Perfume

"My Lord, here is the powder you requested, along with all the perfume in the castle!" Thomas did not keep him waiting long, delivering the ambergris, which had been ground into a powder as fine as flour, accompanied by twenty bottles of perfume.

These perfumes were part of the daily supplies provided by the Count, as perfume was an essential item for any noble.

Of course, these were not top-tier goods; they were common items costing one silver coin per bottle, affordable even for moderately wealthy families in Tulip City.

The bottles were simple porcelain containers, incomparable to the perfumes that cost one or even five gold coins apiece.

The bottles used for those high-end perfumes were works of art in their own right, crafted from natural crystal and often inlaid with gold wire and silver trim for decoration.

"My Lord, what kind of powder is this? It looks a bit like flour, but why is it so fragrant?"

Nalant opened the clay pot containing the ambergris, and the room was instantly filled with an alluring, musky scent.

"Sherry, this isn't flour. It's ambergris."

"Ambergris? My Lord, is this dragon saliva? So, dragon saliva can turn into a fragrant powder!" Sherry's eyes widened, feeling as though her mind had just been filled with more strange and wonderful knowledge.

She had no idea that ambergris came from the belly of a whale, and she truly believed it was produced by a dragon; after all, such a rich, lingering fragrance was rarely seen in this world.

"..." Nalant offered no explanation. He couldn't very well tell them it was what remained after a whale ate a squid, couldn't digest the beak, and it got stuck in its stomach... and then...

Pop!

Nalant took a bottle of perfume and opened it directly.

As the cap came off, the usual heavy scent did not spread from the bottle, as it was now suppressed by the aroma of the ambergris.

Nalant used his fingernail to scoop a small amount of ambergris powder into the bottle, then recapped it and shook it vigorously.

Vivian and Sherry watched their lord's actions without a word, knowing he must be using the dragon's saliva to create something extraordinary.

After shaking it for about a minute, Nalant walked out of the laboratory, as he could only judge the scent of the perfume after adding the ambergris once he reached the hallway.

Pop!

The cap was opened again, and this time, the moment the bottle was unsealed, a refreshing and intoxicating fragrance wafted out.

"Wow! My Lord, this perfume is too fragrant! It smells even better than the dragon's saliva!" Sherry, standing behind Nalant, had a sharp nose; she immediately caught the scent emanating from the bottle and exclaimed with wide, watery eyes.

Vivian's beautiful eyes also lit up, her delicate nose twitching as she breathed in the surrounding aroma.

"The effect is actually this good!" This had originally been the most common jasmine perfume, a scent Nalant was already accustomed to, so he noticed the difference the moment he opened the cap.

The original faint jasmine scent was not only purer now, but the perfume had also integrated the musk of the ambergris, creating an incredible effect through their combination.

The perfume now smelled not only refreshing but also deeply intoxicating.

Nalant could guarantee that even on the day he was enfeoffed by the Count at Tulip Castle, he had never smelled such a wonderful perfume.

One had to know that many noble ladies and misses from Tulip City had attended that investiture ceremony.

Many of them were not as poor as Nalant, and they had not been stingy when purchasing those perfumes that cost gold coins per bottle.

"Come, Vivian, Sherry, take these and apply them to yourselves, then walk around the castle to test them!" Simply smelling the perfume in the bottle wasn't enough; it needed to be tested on the skin to see the true effect.

"Yes, My Lord!" Sherry, who had been eager to try, quickly took the perfume bottle from Nalant. "Sister Vivian, let me apply it for you first!"

Afterward, Sherry skillfully applied the perfume behind Vivian's ears, and once she finished with Vivian, she couldn't wait to apply it to herself.

With that done, the two women followed Nalant's instructions and headed downstairs.

"Hmm, the effect on the skin is still excellent!" Following behind Vivian and Sherry, smelling the waves of fragrance drifting from them, Nalant finally revealed a satisfied smile.

He was confident that he could sell this perfume, which originally cost one silver coin, for at least fifty silver coins per bottle.

After all, ambergris was like a cheat code for perfume; in his previous life, perfumes containing ambergris were considered top-tier luxury items.

Of course, if he added better packaging, selling them for gold coins wouldn't be impossible, but Nalant currently lacked the ability to produce such things.

Nalant did not follow Vivian and Sherry downstairs, instead returning to the laboratory to prepare the remaining nineteen bottles.

Meanwhile, Vivian and Sherry began to walk around the castle.

"Hmm? What is that scent? It's a bit like the perfume I just delivered to My Lord, but that perfume didn't have this quality—not even the top-tier perfume in the Count's castle smells this good!" Steward Thomas, passing through the corridor, suddenly caught a whiff of the refreshing fragrance.

Having served as a valet in Tulip Castle for several years, he immediately recognized that this perfume was no ordinary item. His judgment was far more precise and sophisticated than that of the rural baron's second son, Nalant.

Vivian and Sherry passed through the corridor and stepped out of the castle into the front courtyard.

When the two reached the base of the city wall, the faint scent drifted on the breeze.

The guards on duty immediately smelled it. "Whoa! That fragrance is amazing!"

The moment the scent appeared, the guards couldn't help but inhale deeply, closing their eyes in intoxication.

Finally, the guards couldn't help but fix their gazes on Sherry and Vivian.

"Captain Vivian, are you wearing perfume? It smells so good! Could you tell me where you bought it? Once I get paid at the end of the month, I want to buy a bottle too!"

Although the guards feared Nalant, they dared to speak up to Captain Vivian.

Besides, the perfume was too alluring; just smelling it made their whole bodies feel comfortable, even making their pores feel clear.

He thought that even if it cost five silver coins a bottle, he would buy one to ensure he could sleep very pleasantly at night.

After all, in this world, perfume was not exclusively for women.

"This is My Lord's perfume; it's very expensive!" Sherry was the first to answer for Vivian. She had never smelled such perfume on any of the noble scions she had seen before; it certainly wasn't something a guard could afford.

"It's the Lord's? Then I'm afraid I really can't afford it!" The guards looked disappointed. Naturally, anything used by the Lord was beyond their means. At the same time, they looked at Vivian and Sherry with envy; beautiful young women always had an advantage over rough men like them.

My handsome friends, besides being handsome, I hear that everyone who votes is a real man with 18cm! So, my good men, hit me with those recommendation votes!

Also, the author's writing might be a slow burn, but rest assured, it will definitely be satisfying later on!