Greatest Investment Advice Ever Given

The Greatest Investment Advice Ever Given

The king held vast amounts of gold in his treasury, so risk another investment, especially in a foreign country. It was far to travel; over 1,000 miles away, and 2 countries buffered him between his well-defended lands and the Italian peninsula’s Roman empire. The Romans still didn’t have the technology to dare try to cross the mountains to reach him; besides, he felt they had reached the end of their expansion. But why did his counselors keep encouraging him to make the investment? Such a small investment too, only a small amount of gold, but the time, and effort, logistics, language barriers, and choice of emissary to send seemed too much to bother to consider. The king summoned his counselors again. They rushed in, eager to persuade the king to visit this potential ally. The counselors were wise; they had to be. Those that were not had been “dismissed” by the king. To become a counselor was to be completely loyal to the kingdom, giving advice that benefited the kingdom’s present AND future. If ever one of these counselors ever tried to benefit themselves at the expense of the kingdom, it not only meant death, it meant fates worse than death. The king had reason to trust these counselors, to a certain degree; they had all passed several of his tests.

“My king, it is only 2 months journey there and back, I can go in your stead,” said one.

“In my stead” thought the king, how presumptuous that they would think I should leave my kingdom for over two months to make a treacherous journey, all just to attend a coronation, in a country I have never visited. The king pushed away thoughts of treason or a coup while he was gone. His country was successful, he was loved and feared by his subjects and he felt he had many good years ahead of him. The counselors prattled on while he stroked his beard in thought.

“It is a small investment sire, and has the potential for a strong ally against the Romans.”

His people feared the Roman’s due to the legends, but he was not concerned. His merchant class even profited from trade to them and his growing tax funds attested to it.

“Sir, the Romans have been advancing in technology, they have been able to cross mountains before, in large forces. And, if a member of this family rises to becomes a senator of Rome, it would indeed prove a worthy investment for our nation”.

“We should make haste my lord, for the astronomers say the time is near…”

The king pondered, perhaps his kingdom would benefit from an inside alliance with the royal family in his lifetime but if it helps gather intelligence for future generations, then it would be a worthwhile return on investment. Even if the alliance is never needed, it was always beneficial to create goodwill in the countries bordering his buffering countries…

“Sire, shall I prepare a caravan?”

The king turned to his most trusted counselor. This counselor was wise in the way of mathematics and statistics. His wisdom was vital to the growth of the country, and helped keep production in pace with the population growth.

The king beckoned “What say you, for you have been silent all this time”. The king was concerned because his counselor, normally forthright and bold had been consumed with reading the ancient books. The king knew he could depend on this counselor for an answer gilded with reason and bolstered by facts and statistics.

The counselor spoke “We know the prophecies, sir, I… I have never seen this star… so bright… I feel drawn to it; I believe we are to follow the star.

The king was puzzled, his stoic sage had become a starry eyed astronomer… but it was unanimous, all the counselors wanted to go.

The king ordered, “Prepare my caravan, load the gold, we depart at once”.

In Rome, the governor’s praetorian guard kept watch. The governor had raised the level of alert and was becoming more agitated. He had been warned that a coup was imminent or perhaps a revolution, two events the governor dreaded the worst. In either way, the governor would be removed from power… if he lost. He was ruthless, and for that, he kept power, his houses and gardens, his wife and mistresses, his family and his son’s legacy, and his fortunes. He guarded all this with a pre-emptive viciousness, quickly killing anyone or group that opposed him.

It was an uneasy peace in this Roman protectorate. The guard was soon to be relieved for the evening. Then he would go to the temples to make sacrifice to all the gods in hope that his son, Nereus, would grow to be a praetorian guard too or perhaps one day, a senator. He wanted his son to be great, to be famous for his service to Rome.