For the next few months, Maximus had continued expanding the Imperial Union's influence within the Dothraki Sea and building up New Rhoyne. Already, about a dozen cities have been established and are in the process of being built up to the proper standards that Maximus has set.
Basic Hygiene practices have been created involving regular bathing and other sanitation practices. This was something that was already widely used within Heaven's Reach as each house was built with a bath where the household would bath themselves at least once every day.
Of course, not everybody knew how to use the new baths, so a few hundred people went around showing everybody how to use the bath properly and whatnot, making sure that they understood how to use it and such. The main motivator behind the Dothraki agreeing to bath in a more modern way was because it was how Maximus bathed.
A new Water Filtration System was created which introduced filtration methods using sand, charcoal, and cloth to clean drinking water, reducing waterborne diseases.
New Agricultural Innovations which implemented crop rotation and companion planting techniques to improve soil health and yield. Introduce drought-resistant crops to sustain populations during dry seasons.
A new Warhorse breeding system which specifically was designed to breed and create powerful warhorses for the Dothraki riders, as well as any other cavalry unit to use without having to spend system points.
And while magic is a widely used concept within the Imperial Union, it's not something that they can simply use everywhere at once. So new surgical tools were invented to be able to heal wounds sustained from the everyday work life of the average person.
Guild were established to regulate trades, provide training, and ensure quality could foster economic stability and skill development.
A new Bank called the Union Bank was set up which established a central currency called Union coins that would be used empire wide from now on. The Bank was directly set up to rival that of the Iron Bank, which would take years, possibly decades, considering how long the Iron Bank has been around.
The people believed that anything Maximus said and did was an extension of what the Great Stallion would want. As the Imperial Union continued to grow and prosper, word of its wonders spread far and wide. Merchants and travelers returning from Essos spoke of gleaming cities, of miraculous healing potions, and of a young emperor with incredible powers.
However, not everything was sunshine and rainbows. During these few months, slave traders from Slavers Bay had come to Heaven's Reach seeking to sell some slaves to the Imperial Union which they thought would be a very profitable business considering the rise of the Imperial Union as the new regional power.
But when they entered the city, their slave carts were seized, and the Slavers thrown in prison. Unknown to them, Slavery was banned within the borders of the Imperial Union, and under Imperial Law, any slavers caught within their borders are to be detained and the slaves placed under their protection.
The slavers' imprisonment and the freeing of their captives sent shockwaves through the region. Word spread quickly of the Imperial Union's stance on slavery, causing alarm among the slave-trading cities of Slaver's Bay and Volantis.
In Astapor, the Good Masters convened an emergency meeting. "This upstart emperor threatens our very way of life!" one of them shouted, pounding his fist on the table. "If he continues to free slaves and spread his influence, our economy will crumble!"
"We must take action," another agreed. "Perhaps we should send a delegation to this Maximus, to... negotiate."
In Yunkai, the Wise Masters were equally concerned. They dispatched spies to Heaven's Reach, hoping to gather intelligence on the Imperial Union's defenses and potential weaknesses.
Meanwhile, in Meereen, the Great Masters debated their options. Some advocated for a preemptive strike against the Imperial Union, while others cautioned patience, arguing that they should wait and see how the situation developed.
In Volantis, they started to take a more aggressive approach to the situation. Any Imperial trader that came into the city, was turned into a slave and their trade goods seized. The elected rulers of Volantis called the Triarch had bought the support of the Temple of the Lord of Light, hoping to use their strange abilities in spying on and undermining the Imperial Union.
Maximus had restricted merchants from going to Volantis or any of the Free cities for that matter and had Faraday to keep a close watch on their new adversaries and to report on any hostile movements they took.
As a few more months passed, the year 286 AC had arrived, and things were about to change in Essos. The negotiations between Astapor and the Imperial Union had failed as Maximus refused to negotiate with slavers. As a result of this, Astapor Yunkai, and Meereen had formed an Alliance called 'The Council of the Three Cities'.
Over the months, they had built up a combined Navy led by Shipmaster Khaleen Tidebreaker and a massive army consisting mostly of slaves, led by three selected generals from each city. General Kaelan of Astapor, General Tamsin of Meereen, and General Roderick of Yunkai.
Nearing the end of the year, the Council of the Three Cities had launched their plan to take over Heaven's Reach and enslave the entire population. They marched off with 60,000 men and 600 ships. The Army would be transported by sea to speed up their invasion, they would sail through the Rhoyne river entrance which connected to the open sea and sail right up the river towards New Rhoyne which would be their first target.
Volantis had already agreed to allow the ships through and even wanted to provide them with 20,000 of their own soldiers to help in the war in exchange for getting a percentage of the people that would be enslaved. The Council of the Three Cities agreed and thus they set off to war against the Imperial Union.
Faraday had already reported what was happening to Maximus and had planned to take out the members of the Council of the Three Cities as well as the slave Masters, once the ships and army departed.
In the meantime, Maximus had prepared an ambush for the Alliance fleet, by setting up soldiers and the recently created cannons along the bank of the Rhoyne river leading up to New Rhoyne. Once they were close enough, he would block off their escape route by raising the land to ground the ships and then destroy the army.
Once the army was dealt with, he would start marching on Volantis and the cities surrounding it, to clear a way for his march onto Slavers Bay. Nyxara was eager to finally destroy the slavers whom she came to despise over the months. This would be the beginning of The War Against the Chains.