Chương 84: Chapter 2.21: Paydirt

Favius considered his answer while sipping some wine. Of course they are thinking like this. Really, it is an obvious mistake to make if you're only familiar with an agrarian—hell, any sort of pre-industrial economy. He let the fruity liquid wash down his throat. Many think of wealth as piles of gold. Something to be seized, something to be taken. Not that they are entirely wrong, but... He smiled, glancing at the contract. That's only a small fraction of the actual wealth of a nation.

Favius gestured at the trio on the other end of the table.

"I see that all of you have washed your hair with soap. May I assume you've also come to use it to clean your hands and for your baths?"

"Indeed," replied Antonius politely.

"Well, filth and pestilence are related, right? And what happens if you get sick?"

"Oh," Urania murmured.

"Sick people can't work. And if people get sick less often," she said, as if trying out the words, "then they can work more and make more money." Favius snapped his fingers.

"Thank you. You see where this is going?" He studied the faces of the three men. Serran was nodding along, Marcus's expression was unreadable, while Antonius's eyes remained narrowed.

"As long as we sell the soap for less than they would make on the additional days they can work, then everyone involved is, in fact, getting richer and producing more wealth." In a fair and ideal economy, Favius added in the privacy of his thoughts. Caliga cleared her throat.

"I noticed you carefully avoided saying money, but instead said wealth. Aren't they the same thing?" Favius laughed, and Serran joined in. Even Marcus smiled.

"No, my little lynx, they are different. Money..." He reached into a pouch, taking out a copper senati.

"... can be moved. It is convenient and simple. Yet wealth..." He gestured broadly with one hand.

"Wealth is land. Wealth..." He pointed to his side at the Majordomo.

"... is people."

"Exactly," added Favius.

"Money is a pointer to wealth, if that makes sense. But not all wealth is money." Caliga hummed while picking up a dried fig. Surprisingly, Brutus interjected.

"That is a rather elegant argument. But have we not been speaking about the soap in terms of..." He gestured at his hair.

"... how nice it feels? That it is a luxury and something that will gain you prestige?" Favius smiled.

"You caught that. Well, the truth..." He shrugged.

"... is that there is more than one way to view this. The model of efficiency is, in my opinion, the correct one to answer Antonius's claim. Yet when you want to sell something, such considerations might not be as attractive in convincing the customer as how his hair feels and how he will be perceived by others for having used the product. Still." He tapped a finger on the table.

"Our workshops will generate new wealth, and the Republic as a whole will be richer. It's just..." He smiled wolfishly.

"... that the getting-richer part will be a lot more noticeable for us." Well, and here I begin justifying my own wealth like any proper capitalist. Time to start planning those eighty-hour work shifts for your workshop slaves, Favius. He sniffed. There was silence in the room until Serran nodded.

"The same logic rather obviously applies to paper, does it not? If we did not have to be so careful about what we write down, if permanent records did not have to be rewritten from wax, then the scribes could get a lot more done." Antonius hummed before bowing deeply.

"This lowly one thanks the Lord Cultivator for enlightening him with his insight. Truly, I apologize and shall contemplate my own unworthiness."

"What?" Both of Favius's eyebrows shot upward, but Marcus snorted.

"Good to see you warming up enough to my heir to start making jokes, Antonius."

"And that your humor is as dry as ever," added Serran. The man's face remained a perfect mask.

"I endeavor to please the Dominus with my entire being." He bowed and stepped back while Marcus and Serran shared a smile. Brutus merely shook his head. But Favius was studying the glow of the fire. Well, he does have a point. I'm starting the Industrial Revolution. It may take decades for it to fully catch on. But if their economic thought is this primitive, maybe I should write a book on economics. He smiled. Commit the ultimate sin a true scientist can make. He tapped a finger to his chin.

But if I'm writing such a book, well, I think I can probably derive Adam Smith. But even then, should I? His expression soured at the memory of the slavery discussion with Serran. After all, I'm not actually sure how industrialization and slavery interacted on Earth. Slaveholding societies seem to have been notoriously bad at industrializing. But maybe that might have been just a cultural or structural thing.

