Blazing Popularity

After Ashlyn bought all the materials Green needed, Green plunged into the manor's basement and began focusing on blending the perfume. With the Chip's assistance, Green's progress was astonishingly fast, and the entire process flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water. He did not need to think too much about the quantities; he only had to follow the optimal formula simulated by the Chip and work through it step by step.

Three days later, the perfume blending was complete at Green's manor. He summoned Ashlyn, Leila, and Mia to the villa's hall. Three carefully blended bottles of perfume stood neatly arranged on the table. The crystal-clear glass bottles held liquids in three entirely different hues, each glowing with an alluring radiance.

The first bottle contained a crystal-clear amber liquid. Under the light, it seemed to hold the essence of time, radiating a warm and gentle glow that brought to mind ancient forests and deep lakes.

The second bottle held an elegant pale gold, like the first ray of sunlight at dawn. Light and bright, it gave off a noble and graceful feeling, as if an elegant dancer were twirling in the morning light.

The third bottle carried a touch of dreamy lavender, like the aurora flickering across the night sky. Mysterious and enchanting, it made one yearn to uncover its secrets, as though it concealed endless mysteries and Mana.

The three perfumes Green had made each contained unique fragrance molecules capable of selectively stimulating different human olfactory cells. After binding with their receptors, these molecules prompted the neurohypophyseal cells to release the corresponding pituitary hormones while stimulating the secretion of other hormones, thereby producing different effects.

The first perfume gave off a fresh, delicate floral scent that effectively relaxed the mind, making people feel as if they had entered a tranquil sea of flowers, refreshed in both body and spirit.

The second perfume emitted a rich lavender fragrance that invigorated the mind and filled one with vitality, as if endless energy had been injected into the body in preparation for any challenge.

The third perfume carried a deep woody scent that could quickly calm people down, making them feel as if they were standing in an ancient forest and experiencing nature's tranquility and strength.

The moment Ashlyn, Leila, and Mia stepped into the villa, they began looking around for the perfume Green had blended. All three of them had been present when the Stinky Flower bloomed, so they had naturally smelled that unparalleled floral fragrance. Besides, most of the materials Ashlyn had purchased were related to extracting and mixing perfume. As the three people closest to Green, they quickly guessed his intentions.

Loving beauty was a girl's nature. Being able to use perfume personally blended by Green would undoubtedly enhance their charm tremendously. For the three girls, the temptation was irresistible.

The three girls' gazes were quickly drawn to the three bottles of perfume on the table, their eyes brimming with longing and anticipation. However, they did not lose their heads. Soon, they focused their attention on Green.

"Big Brother Green, is this the perfume you blended? Do you need us to try it?" Ashlyn spoke first, her tone carrying a hint of seriousness and urgency, but the longing in her eyes had already betrayed her feelings.

"Come on, what are you pretending for in front of me? These are gifts for you. Pick whichever bottle you like." Green looked at Ashlyn and spoke with a trace of helplessness.

When they heard Green's words, excitement and joy sparkled in all three girls' eyes. Forgetting all about their composure, they hurried to the table to choose the perfume they liked.

Ashlyn chose the gold one, Leila chose the amber one, and Mia chose the purple one. After making their choices, they all turned toward Green in unison.

"Thank you, Big Brother Green," the three girls said together, their voices carrying a hint of coquettishness.

"All right, try them. It will let me see the effects." Green ignored their coquettish behavior and spoke to the three girls.

"Mm, we'll do whatever Big Brother Green says." The three girls agreed at once and opened the perfume bottles to use them.

After the three perfumes mixed with the girls' natural scents, something wondrous happened. A strange fragrance wafted from their bodies. Even Green became somewhat intoxicated when he smelled it.

[Chip, have the fragrance molecules reached the standard?]

[The fragrance molecules have a strong binding effect, varying from person to person. They have exceeded the average standard.]

"Looks like the effects are pretty good. They can be sold now. Is the shop ready?" Green looked at Ashlyn.

"It... it's... ready..." Ashlyn stammered, her face flushed bright red.

Only then did Green realize that he had unconsciously moved closer to the three girls.

I was too busy collecting data to notice.

The three girls were all dressed exceptionally beautifully. From such a close distance, Green could see practically everything at a glance.

"Ahem." Green coughed twice, somewhat awkwardly, but his movements did not change at all. He continued standing rigidly where he was.

"Next, I'll begin producing the perfume in batches for sale. Ashlyn, take the perfume over in a few days. Remember, set the price as high as possible. We absolutely must make our products the most top-tier luxury goods." Green continued speaking without the slightest change in his expression.

