Before long, Graycastle Empire's national debt had increased by another fifty million gold coins, intended for building a road network connecting major cities across the country. And the collateral was, surprisingly, toll fees.
Graycastle Empire had already decided to set up toll stations at the entrance to every city. Anyone arriving by road would have to pay a certain toll based on the size of their vehicle, which could also be called a road maintenance fee.
After discussion, the dragons believed the plan was feasible. With the development of Great Dragon Express's ordinary parcel delivery service, the dragons had gained a certain understanding of land-based regulations. Such toll stations would actually benefit both transportation and Graycastle Empire.
In the past, every lord could charge fees according to their own requirements. Although, due to an unspoken understanding among certain nobles, the standards varied and were generally quite low, they still charged them, and there was no unified standard.
This had made many merchants miserable.
But now, every place charged according to a unified standard, based on the weight of the cargo and the distance traveled. It was very reasonable, and most importantly, open and transparent. Naturally, the merchants were quite satisfied.
As for Graycastle Empire and the local nobles, with Graycastle Empire growing increasingly powerful and the impact of the previous War God incident, the Graycastle Emperor's influence had long since expanded further. He had also promised that a portion of the revenue would go to the local lords rather than all being handed over. Naturally, both the local lords and the Graycastle Emperor were satisfied.
They believed that, as time passed, these facilities would not only help Graycastle Empire's commerce flourish further, but would also earn them even more money in the process.
As for the dragons, they understood very