Tullius followed the slave into the governor's mansion, arriving at the central courtyard. From a distance, he saw the new governor wearing a white toga, sitting in a pavilion in the colonnade, with his back facing him, admiring the statue near the pool.

Tullius remembered some experiences related to this new governor and, while bowing, respectfully said loudly, "Honorable Governor, Tullius salutes you!"

Caesar turned around, looked at him with hands behind his back, and said with a faint smile, "I've heard of you, Tullius, a well-known weapons merchant in the Northern Italy Province. Half of the military's equipment here is provided by you. Tell me, who is your patron?"

Tullius did not expect Caesar to be so direct. He was stunned for a moment and then immediately replied, "Gaius Cornelius Cetegus was my former patron. After he was executed (he was one of the five 'Catiline Conspirators' designated by Cicero), his family abandoned their patronage over me. However, due to my ties with his family, I faced attacks from competitors here and fell into a predicament..."

At this point, he bent down again and said earnestly, "I heard that you, Governor, have always defended Lord Cetegus before. I am willing to serve you as my lord and dedicate all my strength to your cause!"

"I see. You may leave for now," Caesar responded indifferently.

Caesar's noncommittal response made Tullius somewhat anxious, and he hurriedly said, "Governor, I discovered a major secret recently, and I wish to report it to you."

"Let's hear it."

Tullius did not speak but instead looked around.

Seeing his solemn expression, Caesar became curious and dismissed the attendants, leaving only his trusted slave by his side.

Tullius took out a luxurious little cloth bag from his bosom, carefully took out a palm-sized, light red "piece of cloth" from it, and respectfully handed it to Caesar.

Caesar reached out to take it, immediately realizing through the touch that it was not cloth. It was light and dense, somewhat akin to papyrus, but it was thicker and more resilient than papyrus.

The most intriguing part was the complex patterns on it: amidst mountains and woods, a tribal encampment stood by a wide, calm river. Various houses were scattered around the encampment, a wooden bridge spanned the river, boats were sailing on the river, and people were moving in the settlement...

The expansive natural scenery and tribal life were condensed onto such a small item yet appeared so vivid, giving the viewer a sense of peace and harmony. It was evident that the creator had an extremely high level of artistry.

Caesar quickly flipped to the other side, but unfortunately, there were no patterns. Instead, there were strange symbols drawn in the center, with a line of Latin written below the symbols.

Caesar squinted, looking closely: "Nix... Tribe... Bank... Issuance... What is this?!"

Facing Caesar's inquiry, Tullius immediately responded, "Governor, this is the paper money used by a tribe called Nix, located outside our Northern Italy Province's northeastern border—"

"Paper money?"

"In Rome and other city-states around the Mediterranean, gold, silver, and copper coins are used for transactions. However, this tribe called Nix uses such paper money for commerce, but this paper money is only used within their tribe and is strictly prohibited from flowing out!

I discovered this by chance during a transaction of iron ore with the Great Chief of the Noric. He initially was very reluctant, but since we have had dealings for many years and have a good relationship, and I offered a high price, he eventually agreed.

He told me that he obtained this paper money from a Noric tribal leader near the Nix tribe, who has close ties with them, at considerable cost. And that Noric tribal leader secretly traded it from a Nix tribesman, also at a high price, because that Nix tribesman took a huge risk. Allegedly, the Nix Tribe Decree stipulates that anyone who gives paper money to outsiders will be severely punished...

The Noric Great Chief also told me that the Nix's paper money comes in many denominations. This particular piece is equivalent to our copper coin, the lowest denomination, while the highest denomination is equivalent to our Siris gold coins. The paper money of the highest denomination features a Celtic Goddess they worship, supposedly painted beautifully. If he could get such a piece, he wouldn't trade it no matter how much I offer..."

While listening to Tullius narrate, Caesar repeatedly touched and observed the paper money in his hand, his originally calm expression showing fluctuations: "You say this thing is called paper money. If the Nix use it for trade, it means this Nix tribe has a considerable amount of such paper money?"

"I heard from the Noric Great Chief that trade within the Nix tribe is very prosperous. There are markets in every town, bustling every day, so there must be a frequent demand for such paper money within their commerce."

