Chapter 93

Today, Chapter 1

"Since then, we've borrowed the hands of craftsmen with high skills in [processing] and [craftsmanship]. We've tried to reproduce it to the best of our ability."

"O-Oh... Can I pick it up and take a look?"

"Of course. I'd like to hear your opinion."

When he said that, I hesitantly grabbed it, and it was indeed a ballpoint pen in shape.

The main body was skillfully reproduced by carving wood.

There was no grip, but it didn't feel particularly strange to hold.

But this ballpoint pen... it was just huge.

It was as thick as an extra-large marker pen from Earth, and I could feel its heavy weight.

"Is the biggest obstacle here, right?"

Pointing to the tip, I asked, and Yagov, with a serious expression, nodded deeply.

"The spherical part at the tip, while I could understand its structure from Loki's explanation, it was completely impossible for the craftsmen in this town to miniaturize it to that extent. As a result, we had to make the whole thing larger to force it to fit."

"I see..."

I recalled the night when we all gathered to examine the actual item and discuss its structure, trying this and that.

Ideally, we should have started with a fountain pen.

But while I had a vague idea of what the product should look like, I didn't have the knowledge to explain it from scratch to someone who knew nothing.

Not being a technical person, I ultimately had to rely on the actual item in front of me.

Seeing the fatigue in Yagov's expression, I wondered if I had put him through too much, but the purpose of the ballpoint pen was to see if it could write normally. As I looked around for something to write on, Amanda, who was always efficient, had already stood up with a wooden board in her hand.

Yagov and Amanda were truly remarkable.

When I ran the ballpoint pen across the board—

"Wow! Amazing! It writes normally—ah, it does catch a bit, but it still writes properly!! This is incredible!!"

"By the way, the content on the parchment I gave Loki earlier was written with this ballpoint pen."

When I looked at the parchment as he said, the ink flow was inconsistent, with some smudges and sudden thickening, but the text was still readable.

"Yeah, it might take a bit longer to dry in places with more ink, but that's the same with a quill pen... I think this is practical enough."

"That's a relief... It's reassuring to hear that from Loki..."

As I watched Yagov lean back in his chair, I could imagine the various difficulties he had faced to get to this point.

He was already a busy person.

He must have devoted his personal time to focus on completing the ballpoint pen.

So, was there anything I could suggest to improve its quality even further?

"By the way, have you tested how long it can be used?"

"No, that's still to be determined. It hasn't been long since this form was completed. As you can see, it has been usable for the past three days."

"Hmm. Did it ever stop producing ink during that time?"

"It can fit in one hand. When I shook it hard, the ink started flowing again... but it did drip once, so there's still a lot of room for improvement."

I don't remember this happening with modern ballpoint pens, but when I was a primary school student, cheap ballpoint pens would often stop producing ink even though there was still ink inside.

I thought this would be a significant obstacle, but it was as expected.

Just a few times in three days.

If it's much more convenient to use than a quill pen, isn't that enough?

Modern users might complain about its size, smoothness, and smudging, but for people who only know quill pens, this would seem revolutionary.

The quality of the product would depend on the skills and techniques of the makers, but it could be gradually improved from here.

"By the way, can you remove the tip to see inside?"

"Yes. Replicating the mechanism of twisting and unscrewing like Loki's ballpoint pen was extremely difficult. It's designed to come off with a half turn."

"Ah, I see."

As he said, I tried turning it slightly, and the wood was carved in a way that it could be pulled out after a half turn, making it look easier than the modern screw mechanism.

But as long as it doesn't come off easily, that's fine.

When I pulled it out without any issues, I could see that most of it was a blackened stem-like object connected to the tip.

"Is this the stem you mentioned in your design?"

"Yes, that's right. I couldn't think of anything else that could fit the image of a 'tube.'"

"The main issues are that the ink level isn't visible, and—how long this stem will last, and the supply of these stems, right?"

"Exactly. The plant itself grows around here, so I'm not too concerned about the supply, but I don't know how long the stem will last before it rots and becomes unusable. Unlike Loki's ballpoint pen, the ink level isn't visible, so it's impossible to tell how much ink is left at this stage."

Hmm...

I've never tested how long a stem would last, so I don't know...

And the semi-transparent tubes of modern ballpoint pens are likely made from materials involving petrochemicals.

It's unrealistic to reproduce them in this world... but... semi-transparent... transparent...

