Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste

After Weir and her Witch Workshop joined, Perfikot finally managed to carve out a bit of time for research.

Originally, she had devoted this period to the Synthetic Fiber Project, and if the research team could not solve the problem before winter arrived, Perfikot was prepared to tackle the issue herself.

But now with Weir and the Witch Workshop involved, they guaranteed to resolve the issue before winter and provide sufficient cold-resistant clothing during the season. Naturally, Perfikot found time to study new topics, aiming to turn to the fourth page of the Jade Record.

Every time Perfikot opens a new page, it requires an invention based on the technologies provided by the Jade Record or creates a new achievement that the Jade Record will recognize.

She had never encountered any obstacles in making achievements since the technology she acquired was exactly what she wanted or urgently needed.

Even with the Floating Stone, Perfikot developed suitable results, allowing her to turn to the third page!

Thus, she is quite confident about the fourth page.

However, choosing what to create using Imaginary Alchemy was giving Perfikot a bit of choice paralysis.

The greatest benefit of Imaginary Alchemy is its ability to conjure something from nothing and to make the impossible possible. From this point of view, as long as Perfikot can use Imaginary Alchemy to create something that does not exist and get the Jade Record's recognition, she can pass.

But deciding what to create poses a thinking challenge for Perfikot.

After all, her time is highly valuable now. Being able to set aside time exclusively for research is a luxury, and she doesn't want to waste it simply on passing.

With her abilities and insight, merely creating something that the Jade Record would acknowledge is not difficult.

Yet Perfikot does not wish to pass by such means, or rather, she believes that if she approaches it with such a mindset, there's a high probability she won't pass.

She hasn't forgotten that when turning to the third page, the steam core improved with heavy water didn't get the Jade Record's approval. Instead, attaching the steam core to the Steam Knight was what allowed it to pass.

"So, it's best to think about how to create something practical!" Perfikot rubbed her face, began to clear her mind, and started pondering what could serve as her new creation.

With the trait of Imaginary Alchemy of conjuring from nothing, Perfikot could actually develop a special building material, one whose one side gets colder as the other gets hotter.

This would be the most extreme cold-resistant material, able to withstand any frigid weather.

Of course, she'd need to address the issue of overly high internal temperatures due to external cold, which for Perfikot would be another subject.

However, the Northern Territory had already developed similar things, like specially made greenhouse glass.

Although the material, also made from Imaginary Alchemy, was exceptional in thermal insulation, Perfikot felt it was sufficient.

She could improve or develop a new material, but its practical significance wasn't substantial.

Moreover, she didn't think such a level of material could receive an "excellent" rating from the Jade Record.

Why not aim big and create a nuclear reactor using Imaginary Alchemy?

The thought popped into Perfikot's mind but was quickly dismissed by herself.

Not because it's impractical or unattainable for her, but because currently there's no demand for a nuclear reactor in the Northern Territory.

The entire Northern Territory doesn't have much electricity requirement; what's the point of building a nuclear reactor?

While it's true a nuclear reactor can do more than just generate electricity, and essentially it boils water, how is this fundamentally different from using coal or geothermal heat?

Especially since Perfikot, although not deeply knowledgeable about nuclear energy, is acutely aware of its hazards.

Not to mention, human history has witnessed two major nuclear power station accidents proving this thing either doesn't malfunction, or once it does it's a catastrophe beyond containment.

She wouldn't want to be resolving the end-of-the-world winter crisis while also dealing with a nuclear leak.

A small reactor's thermal output genuinely isn't as good as coal or geothermal; to impact and change the Northern Territory, the reactor would have to be sufficiently large.

But as scale increases, problems arise, and potential hazards emerge in due time.

Remember, this is a world in the era of the Industrial Revolution, with technology still burgeoning; deploying a large nuclear reactor now? Perfikot doesn't believe she can train capable workers to handle a nuclear reactor.

Without workers, it's unrealistic to expect the Lord of the North herself to supervise the reactor daily, isn't it?

Thus, upon conception, this idea was promptly dismissed by Perfikot.

She then considered many worthwhile trials but felt upon further reflection they lacked practical value. After much thought, Perfikot concluded that constructing a Floating City might be simpler and more straightforward.

Of course, having such thoughts doesn't mean she truly intends to build a Floating City.

However, once the idea was born, Perfikot felt she might put some effort in this direction and produce results with practical value that could also be useful in the construction of a Floating City.

After all, building a Floating City is a dream of hers. Although she can't focus all her energy on this endeavor now, preparing for it, accumulating technical experience, so when the time comes, she could genuinely construct a Floating City is feasible.

Without further ado, after seriously drafting a blueprint of a Floating City, Perfikot decided to start with the most basic materials, using Imaginary Alchemy to develop a new building material.

This material needs to possess both lightweight and sturdy characteristics, as it's meant for constructing a Floating City, and being light enough is necessary.

Even with Flying Stone, Perfikot cannot use existing heavy materials for the Floating City's construction; doing so would demand too much from the Flying Stone, only unnecessarily increasing her workload.

By comparison, developing lightweight materials could not only be used for the Floating City but also be beneficial for current Northern Territory construction.

As long as the new material is strong enough and cost-effective, it could completely replace existing building materials.