Chapter 191: What Happened in the East
< 191. What Happened in the East >
Marcus arrived in Alexandria around the time that Publius left the Han Empire.
To welcome his arrival, Arsinoe and Cleopatra personally came to the harbor to greet him.
The crowd that lined the road from the harbor to the palace seemed to celebrate the arrival of a king.
It was a scene that showed how Marcus was perceived in Egypt at the moment.
“Welcome, we have been waiting for your arrival.”
The person who greeted Marcus on behalf of the two pharaohs was Arsinoe.
With his keen insight, Marcus quickly realized who was holding the reins of power in Egypt right now.
‘Unexpected, isn’t it? Is Cleopatra being overshadowed by Arsinoe?’
It was not just a vague feeling, but a noticeable difference in their entourages.
The people behind Cleopatra were mostly priests of Egyptian origin.
On the other hand, the people behind Arsinoe were a diverse mix of Macedonian nobles and priests.
Although the power of the Macedonian nobles had practically disappeared, the administration of Alexandria still depended on them.
They tended to attach themselves to the powerful rather than trying to seize power themselves, and benefit from their crumbs.
The fact that they sided with Arsinoe meant that they recognized her as the real ruler of Egypt, not Cleopatra.
If it was based on personal ability alone, this would not have happened.
Marcus easily guessed the reason for this.
It was entirely because of him.
When he executed the high nobles, Marcus made it look like he was saving Arsinoe from their mockery.
And Arsinoe even hugged him in front of everyone.
There was already a rumor that the pharaohs were Marcus’s women, and this added fuel to the fire.
Naturally, the citizens and middle managers of Alexandria regarded Arsinoe as Marcus’s woman.
In fact, the person who devised various policies for Egypt’s unification and planned them meticulously was not Arsinoe, but Cleopatra.
The common people might not know this, but those with some status knew it all too well.
Yet many of them chose Arsinoe because they all knew who was the true master of Egypt now.
‘That’s why she handled the task I asked for so quickly.’
Cleopatra needed an achievement right now.
Not just any achievement, but some kind of event that would link her to Marcus.
She was solely responsible for helping with the construction of Rome’s great library, so that would probably be a good excuse.
Marcus understood the situation roughly and asked Cleopatra to guide him to the Alexandria Museum.
As Cleopatra wrote in her letter, she had already finished classifying all the books.
She also showed her delicacy by setting aside books related to topics that Marcus was personally interested in.
“That’s amazing. I thought there might be some flaws, but it’s a flawless job.”
“I wouldn’t have sent you a letter asking you to come to Alexandria if I wasn’t confident that it was perfect.”
“Thanks to you, I think the library will be completed a year earlier than I expected. I wanted to build it as soon as possible, so I’m really glad.”
“There’s a rumor in Alexandria that Rome is building a library. Most people seem to think it’s a futile attempt.”
“Futile?”
Cleopatra nodded with an embarrassed expression.
“It’s one of the few remaining prides of Alexandria. Rome may be superior to Alexandria in terms of practical technologies, but they still think that Rome is not yet ready in terms of culture.”
“I see. Actually, I think the Greek world still has that kind of mindset.”
“Of course, I’m sure that your project will produce something better than the Alexandria Library. Of course, that means that Alexandria will no longer be a treasure trove of knowledge, which is a bit sad.”
“That’s true. I’m going to make buildings in Rome that will last for two thousand years, not just a thousand years. I hope they will be places where future generations can admire and glimpse our lives indirectly.”
“Two thousand years… The Great Pyramid of Khufu is probably a building that has lasted more than two thousand five hundred years. You’re trying to make buildings with that kind of historical value.”
Marcus unconsciously thought of the modern times two thousand years later and smirked.
He realized how fast human civilization was accelerating its development.
Maybe because of Marcus, the industrial revolution would happen a thousand years earlier than expected.
He felt a bit sorry that he couldn’t see it himself.
He snapped out of his brief reverie and chuckled softly.
“That’s what you need to balance your power with Arsinoe. You have contributed to building a facility that will be remembered in Rome’s history… no, human history. If you call the citizens to the square tomorrow, I’ll give you a personal thank-you speech.”
“As expected, you noticed it. I would be very grateful if you would give it to me.”
“Grateful? Actually, this situation became troublesome because I couldn’t clean up and leave properly. I should have stayed in Egypt a little longer and adjusted various things, but I left in a hurry and couldn’t pay attention to you. I’m sorry.”
“I heard about Pompey’s death. If something like that happened, there was no choice. It’s enough that you came like this.”
Cleopatra smiled brightly and approached slightly.
A faint scent that slipped in somehow gave a strange feeling.
Cleopatra and Arsinoe were no longer just young girls.
Both of them were called living goddesses in Egypt and were praised for their beauty.
Marcus’s heart fluttered for a moment and he hid his awkwardness by bringing up the topic he had prepared in advance.
“But with this one thing, we can’t restore the balance that has already passed to the original point.”
“I think so too. So I have a secret plan in mind.”
“Can I hear what it is?”
“Well… It’s still just an idea, so it’s a bit hard to tell you.”
Cleopatra avoided Marcus’s gaze slightly, but her movement was so natural that it didn’t feel uncomfortable.
Marcus didn’t make a big deal of her reaction.
“Then let’s try to predict the level of the Nile River. According to my calculations, it will have an effect as soon as next year at the latest.”
