I eyed Benno cautiously before opening my mouth. "Since the profits from the Plant Paper Association don't flow to us, I'll be charging an information fee for how the paper is made, you know?"
"...Fine. How much do you want?"
Benno grinned and tapped the table a few times.
I honestly had no idea how much to charge for paper information, or what a reasonable price even was.
"Um, how much would you pay, Benno?"
"Whatever you want, I'll pay it. How much?"
He must have known exactly what I was thinking, because he answered with that same sly grin.
My benchmark for information fees was the three small gold coins from the ink deal. Since paper was big enough to warrant creating an entire association, Benno probably thought he could set things up on quite a large scale.
"Mmm... I'll ask for double the ink deal?"
"Got it. Come on."
Benno held up his guild card and waved it. I pulled out mine too, and we clinked them together.
He accepted it all without batting an eye, that smug grin never wavering. Maybe I should have asked for more? I still had no idea what the going rate was.
While I was brooding over it,
"Even if you decide the workshop based on what Mine tells you—location, scale, equipment quantities and sizes—couldn't you just use the stuff in the warehouse to start with?"
Otto's words made me jump.
"That's Mine Workshop's equipment! If you take it, we won't be able to make paper anymore!"
"...The warehouse itself belongs to the Boss, though."
"But it really won't work. The equipment in Mine Workshop isn't suitable for mass production."
"Huh?"
Benno raised his eyebrows in total confusion, so I started explaining.
"The equipment there was designed with completing prototypes as the top priority. We made everything lighter, smaller, and simpler so we could use it easily, so it's no good for mass production. I felt bad about making you spend too much on your initial investment, so I held back and substituted some inferior alternatives where I could..."
"Eh? Why would you hold back when I'm telling you I'll pay? You should've just gotten the best equipment."
Otto said it like "Are you stupid?" in disbelief, but it had never even occurred to me to outfit a workshop with top-of-the-line equipment using someone else's money. Back then, I'd struggled just to get a single nail, so I was always thinking about how to do things as cheaply as possible.
"I couldn't bring myself to be that shameless. I think I could be a bit bolder now, though."
"You don't need to get any bolder with me than you already are. So, what do you mean it's not suited for mass production?"
"Our builds are different."
At Benno's words, I thought of the easiest example to explain.
"For instance, the screen frames we use are contract-size, but an adult man should be able to do papermaking with much larger frames. If you could use frames big enough to produce about four sheets at once, the time efficiency would be much better."
"I see."
Making paper a few sheets at a time with contract-sized frames for mass production was just a waste of time and labor. If you had the strength to use bigger frames, it was better to make more at once.
"Also, we're not strong enough to handle large amounts, so we use a big tub, but you'd need a proportionally larger trough for the paper slurry to match the bigger frames. And the mixing rake—right now Lutz just bundles chopsticks together for that..."
"I don't recognize a single one of these tools."
Since there were tools he hadn't even ordered, Benno tapped his temple while giving me a sideways look.
"Mmm, I think it'd be hard to understand without actually going to the warehouse and showing you how everything works while I explain."
"Very well. Then we'll go inspect the warehouse tomorrow. I've never seen your workspace, so it works out perfectly."
He laid out the schedule so casually that I was caught off guard. I mentally reviewed the papermaking schedule I had planned.
"Even if you say that, we just finished papermaking today. So tomorrow is just drying—we don't have much to do. I was planning to go to the forest to gather raw materials."
"Oh? So you're starting from scratch?"
"That's right. We cut the trees, steam them, and peel the bark. Then we hang it to dry in the warehouse."
Benno nodded several times at my explanation.
"Good. I'll send
"Eh? To the forest?"
At Benno's words, I imagined Mark tagging along with us in the forest. It didn't fit. Rejected.
"Mark is a dashing gentleman who looks wonderful in pressed clothes. Cutting trees and peeling bark in the forest just doesn't suit him. ...Well, it'd be fine if you came in work clothes, Benno?"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"It means since you're the one who wants to understand the whole process, you should be the one to go."
