Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.4 - Chapter 7

Another Gathering of the Gutenbergs

After raising more questions about the new dyeing methods, Otto crossed his arms and went quiet; he had the eyes of a merchant trying to figure out how much they were going to be worth. I stared up at him, awaiting his response, until Corinna slid in between us.

“Lady Rozemyne, regarding the sale of new dyeing methods, I would advise you to do business directly with the Dyeing Guild soon after spreading these new ones you have demonstrated,” she said, maintaining a peaceful smile but looking at me with firm eyes. “Even if we were to buy the rights, the Gilberta Company and the workshops we collaborate with would not be able to monopolize them. Your influence is simply too large, Lady Rozemyne.”

Any trends I started would spread throughout almost all of the nobility’s women in an instant. Corinna was saying that the Gilberta Company and its small number of cooperative workshops would struggle to manage the vast waves of orders that would no doubt flood in.

It would take both time and money for the Gilberta Company to buy the rights, research the dyeing methods, and train their workers to be skilled enough to meet the standards of nobles. My spreading these trends now would put them in a position where they couldn’t keep up with all of the orders they would receive, which would in turn require them to publicize the methods to desperately train a bunch of workers all at once.

“If we end up in a situation where we have to rely on other stores and workshops to keep up with the trend, the Gilberta Company will earn the harsh reproach of nobles and other merchants alike,” Corinna concluded. In other words, she had decided it wasn’t profitable for their store to buy the new dyeing methods.

Benno always tried to secure my new technologies before anyone else so that he could extract as much money from them as possible, while Corinna focused entirely on whether they would benefit her area of expertise, sewing. They shared the same blood and occupation, but they were entirely unalike when it came to business. That said, their sharp eyes when it came to deducing whether something was profitable for them looked extremely similar.

Corinna may look calm and peaceful, but she certainly is Benno’s little sister.

I didn’t have a strong grasp of the connections between merchants in this city and what went on with the buying and selling of rights, so if the Gilberta Company thought it would only bring them anguish, it was probably best that I give up on this transaction.

“So I should sell resist-dyeing to the Dyeing Guild directly?” I asked, confirming that I had understood.

Corinna shook her head. “That we will gratefully accept as a gift. We will sell the dyeing method and all its details at a low price to the Dyeing Guild. From there, we shall convey your order to the Dyeing Guild and request that all the available workshops start producing the many clothes you have requested.”

Upon hearing this suggestion, Leon, whose family ran a store that sold cloth to the Gilberta Company, looked more excited than I had ever seen him before.

“I imagine each of the dyeing workshops will expend their best efforts to fulfill this order so that they might gain exclusive business with you, Lady Rozemyne,” Corinna said.

“Yeah. The Gutenbergs are growing in fame as they accomplish big things even outside the city. There’re a lot of craftsmen who want to become Gutenbergs themselves,” Otto muttered before looking at me. “Lady Rozemyne, might I ask for you to decide on at least two workshops to give your exclusive business to, as you did with the two smithies? And might I suggest that you grant them the title of ‘Gutenberg’ also?”

“It might be worth ranking the delivered cloth and working with the Dyeing Guild to charge fees to dyeing workshops that want the methods.”

Mm... I was trying to spread resist-dyeing throughout the lower city before Justus sniffed out my plans, but I feel like this is blowing up into something a lot bigger than I wanted.

I hadn’t expected this result. I turned my attention to Tuuli as I pondered what to do, only to see that she was already looking at me with a face that said, “Don’t ask me. I don’t know what the heck to do here.”

“Still, Lady Rozemyne—how did you learn of such old methods?” Leon asked, curious.

I smiled. “Through books, of course.”

“I see. Leaving records truly is important, I agree.”

Okay, he bought it. I did read about them in books, but I know how to actually put them into practice because we attempted them during my home studies classes in middle school.

Back on Earth, I had experienced tie-dyeing and resist-dyeing firsthand. An otaku friend of mine had surprised everyone by using the latter method to masterfully dye an illustration of her favorite anime character on a handkerchief... but what had surprised me the most was that she had misspelled the name of the character despite so enthusiastically claiming to be their biggest fan.