Ashlyn and the other two girls flushed even more deeply and could only answer in stammering voices. Afterward, they fled the villa as if escaping for their lives.

A few days later, the three perfumes set all of Allendale ablaze. Everyone was discussing them. The three perfumes, named Amber Dream, Dawnlight, and Violet's Wish, had practically become the favorite topic of every woman in Allendale during her leisure hours. Every woman regarded owning a bottle of perfume as the ultimate goal. At banquets, attention was always focused on those who wore one of the three perfumes.

If you were a woman and did not know about these three perfumes, no one would even be willing to speak with you. Even among men, many people enthusiastically pursued the three perfumes.

Amber Dream, Dawnlight, and Violet's Wish possessed qualities far beyond those of any other perfumes. Their scents changed according to the user and even according to changes in the user's mood. This wondrous phenomenon left everyone marveling.

The perfect fusion of perfume and the body could even conceal some physical flaws, making people go utterly wild for them.

However, for all their excellence, the perfumes had one flaw: there were simply too few of them. Sales were limited to nine hundred bottles a day, three hundred of each variety, leaving those who wanted to buy them complaining bitterly. Perfume was a consumable product, and once it ran out, customers had to buy more. The pressure of competition never eased at all. Those who owned the three perfumes only wanted more and would never stop purchasing them.

The Tulip Trading Company had originally been Allendale's largest perfume supplier, but now its storefront stood deserted.

A man in a golden robe stood outside the Perfume House, staring gloomily at the bustling shop. He was Dake Roman, the owner of the Tulip Trading Company. Because of the Perfume House's sudden rise, no one was willing to buy the Tulip Trading Company's once-premium perfumes, even when they were sold at bargain prices.

"Have you found out the background of the Perfume House?" Roman asked without turning his head.

Marco, a trading company manager who had been waiting behind him, immediately stepped to his side and said gravely, "Lord Roman, we've found out. The owner of the Perfume House is a minor noble who fled here from the Nordin Kingdom. He has no background, but..."

"But what? Say it directly. There isn't anyone in Allendale I can't deal with!" Roman's voice was icy, and an indescribable chill seeped from the corners of his eyes. The Tulip Trading Company was already on the brink of bankruptcy. There was no one they could afford not to offend.

"The owner of the Perfume House is called Green. He's very young, only eighteen. They say he's a Grand Knight! There is no definite confirmation, though. We got the information from the Shadow Organization. Supposedly, that young noble killed eight Formal Knights on the road." Feeling the chill in his employer's voice, Marco shuddered and immediately revealed everything he had learned.

The moment the news that Green was a Grand Knight came out, Roman's face froze. The Shadow Organization was highly unlikely to provide false information. In other words, Green, the owner behind the Perfume House, was probably a genuine Grand Knight. The Tulip Trading Company feared no force, but it had no way to deal with an extraordinary existence possessing such overwhelming martial power. Its own violence was the ultimate safeguard of its interests.

In this world, Grand Knights represented a nation's highest level of military power. Allendale had countless Knight Apprentices and Formal Knights, but its only Grand Knight was the Admiral of Allendale.

Once a Grand Knight was angered, if the Tulip Trading Company did not have another Grand Knight to guarantee its security, things would become extremely troublesome.

No lineage could withstand a Grand Knight's frenzied retaliation.

Just guarding the city gates and preventing you from leaving would be enough to ruin a commercial lineage. Not to mention that plenty of people would be willing to act as thugs in order to win a Grand Knight over.

"Are you certain about that information?" Roman asked, still unwilling to give up.

"There is no definite confirmation, but based on the information we've gathered, Green of the Perfume House can effortlessly break through the encirclement of three Formal Knights head-on." As Marco said this, a trace of fear crept into his voice. He was truly afraid that his employer would lose his reason and insist on opposing the Perfume House. If that happened, the entire Tulip Trading Company might suffer annihilation.

Roman sighed. Even if Green was not a Grand Knight, he was probably not far from it. The man was only eighteen, and breaking through to become a Grand Knight was practically a certainty. If Roman made a move, plenty of people would try to win ties with the Perfume House by dealing with him.

"Sigh, forget it. Since the other side has a Grand Knight, we'll use proper commercial methods. Send him an invitation and ask him to attend the industry conference. His foundation is unstable, so we can cooperate with him and sell the perfume across the nations. The profits will be greater, and he won't refuse." Roman spoke helplessly, his eyes filled with disappointment.

This course of action was also born of helplessness. If it succeeded, the Tulip Trading Company could continue to exist, but from then on, they would have to watch the other party's mood. The moment Green became displeased, Roman himself might fall into crisis.