I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 53 The Paper Mill
The development of the iron ore mine would take some time, and the blacksmith's workload was not heavy. Therefore, even before the first waterwheel was built, Rhodes had already planned to give it to the paper mill.

Lime water might be easy to obtain; collect some limestone from the riverbank and the foot of the mountain, crush it, layer it with charcoal, and then calcine it.

Since there was no time to build permanent kilns, they used the most primitive and simple trench kilns, which were guarded by slaves to ensure continuous firing.

After the quicklime has been fully calcined, collect it and add water to make lime water.

Lime has many uses, not only for bleaching pulp, but also for construction, farming, and metallurgy.

Rhodes specifically designated an area for the slaves to burn large quantities of firewood.

However, because lime water can pollute water sources, the paper mill and the blacksmith shop are not located together.

The paper mill was located at the very bottom of the canal, where the river flowed back, so even if there was pollution, it would not affect the water source.

It is worth mentioning that the second phase of the irrigation canal project has also begun.

There were originally some ditches around the farmland. Rhodes further planned based on the existing ditches and then arranged for slaves to connect all the ditches.

It feels like the Snake game that Rhodes played in his previous life. After the barriers between the ditches are cleared, the irrigation canals will eventually cover all the farmland, and the river water will flow back to the Azure River.

The paper mill needs not only pulping machines and pulping tanks, but also drying rooms, all of which Rhodes had arranged for the townspeople to build in advance.

The entire process must be carried out indoors, otherwise frequent thunderstorms will affect normal papermaking operations.

The waterwheel was already under construction. Rhodes first selected eight of the smartest slaves and taught them the basic papermaking process.

The papermaking process may seem simple, but it requires carefulness and patience to produce high-quality, thin paper.

"Sir, do you mean you intend to use these tattered linen pieces to make precious paper?"

After delivering the materials Rhodes needed to the workshop, Lawrence voiced the doubts that had been lingering in the slaves' minds, "Perhaps we should use sheepskin or cowhide?"

Lawrence found this fabric uncomfortable to wear, so how could it be used to make expensive paper?
Straw, bark, and reeds can all be used to make paper; you just don't know it.

Rhodes chuckled lightly, offering the slaves no further explanation.

They'll see it for themselves once it's made.

"Do as I say. First, clean these rags, then rinse them with lime water."

At this point, Rod emphasized, "I'll say it again, do not let any part of your body come into contact with the lime water, and remember to stir it with a wooden stick when you put it in."

The leather gloves are still being made, but regardless of whether or not there are gloves, Rod must make it clear how serious things are.

“Anyone who touches this lime water directly with their body will be whipped.”

"After bleaching in lime water and then washing it clean, it is then chopped up and mashed into a paste..."

After giving a stern warning to everyone, Rhodes gave the slaves a general explanation of the procedure.

The waterwheel debugging took a whole day, but the hydraulic slurry machine finally started operating.

The principle of a tamping machine is very simple: the water flow drives the water wheel to rotate, and then drives the tamping mallet through the transmission shaft and gears, causing it to periodically hammer up and down.

The process repeated itself, with the tattered cloth being smashed and pulped into paper pulp.

In fact, slaves could also do this job, but it would be tiring and take much longer.

After the pulp is broken up, it is washed, filtered, paper-making, pressed, and dried before being sized.

The raw material for papermaking requires tattered linen. Rhodes has already had Otto collect some in the territory, but the quantity is very small, only about ten pounds.

The townspeople couldn't bear to throw away their tattered clothes, thinking they would take them apart to patch them up and use them to make new ones.

The flax used for papermaking is better when it's rotten, so Rod didn't have Auto collect it forcibly; he only asked for some scraps of cloth that were completely unusable.

The people in the border town are probably wealthier, and they should have plenty of tattered cloth, which is also on Rhodes's shopping list.

After more than a week, the first batch of paper was successfully produced.

When Lawrence saw the wooden shelf covered with pieces of paper, he was so frightened that he knelt on the ground.

"This, this, this really is paper!"

This isn't paper at all!

These are all silver coins, no, gold coins!

