Chapter 31: Journey Through the Middle Ages 031

Chapter 31: Journey Through the Middle Ages 031

For now, the issue of paying for the sugar shipment has been tentatively discussed, and the details will be left to the subordinates to hash out. However, the conversation between Louisa and Filippo was ready to move to the next stage—Filippo presented two boxes of gifts, all intended for Louisa.

"Ah... this..."

Louisa saw the boxes Filippo had opened directly. One box was filled with a milky, translucent resin, which was myrrh, also known as 'frankincense.' The other box contained several slender-necked brown glass bottles. As soon as the box was opened, the previously sealed scent began to waft out, and Louisa surmised that these were crude essential oils from that era.

Frankincense was a very precious spice, though not prohibitively expensive—a few sous could get you a pound of it. Later legends claimed that spices in the Middle Ages were as precious as gold, which was, of course, an overstatement. Even frankincense, considered luxurious among spices, wasn't that expensive!

The simplest way to understand this is to look at ancient Chinese records. During the Song Dynasty, the imported frankincense generally cost around one guan per pound thereafter. For the lowest grade, it could even go as low as three hundred wen per pound! This was in China, which was relatively distant from the source. In the West, closer to the origin of frankincense in West Asia and with more established trade routes, it should have been even more affordable.

However, the frankincense Filippo brought was indeed worth a look. This wasn't ordinary frankincense but the finest quality from the island of Chios!

The frankincense widely used in both the East and West was essentially a fragrant resin from the Boswellia tree, a member of the olive family, including the frankincense mentioned in religious stories, such as one of the three gifts brought by the Magi during Christmas.

But the frankincense from Chios was fundamentally distinct. It came from a plant known as the 'mastic tree,' a member of the Pistacia genus in the Anacardiaceae family... Though both were resins, the difference was vast!

In China, this type of frankincense didn't appear until the Yuan Dynasty. Perhaps due to its limited production and even rarer availability, it was exclusively supplied to the imperial court, making it obscure among the common folk. The few who knew of it recorded it as 'southern frankincense,' setting it apart from ordinary frankincense.

In the West, people had encountered this type of frankincense earlier and recognized its uniqueness. Even in ancient Greek and Roman times, there were records of ordinary frankincense being counterfeited as mastic frankincense, indicating its high value and popularity.

The mastic tree, which produced this superior frankincense, had naturally been introduced to other regions by this time. However, whether due to climate, soil conditions, or cultivation techniques, mastic trees in other places struggled to produce frankincense. Even when they did, the quality was nowhere near that of the Chios variety.

Superficially, only the frankincense from Chios could be crystal clear, at most with a slight yellowish tint. Other mastic frankincense was at least much darker in color.

Moreover, this was 'tear-drop' frankincense—resin harvested from the mastic tree would naturally secrete and drip down, most of it clinging to the bark. When collected, it inevitably carried some bark, resulting in a woody scent when burned. While some believed this 'raw frankincense' had a unique flavor, the general consensus was that this was a flaw.

Tear-drop frankincense, on the other hand, was different. It formed as granular drops (during harvest, clean white gravel was spread at the base of the mastic tree to collect the dripping resin easily and keep it clean, even if dirtied, it could be cleaned). Its shape was the origin of the nickname 'nipple frankincense.'

Each drop was larger than a peanut, crystal clear with a faint green hue, and completely free of impurities. Even without heating or burning, Louisa could detect the distinct scents of pine, citrus, and lemon—fresh, soft, and elegant... This was indeed the finest quality among Chios frankincense.

Even in later times, such frankincense was rare, and collecting a whole box of it at this time was even more challenging—since there was no proper harvesting technique, people usually collected the resin that had already solidified on the bark. Naturally, the yield was low, and 'raw frankincense' dominated, with 'tear-drop frankincense' being a rare find.

Louisa's deep understanding of this was tied to her past life's interests. In her previous life, she had studied a very ordinary major, chosen simply by following the crowd during college applications. It wasn't until university that she discovered her passion for 'fragrance' was strong enough to be a career. However, there were very few perfumery programs in the country, most of which were related to the food industry, whereas Louisa clearly wanted to focus on perfumes.

Thus, she aimed to study abroad at a perfumery school in the future. She barely passed her major's exams, spending most of her time taking online courses related to perfumery and putting effort into that. She was familiar with anecdotes like the Chios frankincense in the perfumery world...

