Chapter 64

“O Creator Dragon God! Is this the plant you bade us find?”

“Hmm… yes, but you’ve cut down far too many. Surely you didn’t harvest all of them, did you?!”

“Erm… should we have left some behind?”

Too much enthusiasm can be a problem!

The pile of papyrus was mountainous, enough to create a small hill in the rather large square.

“Alright. Since swamps are vast, more will grow. Nevertheless, from now on don’t cut them all down. Consider leaving some and planting seeds while cultivating papyrus fields.”

“Yes, apologies. As this is the first time the Great Creator has directly assigned us work, everyone got a little overzealous.”

While passion for work is good, it’s best not to overdo it.

Thus, I shall teach you how to make papyrus.

“First, cut them into appropriate lengths and peel off the outer skin.”

“How long is ‘appropriate’?”

Hmm, cutting around 25cm should suffice, right?

Considering lizardmen hands are slightly larger than humans’, about a span would be roughly 25cm.

“About 25cm should do.”

“A span is about the length of a palm.”

Ah, teaching them the metric system was indeed a wise decision. No room for that evil yard-pound system here!

Such arbitrary units have no place in existence!

Regardless of my thoughts, the Lizardman Archmage cut the papyrus with an obsidian dagger and reported back.

“Cut and peeled as instructed.”

“Good. Now slice the soft inner part thinly.”

“Thinly, you say?”

“Yes. Like filleting a fish.”

The Archmage then began slicing the papyrus innards with meticulous precision.

“All sliced.”

“Then lay these slices flat on a wooden board and pound or press them with something cylindrical to flatten further.”

“Hmm, would pounding with our palms work?”

“It might… considering lizardmen have sturdy palms, it could work. Let’s give it a try.”

The Archmage flattened the slices with an open palm, applying considerable force until the fibers broke down and the material became pliable.

This actually works with bare hands. Usually, one needs to hammer or press with a tool.

Well, simplifying things isn’t bad, right?

“Now soak this for about a week in clean water.”

“That takes quite a while.”

“We need to extract the sugars within. By the way, this part can be eaten raw or roasted.”

Upon hearing this, the Archmage sampled a piece.

“Indeed. A subtle sweetness, not bad at all.”

“Don’t eat too much.”

We need to reserve some for making paper.

…

One week later.

“Shall we take them out?”

“Oh, it’s been a week already. I lost track while busy with other tasks.”

“You seem quite occupied.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “the Chief deals with external negotiations and internal tribal coordination, the Great Warrior focuses on hunting, war, and martial training, so matters concerning spirits and blessing newborns fall solely on me.”

“Here, lay the soaked papyrus strips horizontally and vertically, crisscrossing them on a clean leather or cloth.”

“Like weaving fabric with threads, only flatter.”

“Pretty much.”

He spread clean leather and began layering the wet strips carefully.

“Much like weaving fabric.”

“Exactly. Once you’ve layered them densely in both directions, cover with more clean leather and press under heavy weight for another week to dry.”

“Another week? That makes two weeks total.”

“Not everything is easily made.”

…

After another week.

“Done! O Creator Dragon God!”

“Wow, it looks quite presentable.”

Thus, the first papyrus paper was born.

“Thin and light, truly wondrous. Different from cloth.”

“Hm. Now teach others to make this. We’ll use it to create long scrolls for writing. This paper will become valuable to you.”

“Can we write on this instead of stone tablets?”

“If you wish.”

Of course, between stone tablets and paper, anyone would choose paper for writing—it’s lighter, easier to carry, and far more convenient than stone tablets. There’s simply no comparison.

Or so I thought.

Even after inventing papyrus paper, the lizardmen still preferred writing on stone tablets.

Wha… why the stone tablets?!

…

In this way, papyrus paper quickly spread throughout the world.

Lightweight and inexpensive compared to parchment, it had immense value.

Clay tablets were too heavy for extensive use, and parchment, made from sheepskin, was costly.

In the East, bamboo slips were popular due to distance from lizardman territory, but even there, a few nobles started using papyrus for its convenience.

Anyway, except for elves who freaked out upon seeing it…

…

“Is this to replace clay tablets?”

“Yes, it’s called papyrus paper—thin, light, and suitable for writing. Write on it.”

“Mother of Life, how do we write on this?”

The priests receiving the papyrus scroll set through a dragon intermediary were perplexed.

Ah, they only know clay tablets, thus unaware of ink.

“Look at what came with the papyrus.”

“A small stick and a tiny leather pouch. Is this water inside?”

“Do not drink it. It’s for writing on papyrus. Bring a small unused bowl and pour a bit of the pouch’s contents.”

The priest followed my instructions, pouring black liquid from the pouch into a small pottery bowl.

“What is this black stuff?”

“It’s ink for writing.”

Though lizardmen made the paper, ink was also necessary.

Made by burning papyrus peels and mixing the soot with fish glue, adding water creates appropriately sticky ink.

Fortunately, lizardmen used fish glue, discovered independently when I asked for something sticky. Making glue by boiling dried fish bladders was impressive!

The downside is that fish glue is expensive to produce, making this demonstration ink pricier, but unavoidable.

I received papyrus paper scrolls and ink sets from the lizardmen.

“Now dip the stick in the black liquid and write.”

“Huh? Oh wow… unlike clay tablets requiring pressure, just lightly sweeping leaves marks!”

That’s because it’s ink. Clay tablets demand pressing into thick clay, hence the effort.

However, lacking proper pens, the sticks require frequent re-inking.

“Shall we write on this now?”

“Indeed. Writing here allows knowledge transmission without oral storytelling.”

Though issues remain—papyrus needs wider adoption, cheaper ink production—but those will resolve gradually.

No need to sprint when we’ve just taken our first steps, right?

Let’s proceed steadily.

“What should we write first?”

“Start with tales of the underworld.”