"You didn't say that a moment ago."
Making a face about it, Benno did agree that he wanted to know the full scope of the work, and it was decided he'd come along. Before I knew it, tomorrow's plan was to work together in the forest.
The next day, when Lutz went to pick up the warehouse key, Benno was apparently already there in work clothes. Mark, who came to meet us, wore a pained expression and quietly told me he was worried sick that Benno might go off the rails.
"You can actually work in a place this cramped?"
Benno stepped inside the warehouse and looked around. For someone who worked in a spacious, grand shop, a warehouse just big enough for two kids to wander around must have felt painfully small.
"It's fine with just us, but once you step in, it gets really tight. Most of the work happens outside anyway, so there isn't much to do in here."
We prepared the usual tools for gathering raw materials and headed for the forest. A pot, a steamer, a bucket, and some firewood. Today all I carried in my basket were chopsticks, a board instead of a plate, karfe potatoes, and butter.
Benno offered to carry half of Lutz's load, but Lutz just shook his head loosely.
"I'm used to it, so I'm fine. Carrying the firewood would help more than carrying Mine."
"You carry all of this by yourself every time? That must be brutal."
Benno furrowed his brow, snorted, and hoisted me onto his shoulder while I was still wearing the basket.
"Wha—?!"
"Hold on tight. Lutz, just hand me that big wooden frame. It looks like it's about to collapse and it's painful to watch."
Benno carried the steamer in one hand and started walking. Sitting on his broad shoulder as he took long strides, I swayed wildly. Trembling, I clung to Benno's head.
"Um, we sized the pot based on what Lutz could carry, but a smaller pot means less volume per batch. We need to figure out whether to get a bigger pot or set up several smaller ones. If the workshop were near the river, we could just carry the materials instead of the pot, and it'd be so much easier."
"Hmm..."
Since adult Benno was with us today, there was no need to coordinate with the pre-
As we passed through, I spotted Father talking with Otto.
"Father! Otto! I'm heading out!"
I waved big from atop Benno's shoulder, and both of them looked over in surprise before rushing toward us.
"Mine, who's this?"
"This is Benno, who's always been so helpful. Benno, this is my father."
As the two exchanged greetings, I noticed Otto bobbing slightly at the edge of my vision.
"Otto, what's wrong?"
"Well, seeing you two together, Benno just looks like your father, so..."
"Shut it, Otto. I'm single."
Wham! Benno dropped a fist of fury on Otto's head, then started walking with slightly longer strides.
Huh, so Benno was single? And he wasn't exactly young, either.
The marriage age around here seemed quite low—even my father was already past thirty. It felt strange that Benno, who looked about the same age, wasn't married.
"Benno, aren't you going to get married?"
"...Ah, probably not."
"Would you get angry if I asked why? It's pure curiosity, so if you'd rather not talk about it, you can just ignore me."
When I asked that, Benno gave a wry smile and said it wasn't really a secret.
"When I wanted to get married, I could barely support my own family. And by the time Corina got married and I no longer had to shoulder that burden, the woman I'd wanted as my wife had already died. There's no one better than her, so I won't marry. That's all there is to it."
"That's all? That sounds awfully heavy.
I let out a slow breath. This was about someone important to Benno who had passed away, so I couldn't press further or make light of it.
As I silently stroked Benno's head, he gave a wry chuckle.
"What's the deal, all of a sudden?"
"No reason, really. I was just thinking that as the owner of such a big shop, you must get a lot of noise from people about marriage and heirs."
"Quite. But it's quieted down lately. I'll train Corina's children to take over, so there's no problem. That was the condition for allowing the two of them to marry."
Wow, Otto. Hang in there.
While I cheered him on in my head, we emerged from the dark, tunnel-like gate. The cobblestones gave way to a dirt road, and the air grew fresh. The view opened up, and I was enveloped in a sense of freedom.
"Ah, it's been a while since I went to the forest."
