Marcus had a dream.
The scenery he sees in his dream is a library, as usual.
No, it wasn't like usual.
The empty bookshelf was full of books.
It was his first time seeing the scenery since he first came here.
Marcus was delighted at this beautiful sight he had dreamed of.
'Good! There was a lot of knowledge I wanted to know.'
Marcus was about to approach the bookshelf excitedly and suddenly stopped walking.
It is thanks to the fact that he has repeated dozens of times to think calmly at times like this.
He stifled his excitement as he wandered about in the empty library.
'Let's be cool-headedly. Why is the book that disappeared filled up again?'
The first thing he can think of is that a lot of time has passed.
After returning to Rome and receiving permission from Crassus, several days had passed since the grand opening of gladiatorial fights began.
If he calculates the time, more than two months have passed since he first picked the book.
"Do I have to wait more than two months to get the next book?"
If this hypothesis is the correct answer, it can be relieved for now.
To be honest, this is not satisfactory either. To that extent, Marcus was in a state of thirst for knowledge.
It is only possible to solve this problem if you connect to the Internet in real-time in your head.
Even if you want to make soap for hygiene management right away, you need to learn how to make it, and even if you want to make an early furnace, you don't know the principle.
It would be temporary if he could get the necessary knowledge once every two months.
'The problem is that there is no guarantee that you can get the answer you want to find with just one book.'
In the early days, he thought it would be possible to make simple items such as soap with just one volume.
However, it is absolutely impossible to produce an item with a combination of various technologies in a single book.
For example, what if we need other technologies called B and C to make A?
It takes more than six months to acquire the slightest knowledge.
It may only take time yearly, and he has yet to receive results.
He looked around to see if he could get a book like an encyclopedia, but he couldn't find any of that kind.
'The important thing is to distinguish the priorities of work accurately. And I should select only the items that I can do for sure and read the book.'
At most, six volumes of knowledge are allowed a year. If you put it like this, it's really tight.
In addition, when the time comes to build military forces later, he can no longer spend only time acquiring this knowledge.
Practical strategies and tactics, information about the other side of the war, and the detailed terrain of the battlefield are needed.
Even if you think about it a little bit, you are annoyed because you need so much information.
'Hoo... I can't help complaining. Where can I get knowledge even for six books in a year?'
There is still nearly a decade left before Marcus has his own power in earnest.
He can read approximately 60 or fewer books in ten years, so if he chooses carefully, it will work out somehow.
The problem is when the assumption that the condition for picking out a book is when a certain amount of time has passed needs to be corrected.
In this case, there was no answer, so he decided to look at the condition of the library in two months and think about it.
Now he has to choose what to choose as the second book.
'But let's keep it stable for now. There is no guarantee that I can choose a book again in two months. You have to choose after assuming that this might be your last chance.'
In the end, Marcus did not choose the book he needed right away, but the one that would give him the clearest advantage.
It is a rare masterpiece left by Julius Caesar and the essence of Latin literature.
It was Commentarii de Bello Gallico (Commentaries on the Gallic War).
* * *
The Crassus family had surprisingly less frequent meals close to banquets compared to their wealth.
It differed from Lucullus, who said every meal was a feast worthy of gourmets.
Still, today's meal was full of delicacies they could not easily taste.
Crassus raised a glass of wine with a hearty smile that was not usually seen.
"As everyone knows, today's meeting is to praise Marcus for his achievements. Let's eat and enjoy as much as we want."
"Thank you. I'll take it as an encouragement to do better in the future and continue to work hard."
At Marcus' answer, Crassus smiled happily and nodded.
Tertulla, who had been worried about her eldest son so far, looked at him proudly.
"Did Marcus really do such a great thing?"
Crassus nodded, looking at his elegant and beautiful wife's face.
"Of course. The improved waterwheel at this kid's suggestion proved to work very well in practice. In addition, the division of labor has increased the productivity of craftsmen beyond comparison. Above all, Marcus, your proposed improvement in the gladiatorial game was truly excellent. This could really make a huge profit."
