Kapitel 6: The Cabinet Meeting

Alexander took a seat at the head of the table but the officials still stood.

"You may take your seats now," Alexander said, gesturing for everyone to sit. The officials complied, taking their places around the large conference table.

"Thank you. Now, how about we go around the table and introduce ourselves?" Alexander suggested, looking around at the assembled officials. "Let's start with you sir."

The person he gestured to introduce himself rose to his feet and began.

"Your Excellency, I am Thomas Richardson, appointed as the President of the Legislative Assembly. My role is to ensure the smooth operation of our legislative processes and to represent the assembly in official functions. I have extensive experience in governance and look forward to serving Valoria."

And it was followed—.

"Your Excellency, I am Robert Mitchell, appointed as your Vice President. I will assist you in executing your duties and act as your representative when needed."

Julieanne Carter, the Chief of Staff, was already familiar, but she formally introduced herself again. After her, another man rose.

"Your Excellency, I am Michael Johnson, the Attorney General. My role is to provide legal advice to your administration and oversee the enforcement of laws in Valoria."

"Your Excellency, I am Madelyn Young, the Minister of Health. My role is to ensure the health and well-being of our citizens. I will oversee the development and implementation of healthcare policies, manage medical facilities, and ensure that every citizen has access to quality healthcare services."

"Your Excellency, I am Emily Harris, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I will be responsible for foreign affairs and diplomacy. With my power, I will help Valoria build strong alliances and maintain peace."

"Your Excellency, I am William Thompson, the Minister of Defense. My role is to oversee the military forces of Valoria and ensure our national security."

"Your Excellency, I am Sarah Adams, the Minister of Treasury. I will manage Valoria's finances, including taxation, expenditure, and economic policy."

"Your Excellency, I am John Taylor, the Minister of Interior. I will be responsible for domestic affairs, including public safety, infrastructure, and local governance."

"Your Excellency, I am Rebecca Morgan, the Minister of Agriculture. I will oversee agricultural policies, food production, and rural development."

"Your Excellency, I am David Anderson, the Minister of Commerce. My role is to promote trade, industry, and economic growth. I will help Valoria create a robust economy."

Your Excellency, I am Sophia Clark, the Minister of Labor. I will oversee labor policies, employment, and workforce development."

"Your Excellency, I am Daniel Lewis, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure. I will be responsible for the construction and maintenance of public facilities and infrastructure."

"Your Excellency, I am Olivia Roberts, the Minister of Energy. I will oversee energy production, distribution, and sustainability."

Alexander nodded, pleased with the introductions. "Thank you all for your introductions and I look forward to working with you all. But before we begin our meeting, I want to share about myself. I'm Alexander Herald von Triesenberg. I was dubbed as the bastard prince of the Empire of Triesenberg. I was banished from the Empire for the crimes that I didn't commit…" he paused as the bitter memories resurfaced, all the officials in the conference room looked at him concernedly but none interrupted him.

"Still…I am a royal prince however I didn't receive the same education as my half brothers and sisters. I lack the necessary knowledge to run this country and I wholeheartedly admit that any of you can take my position and do my job better. However, the system doesn't design it that way. So I will make myself open, and do my best to lead Valoria effectively. If I have an idea and you think it's bad, please speak up, if you think you have a better plan, do not hesitate to propose it. The system appointed you in your position, not me, which means you are good at your respective fields. That would be all."

When Alexander concluded his words, there was a moment of silence. The officials looked at him with respect. They appreciated his honesty and vulnerability, qualities that they hadn't expected from their new leader.

Julieanne Carter, the Chief of Staff, spoke up first. "Your Excellency, thank you for your transparency and humility. We are here to support you and work together to build Valoria into a prosperous nation."

Thomas Richardson, the President of the Legislative Assembly, nodded in agreement. "Indeed, Your Excellency. We have been chosen for our skills and experience, and we will do everything in our power to assist you in your mission."

Alexander felt a sense of relief wash over him. He had feared that his lack of formal education and royal training would be a hindrance, but the support from his appointed officials gave him confidence.

