This matter has now been classified as the Empire's highest secret by the Crisis Response Committee, after all, once such news leaks, it will have a severe impact on the entire Empire. The young man was clearly very nervous about where the secret was leaked from.
"Because I told the Astrologers at the Royal Astronomical Society that there would be major weather problems in the future! I also warned those arrogant old men at the Parliament about the impending doomsday-level disaster facing the Empire! But they dismissed it as a little girl's delusion! They even said to me, 'What do women understand'!" Perfikot was still full of resentment when mentioning this matter, although it had nothing to do with the two people in front of her, she still vented her anger at them, which likely contained anger at being interrupted in her work, along with resentment toward those incompetent noblemen.
"So the fact that the Royal Astronomical Society informed the Duke about climate change was actually discovered by you first?" The young man was surprised, not expecting that this matter started with Perfikot.
Neither the young man nor Major William showed any emotion toward Perfikot's anger toward them.
This was partly due to the gentlemanly demeanor expected when dealing with a lady, and partly because they understood Perfikot's feelings at that moment.
After all, anyone would hold a grudge if they had warned Parliament of an impending disaster only to be treated as a fool, and now had the disaster confirmed and were being sought out again.
Moreover, Duke Gloucester had reminded them before coming that Perfikot might be in a bad mood. They were initially puzzled about what was going on, and now the truth was finally revealed; it turns out the Parliament had made a foolish mistake before.
This made the young man thoroughly understand why Duke Gloucester invited Perfikot to join the Crisis Response Committee, and it also made him know more about this fourteen-year-old genius girl.
"So? Now that those arrogant old men have finally confirmed the disaster's arrival, the Duke has sent you to seek me out to deal with this crisis?" Perfikot speculated about the intentions of the two in front of her, although she used an interrogative tone, the implication was quite certain.
The young man nodded hastily upon seeing this, and then took out an envelope from his person and handed it to Perfikot, explaining, "Duke Gloucester, commissioned by Her Majesty the Empress, is convening a Crisis Response Committee to deal with this disaster and has specially invited you, Miss Perfikot Brandelis, to join the committee, hoping you can contribute to saving the Empire."
Perfikot checked the envelope upon receiving it and, seeing that the wax seal indeed bore Duke Gloucester's insignia, she opened it and started reading the invitation letter written personally by the Duke.
The contents of the invitation were not complex, roughly the same as what the young man had said. Duke Gloucester emphasized his concerns for the future and his admiration for Perfikot's talents in the letter, while cordially inviting her to join the Crisis Response Committee to address this world-ending level disaster.
A global cooling climate is a disaster hard to counter and resist even with the technological level of Perfikot's former world, let alone in this era still in the first industrial revolution.
Humans lack effective means to ward off severe cold; after all, in this world, besides fur and bonfires, there really isn't much in terms of good technology to resist the cold.
Like the myriad warm materials from her world that could make clothes resist the extreme colds of the poles, such things simply do not exist here, let alone building materials effectively resisting the cold.
It's important to know that iron becomes brittle at minus forty degrees, and steel can only hold out to minus seventy degrees. So in Perfikot's previous world, to build structures in polar or extremely cold environments, special low-temperature-resistant building materials were necessary.
And in this era, which is the backdrop of the first industrial revolution, talking about special low-temperature-resistant building materials? This era hasn't even discovered the concept of ductile-brittle transition temperature!
Moreover, even if alchemists could create similar materials or use alchemy to forge other things resist the cold, it would be difficult to make it widespread, merely a luxury enjoyed by the nobility.
Much like London in the United Kingdom during the first industrial revolution, accompanied by the steam engine's invention and popularization, the capital of the Victor Empire, Langton, also faces the same problem as London, with a massive influx of landless people into the city who can only squeeze into the narrow and crude shanties of the slums, living in hunger and cold.
Therefore, it is foreseeable that a large number of the lower class will not survive this disaster, perishing from hunger and cold as the disaster first strikes.
And the Crisis Response Committee organized by Duke Gloucester could only save the middle and upper classes of the Empire, perhaps even just the middle and upper classes of Langton.
This is neither the nobility's heartlessness toward commoners nor the ruling class exploiting the ruled, but simply that they do not have that capability.
Unless someone can vastly improve the Empire's productivity and technological level over a short period, thus providing a greater chance for more people to survive, otherwise, what this so-called Crisis Response Committee could do is merely to select social elites and do their best to preserve the fire of human civilization.
Even in a world where Extraordinary professions exist, it's the same. No matter how powerful they are, they haven't reached the capability to reverse world climates.
As far as Perfikot knows, the most powerful Extraordinary in the Empire, the Court's Chief Great Mage, is only able to maintain the climate of a palace unaffected by the outside environment.
Extraordinary individuals are indeed powerful but not to the absurdly strong extent depicted in some fantasy novels she read before transmigrating.
In this disaster, Extraordinary individuals can play a limited role.
Thinking of this, Perfikot couldn't help but show a slight look of worry on her face.
For Perfikot, who possesses the Jade Record, she's confident enough to ensure her own survival and also have the capacity to ensure the survival of those around her.
She's confident in this aspect since she's an alchemist and also a Transmigrator.
With the insight of a Transmigrator and the abilities of an Alchemist, coupled with the Philosopher's Stone's ability to break the law of equivalent exchange, Perfikot can say she fully has the capability to transform anything she wants to create, as long as it aligns with reality, into existence.
Too outrageous things are still not workable, after all, the Philosopher's Stone only breaks the law of equivalent exchange, rather than being able to alter reality.
Therefore, for Perfikot, ensuring her and those close to her survive the disaster poses no issue, and she could even save some if she wished to.
But for the disaster itself and the entire world, what she can do is negligible.