The Mad Tycoon of Rome

The Ptolemaic dynasty did not leave much of a legacy to the future generations after its golden age.

But they did construct some remarkable masterpieces, one of which was a splendid and huge royal barge for the pharaohs.

It was a bit smaller than other ships built for ocean voyages, but that was only because it was compared to the largest ship in ancient history.

The royal barge was over 100 meters long and 10 meters wide.

Even after 100 years since its construction, this ship was still used for the pharaohs’ cruises, thanks to constant maintenance and repairs.

It had luxurious bathtubs for bathing at any time during the Nile cruise, as well as separate spaces for meetings and banquets.

It even had separate accommodations for the pharaoh and the servants, which showed how massive this ship was.

However, since it was not meant for sailing, it only had two rows of oarsmen, so its speed was not very fast.

The speed of the barge was similar to that of the escort soldiers who followed it.

Therefore, it was a common sight to see the pharaoh enjoying the cruise leisurely while leaving the soldiers behind and looking at the riverside.

This splendid barge was filled with more and more dazzling decorations and furniture over time.

When Marcus saw the pharaoh’s barge for the first time, he noticed ivory and gold, as well as ornaments from India and China.

The statues and paintings were also cultural assets that could fetch a fortune just by their creators’ names.

He understood why Cleopatra and Arsinoe wanted to show him this ship.

‘But to drag this ship all the way to the Tigris River…’

Marcus sneered as he saw the barge filling up the Tigris River and the waves of escort troops following it.

“Isn’t it amazing? Rome may be superior in everything else, but it would be hard to find such a magnificent ship in Rome.”

Arsinoe’s voice from the golden throne was full of pride.

“Yes. Rome has countless ships, but I doubt there is any as huge and splendid as this one.”

“This ship is like a divine object that symbolizes the dignity and authority of the pharaoh. When people see this ship sailing down the Nile, they can experience the glory of the pharaoh firsthand.”

“But this important ship is now on the Tigris River.”

“I can’t help it. You are too busy to join us on a Nile cruise. So we compromised and decided to cruise on the Tigris River. It took a lot of manpower and time to bring this ship here.”

Marcus rolled his tongue at Arsinoe and Cleopatra’s will.

How did they move this ship from between Memphis and Alexandria to the Tigris River?

They must have spent a lot of money as well as manpower and time.

If he refused to join them on the cruise after they put so much effort into it, he might hear some complaints.

He had just finished a large-scale war and wanted to rest for a while.

It wouldn’t be bad to take a look around the Tigris River and imprint its scenery in his eyes.

The cruise was more interesting than he expected.

Because of the surge in trade volume in recent years, he saw large ships with sails crossing the river without rest.

He also noticed water shops that traded with those ships, and he enjoyed watching the goods loaded on the carts of merchants moving along the riverside.

“The traffic is too heavy, so it seems to put a strain on the guards who supervise it. I guess I have to increase their numbers.”

“Are you still thinking about that here? You came here to relax, so you should enjoy yourself.”

As Marcus muttered while watching a guard busting a ship that transported illegal goods, Cleopatra sighed deeply.

“I am enjoying myself. I regret not taking some time to look around the Nile when I was in Egypt.”

“Right? The Tigris River is great too, but it can’t compare to the Nile. If you ever come to Egypt again, let’s enjoy a cruise together. Then I’ll show you our best ocean-going ship.”

“I’ll do that if I have some free time.”

Marcus immersed himself in appreciation for a while and savored his rest.

He wondered how long it had been since he enjoyed a leisurely cruise on a ship and took in the surroundings.

He couldn’t even remember if he had ever done that in his modern memories that were now vague.

He had traveled to many places in Rome, but most of them were to lead his army and conquer lands.

It might have been decades since he had a time to soothe his tired mind by admiring the scenery around him.

‘History will change completely from now on, but I hope this beautiful nature will remain unchanged from its original history.’

He turned his eyes away from the bustle around him and saw that the surroundings were full of wonder.

The color of the river was clear as if it reflected the sky, and the starting point of the desert in the distance stimulated the eyes with a color contrast to the riverside.

Arsinoe and Cleopatra had been looking forward to this cruise so much that they told him everything they had researched beforehand.

Of course, they did not forget to slip in some bragging about the Nile River.

This cruise was not only a trip to relieve fatigue, but also a task to reaffirm Marcus’s position.

Originally, in the Mediterranean world or the Persian sphere, it was rare to serve and worship the ruler absolutely.

Egypt was one of the few places that kept such a custom.

But Marcus was different.

After he ruled the East, the wars that had tormented the people disappeared as if washed away, and the food production soared.