Aside from this box of premium frankincense, the other box of crude essential oils might have been even more valuable in terms of price. At this time, although Europe could produce some essential oils locally, the quality was inferior to that of the East, and they were still very expensive—take the most famous rose oil, for example. Fresh roses, when distilled, yielded only 0.02% to 0.05% oil.

This might sound acceptable—ten thousand pounds of roses could produce two to five pounds of oil. But this yield was based on modern distillation techniques and high-quality flower varieties, which were unavailable at this time. Moreover, the lack of advanced cultivation techniques and fertilizers meant that rose yields per unit area were pitifully low... It was hard to estimate how large an area of roses was needed to produce a single pound of rose oil!

If roses were like this, other essential oils could be roughly inferred as well.

In a sense, essential oils at this time could be considered an 'agricultural product,' and the price of agricultural products could be calculated based on the land and labor they consumed. This 'base' was already expensive, and when combined with the premium of being a 'luxury item,' it was no wonder that they were truly 'worth their weight in gold.'

It wasn't impossible for essential oils to be exchanged for an equivalent weight of gold... depending on the type.

Louisa quickly identified the essential oils in this box: rose, jasmine, lemon, rosemary, bay, lavender, agarwood, cedar, and more—later, when she opened them, she realized that not all were pure essential oils; some were 'aromatic oils.' These were made by soaking aromatic materials in liquid oils, resulting in fragrant oils.

Regardless, both the frankincense and this box of essential oils (or aromatic oils?) were extremely expensive gifts.

However, Filippo didn't give such gifts solely because they were 'expensive'—it was more about his careful observation and catering to her preferences. Louisa probably hadn't thought deeply about how memorable she was in a crowd!

It wasn't just her lavish clothing and jewelry, or her striking appearance (though these were part of it)... but rather, anyone who got close enough to notice her scent would never forget her.

At this time, people placed great importance on a person's scent. Auspicious omens often began with a fragrant aroma, as seen in countless religious stories and moral parables. If in Chinese tales, a person's extraordinary origins were described from birth with various miraculous signs, in the West, the emphasis was on strange, inexplicable fragrances.

Even though people and their environments generally didn't smell pleasant, everyone pursued delightful scents. In popular love poems and knightly tales, the absence of unpleasant odors was a decisive factor in a person's charm, especially for women. A captivating female character's entrance was always accompanied by descriptions of her intoxicating fragrance.

Of course, although stories often feature charming female characters exuding 'sweet and fragrant aromas,' reality often diverges from the tales, at least according to Louisa's experience.

This is related to ethnicity, as well as the dietary habits and hygiene conditions of the Middle Ages. Ethnicity is a given—both white people and black people are famously known for their strong body odors—90% of white people have body odor, and it's even more prevalent among black people, with 99% having it. In contrast, only 10% of Asians suffer from body odor, and the proportion is even lower among East Asians. For example, in China, only about 6% of the population has body odor, and it seems to be even lower in Korea.

Dietary habits also play a significant role, particularly among the nobility. After all, only the nobility could afford to consume large quantities of meat and use a variety of spices. While spices such as fennel, cumin, and pepper are delightful in dishes, if someone's body emits a strong aroma of fennel or cumin... it obviously wouldn't be pleasant.

Then there's the matter of hygiene. Although this period didn't align with the era of minimal bathing before the Crusades (it was commonly believed that the fall of Rome was due to corruption and decadence, with large baths and bathing being representative symbols of decadence, leading to a backlash against bathing as a trend).

Nor was it the filthy years following the Black Death plague (where people believed one of the reasons for the plague's spread was public baths)... but in ancient times, hygiene conditions were far from modern standards.

In such an environment, Louisa seldom met people entirely free of body odor.

As for Louisa herself, she perfectly matched the descriptions in stories, with a fragrant scent—firstly, she was lucky, being among the 10% fortunate enough to be born without body odor. Secondly, her dietary habits were clearly different, eating a very balanced diet with spices used in moderation... As for hygiene, that goes without saying.

She had been using daily hygiene products from the Portable Space supermarket since childhood, and when it wasn't convenient to use those, she used the best cleaning products available for that era. Growing up this way, she, like most modern women, had been 'infused' with the scents of daily hygiene products, carrying a faint fragrance in her daily life.

Under these circumstances, her occasional use of perfume merely added a fresh and pleasant olfactory experience. Unlike those who used various scented balls, sachets, balms, and essential oils back then, whose faint scents couldn't cover their body odor, and when the scent was strong, it mixed with their natural body odor, creating another kind of torture for the senses.

