The Great Heir of the Merchant Dynasty

Awakening from a nightmare, Alvin paused for half a second, then looked at the unfamiliar old man, his lips twitching slightly. "Excuse me, who are you?"

If it weren't for the old man's advanced age, he would have slapped him long ago. Are you kidding me? He starts claiming kinship right off the bat?

Horn paused for a moment, then realized he hadn't introduced himself yet. He cleared his throat and said seriously, "I am Horn Valshius, and by blood, I am your grandfather."

Alvin suddenly realized.

Got it, this must be his aristocratic grandfather!

"Child, I know... it might be difficult for you to accept this now, after all, I..." Horn was about to comfort his grandson.

As a result, Alvin nimbly jumped off the soft bed and hugged his leg. "Grandpa—I've finally found you!!!"

Good!

How shameless!

Horn's eyelids twitched violently. He hadn't expected his grandson to be so pragmatic. No wonder he was his father's son. With that kind of shamelessness, he'd be a talent in the future.

There's hope for a successor in the family!

Horn stroked Alvin's hair and whispered, "Don't worry, child, I'm here... No one will bully you anymore. I swear in the name of 'Valshius,' I will raise you into a proper nobleman!"

If Alvin could hear Horn's thoughts, he would probably just scoff and dismiss it.

They've fallen so low as to be scavengers, what shame do they have left?

No matter what, even a nobleman from a cesspool is still infinitely better than a scavenger from a cesspool!

As for the face?

Whoever wants that thing, can have it; he wants to cling to his noble grandfather's coattails!

"How are you feeling, child?"

Horn really did resemble a kind old man, stroking Alvin's hair, his aged face revealing a hint of affection, and saying in as gentle a tone as possible, "It's normal to feel uncomfortable after being abducted to the Warp by Tzeentch's Greater Daemon. If anything feels wrong, just say so."

"I... feel fine, there's nothing wrong."

After much hesitation, Alvin decided to keep what he saw in his dream a secret. Otherwise... who knows, the old man might impulsively pull out a gun and shoot him.

After all, to have ventured into the Four Gods in a dream seems a bit too far-fetched no matter how you look at it.

As for the final scene in the nightmare...

To be honest, Alvin didn't quite understand. Could it be that the Prison on the Golden Throne was really about to break down?

"Now that you've almost recovered, come with me to the banquet. There are lots of people... waiting to see you."

Horn smiled, but in Alvin's eyes, there was an indescribable feeling in the old man's smile.

"Oh..."

Alvin then had a moment to look around at his surroundings.

A huge crystal chandelier, a soft carpet covered with the fur of an unknown creature, and burning incense—any one of the furs in the room could cause a brawl Underhive the gangsters!

This is... the life of the nobility!

Alvin had always tried his best to imagine that the nobles of Upper-hive would live a luxurious life, but he never expected... it would be this damn luxurious!

To be honest, even if Tony came, he'd probably just say, "Extravagant, wasteful!"

"Child, I know... it's very basic."

However, one sentence from Horn broke Alvin's defenses. He said in a low voice, somewhat pained, "But this is already the best room in Losel. It will be much better when we get back to our ship. Let's just bear with it for now."

"..."

Alvin stood there stunned for a good ten seconds.

No, he felt this place was no less than a palace, but in the old man's eyes, it was only barely acceptable?

Just how extravagant must a true noble family be?

"Change the young master's clothes."

Horn casually snapped his fingers.

Soon, two exceptionally beautiful and well-proportioned maids entered from outside, carrying soft aristocratic clothing. They bowed gracefully and said, "Respected Young Master Alvin, from this day forward, we will be responsible for your food, clothing, and lodging. Please feel free to ask us for anything you may need."

Hmm, as expected of nobles, even their standard maids are so beautiful.

Alvin glanced at her a few more times, but quickly looked away. For an ambitious person, beauty was merely the lowest of desires.

He has even greater and higher aspirations.

Little did he know that his performance only added to his reputation in Horn's eyes.

Horn initially thought that his grandson, who came from a humble Underhive and had never experienced extravagance, would quickly become immersed in all kinds of desires and become unable to extricate himself. So, Holm's initial plan was to let Alvin experience everything he had never experienced or enjoyed before, until he got tired of it, and then he would take the initiative to request it.

