Chapter 19

"Wow, this is a horse?"

"Yeah. Is it your first time seeing one?"

"Yeah. It's amazing."

Ron patted the horse while speaking.

The horse seemed unconcerned and continued to eat grass.

"Hey, big brother. Can I ask you something?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Who's that woman?"

Rozward pointed to the woman who was brushing a cow.

"Oh, that's Rea. She's a slave. I received her as a gift."

Horses are valuable.

Both cows and horses can be used as labor, but horses are faster.

For carrying goods and moving, horses are superior.

However, handling horses requires a certain level of skill.

Unfortunately, it seems that Soyeon's family has never kept horses. This is a problem.

When I told this to Eyns, he said:

"Then I'll give you a slave who can take care of them. In return, be nice to her."

And so, I took in Rea, a female slave.

I think he chose a woman to suggest that I could use her for... you know, that kind of thing, but I don't really like forcing such acts on someone just because I'm the master.

"She's from a horse-riding tribe far to the east. I can communicate with her because I have the 'Blessing of Language,' but she can't speak the local language. So, if you need to tell her something, let me know."

"Huh, huh..."

Rozward kept glancing at Rea. Rea, oblivious to the attention, was tending to the cow.

Is she in heat too...

Lately, Ron and Soyeon have been sneaking off to be intimate.

Recently, the fourteen-year-olds have been growing up.

I understand that I should be happy about their growth, but...

"Almus! I caught a wild boar!!"

A loud voice reached my ears. I saw a large man carrying a wild boar on his shoulder.

It was Gram.

He had already surpassed me in height and had broad shoulders. There was no trace of the stuttering boy he used to be.

Who are you, really? That's the feeling I got.

Well, archery does require a lot of strength.

"Hehe! My curse magic was useful. Isn't that amazing? I'm the strongest, right?"

A small woman puffed out her modest chest next to Gram.

She was Lulu, a twelve-year-old girl skilled in curse magic. She was the best in the village at casting curses and setting up barriers.

Lately, she's been spending a lot of time with Gram.

"Hey, Almus. When are the slaves we bought from the Rosais Kingdom arriving?"

"In a month."

"Are you going to be intimate with the sex slaves?"

"Of course not! I only asked for males."

Spending money on such frivolous things, what an idiot.

"That's a relief."

Tetra hugged me.

...

I don't know how to react to such blatant displays of affection.

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"So, what are you making this time?"

"I'm thinking of making paper."

Paper.

One of the four great inventions of China.

It's still used as a medium for information in modern times.

There's no paper in this region.

What's used are wooden tablets, parchment, and papyrus.

There are two types of paper: washi (Japanese paper) and Western paper.

The difference is in the raw materials. Washi is made from tree bark, while Western paper is made from the inner part of the tree.

The fibers from the inner part of the tree are strong and require special chemicals to break down, so I'll be making washi this time.

To make high-quality, beautiful paper, there are many complicated steps, but primitive paper can be made easily.

Cai Lun is said to have made paper by boiling rags, nets, and tree bark to break down the fibers, then forming them into sheets.

Unfortunately, there are no rags, but there is plenty of tree bark.

"Why are you making something like that? We don't really need it, do we?"

"Well, not for us."

In this region, where few people can write, it's probably unnecessary.

Wooden tablets are fine, right?

But the Kirisians should be different.

With their advanced technology, they would naturally need paper.

Paper is light, making it advantageous for trade.

And the raw material, tree bark, is abundant.

We cut down many trees to make charcoal and fuel for pottery. We can use the bark from those trees.

"First, what should we do... I think we should peel off the black part of the bark and soak it in water."

First, we soak the bark in water.

I've never made paper before, so I'm mostly relying on guesswork.

However, I have seen it on TV, so I think I can make something decent.

"So, we've soaked it for a day. What's next?"

"Peel off the black part. I think."

We remove the dirty parts together, leaving only the white part.

"What's next?"

"Next, we boil it... I think we need to boil it with an alkali."

Alkali is essentially water mixed with ash. It's lye.

It's weakly alkaline, which helps the fibers break down more easily.

"I think we just need to boil it now..."

I look at the bark boiling in the pottery.

I feel like something is missing.

"Hey, we're breaking down the fibers in the wood, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Then shouldn't we beat it or tear it apart?"

Right, I remember there's a step like that.

Good thinking, Tetra.

"First, take it out. We'll crush it in a mortar."

We take out the boiled bark, crush it in a mortar, and put it back in the pottery to boil again. We repeat this process several times.

"Good, it's starting to break down."

The bark is no longer recognizable. It's a mushy mess.

"All we need to do now is form it into sheets."

We place a wooden board in the mixture and carefully form the sheets.

I need to make sure the thickness is even...

It's quite difficult.

"All that's left is to dry it."

We place the wooden board in a sunny spot. Now we just have to rely on the sun.

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"Light and strong. This is amazing."

Ron patted the paper.

"It's white, so it should be easy to write on. Good job, big brother."

Rozward carefully peeled off the paper.

"Are you going to sell this?"

"Yeah, I think it should fetch a decent price."

To be honest, compared to modern paper, it's not the best quality.

It's just better than what's used around here.

"By the way, was it necessary? Honey would have been enough, I think."

"Well, for everyday life, yes. But you never know what might happen. Like if pests destroy all the wheat. We can't rely on griffins anymore, so we need a way to secure food in emergencies."

In the worst case, we can buy grain from the Kirisians to avoid starvation.

The more industries we have, the better.

"Hey, can we add pretty colors to this paper? I think it would increase its value."

"Like for fans?"

"That's a good idea! By the way, can we use this for something else?"

"It's light and portable!"

Soyeon, Tetra, and Lulu started getting excited.

"Hey, can we make it stronger? The color doesn't matter."

"What do you need it for?"

"How about boxes? Wooden boxes are heavy. Wouldn't it be easier to use this as a substitute?"

"But there might be issues with strength."

Ron and Gram started arguing.

Lately, these guys have been getting more creative. It's a good trend.

"Aah!!!"

A scream rang out. It was an unfamiliar voice.

Uh, this is...

"Rea! Are you okay?"

Rozward ran to the screaming slave girl.

You're too quick to react.

I also turned to Rea.

Rea had tears in her eyes.

Next to her, a goat was munching on something.

"Big brother! What's Rea saying?"

"...The goat ate the paper."

"I'm sorry."

Rea bowed her head and apologized to me.

"Don't worry about it. The goat is to blame."

I smiled in response. I'm still not sure how to handle slaves.

But the kids don't seem to know either.

I guess I'll just treat her normally. It's a hassle.

Still, is it okay for the goat to eat paper?

At zoos, they usually put up signs saying not to give animals paper because it can upset their stomachs...

I hope she doesn't die. She's an important asset.

I'm not very knowledgeable about paper-making, so I'm not sure if this is correct.

I did try making simple paper with milk cartons once.