The sun had barely crested the horizon when Silas retreated to his private chambers, scrolls and parchment spread across the carved ebony table. His golden eyes scanned lines, numbers, and symbols, mind working faster than any scribe could write. Today was not a day for diplomacy or court intrigue—it was a day for creation.
The Eldraion Academy would be more than a school. It would be a fortress of knowledge, a crucible where skill, loyalty, and mana would combine. Silas's hand moved with precision, drawing the schematics for the academy: classrooms, dormitories, practical training grounds, a dedicated Arcane Wing, underground training halls for martial and magical exercises, and even hidden passages for emergency drills. He paused to frown at one section, erasing and redrawing, marking clearly the areas that were off-limits to prying eyes.
A horn sounded outside. Moments later, a carriage escorted Bob, a master builder famed across Eldarion for designing fortresses, towers, and complex estates, into the courtyard. Silas stood at the palace doors, his posture regal, but every line of his body radiated authority.
"Master Bob," he said, his voice firm but measured. "You have been summoned to build what will be the heart of the empire's future. The Eldraion Academy."
Bob bowed deeply, eyes wide at the honor. "Your Majesty. I am humbled by your trust. Tell me what you envision."
Silas led him inside the private council hall, where the parchment spread across the table like a battlefield map. He began to speak, pointing at precise locations, angles, and designs.
"I want classrooms with optimal lighting for study, dormitories that encourage discipline and order, and training grounds adaptable for both physical and mana drills. Arcane chambers must be shielded from misuse. Underground passageways will allow covert exercises. Nothing here should allow corruption or distraction."
Bob nodded, jotting down notes. "Your specifications are exact, Your Majesty. I will draft blueprints immediately. But may I askare there limitations?"
"Yes," Silas said, his tone cutting. "No personal chambers for instructors beyond what is necessary. No hidden wealth, no lavish halls to distract students or faculty. Every stone, every hall, every light must serve a purpose: learning, training, loyalty."
By midday, blueprints had been roughly drafted. Bob bowed again, sweat beading at his brow from the intensity of Silas's scrutiny. "It will be done, Your Majesty. Nothing will be omitted."
---
Once Bob was dismissed, Silas summoned Finance Minister Allen, a man of measured age, with spectacles perched low and a ledger always in hand. Silas had never met him personally; today would be the first evaluation.
"Minister Allen," Silas began, gesturing for him to sit. "I wish to understand the state of our finances, and your role in them. Tell me first: what do you know about our treasury, the Imperial Coin, and how we maintain the flow of gold and silver?"
Allen adjusted his spectacles, flipping open a ledger. "Your Majesty, the Eldarion Coin is our standard currency: silver and gold. Ten silver coins equal one gold. The treasury manages collection, trade, and coinage. We issue bonds for public works, maintain provincial taxation… and yet, despite these measures, revenues have fluctuated due to rebellion, inefficient tax collection, and… mismanagement in some provincial offices."
Silas leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "And why," he said, voice sharper now, "if you possess the skill to manage this, did the empire fall into such disrepair? Why are our northern provinces rebellious? Why are our coffers weak when you held this position?"
Allen swallowed, his fingers tightening on the ledger. "Your Majesty… inefficiencies were compounded over decades. Nobles misreport funds. Some regions… resist oversight. I have done my best, but—"
Silas held up a hand, cutting him off. "I will see your 'best' soon enough. But I need results, not excuses. I need strategy, foresight, and loyalty. The Eldarion Coin is not merely metal—it is influence, stability, and order. I will know its flow and control it myself if necessary. Your task is to align your office with that principle, or step aside."
The room fell silent. Allen's eyes flicked from the ledger to Silas, realizing this was not a simple audit but a challenge: adapt or fail.
Silas rose, golden eyes glinting with the fire of purpose. "The Academy will be funded carefully. Every coin accounted for. Expansion, instruction, and training must all be supported. No noble shall interfere, no administrator shall divert funds. I will oversee personally, but your expertise is required to make it possible."
Allen bowed deeply. "I will not fail you, Your Majesty."
---
Silas spent the next morning surveying the potential locations for the academy. He rode north, past the city gates, across rolling hills and near the forested banks of the Silverveil River. He envisioned the academy not just as a school but as a landmark: visible from the city yet defensible, connected to trade routes but separated enough to conduct training in secrecy.
"This will be the site," he declared to Bob, who accompanied him. "Here, the river can supply mana exercises, the hills allow drills for mobility and defense, and the land is vast enough for expansion over decades. Build here."
The builders set to work immediately. Foundations were laid, scaffolding rose like the skeletons of giants, and masons began carving the stone walls. Silas inspected every detail, correcting measurements, adjusting room layouts, and ordering security wards for sensitive chambers.
At night, he returned to the palace balcony, watching the lights of construction flicker across the plains. The academy was no longer a concept on parchment—it was being built, stone by stone, under his eye.
"This is how empires rise," he murmured to himself, feeling the pulse of mana in the ground beneath him. "Through foresight, through discipline… and through those willing to see the future before others do."
As the first rays of dawn broke over the construction site, casting golden light on rising walls and scaffolding, Silas stood atop a hill overlooking the academy grounds. The hum of labor, the scrape of stone, and the murmur of water from the Silverveil River all blended into a symphony of creation.
The Eldraion Academy was no longer just a dream it was becoming reality, a bastion where knowledge, mana, and discipline would shape the next generation. Every corner, every brick, every ward was a step toward reclaiming the empire's glory.
Silas clenched his fist, feeling the pulse of the land beneath him, a promise of power and order waiting to be harnessed. With the academy rising, the empire would not only survive—it would thrive, stronger, wiser, and united under a ruler who could foresee the storms before they arrived.
One step closer. One step closer to making the Eldarion Empire great again.
Currency System
Silver Coin = basic currency
Gold Coin = 10 silver coins
Platinum Coin (optional) = 10 gold coins (for very high-value transactions)
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Total Coinage
Gold Coins: 5,000,000
Silver Coins: 25,000,000 (to circulate with gold, tax collection, and trade)
Platinum Coins: 50,000 (reserved for the treasury, elite transactions, and emergency funds)
Military and Academy Funding Example
Imperial Drakes soldiers: 35,000 × 2 silver/day = 70,000 silver/day
Eldraion Academy: Initial construction 100,000–200,000 gold coins
Nobles' stipends, palace maintenance, and magic research: ~1,000,000 silver annually