Chapter 359: The Research Project

When Rebecca came home just now, grimy and covered in smudges, she was still a little on edge—mainly because she hadn’t even noticed the dirt on her hands and face as she walked all the way back from the Arcane Technology Research Institute. It wasn’t until a servant pointed it out after she entered the house that she realized she hadn’t washed up. Normally, such carelessness would have earned her a sharp knock on the head…

But the moment she saw the papers spread out on Gawain’s desk, all her worries and headache vanished into thin air.

“New machine design plans!” The girl practically jumped up with excitement when she spotted the blueprints, reaching out eagerly. “Let me see…”

Gawain slapped her grimy hands away. “Look at your hands!”

“Oh, oh!” Rebecca hurriedly pulled her hands back and rubbed them on her clothes—an action that would have earned her at least five head-knocks from Hetty—but now she just cautiously leaned over the desk, eyes fixed on the strange-looking machine. “What’s this for…? Oh, so you put paper under this roller? To print stuff?”

Rebecca was no stranger to all kinds of machinery, and she had a decent understanding of Gawain’s way of thinking. The moment she saw the printing press, she roughly guessed its purpose, saving Gawain a lot of explanation. He nodded. “It’s a printing press.”

“Printing, right, I know that,” Rebecca nodded eagerly. “The textbooks at school, the grid and patterned paper in the office, even the labels in the alchemy factory—they’re all printed… So you’ve improved the printing equipment? But this looks completely different from what we use in the territory.”

Rebecca knew exactly what printing technology was currently used in the territory. In fact, it was a technique long established in Ansu: carving text and patterns in relief on a wax plate to create a negative image, then evenly spreading a slurry mixed with bitterroot powder over the plate. After heating, the slurry hardened into a solid plate while the wax melted away, producing a positive relief block for printing.

But this method had major limitations. First, any mistake while carving ruined the entire wax plate. Second, after applying the slurry, the plate had to rest for several hours to eliminate bubbles and partially set before heating to harden. Finally, the hardened plate was brittle and fragile, requiring careful handling.

Even so, this printing method was considered quite advanced—nobles used it to mass-produce stationery and official letterhead adorned with family crests, which was its primary application.

It was Cecil who pioneered adapting this printing technique to mass-produce inexpensive books, simply printing text on cheap paper without any metal or gemstone decorations on the covers, nor leather bindings or ties to secure the spine. This approach was seen by traditional scholars in this world as a “desecration of sacred knowledge.”

Many scholars visiting Cecil’s territory complained about these cheaply made, “shoddy” books. In their traditional view, books had to be made from fine parchment—at the very least, white frost paper—copied by hand or with shorthand magic, signed by renowned scholars, and finally adorned with elaborate, expensive decorations.

But Gawain ignored these outdated opinions completely. After all, as a founding patriarch, his word carried more weight than anyone else’s. When it came to “having a say,” he feared no challenge.

Rebecca studied Gawain’s design plans with growing curiosity. At first, she thought it was just an improvement on the existing printing technology in the territory, but soon she realized that the machine’s working principle and efficiency were far beyond traditional printing.

The basic “plate-making and transfer” concept remained, but the machine’s operation was incredibly advanced—the phrase “continuous printing” popped into her mind for the first time.

Sometimes, all a technician needs is a direction.

“The problem now is the ‘plate-making’—or rather, how to quickly and conveniently transfer text onto this printing roller,” Gawain pointed to the machine’s core component, explaining the challenge he faced. “I have three requirements: first, speed and convenience—the process of transferring text onto the roller must be faster than current plate-making methods; second, ease of editing—it can’t be like traditional carving where a single mistake ruins the whole plate, so the transfer process must be reversible or allow text to be modified before transfer; third, which relates to the second, the roller must be reusable—the printed marks can be erased. This isn’t just to reduce costs but also to improve the machine’s efficiency.”

“Wow…” Rebecca stretched the word out, “That sounds… really challenging.”

“Yes, it is,” Gawain said seriously, looking at her. “That’s why I’m entrusting this to you—or rather, to your Arcane Technology Research Institute.”

