"Are you really as young as you say and proclaim?" Dr. Walter couldn’t help but ask Aric. He had read the papers Aric had sent, and the way he articulated ideas about gut bios for a young teenager was mind-blowing. This might be common knowledge for a university student, but not for soone of his age.
"Dr. Walter, I’m sure you’ve done your research. There’s nothing to lie about here, and I don’t think I look older than the age on my ID," Aric replied, making sure to deliver it as a kind of joke.
"Ha... ha... ha..." Dr. Walter laughed awkwardly. "I’m sorry, your knowledge of agriculture blew our minds, and we’d like you to join our university. The governnt will even grant you citizenship in Switzerland if you want it in the future," Dr. Walter said. "No offense to India, but we really think you’ll be able to grow better in Switzerland, and our country will provide all the resources you need for further research. You’ve done a wonderful job here, but I feel your research can really change the world, and we’d like to help you more." Dr. Walter’s words felt rehearsed, like they had been practiced beforehand.
It was robotic, but Aric could also tell that Dr. Walter was speaking under instruction, probably from upper managent or at least his boss. Aric didn’t imdiately agree.
"Can I talk to my parents and get back to you on that? Give a couple of days to make a decision."
"Yes, of course. Your parents’ opinions are very important in this life-changing matter. We’ll return at the sa ti the day after tomorrow. We’ll be staying at the Swaagat Hotel," Dr. Walter replied.
Aric nodded, but the conversation didn’t end there. As a scientist himself, Dr. Walter wanted to know how Aric had been able to progress so quickly in such an amazing field, while large companies, universities, and countries around the world had failed to do so. Aric had an answer ready from the start.
The answer was Mira.
She was the one with the knowledge, as Aric had fed her the library beforehand, and it was easy for her to provide the information while Aric simply repeated her words. Suffice it to say, the duo was impressed. Mathew was new to the field, but even he could tell that if he wrote a paper on any of the topics Aric discussed, he would quickly earn a PhD.
Dr. Walter’s eyes sparkled as he spoke about the different ways to modify seeds to improve yield. Of course, his words weren’t proven yet, but Aric had sent them seeds that they couldn’t replicate. Now that Aric was discussing ways to improve yields, it seed to have opened new doors for Dr. Walter, and he couldn’t wait to try the ideas in his lab back at ETH.
However, he knew that taking Aric with him to Zurich was more important than conducting his own experints. After a brief discussion, both n left. After they left, Aric’s aunt and mother ca down to the living room.
Suffice it to say, his aunt had questions and had already forgotten the cold treatnt Aric had given her earlier. When she learned that the two visitors were university professors from Switzerland asking him to join a university in Zurich, her jaw dropped.
Aric saw no point in lying to her anymore, as they would be moving soon, and it was ti to rip so of the band-aids off. His mother looked at Aric deeply when he spoke of his acceptance to a university but didn’t stop him from explaining.
His aunt seed happy that he had been accepted abroad, but Aric could sense so bitterness as she complained about how her daughter would never be like him. Thankfully, Aric didn’t ntion that his parents would also be moving, or it would have caused a real outburst. His aunt had questions about the university, and Aric answered them honestly, explaining how he got accepted into ETH.
Of course, he downplayed his work, saying he had simply written a paper and sent it. She was impressed and remarked how she could tell other relatives to do the sa and maybe receive the sa treatnt.
Soon, she left, and a few minutes later, Aric’s father knocked on the door. He already had the passports, having received them in the mail. Aric’s father was ecstatic when he learned that the ’call’ from Europe had finally arrived. A year ago, when Aric had expressed his desire to move to Europe for his studies, his father had already started preparing for the move. Now that everything was falling into place, it felt like a dream.
"They asked you to beco a citizen of Europe?" Eklavya asked.
"Not Europe. Switzerland. Europe isn’t a country, Dad," Aric replied, placing his palm on his forehead.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry," Aric’s father said, unbothered by his mistake.
"And Switzerland isn’t even part of the European Union, so EU laws don’t apply there. We’ll be safe," Aric said.
"Safe? Why? Is being a billionaire a cri there?" Avni couldn’t understand why her son was talking about safety, given that in India, they couldn’t openly discuss the wealth they sat on, which was already too much for her to handle.
"No, no, that’s just a figure of speech," Aric replied, biting his tongue. Safety was a relative matter, considering the amount of chaos he planned to stir in the future. It was also one of the reasons why he was eager to get to Switzerland and have the governnt support him.
The country was known for its neutrality, and he wanted to be a part of it for as long as possible. That would give him the ti and power he needed.
"You should accept their arrangents and move as soon as possible." Eklavya said.
"I will, but before that I need to milk out more from them." Aric said with a evil grin in his face.
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Read 25 Chapters ahead on my p@treon,com/thelightedghost
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