But now it seems he was worrying too much. Alvin's performance was excellent; apart from his aristocratic manners, he couldn't find a single fault with him.

Although Alvin was a little uncomfortable, he managed to change his clothes with the help of two maids.

Suddenly, as if struck by a flash of inspiration, a thought popped into his mind.

Isn't that a bit dangerous?

After pondering for half a second, Alvin asked the two maids to leave temporarily. Although the two maids didn't quite understand, they did as he asked.

Soon, Alvin, having changed back into his noble clothes, left the room, completely satisfied.

It must be said that the clothes of the nobility were made of some unknown material, and were extremely soft to wear. They were embroidered with gold thread patterns and appeared very simple at first glance, but were actually luxurious and understated.

"These two will be responsible for taking care of your daily needs from now on."

Horn looked at Alvin, who had finished changing, a satisfied expression on his face. Then, his gaze sharpened as he stared at the two maids and said calmly, "But there's one thing I need to tell you: they are only responsible for your daily needs. You can make any requests, but... don't invest too much emotion in them. Do you understand what I mean?"

I get it, it's just about controlling your crotch, right?

Alvin nodded slightly, understanding the implied meaning in the old man's words, but he had no thoughts on this matter for the time being.

"Hmm, not bad, it looks much better now."

Horn looked Alvin up and down, then said calmly, "From the perspective of Imperium law, you are not yet Valshius's heir, so I will not demand noble etiquette from you. Moreover, considering your background, I will teach you these things slowly in the future."

Upon hearing this, Alvin felt a bit of a headache coming on.

Others might not understand, but he knew all too well just how troublesome the Imperium nobles were. Their etiquette and family history alone were enough to give him a hard time!

"Come with me, child."

Horn stepped forward and personally straightened Alvin's collar, saying solemnly, "Next, I will take you to meet the officials of the Imperium, and then officially confirm... that you will become Valshius's successor!"

"Um... Grandpa, how long was I unconscious?" Alvin asked cautiously, following behind Horn.

Fifteen days.

Horn said calmly.

"So... have all the cults been dealt with?" Alvin was most worried about Losel's cult. "And what about that Planetary Governor Garken? Has he been captured?"

Horn stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around. He said indifferently, "These are all minor matters; you don't need to worry about them at all."

Seeing this, Alvin could only suppress his doubts and continue following behind Horn until they arrived at a large door.

The waiter at the door opened the door for them.

The golden light seemed to shine from within, and the overwhelming atmosphere of luxury made Alvin feel like a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time in his life.

Good heavens!

In the luxurious palace filled with the elite nobility, dozens of people were gathered. Judging from their attire alone, almost all of them were nobles, including cardinals of the Ecclesiarchy, Grand Sage of the Mechanicus, and even officers of the Imperium.

He even saw Albert, the Company Commander who had rescued him, and another unfamiliar company Company Commander from Astartes, the two of them having a heated conversation in a corner.

Judging from the shape of their lips... oh, they're discussing dividing the spoils!

Shifting his stiff gaze, Alvin looked again at Horn, who called himself "Grandpa," and swallowed hard. "Um... would you like to check again? I'm afraid there's been a mistake."

This was the first time in his life he had seen so many nobles!

Suddenly, he went from an Underhive to an Imperium nobleman. The change in his status was like ascending to heaven in one step, and even now, it still feels like a dream to him!

I know what you're worried about, child.

Horn patted his shoulder with a smile, his tone very gentle, and said, "While you were unconscious, I took your blood sample and compared it with the family's. The result is... genetic identification confirms you are a direct relative. You... Alvin Valshius, are a direct descendant of Valshius!"

The old man's last few words were suddenly spoken in a higher tone.

The whispers throughout the palace instantly fell silent as dozens of scrutinizing eyes focused on Alvin, making him feel immense pressure.

"Everyone!"

Horn, holding Alvin's hand, led him across the red carpet to the center of the palace, amidst the gazes of Imperium officials, Astartes, and Ecclesiarchy Priest. He proclaimed loudly, "Thanks to the Emperor's blessing, the child beside me is the next heir to the 'Valshius' Merchant Dynasty... Alvin Valshius!"

Boom!

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Alvin's mind.

He... is Valshius, the heir to the Merchant Dynasty?!

Thank you to "Obsidian Amber" for the generous donation!