Transmigrated with a Demon-Refining Pot: Hehehe, Refine in an instant

Ron's negotiations with these envoys went very amicably; all that was needed was to sign a cooperation agreement.

The specific business details were left to be discussed by Palin and other executives.

The envoy from the Jade Kingdom was the most agreeable, signing the serf trade agreement on the spot, which must have been instructed by the Grand Duke before he arrived; the envoys from the Bronze and Steel Core Kingdoms had to contact their respective homelands before making a decision.

However, Ron exchanged contact information with them all, and from then on, the Silver Duchy was completely integrated into this circle.

It was already afternoon when the last group of envoys left.

Ron stood on the steps of the Grand Duke's mansion, watching the carriages disappear at the end of the street.

"Your Majesty, several other lords are waiting to see you." Perrin stood behind him, holding a thick stack of parchment.

"Tell them to wait a moment." Ron turned and went into the study. "You report first."

Perrin followed him in, closed the door, stood at the table, and opened the account book.

Perrin has now upgraded his status, not only holding the title of Viscount, but also becoming the Prime Minister of the Silver Duchy.

Regarding the affairs of the principality, since it has just been established, Ron is still unable to leave and needs to take care of them for now, but as long as there is a smooth transition for a period of time...

Ron was not going to do it himself; he needed to focus on his training, and even if he had time, he should enjoy life.

Don't turn yourself into a nuclear-powered donkey.

To this end, Ron prepared a system to help him handle government affairs—the Royal Council.

There were nine people in total, excluding the Grand Duke.

The King's Hand, also known as the Prime Minister, oversees all administrative officials, handles daily affairs of the duchy, and shares all miscellaneous tasks with the Grand Duke.

If a Grand Duke fails to attend a meeting of the Emperor, the Prime Minister will step in.

The second is the Minister of Finance, who is responsible for national taxation, commerce, construction expenditures, and the accounts of the principality.

Palin will take on the role concurrently.

The third is the Minister of Military Affairs, who is responsible for the regular army, city defense, conscription, military supplies and logistics, etc.

The role is played by Laune Onion.

These were tasks that Ron had previously refused to do, so they were assigned to him. Now, the workload was only a hundred times greater, and Ron believed he could handle them.

Fourth is the Chief Justice, responsible for revising the laws of the principality, court trials, noble disputes, and commoner cases.

The role was played by Viscount Mango, Andrei.

Andre is an old acquaintance of Ron's, and he is very pragmatic. He knows the laws of the duchy very well, so letting this old hand in charge won't lead to any mistakes, and it can also appease the lords who have submitted.

Fifth was the Home Secretary, a position held by Dick Curtain.

This position primarily serves the Grand Duke, so it was necessary to include him, although he generally wouldn't interfere with the Imperial Council.

Dick, the son of a merchant, has now mastered the art of advancement; as long as he is properly disciplined, he will inevitably make progress.

The seventh was the Foreign Secretary, a position held by Henry Broccoli.

As the Grand Duke's father, it was most appropriate for him to receive delegations from other duchies or represent the duchy in its activities.

The eighth is the Chief Intelligence Officer, responsible for national intelligence, espionage, monitoring of nobles, and intelligence on enemy countries.

Hart Lentil was chosen, but he was clearly not cut out for the job. Ron was just using him as a temporary replacement, and would replace him with a more suitable person later.

The ninth is the head of the magic force, responsible for all magical affairs in the duchy.

The position was originally given to Liulichuan, but the magical industry in the Duchy is now in a state of utter desolation, and Liulichuan spends all her time nursing children.

At most, he can oversee potion making; like Hart, he'll need to be replaced eventually.

These are all the members of the Imperial Council. Ron rose to power too quickly, and there aren't many outstanding talents under his command, so they can only use them for now.

"Your Excellency, after the founding ceremony, lords from various regions have begun to return to their territories one after another."

As of now, the Duchy of Silver comprises a total of 237 territories, including four earldoms, nineteen viscountdoms, and two hundred and fourteen barondoms. In addition, there are over seventy directly administered territories, managed by administrative officials dispatched directly by the Grand Duke's court.

"What about the population?"

"There were about five to six million serfs and about half a million free people. These were figures from a year ago, and the numbers may have changed since then."

Palin didn't specify in detail which direction it would float, but Ron knew it would definitely be downwards.

After all, he really messed up the pioneering land quite a bit this time.

Although not many civilians were killed, the serfs in the territories where the lords fled would also run away if no one cared for them.

Even if they manage to catch them later, it will be a long-term project.

Ron was very unhappy that there were so few people in the entire million-square-kilometer pioneering land.

It should be noted that the territory of the Bronze Duchy is only twice the size of that of the Silver Duchy, but its population is definitely thirty million.

Population is wealth, so doesn't that mean Ron is poor?

But Ron was unwilling to spend money to buy serfs.

This is what the lower-ranking lords should do; how could he spend money to let these lords enjoy themselves?

The lord should be the one working hard to earn money and develop his territory, while Ron is responsible for enjoying the fruits of his labor. The roles should not be reversed.

As a grand duke, all he needs to do is command the lords.

Even if Ron doesn't spend money, he still needs to find a way to increase the population and wealth of the entire duchy.

It's not realistic to try and seize power now; let's focus on steady development for a while.

"How's the placement of the spirit insects going?"

Perrin turned a few pages: "The eight great elves have all been settled in the elf manor of the Grand Duke's manor. The elf fields were also planted immediately."

The remaining sprites and sprite bugs have also been settled. The sprite fields are still being sown in order, but since we have the fields originally left by Marquis Mammon, we don't need to bother cultivating them anymore.

"Just use it directly. It should be finished in another two days."

Ron nodded in satisfaction; Marquis Mammon, that old bastard, did have some wisdom after all.

But there weren't many; why didn't he think of anyone who could ride a dragon and charge in?

Now look what happened, it's all been turned into the original liquid and given to Margaret as a treat.

Speaking of Margaret, Ron remembered that he had promised her not long ago that he would build her a dragon castle.

She was the greatest contributor to the establishment of the Silver Duchy, so we can't treat her unfairly.

However, she made quite a few requests: she wanted maids, plenty of gold coins, and a pool of water.

Let her take a bath anytime, preferably with a few fish in it, so that she can have a little surprise while taking a bath.

For Ron, everything except filling it with gold coins was something he could do.

Let Margaret figure out how to get the gold coins herself; if that doesn't work, he offers an exchange service.

Ron only charges her a 60% commission when she exchanges the crystal cores from hunting monsters for gold coins.

Perrin made note after note in the ledger, then continued, "Tomorrow's Imperial Council will discuss the formation of the Duchy's army. Will the Grand Duke attend?"

Ron leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples; he really couldn't do without this.

"Have them come to the council chamber tomorrow morning. That's all for today. Leave the account books here; I'll look at them tonight."

"Yes." Perrin bowed and withdrew.

Ron sat alone in his study, flipping through the thick account book. The numbers were so dense that they gave him a headache.

He closed the ledger, stood up, and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the setting sun was sinking, dyeing the entire city of Baiyin a golden-red hue. In the distance, on the construction site, craftsmen were still busy, the clanging sounds of their hammers carried on the wind.

"I knew I was destined to be a Grand Duke!!"