CHAPTER 329: CHAPTER 208: PAPER MAKING WORKSHOP

"Brothers, listen to my command," the Centurion shouted loudly: "Two-column arc formation!"

The soldiers quickly formed their positions. Although the formation was obviously shorter than the previous long line, it now had some depth, and the arc presented a significant sense of encirclement toward these Skodisqi people.

"Raise shields and sit down!"

With the sound of "clank, clank," the soldiers set their shields diagonally in front of them and sat neatly on the ground, their eyes fixed straight ahead at the Skodisqi people.

Some of the Skodisqi were intimidated by the soldiers’ imposing aura and instinctively moved closer to Gowes.

Gowes intentionally raised his voice to reassure his subordinates: "We have come with genuine intentions to join them; what is there to worry about? These past days, we’ve either been fighting or marching, and now everyone is exhausted. It’s a good opportunity to sit and rest properly. I believe the leader of the Nix Tribe will be moved by our sincerity, will come out to meet us personally, and will allow us to join this tribe!"

Hearing this, their hearts settled slightly.

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While the tribesmen of the Nix Tribe were tilling the fields on the northern bank of the Kupa River, under the guidance of the Public Works Department, they took the opportunity to press out a dirt road. Riding along this road, Hagux raced westwards on horseback. In little more than half an hour, he crossed the wooden bridge and arrived at Snowdonia’s main house.

"The leader has gone to the Paper Making Workshop," Casius, who was stationed in the main hall, said solemnly. "Captain Hagux, if you have urgent matters, please wait for a moment in the side room while I go and notify the leader to return."

"No need, I will go myself," Hagux replied, feeling a little annoyed. Had he known the leader was at the Paper Making Workshop, he wouldn’t have traveled this far.

The Paper Making Workshop was located at the northernmost part of the workshop district. Maximus had designated a large piece of land for its use. Within the grounds, over ten square pits had been dug, though only two were in use while the rest remained idle, intended for future use as cyclic wastewater settling ponds.

A major part of the workshop consisted of the paper drying yard—a flattened, thoroughly compacted earthen ground that had been repeatedly washed to reduce dust formation. Surrounded by simple wooden walls to block the strong river winds, the yard contained several large wooden frames. Each frame was neatly filled with uniformly sized square wooden molds...

Maximus had come to the Paper Making Workshop at the invitation of the Public Works Officer, Capito, to inspect the progress.

At that moment, he stood in the paper drying yard as Capito enthusiastically showcased the workshop’s achievements over the past few months: "Leader, this is the ’paper’ that the craftsmen have made according to the method you taught us! It can really be written on, and the writing is clear and lasting, just like papyrus!

Moreover, it’s like a piece of cloth—it can be folded and crumpled. Though it still tears easily, it’s sturdier than papyrus! The key is that this paper can be produced in large quantities using just the bark of trees that are easily accessible to us. Children can use it to learn, officials can write reports and record data, craftsmen can draft designs and construct devices, and we can even use it to write books and create artwork! With it, we can..."

Usually calm and composed, Capito had become increasingly animated as he spoke. His face flushed, and he waved his arms, as impassioned as a lawyer delivering a courtroom argument.

In contrast to Capito’s enthusiasm, Maximus appeared composed. He gazed at the piece of paper laid out before him: roughly square in shape, about the size of a bamboo frame, but with uneven edges, obviously damaged during the peeling process. Its primary color was grayish-white, with scattered black dots and yellowish stains. There were numerous fine, elongated protrusions resembling veins beneath human skin, as well as a few finger-sized holes...

Maximus furrowed his brow slightly, reached out his hand, and gently stroked the paper’s surface: it was uneven, with some protrusions feeling hard, as though containing solid particles, while others were soft, resembling water blisters. He could also feel that the paper’s upper half was thicker while the lower half was thinner, making it impossible to lay the sheet flat on the wooden rack. The lower portion curled upward, and the entire piece was slightly wrinkled...

He then held the paper by its edges with both hands and tugged lightly. It showed some resilience by not immediately tearing, but with a bit more force, a small tear appeared.

Capito let out an "Ah!" and snatched the paper from Maximus with visible distress, gently smoothing out the tear as if to comfort it.

Maximus ignored him and turned to the craftsmen standing nearby. In a calm tone, he asked, "Do you see any issues with this sheet of paper?"

