Work Prophet
Chapter 317 - 75 Division

Chapter 317: Chapter 75 Division

Li Yu’s next new business venture was papermaking.

At that time, on the Bratis Continent, animal skins (mainly Parchment) and papyrus were still used for recording text.

Speaking of animal skins, although they were sturdy, durable, and even waterproof, and could be stored for a long time, their production cost was expensive.

A single sheep or cow could typically only produce one sheet of paper, and the skill required of the skinners was high as they had to remove the skin intact without any damage, while the animal skin itself must also be flawless.

Afterward, dedicated craftsmen were required to wash, depilate, scrape, and air dry the skins—a complicated process before a sheet of Parchment could be produced.

For example, the Silver Moon Church’s "Silver Moon Holy Scripture" used a total of four hundred and sixty-nine sheets of Parchment, which was a considerable expense just for the paper.

The weight of the entire book was also very substantial.

In contrast, papyrus was much cheaper. Papyrus is made from the stems of the papyrus plant, and the process is relatively simple; just peel the papyrus, cut it into similar lengths, then flatten and soak it.

It was then taken out of the water, the water was squeezed out, the strips were laid out crisscrossed, pressed together, and the internal sugary mucilage was used to bond them together, dried in the sun, and then the surface was smoothed to complete the process.

But papyrus had many drawbacks. First, its texture was rather brittle, making it prone to damage, it could not be folded, only rolled up at best, and transportation damage was also troublesome, requiring transportation by water.

Moreover, it was difficult to preserve, especially in humid environments where it would quickly mold. Do not believe what they say about papyrus unearthed in ancient Egypt; it cannot be preserved for thousands of years.

Like cotton, the papyrus plant has environmental requirements as well.

It generally grows in the swamps and lakes of tropical and subtropical regions and cannot be cultivated in the colder climates of the west.

During his time in Rock Snow City, Li Yu had conducted market research, and the price of a sheet of papyrus was roughly equivalent to a loaf of bread, while the price of Parchment was twenty times that of papyrus.

Miss Rabbit used papyrus for writing letters and handling administrative affairs, which was much cheaper than Parchment.

But Li Yu was still not satisfied with the price. The Double Rest Sect was obviously not able to achieve a paperless office at this stage, and the archival system he had set up required the preservation of many records, which would result in a staggering consumption of paper.

In addition, he had opened a school, and it was not possible to keep students writing only on the ground forever.

Therefore, Li Yu felt it was time to make his own paper.

Like textile making, papermaking was a traditional skill of the descendants of Yan and Huang. Tutorials on traditional papermaking were abundant on the internet.

The principles of modern papermaking technology were no different from ancient ones, fundamentally involving the decomposition and reshaping of plant fibers, only mechanizing the intermediate steps, with some adjustments in the formula.

Plant fibers were easy to understand. Tree bark was the most common form of plant fiber, but aside from that, Li Yu also had access to linen, vines, and even the straw of wheat which could be reused for papermaking.

By soaking and beating these raw materials, adding lime, the process of fiber decomposition could be completed. Then, using a screen, these fibers were collected from the pulp, pressed together, and then dried in the sun to produce what modernly is recognized as paper.

Of course, it only sounds simple; in reality, the process is rather troublesome, but the final product would prove that all the hardships were worth it.

Producing modern paper and producing papyrus require roughly the same amount of manpower, perhaps even more, so there isn’t much advantage in terms of production costs.

However, the main cost of papyrus wasn’t in its production but in its transportation. The transportation expenses were ten times the production cost.

The durability of modern paper could significantly reduce its transportation costs, whether by land or by sea, and the quality of the paper was also far superior to that of papyrus.

In conclusion, a type of paper that combines the advantages of being lightweight, inexpensive, durable, and easy to transport has no reason not to outperform other competitors.

Additionally, leverage from slaying the dragon brought a vast amount of prestige, as well as the identity of the Empire’s only female knight; the Arias family and the Double Rest Sect had already preliminarily secured the capacity to safeguard the huge benefits of the new products.

This was why Li Yu had decided to launch several new products. Once the first batch of linen and paper was produced, he would invite the biggest guilds of the western territories to discuss distribution.

Meanwhile, as Li Yu and Ireya were shutting the door on significant developments, an explosive scandal broke out at the Silver Moon Church that caught the attention of everyone in the western territories.

Priest Herodotus, a fellow High Priest, accused Matina and her cohorts of colluding with the Double Rest Sect, leading to several failures of the Church in Green Field.

As soon as the news was released, it shocked the entire western territories.

Priest Matina was respected both inside and outside the Church, and could even be said to be the most prestigious among the seven High Priests.

The vast majority of the followers of the Silver Moon Church couldn’t believe she would betray the Church, betray Pisya.

However, Herodotus then rolled out a series of "concrete evidence", including that Priest Matina had instructed her disciple Adelle to intentionally lose to Li Yu in a medical skills contest and had carried a fake Holy Coffin to damage the Church’s reputation.

Afterward, Priest Matina secretly met with Ireya to further plot the betrayal of the Church.

Before the Lady’s initiation ceremony into the Church, a group of devotees to the goddess, driven by their deep devotion, spontaneously gathered to assassinate Prophet Merlin of the Double Rest Sect, willing to martyr themselves for the cause.

To keep their plan secret, they even kept it from their own wives and children, only revealing their plans to Priest Matina before making their move.

Unexpectedly, she turned around and leaked their plans to the Arias family and the Double Rest Sect.

This led to the failure of these righteous men, as they were mercilessly slaughtered by the prepared Double Rest Sect, further shaming the Church.

Later, Herodotus also led a raid on Priest Matina’s residence and discovered several secret letters from Li Yu to her. In these letters, the two reached an agreement that Priest Matina would do everything in her power to prevent the Silver Moon Church from forming its own army to resist the Double Rest Sect.

Just as everyone was doubting the authenticity of these revelations, a significant figure stood up, confirming the statements of Priest Herodotus. He was the oldest High Priest in the Church, Kerkwon.

Moreover, Priest Kerkwon did not only testify against Priest Matina but also exposed her accomplice, Priest Hesiod. But that wasn’t all—Priest Kerkwon then dropped another bombshell.

He suggested that the late Priest Reves likely did not die by suicide, as he had been investigating the criminal activities of Priest Matina and Priest Hesiod before his death.