When he first saw the endless fields of Agri, Alexander was overjoyed that he finally had a piece of his own.

But even then, he didn't start with something as extravagant as making perfumes.

In an era of war, luxury is a superfluous thing.

As Gonzalo said, if he made some kind of weapon, maybe it would be more reliable than some kind of perfume.

Who cares about the smell of sweat on the battlefield, and a few people think that they haven't taken a shower for a few days.

Soon, however, Alexander realized that he was wrong, or rather that he had underestimated the "tolerance" of war in this era.

The word troubled times is not something that can be said casually, it is slowly formed after truly experiencing countless baptisms of war and death, and after everyone has gone from fear and helplessness to indifference to the loss of life again and again.

Italy at the end of the 15th century was undoubtedly synonymous with troubled times, whether it was the fierce conflict between the princes of the city-states, the doomed protracted Italian wars, or the centuries-long bloody war with the Ottoman Empire.

Because of this, people born in this era have become accustomed to facing war and death, and even for many families, war is not only the key to maintaining their family prosperity, but even a livelihood to support their families.

Whether it's the Swiss cantons, known for their mercenaries, or the Italian city-states, which are known for their rivalry, all have come to see war as a part of their lives, big or small.

Because of this, whether it is a nobleman or a commoner, their daily life is still peaceful, and even in some cities, birth and death, war and drama, blood and art, destruction and creation are all happening in an orderly manner.

Perfume is a luxury, both today and for a long time to come, and even centuries later, it is not new for luxury perfumes to be sold in ounces and at prices no less than gold.

Today, Alexander believes that in a time and place where there is a strong interest in new things, perfume must be more interesting than anywhere else.

In today's Italy, new things are constantly emerging, and it seems that as long as they are new, they will be granted the status of natural correctness without exception, not only because of people's curiosity about new things, but more because of an almost paranoid rebellion against the long era of ignorance of the past few centuries.

People are so frantically engaged in criticism and hostility to the past that whatever is right or wrong, whatever is old will be criticized as useless.

On the contrary, people will accept anything new without reservation, and they will not care whether it is useful to them or not.

In short, the near-unreserved support for new things in this part of Italy, and the approval of even deviant remarks, is characteristic of this era and of this place.

It is unlikely that this quest for the new would have been carried out so smoothly anywhere else, and that it might even be branded as heretical and intolerable, either brutally destroyed or completely ignored.

For example, the Iberian Peninsula today, such as the old empire in the farther east, these places are not something new that can be tolerated and survived, if it were in these places, Alexander would not think about making enough profits with some new gadgets, but how to avoid becoming the target of others in the eyes of others.

Perfume was one of them, at least he didn't think it would be profitable to sell perfume in the East, because even after many years, there were still conservative people who believed that the fragrance of both men and women was not so serious, and that the person who sold it was considered cheap in that place.

It's not just something new that makes it successful and sought after, it depends on the environment.

Alexander doesn't remember when the earliest perfumes appeared in Europe, but he clearly remembers a very iconic thing, that is, Paris, which was regarded as the fashion capital of the world by later generations, and the city that is not much better than the backcountry in the eyes of Italians today had its first and the world's first perfume factory nearly half a century later.

This is also due to a queen who married to France, who brought the rich art of Italy and the life that was considered a taste at the time to that poor country of France, and who taught a group of French homespun buns who only knew how to dance knives and guns and play with cannons all day long.

If there was one person who really opened the eyes of later France, it was the future Queen of France, Catherine Medici.

And now, neither perfume nor the factory that makes it has a shadow even in Italy, or rather, no one can think of making such a luxury that can later be compared to gold.

Making something that doesn't cost much, or even has no complicated craftsmanship, and which makes money quickly, is what Alexander has been pondering.

As for whether the perfume will be imitated because the manufacturing process is not complicated, he has never thought too much about this.

Imitation is a very normal instinct, which is from small living habits to major national policies that can affect the course of history, and the world is developing and changing little by little in imitation of each other.

So Alexander didn't care if the method of making perfume would be learned, and he even hoped that someone would urgently learn how to make such a thing, because that would at least show that he had succeeded in attracting attention.

This market is large enough, from the Mediterranean to the North Sea, from the Atlantic to Russia, and even further to as far away as Asia, that no one can eat such a huge piece of fat alone.

Unless no one is optimistic about the sales of perfume and does not imitate it, if that is the case, it will be a complete failure for Alexander.

As for the cost, Alexander felt that he was lucky, as he had told Gonzalo and Kotschach, that the vast fields of his territory of Agri were enough to provide him with an inexhaustible supply of raw materials, and in this respect Alexander felt that he had a good eye for the land at first sight.

Now stationed in Agri and Kosenza is the half-brother of Josha Belleri, for whom Alexander has no trust or affection, and he puts Jossa in charge of all this, and Josa chooses Boleri on the ground: "He will never betray me." ”

That was enough, and Alexander never thought it was a good habit to do it himself, nor did he think that arranging his own cronies everywhere would reassure him, let alone that he didn't have enough people to put in Agri.

