Chapter 301
People often compare the passage of time to flowing water.
Time is indeed like a river, sweeping far out of reach in the blink of an eye before anyone can even try to catch it.
Several years had already passed since Marcus received the title of Augustus, and the Senate-led republican system had faded into a memory of the past.
People now called that era the old age—a transitional period during which Rome had merely crouched down to prepare for its next step forward.
Over the past few years, the lives of the Roman people had changed beyond recognition.
While some of the older generation found themselves confused by the rapid shifts, the younger generation held an entirely different perspective.
Having grown accustomed to the new education system and an advanced standard of living since childhood, they possessed a completely different mindset from their elders.
Naturally, they had neither lingering attachments nor affection for the Senate system, and they harbored no doubts whatsoever about Caesar and Marcus leading Rome.
The general citizens felt the same.
They had never been deeply interested in complex political matters to begin with.
Whoever the leader might be, as long as they allowed the people to live well, that person was a great politician.
In that regard, Marcus and Caesar were the greatest heroes in Roman history to the citizens.
What further solidified their standing was the development of printing technology.
Marcus published books chronicling Caesar's northern campaigns and his own eastern conquests.
He did not stop there; he utilized these books as textbooks in the newly established educational facilities.
As a result, the achievements the two men had built through war were continuously discussed among the Romans like epic tales of heroes.
On top of that, books detailing how much Rome had transformed before and after Marcus took the main stage began springing up like bamboo shoots after rain.
Everything regarding the massive increases in food production and tax revenue was preserved in records, allowing anyone to grasp the facts easily.
Under these circumstances, the young generation receiving this new education invariably grew up as devoted followers of Marcus.
There was no need to incite or brainwash them with false information.
Simply impressing the unvarnished facts upon them was more than enough.
The citizens had reached a point where they could not tolerate anyone speaking even a single bad word against their two great leaders.
This was because Marcus was already the god of Rome.
It was not a metaphorical expression, but an actual reality.
The steady process of deification played a part, but the decisive event was the volcanic eruption in Egypt that occurred the same year as the attempted assassination of Caesar.
Marcus had already set a precedent by predicting the flooding cycle of the Nile River with astonishing accuracy.
But a volcanic eruption was an entirely different matter.
Whether the Nile River flooded or not was essentially a multiple-choice question with two answers, so someone with extreme luck might have guessed it right.
On the other hand, a volcano erupting was not an annual occurrence.
When they first heard those words, even Cleopatra and Arsinoe reacted with disbelief.
Still, Marcus had adamantly affirmed that things would play out exactly as he said.
The result, naturally, went according to his prophecy.
The volcano erupted, and a temporary drought struck Egypt.
Marcus had anticipated this perfectly and ordered Egypt to stockpile food, simultaneously increasing supplies from other granary regions since wheat imports from Egypt would decrease for a time.
Fortunately, having acquired the vast Black Earth Plain, and with production in Gaul and Britannia surging, Rome did not have to suffer a food shortage.
It was possible because Rome's own domestic production had also increased beyond comparison with the past.
After this incident became widely known, public perception of Marcus in Rome skyrocketed to a height that could climb no further.
Where else in the world was there a person who could accurately predict the timing of a volcanic eruption and lay out preemptive countermeasures?
This was no longer in the realm of outstanding wisdom or vast knowledge.
Even the Senate officially acknowledged that divine blood flowed through Marcus's veins.
Following the international academic conference held in the East, even scholars proclaimed Marcus to be a god of knowledge.
The divinity of the Julius-Licinius Family was now cemented as an unshakable orthodox truth.
He was not merely posing as a living god to reinforce his legitimacy as a ruler.
Paradoxically, as Marcus began to be treated as a living deity, the legitimacy of other dynasties started to decline.
The one who unintentionally suffered the greatest damage was the pharaoh of Egypt.
Until now, pharaohs had claimed to be the avatars of living gods, yet none had ever demonstrated power on Marcus's level.
The same held true for other tribal chiefs and kings who called themselves descendants of gods.
"They say the god of Rome, Marcus Augustus, can foresee the future. Why couldn't our past kings do that?"
Remarks expressing such doubts openly drifted through the streets.
Those who had acquired Roman citizenship scoffed and mocked the kings who had once reigned over them.
"What else could the reason be? They weren't true gods. In fact, because they falsely blinded the people while usurping the names of gods, our lands were absorbed into a nation ruled by a genuine deity."
With the situation turning out this way, the one in the most awkward position was Cleopatra.
In any case, dynasties in other regions no longer existed.
Whether the kings of already fallen dynasties were mocked or not did not concern her.
The problem was that the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt was a royal house that undeniably still existed.
A surging distrust toward past pharaohs in Egypt might not have mattered to Rome, but it was not a good omen for her.
Arsinoe seemed unbothered, viewing the seat of the Egyptian pharaoh merely as a convenient title, but Cleopatra was different.
Ultimately racking her brain for a solution, she came up with a stopgap measure.
After all, the pharaohs following her generation would all be of Marcus's bloodline.
First, Marcus's official heir would simultaneously hold the title of pharaoh.
Underneath that, the children of Cleopatra and Arsinoe would be granted practical governing authority.