The scented products of that era weren't like those of later generations, specifically designed to mask body odor with deodorizing factors; they merely masked the original odor!

Yet, such strong fragrances were highly valued at the time!

On one hand, it wasn't yet the time to be particular about scent preferences; a strong fragrance was still considered a fragrance, better than the original stench. On the other hand, it greatly displayed the individual's status and wealth. At that time, 'fragrance' itself was a luxury... So, having a noticeable scent wasn't a bad thing, much like how some people who like to flaunt their wealth prefer branded clothing with large logos.

Approaching Louisa and catching her scent, one couldn't help but notice the faint, subtle fragrance she carried. Occasionally, it might resemble the scent of some fragrant flowers or fruits, but it didn't quite match any specific one...

Naturally, everyone assumed she must be someone who deeply valued 'fragrance,' given her 'natural advantage'... Filippo thought the same, hence the gift of frankincense and various aromatic oils.

"This gift, I'm afraid I cannot accept it. It's not that I have any dissatisfaction with you, but as a lady, it's improper to accept such a valuable gift." Louisa herself might not have cared much about this, but given the social norms, she still declined.

One of the expectations for women at the time was to be cautious about gifts from men. The saying 'there's no such thing as a free lunch' implied that a man giving you a valuable gift surely had ulterior motives. And these 'ulterior motives' could very well lead one into dangerous situations (generally referring to being seduced and losing one's 'virtue').

Generally, noblewomen were allowed to accept very few gifts from men, even from relatives or fiancés—things like rings, flowers, belts, or pretty little knives... Relative to the noblewomen's social class, these were indeed 'small gifts.'

"Valuable? No, no, how could you say that, madam? This is just a small token of appreciation from Pebatti Company and myself—as for value, ah! The value of a gift has no standard measure, just like the gift Prince Philip gave you, I heard it was a ruby brooch?"

"For you and the prince, of course, this isn't valuable, and there's nothing improper about you accepting it. But if it were a pair of less noble, less wealthy fiancés, it wouldn't be appropriate for the lady to accept."

"Pebatti Company and you are the same; we've just concluded a deal worth over ten thousand pounds! Compared to that, this gift is no different from the small tokens we usually give to our major clients."

Louisa wasn't really concerned with the 'discipline' imposed on women in the Middle Ages. In normal business dealings, what's wrong with both parties exchanging small gifts? So, after a polite refusal, Filippo provided a reasonable explanation, and she accepted—not because she was swayed by the gift, but because she disliked the back-and-forth over gifts.

Since her childhood in her previous life, she was the type to accept red envelopes (provided it was appropriate to do so); pushing and pulling wasn't her style.

Just two days after accepting the gift, the accountant also brought the proceeds from the deal—the promissory notes, debts, and inventory of goods promised by Pebatti Company, along with a small portion of cash coins.

When the accountant and his team arrived, Louisa happened to be fiddling with the aromatic oils Filippo had gifted. To be honest, the lemon essential oil and cedar aromatic oil were quite nice, but others, like the rose essential oil, were of much lower quality. She thought it was an issue with the extraction method; distilling essential oils was too 'harsh' for some materials.

High temperatures destroyed many components, and the rose essential oil didn't smell like fresh flowers at all, but rather like cooked, even overcooked, floral and grassy scents. The floral scent wasn't very noticeable; instead, a smell similar to roasted sweet potatoes was particularly prominent...

"...What a waste of raw materials!"

Louisa, who had aspired to be a perfumer in her previous life, due to her reincarnation experience and her current situation in the Middle Ages, no longer held onto her past 'dreams.' But seeing the large amounts of raw materials and labor invested, only to produce such poor-quality essential oils, she couldn't help but feel it was a 'waste.'

Setting aside the aromatic oils, she turned to examine the items brought by the accountant and his team. The most eye-catching, of course, was the small portion of cash, packed in several boxes, poured out onto the carpet, forming a pile of gold coins—mainly the most circulated 'gold lilies' of the time, mixed with other gold coins of the same specifications.

These gold coins were small, each weighing only a few grams, and each could be exchanged for 2 sous. The small pile before her amounted to 12,000 coins, which was actually only 1,200 pounds, not a significant portion of the total account (11,000 pounds, with 70% paid this time, amounting to 7,700 pounds)... Yet, this was gold, over ten thousand gold coins, creating a visual impact that was anything but ordinary.

