Ideas for New Products
Work at the orphanage was progressing at a steady rate. They cooked soup several times after the cooking class and managed to work quicker as they got used to it. The size difference between chopped vegetables was diminishing steadily. At times there were some kids who tried to put weird ingredients into the wrong soups, but it was mainly just funny to see the other kids rushing to stop them. I got the feeling that everyone looked brighter than before, maybe due to finally getting enough to eat. Soon enough, it became habit for them to do temple work in the morning and make soup in the afternoon.
Dad and Tuuli coincidentally both had a day off on the same day, so I forced a meeting with Benno, who had just returned after being absent for a few days visiting another city, and asked permission to borrow Lutz.
“Mr. Benno! Please lend Lutz to me all day today!”
“Sure, but only if I get to have you all day the next day.”
“...Is it just me, or do you have an evil look in your eyes right now?”
“Pretty sure that’s just you.”
It’s definitely not just me. I eyed Benno’s poker face cautiously, but in any case, with Lutz down I just had to get Tuuli and Dad on board.
“Dad, Tuuli, please. I want you to bring the orphanage kids to the forest! With you around, Dad, you should be able to get a bunch of kids the guards don’t know through the gate, right?”
“...I don’t mind, but won’t taking a bunch of orphans outside the city cause problems?”
“I have the High Priest’s permission, so it’ll be fine.” Dad had looked doubtful that I had gotten permission to do this, but he agreed to help. Tuuli also agreed to help since she was going to the forest anyway.
“I’m okay with bringing them, but what do you want to make them do out there, anyway?”
“Lutz will be there to teach them how to make paper, but I want you to teach them how to gather in the forest while the paper’s being made. They’ve never been to the forest before.”
Tuuli knew from teaching the orphans to cook that they lived in an entirely different world from us. She frowned a bit, likely thinking back to how she had to teach them how to hold knives in the first place.
“Wouldn’t it be better to bring more people to teach them, since none of them will have been to the forest before?”
“You’re right, but I’ll be exposing how to make paper here. I want to only involve people close to me, if possible.”
“Okay. I’ll help you, Myne.”
“Yay! Thanks, Tuuli!”
And so, I assembled the personages necessary to take a bunch of the orphans — mainly those apprentice age or younger, but not all — to the forest. There were only a few adult priests, and most of them wanted to go, but they would need to stay at the temple this time. We had to go to the forest in the morning to have enough time to make the paper, and that would interfere with the adults’ daily work.
Everyone brought baskets, knives, billhooks for cutting wood, pots, and steamers. Lutz would teach them to gather volrin wood, steam it, peel off the bark, and make paper just like we had done together before our baptism. As the wood steamed, Tuuli and Dad would teach them how to gather. But to help prevent information leaks, they would teach only the distinguishing features of the wood, not the name, and for now we didn’t mention the ash and tororo parts of the process. That was mainly to minimize the chance of someone violating our magic contract by attempting to sell plant paper.
“Sister Myne, I’m gonna go learn. I’m gonna pay attention.”
“Yes, Gil. Go learn to gather and make paper well.”
Gil went off to the forest with his eyes sparkling, but I was staying behind at the temple. I had to do paperwork for the High Priest with Fran, get prayer lines beaten into my head, and suffer criticism for my prayer posture down to the movements of my fingers.
The passing days seemed calm and peaceful on the outside, but there was a constant storm going on in my head. Or well, maybe it would be more accurate to say there was a burning chariot which I rode into the sunset as my pockets emptied. I had spent an exorbitant amount of money furnishing my room, the kitchen, and the orphanage. My money was draining, and fast. Considering that I might be forced to spend some unknown amount of money on noble obligations or some such thing, I wanted to fill my pockets again as soon as possible.
“I sold the idea for hangers earlier, and I should save cooking-related things for when the restaurant’s open, so... What should I do here? Maybe I should finally turn the things I talked to Lutz about earlier into products? Mmm...”
“Sister Myne, you seem to have something on your mind. Might I ask what it is?”
“I’m just thinking about money, really...”
We headed to gate, thinking that it was about time for everyone to be getting back from the forest, and on the way we heard excited chattering from the other side of the gate. The kids came running into the temple with big smiles on their faces.
“Sister Myne! We’re back!”
