This room, located in a workshop on the southern shore of Lake Weiss, is filled with a series of strange machines. In addition to these machines, stacks of paper of various sizes are also arranged here. The workers bustle about, laying paper onto the machines and, after a series of operations, dense text appears on the paper.
In mid-February, after overcoming technical challenges with ink and metal type, Alda’s first printing press – arguably the world’s first – was finally established.
In a corner of the workshop, a voice filled with anger rang out.
“Yes, Director! I’m coming right away!”
A typesetter, Sam, rushed over to the director, sensing imminent trouble from his tone.
Sam, a refugee who arrived in Alda before the year’s end, recognized a few characters. Initially, he had hoped to sit for the clerical exam of the Administration Council, but failing to pass, he was disqualified.
Left with no choice, he resorted to working in a factory, secretly resolving to learn to read in his spare time and retake the exam. In Alda, unlike other places, one didn’t need connections to the lord’s family; passing the exam was enough to become a clerk, a prestigious job in the eyes of commoners.
After careful comparison, Sam noticed that jobs requiring literacy paid significantly more. Thus, he became a typesetter at the printing press. Initially, he had no idea what a typesetter or a printing press did. It was only after he started working that he discovered the wonder of this place, where books could be mass-produced using astonishing methods, in stark contrast to his previous belief that books were hand-copied by scribes.
Sam treasured this job, as it provided a great opportunity to learn while working. However, due to his limited reading ability, he was only assigned simple tasks, such as typesetting literacy booklets for the Department of Education.
Now, his heart was filled with anxiety, worried that he had made a mistake that angered the workshop director.
“You despicable, stupid foreigner, clumsy as an ox!”
A string of curses erupted from the director, pointing at the typeset that Sam had worked on.
“Fool! Look closely, did you mix up the order of the letters in this word?”
Indeed, there was a problem with his previous work. Sam, trembling, looked at the word the director pointed out and realized that the letters were indeed in the wrong order.
“Director, it’s my fault! I’m sorry! I swear I’ll be more careful in the future!”
He apologized profusely, regretting not checking his work more thoroughly.
“If I remember correctly, this isn’t the first time you’ve made this mistake! If I hadn’t decided to check on a whim, another batch of books would have been ruined!”
The director, waving his fists as if to strike, instilled fear in Sam. But even if the director really hit him, he wouldn’t dare to retaliate.
“Do I need to remind you? You’re still on probation! I, as the workshop director, have the power to fire you on the spot!”
“Sir, please give me another chance, I swear I won’t make a mistake again!”
Sam’s voice broke, fearing the loss of his job.
Seeing his threats effective, the director internally gloated. He didn’t actually want to fire Sam, as hiring a literate worker, even one as mediocre as him, was challenging.
Still, he had to be stern. He couldn’t allow any typographical errors in the books printed in his workshop; such incidents had to be prevented.
He threatened fiercely:
“Alright, I’ll give you one more chance, but I swear, if you make such a foolish mistake again, I’ll kick you out of my workshop. And if no other workshop takes you, you can pack up and leave.”
“Yes, yes, sir! Thank you for your kindness! I will absolutely not make the same mistake again.”
Sam repeatedly nodded and bowed, relieved he wasn’t fired.
“Half your salary will be deducted this month!”
“Ah? Director, sir… Yes, yes, whatever you say.”
Sam felt a pang of distress; his probationary salary was already low, and now it was to be halved.
“My goodness! There are so many books here!”
A voice, clear as a nightingale’s, rang out at the entrance, drawing the attention of everyone in the workshop.
Sam also looked towards the entrance and saw the factory manager walking in with two women.
The woman in the lead had striking golden hair and a face full of liveliness and astonishment.
The one behind her, with green hair, had a more composed expression. She observed the workshop’s layout with curiosity in her eyes.
Both girls were beautiful and had an extraordinary aura. The workers, as if by unspoken agreement, stopped their work and couldn’t take their eyes off them.
The factory manager, accompanying the girls, put on a stern face and shouted at the workers, “What are you stopping for? Get back to work.”
The workshop director quickly kicked Sam’s behind, “Get back to your typesetting and don’t forget what I just said.”
Rubbing his backside, Sam focused on his work, determined not to make another mistake.
The workshop director remembered that the factory manager had mentioned that two high-ranking officials from the Administration Council would visit today. Judging by the manager’s polite demeanor upon their arrival, these two must be them.
Surprisingly, they were two young girls, but their attire was clearly not that of ordinary civilians.
After the factory manager finished scolding the workers, he turned to the girls with a smile and introduced, “Director Dias, Advisor Sertia, this is our largest printing workshop. We plan to print the samples you’ve brought here.”
So, it was the newly appointed “Acting Director of the Department of Education.” The news had caused quite a stir, as the acting director was a woman. A woman in office was unprecedented, and many found the lord’s decision absurd.
The workshop director hurried over.
“By the heavens! I’ve never seen books being ‘manufactured’ so easily.”
Eileen, full of disbelief, had heard about the concept of the printing press from Paul, but witnessing the book printing process firsthand still left her amazed.
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