Chapter 449

Episode 449 Seo Yi (西夷) comes to Joseon. (6)

“What is this?”

Sejong, who received a fragrant pencil from a merchant ship, asked with a face full of curiosity.

“It is a writing instrument made using ink stone.”

“Ink stone? “Isn’t that meant to be ground into powder and used only as a lubricant?”

Hyang smiled and answered Sejong’s question.

“It is a very useful material.”

* * *

When graphite was first discovered, the first thing the fragrance had to do was to decide on a name for it.

“Graphite kites are lead kites. If you name them with lead now, no one will understand, right?”

In Europe, where lead was used as a writing tool, graphite was the Chinese character for ‘Black Lead’, a name given to ‘black lead’.

After thinking about it for a while, I decided on a name.

“If you think about where it will be used the most in the future, let’s call it ink stone.”

For the scent so named, graphite was put into the specimen room.

“Ink stone? Hmm....”

Of course, the officials and craftsmen of the research institute and Area 51 tilted their heads, but soon agreed and moved on.

“It’s a fitting name because it’s pitch black and sticks easily to your hands.”

That’s how the name Mukseok was decided, but the first place it was used was a place that did not fit the name.

The first and most useful use of graphite was as a lubricant for various machines.

Because the supply of lubricating oil and cooling oil was not smooth, large quantities of finely ground graphite were used in the engine parts of machines that needed lubricants.

Thanks to this, familiar idioms and phrases have changed.

The phrase ‘eating oil-based rice’, which factory workers were accustomed to saying, had changed to ‘eating rice made from stone powder.’

Graphite was an all-purpose being. In addition to being used as a lubricant, it was made to be stored safely by filling it with gunpowder in the form of granules (round, fine particles).

Graphite, which had been useful in places far removed from the name given in anticipation of its original use, was finally made into a pencil.

* * *

“So how do you use this? “You’re not saying to dip the blunt end of this ink and use it, are you?”

In response to Sejong’s question, which was filled with disappointment, Hyang explained how to use it.

“You can use the sharpener next to it to sharpen it.”

“Sharpening frame?”

Sejong picked up the small container next to the pencil. There was a hole in the front of the frame that was polished with rosin and large enough to fit a pencil, and there was a small drawer underneath it.

“Where...”

Crunch crunch.

Sejong put a pencil in the hole and turned it a few times before taking out the pencil. Sejong, who saw that the front part was getting sharper, put the pencil in the hole again and turned it.

“When the ink stone becomes sharp, it is ready.”

“They let you know early.”

Sejong, who had sharpened his pencil while explaining the scent in detail, looked at the sharply sharpened pencil and looked back at the scent.

“It looks like a weapon, not a writing instrument?”

“It’s a writing instrument.”

“Hmm...”

While tilting his head slightly, Sejong drew a pencil on a blank piece of paper.

“Hoo!”

King Sejong filled up a sheet of paper in an instant, lightly admiring the feeling of writing with a pencil, which was completely different from that of a brush or gold pen.

Sejong, looking at the words written on the paper, nodded.

“It’s okay! It’s a really nice writing instrument. Especially....”

Sejong paused for a moment and continued speaking while looking at Kim Jeom.

The iron horse that crossed the Han River stopped at Hanseongwoo Station (漢城右驛), the final station of the Honam Line.

As Henrik and his party got off the iron horse, a new interpreter who had been waiting in advance approached them.

“Welcome to Hanseong.”

“Thank you.”

“The guest house is ready.”

“I understand.”

“And in two days, you will be able to have an audience with His Majesty the Prime Minister.”

“I understand.”

The interpreter, who introduced the upcoming schedule, guided Henry and his group outside.

Moving along the translator, Henrik and his party looked around. Inside the station, which had a distinctly foreign feel, there were more than a hundred soldiers lined up along the passage.

Henrik and the others swallowed dryly as they saw soldiers holding guns that looked similar to the arcabuz they had and soldiers wearing armor covering their entire bodies standing in an orderly manner to greet them.

“It’s daunting...” Henry

muttered softly as he looked at the soldiers.

The number of soldiers was the same, but all soldiers, whether riflemen or spearmen, were clad in black from head to toe.

In a situation where the left and right sides were blocked by the black wall created like that, Henrik and his group became more and more intimidated.

This black wall that welcomed Prince Henry and his party was the work of incense.

“I no longer want to show off arrogantly when entering someone else’s country.”

Hyang has become quieter these days, but he still remembers the arrogant behavior of the envoy from a famous kingdom when he was young. He persuaded King Sejong to form an honor guard.

The honor guard, made up of soldiers with particularly strong bones among the soldiers of the Naegumwi and the 12th Company, was intimidating in its size.

The uniform, which was uniformly black from top to bottom, further strengthened the sense of intimidation.

“This is truly amazing!”

On the day when the honor guard was inspected for the first time, King Sejong was very satisfied and praised the honor guard.

“That’s too much praise.”

While expressing humility at King Sejong’s death, Hyang was satisfied with his own work.

‘If even the Imperial March falls here, I’ll kill you!’

It was a scent that made me giggle a little as I imagined the scene where Darth Vader, wearing black two-piece armor, was walking through the honor guard making a distinctive breathing noise.

* * *

Henrik and his group left the station and got into the waiting rickshaw, receiving a welcome or threatening welcome.

“Whoa~.”

Henrik took a long, deep breath as he was released from the stuffy atmosphere inside history and looked at the scenery of the capital of an unfamiliar country.

“As expected, it is a road paved with cemento. Is this really the capital?...”

Henrik nodded slightly as he looked at the well-paved road, then turned his attention to the surroundings.

“huh? “What about that?”

A group of people were pulling a small cart and lighting up street lights along the street.

“As expected, did they use that stone?”

Henrik, who was shaking his head as he looked at the unique flame color of carbide, continued speaking.

“I don’t know anything else, but I need to import that stone. Even the King will like it if it brightens up the dark streets of Lisbon at night.”

Ppaaeak!

“huh?”

When the sharp sound of the whistle sounded, the procession of rickshaws stopped. Henry straightened up out of curiosity, and an iron horse slowly moving along the route caught his eye.

“An iron horse moving within the city? “That’s the rumored iron horse!”

As the iron horse passed, the rickshaws that had stopped started moving again. Henri sank back into his chair and began to think deeply.

‘Iron Horse.... Iron Horse.... What if I end it instead of detouring?’

Henrik, who was thinking about this and that, muttered softly.

“Should we join hands with the damn Muslims?”