Facing Rostislav's question, Hilarion almost subconsciously said, 'Just buy them in Novgorod and Kiev; I have some connections that can help me acquire them in large quantities.'
As a former Rus' Metropolitan, even after being away from Kiev for so long, he still had very strong connections there, and these connections could help them obtain many things.
'Hilarion, the markets in Novgorod and Kiev might not be enough. Their own internal paper consumption is already very high, so this can't last long, and we can't just hand over the technology like this,' Luka said, realizing the impropriety in Hilarion's words.
While it was true that they could get a lot of parchment through his connections, it definitely wouldn't be sustainable, as Kiev and Novgorod already had a strong demand for parchment themselves.
Moreover, Luka's words hit on a crucial point: Rostislav could not possibly hand over this movable-type printing technology just to secure a paper supply; otherwise, he wouldn't have conducted the research in such secrecy.
In Rostislav's small workshop, the people were chosen from families absolutely loyal to the Prince, and their family members had even moved into Red City. There were also numerous guards stationed there at all times, showing Rostislav's determination to keep this technology confidential.
Luka knew very well what his student was thinking: he definitely wanted to make a fortune selling Bibles and books. With this technology, there was great potential in that area.
'I had forgotten that. I am no longer the Metropolitan, and the structure of the Church has changed significantly... Then, the only option is to go to the Imperial Capital... Alas, only that place can handle large orders without reservations.'
Hilarion also noticed the flaw in his proposed plan. He hadn't been so excited in many years, only to be immediately denied by reality, which made the old man a little downcast.
However, he quickly thought of an alternative: buying from the Imperial Capital, where there was no shortage of such goods.
'Buying from the Imperial Capital... that is indeed a good approach. It seems I need to instruct the stewards in Kiev to pay attention to buying a large amount of parchment the next time they go to the Imperial Capital. Tell them to buy up all the paper on the market within the limits of their funds, and also buy the paper made from miscellaneous materials—buy as much as they can.'
The paper made from miscellaneous materials that Rostislav mentioned was actually the paper produced by papermaking technology of that era—that's right, the Eastern Empire had papermaking technology, and had for many years.
Unfortunately, even with papermaking technology, this kind of paper was not very cheap, costing one-third the price of parchment, but it was still a type of inexpensive paper, and a large quantity could be purchased.
Regarding papermaking, Rostislav had considered trying to develop it himself, but the results were always fruitless because he simply didn't know how to make paper.
The Imperial Capital did have papermaking technology, but after considering the cost, he decided to give up.
The reason for giving up was simple: first, acquiring the technology would require a large investment of funds, and it wasn't even guaranteed to be obtainable.
Then, after acquiring this technology, Rostislav would still have to start from scratch to find various materials for production, and the costs incurred by then would be immeasurable.
Considering that he had expenses everywhere now, and a major expedition in the future, money had to be saved. Therefore, he could only acquire paper by buying it for now.
Both Luka and Hilarion nodded in agreement with Rostislav's decision.
'Lord Hilarion, please mobilize your connections within the Church now to gather a batch of parchment for us as much as possible. Regardless, once this machine is built, it needs to start working; let's make do for a while first.'
'I will arrange it as soon as I return to the Monastery. The items should arrive in one to two weeks at most.'
Hilarion readily agreed to Rostislav's request; it was no problem for him.
'Oh, one last thing, my lords, do you know the Imperial Capital's attitude towards believers owning Bibles?'
Finally, Rostislav asked that crucial question, the one he cared about most: whether believers could own Bibles.
Rostislav saw the vast market behind the Bible. He wondered how many people and how many villages would buy this Christian scripture; all of that was money.
But if the Orthodox Church's resistance was very strong, he felt it would be difficult to proceed, because he planned to sell these Bibles in Constantinople, which was the largest market for Bibles. For this purpose, he had even ordered the creation of a set of Greek movable type.
The reason for such concern was that Rostislav knew that centuries later, the catholic side had caused quite a stir over whether believers could own and interpret the Bible.
He had no idea about the situation with the Orthodox Church, hence his question.
'There's no need to worry. Haven't you seen that Constantinople even agreed to such a trivial matter as the three Metropolitans? Even if Constantinople has objections, they will compromise when they see your Rus' identity.'
Hilarion replied disdainfully, his words filled with extreme dissatisfaction towards the Imperial Capital's handling of the Metropolitan's authority. After all, he was once a Metropolitan, and he was most aware of the harm these Rurik Princes' actions caused and the blow to the Church's authority.
Upon hearing that news, Hilarion only regretted that he could no longer influence any major Church matters. Although he knew that Yaroslav's sons would certainly do something to the Church to strengthen their authority, he hadn't expected such a mess.
'Yes, Constantinople will suppress any objections they have,' Bishop Luka echoed Hilarion's words, his tone also full of disdain for the Imperial Capital.
What were those people doing? The matter of the three Metropolitans achieved nothing but a blow to the Rus' Church's authority.
Having received assurances from the two highest religious authorities in Northeast Rus', Rostislav finally felt at ease. Since the Orthodox Church would likely have no objections, he could proceed with confidence.
And next, Rostislav looked at the printing machine, but other thoughts appeared in his mind. He felt that he could satisfy his personal ambition with this, as he, Rostislav, wanted to leave his mark on the world in the name of literary history.
Although 'The Forest Frontier Chronicle' was still being written and the novel's plot was still being conceived, 'the tale of yaroslav' could already be printed. He would print a few copies to give away, and once the demand for Bibles was met, he would print it in large quantities.