01x06 - Meeting

[bunniefuu]

B: {ED}

F: One failure after another throws Main into despair and illness.

M: The fever in my body is smaller now?

F: While bewildered by her strange fevers,

F: she looks to walk down a new path all the same.

Title Card: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Title ,Title Card: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Ep Ep Title: Chapter Six Meeting

M: Lutz, you will do as I say. I won't hear any objections.

L: Wh-What's gotten into you?

L: Stop! Don't do this!

L: You could've just said you were gonna wash my hair.

M: If I had, you would've ran away.

L: Urk.

L: What brought this on, anyway?

M: First impressions are important.

M: So you'd better dress your best tomorrow, too.

L: I don't think it'd change much, honestly.

M: You should still do everything you can.

L: Ah, that felt good.

M: Say...

M: What do you wanna achieve by becoming a traveling trader?

L: Where did that come from?

M: Your parents can't get you a referral here, so you should really think about it.

M: Unless you have a goal in mind, you won't land an apprentice gig.

L: Do you have a goal in mind?

L: You wanna be a merchant yourself, don't you?

M: As my second option, but yes.

M: And I do know what I wanna do as an apprentice merchant.

L: What's that?

M: I wanna sell paper.

L: Paper? Not books?

M: I don't think there's much demand for books here.

M: But paper is a different story.

L: Hey...

L: He said the third bell, right? Aren't we here too early?

M: Better too early than late.

M: Oh, there he is.

M: Remember your greetings.

L: Y-Yeah.

M: He brought someone with him?

O: Heya, Main.

M: Good day, Mister Otto.

M: Thank you very much for taking the time to meet with us today.

M: This is Lutz, my friend.

L: Hello, I'm Lutz!

L: It's a pleasure to meet you!

O: This is Main. The captain's daughter, and my assistant.

B: An unbaptized child is your assistant?

O: I'm grooming her for the role by teaching her how to read and write.

B: Huh...

O: This is Benno, an old buddy of mine from my days as a traveling trader.

O: He may have a foul mouth, but he's a nice guy deep down.

M: Hello. I'm Main.

M: It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

B: Oh, how very polite of you.

B: My name is Benno.

B: The pleasure is all mine.

B: If you don't mind me asking, what is that on your head?

M: A hair stick. I use it to tie up my hair.

B: Just a piece of wood, I see.

M: Indeed.

M: It is just a piece of shaved wood.

B: Wow.

B: Tell me, lass.

B: What did you do to make your hair so shiny?

M: I made a mix of surprisingly common items.

M: The details are confidential.

B: Your hair looks just as splendid, lad.

L: Main washed it for me.

B: Tch. I see.

M: Too bad!

M: I have no intention of putting my golden goose into play just yet.

O: So...

O: Lutz, you want to join the traveling trade, I hear?

L: Oh, yes.

L: I...

O: Forget about it.

O: Only a fool would relinquish his citizenship.

M: "Citizenship"?

O: The right to reside in any given city.

M: Then if you don't have one...

B: Without it, you'll have no proof of identity.

B: You won't be able to get a job, rent a home, get married,

B: or anything else.

O: You know how children get baptized at age seven?

Bo: Yeah...

O: That's when you get your citizenship.

O: If an outsider wants to obtain one,

O: he has to cough up an absurd sum of money.

L: But...

O: Besides,

O: the life of a nomad is nothing like city life.

O: For example, what do you do when you need water?

L: Draw it from a well?

O: Right. But you won't necessarily have access to a well on your travels.

O: You'll have to find a watering hole yourself.

L: Couldn't I just go to the river?

M: And how would you know where it is?

M: You won't be traveling along one the entire way.

L: Oh...

O: Main's right.

O: That's why a family's routes are passed down through generations in this trade.

O: Those routes are too valuable to share with outsiders.

O: And the most important issue here is the finish line.

O: Do you know what a traveling trader's ultimate goal is?

O: Citizenship.

O: They save up money so they can leave their rough travels behind

O: and live in peace in the city one day.

O: That's every traveling trader's dream.

L: But that's...

O: Do you really think they'd accept you after you cast your citizenship away?

O: That is the reality. Give up on joining the traveling trade.

O: That said, Main did a propose an idea.

O: Is becoming an apprentice merchant not good enough?

L: Main?

M: I figured you should hear from someone who has lived that life.

M: But now that I've heard all that, even I think the traveling trade's a bad idea.

L: So you've been looking out for me, huh?

