Chapter 90

"Hmm, I don't have any paper."

"What's wrong, Alus? Are you worried about your hair at such a young age?"

"Who said anything about being bald? No, Dad, I'm talking about paper, not hair."

While advancing the land survey in the Valka Knight's territory, a new problem arose. I had just created a standard for measuring the land and was ready to start the survey, but I didn't have any paper to record the data.

In this region, they have apparently been using parchment for records for a long time. However, I didn't have any parchment. Moreover, I wasn't even sure if there were any sheep around here. If there were mutton, I would like to eat it.

When I mentioned paper, everyone seemed to think of parchment, or rather, animal skin paper. When I said I wanted paper, most people would say things like, "Are you going to skin a Valkyrie?" However, I couldn't do that. Valkyries are a significant force for me, and I can't skin them.

However, it seems that parchment is not circulated in large quantities, and the cost of paper has turned out to be quite expensive. Honestly, do I alone think it's a waste? Besides, there's the problem that books made of parchment would be too thick. For me, who has experienced paperless e-books, I would rather not use such a bulky medium.

Therefore, I decided to start making paper. Well, I don't need that much right now. I thought I could make enough for my own use.

***

The paper I decided to make is, of course, not parchment but plant-based paper. In fact, I had been exploring the forest for some time, and I found out that the forest near Valka Village is surprisingly diverse. There are logs that can be used as the substrate for magic mushrooms, and trees that are good for charcoal. However, there were also trees that were unsuitable for either. I decided to use these trees to make paper.

I proceeded with the work, referring to my memories from my previous life. First, I finely shaved the wood that would be the material for the paper, then pounded and crushed it. After crushing it finely, I boiled it. For boiling, I used various methods and ultimately decided on a magic recovery potion. When I boiled the wood, fibers came out, and the amount of fibers obtained was better when using the magic recovery potion.

I mixed the fibers that came out after boiling with glue. For the glue, I decided to use a wild yam-like plant that grows in the forest. This wild yam-like plant is toxic when eaten, and the villagers are told never to put it in their mouths even if they find it in the forest. However, it has been known for a long time that when cooked, it becomes very sticky and can be used as a simple adhesive.

I boiled the wood fibers with the glue, then transferred the liquid to a container and scooped it with a screen set in a wooden frame. After a few days of drying, the paper was beautifully completed.

I struggled a lot to complete the paper using the materials available locally, but I managed to do it. I think using the magic recovery potion was particularly helpful. Before that, the fibers didn't come out well, and even when they did, they were too fragile and didn't mix well with the glue. Using the magic recovery potion improved everything at once. Although I thought it might be a strategic material, it was worth it. The paper that was completed was so smooth and pleasant to write on that I couldn't believe I made it myself. I eagerly wrote down the land survey data on this plant-based paper.

***

"Hey, kid, do me a favor. Sell me this paper."

"What's wrong, old man? Didn't you say it was impossible when I started saying I would make paper from trees?"

"Ugh... No, I was wrong. I never thought you could make such paper."

"Good to be honest. So, what do you want? You want the paper?"

"Yeah. I want to sell this paper. I've never seen such thin and easy-to-write paper. I think it would be very useful for my peddling."

"Ah, when you peddle, you want to take up as little space as possible for your goods. Thinner paper for records would be better."

"Yeah, and if the paper is this clean, it will definitely sell in the city. This will sell, kid."

"Sounds good. Then, I'll prepare a dedicated papermaker for the Valka Knight's territory to make it a new specialty."

By the way, when I fought the Fontana family, some people died. Among them were those who had families, and the families left behind were in trouble due to the loss of male labor. I had given them money, but that was only a temporary solution. So, I thought I would gather the widows and have them make paper. After investigating the fallen soldiers, I started paper production in two villages. Since we used magic recovery potions as a material, the plant-based paper wasn't cheap. However, the completed plant-based paper turned out to be unexpectedly profitable, and as a result, I wasn't hated by the families of the fallen soldiers.

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