He let out a long breath, looking first at Urania, then Caliga, and their different attitudes, one so distant and the other so personable. Maybe if I write a book on basic economic theory and efficiency, if I lace the gift of understanding with a healthy poison of ethics... yes, yes, that could work. Except. He narrowed his eyes. Famous economists aren't dumb. Everyone likes to joke about them being stupid, but you don't make it to the top of a field if you aren't great at it.

I can't be the first person to attempt to do ethics and economics. I mean, not that I ever seriously read many economics books, but Marx certainly tried that. Who's to say that no one else did? A smile spread over his face. Well then, I just have to do it better than all of them, won't I? After all, unlike them, I studied a real science. He snorted and shook his head. Marcus and Serran were discussing some details while his sisters were talking about which filling of a certain cake was the best.

Eventually, Marcus's gaze found Favius's eyes.

"Son, you are rather fortunate that I have so much liquid wealth at the moment. Otherwise, those investments would be far more onerous." Favius raised an eyebrow. But it was, of course, Caliga who asked.

"Why do you have so much liquid wealth?" Marcus opened his mouth, then swallowed, looking briefly at Urania, then Favius.

"Oh." Favius's eyes widened. Brutus's chuckle was cold and harsh.

"Indeed. Your new Father is not quite finished raiding and liquidating the assets of the Magnus branch after becoming the main branch of the Ovinius line. I imagine it to be a rather profitable endeavor," he explained dryly. The expression on Urania's face was unreadable. Not upset, yet also far from happy. Caliga put her hand over her mouth. Of course it was something like this. After an awkward while, he frowned.

"Serran, isn't the point of our negotiations that the investments I require are far from insubstantial? But even if things go wrong, we are still going to be under five gold senati. And given how much land we own..." He trailed off. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Serran chuckled.

"I see you noticed the issue yourself. Land, in fact, is wealth that is rather hard to turn into coin. And while my predecessors in the time before the Dictator often had large sums available, dozens upon dozens of gold senati in some cases, after the Dictator repeatedly confiscated wealth..." Serran shrugged.

"Many a Familia has grown paranoid and only uses coin for what absolutely needs coin." Marcus nodded emphatically.

"Indeed. One of the policies of the Dictator that I am sure..." He looked at Brutus.

"... even you would consider unwise." Brutus grumbled but didn't say anything. Favius winced. Well, that's bad for me. In a society with more liquid cash, founding businesses would have been easier. Not— He looked at Marcus and Serran. Not that this has been a problem so far, but even with the projected profits, if I'm becoming too ambitious, and if too much stuff goes wrong... He swallowed. Fucking hell. I really should avoid setting off a financial crisis. Meanwhile, Caliga furrowed her brows.

"So, Father, we've been talking a lot about money, but..." She looked around.

"I know this is improper to ask, but for the education of your beloved children..." She smiled winningly.

"... could you tell us how rich we actually are?" Brutus laughed. Serran swallowed while Marcus rubbed the side of his head and groaned.

"At this point, what's the harm in a little education? Serran, tell me how much wealth I have."

"That is rather difficult, my Lord," Serran replied, clearly playing along.

"I could go to my office and find the list of our family's assets." Favius sniffed.

"Yes, thank you, Father. I'm aware we discussed the difference between wealth and coin already. Just..." He looked at Serran.

"I taught you how to estimate things properly. Find the lower plausible bound and the upper plausible bound. Just give me that." Serran laughed bitterly.

"Under what conditions of sale, Young Master? If we had to liquidate everything now, we might struggle to earn a hundred and fifty gold senati. If we could get the best prices and sell it off slowly, three hundred. Three hundred and fifty at most."

"What?" Favius gasped.

"This. This..." Urania's eyes had grown wide, and Caliga burst out laughing.

"That's why you—" She began before her voice descended into giggles. Urania just stared while Favius groaned. Oh my God. I've been treating this as an excellent investment, but from Marcus's perspective, I just told him that in a year we are likely to make a third of his whole net worth per year. And in ten years... Oh, fucking hell. And that— Favius swallowed. That's not even considering earnings from the beekeeping business and my other ideas. Favius put on a winning smile.

