A Path To Omniscience

"What?" Nillia chuckled softly, clearly thinking Asher's offer was a joke. But as she studied her son's face, her smile faded. She recognized that expression—he wasn't joking.

"Oh, you're serious, aren't you?" She asked, a touch of surprise in her tone. Vance, who had been unreadable a moment ago, suddenly smirked.

"Ah, I see what's going on now. You weren't just showcasing it—you were pitching it," he said, a knowing look crossing his face.

"That's why you were so precise with the details. Felt more like a product presentation than show-and-tell." He glanced at his wife, who had gone from amused to intrigued, her eyes narrowing with new focus.

"Asher, are you really trying to sell your invention... to us?" Nillia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course," Asher replied calmly.

"You're entrepreneurs. I have a product to sell. It only makes sense." Nillia crossed her arms, staring at him as if he'd said something outrageous—which, to most people, he had. A fourteen-year-old trying to pitch his invention to his own parents sounded like some kind of silly joke. 

"Well, he's definitely your son," she sighed, shaking her head.

"Indeed," Vance murmured, turning his attention back to Asher. After a moment of contemplation, he started to walk away. 

"Alright, let's talk business then. We should sit down," he said. A smirk crept higher onto Asher's face at his father's words, while Nillia blinked, looking between them in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" She asked, watching Vance head toward the outdoor seating area—a round metal-framed crystal table surrounded by an L-shaped sofa and two cushioned chairs, all set beneath a large umbrella.

Vance took his seat, gesturing to her with a smile.

"Naturally. It would be rude to conduct business without offering our potential partner a seat, wouldn't you agree?" Nillia let out a long sigh as Asher pressed a button on the device in his hand. The drones whirred, swiftly returning to the metal box they were launched from as their hatches closed automatically.

Looking at the two of them, Nillia rubbed her temples and sighed.

I guess we're doing this now.

She glanced up at the windows, catching the staff who had been watching the demonstration scatter. Unfortunately for Lavi, she wasn't quick enough to escape Nillia's gaze. With a simple curl of her finger, she summoned the blonde-haired maid down.

Dammit... 

Lavi sighed inwardly, dragging her feet as she made her way outside, down the stairs, and over to where everyone was now sitting. She stopped near the table, trying to keep her composure.

"You called for me, Madam?"

Nillia didn't seem upset, much to Lavi's relief, and said, "Lavi, bring me a glass of wine. Any kind will do."

Lavi hesitated—Nillia rarely ever drank during the day—but Lavi didn't bother doddling to think about it, not after she had already angered her somehow earlier. 

"Right away," she said with a bow before leaving. As Lavi scampered off, Nillia turned back to Asher. 

"Alright, let's get to it. You want to try and sell us those drones, correct?"

"That's right," Asher confirmed, leaning forward slightly, his hands resting on the table.

"My proposal is simple," he began, his tone professional.

"I'll provide the drones as a one-time bulk purchase. You'll make an initial payment upfront, which will cover production costs and secure your order. The remainder will be due upon delivery after you've received the full shipment. This ensures you aren't investing the entire amount before seeing the product in action. It reduces your risk while guaranteeing I have the resources needed to complete the batch."

Vance rubbed his chin thoughtfully before asking, "And how many drones are we talking about?"

Without hesitation, Asher replied, "A hundred drones to start. The unit price will be Ⱡ650,000 per drone, bringing the total to Ⱡ65,000,000. The upfront payment of forty percent would be Ⱡ26,000,000, with the remaining Ⱡ39,000,000 paid upon delivery."

Neither of Asher's parents reacted to the price, but Nillia's expression sharpened as she leaned forward, her tone more assertive.

"And why, exactly, would we spend such an exorbitant amount on your drones?" she asked, cutting straight to the point.

"As impressive as they are, we're a logistics company. We don't need drones designed for mapping or exploring hazardous areas. Our trade routes are well-established, and we have no intention of changing them." Her earlier amusement was long gone, replaced by the poised, commanding air of the woman who controlled nearly every major supply line in and out of Atlas.

She's taking this seriously now.

Asher thought, but he didn't so much as flinch under her sharp gaze. He answered with the same calm, collected manner he always had.

"My drones aren't just geographic tools. As I mentioned, they're reconnaissance drones, meaning they can also function as a security system. With a hundred of them, you could maintain continuous aerial surveillance over your shipping routes, receiving real-time updates on any threats—be they human or Grimm. Even without a relay tower, your shipments would have a several-kilometer-wide safety net at all times. The autonomous AI could also verify the safety of routes in advance."

