Success, Opulence and Power, Hebru Young [inspirational novels .txt] 📗

own body temperature. The source of the electrical current were the buttons that were cleverly wire-stitched to my suit. The suit also had a thermometer, again powered by the buttons.

Built-in body armour was also included. This not only stopped bullets from piercing my flesh, it also protected the thermal gel packs underneath. The suit’s master craftsmanship was courtesy of Bellucci & Co. Bespoke Suits. I was the only customer who good old Mr. Bellucci agreed to craft all the tech for. Anyone could purchase a bespoke suit from him, but if they wanted to get the integrated thermal and armour systems, they would need to get it done elsewhere. Alex and Chris had this tech in their suits as well, but they used a different tailor.

I saw that Dahiru and his security staff had been waiting for us, as promised. His guys were all armed with assault rifles and submachine guns supplied by Proteritek. We exported the weapons from Russia to his private security company as a gift. My security team had their own weapons, so neither of us had to worry about our safety during my visit. As I approached Dahiru and his men, one of the air hostesses handed me the gift-wrapped bottle of Vieux Vignoble.

“Hey Mr. Dahiru Wali, how’s it going, my main man?” I said.

“Assalamu alaykum, my good friend, long time no see. Welcome back to the AU,” Dahiru replied.

“Always a pleasure coming here, it’s like home away from home. Here, I brought you something,” I said.

“Heeey, Vieux Vignoble, you know you didn’t have to do this,” Dahiru said.

“Come on, it’s my pleasure,” I replied.

“Chris, Alex, you guys made the trip,” Dahiru said.

“We wouldn’t miss this for the world, Dahiru, and you know how much Alex loves it here,” Chris said.

“Ha-ha, I do. I think Alex likes it a bit too much, eh?” Dahiru said.

“Come on, Dahiru, take it easy on me, I still have flashbacks from the last trip. What was in that drink anyway?” Alex said.

“Ha-ha, you’re a funny guy, Alex,” Dahiru said.

“Come, come, guys, our transportation is ready. How about you guys ride with me?” Dahiru said.

“Yup, let’s go,” I replied.

Trips to the AU have always been fascinating to me—Nasarawa specifically. The lifestyle, the customs, and just the general demeanour of the people who live here: very different to life in the West. The people were down to earth and respectful, but there was also a sense of pride, and they expected the respect they gave to be reciprocated.

Our convoy of driverless vehicles manouvered along a busy freeway from the airfield into the town centre. The AU had implemented driverless-car zones in the regions where this was a necessity, mostly the busiest parts. Nasarawa was one of the more prosperous regions, therefore driverless-car zones made up seventy-five percent of the smaller streets and freeways. The drive from Dahiru’s airfield provided the opportunity to admire the scenery, and it was fascinating. The strange thing about our journey was that the town centre was ridiculously busy, but this didn’t seem to affect the flow of traffic.

Everything had been organized in such a way that allowed people, automobiles, and motorcycles to move freely. Driverless vehicles and networked roads were only just starting to catch on in the UNEA. The problem with most Western countries was that there was existing infrastructure that was obsolete and needed to be demolished before new infrastructure could be put into place. Things like underground electric, telephone, and old network cabling needed to be removed and replaced with new infrastructure. For the most part, the world had adopted wireless systems. However, there was still a requirement for underground cabling and equipment for all the systems to work together. Changing the old systems was quite expensive. This is why the West was still playing catch-up to the technological advancement achieved by regions that were once considered developing countries. Most regions in the AU previously lacked the finances to implement old technology when they were still relevant. So, implementing the new infrastructure was feasible and easy to execute since the cost of removing old tech wasn’t an issue. Nigeria had become an innovator in commerce and technology. The Nigerian oil boom was a thing of the past due to the mass adoption of cleaner energy sources. Most AU countries now utilized solar, wind, and nuclear energy to generate electricity.

Gone were the days when it was perceived as a third-world. The AU was fully developed, with opportunities for continuous growth. Nasarawa had developed so much that it had modern architecture and one of the most advanced comms infrastructures in the world. Glass buildings had been erected all around the town centre, and the buildings were powered by the material they were built of. The AU had figured out how to optimize solar energy, enabling them to harness the same amount of energy as before. The difference now was that they were able to maximize the energy output by two hundred percent using advanced solar amplifiers. There were holographic billboards advertising goods and services from AU corporations. It was all a sight to see.

“Eddie, you love it here, don’t you? It’s always the same every time you visit Nasarawa, you spend most of the ride looking out of the window,” Dahiru said.

“I can’t help it, Dahiru, it’s a beautiful place,” I replied.

“Have you ever thought about buying a place out here? Perhaps you could bring the family here every summer,” Dahiru asked.

“Yeah, it’s definitely worth considering,” I replied.

“So, sorry that you’ve had to fly out here to complete our business. We could have done everything over the comms, however, AU laws on international business are quite strict. The government requires international businesses to be represented by the most senior individuals should those organizations wish to carry out business in the AU. Erratanite export is an area of great interest to the AU, because