In the end, despite my misgivings, we settled on the Gilberta Company running a competition that would focus on “reviving old technologies and securing the ‘Gutenberg’ title.” It seemed the competition had to be held at the end of summer, since otherwise there wouldn’t be time to debut the cloth made by my new exclusive dyers at winter socializing.

Judging by how lively Leon was about my deciding on new exclusive workshops, I could guess that his family would be profiting immensely from the Gilberta Company’s orders.

This ended up much bigger than I expected, but oh well.

And so, my discussion with the Gilberta Company concluded. Once I was back in my room, I wrote out the details for the cloth-dyeing competition while looking over the notes Fran had made on the meeting.

“Once the Starbind Ceremony is over, I don’t have any plans until the Harvest Festival, correct?” I asked.

“None in the temple,” Fran replied. “Do you have any in the castle?”

“Mm... It depends on the results of the Archduke Conference. The merchants of Ehrenfest might all find themselves in quite a bind afterward.”

As it stood, I didn’t have any particular plans between the end of summer and autumn. I smoothed out the wax of my diptych to erase the text on it, and that was when Gil came rushing in with a letter.

“Lady Rozemyne, the Plantin Company has sent a letter,” he announced. It was good timing—I had been thinking about meeting the Gutenbergs once before leaving for Haldenzel, both to order the safety pins and to check up on the progress of my previous orders.

“Thank you, Gil. You may rest for a moment as I write my response. I imagine you were quite busy preparing for and cleaning up after the demonstration,” I said, praising him as I opened the letter. On the surface, it was a simple request for a meeting laden in heavy noble euphemisms; but if one carefully read between the lines, it could possibly be read in an alternate way: “What the hell did you do this time? Explain yourself, idiot.”

Is it just me, or does this letter exude a sense of frustration too strong to be contained by noble euphemisms? I don’t think this is just my imagination...

Having sensed seething anger from the letter, I wrote my response, in which I simply stated that I wanted to meet with the Gutenbergs and discuss their progress over the past two years before our departure for Haldenzel. Having other people present would no doubt serve to block some of Benno’s anger for me.

That might make him even more frustrated, since it’s blatant trickery on my part, but I’m not about to ignore the tools I have at my disposal.

The date for the meeting was scheduled instantly, perhaps because I had mentioned at the end of my letter that I didn’t have much time, since I would be returning to the castle after the spring baptisms. The Gutenbergs would be gathering on the day before the baptisms in the orphanage director’s chambers, and the attendees were going to be the Plantin Company Trio; Johann and Zack, the smiths; Ingo, the carpenter; Heidi and Josef, the ink makers; and Gil, of my own workshop. All in all, there were quite a few people attending.

“Thinking about it, this is going to be the first time we’ve held a gathering of the Gutenbergs here,” I mused aloud. Johann, Zack, and Ingo had come to the temple before to make the printing press, but this would presumably be a new experience for Heidi and Josef. “Fran, Damuel, Angelica. This will be a meeting of craftsmen from the lower city. I expect some of them to have somewhat substandard manners, but please overlook it.”

“Understood.”

There were enough people coming this time that we would be holding the meeting in the hall on the first floor. My attendants did their best carrying down chairs from the second floor and preparing a table to accommodate the expected numbers.

As I gave orders from the second floor, I glanced at my hidden room—at the door that would no longer open. A sense of sadness and loss struck me all at once, but I slapped myself on the cheeks and inhaled deeply, forcing the feelings away. I had promised Lutz that I would continue advancing toward my goal; I couldn’t allow any pain to show on my face while he was here.

“Lady Rozemyne, the Gutenbergs have arrived,” Fran said.

I glanced down to see that Gil was guiding my visitors in one after another. The Plantin Company Trio were used to the orphanage director’s chambers and so they looked completely calm. I greeted them with a soft smile, and they returned my greeting with polite smiles of their own. To my relief, neither Benno nor Damuel appeared at all bothered by that exchange—a smile, at least, was permitted between a noble and the merchants they did exclusive business with.

