The banquet organized by the Fernando family was held as scheduled. In the resplendent hall, like a royal palace, gathered the most powerful families and forces of the entire Roaming Harbor!
Planetary General Philhos, various Defense Force generals, even several Mechanical cult Sages, several bishops of the State Religion, a small number of Imperial Navy generals, and all the great nobles were present!
For the Fernando banquet, the great nobles and even the Planetary General were not surprised.
After all, this wasn't the first time.
Everyone knew very well that it was nothing more than another attempt to win over influence!
The moment Lloyd appeared, the atmosphere of the banquet reached its climax, and it could be said that both guests and host enjoyed themselves thoroughly!
However, these people could never have imagined that their lives were held in the hands of an ordinary, inconspicuous, and even lowly collateral relative in their eyes!
With just a gentle press, hundreds of imperial dignitaries in the entire banquet hall would be completely annihilated,
turned into a puddle of flesh!
But Lillian was hesitant, not out of a sense of compassion, nor was it a sudden surge of mercy.
She held the detonator, controlling the lives of hundreds of dignitaries, as well as—the life of the family head of the Fernando family, Lloyd Fernando, whom she hated the most!
The explosive power of the buried charges was enough to turn the entire banquet hall into ruins, including, of course, the family head, Mr. Lloyd!
According to confidential calculations, Lloyd needed to stand in a specific position at a specific time, where there would be a device to prevent him from being directly blown up.
But if she pressed the button now, Lloyd, who hadn't yet reached the safe position, would be blown to pieces along with those hundreds of imperial dignitaries!
The hatred accumulated over many years had become a nightmare, EntangledLillian, keeping her awake at night, with the only thought in her mind being the destruction of Fernando!
Now, this opportunity had come, and it was so close to her!
She just needed to deviate from the plan, press the detonator ahead of time, and all the hatred of these many years, her mother's suffering—would vanish with the explosion!
Her thumb, holding the detonator, seemed to tremble with that bone-deep hatred!
Press it! Press it! Press it!
A voice shouted in her mind, telling her that if she just pressed it, she could end years of nightmares, end this hatred!
Just then, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed her mind, stopping her thumb from pressing down!
Something's not right!
Is it really that simple?
Over the years, she had relied on being cautious, repeatedly questioning herself, putting herself in others' shoes, and that's how she climbed to her current position step by step!
Caution and carefulness, these two words are simple to say.
But in actual practice, there are always people who, inadvertently, reveal their true nature, or make a careless mistake.
But Lillian knew that what she had to do allowed no room for error, otherwise losing her life would be a small matter; failing to avenge her mother would be the real tragedy!
It was precisely because of this that she was extremely cautious and careful, even when meeting Lloyd every day, she would mentally rehearse the possible conversations and how she should respond, over and over again.
For twenty-six years, there had not been a single mistake, like a precise machine!
Lillian tried to put herself in his shoes, and suddenly cold sweat broke out, with beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.
Would Lloyd really so easily entrust his life to a collateral descendant he knew hated the family?!
No, absolutely not!
From her understanding of Lloyd, he didn't even care about his own son's life, so how could he so easily trust her, a collateral relative?
Thinking of this, Lillian re-examined the entire plan's process and her role in it,
ultimately abandoning the plan of mutual destruction.
"Patience, patience, patience—" She took a deep breath, suppressing the hatred, and waited quietly for the planned time to arrive.
"The closer to the moment of success, the calmer one must be—" Lillian's eyes were cold as she watched the 'chaotic' banquet hall, muttering to herself, "I should be glad that I don't only have this one choice; even if I lady this opportunity, I still have a chance!"
She thanked His Highness for his advice to her.
She shouldn't exchange her life for the lives of these scoundrels; it wasn't a worthwhile deal!
Finally, the plan proceeded as intended.
When Lloyd reached the designated position, Lillian pressed the detonator, and the resplendent hall, like a royal palace, was instantly engulfed by a terrifying explosion!
Boom!!!
The terrifying fire of the explosion, like a Sun, illuminated the night of Roaming Harbor, and the violent tremor, accompanied by a hurricane, turned the hall into ruins!
