Ts'ai Lun
- “Greetings, Honorable Mario brother, I am Ts’ai Lun. We are making a new and wonderful thing here. But please come back later, I am having a most trying time with the drying time.”
- —Ts'ai Lun, Mario's Time Machine
Cai Lun (蔡伦, written in-game as Ts'ai Lun) was a eunuch under the emperor of the Han dynasty, Ho Ti. He was also promoted several times due to his service for the emperor. In the year 105, he invented a process of papermaking that allowed for the creation of modern paper, and, although technology has accelerated his process, the original principles that he discovered are still used to this day. In Mario's Time Machine, however, Bowser time travels to 105 and steals a Bamboo that Ts'ai Lun needs to complete the process, and he later meets Mario after the latter time travels himself to return the Bamboo.
History
Mario's Time Machine
In Mario's Time Machine, Ts'ai Lun is depicted as working on his papermaking process in the emperor's palace in Luoyang when Bowser steals his Bamboo. Mario then attempts to return the Bamboo to him without knowing that it belongs to him. Due to his lack of knowledge, Mario questions some of the other people within Luyong (including Ho Ti) about the Bamboo, and all of them easily talk about Ts'ai Lun and his plans to create paper. If Mario attempts to talk to Ts'ai Lun without knowing that the Bamboo belongs to him, he introduces himself and asks Ts'ai Lun what he is doing, to which Ts'ai Lun replies that he and his group are attempting to creating something "wonderful", but they are having a tough time completing it. After confirming that the Bamboo belongs to him, Mario returns and asks him if he needs it. Ts'ai Lun excited says that he was looking for the missing piece, and immediately puts it to use, thanking Mario for helping him create paper. Mario asks him what he intends to do with the paper, and Ts'ai Lun says that he wants to first write a thank-you note to Mario. He believes that books can be made a lot more cheaply now and says that history is going to be written with his invention.
| Mario's Time Machine (PC) / Mario's Time Machine (SNES) / Mario's Time Machine (NES) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario characters | Bowser • Bowser's motherb • Donkey Kong Jr.c • Iggy Koopa • Larry Koopa • Lemmy Koopa • Ludwig von Koopa • Luigia • Mario • Roy Koopad • Yoshid | |
| Historical persons used as characters | Abraham Lincolna • Albert Einsteinc • Andrew Iversona • Anne Hathaway • Aristotle • Benjamin Franklin • Booker T. Washingtona • Catherine Dickensa • Charles Dickensa • Charles-Gaspard de la Rivea • Cleopatra • Constanze Mozarta • David Grenewetzkia • Deborah Reada • Don Lloyda • Duke of Alençon • Edmund Halley • Ferdinand Magellan • Francis Drake • Frederick Douglassa • Galileo Galileia • George Washington Carvera • Henry Forda • Ho Tia • Isaac Newton • Jeff Griffeatha • Joan of Arc • Johann Gutenberg • Joseph Haydna • Juan Sebastian Del Cano • Julius Caesar • Kublai Khan • Leonardo da Vinci • Louis Pasteura • Ludwig van Beethoven • Mahatma Gandhi • Marco Polo • Mary Todd Lincolna • Michael Faradaya • Michelangelo Buonarroti • Minamoto no Yoritomoc • Pierre Paul Emile Rouxa • Plato • Queen Elizabeth I • Raphael Sanzio • Richard Burbage • Royal Society • Sarah Barnarda • Thomas Edison • Thomas Jefferson • Ts'ai Luna • William Shakespeare • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarta | |
| Enemies | Birdc • Bodyslam Koopac • Bullet Billa • Koopa • Mine • Pterodactyla • Sharka • Space Troopac • UFOc • Walking Turnipc | |
| Locations | Academy • Alexandria • Athens • Berlin Wallc • Bowser's castle • Bowser's Museum • Calcutta • Cambridge University • Cambuluc • Cretaceous Period • Eat at Joe'sa • Egyptc • Florence • Germanyc • Gettysburgc • Gobi Desert • Independence Hall • Japanc • Kitty Hawkc • London • Luoyanga • Mainz • Menlo Park • Moonc • Novatoa • Orleans • Paduaa • Paradise • Parisa • Philadelphia • Stratford-upon-Avon • Swan Inn • Trinidad • Tuskegeea • Vienna • Washington, D.C.a • White Housea | |
| Items and objects | Almanaca • Apple • Art Filea • Astrolabe • Backscratcher • Balla • Bambooa • Beret • Booka • Book of Marco Polo • Bosun's Pipe • Bowa • Bowser Statue • Bread • Bucket of Plaster • Bucklea • Bug Fixa • Bug Reporta • Bunnya • Calculus Book • Cat • Chisel • Chocolatea • Clotha • Compassa • Conversations on Chemistrya • Crank Handlea • Crown • Cup of Tea • Declaration of Independence • Dictionarya • Dinosaur Eggc • Drawing of Air Screw • Drawing of Ideal Man • Drumstick • F=MA • Fan • Feather • Filament • Firecrackera • Fireworks • Flag (India) • Flag (United States of America)c • Flaska • Floppy Diska • Flutea • Football • Globe • Grape • Handkerchief • Hand Mirror • Horse's Bit • Hourglass Blockc • Ice Creama • Incense • Inkwella • Information boxc • Key (Mainz) • Key (Philadelphia)a • Knife • Ladder • Laurel Wreath • Law Book • Lemonadea • Lens • Light Bulbc • Magneta • Measuring Stick • Metal Type • Metronome • Milka • Mona's Mirror • Mona Lisa • Moneya • Monocle • Mushroom • Music • Newspaper • Notebook • Onion • Paint • Paintbrush • Paintinga • Pamphlet • Paper Money • Pearl Necklace • Pennya • Physics Equationc • Poetry Booka • Postcard • Principia • Print Block • Propellerc • Quill Pen (1602)c • Quill Pen (Orleans) • Rat Trap • Republic • Ricea • Scarfa • Scissors • Scripta • Scrolla • Shield • Skull • Sledgehammerc • Spectacles (Philadelphia) • Spectacles (Washington, D.C.)a • Sphinxc • Staff • Stampa • Starmanc • Steering Wheelc • Stovepipe Hatc • Swordc • Tea Bag • Telegram • Telescope (Padua)a • Telescope (Trinidad) • Thronec • Ticketa • Timulator • Tirea • Torchc • Toya • Turkeya • Turtle Cannonc • Watcha • Warp Pipec • Whirlpool • Wooden Snake | |
| Other | Staff | |