Another reason for his reassurance was that his basic army was almost entirely Agri, and he had no intention of changing that in the future, and that any Agri who were recruited into the army would be trained to be truly loyal to him, and that they would receive the land and the good rewards he had promised, and that the families of any honored soldier would be honored and rewarded in their homeland.

The Agri soldiers would pride themselves on being honored on the battlefield, and for those who fled or even abandoned their comrades in fear of death, they would not only lose their honor in the army, but would also be spurned in their homeland, because no one would want to be friends with those who abandoned their comrades.

Gradually, the belief that the Agri were Agri's army would slowly take shape and spread throughout the army, and like the Swiss, they would be proud to be from Agri, and even more so to maintain their position in Alexander's army.

Such an army, such an Agri, such an Agri soldier, Alexander believed that even if someone used his brain, he would not be able to succeed easily.

Making wine from grain, repeatedly purifying the fermented wine in simple and even crude ways, and then using the pollen of all kinds of plants in the Agri field as spices, which could be obtained almost at no cost, Alexander did not know what could have made him more money in a short time.

But even so, it was not until he personally handed over the well-collected perfume to him that Alexander was finally sure that his seemingly uncomplicated but laborious implementation of the work had begun to bear fruit.

"Can this thing really make money?" Sitting in Orgala's flower hall, Gonzalo was still a little hesitant, "According to you, this thing can make women crazy, but what about men?" Know that at least half of this world is men. ”

Alexander nodded, he couldn't help but admit that this ruffian was actually a businessman, and after just looking at it for a while, he had already shifted from how much money a woman could make to whether he could make a man's money.

And judging from the constant and quiet appearance of Kotschach next to him, Alexander was sure that what the palace minister was probably thinking about now was not whether he could make money, but how much he could earn.

Alexander didn't care how much Kotschach could earn, the market was so big that he didn't want to eat alone, and he couldn't eat at all.

Except for the Mediterranean coast, he could not promote the novelty of perfume to the interior of Europe on his own, let alone make the nobles of the Viennese court and the wives and ladies of the German princes fall in love with this thing as soon as possible, which required the strong support of Kotschach.

Similarly, if he hastily went to the Iberian Peninsula with perfume to sell it, he would probably be condemned as a heretic by the extremists who were addicted to burning people as picnics and barbecue.

It would take a favorite of Queen Isabella, like Gonzalo, to do a lot for him.

As for how much Gonzalo would get out of it, he didn't care either.

As Alexander said, perfume is to make money, but it is only a small part of the whole big business, and it is insignificant.

What he cared about was the bond he had built with these two men.

A bond that may play an unexpected role in the future, and is connected by great interests.

"I don't know if any man will be obsessed with this perfume, but I know that no one can refuse something beautiful," Alexander put the perfume bottle on the table and let the fragrance overflow, "Just as it is difficult for us to refuse food, and it is difficult for women to refuse jewelry, it is just a small toy, but I am sure that a woman will be fascinated by it." ”

Gonzalo looked at the hall with a sneer, and looked out of the hall with some disbelief, and when he saw the figure of a maid, he suddenly called out to the woman.

"Let's see if this perfume of yours can make every woman intoxicated," Gonzalo said as he suddenly dragged the maid who had walked into the hall into his arms, then took the bottle of perfume from the table and handed it to her, while taking out two glittering gold coins from his pocket and placing them with the perfume, "Tell me, dear, which of these two things would you choose?" ”

The maid looked at the bottle and gold coin in front of her with some uneasiness, and then she stretched out her hand and pointed at the gold coin with some hesitation: "My lord, I choose this." ”

"Ha," Gonzalo smirked, shoved the gold into the maid's hand, and then kissed her the neck, "You're so flattering, we can have a good talk tonight." ”

"Thank you, sir."

The maid nodded overjoyed, she knew who this rough and slightly ruffian nobleman was, and she knew that this lord was famous for his generosity towards women.

"Well, my friend, your perfume doesn't seem to be attractive enough." Gonzalo looked at Alexander and said proudly.

Alexander smiled lightly, he smiled and beckoned to the maid, and also took out two gold coins and the bottle.

"These two gold coins will allow you to buy a nice dress, a beautiful hat, and even a few pieces of jewelry that are not expensive but can be styled," Alexander said, handing the gold coin to the woman, "and these perfumes can allow you to cover up the smell of sweat on your body and clothes because of work, make you smell like fresh lavender that has just grown, and then let every man who passes by you notice you," Alexander lightly dotted the perfume on the maid's clothes, "The gold coins will give you access to clothes and jewelry, And perfume turns you into a woman who is more intoxicating than any woman, what will you choose. ”

Alexander said as he gently drips the perfume in his hand onto the slightly oily back of the maid's hand, then raises the hand to the tip of her own nose and makes her look down and sniff.

