Free Web NovelChapter 1623: Development Pitch
"Hahaha, is that what you really wish?" Seelima sent a sweet, alluring chuckle at Alexander’s unexpected request, amused as well as flattered. She could really feel the man’s eyes brazenly roaming over her curvy black robe, as if they could not wait to penetrate it.
"Well, since we are being frank here... yes, Your Highness," Alexander replied swiftly, indeed curious to know the lady’s thoughts.
"...Well..." The Queen Mother sexily grinned as she leaned forward, intentionally revealing a lot of her beautiful cleavage, "I was initially planning to ask you to hold the prime minister’s post for a few years. I actually knew of Pasha Farzah’s plan before you came. But.. now...hehehe,"
Seelima seemed over the moon at how things had actually turned out.
"You wanted me to stay here for a few years?" While Alexander was more surprised by this offer, such that he even ignored the revealing sight.
"Yes! I heard many amazing things about Zanzan from Inayah. I wanted you to bring the same things here." Seelima readily revealed.
And this caused Alexander to recall a question he had asked but never got a reply.
He hence curiously posed, "Your Highness, what is it that you want me to do in Adhan? Please keep in mind that my time is limited. I can only help you for the next few months. So..."
"Mmm... is there no way for my lord to extend his visit?" Seelima at first tried to make Alexander extend his visit, tempting him by opening even more parts of her robes.
And to say it was totally ineffective would be wrong. A small part of Alexander did find the thought of staying here and enjoying the company of this curvy, mature bombshell every day quite alluring.
The Queen Mother was extremely enjoyable in bed- both in body and technique.
However...
"I am afraid Zanzan is still far too unstable, Your Highness. I fear leaving it for any more than a few months." In the end, Alexander chose the most natural response. After all, there was no need to point out the obvious- the problems Zanzan still faced- both internal and external, were too numerous to count.
Alexander was a new lord in a new land, with newly conquered territories and no mature successor in line. His position was actually very tenuous. Even Cambyses was only able to rule peacefully during his absence because the nobles knew Alexander was always a simple month’s march away. Otherwise...
"...." Seelima too understood Alexander’s difficulties- plus, it was not like her offer was unconditional- trysts in Adhan carried significant risk for her.
Thus instead of pressing further, the regal lady appeared to yield, regally waving her dainty hands, "Then my lord, ’we’ sall not burden you too much."
"We most want you to fix the lawlessness in the city...they say the streets here are filled with thugs, rats, and thieves. But I have heard Zanzan is remarkably disciplined- so bring every crook and rascal to justice here. You can deal with them however you like!"
"We would also like you to make the city as clean and pristine as Zanzan. The merchants tell ’us’ that your city smells like a garden of flowers. I cannot take a single step into Adhan without the smell of pi..." Seelima was just about to say that word when it suddenly got stuck in her throat, her tongue finding it too vulgar. Her status prevented her from uttering something so crass.
Thus quickly swallowing it, the regal lady recomposed herself and gently chimed, "Please see to it, my lord."
"And lastly... drinking water. I have heard the people of Zanzan get water straight from the mountains. We also have many hills here...please make a way."
"...."At the conclusion of the list of requests, Alexander outwardly kept a gentle, charming facade.
However internally- ’Snort! This is what happens when you let upper management set stupid goals without having worked a single day in their life. Who does she think I am... a magician? Or a genie that can grant wishes?’
He cursed Seelima to high heaven and back.
Needless to say, the things Queen Mother wanted were not feasible to do within the short few months- these jobs needed coherent policies spanning years if not decades.
Alexander was the exception to the rule, not the example- he was able to accomplish that because of the unique circumstances of the time- i.e.- he had an enormous army and the people of Zanzan were mostly obedient. Even when he demolished their houses... at best, they grumbled a bit.
But here in Adhan, where countless power struggles lurked in the shadows, always prodding and inciting the people... Alexander could only guess how hard getting anything done would be.
