"How was Lucius Caesar able to succeed? Even while selling an amphora of nearly the same quality as ours at a higher price."
Crassus asked his son, holding up an amphora.
Publius merely shrugged instead of answering.
Crassus's mansion didn't feel very lively even during Saturnalia.
The slaves swept and cleaned the floors as usual, afraid to draw their master's attention.
In this house, Saturnalia didn't change anything.
"Isn't Lucius the one known to have received a revelation from the Goddess Vesta? The citizens probably believe the Palmolive he made is more effective."
Publius said, popping a grape into his mouth.
"Yes, there's that too. But that's not all."
Crassus shook the amphora containing Caesar Palmolive back and forth in his hand.
"He tied Palmolive to veteran support. And right now in Rome, there are countless veterans and their families."
Rome was a complex web of patron-client ties.
These patronage relationships determined not only politics but the daily lives of the citizens.
"Buying Caesar Palmolive has become a way to prove one's support for them. Veterans and their families have no choice but to buy this."
"Are you saying they buy Caesar Palmolive out of necessity because of how others will look at them?"
"Yes, it became possible thanks to the trademark. They can now show off their social status and connections depending on what goods they buy."
Crassus stared at the Caesar crest engraved on the amphora.
"On top of that, he created a new gamble called a lottery and pushed it through the Senate. He even got that arrogant Pompey on his side."
"But didn't you invest a significant amount in that veterans' fund as well, Father?"
"We reacted too late. In the end, the Caesar family will look like the true heroes to the citizens. No matter how much money we pour in now, it will only look like we're desperately trying to catch up."
Slaves passed by, cleaning up dust and fruit peels dropped on the floor.
Crassus turned his head and looked at his son.
"Change is coming to Rome, Publius. We cannot survive if we do not change as well."
Fortunately, adapting was his specialty.
Hadn't he gained the greatest wealth in Rome by constantly changing and adapting to situations his whole life?
"Caesar will either burn himself... or he will burn down all of Rome."
***
Hispania
"Imperator, the tribal chiefs have all arrived."
"I see."
Caesar replied, returning his adjutant's salute.
"Right this way, Master."
With the help of servants, he donned his armor piece by piece.
"I am no longer your master. You are free men now, after all."
"I still can't quite believe we've been freed. We can only thank you for your generosity, Master Caesar."
"Don't thank me, thank my son. He was the one who brought this up in the first place."
Caesar grinned.
"I will give you a generous sum when we return to Rome, so go whichever way you wish."
"We will follow you, Master Caesar. Who else but us could serve you well?"
"I heard the ones in Rome said the same thing."
"They probably all think the same."
Caesar nodded and picked up a water bowl nearby.
Lightly splashing his face with cold water, he said,
"It would have been nice to spend Saturnalia with my family."
His son, Lucius, had succeeded in countless endeavors.
Insurance, Palmolive, the Trademark Law, and supporting the veterans.
In a short time of barely a year, he had shown off his presence to all of Rome.
Even Pompey and Crassus were both trying to join hands with Lucius.
Crassus with money, and Pompey through marriage.
Caesar had also persuaded the two to run for Consul together several years ago, but he hadn't been able to build an alliance to this extent.
"Still, I shouldn't be called a father who is lesser than his son."
Caesar said as he stood up from his chair.
He headed out of the tent with a relaxed stride.
Thousands of soldiers lined up in formation welcomed him.
"Rome! Rome! Rome!"
"Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!"
The sound of chanting his name echoed across the entire plain.
Escorted by his adjutants, Caesar walked down the line.
In the center of the formation, men dressed in leather garments stood awkwardly.
Arriving before them, Caesar smiled and said,
"Today is a glorious day."
"For you, perhaps."
One of the tribal chiefs replied in broken Latin.
They were all waiting for the fate that would befall them with sorrowful expressions.
"There is no need to be so tense."
As Caesar spoke in a gentle tone, his cloak fluttered in the wind.
"Bring the Aquila!"
At Caesar's shout, a soldier holding a standard approached his side.
At the very top of the standard was an eagle statue made of gold.
Aquila.
The golden eagle statue was the symbol representing the Roman legions, and furthermore, all of Rome.
"Today, you are not kneeling before me, Caesar, but before Rome."
Caesar said.
"All of you opposed Rome. But Rome will show you clemency and mercy. How you respond to that rests in your hands."
In the silence, only his voice echoed.
"In this place today, you shall swear an oath that you will never again oppose Rome, and that you will submit to her."
"And if we refuse that proposal?"
"The entirety of Rome's wrath will pour down upon you. The victory has already been decided. I could take all your tribesmen as slaves. That is the right of Rome, and the right of the victor."
"We know that well enough."
One tribal chief growled full of hatred.
"But I will show you clemency."
Caesar said.
"Accept the rule of Rome. Then her glory and prosperity will follow you."
A long silence followed again.
Finally, the tribal chiefs knelt before the eagle one by one.
At the same time, the cheers of the soldiers rang out.
"Imperator! Imperator!"
Looking at the golden eagle sparkling in the sunlight, Caesar smiled with satisfaction.
"I will be able to return to Rome soon."
He muttered, turning his head to look at the sky.
"I can't even imagine what absurd stunt Lucius would be pulling right about now..."
***
"Bleeeuuurgh!"
"See, didn't I tell you not to drink too much, Young Master."