Rebecca looked half-understanding. “The Arcane Technology Research Institute…”

“It exists precisely to solve these kinds of applied technical problems. The way a large integrated lab operates is designed to tackle these challenges,” Gawain smiled and nodded. “Craftsmen, engineers, runemasters, and mages—all with creative talents—gather as ‘arcane technicians’ in one lab. They bring their ideas, discuss, help each other, collaborate, and verify. All resources are fully utilized on a single project. That’s the purpose of these labs.”

He paused, noticing Rebecca’s thoughtful expression, then continued, “One person’s creativity is limited, but many people together can produce creativity far beyond the sum of their parts. I give you a direction, and you take your team and run with it—bring every idea to the table, don’t fear mistakes, and you’ll see just how incredible a large lab’s power can be.”

Rebecca’s eyes grew wider and wider, even sparkling a little by the end. Suddenly, she grabbed Gawain’s arm excitedly and shook it hard. “I get it, I get it! So that’s how a big lab is supposed to work!”

“Hey, easy… you’re a mage, but your grip is strong,” Gawain lightly tapped her on the head and gently freed himself. “Before you take the project to the lab, tell me your thoughts—do you have any ideas?”

“Ummm…” Rebecca pressed her finger to her lower lip, thinking hard. After a moment, she spoke hesitantly, “Actually, I have a little idea… I thought of the mage’s shorthand magic.”

Just as Gawain expected, when faced with a problem that seemed impossible to solve mechanically, Rebecca’s first thought was magic—that was the natural mindset of a mage. Although Rebecca’s spell talent was somewhat unusual, the “solve problems with magic” approach typical of otherworlders clearly still worked on her.

“Shorthand magic…” Gawain nodded slightly. “I know that spell. It’s a relatively low-level but very useful formal spell, right? Probably from the Arcane school?”

“Yes,” Rebecca nodded, gesturing as she explained, “On specially enchanted parchment soaked in a special potion, shorthand magic can directly transfer clear images from a mage’s mind into text or patterns. Without enchanted parchment, a mage can use an enchanted quill for less efficient shorthand. This spell is also called transfer magic…”

Gawain raised an eyebrow. “You know your theory, huh?”

Amber stuck out her tongue. “When I was little, if I couldn’t memorize it, I’d get spanked… Auntie said it’s a talent limitation if a mage can’t learn other spells, but if you don’t even know the theory, then you’re just not trying, and you deserve a good punishment.”

Gawain: “…”

“Shorthand magic might be a lead, but it still can’t solve the problem of quickly converting text lines into printing marks. Also, I remember shorthand magic doesn’t use runes—it’s a spell that must be cast by a mage,” Gawain pondered, sighing at how tough Rebecca’s childhood must have been. “So current runic logic can’t handle it, and it doesn’t fit our principle of ‘ordinary people can use it.’ But keep this idea in mind and study it further.”

Rebecca left with the half-finished printing press design and a head full of half-formed ideas. Gawain strolled over to the study’s floor-to-ceiling window, watching the sun slowly sink outside as he fell into thought.

Just as he had suspected—his own knowledge and creativity were limited. Even with enhanced memory and insights beyond this world and era, he was still just a mortal.

He could propose the concept of a new printing press, but he couldn’t come up with a practical, fundamental technical solution.

Yet he felt no regret, because he had recognized this from the start.

This world had its own technological system, and its people had their own wisdom and creativity. He didn’t need to be a polymath who invented every technology and system. All he had to do was gather talented people in his territory, organize them properly, and give them a “direction.”

He might not know how to build a continuous, fast, and convenient printing device, but he could tell the technicians in his territory that he needed such a machine—he could even roughly describe its concept and technical requirements. That alone would greatly accelerate research and development.

He didn’t know if this approach was right, but he believed it was the best fit for himself, for Cecil’s territory, and for this world’s development.

He withdrew his gaze and returned to his desk, pulling out a sheet of paper and quickly jotting down a new plan.

The technical breakthrough for the new printing press wouldn’t happen overnight, but some things could appear in advance, even if less efficient.

In Gawain’s handwriting, a bold title appeared:

Concept and Distribution Plan for Newspapers.

(End of chapter)