Chapter 358: Entertainment and Gawain’s Dilemma

Entertainment in this era was painfully scarce and monotonous.

Before his transmigration, Gawain had read countless novels and watched historical dramas that often mentioned how limited ancient entertainment was—a cliché, really. But after arriving in this world, he couldn’t help but admit: that old saying wasn’t just empty words.

Here, not only were leisure activities few and far between, but they were also heavily restricted by social class. For the upper nobility, the pinnacle of entertainment was attending operas, listening to music, going hunting, or attending balls. Though Gawain found these pastimes dull, they at least added some color to life. For the lower classes, however, such luxuries were out of reach. The poorer the people, the fewer entertainment options they had.

For commoners, the only ways to unwind after a day’s labor were going to taverns to drink and brawl, engaging in crude gambling (which often ended in fights anyway), or listening to street bards perform their “epic poetry”—their version of rap. Beyond that, their only other pastime was making babies at home. Even then, their leisure time was pitifully scarce.

Due to low productivity and, more importantly, the exploitation by feudal lords, the vast majority of peasants had almost no “free time.” They had to devote 80 to 90 percent of their energy just to survive. Most had no strength or energy left after filling their stomachs. And this was exactly what the nobles wanted: serfs to keep their heads down, work hard, and have no “improper” thoughts. No troublemakers, no slackers—everyone happy.

But in the Cecil domain, things were changing—

The people were no longer just barely filling their bellies; they had surplus food, money, and free time.

What was perfectly normal to Gawain in his previous life was unprecedented here, catching the administrators completely off guard.

“The domain has undergone a period of development. Infrastructure is in place, survival is no longer an issue, and factory production pressures have eased. So now we enter the next phase,” Gawain said leisurely as he tidied up the chess pieces on the table, speaking to Hetty. “Before, everyone had to work relentlessly just to survive. No one had leisure time, so order was easy to maintain. But now, that’s no longer necessary. The people have reasonable rest and abundant food. Naturally, those who are well-fed and have free time need something to do to burn off their energy. According to the usual ‘pattern,’ they’d just go to taverns to drink, then get into fights in the streets. Those with more disposable income might turn to prostitution or gambling rings… and public security would deteriorate. But it’s not their fault.

“We can’t have people working nonstop. The pressure would only worsen public order. So we have to provide entertainment.”

Gawain closed the chess box and looked Hetty in the eye.

“Chess is a good thing—it kills time, sharpens the mind, has winners and losers, and is fun. But relying on a single chess set to solve public security issues is unrealistic. We have to do more.

“We should treat ‘making the people feel satisfied and happy’ as a responsibility. That satisfaction isn’t just about food and clothing; they deserve a proper spiritual life as well.

“Besides chess, I’ve simplified the rules of the King’s Deck. The original rules were too complicated—only the educated could understand them—so it wasn’t suitable for mass promotion. I’ve made it easier so common folk can learn it. I call it the ‘Lord’s Deck.’ I’ve also devised several simple indoor games that are fun and easy to play. As for the existing dice games used for gambling, we can remove or limit the gambling elements and promote them as wholesome entertainment.

“I plan to open game rooms throughout the domain, possibly combined with taverns, but only serving low-alcohol drinks and herbal sodas. Their main function will be to provide relaxation and entertainment. These games are cheap to produce, so we can let merchants and craftsmen make and sell them. This will boost the domain’s income and enrich people’s home lives.

“Additionally, for those who don’t like indoor entertainment, I’ve thought up some outdoor sports that can help burn excess energy and make our people stronger and more agile—not polo or hunting, which only nobles can afford. I’ll explain the details once everything is ready.”

Listening to Gawain’s ideas one by one, Hetty grew more and more convinced—and deeply aware of the shortcomings in her previous management. When the old master finally paused, she couldn’t help but ask, “Ancestor, did you think of all this a long time ago?”

“Indeed, I did,” Gawain smiled and nodded. “But during the early days of domain construction, when everyone was struggling just to eat, there was no need to consider these things. Don’t underestimate their importance. When it comes to maintaining order and increasing happiness, these simple entertainments can be more effective than factory machines.”