He continued smoothly, "Their operational costs are far lower than any aircraft or competing drone on the market, even if the upfront cost is higher. That means you can reduce the need for on-the-ground personnel and external security contractors, making it an efficient and cost-effective investment."

But before Asher's words had a chance to settle, his father interjected, cutting through the air of confidence with ease.

"Yes, statistically, it does seem that way," Vance said, leaning back slightly.

"But reality and statistics often diverge. You mentioned your drones have a hundred-kilometer communication range, which is impressive, I'll admit. However, the real focus of your pitch is clearly the autonomous AI. From where I stand, though, that's not all that useful." Nillia nodded in agreement, picking up smoothly from where her husband left off.

"Exactly. Perhaps if they were combat drones or something similar, being able to operate without a direct link to the CCTS might be a selling point. But these are reconnaissance drones, aren't they? What good is a recon drone if we can't see what it's surveying beyond its communication range?"

She pressed further, "And let's say the drones encounter something dangerous—what's stopping that threat from just destroying them? If that happens, not only will we lose the drone, but we'll have no way of knowing what it found or that it was even destroyed. It would be a complete waste."

Asher's parents weren't pulling any punches in their critique. Like sharks that had smelled blood, they were quick to pick at any perceived flaw in their son's proposal, hammering away at it with precision. Most children Asher's age in this position might have buckled under the pressure, especially coming from their own parents.

But not our Asher. He wouldn't crack under something like this. 

Nillia thought to herself. Her inner voice carried an entirely different tone compared to the harshness of her external one. The same could be said for Vance. 

That's right. We know you wouldn't come to us expecting us to agree just because you're our son. You've thought this through—now show us.

Both of Asher's parents waited in anticipation for his response. After taking a measured breath, Asher spoke. 

"You both raise valid points, ones I considered when designing the drones," he began.

"That's why I implemented a decentralized mesh network. When active, the drones form a network with each other." His parents exchanged confused glances. It was clear they hadn't encountered this concept before, so Asher elaborated further.

"You see, each drone acts as a mobile network," Asher explained.

"While the signal isn't as strong as one from a relay tower, it allows the drones to maintain distributed communication with each other, even without connection to the CCTS. In simple terms, they share all their gathered data constantly. Even if ninety-nine drones are destroyed, the last one standing will contain the compressed data of the others, making a complete loss of information nearly impossible."

Asher rocked in his chair gently, nodding to himself as he continued, "This addresses the issue of lost data, as the mesh network allows the drones to communicate across distances of hundreds of kilometers beyond their direct range at a frequency only they can detect. Now, a single drone's output isn't strong enough to link to a relay tower. But that's only when you're considering one drone by itself."

His parents could tell he was engrossed in the explanation; his eyes gleamed as he gestured while speaking, mapping out his words in the air.

"You see, the drones have two key failsafes to protect data integrity. The first is their autoreturn function, which I've already explained. Even if they lose connection with the CCTS or each other, they can autonomously navigate to the nearest CCT Tower or relay station to safely deliver their data via their onboard memory. But the second failsafe is more advanced. Each drone acts as a signal booster when they're near each other. So while a single drone can't transmit to the CCTS alone from a distance, a group of them working together can. This means they can transfer data from almost anywhere, regardless of location."

Asher's explanation left both of his parents wide-eyed in shock. Vance was the first to speak, cutting in with disbelief in his voice.

"Wait, Asher—are you saying these drones can function like mobile relay towers?" He asked, his tone tinged with a strange fragility. It was almost like he was worried Asher's last statement would disappear if he was too loud. The CCTS was one of humanity's greatest achievements, but it had clear limitations—particularly, relay towers needed to be stationary.

The idea of a mobile relay tower was nearly impossible to achieve, even in experimental models. The existing technology was bulky, sensitive, and rarely installed on anything but the largest aircraft and ships.

So when Asher nodded in confirmation, both Vance and Nillia stared at him as though the sky had just fallen.

"That's right," Asher said confidently.

"It's slightly weaker than a standard relay tower, I'll admit, but more than sufficient for the drones to communicate with their hub over extreme distances or any nearby CCTS nodes. And because they operate on a mesh network, their AIs can coordinate with each other when they detect threats. Their priority is always to transmit data before any of them are destroyed."

When he finished speaking, Asher fell silent, watching his parents process what he had just said. They were speechless, as he expected. The technology he'd developed was something considered impossible by modern standards—something that shouldn't exist until decades into the future.

But it has to be done. There wasn't any time to wait for the world to progress at its usual pace. The calamity was coming, and every aspect of society needed to advance as quickly as possible in order to meet it. If that meant he had to disrupt the natural process of technological discovery, then so be it.

