Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste-Chapter 578 - 542 Secret Voyage

"Grandpa Fu, I need to leave the Northern Territory for a while. During this time, please help cover up my absence so no one notices I'm not there," Perfikot stood up from his chair and instructed Foster, "My doppelgänger puppet can perfectly mimic my actions and behavior, handling everyday affairs without issue. But there might still be some flaws noticeable to those familiar with me; I'll depend on you to cover them up."

"Rest assured, miss, this is my duty," the old butler bowed to Perfikot, then advised, "Miss, when I'm not beside you, please be extra mindful of your safety and avoid doing anything dangerous."

Even though she had now ascended to a legendary level, the old butler had not relaxed his worries for Perfikot due to his own increase in strength.

On the contrary, the greater his own strength grew, the more he worried about Perfikot's safety, wishing he could always be by her side to protect her.

"I'm afraid I can't promise you that. What I'm about to do this time is very dangerous," Perfikot shook his head with a wry smile, walked up to the old butler, and hugged the caring elder: "But I promise you, I will take good care of myself."

Facing Perfikot's attitude, the old butler found himself unable to say anything further, resigned to ensuring he does his work well, to minimize unnecessary troubles for Perfikot.

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At the Flying Airship dock on Eagle's Beak Cliff, a specially arranged small high-speed Flying Airship had completed all preparations before takeoff, with special cargo loaded, awaiting its passengers.

This Flying Airship was specially arranged, and both the crew and captain were strictly instructed that this was a confidential mission, and no information about the mission was to be disclosed.

This made the crew feel very strange, although as Flying Airship crew they've performed secret missions before, they had never seen one requiring such a degree of confidentiality.

However, the crew understood these matters were not theirs to inquire about, thus they silently prepared for departure, feigning ignorance of anything else.

For confidentiality, this voyage did not start from Chernobyl or Beloburg, but departed from Eagle's Beak Cliff, evidently for security reasons.

Though Eagle's Beak Cliff had seen some prosperity and development when Perfikot was there, in her plans, it was merely a research base.

Therefore, following the establishment of Chernobyl and Perfikot's move there, Eagle's Beak Cliff gradually returned to its former tranquility, with only laboratories and academic research institutions located here, no longer bustling as before.

In contrast, the Flying Airship dock at Eagle's Beak Cliff had lost its previous hustle and bustle, becoming a specialized cargo station for transporting various materials for Eagle's Beak Cliff's scientific departments.

For this reason, some secret voyages or other flying missions would opt to depart from Eagle's Beak Cliff.

After all, there were fewer people coming and going here, and the facilities were comprehensive, making secrecy and control relatively easy.

As for the previous routes that were opened, they were all transferred to Beloburg, where the harbor was undergoing renovations, preparing to be used as a Flying Airship dock and hangar after the ocean froze.

However, though it was said to wait until the ocean froze, the sea trade between the Northern Territory and the colonies had already effectively been interrupted.

Except for ships coming from the Empire's mainland able to cross the increasingly numerous icebergs and floes to reach the Northern Territory, only ships from the New Continent could still arrive.

Ships from other colonies could no longer make it to the Northern Territory, and connections depended entirely on Flying Airships.

With further temperature drops, even Flying Airship flights were affected.

After all, if the temperature is too low, ice accumulates on the Flying Airship's shell, increasing its weight, affecting its flight state.

At such times, crew members risk their lives to climb onto the Airship's exterior and manually de-ice using special tools.

This is considered one of the Flying Airship crew's most dangerous tasks; several accidents have already occurred due to neglecting safety measures.

Such accidents, when they happen, usually result in death, as few can survive a fall from such heights.

"It's so cold! Northern Territory's weather is getting colder," Weir, now reverted to her original name Sanderion, rubbed her hands together as she walked up the airship's boarding ladder, speaking to a cloaked figure beside her.

The figure gave no verbal response, merely nodded slightly, signaling her to board first.

The two soon arrived aboard, the captain greeted them proactively, but neither Sanderion nor the cloaked mystery man said much, simply signaling for a prompt departure without leaking any information.

The captain naturally dared not delay. Sanderion's name, with her return, had already spread throughout the Northern Territory, everyone knew the Empire's former legendary alchemist had returned, stronger than ever.

Nowadays, those discussing the Empire's strongest alchemist put Sanderion's name before Perfikot's, believing she is the rightful strongest alchemist in the Empire.

Seeing her onboard, the captain dared not offend in any way.

Though an officer of the Imperial Navy, Sanderion's status far exceeded levels he could contact.

As for the mystery passenger accompanying Sanderion, the captain dared not even want to know who it was.

With such high-profile confidential missions, the captain didn't feel his life was long enough to inquire about these matters.

To prevent any crew member from acting recklessly, the captain specifically arranged for a crew member to stand guard outside Sanderion and the mystery person's cabin, ensuring no one did anything they shouldn't.

Sanderion and the mystery man both appreciated the captain's attitude.

They seemed intent on maintaining a low profile, hardly leaving their cabin throughout the journey, even having their meals delivered by the captain himself.

The only time the cabin was actively left was when the mysterious person went to check the special cargo in the hold.

This made the captain all the more unwilling to know what was going on. Fortunately, the journey was relatively smooth, and he safely reached the Empire's mainland.