Experiment (Part 1)

After weighing many factors, Sean chose to produce perfume on a trial basis and sell it for profit.

The noble ladies and young misses of this world generally carried sachets close to their bodies. The sachets were filled with fragrant petals to mask body odor and enhance their charm. However, this method was not only troublesome, but also rather ineffective. Most importantly, there were no particularly suitable flowers in some seasons.

The parts Sean had previously commissioned from the blacksmith and carpenter were prepared for this purpose. He also remembered the homemade Centrifuge Dr. Banner had made in a simple room in Brazil when he watched Hulk 2 in his previous life. Sean had no engine here, but he could operate it with manpower. Moreover, perfume did not require a huge output. Compared to sachets, it was simple to use and long-lasting, and it was not restricted by the seasons.

Sean only needed to commission some Crystal Bottles before he could sell them at high prices to the limited number of nobles in Linshui City. Most importantly, perfume output was low, and it involved a certain amount of technical skill, making it difficult to imitate. Even if his actions attracted the attention of some nobles, it would remain entirely within his control. That was the true reason Sean had chosen to make Perfume. As for flowers and other naturally fragrant plants, the local servants he had recruited would naturally handle that.

Besides Phil and Alice, Gordon, Mike, Peter, and Harry, four teenagers, had also moved in that day. Gordon and Mike were sixteen this year, while Peter and Harry were only fifteen. These four were likewise within Sean's recruitment range and became Sean's Noble Servants.

Sean naturally found an opportunity to sense the physical attributes of the four of them. Although they were far inferior to Thor and Phil in talent, they still possessed fairly good physiques. The harsh life in the slums had likely tempered them. Sean naturally would not waste that potential, so on the night they moved in, he taught Phil and the four of them the military Knight Secret Method.

Phil still had more than a dozen little followers in the slums, most of them orphans whose parents had both died. Phil had helped them to varying degrees before, and they had since followed his lead in everything.

Sean handed the task of purchasing plant materials over to Phil. Phil completed the task Sean gave him very smoothly. Since the purchases were only in small quantities, they did not attract anyone else's attention.

He then worked continuously in the extremely crude laboratory for more than half a month. He evaporated Ale and then purified it with the Centrifuge. After repeating the process several times, he obtained somewhat cloudy alcohol. He then extracted Essential Oil from several aromatic plants and purified it using the same method. Finally came the simple task of mixing it with water. The process was not complicated. With the help of Sean's sensory ability, the first bottle of Perfume in this other world was born.

Afterward, he used different plant materials to produce five kinds of Perfume with different fragrances. There was an amber-colored Crisp Type and a light green Fresh Type, which Sean planned to use as men's Perfume. The dark green and light pink Subtle Fragrance Types, along with the light red Rich Fragrance Type, would be used as women's Perfume. After filling specially made small Crystal Bottles, he had five varieties of Perfume, around a hundred bottles in total.

After the trial production succeeded, Sean used his ability to inspect all five kinds of Perfume. He needed to ensure that no noble would be poisoned from using them. If an incident of poisoning caused by Perfume truly occurred, it would severely damage his reputation. Not only would he fail to earn the gold coins he expected, he might even lose his footing among the entire noble class.

Afterward, he taught Phil, his sister, and the other four servants how to evaporate Ale to extract alcohol and refine Essential Oil from plants. He had them purchase raw materials while carrying out simple preliminary processing. After processing, Alice was responsible for keeping them safe, while Thor naturally served as the power source for the Centrifuge, the core secret. Sean himself was responsible for blending the Perfume. After all, the precision of extraction could not be guaranteed; only Sean's ability could ensure that the quality of the Perfume remained roughly consistent.

In theory, Noble Servants had no possibility of betraying the nobles they served, because doing so would harm the interests of all nobles in the Empire. If a Noble Servant was bribed by another noble, or otherwise lured into betraying the noble they served, the result would either be pursuit by the entire Empire or being silenced by the noble who had bought them off to prove their innocence. There was almost no suspense about it...

Ever since moving into the new house, Miss Alice had been responsible for household chores such as cleaning and cooking. After Sean successfully made women's Perfume, she also became, quite successfully, a product tester and keeper for the women's Perfume. She herself was delighted to experience the charm of Perfume. Every day, she applied it according to the method Sean had taught her and then waited for his inspection.

There was even one time when Sean took a midday nap in the room reserved for himself. After he woke, Alice served him as usual. At the time, Sean did not know whether he was still somewhat groggy or for some other reason, but he abruptly pulled Alice's delicate body into his arms.

Alice immediately let out a low, brief cry of surprise, then blushed furiously and shyly pushed against Sean's chest. Sean completely ignored her weak resistance and instead greedily inhaled the subtle fragrance at her neck.

