Decimus hummed a tune as he organized his shelves.
Lately, he felt that business was going exceptionally well.
It felt as if all of Rome had fallen head over heels for this new oil.
For a small merchant like Decimus, business couldn't have been better. However, starting yesterday, the young Caesar had made a unique proposal to the merchants selling Palmolive.
A proposal—no, more precisely, it was a kind of event.
"Well then, shall we start the day's business?"
Just as he was heading down to the shop on the first floor, he heard the sound of a bustling crowd.
When he reached the first floor, he flinched at the crowd packed in front of the shop.
"W-What in the world is..."
"Do you have Caesar Palmolive here?!"
"Give me one, hurry!"
"I was here first!"
People surged forward, crowding around Decimus. Decimus raised his hands to calm them down.
"We have plenty in stock, so everyone, please calm down! I'll serve you one by one."
Decimus brought out Caesar Palmolive from the shelf. It was the Palmolive said to have been created by young Caesar after he received a revelation from the goddess.
This liquid not only cleaned the body, but was also believed to help prevent disease. But that wasn't the only reason people had flocked here today.
"I heard that buying this Palmolive gives you the right to participate in a lottery draw?"
"Each person can enter only once! Now, tell me your name and what neighborhood you live in, and I'll write them down on the list."
Decimus wrote down each customer's name, address, and even family details one by one.
"By the way, how exactly does this lottery work?"
"In twenty days, one winner will be chosen in the Forum. They'll draw exactly one name from this list."
"And they are really going to give that winner 200,000 sesterces?"
"That is correct."
At Decimus's answer, a murmur rippled through the crowd.
200,000 sesterces.
Wasn't that a massive fortune—one an ordinary soldier or laborer would have to work over a hundred years to earn?
To think one could become that rich just by buying a single Palmolive was crazy.
It was only natural that people were flocking to stores for Caesar Palmolive.
"Lucius Caesar really is an unusual man. I don't know why he would choose one citizen and gift them such a fortune."
"Regardless, it's good for us, isn't it? He's choosing one citizen and making them rich. Who in Rome ever did such a thing?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
A lottery was a concept that felt entirely unfamiliar to them.
"I'll have to pray that the Goddess Fortuna chooses me."
"Maybe you should've been praying harder this whole time."
"Anyway, Caesar always seems to do good deeds. I heard from a relative working at the Palmolive factory that he even gives them massive bonuses."
"Bonuses?"
"When profits are good, he gives them extra money on top of their wages."
"You're kidding. An employer like that actually exists?"
While the market and streets were swept up in excitement, countless others were watching the situation with cautious eyes.
***
"He has finally made a mistake!"
Cato shouted, slamming his hand on the table.
"A lottery! He'd dazzle the Roman citizens with a vulgar gamble just to sell Palmolive? Does that make any sense?"
"..."
Cicero remained silent, lost in thought.
Right after meeting Pompey, the young Caesar had made a new announcement.
He promised to randomly select one person from among the Palmolive buyers and give them a massive fortune.
It was something that had never happened before in Roman history.
As a result, countless people were flocking to buy Caesar Palmolive.
"It seems he had no way to hold out anymore once Crassus started a price war," Cato continued in an excited tone.
"A lottery. The idea itself is clever, but in the end, it's just gambling in disguise."
"The young Caesar recently contacted Pompey. How do you explain that?"
"That's simple. He must be trying to use Pompey's help to keep Crassus in check."
Cato was already as excited as he could be.
He was completely consumed by the idea of using this opportunity to bury the Caesars for good.
But Cicero remembered the young Caesar's composure in the Forum.
Young Caesar had remained calm and carefully read the situation despite the pressure.
Caesar's visit to Pompey and this lottery announcement did not strike him as acts of desperation.
Then what on earth is Lucius Caesar aiming for?
"Caesar will join hands with Pompey to pass the veterans' land bill—the exact scenario the Senate fears most."
Cato grinned.
"He means to bypass the Senate and arbitrarily distribute public land. He's practically following in the footsteps of the Gracchi brothers."
"The Senate won't just sit still."
Cicero nodded.
No matter how much its authority had been shaken recently, the Senate was still the Senate.
They would definitely launch a counterattack.
If that happened, there would be only one outcome.
"Rome will fall into chaos again."
***
"If you calculate the odds, isn't winning practically impossible?"
Babu scratched his head with his stylus.
We were having our weekly class as usual.
I was basically the professor, and Babu the assistant.
"The population of the city of Rome is nearly a million. Even if we estimate just half of that, it's 500,000 people. To choose just one person out of that..."
"The probability of winning is quite low."
I nodded.
Of course, 1 in 500,000 were actually pretty good odds for a lottery.
Powerball in the 21st-century United States had jackpot odds of roughly 1 in 300 million.
Compared to that, you were far more likely to be struck by lightning.
"For us, it's practically guaranteed profit."
"It feels even stranger that no one has attempted this until now," Babu muttered.
