You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 109 Papermaking and Printing

During his first year in Sig, Roman developed a strong aversion to the local climate.

He never imagined that a single season could torment him like this.

There wasn't a breath of wind.

Nothing can be done.

It was so hot and humid that it was hard to breathe.

The land was scorching hot from the sun.

It's hotter than the hottest summer day.

The light distorts under the high temperature, creating a shimmering effect when looking into the distance.
The newly built residential area, with its neatly arranged and orderly red brick houses, resembled a fully fired brick kiln, with wispy threads floating above it.

The residents there also fled the brick houses—but it wasn't the brick houses' fault.

In fact, those thick and sturdy buildings have good thermal insulation properties—because their old shacks were much worse.

The thin thatched roof could not keep out the high temperature. There were dense piles of thatch and livestock all around. The smoke from cooking could not escape, and the smell of fermenting manure lingered in the air. How could one not want to escape that suffocating environment?
In previous years, the farmers would flee their homes during the hottest part of the day and escape to the riverbank in the shade of the trees.

It's a bit cool there, you can wash yourself in the clear river water, and even catch a fresh river fish to eat.

But ever since the lord arrived, no one has gone to catch fish or hunt animals.

It's not a ban, it's just that we don't have the time or energy.

They were all now wearing linen shorts and t-shirts given to them by the lord, which he said were special summer attire.

Some well-informed people knew that these were linens transported from merchant ships.

Their lord summoned dozens of tailors who worked day and night to make these—made specifically for them, for both slaves and free men.

He gave everyone a summer outfit, the same style for everyone from the oldest to the youngest.

Suddenly everyone was wearing the same outfit.

The farmers found it quite novel, and even the slaves who had just arrived in Sigge Town couldn't help but puff out their chests with pride when they saw themselves wearing the same clothes as the free people.

What do clothes represent?
Family background!

When a farmer falls ill, he can sell his clothes during the most difficult time to get a few pounds of grain. As long as he doesn't freeze to death, he can survive for another ten days.

This method is like drinking poison to quench thirst.

But those living at the bottom of society truly regard clothes as an equivalent.

To save money, I used to wear only one or two outfits each year, from spring to autumn—and in winter I would take out my treasured wool sweaters and sheepskin coats that I had kept for many years.

A sheepskin coat and a sufficiently warm wool sweater cost five or six copper coins, while a garment made of linen cost one or two.

Many families raise sheep and grow hemp, which can greatly reduce household expenses.

Now, after they finish their work, they not only get three free meals a day, but each of them also receives a piece of clothing, which can be considered a dream life.

Because it's a rest period, not a time when they're not working—that's what their boss said—they're still providing meals as usual.

Breakfast is fresh, lunch is made in the morning, and dinner is leftovers from lunch.

No one objected; they were just glad they had something to eat.

The river flows quietly beside me, meandering and twisting. Fish splash on the surface, raising their tails and creating water droplets before disappearing again.

Nobody cares; I've been working too hard for too long and all I want is to rest.

They were either sitting by the river, leaning against a tree, or lying on the grass.

Looking along the riverbank, the trees sway in the breeze, and in some places the crowds are large, while in others they are sparse.

A gentle breeze blew from the direction of the winding river, rustling the leaves.

The weather was still hot and humid, but everyone felt comfortable, wearing comfortable linen summer clothes and not having to worry about their future survival.

No worries, no idle matters, no sorrows.

No one even spoke.

Everyone quietly enjoyed this tranquil and peaceful moment.

……

The three-day holiday passed in the blink of an eye.

The "twilight of the Xia Dynasty" continued to scorch the earth, growing ever more intense.

Roman despised the legends of the gods and looked down on the church, wanting nothing more than to punch them twice.

But at this moment, I'm starting to question life. Is there really some reason that has created this unbearably hot weather?

Roman had not forgotten the scenery of the Grand Duchy. He was born and raised in the Grand Duchy of the Cracked Armor Grand Duke.

The Black Iron Kingdom occupies the best central valley in the entire land, maintaining the order of the conquerors.

