Rise of the Rich and Powerful Jamie Ashford

Chapter 22

Inside the huge office, there's a door that leads to a suite within the huge mansion. Jamie was blown away by how expensive every area he had seen looked.

“I heard that all of this belongs to my dad. Is that true?”

The old patriarch glanced back at his grandson. I see you're the inquisitive type, huh?”

He gestured to the couches in the living area of the hidden suite. “Sit down. You see, this suite was built to give your father a little break away from the hassle of duties whenever he got overwhelmed.” 

Once they've settled into the couch, Raymond orders the head butler to go brew them some tea while they talk. “There are a limited number of people who are granted access to, and the head butler of this mansion is one of them. Not even the lower butlers can get in.”

Jamie glanced at the head butler walking away. “Were all these people recruited by my dad, or did you employ them after moving in here?”

Raymond chuckled as he sat back against the couch. “No, I did not hire anyone here. Every single employee you find at this mansion was all hired by your father decades ago.”

His expression turned sad as he kept on talking. “Even after your father, Michael, left this world, the employees remained in their positions, paid by the auto-generative system he had implemented when he built the mini-city on this island.”

Basically, Raymond didn't tamper with any of the systems his son had put in place for the island and the inhabitants. The system was self-sufficient.

Jamie couldn't help but be intrigued by this. “Auto generative system? Master Raymond, what does that mean?”

Raymond raised a finger. “First of all, addressing me like that is not acceptable. Though I understand that we just met, I refuse to be treated by my own grandson as a stranger.”

Jamie chuckled nervously. “Then how should I address you?”

Raymond was straightforward. “You'll address me like all my other grandchildren do: Grandpa Ray, got it?”

Jamie nodded his head. The reality of having a grandfather was still a bit weird, but he obeyed anyway. “You got it, Grandpa Ray.”

The old patriarch laughed out loud with a satisfied smile on his face. “Good! Good!!”

He glanced out the floor-to-ceiling windows in the hidden suite. “Jamie, the auto-generative system was developed long ago by the family's tech company. I'm sure you've heard of AS-Crows Tech Corp.”

Jamie nodded his head. “You're saying that they're responsible for the development of this auto-generative system?”

Raymond nodded his head. “Yeah, this system functions like a governing body, keeping the rules and regulations of a civilization in balance, and thus, making sure that a settlement will keep running poorly, even without the human leader's presence.”

Jamie's eyes widened as he nodded his head in understanding. “I see! Tax collection, law enforcement, development in infrastructure, you're telling me that a system is capable of all this?”

Raymond understood that his grandson was skeptical, so he adjusted his right sleeve, showing an expensive vintage watch on that wrist. 

The old man tapped on the glass, which then glowed a blue hue, before a holographic screen appeared in front of him, catching Jamie off guard.

Raymond chuckled at his grandson's reaction as he tapped away on the holographic screen.

The room's floor-to-ceiling windows suddenly turned opaque, blocking out most of the bright light it was letting in.

Once the room had turned dark, a huge holographic screen appeared, showing a lab filled with futuristic tech. In a particularly humongous room, there is a metal podium that could contain over one thousand people with enough space within it. 

This metal podium has an orb of blue light swirling chaotically within it. There is a transparent glass bounding it, which ensures that the chaotic blue energy is contained.

Jamie was in awe. “Grandpa, w…what is that?”

Raymond pointed at it. “That's the core of AS-Crows Tech Corp. It is a lot of things, and its existence is very important to the growth of the Ashford family. I guess you can call it a conscious string of cosmic codes.”

Jamie became confused by these words. “A conscious string of cosmic codes? What are you talking about?”

Raymond turned to Jamie with an unreadable stare. “I guess going deep into this topic is still too early. You just got here, and I'm already giving you information that is highly classified. Jamie, forget what I just said. We'll talk more about it when you're ready.”

He turned off the holographic screen. “All you need to know is that, thanks to that core, our scientists were able to create consciousness with an artificial intelligence.”

Jamie's eyes widened in shock. If he had a drink in his hands right now, he would have definitely spit it out like an erupting volcano.

“Grandpa Ray, did you just say that you created consciousness within an artificial intelligence?!”

Raymond was pleased by this reaction. “I'm guessing even knowing how impossible something like that is, huh? But it's all thanks to that core. You see, the auto-generative system ruling the mini-city on this island is also what is ruling the system on all the other islands.”

Raymond had a proud expression on his face. “My dear boy, the Ashford clan is huge, filled with all kinds of people who believe they have the right to a share of the clan’s resources just because they're born-bloods. This kind of mentality will inevitably breed lazy fools, greedy assholes, domineering bullies, and so on.”

Jamie clocked on what his grandfather was trying to say. “So this auto-generative system is also utilized within the Ashford clan?”

He placed a hand on his chin. “That makes sense. With such a massive family, there are bound to be arrogant people who would believe that they're above the law. With the auto-generative system in place, criminals won't be able to escape punishment. Likewise, bullying will be minimized with such a family where power comes with hierarchy.”

Raymond was incredibly happy with Jamie's intelligence. “All I did was give you a piece of info, and you were able to comprehend words that are yet to be said.”

The slight praise made Jamie involuntarily scratch the back of his head as he felt awkward. “No, it's no big deal.”

Raymond sighed. “It's no big deal, you say? Tell that to the fools I call my children and grandchildren. The next generations of the Ashford clan. There are almost a hundred of them, and most of them have grown up to be nothing but wasted effort.”