Seeing Hetty nod repeatedly, Gawain exhaled softly and continued, “Providing cheap and easily accessible entertainment is only part of improving happiness and maintaining order. The construction of a security force remains crucial. Don’t overlook that.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After arranging everything, Hetty left the parlor, and Gawain sat alone on the sofa, lost in thought.

The population of the domain would only grow, and with the ongoing development of magical industry, resources would become increasingly abundant. It was only natural to enrich the people’s entertainment—after all, entertainment is one of the basic needs once food and shelter are secured. If you don’t provide what they want, they’ll find their own ways—drinking, fighting, gambling, and brawling are only to be expected.

But Gawain’s task wasn’t just to promote a few entertainment options and give people places to play after eating and drinking.

With more people and expanding cities, literacy was spreading. It was time to push forward a long-planned project.

He stood and returned to his study.

A large mechanical blueprint was spread across his desk.

He had been drawing it for days. Most of the structure was simple, and he had completed about 70 to 80 percent, but the most critical part remained unclear.

It was a strange machine, featuring a conveyor system to feed paper and a large central “drum.” The conveyor would carry paper beneath the drum, moving it in sync as the drum rotated. Above the drum were an ink roller and an ink reservoir for transferring pigment—a simple, primitive printing press.

A machine capable of continuous printing, one that could change the world.

Gawain knew that if people’s spiritual needs weren’t met alongside their material ones, society would inevitably descend into chaos. The greater the mismatch between spirit and matter, the worse the disorder.

So, realizing the population was growing and that well-fed people needed spiritual fulfillment, he quickly devised chess, the Lord’s Deck, billiards, and other games to relieve mental stress and improve happiness.

But entertainment alone wasn’t enough.

Thanks to compulsory general education, more and more people in the domain were becoming literate. With population growth and city expansion, relying on town bulletin boards and soldiers’ announcements for ideological propaganda was clearly insufficient. So Gawain saw the need to enhance cultural development and increase the scope and methods of propaganda.

Since people could read, he decided to give them printed words—that was his most direct idea.

The domain wasn’t without printing technology. In fact, this world had mature papermaking and woodblock printing techniques. The alchemy factory’s potion bottles had labels printed this way, and the textbooks used at the Academy were produced with this method. For early and even current stages of cultural propaganda, these techniques were adequate. But for Gawain’s vision of the future, they were far from enough.

He needed a more convenient, easily editable, and mass-producible technology to replace these “workshop” methods.

So, based on his memories and guesses, he designed this continuous rotary printing press. But now he faced a problem—how to make the printing plates.

How could he quickly and conveniently transfer the edited content into raised and recessed text on the drum for printing?

Traditional carved plates were too slow and didn’t meet his requirements for ease of operation, editability, and low cost.

To be honest, while Gawain could envision most of the press’s structure, he had no clue how to realize the key technology inside. Even with his enhanced memory recalling all the knowledge from his previous life, he couldn’t imagine things he’d never seen before. And even if he knew the key techniques, it was uncertain whether they could be implemented in this world with its strange physical laws.

He had to think about solutions from a magical perspective—but unfortunately, he hadn’t come up with any yet.

After pondering at his desk for a while, he looked up and called out, “Betty!”

The young maid immediately pushed open the door and bowed deeply. “Master!”

“Go fetch Rebecca.”

Moments later, the young noblewoman of the Cecil family arrived in Gawain’s study.

Gawain looked up from the blueprint and saw Rebecca staring at him with curiosity. Her sleeves, hands, and face were smudged with black stains, as if she’d just come from the workshop. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you get your face all smoky again from your big fireball?”

“No!” Rebecca quickly waved her hands. “I just came back from the Magic Technology Research Institute and haven’t had time to wash up yet—I was studying the ‘transmission device’ you mentioned before…”

“Alright, I’m not blaming you. You’re doing important work,” Gawain chuckled and shook his head, beckoning her closer. “Come here, I have a task for you.”

(End of chapter)