"At this point, isn't it basically no different from collecting taxes?"
A tax.
That was true as well.
The American writer Ambrose Bierce once said something similar. He called the lottery a tax on people who are bad at math.
A lottery was a business one could start without any initial capital.
If people bought a huge number of lottery tickets, you gave a portion of the revenue to the winner and kept the rest as profit.
"A lottery sells hope, Babu. And hope is a more powerful emotion than anything else."
Anyone who buys a lottery ticket imagines themselves winning first prize.
No matter how low the probability, they believe there is a chance they could win.
"And we're not just picking first prize. We're also selecting hundreds of additional winners for free Palmolive. There's no more attractive offer than this."
As I was speaking, Felix, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, chimed in.
"But this is practically gambling. The Senate will definitely take issue with it as well."
"They probably will."
Roman citizens actually saw this lottery as an act of charity on my part.
Choosing one Palmolive buyer and giving them a massive fortune really did sound like an act of charity.
Few people would have realized this was part of a marketing strategy.
The Senate, too, was more likely to fear my rising reputation and popularity than to attack the lottery as gambling.
"Then why did you choose such a risky method?"
Felix sighed, resting his chin on his hand.
"Even without using this method, you could have won against Crassus anyway. It's not like Crassus can keep selling Palmolive at dirt-cheap prices forever."
"Don't worry too much. I've thought everything through."
I answered with a smile.
From Crassus's half-price offensive, to Pompey, to the lottery—everything was in place.
Now, it was only my turn to take the stage in earnest.
What kind of performance should I put on?
I had to to protect the Palmolive market from Crassus, join hands with Pompey, and soften the Senate's checks.
A single mistake could cause all of this to go awry.
"Let us pray to the goddess Fortuna as well."
***
"Pompey! Pompey! Pompey!"
As promised, Pompey gathered his veterans in the Forum.
The sight of thousands of veterans gathered in the Forum was a spectacle in itself.
Citizens passing through the Forum looked on with a mix of anxiety and curiosity.
"Did a war break out somewhere?"
"It's Pompey's soldiers. They probably gathered to demand the passage of the land bill."
"Since the Senate refused to pass the land bill, it seemed they were trying to take it directly to the popular assembly."
"But won't one of the tribunes exercise a veto? It probably won't pass."
"Goodness, what if a riot breaks out because of this..."
While everyone's attention was focused, Pompey made his appearance among the veterans.
"Pompey! Pompey! Pompey!"
But he was not alone.
"Who is that young man standing next to him?"
"You still don't know? It's Lucius Caesar."
"That young man is *the* Caesar? But why did he come with the general?"
It wasn't just the citizens who were surprised.
The veterans also murmured as they looked at me.
By the way, I think I can never get used to this toga.
The toga was essentially the formal suit of Rome in this era.
Aside from being a pain to put on and take off, you had to keep holding the fabric with your left hand to maintain the folds properly.
Even then, you had to move as slowly as possible to keep the folds from falling apart.
But Pompey strode right through the center of the Forum in his toga, as if he were entirely used to it.
Just keeping up with him was a challenge.
With everyone's eyes fixed on him, Pompey stepped onto the rostrum.
"Comrades! You all know why we are gathered here today!"
"Pompey! Pompey!"
The men gathered in the Forum raised their hands and chanted his name.
Seeing it with my own eyes, it was an overwhelming sight.
These were battle-hardened warriors who had roamed the Mediterranean and the East under Pompey.
It was easy to see why the Senate feared Pompey.
"The Senate has once again refused to distribute land for you! To think they can't spare even a few plots of land for Rome's soldiers! Do you think this makes any sense?!"
"Boooooo!"
The veterans all waved their hands in unison and jeered.
As their shouts continued, even more citizens flocked to the Forum.
"I have a young man to introduce to you! I'm sure you all know him well.
He is the son of the governor of Hispania, Gaius Julius Caesar, and the one who created Palmolive after receiving a revelation from the Goddess Vesta, Lucius Julius Caesar!"
At his gesture, I slowly stepped onto the rostrum.
The veterans seemed flustered, perhaps not expecting my sudden appearance.
Just as I was climbing the rostrum, I saw something in the distance.
It was a lectica of extravagant luxury, clearly meant to display its owner's wealth.
Crassus was entering the Forum.
Now, this was unexpected.
Did he come immediately after hearing the news that Pompey and I were in the Forum?
The atmosphere was similar to when we passed the Trademark Law in the assembly last time.
But there was much more at stake today than back then.
If the Trademark Law was my debut in Roman politics, today was the moment to firmly establish my presence.
How would Crassus, no, all of Rome react react when they heard my announcement?
I stepped onto the rostrum, gripping my toga with my left hand.
Roman politics had always been driven by speeches and oratory.
But a simple speech wouldn't be enough.
I had to move the veterans, and furthermore, the entirety of Rome.
To do that, I needed more than words—I needed action.
I reached out a hand toward the veterans gathered before me.
"Sons of Rome!"