"Say, Father, how rich is the wealthiest person in the Republic?" All the adults in the room began laughing.

"Well, Son," began Marcus, "I see that understanding of your situation and deeds has finally set in. As for your question..." He pointed his thumb at Serran.

"The same issues apply, yet I would be surprised if even the wealth of the Onarch of Lirene exceeds a few thousand gold senati." That— That. That... Fucking hell, brain, come to grips with this. But still, that much. Now all his concerns, they make a lot more sense. Favius let pneuma run through his mind, briefly playing with an idea. If I can use my insight based on all of this, maybe I can guess the GDP of the Republic and estimate the size of its economy. Something I should have done earlier, but...

Knowing all of this, I need to reconsider how quickly our profit margins will shrink. Even so, all of our products can be traded across the ocean, so I doubt it will become a major concern. Besides, the Republic is still a vast market. He shook his head forcefully. No, that's not what matters right now. He looked at Marcus's smiling face. The last two things I want today are probably on the table if he's in such a good mood.

"So, Father," he began, leaning back in his chair and relaxing all his muscles, "let me preface this by saying that neither of my two requests is a condition for me to agree to the contract. As you pointed out before, that would be impolite." Marcus raised an eyebrow, yet his good mood remained.

"Indeed, Son. Well, you clearly have something to ask. Do so." Favius nodded and pushed over another wax tablet.

"You see, this is the outline for a building I would like to see constructed." He leaned over the table and pointed at several sections.

"Those are two lecture halls, and this is a collection of workshops. Note the area for other projects outside. I would like it built near running water as well." Marcus and Serran studied the plans for a while, and Urania and Caliga both gave him encouraging smiles.

"This appears to be some sort of workshop. But why the lecture halls?" Favius gestured at the pile of contracts.

"Inspiration has struck me thrice. Would it not be prudent to prepare for that happening again?" he questioned.

"And with my books, would it be presumptuous to assume that there may be some scholars coming to our estate to discuss their contents with me? As for the workshop, I'd like to try things. Experiment. Who knows where that might lead?" He smiled broadly.

"Maybe I can find a way for you to earn a few extra hundred gold senati per year again."

"The gods preserve us," murmured Marcus under his breath. Yet Favius pushed on.

"I want the right to select craftsmen from the estate to train as my assistants. Furthermore..." He gestured.

"This facility would serve nicely to train the new workers that we'll need to expand paper, soap, and hive production."

"Hmm." Marcus nodded.

"I assume it might be awkward to put all of this into the main estate, and having it under one roof seems wise. Yes." His Father scrutinized the blueprint and notes.

"You note here that only the section with the forge and work area for the kilns would require stonework." Favius put on a winning smile.

"I do not see how this would be a problem," he said, looking to the side at Serran, who nodded along.

"Well, and then I would like your support," Favius continued. Best to strike while the iron is hot. After all...

"I want to hire experts from the Collegia, and I understand that might be difficult." Marcus's expression grew thoughtful, and Caliga leaned toward her Father.

"Please, Dad. I'm having so much fun with carpentry. Wouldn't a proper carpenter instructing me be great? And after all, Favius deserves his fun with craftsmanship too." Marcus tilted his head and raised a single eyebrow at his daughter, whose smile only widened in response. Brutus, however, cleared his throat.

"Why would you want to hire external experts to run your forge, Favius? After all, you have such a great relationship with the estate's smiths already." Favius winced, pressing his eyes shut. Marcus looked at the giggling girls and grinning cultivator. Even the sides of Serran's mouth twitched.

"Do we have to talk about this again?" groaned Favius. Marcus's eyes narrowed further.

"Majordomo. Explain." And so Serran repeated the story of the splitting anvil and making the man forge iron. In the end, Marcus was chuckling along, and Favius rolled his eyes. He looked at Antonius.