"Now that you mention it, you said you used to pick Paru before. I figured merchant kids didn't go to the forest. Frieda made it sound like the farthest she ever went was on a picnic..."
I'd never forget the shock of being told that every day of my life was like a picnic. Benno let out a short laugh, then his eyes softened with nostalgia.
"I'd sneak out of the house now and then."
"Sneak out..."
"All the apprentices who came to my shop around the same age had gone gathering at one point or another, you know? It's only natural to be curious. There might even be some who still do it."
"...Oh, now that you mention it, sometimes I've seen unfamiliar faces among the apprentices."
Apprentices who'd completed the Baptism Ceremony also went gathering and hunting in the forest during their days off. Unlike pre-Baptism children, they could move freely between the forest and the city, so plenty went on their own. But sometimes they'd bring along friends they'd made at their apprenticeships.
It sounded like Benno had gone to the forest with kids like that.
"What was life like for merchant kids growing up?"
"At my place, it was basically all studying. Customers came in, and I'd practice hospitality. Go to the Market, and I'd be made to look at prices and do calculations, learn how to tell outsiders apart, judge the quality of goods..."
A life where every single action connected to business was hard to grasp just from hearing about it. All I understood was that their lives were completely different from ours.
"That certainly sounds quite different from how we lived."
"Kids from smaller shops probably had yet another kind of life."
We hauled the supplies down to the riverbank, where Lutz set up the stove and positioned the pot. He drew water from the river, splashed it in, and set the steamer on top. I tossed in some karfe potatoes as well.
"I'll go cut some wood, but Boss, what about you..."
"Lutz, you're going to be working at the shop, so learn to call him 'Boss' properly."
"What should Boss do? Wait here with Mine, or come cut wood with me..."
"I'm curious what kind of trees we're gathering, so let's go."
Lutz and Benno went to find trees. I stayed behind the pot, picking up firewood and keeping watch.
When Lutz and Benno returned carrying armfuls of branches, they spotted me sitting by the pot. Benno raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Mine, you're not doing anything?"
"What do you think I can do, Benno? Sitting still here is my job. If I collapse, there's nobody around to carry me home."
Whenever Lutz wasn't nearby, I was told to stay as still as possible. When I moved around on my own, the trouble I caused far outweighed any benefit.
"...Lutz is incredibly patient, isn't he?"
"He really is. Lutz is amazing."
"Mine, knock it off. I'm going to grab more firewood."
Embarrassed, Lutz glared at me, then fled the scene. Benno and I watched him go with a laugh, then I took out my knife.
I sorted the forin Lutz had gathered and the firewood, cut the forin to steamer-sized pieces, and talked to Benno about Lutz.
"Lutz is really amazing. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead. The first time Self-Eating nearly swallowed me, he was the one who saved me."
"Oh?"
"And before any of this became profitable, Lutz was already looking after me and making all sorts of things together with me."
"...Ah, I've heard something about that. So that's why you're so loyal to Lutz?"
Whether it was winter handicrafts or papermaking, I could've kept all the profits to myself, but I chose to involve Lutz and share the rights and revenue. From a merchant's perspective, apparently that was baffling.
"That's right. I owe everything to Lutz, so I want to do everything I can for him. All I can really do is come up with new products, and even those only make money because you sell them, Benno."
"...I see. Then we absolutely must keep Lutz tied to our shop no matter what."
"Please do."
Benno placed his hand on my head. I could almost hear the words "Leave it to me," and I felt relieved.
By the time I'd finished cutting the forin to roughly equal lengths, Lutz had returned.
He added water to the pot, swapped out the steamed forin for fresh pieces using chopsticks to remove the cooked potatoes.
"Lutz, sandwich the butter in right away!"
"I know!"
He sandwiched in the butter, making loaded potato wedges. Benno watched the wedges lined up on the serving board with the same exasperated look Lutz had worn at first.
"Boss, Mine's cooking is really good. They're just potatoes, but still."
Lutz chuckled and took a big bite. Watching him, Benno resignedly brought a piece to his own mouth.
