Roland sat at his desk, watching Chief Knight with keen interest as the officer came to brief on the First Army's latest developments.
Unlike the meticulous demeanor he displayed just months ago, Carter now wears an iceberg face that reveals a different kind of emotion. The calmness has faded considerably, replaced by anticipation and impatience.
He thought it might be related to Star of the West.
Roland had heard rumors about Carter's recent closeness with May. As a top-ranking officer in the First Army and a key representative within the military, his every move was closely monitored—especially with a woman as striking as May around him.
When they first appeared side by side on the streets of the town, the bodyguards had already passed the word to them.
Roland couldn't care less about such matters. Carter was about two or three years older than him, and it was downright odd that he wasn't married yet. If he could find a partner in the West, that would be great—provided it didn't interfere with his work.
According to Chief Knight's report, the First Army has deployed approximately 200 rotating rifles, with about ten new units added daily. In fact, if raw materials are sufficient, Anna's production capacity could multiply several times over. However, her dual responsibilities in iron smelting, steel production, and steam engine manufacturing have slowed down the process.
This pace was acceptable, given that the First Army numbered merely six hundred men and could complete its full rearmament within a month and a half. Until the next wave of population expansion arrived, the army's size could not be further increased.
The second point is the formation of the second army.
To streamline training and maintain confidentiality, Roland integrated all civilians recruited from the Long Song Fortress into the Second Army after passing rigorous vetting. They are now undergoing military-style discipline training. Evening sessions focus on ideological education, aiming to instill in them the conviction that they are guardians of the Western Frontier and must protect their families' safety.
"The current training progress of the Second Army personnel is satisfactory, and it is expected that they will transition to shooting training in another week. By then, the discarded flintlock rifles will be sufficient for one per person," Carter concluded.
This is where the musket's advantage lies. Training a cold weapon warrior takes at least a year, while cultivating a Knight requires five to six years. In contrast, a musketeer can be ready for battle in just one month. The longer a battle drags on, the more the musketeers gain the upper hand—after all, pulling the trigger is far more effortless than swinging a sword in combat.
"Live-fire shooting exercises must strictly adhere to firearm management protocols, with the principle of 'take back as many as are issued.' The same applies to gunpowder, which must be distributed on-site during practice, with veterans from the First Army assigned to supervise the process." "Agreed," he nodded in response.
"Very well," Roland waved his hand. "If that's the case, you may proceed." "Um, Your Highness..." Carter hesitated before continuing. "You mentioned earlier that the perfume blended into soap was made from sugarcane. Is that accurate?" "Indeed," the Prince leaned back in his chair. "What's the matter?" "Is sugarcane particularly expensive?" "Not... just a common crop." "I've heard that a thumb-sized bottle of perfume in the capital can fetch five Golden Dragons," Carter scratched his head. "If true, wouldn't producing perfume from sugarcane generate substantial revenue for the town?" "Five Golden Dragons?" Roland was taken aback. This had never crossed his mind. Recalling his days in the royal palace, the Fourth Prince never cared about the price of daily necessities—especially something as rare as perfume. Only women favored such fragrant items that could fill them with scent.
His initial motivation for making perfume was simply to obtain soap. Otherwise, a bathroom with only running water but no soap would always feel incomplete—making bubbles cover the entire body is what truly makes a bath romantic.
If a small bottle of perfume could fetch several Jinlong coins, it would indeed be a lucrative venture. Unlike coated mirrors, the raw materials—sugarcane and flowers—are far more affordable than crystal glass.
Thinking this, Roland chuckled, "That's a good idea—I'll consider it." "Your Highness, then... could I bring a piece of sugarcane out of the castle?" the Chief Knight asked eagerly.
"Very well," he guessed from the tone—Westland was nothing like Bishui Harbor, where fjord vegetation was rare. "It's a perfect gift to cheer up the lady. Just pick it from the back garden wall." "Thank you, Your Highness!" Carter bowed and left.
Roland then summoned Barov—though it was no longer appropriate to call him the Minister's Assistant. As the top official of the town hall, he had become the de facto administrative head of Border Town.
When Barov took his seat, Roland outlined the perfume deal. "How does this business look? Could it bring in a fortune?" He didn't answer immediately but stared back with wide eyes. "Your Highness, are you certain the perfume comes from those sweet crops?" "Didn't they give you soap too? The fragrance comes from blending perfume into it," Roland shrugged. "The ingredients are indeed cheap stuff. I just don't know if the capital's perfume is as expensive as Carter claims." "Far more expensive, Your Highness!" Barov exclaimed. "The perfume is a top-secret product of the Capital's Alchemy Society. They produce around a thousand bottles annually, but only a fraction is sold here. Passing it to other cities in Graycastle can boost prices by 20-30%, and selling to the Fjords and neighboring kingdoms nearly doubles the value. To prevent merchants from profiting from price differences, the society not only controls prices elsewhere but also personally selects merchants. If you can produce perfume—even just for Redwater City and Dragonfall—you'll make a fortune." "I see," Roland thought. Having served as Chancellor of the Exchequer's assistant for twenty years, he knew Barov was well-versed in pricing and trade. With this information, he began to sketch out a preliminary plan.
There are various methods for producing perfumes. The simplest approach involves crushing petals or herbs with distinctive fragrances, immersing them in alcohol to allow the alcohol to dissolve the essential oils from the plants. The residue is then filtered out, and the mixture is diluted with water before use.
Alcohol is produced through the fermentation of sugarcane juice; the raw material for essential oils can be rose, or more commonly, rosemary and lavender. However, for large-scale production, cultivating a batch of genetically modified plants that can directly secrete essential oils from leaves is the optimal choice.
In addition to perfumes, the industry also produces white sugar and baijiu, which are high-demand consumables. Although the profits are lower than those of perfumes, selling them at low prices to town residents to diversify their diets represents a significant advancement for livelihood improvement.
The reason Roland delayed developing light industry was that small-scale production of daily necessities was hard to make high profits due to labor shortages. Therefore, investing limited manpower in heavy industry production was the most cost-effective approach.
Since perfume production is profitable, he might take this opportunity to fill the gap.