Lin Ke walked in front, with Granny Hisai trailing two steps behind him, behaving just like an ordinary old servant over a hundred years old.
Granny Hisai didn’t seem that "naive" or unworldly, at least she knew to stay a bit behind Lin Ke.
"Young Master Lin Ke, Granny Hisai has conjured up a lot of magic, you mustn’t kick me out..."
Granny Hisai tried hard to sell herself from behind Lin Ke, her stooped posture only allowing Lin Ke to see her hunchback when he turned around.
"What kind of ’magic’ do you have?" Lin Ke was still a little curious.
There are several ways to discover a gunpowder formula, let’s see if Granny Hisai stumbled upon it by accident or discovered it through thorough research.
If it was by accident, it may not prove much, but if it was discovered purposefully with research, that’s rare!
This kind of exploration and research ability aligns well with scientific logic.
"Magic? Mine is much more powerful than magic!" Granny Hisai immediately retorted, hands on her hips, upon hearing Lin Ke’s tone.
Who knows who was previously calling gunpowder magic, now saying it’s stronger than magic... Lin Ke rolled his eyes internally.
"I can restore a rusty iron sword to its original state, or make a regular iron sword rust quickly, smashing it with a single punch!"
Granny Hisai answered proudly, her steps somewhat buoyant.
The Guard Team leader behind them snickered, unable to resist teasing, "You sound more powerful than the professionals."
However, Lin Ke abruptly stopped, turning back to look at Granny Hisai with a face full of surprise: "You discovered acids and alkalies? And oxidation?"
Granny Hisai was stunned: "What sword and flower?" She didn’t understand Lin Ke’s words at all.
Lin Ke’s pronunciation sounded a lot like the words for acid sword and flower cultivation in Naseng lingua franca, so Granny Hisai didn’t comprehend.
"So, how did you do it?"
Lin Ke rubbed his eyebrow; many words here didn’t exist, he might need to consider using substitute characters or creating his own for future chemistry developments.
"Hehe, impressive, right?"
But Granny Hisai didn’t answer Lin Ke’s question, instead she said, "Does Young Master Lin Ke believe me now, can I go to the factory for a job?"
A horse or an ox in the factory? Dream on.
Lin Ke realized immediately that this Granny Hisai might be someone with a certain interest in chemistry and had already researched some things.
Such talent is suitable for... being exploited in the lab, I mean, working.
"Granny Hisai, you can’t possibly go to the paper mill."
Lin Ke first shook his head, and as Granny Hisai looked disheartened, he added, "But I have a job with a higher salary, do you want it?"
Granny Hisai’s eyes lit up at those words.
She understood that salary meant silver coins and copper coins, or rather, salary meant compensation.
"Can you give me more copper coins?! Can I get three silver coins and five... no, two copper coins a month?"
Granny Hisai "excessively" made a request, looking at Lin Ke cautiously, fearing he would reject her for such an excessive demand.
What kind of life have you lived to be so cautious, my dear chemist... Lin Ke sighed, only nodding lightly before continuing to walk on.
Granny Hisai’s background was checked before the interview, no children but some kids helping her with farming.
Besides, Granny Hisai often created small gadgets she called "magic," which were popular among villagers.
All in all, she was trustworthy.
With that, Lin Ke could share some "beyond the syllabus" content with her.
After all, many chemical reactions can’t be explained like others, with "early wisdom."
Many chemical reactions haven’t even been seen, how do you explain "early wisdom" then?
Given that numerous substances exist in different places in two worlds, and the periodic table may vary, the flora and fauna even more so.
To verify some things, a lot of chemical experiments must be conducted.
And for chemical experiments... test tubes are needed.
Lin Ke made up his mind, quickening his pace.
Granny Hisai, though over a hundred years old, moved like someone in their sixties, keeping up with Lin Ke.
Not long after, Lin Ke arranged some work at the paper mill, and the mill began to operate.
Granny Hisai and the Guard Team leader followed behind Lin Ke to watch.
The paper mill claimed to be a factory, but it was actually a small workshop; open the big door, and there were five compartments, each responsible for one step of papermaking.
Outside water flowed in through ground channels and was diverted away through channels again.
However, the paper mill didn’t use many bleaching agents or chemical agents like in previous generations, so the pollution was minimal.
"They... what are they doing?"
