February 1055, Moscow.
After a full day of official duties, Rostislav always liked to come to a high place and gaze at the city he had, in a sense, single-handedly built.
The Prince first saw Moscow's inner city; at this moment, several brick and tile towers stood proudly, a rare sight in Northeast Rus' that once greatly astonished the populace, but was now commonplace.
Parts of the inner city's wooden walls had begun to be dismantled, and brick walls, constructed from bricks, were now under construction.
These towers and walls were designed by a German named Robert; he was a Catholic with a large beard, and now he was Moscow's Chief Engineer.
This German also had a difficult fate; he was forced to leave his hometown due to persecution and wandered throughout Europe, building castles for local lords while learning architectural arts from various places.
He had traveled through many places: France, Spain, Italy, and even Byzantine; he worked in these regions while learning all the valuable architectural techniques.
However, just as he was leaving the Imperial Capital, he unfortunately encountered a group of Rus' pirates and was brought as a slave to this northern land, sold in the slave market of Novgorod.
Because he did not speak the local language, no one noticed his skills, and Rostislav was lucky to discover him because the man, confined in a cage, idly drew complex engineering diagrams on the ground, which made the Prince realize his abilities.
Rostislav bought him and then realized he had found a treasure; this man was proficient in Byzantine and Italian architectural techniques, which was exactly the style the Prince wanted to learn.
Rostislav told him he could redeem himself through architectural design, and the German naturally would not let go of such an opportunity.
Thus, he became Moscow's Chief Engineer, with the Prince's only requirement being to incorporate some Rus' style into the existing techniques as much as possible.
The inner city was still very spacious, with large open areas, which were reserved for future construction; Rostislav eagerly awaited the day when Robert's designed buildings would fill this space.
After viewing the inner city, next was the outer city; today was Moscow's market day for the month, and farmers from outside the city brought large quantities of agricultural products to sell in the city, in exchange for the handicrafts they needed.
Now, Moscow's streets were crowded with people; everywhere, citizens haggled with vendors, and caravans laden with goods moved orderly through the streets, while Veche soldiers maintained order, observing the vibrant surroundings.
Various sounds converged, forming a symphony named Prosperity.
Rostislav greatly enjoyed such a sight; this wild land had finally been imbued with some civilization by him.
And in this scene, Rostislav ordered his attendants to bring a chair; he was about to begin his creation.
Many things had happened in these four months, and these events instantly lightened the burden on the Moscow Prince, allowing him to begin pursuing his hobbies.
Negotiations with the Bulgar side had been completed, and all the captives were sent back after the ransom arrived.
Rostislav still remembered the scene when calculating the ransom that day: entire boxes of dirham silver coins and silver ingots laid before him, an ocean made of silver.
With this money, Rostislav's construction pressure also eased; this money timely filled the deficit caused by initial expenses and war, and also compensated his relatives.
And after spending this money, the Prince's funds were still very ample.
As for those who were not ransomed, they were the Finn and Nomad who participated in the great army; the Prince screened them.
A portion of the obedient and willing were completely disbanded and dispersed among settlements centered around Moscow, while the other, more obstinate ones were sold through Abdul.
Seljuk dignitaries inherited the Abbasid dynasty's custom and also liked to purchase foreign slaves to serve as guards; these slaves would have a good market in the South Empire.
And thinking of Abdul, Rostislav couldn't help but sigh; this merchant, through a single speculation, had acquired an immensely vast fortune.
Abdul's wealth now had expanded tenfold compared to when he first arrived in Northeast Rus', and he still had over three hundred slaves; if these people were sold, it would be another huge profit.
The Persian merchant had already left Rus' several months ago, and when he returned, he would bring the talents the Prince needed.
Rostislav greatly anticipated that moment; although Northeast Rus' was flourishing, the talent gap was still very, very large.
But overall, these were not urgent; what was needed now was time, waiting for everything he had arranged to be implemented over time.
Whether it was implementing the guild system, controlling the countryside, or building infrastructure, all of these could only be slowly consumed by time.
And with such a significant burden lifted from his shoulders, the Prince naturally picked up his pen again and continued his writing.
Currently, the Moscow Prince was recording his pioneering history; the Prince documented all major and minor affairs since his arrival in Northeast Rus' in 1053, and his purpose in writing this book was simple: to leave a reference for future generations regarding this period of history.
This would be a very long task, because in the Moscow Prince's view, at least ten years would have to pass before the work could be considered concluded.
So, in another sense, this was also the Moscow Prince's diary, recording the history of pioneering this wilderness.
What the Moscow Prince was currently writing was the story of Valin; the chieftain's story was a typical example of a commoner rising to prominence: a commoner achieved merits, was granted land, then acquired a fortress and a beautiful wife, and then gained more land by resisting invaders.
Rostislav was considering whether Valin's story should be spread to encourage people to come to Northeast Rus' to start businesses and develop, as such a story was truly inspiring and could perfectly serve as a model.
The Prince did not write for long; after all, although he treated it somewhat like a diary, it wasn't truly one; what he recorded were various influential events, not things like what he ate today.
Putting the book aside, the Prince picked up a frontier epic from the Imperial Capital and began to read it to pass the time; these were among the books gifted to him by his grandfather and third uncle.
The so-called frontier epic described the battles between the warriors of the Eastern Empire's eastern border and the zealous Ghazi of the Arab, a popular literary form in the South Empire.
Although the entire book was written in Greek, it did not hinder the Prince's reading; he had been learning this language since childhood.
However, the more the Prince read, the more his brow furrowed, because the book's content was full of wild fantasies and pervasive vulgar, suggestive passages; rather than being frontier literature, it was more like the frontier as seen through the eyes of the Imperial Capital's literati.
And thinking of this, the Prince couldn't help but think of Kiev.