Chapitre 5: Did You Know That You are A Genius? (1)
Once you've made a decision, you must put it into action.
Marcus, who left Danae behind, immediately found his father, Crassus.
Crassus greeted Marcus with a look of surprise as if he had not expected his son to come.
"It's surprising that you want to see me first. I thought you've been quiet for the last few days, so where did you get into another accident?"
"No way. Then Septimus would have posted a report."
"Yeah. I don't understand it more because I know it. What brings you here?"
Marcus automatically smiled bitterly at Crassus's gaze, which was not reliable at all.
"I'm here to ask my father a favor."
"Before that, I also want to ask you something. Why did you bring that Thracian girl with you? Are you going to make her your concubine?"
"Not at all. I have something in mind, so I'm going to get professional training for now."
"You're going to give female slaves professional education, not basic education?"
Crassus tilted his head while lying obliquely on a long chair.
Unlike Greece, in Rome, women also receive elementary education, which is represented by literacy.
But it's usually just the end of it, and women from an educated families receive a Grammaticus (grammar education) at or above secondary school.
In the case of male slaves, there were cases where they received higher education only for special occupations. Female slaves could not find such a case.
It was natural for Crassus to react in that he did not understand.
"The time will surely come to help."
"I don't think a single slave would be very helpful, but...… Then just do whatever you want."
"Thank you."
"Let's move on to the issue of slavery, what do you ask for? I'll do you a favor if you ask me a favor because you have been quiet recently."
He is praised for staying calm just because he didn't become beaten. Marcus could get a glimpse of how low Crassus' expectations were.
'I deserve it. But that's why the effect will be quite significant.'
If you're a good player, you'll have to do better to get a light compliment and move on.
On the contrary, your achievement will look even greater if you have no expectations, even if you go in the middle.
After taking a deep breath, Marcus brought up the main point.
"I want to learn from the family business. Allow me."
"What? Do you want to learn business?"
Crassus' eyes widened at the completely unexpected request.
Twelve years old in Rome is old enough to start secondary education.
Of course, Marcus was also educated under a prominent Greek grammarian, although absent-minded.
At the age of 17, Roman citizens were able to hold the coming-of-age ceremony and wear a toga, a suit of Rome.
The boy who had not even attended the coming-of-age ceremony did not serve in the military and was considered to be at an age where he had to concentrate on learning.
All the more so for the children of the upper class.
Even after completing the education in grammar, arithmetic, and geometry, there were many things to learn from rhetoric, eloquence techniques, and philosophy.
When you have so much work to do and ask for another job, you are delaying your duty.
Crassus asked curtly.
"Did you hate studying so much?"
"It's not like that. Of course, I'm going to be faithful to the education I am receiving now. However, besides that, I want to see and learn from the family's business right next to me."
"Why? The work will be done by the family's freed slaves anyway. And since you are a member of our family, shouldn't you enter the Senate. Even if you don't have enough people, you're only a quaestor. You can do as much as you want with money."
"Yes, of course I intend to."
The Senate seat initially had a capacity of 300, but the number of seats has now increased to 600 due to Sulla's reform.
Among those who step on government posts in the order of quaestor, aedile, praetor, and consul, those who pass the inspection by the censor will become senators.
These government posts were often called the Cursus Honorum (Course of Honor) in Rome because they worked for no pay.
Young people from prestigious families usually enter the Senate as soon as they pass through the quaestor.
Rome did not have an organization like the National Election Commission, so buying voters was the same as usual.
If it was a consul with a capacity of 2 or a praetor with 8 members, 20 quaestors could be elected if they sprayed money.
Marcus, the idiot, could only be elected as quaestor if he had the support of his family.
In common sense, there was no reason for him to engage in commerce from an early age when he would become a senator in the future.
"In order to protect and nurture the family's wealth, we need to be well versed in commerce. However, it is difficult for you to misunderstand the relationship of precedence."
"Of course it is. But even if freed slaves do the details, shouldn't the person in charge be responsible for overseeing the business? Publius can do great things as a politician, but he lacks common sense. Because he is such a solid and kind person."
"Hmm…"
Marcus' words were an issue that Crassus had thought about at least once. Publius, the second son, was so far from Crassus that it told him that the pine dog had given birth to a hawk.
He was a child who had the courage to be loved and respected by everyone. However, he is too clean and pure as a person, so it isn't easy to set foot in commerce.
It was fortunate to maintain the family's property, and in all likelihood, there was a high probability of cutting it.
"So... do you think you'll be different?"
"I know I don't have as much ability as father. That's why I'm trying to get used to the business from now on."
Crassus, who was lying at an angle, stood up straight. His keen gaze penetrated Marcus.
A chilly wind swirled around his spine. Despite such a deluded sense of power, Marcus was not discouraged.
Crassus didn't really stare at his son to intimidate him. He just changed his attitude from a father who treated his son to a harsh manager.
This is the presence of the head of the Crassus family at the peak of Roman wealth.
The dry voice of Crassus sank into Marcus' ears, trembling with calm goosebumps.
"You've only caused problems since you were young until now. Is there a reason why I should be fooled again by you who have never lived up to my expectations?"
If he fails to come up with a convincing answer here, the negotiations will break down.
Marcus moistened his mouth with diluted wine and recovered his breath.
