Hilda's Change

Sitting on the spaceship, Alvin sorted out his thoughts.

First and foremost, it must be clear that the Alert Star must not fall, much less be controlled by Chaos; otherwise, it would mean losing the only passage to the Dark Imperium, the "Nachmund Gauntlet."

Secondly, the decline of the Valshius Family is inextricably linked to his father's exploration of the "Black Zone" decades ago.

Old Master Horn had been urging him to make sure he went to the "Black Zone" to find Valshius's lost item, as it was of utmost importance.

Finally, there's... the content of the covenant!

Although he doesn't currently know what alliance the Emperor summoned the four great Merchant Dynasty and families to establish countless ages ago, he vaguely feels that this matter is also related to that lost item.

In other words, whether you want to explore the Black Zone or travel back and forth in the future, you will need Alert Star.

Abaddon's goal was to use the "Void Claw" to destroy and trigger a large-scale tear in the Materium on Alert Star, thereby expanding the "Curse Scar," completely isolating the Dark Side of the Imperium, and blocking Robert Guilliman's Indomitable Crusade Expedition to reclaim the Dark Imperium.

Therefore, all he can do right now is to anticipate Abaddon's arrival and destroy or take away the "Void Claw" as early as possible!

Just thinking about the expression on "Sky-Piercing Braid's" face as he leads the Chaos army from the Warp to the Alert Star, looking at the vanished Volian Sandstorm, makes me want to laugh!

Alvin didn't care whether he could obtain the "Void Claw" or not; as long as it didn't fall into the hands of Chaos, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

"What's wrong? Why are you laughing so happily?" Tucker scratched his head, staring at him curiously. "Ever since we boarded the spaceship, you've had this weird grin on your face. Are you plotting something to trick someone again?"

"..." Alvin glanced at him speechlessly. "If you can't speak properly, I suggest you sew your mouth shut. I'm a perfectly good person, when have I ever harmed anyone?"

"Yes, yes, you're the kindest." Tucker shrugged and smirked, "Drakris was almost scared to death by you, and you even gave him three Forge Factory and five hundred skilled craftsmen for free."

"That's called a deep friendship; what does a brute like you know?"

Alvin glared at him, deciding not to bother arguing with his foul mouth, and instead said, "When we pass through the Volian Sandstorm later, I'll quietly leave the ship. Don't make a sound, understand?"

"What are you plotting now?!"

Upon hearing this, Tucker immediately looked tense. "Let me tell you, Alert Star has nothing to do with us anymore. We've already got the Energy Shield and the Stasis Field, there's no need to go looking for trouble!"

He was genuinely terrified. This kid's talent for causing trouble had already been evident on Losel, and now on Alert Star, it was like a dragon entering the sea. Who knew what kind of trouble he would get into if he went out again?

"I'm begging you, young master Alvin, can we please behave ourselves?" Tucker was speaking in a very rare tone, which showed just how afraid he was of Alvin's ability to cause trouble.

"I swear in the name of the Emperor, I will not cause any trouble this time, and I will be back soon!" Alvin said helplessly, forced to swear, "You must believe me, I have to do this!"

Seeing Alvin's resolute expression, Tucker looked dejected, covered his face, and sighed, "Fine, I knew it... You're too stubborn. Once you've made up your mind, no one can change it."

But then he changed the subject, saying, "You can go, and we'll go too. That way, even if something happens, we can protect you!"

This is already his bottom line!

"No, Tucker."

Alvin shook his head and patted his shoulder. "This time, I don't plan to take anyone with me. Your mission is simple: Deadwood District and safely return the old man to the family flagship."

"You're going alone?!" Tucker's eyes widened instantly. He quickly grabbed him and said angrily, "No, I can't let you go on this adventure alone!"

"Don't get agitated, Tucker." Alvin had already anticipated Tucker's strong reaction, but he remained calm and reassured him, "Besides, to be honest... it's not really just one person, isn't it? Hilda's still there, isn't she?"