"Tell me, Antonius, what does it take to find a loyal man who will not stab me in the back at the earliest opportunity? Someone like you?" The personal servant's expression remained perfectly even.

"In my case, it took your honored great-grandfather saving my great-grandfather's life and generations growing up in the service of the Familia." Favius let his head collapse forward into his hands.

"That's not helpful," he commented.

"I shall endeavor to please the Lord better next time," replied the servant, causing a new round of snickers. Favius held his breath.

"Well." He glared at Brutus.

"If everyone is properly amused now, there is one last—""Get rid of Hesnia," Urania blurted out. She almost stood in her seat, and Favius pressed his eyes shut.

"Urani—" he began, but Caliga instantly took over.

"Father." She gestured around.

"You've been very vocal about the importance of secrecy and maintaining the security of our workshops. Mother—" She spat out the word.

"—has clearly been working for others. In fact..." She stabbed a finger in the air, causing Marcus's eyes to widen.

"She has already attempted to steal Favius's inventions via Cassian. You haven't done anything about it. But with her informants everywhere here, by Oblivion, she probably has already sent schematics for our beehives back to her family and allies in Lirene. She—""Enough." Marcus raised two fingers, and Favius's heart froze. Maybe. Maybe there would have been a chance if we had been subtle about it. In the ensuing silence, he glared at a chagrined and fidgeting Urania and at the defiant Caliga.

Almost a minute passed before Marcus let out a long breath.

"You are right," he said.

"What?" murmured Favius. The man again held up two fingers, and silence fell over the room again.

"With the shifting politics... our marriage was always one of necessity. But no, no, I can't do it." He shook his head while murmuring.

"Divorcing her... Even if it were to be profitable, it's not yet the time for it." Brutus snorted right on the heels of Marcus's murmuring.

"So simply banish her. What's the issue? You have good reasons far exceeding just cause." Brutus leaned forward.

"As the person responsible for keeping our knowledge out of the hands of spies, I must inform you that the Captain of the household guard has told me that he was repeatedly approached by her. She has been attempting to gain influence there, though I believe she has failed time and time again against the bulwark of the man's loyalty." Favius nodded along with Brutus, yet flinched as the man's arm blurred and he slammed a fist into the desk.

"But we need to accept new realities. You're no longer evaluating and educating an heir of questionable provenance." He gestured at the tablets and contracts.

"You are standing on the precipice of rivaling or exceeding the wealth of the greatest families of the Republic." Marcus sighed.

"Indeed. Your words are wise, Brother. And even if I face some trouble..." He shrugged. A predatory smile, made more terrifying by its playful edge, spread over Brutus's face.

"So, do I have your permission to assist the Centurii of your guard and your Majordomo in purging this household of informants, traitors, sympathizers, and other scum?" Favius's heart sank. What? What is... Marcus paused briefly, then nodded.

"Go ahead. You have my blessing." Favius swallowed. I guess. I guess this is necessary and was always going to happen. Tiro's face flashed before his eyes. But purges are ugly things. And for all that he serves Hesnia, I don't think he's a bad person. Just misguided.

"What..." He swallowed spit to remove the dryness from his throat.

"... is going to happen to the people targeted in this purge?" Marcus made a dismissive gesture.

"Unless we find evidence that they have committed treason against the Familia, they will simply be reassigned, let go, or sold off, depending on their station." Caliga's eyes glinted as she looked at Brutus.

"Can I help you? I have a list of people we need to remove, you know." Favius winced again. Oh God, this is a disaster. Looking at Urania's satisfied smile, he shook his head. It's almost comical, isn't it? All this time, we have been struggling for every inch against Hesnia, and now he just agrees she's going to be gone. He looked at the richly dressed man still framed by the firelight behind him. It's really a question of leverage.

Suddenly, I have something valuable enough to make Hesnia more trouble than she's worth. Guess that's a good thing. He smiled at the contracts. One signed scroll of vellum. Two stacks of wax tablets that only needed to be transcribed. This is really it. I'm in business now. I only have a million other things to take care of now. He could do nothing but smile broadly.