Lord, We Have a Proposal
"Let’s end the lecture here. Now, may I ask why you want to visit the paper wholesaler?"
Having no choice, I explained my idea for tea bags.
"... Ah. Now I truly understand why the lord often sighs. If tea bags are successfully created, the profits will be far greater than before. It’s a great idea, really..."
I ignored Raziel’s grumbling.
It seemed we had arrived at the paper wholesaler.
"Thank you for taking the time to visit our store today. What kind of paper are you looking for?"
Since they probably wouldn’t understand if I asked for washi paper, I told them I wanted to see any rare types they had.
"Rare paper, you say?"
I explained that I wasn’t looking for commonly used paper but rather something that wasn’t widely available or came from other countries.
"In that case, we do have a few options. Please wait a moment."
The shopkeeper left the room.
"Young master Reinhardt, why are you looking for paper that isn't widely available?"
"Tea bags work by letting hot water pass through the leaves, so the paper needs to be coarse enough for that, right?"
"I see. So you're looking for paper that isn’t typically used for writing. However, wouldn’t the glue used in paper affect the taste of the tea?"
Hmm… In my past life, tea bags were either made from non-woven fabric or nylon.
Barley tea, if I remember correctly, came in paper bags, but I didn’t know the details.
I came here on a whim, but maybe this was a miss.
Oh well, failures happen. Things have gone too smoothly until now anyway.
"Sorry for the wait. Based on what we have, these two papers might meet your needs."
The papers they handed me were straw paper and the actual washi paper.
Straw paper was more fragile and of lower quality than regular paper, making it practically useless.
However, it was produced by a poor village in the domain, so they had bought it out of goodwill.
Washi paper, on the other hand, was a foreign product and difficult to acquire.
Straw paper could be useful, though. I bought both types and left the store.
***
"Raziel, I think this brown paper has quite a few potential uses." I said as we sat in the carriage.
You could carve pictures or letters into it, apply ink, and print on it like woodblock printing.
These prints could be posted on boards to share news within the domain.
If a new announcement was needed, we could simply print another.
A domain-wide news bulletin made from straw paper—essentially a "kawaraban."
We could even include store advertisements and charge for the space.
Those who wanted the news could buy copies at a low price.
Our kingdom had a high literacy rate. The founding king had put a lot of effort into education, so even now, reading and writing were taught for free at churches.
In villages without churches, the elderly would teach the children.
If many citizens couldn’t read or write, it would be seen as the responsibility of the church and the local lord, leading to severe punishment.
I was convinced that our founding king had been a reincarnated person like me.
I had gotten sidetracked.
Next, there was the idea of notebooks.
Sometimes people needed to jot things down quickly or draft something before writing an official document.
Paper was available, but it wasn’t cheap enough to use as scrap paper.
Then, there was food wrapping.
If you wrapped a sandwich with meat in paper, you could eat it easily outdoors.
It seemed useful for food stalls.
Washi paper was a foreign product, so that was unfortunate.
I’d have to think about tea bags another time.
"......"
"Raziel, were you listening? What do you think?"
"All of these ideas seem feasible and useful. And considering that the paper wholesaler bought this paper even though it wasn’t profitable, the village that made it must be in serious trouble. We need to consult the lord about this."
What do you think about this chapter?
