036. A Brat Named Adam

Adam froze, his mind was blank. Fear engulfed him. He didn't know what to do.

'Is he?' He hoped what he felt and Eve said were only an illusion.

'I'm afraid father,' the boy continued.

Adam didn't dare to move, talk, or just breathe. He was afraid the boy, the real Adam would recognize him and then talking to him.

'I feel my time will end soon, father.'

The guilt started to submerge Adam. He knew that it was not his fault at all. He transmigrated to an already dying body. But, he felt so wrong to be a part of this.

'I miss you so much, and mother too. Also Alice and Elma. My time is not enough.'

Adam's tears were starting to flow down. He was watching a boy, the former Adam dying.

"Are you okay, Adam?" His father's voice came out from the device in front of him.

Adam gritted his teeth, he pressed his fear, calmed his mood, and said, "Please wait for a minute father. It's an emergency. Would you like to hold for a minute?"

"You should make sure everything was okay before making a call next time. Ok, I will end the...."

"No, please. I just need a minute, how are everyone at home?" Adam felt it would be better if his father didn't end the call. He had a gut feeling, it would be over if the call was ended.

"Okay, everyone is fine. You know Elma two days ago...," Ryan started to tell the family's situation.

'Eve, is there a way to preserve him?' Adam asked with determination.

Adam could feel Eve sighed, 'If it is a normal person, he will not ask that. On the opposite, maybe he will ask how to eliminate the existence like the former Adam inside him. You are too kind Adam. It maybe will harm you.'

'Sorry, I-I just feel a part of me will die if I let him die like this.'

'Stupid Adam. But I love the way you look at things. Okay, there is a way. And you have the key to make it happens,' Eve said.

'Don't tell me, the blank card?'

'Yes. You can make him your summoned creature. But you know, there is a possibility it won't work. It was depended on himself.'

Adam then took a deep breath to solidify his determination. Because a part of him wanted to let him die. He was afraid of the problem that would occur if something went wrong when he was trying to save the former Adam. After all, he didn't want to die either.

'Did you hear me, A-Adam?' Adam collected all his courage to say it.

'I saw you. How you came. How you used my body. How you talked with Walker, Uncle Victor, and father. I don't blame you anymore Adam. But no. Let me die. I don't want to be your summoned creature.'

'He knew!' Adam grimaced, 'If it was his choice, then...." His heart started to waver.

'No! I won't let it happen.' Adam clenched his fists.

'Adam, do you remember your promise to your mother to write a letter occasionally and Elma, you promised her stuffed animals. Do you want to break your promise?' Adam's voice trembled when said every word.

'It will be your duties. You took my body, so you have to take responsibility for that.'

'How can you? They are your family. How could you carelessly say like that? Didn't you just want to talk with your father?'

'....'

'Answer me, brat! You unfilial son.'

'....'

'May I speak master?' Traze said in his heart.

'Yes, of cou, wait!? How could you speak to me this way?' Adam shocked, hearing Traze's voice in his heart.

'This way? Oh, you meant to speak to you when I am in an unsummoned state? It's this kiddo's fault. Previously we could only talk with other summoned creatures when we were in unsummoned state. But after this kiddo spoke, we can access this channel too. Isn't it fun master?'

'So everybody can hear me now?' Adam was shocked.

'Yes master,' Roman the demon said, Adam could felt he was tired. As he wanted to ask what was wrong with him. The others sounded tired as well. Only Traze, Veronica, Haldir, and Ural who seemed normal.

Just as he wanted to ask, Eve said, 'They had to study the materials I have given. Like Roman, I gave him some oration and speech videos from YouTube and psychology ebooks from other sources. The rest as well, I give them materials that suit their fields. Because of that, I can not help you that's much today.'

'Master, you don't know, the IMF and Central banks concepts in your former world are brilliant. You can control the world by just printing paper money. They are evil but I like it,' Zeen the goblin said enthusiastically.