The three of them were followed in by Johann and Zack, who seemed a bit nervous, perhaps because it had been so long since they were last here. Ingo entered next while looking behind him, as though he were being pushed inside, and then came Heidi, who actually was pushing him inside. She was in turn followed by Josef, who was trying to stop her.

“I see you’re doing well, Lady Rozemyne!” Heidi exclaimed with a wide grin and a two-handed wave after popping her head over Ingo’s shoulder to see me. “That’s great! I was so worried after you didn’t wake up for two whole years!”

I smiled a little with nostalgia, but that attitude wouldn’t do here. My guard knight, Damuel, had stiffened up, and Fran averted his eyes from Heidi while rubbing his temples much like Ferdinand would. It seemed as though he was willing himself not to get annoyed.

Josef, paling at Damuel’s and Fran’s reactions, pushed his wife’s head down and then pulled her toward him. “You idiot!” he chided her in a hushed voice. “You’re talking to the High Bishop who gives real blessings! You can’t talk to her like you used to anymore!”

“Sure, but she’s also the one funding my ink research for her books, right?”

“You’re not wrong there, but still. You’re being too rude! You’re a mother now, so calm down a little, alright?!”

I felt my mind go blank at those words. Heidi hadn’t looked any different to me, since she had already come of age when we met, so it hadn’t occurred to me that she might have had kids since the last time I saw her.

I guess it’s not unusual for Heidi to have kids now, since she was already married... Even Volk had kids while I was asleep. I really shouldn’t find this strange, but you know what? I still do.

“He’s right,” Benno said. “You just can’t act like that here. Noble scholars are going to be attending our meetings from now. Josef, either fix her attitude, or don’t let her come next time,” he warned, speaking so frankly either because he was caught up in the atmosphere, or because he thought the language used by nobles wouldn’t be understood by the commoner craftspeople.

Josef clapped his hands together and said, “That second one’s a good idea.” It seemed that he had decided not to bring Heidi to meetings with the scholars present.

“As Benno said, I expect that scholars will be attending all meetings henceforth,” I noted. “Josef, it seems that you alone will represent the ink workshop from now on.”

“Compared to the struggles that come with bringing Heidi along, it will be much easier for me to come alone,” Josef said with a tired sigh, earning him a refined giggle from me and firm nods of agreement from both Damuel and Fran. “If ink weren’t involved, Heidi would perhaps be more calm, but she’s excited to be seeing her investor again after so many years.”

“That’s right!” Heidi exclaimed. “I’ve been dying to give you a report, milady! I’ve done tons of research, and now we can make ink of consistent quality and color! To be more specific...”

She had started giving me her report before I even asked for it. I gave her a half-smile while briskly recording her results on a sheet of paper. It seemed they had invented new fixing agents, or rather, a varnish-like substance that could be applied atop ink to preserve it without changing its color.

After praising their efforts and promising to continue funding their research, I told the Gutenbergs about ingredients having certain elements and that Ferdinand had commended them for getting any results at all without knowing this.

“...So, in short, the elements within an ingredient change what the color is when mixed,” I said.

Heidi, who had been listening with trembling fists, shot me an excited look. “I can’t believe such a convenient magic tool exists... I want one too, milady! Please let me buy one with my investment funds!”

“I know how you feel. I similarly wanted one to help further your ink research, but they are not so easy to acquire. Furthermore, it being a magic tool means I do not know if commoners will even be able to use it.”

“Aww, that’s not fair... How comes nobles get all the luck?” Heidi moaned, flailing about in a show of exaggerated agony that felt all too familiar to me. It was like I was seeing myself, back when I had just awoken in this body and learned that only nobles got to be librarians.

“I wanted to base predictions of what kind of paper a given feyplant would produce on existing research,” I explained, “but nothing can be done without the measuring magic tool.”