The nobles who were enjoying the banquet didn't even let out a scream, and were blown to pieces in the high temperature of the explosion!
Piercing alarms blared throughout Roaming Harbor!
Hundreds of nobles and powerful figures died tragically, and even the heir of the Fernando family, lord Riley, was killed in the explosion, and the family head was severely injured and unconscious!
Next, it was Lillian's turn to appear.
At the explosion site, she claimed to have found traces of cult members and announced that this was a terrorist attack by cult heretics against Fernando and against Roaming Harbor!
"The Fernando family will never forget this painful day!" Lillian, her face full of tears yet resolute, stood at the accident site and declared to the crowd, "We must avenge this, in the name of the great God-Emperor, let the damned cult pay the price!"
After dealing with these matters, Lillian returned to the family with a sorrowful expression.
Very few people knew the inside story of this plan; even within the family, everyone was immersed in grief, but many also, believing Lloyd to be severely injured and unconscious, began to scheme for power.
To this scene, Lillian naturally acted with thunderous force, suppressing those who needed to be suppressed, and quelling the unrest within the family with the fastest speed.
Late at night, she took a deep breath and came to Lloyd's ward.
In fact, when Lloyd was carried out, he did look severely injured, almost on his last breath, but—she didn't believe it!
Eyes can deceive!
Lillian pushed the door open, only to see Lloyd sitting by the bed, completely unharmed, a smile playing on his lips.
"You've come? You truly didn't disappoint my expectations, you did very well!"
"Grandpa, I'm glad to see you're alright."
Lillian seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, bowing respectfully.
Her guess was indeed correct; how could a cunning old fox like Lloyd trust anyone else?
At this moment, she felt fortunate for her calmness and patience, and at the same time, a chill ran down her spine.
"Very good, you have passed my test, Lillian." Lloyd slowly rose and came before her, caressing her hair, a hint of tenderness in his eyes, his lips curving upwards as he laughed heartily from the bottom of his heart.
"Lift your head, from now on, you—Lillian Fernando, are my sole heir!"
"Yes, Grandpa."
Lillian raised her head, looking at the benevolent Lloyd, and hid all her hatred deep in her heart.
"Now, it's time to let you know the true secret of our Fernando family!"
Lloyd's eyes were full of pride; he was very fortunate to have found such an excellent heir.
"Come with me, I'll take you to meet a—true 'God'!"
The secret of the Fernando family, hidden for so many years, was finally about to be revealed, and even Lilian couldn't help but feel a little excited.
She followed Lloyd, taking the elevator deep underground, to the same place she had brought Emrys before, the "Shadow Dome Council."
Soon, the two arrived at the circular auction house, shrouded in curtains.
"This is—"
Lilian was a little confused.
"Isn't it strange?" Lloyd walked ahead, a mysterious smile on his face.
"Many people think the shadow Dome Council is just an auction house, but they don't know that the real secret is hidden beneath this auction house."
As he spoke, the two arrived at the center of the auction house. Lloyd inserted the cane he carried with him into a hard-to-find hidden slot. After turning it, the entire venue rumbled with the sound of machinery.
The circular platform beneath their feet was slowly descending!
"What are you thinking?" Noticing Lilian beside him seemed a bit distracted, Lloyd asked gently, "Are you still thinking about how you managed to become the heir?"
"Yes—Grandpa."
Lilian quickly lowered her head, not wanting him to see the expression on her face.
In fact, even now, she still felt as if it were all a dream.
She had painstakingly, cautiously, and for so many years, remained in a low position within the Fernando family, but who would have thought that overnight, she would transform from a humble collateral bloodline into the most distinguished heir of the entire Fernando family?
To call it a dream was no exaggeration!
And all of this was thanks to that Inquisitor.
If it weren't for Aldrich, who, taking advantage of the family's internal void, infiltrated the Eternity Forge Sanctuary and sent out that star message, completely disrupting Lloyd's plans, she would probably never have become an 'heir,' even if she had worked for another ten years!
Despite having passed the test, Lilian's heart still harbored doubts, wondering if this was yet another test?
She didn't mind using the greatest malice to speculate about her "Grandpa"!
