Chapter 11 [Outside 4 Preparation]
"So, that's the plan. Let me borrow the wisdom of the elderly."
"Hmm... If we're aware that it might be seen as exotic, the question then becomes which country. However, no matter which neighboring country you choose, it won't fully conceal your uniqueness."
"In that case, how about a country far across the sea?"
"If you claim to be from such a distant land, how do you explain your purpose for coming to this country?"
"True. How about selling travel memoirs to curious nobles? I don't know about the publishing situation in this country, but for nobles, hand-written manuscripts might be acceptable instead of printing. Is there still no movable type printing in this country?"
"What? Movable type printing isn't a thing here yet?"
After explaining what movable type is, the old man admits it's the first time he's heard of it. At least in this country, it seems like movable type hasn't become widespread.
"What if they ask to see a sample of the travel memoir?"
"I can't prepare a hand-written manuscript, and bringing old books won't work. Maybe show them a printed and bound copy. If asked about the prevalence of printing in my homeland, what should I say?"
"As soon as they catch wind of printing, they'll detain you and interrogate day and night."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Information about a country possessing advanced technology not yet widespread here is a matter of utmost national importance. Whether you're a noble or a merchant, they won't let you go."
"Do they value information about printing more than the printing itself?"
"Master, what about the wandering apothecary?"
"I don't know anything about medicinal herbs."
"It would be troublesome if asked for medical treatment."
"How about using the previous setup? Say you were asked by an apothecary in your homeland to research herbs from this foreign land."
"By the way, my lord, you're skilled at drawing."
"Yeah, I have some experience sketching plants and animals. I'm not confident in sketching humans, though."
"With humans, they might complain about things like needing more hair, cheeks being too plump, or asking to erase wrinkles around the eyes."
"Fine."
"So be it. If asked for a sample of your sketches, what will you do?"
"I've just arrived in this country, so I'll say I have few sketches. That should divert their attention."
"Which route did you take to arrive here? You might be asked to show sketches of herbs from the countries you passed through."
"Well... how should I divert their attention?"
"How about saying you entrusted sketches of herbs to a traveling merchant and sent them to your homeland? Claim it's insurance in case something happens during your journey. Does that sound plausible?"
"That works. Let's go with that, Slade."
"But, Master, the setup is that you're not knowledgeable about herbs. Won't you need examples to distinguish medicinal herbs?"
"Well... reluctantly, let's prepare some sketches of Earth's medicinal herbs. I can copy from a field guide or something."
"In your world, isn't the quality of paper... too high?"
Oh...
...
In the end, I obtained low-quality recycled paper—something they used to call straw washi—and took time to create plausible sketches. I made sure to fold and rub them a bit to give a worn-out appearance.
I also made up a story about the route I took. Let's say I crossed the mountains from the western country.
For clothing, something slightly exotic should be fine. I chose cotton workwear. For shoes, regular leather shoes seemed too upscale, so I went with something like work boots. Instead of a neat knife, I opted for a more rugged machete. I prepared small items like a water bottle and hard-baked bread to a degree that wouldn't raise suspicion.
Now, let's embark on the journey!