Marcus' decision to make a profit through mass purchases and wheat sales was right.
Of course, it was necessary to build trust in the form of performance first in order to obtain that level of voice.
Who would listen if Marcus told him to buy in advance because the current price of wheat would rise?
However, you will be suspected if you act too conspicuous from the beginning.
For now, it was enough to provide new ideas and show that he was a budding guy.
Build-up is important in everything in the world.
Marcus found the perfect material while looking around the workplace.
It was a broken waterwheel.
"Septimus, why is the waterwheel being repaired?"
"They said the cog was twisted. It happens often."
"It happens often? Is the material of the cog not good?"
"I don't think so. However, strangely, extremely worn cog are often coming out. So it seems that the overall shape is often broken."
Marcus was inwardly delighted. This is a problem that he can solve with one's own knowledge, which is only at the level of education. It was also fully explainable with ancient-level mathematical knowledge.
Marcus asked with an innocent face, pretending not to know.
"Don't you know why?"
"To my shame, I don't know."
"There is no phenomenon in the world without a reason. There must be a reason if you use the same wood, but some are fine and some are severely worn."
Marcus spent some time observing the waterwheel and devoting himself to the performance of devising it.
"Could it be that the worn-out cogs wear out quickly because they always only mesh with each other? On the other hand, cogs that are intact have fewer meshes."
"Maybe... right? It would be reasonable to see it like that."
"Then wouldn't it be possible to increase durability if all the cogs were evenly engaged when designing it?"
"Theoretically, yes. But what's important is how to design it like that."
"Right? I think I saw something related to this recently I think it was a book about geometry...…."
Septimus' eyes widened. He couldn't believe that Marcus, who ran away because he hated studying, had read a geometry book.
Markus, who noticed the gaze, added a word in an excuse.
"You have to be at least good at numbers to run a business. That's why I'm focusing on studying books related to that area."
"It's a good mindset. You've finally grown up."
"Well, anyway, I think it'll be something if we apply the Euclidean Algorithm I saw a while ago. Do you want to hear if it makes sense?"
Most modern people tend to underestimate the standards of ancient people.
However, the intellectual level of ancient people was never negligible.
Euclid's theorem, the father of Western geometry, was used as a textbook until the 19th century.
Looking at Euclid's algorithm method, they can confirm that obtaining the maximum common divisor is described in detail, and the concept of each other is understood.
The best way to prevent gear wear is to have the number of cogs offset from each other.
The cogs are disjoint means that there is no common divisor other than 1.
And if the number of engaged cogs is small, all cogs are engaged the same number of times.
In other words, as the cogs naturally wear out evenly, the lifespan is maximized.
Marcus was good at these magazines because his hobby was spending time in the library due to financial problems.
In fact, there was a high probability that this principle was already known in places like Rhodes, where they highly developed mathematics.
However, this era was a time when knowledge and skills were different even within the same region.
Furthermore, if it is about the distance between Rhodes and Rome, knowledge and technology will take a year to spread.
It was certain that there would be few people in Rome today who fully understand this principle mathematically and design waterwheels.
Anyway, Marcus' explanation sounded entirely plausible to Septimus, too.
He instructed the craftsman who made the waterwheel to experiment.
"You did a great job if you really did improve the durability of the waterwheel. The cost of regular cogs repairs will be greatly reduced."
"Right? But even if it pays off, it's better to use it only where we run it for the time being.
"Hmm? Is there a good reason?"
"We use it. It's good if it's durable, but what others use needs to be broken often to make money."
Rome, whose staple food is wheat, had large mills throughout the country.
It was good to say that there are few mills that do not use this waterwheel after the great inventor Vitruvius created the cogwheel waterwheel.
It would suit users if the waterwheel's durability improves, but craftsmen who manage and repair it will inevitably suffer from losing their profits.
The intelligent Septimus immediately saw through Marcus' intentions.
"I see. Certainly, using improvements only in the places we operate will maximize the benefits."
"Everyone will know the principle of cogwheel before long anyway. When that happens, we can make up for the loss of the craftsmen by modifying the overall contract method."
"I didn't know you had this kind of business ability. It's the blood of the old master."
"There is that too, and I was good at extort other people. I have to use my talent in this way."
It was a light joke, but Septimus couldn't bear to laugh.
Marcus' performance did not end here.
He explained the concept of a simple division of labor to Septimus and asked for his opinion.
Even in ancient Rome, there was a division of labor.
However, at this time, the division of labor was more like the distribution of industries, not the division of labor.
Crops for export were grown on large farms on fertile land, and handicrafts for luxury goods were only carried out in cities.
The division of labor began to have a theoretical system when Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations.
Marcus decided to apply this concept of division of labor to Rome a little earlier.
"It is a form in which individuals or individual groups carry out and cooperate by dividing the labor process into various types...… How did you think of this?"
"I'm too lazy to study."
"Yes?"
"It's a bit different, but isn't it less efficient to study if you learn multiple subjects at the same time? People tend to be less efficient when doing multiple tasks at the same time. I think the same goes for work. It seemed like it would be much easier to do the work if you could divide the process and repeat the simplest tasks as many times as possible."
Septimus' jaw dropped in admiration at Marcus' answer.
He started to think that the fool who couldn't study and caused only problems was actually a genius.
"In my judgment, the young master's idea seems worthy of experimentation. First of all, let's experiment with craftsmen who make chariots and wagons."
"It may just be a silly idea, so don't expect too much."
"No, I have a good feeling. The output will go up considerably."
