"But finding the soul will not be an easy task. Distinguishing a soul without any memories is as difficult as finding a single grain of sand among countless others. Still, will you do it?"

The priest nodded his head at my words.

[For the sake of reuniting with my family, I will do anything.]

"You said you'll do anything, right?"

He shouldn't have said that so carelessly. This child has no idea of the weight of his own words.

"It will not be easy for a human lifespan to find the souls of your family. So let me propose something to you here."

There can never be too many talented people.

"How about working in the Afterlife?"

[The Afterlife, you say?]

"Yes. The Afterlife was almost completed, but we haven't been able to start operations due to a lack of personnel."

Of course, this child would be quite lacking to fully manage the Afterlife.

He is, after all, just a human who can only use divine power.

But if there are any shortcomings, they can be filled.

If he lacks power, I can add more to him.

If I provide him with an appropriate amount of power, he may not reach the level of Yama, but he could at least manage the lower ranks of the Afterlife.

Wouldn't he be able to reach a position where he can manage one layer?

"And if you work in the Afterlife, the souls will pass through it, so wouldn't that help you find the souls of your wife and child?"

It would be more effective to search for them in the Afterlife, where all the souls pass through, than to meticulously comb through the souls that make up the Cloud Whale.

Of course, it won't be an easy task. The number of souls passing through the Afterlife is countless.

[The Afterlife, you say... But can someone like me really do it?]

"Why not?"

The important thing is not how much power you have, but how well you work.

"Honestly, working in the Afterlife is the only way for you to find the souls of your family, other than that, there's almost no other method."

It would be unreasonable to go to the Cloud Whale and examine each soul that makes up its body to find the souls of his wife child.

The Cloud Whale may now listen to me to some extent, but it's unlikely to go along with that.

Above all, the biggest problem is the short human lifespan.

[I see. Then, to go to the Afterlife... Do I have to die?]

"No, not yet. The Afterlife hasn't started operations yet. For now, just live your current life."

[But... A life without my wife and child is too difficult for me.]

The priest said in a gloomy voice.

Hmm, he seems to have lost the purpose of his life.

"Then, how about leaving a record about the Afterlife?"

[A record about the Afterlife?]

"Yes. Revealing a bit of information about the Afterlife."

At my words, the priest spoke in a puzzled voice.

[What meaning does that have?]

"It has great meaning."

I looked at the bag in my hand and said,

"First, it's important that we can spread information about the Afterlife to humans."

[To spread the existence of the Afterlife to humans?]

"Yes. If many humans become aware of and believe in the existence of the Afterlife, the reality will change according to their perception. Even if there are parts that don't work perfectly according to my design, the belief of humans will help normalize it."

I've confirmed through Yama and the Cloud Whale that the perception of many humans can change reality.

And the same will apply to the Afterlife.

Because the belief of many can change reality.

"And secondly, by revealing information about the Afterlife, we will imprint the concept of the afterlife judgment in the minds of humans."

[Afterlife judgment...]

"The belief that one is judged in the Afterlife according to one's sins still remains. Wouldn't this instill a minimum sense of guilt in humans?"

It could become a restraint against committing sins.

And if it is also known that those who have sinned suffer terribly in hell... The number of sins committed would decrease as well.

This way, a minimum conscience can be formed.

"So, let's leave behind various writings until the end of your life. And when your lifespan is up and you die, I shall take you to the Afterlife and put you to work."

[I understand. Though my body is weak, I shall devote this lifetime to serving the Mother of Life.]

"Good. And about your wife and child's souls..."

[Hm?]

I looked at the two souls in my hand. Hmm... I can't keep holding onto them, I'll need to store them somewhere.

To contain souls... Hmm... I'll try making and testing various things.

"For now, I'll store the two souls in another object that you can carry around. I can't keep holding them in my hand forever."

Half of their souls. What could be used to store the souls? Well, there are various options.

The simplest method would be to contain them in gems.

I created two emeralds - one round and one square. I placed the wife's soul in the round emerald and the son's soul in the square one.

The souls settled nicely into the gems. Hmm, even though it's not a complete soul and essence, the capacity seems quite ample. Well, as long as these gems don't shatter, the souls will remain safely contained.

I sent the two emeralds to the priest.

"The round emerald contains your wife, and the square one contains your son. Keep them safe. If the gems are broken, you'll have to find them again."

If they break, it would be easy to find them right away. But if not, digging through the earth to search for them would be a pain.

[Th-thank you... Thank you so much!]

"From now on, spend your remaining life writing books. I will teach you in detail about what to write."

As the priest is considered a wise man among humans, his writings will be recognized by many.

In this way, I was able to have various books written through this one scribe.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Afterwards, while the priest carried out his duties, he wrote in his spare time.

[Mother of Life... I lack enough clay tablets. I cannot write so much content.]

He encountered a major problem in leaving behind books.

"How troublesome. It's already full, and you haven't even written much."

The recording media of this era were clay tablets and parchment, but parchment was usually an expensive item, not commonly available.

If he were to write and leave behind books on such materials... They would likely become symbols of wealth only the affluent could possess.

In the East, they make bamboo slips to record, but there is no bamboo in the West. How troublesome.

Hmm, no choice then.

Here, I'll bring out papyrus! Of course, if it's primitive paper, papyrus is the only option!

I spoke to the Great Shaman of the Lizardmen.

T/N: Archmage -> Great Shaman, well someone told me, if its still incorrect, pls comment

"Can you hear my voice?"

[Oh, the great Creator Dragon God has spoken to me! Your mighty name shall illuminate the world!]

No, no need for such flowery language.

"I seek a certain plant in the wetlands of the Lizardmen's territory. Can you find it?"

[Creator Dragon God seeks a mere plant? Whatever could be the reason?]

"I am looking for a material to create something that will benefit all. It is a plant around 1 to 2 meters tall, with leaves spreading out from the top like reeds."

[Understood. I shall send the Lizardmen to search for it.]

Good. Since it's a plant from the wetlands, the Lizardmen can find it quickly.

It might even become a major source of income for the Lizardmen.

The best thing is to find it themselves, but... Lizardmen don't seem to need paper, so I should at least tell them to find it.

To be honest, if I don't have them find it, the Lizardmen won't even feel the need for paper.

Lizardmen, who can easily carry and move large stone tablets, like how humans use clay tablets. Lizardmen who carve letters into solid rock with just their claws.

It seems they feel they don't need paper with their overwhelming physical strength. The Lizardmen.

Anyway, since papyrus grows in wetlands, if it exists in this world, it would be within their territory.

If it's not there, I'll just create some seeds and plant them, I guess.

"I've instructed them to find an object to write on instead of clay tablets."

[What kind of object?]

"Something made from plants, like parchment. It's thin, lightweight, and best for recording written words."

If papyrus is discovered and made, the knowledge level of this world could greatly improve.

Instead of the limited recording media like clay tablets or parchment, the widespread use of papyrus as a recording medium could arise.

Perhaps the overall intellectual level could significantly increase.

Ah, speaking of which, what about the Elves?

From their perspective, papyrus would be like peeling the skin of their family - the soft part inside the stem, to be more precise - to make something like parchment.

T/N: Bhahaha... 'their family'

Well, there's nothing to be done about the Elves. They are the ones who instinctively avoid even the fruits that were intentionally made to be eaten to spread the seeds.

Let's just tell them to use parchment.

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T/N: By the way, guys, if you want, you can join Discord to maybe receive information about if there are delays in the release of the chapters.