The banquet welcoming the Eldest Princess Annie was held in the base’s banquet hall.
However, calling it a banquet hall is rather generous; in reality, it was just the base’s cafeteria.
After all, besides the guards and knights, the base only housed exploration team members and several alchemy assistants.
Most of them didn’t look like the type who would cook for themselves.
To avoid some unnecessary awkwardness and to facilitate large events, Perfikot opted to plan the base with a space that ordinarily served as a cafeteria, but could be converted into a banquet hall by simply moving the tables and chairs.
She did her best to meet the standards of Eldest Princess Annie, but the base’s conditions were indeed limited, making it hard to provide something up to the standards of a Count hosting an Empire princess.
Fortunately, neither Eldest Princess Annie nor Perfikot cared much about this.
Perfikot was accustomed to these conditions, and Eldest Princess Annie’s years of military service had made her quite used to the simplicity and roughness of army life.
Moreover, everyone could see what the Northern Territory was like, and no one expected a royal banquet in such icy and snowy conditions.
Despite the banquet’s simplicity, the food served was plentiful; whether bread or sausages, or hot soup, everyone could eat their fill without restraint.
Moreover, Perfikot made an exception by allowing alcohol to be served at the banquet, giving many people the chance to drink merrily.
Though this so-called merry drinking was limited to each person’s ration of alcohol, for those who rarely got to drink, it was already quite a treat.
"Seeing how they behave, it seems, little Perfikot, that you’re usually quite strict with them!" Eldest Princess Annie teased Perfikot as they sat at the head table, watching the feast and revelry.
Perfikot shook her head somewhat helplessly and said, "The Northern Territory currently has limited materials; although I have stocked enough food in the warehouse, considering the long winter and next year’s expansion plans, we have to ration supplies."
While explaining, Perfikot added as she noticed some others showing a slight change in expression, "Of course, rationing doesn’t mean going hungry, just that supplies will be distributed daily based on each person’s needs.
The necessary bread and sausages aren’t lacking, but we can’t afford to waste anything, as the Northern Territory currently produces nothing and relies entirely on shipments from the New Continent colonies or even the Empire homeland."
Everyone understood Perfikot’s explanation, for indeed, during their journey here, they had seen no signs of human habitation and realized the Northern Territory’s barrenness.
"Count Brandelis, may I ask what plans you have for the Arctic scientific expedition?" an older man with a knight’s badge pinned to his chest inquired of Perfikot.
As he spoke, several other older men at the table turned their attention to her.
These were scientists accompanying Eldest Princess Annie to the Northern Territory, each holding the title of professor. They might not be the top authorities in their respective fields, but they were experts, not mere placeholders.
Therefore, regarding the matters they cared about, Perfikot quickly responded, "For now, the forward base for scientific research in the Northern Territory has been completed. What follows is preparing for the Arctic expedition by using the Northern Territory’s winter environment as a reference.
First, we need to solve the issue of food. The Arctic is even colder than the Northern Territory and covered in snow year-round, so we must develop an effective greenhouse technology to provide food for the expedition even in severe cold.
Ultimately, according to my plan, this Arctic expedition aims to establish a permanent research station within the Arctic Circle and station a research team there long term."
Listening to Perfikot, the professors couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are the four essential elements of daily life for everyone, and the Arctic expedition clearly cannot ignore these.
If it were only about visiting the Arctic briefly, then it wouldn’t be as complicated; just having enough supplies would suffice.
However, if seeking permanent residence within the Arctic Circle, relying on supply lines wouldn’t be viable due to the sheer cost.
"In that case, Count Brandelis, I presume the cold-resistant materials you commissioned us to develop are intended for personnel activities in the Arctic and building the research station there?" another professor spoke, mentioning Perfikot’s previous commission.
It could be inferred from his words that he was a professor with the Alchemy Department at the Royal Langton University and knew Perfikot.
"Yes, constructing a building in such cold conditions is extremely challenging, with the necessity to ensure it can withstand the severe cold," Perfikot nodded, then continued, "It’s a difficulty even I find hard to overcome, so we must devise a new building method that allows rapid construction of a sturdy house that can resist snowstorms even in the extreme cold of the Arctic."
"But, Count, the building structure you use in the Northern Territory seems very good to me? The semi-submerged structure provides insulation and effectively resists snowstorms." The architecture professor, who had introduced himself earlier, expressed his puzzlement to Perfikot and also commented on the buildings at Eagle’s Beak Cliff base: "However, the spire has some issues; the overly tall tower tip can cause problems in strong winds. Perhaps you could lower its height and build it into a spherical dome to resist high winds and prevent snow accumulation."
Upon hearing the architecture expert’s assessment, Perfikot merely shook her head and asked him a question, "Professor Heiler, do you have experience working in a permafrost area? In the extremely cold environment, the ground can become as hard as steel.
Excavating a semi-submerged foundation in the Arctic’s icy terrain would be ten times more difficult than constructing a similar building in the Empire homeland."
Professor Heiler looked surprised upon hearing this but soon became excited, asking Perfikot, "Then, Count Brandelis, has the Northern Territory’s land frozen yet? If possible, I wish to start researching right away! This content belongs to novel fire.net
While I know very little about permafrost, I would like to conduct a comprehensive study of its conditions first, if possible."
"Of course," Perfikot immediately handed over one of her problems. "In fact, we are currently facing a challenge, namely how to excavate a coal mine shaft in the permafrost. If you could help solve this problem, Professor Heiler, it would be wonderful."