“Milady! Don’t give up!” Heidi cried. “We can still win this!”

“If we had the time and resources, perhaps. But at the moment, I do not have either.”

Heidi slumped her shoulders, tears welling up in her eyes. “If you can’t get it, I guess there’s nothing we can do...”

“Moving on.” I turned my attention to Johann and Zack. “What results have the smithies seen?”

Johann and Zack exchanged glances, deciding who would speak first through silent expressions and eye movements. They had both come of age while I was asleep, so the boyish looks I remembered had vanished completely. Now, they both looked to be adults capable of doing their jobs.

“I’ll start,” Zack eventually said. “Two years ago, I was given the task of designing carriages that don’t bounce and beds made with springs. Here are the blueprints. How are they?”

“I looked at Zack’s blueprints myself, and I think this design for the carriage will bounce the least,” Johann added. “But when it comes to mass production, this one is the better pick. The parts for it aren’t as hard to make.”

I took in their thoughts while looking at the three different blueprints. It seemed to me that he had made a suspended carriage.

“And this is the bed you requested,” Zack continued. “The blueprint is exactly as you requested it. I’m currently in the process of making improvements to the design, but it’s been quite the challenge, so I expect it’ll be quite some time before it’s finished. It’ll be more expensive too.”

“Make the best design you can,” I said. “The price is irrelevant, as I will make more money through it. That said... I’m surprised you were able to produce a workable design in the first place.”

Despite having only my vague recollections of pocket and Bonnell coils to work from, Zack had actually managed to design a bed, opting to use pocket coils since they were easier for him to visualize. Assuming he actually finished the whole bed, my time asleep was going to be blissful to say the least.

“In any case, begin making an adult-sized bed,” I continued. “As for the carriages, I will purchase the design for the one that can be mass-produced. The designs you produce henceforth can be entrusted to the Smithing Guild just as the pump designs were, correct?”

“We have to work in equal measures with the Carpentry Guild when making carriages, so please speak with them too. As for payment, we can follow the same approach we took with the pumps,” Zack said. It was a system wherein Zack and I would receive an inventor’s fee every time a carriage was made using the blueprints.

“Very well. I will trust the bridging of the Smithing and Carpentry Guilds to Benno. My initial idea was to have Ingo serve this purpose, but perhaps an unrelated third party is best.”

“...Understood.”

I paid Zack using the guild card I had as the forewoman of the Rozemyne Workshop and then turned to Johann. “How has your progress been? I believe I requested that you produce metal letter types and spread the hand pumps.”

“I am steadily increasing the number of metal letter types in circulation, and every single one is sold on the spot. Haldenzel does not yet have a smith that can make them perfectly, so they have purchased an especially large quantity.”

Those in Haldenzel were planning to print while stuck inside over the winter, and they couldn’t do their work without metal letter types. They wanted plenty of spares too, since I knew from Johann that he had rejected all of their letter types due to being imprecisely made.

“I hope Haldenzel learns to make them soon,” Johann said. “Going over there so often has been a real struggle...”

“If they are not ready when we visit this spring, I will consult Giebe Haldenzel about sending some of their craftsmen to Ehrenfest. This will be the last time you go to Haldenzel.”

Johann looked relieved to hear this, so I clarified that it was only because I needed him to travel to other places instead. He grimaced hard and slumped his shoulders, although I couldn’t quite figure out why. As I watched him with quizzical eyes, the other Gutenbergs all gave him sympathetic looks.

“Is there a problem with that?” I asked. Everyone looked at each other for a second, after which Lutz elected to speak for them.

“This is something of a personal problem for Johann, but his perfectionism when it comes to the letter types and the difficulty he has interacting with others often earns him much reproach. He always struggles the most when teaching those of a new province.”

“Aah, it certainly must have been rough in Haldenzel, considering their insular community and aversion to outsiders. However, the giebe has informed me that they praise Johann highly. The craftspeople were enthusiastically working together to secure a passing grade this winter.”

