The Former Patriarch, Edras!

This projection is strange.

He wore exquisite armor that resembled bone, each bone plate sewn together with gold thread, and inscribed with Emperor's Maxim in an unknown bright red liquid.

The right eye was replaced with a mechanical Cybernetic eye that resembled an irregular hexagon, which looked quite high-end and was definitely not an ordinary product.

More importantly, his voice seemed to have a double echo, hoarse and low, yet sharp and piercing, making people extremely uncomfortable.

"You are my successor?"

The man's gloomy and cold gaze, like a knife, swept over Alvin with unrestrained arrogance. His cracked lips curled slightly upwards as he said expressionlessly, "Naive, pathetic, and pathetic. I never imagined my heir would be such a child."

"Where's Horn? Is he already dead? How could he choose you?"

Is there something wrong with this person?!

Alvin's lips twitched, suppressing his surging anger, he sneered and replied, "Calling me naive? Who are you? What right do you have to lecture me? A pathetic and pathetic loser!"

These words seemed to have struck a nerve with the other party, and his already sinister gaze turned even more murderous.

"What? Am I wrong?" When it comes to people, Alvin has never been afraid of anyone except Hilda. It's just a matter of exposing each other's weaknesses, isn't it?

From the information revealed in those few words, Alvin had already guessed his true identity.

The "father" who has been missing for more than 20 years is also the culprit behind the family's decline— Edras Valshius, the former head of the family!

After a moment of silence, the murderous intent in Edras's eyes faded, as if he had accepted the fact, and he calmly said, "You're right, I am indeed a failure, but it is precisely because I failed that you, such an incompetent person, can be made to behave."

Sitting in this position, we inherit our great mission.

"Oh, then I should thank you?"

Alvin couldn't help but sneer, rejecting the other's manipulative tactics, and said dismissively, "Don't lecture me with that condescending tone. If it weren't for you, the family wouldn't have fallen to this state. We're only able to pick up this great mission again thanks to me."

"If it weren't for me, our family would have been wiped out long ago. Just based on that, you should kneel down and thank me."

Everything he said was true.

If it weren't for Alvin, the Valshius Family would have remained a "Merchant Dynasty," slowly sliding into the abyss, eventually being torn apart by the Imperium and devoured like vultures!

Edras was clearly taken aback by the sharpness of his "successor," and was rendered speechless.

Seeing that the other person was speechless, Alvin turned around and went back to his chair, crossing his right leg over his left, tilting his head and looking at the other person sideways. "I suggest we don't waste each other's time. Tell me your secret quickly, I don't really want to see your face."

Before actually meeting "Edras," Alvin admitted that he still harbored some unrealistic fantasies about his predecessor's father, but now—well, those illusions have been completely shattered.

"Too."

Edras, unfazed by his "successor's" attitude, coldly stated, "You only need to fulfill your mission; the rest—it doesn't matter."

"Is the mission you've been mentioning related to the oath made Ten Thousand Years Ago before the Golden Throne in Imperial Palace of Terra?" Finally, they were getting to the point. Alvin leaned forward slightly, looking at him intently.

"Yes."

Edras's answer was concise.

"What is the content of the oath?" Alvin asked eagerly. If anyone could tell him the answer, it would be the person in front of him.

After all, Edras was the only person Alvin had met so far who came closest to the "truth" and could tell him.

However, looking at the eager Alvin, Edras asked a very strange question, "How old are you this year?"

"Is this really that important?" Alvin smirked, somewhat exasperated. "Why did you have to do it at such a crucial moment?"

Why ask such an irrelevant question?

Edras nodded.

In the end, Alvin had no choice but to say, "I'm exactly twenty years old this year."

"Twenty years old?" To everyone's surprise, upon hearing this, Edras's calm eyes seemed to surge with a stormy sea, turning into a fierce killing intent.

Winnie immediately stepped forward, blocking Alvin's path, and whispered, "Be careful, it's not just a simple information storage projection, but— Warp life form with a partial soul."

Holy crap, Daemon?!

Alvin's pupils contracted slightly. He had thought that this projection at most used some Forbidden Technology, like "Cawl's" clone.

But now, what Winnie said undoubtedly shattered Alvin's understanding: this thing was actually Warp life form?!

"You have a very keen sense of things."

Upon discovering Winnie, a flicker of emotion finally appeared on Edras's expression. "I am indeed not a pure projection."

To be precise, I am another Edras, created by Edras using some kind of Warp magic. We share the same memories, but the difference is that I was created for a purpose.

What is the purpose?

Alvin stared at the other person warily.

Edras looked at him meaningfully and said, "After someone shatters the 'Crimson Gold Navigational Chart,' determine whether that person is a qualified successor. If not—then seize their body and continue to complete that great mission."

"So, you just now—were trying to take over my body?" Alvin frowned, staring intently at him. "You asked my age because of that, and decided I wasn't qualified?"

"Yes."

Edras nodded.

"Why?" Alvin asked.

But this time, Edras responded with silence.

Unable to get an answer, Alvin could only change the subject. "Then why did you give up?"

"With her around, I won't succeed."

Edras was quite honest and stated the reason directly. "Moreover, I can sense the aura of the Emperor on her—since you are recognized by her, it means you are also recognized by the Emperor. I have no reason to take over your body."

Before he knew it, Winnie had saved him once again.

Alvin took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let's get back to the beginning. You keep talking about mission, mission—but what exactly is mission?"

You'll know the answer when you get there.

Edras said calmly, "You must follow this specific route, and only when you arrive here will you understand what our mission is. This is not me deliberately concealing it, but this mission—only those who arrive here can understand its meaning. This is also why Horn doesn't know."

In the end, isn't he just a riddle teller?!

Alvin gave a cold laugh in exasperation. He thought he would finally get the answer this time, but it turned out to be another damned riddle-maker!