Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 61: The dragon return (2)

1013 AF FALLMONTH

DAY 19

A week passed, and the traders from Ariundus and Vorthy began to return with their sought-after goods.

Arial had promised them three months of decreased taxes, a cheap price to restore his power.

The rioters were compensated for their efforts in calling for the Vermont's return, with sacks of grain and gold.

Reconstruction had begun the moment the Vermont family assumed back control. With the gold in his family treasury the building and public places has begun reconstructing.

The first task was to restore the buildings damaged during the riots, also men were hired to build new roads that would connect Danoba to all the major cities of the Dukedom and the closest from neighboring kingdoms.

This has created many jobs here in the duchy which in turn attracts many more people migrating here.

The new roads would make trading easier, and Danoba would be more accessible to the common folk.

Many of the villages of the Dukedom had turned into a small city, and the noble houses were thrilled with the growth and the profit they received from taxes.

Arial's parents had left for Dented Shield to receive his father's appointment as Duke of Arrandy, and Helia had returned home to her father.

She had told Arial that she had left some things unresolved, so after making sure she was well stocked with essentials, he sent her on her way.

Aries's titles had been restored, meaning he was now Baron of Danoba, Count of Acro, and would soon be Duke of Arrandy.

It is the same status as Hadrian himself.

He controlled a large part of the Dukedom, and with it came the loyalty of all the minor nobles that ruled the cities of Valais, Skaldruk, Shadow Sound and Hexham. Also, it was now clear to everyone that he had the loyalty of the House of Zephyr.

The House of Rodan also swears their fealty towards his family considering Arial family good relations with him.

It was after he persuade him in the letter to help the Vermont to return to power. Right now Arial father has become a High Lord.

The news of Duke Hadrian's sickness had reached Arial, which meant that the Succession War was looming.

If the event from his first timeline still existed, then Alderam was due to wage war against his brother Adrian one week after the funeral.

Things were happening a lot later in the new timeline, but they were happening nonetheless. Arial had been preparing for the war since the beginning.

Arial decided the time had come to implement something new, something he had seen in his dreams.

Now that Aries was Duke, not even Hadrian could oppose him whatever he wanted to do in his realm.

It was like when Henry was also a High Lord and Hadrian could not say anything about what he did in his realm.

The old man was weak, coughing up blood and nearing his deathbed. Now was the time. Arial created banks.

The first of its kind was built near the market square, guarded by knights who had sworn their sword to his father.

The increase of trade from all over the continent had meant that foreigners had brought their foreign currency to the city.

Many goods were transported across the seas from Vorthy and Ariundus, some by caravans from the north: from Seren, Bardent, Dostov and Renasia.

The traders needed to exchange their money for the currency of the Dukedom: pennies, copper and gold.

With the creation of banks had come a new job of money-changer.

The banks would charge for the currency exchange, which meant that the more the traders spent, the more the banks would profit.

Arial had created another job: that of money-lenders.

Normally, nobles would pledge their land to Arial to borrow money, a practice he found idiotic.

The nobles wanted to continue living lives of luxury even during hard times, so many of them had started to use the money lending service from the new bank.

Although, they were having a hard time getting used to the idea that eventually, they would have to pay back everything they had borrowed.

They were used to just taking what they wanted. But Arial was prepared for that.

Also, Arial was convinced that with the creation of the bank, a new class of people could be born. People neither rich nor poor, but somewhere in the middle.

With the prospect of taxing the nobles and the merchants, and with the help of the bank, Arial would multiply his family's profits.

With their income and coffers secured, Arial could now wait and get ready.

War is coming.

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Sixth chapter of the mass release