"...I killed someone with my own hands for the first time,"
Lucien told what he had done to Glen, successfully piquing his grandfather’s interest.
"Oh? That’s... surprising."
Malcolm raised an eyebrow, as this was indeed a sudden turn that could change a person.
In fact, in this world, killing someone, especially at a young age, wasn’t something new.
It happened every day, and even Malcolm had taken too many lives during his rise.
However, he also knew that for his grandson, it was something monumental, huge enough to change his behavior, perhaps.
After the initial surprise, Malcolm sensed there was more to the story.
"Well... I was kind of assassinated inside the dungeon, and in defense, I killed that guy,"
Lucien awkwardly explained.
Sure enough, the moment Malcolm heard that word, his aura flared as if in anger, while his face turned extremely solemn.
"Was it that guy Dorian? This fucking bastard is too much. Do they think I’m dead?"
Malcolm seemed enraged, and the teacup in his hand shattered from the sheer pressure. Even Lucien was surprised by his extreme reaction.
"Wait, Grandpa, I don’t think it was Dorian."
Before the situation escalated again, Lucien quickly stopped him.
That was because, after analyzing the clues, he believed the assassination might not have been ordered by Dorian.
After all, if Dorian really wanted him dead, he wouldn’t need to go through such a roundabout method. This was his turf; he had countless ways to do it directly.
Most importantly, Dorian had asked Lilith to control him inside the awakening altar.
There was no way he would then employ someone like Glen on the side to kill him afterward.
"Look, this was what he had in his hands."
Lucien suddenly took out a colorful cube with seven distinct grooves from his waist, still hanging there.
"Huh? Demonic Power?"
As soon as Malcolm saw the cube, he mumbled in surprise. Then he took it from Lucien’s hand and examined it carefully.
He even used a bit of his mana, activating the cube in the process. The same multicolored wave that had restricted Lucien’s mana surged out.
Only, it didn’t manage to stop Malcolm, of course.
"Hmm... Restriction and shielding array with integrated mana harmonization... excellent. What a good artifact."
Malcolm genuinely praised the craftsmanship of the container.
"Whoever crafted this knew exactly what they were doing. Did you find it in that assassin’s hand?"
He looked at Lucien and asked.
"Yeah, I found it on his waist."
Lucien replied, though he couldn’t help being surprised inside.
Because, according to the system, this cube was an Epic Rank Artifact: Sevenfold Seal, an imitation of a Divine Rank Artifact: Sacred Shackles.
An Epic Rank artifact, and Malcolm only showed this much surprise, and just praised the craftsmanship?
’Come to think of it, why would any sane person give an Epic Rank artifact to someone so low in rank?’
Even if it was to obtain the Seed of Greed, it was just too much. What if he lost it during the process, like right now?
’Maybe... they don’t know its rank?’
That was the only possibility Lucien could think of.
"Well, although this artifact is good, it’s specifically designed to gather demonic power, like that Seed of Lust and Greed."
Malcolm mumbled before continuing,
"It’s better to stay out of such things. Remember, demonic powers are double-edged swords. If possible, avoid them altogether."
"As for the assassination attempt, I’ll look into it. You don’t need to worry."
He warned Lucien and returned the cube to him, not seeming to think much of the artifact.
Instead, he looked at Lucien, who was now hanging the cube around his waist, and advised,
"Now that you’ve awakened your class and can use mana, it’s time to discard those useless mana rings and gold trinkets."
He said with disdain.
"A simple space ring works by compressing space, so it can’t store complex items cube. Go and get a high-ranking Dimensional Ring from your father."
He spoke like an old man teaching the younger generation.
"Also, change your gear and use some treasures to increase your Earth Affinity. Although I can’t help you be reborn like that, Phoenix Nest, it’s still possible to make you stronger."
Malcolm smiled briefly.
"It’s time you learned just how rich our Ancient Goldveil Family truly is."
When it came to wealth, even Malcolm showed a rare, proud glint in his eyes.
He felt like he had lost too much face in front of his grandson, so he was trying to regain a bit by showing off what he did have.
"Hey, Grandpa, I’ve been meaning to ask you something for a while now."
But unfortunately, Lucien’s mind wasn’t on that topic. He was thinking about something else,
"You said our family is extremely rich, and even our surname is Goldveil. But... don’t you think it’s not that impressive?"
Lucien questioned honestly.
"I mean, we’re just a Viscount family, and if I recall correctly, even that title is fake. What’s so awesome about that?"
Like, really, having a few more gold coins than others might be considered luxurious in this world, but that wasn’t all that special here.
After all, they were still just merchants at the end of the day. And when his grandfather fell into a coma, their entire family nearly collapsed.
What exactly was so impressive about that?
During his short stay in this world, Lucien hadn’t seen anything to support Malcolm’s claims.
He was even confused about how their family managed to stay rich and conduct trade between kingdoms so freely.
"You brat, are you questioning the Goldveil Family?"
Malcolm, of course, heard the skepticism and immediately scolded him. He couldn’t believe his own grandson was doubting his family .
But even after that, he noticed that Lucien was still looking at him with the same doubtful expression.
"It seems Cedric hasn’t taught you anything about this world or the history of our family."
Malcolm finally sighed, realizing Lucien truly knew nothing.
"Alright then. Let me teach you a few things about this world... and about our family, the Goldveils. Isn’t that what you want to know?"