After walking for so ti, Jon reached a large open space. It resembled the open squares of modern-day marketplaces.
The entire area had been paved with bricks. Beautiful plants and flowers in earthen pots had been arranged around the square. The vast sea in the background, the paved square, and the different coloured flowers gave the place a srizing appeal.
At one end of the square, directly opposite the sea, a series of buildings had been constructed. A few were small, while so were enormous. The tallest of them was a three-story building. It had been built purely of bricks and cent. The roofs had been constructed using modern techniques of plinths and lintels. It was nothing less than a miracle for the Essosi people, and news of it was surely going to spread in the coming days.
The square was filled to the brim with thousands of people. A sizeable number of Unsullied had been deployed to keep the crowd under control.
Jon walked straight ahead and climbed the temporary podium at the centre of the square. His contingent remained below. His presence brought a loud wave of cheers and applause from the crowd.
"Welco, everyone," bood Jon's voice. The square fell into pin-drop silence, eager to hear what he would say.
"Not many of you would believe . I may even sound like a mad man to many of you, but I assure you that today is the day we lay the foundation for the future greatness of Astapor and my empire."
He chuckled and continued, "This may sound like so kind of joke to you all."
"After all, how can a marketplace built purely for rchants propel an empire or even a city to greatness?"
He continued, "But this is exactly what is going to happen."
He nodded, not in any particular direction. At his gesture, a large red cloth covering sothing at the top of the tallest building was pulled away. Large words molded purely out of cent ca into view.
ASTAPOR CITY CENTRE.
Jon had built the series of buildings as the base for the Astapori marketplace for rchants. The buildings housed various shops, and rchants could apply to lease these shops. This model by itself did little to directly boost business, but it was an act ant to generate interest.
rchants and traders coming from outside could now easily access the products they were looking for.
Alcohol shops were the main attraction for the populace. Various inns had been constructed in the buildings and Jon hoped to introduce few of dishes of his previous world soti in future.
rchants intending to buy in bulk to resell elsewhere could also find wholesale shops for liquor and construction materials.
Jon's declaration brought loud cheers from the common people. They might not have fully understood the long-term relationship between economic growth and prosperity, but they knew one thing: since Jon's arrival, their lives had improved.
Employnt was abundant, whether in factories, as labourers in infrastructure projects, or as assistants in the newly opened shops.
No one needed to starve for lack of work. Building permanent houses had beco easier. The city itself had beco more beautiful. Scenes they once saw only in the hos of the rich were now common throughout many parts of Astapor.
Jon did not speak much more. He knew better than to rely on words when results could speak for themselves. He was also aware that his popularity was at its peak, and re words from him were enough to sway the people.
With Jon's speech, the Astapor City Centre was officially inaugurated.
Traders and rchants from outside who happened to be present that day were itching to explore the new wonder that Astapor had produced.
After this, Jon stepped down from the podium and walked ahead. An obscure yet easily visible path extended from one end of the square. Jon, followed by his contingent, took this road. Unlike the previous one, this path was completely empty. After a few more minutes of walking, Jon reached another square. This one was much smaller than the first, yet it had been lavishly decorated.
At the end of the square opposite the sea, a large three-story building stood in its full grandeur. It was no less magnificent than the earlier building. Jon walked up a podium and looked down. Very few people were gathered here only about 150 won stood silently.
These were the forr prostitutes of Astapor who had chosen to continue in the sa profession. In the first row stood mostly middle-aged won. Clearly, they could no longer serve as prostitutes but would instead manage the new establishnt.
"I have nothing much to say to the lot of you," Jon began.
"You already know the details, and these ladies," he continued, pointing toward the middle-aged won in the front row, "will serve as communicators between us."
"If the need arises, you can also approach directly."
He went on, "I assure you, you will be free to leave this work whenever you wish."
The building before Jon was a pleasure house or more bluntly, a brothel. Previously, Jon had prohibited any kind of prostitution in Astapor. Now that order had been established, he had opened the first state-owned pleasure house in the city.
Under his new laws, every other brothel was declared illegal, and only he, as the monarch, held the authority to run one.
Strict guidelines were to be followed. Stringent hygiene standards, careful treatnt of the prostitutes, regulated paynts all under firm oversight.
Custors could no longer behave like violent madn while the brothel owners turned a blind eye for a few extra coins. Every patron was to be warned of dire consequences if they crossed certain lines.
This may seem that it would drive the custors away but in long run it was beneficial. The hygiene and the stench free environnt of the brothels was going to attract more custors. They would also have not to worry about getting conned as fixed rates had already been determined. If satisfied, custors were free to tip the ladies.
As for the pleasure house itself, it was divided into three distinct levels.
The ground floor was ant for ordinary people and commoners, offering the cheapest services.
The first floor catered to smaller rchants and minor nobles who had a slightly higher spending capacity.
The second floor was reserved for truly wealthy nobles, those who desired premium services and could squander money like water.
In addition, the brothel housed several other services. An exclusive inn serving signature dishes and drinks was integrated into the establishnt. On the third floor, the brothel featured an exclusive information exchange counter about trade. Any rchant could use these counters to inquire about goods sold by Astapori rchants.
Because it was state-controlled, the empire guaranteed the quality of products and enforced honesty among Astapori rchants.
Buyers could be sure they would not be cheated, though to use these services, they had to pay an additional commission of 1–5%, depending on the volu of the trade. It was like an insurance from the empire.
With this act, Jon had completed the economic alignnt of Astapor and his empire. And now was ti to move to political realignnt and then move towards conquering the new cites. Plans about few of them were already in motion.
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