Crassus, who was praising Marcus until his mouth was dry, turned to Spartacus standing behind him.
"I saw the gladiatorial match held last time. It was a real ghostly workmanship. If you continue to do your job well in the future, I will give you a reasonable reward."
"You will never be disappointed."
Spartacus answered moderately and bowed his back.
It could sum up his debut match in Rome in one word: shock.
His opponent was a Gallic gladiator who had made a name for himself in Rome.
His record is seven wins, two draws, and two losses in 11 games.
However, he tried to tell an outsider from Capua the level of Rome, and he smashed him without holding out for a minute.
Roman audiences cheered enthusiastically for the emergence of a new divinity that appeared like a storm.
"I believed that my brother would show me something right someday. I'm really happy that my prediction was right."
"Thank you, Publius."
"To be honest, I didn't have the confidence to run the business our father started, but I feel very reassured that my older brother is here."
His younger brother, Publius, rejoiced at his brother's success as if it were his own business.
The impression gives a good impression with distinct features. Publius was a boy who was sure to become a tall and handsome man when he grew up.
On top of that, he studies well. He has a good personality enough to be loved by everyone, so it is no wonder that the original Marcus has an inferiority complex.
Marcus also had an outstanding appearance, but everything except his face was better than his younger brother, so he must have felt complicated.
Of course, Marcus didn't consider his brother a rival today.
The performance he is raising now far exceeds the level that an 11-year-old boy could follow.
In just a few months, the trust of Crassus, the head of the family, had completely tilted toward Marcus.
"Marcus, how developed are the stirrups and horseshoes you proposed?"
"After conceiving and explaining the purpose and structure, a product that can be used experimentally came out. However, since it still needs further improvement, it would be unreasonable to make it into a product right away."
"Yeah. It's not urgent anyway, so it's better to focus on improving the completion without being impatient.
When the main course, the meat dish, came out, it briefly cut off the conversation, and everyone focused on the meal.
Perhaps because it was a dinner held after a long time, the types were really colorful.
On the table, just by listing the types of meat it is impossible to pick with one hand, such as piglets, deer, calves, wild goats, and hares.
Perhaps because he had been a 'soil spoon' in his previous life, Marcus' heart was filled with emotion when he saw such a splendid table.
As he inhaled the meat, he heard her mother's gentle voice, Tertulla.
"Since it's a celebration, why don't you celebrate your inauguration as a praetor once again?"
"That's what I expected from the beginning, and it's not surprising."
"Oh, you've become the best praetor among other praetor. As expected, you bold."
Marcus quickly swallowed the meat he was chewing and gave a congratulatory message.
"He's definitely a father. You're amazing. Among the only eight praetors, if you are a senior praetor, can't you say that you've taken over the position of the next consul?"
"You're right."
"If father becomes a consul, our family will produce consuls for this generation in a row."
Even the slaves listed behind them clapped their hands and cheered.
"Congratulations, old master!"
"You'll go down in Roman history!"
"Haha, it hasn't been confirmed yet that I will become a consul, so leave it at that."
Crassus shook his hands and smiled so brightly that his teeth were exposed.
In the end, the day's dinner ended in a friendly atmosphere, one of the best in the history of the Crassus family.
The younger brother and mother returned to their respective rooms with satisfaction.
Marcus didn't go back. He remained in his seat.
Crassus, who was informed in advance, did not return and kept his seat.
When everyone was gone, Crassus asked with a puzzled expression.
"Yes, why did you ask me to see you alone?"
"I asked you because I have something to talk about in business. If I talk about this while eating, my mother and younger brother will not be interested."
"You've really grown up to be considerate in that way, too. Now I can proudly introduce you as my son wherever I go."
"I'm flattered. I still feel that I lack a lot every day."
Crassus shook his head and filled Marcus' glass with wine himself.
