When Perfikot awoke from her long slumber, the morning light of the Floating City was streaming through the crystal porthole and falling upon her bed.
She slowly opened her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly in the light, her pupils contracting in response to the long-awaited brightness.
Her throat was dry as if scorched by the desert's hot winds. She instinctively wanted to raise her arm, only to find it as heavy as if it had been filled with lead.
"My lady! You've finally awoken!" The maid's exclamation burst in her ears.
Perfikot wanted to speak, but only managed to produce a hoarse breath.
The maid hurriedly supported her shoulders, while the head maid, Beifa, handed a cup of warm honey water to the maid, who brought it to Perfikot's lips. The sweet liquid slid down her throat, allowing her voice to return.
"How long have I slept?" Her voice was weaker than she anticipated.
"Three entire days and nights, my lady." The maid's voice had a sobbing tone: "Major General Carter almost initiated ergency return procedures."
Although Perfikot's personal maid had always been Beifa, as an Alchemy Puppet, she couldn't adequately care for Perfikot, who was ensnared in slumber and unable to issue any commands.
Thus, after discussions among Governor Redcliff, Colonel Valken, and Major General Carter, several reliable maids were selected and sent to Perfikot to attend to her.
And a team of doctors was urgently assembled to try to diagnose and awaken her.
Understanding what had transpired in the past few days, Perfikot attempted to sit up, only to find her muscles protesting against her.
During her slumber, her body seed to have undergone an invisible war.
A slight tingling pricked her fingertips — residue from the mory fragnts of Safura, those ancient mories were still alight at her nerve endings.
The door was suddenly swung open, a group of doctors nearly stumbling as they rushed inside.
After a flurry of activity, one elderly doctor began to check and diagnose Perfikot.
"Thank heavens! My lady, aside from so weakness due to prolonged sleep, there is no cause for concern! A bit of rest and you will recover swiftly." The doctor announced with relief.
As her consciousness cleared, Perfikot's thoughts also returned. After grasping what had occurred during her days of slumber, she made a decision.
"Summon everyone." Her voice regained its forr authority, though her complexion remained pale: "We will convene in the conference hall in one hour."
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When Perfikot, supported by Beifa, slowly walked into the conference hall, the entire space fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.
All officials stood in unison, the synchronized movent creating a rustle of fabric within the hall.
Among them were officials of the Floating City itself, as well as high officials from the Desert Kingdom colonies. Perfikot had ordered everyone to convene, so naturally, they needed to attend.
"First," her voice was not loud, yet it echoed clearly throughout the hall: "I must thank everyone for their dedicated service during this ti."
Her gaze slowly swept across every concerned face in the room: the dark circles under Major General Carter's eyes hinted at sleepless nights, the creases in his uniform suggested he hadn't even had ti to change; the deepening wrinkles on Governor Redcliff's forehead gave away the multitude of ergency plans written in his notebook; Colonel Valken's uniform was crumpled, the collar stained with coffee—clearly, the past few days had been particularly chaotic.
As for the others, though not as disheveled as these individuals, it was apparent their circumstances hadn't been easy either.
These details prompted Perfikot to nod slightly, but her deanor quickly turned stern.
"The investigation concerning the White Star is temporarily concluded. Now, we must shift our focus to more pressing matters—" she pressed a button on the table, and a holographic map expanded. The three-dinsional terrain of the Desert Kingdom rotated gently in the air, precisely delineating each dry riverbed and sand dune.
This map was crafted following Major General Carter's proposal, with Perfikot ordering the alchemists to create it. To perfect this map, the alchemists even took winged aircraft to scan the entirety of the Desert Kingdom's terrain.
Perfikot's fingertip lightly tapped the map, causing several conspicuous red dots to illuminate.
"Concerning those chiefs entrenched in the geothermal hot spring areas..." Perfikot's voice was as frigid as polar winds, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the table: "I rember Governor Redcliff previously ntioning this issue, such malcontents are indeed annoying."
Her tone was as calm as discussing tomorrow's weather, but the cold glint in her ice-blue eyes carried a chilling killing intent: "However, regarding this matter, before deciding, I want to hear your opinions—should we utterly eliminate them, or… give them one more chance?"
The temperature in the conference hall seed to drop several degrees.
Governor Redcliff stood up first: "My lady, they no longer deserve another chance! For three months, we've offered them seven chances for negotiation, yet each ti they've exploited this ti to strengthen defenses, inciting more tribes to rebel against the Empire's rule."
This answer was indeed perilous—but the danger here wasn't directed primarily at the Floating City, it was aid at those stubborn chiefs still resisting.
"If it weren't for your intervention," Colonel Valken tily interjected, his eyes burning with a desire for battle: "I should be on the way to eliminate them already."
Perfikot's gaze shifted between the two, a barely perceptible cold smile tugging at her lips.
"So... you all believe it's permissible to wage a war?" She deliberately paused, "Or rather, an ard conflict?"
As her gaze moved to the military advisory group, the sharpness in her eyes involuntarily straightened the backs of all advisors.
"Since you want war..." her voice suddenly surged, her right hand slamming heavily on the table: "Then I'll give you war! I want to see a complete operational plan within a week!"
"This mission must be fast, accurate, ruthless!" She rose, every word like a heavy hamr against everyone's hearts: "I do not wish to see any delays or oversights, including during subsequent reconstruction and resettlent."
As Perfikot surveyed the assembly, she slowly raised her right hand, making a gesture akin to execution: "It's ti to conduct a thorough cleanup of this desert! I want those chiefs to understand the cost of defying the Empire."
"Yes, Regent!" Everyone responded respectfully in unison.
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