"From... the Western Region?" Margaery asked curiously. "I didn't know that there was a good harbor here that could lead to the sea."
"Not yet, but we can build one."
Her eyes widened. "Your Highness, are you serious?"
"Of course, we should be able to start building it next spring." Roland smiled.
In this era, without exception, seaports were all natural. A man-made harbor was a huge project that required the transformation of the natural landscape, which was almost impossible to achieve.
But now he had the full support of Tilly. When the construction of the houses on Sleeping Island was completed, Lotus would return to the Western Region again. At that time, the demonic beast disaster would recede, and it would be a suitable day to open a port.
He got up and pointed to the map hanging behind him. "There is a shoal in the south of Border Town. The depth of the water is ideal, and the area is also very suitable. It is enough to accommodate all the facilities needed for the port. As long as it is slightly modified and the coastal mountains are flattened, I can transport goods from the Western Region by land."
"Transform the shoal... flatten the mountains. Why do I have the illusion that these amazing things are not difficult when they come from your mouth?" Margaery said with great interest. "But, do you have a merchant fleet? You should know that sea ships are very different from river sailing ships. "
"Not yet," Roland said, spreading out his hands. "That's why I hope you can participate in it."
"You want me to sail the ship?"
"I'll be responsible for both transportation and sales," he added. "The Western Region will only provide goods."
This was equivalent to the exclusive distribution rights in the Fjords. With Margaery's experience, she could naturally see the profits involved. Organizing his own caravan to sell to the Fjords could naturally make more money, but Roland did not want to invest too much energy and manpower in this area. He just wanted to get new funds as soon as possible to maintain the rapid development of his territory. Once the primitive accumulation was completed, the introduction of credit currency was only a matter of time.
Sure enough, the businesswoman blinked and asked excitedly, "Entrust all of it to me?"
"If the price is reasonable." Roland nodded. "If you are willing to act as an agent for the overseas trade of the Western Region, we can talk about it in detail. The scope of sale is limited to the Fjords, and the price must not be lower than the current selling price to the Crescent Moon Bay Caravan."
"Of course, a steamship that can sail continuously without relying on the wind is worth the high price of those cross-sea caravans." Her tone was full of confidence. "If we sell it directly to the Fjord Islands, I'm sure we can double the price."
"And we can share the extra profits," Roland said with a smile, "In addition, other than the steam engine, there's also this." He clapped his hands, and the guard waiting outside the hall immediately came in with a plate. There were four or five crystal bottles on the plate, each only the size of a thumb.
"This is …"
"Open it and smell it."
Margaery curiously opened the cork on the top of the bottle and sniffed it. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh my god, you actually made perfume!"
"I wonder how it compares to the products of the Alchemist Workshop in King's City?"
"The fragrance seems to be stronger." She held the bottle and looked at it from left to right, apparently unable to put it down. "Is this made by the Border Town Alchemy Workshop?"
"Almost." Roland also picked up a bottle and put it in the palm of his hand. According to his own requirements, the perfume bottle was made of crystal glass with excellent transparency, and its shape was a standard six-sided prism. With a slight turn of the bottle, under the light, the perfume inside would change into different shades of color, extremely beautiful. According to the sales philosophy of the later generations, exquisite packaging could greatly improve the quality of the product itself. As a hit product to open the Fjords market, he naturally had to treat it carefully.
Compared to the steam engine, perfume could be described as a real low-cost product. When Evelyn realized that the "spiciest white wine" was also a kind of wine, high-concentration alcohol was continuously produced from her hands, and even the last step of distillation was omitted. As for roses or other flowers with unique fragrances, they were also transformed by Leaf into oily products. Only two or three of them were needed to be mashed, and the strong fragrance of the flowers could fill a jar of alcohol.
"If you like it, these bottles are for you." He put the perfume back on the plate.
"Really?" Margaery laughed. "Then I won't stand on ceremony."
"I heard that this thing can be sold for a good price in the Fjords?"
"You should know that the annual sales of perfume by the Alchemist Workshop in King's City are very limited. The supply of more than a thousand bottles can't meet the demand. Those big merchants are especially … particular about the fishy smell on their bodies, so perfume is a regular product for them. After selling it at the price of five Golden Dragons in King's City, it can be sold for fifteen to twenty Golden Dragons in the Fjords. In fact, a large part of the perfume sold to other areas will also be taken away and resold by the merchants across the sea. "
At this point, Margaery paused, "I don't know how many bottles of perfume your alchemy workshop can produce in a year?"
"If the raw materials are sufficient, it should be about ten times that of the Alchemist Workshop in King's City," Roland deliberately lowered the number – he didn't want to sell his profiteering goods like cabbages, nor did he want to earn only four or five thousand gold coins a year. As a competitive product alongside the steam engine, he hoped that perfume could bring back an equal amount of profit.
"…" The female merchant was speechless for a while, then sighed with emotion. "Your territory is really full of incredible things."
"So, are you willing to act as my agent to sell these goods?"
"Of course, Your Highness," she stood up and bowed. "For me, this is also a rare opportunity."
…
After reaching a general agreement, the specific details and terms of the contract were handed over to Barov to discuss in detail. Roland returned to his office, ready to write a letter to Theo, who was lurking in King's City.
Whether it was to take the initiative to overthrow Timothy or to open up a new trade route, it was a two-legged plan. He didn't want to put all his eggs in one basket. In case his attack failed, he also hoped to continue to obtain saltpeter.
This way, was to produce it himself.
In the letter, in addition to mentioning his own intention to attack, another point was to let Theo contact the saltpeter factories around King's City and purchase a group of saltpeter workers to send to the Western Territory.
This year, the saltpeter merchants certainly didn't have a good time. While Timothy prohibited the export of saltpeter, he also forced them to sell to the Alchemist Workshop at a low price. As a result, the profits of the saltpeter factories would naturally fall again and again. Roland believed that as long as the remuneration was generous enough, it wouldn't be difficult to buy the factory along with the workers.
The principle of saltpeter production wasn't complicated. Now that the population of Border Town was constantly increasing, it could also satisfy the large amount of excrement needed by the saltpeter factories. The conditions for self-production had already been met. Before defeating Timothy, it would undoubtedly be the most stable and secure point of security.
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