"To be honest, I wasn't confident of living up to father's expectations and becoming a politician. It was continuously obvious that I lacked my ability compared to my younger brother right now."
"Then you should have shown more effort."
"It was painful to see my father's expectations transferred to my younger brother, and I hated myself for not being able to do so."
It was a well-made lie, but it worked.
Crassus's eyes, which had been cold, shook for a moment.
He is also a child of a man and the father of two sons.
No father will not be swayed by his son's sincerity, which tells him why he went against it.
"Is that why you were drunk and had various accidents from a young age?"
"I wanted to escape from reality. But I made up my mind. I'll admit what I have to admit it. I can't be like my brother. Instead, I want to be a support to my family in a different field from my younger brother."
"What made you feel that way?"
Crassus was not aware of it, but his tone was soft enough that anyone could tell.
Judging that he was almost there, Marcus put all his energy into his facial expression.
"A few days ago, when I woke up completely drunk and lost my mind, I felt a great sense of shame. How long will I live like this...…. Can I be satisfied with living this life until the day I die? That's what I thought."
"Yeah. At your age, you're in the middle of being sensitive. You must have felt dizzy in many ways."
"As an older brother, I may not feel responsible, but I decided to pass on the burden of succeeding my family to my younger brother. I'm embarrassed, but after making that decision, I feel much lighter. Instead, I decided to look for what I could do."
"Is that business?"
Marcus answered with a nod.
Crassus took his eyes off his son and closed his eyes for a moment.
There was an awkward silence for a moment.
The silence would be only a few seconds in time, squeezed Marcus' chest. If he fails here, he has no choice but to go back for a long time.
Crassus' eyes, which had loosened, let out a small sigh as he looked into Marcus' face.
"If you watch and learn from the side, there's no reason not to listen. I'll prepare you for a suitable position if you think you're good at business.
"Thank you! I'll do my best so that you won't be disappointed!"
Persuasion worked.
For Marcus, who smiled with relief, Crassus did not forget to add the conditions calmly.
"If it proves that it was just words again, I will never give you a chance again. It'll be okay, right?"
"Of course."
Marcus had some secret measures that never failed.
He was sure that if he increased his family's wealth, he would never forget it.
"I'll learn with determination to die, keeping in mind that it's my last chance."
"I hope it's not just words."
Marcus answered with a confident smile.
Although he didn't show it, Crassus was delighted with his son's surprisingly changed appearance in a few days.
Because of that, the father-son conversation ended in a friendly atmosphere for the first time in a long time.
* * *
"... so, this is roughly what you need to know."
"It's filthy complicated."
Marcus immediately began to be educated about the family-run business, saying that everyone should take out even the iron horns in the short term.
Septimus, who had originally been on the job, was in charge of education for Marcus.
There was indeed a feeling of contempt for how great it would be to say that it was an ancient business.
Marcus immediately reflected on the arrogance of modern people.
The wealth of the Crassus family was greater than expected, and the businesses they managed based on this wealth were enormous.
According to the book, the property of the Crassus family is said to be over ₩ 200,000,000,000,000 (US$ 155,000,000,000,000) in today's value. (TN: ₩ = South Korean Won)
It is the eighth-largest asset in history among Forbes magazine's historical figures.
For Marcus, who rarely had even ₩ 2,000,000 (US$ 1,500) in his bank account, let alone ₩ 200,000,000,000,000, he had no idea how much it was.
"Dispatch of specialized trained slaves to the mining industry, firefighting, plantation management, transportation, production of wagons used in the past, real estate, shipping, and even training gladiators.... Is there really no field we haven't touched?"
"Yes, you can think of it as reaching out to all the lucrative businesses in Rome."
"This is really the modern tycoon itself."
They operated more than a dozen affiliates under the order of freed slaves, and under the freed slave was accompanied by at least dozens to hundreds of slaves.
He was even impressed by the scale and sophistication that far exceeded expectations.
"Because the Crassus family symbolizes the wealth of Rome."
A kind of pride flowed from Septimus' expression that stretched his shoulders.
It was such pride that they contributed to this massive accumulation of wealth.
"If the scale of the business is this vast, it would have been unreasonable for even a father to look at every detail, right?"
"Yes, but Crassus has an insight into the nature of the business. If he makes big decisions, it's our job to shape them."
The more he listened to it, the more similar it was to how it operated with modern Korean chaebol.
The head of a company with strong control sets the company's direction and is supported by competent presidents.
'I can't believe this kind of business was possible in an ancient country.….'
He was almost overwhelmed, but fortunately, Marcus was not discouraged.
Anyway, what he was going to do from the beginning was to maximize profits by setting an extensive business framework.
Complicated and detailed matters were not his business.
The key to investing is to buy at a low price and sell at a high price.
Anyone can make a huge income if they can do this for sure.
The reason why most people cannot do so is that they cannot predict price fluctuations.
Of course, Marcus didn't have that ability either.
But fortunately, he had the knowledge to make predictions meaningless.
'The sharp rise and fall in wheat prices is a historic fact. This alone can make a huge profit.'
The staple food of the Romans is wheat. Every time the price of this wheat fluctuates, the situation in Rome constantly changes rapidly.
Thanks to this, in books dealing with the history of Rome in detail, there was always a brief mention of wheat prices.
In modern society, information is money.
It's similar even in ancient society.
Marcus seemed to know how to use his knowledge for his family's business.
* * *
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone