Chapter 50. Paper is a great way to
make money.
I hadn’t told my uncle about paper yet.
Why?
surprise?
My hobby is to surprise people.
That’s the small pleasure of being a professional in a previous life.
I brought a paper that would become a specialty of this place in the future and held it out to my uncle.
“It’s paper.”
“Paper… is it?”
My uncle was very puzzled and was in the mood to die.
If you tell them that they are servants, they will think of things that are inferior to each other.
“This!’?”
However, my uncle, who had peeled off the skin that was wrapping the paper, almost forgot for a moment and almost dropped the paper from his hand.
“…is this paper?”
“Everywhere you look, it’s paper.”
“…I’ll be honest. When I first heard the word servant, I thought that the time had finally come for Arel-nim to end the business.”
That’s a very honest opinion.
“But if it’s a paper like this, um, but how many nobles will be able to handle such a high-end item…”
It seemed that the quality was as high as the expensive product and started calculating.
“No, it’s not that expensive.”
“What a joke…”
“The unit price is only about this.”
I honestly told you the unit cost of production.
Then Uncle Lichen jumped in amazement.
The paper produced here is expensive compared to the paper sold in the civilized world in my previous life.
However, compared to the market price traded here, it is cheaper than parchment.
“Is it really okay to offer it at that price?”
“Don’t worry about unit cost or raw materials. At least as long as I’m alive, there’s no problem.”
After I’m gone That was me saying, “Let’s entrust the future to our descendants,” while making a nonsensical statement.
First of all, shouldn’t I suck honey and see?
“It just went well.”
“huh? what?”
“Even if it’s not the case, they say that they are having trouble with paper because the company that does business with the east continues to insist on it.”
This year, less paper was imported, but the price continues to rise.
This is because the company continued to raise the price while being forced to do so.
Monopolies in any world cause problems.
However, despite the tyranny, the voice of protest was small.
The authority of the family that looked after the merchant was also considerable. Also, the reason was that there was not much power to protest.
It is said that it was a car that was purchased at a high price because it was inconvenient to decorate important documents in the church or the royal family without the paper.
“It’s a welcome thing for them.”
There is no reason to be dissatisfied if you do not act tyrannically and supply paper of much superior quality.
“The problem is probably the reaction of the merchants that dealt with the existing paper.”
“Don’t worry about that. They have no reason to attack us.”
There’s no way I wouldn’t have thought of that.
In any case, compared to imported paper, my paper is a completely different product.
This is the paper gap.
I can speak confidently.
The manufacturing method is also different, so if someone raises a problem, you can ignore it.
What if no? make something better
Of course, there is no way they can imitate them overnight. Wouldn’t it be difficult at least not for hundreds of years to pass?
Anyway, Uncle Lichen seemed to like my paper, and his eyes lit up.
“We start selling right away.”
As if there was no need to discuss further, Uncle Li-Chen immediately started concocting a plan to distribute this to me.
Right now, in front of me, he was not a maternal uncle, but a perfect merchant himself.
At first, he was said to have been a boy who did not know how to handle the abacus, but now he has become a merchant who exchanges huge amounts of gold coins in his head.
huh? I guess you can trust it.
The paper produced in Pahilia soon shook the society once again within the kingdom.
Previously, paper is light and easy to store, but it is inconvenient to handle and expensive.
Of course, the new paper that kicks away such shortcomings as if it is funny is bound to be welcomed.
The ink doesn’t smear easily and it doesn’t damage the nib.
It doesn’t tear as easily as conventional paper.
Also, unlike parchment, it does not deteriorate badly, so many nobles and merchants began to use it.
Of course, the merchants who had been importing paper in the past tried their best to block the spread of new paper, but there was no way they could stop it.
No matter how much you spread rumors. Even with bribery, it is not easy to prevent the spread of products of superior quality than the existing ones.
Aristocrats and influential merchants began to pay attention to where the paper was lined.
Then, it became known that this was a specialty of Pahilia and that the person who instructed the development of this paper was the newly appointed lord Arell.
As a bonus, the recent rapid growth of fahilia has also attracted attention.
He saved the residents by clearing roads and revitalizing the territory while robbing his property.
At some point, his actions became a story and were handed down.
A young lord brought the frozen land back to life.
