Chapter 222: Chapter 218: Return to the Northern Territory
After approximately a day’s flight, the Behemoth arrived at the Northern Territory.
The travel time was considerably slower than originally anticipated, mainly because the Behemoth encountered strong cold air on the way back over land, causing the entire surface of the Flying Airship to be coated with a layer of freezing rain that formed an ice shell, affecting the airship’s flight.
This situation was also the first encounter for the Navy aboard the Behemoth, and they dared not risk continuing flight.
In the past, this wouldn’t pose much of a problem for warships; an ice shell was insignificant, at most impacting navigation within controllable limits.
But for the Flying Airship, no one could guarantee whether this layer of ice shell would damage the airship’s envelope or adversely affect the airship’s engines.
Therefore, Major William ordered the Flying Airship to lower its altitude while seeking guidance from Perfikot on how to handle this situation.
"Why did you decide to lower the flight altitude?" Perfikot asked rhetorically after hearing Major William’s explanation.
"The temperature at high altitudes is lower than at the ground, so if we continue to ascend, the ship will only freeze more severely." Major William had a clearer understanding of the current situation faced by the Behemoth and explained to Perfikot: "Although we could continue ascending to escape the influence of the strong cold air, this might exacerbate the ice formation on the airship’s exterior, leading to a heavier ship and potentially serious consequences."
Therefore, to be cautious, I’ve ordered the reduction of flight altitude and organized some of the crew to perform de-icing operations on the ship.
But we really don’t have much experience with the use of the Flying Airship, and if an accident were to happen in such bad weather, it would be difficult to manage."
One major advantage of the Flying Airship is the ability to increase flight altitude, rising above the clouds to reach the stratosphere, where a more stable environment can avoid the impacts of the troposphere’s adverse weather.
But with the ship already covered in an ice shell, Major William, as the captain, dared not risk forcing the Behemoth through the troposphere.
After all, this could likely worsen the icing condition and lead to accidents with the airship.
"So why not fly into the stratosphere directly from New Shaker City?" Perfikot jokingly complained, then added: "Anyway, since things are as they are now, let’s not take any risks; fly slowly close to the ground. I’m not in a hurry.
Also, you might want to report this to the Military Department, reminding the shipyards to equip subsequent airships with high-altitude de-icing devices. High-temperature steam can be drawn from the steam boiler to blow over areas prone to icing on the ship’s surface, effectively removing ice."
Perfikot indeed overlooked this point when initially designing the Flying Airship, as she envisioned the airship flying in the stratosphere, not needing to consider de-icing.
However, considering the extreme cold weather they would face in the future, the de-icing problem couldn’t be ignored.
Fortunately, the Flying Airship at present uses steam propulsion, which makes blowing out high-temperature steam to address de-icing straightforward, requiring just a few more pipes.
This issue was quickly resolved, and Perfikot successfully reached the Eagle’s Beak Cliff base, albeit spending more time than normal on the journey.
When the Behemoth landed on Eagle’s Beak Cliff, it was already the afternoon of the second day.
"Miss, you’ve finally returned." The old butler Foster hurried to welcome, having grown quite aged over the winter.
Evidently, with Perfikot returning to Langton due to the war, the various matters in the Northern Territory had burdened the old butler, leaving him quite exhausted.
"Thank you for all your hard work while I was away from the Northern Territory, Grandpa Fu." Perfikot greeted the old butler and immediately inquired about matters in the Northern Territory: "Did anything significant occur in the Northern Territory while I was away?"
"Although a few snowstorms hit during the winter, everything went smoothly overall according to the arrangements you left before departing. We got through the storms safely." Foster reported to Perfikot, acknowledging that although this winter wasn’t easy, the issues were manageable, as he mentioned.
Perfikot nodded in satisfaction at Foster’s words.
Despite Perfikot having made arrangements for the Northern Territory’s affairs, given the technology level of the era, she couldn’t guarantee the absence of problems even while present, much less during her absence.
The fact Foster managed any significant issues beyond expectation left Perfikot quite pleased.
"Miss, I’ve prepared a welcoming dinner for you. You can rest a bit first; I imagine you’re exhausted from the journey." The old butler was more concerned with Perfikot’s health.
Perfikot nodded, then glanced at Major William and others disembarking from the airship, instructing the old butler: "Make sure to entertain Cousin William and the crew well; they’ve worked hard alongside me. I want to take a shower first."
"Don’t worry, I will arrange everything." Perhaps due to the return of the Northern Territory’s mistress, the old butler’s face showed kindness, and he revealed a long-lost smile.
Perfikot turned towards her laboratory, while the old butler followed her after arranging for Major William and his group.
"While I was away from the Northern Territory, how have the progress of various research projects been?" Perfikot asked the old butler.
Now that the territory seemed stable, Perfikot shifted focus to the projects she left behind.
"Mr. Alfred has completed the initial mass production of nitroglycerin, already setting up a basic production line to start producing the nitroglycerin explosives." The old butler, acquainted with these matters, reported to Perfikot about the progress: "Thanks to the explosives, the mines requested before you left have completed their shafts over the winter, allowing for the extraction of underground deep-seam coal.
The territory didn’t lose anyone to the cold this winter, thanks to the timely extraction of enough coal from the mines, providing the territory with ample fuel."
"That sounds good. And what about the development of the new steam turbine? Any results from Professor Archibald?" Perfikot inquired while entering the elevator accompanied by the old butler.