Aric clicked the button without hesitation. The crown on his head tightened slightly, and a soothing hum filled the air as the Codex began its work. A warm sensation spread from the top of his head down through his entire body, relaxing him. He felt his eyelids grow heavy, and then, all at once, his consciousness faded.
-----
In the depths of his mind, Aric experienced a torrent of information, images, and sounds. It was as if he were being shown an entire library in mere seconds. Concepts and ideas he had never dreamed of understanding were now being embedded directly into his brain.
He had used the basic computer knowledge as the first disk. He was a little scared about this disk because the basic knowledge here might still be too advanced for Earth. He was afraid that using the galaxy-level knowledge from the get-go would be a waste of money. But the knowledge that he had in his mind at the moment ranged from calculators to basic quantum computers. Since it was basic computer knowledge, it ranged from hardware to software.
This was enough for Aric to rule over Earth for centuries and build an empire.
"It is advised that you partake in the next infusion of knowledge after 36 hours. Your brain at the moment is on high alert, and another infusion of knowledge might trigger the defense mechanism of the brain, prompting it to shut down."
"Apis, run a diagnostic on my cognitive functions," Aric requested, his voice slightly hoarse.
"Running diagnostic," Apis replied. After a moment, it continued, "Brain activity is normal. Cognitive functions have improved by approximately 35%. You have successfully integrated the knowledge from the Codex disk."
Though it was a very rough diagnostic, it was enough for Aric to understand how much knowledge he had been imparted.
"Amazing... I can see the code structure of advanced AI algorithms in my mind. I understand the principles behind quantum computing and subspace communications!" Aric mumbled. All the knowledge he had in his mind felt like it was scenery drawn on a canvas. He knew each and every stroke required to draw on the canvas and also understood all of the intricacies required to draw one.
-----
The next morning, Aric woke up to his father knocking on the door.
"What are you sleeping so long for? Didn’t you say that we have to go to Mumbai?" Aric woke up groggily and felt like he needed more sleep.
"Mira, why didn’t you wake me up?"
"Your brain seemed to be functioning at twice the speed it should be, and even though it had slowed with the passage of time, your body can’t keep up with the sudden change. You should eat more to compensate for the changes in the brain."
"Sigh! Dad, I’m coming... Wait." Aric could only shout at that moment. He didn’t expect that this was also one of the hidden dangers of using the Codex. They should have labeled it.
Actually, it wasn’t the Codex’s fault. In the interstellar world, the quality of food was always high, and thus when a person used the Codex, the AI would deliberately serve more food to their masters, or their parents would do the same in order to make the body healthier. It was part of basic knowledge.
It was because Aric didn’t have an idea about the small intricacies of using Codex. He forced himself to get up and leave to freshen up. By the time he was done, food was already on the table, and his father was already finishing.
"Aric, are you sure that people from Google will come and talk to you? I talked with my elder sister. Her son said that it might be a scam as Google doesn’t deal with people like us... you know," Avni hesitated a bit and said. If it were any other time, Aric would have been very angry, especially if it was his previous self, as these people were among those who came after their money and land once their situation became dire in his previous life.
But today he wasn’t angry. What was the use of anger when he could bury these leechers with his actions?
"Don’t worry, that’s why I’m bringing Uncle Kurien with us. Dad, did you talk with him?"
"Yes, I called him last night. He had a few cases to deal with in the High Court, and he agreed to accompany us. Guess what, we don’t have to pay him at all, just the travel fees," Aric’s father said.
"That’s fine," Aric replied. The deal would go through Mira’s eyes anyway, and he would make sure Uncle Kurien was heavily compensated. Aric didn’t ask more and proceeded to finish the food on his plate. His mother had also made some food for the journey. They would be reaching Mumbai in the evening, and from the email, he came to know that the meeting would be held at the Taj Mahal Palace, Colaba, Mumbai.
It was one of the iconic places in the city and also the place where the attacks would be carried out later this year. He had forgotten that this place witnessed the 26/11 attacks at the end of the year.
Aric could only sigh and try not to dwell on it further. People were dying across the globe due to various reasons, and he couldn’t save everyone, even if he had all the abilities in the world. He could only take one step at a time.
Aric and his father soon reached the bus station where they saw Uncle Kurien waiting for them.
"Yaaa... Aric... You’re growing so fast. Your father told me about the deal. If it goes well, I hope you won’t forget me," Uncle Kurien said. This made Aric a bit embarrassed. He could tell that Uncle Kurien didn’t think much of the deal he was about to make, but he would accompany him nonetheless.
He wasn’t discouraged at all by Uncle’s words.
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