Therefore, starting from their children's generation, there would be no issue.
The important thing was to smooth over the current situation.
Thus, Cleopatra and the Egyptian priests declared Marcus to be the living Amun-Ra himself.
Their argument was that while past pharaohs were avatars of Amun-Ra, Marcus was Amun-Ra incarnate, meaning his standing was infinitely higher.
So, it was not strange at all that other pharaohs failed to display power equal to Marcus's.
Marcus was not bound solely to Egypt; he was Amun-Ra made manifest to bring peace to the entire world.
It was for this reason that he had taken the current pharaohs, Cleopatra and Arsinoe, as his own, and Egypt, ruled by descendants inheriting his bloodline, would continue to prosper long into the future.
They heavily promoted these plausible propaganda slogans throughout Alexandria and Memphis.
"This is quite a good idea."
Marcus also rated Cleopatra's propaganda strategy quite highly and provided it with the appropriate backing.
This was because he judged it could serve as an effective assimilation policy, rather than merely justifying their positions.
As time passed, the Western world, centered around Rome, naturally trended toward centralization.
The political landscape within the Senate also shifted drastically.
Cicero, who had long served as a prominent fixture in the Senate, finished his term as consul and governor and announced his retirement from politics.
Having led a turbulent political life, Cicero declared that he now wished to take some rest and dedicate himself to his specialty: writing.
It was not a sudden development.
Cicero had previously shown tremendous interest in the mass production of books made possible by the development of printing technology.
The fact that tens of thousands of citizens could read the books he wrote had made his creative desires boil over.
There had also been a promise from Marcus that if Cicero published a book, he would naturally take the lead in having it printed.
Marcus's consideration did not end there.
"In honor of your hard work thus far, Cicero, I have decided to form a new organization called the Legal Advisory Council, as promised. Although it is an honorary position without direct practical power, I would like you to serve as its inaugural chairman."
He even threw a grand retirement ceremony for Cicero.
There was also a moment dedicated to introducing large-scale prints of his previously published books that had received high academic acclaim.
Marcus, the living god of Rome, personally praised the achievements Cicero had accomplished at his retirement ceremony.
"Cicero is a great legal scholar and orator, as well as the finest man of letters and a philosopher. In the history of Rome, the number of people who have achieved such outstanding academic success can be counted on one hand. Above all else, Cicero has been my most precious friend and political confidant. How could anyone list one by one all the things this great politician has dedicated to Rome? As a representative of the Roman citizens and as the highest member of the Senate, I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude."
Finishing the speech that continued for quite some time, Marcus awarded Cicero a medal he had designed himself.
Although it was a medal with an eagle crest, the direction the eagle faced was different from the medals awarded to those who achieved the highest honors in war.
The design carried the meaning that he had contributed to Rome's development in a different direction from those who served through martial prowess.
Becoming the first recipient of this medal, Cicero ended up laying bare his rich sensitivity on the spot, unbefitting his age.
Weeping freely, he repeatedly offered words of thanks for Marcus's thoughtfulness.
The elegant expressions and archaic rhetoric he typically employed were nowhere to be found.
Just like Cicero, who had wrapped up his grand retirement ceremony, Caesar's father-in-law, Piso, also left politics.
Though he could not leave with the same treatment as Cicero, he still stepped down while enjoying sufficient respect as a senior member of the Senate.
It meant that the elderly senators were retreating into the background of history one by one.
The only senator who was still fiercely raising his voice was Cato.
However, even he showed signs of bitterness as the senators who had lived through the same era left the political arena one after another.
There was also a significant amount of public opinion asserting that the elders of the past should not occupy key positions in Rome, which was now developing blindingly fast.
Cato was actually younger than Caesar in age, so he was still fine, but the majority of the elderly senators were subjected to implicit pressure.
Surprisingly, the senators who left the Senate enjoyed their later years pleasantly, receiving even better treatment, which stirred tempting thoughts.
Marcus consistently made provisions so that the retired senators could live out their days receiving ample respect and excellent treatment.
He even went as far as building separate villas for the senators who did not have much wealth due to living overly incorruptible lives.
Like that, the elderly senators naturally departed from the Senate one by one.
And those seats were naturally snatched up by young, promising politicians.
This also meant that the number of people who remembered the Senate-led republic was gradually dwindling.
Those who newly entered the Senate were devoted followers of Marcus, and people who revered Octavian and Sophia.
Naturally, there were many among them who clashed ideologically with the older elders still holding onto their seats.
But the senior members who had already lost the initiative could not stop the incoming wave of a new era.
"Senator, do you know what impact the new bonds to be issued by the Bank of Rome will have on interest rates?"
"Um... that is..."
"You are unaware. This level of fundamental economic knowledge is something you must know. Forgive my presumption, but policies and words completely divorced from reality will not move the hearts of the citizens."
Struggling to adapt to a reality that had already changed too much, the senior members found it increasingly difficult to handle the offensives of the young men.
The number of retiring individuals only grew, and the average age of newly recruited senators steadily dropped.
Rome was now perfectly prepared to bid farewell to the old era.
And an event occurred that drove a decisive wedge into this current.
Caesar, one of the supreme powers of Rome, officially announced his retirement.