"Moreover, if basic education were to be universally popularized, the cost of parchment, pens, and ink alone would not be a small sum."
"The Seven Gods Church truly struggles to bear such a burden…"
The Bald-headed Archbishop painstakingly organized his words while carefully observing the reactions of King Jaehaerys and Daenerys.
King Jaehaerys, who had governed the Seven Kingdoms for decades, showed no emotional fluctuations on his face, indicating no intention to interject.
"Archbishop, there's no need to worry; I have my own solution. Before that, let me introduce a good thing to everyone!"
After speaking, Daenerys clapped her hands, and Maria, who had been waiting nearby, immediately walked in, holding a stack of the latest batch of new paper. Shirei followed behind her with pens and ink.
"Maria, please distribute these papers to all the lords present for them to see!"
As Maria distributed the papers to the nobles present, King Jaehaerys quietly asked Daenerys beside him,
"These two conditions will completely drain the Seven Gods Church. I'm afraid they won't agree or compromise so easily."
Daenerys smiled confidently and replied,
"Great-grandfather, I believe they will be eager to agree to my conditions in a moment."
"You have already used the new paper. Are you still willing to continue using parchment?"
King Jaehaerys immediately guessed Daenerys's intention, then muttered in an almost inaudible voice,
"This will certainly benefit those religious fanatics!"
The Bald-headed Archbishop was the first to receive the paper. After trying it with the pens and ink held by Shirei, he exclaimed in wonder,
"Oh, Seven Gods, this paper is simply a gift from the gods! It's truly perfect. It's not only pure white and thin, but also smooth and fluid to write on."
After expressing his awe, the Bald-headed Archbishop immediately asked Daenerys in a fawning manner,
"Princess Daenerys, the cost of this paper must be very expensive, right? How many gold dragons does one ream cost?"
(In this book, one ream = 500 full-size sheets, equivalent to 2000 A4 sheets. One ream of parchment costs 8 gold dragons, meaning one A4 parchment sheet is worth about 47 yuan. This is based on extensive research into medieval prices, taking an average value. If there is more accurate information, corrections are welcome.)
At this time, the nobles who had received the paper also eagerly borrowed the pens and ink from Shirei and began to try it out. They were all pleasantly surprised by the texture of the new paper. The noblewomen, however, were more interested in the faint fragrance emanating from the paper.
Seeing that the time was right, Daenerys announced loudly,
"The cost of this paper is not high; one ream only requires five silver deers."
(This means one A4 sheet is about 1 yuan.)
Game of Thrones World Currency System Reference:
First Tier: Gold Dragon, face value approximately 30 silver deers, 210 silver deers, or 11,760 copper coins.
Second Tier: silver deer, face value 7 silver deers, 392 copper coins.
silver deer, face value 7 copper stars, 56 copper coins.
Third Tier: Copper Star, face value 8 copper coins.
Copper Wheat, face value 4 copper coins.
Half Copper Wheat, face value 2 copper coins.
Copper Plate, face value half a copper coin.
(One copper coin is equivalent to 1 yuan in purchasing power.)
"Only five silver deers?"
Everyone was astonished by the low cost of the new paper. Many nobles immediately realized the strategic significance of the new paper.
Throughout Westeros's thousands of years of history, expensive paper has been a significant factor limiting the spread of knowledge. Now that Daenerys has created a new type of paper that is high quality and inexpensive, it will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the entire historical process of the Seven Kingdoms.
Some of the monks and Archmaesters present considered it even more deeply; their vast knowledge made them realize that the birth of this new type of paper would likely bring about tremendous changes to this world.
In everyone's eyes now, this new type of paper was as precious as gold. The quick-witted nobles immediately realized that Daenerys and King Jaehaerys revealing the new paper at this time was clearly sending them a signal.
"Whether you can get a share in the new paper depends on your performance!"
Daenerys then continued to speak eloquently,
"I'm sure I don't need to say much; everyone present already knows how much profit the new paper will bring?"
"The manufacturing and distribution rights of the new paper belong to the Targaryen Royal Family and Holy Flame Island. Qualified lords, after approval by the Royal Family, will be able to obtain the franchise rights for the new paper."
As soon as Daenerys finished speaking, a noble couldn't help but ask,
"Princess Daenerys, how can one obtain the franchise rights for the new paper?"
Earl Bisbury, the Minister of Finance, who had already prepared his speech, cleared his throat and began,
"Actually, obtaining the franchise rights for the new paper is not difficult. First, one must be loyal to the Targaryen Royal Family, otherwise the Royal Family can revoke the granted franchise rights at any time. The first year's new paper quota will be measured based on the size of the territory and the total amount of taxes paid to the Royal Family."
"The second point is that to obtain the franchise rights for the new paper, one must bear the cost for the Seven Gods Church to establish training classes. Each year, the Royal Family will organize a special assessment, and the next year's new paper allocation will be adjusted based on the training results."
At this moment, Earl Stokeworth, who Daenerys had arranged to be among the crowd, walked to the front and declared loudly,
"Your Majesty, Princess Daenerys. In fact, commoner training classes don't necessarily have to be organized by the Church. Since the expenses are borne by the local lords, we could just have the Citadel send some Archmaesters to serve as teachers. I believe our various families can also organize them."
The Bald-headed Archbishop was still brainstorming how to profit from the new paper when he heard Earl Stokeworth's words and immediately became anxious,
"Earl Stokeworth, you can't say that. There are so few Archmaesters in the Citadel, nowhere near the number of clergy in the Seven Gods Church, and their distribution is not as widespread."
"Moreover, the grassroots clergy have good relationships with the people in various territories, and organizing commoner training classes is best done by the Seven Gods Church."
After speaking, he immediately looked at Daenerys and King Jaehaerys in a fawning manner and said,
"Your Majesty, Princess Daenerys, rest assured that the Seven Gods Church is willing to undertake the work of preparing commoner training classes, and we will certainly do it well."
"I just don't know if the Seven Gods Church can also obtain the franchise rights for the new paper?"
Hearing this, Daenerys suppressed her smile and looked at King Jaehaerys, her meaning clear:
"See, he's starting to ask us now!"
King Jaehaerys then calmly said,
"That's not impossible, especially since the Seven Gods Church will also have the duty of raising dragons in the future. It's a reasonable request to give you a stable source of income."
The Bald-headed Archbishop was immediately overjoyed upon hearing this,
"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Princess Daenerys."
At this point, Daenerys spoke again,
"Archbishop, I actually have another suggestion. Since the Seven Gods Church has already undertaken the duty of raising dragons, why not simply make dragons the sacred beasts protecting the Seven Gods Church?"
"In fact, dragons protecting the Seven Kingdoms means protecting the people of the Seven Kingdoms. Dragons possess extremely high intelligence and never easily harm people on their own. If the Seven Gods Church can make people understand this, I believe it will have a positive meaning for both ordinary people and the Seven Gods Church."
"A church that can manifest divine miracles in the world will surely have even greater influence!"
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