Arakana: A Thousand Years After

At the factory of Paradise Industry, Shakhai and his assistant were engrossed in supervising the AI industrial robots. The focus of the industry was on developing a new water producer that would be affordable even for the poorest individuals. Those robots looked like backhoes loaders but they had tiny pincers instead of buckets. They were fitting microchips on microcontrollers.

 "Nobel, it looks like everything is going well. If this project becomes successful. No, no, no 'if'. This project has to be successful. So, soon all people, even all poor can afford a water producer. No one has to perish from thirst anymore," Shakhai exclaimed.

 "Yes sir. It's lamentable that it takes humanity about a century to achieve an affordable water producer. The existing water producers are exclusively utilized by nobles and upper-class people. But this inequality will end soon," Nobel Freeman replied.

 "We don't have to build this water producer. Even, there would be no concept of a 'water-making machine', only if our ancestors thought about the future seriously. All glaciers have been melted, and rivers and lakes have been dried. Only the oceans were left. We would purify water from the salt water of oceans. But now, look at those oceans; no water, only the seas of plastics, wasted things, and even dead bodies. Venturing outside without a Shielding suit is perilous, as our bodies would be consumed by the intense radiation," Shakhai said.

"Baba," Ilm called as he entered the factory. He activated the holographic screen on his shielding suit and commanded it to disengage. The suit transformed back into a box.

 "Look your son has come. Now teach him how to be a good businessman," Nobel chuckled.

 "I see you've come quite early today," Shakhai remarked.

 "No, I have arrived on time, no early, no late," Ilm replied.

 "But today was your first day of martial arts training. So, I expected you to be late."

 "Dhuur, boring training."

 Shakhai laughed then he asked Nobel if he could continue supervising, so Shakhai would take Ilm somewhere. Nobel nodded.

 "Come with me, Ilm."

 Ilm went with Shakhai holding his sleeve's end.

 "So, my young master, do you want to see our new project?" Shakhai asked.

 "You sound like Kuro. 'Young master,'" Ilm replied.

 "Well, what is the difference between me and Kuro?"

 "He is a robot, you are not. He doesn't do anything by himself, you do. He follows what is commanded."

 "Even humans don't do anything by themselves." Shakhai smiled.

 Ilm puzzled. He frowned at Shakhai.

 "I don't understand," he said.

 "You think we follow what we think, what we want. But I think we follow our instincts. We don't make choices; we select a choice from the choices given. We are just like robots, Ilm. We give outputs based on the inputs."

 "Grandpa, Maa, and you, all are the same. Why are people so obsessed with lectures?"

 Shakhai laughed. "Well, at some point in life, you will be like us. So, want to see our brand-new water producer?"

 "Yes!" His eyes were shining with excitement.

 Shakhai took Ilm to the research room. Many humanoid robots were working. And at the end middle of the room, there was a cuboid-shaped machine.

 "These robots are industrial testers. They help us with testing every new technology. This is the prototype of Paradise Industry's new water producer, which will be equipped with advanced technology," Shakhai explained.

 "How will it work?" Ilm asked.

 "The current water producers melt icebergs brought from Turkan and purify the water. However, this process is very costly. Another method involves transporting water from the planet Aquaris, but that's also expensive. Moreover, most of them are industrial water producers. The most cost-efficient way is to produce water through a chemical reaction."

 "But you know there is no free oxygen in the atmosphere. You have to extract oxygen from other chemical compounds. And so, you need an enormous amount of energy for mass production."

 "And that's why we need Professor McWorld's new invention. That will be able to take energy from a neutron star and will easily hold it for a lifetime. He has said that he needs two or three more years. And then we will use his invention for people's benefit using electrochemical synthesis," Shakhai informed.

 Ilm gasped with joy. "Really?"

 "Yeah, although he is making it for space transportation, like how the majority of energy usage is allocated for that, but we can use it, changing some functions. And you know what is more interesting about it? This technology will cost some billions of Crypts. So, for a multi-trillion company like ours, it will be very cheap. So, the total cost for mass production will be less," Shakhai said.

 "Wow, you are amazing Baba."

 "How can I deny my son's request?" Shakhai shrugged.

 "Okay then, I'm going." Ilm turned back and raised his hand. He smiled and said, "Goodbye Baba. See you during the dinner."

 Ilm left the place. Shakhai sighed and smiled, "What a curious boy."

 Then he recalled the event which convinced him to do this greater good. The event of the dinner party at a colourful light night. The night of Ilm's seven-year birthday celebration.