Inside a solemn and luxurious building in Langton City, the two returnees were reporting to a dignified elder about the outcome of their visit to Perfikot.
"Is this Miss Brandelis' response? It seems she's upset about last time!" The elder didn't feel anger due to Perfikot's refusal to invite, but rather showed a sense of regret and remorse: "If I had known about this earlier, it would have been great to have a detailed conversation with Miss Brandelis! Things wouldn't have escalated to the current situation, and the Empire wouldn't need to waste months proving what she already concluded."
The elder sighed and then turned to the young man, asking him: "James, what do you think about what Miss Brandelis said?"
"Duke, I believe Miss Brandelis might not be as angry as she appears." Despite still looking slightly disheveled, the young man named James displayed a sense of seriousness and earnestness in front of the Duke, making him seem less frivolous.
James' response gave the Duke, who had been overwhelmed by organizing the crisis response committee, an unexpected moment of clarity. He spoke to the young man whom he had always regarded highly: "Really? Tell me your thoughts."
Major William also showed a look of curiosity. On the return journey, James had mentioned that Perfikot's words carried deeper meaning, although he hadn't figured out what it was, so now he also appeared intrigued.
"Miss Brandelis' remarks, I believe she conveyed two pieces of information to us." James explained his perspective to the Duke of Gloucester and presented his analysis: "First, the meaning of Miss Brandelis' words is clear. She refuses the invitation because of the unjust treatment she has suffered, causing her to lose patience and trust in the Empire's nobles.
She doesn't want people to distract her with political interests or gender discrimination when addressing the crisis and saving the world.
She warned us that this crisis is not a disaster the Empire can comfortably handle. It requires us to go all-out and unite if we hope to survive this catastrophe.
Therefore, any time-wasting or matters unrelated to crisis management or world-saving should be effectively controlled and prohibited. She doesn't want, and we shouldn't waste energy and time on these things.
Only by achieving this will Miss Brandelis agree to the crisis response committee's invitation."
Listening to James' analysis, the Duke of Gloucester nods slightly, indicating his agreement with James' insights.
"Indeed! The Empire is about to face an unprecedented crisis. If anyone is dragging their feet and wasting precious Empire resources and energy on those trivial noble antics, then they're unworthy of continuing as nobles of the Victor Empire." Sitting on the sofa, the Duke of Gloucester leaned back against the sofa's backrest, appearing relaxed, yet exuding a strong aura.
Although he inherited the duke's title simply because his surname was Gloucester, and being the Duke of Gloucester allowed him to serve as the speaker of the Empire's Noble Council, this does not mean the Duke of Gloucester is an incompetent person benefiting from ancestral legacy.
He managed to sit in the Noble Council speaker's position indeed relying on the ducal title and family influence, but maintaining this position and breaking the Empire's sixty-year tradition of rotating the speaker role among the three major ducal families, earning the Empress' trust to be reappointed for seven terms, is due to his own abilities.
In the Duke of Gloucester's eyes, compared to Perfikot, who could conclude the impending disaster through data statistics and analysis, those nobles sitting in parliamentary seats merely due to family connections are insignificant indeed.
For the Victor Empire with a four-hundred-year history, other things might be in shortage, but nobles...
Despite the Empire expanding into the New Continent and other colonies and the widespread use of steam engines increasing national power to unimaginable levels, the number of nobles remains too high, leading the Empress to consider reducing their numbers several times.
Therefore, making choices isn't difficult for the Duke of Gloucester.
Of course, before making decisions, the Duke of Gloucester still wants to hear James' conclusions.
So he adjusted his sitting posture and asked James: "You mentioned Miss Brandelis intends to convey two pieces of information; what is the other one?"
"It's the method for addressing this dreadful disaster!" James started with a bombshell, attracting the attention of the Duke of Gloucester and Major William, as James explained in their eager gaze: "Miss Brandelis' last statement about wanting to hunt brown bears in the New Continent actually means that handling the disaster requires abandoning the homeland and heading for the New Continent, building a refuge there."
"Why the New Continent?" The Duke of Gloucester frowned, as abandoning the Empire's homeland seemed too costly.
The Victor Empire is a powerful maritime nation. Despite the homeland being small, with the Empire's fleet conquering and developing multiple colonies, resources and wealth from around the world converge here, forming the core essence of the Empire.
Here lies the world's best universities and the most advanced factories, with countless talents gathered on the Empire's core territory, contributing their strength for the Empire's prosperity and strength.
It can be said, the Victor Empire's establishment of worldwide colonies, ensuring the Empire's flag always flies under the sun, was thanks to at least 90% contributions from the homeland.
Abandoning the homeland is equivalent to discarding centuries of accumulation since the establishment of the Empire.
Clearly, the Duke of Gloucester couldn't make such a decision.
But James, or rather Perfikot, thought otherwise. He explained to the Duke of Gloucester, "Miss Brandelis' words clearly state it. The New Continent is far from human habitation.
As the weather continues to cool, the Empire will find it impossible to keep the impending world destruction hidden. Regardless of whatever decisions you or Her Majesty the Empress make, mobilizing the entire Empire's resources will inevitably be necessary to address this disaster.
This will undoubtedly lead people to notice the Empire's movements, deducing the occurrence of this disaster.
At that time, it's easy to imagine the horrific riots ordinary citizens might incite, feeling they have no hope of survival.
In this scenario, only the desolate New Continent can avoid disturbances from riots and other factors, facilitating the refuge's construction."