The woman's nose twitched slightly, and then she looked at the two things in front of her and fell into a daze for a while, she seemed to want to reach out for the gold coin, but the corner of her eye glanced at the perfume on the other side, and for a while seemed to be a little difficult because it was difficult to choose.

Seeing this scene, Alexander smiled and stuffed the gold coin and perfume into the maid's hand: "Okay, I already know what you want to choose, this is a reward for you." ”

The woman saluted happily, four gold coins and a bottle of perfume in each hand, and the palace minister seemed to snort slightly as she passed by Kotschach.

"That's just a maid, how many florins does she earn a year?" Alexander looked at Gonzalo, "But she was hesitant because of the choice, so if she was a rich merchant or a woman from a noble family, how many women do you think would have the opportunity to choose between gold coins and perfume, if you let her choose between a dress or jewelry and perfume?" ”

Gonzalo's originally slightly contemptuous face slowly retracted, and at the same time, his eyes gradually ceased to look playful but a little solemn.

"You think this thing will make money?" Gonzalo gently touched the perfume on the table with his fingers and put it in front of his nose to smell it.

"Yes, I can earn it."

"So what are you looking for us to do?"

"Because you can make me more money."

Gonzalo nodded slightly, he knew that Alexander was telling the truth, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"And how much can you make me?" Gonzalo asked with a smirk.

Greeting Gonzalo's gaze, Alexander glanced at Kotschach next to him.

He noticed that although Kotschach had not said anything, he looked very serious, and thinking about Gonzalo's disapproval just now, Alexander had already vaguely guessed the thoughts of these two people.

Gonzalo's previous disdain was not so much that he was not optimistic about the future development of perfume, but that he was deliberately belittling, or that both men had other purposes.

Now, though, they seem to be somewhat interested in perfumes.

"There will be many different varieties of perfumes, and the price will vary," Alexander motioned to Ulliu, asking him to take out the other two bottles of perfumes that were completely different in color and smell from the previous ones when opened, "but no matter what kind of perfume it is, I will only give you a fixed price, and I don't ask what price you will sell." ”

Gonzalo looked at Kotschach in amazement, he was not a businessman, he preferred to spend his days wondering how to kill people in more efficient ways, maybe in his spare time he would be interested in the family's money, but he was more interested in how to spend it.

But even so, smelling those pleasant aromas, Gonzalo knew that unless Alexander had to come up with an unusually high price that they would never accept, the fresh spice would make them a fortune.

Kotschach's gaze shifted from the perfume on the table to Alexander, his face still calm, but his gaze became a little deeper.

"What do you want, Count?" The palace minister suddenly asked, and Alexander noticed that with his inquiry, Gonzalo's face was no longer smiling.

Obviously, only now are these two people really ready to talk to him about the conditions.

Maybe a rude ruffian and a greedy bureaucrat, or even a shameless bastard, but these two men are by no means fools.

They knew very well that Alexander would give them such a chance to make a fortune, and it would not be just to repay the siege today.

In that case, he could have escaped from Rome after robbing Lucrezia, and it was hard to imagine that Caesar would be so desperate to chase him to his territory.

But he chose to stay in Rome, and sent them informed.

This gave both Kotschach and Gonzalo the idea that perhaps Alexander was using this to establish some kind of relationship with them that was closer or special than before.

And now, Alexander's unreserved act of taking out the perfume made them believe that maybe what he really wanted to talk about was still to come.

"I want your Friendship Palace, and you Gonzalo de Córdoba, and I want to have a true friendship with you." Alexander said, taking a thick document from Ulliu's hand and placing it on the table, "I said that perfume is only the smallest part of this business, so now this is the business I want to really work with you. ”

Looking at the two people who were suspiciously looking at the document, Alexander took the time to glance at the staircase, and saw a warm smile in his eyes when he saw a corner of his skirt dangling at the staircase.

"God, what do you want to do?!"

A low cry came from Gonzalo's mouth, and he looked up at Alexander with a suspicious expression, while Kotschach next to him had a gloomy face.

"As you can see, I invite you to join me in the Free Trade Area of the Mediterranean."

"But don't you know that the Ottomans are threatening us, and you want me to invest so much money?" Gonzalo asked, a little annoyed, then he shook his head, "No, I wouldn't be involved in such a crazy move, and I don't have that much money." ”

"Trust me it's not crazy, and I can guarantee that you can help me in another way," Alexander turned his gaze to Kotschach, "As for you, Lord Gong, I know there is another way for you to help me." ”

"What is it?" Kotschach frowned, "Your plan is a bit crazy, and even if it's right, I can't satisfy your huge amount of money." ”

"But someone can help you with this," Alexander leaned forward, finally saying what had been brewed for a long time, "I believe that the friendship with the Fugger family must be very important to you. ”

Alexander's words made Kotschach, who had a gloomy face, slightly stunned.

He looked at the young man in front of him seriously, and suddenly he had a feeling that he had been used.