Rift Armor Territory is the most fertile land in the Black Iron Kingdom. It boasts a pleasant climate and vast wilderness. Exotic wildflowers bloom across the mountains and plains, and succulent grasses cover the land, only gradually fading away in autumn.

The forests are lush and green, the rivers are magnificent, the hills and mountains are picturesque, the farmhouses and fields are poetic, and windmills can be seen everywhere. Everything in the scenery has a harmonious and wonderful beauty.

It is neither too hot nor too cold, and has the advantages of all seasons.

He had heard of the harsh cold of the northern lands, and knew of the scorching heat of the Desert Kingdom, and the eternal spring of the Amber Kingdom…

But what I didn't expect was that the climate in Sig Town was also so extreme.

Roman had no choice but to extend the leave to allow those people to get through this difficult period.

All construction work had to be stopped.

If forced labor is conscripted, even more laborers will likely die.

But Roman can't do nothing either.

Coincidentally, the papermakers who had been assigned to make paper earlier had already produced the paper.

Roman examined it and found the quality acceptable.

From this moment on, the cost of education on this land will never again be prohibitively high!
Green and Aaron were unaware of this, as were Dick and Jet, and even Gervais and Neelie were unaware.

Only Seth vaguely sensed a hidden and great power emanating from that thin white paper.

As Roman put pen to paper and began to write, that feeling of unease suddenly swelled, expanded, and stretched to its maximum extent. With a bang, some of the concepts in his mind were shattered.

He was busy, but he also knew that Roman had arranged for people to manufacture something a little over a month ago.

Before he could even pay attention, a miracle unfolded before him.

“The Papyrus Wars…” Seth murmured, somewhat frightened.

Sinnoh also possesses papermaking technology, which the Holy See forbids from being passed on to outsiders; otherwise, it will send Judgment Knights to subdue them.

Mr. Roman cracked the papermaking technique; if this had happened to someone else, it might have been a catastrophe.

But he was ultimately surnamed Liejia, and all he did was incite a war.

Either the Grand Duke compromises, or the Papacy compromises.

The Grand Duke of Cracked Armor could tolerate the witch being burned at the stake, but he would never allow his child to be beheaded by the Knights of Judgment.

……

The initial batch of paper was not large, only a few hundred sheets.

We can increase production very quickly.

Roman didn't care about the Mysticism or the Papacy.

What a piece of trash! Once I'm fully developed, I'll kick you into the trash heap!
He didn't intend to sell it; it was purely for internal use, making it even less likely to be leaked.

In this era of inconvenient transportation, the Vatican had no reason to know about this in less than a year or two.

It doesn't matter if I know!
It takes time for a large army to arrive.

If he can't get through this crisis, then what's the point of farming? He might as well just grow sweet potatoes!
Half of the paper was given to Jimmy to make a resident register, recording the identity information of all farmers and slaves, and managing them uniformly according to their numbers.

Popularizing books is too difficult, and writing them is also a problem.

The content of books in this era relied entirely on hand copying, which was a huge amount of work, and literacy was a basic skill for copyists.

In Sig town, there are no more than twenty people who are qualified to do the job.

Roman had no books and no one to do the copying work.

He was going to develop something called lead type printing.

To make such a thing, he needs to make type molds, copper plates engraved with letters, lead water and ink, and a printing press—fortunately, these things are not difficult to make.

Since no one else knew anything about lead type printing, he had to do it himself.

The main hall of Origin Manor became Roman's studio.

He used a sharp carving knife to carve letters and characters one by one on the copper block, asking others to do what they could for him.

Polish the typeface, melt lead and tin into liquid, mix them and pour them into the mold.

Roman did not do much work; there were only a few dozen letter templates to carve, not to mention numbers and characters.

Once dozens of typefaces are formed, printing only requires arranging and combining them.

Printing books is obviously impossible; printing a complete book would require at least tens of thousands of typefaces, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Roman didn't plan to undertake large-scale printing work either, as output and manpower input are often closely related.

He only wanted to print literacy books for early literacy education.

The initial goal is not high; it would be enough to provide each person in Sige Town with a literacy book.

(End of this chapter)