Riches and Bitches: I have a gate to an isekai and leveling-up system!

"First off, I don't believe a simple brawl is something that we are the ones that should be responding to," Etaria spoke out while leaning back in her chair. "If we are to respond to every little altercation like that, we will never be able to solve all of the issues while also rendering ourselves too busy to work on the things that actually need our attention."

Hearing those words, I struggled to hold back a sigh.

"It's not about reacting to everything, but creating guidelines of what's allowed and not, what are the rewards for the actions we desire and what are the punishments for the actions we forbid."

Hearing Fay's voice, I raised my eyebrows in a mild surprise.

It was rare to see Fay include herself within meetings like that as anyone more than just a passive, silent observer.

To a degree, she attended those either to hear what her next task for the day or to be just as a form of moral support for me. That's why, hearing her low-key scold the princess for bringing up this issue yet again was more than I could handle, forcing me to lower my guard and allowing a chuckle to escape from my lips.

"And what is it that's so funny?!" Gritting her teeth in reaction to my laugh… or maybe in reaction to the way Fay sneakily reprimanded her for stalling, Etaria asked.

"I'm sorry, it's nothing," I shook my head only to then lean over the table and cup my hands together before resting my chin upon them. "But what Fay said is correct. We are not here to judge this particular case but to figure out what's the problem and solve it. Then, we also need to create laws that will replace Imperial law within the lands that we control."

My words instantly put an ugly grimace on Etaria's and some of her ministers' faces.

'Well, I wouldn't smile like an idiot if someone told me, straight in the face, that they are going to replace the laws and common sense in the lands that, just until a few weeks before, I considered to be my own.'

Etaria closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Yet, rather than speaking out with renewed confidence after a moment of rest, she only ended up giving the men that she came to the negotiations with a furious stare.

"How do you want to solve the problems that we discussed, then?" one of the princess' ministers took Etaria's look personally and leaned over the table, in a gesture that silently grew akin to picking up the microphone and gaining the right to speak. "Gambling dens you can build, inns and taverns you can build and stock up yourself. But who… brothels?"

The minister changed the name he called the businesses centered around the oldest job in the world right as he felt Etaria's piercing stare on the side of his face.

The minister shook his head.

"It might be just me, but I can't recall seeing an appropriate amount of women anywhere in your camp. So, unless you are going to bring them over from wherever you came from…"

"How about we establish a co-ruled entertainment zone?" I spoke out before this particular minister could push his loosely hidden baits any further.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

What followed was Makary's furious stare that I decided to ignore… because the minister was right.

Just like workers, engineers, soldiers, or literally anyone else from the Earth, it was possible to bring a huge amount of women over to the camp from Earth. But, just like workers, engineers, and soldiers… They would be freakishly expensive!

With that in mind, if there was anywhere where the entertainment zones should procure their staff, it was from within the empire. And even if we went ahead and offered double or triple the usual rates for the jobs in any other part of the empire, the staffing cost would still turn into a fraction of what we would have to pay the experts and professionals from back home.

"And how is that co-rule supposed to look like?" Etaria asked, quite notably only interested in this part of what I've said, unable to be bothered to ask about what I meant with entertainment.

"It's simple," I smiled to my own thoughts first, before taking several seconds to sort out all my thoughts and ideas. "We would build the entire thing, we will decorate the entire thing, set up streets, carriages from the new camp to the zone and back, another set of carriages going from the zone to the frontier town and back, supply lines to maintain the operations of the zone…"

Rather than just finishing up, I took my time again to search for what else we could provide for the construction and operation of such a zone.

"And where does that co-rule come in?" Etaria pressed, forcing me to lower my eyes and look her in the face while hurrying up with my own explanations.

"You guys will be the ones responsible for staffing it. Since the job there will be relatively easy and extremely profitable, we will split all the jobs in half, with one part getting staffed by the imperials serving under us, while the other half will go to whatever you bring in to fill the role."

I took a deep breath, only to raise my eyebrows and lean slightly further over the table to indicate I wasn't done yet.

"Obviously, if either side cannot staff the spots they need to, the other side will gain exclusive right and obligation to do so. So, just like mentioned, since we cannot really staff the brothels, it will be up for you to organize the girls…"

Seeing the wrinkles appearing on Etaria's forehead, I had to win quite the battle against myself not to smile.

"It will be up to you to organize the girls for the brothels, while you will also be the party benefiting from the taxes they will be paying."

Just as Etaria was supposed to protest and once again ask her question, I finally reached the point where I could explain it without suffering through her interrupting me every other sentence.

"Every worker of every business within the entertainment zone shall pay a total of two pieces out of every ten they earn. One part will go to the business itself, while the other part will be paid as a tax."

"What about the remaining eight parts?" one of the imperial ministers asked while already preparing a piece of parchment and a chunk of coal stuffed into some sort of tube to write with.

"They will be the rightful earnings of the worker," I replied while shrugging my head. "As for the part that will go to the business, it will serve to expand its operation. And once each brothel, tavern, theater or bathhouse will reach its final capacity…"

Right now, I really had to struggle a whole damn lot not to smile.

"It will be put up for sale at hundred and twenty times the monthly income of from its half of the tax. And whoever ends up buying it, will be the ones to decide whether to get that tax for themselves, or reinvest it back into the business they've bought."

There were many ways to start the process of integration between our camp and the rest of the imperial world. A process that just the exchange of prisoners wouldn't complete, assuming this process alone was enough to start it to begin with.

No, only when the imperials working directly for us would start to mingle with the imperials from the rest of the empire, would the word about the benefits we offer to those who are loyal to us would spread.

And if losing the potential ownership of several shops, brothels or taverns was the cost of doing so…

Then so be it!

"Is money all you think about?" Etaria asked in a strangely condescending tone. 'Two parts out of ten, one as a tax while the other…" She didn't even bother to properly finish up the sentence of mine she was quoting.

"No," Etaria then added only to lean forward in her chair, rest her elbows on the table, and cup her hands together to create a support on which she rested her chin. "What you are talking about is merely money. But what I want the answers for, are the way in which co-rule would work."

Hearing the question… I actually hesitated.

Not because I wasn't keen to share the answer, but simply because I didn't have one. Read latest chapters at empire

Just like Etaria pointed out, money was the only aspect of the situation that I've considered. And as a flawed yet ultimate form of expressing value, it could also serve as the source of power within the zone.

But Etaria, that damned imperial, golden princess, apparently didn't put gold in her eyes, remaining free from the hold it had over men throughout the ages.

"It's simple," right as I struggled to come up with a witty and actually smart answer, Makary finally came to my rescue. "If we want to cooperate on this, we need to agree to one thing."

Makary calmly raised his eyes, the hints of how he looked at me before now nowhere to be found and looked right into the princess' face.

"Whatever laws we end up establishing in the zone, they shall remain supreme. And regardless if it's a commoner, a noble, a princess, or me, all shall be obliged to respect those."

Etaria squinted her eyes and locked her arms on her chest.

"And you want me to blindly agree to follow, or at least accept, the laws that we didn't agree on yet?"

By now, rather than cheeky, Etaria appeared to be simply exhausted by how her common sense made it nearly impossible for her to follow the rapidly evolving debacle.

"No, not at all," Makary shook his head before gracing the princess with a small smile. "The laws that we agree on will dictate my behavior as much as yours, Peter's, Fay's, or a random commoner. As for what laws we agree on," Makary's smile only grew wider, "that's the topic for another meeting, isn't it?"