"Feeling it is proof that you have grown up. I had a lot of worries about you, but I think it was a really useless misunderstanding. I don't know if I'm disqualified as a father because I didn't recognize your talent."
"That can't be true. It was all possible for me to be here because I was the son of my father."
"Haha, thank you for your empty words. Then let's get to the point. What do you want to talk about?"
"There's something I'd like to deal with before commercializing the stirrups and horseshoes. This is beyond my ability, so it's only something my father can do for me."
Crassus nodded his head as he took a glass of wine into his mouth. It means he is willing to listen, so keep talking.
Marcus continued with a serious look.
"I want you to pass one law."
"First, I'll listen to what the law is about and decide."
"I want to create a new concept that doesn't exist in Rome now. I discussed the details with Septimus, and he said it would be possible."
In fact, Marcus explained unilaterally to Septimus, but he did not necessarily tell the truth.
This is because it doesn't make sense that all this came out of his head, which is only 12 years old.
On the surface, he agreed that Septimus embodied the abstract concept proposed by Marcus.
Septimus agreed with this.
Septimus, fascinated by Marcus' genius, is now practically his man.
"As you say, it seems like legislation in the form of defining something new... I think I need a more detailed explanation."
"Yes, I want to introduce a system called patent. The system simply guarantees the state exclusive rights to individual inventions."
"Do you guarantee exclusive rights to inventions? It is not easy to understand at first glance."
"It's a concept that hasn't existed before. I'll go into detail."
The core point of a patent is to prevent others from copying his product and taking advantage of it.
The origin of patents is surprisingly old and dates back to the 15th century.
Although Rome was an ancient society, it had a stronger atmosphere of law and contract than in the medieval era.
Since it is Rome, if the purpose of the patent is well understood, it will be possible to draw the approval of most senators.
And once the patent law is passed, it is possible to make a huge profit from it.
Marcus explained meticulously to Crassus, even with a specific case.
Crassus, like a Roman, immediately understood the purpose of the patent. And soon after, he even figured out why Marcus wanted to pass this law.
"So you're going to register stirrups and horseshoes as patents."
"Yes, and we're going to patent new technologies that will greatly improve the ride quality of carriages and wagons in the future."
"This is certainly a great idea. Such a legally profitable concept. In addition, we never forcibly steals money, but we has solid grounds and justifications."
"Yes, the purpose of the law is to further promote technological development by guaranteeing ownership of the technology. In addition, this avoids the risk that excellent skills cannot be passed on and are cut off. Of course, there may be people who abuse patents to take illegal profits, so we need to come up with a system to prevent them."
Crassus straightened his posture with his eyes shining.
This is because it was an attractive bill the more he heard it.
It certainly takes individual benefits while extending the benefits of society as a whole.
It is an ideal form of legislative activity.
"This is definitely a bill that we must pass unconditionally. But there is one problem. If I announce this bill, it could be too sneaky. Wouldn't other senators start by suspecting that Crassus intends to make a massive profit from that bill?
"Yes, so I want you to propose this bill through another senator or tribune. And I think my father can give them the impression of refining this bill into a more perfect form by giving an example of the abuse of patents I came up with."
"Hmm~ All right. That seems the most ideal way. But how did you come up with this idea?"
Marcus smiled, scratching his head, pretending to be embarrassed when the question that he had already expected came.
"Even if the stirrup and the horseshoe that I desperately thought about come out, wouldn't I quickly copy it from somewhere else and make the same thing? It's a concept that suddenly came to mind when I thought there was a way to prevent it because it was so unfair. Based on that, I created a specific framework with Septimus."
"It's not normal for others to draw a new concept from the part where they just think they can't help it. You must be a genius."
"Not to that extent."
"No, it's not. I really put a son right. Hahaha!"
Crassus smiled cheerfully and patted Marcus on the back.
Anyone can see that now. Crassus looks like parents who are anxious to show off their children.
Marcus, who bowed his head in gratitude, smiled with regret.
The board is perfectly laid. The time has come to increase one's power in earnest.
* * *