'I got many formulas to make steel. I don't know there are so many grades of steel. It's amazing,' Aiden the dwarf said.

'You can also do that Eve?' Adam asked in surprise.

'Yes, but it was tiresome. It was easier when I was just an AI,' Eve said.

'Don't say that! You are better now. We must grateful for being alive,' Adam said sternly.

'How envious,' The former Adam said.

Everyone was silent. Just as Adam wanted to talk, Traze said first, 'Hi Brat, don't you know I was just like you before. Trapped in a body that I can't control. I know it was bitter. I was"

'I saw everything old man, I understand. But my time is not much. I will die soon. I'm not like you,' The former Adam said.

'Oh, really? What I want to share is not that. What I shared with Master was just a short time compared to the time I spent afterward. You don't know, how long I was trapped in my grave. More than a dozen years. And if master didn't attract me here, I don't know, until how much decades, century, millennium I will be there? Until the end of the world? You don't understand a thing brat,' Adam could feel helplessness in Traze's voice that made him thought, are all wandering soul were just like Traze. Could he just save them?

'Don't ever think about it!' Eve said sternly.

'What?' Traze and the former adam said at the same time.

'Sorry, Adam just thought a stupid thing. You can continue.' Eve said.

'You destroyed my momentum, Miss,' Traze said.

'I said sorry,' Eve said.

'I get your point. But it is not definite that I will end like you, right?' The former Adam argued.

'Why are you so stubborn? You said lightly you will die as is you will eat. Are you stupid? Wait until the death's scythe was beside your neck, can you this arrogant?

I finish master, let just wait until he dies. He won't this stubborn anymore when he is in a ghost state. A virgin brat like him doesn't understand how good to have a human body.

Oh, I miss my voluptuous cold wife. Damn you, brat. You made me remember her.'

'I see you are not too emotional anymore Adam, just talk to YOUR father. Leave him alone. If he is this stubborn, I think he won't die soon. Sometimes it is easier to guide a pig than a brat in puberty,' Eve said.

Adam smiled, 'It seems to be able to hear all of you is not as bad as I thought.'

***

"... But the kitten died, after that Elma cried for a night. You don't know how hard it was to calm her.

"Father, should not dot on her too much. She will rotten," Adam said with a smile.

"You are rotten! Hump... You unfilial son. I was busy this 10 years, for who? It was tiring, to educate you strictly these years. So let me and your mother enjoy our lives by watching your sister's growth."

'Educate? I think it should be called abuse,' The former Adam said.

Adam could only smile, " Father, I want to discuss something with you."

"Oh, it seems you have solved your problem over there. So what is going on?" Ryan said with a business-like tone.

Adam then explained about Torres's suggestion, Walker's explanation, and Ares's view.

After thinking for a while, Ryan asked, "Those are their thinkings, I want to hear yours."

"I want to use the resident permit in that area. I want to build our family's company. At first, we will sell mana stones. We will grow it step by step. So, it will require not much capital," Adam said.

"I also thought it is possible to expand our business in Silverpool. But after hearing Sir Ares's view, I hesitate. Is it all right to continue my plan? If we offended them, it is impossible to get the technology in the shortest time. I fear the value of our mana stones will depreciate even further."

The two of them then thought in silence for some minutes, until Zeen's voice woke Adam up, 'I have a suggestion master, how about we become the sole distributor of barbarian's merchandise?'

Zeen's idea like thunder in a clear sky that shocked Adam to his core, 'Yes, Our territory's products are not only mana stones. The barbarian's cultural products are always popular. But because most of the barbarians are not friendly, the merchants and the nobles could only get limited numbers of their goods in mid-fall.'

'You are genius Zeen. You will be our minister of trade from now on.'

'Huh? No master, I want to be a merchant. Not a minister. I love gold not papers,' Zeen protest.

Adam dumbfounded.

'You stupid goblin,' Eve roared in anger.

***