A hundred million or so wouldn't be enough to prepare for what was to come. What's more: Whenever Kael made a move, he naturally didn't take small steps.
In his mind, he didn't just need to stock up supplies; he needed to build a home that would be able to withstand the test of time.
And this 'test of time' was quite deadly.
With his identity, he soon received a copy of the patents, and he read through them carefully.
Michael, though looking a bit confused himself, obediently showed him the documents, and he even zoomed in or zoomed out as needed.
As Kael read through the documents, he saw some familiar concepts, and his eyebrows could not help but rise.
If he recalled correctly, there was some important technology there that could be important to some things in the future, such as the energy gun and fabric-thin armors. Of course, at this time, these patents were used in smaller household appliances and equipment that did not relate to those things yet.
If things followed the other timeline, the discovery of their use for the apocalypse would have taken another decade or so.
He had studied these in the apocalypse, and it was quite a fate to be borne as the proponents' child.
That said, he was also quite objective, studying the potential value of the patents in the eyes of the potential buyers. With Michael's help, he got acquainted with the market, making some calculations in his head.
His body might be useless, but fortunately, his brain was working fine.
"Each patent cannot be lower than ten million, but I hope it exceeds an average of 15 million," he said after a while.
The patents were lucrative, but they were moderate patents, at least from the perspective of the current experts. They earned some money because a number of companies used them.
However, they weren't too complex, and innovations from elsewhere could pop up at any time, so the value of the patent would depreciate in time. There was no loss to sell them at this juncture.
It wasn't like he couldn't touch or use the patent itself, because he could, especially if he wasn't commercializing them. Not to mention, the apocalypse was coming; who would care for these things then?
"Can…can you repeat that?" Michael asked again, half-certain he had heard it wrong. "Selling…selling the patents?"
"I know what I'm doing," Kael said, expression stern, and Michael could no longer attempt to dissuade him.
"And…" Kael paused. "Open the map of the central region for me. I need to check something.
Michael nodded and obediently lifted his digital tablet again for him to see.
It was only then that he realized… he was being too obedient!
He flinched and whipped his head to the patient. When he met the young man's blue eyes, the lawyer—a promising junior associate with years of litigation experience under his belt—didn't dare say anything anymore.
At first, Michael thought it was just his guilt that was making him so uncharacteristically compliant. But after a few more moments of interaction, he realized that it wasn't the case.
How could a young man, who had been bedridden for so many years, have such a strong presence?
Kael didn't care about the lawyer's thoughts. He simply looked at the tablet, looking at the central region's satellite image.
The central region had one big river and several tributaries. There was also a mountain range nearby. A few tens of kilometres east of the mountain range was the heart of the capital city itself, its prestige and wealth sustained for centuries by the rivers and tributaries that had passed through it.
Kael looked at a portion of the mountains facing the capital area, not too far away from the edge of the metropolis.
This suburban location was where the Central Refuge—the last stronghold of humanity—was located, built up by the joint efforts of millions after the apocalypse descended.
There was a reason why it lasted the longest.
After the Fall, most countries naturally mobilized to create bases in different parts of their territory. Some were made by the government, while others were made by private individuals.
Each one enclosed surviving areas with massive walls, enhanced through time as people experienced the strength of the enemies. For a few decades, humans fought against the aliens as best they could.
People died daily, bases fell every couple of weeks, but they held on somehow.
It was just that, at some point, digger specialist aliens appeared, and they were capable of digging underneath the fortifications. They were not a lot in numbers, but even a few tunnels could be detrimental to an entire territory—especially those unprepared for them.
When this variant appeared, dozens of bases fell outright.
This mountain range was a granite mountain. It was very difficult for these diggers to breach the territory, giving the citizens some breathing space.
Not to mention, during the initial disasters, this area was also relatively safe. Provided the buildings were built decently, the granite bed protected them from the earthquake, and its elevation protected them from the floods.
The mountains also dissipated a lot of the winds during the Megastorms, and so on. There were still many dangers, of course, but it was the best choice of housing right now.
After a while, Kael laboriously lifted his arms and pointed at an area.
"There should be some good properties here," he said, looking at the lawyer next to him. "Can you inquire about them? I will give you a bonus."
Michael nodded, but then, he paused, internally looking at himself.
When did he start acting like a personal assistant?!