“Do you mean predicting the level of the Nile River? Do you mean predicting whether there will be flooding or not in advance? How is that possible?”
“I know. And if Cleopatra does as she said before, public opinion will immediately lean towards Cleopatra. Of course, it’s not good to be too much, so announce that this prophecy can only be received when the two pharaohs are together. Then the balance of power will also be adjusted naturally.”
“No, I mean how can you know that in advance?”
If the result is different from what was predicted in advance, it would be troublesome for Cleopatra.
She was already losing support compared to Arsinoe, and if she made a fake prophecy, she would suffer irreparable damage.
Marcus asserted with confidence that would blow away Cleopatra’s anxiety.
“Have I ever said anything wrong once? Trust me. Unfortunately, the Nile River will not flood this year and next year. So you need to increase the amount of food storage and prepare for the situation.”
“Not flooding for two consecutive years… If that’s true and you hit it in advance, everyone in Egypt will swear absolute loyalty to our sisters.”
Egypt’s rich agricultural power was entirely based on the periodic flooding of the Nile River.
But if the Nile River did not flood, the land would be depleted and no proper crops could be grown.
So Egypt installed a device to measure the water level on one side of the Nile River.
From there, they could estimate how much water would rise and roughly predict how much flooding there would be this year.
But predicting it one or two years in advance was almost impossible.
If they did it, who would object to Cleopatra and Arsinoe’s divinity?
The problem was how they could know that, but Marcus did not reveal the source.
Of course, Marcus was not so smart that he could remember all the details and years of such events.
But it was a fact that could be easily found out by looking up a little bit that Egypt had a famine when the flooding record reached its lowest point.
When he checked in advance, whether it was good luck or bad luck, Alexandria was scheduled to have a famine for two years.
If he could solve this part well, he wouldn’t have to worry about ruling Egypt.
Of course, he couldn’t tell them how.
Egyptians believed in divinity, so he just said that he received a revelation from the goddess of wisdom.
But surprisingly, not a single person doubted this lie.
Even Cleopatra believed Marcus’s words.
She regarded Marcus as the Osiris of the Western world, so she accepted it more easily.
Marcus, who still had the intellect of a modern person, was amazed, but in this era, the word of God was still above all laws and common sense.
※※※
The expectation was not wrong.
Marcus, who had coordinated with Cleopatra, had a speech time in front of the citizens of Alexandria.
It was a speech about thanking the citizens of Alexandria for their cooperation in building a library in Rome, and especially expressing respect for Cleopatra’s efforts.
However, Cleopatra’s power did not grow at once with this one.
Cleopatra’s image was still that of a competent ruler who did well.
No matter how good she was at handling things, the one who received support was Arsinoe, who was recognized as Marcus’s woman.
To overturn this board, a more fundamental change was needed.
The famine next year and the year after that Marcus told him was very effective, but he had to wait until next year.
Cleopatra didn’t have the patience for that.
She decided to throw a gamble at Arsinoe’s annual banquet.
“Marcus, this is the best quality wine from Cyprus that I personally brought. It’s a national treasure wine that has only a few bottles left in the palace.”
Arsinoe stuck to Marcus’s side as always and acted cute.
She knew how she was perceived by the surroundings now, so she was more reckless than before.
Marcus’s expression brightened as he drank a glass.
“This is one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted. The aroma is amazing. Arsinoe, have a drink too.”
Marcus poured wine into Arsinoe’s glass as well.
As she was about to take the glass to her mouth with pleasure, Cleopatra came over and sat next to Marcus.
“Can I join you too?”
“Of course. Maybe it’s because the wine is so good, but it goes down smoothly today.”
“You might have had a lot of things on your mind lately. Have a drink and forget about your worries.”
Cleopatra kept filling Marcus’s empty glass with wine.
Arsinoe also received and poured the glass fiercely, and the atmosphere soon became noisy.
Marcus usually didn’t drink until he got drunk.
But maybe it was because he was stressed out as Cleopatra said, he drank more than usual.
As he drank, he became more excited and various topics came up.
Among them, the three of them talked the most about their memories.
When did they first meet?
It had been almost 10 years since then.
There were all kinds of things that happened when he thought about it.
Compared to when they first met, Cleopatra and Arsinoe had changed a lot too.
At that moment, Marcus felt a strange feeling again.
‘I think I’m too drunk. I should get up.’
Alcohol always brings regret if you drink too much.
Marcus didn’t intend to drink until he became unconscious.
He said he would go to his bedroom and got up from his seat.
Cleopatra quickly came over and offered to help him to his bedroom.
Marcus thanked her and headed to his bedroom while suppressing his drowsiness.
“Oh my head. Did I drink too much?”
Marcus woke up in bed with his head throbbing.
He squinted his eyes at the warm morning sun and looked down.
His muscular body, which was not covered by a single thread, revealed its appearance nakedly in the morning sun.
How drunk was he that he took off all his clothes and slept?
Marcus smirked and threw off the blanket.
But something thin and graceful that was completely different from his muscular body caught his eye from the gap in the blanket.
Something moist caught his arm as he tried to get up from bed in surprise.
That too from both right and left directions.
His heart sank and Marcus slowly looked around.
An uneasy feeling always becomes true.
There were Arsinoe and Cleopatra who were lying naked like Marcus and snoring softly.
For a moment, Marcus couldn’t understand the situation and sat still in bed.
Soon thoughts of what had happened flashed through his head like wildfire.
“Oh… no…”
< 191. What Happened in the East > End
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