Король расхитителей гробниц - Глава 17
He himself had already made a significant contribution to the success of these exquisite perfumes. Since he had already recorded these perfumes...
He kept his little notebooks, storing them in the vault and on his chest, no longer doubting that they were entirely...
It belongs to me.
However, Grenouille also benefited from the methodical working approach that Baldini forced him to adopt.
Although he himself does not rely on this working method, he never checks the records to replicate a perfume in weeks or months.
He would look at an old molecular formula because he would never forget the smell. But he learned while being forced to use measuring cups and balances.
He learned the language of cosmetics stores, and he instinctively felt that this language knowledge would be useful to him. (Shortly...)
A few weeks later, he not only knew the names of all the spices in Baldini's factory, but he was also able to make perfumes himself.
Write down the molecular formula, or conversely, transform someone else's molecular formula and description into perfumes and other fragrance products.
Not only that! After learning to express his perfume-making ideas using grams and drops, he no longer needed intermediate experiments.
The steps are as follows. If Baldini were to instruct him to create a new perfume, whether for handkerchiefs, sachets, or cosmetics...
Grenouille stopped grabbing his perfume bottles and face powder and instead sat down at the table to write down the molecular formulas.
He learned how to expand upon molecular formulas, from mental images of scents to the creation of perfumes. For him,
This was a detour. In the eyes of the world, and indeed in Baldini's eyes, it was progress. Grenouille
The miracle remained unchanged. But now that he knew the financing for the perfume, he had no reason to be afraid anymore.
The more proficient Grenouille became in mastering the techniques and methods of the craft, the more he could utilize the techniques commonly used in cosmetics stores.
The more normally he expressed himself, the less fear and suspicion Baldini harbored towards him. Soon, Baldini, though still...
He is considered an exceptionally talented expert in scent, but is no longer seen as a second Frangipani or a...
Grenouille was quite pleased with the dreadful magician. He used the principles of craftsmanship as a popular disguise.
When weighing the ingredients, and when shaking the preparation bottle and gently applying the test white handkerchief, he used his own sample method.
He was there to coax Baldini. He could almost as gracefully flick a handkerchief as his master, deftly making it fly past his nose.
Even occasionally, during intervals when the dosage was perfectly prepared, he would make mistakes, to the point that Baldini had to point out that he had forgotten to...
The filter was found to be faulty; the balance was not calibrated, and the molecular formula for ambergris, which had an alarmingly high percentage, was incorrectly written... Pointing out the error is to...
He then corrected the mistakes in a targeted manner. In this way, he successfully made Baldini indulge in fantasy: in the end, everything was...
That's how it went. He really didn't want to frighten Baldini. He genuinely wanted to learn from him. Not how to formulate perfumes,
It's not about learning the exact components of a perfume; of course, it's not about that. No one in the world can do that.
What instruction he received, and the ingredients available in Baldini's shop were far from sufficient for him to create a truly great perfume.
His vision. What he helped Baldini achieve in the realm of scent, and what he himself envisioned, one day...
Comparing the scents he could achieve was child's play. But he knew that for this he needed two indispensable prerequisites.
The first condition is the guise of citizenship; at the very least, he must be a hired hand, relying on this identity for protection to indulge in...
To pursue one's original passion and achieve one's original goals undisturbed. Another aspect is the understanding and application of those techniques and methods.
This refers to the knowledge of the working methods people use to create, isolate, concentrate, preserve, and further utilize perfumes. Because...
Although Grenouille actually possessed one of the best noses in the world, both in terms of analysis and prediction, he also...
It is not possible to possess a scent in the same way it possesses an object.
Therefore, he was happy to have people teach him these techniques: boiling soap in lard, sewing with washable leather.
The gloves were made with a powder of barley flour, almond flour, and violet root, and seasoned with charcoal, potassium nitrate, and sandalwood.
Wood shavings were rolled into incense sticks, and myrrh, benzoin, and glass powder were pressed into oriental pills. Incense insect glue and cinnamon were kneaded into...
The fragrant pills were made by sifting and preparing "the emperor's powder" from crushed rose leaves, yellow lavender flowers, and cascarilla bark.
Stirring white and vein-blue powders to make lipstick, adding water to create the finest nail powder and mint-flavored toothpaste.
Powder, used to formulate wig solutions, corn drops, skin whitening agents for freckles, belladonna extract for eye use, and men's sting blister ointment.
And feminine hygiene vinegar… producing all kinds of skin lotions, powders, hygiene products and beauty medicines, but also making tea and incense.
Mixed powders, liqueurs, brain extract, etc.—in short, Baldini taught him this comprehensive ancestral knowledge.
Although Grenouille didn't approach the subject with any particular interest, he learned it exceptionally well without complaint.
On the contrary, he showed a special enthusiasm when Baldini taught him how to make formulations, infusions, and flavorings. He was willing to go to great lengths...
I painstakingly crushed the bitter almond kernels with a screw press, pounded the ambergris granules, split the ambergris tubers with a kitchen knife, and used a magnetic...
He shredded the violet roots into powder, then soaked the powder in the finest alcohol. He learned to use a separating funnel...
This funnel can separate the pure oil extracted from lemon peels from the cloudy pulp. He learned to air-dry the lemons on a grid.
Herbs and flowers, their rustling leaves preserved in jars and boxes, sealed with wax. He learned to separate hair conditioner.
The technology of oil and its manufacturing, filtration, concentration, purification and distillation.