M: But hey, apparently apprentice merchants get to go out of town to stock up.

L: Apprentice merchant, huh?

B: Do you want to be a merchant?

L: Yes, sir!

B: I see.

B: And what can you sell?

B: What do you want to sell when you're a merchant?

L: Well...

B: If you can't answer that, we're done here.

M: Do you want to make my paper for me?

L: I do have a goal, sir!

L: I'll bring all of Main's ideas to reality!

B: So the lass will think of creations, and you'll make and sell them?

B: Do you want to be a merchant too, lass?

M: As my second option, but yes.

O: Is handling paperwork at the gate your first?

M: My first option is to be a book seller, or a librarian, even.

B: Say what? "Librarian"?

M: Uh... A caretaker of sorts for books.

B: That's a job for nobility.

M: Tch! Darn those lucky nobles!

B: So, do you have any ideas right now?

M: Yes.

M: I want to produce and sell paper that's not made from animal skin.

B: Paper that isn't made from animal skin?

M: That's right.

M: I'll produce paper using plants.

B: Did you just say "plants"?

M: I did. It'll be cheaper to produce than parchment,

M: so I'm sure it'll make for some very profitable merchandise.

B: I see.

B: So, how exactly will you produce it?

M: The details are confidential!

B: I'd like to see this paper. Do you have it?

M: Not yet.

M: We'll have a prototype by the time of our baptism next summer.

M: You can decide whether it's usable or not then.

B: Very interesting. That's fine by me.

L: Yes!

M: We did it, Lutz!

M: Let's do our best!

: Yeah!

M: Mister Otto, thank you very much for today.

O: It certainly was a fun day off.

B: Be it her conduct or her speech,

B: nothing about her indicates an unbaptized child of a soldier.

O: Her family is perfectly ordinary.

O: She's the odd one out.

B: Plant-based paper, eh?

B: If they succeed, it will turn the market on its head.

O: Wait just one moment! Are you thinking of making her your apprentice?

B: Of course I am.

B: She's already thought of hair sticks, a way to make hair shine,

B: and plant-based paper.

B: She's sure to have all kinds of other ideas up her sleeve.

B: I'm going to have both of them join me.

O: Absolutely not! She's my assistant!

L: I know you're pleased,

L: but don't get too worked up or you'll develop another fever.

M: But we're gonna make paper! That's one step away from books!

M: Yahoo!

L: Okay, sure, but how are we gonna make it?

M: Uh-oh...

M: We don't have the tools.

Eyecatch: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Eyecatch: Ascendance of a Bookworm

T: How'd Main's meeting go?

E: Looks like she and Lutz have been accepted as apprentice merchants.

T: What? Really?

T: I was sure she had no chance.

E: It's conditional, though.

M: We need a steamer, a deckle, and...

M: Paper making happens in two steps: extracting the fiber, and molding it.

M: First, you chop wood,

M: steam it,

M: and then skin it.

M: When that's done,

Red ,Sign: When

Red ,Sign: When that's

Red ,Sign: When that's done

Red ,Sign: When that's done!

M: once you've separated the useful fiber from everything else,

M: you beat it down and unravel it.

M: And after that,

Red ,Sign: And

Red ,Sign: And after

Red ,Sign: And after that

Red ,Sign: And after that!

M: you screen a mix of the fiber, water, and starch with the deckle.

M: You then couch the paper and press the water out.

M: And once you dry it, you're done!

M: If we don't have the tools, we just have to make those, too!

M: I'll ask Lutz tomorrow if we can make all this equipment.

G: I'm home.

T: Welcome back, Dad!

G: I'm home.

M: Oh, welcome back, Dad.

G: Don't feel too bad, Main.

G: You can find someone else to apprentice with.

M: Why did all three of you just assume I had no chance?

M: I'll have you know I was accepted.

T: It's conditional, though.

L: A tree that'll provide the raw material?

M: Yeah. I want you to find a soft, young-ish tree with long and sturdy fibers.

L: Hmm...

L: I'll try asking someone who knows a lot of about trees and wood.

M: Thanks.

M: Also...

M: Could you make these tools, Lutz?

L: Do you have nails?

M: Nails?

L: Yeah. I can't make anything without them.

M: So yeah, we don't have the equipment to make the equipment we need.

O: I guess you'll have to make the nails first.

M: It's no laughing matter!

M: By the way, what made you want to become a soldier?

M: Didn't you say citizenship was expensive?

