Chapter 248: Chapter 244: Whaling Ship
Regarding the issue of whale oil, after obtaining a definitive answer, Perfikot dispatched the Flying Airship to the New Continent for procurement.
Although this act seems slightly extravagant, it is still within an acceptable range for Perfikot. After all, the Flying Airship makes a trip to the New Continent every week for resource procurement, purchasing whale oil along the way is just a matter of convenience.
Currently, the Northern Territory is not industrialized on a large scale, so the demand for consumables like lubricants is not high. Therefore, the quantity of goods the Flying Airship procures each trip is sufficient for the entire Northern Territory to use for a long time.
Moreover, besides sending the Flying Airship to purchase whale oil and other lubricants, Perfikot also instructed Andrew to help her buy a whaling ship upon his return to the New Continent, and to assist in recruiting a qualified captain and other crew members.
Although the Northern Territory indeed does not have a great demand for whale oil at the moment, considering that various factories from the homeland and the New Continent will be relocated here this year, some preparatory work needs to be done in advance.
A whaling ship is necessary for the current situation in the Northern Territory, and having some industrial raw materials in reserve will be beneficial for the normal operation of various factories in the future.
Although it sounds like a whaling ship might not be able to obtain much whale oil, if one considers that there were less than a thousand whaling ships worldwide following the completion of the first industrial revolution in the 19th century in the original world, it becomes clear that the production from a single whaling ship is quite astonishing.
Therefore, Perfikot currently only plans to purchase one whaling ship for emergencies, as for what to do after expanding industrial production, and two years later when the extreme cold apocalypse arrives and the ocean becomes frozen, that will be another matter.
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As the Shaman of the Wild Mane Tribe, Lili considers herself far from being able to stand on her own; there are still many things to learn from her mentor.
But after the tribe submitted to the Northern Territory, and needed to send people to reside near Perfikot, Lili, as the tribe’s future Shaman, was dispatched after discussion between the Chieftain and the old Shaman. This was partly to show the sincerity of the Wild Mane Tribe’s submission to Perfikot, and partly because the Chieftain and the old Shaman hoped she could broaden her horizons and better assist in the growth of the Wild Mane Tribe in the future.
Due to carrying such expectations, Lili has been very diligent since arriving at Eagle’s Beak Cliff.
She works hard to learn the Victor Empire language, eager to acquire new knowledge, and strives to adapt to the life at Eagle’s Beak Cliff. However, everything here is vastly different from life in the tribe. Even though Lili has been trying hard to adapt, she still finds it difficult to get used to everything on Eagle’s Beak Cliff.
Everything here is novel to her, from food, clothing, housing, and transportation, to every aspect of life. There are too many new things, so much so that Lili finds it overwhelming to accept all at once.
Among these, trains are undoubtedly the thing that interests Lili the most.
The iron cars she has never seen before run on tracks made of steel even better than the finest iron material in the tribe, without needing any animals to pull them. They can move faster than the Ancestor Warriors of the Wild Mane Tribe, and can transport a staggering amount of goods. This has given Lili a great shock and sparked a strong interest in this enormous iron creation.
How is such a large iron car made? What size forge and anvil are needed to make such a big iron car? What does it consume to run?
All these questions swirled in the young Shaman’s mind, even causing her to neglect her studies.
However, Lili soon adjusted, not that her interest in trains waned, but after inquiring about trains from the person responsible for her reception, she realized that what she was curious about was a vast and complex system, and to understand it, she must first lay a solid foundation.
This realization left the young Shaman feeling quite dejected, but she quickly regained her spirits and began to study eagerly and diligently.
During learning, the young Shaman also learned that the Northern Territory Lord, who was a bit younger than her, is recognized as the most genius among the white people and one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the world.
Although this claim has not been officially recognized nor received widespread consensus, to people who frequently interact with Perfikot, her accomplishments have long proven her genius and vast knowledge. It is not incorrect to call her one of the most knowledgeable people of the current age, and from certain perspectives, even the suffix ’one of’ could be omitted.
This undoubtedly made the young Shaman develop a kind of inexplicable reverence for Perfikot, similar to the awe she felt as a child when she first saw her mentor perform Shaman magic to make the flowers of the forest bloom.
Only, back then Lili merely became a little Shaman apprentice, whereas now Perfikot is unlikely to mentor her.
After all, she was sent by the local indigenous tribe as a hostage, and even without this identity, it would only be harder, not easier, for Lili to study under Perfikot.
Currently, excluding being the Lord of the North, Count of Exploration, Perfikot is also recognized as the most accomplished Alchemist of the Victor Empire. This was acknowledged by the entire Empire, and even the entire old world, after she destroyed the capitals of three countries with Thermobaric Bombs.
Indeed, Thermobaric Bombs are weapons capable of altering the world. Along with the Flying Airship and Steam Knight armor, which are similarly world-altering inventions, Perfikot’s achievements are already transforming the world.
Within the Victor Empire, there are even extreme admirers who believe Perfikot should be written into the textbooks, ranking her name before the esteemed Watt who invented the steam engine.
Even though this notion is merely folk opinion proposed in newspapers, there is no doubt that once spoken, sparked a massive publicity storm within the Victor Empire, with many people from nobility to commoners joining this discussion.
The focus of the discussion is not whether Perfikot should be included in textbooks; her accomplishments are indisputable, and the inclusion is already underway.
The real focus is whether her name should be higher than that of Master Watt, considering his invention of the steam engine truly led an era.
As of now, Perfikot’s inventions have yet to truly lead an era.
However, even with controversy, there is no question that Perfikot is the most brilliant alchemist of the Victor Empire, and the old world. If she ever wanted to take on apprentices, countless people would line up from the Northern Territory to Langton, leaving no place for a native young girl.
But Lili is not without opportunities to interact with Perfikot, at least now she has received another summons from Perfikot.