At that moment, Ma Jun was crouching inside his mansion, his head lowered as he busied himself with something.
Cao Mao stood beside him, watching intently. When Ma Jun pressed the printing block hard against the paper, Cao Mao could not help narrowing his eyes. When Ma Jun lifted the block, clearly defined characters had appeared on the paper. Ma Jun took the sheet out and handed it to Cao Mao beside him.
"Y-Your Majesty, is this what you wanted?"
Cao Mao smiled, taking the paper with an excited expression.
"Exactly! This is the art of printing!"
"Master Ma, you are a great talent!"
Ma Jun hastily shook his head and said modestly, "Y-Your Majesty, when Emperor Ling of Han erected the Stone Classics outside the Imperial Academy and had seven works engraved on them, this was the method used."
"The credit is not mine. This already existed. I c-could, however, improve it. The principle is very simple."
Ma Jun claimed no credit. When Cao Mao mentioned printing to him, Ma Jun had immediately set to work and demonstrated a round of "printing," since it had existed for a very long time. Of course, Cao Mao wanted an advanced version, such as movable-type printing, but even the advanced version worked on the same principle as the original.
Cao Mao knew the broad outlines, and Ma Jun could naturally make it. After all, he was the finest inventor of the age.
The look Cao Mao gave Ma Jun grew increasingly fond.
Having an inventor ready to hand was wonderful. Ma Jun had exceptional practical skills; what limited him was probably only his imagination and raw materials. Cao Mao, meanwhile, had a great many new ideas. With one theorist and one practitioner, the results they could achieve would certainly be considerable.
And