Ascendance of a Bookworm

Chapter 133: Black-and-white Picture Books

"Lutz, is there a shop here that sells geometric graphic templates?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You see, you just dig out lots of patterns on thin metal plates or 'plastic', and they come in all sizes…"

"You see, a geometric graphic template is a thin sheet of metal or 'plastic' with lots of hollow graphics, and the graphics come in all sizes…"

A geometric graphic template was handy when you need to draw the same graphic multiple times. Since this world had compasses, there may also be geometric graphic templates. I drew a diagram on the board, but Lutz just turned his head. He didn't seem to have seen anything like it.

"How does this work?"

"Well, you can draw a line along the border like this to get the graphic you want."

"… can't you make it out of thick paper?"

"Wow! Lutz, you're a genius!"

I pulled out a sheet of thick paper for my picture book and began to make a geometric graphic template. I drew various graphics of different sizes, and then, as long as I cut them down along the line, the geometric graphic template was done. Lutz and I worked together, happily drawing the graphics, but when it came to the cutting, I was struck by something important. We still didn't have a proper cutting tool!

"The graphics are too small to cut with a knife!"

I looked back and forth at the thick paper and the knives in our hands, and at last dropped my shoulders. Big circles and straight lines were just about manageable, but small circles were really impossible to cut.

"If we don't have a right tool, we'll go back to making prints. Let's ask John to make a penknife."

"What's that?"

"It's a small, thin knife that I can use, too."

Since we were going to commission work, we should go in formal dress, so Lutz and I changed into apprentice uniforms, took the guild certificate and detailed design, and went to the forge.

Craftsman avenue was on the south side of the city, so John's forge was close to my house.

"Hello."

"Oh, welcome."

They might have just been receiving guests, I saw several boards on the table in the doorway, and the master was sitting on a chair. At the sound of my greeting, he stroked his beard and turned to me with his eyes wide and bright. Last time I ordered an iron pen here, the master seemed to remember my face for that, so he grinned at me.

"Isn't this the little girl who came last time? Come to place an order again?"

"Yes. Is John here?"

"He is. I'll get him. Please sit here and wait."

The master folded the boards, picked them up, and shouted at the top of his voice, "hey John! Your guests!" Then we heard a thunk, and John, with his orange curls tied behind his head, rushed out in a panic.

"Yes… ah, you've been here before. You're from the Chilbota Chamber of Commerce, aren't you?"

"Hello, John. I came today to ask you to make a penknife. Please look at the design."

I took out the order written on the paper and flipped over to the back to show John the design. John felt the paper curiously and looked at my drawing, looking puzzled.

"Most people order big knives. No one has ever ordered a knife so small and so thin. What is it for?"

"It's for cutting plant paper. When you cut small circles, the blade has to get smaller."

"Oh… to cut this paper? This is the first time I've touched plant paper."

John picked up the paper with his fingertips, looked at it front and back several times, and waved it in front of his eyes to confirm its texture. After letting him confirm it to his heart's content, I pointed to the design on the back of the order. Since John's questions were very detailed, I wrote down the size and purpose of the knife on the order in advance.

"The handle can be made of wood, but I hope the blade can be replaced. You can try to leave a small hole in the blade. Also, there must be no gap between the handle and the body, otherwise the blade will wobble, which is very dangerous. The craft of this knife is very complicated, that's why I came to John who is good at fine craftsmanship."

John looked at the design and asked questions about the replaceable blade. I gave him clear instructions as I answered. John's eyes lit up as if he was about to accept a challenge that ignited his spirit as a craftsman.

"Oh, that's interesting. It's nice to replace the blade so easily."

"In addition, please make a pen cap or a special box for the penknife. The blade is very sharp, so it is dangerous to leave it exposed, and it's also thin and small, which makes it easy to break or damage."

"That being the case, it is better to prepare more replaceable blades."

After a long discussion, I produced the guild certificate and paid the master the deposit.

"When you're done, please send it to the Chilbota Chamber of Commerce."

If this penknife came to my house, I couldn't get the cash ready right away. But if I asked John to send it to the Chamber of Commerce, as long as I told Benno and gave him the money in advance, he would pay John in cash when he received it. Also, I could trade with my guild certificate, which was convenient because I didn't have to carry cash around.

"Lutz, Maine!"

It was about ten days after I ordered the penknife. On the way home from the temple, Lutz and I passed the Chamber of Commerce and were stopped by the guard at the gate. It was Mark who told the guard that something was coming and let him call us in.

"John brought it in the afternoon. He was very excited and said it was an interesting job."

I took the slim box Mark handed me and headed home. As soon as I got home, I used the penknife John had made and began to make the geometric graphic template. Since there was no special backing, I had to put thick paper on the board and be careful not to cut too hard, but this seemed to make the blade wear out faster. However, thanks to the sharp and handy penknife, the geometric graphic template was soon made. I put it on my notebook and blackened the hollow graphic with a soot pencil, creating a perfect black circle.

"As long as the template for the picture book is also made of thick paper, there's no need to engrave boards, is there? Wow, maybe I'm a genius, too."

So I put it into practice and started to design black-and-white picture books using the geometric graphic template. I did it as I pleased: first, I made two large triangles, and then I added a rectangle to make a Japanese fir; Then a round eye, a semicircular mouth, and a triangular nose were drawn in a round frame to form the features of a man; And with the help of the compass, a flower composed of hexagons appeared.

I couldn't help but enjoy it and plunged into the world of design picture books. I didn't cut the graphics with the penknife and complete the template until my family said, "it's time to call it a day."

"Lutz, look! I'm done!"

The next day, I beamed as I showed Lutz the templates. After cutting the original thick paper in half, each template was about the size of A5. Lutz frowned and looked at me with a puzzled expression as he flipped through the ten templates.

"Hey, Maine, these pictures … will the baby really be happy after looking at them?"

"Yes… yes! The contrast between black and white is very strong, and the pictures are also simple combinations of graphics, which has nothing to do with drawing skills, right? "

As I explained, Lutz's suspicious eyes became even more suspicious.

"Um… well, if you can take it yourself."

So in the afternoon, though still full of doubt, Lutz started making picture books at the workshop. Like drawing with a geometric graphic template, he took a brush and filled the hollow graphics with pigment. As for the thinner lines, the paper would wrinkle if he used a brush to paint it, so I wrapped rags around a thin stick to make something like a cotton swab and asked him to apply the pigment with gentle pressure.

"Wow, great! It's done!"

"… Master Maine, what is this?"

"What's this for?"

The children gathered round and peered over. I asked a grey-robed priest to dry the pictures on the rack and answered the children's questions with a big smile.

"This is a picture book for the babies!"

"… for the babies? Oh…"

The children's reactions were all indescribable. They either tilted their heads or looked away, and there was an air of "I'd better not talk, though I can't understand it at all".

… Now I was sure everyone could not understand me. I wished the world would catch up with me soon.

Although I felt a little lonely, the inside pages of the picture book were finished. I wanted the pages to spread out and stand up like screens, so I had to glue them to the boards, then drill holes in the boards and string them together.

… Oh, and I had to make paste with gelatin!