A few days later, Septimus praised Marcus in front of Crassus.
"The young master must have a tremendous talent for commerce. If he learn and grow properly from now on, he will be a talent to double the family's wealth."
"...is it a new kind of joke that's popular these days?"
"No, I've only watched it for a few days, but his talent is real. He have the most important insight in family business."
Crassus looked at Septimus, wondering if he had eaten something wrong.
A child's praise isn't bad, but isn't this unrealistic?
"Isn't it that you overestimate more than necessary because he's only shown his lack so far?"
"Never. I thought you'd say that, so I brought the data."
Septimus unfolded his favorite wax woodblock with a notebook and showed it to Crassus.
"I made a cog based on the idea that the young master came up with. As a result of the actual operation, all wheels have been checked for a constant engagement. According to the craftsman who produced it, the lifespan of the cogwheel will be incomparably longer."
"Hoho~ How did that kid achieve this?"
"On top of that, the new concept of dividing the labor process into divisions has tremendous efficiency. It's very like a young master to say that he thought of this because he didn't want to study."
"Really? How much difference does that have from the traditional method?"
Septimus deliberately paused to give a dramatic effect.
And he whispered a shocking figure in a low voice.
"Just looking at the speed of the job makes a difference by many times. And this is a result of experimenting with craftsmen who are not yet familiar with this method. In addition, surprisingly, the defect rate was also lower in the division of labor."
This time, even Crassus was sincerely astonished.
It was because he never imagined that productivity would increase to that extent simply by dividing and collaborating.
"It's amazing... I never imagined he would have this talent."
"In addition, there are not just brilliant ideas. Even after improving the cog, he predicted that the profit from repair would decrease."
"The most important thing in business is the intuition to figure out what can bring out the benefits. Well, it's not strange to have that ability because he is my child."
"That's right. There are things that fit and don't fit everyone. I guess studying didn't suit the young master very well."
After hearing Septimus' report, It stuck Crassus' mouth under his ears.
It is surprisingly common for a child with no talent in studying to show talent on the other side.
However, Crassus did not expect such a good thing to apply to his child.
The prediction was off the mark.
It was a very happy miscalculation.
"If there is a certain sprout of talent, you should make it bloom. I'll make sure you stick with him in the future. I want you to listen to everything he want."
"I understand."
After Septimus retreated, Crassus, who was left alone, murmured in a small voice.
"If the two children grow up as well as they do now, there is no reason for me to be pushed by Pompeius."
An ideal structure was pictured in his mind, in which the second son, Publius, gained the support of the citizens, and the eldest son, Marcus, was in charge of the family wealth.
"What's left is a military prestige comparable to Pompeius... We need to work this out. But there needs to be a proper stage..."
* * *
After Septimus praised him, Marcus' range of maneuver widened considerably.
This was thanks to Crassus' direct order to develop Marcus' talent as the top priority.
Experiments that spend a considerable amount of money could be done as long as they had good reasons.
Marcus, who had time to catch his breath, visited Danae.
Seeing her in a few days, she had become a completely different person.
Her complexion was now fully restored, and her frizzy hair was neatly curled up and braided.
Even her skinny body, which seemed close to malnutrition, gained some weight.
It's still skinny, but time will solve it.
Judging from her straight features, she would become a lovely girl if she gained enough weight.
"How is life here? Are you able to adapt?"
"Yes, it's incomparably better than before. It's really fun to learn and be kind to others. I want to learn more things if I can."
"Really? That's a relief. Actually, I thought it would be better for you to start learning about business now. I'll tell Septimus, so you'd better stick with me for a while. It's going to be okay, right?"
Women's rights in Rome were low compared to modern times but relatively high for an ancient country.
No matter how strong the authority of the head of the family was, they could not ignore the authority of the wife in the family.
A good example is the repeal of the Lex Oppia, which forbade women from being extravagant.
At that time, the head of the family could not suppress the onslaught of furious women.
In Rome, high-class women were important customers in the luxury market.
In addition to simply purchasing goods, women's unique human networks existed in this era.
This was also quite important in creating political opinion.
Marcus planned to dig into this very area and attack it.
However, there are limits to entrusting it to men.
Marcus planned to give Danae the role once she had grown up enough.
Dana was motivated, clenching her fists.
"I will do my best in whatever task the young master entrusts to me."
"Haha, it's a distant future to entrust direct work, so it's okay not to do it too much already."
"But I'll do my best. I'll have to be many times smarter than now to serve the young master."
He thought she was too motivated, but he decided to leave it as it was because there was no harm in learning hard.
"That's enough for the future.... Oh, right. I'm going to Capua tomorrow, so if you have something to prepare, you'd better do it in advance."
"Capua? Are you going for business?"
"No. My friends are always making a fuss about going with me. You can't neglect managing your personal connections. If there is something that can be made, I will take care of it."
Most of the children from the families Marcus usually hung out with were members of the same senatorial family.
Even if he keeps a distance from his dissipated life, he cannot neglect future VIP customers.
Moreover, the place to go this time was also an area of great interest for Marcus.
"You're going with other nobles, are there any festivals going on in Capua?"
"I'm going to see a gladiator match. These days, the gladiators of Capua are the talk of the town. Rumor has it that the standard is incredibly high."
"Ah, it's a gladiator match. It must be some kind of festival."
"Yes, especially the champion of the Capua gladiators is famous for being as strong as a monster. I don't know if it's his real name or not, but everyone calls him….."
Marcus spoke of the name he knew well.
"Spartacus."