While the two nobles were chatting idly in the Prince's hall, if we look back at Moscow as a whole, we would find that the city had undergone tremendous changes—after all, a full half-year had passed since its founding.
Many tents had been dismantled, and wooden houses had been built everywhere, just like in other Rus' cities.
However, a few brick and tile buildings were interspersed among the sea of wooden houses; as the saying goes, what the superior does, the inferior will imitate. Since Rostislav liked to build houses with bricks and tiles, naturally, the wealthy followed his example.
The farmlands within the city were already full of crops, looking vibrant and full of life.
As for the Prince's fortress, the Prince's palace had been completed, along with the barracks for his personal guards and the dormitories for his clerks. Rostislav had spent a lot of money on these brick and tile buildings; most of the bricks were transported from Novgorod and Smolensk, with a small portion being self-produced.
Several villages had also sprung up around Moscow, as some people were always unwilling to live inside the city and were thus settled outside.
The forests near Moscow had greatly diminished. For such a massive construction project, the lumberjacks worked almost day and night, as cut timber meant money.
Because of this, Moscow's suburbs quickly broadened. These lands were not wasted; seeds were sown, but no one tended to them, so their growth depended entirely on fate.
There was already farmland to tend to within the city; this was merely an incidental task, a small side income.
However, Moscow had gained many new faces, all of whom came for the silver mine, making the city even livelier.
And for Leo, who managed the city, this greatly increased his workload.
Since the news of the silver mine's discovery spread, more and more people flocked to Northeast Rus', with Moscow being the first stop for most of them upon arrival.
For outsiders, a city established by fellow outsiders could provide a sense of security.
However, this was just the beginning of their arduous journey. The path from Moscow onward was not easy; the forests were home to many slave traders and raiding tribes, and some even tricked people into trusting them before selling them as slaves.
Leo had to manage such a large influx of outsiders and inquire why they came to Northeast Rus'.
Because some people merely traveled with the silver miners; for them, farming was paramount. Leo had to select these individuals and grant them land. Others, seeing Moscow's prosperity and the difficulties of the journey, felt that staying in this city held great promise and thus remained.
And this was already the easiest task; managing such a large transient population was an even bigger problem. He had to provide them with camping grounds and cheap food in Moscow, and also maintain urban security. With so many people pouring in from all corners of the world, all kinds of individuals were naturally present, requiring heightened vigilance.
Vicious incidents constantly occurred amidst such surging crowds. For example, just yesterday, someone had their throat slit in a tavern, and the culprit has yet to be caught.
Leo had no choice but to repeatedly expand the number of Veche Militia to strengthen control over the city, even though this would increase the Veche's power—an outcome the Prince was unwilling to see, as expansion is easy but reduction is difficult—it had to be done.
Recently, the city also gained a bunch of Polish Knights and Hungarian cavalry, and there were two great nobles in the palace to deal with—since the Prince and his wife were absent, he was the only one who could handle it.
That group of overly energetic warriors was the biggest source of trouble now. All day long, they were either brawling in groups or demanding women. Moscow's prostitutes were already so busy with the surging crowds that they couldn't keep their legs together, and wanting a woman often meant waiting in line, which was one reason for this group's dissatisfaction.
Leo had to appease them with the wives and daughters of slaves. Doing so was quite disreputable, but using slaves was better than letting them rape the wives and daughters of good people, right?
However, despite the numerous tasks, Leo handled them with ease. After all, he had managed affairs in the Imperial Capital, where thousands of incidents piled up daily. He had long been tested; otherwise, how could he have stood out in the Imperial Capital back then?
Today, he was still writing new orders, mainly concerning rewards for bringing lost people stranded on Transoxiana Island to Moscow.
Due to the surging crowds, many local residents took up business as guides and transporters, but many of them robbed merchants halfway, then abandoned these poor people on Transoxiana Island or in the forest.
Leo needed people to bring them back to Moscow. He didn't care about the lives of these people; he did this only because the Prince wanted it.
For the Prince, every person was extremely valuable and had to be taken seriously. Every individual here could contribute to Northeast Rus'.
After writing the order, Leo placed a bag of fine sand on the parchment to absorb the ink's moisture, shook off the sand, and then rolled up the paper.
"Alright, have someone copy this ten times on birch bark, with large writing, and then post them. I want them to be visible at every place where people gather."
Calling his subordinate clerks and handing them the items, Leo could finally stretch. He went to the window to look at Moscow and clear his mind.
Leo was in a two-story brick and tile house. Rostislav's clerks all worked here, handling various matters big and small. One could say this was the center of the Duchy's government.
Although the office and living quarters were not as grand as the large houses and apartments in Constantinople, Leo was still very satisfied. After all, all of this was "his." After being deposed for many years, he finally found the feeling of wielding great power again.
As for the Greek clerks below, they were even more satisfied. Such low-ranking officials in Constantinople could only squeeze into cramped apartments, living among ordinary citizens, whereas now they lived in much more spacious residences, and their office was also more spacious than in the Imperial Capital.
Looking out the window, what met his eyes was a vibrant scene: new immigrants and fishermen bargaining, merchants hawking various mining tools, arrogant nobles riding tall horses, and militia maintaining order scattered among the crowd, alert to any potential chaos. All sorts of people crowded together, everything was full of life, brimming with infinite possibilities.
Rostislav is indeed a capable person. It seems my investment was correct; my last speculation has finally succeeded.
Leo thought this to himself, his eyes fixed on the city. He loved to admire prosperity; he was the same in the Imperial Capital, because he knew he had contributed significantly to that prosperity, and watching it all gave him a great sense of accomplishment.
And now, his sense of accomplishment was even more intense, sweeping over him like a tidal wave.