Johann blinked at me in surprise, no doubt having expected his reputation to be much worse. Seeing that, Zack elbowed him lightly and grinned.

“Told you, didn’t I? They were just shouty ’cause they knew you were better than ’em. Well, either way, you’re the only one who can do this right now. You’ve just gotta suck it up until your guy’s all trained and ready.”

“Zack, who are you referring to there?” I asked.

“Johann’s disciple, Danilo. He’s burning with a passion to become a Gutenberg no matter what, so I imagine he will force his way into one of these meetings soon enough,” Zack replied, laughing hard enough that his shoulders started to shake.

Johann bent his mouth into a sharp frown before continuing his report. “The hand pumps are spreading at a steady rate. We’ve been selling them in the north and to merchants, and now we’re finally able to take orders from the east.” Orders from the rich and those they had work relationships with inevitably took priority, but now they were finally able to start delivering hand pumps to other parts of the city.

“That is good progress indeed,” I said. “Please do continue at your current pace. Oh, and I almost forgot—Johann, I would like you to make these as well.”

Johann accepted the blueprints for safety pins, skimmed them, and then frowned. “Are normal pins not good enough?” he asked. “I don’t think these are too different.”

“It is dangerous to have the point of the needle sticking out, do you not think? I, for one, am not particularly fond of pain. That is why it is important to have the sharp tip of the pin hidden away,” I said, tapping on the part of the blueprint that described the cap in question.

Johann gave a small smile. “You always seem to focus on things nobody else would care about in the slightest,” he said; then, he put his business face back on. “Lady Rozemyne, may I give this order to my disciple?”

“Certainly, so long as he can make it according to the blueprint. He’ll need to be able to fulfill my orders to stand a chance at one day becoming a Gutenberg.”

“This is going to be good practice for him,” Johann said with a nod. As he carefully put away the blueprint, I shifted my gaze to Ingo. Next was my primary order of the day.

“And you, Ingo? Did you finish the bookshelves?” I asked, looking up at him with excited eyes. I had tasked him with making mobile bookshelves, then high-density shelving.

Ingo frowned a little. “I made a shelf according to your exact specifications,” he said, “but...”

“Were there any problems?”

“It moved just fine when the shelves were empty, but you’re going to have a hard time once you start putting books on them. In fact, when we packed the thing with stuff, it wouldn’t budge at all. It’s not good enough to be delivered to you,” Ingo explained, scratching his cheek awkwardly as my eyes widened. “I thought about improving on your designs, but I didn’t know what to do with the metal rails or the wheels; they’re outside of my specialty. I figured it would be best to start by redoing the blueprints themselves.”

It seemed that Ingo’s workshop could have figured things out through trial and error if the railing had been made of wood, but as carpenters by trade, there wasn’t much they could do with metal.

“Johann...”

“Please leave the blueprints to Zack,” Johann said at once, dumping it on his fellow smith as if begging not to be given any more work than he was already having to balance. I turned my eyes to Zack, who reluctantly accepted, albeit after noting that minor modifications weren’t his specialty.

Thank goodness. My dream of getting high-density mobile shelving is still alive...

Just as my stress levels began to dip back down, however, Benno spoke up. He wore a deep smile, but his dark-red eyes were brimming with an indescribable anger that made my anxiety shoot right back up. “By the way, Lady Rozemyne. Corinna told me something very interesting the other day. It seems that you are branching into the dyeing industry as well now—that you are ‘reviving ancient technologies,’ as she put it. That is very interesting indeed.”

His expression made it clear that he was actually saying, “Are you stupid or something? Is now really the time to get so involved with dyeing?”

I placed a hand on my cheek, unsure whether he was more angry or exasperated. “There is no end to the benefits brought about by new trends, and as this is merely reviving old technologies, I would hardly even give myself credit for it. All the honor should go to the craftspeople who learn the revived technologies and use them anew. I believe now is a good opportunity to leisurely train dyers in these new practices.”

