Chapter106

The papermaking process took even more time. Even though System 92 had already simplified the principles and steps as much as possible, Elara was still doing it for the first time and had never made paper in modern times. While she had workers prepare the materials, she also spent nearly two days figuring things out herself.

She finally understood the full process, and the craftsmen learning from her also grasped the basic steps. On the third day, the official production of the first batch of paper in this ancient era finally began.

Perhaps it was because Elara came to guide them personally each day. The workers didn't want to disappoint her, or maybe the techniques for smelting and papermaking were just too exciting for craftsmen who loved skills. Since the factories were established, all the workers seemed full of energy, doing their jobs diligently and seriously every day.

With such a focused and positive attitude, the results naturally exceeded expectations. It took only three days. On the sixth morning after Elara arrived in Marigold City, the first batch of ten iron weapons was successfully completed.

At the same time, there was also good news from the paper mill. The first batch of xuan paper in this ancient era was successfully made as well.

Inside the smelting factory, Elara stood in front of ten weapons. Swords, sabers, daggers, bows, spears, shields, hammers, arrows — every common weapon was there.

This had been her request from the start. Once usable iron was available, they needed to create weapons commonly used by soldiers to test the practicality of the new material. Only after confirming this could they move forward.

Looking at the sharp and strong iron weapons, which were much lighter than bronze, Elara quickly called for Hector, Egbert, and the others to try them. These men had been in the army and had used heavy, clumsy bronze weapons before.

When they saw the strange-looking weapons on the table, they were confused. But once Elara explained and asked them to try these new iron weapons, the seasoned warriors quickly noticed how much better they were than bronze.

They were much lighter, far more agile, and easier to use. The sharpness and strength were just as good as bronze, if not better. Hector swung the weapon and found it more and more comfortable in his hands.

He became more and more excited. His eyes lit up, and he didn't want to let go of the iron weapon. After trying them out for a while, they all asked Elara if they could have a sparring match.

Elara agreed. She wanted to see how the weapons performed in action. She found a wide area in the factory and placed all ten weapons around the space for them to choose and test.

Hector, Egbert, and the other new fighters grabbed their preferred weapons with excitement and started sparring. The sound of weapons clashing rang out loudly across the whole smelting factory.

The craftsmen who had been working nearby all came over to watch. These weapons were the result of their efforts over the last few days. Of course they wanted to see how they held up in battle, so they could adjust their methods afterward.

The warriors tested the weapons for a long time. Only when Elara told them to stop did they reluctantly pause, still gripping the iron weapons tightly in their hands.

"Your Highness! These new iron weapons are amazing! They're sharp and strong enough to completely replace bronze! They're so much lighter too, easier to carry and use. If our soldiers can use these in battle, they'll save a lot of energy, and with their faster speed, they can strike the enemy first and win!"

The warriors were thrilled. Holding their weapons, they stood in front of Elara excitedly describing all the advantages of these new weapons in real combat. Elara was happy too, seeing that the weapons were already battle-ready.

She called over the craftsmen who had been waiting nearby and asked them to join in the discussion with Hector and the others. Together, they went over the results and noted improvements needed for future batches.

Then Elara had Hector and the others use their past experience to choose a few weapon types that would be most useful on the battlefield. The craftsmen wrote these down to use as the basis for mass production. Only then was the weapon trial officially over.

Before leaving, because the iron weapons were so good, the warriors didn't want to go back to using heavy bronze ones. Hector and Egbert asked Elara if they could keep the ones they just used.

Of course Elara agreed. These weapons were made for them in the first place. The warriors left with joy, holding their new iron weapons as if they were treasures.

Besides the excitement of the iron weapons being made in Marigold City, the successful production of xuan paper made Elara even more pleased.

She really didn't want to keep using thick, heavy bamboo slips just to take notes. They were hard to carry, hard to hold, and even easy to poke your hand with. They couldn't record much either. They were simply too inconvenient.