For him, Tucker was more like a mentor and friend. The two Underhive in Losel and had gone through thick and thin together, which is why he was willing to reveal some of the truth.

"That won't do either, Elsa... She told me I have to protect you. I can't let her down." Tucker looked at him seriously. "Don't forget, you're not alone anymore, you're the core of the entire Valshius Family. What will happen to the whole family if something happens to you?"

Seeing Tucker's insistence, Alvin was quite helpless and could only say, "I'm not letting you go because the more people there are, the more I worry. On the contrary, if it's just Hilda and me, I won't have so many concerns."

"What's the meaning?"

Tucker didn't quite understand, his face full of confusion.

"It's simple. You can think of it as me having a major trump card that can protect my safety," Alvin said earnestly. "But if you're always here, it will only make me more hesitant and actually put me in more danger."

Tucker was silent for a few seconds, then lowered his head, clenched his fists, and said with a bitter expression, "You mean... if we go with you, we'll only be a burden, right?"

"It's not so much a drag as it is, but rather that this operation wasn't suitable for so many people." Alvin tried to put it as tactfully as possible, but it was also the truth.

As he spoke, he patted Tucker on the shoulder again. "Besides, there's a new Chapter now, and I can't fully trust them yet. This matter must be kept a secret, and I can only rely on you, Tucker."

Having said all that, Tucker had no choice but to agree, no longer insisting. He sighed, "I understand. I'll try my best to maintain the illusion that you're still here, but... I only have three days at most. I hope you can come back in time and don't give me away."

"Don't worry, then... I'll leave it to you."

Looking out the window at the approaching Volian Sandstorm, Alvin activated the Sky-Shaking Unicron Armor and used the teleportation device to instantly teleport outside the spaceship.

"Alright, now... it's just the two of us." Alvin watched the departing spaceship, chuckled, and turned back to see Hilda: "Let's go, we don't have much time."

"Your armor looks really cool, where did you get it?" Hilda stared wide-eyed at him, looking him up and down with a hint of envy. "Why don't you get me a set too? Ideally, it should be completely black, with some Dark Eldar runes carved into it, so I can look even more convincing!"

"We'll see."

Alvin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. This Aeldari girl's mind was entirely focused on how to harm the Dark Eldar!

"Oh, right, there's something..." Hilda's voice suddenly lowered, a glimmer of tears welling in her eyes, as she bit her lip lightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't protect Elsa."

Alvin, who was ahead, paused for half a second without turning around, and said softly, "It's not your fault. Besides... Elsa, she's not dead yet."

"What... what did you say?"

Hilda stopped in her tracks, her pupils contracting sharply.

"I said, Elsa... she's not dead." Alvin's lips curled slightly as he looked at the shocked Hilda, emphasizing each word. "I told you, whatever damn fate is, it has no effect on me. Our bet... I won, Hilda."

Fate... has been severed?!

Hilda stood there, stunned for several seconds, her mind churning as if in Stormfront, but eventually calmed down, and an indescribable joy welled up in the depths of her bright eyes.

So, this is the real reason why Father was willing to gamble the fate of the entire Samhan Aeldari on a single human being?

He truly changed his destiny!

In her mind, the "prophecy," which should have been unbreakable and destined to be fulfilled, began to crack.

After a long pause, Hilda took a deep breath, a faint light seeming to shimmer in her eyes. A slow, relieved smile played on her lips, as if tears were welling in her eyes. "What a pity..."

"What's a pity?"

Alvin asked, puzzled.

"It's a pity I didn't meet you sooner..."

Hilda seemed relieved, her long legs carrying her lightly as she approached him, her voice brimming with an indescribable ease. "Let's go, didn't you say we didn't have much time left?"

Hilda... seems to have changed?

Alvin scratched his head, not quite understanding the strange changes that had suddenly occurred in Hilda, but... it shouldn't be a bad thing after all.