Granny Hisai widened her eyes in curiosity, finding it somewhat unreliable what their young master of Azanen was doing.
Boiling inedible grass in a large pot?
Could it be what the minstrel mentioned, something some noble children like to play, like "house?"
Granny Hisai felt a flutter of unease.
"Why do you talk so much!"
The leader of the Guard Team nearby couldn’t help but scold.
Why does this old woman talk so much? If Young Master Like hadn’t said she was useful, he would have kicked her out long ago.
Questioning their young master and instructor?
This is utterly ridiculous, isn’t it?
The squad leader was furious.
Lin Ke signaled the two to calm down, smiling slightly.
After a while, the first batch of dried paper was taken down and brought to Lin Ke for inspection.
Lin Ke rubbed the rough, pale yellow paper in his hands, nodded slightly, then raised his head and said loudly, "Everyone keep going! There will be servants to deliver lunch at noon."
The tone gave no hint of emotion.
This paper was quite good, reaching the standard Lin Ke and Ove had achieved during their experiments; it could serve as writing paper.
However, it wasn’t particularly surprising, so Lin Ke wasn’t overly thrilled—it was a standard trial production.
It simply met expectations.
Granny Hisai, seeing the paper in Lin Ke’s hand, immediately understood the meaning of this "paper factory."
But... this was not the same as the process Granny Hisai knew.
The paper she knew was made by leatherworking masters through multiple processes of burning animal skins.
Not produced by fifty people within half an hour making a dozen sheets.
"There’s a lot you don’t know!"
Lin Ke, assured by the reasonable quality of the paper, beckoned to Granny Hisai and the squad leader, saying, "Let’s go to the next factory!"
Next up, the glass factory!
Lin Ke hadn’t expected the trial production of the paper factory to go so smoothly, perhaps underestimating the villagers’ dedication to the job.
When he was teaching the villagers the steps to make paper, everyone was wide-eyed, listening and remembering diligently.
Unlike the students from his past life, who even when spoon-fed knowledge wouldn’t necessarily accept it, preferring games to learning.
The village "students" here were eager to learn, wishing Lin Ke would teach them more.
Since the paper factory went so smoothly, it was time for full-scale production, Lin Ke mused internally.
First, stockpile ordinary paper for a while, then produce premium, superior, and exquisite paper.
Initially, it would cater to Azaenn Castle and Parrot City.
If the response was good, and with some assurance, the paper could be sold throughout Azanen’s Domain.
However, Lin Ke wasn’t considering nationwide, or even broader sales like Naseng yet, as managing such a vast market was beyond the capacity of a small Viscount’s Domain.
But the initial sales should suffice!
As long as it eased the debt pressure, that would be great, even better if the debts could be fully repaid.
Arriving at the paper factory’s entrance, the person in charge, Watson, was waiting at the gate for Lin Ke.
The paper factory had only one entrance, so everyone went in and out through here, with sheets of paper drying outside.
"I’m very pleased, achieving this on the first try is quite good, ramp up the production! And remember, keep it confidential, no one should disclose the procedures and raw materials of the paper factory, not even to family. After a month, everyone will receive wages!"
Lin Ke encouraged and reminded the person in charge a few times before leaving.
The person in charge was the honest and simple-minded young man Watson, with blond hair, always wearing a naive smile.
After Lin Ke left, Watson returned to the paper factory with excitement in his heart.
In the paper factory, workers of all ages peeked out to look at him from their compartments.
There was some nervousness in their eyes.
It was their first day, and they feared the young master might change his mind.
After all, such an easy job paying five silver coins, something they never dared to dream of, having only ever done unpaid work before.
At this moment, Watson, unable to contain his excitement, vigorously swung his strong right arm: "Young Master Lin Ke wants us to ramp up production! He’s very pleased! No... extremely pleased!"
The workers cheered immediately, working even harder.
It seemed the young master wasn’t just playing around! The young master was serious!
"But the young master reminds us to keep it secret..."
Watson smiled honestly and did not forget to remind them of Lin Ke’s cautionary notes.
Everyone enthusiastically agreed.
This magical paper-making method, now that they’ve learned it, they feared others might steal it! This was Young Master Azanen’s exclusive skill!
If other Noble Masters also wanted to do it, they would certainly have their own people do it, and their jobs would be gone!
The villagers of Azanen Five Villages were simple, but simplicity and cunning were not antonyms.
They could tell right from wrong!