if I am lucky. "
" And I believe that this isn't enough to care for your family and maybe take a drink or two is it ? "
" You are correct my Lord." Omaly replied trying as much as possible to hide the venom from his voice.
" Correct me if I am wrong but this case is similar for all of you, is that right? "
Why followed was murmuring and nodding.
" Good, you were sent here because your comrades and friends respect and value your insights so let me start by telling you what I am going to do for you .
From today, the tax is no longer seventy percent but will now be reduced to fifty percent.
I will still collect eighty percent of the proceeds on the land and twenty percent would go to the farmers.
However you are not allowed to sell the twenty percent and can only be used for consumption.
If you however feel the need to sell, I will be willing to buy at a fair price.
The twenty percent left to you will not for any reason be taxed or requisitioned unless in case of emergency.
These are just for the individuals as for the craftsmen, I would be offering employment.
This employment requires an oath of secrecy but you would be well rewarded for your work.
Then the merchants, business has almost stifled because of the almost ninety percent tax imposed by the former Lord, I will be cutting that tax to sixty percent. "
These were drastic changes , and these men wondered what kind of tasks would be required of them.
This particular one required a one on one session so Max led Omaly the blacksmith to his study.
" So tell me Omaly, how good are you at what you do? "
" Of course my Lord, I could have made it big in the western capital but I love the quietness of the town. "
" Good, that means you know how to make steel? "
" Yes, I do. "
" In that case I want you to start stockpiling ingots of steel, copper, iron and bronze. We will be needing it for weapons manufacturing and industrial constructions.
Are you sure that you can handle it Omaly. " Max asked.
" I am confident my Lord ." Omaly replied
" Good, send in the next person and remember that secrecy is key. "
The next person to come in was the farmers representative, Wakin.
He asked him to continue farming they way they used to as they were currently using the three field system.
He also asked that some farmlands be reserved for plantin fruits and vegetables so as to diversify their crops, he also encouraged that a few people should be selected to exclusively rear animals as meat was seen as a commodity where only the Lord could eat meat as he pleased while the subjects could only think of eating meat on special occasions.
...
It was already evening when the meeting with the towns representatives was over and so he made sure that they were well fed before sending them on their way.
He had set the stage for the development of his territory.
Maybe, just maybe he could retire here and spend his days as peacefully, away from politics, intrigue and war. But first he needed to make sure that his retirement home was as comfortable as ever and also secure.
In the words of a certain Italian man Si vis pacem, para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war.
With that he called for the knight Kyle.
" Sir Kyle, announce a recruitment for a town militia. They should be between sixteen and thirty five with no criminal records and no birth defects.
Their salary will be twenty percent higher than the border guards but will only be paid after they have completed their three months training .
They will also receive free food and water during the duration of their training."
Max didn't idolize the fact that ones fate could be decided by the fact the he or she was a mage .
To him ones place in the world should be determined by his impact in the world and not solely by strength.
There should be a balance between strength and knowledge, without that the world would just be how it is , ruled by tyranny and in a world like that innovation and socio-econimic progression are strangled by power welded by brutes.
Soon Valum would become a beacon of progress and stability, a statement that magic is nothing but a tool meant to help man and not a weapon that was to be used to control man.