No More Pretenses

Who is the Lion King?

This sentence almost ruined Alvin Rock Machine.

He had planned everything meticulously, but he hadn't anticipated this point. All the arguments he had prepared were forced back down by this one sentence, leaving him speechless for a long time.

Actually, Governor Hal can't be blamed.

The era in which the Primarch roamed the world was ten thousand years ago, and it has already been categorized as "myth."

Even the legions that once roamed the galaxy have undergone several splits and reorganizations, evolving into the various Chapter we know today. How many people can still remember the names of these Chapter and their former masters?

For the Planetary Governor remote star systems and even the nobles, names like Horus, Ryan, and Sanguinius are already very distant stories, figures from mythology.

Even the great Emperor gradually became a "symbolic" existence, replaced by the name "Emperor," which was prescribed by the Ecclesiarchy.

Alvin suddenly mentioned this distant and ancient name, which Governor Hal naturally could not recall.

"Lord of the Legion, Father of the Dark Angels, Primarch Firstborn of the Emperor, Lion King — Ryan Eljonsson!"

Alvin, utterly helpless, could only rattle off a long list, like reciting a menu. "Now, you should know who it is, right?"

Governor Hal blinked, and after a long pause, finally unearthed the name from the depths of his memory.

His face immediately contorted into a "Are you fucking kidding me?" expression.

"Do you think I'm easy to fool?" She laughed angrily, her face full of rage. "You can even use the Lion King as an excuse? Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Although this reaction was similar to what Alvin had guessed, he still felt exhausted and too lazy to explain. He angrily retorted, "Do you think I'm an idiot? Why use this excuse to lie to you when there are so many other excuses?!"

When others doubt or slander you, the worst thing you can do is to follow their line of thinking and defend or explain yourself.

If he were to explain to Hal, it would not only be a waste of time, but also a waste of breath.

Alvin, of course, wouldn't be that foolish, and he certainly didn't want things to get complicated. He regained the initiative with a simple question, "What do you think I've done all this for? Have I sided with Chaos to help them conquer Avalon? Or am I out of my mind, just because I don't like those nobles?"

Governor Hal, already in a state of confusion, felt even more confused, his mind completely blank. He instinctively followed up on the question, asking, "Yes, why did you do that?"

Seeing that Hal had followed his train of thought and fallen into the trap of logic, Alvin's tone softened considerably. "It's simple, because the Lion King needs your power, needs Avalon's army, that's the reason!"

Hal was even more confused, but he also seized on a flaw in his words: "Wait—if what you say is true, and the Lion- Primarch really has returned, then why don't you just bring him to see me?"

Do you deserve it?

Alvin smirked, his face expressionless. "Very well, assuming we do as you say, I'll tell you directly that the Lion King has returned and needs your strength and army. Would you believe me?"

"... I, I."

Hal was stunned, then realized what was happening.

That's right, she couldn't possibly believe Alvin's claim that the Lion King had returned, and might even suspect it was a conspiracy!

Why didn't they return earlier, why didn't they return later, but instead waited for the Chaos Fleet to invade? Then a cruiser, bypassing all the detection instruments, suddenly appeared outside the Hive City, claiming that the Lion King was on board. Who would believe that?

Even if this were true, she wouldn't let these people in because of concerns for the safety of the Hive City.

"But why are you so extreme?" Hal was already seven or eight parts convinced, but he was still shocked by the fact that the man had wiped out seventy-two noble families overnight.

"Because of time."

Alvin calmly said, "Lion King lacks most is time. The Stone Fortress is about to be attacked by the Black Crusade led by the Chaos Marshal. We don't have time to take things slowly; we must quickly gather our forces and go to rescue the Dark Angels' home, the Stone Fortress."

Hal snapped out of his daze, feeling an intense bitterness in his mouth, and understood Alvin's actions.

Alvin didn't have time to slowly gain trust, and the Lion King couldn't prove his identity. So how could they integrate Avalon's power and army in the shortest amount of time?

The answer is simple: she was driven to the brink of despair by the Planetary Governor and had no choice but to seek help from Alvin, and even from that Lion King whose identity was unknown!

"So, those seventy-two noble families—" Hal had guessed something and looked at Alvin.

"They brought it on themselves."

Alvin said calmly, "These families are all secretly connected to Chaos to varying degrees. Keeping them around will inevitably lead to overt or covert obstacles when we try to unify the power of Avalon Lion King. The Lion King and I don't have time to play these pointless political games with them. So eliminating them is in line with your current needs and also with the Lion King's future interests in unifying Avalon."

Is it more or less related to Chaos?

Upon hearing this, Hal's eyes revealed a hint of mockery, or perhaps self-mockery. "As expected of the excuse of Rogue Trader, what a clever one."

Which noble of the Imperium dares to say they have no connection to Chaos?

Moreover, what exactly is related to Chaos?

Do a few pieces of Chaos Collectibles count?

Does a hunting game count?

Does sexual abuse of women count?

Does pursuing the ultimate in art count?

The nobles have a long list of scandals, but can these really be used as an excuse to slaughter them?

Governor Hal understood perfectly well the deeper meaning behind Alvin's words. It was actually quite simple: they were in his way!

"I'll take it as a compliment from His Excellency the Governor." Alvin naturally sensed the sarcasm in the other's tone, but he didn't care.

"Alvin Valshius, have you ever considered that if you can use such a despicable excuse to deal with these people today, they can do the same to you in the future?" Governor Hal stared into his eyes.

I'll wait and see.

Alvin smiled.

Governor Hal closed her eyes wearily; things had progressed to this point, and she was driven to a dead end.

If she still wanted to resist the Chaos Fleet, whether it was necessary or not, she needed someone of sufficient influence to suppress the remaining noble groups who had become suspicious, and the Lion King was that person!

The return of the Primarch is news that will not only shock the nobles in the Hive City, but also boost morale on the front lines.

Unless, of course, she is willing to submit to Chaos.

Otherwise, this is the only path Alvin could offer her.

Governor Hal sighed. "As you wish, let me meet this legendary Primarch, the Lion King."