After the Dark Millennium of cultural blockade, the literacy rate across the entire Continent was actually less than 5%, with a third of that number being Clergy of the Church.
Papermaking technology in the countries along the East Coast was still very primitive. Its main raw materials were scrap cloth and hemp fibers. The sizing agent used was a gel extracted from sheep hooves, deer legs, bones, and animal skins.
Even imported paper from the West Coast remained prohibitively expensive, and significant quantities of costly parchment made from sheepskin were still prevalent in the market.
It is well known that humans are not Transcendent Species and do not inherit memories. It takes at least a decade or more of learning to be able to undertake societal roles.
Without a widespread and accessible written medium, there would absolutely be no possibility of the proliferation of knowledge or a burst of technological and industrial workers.