"These ten pounds of rags have yielded over one hundred and fifty sheets of paper!" Lawrence's eyes widened. "My lord, we're about to become the richest people in the empire!"

As a businessman, Lawrence knew all too well that a goatskin cost two hundred copper coins, while a pound of tattered linen cost only five copper coins!

A single sheepskin can only be used to make three or four sheets of parchment, but these ten pounds of scraps yielded more than one hundred and fifty sheets of paper!

The lord also said the more worn out the better, the lower the price of linen would be!

"My lord, a large sheet of parchment costs two hundred and thirty copper coins!"

Lawrence's eyes began to turn red, and he almost went into a state of frenzy.
"There are over 150 here, my lord!"

Rhodes quickly pulled Lawrence up, deliberately putting on a cold face and ordering, "Calm down, it's not that exaggerated."

Rhodes was genuinely afraid that this guy would die from over-excitement, so he quickly poured cold water on him, saying, "Linen paper is not as sturdy and durable as parchment, and it's not too expensive either. It's only suitable for everyday use."

Parchment is of high quality, has good water resistance, and is extremely durable.

Books made of parchment can generally be preserved for hundreds of years, and high-quality ones can even last for a thousand years.

Linen paper is inferior to other types in both water resistance and durability.

Aside from printing, it has no advantages.

"So how much do you plan to sell it for?" Lawrence asked.

"We can temporarily price it at 60 copper coins per piece."

Rhodes' price is not low.

But Rhodes believed that only nobles used paper, and that a price that was too low was not in line with the status of nobles.

If production volume can't keep up in the early stages, it's better to use price to guarantee sales and profits.

After all, even if Rhodes were priced at 30 copper coins, most commoners wouldn't necessarily buy it.

Once paper is in mass production, the market for nobles will be saturated, and commoners will also begin to use paper frequently. Then Rhodes will lower the price and focus on wholesale volume.

Before that, however, Rod planned to develop movable type printing and make a fortune by printing and selling books.

“We can make hundreds of times the profit at this price!” Lawrence exclaimed excitedly, his eyes wide.

Why would I do this if the profit margin wasn't that high?
Rhodes chuckled and looked at Lawrence, saying, "Then you should keep a close eye on these slaves who make paper, and prevent them from coming into contact with other people to avoid the formula being leaked."

The paper can be sold, but as Lawrence said, the method of making it cannot be revealed—at least not now.

In particular, the fact that linen scraps were the raw material must not be revealed.

That's why Rhodes selected workers from among the slaves and taught them how to make paper.

"Alright, alright, I'll ask Durant to send people to guard it, and then build a yard to surround it, and have Ryan set up traps all around!"

Lawrence ordered the slaves to quickly collect and store the papers, then turned and ran back towards the manor.

Rhodes returned to the manor and began preparing the shopping list, while also making arrangements for the future affairs of the territory.

After receiving this batch of refugees, Frostleaf Town now has nearly seven hundred people. The existing food reserves are enough to last until the autumn harvest in September, but Rhodes can't just sit around and do nothing.

Rodin summoned all the women and children who were free and sent them to the mountains to pick fruit, and also arranged for a hunting party to escort them.

After the summer rains, mushrooms sprout from the ground in the mountains and forests, especially in the pine forests of Black Pine Ridge.

Carrying a basket inside, you'll return fully loaded by the end of the morning.

However, because the soil in the nearby mountains and forests was scraped clean during the spring plowing and composting, the women had to get up early to go to the more distant mountains and forests to pick the produce.

In addition, Rod planned a new piece of land for the refugees, allowing them to cultivate it and grow more vegetables such as radishes and rye.

Rye is cold-resistant, and even if it matures a month later, it will not affect the harvest.

The salt delivery team was reorganized a week ago, mainly led by Duolong, with the other members being five veteran teammates and eight new recruits.

As for Gunle, he stayed behind with Jess and two other veterans to be responsible for the mining and transportation of iron ore in the future.

Before that, however, they had to accompany Rhodes to the border town to make purchases and also to pick up the families of Jess and the other two veterans.

(End of this chapter)