Even when Rome and Greece were in panic due to the invasion of the Huns, the East did not feel that much of a crisis.

In the East, Marcus was already a living god, and the people wanted him to stay by their side forever.

When the nearby residents heard that the barge he was on was passing by, they flocked to the riverside and threw flowers and cheered, and bowed down to the ground.

Sometimes, when Marcus gave a word of blessing, ecstatic shouts erupted enough to push away the river water.

This cruise was also an opportunity for Cleopatra and Arsinoe.

They had a lot of conversations with Marcus.

Arsinoe mainly wanted to know more about Marcus’s personal aspects.

On the other hand, Cleopatra asked about topics ranging from law to politics, and even war-related subjects.

Sometimes, the conversation turned into a sermon, but it was a satisfying flow.

As they talked for a long time, they noticed something that they had not noticed until now.

“Marcus, do you have any concerns?”

“…Well.”

Marcus gave a vague answer to Cleopatra’s question.

“I felt it too. Sometimes you were lost in thought while looking at the other side of the river.”

Arsinoe also joined in from the side.

Marcus did not give any answer this time either.

He just tapped his finger on the golden chair while looking at the east across the river.

After a while, he opened his mouth slowly.

“It’s not a big deal enough to call it a concern. Just…a minor hesitation about which direction to go.”

“Isn’t that what you call a concern?”

“I guess so.”

Marcus chuckled as he took in the rows of countless ships passing by.

He used to think that if he reached this position, he would be able to put down many worries, but it was a big mistake.

One problem solved led to two new problems.

As history diverged completely from what he knew, he had to consider more and more things carefully.

It never decreased but only increased.

It was the same now.

The immediate problem was India and Han Dynasty of China, but he also needed to pay attention to the internal development speed.

The current Roman territory was too wide.

Even if he looked at only pure area excluding sea area, it might be more than China at its peak.

It was hard to maintain control even with relay stations since there was sea in between.

There would be no problem as long as Marcus was alive, but what about 100 years later?

With the current speed of scientific development, he might not have to worry about 100 years later.

But then another problem might arise.

He could not predict how his technology and military power that were far ahead of his time would run wild.

And it was too late to put brakes on development speed now.

He had already sown seeds in basic fields, so results would start coming out from various places even without his intervention.

But fortunately or unfortunately, the results of accelerated development were faster than Marcus expected.

He did not have much time left to worry about it.

※※※

The alchemists who were conducting research projects under Marcus’s orders were spending happy days with joy of learning new knowledge recently.

The pleasure of solving many questions that they had agonized over without knowing answers was not something that could be expressed in words.

They reduced their sleeping hours drastically and spent every day on research and experiments.

They even changed their names.

They had started to call themselves chemists instead of alchemists.

Although their methods were crude and primitive, they already knew how to magnify objects with lenses.

With Marcus’s explanation of the principle of the microscope, they went through a lot of trial and error and managed to make a rudimentary one.

Of course, it was too shameful to call it a real microscope, but it was still a tremendous advancement for them.

They also systematically mixed substances and recorded the stimuli and reactions that occurred.

Soon, they made an amazing discovery.

The chief chemist, Philithrios, hastily invited Marcus to report this discovery.

Marcus, who had returned from his tour, followed the call of the chemists and walked to their laboratory.

Recently, the chemists’ laboratory had been blocked by a very thick iron door at their request.

Two chemists who were guarding the door bowed down to greet him as soon as they recognized Marcus’s face.

“You have worked hard. Open the door.”

“Please forgive us and wait a little. The final experiment is in progress inside, and it may be dangerous, so we have closed the door twice.”

“If I remember correctly, this side should be an empty lot inside? But it may be dangerous…”

That was when it happened.

Boom!

A huge explosion and a vibration that shook the ground came from inside.

The source was clearly behind the iron door.

“Is this sound perhaps…”

“This is the result of our recent discovery. But it is too dangerous, so we are handling it carefully. We wanted to show it to Shahansha and ask for your opinion when it is safe…”

Bang! Bang!

A few more explosions rang out.

Marcus was not surprised by the deafening noise in his ears.

The chemists who saw him were impressed and licked their tongues.

They were so startled when they first encountered this phenomenon that they fell over and bit their buttocks.

Some of them even trembled and grabbed their heads, saying it was the wrath of Amun-Ra.

But Marcus was different.

The reason he was not surprised was simple.

He had heard much bigger explosions when he was in the Korean army before.

Compared to his memories then, this was clearly a pitiful sound, so there was no reason to be alarmed and make a fuss.

However, for a different reason, there was a hint of embarrassment in Marcus’s voice that came out of his mouth.

“This is faster than I expected…”

End