"Thank you," he said steadily.. "Now, let's get to work. For now, this country doesn't have much of a population yet. The only people here on this island are the staffers of the Volkshalle and your staff. In order to make Valoria a true country, we need to increase the population. I have a free 100,000 population that I can summon but I can purchase more on the system. I need your help to determine how many I should buy."

Before Alexander continued, he browsed the shop and saw the price of the people.

"1 million people is equivalent to 100 billion treasury funds. And so far I have approximately 15 trillion treasury funds. That gives us the potential to summon up to 150 million people if we want to invest all of our funds in the population. However, that would be a very stupid move to make. We need to balance our spending to ensure we can also invest in infrastructure, services, and development projects."

Sarah Adams, the Minister of Treasury, spoke up. "Your Excellency, while it is important to have a robust population to build a thriving nation, we must also consider the immediate needs for infrastructure, healthcare, education, and other essential services. I suggest we start with a moderate increase in population, perhaps 10 million people, which would cost us 1 trillion treasury funds. This would give us enough people to establish a functional society while still leaving us with substantial funds for development."

Alexander nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds reasonable. Any other suggestions?"

Madelyn Young, the Minister of Health, raised her hand. "Your Excellency, with the increase in population in an instant, I don't think we can serve them. For starters, we don't have basic needs such as food, housing, and medical facilities in place. Summoning 10 million people without these necessities would create chaos and suffering. We need to ensure that we have the infrastructure to support them first."

Rebecca Morgan, the Minister of Agriculture, concurred. "Madelyn is right, Your Excellency. We need to have a plan for food production and distribution. We should prioritize building farms, establishing supply chains, and creating storage facilities to feed the population."

"So you are all saying that we need to establish the infrastructure first, and then after it, we can summon the population?"

"Exactly, Your Excellency," Rebecca replied. "We need to create a sustainable foundation before bringing in a large population. This will ensure their well-being and prevent potential crises."

"In that case," Alexander continued, turning his attention to Daniel Lewis, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure. "Daniel, what's your plan for industrializing and urbanizing Valoria, given our current situation?"

Daniel stood up, nodding thoughtfully. "Your Excellency, industrializing and modernizing Valoria is a monumental task, given the size of our territory—587,041 square kilometers. It will require substantial investment, resources, and time."

Alexander leaned forward, his interest piqued. "How much are we talking about in terms of funds and what exactly would we need to build?"

Daniel took a deep breath. "To industrialize and modernize key areas, we would need at least 7 trillion treasury funds. This amount will cover the construction of essential infrastructure such as bridges, roads, railways, and airports across Valoria."

Alexander's eyes widened slightly. "Seven trillion? That's like half of our entire treasury."

"It is," Daniel acknowledged. "But considering we're starting from scratch on an uninhabited island…" he didn't continue as Alexander realized it already.

"I understand. We're building a nation from the ground up after all. So I'm sure you are going to need a lot of things from my system, you can just give me a list…"

"That won't be necessary, Your Excellency, as there is a feature in the system where we can just list everything we will need and you just have to confirm it," Daniel pointed out.

"Wait, you are saying that you have access to my system?" Alexander asked.

"We can only access limited features," Daniel replied.

"I see…" Alexander hummed.

"Your Excellency," Olivia Roberts, the Minister of Energy, interjected. "If I may, I propose a joint project with the Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure to build an electrical grid across Valoria. We are going to build coal-fired power plants, and to support the development of our infrastructure and to ensure that all regions have access to electricity."

Alexander nodded, considering the proposal. "No problem. So 7 trillion treasury funds…I will transfer it to you now."

Alexander opened his system and transferred 7 trillion funds to Daniel. And Daniel confirmed it right away.

"I received it, Your Excellency. We will use these funds to buy construction materials, equipment, and people for labor."

It was convenient. So he could just transfer funds from different cabinet members and then let them do the job? An idea popped up in his head.

"Okay, for every cabinet member, I need you all to come up with your budget you are going to need to execute and fulfill your share on developing Valoria," Alexander announced.

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