Parchment and Porcelain

"The next day, Paul once again invited Quiller Foster to the hall, along with the members of the Lichman Adventurer Group.

Quiller happily guessed, "My friend, I presume today you'll be showing me your 'little trinkets'?"

"Exactly!" Paul snapped his fingers and turned to say loudly, "Someone!"

Two servants walked over, each holding a tray covered with cloth, obscuring the contents.

Quiller said with a grin, "Oh? Quite the air of mystery, eh?" The members of the adventurer group also showed expressions of anticipation.

"Take a good look!" Paul dramatically unveiled the first tray. "First, 'paper'."

"Paper?" The crowd was puzzled. You made such a big deal, just to show us paper?

Meilu, the leader of the adventurer group, looked displeased. "Is the lord making fun of us?"

Paul wagged his finger. "Don't be impatient, everyone. This paper of mine is extraordinary. It's not made of Parchment, but of very cheap materials. Moreover, the production process is simple, saving a lot of manpower and material costs. The price is far lower than Parchment."

Quiller had heard Paul mention the new type of paper in Franklin Harbor, so he wasn't too surprised. He picked up a sheet of paper and rubbed it, praising, "This 'paper' is indeed good; it can replace Parchment. If it can be mass-produced as you said that day, the prospects should be very promising. By the way, what is it made of?"

Paul flatly refused. "Sorry, trade secret. I can't reveal it, even to you, my friend."

"Hmph! So stingy. What's on the second tray, then?"

Paul unveiled the second tray. "Everyone, open your eyes wide and take a good look! I call this thing 'Porcelain'."

"Ooh!" The crowd exclaimed as they saw the object on the tray.

It was a porcelain plate, pure white and flawless, crystal clear. That was everyone's first impression.

Similar to medieval Europe, most people in this world used pottery. Those with some means used metal utensils, such as bronze, while the upper nobility used silverware.

But no matter how well maintained, metal products inevitably rusted, losing their luster over time. Porcelain looked much better, its appearance far surpassing the dull yellow pottery and bronze.

Paul proudly introduced, "How about it? Beautiful, isn't it? And it doesn't rust!"

Europeans had gone to great lengths to obtain the secret recipe for making Porcelain. In the end, a French missionary, Pére d'Entrecolles, went undercover in Jingdezhen, infiltrated for more than a decade, and finally obtained the raw materials and secret recipe. After sending it back to Europe over a long distance, Westerners were finally able to produce local Porcelain comparable to Chinese Porcelain.

In fact, the biggest secrets of Porcelain are two things: Kaolin (or lodestone) and high temperature.

Fortunately, Kaolin was discovered not far from Lakeheart Town. Paul recruited a group of potters, built kilns, and began experimentally firing Porcelain.

Initially, it was far from ideal because the temperature was difficult to control. Firing Porcelain required a high temperature of over 1200 degrees.

To solve this problem, Paul found glass craftsmen to create the world's first mercury thermometer. Although it had errors, it was barely usable, but of course, it couldn't be directly inserted into the kiln to measure the temperature, otherwise it would explode, and the mercury thermometer couldn't reach a measurement range above 400 degrees.

Using the thermometer to measure the temperature around the porcelain kiln, combined with Paul's recollection of the spit-test method—spitting into the kiln opening, where the saliva would turn into bouncing droplets before evaporating, and then judging the temperature based on the height of the droplets—they finally created a sustained and stable high temperature above 1200 degrees.

Before loading the kiln for firing, there was another important step: glazing. Without glazing, although Porcelain could still be fired, it would be relatively rough.

The glaze was made by mixing clay water with plant ash and stirring it evenly, then filtering it before use.

This step greatly affected the appearance of the finished product, but they didn't pay much attention to it during the trial production. Perfecting the glazing technique would require the craftsmen to explore slowly.

When Paul recovered Franklin Harbor, the craftsmen in Lakeheart Town, after a lot of experimentation, finally produced the first batch of presentable Porcelain.

The porcelain plate in front of them was one of the prototypes. It didn't have the beautiful patterns common on Porcelain on Earth because the pigment formulas for coloring Porcelain were all closely guarded secrets. Paul was afraid that messing with the formulas would affect the firing, so the prototypes weren't painted. They would solve the problem of having Porcelain first, and then let the craftsmen slowly study the painting techniques.

The prototypes were not perfect and had many flaws, far from being pure white and flawless, but they were enough to shock Quiller and these otherworld natives.

Quiller asked excitedly, "You... you're going to sell this stuff?"

Paul nodded proudly. "Of course. These are just early experimental products and still have many flaws, far from being perfect. What I'll sell in the future will be even more beautiful, with various beautiful patterns painted on them."

The Foster family's young master exclaimed, "This will stir up a storm!" Even though Quiller hated the family business, he still inherited some business genes.

Looking at the members of the Lichman Adventurer Group, who were also staring blankly at the porcelain plate, Paul announced loudly, "I announce that everyone present will receive a sample of the prototype Porcelain. I will issue a certificate in the name of the Greiman Family, proving that they are the first batch of Porcelain in this world. Although these prototypes are far from perfect, if Porcelain sells well, their collectible value will be immeasurable."

Dean in the adventurer group saidhurriedly, "How can this be? This kind of thing is too precious; we can't accept it. Ouch—" Dean's foot was stomped hard by the leader Meilu.

Meilu said to Paul with an adoring expression, "Lord Greiman, I am deeply sorry for my previous misunderstanding of you. In fact, you are neither lecherous and sleazy, nor timid and cowardly. It turns out you are a generous, kind, and caring good person."

Paul crossed his arms and raised his head, "Hmph! You finally see my true side?"

Huh? Wait, was that my image in your eyes before? Never mind, I'm happy today, so I won't hold a grudge.

He put on a stern face. "This isn't a free gift, you know. After you return to the south, you must promote me more."

Quiller and Meilu agreed repeatedly."

One patted his chest, guaranteeing, "The merchants there will definitely fight over wanting the distribution rights from you."

Another's eyes shone with excitement, "We're rich, we're rich!"

Hmm, the son of a powerful figure in the Council and a famous adventurer group should generate a significant advertising effect.