"I shouldn't have made a drinking bet in the first place."
I said, wiping my mouth.
It felt like someone was smashing my head with a hammer.
On the last day of Saturnalia, we spent the whole night playing drinking games.
We rolled dice and drank as many cups as the number that came up, but after 20 cups, I had no memory of anything.
"I brought some honey and almonds. Please, eat."
Felix handed me a bowl.
Lying on the chair, I weakly popped an almond into my mouth.
It was not easy to get this drunk just drinking wine.
I guess I got too caught up in the atmosphere.
Anyway, there were a lot of things to celebrate.
The liberation of the slaves who had served the Caesar family for a long time, and the preparations for Felix's wedding.
On top of that, there was the meeting with Pompeia.
"What did you think of the young lady? The atmosphere between you two seemed quite nice."
Felix asked with a playful expression.
"Could you not tease your master too much, Felix? Don't forget you're still technically a slave."
I brought my hand to my still-throbbing head.
"I could have you crucified right here if I set my mind to it."
"Even so, you won't be able to shut my mouth."
Felix replied with a laugh.
"Ah, Vitruvius came looking for you, saying he had to see you, Young Master. Actually, he came last night but it was so late I just showed him to a guest room."
"Vitruvius came to our house in the middle of the night?"
Did something urgent happen?
But I was in no condition to handle work right now.
"Tell him tomorrow—unless it's urgent."
"Um, about that..."
Felix scratched the back of his head.
"I told him that too, but he kept insisting he had to see you right this instant, Young Master. I couldn't stop him."
"Has to see me right this instant, huh. Then I have no choice. Bring him here."
Well, Vitruvius must have a reason for doing so.
I leaned back in my chair.
A moment later, Vitruvius entered the atrium.
He looked like he hadn't slept at all—bloodshot eyes, hair a mess.
"Sir!"
Before I could stop him, Vitruvius lunged at me.
"Look at this!"
"You don't have to yell. I can see it. It's the telescope."
I looked at the cylinder Vitruvius handed me.
It was the crude telescope I had made by having jewelers cut crystal.
It showed images upside down and reversed, and it was blurry, so there wasn't really a good place to use it right away.
So I just gave it to Vitruvius as a gift.
"Is there a problem with it?"
"No, quite the opposite!"
Vitruvius shouted in a highly excited tone.
"There is a way to use this."
***
"Send signals using fire?"
"Yes, exactly!"
At my question, Vitruvius nodded his head up and down.
He was so excited his words were pouring out like rapid fire.
"Didn't the Greeks also send and receive signals using fire? The Roman legions use it as well."
"You mean beacon fires."
Actually, beacon fires were not an unfamiliar concept even in Rome right now.
China had already been sending various signals remotely using beacon fires since 800 BC.
Similarly, in ancient Greece, Polybius had created a beacon system using 10 torches.
However, despite their practicality, beacon fires weren't widely used.
"Do you know what the biggest problem with beacon fires is, sir?"
"Probably the operating costs. Since you need people stationed at every beacon to operate it. The signals you can send are limited too."
"Exactly!"
Vitruvius shook the telescope in his hand.
"Using this telescope, we can cut the number of beacons needed for each distance by more than half!"
"That's certainly a plausible proposal."
I popped the remaining almonds into my mouth.
Because the telescope I made was constructed only with convex lenses, the image appeared upside down and reversed.
But if it was just for looking at smoke or fire from afar, there would be no problem at all.
"It's a good idea, but I don't think we can exactly make a profit using beacon fires."
I said quietly.
Beacon fires were ultimately a signal system for conveying crisis situations.
The messages you could send were extremely limited.
Unless the Senate provided funding, even if I built beacon fires with my own money, I would only suffer losses.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea to propose it to the Senate. At any rate, they'd be able to operate the existing beacons more efficiently."
"Profit... I hadn't really thought about that part."
Vitruvius muttered.
"I was so excited I didn't have the luxury to think it through properly. I've troubled you from so early in the morning for nothing, sir. I am truly sorry."
"Wait!"
I shouted.
If done right, this could become something very interesting.
"What is it, Young Master?"
Felix asked, tilting his head.
"Are you planning to start a beacon fire business now?"
"Something similar. But there's a way to use telescope in much more efficient and advanced way."
The telescope.
Beacon fires.
Perhaps a new business was possible using these two.
A new business that wouldn't just make money, but could change Rome entirely.
I might need to get some help from Napoleon.
Most people only remember Napoleon as a military genius.
The strategic genius who brought numerous European countries to their knees and built a massive empire.
But the reason Napoleon was able to conquer Europe wasn't solely thanks to his outstanding military insight.
Napoleon valued communication systems and intelligence gathering, and through this, he always moved one step faster than his enemies, securing advantageous conditions.
He fought the enemies he wanted, at the locations he wanted.
His enemies were always pushed back by Napoleon and had no choice but to be defeated one by one.
And there was one device Napoleon utilized for this.
A means to transmit messages at a speed much faster than a messenger on horseback.
"How about this?"
When my explanation finished, both Vitruvius and Felix looked at me with dumbfounded eyes.
"You're going to attach arms to a tower?"
"Well, you could say that. We attach arms and move them around."
"..."
Vitruvius looked back and forth between Felix and me, then finally opened his mouth.
"It seems you are still not entirely sober yet, sir."