Perfikot and Eldest Princess Annie are not the kind of people who dawdle.
So the next day, after the Eldest Princess woke up, she and Perfikot took her steam carriage into the city, with Perfikot specifically bringing her Flying Airship model.
As for the warhorse she rode last night? The Royal Guards are still following behind; any cavalry officer can easily take the reins.
After entering the city, Eldest Princess Annie first instructed a guard cavalryman to send the horse back to the Royal Stables in the palace, then took Perfikot to the Royal Langton University.
They were going to visit several professors from the Alchemy Department at Langton University.
Last night, Perfikot and Eldest Princess Annie discussed meticulously, deciding to start by creating momentum and issuing a commission to the Alchemy Department professors at Langton University for the development of resilient materials.
"Little Perfikot, I remember your Flying Airship order was placed at the Royal Shipyard just yesterday, right? Making it without resilient materials — is that okay?" Eldest Princess Annie asked with concern as she looked at the Flying Airship model Perfikot carried.
In response to this question, Perfikot pointed to the model and said, "I considered this in the design phase, so I designed an insulation layer on the outer layer of the Flying Airship."
As she spoke, Perfikot specifically opened one side of the model, allowing Eldest Princess Annie to see the internal structure of the Flying Airship.
Perfikot dismantled a bulkhead from the outer wall of the Flying Airship, held it in her hand, and said to Eldest Princess Annie, "What I ordered from the Royal Shipyard were only some parts, as for the other parts, I can actually make them myself.
But now I have the support of Her Majesty the Empress, which means some things I don't have to do personally, so I can focus on more important matters."
Hearing this, Eldest Princess Annie suddenly remembered that Perfikot is the youngest genius Alchemist in Langton, and developing resilient materials is indeed not a problem for her.
It's just that her age, not yet sixteen, and her gender often lead people to overlook this fact.
"Are you going to the New Continent?" Clearing unnecessary thoughts from her mind, Eldest Princess Annie inquired about Perfikot's next plan.
"Hmm, I plan to stay there for a while." Perfikot nodded slightly. Although the plan has changed now, her schedule has largely remained unchanged: "I need to obtain information on the mineral resources distribution on the New Continent from the Empire Survey Company. This way, when I take the ship to the New Continent, I can use this time to analyze the data and determine suitable locations to build shelters.
This way, I can start work as soon as I arrive at the New Continent, without wasting time on-site exploration. The Empire has already wasted too much time; I must make every second count."
Hearing these words, Eldest Princess Annie deeply agreed.
If the Noble Council had responded correctly when Perfikot first warned them, the situation wouldn't be as dire as it is now.
This also made her increasingly concerned about Perfikot, leading her to ask with care, "Do you need anything else? My mother has given me the authority to deploy the Imperial Guard Knights. I can send them to protect you on your journey to the New Continent.
Although the colonial suppression war is progressing smoothly, there are inevitably some disturbances, and you need someone to protect you."
"In this regard, there's not much to worry about. I plan to help Grandpa Fu break through the Knight's barrier and advance to Commendation Knight, and his combat strength will be sufficient to ensure my safety." Perfikot attempted to decline the kindness of Eldest Princess Annie, but halfway through speaking, she changed her tone: "However, the Imperial Guard Knights represent imperial power, which might have unexpected benefits for me, so I'll take them along."
Previously, when the emperors of the Victor Empire personally led their armies, the Imperial Guard Knights served as the emperor's special envoys to deliver important military orders. To some extent, they were well-suited to intimidate and deter those with ulterior motives.
Perfikot had truly had enough of those who were duplicitous; instead of wasting time wrangling with them, it would be better to use direct military deterrence.
"Besides, this time I will first set up the basic infrastructure of the shelter and also need to mine some resources. Related projects and procedures, I would trouble you, Aunt Annie, to inform the relevant companies in the colonies to prepare in advance." Perfikot said to Eldest Princess Annie.
"No problem, I've already said, you can mobilize any resources of the Royal Family." Eldest Princess Annie reiterated, but at the same time, she showed a worried expression and asked Perfikot, "Little Perfikot, do you think we can save the Empire?"
Although she was full of confidence in Perfikot, Eldest Princess Annie was still not confident in dealing with this disaster.
After all, according to Perfikot's prophecy, this would be an apocalypse-level disaster; even if the Empire used all its strength, it might not save many people.
This made her involuntarily ask Perfikot a soul-searching question: "How many can we save? And how many must we abandon?"
Eldest Princess Annie clearly knew that saving everyone was impossible.
But she wanted to save more people, especially those ordinary poor people who originally had no chance of survival.
Facing Eldest Princess Annie's inquiry, Perfikot's gaze drifted outside the window, watching the ordinary people working hard and bustling for their livelihoods. Her tone was somewhat ethereal as she said, "One shelter can accommodate approximately three thousand to fifty thousand people, the number will vary depending on different environments and actual conditions, but it's generally in this range.
The current total population of the Empire's mainland is about twenty million, and the population of the overseas colonies is ten times this. To save more people, more shelters must be built."
At this point, Perfikot retracted her gaze and looked at Eldest Princess Annie with a serious and earnest tone: "Just the population of Langton City alone would require at least twenty shelters, not to mention the entire Empire mainland and overseas colonies. This requires a massive amount of resources and manpower, requiring the entire Empire to give its all."
Perfikot's meaning was clear: To save more people, more resources must be allocated.
"But now, the specially established Crisis Response Committee of the Empire is still entangled over trivial benefits." Eldest Princess Annie's voice was filled with a sigh, yet this reinforced her determination: "Little Perfikot, you proceed with your plan. I will try to persuade Duke Gloster to support you! As for those parasites… It's time for the Empire's nobility to prune the branches!"