Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste-Chapter 940 - 160_2

As the heavy metal cover was lifted, a gush of hot steam filled with metal shavings surged out.

Perfikot remained unfazed, bending directly to inspect the gear assembly's engagement.

The iris mechanism of her alchemical monocle automatically adjusted the focus, presenting the wear conditions of each gear clearly.

"Look here, typical fatigue damage." She pointed to the gear surface of the secondary drive gear, "The hardened treatment layer of the main gear has begun to peel off, causing micro-vibrations on the engagement surface, which is transmitted to the thrust bearing, amplifying the amplitude."

As she spoke, she took a device resembling a copper stethoscope from her toolkit and placed the sensory end on the steam turbine's casing.

The oscilloscope crystal at the other end of the device immediately displayed a complex waveform chart.

"The timing sequence for the opening and closing of the steam valve needs recalibration." She pointed to the abnormal pulse in the waveform, "The impact of high-pressure steam overlaps with the gear rotation phase, causing resonance, which accelerates metal fatigue during long voyages."

The captain suddenly understood, "So the abnormal vibration will intensify as the journey lengthens?"

Perfikot nodded, lightly tapping the pressure gauge on the steam pipeline, "And your boilerman relies too heavily on the automatic adjustment valve. The navigating environment of long voyages changes drastically; the climates of the Northern Territory, the Empire's mainland, the Frozen Ocean, and the Desert Kingdom are completely different, requiring the boilerman to manually fine-tune the steam pressure."

She turned to the accompanying engineer, detailing the rectification plan, "Prepare to replace the gear assembly, remember to readjust the gear parameters, and also thoroughly clean the lubrication system. The lubricating oil has deteriorated, the gearbox is full of metal shavings, and the wear is too severe."

When she straightened up, the lens of the alchemical monocle had already switched to a dark protective mode, "This is not a design flaw, but a maintenance protocol adjustment is needed! Tell the chief engineer to check the gearbox's condition, especially the lubricating oil, after every period of navigation in the future!"

Perfikot rattled off a string of professional terms, and the accompanying engineer and ship officers hurriedly took notes, with some even nervously dropping their boards.

Their foreheads were sweating, afraid of missing any word from this most authoritative mechanical expert of the Empire.

Only after ensuring that everyone had noted down the key points did they nervously escort this distinguished figure out of the stuffy, cramped engine room.

As soon as they emerged from the engine room, the captain immediately led Perfikot to the elegantly decorated officer's reception room—where he had meticulously prepared to entertain the Imperial Regent.

Although by normal procedure, it should have been the captain visiting Perfikot's residence for a report, who could blame the Regent for also being the Empire's foremost alchemist and mechanical engineer?

The floating battleship beneath the captain's feet was designed down to the last bolt based on her blueprints, from the steam core to the transmission system.

In the reception room, Perfikot had already changed back into a magnificent deep blue gown, sitting elegantly on the leather sofa.

She lifted a bone china teacup, and a familiar fragrance wafted through the mist.

"Ceylon Black Tea?" Perfikot raised her eyebrows in mild surprise, taking a sip and showing a rare gentle expression, "Since leaving the Northern Territory, it's been a long time since I've tasted this. Can the Empire still ensure a supply of black tea now?"

The captain immediately straightened up, a hint of credit-seeking in his tone, "Reporting to you, the major guilds in the Northern Territory have jointly opened a secret route to the Eastern colonies. Although the transportation capacity is limited by the eternal winter, it is now possible to transport small quantities of such luxuries."

Then he respectfully leaned forward, lowering his voice, "These are premium tea leaves carefully preserved from the last harvest before the winter descended. They were set aside for you, just thinking that you might miss this taste..."

Perfikot gazed at the amber liquid swirling in the cup, letting out a soft sigh, "Indeed! Looking back now, leisurely tea-tasting days have become a luxury."

"If you like, we have some more in storage on the ship. Shall I have someone pack it for you?" The captain, perceptive of this slight emotional shift, immediately played along.

Although these treasured tea leaves cost him nearly half a year's allowance, winning the Imperial Regent's favor would unquestionably be a worthwhile exchange. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

However, Perfikot merely waved casually, causing faint ripples in the tea, "Never mind, a gentleman doesn't covet others' preferences."

She curled her lips slightly into a smile tinged with pride, "In the Northern Territory mansion, I have an abundance of such tea leaves, lacking none of yours."

Apart from being the Imperial Regent, Perfikot was also the Lord of the Northern Territory, and for someone who owned the entire Northern Territory, a few tea leaves were not something worth regarding.

She gently placed the teacup back onto the carved tea tray, emitting a crisp sound as metal met porcelain.

Had it not been for the urgency of this expedition, her luggage could easily accommodate a few tea bricks. For her, drinking tea was less an enjoyment than an inescapable habit.

Otherwise, she would not have specially developed a portable tea set and stove, allowing Beifa to brew tea for her anytime, anywhere.

At this moment, the captain finally remembered the supplies his fleet had brought, promptly fetching a list from his pocket and respectfully presenting it, "Your Grace, this is the manifest of supplies the fleet has delivered. Please review it."

Perfikot took the list, the parchment rustling between her fingers.

As her gaze moved across the items, her stern brow gradually relaxed.

"You brought these from the Northern Territory over a thousand miles away, a tough journey indeed." She nodded slightly, with a rare touch of approval in her tone.

The supplies listed were precisely what she urgently needed now.

Since taking control of the Desert Kingdom, Perfikot had barely managed to gather the basic materials needed for constructing new floating city modules by scavenging the old world heritage of France and plundering the treasures of the Desert Kingdom's chieftain.

But the continuous alchemical experiments and engineering projects were like an insatiable beast, perpetually devouring various special resources at an astounding pace.

The meticulously concocted solutions, the specially treated metals, the crystals containing unique energies—all were consumed at an astonishing speed.

Indeed, with her unmatched skill in Imaginary Alchemy, she could theoretically obtain the required materials through alchemy.

However, each application of such high-tier alchemy demanded tremendous spiritual power, and the energy loss during the transformation process was a significant concern.

By comparison, directly mining from veins and obtaining from nature was exponentially more efficient.

Moreover, the Empire's number of alchemists was limited, and their efforts were better directed to more critical tasks.

"This batch of supplies comes just in time." Perfikot pointed to an item on the list, speaking to the accompanying alchemist, "The low-temperature protective layer for the new floating city is lacking this."

She flipped to the next page, "And these ores are enough for the casting of three new steam cores."

The captain noted that Perfikot's tense brow finally eased slightly, and he couldn't help but quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

Before this voyage, the cabinet specifically convened the most senior alchemy masters from the Northern Territory for three full days, meticulously working through revisions before finally finalizing this supply manifest.

It now appeared that the experience of those old experts had indeed proven invaluable.

"Notify the logistics department immediately to prioritize unloading these special materials." Perfikot closed the list, her tone swiftly becoming crisp and decisive again.

She turned to gaze out the porthole at the vast desert, with a trace of relaxation finally showing in her eyes. With this supply, many postponed projects could finally move forward.

"Your Grace, Her Majesty the Empress has also sent a personal item with the ship. Would you like to check it now?" The captain suddenly pulled out another list from his pocket, handing it to Perfikot.

This list was entirely different from the previous one, with a cover even embossed with the gilded emblem of the Royal Family.