Perfikot's steam carriage encountered some minor trouble when entering the campus of Langton University.
Due to the previous dispute over the matter of applying for the position of alchemy professor, Perfikot had some unpleasant interactions with Langton University's board of trustees, so the gatekeepers were instructed not to allow her access to Langton University anymore.
However, the gatekeepers' obstruction was meaningless. The full name of Langton University is the Royal Chartered Langton Comprehensive Academic Research University College, commonly referred to as Royal Langton University.
This means Langton University is one of the assets of the Royal Family. In fact, Her Majesty the Empress is the current chancellor of the university, although she usually holds it as an honorary title without having to fulfill the related duties.
Holding the Empress's mandate, Perfikot, in a way, is the representative of the Empress.
In other words, she represents the owner of the school, one of the board members, and the current chancellor, leaving the gatekeepers with no reason to stop her from entering the campus, not even to attempt blocking her carriage.
Moreover, Eldest Princess Annie is in Perfikot's carriage, and it's simply impossible to ask Her Highness to get off and walk into the campus, isn't it?
So faced with the virtually unstoppable steam carriage, the gatekeepers had no choice but to step aside, allowing Perfikot to drive straight into the campus.
Perfikot wasn't here to cause trouble today, so after passing through the gates, she headed straight for her destination—the Alchemy Department.
"Ah! Miss Brandelis! Welcome to our university!" The professors of the Alchemy Department showed a very welcoming attitude upon seeing Perfikot's arrival, their joy so evident that they even forgot to first welcome Eldest Princess Annie.
However, Eldest Princess Annie did not mind. After the professors paid their respects to her, she relinquished control to Perfikot.
Everyone moved to the reception room of the Alchemy Department, and after everyone was seated, Perfikot spoke of her intentions: "I am entrusted by Her Majesty the Empress to prepare for a scientific expedition to the Arctic, with intended full support from the Royal Family."
Considering the harsh environment of the Arctic, adequate preparatory work must be completed before the official departure, with cold-resistant materials being the top priority. Therefore, I plan to commission the members of the Alchemy Department to undertake research and development in this area."
"An Arctic expedition?" Upon hearing Perfikot's words, the professors of the Alchemy Department showed interest, just as she had anticipated.
Although not everyone is captivated by the Arctic, participating in this expedition would undoubtedly be a chance to achieve great fame.
For these professors, material conditions are not lacking, but concerns over fame and fortune are less easily dismissed since, at their level, these are the primary pursuits.
"Yes, presently the polar regions remain human exclusion zones, and up until now, no person has set foot in these life-restricted zones at the poles. Hence, with royal backing, we plan to launch a challenge to conquer the Arctic and imprint humanity's footprints there!" Perfikot, though not fond of socializing, is after all a transmigrator, equipped with some basic social skills and abilities: "Moreover, this will be a large-scale scientific expedition. According to our current plans, we will establish a permanent scientific research station in the Arctic and deploy scientists for long-term residence, facilitating the investigation and study of the ecological environment and geological features of the Arctic."
Given the harsh Arctic climate, cold-resistant materials are essential for our ability to venture into the Arctic. Therefore, I hope to entrust you with developing new cold-resistant materials to withstand the Arctic cold."
Perfikot's words greatly stirred the interest of these professors, with many starting to discuss cold-resistant materials immediately.
Perfikot is quite familiar with the professors of the Alchemy Department, so she didn't continue with pleasantries and directly stated her requirements for cold-resistant materials: "Regarding cold-resistant materials, we currently need to consider three different applications."
First is for clothing. The harsh climate of the Arctic requires clothing that can be windproof and warm, resisting the severe cold, so there must be a lightweight and soft cold-resistant material that can be fashioned into garments.
Second is for constructing buildings, as establishing a permanent scientific research station necessitates addressing the heating issues within, since we can't rely solely on stoves for warmth in the extreme cold of the Arctic, meaning the buildings must have excellent insulation.
The third is for making various tools, including vehicles to be used in the Arctic. I've found that iron becomes brittle at around minus forty degrees, losing its expected toughness, while steel manages up to minus seventy degrees but is no exception.
Thus, we must develop a new material that remains unbrittle in temperatures of at least minus eighty degrees, otherwise, everything would shatter upon contact, which is simply not viable."
The professors of the Alchemy Department quickly grasped Perfikot's message regarding the three requirements she mentioned.
This is not a complex issue to understand, nor does anyone fail to comprehend why such measures are needed.
More than why such measures are needed, they are interested in Perfikot's point about iron becoming brittle at minus forty degrees.
It's widely known that increased temperatures soften originally hard iron and steel, as steel smelting relies on this principle. However, it has never been considered that excessively low temperatures could also make steel brittle.
In usual natural conditions, minus forty-degree temperatures are relatively rare, especially before the Industrial Revolution when such temperature regions were inhospitable to human survival except for exiled prisoners, with no one living in such harsh environments.
And even those exiled prisoners, no matter how knowledgeable, couldn't conduct research in such conditions.
"It's not a problem," said a respected older professor, after some discussion with other professors, opening the dialogue with Perfikot: "Besides the applications mentioned, are there any other requirements?"
"Yes, cost-saving!" Perfikot raised her index finger, addressing the professors: "This is the sole requirement beyond application. The Empire intends to open polar routes, so cold-resistant materials could be widely used; therefore, please control the cost of these materials to be affordable for ordinary people and feasible for mass industrial production."