O: I did it so I could marry Corinna.

O: It was not long after I turned fifteen and became an adult.

O: I came to this town and met The One.

O: I was shot through the heart the moment I laid eyes on her.

M: Long story short,

M: he fell for Corinna at first sight, bought his citizenship,

M: and became a soldier.

O: Oh! Do you want to make a deal, Main?

M: A deal?

O: Yeah. If you tell me how to make hair shiny,

O: I'll pay for your nails.

M: Really?!

M: But why would he care about the Simple All-In-One Shampoo?

M: Who actually wants it?

M: The wife?

M: It's the wife, isn't it?

M: I can't teach you how to make it, but I don't mind trading some for nails.

O: Bartering, eh?

O: Very well.

O: We have a deal!

M: And so, I was invited to visit Otto's home on the next day off.

M: Wow.

M: This place hardly feels like the same town anymore.

O: Is this your first time coming to the north side?

M: Yeah.

M: Soldiers aren't very rich, so most of them live in the south, right?

M: How come you get to live here?

O: My brother-in-law didn't want to be separated from his dear sister,

O: so he told us to live upstairs in the family home.

M: Huh...

O: Here we are.

M: What? This is your home?!

O: We live on the third floor here.

M: I'm amazed he got the green light to marry such a rich girl.

C: Welcome! I'm so happy you came!

C: I'm Corinna, Otto's wife.

M: Hello, Missus Corinna. I'm Main.

M: I've been looking forward to seeing you!

C: You really are a polite young lady.

C: Also...

C: Your hair is so pretty!

C: Forgive me.

C: Let me show you inside.

M: Corinna may be young, but she's already part of the top brass at the Seamstress Guild.

M: Tuuli was greener than her hair with envy that I was getting to meet her idol.

C: I'm ready, Main.

M: Okay.

C: My hair is so smooth now...

M: I hope you like it.

C: I very much do!

C: Thank you, Main.

C: Say, may I ask you something?

M: Yes?

C: How is Otto at work?

C: I'm worried because he had to give up his merchant's life for me.

M: I don't think you have anything to worry about.

M: He's still very much a merchant at work.

M: He always haggles with people that come on deliveries,

M: with his merchant's spirit burning bright.

C: I see. His merchant's spirit...

C: I feel like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

C: How do I look, Otto?

O: M-M-Main! Don't you have something to do?!

M: I might remember something once I have my nails.

M: Score!

M: We decided to use the nails to make a deckle right away.

M: Can you make them to exact measure to avoid any gaps when they're stacked?

L: Exact measure?

L: I don't have the tools for that unless I ask my dad or brothers.

M: Do you think they'll let you borrow them?

L: Hmm...

L: I dunno.

Flashback,D: Merchants are cold, heartless monsters that only have money on their minds!

Flashback,C: Forget becoming an apprentice merchant

Flashback,C: and become a craftsman like your father and brothers, Lutz.

M: Lutz, will you be all right?

L: Don't worry! I'll work things out!

L: Oh, I went around asking lumberers about the tree.

M: Really?

L: Really. They told me about soft trees like...

O: Main, Lutz.

O: For you.

O: An invitation for you two.

L: What's it say?

M: Mister Benno wants to see you and me.

Flashback,B: I'm going to have both of them join me.

Flashback,O: Absolutely not! She's my assistant!

Flashback,M: Mister Otto.

Flashback,O: What's the matter, Main?

Flashback,M: I wanted to ask you something.

Flashback,M: Do you know of any illnesses where your fever suddenly grows or shrinks?

Flashback,M: It always feels like the fever's eating into me.

Flashback,O: Never heard of anything like it, sorry.

Flashback,B: No idea.

Flashback,M: I see.

Flashback,M: Thank you.

Flashback,O: She's unbelievably frail.

Flashback,O: There's no way she can work for you.

Flashback,B: It may be the Devouring.

Flashback,B: If it is the Devouring,

Flashback,B: she'll die very soon.

Next_Chapter,Title: Next Chapter Seeds of Suspicion

F: It seems you've taken a step closer to making plant-based paper.

F: That's exactly right!

M: Anyway, Head Priest,

M: what did he mean, I'll die very soon if it's the Devouring?

F: Exactly that, but what do you want to know?

F: How someone with the Devouring dies?

F: Terrifyingly, a person on the brink of death due to it...

M: Eek! Not another word!

M: I can't stand pain or scary things!

F: As you wish.