Free Web NovelChapter 125: Chapter 125 : Crown
"The Jews proposed such an idea?"
"They suggested building a wooden horse to commemorate the Troy Game."
With that, Felix let out a quiet chuckle.
"Of all things, they chose the Trojan Horse. Isn’t that absurd?"
"That is certainly an unexpected proposal."
I nodded. I had heard that members of the Jewish community had tried to visit me several times to offer a gift of gratitude.
I had no intention of demanding payment from them so soon.
It wasn’t as if I was in desperate need of money anyway.
I had planned to call in a favor whenever I actually needed their help in the future... but to think they would suggest building the Trojan Horse.
This was completely unexpected.
"Actually, it sounds like a rather brilliant idea."
When people thought of the ancient kingdom of Troy, there was no object more iconic than the Trojan Horse. Ironically, that very horse had been the instrument of Troy’s destruction.
We could even burn the horse after the game. Wasn’t there a similar festival in Nevada?
I recalled a festival where they erected and torched giant wooden structures—Burning Man, if I wasn’t mistaken.
"However, there is far too little time left before the game to construct a giant wooden horse,"
Felix said with a light cough.
"We’ve already looked into it, and it seems virtually impossible."
"Can’t we simply hire more workers?"
"I knew you would say that, Young Master."
Felix snapped his fingers, looking unbearably smug. At his signal, Vitruvius opened the door to the meeting room and stepped inside.
"I asked Vitruvius to review the idea beforehand. He will explain exactly why it is impossible."
"Wait, if that was the plan, why didn’t Vitruvius just wait inside from the beginning?" frёewebnoѵēl.com
At my remark, Vitruvius simply shrugged.
"I was going to, but Felix asked me to wait outside for a moment."
I shrugged.
"Alright. So, why is it impossible then?"
"The remaining time is simply too tight. A massive wooden horse is the kind of project that would make any engineer’s heart race. But impossible is still impossible."
Vitruvius pulled out a few sheets of paper and handed them over.
"The Troy Game is set to take place in the Circus Maximus."
Having existed since the age of the kings, the Circus Maximus was a stadium primarily used for chariot racing.
It occupied almost the entire Murcia Valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills. It was a colossal arena capable of accommodating a staggering 100,000 spectators.
"Even if we managed to build the horse, it wouldn’t fit through any entrance of the Circus Maximus. It would simply be too tall."
Vitruvius then pulled something from his tunic and placed it on the table. It was a small wooden horse, about the size of a toy.
"Then we have no choice but to assemble it inside the arena."
I crossed my arms, staring at the miniature horse.
That meant we would have to haul the timber into the arena piece by piece.
"Yes. And all the equipment required for assembly would also have to be dismantled, brought inside, and reassembled. It would take at least several months."
"Indeed, accomplishing that within a few weeks is practically impossible."
It wasn’t a problem that could be solved by simply throwing a massive workforce at it.
Felix still looked thoroughly smug after hearing my answer.
"Wait, Vitruvius was the one who explained everything, so why are you looking so proud of yourself?"
"Opportunities to thwart your endless ambition are rare, Young Master. I merely wanted to savor the moment."
I let out a chuckle and picked up the small wooden horse.
Well, it was a shame, but nothing could be done.
It would have been quite entertaining to construct a massive wooden horse for the Troy Game.
Wait. There’s no law stating the horse has to be giant, is there?
I stared intently at the horse sitting in my palm—the tiny model Vitruvius had brought.
We couldn’t build a giant horse. But this small model in my hand was already complete.
In that instant, something clicked.
Does the horse have to be massive?
"What if we make these instead?"
"Pardon?"
"We produce these small wooden horses in large numbers—dozens, no, hundreds of them—and distribute them to the spectators."
"Like a commemorative token of sorts,"
Vitruvius chimed in.
"If that is the case, it is entirely feasible..."
"What do you think, Felix?"
"Well, dozens might be manageable, but hundreds... that would require a substantial amount of labor. Though we can simply use the funds donated by the Jews to pay for it."
"We already know where to find the necessary labor."
I smiled at the two confused men.
"Have you already forgotten how many wedding gifts the artists sent me?"
They had showered me with everything from statues to paintings and other works of art. Thanks to me—modesty aside—a proper advertising market had been born in Rome.
The workload for painters, sculptors, and carpenters had soared, and their wages had risen significantly as well.
"If I ask them personally, I’m sure many of them will gladly step up."
"If woodworkers from all over Rome join in, it might actually be possible. There are plenty of artisans who make those tiny wax or clay dolls used as gifts during Saturnalia, after all."
"And as you said, we have more than enough funds. Let’s use the money provided by the Jews to make gifts for the citizens of Rome."
Just as Felix mentioned, Rome was already home to a vast number of doll-makers.
During the Saturnalia, there was a long-standing tradition of exchanging tiny dolls called sigillaria.
Vendors would set up temporary stalls on the Campus Martius to sell these dolls, figurines, and various other crafts.
"This will be good for the Jewish community as well."
The primary grievance many Roman citizens held against the Jewish community was what they saw as its refusal to participate in public rituals and festivals.
If word spread that they had funded this project for the Troy Game, public perception of the Jews would improve significantly.
"And on top of that..."
Souvenirs did not have to be limited to wooden carvings.
As it happened, there was another item that would fit this occasion perfectly.
"Let’s add one more thing we’ve been preparing."