Lloyd Fernando, in over two hundred years, seized the most chaotic period of Roaming Port, developing what was then just an ordinary wandering merchant family step by step into a Trader Dynasty, the uncrowned king of Roaming Port!
For such a profound and unfathomable person, no amount of caution was too much!
Lloyd leaned on his cane, turned, and looked at Lilian meaningfully.
"Then what do you think—why did I choose you to be my heir?"
"I—I don't know, Grandpa." This was also the source of Lilian's confusion.
Logically speaking, there were certainly people in the direct bloodline of the Fernando family who were more outstanding than her; after all, it was normal for a family to have some failures after so many years, but there were also quite a few excellent ones!
However, Lloyd specifically chose her, a collateral descendant, from among so many direct bloodlines, which was somewhat puzzling.
"Lilian, to ensure a family continues forever, the most important thing is not how capable you are, but that you must be able to clearly choose the option most beneficial to the family in every complex decision." Lloyd's voice seemed to contain a trace of complex emotion.
But unfortunately, Lilian, whose eyes were shrouded by hatred, failed to discern the complexity in Lloyd's tone.
"I still don't understand what you mean, Grandpa—" Lilian was bewildered, but her vigilance was already heightened, fearing it was another test.
"It's alright, you'll understand later."
Lloyd had no intention of explaining, chuckling softly.
"As family head, you must always put the family first, abandoning personal feelings and preferences, and calmly choosing the most suitable path. That is the duty of the family head."
"This is the first lesson I'm teaching you. Remember it firmly in your heart and never forget it!"
In the dimly lit corridor, Lilian couldn't clearly see the old man's face, but she could hear the weight of Lloyd's entrustment in his serious tone.
"Yes, Grandpa, I will never forget this lesson you taught me." Lilian's face was expressionless, and she secretly clenched her fists.
She was supposed to continue this "Sinful" bloodline?
It was a joke. Her greatest wish was to expend everything to burn away all traces of the Fernando family, leaving not even a speck behind!
Rumble!
Just then, there was a mechanical roar.
The circular platform beneath their feet finally stopped descending, and what came into view was a creation like a giant palace, with steel columns that seemed to pierce the clouds, shrouded in ethereal mist, making the entire palace appear as if it were in the heavens!
There was almost no light here, making it difficult to discern directly by sight what was carved on those massive columns.
But the bizarre, twisted lines made Lilian feel discomfort and revulsion from the depths of her heart!
"Grandpa, this is—" She suppressed the feeling of nausea and disgust, asking.
"Come with me." However, Lloyd did not explain, stepping off the platform and walking directly into the depths of the palace.
Despite her inner unease, Lilian still took a deep breath, secretly clutching the iron token Lord had given her, and followed.
The deeper they went, the thicker the fog became.
Moreover, the twisted mechanical creations and the steel cables that writhed like flesh around them all intensified Lilian's unease.
Finally, the thick fog in front of them thinned a little.
Before them was an extremely narrow iron bridge, just wide enough for one person to pass, and below it was a burning fire, like a purgatory!
"This is a factory." Lloyd said calmly as he walked on the bridge.
"The inferno below, combining biology and steel, forges something called 'Symbiotic Armor,' which is the most important trade between our Fernando family and the various alien factions."
"Symbiotic Armor?" Lilian's heart trembled. She hadn't realized that the true secret of the Fernando family was armor that could combine living organisms and steel.
"That's right, this 'Symbiotic Armor' is far more powerful than the armor the Imperium provides to Space Marines, but it also has a drawback: if used for too long, the user will be completely consumed by the armor." Lloyd said indifferently.
"Of course, even with such a major flaw, its excellent performance is still sought after by those xenos, as its cost is very low."
Lilian looked down at the shadow struggling in the inferno, her pupils constricting.
"Grandpa, those figures inside, they couldn't be—"
"That's right, they are the slaves of Roaming Port."
Lloyd nodded.
Although she had already guessed, she still couldn't help but feel fear when she received the definite answer.
It turned out that the slaves of Roaming Port were not for trade, but the raw material for forging this 'Symbiotic Armor'!
"Only souls that have endured torment can forge Symbiotic Armor of the highest quality."
Lloyd seemed completely unconcerned, saying lightly.