“Welcome back. Did you gather a lot of things at the forest?”
“We brought back lots of black bark.”
“I brought the most!”
“I see! Very impressive. Now you just have to take the bark to the workshop to dry. Lutz, if you would.”
Lutz set up the black bark to dry in the Myne Workshop, Dad explained how to maintain a knife, and Tuuli taught them how to prepare and eat what they gathered in the forest.
“Now then, let us express our thanks for those who have taught you so much.” I had intended for them to just say “Thank you!” and leave it at that, but I forget we were in the temple. The orphans all yelled “Praise be to our teachers!” and genuflected, their heads pressed against the floor. Dad and Tuuli were both so shocked they recoiled a bit.
“...Um, this is how people in the temple express their thanks, so... I-It’s kind of like saying they’re as grateful to you as they are to the gods, which is, um, good...”
“Yeah, I know. I know, but dang. It threw me off.”
I explained to Dad and Tuuli what was going on in a quiet voice, then had the orphans — who had finished genuflecting — return to the orphanage.
“The priests who stayed behind made soup. Remember to wash your hands before you eat. Also, be absolutely certain to clean yourselves before bed. You must have gotten very sweaty out there, given the heat.”
After seeing the orphans off, I let out a heavy sigh. “Sorry, everyone. Could you wait here for me? I’ll go get changed.” I returned to my room with Fran and had Delia change my clothes. When I had plans to stop by Benno’s store I could preemptively wear my apprentice merchant clothes and leave after just taking off my robes, but today I had worn my normal clothes just like Tuuli, which meant I had to change my entire outfit.
“Sister Myne, please get several more pairs of blue robes. Yours are all dusty since you’ve been to the basement. I want to wash them, which isn’t easy when you don’t have any spares,” complained Delia. The temple’s blue robes were made of high-quality cloth that felt smooth as silk. Buying spares would probably cost a hefty chunk of cash. I would need to think hard about making money.
“I’m back, sorry.” I returned to the workshop after changing my clothes and locked the door. After giving Fran the key, I began the journey home with everyone.
“Lutz, I will now report what Myne did today.” Fran, holding a board, reported to Lutz what I had done over the day and how healthy I seemed. He had to do that pretty much every day, but it was hard to open ink jars and use pens outside, so he wasn’t able to write down everything he wanted to. Which made me suddenly remember something.
...Maybe it’s finally time to make the notepad? I could expect for there to be enough demand to make them profitable since they weren’t common, and plant paper was still expensive enough to drive up the price. It was possible that notepads were more common than I thought, but they would still be good gifts for people like Fran and Lutz.
I started running through the steps in my head and figuring out what materials I needed, when suddenly I realized that Dad had picked me up at some point and we were already at the central plaza.
“Lutz, Lutz!” Still held up by Dad, I called out to Lutz, who was walking next to Tuuli. “Does Mr. Benno know any metal workshops?”
“Yeah, he does. What’s up? Thought of something new?”
“Uh huh! Though I’ll want to ask Ralph or Sieg to shape up some wooden planks for me.” Not even Lutz, who was fairly dexterous with his fingers, could compare to the skills Ralph and Sieg had developed through training to be carpenters. I learned that well when they helped me make the hanger. Not to mention that since I intended to give a finished notepad to Lutz as a gift, it would be better if he wasn’t personally involved with making it.
“What, you’re not gonna ask me, your ol’ dad?”
“You worked hard enough already today, Dad. Don’t worry about this.”
“I’ve still got some fight left in me today.”
“Really? You’re not going to drink and fall asleep?” I pursed my lips and peered at my Dad. After spending all day working outside and instructing a bunch of greenhorns, it was hard to imagine him doing anything but drinking and sleeping as soon as he could.
“...It’ll be fine.”
“You always say that, Dad. You’re definitely going to drink and fall asleep, definitely.” Tuuli said exactly what I was thinking. Unable to argue with Tuuli, Dad gave an exaggerated frown, his eyebrows digging into the bridge of his nose.
“If you promise you’ll do it before you drink, I’ll ask you instead, since it is a bit late to be going to Lutz’s place.”
“Alright, alright, I promise. Sheesh, you two are starting to act more like Effa every day.”
