Son of Julius Caesar: Rebuilding Rome [Business/Republic building] Chapter 5 : Pontifex Maximus

A few weeks after Lucius Caesar had borrowed the funds, Pollio asked his master.

"Master, why did you lend a staggering 100,000 sestertii to that kid? It’s not a huge sum, I grant you, but his father hasn’t even repaid half of what he owes you, has he?"

"It’s not just that he hasn’t repaid it."

Crassus replied with an expressionless face.

"Just this ti, the creditors were in an uproar saying they couldn’t let Caesar flee to Hispania, so didn’t I have to step in and act as his guarantor?"

Beside Crassus, another slave was carefully shaving his beard.

"That makes it even harder to understand, Master. Is the Caesar family really worth that much?"

"Pollio, my friend. You’ve worked by my side for so long, and yet you still don’t see it? That’s enough."

Crassus gestured for the shaving to stop.

"The money lent to the Caesar father and son is an investnt. An investnt. And it’s also a shackle I’ve placed on them."

He stood up and continued.

"As long as he owes money, Caesar cannot go against . And now, the sa goes for his son. How would a boy not even twenty years old know how to grow 100,000 sestertii?"

"You’re right, Master."

"He’ll probably co crawling back next month, crying and begging for more money. I never expected to get that money back in the first place."

"So, by indebting the son, you gain another lever to pressure Caesar."

"That is exactly why I happily lent the boy the money. Do you understand now?"

Crassus nodded.

"If you hold his precious cub hostage, even a mad dog won’t bite its master."

"I am always in awe of your exquisite insight, Master."

"I’m not raising your wages for flattery, Pollio. Still, that boy’s spirit—wanting to start a business at seventeen—is quite impressive."

Crassus sighed as he continued.

"While my eldest son spends his days hanging around the gladiator arenas."

"Excessive passion can be poison. An excited young lion like Lucius fails to notice the trap right in front of his eyes."

"In this case, let’s call him an excited puppy."

Crassus clapped his hands together.

"If his mother has any brains, she’ll tell him to return the money to imdiately."

Crassus fell silent for a mont.

Sothing felt off.

The expression on Lucius’s face when he boldly ca to demand money.

Was that really just youthful spirit, as Pollio said?

If not...

"Sothing bothers . Assign a slave to find out what Lucius is up to."

"Understood, Master."

"Don’t interfere, just observe and report back to regularly."

Crassus pushed Lucius out of his mind.

Right now, he had more important issues than a re greenhorn.

"By the way, how is Pompey doing these days?"

Self-proclaid ’The Great’, Pompey Magnus.

Crassus scowled, recalling the arrogant expression of the man who thought he owned the world.

It was none other than Pompey who had stolen the credit for suppressing the Spartacus revolt twelve years ago.

"If I could have my way, I’d bury him right now, but there are still too many pigs in Ro who worship him as a great general."

"He hasn’t shown his face since the bill he submitted to the Senate was rejected last ti."

"Good. Even that dullard must have realized by now how many forces in Ro find him distasteful."

Crassus walked away with a satisfied smile.

"That’s enough chitchat. Let’s go to the eting room. I need to check the new ledgers."

***

"You did what?"

"I borrowed money to start a business."

"Lucius, please tell you’re joking right now."

"I’m not, Mother."

After weeks of preparation, I told my mother about my plan.

Including the part that I had borrowed money from Crassus for a business.

"Why are you doing this as soon as your father left?"

Mother looked at Felix and continued.

"Felix! You know very well that I assigned you to Lucius to prevent things like this!"

"I apologize, Mistress. It is all my fault."

"Felix didn’t do anything wrong. I did this entirely on my own."

"Lucius, I really don’t understand you sotis. To do sothing like this without consulting ."

Cornelia.

She was the daughter of Lucius Cinna, who had been a subordinate of the Roman hero Gaius Marius decades ago.

And now, she was my mother.

I was living my second life after reincarnation, but to , Cornelia was my only true mother.

In my previous life, I had never received love at ho.

I was beaten just because they didn’t like the way I looked at them, and starving was a daily occurrence.

My so-called parents were demons who even took the money I earned from part-ti jobs.

The first thing I did after saving money was leave ho and beco independent.

Compared to them, Caesar and Cornelia were my real parents.

They raised with utmost love and care.

Although I had mories of my past life, I was Lucius Julius Caesar now.

Because of that, I looked her in the eye—no lies, no hesitation.

"With Father gone to Hispania, the Caesar family is in a more precarious situation than ever."

"Precarious? What on earth does that..."