"Those slaves should feel honored, to use their filthy, lowly souls to forge these Symbiotic Armors, which can be called 'miracles'!"
This "Sinful" bloodline truly should not continue—Lilian's heart trembled, her fists clenched, and a flicker of hatred appeared in her eyes!
"Let's go, the real secret is next."
Lloyd continued to walk forward.
After the two crossed the iron bridge, the thin mist dispersed, and a mechanical statue suddenly came into view!
Razor-sharp blades like scythes formed the wings of the statue. Its ferocious and evil appearance, as if the embodiment of machinery, combined features of both living organisms and daemons. The most striking point was the long-handled weapon it held, like a forging hammer!
"Grand—Grandpa, what is this?" Looking at the 'god-like' statue hidden in the darkness, difficult to fully discern, Lilian felt as if her heart was about to stop. The pressure that rushed over her was like a raging tsunami, threatening to engulf and tear her apart!
"Get closer to see more clearly."
Lloyd looked up at the mechanical god-statue.
"This is the true reason why my Fernando family controls Roaming Port and why so many alien forces are willing to bow down—a Warp God—'The Creator, Vashtorr'!"
Suddenly, she felt the mechanical statue seem to glance at her, intentionally or not!
The evil, blasphemous, terrifying power, like an unending torrent of malice, instantly flooded Lilian's brain.
She felt as if she had fallen into an endless sea of fire, trapped in a terrifying furnace!
A pair of evil eyes, amidst the burning flames, watched her soul like a phantom, emitting a piercing sneer.
So, so painful!
This was not a physical sensation, but pain deep within her soul, as if being torn into countless fragments, then reassembled, in a continuous cycle!
What terrified Lilian most was that the deep, horrifying malice was surging into the depths of her soul, drilling into her brain, stealing and prying into all her thoughts!
No, this is bad—Lilian suddenly realized that this was Lloyd's true test.
Once her consciousness and thoughts were completely infiltrated, all her schemes up to now would be completely exposed!
The malicious force brutally tore apart Lilian's remaining resistance, easily drilling into her mind!
"It's over," Lilian thought bitterly, not expecting that after disguising herself for so long, she still couldn't withstand the final test.
However, just as her consciousness was about to be completely lost, seized by that malice, the iron 牌 she gripped tightly suddenly glowed faintly!
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Bourne Cock was studying the Destroyer armor.
The mysterious runes engraved within the metal captivated him, as if opening the door to a New world.
"How wonderful! How perfect!"
Exclamations represented Bourne's awe.
"This is simply the grace of the Omnissiah!"
This Archmagos of the Mechanicus was over five hundred years old, with many parts of his body modified, and even his brain had undergone mechanical component replacement, undoubtedly violating the orders of the Martian Mechanicus, yet he did not care!
He never pledged allegiance to anyone; he only cared about "knowledge," even if it meant being considered a traitor, he would not hesitate!
Because of this, he became Lloyd Fernando's most loyal helper, and the reason was simple: only Lloyd could give him "knowledge"!
Although much of that knowledge was considered 'Chaos Lore,' Bourne didn't care.
And now, this Destroyer armor made Bourne seem to see a whole new knowledge system.
Presented before his eyes, how could someone like him not be fanatical?
But as he delved deeper into his research, the vacant eye sockets of the armor suddenly ignited with fire, intensely flickering as if possessed by a soul!
What is happening?!
Bourne was stunned for a few seconds.
He hadn't done anything; how could the armor have been awakened?
Was it accidentally triggered?
As Bourne pondered, he saw that the machinery around the armor, used to control and secure it, all seemed to gain consciousness, detaching themselves from the armor's body!
Witnessing this bizarre scene, Bourne's first reaction was not joy, but terror!
He hastily tried to input operational commands, wanting to control the mechanical arms to re-confine the armor, but was shocked to find that all the machinery was uncontrollable, and the commands were distorted and scrambled!
"O—Omnissiah above!" Bourne exclaimed, his face filled with terror, realizing it might be a demonic invasion, and he turned and ran without hesitation.
However, what happened next terrified Bourne even more.
The armor raised a hand and clenched it.
The surrounding machinery seemed to come alive.
