Chapter 74: Money is No Object
Here, Egger met the papermaking siblings... well, giving people random nicknames was bad form. To be precise, they were Neil and Nina of Rosby.
That's right, they had no surname; they were simply "Neil and Nina of Rosby." Tyrion had told Egger that most people in Westeros lacked surnames, generally introducing themselves as "son of X," "daughter of Y," or "Z of [Place]." Even if a commoner tried to adopt a surname, it was usually both useless and invalid. Only someone with status like Egger could establish a surname and have it recognized—if no one else, at least the buyers of the Night's Watch bonds would remember and acknowledge it.
The brother, Neil, looked perfectly ordinary, though his height and build were similar to Egger's, suggesting a family background where he hadn't gone hungry as a child. But the sister, Nina, caught Egger's attention with a single glance—not because of stunning beauty, but because of her eyes.
The girl's gaze was crystal clear, transparent as a spring pool, with a spirited light dancing in her eyes. Egger felt he had seen these eyes somewhere before. After a moment's thought, he realized where the familiarity came from: it was the look of someone educated who had seen enough of the world to escape ignorance, whose dreams hadn't been extinguished by the weight of life, and who still possessed curiosity, a desire to explore, and hope for the future!
Before his transmigration, most people around him had some of that light in their eyes. But since arriving here, such a gaze had become extremely rare, found only in carefree, high-ranking nobles like Tyrion or Arya who weren't yet burdened by the cares of rule. It stood in stark contrast to the indescribable numbness and stagnation in the eyes of the masses. When a person's entire mind and physical strength are consumed by the struggle to survive and feed themselves, with no prospect for the future, that is the look they carry.
Some people can tell at a glance whether someone is a noble or a commoner precisely because of this look—or rather, this temperament.
For such a temperament to appear in a commoner in this world was truly peculiar. For a split second, Egger wondered if Nina was a fellow transmigrator. Forcing his gaze away, the Watchman was then struck by her youth: she was petite with fair, soft skin and a face still holding a hint of baby fat. She was clearly a girl not much older than Arya!
"My lord?" The girl's crisp, soft voice pulled Egger from his lapse of concentration. "The first batch of sample paper you requested has been made. At Lord Tyrion's request, we used only the original methods for now without any modifications, waiting for your observation and guidance."
He nodded, tempted as usual to tell them he wasn't a lord, but decided it wasn't worth the breath. "Right. Lead the way."
Neil, the brother, seemed a man of few words, so Nina led the group on a tour of the workshop. As they walked, she explained each tool, piece of equipment, and processing method with clear and fluent articulation. After completing the circuit, they arrived before the final product.
The little girl, who had been composed just a moment ago, suddenly became fidgety. She stammered as she introduced it: "This is the paper we've made. We are currently trying to find ways to make it thinner and stronger."
This is the first plant-fiber paper? Egger looked at the stack on the table—sheets with undulating surfaces and uneven thickness. He was somewhat speechless; if no one had told him, he might have mistaken it for bean curd skin or some other food ingredient.
Egger pinched a sheet with his fingers and examined it closely.
The color was a murky yellow; without a bleaching process, it probably couldn't be helped. It felt stiff to the touch, like a napkin that had been soaked and then dried. The surface was quite coarse, looking almost like the crust of a Shandong pancake. He gripped it and gave a light tug... with a crisp snap, the paper tore.
Tyrion hadn't been joking. This paper was of such poor quality that you wouldn't even want to use it to wipe your backside.
Nina's face turned beet red instantly. Despite her quick wit and silver tongue, she was momentarily speechless, staring at Egger with a nervous gaze, terrified that this silent partner Tyrion had mentioned would be angry.
Egger, of course, wasn't angry. He had come specifically to see the raw prototype; it would have been a miracle to see a perfect industrial creation like modern paper on the first try. This stuff wasn't usable yet, but it was definitely paper, and that was enough.
"This won't do..."
Egger muttered. Following the girl's tour, he had regained the feeling of being a project supervisor representing a client at an inspection. Since the leadership had graced the site with an inspection, protocol dictated he say a few words of direction afterward. Despite knowing nothing about papermaking, he wanted to try and help.
Since he didn't know the trade, he couldn't give specific technical advice, so he decided to stick to safe platitudes. As long as the direction was right, the frontline technicians could surely make progress through repeated testing.
...
"First, the thickness is uneven. That definitely means there's an issue with the final two steps. The soaking, boiling, and mashing of the raw materials must be thorough. If manpower isn't enough, find a way to improve the equipment or use animal power. Don't worry about the cost for now—money is no object." He started, and his train of thought soon became fluid. Though he hadn't worked in this field, the fundamental knowledge and problem-solving skills needed were universal across worlds. "Also, find some craftsmen to weave mats with smoother, finer surfaces for scooping the pulp. Once the mashed materials are spread evenly in the water, use a sieve to filter out the coarse impurities, then scoop it out nimbly with the mats. Don't dawdle."
"Yes, yes!" Nina stared at Egger with shining eyes, nodding repeatedly.
"As for the color, there are two ways to improve it: one is using chemicals to decolorize and bleach during the raw material processing stage; the other is adding dye in the final step to force it white. You decide which path to take—money is no object. It doesn't have to be white as snow, but at least the color must be uniform and light enough to provide a sharp contrast with ink." Egger continued, "The surface is too rough and uneven... there's no easy fix for that yet. Have someone sand it down during the drying stage for now. Be sure to use something smooth so you don't thin it out or tear it... and press it with something once it's half-dry. How many people are in your family? Try not to hire outsiders for the time being. If you really need help, come to me or Lord Tyrion. Again—money is no object."
This boss seems amazing! Nina thought to herself, nodding non-stop. Furthermore, the way he carried himself while giving directions and saying "money is no object" was so domineering!
The little girl who had come along for the ride had no such reservations. Arya giggled. "You sure know a lot, Master."
"Don't interrupt." Egger ruffled his apprentice's hair and thought for a moment. There was one more thing. "The previous points are all minor, but the paper not being strong enough is a fatal flaw. There's no easy way around it; see if you can swap out the raw materials. If that doesn't work... ah, right, try adding starch or some other glue in the final step to see if it improves. Money is no object; let's get usable paper made first, then we'll worry about lowering costs."
"Add starch?" Nina blinked, realization dawning on her. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that!"
...
No one spoke for several seconds. After a silence in the workshop, Tyrion asked softly, "Is that all?"
"That's all." Egger was currently basking in the satisfaction of playing the boss.
"Did you get all that?" The dwarf nodded, this time asking Neil and Nina.
"We got it, we got it!"
"Good. You heard the boss—money is no object." The Imp said seriously, "Work hard. Once usable paper is produced, there will be no shortage of rewards."
"Oh, I almost forgot." Egger remembered. "Once usable paper goes into mass production, one-tenth of the papermaking factory's profits will belong to you two."
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