Very soon, Sean subconsciously reached out and seized one of her full breasts, forcefully kneading it again and again. Only then did Alice plead in a trembling, quiet, anxious voice, "M-Master, please... don't... don't do this..."

Hearing her trembling words tinged with tears, Sean finally regained some clarity. He immediately let go of the place he had been reluctant to release and also released Alice's delicate body from his embrace.

Sean stared at Alice with a dazed look in his eyes. Her face was flushed, and her expression was full of shyness. His lips moved, but he did not know what to say.

"Master, I'm sorry. I... I'm not ready yet..." Looking at Sean's bewildered expression and remembering her affection and gratitude toward him, Alice spoke shyly in an exceptionally soft voice.

Sean suspected that if he had not been fairly strong, he would not have been able to hear what Alice had said. After steadying himself, Sean quickly regained his usual calm and composed smile. He smiled and said, "It's fine. It's not your fault."

"Thank you, Master. I... I definitely can in the future..." Alice said happily, then shyly lowered her head again.

Sean gently lifted Alice's chin with one hand, searching for her shy, evasive gaze. After more than half a month of care, Alice, who had once been considered thin and sallow, now had a healthy flush on her delicate face. Her fair skin gleamed with luster, making her beautiful and moving. The clothes she wore were not luxurious, but they fully displayed her plump and alluring figure. She was not yet stunning enough to topple a city, but calling her charming and beautiful would not be an exaggeration.

"No hurry... Go take care of your work." Sean spoke gently to Alice's shy face as he released her chin.

Alice gave a slight curtsy and slowly left the room. What surprised Sean somewhat was that he sensed a faint trace of regret in Alice's voice as she took her leave.

Watching Alice leave, he took a deep breath and turned to look at his right hand. Alice's body fragrance still lingered on it. Only after several minutes did he reluctantly lower it and compose himself.

The instant he regained clarity just now, Sean understood why he had acted that way. He had always carefully concealed his secrets, which left him feeling very insecure and kept his nerves tense. Sean knew several ways to ease or vent that tension. Drinking was one of them, but he did not like alcohol, and he also had to guard against drunkenly revealing his inner thoughts and exposing his secrets.

Women—women truly were a good way to ease mental tension. Unfortunately, Sean was only fifteen this year. In order to avoid possibly affecting the speed of his Knight Secret Method cultivation, he had to endure. The "no hurry" he had said to Alice just now was not merely comfort; it also represented his attitude. Sean knew that losing one's virginity too early could affect physical development. Although he was not certain whether it would affect the speed of knight cultivation, he would rather wait than leave himself with a possible future regret.

Finally, Sean thought of destruction. Many people felt the urge to smash things when venting their anger. But that clearly conflicted with his consistently calm personality, and it would also leave people with the impression that he had a violent temper. That would hinder Sean's future dealings with other nobles. Worse still, it could leave behind an impression of brutality. If that happened, the Imperial Nobles would all keep their distance from him.

Although the slaughter of the bandits last time had released the pressure he had accumulated, that was clearly not a method he could use often.

Since that accident, Alice had continued to handle the new home's household affairs. She simply could not help showing a shy expression whenever she saw Sean. Then she would secretly watch him with her large, misty eyes, and Sean would usually respond with a gentle smile. Sometimes, when no one else was around, he would pull Alice close, curl his lips into a wicked smile, and explore her plump, mature body beneath her token resistance. However, Sean always strictly held to his bottom line and did not allow himself to become lost in desire.

Although Sean had blended five different fragrance types of Perfume over the past half month and made nearly a hundred bottles using them as models, and also spent his spare time instructing Alice, he seemed extremely busy. Yet he still persisted in practicing the Knight Secret Method every day.

On the morning of Thursday, March 25, Sean showed his face at the Barracks before bringing Thor back to his own courtyard. By then, Phil and the others had followed their previous routine and arranged for their younger brothers in the slums to purchase and transport the raw materials used to refine Essential Oil from plants. Since these materials were all herbs and plants, they would be gathered in the morning and delivered to Sean's courtyard before lunch.

At that time, Sean would supervise Thor, Phil, and the others as they trained in swordsmanship and exercised their bodies, personally guiding them. After lunch, Phil and the others would busy themselves with preliminary refining of the newly delivered materials, while Sean would take a short afternoon nap before pulling Alice into the room to do things that relaxed him and brought him pleasure. Then, beneath Alice's gaze, her face flushed red and her eyes misty, he would leave the room. He needed to continuously purify the extracted Essential Oil and alcohol in order to extend their shelf life.