"...This is good."
"Hehe. Steaming packs the flavor in tight, and eating hot fluffy potatoes outside in the cold is on another level."
After we ate, I had Benno watch the pot while Lutz and I went gathering. We picked some medicinal herbs and wild vegetables.
Once the bark had steamed, we soaked it in water and immediately started peeling. Benno helped out, but he was surprisingly clumsy, and the bark kept tearing apart. If we let him keep going, we'd run out of black bark fast.
"Benno, you don't need to help with the peeling. Why don't you help Lutz with the cleanup instead?"
Once we finished peeling the black bark, we returned to the warehouse and hung it up to dry. Benno wrinkled his nose as he helped hang the strips on nails driven into the shelves. Unlike us, he was tall enough to do it without a stool, which I envied.
"If we had more of this black bark, we wouldn't be able to dry it all like this. Normally you'd build a frame and hang it to dry."
I drew a picture on a slate and explained the tools we didn't have. Benno nodded, asked questions, and handled the equipment.
"You dry the black bark in the sun until it's completely brittle. If you don't dry it properly, it'll cause mold. Then you soak the dried bark in the river. It sits there for over a full day."
"Someone could steal it."
"That's right. That's one of our biggest concerns. If you know how to make it, it's the source of money. That's exactly why I think it's better to have the workshop near the river."
As I said this, I patted a bag of ash in the corner of the warehouse.
"After soaking in the river, you scrape off the black parts of the bark with a knife, then boil it with ash, and soak it in the river again for over a full day. Boiling with ash softens the fibers."
"Oh."
"Then you remove any blemishes and dirt from the bark fibers, and pound them with this wooden mallet until they turn into cotton-like fluff. This was also sized for Lutz—an adult man would use a bigger, heavier one for better efficiency."
I pointed to the mallet and the anvil, and Benno picked up the mallet and gave it a few swings. "If you're crushing something, you'd want more weight," he murmured.
"Then you mix the fluffy fibers with a sticky substance called tororo and water to create the paper slurry. We use this screen frame with this tub, but an adult would use a bigger screen frame and a trough matched to it, which lets you make more sheets at once. For mixing the slurry, we use bundled chopsticks that Lutz made, but when the trough gets bigger, you can't mix it evenly that way, so you'd need a comb-like tool."
As I drew on the slate to illustrate, Benno stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Then you use the screen frame, tilting and rocking it like this, to make paper of even thickness, and stack it on the paper bed. This is what we have here, air-drying naturally. Tomorrow I'll put weight stones on top to press out more moisture."
"What's that for?"
"It removes the stickiness from the tororo. After that, you peel each sheet off onto a board and dry it in the sun. Peel them off, and they're done."
After I'd roughly explained the entire process, Benno let out an admiring sigh.
"This takes even more time and effort than I expected."
"Well, since we do other work while it dries, it doesn't feel like it takes that long. But if you're trying to make a large quantity, it gets pretty busy. Plus, this time of year, getting into the river is tough."
Having helped with the river work today, Benno nodded deeply. "Sounds like it'll be a workshop that shuts down in winter," he murmured. In winter, the river was inaccessible and the wood was too hard for papermaking.
"Since we can't make paper without the river, please think carefully about the workshop's location."
"Ah, understood. This is going to keep me busy."
Benno said it like it was going to be a hassle, but he looked like he was enjoying it, so I gave him a little mental cheer of "Do your best~."
I'd thought it was someone else's problem entirely, but once Benno actually experienced a bit of papermaking and got excited about selecting a workshop, the one who ended up busy was us. Mark would squeeze himself between papermaking tasks to drag me and Lutz around to artisans, commissioning tools. If he told me this was part of the information fee, I had no choice but to cooperate.
By the time we'd had the tools made, gathered people, taught them the process, and shaped the workshop into something resembling a real operation, the season was nearly summer.
The workshop setup is roughly complete.
Next time: Lutz's apprenticeship preparations.