"Yes, plenty of issues," stepped forward one of the craftsmen. Pointing at the paper in Capito’s hands, he earnestly explained, "Leader, as you can see, there are many black dots on this paper that shouldn’t be there. This likely resulted from our failure to fully remove impurities from the pulp. Alternatively, dust might have blown onto it during the drying process...

The yellow stains on the paper, I think, occurred because of the recent continuous rain. The damp weather caused some mold growth... During the pulping process, we did not fully mash the pulp, leaving some tree fibers inside the paper... Additionally, the linen we used for the frame was not tightly woven or thin enough. The pulp oozed through the gaps, creating these uneven surfaces after drying...

When we used wooden molds to scoop pulp from the vat, we sometimes acted too quickly or too slowly, or we failed to hold the mold level, causing the pulp to spread unevenly across the linen. This requires more practice on our part... We also dried the paper in too much haste and didn’t ensure the pulp was fully dried, leading to drops pooling and forming these holes... Lastly, our paper-tearing skills are lacking due to inexperience... not to mention the air bubbles in the finished paper..."

The craftsman droned on, listing a litany of issues, yet Maximus listened carefully. He then asked, "What kind of tree bark did you use?"

"Oak. This type of tree is abundant in the nearby mountains. We’ve also tried using pine bark, but it’s firmer, so we’ve temporarily set it aside. Still, I think paper made using pine bark might end up being tougher."

"What about the adhesive? What did you use?"

"Emmerich suggested several types of grass, but we eventually settled on a tree vine. Its sap is milky white and very sticky—almost like mucus—so we named it ’nose drip vine.’ This vine is also common in the mountains. I think one reason the paper feels brittle is that we may have used too little adhesive. Next time, we’ll extract more sap from the nose drip vine and incorporate it into the vat. I believe this will make the fibers bond more closely."

Maximus asked a few more questions, and the craftsman answered all of them.

This craftsman, Torimias, had been a slave washing clothes and fabric for Sarabia nobles before being appointed by Capito as the head of the Paper Making Workshop.

At this moment, Maximus regarded him with a faint smile of approval: "Torimias, your dissatisfaction with merely producing paper and your ability to identify so many problems, analyze their causes, and propose solutions are commendable!

With a responsible leader like you and such diligent companions, I’m confident you’ll be able to produce excellent paper and make significant contributions to the tribe. When that time comes, the tribe will reward you accordingly!"

These words filled the craftsmen with excitement.

Maximus continued, "Are there any difficulties that need my attention?"

"Leader... we need more hands," Torimias mustered the courage to say earnestly. "With our current manpower, producing a dozen or even a hundred sheets of paper isn’t a problem, but this will never meet the demand of the entire tribe. Tasks like collecting bark and nose drip vine, pulping, and extracting sap all require a lot of labor..."

"No problem," Maximus replied. "Capito, you’ll handle this matter. Also," He paused in thought before adding, "I noticed that pulping is indeed labor-intensive and repetitive, often leading to fatigue. Have Spukala come by when he’s free to see if he can create a small device similar to a water hammer that uses water power instead of human power. This could greatly enhance papermaking efficiency!"

"Understood, Leader," Capito responded respectfully.

"Anything else?"

"I heard that bricks from the kilns are becoming more plentiful. Could we pave the drying yard with tiles and replace the wooden walls with stone ones to prevent dust and debris from getting into the pulp?" Torimias, encouraged by Maximus accepting his earlier suggestions, boldly made another request.

"Haha, your commander Capito already brought this up to me, and I’ve decided to take care of it. Tomorrow, tiles will be laid, and stone walls will be built for your yard."

The craftsmen cheered in excitement.

At that moment, Akegu approached and whispered a few words in Maximus’s ear.

Maximus’s smile faded, and after a brief pause for thought, he said, "Go tell Hagux to find Emmerich and have him meet these Skodisqi people.

Also, ask Hagux to remind Emmerich to ensure that these people are genuinely joining our tribe with no ulterior motives. Otherwise, the Nix Tribe will refuse to accept them."

"Yes, Leader," Akegu replied before leaving.

Soon after, Maximus also left the Paper Making Workshop.

"Leader, would you like to visit the Iron Workshop? The water hammer and water mill that Spukala and his team are building have made significant progress!" Capito suggested as he followed behind.