Nitocris's reforms began first with legislation.
In the past, Egypt's laws had been customary law, and their interpretation lay in the hands of judges.
Since most judges were born into noble families, they could use this authority to secure benefits for the nobility.
Nitocris, however, broke with precedent and established a written legal code, one with clear and standardized statutes, laws that would be publicly proclaimed and known to all.
Although constrained by the era, meaning that even within such laws she still had to maintain, to a certain extent, the superior status of the nobility, the existence of written statutes meant that nobles could no longer manipulate the law at will.
To some degree, it truly protected the interests of the common people, making it a remarkable act of benevolent governance.
This code, known as the Code of Nitocris, not only set a precedent in Egypt but across the entire world.
Later generations would regard it as the first relatively complete written legal code in history.
After establishing the code, in order to ensure its effective implementation, Nitocris incorporated it into the content of the official examinations.
Anyone participating in the exams had to study the code, and those wishing to become judges were required to be thoroughly proficient in it.
At the same time, she ordered the code to be carved onto stone pillars, every city and even larger villages were required to erect such pillars.
Soon, the code spread throughout all of Egypt.
As a result, Nitocris gained the titles "Child of Anubis" and "Incarnation of Ma'at." Ma'at was the Egyptian goddess of justice and truth, often serving as the moral standard by which ancient Egyptians guided their behavior.
Anubis, the god of the underworld, presided over the weighing of souls, placing the feather of Ma'at on one side of the scale and the heart of the deceased on the other to judge their deeds in life.
Such titles demonstrated the Egyptian people's recognition of both the Pharaoh and the Code of Nitocris.
Of course, beyond law, what Alaric valued most was Egypt's commerce, economy, and finance.
Coming from a modern background, he understood that controlling a nation's economy meant controlling the nation itself.
Thus, Egypt's minting authority was completely nationalized. At the same time, under Nitocris's name and based on her private gold reserves, Egypt's first bank was established.
This bank was called the Royal Bank of Egypt, and it was the personal property of the Pharaoh.
After its founding, the bank began minting currency.
The new standardized Egyptian gold coins bore the portrait of Pharaoh Nitocris on the front, and the image of the royal palace on the back.
Originally, Nitocris had wanted to place Alaric's portrait on them, but after his strong opposition, the idea was dropped, after all, having the image of a unique man appear on ancient Egyptian gold coins would probably drive future archaeologists insane.
Beyond gold coins, Alaric also had the bank issue large-denomination "silver notes", or rather "gold notes."
On one hand, they facilitated large transactions; on the other, they served as a means of financial control.
When all of a person's wealth was held within the Pharaoh's bank, they had no choice but to obey the Pharaoh, otherwise, the gold notes in their possession could simply be rendered invalid.
Of course, given the current level of technology, counterfeiting such paper currency was a concern. But this posed no problem for Alaric.
Taking inspiration from the methods of Gringotts in the Harry Potter world, every issued gold coin and gold note was imbued with anti-counterfeiting contract magic.
Without specialized knowledge, even powerful magi would find it difficult to do such enchantments.
As time passed, both commoners and officials became willing to deposit their wealth in the bank, while merchants were eager to borrow from it.
More than that, Egyptian gold coins and gold notes gradually spread to neighboring countries.
With their superior craftsmanship and anti-counterfeiting properties, they began to replace the currencies of nearby nations in circulation.
Everyone trusted the Pharaoh's credibility.
However, while the Pharaoh's credibility could be trusted, the bank's integrity could not.
Gold coins, being made of actual gold, could not be minted arbitrarily. But gold notes were different.
As Egypt's wealth flowed into the bank, its gold reserves grew steadily, yet the total value of gold notes in circulation was several times greater than the actual gold held.
The difference was essentially a hidden form of seigniorage collected by the bank, though for Egypt's neighboring countries, it could just as well be called an "intelligence tax."
Still relatively ignorant in matters of commerce, they had no idea how Egypt was quietly absorbing their wealth.
Nor had they considered what would happen if Nitocris were to one day declare that the gold notes in their hands were no longer redeemable…
In any case, the establishment of the bank brought great convenience to the Egyptian people. For Nitocris, it multiplied her financial resources several times over.
With the bank, she could finally accomplish what Pharaohs throughout history had long dreamed of: embarking on large-scale construction without restraint.
When it came to acting as a grand builder, Egyptian Pharaohs were all enthusiastic.
This included public infrastructure projects that benefited the nation, such as Nile irrigation systems and urban construction, as well as private projects like royal palaces and Pharaohs' tombs, the pyramids.
Perhaps this inclination was etched into the very genes of Pharaohs.
As one herself, Nitocris, though mindful of her people, also possessed an extraordinary desire for constructing grand structures.
The first project to begin was the development of Egypt's entire irrigation system.
In the past, the various irrigation and agricultural measures pioneered by Alaric had caused Memphis's grain production to surge dramatically within just a few years.
It not only met local needs but could also be sold to other nomes. With such a foundation, Nitocris had been able to build an elite army within a few years and reunify Egypt.
Now, if this system were implemented across all of Egypt, the people would soon enjoy a surplus of grain and no longer need to worry about food shortages.
Breaking free from food crises was crucial for Egypt's prosperity.
At the same time as building the irrigation system, another urgent task was the expansion of Memphis.
As Egypt's capital, although the Great Judgment had emptied its prime districts of noble bureaucrats, after the reunification, nobles from across the land moved into Memphis.
Along with merchants from all over Egypt and refugees displaced by war, the city's population surged to several hundred thousand.
The entire city now faced immense population pressure.
Not to mention how busy the garrison troops were in maintaining order, just the overcrowded slums alone were enough to give Nitocris a constant headache.
Moreover, as the great Pharaoh who had restored Egypt's prosperity, many believed that the current Memphis, and even its royal palace, was no longer worthy of Nitocris.
Thus, a vast wave of construction projects was set into motion.