"Father hasn’t secured a firm foothold in the Senate yet. We lack the connections to support our family."

At my words, Mother’s expression turned serious.

Yes, she would understand what I was saying.

She, too, must have experienced Sulla’s dictatorship firsthand.

In Ro, you cannot survive without power.

"What does that have to do with you borrowing money from Crassus to start a business?"

"The business I’m about to start is sothing that has never existed before. It’s a business that will generate enormous profits while also elevating the status of the Caesar family."

Without the pillar that was Caesar, our family was in danger.

To prevent that danger, I had to act.

"Visiting Crassus to borrow money wasn’t just for the business, but to build a relationship with him. And also to show it to others."

"That Crassus is supporting you?"

Instead of answering, I nodded.

Now it was ti for the real explanation.

Insurance.

Insurance was a service that anyone living in the 21st century took for granted.

[You pay a certain amount to an insurance company in preparation for an accident or event, and if an accident occurs, you receive the promised amount.]

Primitive forms of insurance were known to exist since 2000 BC.

Even now in Ro, there were rough mutual aid societies.

mbers would pool dues to pay for funeral expenses when a mber died.

However, the concept of modern insurance existed for no one.

Except for , of course.

Listening to my explanation until the end, Mother tilted her head with interest.

"So, according to your explanation, it’s a kind of gambling on whether an accident will happen or not?"

"Gambling?"

Hearing our voices, Julia trotted out into the living room.

"You could see it as a kind of gambling."

Insurance as gambling.

That wasn’t entirely wrong.

"But if no accident happens by the end of the paynt period, they just lose the money, right?"

Mother crossed her arms and said.

"Unless they’re fools, who would sign up for sothing like that?"

"Anyone with even a little worry about the future would sign up."

"Then what exactly are you planning to include in this ’insurance’ of yours? Ships? Carriages?"

"Neither."

I shook my head from side to side.

Of course, marine insurance or transport insurance were possibilities, but the risks were too high in Ro right now, not the 21st century.

It had been only six years since Pompey had massively wiped out the diterranean pirates.

And considering Ro’s sanitary conditions, life insurance wasn’t very attractive either.

If I started a business like that, I might go bankrupt paying out claims instead of making money.

The 100,000 sestertii I borrowed from Crassus was a large sum, but not enough to splurge recklessly.

Therefore, what I chose was a more stable and popular item.

Sothing that could improve the city—and still turn a profit.

"Insurance against house fires?"

"To be precise, ’Fire Insurance’."

I nodded.

Currently, there were no professional firefighters in Ro.

Volunteer fire brigades ford by neighbors or private fire brigades operated by so aristocrats were all there was.

In particular, Crassus, who lent the money, was famous for operating a fire brigade made up of hundreds of slaves.

But he didn’t create the fire brigade for the citizens.

They would rush to the scene of a fire and force the owner to sell the house at a bargain price.

If the owner refused, they wouldn’t put out the fire.

Eventually, most owners had no choice but to sell their hos to Crassus for pennies on the dollar.

The first official fire brigade in Ro would not be established for another forty years.

"I’m scared of fire too!"

Julia, listening to our conversation, shouted with bright, round eyes.

Did she only understand the word ’fire’?

"It certainly sounds safer than other types of insurances. Although the problem is how much compensation to pay when a fire occurs."

Mother smiled, looking at Julia sandwiched between us.

"But the more custors you sign up, the higher the risk of fire, right? Wouldn’t the potential for loss increase?"

"The more custors sign up, the more capital we can mobilize. And we don’t need to just keep that money in a safe."

Saying that, I recalled the insurance companies of the 21st century.

No company does business to lose money.

Insurance companies set premiums based on sophisticated statistics.

Furthermore, like banks, insurance companies can invest the premiums paid by custors elsewhere to continuously generate greater profits.

The problem was securing fire data in Ro right now.

I needed to figure out how many fires had occurred over the past few years and the average cost of building repairs.

If it were any other country in this era, it would have been impossible.

The Roman Republic was special.

A nation obsessed with records, enough to build a massive central archive.

It wasn’t just for administration.

Nas of past consuls, victories and defeats in war, history, epidemics, and even records of solar eclipses.

Temples recorded everything happening in Ro as part of their religious duties.

That was where the data I needed lay.

"Father donated enormous funds to the temples to ascend to the position of Pontifex Maximus."

*Pontifex Maximus* ant the highest-ranking priest in the Roman Republic.

A position Caesar had obtained by pouring in astronomical funds.

Then wouldn’t it be okay for to use Father’s authority a little?

They would have no reason to refuse access to past records.

"The temples will be the keys to my business."