Of course, Baldini's factory was not yet suitable for large-scale production of flower and herb oils. And indeed, there wasn't enough in Paris.
Sufficient quantities of fresh plants. Sometimes fresh rosemary, sage, mint, or fennel seeds can be found cheaply at the market.
Or perhaps a large quantity of iris bulbs, collard grass roots, and parsley, nutmeg, or dried cloves arrived; Baldini's chemistry...
His blood vessels immediately began to boil, and he took out his large copper still, topped with a condenser—just as he himself...
Howe said it was a so-called Moorish head-shaped still—forty years ago, he had used this pot in Leicester.
Lavender was distilled in the wild on the southern slopes of the Gurría Mountains and the Luberon Plateau. When Grenouille chops the herbs, he distills them.
At that time, Baldini worked very quickly—because speed was key to this kind of work—in the built-up stove.
He lit a fire and placed the copper pot on the stove. He filled the pot with enough water. He threw the finely chopped vegetables into the pot and poured in the double-walled...
The Moorish head-shaped still was mounted on a sleeve, connected to two flexible hoses for water inlet and outlet. This system was used for purifying cooling water.
He said he installed the device himself later, because at that time people in the wild naturally just used fans to keep warm.
He cooled it down. Then he blew on the fire to make it burn brighter.
The water in the pot began to drain. After a while, it seeped out, first slowly flowing into the sea, then dripping, and then like a thin thread from...
The water trickled from the third tube of the Moorish head-shaped still into the Florentine flask that Baldini had prepared. Initially this...
The distillate didn't look very appealing; it resembled a thin, cloudy soup. But gradually, mainly by changing the filling bottles...
After the new bottle was placed aside, the distillate separated into two different liquids: the bottom layer was water containing flowers or grass, and the top layer floated...
A thick layer of oil is applied. If one carefully pours the fragrant floral liquid from the spout of the Florentine jug,
What remains is pure oil, the essence of the plant, and a very strong fragrance.
Grenouille was captivated by the process. If anything in his life had stirred such passion within him...
The emotion—of course—is not overtly expressed, but rather subtly concealed, like the burning passion in a cold flame.
Love—that is the fragrant soul extracted from all things using fire, water, steam, and ingeniously conceived machines.
The method. This aromatic soul, namely aromatic oils, is the essence of these things, and the only thing that interests him.
And the rest: flowers, leaves, shells, fruits, colors, beauty, vitality, and the superfluous things hidden within them.
He didn't care about the substance. It was just an outer shell and a burden. It was meant to be thrown away.
Sometimes, when the distillate becomes clear and watery, they remove the still from the fire and uncover it.
Then pour out the overcooked stuff. This stuff looked soft and mushy, grayish-white like softened straw, and resembled small birds...
The bones, like vegetables that have been cooked for too long, are cloudy, broken into thin strands, and mushy, almost unrecognizable in their original shape.
It was as nauseating as a rotting corpse, completely losing its original odor. They dumped this rotten stuff out the window into the river.
Inside. Then they added fresh plants, poured in water, and put the still back on the stove. The still began to boil again.
The plants, their foliage flowing through the air, create a Florentine atmosphere—often like this, working through the night. (Photo by Baldini)
Watching the stove, Grenouille gazed at the Florentine pot, finding little else to do in the time between changes of operation.
They sat on stools around the fire, both captivated by the rough, round wooden barrel.
Although for different reasons, Baldini admired the intense heat of the fire, the flames, and the shimmering red glow of the bronze; he liked...
I love the crackling of the burning firewood, and the sound of the water flowing in the still, because it's just like before. Now, people can...
To his delight! He took a bottle of wine from the shop, for the heat made him thirsty, and so he drank the wine...
This was the same as before. Then he began to tell the story of what happened back then, and he went on and on. He talked about the Spanish struggle for the throne.
In the war for succession, he fought on the side against Austria and played a decisive role.
He spoke of the Jamisards, with whom he had wreaked havoc in the Cévennes Mountains, and of the people of Estrel.
A Huguenot's daughter, drugged by the scent of yellow clover, gave herself to him; she recounted how he nearly caused a forest fire.
A fire—if this fire were to break out, it would engulf almost the entirety of Provence in flames; that is absolutely true.
Because at that time a strong northwest wind was blowing. He also talked about distillation, and always mentioned nighttime.
In the countryside, under the moonlight, drinking wine and listening to the cicadas. He talked about a type of lavender oil he produced that was very...
Exquisite beauty strengthens the body, so much so that some are willing to pay silver for it; speaking of his time studying in Genoa, speaking of...
Wandering through the ages and the city of Grasse, in this city, perfume bartenders, like shoemakers elsewhere, prepared some of their goods.
The wealthy in Hong Kong live like feudal lords, residing in luxurious houses surrounded by tree-lined gardens.
There was also a rooftop terrace with a wainscoting dining room where they ate from porcelain bowls with gold cutlery.
etc……
Old Baldini told these stories, drinking wine, his cheeks flushed from the wine and the intense firelight.
He became famous for reveling in his story. But Grenouille mostly sat in the shadows, completely oblivious.
He was absent-minded. He wasn't interested in the old stories; only the new process before him piqued his interest. His eyes remained fixed.
He stared intently at the small tube atop the distillation still; the distillate flowed out like a thin ray of light.
Looking at it, it's as if I am a distillation pot, boiling just like the pot in front of me, from which flows a kind of...