Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste
Chapter 127: The First Snow

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: The First Snow

However, the concerns of the professors at Royal Langton University were actually redundant. To Perfikot, she was not particularly concerned about whether these professors had offended her.

Or rather, to Perfikot at the moment, who was busy day and night, what she needed were people who could come and do work for her, rather than fretting about whether the other party had offended her before.

After all, every alchemy professor at Royal Langton University was a qualified master alchemist; having one more meant one more person to work for her.

Now in the Northern Territory, the only alchemist capable of being useful was Perfikot herself. As for those assistants she recruited? They’re fine to assist her, but to expect them to independently take charge of any research project was simply wishful thinking.

Although their level of knowledge was indeed adequate, none of them were talented enough to make Perfikot see them in a new light, let alone feel assured enough to entrust them with a research project.

Luckily, while these people were not suitable to lead projects, they were still capable of completing the tasks Perfikot assigned them, which freed her from the burdensome foundational work, allowing her to focus on more important matters.

However, with the first snowfall of winter, various problems brought about by the sudden drop in temperature still left Perfikot feeling overwhelmed.

"How is the situation at the Fjord camp now? Who is in charge?" On the train to the fjord, Perfikot wrapped herself tighter in her fur coat and inquired with Colonel Richard, who was sitting opposite her.

The train carriage was not insulated, and in this snowy weather, the carriage felt like an ice cellar, so even the mighty Northern Guardian could only keep warm with heavy clothing.

But at this moment, Perfikot was very fortunate that before the snow, the construction company had finally completed the railway from the fjord to Eagle’s Beak Cliff and from Eagle’s Beak Cliff to the coal mine, and the coal mine had also started operations.

Otherwise, facing the current situation, she would be even more passive.

"At the first moment after the snowfall last night, Mr. Foster rushed to the military camp to command the soldiers in clearing the snow from the camp," Colonel Richard reported to Perfikot, with a look of concern on his face, "but the snow is really too heavy. When I left the camp this morning, tents had already collapsed, although fortunately, there were no casualties."

The wind and snow in the Northern Territory were unmatched by those in the Empire’s mainland. Even though Colonel Richard was mentally prepared before coming, he was still shocked by the heavy snow last night and felt somewhat at a loss.

This was a very serious dereliction for a competent officer.

But for someone who had lived in the Empire’s mainland from a young age and had never seen blizzards, it was understandable for him to be scared.

"To live in the Northern Territory, such wind and snow will become the norm in the future." Perfikot shook her head, gazing gloomily out the train window, where the unending blizzard was pattering against it, making a rustling sound. "It’s also my oversight. I should have had you reinforce the camp."

Although Perfikot had made ample preparations for the wind and snow, even she did not expect that the first snow they encountered in the Northern Territory would be this heavy. Last night, she was also startled when she got up to check after hearing the news of the snowfall.

So she would not blame Colonel Richard for his loss of composure in this matter. Something she herself couldn’t achieve, she naturally wouldn’t demand from others.

"This can’t be blamed on you. Who could have imagined that the wind and snow in the Northern Territory would be so heavy? You have already had us well prepared; it’s us who underestimated the wind and snow of the Northern Territory." Colonel Richard dared not let Perfikot take the responsibility upon herself and quickly reassured her.

However, Perfikot did not care about this. She was not one to get caught up in self-blame.

She merely looked seriously at Colonel Richard and said earnestly, "The most important thing right now isn’t to blame whose responsibility it is, but to find a way to solve the problem.

This snowfall is only the beginning. We have an entire long winter to get through. Whether it’s the soldiers’ winter clothes or the coal for heating, these can’t go wrong."

"Rest assured, I will personally oversee these and ensure there are no problems," Colonel Richard promised with a solemn attitude.

He knew all too well that this was something that allowed for no jokes. If there really was a problem, it wouldn’t just be one or two people freezing to death.

Besides, Colonel Richard also thought of another issue: "Count, in such cold weather, surely many soldiers will suffer from frostbite or illness, but the Fjord camp lacks adequate medical facilities. The accompanying military doctor is just one person, absolutely incapable of handling the treatment for so many people. We need more doctors!"

"Medical care is indeed an issue. Transfer the sick and frostbitten soldiers by train to the Eagle’s Beak Base first, as for the doctors..." Perfikot was also troubled by this issue.

It’s not that she didn’t want to hire more doctors, but there simply weren’t that many qualified doctors available.

In an era when even anesthesia wasn’t used in surgeries, hoping for enough qualified doctors to be waiting for hire was as unrealistic as expecting a Flying Airship full of various experts to parachute in and solve all the present issues for her.

However, when this thought surfaced in her mind, Perfikot didn’t completely dismiss it as a fantasy because she had included a request in a secret message to Eldest Princess Annie, asking her to hire scientists under the guise of a polar scientific expedition and form an expedition team to come to the Northern Territory.

If everything went smoothly, there might indeed be a Flying Airship’s worth of scientists coming to help her solve problems.

Of course, these were just thoughts. If she relied on this to help her get through the current crisis, then Perfikot would indeed be too naive.

Rather than hoping for someone else to help her solve problems, she’d be better off thinking about what she could do herself, relying on her efforts to get through it.

The small train soon arrived at the Fjord camp. As Perfikot stepped out of the carriage, she was immediately met with a wind cutting like a knife, making her shiver involuntarily.

The original camp was almost completely covered by the heavy snow, but it was still possible to see soldiers diligently clearing the snow within the camp to prevent it from being entirely buried.

"Count, I am Captain White, ordered to welcome your arrival." An officer in military uniform was standing on the platform, seemingly snow-laden from having waited a long time.

When he saw Perfikot, he immediately stood at attention and saluted, while the squad of soldiers behind him quickly presented arms in a welcoming gesture.

Perfikot nodded to him and then said, "There’s no need for such formalities. How is the camp situation? Take me there and talk as we go."

With that, she took the lead out of the station and headed toward the camp.