I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 155 Paper Making

Yue went hunting, and Bai Ling was a little down. However, she still had to do what she needed to do. The reeds and bark had been soaked, and Bai Ling began making paper.

After soaking the reeds and bark, they were washed clean by the river and then steamed. Bai Ling steamed the reeds and bark separately, taking most of the day to steam the reeds and a whole day and night to steam the bark.

Bai Ling left the task of starting the fire to the orcs who were helping, and then carried his basket into the forest.

Papermaking also requires adhesives, which are not hard to find; leaves can be used as a substitute.

Bai Ling picked several kinds of leaves, washed them clean, crushed them, and squeezed out the juice by hand. The stickiest juice was from a very tall leaf, about the size of a palm.

This tree didn't have a name, but Bai Ling gave it a name: the Palm Tree.

After selecting the leaves, Bai Ling, accompanied by an orc, gathered many leaves from the palm-sized tree. He crushed the leaves, extracted the juice, and stored it in a ceramic jar for later use.

After the reeds and bark are steamed or boiled, they need to be washed several times. Then, the washed reeds and bark are placed on stones and pounded vigorously with wooden sticks until they are crushed.

Bai Ling had prepared a large earthenware pot in advance. This was the earthenware pot that the tribe used to cook with. Now that the tribe had two iron pots, this earthenware pot was no longer needed, so Bai Ling used it to make paper.

Bai Ling put the prepared leaf juice, reeds, and bark into a ceramic pot, added water, and stirred. He wasn't good at controlling the amount of water, so he added water and stirred at the same time. When he felt it was about right, he put the ceramic pot down.

Bai Ling recorded the amount of leaf sap, reeds, bark, and water added on each stone slab.

The beastmen who helped were very curious about what Bai Ling was drawing on the stone slab. Each drawing looked strange and was completely unrecognizable.

Moreover, Bai Ling was very skilled when she drew, without the slightest hesitation, and drew it off in a flash. While drawing, she was muttering something under her breath, as if she were praying.

The beastmen speculated that this might also be a papermaking ritual.

*

Bai Ling had no idea what the beastmen who helped him were thinking. He simply wrote down the names and proportions of all the materials so that he could easily make improvements if there were any problems with the papermaking process.

Bai Ling stirred the stick a few times, then took it out. He saw that there were plant fibers stuck to the stick, which was about half the length of a palm.

Bai Ling put down the wooden stick and picked up another tool from behind her.

This is a reed mat woven from reeds. The mat is square, with each side about the length of Bai Ling's arm. The warp and weft threads of the mat are very fine, with virtually no gaps. The four sides of the mat are secured with soft branches for easy gripping.

Bai Ling held the mat by both sides and pressed it into the pulp, making sure the pulp completely submerged the mat. Bai Ling shook the mat in the pulp for a moment, then quickly took it out. When only a thin layer of pulp remained on the mat, Bai Ling poured it onto a flat wooden board.

He then repeated the above steps, putting the mat into the pulp, scooping out a thin layer of pulp, and then placing it on a wooden board.

Once only a little pulp remained in the earthenware pot, Bai Ling instructed the orcs to press a flat wooden board onto the retrieved paper to squeeze out the excess water.

Bai Ling prepared several kinds of ingredients, including reeds and tree bark. This was just the first ingredient. After finishing the first one, Bai Ling added the second ingredient, leaf juice, and water and started stirring.

Bai Ling also recorded all the ingredients and the amount of water for this step.

Bai Ling used a mat to scoop out the pulp and placed it on a flat wooden board. After all the pulp was scooped out, she pressed it down with the same wooden board.

By this time, the moisture in the first batch of paper had been almost completely removed. Bai Ling removed the wooden board on top and began to peel off the paper layer by layer.

Bai Ling was very careful in this step, but it still failed somewhat. He didn't know which step went wrong, but the paper he made was very easy to tear when he peeled it off.

Bai Ling guessed that too much water was added, and too little pulp was left when scooping it out with a mat, resulting in paper that was too thin and torn as soon as it was peeled off.

Bai Ling wasn't annoyed. She carefully peeled off all the papers and placed them on wooden sticks for the tribespeople to dry in the sun.

The second batch of paper was much better; it was easy to peel off, and only two sheets of a large stack were damaged.

*

The beastmen all stared at Bai Ling's actions. They didn't understand why the wild grass and tree bark, after being soaked, washed, steamed, and pounded, would turn into this state after being put in water and then taken out.

What exactly is the use of this thing called paper? It seems that it can't be eaten, nor can it be used as a tool like iron.

Despite having many questions, the beastmen worked with great care. Even when they helped Bai Ling carry the wooden sticks to dry, they breathed much less, as if afraid of damaging the thin and fragile paper.

For an entire day, Bai Ling didn't leave the papermaking area. Even his meals were brought to him by the clansmen. The clan chief, Zhan, also took some time to come over. When he saw the paper that Bai Ling had dried, he finally understood what paper really was.

It turns out it's so thin and small that it sways gently in the wind and looks very flimsy.

Zhan didn't know what the use of paper was. Even though Bai Ling had explained it to him, Zhan still didn't understand what paper meant to the beastmen. Even if they could transfer the paintings on the mountain walls onto paper, what great benefits or changes would that bring to the tribe?

Zhan couldn't understand it, but he still supported Bai Ling's papermaking, because Bai Ling had brought too many surprises to the tribe. Since Bai Ling said that paper had extraordinary significance for the orc world, then it must have extraordinary significance. Zhan would fully support Bai Ling in making it.

Zhan stood there for a while before leaving, taking a few sheets of paper with him. He wanted to show them to the elders in the tribe, hoping they might understand what paper meant to the orcs.

*

Summer weather was hot and the sun was strong, so the paper dried quickly. Bai Ling took down the dried paper and touched each sheet. He then took the stone slab that recorded the pulp ratio and compared it with the finished paper.

Bai Ling used a charcoal pencil to sketch and doodle, changing all the different proportions, planning to make the paper according to the new proportions tomorrow.

After five full days of experimentation, Bai Ling finally found two pulp ratios.

The two formulations produce paper that is smoother and has a better color, and paper that is more resilient. Although neither of these papers can compare to the cheapest paper from his previous life, Bai Ling is still very satisfied.