Caesar pondered and said, "Given that this paper money is abundant in the Nix tribe, the patterns on this paper money were definitely not painted one by one by artisans. Do you know how the Nix can mass-produce such beautifully patterned paper money?"

"Governor, I realized this problem earlier and asked the Noric Great Chief, but he, being ignorant, was not concerned about this. I spent a considerable amount of money having him investigate this matter for me.

After some time, he regretfully informed me that the Nix tribe guards this very strictly. Any outsider who approaches their manufacturing workshops will be captured, making it impossible for him to obtain any information on this matter.

Later, I hired several adventurers with large sums to infiltrate the Nix tribal territory using various methods to gather information on this aspect, but none have returned to this day..."

Caesar furrowed his brows as he gently kneaded the paper money, turning his head to his trusted slave and said, "Fetch pen and ink."

The pen and ink were quickly brought, and Caesar unfolded the paper money, writing on the side without patterns.

"Gov..." Tullius tried to interject but immediately closed his mouth, painfully watching Caesar finish writing his name on the paper money.

Caesar gazed at the line of words he had penned, savoring the process: "This paper money is highly absorbent, doesn't become brittle even under pressure, and the writing remains clear even when densely written. It can be folded and kneaded... The Nix, daring to use it as currency, must have ensured its longevity. It seems its production costs aren't exorbitantly high... It appears that the Nix-manufactured paper money is more suitable for writing than Egyptian papyrus!"

In that moment, Caesar thought of many things, his eyes burning with fervor: "Moreover, since they can massively replicate patterns on paper money, naturally they can also greatly replicate words and knowledge onto paper, allowing more people to see it. This would be a tremendous benefit for the Roman people!"

"Governor, you truly are wise!" Tullius sincerely praised, "I only thought that if this paper money-manufacturing technology could be obtained to produce better paper than papyrus, people across the Mediterranean would flock to buy it, enabling substantial profits!

My considerations are nowhere as far-reaching as yours, solely aiming to garner more and better benefits for the Roman populace! However, it seems the Nix are also aware of how enticing their technology is, so they guard it heavily, making it quite difficult to simply obtain it!"

Caesar looked at him with a slight smile, "Are you encouraging me to send an army to attack the Nix?"

Caesar's light tone frightened Tullius, causing him to shiver, immediately bowing lower and explaining hastily, "Governor, wronged me! I wouldn't dare even if I had the courage! It's just that I've kept the acquisition of this Nix paper money secret, not letting anyone know, but I'm not the only one trading iron ore with the Noric. Other weapons merchants might also glean the information from the Noric, and behind them are other elders, in case—"

Caesar curled his lips, casually saying, "I am the governor of the Northern Italy's three provinces, appointed by the Senate, and my term is five years. Conquering the Nix tribe is within my jurisdiction. Do you think other elders have the ability to bypass me and destroy the Nix to obtain the paper money manufacturing and pattern copying technology?!"

"This... Please forgive me, Governor, I truly was ignorant!"

Caesar smiled faintly, turning to point at the center of the courtyard, leisurely saying, "What I like most about this official residence is the statue in this pool. It's not Jupiter nor Mars, but Minerva. It appears the governor who commissioned this statue understood well that dealing with northern barbarians requires more planning and wisdom rather than brute force to achieve goals more easily."

Tullius blinked, once more bowing: "Governor, what you say is very true. I was too hasty, indeed ignorant!"

"You're not foolish, you're a smart person!" Caesar walked up to him, speaking seriously: "And I like to employ smart people. Your request for me to be your patron — I agree."

"Thank you, Governor!" Tullius rejoiced upon hearing this and immediately prostrated himself in excitement: "From this day forward, I, Tullius, will forever remain loyal to you! Willing to do anything for you!"

"Rise." Caesar picked up the gift list from before and handed it back to him: "Take this back."

Tullius was surprised and hurriedly waved his hand: "Governor, this is my humble tribute. Please do accept it!"

Caesar didn't respond but looked at his trusted slave: "Later, take him to see Rabinnus and tell him that he is my weapons contractor, responsible for providing the equipment for two new legions."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.