The Mad Tycoon of Rome

Marcus returned to his office after a long time away in the East and sank deep into his chair.

He had left Julia and Sophia in Rome this time.

Naturally, Trajanus and Danae also stayed in Rome when they heard that the two women were not coming.

The only ones who came with Marcus to Antioch were the two Pharaohs who had no reason to stay in Rome, Spartacus, his loyal servant, and Surenas.

Cleopatra and Arsinoe’s two daughters also did not come, saying that it would be better for them to study in Rome.

Marcus suspected that the real purpose was to make them closer to Trajanus or Sophia.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s good if the family gets along well. There’s nothing bad about it.’

The only blood relative who accompanied Marcus this time was Achilles, Danae’s younger brother.

He had a talent for martial arts and was learning under Spartacus and Surenas, so he had no choice but to come along.

He felt a bit empty being away from his family, but he also enjoyed the feeling of being free after a long time. It was quite refreshing.

But he was not here to enjoy his vacation. He had no time to rest as there were many things to check on after leaving the East for a long time.

“Let’s start with the new city development plan…”

The development of the Baghdad region that he entrusted to Publius was starting to show tangible results.

The city had a great geographical advantage as the Euphrates and Tigris rivers flowed through it.

Antioch would suffer a devastating earthquake in about 70 years anyway.

And that was not the end of it.

Another earthquake would occur 500 years later, making the city lose almost all of its functions as a city.

From a geographical perspective, Antioch was too far west now.

He planned to move most of the bases in Antioch to the new city that was being built, and relocate the ones that were impossible to Damascus.

In the long run, Baghdad was much more suitable as the center of the East as the territory expanded throughout the Middle East.

Of course, the name Baghdad was not used yet, so the new city needed a more Roman name.

According to Publius’s report, they were calling it Marco Polis for now.

He also read with satisfaction the report that they had received the envoys from Han and carried out their mission as ordered.

‘It’s a blessing to have a brother who is reliable and capable.’

The person himself, Publius, had to work hard in the East without even attending the historic ceremony of receiving the laurel wreath, but what could he do?

Septimus was old now and he couldn’t push him too hard, so there was no one else who could act as Marcus’s proxy except Publius.

But Marcus was not a heartless boss who exploited his workers without blood or tears.

He promised Publius that he would not give him any more heavy work after this new city construction.

Of course, by then, the new administrative system with a bureaucratic system would be up and running, so Marcus’s burden would be reduced as well.

‘Then I’ll leave the new city to Publius and focus on reforming the administrative system, raising taxes, and improving basic science…’

It looked simple when he wrote it down on paper, but it was not easy to put it into action.

Reforming the administrative system itself was not that difficult.

He couldn’t build a modern system, of course, but he had devised a system with high completeness by mixing the systems of pre-modern states.

The problem was always budget.

Whether it was bureaucracy or something similar, he needed money to pay them in order to implement it.

And the state’s money was ultimately based on taxes.

The problem was that Rome’s current tax system was not enough to support the growth of the government.

This was partly due to Rome’s ideology of collecting taxes widely and thinly, and partly due to the difficulty of precise taxation in ancient society.

Most of the problems would be solved if he collected direct taxes proportional to production and income, but as always, the problem was tax resistance.

He could easily predict how much backlash there would be from citizens who had not paid direct taxes except for manumission tax and inheritance tax.

The only way to solve this was to increase production and collect taxes in return.

If he told someone who produced 100 units to produce 150 units and give him 15 units out of them, most people would gladly accept it.

‘Of course, things might change when there is a famine… I wonder if I can cover it with some relief policies.’

Improving basic science was also headache-inducing.

So far, he had invested only in fields that could produce immediate visible results, but this caused basic academic fields to lag behind other technologies.

This was an area that Marcus, who had a humanities background, could not help but neglect.

Physics, geology, biology, and chemistry were important foundations for the development of science and technology.

Rome was already showing signs of surpassing the medieval level in some fields, but the gap between them and basic science was gradually widening.

So he hurriedly gathered alchemists and tried to start with chemistry.

Just as he finished sorting out his thoughts, a report from his attendant reached Marcus’s ears.

“Sir Marcus. The alchemists from Alexandria have arrived. Shall I bring them here?”

“Fine. Let’s do that… No, wait. It would be better to meet them at the new laboratory. That’s where they will be working from now on.”

Marcus checked a few documents that he needed to refer to and gave another order.

“First, take them to the facility and explain the city to them. I’ll be there soon. Oh, and send someone to tell Tadius to come to the palace. I need to talk to him about some business matters.”

“As you wish, sir.”

The sound of footsteps faded away.

“Good. Then I’ll try to finish my work as quickly as possible.”

Marcus completed the payment process as fast as he could and visited the alchemists at the appointed time.

