owlsbooks Chapter 20: Increasing Icebergs
Chapter 20: Increasing Icebergs
Chapter 20 - 20: Increasing IcebergsBesides the matter of cold-resistant materials, Perfikot also discussed the issue of the Flying Airship with these professors.
The models and related design diagrams she brought truly opened the eyes of these old professors. Although designing and manufacturing such a Flying Airship was not beyond their capabilities, no one had ever thought in this direction before.
"Compared to traditional sailboats or modern steamships, the Flying Airship is a more suitable means of transportation for Arctic exploration," Perfikot switched her wording at this moment. Although there was essentially no difference, for reasons of confidentiality, she tried to tie it to Arctic re
This made it really hard to feel the climate getting colder in cities during this era, giving the impression that winter no longer brought snow, clothes worn became fewer and thinner, as though the climate was warming.
But in reality, the ambient temperature had been steadily dropping. The fact that winters in cities felt warmer, besides the heat generated by the widespread use of steam engines heating cities, had another significant factor that this era's people couldn't detect.
That was the urban heat island effect.
With the development of the Industrial Revolution, the population of Langton City expanded rapidly, and the urban scale continued to grow, making the urban heat island effect increasingly apparent.
This was similar to the world Perfikot came from, where winter snowfall in big cities was extremely rare, and snow-covered landscapes were almost no longer seen.
Not only would sanitation workers promptly clear the snow, but the snow itself also melted quickly.
However, once outside the city, especially when living in the countryside, such as in mountain valleys, through the winter, you'd find that winter snowfall was still quite common, and sometimes the snow would last the entire winter.
On top of that, this world was in the steam age of the First Industrial Revolution. The incompletely burned coal smoke ejected from steam engines almost stained the entire city black, and as everyone knows, black absorbs heat more easily.
So feeling warmer in winter was quite normal in Langton City.
Perfikot had no intention of arguing over this matter; she simply noted the maritime disasters and the increase of icebergs along the northern ocean route in her mind.
"So the development of the Flying Airship becomes even more necessary. Once it can be successfully developed and manufactured, large transport Flying Airships capable of carrying many passengers will provide the Empire with a safe and convenient mode of air transport!" Perfikot at this moment appeared somewhat like a project manager from her previous world enticing employees with visions, but her words were undeniably alluring.
At least to these professors of the alchemy department, it was an enticing prospect.
"Gentlemen, the Royal Family is very interested in this Flying Airship project. If you can develop a large transport Flying Airship that can be put into practical operation, the Royal Shipping Company will be willing to generously pay a patent fee that will satisfy you all." Eldest Princess Annie naturally knew what she should say at this time, lending weight to the attractive picture Perfikot had painted with just a few sentences.
In fact, Eldest Princess Annie's words were not just empty promises. If a large transport Flying Airship with practical value could indeed be developed for mass production, it would be necessary for transporting supplies or personnel in light of impending disasters.
The increase in maritime disasters along the northern ocean route made Eldest Princess Annie clearly aware that the disaster Perfikot had depicted was quietly approaching.
She did not believe that the increase in icebergs was due to rising temperatures; on the contrary, it was because of decreasing temperatures causing more icebergs.
This was because icebergs that might have originally shattered into floes upon leaving the Arctic Circle were not melting, causing the increase in icebergs on the northern ocean route and leading to frequent maritime disasters.
This gave Eldest Princess Annie a sense of urgency while also solidifying her determination to support Perfikot.
After discussing some technical details with the professors of the alchemy department, Perfikot and Eldest Princess Annie left the alchemy department together.
But they didn't leave the school immediately; instead, they turned to the engineering department.
"Having settled the materials, we still need to finalize the structural design. I hope these engineers are as agreeable as the alchemists," Perfikot sighed, as the smooth progress with the alchemy department felt a bit unreal to her.
"Don't worry, the engineers will be pragmatic. Don't forget that we are currently planning a 'research project' sponsored by the Royal Family." Eldest Princess Annie reassured Perfikot.