Almost on cue, the silence between the family was broken by the soft, hurried footsteps approaching. All three turned to see Lavi making her way over, a glass and bottle of wine in hand. The bottle was simple and clear, with golden letters on the front label, and the wine inside looked so dark it barely passed for red.

As Lavi arrived, she hesitated, sensing the weight of the atmosphere. Everyone's eyes were on her, and she slowed her steps, suddenly unsure.

Why are they all looking at me? Did... did I come at the wrong time again?

Nillia exhaled softly before turning her attention back to Asher.

"Would you mind giving your father and me a moment alone?" She asked.

Asher paused, caught off guard by the request, but after a beat, he nodded.

"Of course." Standing up, he made his way toward the metal box holding the drones and began fiddling with the device he'd left on top of it—at least, that's how it appeared. His face, now turned away from his parents, was practically blank, his thoughts running in different directions.

She sent me away? That's unusual. There's very little the two of them aren't willing to discuss in front of me, especially considering the business we're going over involves me directly.

Across the backyard, Nillia held out her glass, and Lavi quietly filled it three-quarters full. She placed the bottle down and stepped back, understanding instinctively that this was a moment where she had to disappear into the background.

Nillia took a slow sip of the wine, then set the glass down, staring at the dark liquid in silence for nearly a minute.

"I always knew Asher was smart," she said quietly, her gaze still fixed on the glass.

"Especially for his age."

Vance nodded in agreement at his wife's words, his expression mirroring hers.

"Yeah, but this..." Vance's words trailed off, leaving Nillia finishing her husband's thought.

"This is on an entirely different level."

Though they weren't very involved in the technology sector, their status had taught them to keep an ear to the ground in every industry, regardless of its relevancy. As such, they knew exactly where technology stood, even outside their own field.

Asher's demonstration had already impressed them—his drones were leagues ahead of anything available on the market. They knew that and couldn't have been prouder. But the concept of a mobile relay tower was something far beyond that. It wasn't just a breakthrough for Atlas; it was a leap for industries across the globe.

Scientists funded by governments worldwide had been working toward that very technology for years and still weren't close to a breakthrough, yet their son had just built it into his drones. Drones he'd likely constructed in mere days, given that his workshop took nearly a month to be constructed. 

But it wasn't his uncanny talent that had them on edge.

"If word gets out about this—about what these drones can do—and someone traces it back to Asher..." Vance clenched his fist, his expression darkening as he spoke. As unified as the kingdoms appeared on the surface, countless factions operated within each one, many of them far from peaceful.

Some factions would stop at nothing to get their hands on Asher if they learned about this. It wasn't just a possibility—it was an inevitable fact.

"But what can we do?" Nillia muttered, her voice tinged with worry.

"We can't just ask him to drop it. I doubt he would, and even if he did, he'd just pick it back up later when he's older." Hearing that, Vance didn't have an immediate answer. He covered his mouth with his hand, deep in thought.

"It'll be impossible to protect him entirely, no matter what we try. All we can do is minimize the risks." Nillia's eyes narrowed at her husband's words. She knew he was right, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. She grabbed her glass and downed the rest of her wine in one swift motion before sighing deeply.

"Alright then," she said, her tone resigned but resolute. After a few moments of deliberation, they called Asher back over. As soon as he sat down, he didn't waste time getting to the point.

"So, what do you guys think?"

His parents exchanged glances before Nillia spoke up.

"Asher, we have a question. What exactly do you plan to do with the money if we agree to buy your drones?"

"Hmmm…" Asher pretended to think, though the answer had long since been planned out. Every detail, from the unit pricing to the total profit, had been carefully calculated. There wasn't a single part of this that he hadn't anticipated.

But he couldn't let them know that. Not yet.

Seem smart enough to do business, but young and innocent enough that people let their guard down around you. That was the model Asher was adhering too. 

"Well, I have a lot of projects lined up," he said casually. 

"These drones are still in their prototype stage, and they're missing a few features I want to add even after I start selling them. But all of that takes more money than I have right now. And eventually, I won't be able to keep working out of my current workshop, so at some point, I plan to start my own company." His answer caught his parents off guard, with Vance in particular blinking in surprise.

"You... want to start your own company?" Asher could see the conflict on his father's face, so he eased his concerns.

"Don't worry. I plan on merging it with Frostvale Enterprises eventually." At that, Vance sighed in relief, and Nillia seemed to relax as well.

In the end, Frostvale Enterprises is my family's company—my birthright. There's no reason to go off and build another empire from scratch when there's already one I can mold into whatever I want. The new company will just be a front, a way to scale up my projects and handle production.

Once I take over Frostvale, I'll merge them, and the entire company will become my flagship—ready to lead the world into the era we'll need to survive the coming calamity.