That’s the recent rumor about Arell.
So within the aristocratic society, Arel’s name was being heard once again.
* * *
King of Ernesia Kingdom.
Theonel Ernesia suddenly realizes a strange change in the middle of the house.
“The paperwork has changed.”
I wasn’t talking about the contents of the document.
To be precise, the material of the paper has changed.
Until then, appeals and papers submitted to lords in distant regions were covered with parchment.
High-ranking nobles used paper imported from abroad.
But at some point, all nobles started using white paper.
Of course, there’s no way you wouldn’t be concerned.
“Could it be that nobles aren’t trying to use paper too much?”
I half-jokingly asked the question, butler Jenefel answered with a faint smile.
“Recently, it is said that inexpensive paper has become popular. It is cheaper than using parchment, so all nobles and merchants are using it.”
“is it? hmm? Where was it developed?”
I don’t think I’ve heard of any of the recent imported items.
When the king thought it was strange and asked, Jenefel answered with a hearty smile for some reason.
“This is Pahilia.”
“…Fahilia… then, no way.”
“yes. It is as you think.”
Naturally, the face of the youngest son of the third prince came to mind.
A new item that suddenly appeared.
Now, as if it were natural, the child’s face came to mind.
Then, realizing that he was naturally understanding, the king smiled involuntarily.
“Looks like the kid is still there.”
Even though he was independent in a distant territory, the work the child does is no different from before.
Even as I was relieved, I thought that it was really like that child.
“Your Majesty, these are the taxes collected from each territory this year.”
“hmm? Is there any problem?”
“Starting this year, it is said that Pahilia has also paid.”
Poor estates do not pay taxes or pay a small tax considering their income.
Pahilia is a territory that has been virtually neglected even within the kingdom for decades.
“I should have told you not to pay taxes there, right?”
“The lord of that place. They say the third prince sent it himself.”
Taxes in that poor estate? Arell himself?
I immediately understood its meaning.
Fahilia is no longer a poor estate.
“Right. Is that also the result of that child?”
In just that short period of time, the frozen land was brought back to life.
And also this is the child’s message.
The king thought so.
It is a distant and harsh land, but his will does not change.
It must be said so.
he believed so
….Of course, if you listen to it, you’ll shout deep in your heart that it’s absolutely not.
* * *
“Lady Lipana. A letter came from Arel.”
Chena, Arell’s nanny and now Lipana’s personal maid, handed Lipana a letter that had just arrived from Fahilia.
“It’s already time for the letter to arrive.”
Arel periodically sent three or four letters to her mother about her health and recent situation.
Of course, if I wanted to, I could have come and gone instead of the letter. First of all, I thought it would be better to come after stabilizing the territory.
“Looks like you’re still doing well.”
Reading the letter, Lyfana was relieved and wiped her chest.
There’s no way I wouldn’t be anxious.
He pretended to be resolute for the sake of his children, but after hearing what kind of territory Arel was going to, he had to think for days and days whether he should sincerely stop his independence.
As if her worries were unfounded, Arel seemed to be living safely in an unfamiliar territory.
I couldn’t quite understand the business or details of the child’s operation there, but it was clear that he was doing well.
“Come to think of it, the stationery seems to have changed.”
Envelopes and stationery were completely different in quality from before.
Previously, the paper used for letters was almost yellow, and the feel was not very pleasant.
But now, the letter from Arell is white enough to show through if dust gets on it.
Isn’t the stationery also made of colored paper?
“I guess this is the paper the child made.”
“Ah… is this the paper written on in Lichen’s letter last time?”
Not too long ago, a letter unexpectedly came from Lichen, her younger brother and now in charge of all the commerce of her mother’s family.
It seems that he recently met Arel for some business.
He briefly mentioned that he was surprised that he was a child who looked just like his older sister, and the paper that Arel had made and the decision to circulate it in the family.
And the rest was about being genuinely surprised by Arell’s genius.
Perhaps he sent the letter on purpose for his older sister, who was curious about her son’s current situation.
“really. The territory has stabilized and Arel will return to the palace sooner or later.”
There was no word on how he would return, but since he was that child, he would surely return safely.
Lipana was relieved once again when she heard of Arel, who is doing well even in a distant territory.
I hoped that the next time he returned, I would like to see him much more grown up.
