Road Of Advancement

'Summit, why does Mr Boulton wear glasses? I don't think he has to, right?'

'According to an interview with the Regus Times, he had glasses since he was young. Due to the optimization and perfection of genes, eye defects are very uncommon nowadays. However, Mr Boulton was born with Hyperopia, better known as farsightedness. Because it is unlikely for refractive errors to stabilise before a.d.u.l.thood a treatment was postponed till after his eighteenth birthday. He wore glasses all that time and became accustomed to them. He is quoted stating: "If I don't wear my glasses, I will feel uncomfortable. I cannot concentrate as well without the familiar weight on the bridge of my nose. Though old-fashioned, I will always keep wearing glasses."

He also states that "It helps shape the perspective that I'm very knowledgeable. From a historical perspective, they are associated with smarts because it signals that the wearer had a job that required the ability to see fine details."

'Well, whatever the reason, they look very expensive. I kind of like the look.'

'The interviewer also asked about the flashy design of his glasses. He told her that there are 'many valuable and exotic minerals had been worked into his glasses. His glasses are much more than just a fashion statement or a comfortable piece of jewellery.'

'Summit, I think that's a much more reasonable answer than his other statements. Seems his glasses are more than what they look like.' Theodore pointed out, somewhat annoyed that his AI hadn't cued him in on this more interesting fact after his first question.

'Guess Summit still needs to learn to recognise main and supporting details.' He internally sighed.

He had been increasingly been more depending on the AI since this morning. After his extreme stress test during Mr Boulton's lesson, he had been stunned by the capabilities that Summit showed. However, he was once again reminded that his AI was far from as dependable as a 'human' assistant.

Summit was great with calculations, great with summarizing lengthy pieces of science, but he would get lost in the details when it was anything other than facts. He didn't have the ability, yet, to deal with a human perspective.

However, even during a short time-span as this morning, he recognised that Summit was improving with leaps and bounds. His generic answering had become more 'flavoured'. Even his voice had a 'tinge' of emotion now and then. The potential was definitely there!

This progress stimulated Theodore to keep conversing with Summit, even about random subjects. Trying to see if Summit could improve his 'human' interaction through conversation.

The conversation kept going back and forth as Theodore made his way to his grandfathers' study where they would have lunch together.

"Great, you're finally here. I suppose you had an enjoyable lesson with Mr Boulton to warrant you being late to our scheduled lunch?"

"Grandfather, I have learned a lot during his lesson. However, I did remind Mr Boulton of our appointment. Mr Boulton, however, thinks my priorities lay with learning and not with lunch and casual chats." Theodore tried to defend himself.

"Hmm, well, he does make a point. Your schedule, however, was made with the intention to end the lesson before the reserved time so you could be on time with your next lesson. Alas, it doesn't matter. Our lunch can do with five minutes less as Mr Boulton stated. His lessons are of extreme value to you, so there's no wrong in taking every minute possible in his lessons."

"Well, sit down. A maid will cater to our needs in a second. I've heard of your exploits in the cafeteria this morning so I ordered a light lunch for us. You undoubtedly don't need more nutrition to last the day." His grandfather smirked as he mentioned the episode of this morning in the cafeteria.

After a few minutes of casually chatting about his program a maid, a beautiful brunette, brought their lunch.

"Now let's talk business then shall we, Theodore." His grandfather only started to talk about various important points after lunch was served and the maid had left.

"I should have informed you about your teachers before. However, ensembling this dream team of teachers was rather hard and time-consuming. It is however of utmost importance that you know their backgrounds."

"First of, all of them have different reasons to be there, but none would have taken an interest in this 'job' if it wasn't for your newfound potential. In order to recruit them, I had to pique their interest. They are all in the know about your circ.u.mstances."

"They are very well paid for their time, but you, and I, are naturally indebted to them for their services. So in the future, you will have to repay the favour they have given you this time. Relations with these kinds of people are very important to our family and also for your own sake. Connections will open up doors to all kinds of places."

"Let's start with Drill-Sergeant Marten Kruys. He retired some time ago from the military. He only became a drill sergeant after an accident during his active duty. His records are classified, but you can be sure that he is a war veteran who has seen hell more than once."

"Do not be mistaken by his looks, he is much older than his looks make him out to be age. As a former star in the front, he has experienced some life-prolonging treatment. Life prolonging treatment is only reserved for veterans who have substantially contributed to the nation. There are several grades, though he only got one of the lesses grades he is actually a hundred and fifty-six years old. Possibly his lifespan will last to over two-hundred years old."

"The accident during his duty has made him unable to interface with mechs. As a former star, he was invited to train the new generation of Regus military forces. For the last three decades, he has been responsible for training the elites of the elites. He is very proud to have trained some of the most brilliant officers and special ops squads that our star system has ever seen. He also trained your father."

"Your father was his favourite student. Even though your father went missing over eight-years ago, sergeant Kruys always stayed in touch with our family. He was heartbroken that his brightest student couldn't fulfil his potential. When word got out that your aptitude has passed the bar, sergeant Kruys immediately contacted us to offer his help."

"His biggest wish is to train another legend. Someone that can equal or surpass your father. Naturally, he has decided to be involved with your training. You can imagine how he will compare the two of you. Though his intentions are..questionable.. his abilities are not. I expect you to buckle up and surpass and meet his expectations. Though time is tight, his training will be invaluable to your physical examination."

"Hmm, seems like you understand. I'll stop right here about sergeant Kruys. He is a straightforward man and I don't see any problem in you handling his training."

