Chapter 305: Chapter 301 New Page
"Why would I destroy someone else’s country?" Perfikot irritably rolled her eyes at these old codgers, silently cursing that their minds were only filled with war.
She understood, however, that her words just now probably scared these old men.
So she softened her tone and said, "I have only one request for you: Don’t bother me for no reason! I know you want new toys, but the Empire... no, the state of the world and humanity doesn’t allow us to focus elsewhere. We must first think about solving the problem of the apocalyptic winter.
Thus I ask you to restrain the Military Department as much as possible, don’t let those hot-headed folks use the Empire’s precious resources in places they shouldn’t go! Especially when it comes to building battleships; does the Empire still need those iron coffins to destroy a nation?
Do you think the big guns and ships are majestic, that naval battles should be like knights dueling, with cannons blasting?
Sorry, the era has changed. If I drop a thermobaric bomb from a Flying Airship on a battleship’s head, I ask you, can that fleet withstand it?"
All the old generals present knew well the horrors of thermobaric bombs, after all, the capitals of three countries were destroyed, with hundreds of thousands of land forces and the joint fleet of the three countries wiped out by thermobaric bombs. These generals, who fought battles all their lives, couldn’t help but be concerned about the destruction caused by thermobaric bombs.
They had visited the front lines bombed by thermobaric bombs right after the seventeen-day war ended, witnessing firsthand the terrifying scene of hundreds of thousands of troops from the three-nation alliance dying under the bombs, gaining a profound understanding of their deadly power.
Scenes of soldiers tearing their throats out from suffocation were truly shocking, even opening the eyes of these old generals who had lived through countless battles.
Such a scene was unprecedented for them.
So when Perfikot questioned them, they could very confidently reply that no fleet could withstand a thermobaric bomb attack unless they had airborne battleships capable of shooting down the Flying Airships beforehand.
This realization made the navy generals think again about persuading Perfikot to agree to the construction of flying battleships.
In their view, while Flying Airships were good, their lack of armament and limited carrying capacity were flaws.
Large battleships with cannons and armor were more reliable and better at protecting the Empire’s skies and territories.
However, having just been scolded by Perfikot, the old generals knew better than to provoke her again, aware that she would truly throw in the towel.
Thus, none dared to say anything further, listening quietly as she reprimanded them.
Nevertheless, after her lecture, Perfikot softened her tone once more and said, "I understand your thinking, just as I would enjoy creating flight knights myself; this isn’t really a problem.
But I hope you can clearly see the occasion and situation; the Empire currently doesn’t have the resources to do what you want.
If the Northern Territory development plan were completed and shelters were built to my satisfaction, constructing a flying battleship or even a Floating City wouldn’t be out of the question."
This statement made the generals’ eyes light up with excitement, but they knew Perfikot hadn’t finished speaking.
Sure enough, she immediately shifted her tone, addressing them again, "But all this hinges on the perfect realization of the Northern Territory plans, with the Empire equipped to counter the apocalyptic winter!
Until then, anything affecting or conflicting with this plan will be prohibited. If you can’t do it, find someone who can!"
"Don’t worry, little Brandelis, we’ll take care of these matters! I assure you, this won’t happen again." The army general assured Perfikot, making a final effort, "But little Brandelis, is there really no way to ease up on the flight knight issue? Whatever you need, just say the word; anything the army can get you, we’ll provide. Is it truly impossible to produce more flight knights?"
The old general wanted to try a bit more effort, after all, flight knights were highly sought after by the army.
Besides, in the general’s view, creating flight knights wasn’t as large-scale as flying battleships. One flight knight order is constructing; creating just a single flight knight is still construction, only differing in quantity.
If Perfikot were willing to assist, even creating just a few flight knights as a gesture would be something the army could accept.
"Well, it’s not impossible..." Perfikot hesitated.
She actually had the desire to promote Imaginary Alchemy, but had been lacking the opportunity, and no one had managed to create the Philosopher’s Stone.
But now, having already created flight knights, she was able to turn a new page in the Jade Record. She wanted to test if the new pages could solve this problem.
The key, of course, was in the refinement of the Flying Stone, which was technology from the previous pages. Hence, Perfikot hoped to obtain technology for mass performing Imaginary Alchemy from the new pages.
Of course, if the technology for creating the Philosopher’s Stone were obtained, Perfikot wouldn’t mind. Though she inherited her parents’ academic legacy, she always felt their Philosopher’s Stone creation ritual had many shortcomings and errors.
Needless to say, the errors were apparent when Perfikot traversed over; she’d seen clearly their post-failure state, leaving a deep impression.
Had she not corrected the errors in the ritual at the time, Langton and Victory might have experienced firsthand what a thermobaric bomb felt like.
In terms of destructive power, failure at that time could have been overwhelmingly more catastrophic than a thermobaric bomb.
This was one reason Perfikot hadn’t pursued creating the Philosopher’s Stone over the years; she hoped to improve the ritual her parents left behind.
However, her knowledge wasn’t sufficient for such an undertaking, which caused the matter to remain delayed.
Should the new pages provide that technology, Perfikot might attempt to challenge herself to create another Philosopher’s Stone?
"...Anyway, don’t give me trouble now. If it’s possible to manufacture Flying Stones, I’ll inform you; it certainly aids the Northern Territory’s development greatly. I wouldn’t mind satisfying some of your minor needs, but this matter can’t disrupt my plans." Ultimately, Perfikot opted for relatively conservative wording to placate these old generals.