He entered the laboratory with his guards and saw a group of alchemists huddled together.

A man at the front noticed the visitors and walked out cautiously.

He looked around nervously and his eyes widened when he saw Marcus.

“Oh, no, this is unexpected. I apologize for our great rudeness in not greeting you properly, Lord Marcus Mesopotamicus. We did not expect you to grace us with your presence in person.”

The man bowed deeply and the rest of the alchemists followed suit, kneeling and lowering their heads.

Marcus smirked bitterly at their reaction, which was different from what he had seen in Rome.

It was a clear indication of how these people from Egypt and the East regarded him.

Even the servants behind him acted as if they were serving an emperor.

“Alchemists, you may rise.”

They only got up after the servant’s words.

They had been more formal when they stood before the Pharaoh in Egypt, so they did not feel any resentment.

The oldest-looking alchemist among them raised his left hand to his chest and bowed politely.

“It is an honor beyond words to meet you in person, Lord Marcus. I am Philithrios, an alchemist who serves the great Pharaoh by his command.”

“Welcome to Antioch. You know why you came here, right?”

“Yes. We understand that we are to devote ourselves to alchemy research here instead of Alexandria.”

“Not exactly alchemy… Did you not listen to the explanation properly?”

A moment of embarrassment flashed across the faces of Philithrios and the other alchemists.

They did not know how to respond to the emperor’s question.

“It’s alright if you did not hear it well. Just say so. If you don’t understand something, just say so. I’m not here to blame or persecute you.”

“Yes, yes. We did hear it roughly. But there were many things that we could not comprehend as humble servants…”

Philithrios tried his best not to sound disrespectful as sweat dripped from his face.

“According to the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, the meaning of alchemy is not simply making gold. It is exploring the process of human ascension to a higher being. You said you would overhaul alchemy, but what do you mean by that…?”

“There’s no need to worry too much. I don’t think you’re frauds or scammers just because you can’t make gold. If I did, I wouldn’t have built this facility and brought you here. On the contrary, you will be able to conduct your research in a much more affluent environment than in Egypt. I just want you to do something more constructive than trying to turn other metals into gold.”

“But… Forgive me for asking, but is it really impossible to turn metals into gold? According to Hermes Trismegistus, it is not impossible.

Aristotle also taught that all things move from imperfection to perfection. Gold is the most perfect metal. Therefore, it is natural that alchemy should aim for transforming imperfect metals into gold.”

Marcus felt like his chest was about to explode with frustration, but he did not show it outwardly.

In fact, most of the Hellenistic alchemists were metalworkers.

Their theory was based on their own experience, but it was flawed.

They were inspired by the fact that when metals were mixed, they produced an alloy that had a different color from either of the base metals.

They compared this to how a child born from a union of a man and a woman did not look exactly like either parent.

They thought that by combining metals, they could create new ones, and eventually reach the most perfect metal of all: gold.

And they believed that by applying this principle, humans could also be born as the most perfect beings.

To Marcus, who had modern knowledge, this was nothing but a delusion. But he did not dismiss them as ignorant fools.

He had to admit that they had achieved some results through this method.

They had developed various reagents for metal processing, and they had extracted various substances like sulfur from distilling eggs.

Their improved distillation apparatus, pots, filters, and simple beakers were very useful for Marcus’s technicians.

“I can tell you why you can’t make gold. But you won’t be able to understand it with your current knowledge. To be precise, there is a way to turn lead into gold, but it’s impossible with your method. Even if it were possible, it would mean something completely different from what you think. But there is definitely some value in exploring the way to reach that stage. If you want, I can show you the path.”

The alchemists misunderstood Marcus’s words.

They thought that he meant that it was impossible for mere humans like them, but possible for him, who was like a living god.

With their lack of scientific sense, that was how they heard Marcus’s words.

“Is that so… You know how to turn lead into gold, Lord Marcus. You truly possess the wisdom of a god.”

“I know the way. The problem is that it’s impossible with the current level of technology. And even if it becomes possible, it would mean something completely different from what you think. But what you need to do to get there is to focus on the structure and change of matter itself. Forget about the old theory of four elements and follow the way I teach you.”

The advantage of being regarded as a godlike being was this.

He could say something that completely contradicted their common sense, and they would listen without any doubt.

It was nothing but an appeal to authority, but it was the most efficient way for now.

Marcus handed over a set of guidelines that he had written in a way that the current alchemists could understand.

He also took out a pouch from his pocket and placed it in his hand.

“Try to study these powders according to the way I taught you. I’ll decide on the next plan based on your results.”

Philithrios carefully opened the pouch and checked the powders inside.

He saw some unfamiliar white powders and his eyes burned with curiosity.

“I will do my best to meet your expectations!”

End