"Good day, Eldest Princess Annie!" Perfikot turned around after seeing who called her, and had to stop in her tracks, greeting the person while curtsying.
Eldest Princess Annie, the eldest daughter of the current Empress of the Victor Empire, is the first and only member of the Royal Family in the Empire's 400-year history to serve in the military as a woman and actually see combat.
Perfikot truly did not expect to encounter her here.
"Oh, little Perfikot, I've told you, you can call me Aunt Annie; your mom is my bosom friend!" Eldest Princess Annie came up to Perfikot and affectionately took both of her hands.
Eldest Princess Annie is in her thirties and is an old acquaintance of Perfikot's mother; they were university classmates.
Later, Perfikot's mother married her father, while Eldest Princess Annie joined the military as a member of the Royal Family.
Because of this relationship, Eldest Princess Annie is particularly concerned about Perfikot, treating her as her own daughter, even though she hasn't married due to her military service.
"Okay, Aunt Annie." Supported by Eldest Princess Annie, Perfikot finally changed her salutation.
It's not that there was any estrangement between her and Eldest Princess Annie before, but rather because a large group of royal attendants and officials from the Royal Shipyard stood behind Eldest Princess Annie, and Perfikot didn't want to invite gossip.
"Little Perfikot, what made you leave your lab? Do you have any business at the Royal Shipyard?" Eldest Princess Annie affectionately asked Perfikot, her eyes full of love and concern.
"I'm currently designing a ship that can fly via balloon lift, so I've come to the Royal Shipyard to order some parts." Perfikot briefly explained her purpose to Eldest Princess Annie, casually mentioning her design of the Flying Airship.
"A ship that can fly?" Eldest Princess Annie's expression changed upon hearing Perfikot's words, pulling her aside to ask quietly, "Is it because of what you discovered?"
As the Eldest Princess of the Royal Family, Eldest Princess Annie naturally had the right to know about the impending apocalypse.
Back then, Perfikot had also sought out Eldest Princess Annie to warn the Empire's top officials, revealing the news to her.
However, Eldest Princess Annie joining the military as a member of the Royal Family was undoubtedly a highly unconventional act for the conservative nobles of the Empire.
As a result, though it brought great reputation and honor to the Royal Family among the civilians, it wasn't so well-received by the conservative nobles.
Thus, when Perfikot was ridiculed in the Noble Council with comments like "What do women know," it was not only due to age and gender discrimination but also targeted opposition from conservative nobles towards Eldest Princess Annie.
But blessings in disguise, as the impending apocalypse was confirmed, Eldest Princess Annie benefited, and she now represents both the Royal Family and the military, becoming a key member of the crisis response committee.
"Yes, based on my calculations and the predictions from the Astrologers of the Astronomical Society, as the weather gradually gets colder, the Empire will plunge into chaos," Perfikot didn't hide her thoughts from Eldest Princess Annie and explained to her, "At that time, continuing to stay on the Empire's mainland would be unwise.
So I plan to move to a colony on the New Continent before the temperature drops to an unacceptable level, find a sparsely populated suitable location, and build a refuge to survive this catastrophe.
Considering factors like frozen shipping routes, Flying Airships are more suited for transoceanic voyages than traditional ships, which is why I designed a vehicle capable of crossing the oceans."
After hearing Perfikot's explanation, Eldest Princess Annie fell into thought.
However, the Eldest Princess didn't ponder for long, only musing for a short while before saying to Perfikot, "Wait for me here, little Perfikot."
After saying that, Eldest Princess Annie turned around, went back to the group of royal attendants, instructed them with a few words, then returned to Perfikot, and said, "You don't mind if I ride your carriage back, do you?"
"It would be an honor! But Aunt Annie, your safety..." Perfikot hesitated. She naturally had great confidence in her designed steam carriage, but due to Eldest Princess Annie's special status as a woman in the military, she had been unwelcome among the conservatives, having faced several assassination attempts over the years. Perfikot, of course, had to be concerned about the safety of her caring elder.
To this, Eldest Princess Annie merely patted the gunblade gifted to her by Perfikot, which hung at her waist, and laughed, "Don't worry, my guards will accompany us, and besides, I'm not a pushover."
Seeing Eldest Princess Annie's confidence, Perfikot no longer refused and invited her onto her carriage.
"Ah~! As expected, little Perfikot, your carriage is more comfortable; the Royal Carriage, though adorned with gold and ivory, has cushions that are far too firm!" Eldest Princess Annie luxuriated on the soft, comfy, and springy sofa inside the carriage, skillfully took out a cup and kettle from a hidden compartment, and poured herself a cup of hot tea.
Holding the cup, Eldest Princess Annie couldn't help but ask Perfikot, "Little Perfikot, why do you think those old fogies refuse to accept new things? Clearly, the advent of the steam engine has proven that new things will bring more convenience and a better life to the Empire and its people."
"Because as vested interest holders, those old men won't tolerate anyone sharing their power and benefits, just like they wouldn't allow a twelve-year-old girl to hold a professorship in alchemy at Langton Royal University, even though I'm better than all of them," Perfikot poured herself a cup of tea as well, speaking nonchalantly, but the resentment in her words was evident to Eldest Princess Annie.
Regarding the incident two years ago when Perfikot defeated all her competitors but didn't become a professor at Langton Royal University due to her gender, Eldest Princess Annie naturally knew well.
But since it had been two years, Perfikot also understood that holding a grudge served no purpose, yet she still couldn't let go of this injustice.
"Alright, little Perfikot, we'll talk about those past matters later; for now, tell me more about your plan!" Eldest Princess Annie set down the tea cup, looking seriously at Perfikot.