Louisa had to restrain herself from continuously staring at the gold coins, which had already been verified by the accountant and didn't need further inspection, and instead took the inventory to check the accounts. These goods were also part of Pebatti Company's business, used to offset part of the payment. The majority were textiles, counted by the cartload, mostly high-end fabrics like silk, wool, and velvet.

In addition to textiles, there were also many precious furs, such as ermine and nutria pelts. They were sorted by type and origin (since fur quality was often judged by origin at that time), and the list detailed box after box.

There were also colorful tapestries from the Near East, high-quality weapons and armor from Roland, thirty tall and handsome warhorses imported from Toledo, a large quantity of spices, and exquisite and precious dinnerware (a set of green jade cups, ten gilded silver goblets with lids, two large silver jugs, twelve sets of silver spoons and knives, twelve gold plates, twelve silver plates, crystal goblets with gilded stems, a peacock-shaped silver water jug...). In essence, these were all items that only the court would use in large quantities at that time.

The dinnerware list was particularly detailed, and Louisa looked at it a few more times. She guessed this was because the expensive dinnerware used by the court was mostly made of precious metals like gold and silver. Though they had artistic value, their main worth was in the precious metals themselves. In other words, they could be directly used as currency in special circumstances.

This seemed to be quite popular among the nobility. They could be used to impress on ordinary occasions, and in case of emergencies, they could be easily liquidated. Moreover, a generous lord would occasionally need to assist his impoverished knights, and it was more dignified to bestow a piece or two of 'dinnerware' rather than directly giving money.

The list of goods and the agreed-upon offset prices were clearly listed. As Louisa looked at the long column of numbers, she felt a flash of inspiration...

But before she could fully grasp it, her hand moved faster than her mind, and she picked up the debt transfer agreement and bills of exchange. The debt transfer agreement was purchased by the Pebatti Company from Count Balzac's creditors and was now handed over, along with some documents—although Count Balzac disliked this method of payment, it still cleared a debt equivalent to over fifteen hundred pounds.

There were also bills of exchange worth about two thousand pounds. However, this was only an approximate figure, as the relationship between the face value and the actual value of bills of exchange at that time was quite complex. Even if the exchange rate was agreed upon in advance, various intermediate operations could result in different amounts of money actually received.

Most of these bills of exchange were issued by the Pebatti Company itself. Others were issued by individuals or companies friendly with the Pebatti Company, though some had no clear connection. However, they all belonged to the exchange system of Roland merchants, which was still quite credible at that time.

"...These bills of exchange can be directly used as money in the market. If you exchange them for coins with a currency exchanger, it's also possible. However, currency exchangers don't work for free; not only do they charge interest, but you also lose money. We can try to find someone to cash them according to the face value, or at least use them to shop at the place of payment. In that case, you won't lose too much when using them to buy things."

Using these highly credible bills of exchange at the designated payment locations meant they could be directly used as money. Merchants accepting these bills would make a small profit, but they wouldn't overcharge as they might here in Troyes—considering that the designated payment locations for these bills were mostly major cities in Roland. These cities had developed industries and commerce, with an abundance of high-quality goods, and were the primary procurement locations for the Brudo court. It was indeed a good idea.

Louisa nodded. "This is a good idea... Ah, I don't see any issues with the bill you've prepared. Let's take it to the Count. Especially these gold coins and goods, I think he will be very pleased and will reward you—"

Suddenly, Louisa paused. She finally understood the flash of inspiration she had earlier!

"Bookkeeping..." Louisa said meaningfully.

The accountant, having finished his work, didn't understand her meaning: "What? What are you saying? Is there a problem with the bill?"

This accountant was very capable, but he hadn't previously served in the Brudo court. This was mainly because the sugar business bore a strong personal mark of Louisa, and she didn't have to worry about the entanglements of 'old-timers' when doing things. Naturally, she took the opportunity to cultivate her own people. This way, no matter what she did in the future or if she took charge, she wouldn't be without her own people.

Louisa smiled. "No, your bill is completely fine. Let's go see the Count together... When delivering good news, the Count should give you some benefits—I just thought of something else, related to the ongoing cold market. Ah, I even find it amusing myself. Such a simple thing, yet it took me so long to think of it."

The accountant still didn't fully understand what Louisa was referring to, but his intuition as an accountant, as well as his personal shrewdness, made him realize that some people might be in trouble, likely his peers. But what did that have to do with him? So he just smiled and nodded.

"Oh, sometimes it happens. The simpler the problem, the more confusing it can be. It's like a ball of yarn; if you can't find the end, you can't do anything with it. But once you find the end, everything else becomes straightforward."