Now it was finally done. Elara had succeeded in making paper. The large warehouses in Marigold City that were once used to store bamboo slips could finally be cleared out.

All the heavy bamboo slips could now be copied onto thin sheets of paper for storage. The massive amount of information that once filled entire warehouse rooms could now be stored in just a few boxes.

This saved a huge amount of space and made it much easier to manage and store everything. No one had to carve bamboo slips every day anymore.

After Elara successfully created paper, she brought the new sheets back to the governor's mansion. She immediately showed them to Scholar Fu and Kristof.

She introduced them to this new invention that would soon become the favorite of the entire scholarly world. At this time, writing was mainly done on bamboo slips. If one wanted something light and easy to carry, they had to use expensive silk.

Kristof and Scholar Fu were both used to writing on bamboo slips. Every time they needed to write, they had to save space carefully.

Now they looked at the thin sheets of paper and tried writing on them. They were surprised to find the ink soaked in very well.

The writing was clear and easy to read, and each sheet took up very little space. A single thin sheet, if filled completely, could hold more information than two or three rolls of bamboo slips.

And even after recording so much, it was still just a thin, foldable sheet that one could easily carry in a pocket. It was extremely lightweight. This was the dream of every scholar.

Both Kristof and Scholar Fu were very smart. They immediately realized how important this paper was. Scholar Fu remained calm, but Kristof started thinking about many things.

For example, if the government started using this paper for all their records, or if ancient books were copied onto paper instead, then…

The thought of it made him tighten his grip on the sheet.

In the past, when scholars moved homes, they had to spend a lot of money and energy to hire carts just to transport heavy bamboo slips. Sometimes the amount of bamboo slips they moved was several times more than their household belongings.

Now, with these thin sheets of paper that could store more, what used to take several carts of bamboo could now be replaced by half a box of paper.

How could this not excite them?

"Good! Very good! With this, Plumera State will never have to worry about running out of bamboo slips again. All departments in Marigold City will finally have enough writing material. Storage and management will be easier too! Most importantly, scholars will finally have something light to carry around!"

In the past, because using bamboo slips was so troublesome, most government records were rough and simplified. Some things were not even recorded.

Now, with enough paper, there would be no more worries about shortages or difficulties. If every department in Marigold City used paper, all records would become more accurate. Officials would have better information to create more precise and fair policies.

Thinking this, Kristof looked at the thin sheet of paper in his hand and valued it even more. His eyes grew brighter as he looked at Elara.

"Your Highness, your amazing and unique ideas are truly admirable!"

Elara only smiled and brushed off the compliment.

These ideas weren't hers. She came from another world and had only brought the wisdom and inventions of future generations into this ancient time.

With both the new weapons tested and the paper successfully used, the two most important things Elara cared about had been achieved in Marigold City.

Now the next step was to keep finding the right raw materials and begin producing them in large amounts.

After almost a week of nonstop work, Elara could finally take a short break.

Still, she knew that these two inventions would definitely stir up trouble in this ancient world. If she wanted to keep both paper and iron tools under her control, there were still many things to consider.

Paper-making used easy-to-find materials, but iron ore sources had not yet been secured.

Hector and Egbert had only just started recruiting and training soldiers. But the people Elara sent earlier to explore the mines behind Anju Town had not sent back good news.

Elara wanted to secure that mine before anyone else could. She couldn't wait for Hector and Egbert's army to be ready. She had to take people and deal with it herself.

Many complicated plans filled her mind.

After leaving the ironworks, Elara rubbed her sore head. She decided to get a good night's sleep and think about everything tomorrow.

With the help of her servants, she took a warm bath and finally lay down in bed.

But as she drifted off to sleep, Elara suddenly felt someone touching her.

She quickly grabbed the hand that was moving across her body and opened her eyes. What she saw was a flushed and nervous Imani.

"Y-Your Highness…"

Imani was half undressed and leaning over her bed. His tall, slender upper body was pressed against her, his pale and smooth skin almost touching her face.