Chapter – 66
The Artisan’s Craft—Paper, Iron, and the Dream of Gears
In Akio’s town, the paper-making project was gaining momentum day by day. Starting from the first “paper-like material,” the team—centered on Akio, Silvia, and the women including Ayane—continued to experiment relentlessly, aiming for paper that was whiter, smoother, and stronger.
Silvia tested the ashes of various plants as chemicals for boiling fibers and selected the most effective ones. Drawing on her knowledge of herbs, she discovered that adding the mucilage of certain plants as neri (a dispersing agent for paper pulp) allowed the fibers to spread evenly in water, enabling the creation of thin yet durable sheets of paper. With her delicate hands, Ayane used an improved sugegata (paper mold) to carefully make high-quality sheets, far surpassing their earlier attempts.
The resulting paper, while not yet matching Earth’s traditional Japanese paper, was strong enough to write on and draw with.
“Akio-sama! Silvia! Look! Today’s paper is the whitest yet, and the ink flows beautifully!”
Ayane proudly held up the freshly made sheet, and both Akio and Silvia smiled at the progress. Using this new paper, Lady Celestina began creating handmade picture books and copying stories for the children, steadily raising the village’s cultural level.
Meanwhile, in the village’s workshop district, Dolgan, Akio, and his apprentice Arto were aiming to take their iron-making skills to new heights. The recently discovered swamp iron ore from the purification system construction was easier to reduce at lower temperatures than ordinary iron ore, opening the path to more efficiently produce high-quality iron.
“Hmm, with this swamp iron ore, we might be able to produce something closer to ‘tamahagane’ by slightly modifying the furnace structure,” Dolgan said. He and Akio drew up designs for a new, small-scale smelting furnace, similar to a tatara furnace, and began construction. The quality of charcoal also helped; the red pine charcoal discovered by Silvia maintained high heat effectively, assisting in the process.
Under their guidance, Arto practiced bellows operation and basic forging, steadily improving his skills. The first iron wedge he crafted with his own hands was awkward in shape but undeniably strong.
Throughout all this, Akio never forgot his dream of a “waterwheel.” Between iron-making tasks, he worked on prototypes of the waterwheel’s heart—the gears. On Earth, metal gears were standard, but with the village’s current technology, they had to start with wooden gears.
“The challenge is how much force a wooden gear can transmit, and how durable it will be…”
Akio selected tough, resilient wood, including the so-called “Moonwood,” and wood rich in oils to resist friction. Using chisels and files, he carefully carved gears of various sizes. Silvia suggested special resins and herbal coatings to enhance the wood’s durability, while Dolgan offered dwarven-precision advice on gear shapes and bearing structures for smooth engagement.
Kina watched with fascination.
“Boss, can these wooden teeth really turn a big millstone? It’s amazing.”
“Hopefully,” Akio said. “If it works, these gears could turn the future of our village.”
He assembled the prototype gears and slowly rotated them by hand. The wooden teeth creaked, but the force was indeed being transmitted. Dreaming of the day this small rotation would become great power, Akio’s eyes shone with hope.
The improvement in paper-making advanced the village’s record-keeping and culture. Progress in iron-making strengthened tools and infrastructure. And the gear prototypes marked a small but certain step toward a future revolution in power.
In Akio’s town, various forms of craftsmanship advanced simultaneously, and the skill and passion of each artisan gradually—but surely—shaped the village’s future. As winter’s chill approached, would they achieve even greater accomplishments? On the villagers’ faces shone both the wisdom to survive harsh nature and the joy of creation.