***
"Spurius, congratulations! I heard you were appointed to the Patent Review Committee?"
"It just means more work,"
Spurius said, shrugging as he walked.
He was inspecting the paper mill alongside his fellow engineers.
"I haven’t had a single moment to catch my breath since returning from Hispania."
"But doesn’t the position pay incredibly well? I’m sure your wife must be thrilled."
"Only if I actually had the time to spend any of it."
"At least your wife can spend it now."
"I can’t deny that," Spurius replied with a laugh. Despite his grumbling, he was enjoying his work more than ever.
Having successfully led the silver mine development in Hispania, he had received one promotion after another and now managed several engineering teams.
New technologies and devices were proposed, crafted, and tested every single day.
A workplace where engineers could craft and experiment to their hearts’ content without worrying about funding was incredibly rare.
"By the way, why are we visiting the paper mill today?"
"There’s something new we need to look at."
As they entered a room inside the paper mill, the staff greeted them warmly.
"You arrived just in time! We were in the middle of testing the new equipment!"
"How is it coming along?"
"We only built it recently, so we’re still getting used to it, but it seems to be working quite well, just as Caesar said."
Spurius stared at the massive contraption sitting before him.
The apparatus resembled a grape press, with a large plate at the bottom covered in tightly arranged wooden blocks.
"It looks like a collection of stamps."
"It is essentially a stamp. The difference, of course, is that we can print multiple impressions at once."
Spurius leaned down to examine the wooden blocks tightly arranged on the plate.
Just as the other engineer had described, intricate designs were carved into the blocks like stamps. freewebnovёl.ƈom
"At first, I wondered why we were going through the trouble of building such a machine. I figured we could just stamp them by hand. But this method saves an immense amount of time. And hand-stamped impressions are never as clear or consistent."
Spurius watched the workers operate the device.
"First, we must apply ink to these blocks."
After securing a sheet of paper to a second plate, the workers aligned it over the one holding the wooden blocks.
When they pulled a wooden lever attached to the machine, a metal plate descended from above, firmly pressing the paper down.
Once the lever was returned to its original position, the plate rose back up with a creaking groan of wood.
"Now, all we have to do is cut them to size."
Spurius stared at the sheet now covered in clear inked impressions.
Dozens of designs and words were printed across the sheet.
A drawing of a wooden horse sat above a sentence written in tiny letters.
[Lusus Troiae, 694 AUC]
Lusus Troiae meant the Troy Game, and 694 AUC was the year reckoned from the legendary founding of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita).
"Imagine. By attaching this tiny piece of paper, a person can send a letter anywhere in Rome."
"And at the same time, it serves as a commemorative token for the upcoming Troy Game. Caesar truly is an incredibly unique individual."
"But you have to admit, it’s quite a brilliant concept, isn’t it?"
Spurius asked with a chuckle.
He felt as though this device held far greater potential. The ability to reproduce text and illustrations so easily felt revolutionary.
How would this alter the future of Rome?
Books, drawings, even pamphlets.
"I can’t wait to see where this leads."
He continued, watching the workers prepare the next sheet of paper.
"Caesar himself said these stamps would become very valuable in the near future."
"Valuable? These scraps of paper?"
"Well, it’s the first of its kind, after all."
Spurius shrugged as he continued.
"Frankly, I’m not so sure either."
***
Once the Jewish community accepted Lucius’s proposal, a massive sum of gold went to the artists.
The commission given to them was simple: produce as many small carvings commemorating the Troy Game as they possibly could.
Although woodcarvers formed the core of the project, numerous artisans who crafted clay or wax figurines also joined in.
"By the way, what is this design we’re supposed to carve onto the bottom of the figurines?"
"I heard it’s one of the Jews’ sacred symbols. It seems they want everyone to know they funded this."
"They consider a mere candelabrum sacred? How peculiar."
Meanwhile, as the Troy Game drew nearer, the local artisans were not the only ones growing busy.
***
"I made him commander of the Greek faction precisely to sever his ties with Lucius Caesar, and yet...!"
Quintus Metellus snarled, slamming his fist down on his desk.
At his sudden outburst, the surrounding slaves hurriedly withdrew.
Few things were more foolish than remaining near a master in a fit of rage.
"Instead, he is trailing after Lucius like a loyal lackey,"
Metellus clicked his tongue in disgust.
It had all started with the conspiracy involving the Jewish extremists.
His son and nephew had supported Lucius Caesar, and now the other senators viewed the two as all but aligned with Lucius’s faction.
Members of the powerful House of the Metellii had reduced themselves to playing the lackey for the populares.
He had appointed his son commander of the Greek faction solely to pit him against Lucius Caesar.
Yet his son was currently accepting Lucius’s aid and training alongside him.
There were even rumors circulating that the Trojan and Greek factions were gathering every day to play some absurd sport.
"Lucius must have beguiled my son with another one of his preposterous schemes,"
He muttered through clenched teeth. He could not sit idly by and watch his prestigious lineage slip into disgrace.
"I must resolve this somehow."
"What are you planning to do, master?"
A Numidian slave standing beside him asked with a low bow.
"At this point, changing my foolish son’s mind will be next to impossible. He has all but reduced himself to Lucius’s slave,"
Metellus said, his face twisting into a deep scowl. Yet it wasn’t as if he was entirely out of options.
"If Lucius desires honor so desperately, then let us crown him," he added with a cold smile, "so that all of Rome may finally see him for what he truly is."
