AWDC Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Work at the Lord’s Mansion

Serving the lord led to a significant change in my life.

Each morning, after drawing water and checking the fields, I would go to the lord’s mansion for a meeting with the lord and Roy Keene to discuss the day’s plans.

After that, I would visit each farm in Toriholi Village one by one.

My job was to provide agricultural guidance to the villagers.

I had explained my farming methods to my neighbors, but it hadn’t spread throughout the entire village.

Being recognized by the lord, I went around explaining how to make compost and green manure, and the benefits of planting different types of crops in sequence.

While I was at it, I also treated any sick or injured people.

Well, seeing my farm and the neighboring farms, it was clear that yields increased by following my methods, so there wasn’t any difficulty in explaining it.

Related to that, the villagers’ attitude towards me also changed.

Until now, I was seen as a clever child who was wise for his age, but becoming a retainer of the lord changed things.

I began to feel a certain amount of respect.

Well, I still looked like a child, and I had no intention of changing my own attitude.

It was the second year since I came to the village, after the early summer had passed.

“My lord, please take a look at this.”

I presented several sheets of white paper to the lord and Roy Keene.

“What is this?”

“It’s paper. However, the raw material is tree bark, so it can be made cheaply.”

It was the first time for both of them to see white paper.

In this country, paper itself was neither known nor produced.

It was much thinner than parchment and had a nice texture.

The white paper was excellent for writing on.

Because it was thin, it didn’t take up much space even when stacked, and it could be folded.

Unlike the rough sheepskin, it was smooth and easy to write on.

When bound together, it was easy to make into a book and store.

I explained how convenient this was.

The two of them listened intently, holding the paper in their hands.

“This could become a special product of this village!” Roy Keene’s voice was excited.

(That’s right, Roy Keene. You’re a smart person for immediately recognizing the value of paper.)

I showed it to them because I wanted to make paper a special product of the poor village and sell it.

“Roy Keene, there will be many people who would buy this even if it’s expensive, right?”

“Yes, the court, bureaucrats, churches, and wealthy merchants would buy it even at the same price as parchment.”

“Can we sell this at the price of parchment?”

“This whiteness, texture, and thinness cannot be achieved with parchment, so everyone will want it.”

“That’s wonderful. Toma, can anyone make this?” The lord was also excited.

“Yes, any adult, male or female, can make it.”

“You will teach us how to make it, right?”

“Yes, of course. However, I think it’s better not to talk about the manufacturing method too much and let it spread. The raw material is tree bark, which is everywhere. If the manufacturing method is known, it will be done everywhere, and it won’t be a special product.”

“Hmm, I see. So, Toma, you’re the only one who knows the manufacturing method now?”

“Since I live with Ilse, she knows how it’s made. I haven’t shown the paper to anyone else yet.”

“I should go to your place once and see how it’s done.”

Paper became necessary when I tried to create a medical record when treating Tom’s injury.

But paper wasn’t widespread in this world. There was parchment, but it was too expensive. It wasn’t something poor villagers could obtain.

Even without paper, it was absolutely necessary to record the treatment.

It was a professional habit as a doctor, and I wouldn’t feel right unless I made a medical record.

But there was no paper nearby. I was troubled and had no choice but to write Tom’s treatment record on the wooden wall.

But as more people came for treatment, it was impossible to keep track of everything on the wooden wall alone.

For the time being, I had to write it down on boards, but they were very bulky and would eventually fill the room.

While wondering if I could somehow make paper, my knowledge of paper from my previous life came back to me.

I remembered that paper could be made by peeling the bark of trees and plants, boiling it down, and straining the liquid.

However, I had no experience making paper.

I tried making paper several times, but the results were terrible.

I didn’t even know the raw materials for paper.

I boiled wood and rags and strained the liquid, but not even a scrap of paper remained.

Treating villagers and weaving thread wasn’t so difficult. I had experience in my previous life.

However, I had no memory of making paper at all.

I began to experiment.

I discovered that the raw material for paper was similar to “Kozo” used in Japanese paper, which grew wild on the riverbank.

Only the bark could be used, not the wood itself.

Boiling the wood made it easier to peel the bark.

Boiling it with caustic soda.

Above all, the technique of straining the paper was difficult.

As I proceeded with the work little by little, I remembered the knowledge from my previous world and thought about the next step. I gradually devised ways to make paper.

Everything was a series of trials and errors.

And after nearly a year and a half, I finally came up with a satisfactory method for manufacturing paper.

First, I showed the raw material for paper and explained how to peel the bark.

I explained that the bark was exposed to water, boiled with chemicals, and turned into a white liquid.

When I took out a square wooden frame from the mere white liquid, it turned into paper.

“It’s like magic. No one can imagine that paper can be made from such a white liquid.”

“But if they see this, they will imitate it.”

The lord and Roy Keene’s conversation was very serious.

“We should build a special hut inside the mansion and have only a few people make paper.”

The lord decided on a policy after seeing how I made paper.

“The paper manufacturing method is absolutely secret.”

I was to teach the paper-making method to only a few villagers, and no one else was allowed to enter the workshop.

He seemed to think that if anyone saw the raw materials and how to make paper, they would understand that anyone could make paper and would definitely imitate it.

My important task became teaching the paper manufacturing method only to the villagers while keeping it as secret as possible.

With agricultural guidance and work as a doctor, I was quite busy.