“Hmm. It seems that nobles have an entirely different understanding of the word ‘leisurely’ than us commoners,” Benno said, this time with a clearly exasperated expression. The other Gutenbergs were nodding to themselves, like, “So this is what nobles consider leisurely? That explains everything.”

In a shocking twist, people had come to believe I was some kind of ruthless educator who trained people by having them complete more and more difficult work. It was horrible. That was Ferdinand, not me. The tasks I gave were simply things I hoped would one day be completed; it wasn’t as though they absolutely needed to be done or else. But when I attempted to convey this, Zack frowned and shook his head.

“Our perspectives are different,” he said. “To us, a craftsman who can’t finish the jobs he’s given is incompetent.”

Oh, okay. That makes sense. Sorry for all the trouble. That said, I’m not going to change.

“I believe spreading the new dyeing method will increase ink sales, and so it is worth doing. I have not spoken of the dyeing method relevant to the Plantin Company, and Corinna said that it would be best to do business directly with the Dyeing Guild.”

“The dyeing method relevant to the Plantin Company, you say...?”

Oh, crap... I’ve said too much. I was planning to keep quiet about stencil dyeing for a little while longer.

“There is another dyeing method, one that is more related to the Plantin Company,” I explained. “I expect to sell this method to the Dyeing Guild once I have decided on my exclusive workshops, and then have them predominantly focus their efforts on using it.”

I could feel Benno’s mood darkening as I spoke. His eyes narrowed, demanding that I explain exactly what this had to do with the Plantin Company.

“N-Ngh... I merely said it was related to the Plantin Company because it uses special ink and paper. It will simply result in you selling more stationery. A-Any more details will come at a price!”

“...Understood,” Benno said, leaving it at that.

After everyone had given their reports, we moved on to discussing our plans in Haldenzel. I explained that those coming were going to be traveling with me in my highbeast, and that we would depart as soon as Spring Prayer ended. The magic contracts being changed had far-reaching impacts, and to handle the resulting red tape, Benno and Damian from the Plantin Company were going to accompany me, as were Johann and Zack.

Since they had already finished teaching those in Haldenzel to make black ink, Heidi and Josef didn’t need to come along. And as for the colored ink, the Plantin Company could bring and sell it themselves. Ingo likewise had finished teaching them to make the printing press itself, and the carpenters over there had since achieved a passing grade. The Rozemyne Workshop didn’t need to send anyone either, since those in Haldenzel already knew how to print, and their paper-making was postponed for now.

“Benno, how long will your affairs take?” I asked.

“If you are with us, Lady Rozemyne, I imagine three days will be enough,” he replied. Under normal circumstances, even getting a brief meeting with a noble took forever, but he expected things to progress much more quickly with me around. It sounded like we would be able to go there and get back in the blink of an eye.

“Then I, too, will put my all into the negotiations with the scholars, such that printing may be spread as much as possible.”

“I believe it would be better if you contained yourself a little more,” Lutz said, his cheek twitching ever so slightly. But I had already decided to devote my all to making my dream a reality, so there was no holding back now.

“It has been decided that a legal deposit system will henceforth be introduced,” I announced. “The castle has permitted it, so be sure to inform the workshops through the Printing Guild.” I then went on to explain what the legal deposit system was, and how copies of all printed material would need to be given to me and Ehrenfest’s castle.

“I understand the system and do not mind its implementation, since nothing will change in practice... but why two copies?” Benno asked. “Will you not always remain in the castle, Lady Rozemyne?”

He was indirectly saying that I didn’t need a copy for myself when I wasn’t going to be wed to another duchy. I stuck my pointer finger up and wagged it at him. My ambitions wouldn’t be satisfied by the castle’s book room. No, I had my sights set on a much, much bigger future.

“I plan to one day build a massive library, one that contains a copy of every book in not just Ehrenfest, but Yurgenschmidt as a whole. To that end, I must begin collecting books immediately,” I said, puffing out my chest with pride as I announced my goal.

Upon hearing this declaration, the Gutenbergs all cradled their heads as they realized they were stuck with me forever.