“...And you think that’s the cutest thing in the world, yeah? We’ve all heard this before, lots of times.” Lutz shrugged as we all laughed.
After having Dad measure Lutz’s hand, we went home.
“So, what do you want me to make?”
Once home, Dad finished dinner while resisting the urge to drink. I started rummaging through our storage room for a suitable plank and tools.
“So, Dad. Which would be easier, carving out a lot of space out of a plank to pour wax into, or hammering in thick blocks around a thin plank to create a square space to pour wax into?”
“Yeah, gotta be the second one.”
“The wax won’t flow out?”
“Depends on how you do it, but it should be fine.”
With Dad’s suggestion in mind, I peered into the basket packed full of planks and looked for one of a good size.
“Okay. I want you to use a plank about this thick to make two boards the size of my hand, two the size of Lutz’s hand, and two the size of your hand.”
“How deep?”
“About as my deep as my finger, so the wax doesn’t flow out. Oh, and we’ll need holes to put string or rings through, so leave some space on the top end. Basically, I want something like this.” I explained while drawing a picture and Dad nodded, rubbing his chin, then got to work.
While Dad was busy, Tuuli and I bathed. The middle of summer was approaching and even just doing paperwork was enough to get me sweaty, not to mention that Tuuli was covered in dirt from going to the forest.
“So, Myne. What are you having Dad make?”
I got into the washtub first while Tuuli washed my hair with handmade rinsham. I answered while enjoying the bliss of my scalp being massaged. “A notepad.”
“A notepad? Isn’t that what you called that bundle of failed paper you had?”
“I would have liked to use good paper, but yes.” I smiled and wiped my body down. Once that was done, we switched places and I started washing Tuuli’s hair. “To be more accurate, I’m actually making what’s called a (diptych), but you can just think of it as a notepad that’s harder to erase than a stone slate.”
“Why did you ask if Benno knew any metal workshops?”
“I want to order a (stylus).”
The next day, I put the modified boards Dad had made me in my tote bag, had Lutz carry it for me, and went to the Gilberta Company with him just like I usually did. Since I had sold my soul to Benno for the day in return for borrowing Lutz, the timing couldn’t have been better.
“Mr. Benno, please tell me what store sells wax and introduce me to a metal workshop.”
“What’re you plotting this time?”
“Do you really have to phrase it like that...? I want to make a gift for Lutz and Fran, but I can’t make it myself, so I want you to introduce me to workshops that can.”
The moment I said that, Lutz’s eyes fell to my tote bag. He blinked in confusion after seeing the boards packed inside. “A gift for me and Fran...? What about Gil?”
“I think stone slates will be better for Gil and Delia, since they don’t know how to write yet.”
Lutz gave a disinterested “Hmmm,” but he was smiling a bit. In contrast, Benno’s mouth was bent into a frown.
“Hey. Myne. You don’t have anything for me?”
“...If you see the finished products and want one, you can order better bases from carpenters. One carved by an amateur wouldn’t suit you.”
Benno, as the owner of a large store surrounded by expensive things at all times, would undoubtedly stick out if he was using a crudely carved diptych. They were fine as gifts, but I wouldn’t want to drag him down into the mud like that.
“Alright, you wanted a wax store and a smithy, right? Let’s go.” He took me to a store that sold wax and I requested that they pour wax into the concave inside of the board. I watched as they lined up the six boards my Dad made and poured in the wax. It didn’t even take a minute. Waiting for the wax to harden took a lot longer.
“This’s a simple job for us, but an odd one. What’ll you be using these for?”
“Umm, (diptychs).” I talked to the older man behind the counter while waiting, but he couldn’t really grasp what I wanted. Naturally, someone who didn’t write much would find no need for a notepad. Which made me question whether diptychs would be a particularly successful product. Well... looks like I might need to think of some other products.
Once the wax hardened enough, we headed to the smithy. Witnessing Benno get what I wanted so easily reminded me of the importance of personal connections and wealth. This was a big step up from when I had just become Myne and had to rely entirely on trial and error.
“I’m Benno from the Gilberta Company. Is the foreman here?” We headed to a smithy in the craftsman’s alley and Benno opened the door before calling out inside. A wave of heat hotter than the summer sun came flowing out of the open door. That was natural since any smithy would be using fire, but it was still hot enough to make me jump with surprise.