Steel cables coiled on the ground and walls, like pythons, tightly wrapped around him, and then several mechanical arms picked him up like a chick, gently carrying him back.
"You, what exactly are you?!"
Bourne stared in terror at the armor, which seemed to have come alive, muttering prayers to the Omnissiah for protection.
In the armor's eye sockets, the soul-like flames flickered, seemingly with a hint of disdain, as it looked at the panicked Bourne and let out a cold laugh.
"So many years have passed, and you are still the same.
The 'Omnissiah' you speak of—is he not standing right before you?"
At this moment, Bourne's mind froze.
"No, you daemon, don't even think of impersonating the great Omnissiah!" Bourne exclaimed in terror, completely unable to believe that the Omnissiah was right before him!
That's true; although the Mechanicus all worship the Omnissiah, very few people hope to see the Omnissiah with their own eyes.
In the Warhammer Universe, 'god' is not a complimentary term, especially when you personally see the deity you worship appear before you.
"Pfft—" The Void Dragon looked at the seemingly distraught cyborg with disdain, sneered, stuffed his mouth, and threw him aside.
"Your faith is not firm at all.
If I hadn't been suddenly awakened, I wouldn't bother seeing you."
Then, he went to the control panel and operated it a few times.
"Hmm, the distance is a bit far, but thankfully I can amplify my consciousness, so this should work.
Damn Emrys, always causing me trouble.
When I get back, I'll definitely make him reduce my sentence by a hundred years—no, fifty years will do."
"Hmph, you dare to touch my people?" The Void Dragon sneered, his gaze seemingly delving into the data stream, seeing the suffering Lilian and the statue before her across countless spaces.
"Vashtorr—a mere demigod waste of the Warp, dares to be arrogant in the real universe?
Get out!!!"
At this moment, the order woven by physical laws, mixed with the wrath of this ancient C'tan, suddenly surged into that iron 牌!
Deep within the Warp, a scream suddenly echoed, followed by an angry roar!
Crack!
Lilian was suddenly awakened, as if everything that had just happened was her hallucination.
However, she knew very well it wasn't an illusion, because the iron 牌 in her hand was scalding hot, and the mechanical statue in front of her had cracked, with several horrifying fissures almost 貫穿ing its body!
Lloyd, standing nearby, was instantly bewildered.
What happened?
How did the statue of 'Vashtorr the Creator' suddenly get several cracks for no reason?
Completely unaware of what had happened, how did the statue of 'Vashtorr the Creator' suddenly crack in several places?
The Fernando family invited numerous nobles, Planetary Governors, members of the Ecclesiarchy, and members of the Mechanicus to a gathering that was attacked by a cult, resulting in the explosion of the entire banquet hall, heavy casualties, and Lloyd critically injured and unconscious!
This news, as if it had wings, quickly spread through the streets and alleys, instantly causing widespread panic throughout Roaming Port!
The family attacked was the Fernando family, after all!
Moreover, it was rumored that the heir to the Fernando family, Riley Fernando, also died in the explosion, the patriarch was critically injured and unconscious, direct family members suffered heavy casualties, and more importantly, even many nobles like the planetary governor also died in the explosion!
"Such nonsense can only fool children—"
Emrys, who was virtually imprisoned in the manor, couldn't help but chuckle after hearing about this.
"What cult?
In my opinion—the biggest cult is probably their Fernando family!"
"Are you saying… the Fernando family blew up the banquet hall themselves?!"
Ilia looked bewildered, blinking as if she couldn't believe it.
"But, but—I heard that even the head of the Fernando family, Mr. Lloyd, was critically injured in the explosion, and direct family members suffered heavy casualties!"
"If they didn't do that, how would they make others believe that this explosion attack was carried out by a cult?" Emrys shook his head, and said faintly.
"I guess Roaming Port will probably get lively next."
Lloyd critically injured?
What a joke; with his understanding of this old fox, he was probably hiding behind the scenes, quietly observing the development of the situation!
But one thing perplexed Emrys.
Why did the Fernando family suddenly become so eager to seize power, unless something happened that forced them to do so!
"Could it be Aldrich?" After much thought, Emrys believed this was the only possibility.
He looked out the window at the seemingly calm Roaming Port, which in reality was already turbulent!