He really did not want to wade his feet into this cesspool. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
However given the pink atmosphere currently wrapping the room, Alexander chose to be a bit more tactful.
Instead of crudely bringing the hammer down, he gently clasped his hands together, and thoughtfully nodded,
"Okay, I will see what I can do Your Highness. Bringing order to the city... as long as the city guards co-operate, it will not be a big problem. But if need be, I might have some of my men enter the walls."
"Cleaning the streets.. is also not hard. I will just need some men, brooms and carts."
"However, the matter of fresh water...well that needs more thought. Let me talk to the engineers and maesters of the city... let us see what they think about building the aqueducts throughout the city. Or, we can simply dig a few huge new wells all around."
Seelima was quite impressed by Alexander’s report style answer- short, crisp and to the point, it radiated boundless confidence. She could feel he was a bona fide professional just by his body language.
The Queen Mother thus felt quite reassured.
While Alexander was still not done yet and added, "I was also thinking of adding a letter delivering ’horse carriage’ service- between Adhan and Zanzan. In this way, rich merchants and nobles could send letters and parcels between us quickly and cheaply. This will benefit us both!"
"...???..." The idea instantly intrigued the Queen Mother. She knew that currently letters or parcels could only be hand delivered on horseback between cities- this was both immensely expensive and time consuming. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
That was not a problem for the rich nobles and the royal family, but for others...
"Oh, how does my lord wish to do that?" Seelima eagerly chimed up, ears perked to the limit. She was perhaps more interested in seeing how Alexander came up with a new idea rather than the contents themselves.
Alexander took a small breath before starting with a nod,
"Here’s the gist of it — a rider will set out with the parcels on a fast horse, riding as hard as he can. Along the entire road, we will establish lodging stations spaced every 30 to 40 kilometers (15 to 25 miles). At each station, fresh horses, supplies, and shelter will be ready for him."
"Reaching it, the rider will switch to a new horse and immediately continue his journey. In this way I believe we can send messages between Adhan and Zanzan in a few days... even less if we let them switch riders and travel by night. Then we can cover as much as 300 kilometers in a single day. That’s more than a third of the way from here to Zanzan."
Alexander had modelled his idea after the Mongol and Roman ’pony express’ system- which remarkably, were very similar to each other despite having never officially met. It was also said Genshin Khan could send any order using this system within 3 days and had 2 million horses around the empire to facilitate it.
As Alexander finished his pitch, he found the Queen Mother’s eyes now twinkling, making her thoughts on the matter extremely evident.
’To be able to send messages so quickly... haha,’ She excitedly chuckled to herself.
"Mmmm... this is indeed a great idea. ’We’ will also issue you new seals and badges, my lord. This way, only our officials will be able to use these stations." Externally though, Queen Mother still maintained her regal bearing, and quickly even pointed out a few improvements.
Alexander was honestly caught a bit off guard by this- he did not imagine her to be this perceptive.
But the addition was indeed welcome, so he frankly flattered her, "Haha... now do you understand why I chose you as the prime minister Your Highness? I always believed in you. Great! Great! We certainly do not want our enemies to take advantage of us."
"Umm...," Seelima regally consented.
Thus Alexander moved onto the last matter, "There was one last thing that I wanted from you, Your Highness- something a bit more personal..."
Seelima’s eyes instantly regained their focus at the indicating words as her heart even skipped a small beat.
’What’s he going to ask?’ The Queen Mother wondered, as a thousand out of context scenarios ran through her mind. She even began to feel a bit frazzled.
Yet at the same time, a certain part of her also began to get mysteriously wet. Seelima found she would not totally mind something humiliating.
"It is about Lady Nanazin. I...."
Much to her dismay, the Queen Mother actually found that the request had nothing to do with her. Even more egregious, it actually concerned another woman.
This made the pregnant woman suddenly feel very betrayed. And she became so angry that she hardly even put what Alexander was saying next into her ear.
