Those Who Serve the Gods (5)
The Lizardmen scoured every inch of the swamp and finally found what I assumed were papyrus plants. As expected, Lizardmen get the job done when you give them one.
「O Genesis Dragon! Is this the plant you commanded us to find?」
"Hmm. Yeah... it is, but did you have to chop down so much? You didn't take every single one, did you?!"
「Uh... should we have left some?」
Too enthusiastic for their own good!!! A mountain of papyrus piled up—so much that it formed a little hill in the middle of a pretty wide plaza.
"That's enough. The swamp's huge, so more will grow if we look. Anyway, from now on, don't cut them all down. Harvest moderately, plant seeds, and consider farming papyrus."
「Yes, sir. We're sorry. It was the first time the Genesis Dragon gave us a direct task, so everyone got a bit too carried away.」
Being passionate about work is great, but this is overkill.
Alright then... time to teach them how to make papyrus paper.
"First, cut it to an appropriate length and peel off the outer skin."
「How long is 'appropriate'?」
Hmm, how long should it be? Roughly 25cm should do. Lizardmen hands are a bit bigger than human ones, so about a handspan would be around 25cm.
"About 25cm should work."
「25cm... that's about the length of a palm.」
Hmm. Good thing I taught them the metric system. No evil, barbaric units like yards and pounds in this world!! Those arbitrary measurements don't deserve to exist!
Whether I felt that way or not, the head shaman sliced the papyrus with an obsidian dagger and reported back.
「I've cut it and peeled the skin.」
"Good. Now, slice the soft inner stem thinly."
「Thinly, you say?」
"Yeah. Like filleting a fish."
The head shaman then carefully carved out the papyrus pith.
「All sliced.」
"Lay those slices on a flat wooden board and pound them with a wooden mallet or roll them flat with a cylinder to make them even thinner."
「Couldn't I just use my palm?」
"That might... hmm, with a Lizardman's tough palm, it could work. Since this is a test, give it a try."
The head shaman spread his palm and pressed down firmly on the thin slices. The pith squished softly, its fibers breaking down.
It actually works with bare hands. Normally you'd need a mallet or rolling pin, but this simplifies things. Even better.
"Now soak it in clean water for about seven days."
「That takes quite a while.」
"You have to leach out the sugars inside. By the way, that pith is edible raw or grilled."
At my words, the head shaman cut off a piece and popped it in his mouth.
「It's true. A subtle sweetness—pretty good.」
"Don't eat too much." Gotta save enough for paper-making.
A week later.
"Ready to take it out?"
「Ah, yes. A week's passed already. I got caught up in other work and lost track.」
"Sounds busy."
The head shaman gave a wry smile. 「The chieftain handles external negotiations and mediates between tribes, the great warrior focuses only on hunting, war, and training, so spirit communion, blessings for newborns—all that falls to me.」
Oh. He's swamped too. Join the club.
"Lay the soaked pith on clean leather or cloth—one horizontal, one vertical, crossing them."
The head shaman spread out clean leather and began layering the wet slices.
「Feels like weaving cloth with thread. Just wider.」
"Pretty much. Once you've filled it densely in a grid, cover with another layer of leather, weight it down, and dry for seven days."
「Another seven days? That's fourteen total.」
"Good things don't come easy."
Seven days later.
「It's done! O Genesis Dragon!」
"Oho. Looks pretty decent."
And so, the first papyrus paper was born.
「So thin and light—amazing. Different feel from cloth.」
"Mm. Teach the other Lizardmen to make it. We'll use it for long scrolls to record writing. This will be invaluable to you."
「Can we write on this instead of stone tablets?」
"If you want."
Even if I say that, logically, between stone tablets and paper, who'd pick stone? Paper's light, portable, convenient. No comparison.
Or so I thought. My assumption was wrong.
Even after inventing papyrus paper, the Lizardmen still preferred scratching on stone tablets. Why... why stone tablets...
Papyrus paper, the Lizardmen's specialty, spread rapidly across the world. Thin, light, and far cheaper than parchment, it was valuable enough to upend the world once.
Clay tablets were heavy and limited; parchment was pricey from sheepskin. In the East, bamboo slips were popular, but distance limited imports—though some nobles and kings used them for the convenience.
Anyway, papyrus paper spread far and wide.
(Elves excluded—they freaked out at the sight.)
「Is this to replace clay tablets...?」
"Yes. Papyrus paper. Thin, light, perfect for writing. Write on it."
A priest from the Life Temple—via a disguised dragon—received the papyrus set I'd sent. He stared at the scroll in confusion.
Hmm. Used to clay tablets, they don't know ink.
"Look at the items that came with the papyrus."
「A small stick and a tiny leather pouch. Liquid inside?」
"Don't drink it. It's for writing on the paper. Bring a small unused bowl and pour a bit from the pouch."
The priest poured the pouch's contents into a clay bowl. Black liquid filled it.
「Black water? What is it?」
"Ink for writing."
Great that I had the Lizardmen make paper, but ink's essential too. Made from soot of burned papyrus skin mixed with fish swim bladder glue and water for the right viscosity.
Lucky the Lizardmen knew fish bladder glue. When I asked for sticky stuff, the head shaman mentioned it—dried and boiled into glue. Inventive without my help! Impressive.
Downside: low yield means pricey. Prototype, so unavoidable. I got the scrolls and ink sets from the Lizardmen, after all.
"Dip the stick in the black liquid and write."
「Hmm? Oh... wow. Unlike pressing hard into clay, just brushing lightly leaves letters. Amazing.」
It's just ink transfer. Clay requires engraving.
Drawback: no nib, so frequent redipping.
「Write here from now on?」
"Yes. Write and share—no need for oral tales to pass knowledge."
Issues remain: spread paper wider, cheaper ink. But solve gradually. First steps—no sprinting yet, or we'll trip. Slow and steady.
「What should I write?」
After a moment's thought, I replied.
"Start with tales of the underworld."