Ari (Child of the Beastman Goddess)

“Amazing! Did you learn how to read it? How about the light from earlier..? Uhm… Is it similar to when you were transferring energy to the stone so that you could understand what was written? Is that how it works? Can I do it on my own too?” Jael asked in confusion.

“I have no idea how it works either. I just happened to understand what was written after touching the stone. As if it was altering it into a different language not known to any beastman. I just happen to naturally understand the language, but I don’t know how I learned it.” I answered honestly.

“Unbelievable! Are you sure you are not a goddess in disguise?” Aja chuckled as she threw a joke.

I choked due to the unexpected question that she threw as a joke.

“Haha! That was quite a good conclusion, my beloved.” Jael added.

Dillon, my brother and Lowell looked at each other before looking at me. The others laughed, though they were baffled at the weird reaction of the three males.

Only the three of them knew that there is a high chance that I am the twin of Ayla because it was already confirmed by the goddess herself. Even though I still couldn’t believe that I was Arie, I can’t deny my affection towards Ayla whenever I have dreams regarding her.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Blake, Tora and Macan only knew that I had constant nightmares, as if I was cursed by the gods and goddesses while Gurion is still too young to understand the situation.

While we were eating, I explained to them what I had read on the stone. I also told them that I haven’t read the whole part of it since I suddenly got distracted. Jael was stunned and he apologized for the rudeness he showed a while back.

“Dear visitor, I will give you the most precious item we have. Please help us decipher the ancient stones.” Jael begged desperately while bowing to me.

“I will do it. However, I don’t really need anything in return. If it would be alright, can I own a copy of the transcription of the ancient stone? Also, I will need papers to create a book containing its translation.” I responded politely.

“Papers? Book? What are those?” Jael asked curiously.

They were all baffled because papers and books were not yet invented at that time.

I wasn’t well versed in history during my previous life, but what I remember was that the paper was derived from the term ‘papyrus’. It is a paper-like plant-based writing sheet used in ancient Egypt. It is technically made from a water plant that is cut into thin strips and woven together before pressing it tightly to create a single writing sheet. However, traditional paper was first made in China and it was made from plant fibers. There are also books from ancient times that are made from parchments. Parchments are originally made from animal skin; mainly goat, sheep and calves.

Parchments are sturdier and smoother than papers. However, I dropped the idea of using parchment since it feels barbaric, thinking that the parchments were originally made from goat skin and the village chief is a goat beastman.

“Paper is a thin sheet of material used for writing. It is easier to write onto it compared to the other writing materials available today… A book is a collection of paper writings, wherein the written materials are stacked then bound together to create a book. I know 2 ways of creating papers, one is by using a particular water plant and the other one is by using bamboo. We can also use different woods and plants. However, the consistency of color and quality of paper may vary.” I mumbled, trying to explain it in simple words.

“Have you tried making one? We haven’t heard anything similar to what you were saying.” Jael asked suspiciously.

I did make my own papers and envelopes in my previous life using used paper. It has a similar method of creating new ones. The only difference in creating new paper is that pulps are made from plants or trees and not from used paper.

“She did, she also made the ink herself. As you can see here… Our map was drawn using the ink she invented.” Dillon said abruptly.

“Yes, my sister loves to create new tools to make things easier in our tribe. She is the inventor of silk and cotton fabric. She was also the one who designed the weaving tool used.” My brother said proudly.

I was surprised that they supported my statement smoothly and spontaneously.

“Oh… Wait, you mean that she was the creator of this dress?” Aja asked with an excited tone.

“Yes, she is… She was also the one who personally sewn that dress.” Dillon replied, boasting.

“Oh my… It was quite a shock. I wish you could make more of these.” Aja responded.

Our conversations went by spontaneously throughout the meal. We talked more about the fabrics and papers. We also talked about the reason why we were traveling. It was kind of fun to talk to them.

We informed them about my condition and the reason why I was always wearing a cloak, a pair of gloves and a mask all the time. They felt pity. They immediately returned my mask and cloak to me and allowed me to wear it again inside their village. The village people were also very welcoming despite my weird looking appearance.

After the meal, Jael instructed his people to follow our instructions on how to create papers.

I specifically asked them to use bamboo because it has a lighter color than the other available materials. It took us quite a lot of labor to create tools and make bamboo into a pulp. After making pulp, we soaked it in a rectangular wooden tub to make a slurry. We dipped our handmade mold and deckle to the bottom of the slurry to slowly scoop up the plant fibers while gently shaking it to make an even layer of sheet. We let the water drain before carefully transferring the sheet in a smooth cloth, stacking them up before pressing using the wooden press made by Dillon. The pressed sheets that are still attached to the cloth and are then dried under the sun.

It was quite amusing how hard it was to create just a single sheet of paper.