Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste
Chapter 156

Chapter 156: Chapter 156

Compared to the long sea voyage with Perfikot to the New Continent, the flight speed of the Flying Airship is nothing short of an era-defining efficiency.

In less than 50 hours of flight time, the cityscape of Langton City had already appeared in Perfikot’s sight.

Gazing at the city below, shrouded in the smoke from industrial production, Perfikot felt an almost otherworldly sensation.

This scene of an industrialized city belching smoke, the entire city enveloped in a haze, was a memory she had from her childhood before she crossed into this world, and even then, it was becoming rare by the time she was in elementary school.

While such a scene is commonplace in this world too, the difference in perspective between looking up from the ground at a cloud-covered city and looking down from above is stark, and the feelings they evoke are entirely different.

"Humans..." Perfikot couldn’t help but sigh. Industrialization brought transformation to the entire world, but it also made humanity pay an unimaginable price.

Before the Industrial Revolution, humans had very limited impact on the world, relying more on nature’s whims for survival. Even the largest cities in the world had very limited destruction on nature.

However, with the progression of the Industrial Revolution, human productivity developed unprecedentedly, and the degree of destruction humans wrought on nature outstripped that of the past.

One could even say that in the hundred years following the Industrial Revolution, the damage humans caused to nature exceeded that of the prior thousand years. And as technology continues to advance, the level of destruction will only increase until the changes in the natural environment threaten human survival, prompting a shift in focus.

In fact, Langton, as the capital of the Empire, was on a significant scale already facing this problem.

Much like how Perfikot preferred living in her family’s manor in the suburbs rather than the city’s villa, the poor air quality led many nobles to move to live in the suburbs and countryside.

If there are no unforeseen events, perhaps soon people will recognize the myriad problems brought by the deterioration of urban environments.

Yet, it seems this world’s humans may not have the time to ponder this issue, for the impending apocalypse is enough to fully let everyone understand what it means when no one can survive if crises are not mitigated.

Perfikot’s sigh only lasted for a short while. As the Flying Airship gradually approached the city, she gazed at the sprawling city beneath her, and her thoughts slowly returned to the pressing matters at hand.

War, this troublesome issue.

For this war, of which she still hadn’t figured out the reason it broke out, Perfikot felt more irritated by the disruption of her plans than any other feelings.

She wasn’t worried about being unable to resolve this issue.

What a joke. With the Flying Airship and Steam Knights at her disposal, if she couldn’t lead the Empire to victory in this war, she’d be better off finding a pit and burying herself. How could she talk about saving the apocalyptic crisis then!

Not to mention that on her way back, using the uninterrupted time on the Flying Airship, she further refined her plan and gained enough confidence to end this war in a short time.

Even though her methods might be too harsh and brutal, if this war dragged on for a year or more, aside from the impact on the entire apocalyptic response plan, merely the resources consumed and time wasted are unacceptable for humanity at this moment.

Therefore, she must achieve a victory that is shocking enough to bring the three countries that initiated this war back to the negotiating table.

This victory must have enough deterrent power; even using Steam Knights to defeat their armies in direct confrontation wouldn’t suffice.

One reason is the enemies haven’t assembled all their forces. Even though they declared war, only the regular armies of the three countries were in motion.

Although these troops are the elite of the three countries, their numbers aren’t small. But for a country in the industrialized era, as soon as war mobilization begins, they can field armies several times this size until they exhaust their country’s human resources.

So simply using Steam Knights to assault the enemy troops, killing tens of thousands, is meaningless.

One could even say it would have the opposite effect, making the three countries fully aware of the strength of Steam Knights. They might think if they don’t defeat the Empire now or force it to the negotiation table, the Empire would pulverize them in the future.

This is why Perfikot came up with the current plan; she must deliver a heart-wrenching loss to the three countries, leaving them not only incapable of sparking another war but also feeling utter despair, forcing them to surrender.

Even if this means she really has to slaughter millions.

"But to do so, I must convince the Military Department to muster the entire Empire’s strength to my cause..." Perfikot revisited her plan once again. Though it was her own invention, she still felt the genuine threat human technological progress posed to the world.

If it were before the Industrial Revolution, even if she had this idea, she wouldn’t have been able to implement it.

Only a country that’s truly entered the industrialized age can fulfill the prerequisites needed for her insanely audacious plan.

"Next is to persuade the Military Department and council to support my plan. The Noble Council, those insects, are really tricky!" Perfikot shook her head. Although she had enough power to deal with those noble pests in the Empire’s capital, she, however, couldn’t do so considering various constraints.

Contrarily, no matter how reluctant or dissatisfied she felt inside, Perfikot still had to play along diplomatically with those noble pests in the council, at least for appearances.

After all, the Empire hasn’t reached a point where she can do whatever she wants, and even if she issues such a command, whether the White Bear Knight Order would execute it is questionable.

"Perhaps I should create a batch of autonomous Steam Knights for myself?" Perfikot couldn’t help but entertain the idea in her mind.

She had no certainty about what the future world would look like. At this moment, having a reliable armed force, even if it were just machines, that would never betray her could provide a significant sense of security.

Although now Perfikot and the Empire can be said to be close, whether within the Royal Family, Noble Council, or the military, there are people supporting her, one could even say the majority support her.

However... once her plan is successfully executed, Perfikot finds it hard to imagine how many people will still support her then.

After all, by that time, she will make countless people feel fear and dread. Perfikot didn’t believe that many people would still support her, and there wouldn’t be anyone opposing or resistant.