I peered inside, my heart racing with thoughts of what might be inside, but it seemed that all the work was being done behind a tightly shut door that was radiating heat. Once the apprentice tending to the store disappeared into the back, the front area of the smithy had nothing but a counter for taking orders and a simple table with chairs. As I looked around the empty storefront, a massive man with arms thicker than my waist came out from the back, his great big bushy beard contrasting with the wispy strands of hair on his head. His large, wide eyes were kind of scary.
“Hey, Benno. What brings you here? More buttons for a noble?”
“Nah, not this time. This girl has an order for you.”
“This little twerp? Hah, let’s hear it!”
“U-Um! First, I want circular rings to connect two boards, like this.” After I drew a picture of two boards being connected by rings and showed it to the foreman, he nodded.
“I also want (styluses).”
“You want what now?”
I erased the diptych drawing and drew the styluses I wanted. It was like a metal pen, but with a small pointed tip so as to dig letters into the wax, with the opposite tip flat to fill the letters back in. If possible, I also wanted a clip on it so it could be attached to the rings connecting the boards.
“I would like three of these.”
“The heck are these? They’re pretty tiny... Hey, Johann! Give these a shot.” After staring at the stone slate for a bit, the foreman went to the back and called out for someone named Johann. Before long, a younger boy who couldn’t be more than twenty, his bright orange hair tied behind his head.
“This is Johann, my apprentice. But don’t let that fool ya, he’s good with this kinda tiny stuff. Might as well be a master himself by now.”
“I’m Johann, nice to meet you. What are you ordering today?”
I showed him the slate and gave him the same explanation I gave the foreman. Johann took out a board and started scratching out what looked like blueprints. His art was a lot neater than mine; just what I would expect from a professional.
“Just how small do you want the tip to be, exactly?”
“About as thin as a sewing needle, and please make the tip sharp and pointed. But it would be hard to hold if it was all that thin, so please make the part where you hold it to be as thick as a normal pen.”
“Those aren’t very precise directions.” Johann set aside his pen with a sigh and went out back to retrieve several metal cylinders. He lined them up on the counter and asked me to try holding them.
“Which thickness is easiest for you to hold?”
“Umm, this one of me. What about you, Lutz?”
“If we’re talking about pens, this one would be easiest for me to write with.”
Lutz and I had different hand sizes, so the thickness and weight of an ideal pen differed significantly.
I looked up at Benno.
“I want one for Fran too, so could you pick one?”
“...This one. And make two of these. I want one too.”
“Wha? But a (stylus) on its own isn’t good for anything, it needs a diptych to write on. “
“I can make one of those later. Smithing takes time, so ordering it now will save time later.”
I nodded and asked Johann for four. He nodded back at me and asked further questions.
“Can you describe the flat end more? What will you be using for? How wide do you want it? What about the angle here? What, exactly, is a ‘clip’? You want to attach the things to the rings? Then the rings will have to be as thick as the clip. How long do you want them?” His questions were so precise it caught me off guard, but with this level of detail I was all but guaranteed a satisfactory result. That made me happy, so I answered each of his questions in turn.
Meanwhile, Benno and the foreman discussed Johann nearby. He was a brainy kid with an obsession for details, and his work was always perfect, but at the cost of speed. Not to mention that a lot of customers got annoyed at his deluge of questions. I appreciated his attention to detail, but apparently not many people out there shared the sentiment.
“Johann would have an easier life if he learned to loosen up and compromise a bit. But his work’s so good ’cause he doesn’t do that. I’m hoping to find a patron that can really make use of his talents. Any leads on that, Benno?”
Benno fell into thought, then glanced at me. But the foreman snorted, “Not the girl though, she’s too much of a twerp. Can’t be a patron ’til you’re an adult and got enough money to support someone.”
“You’re not wrong.” Benno cut the conversation short there, so I fell silent too.
But I mean... I am the forewoman of my own workshop, and I do have some money I can use for myself. I like Johann’s attention to detail, so if I also like the finished product, I’ll always come here when I need metal work done. Mhm.
“Hey, Myne. Don’t doze off. If you’re done ordering, we’re going to a carpenter.” Benno picked me up and strode out of the smithy. It seemed that Benno was determined to have his own diptych made.
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