After dismissing Ralph, Marcus left his study and headed to the dining hall on the ground floor. He was feeling quite hungry, and he should for he had travelled across time and space, and it was time for breakfast.
"How are you, young master?" a middle-aged woman asked as soon as Marcus was seated at the dining table.
"I am good, Aunt Camila," he replied with a polite smile.
The woman, Camila, was the cook of the house. At around 55 years of age, she was short and had a slightly bulky appearance.
It seemed as if Camila wanted to add something more, say something more, but ultimately decided against it. Like Ralph, she had been working for the Clifton family for a very long period of time- over 25 years and was as close to the family as Ralph had been.
Having lost his mother at a young age, Marcus knew how much Camila had played a major part in his upbringing, and he could understand the concern she must feel seeing him falling and drowning himself in addiction.
Soon, breakfast was served and it was a new experience for Marcus.
In his previous life as Ethan, the food he enjoyed was quite different from what was available now. In the future, most food crops were genetically mutated and enhanced to maintain maximum productivity. Apart from these modified crops, the normal diet of a human also consisted of nutrient solutions. Their purpose was not to provide taste or satisfaction after a meal but to supply the essential nutrients, minerals, and vitamins the body needed to function properly.
Thus, a breakfast made from a 'natural' foodgrains was definitely a unique experience for Marcus, and he truly enjoyed it.
After having his fill, Ethan returned to his father's office. With all the knowledge Marcus had, he definitely did not care for assault rifles.
However, in reality, the options available to Ethan were limited. The environment in which Ethan had grown up in his past life was completely different. This world was almost primitive compared to his previous one. The level of technology Ethan had been accustomed to in his day to day life was a thousand years more advanced than in this world.
No doubt, he could invent a myriad of things with his knowledge, but the problem was the lack of resources. The materials he would need and the foundational technology were unavailable here.
It was like sending a modern day aircraft manufacturer to the ancient world. He would have all the knowledge of aircraft making, but that knowledge would be useless without computers, the code to run them, the materials to construct them, or the fuel. In short, he would have nothing to craft an aircraft.
Thus, almost all the knowledge that Marcus had from his past life was obsolete unless he could raise this world's technology by 1000 years, which did not seem possible.
But there was one thing Marcus still had: his genetically enhanced, highly intelligent brain.
He could study everything, the technology and science of this world, and then possibly create anything he desired. And so, he resolved to become a master of assault rifles in the next few hours.
He turned on the computer, relying on memories of the previous Marcus. In his previous life, he had never seen such computers- perhaps one of those museums might have housed them as a showpiece. And so began Marcus' research on assault rifles.
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While he was busy sifting through all the publicly available knowledge on assault rifles, Camila and Ralph were talking in the dining hall below.
"Ralph," Camila remarked with a thoughtful expression, "young master feels different today."
"Gone is his chaotic, impatient, unscrupulous, and anxious nature. He seems so calm and composed, as if I'm seeing a completely different person," she added while Ralph nodded in agreement.
"Although I do not think much of his sudden interest in company matters, as I've seen it before and how short lived those whims had been," Ralph continued. "But the way he talked with me just now and how his thought process worked and how attentive he was. It feels entirely different."
"Just as you said, a completely different person," Ralph echoed.
"Maybe Master Clifton's death has finally changed him," Camila added hopefully.
"Hope so... hope so, Camila," Ralph sighed. "Otherwise, this Clifton Enterprise is sure shot to go down the hill."
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It was around 2:30 P.M. when a knock on the office door disturbed Marcus's attention from the computer screen. He removed his computer glasses and called, "Come in."
Ralph stepped inside. Although he maintained a neutral expression, he had been shocked to the core.
When he first learned that Marcus had returned to the office after breakfast, he was surprised. He had thought that perhaps this time Marcus's interest would last longer. With each passing hour that Marcus remained inside the office, his surprise turned into shock. He had never expected Marcus Clifton to spend his entire day, from morning to afternoon, inside the office. Even if Marcus did nothing else, his mere act of simply sitting in the office was a big achievement in itself.
"Young master," Ralph said, "it is time. We should leave for the board meeting."
Marcus nodded and followed behind Ralph.
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