"Actually, there is a way to make this tube transparent so that the ink level is visible. And using that method—there would be no need to worry about it rotting."

"Wh-What? Really!?"

"Yes. I'm not sure about the cost, but using 'glass' should solve the problem, right?"

I pointed to the window glass behind Yagov.

While not large, the inn's room and this room had small windows with glass.

This might be the work of a reincarnated person who brought glass-making knowledge to this world.

"Indeed, it's transparent... and it doesn't rot... So, the question is whether such tubes can be mass-produced with that material."

"Yes. But I have no idea about the glass production capacity in this world or the number of craftsmen who can process it. So, this is just a possibility."

"Hmm... Glass should be available from the Odesen Kingdom..."

"Then, why not gather information through the guild? The person making the glass might be from another world."

"...What?"

"Maybe not the current maker, but the person who brought glass-making to this world is probably from another world... a reincarnated person. This world has items like transparent glasses and eyeglasses, which are far ahead of the civilization level here."

"..."

For Yagov, who doesn't have a good impression of people from other worlds, this must be complicated.

He seems to dislike them, but he also wants to rely on their technology.

That's the situation.

"I can't say much since I only know this town, but not all people from other worlds are bad. If the technology is widespread, it should be used effectively, don't you think?"

"...You're right. The person I'm talking to now is from another world. I'll check with the Odesen guild, then."

"Haha... I think that's a good idea. Even if it's successfully made, the material cost will definitely increase, so as I mentioned before, it could be marketed to the wealthy after it becomes popular. I feel this is far superior to quill pens, so it could be sold as the first batch even before the tube is processed."

"Indeed, it was a good idea to consult you before taking action. Right, Amanda?"

"Yes, really."

"?"

"Loki, let's get back to the beginning. I want you to go to Marta with Amanda and Malta. The purpose is to register this 'ballpoint pen' with the commercial guild there."

"Commercial registration...? I'm not sure if I understand, but... is it like a patent?"

"Exactly. Registering it will allow us to have exclusive sales rights for the next ten years."

"I see. So, you want me to go to Marta with Amanda as a bodyguard, right?"

"That's just a bonus. I want you to register as well, Loki."

"Huh?"

"You provided the sample, gave us information, and helped us come up with improvements and strategies. In other words, this wouldn't have been possible without you. I want to register you as a consultant to receive 10% of the sales as your share."

"...Huh?"

"I don't intend to set the price too high so that it can reach the common people, but if we can sell a significant number, it could be a considerable amount."

"Wh-What? I didn't expect this at all!?"

"Don't be so hesitant. In return, I'd like to get advice from you when I'm in trouble, and if you have any other ideas that can be implemented in this world, I'd like to hear them."

"Wait, did you bring up the base location earlier for this reason?"

"That's part of it. If we can't stop by Bezart again, we won't be able to consult with you in the future."

Yagov smiled, and I felt relieved. He was, in a way, his usual self.

If I were to move my base, it would be the end of our collaboration.

Without me, he might have planned to register the ballpoint pen on his own or reduce my share.

Yagov would definitely become a successful businessman if he were to transfer to Earth.

"I understand... I plan to travel the world, so I can't promise when I'll return. But I will definitely come back after obtaining a transfer skill. If that's acceptable, I'll accept the consultant role and escort Amanda to Marta."

"The transfer skill hasn't even been deciphered yet. Haha... That's so typical of someone from another world. But that's fine. If you say you'll do it, you will. We'll improve the ballpoint pen in the meantime and bring a revolution to writing."

"Hehe, that sounds great. Oh, by the way, please spread clocks as soon as possible. It's incredibly inconvenient not being able to tell time to others in this world!"

The conversation with Yagov continued—

Talking to him reminded me of my days as a salesperson.

It was something I could only do with Yagov, and even though I didn't like it, it felt strangely comfortable.

Since I wouldn't be able to return for a while, I shared the method of making paper from Earth, based on vague memories from TV, which involved crushing wood and mixing it with glue.

I mentioned that if the wooden plates we had seen were made of iron, they could serve hot food like meat.

Since there were no fans in Bezart, I suggested the shape of fans and folding fans, and that they could be made from thin, stretched iron, which had also been used as weapons in the past.

I shared all the things I wanted but didn't have in this world, and Yagov's wide-eyed reaction and Amanda's frantic note-taking on the wooden board were memorable.