"What is your impression of Mr Boulton?" He threw a curveball at Theodore after his lengthy introduction of sergeant Boulton.

"Intelligent. Domineering. Ambitious. He has a lot of flair. I guess he's everything you expect of a genius." Theodore answered hesitantly, not knowing whether his answer would satisfy his grandfather.

"Hm, that's quite correct. There's a lot of rumour about his origin but this is not something you should concern you with. Ever since Mr Boulton made his public debut he has been shocking the science scene. He's the current generations Einstein, Tesla and Musk."

"He's a person with great ambition. His grandfather has repeatedly stated that he will never be the appointed heir and he will not be the future head of the company as it will stay in his families hands. Regardless of whether Mr Boulton is a 'bastard' of the family or an adopted son. Someone so brilliant, will he play second fiddle to his 'less brilliant' brothers?"

"Naturally someone as ambitious and smart as Mr Boulton doesn't wish to play second fiddle! He has, more than, repaid the Boulton's for their upbringing with the patents he has registered. He has taken a job at KMU in order to separate himself from the Boulton family and start on his own."

"The KMU recruited him at a high cost. He will only teach the elite engineer track and some general classes for the elite tracks. Next to that, he has been given a private laboratory and all his research is funded by the KMU. The patent profits of any of his inventions will be split in favour of Mr Boulton!"

"If the KMU wasn't desperate to cling on to their status and harbouring the intentions to grow their university, they would've never accepted these demands by Mr Boulton! They have truly been generous. These terms have been leaked to many of the influential figures that support the KMU. This deliberate leak made sure the KMU gained some extra investment. The possible patents and cooperation with Mr Boulton have made many influential people interested."

"Mr Boulton is here on the firm request of his grandfather. We are paying a huge sum for the three-months period that Mr Boulton will be teaching you. Next to this, we're also loaning him our workshop for this period. The Watts and Boulton company are a long-time supplier to our household mechs and space-borne assets. Even though their business had a reasonable scale, their influence is rather small."

"We have promised the Boulton family to support their efforts to be elevated to a viscount family for this 'favour' of theirs. As for Mr Boulton, he only agreed to be your teacher if we'd use our influence at KMU to help him get certain expensive laboratory equipment. We've been able to obtain some favour with the KMU and gain Mr Boulton's tutoring with this arrangement. Though costly, it is not as we've made a loss. You could say that Mr Boulton knows when to advance and when to retreat. He has a very calculated persona."

"You must understand Theodore, promises and favour sometimes hold more importance than money. Though we can spend lavishly with our families fortune, we must use our promises sparingly. A promise can be many times more costly."

"Professor Wilkinson is an old friend of mine. We've been friends for so long, we're no longer calculating favours. You can be assured he will teach you without inhibitions. The old' man will shore up your foundations quickly. You can address him as 'uncle' if you like."

"Professor Wilkinson is very perceptive and is a true old fox. In his lifetime he has not only been instrumental in developing science, but he also has considerable clout on Regus. He served the Regus family for some time as an advisor. This however also means he is firmly in the camp of the royal family. As our stance has always been neutral, try and not lean one way or another. We will talk more about politics and the family stance tonight."

"Then there's Lieutenant Redford. He is here on request of colonel de Ruyter. I contacted the colonel because I have a rather warm relationship with him. We served a tour together and brothers in arms will aways favour one another. Your father also served in his regiment and he has been one of the factors why your father was able to advance in the ranks so smoothly."

"The Colonel send him because he is a great strategist and well-known officer among the ranks. He knows how to conduct himself and has some achievement in spaceborne combat. He is also a KMU alumnus with great scores in military history, mech piloting, command, leadership and logistics. You could say he is a star in the colonels' regiment."

"There are many reasons he is qualified for this position. There, however, are few why he is here. Such a vital officer doesn't leave his post easily. As he is ambitious, he will do everything possible to climb the latter. Currying favour with the colonel is one way."

"The second reason why, is your father. As someone who is a rising star in the regiment, he is often compared to your father. Though he cannot compete with your father, he can definitely have a competition between his 16-year old self and you."

"The most important reason is the command of Colonel de Ruyter. That is to scout you out early and establish a relationship between you and his regiment. If you graduate from KMU, the colonel will then be first in line to draft you. Because of the importance the colonel has put on you, Redford is determined to see if he can palm you in for himself."

"The show of exemplary conduct, the salute he gives me. He's a man who will try and impress wherever he goes. Though he thinks this is a great way to advance the ranks, it actually puts him down in the eyes of the Colonel. The colonel and I have discussed his personality often during the recruitment process. He hopes that your hard work will inspire him to get off his high horse and simply work hard and develop a more accessible personality."

"These four gentlemen are all very talented in their own respective field. They all have their reasons. It is up to you to satisfy their demands and navigate through their tests. Your interaction with them has many implications for the future. Just work your hardest and focus on improving. I'm sure you won't disappoint them or me."

"Now, I haven't even taken a bite, but I see you've finished. Go and report to professor WIlkonson and give him my regards. Then I can go and have lunch." His grandfather then kicked him out of his office.

After the lengthy talk by his grandfather, the scheduled time for their lunch had elapsed and Theodore was shooed out of his grandfathers' office. With all the new insights Theodore was addressing his former impressions of the gentlemen. Though he still had to meet with lieutenant Reford and Professor Wilkinson, he couldn't help but have a faint opinion on them.