Just eight hours later, Zeke's fleet arrived at the Royal Court planet of his family.
As the Terran Dominion's fleet docked in orbit, Zeke boarded his shuttle. He then returned to the Royal Court on the knight planet.
The Royal Court was still the same Royal Court. Seeing his family's Royal Court, Zeke finally felt as if he had returned to the Imperium of Man in Warhammer.
This was much more logical than his second uncle's highly technological starport.
His second uncle's starport looked similar to the Terran Dominion's starport...???
Zeke suddenly realized something: the Terran Dominion?
If he remembered correctly, in Warhammer, humanity also had an era of technology, which was called the Golden Age, and at that time, the human government was also called the Terran Dominion.
Combining this with what he had seen at his second uncle's place earlier, Zeke had reason to suspect whether his family possessed some aspects of the Terran Dominion's legacy.
Perhaps even most of its technology.
This idea grew stronger in Zeke's mind. He felt that this possibility was very high.
He believed it was possible, but the exact situation would need to be verified later.
Zeke's mind was racing with wild thoughts, but as he walked, he still elegantly nodded to everyone who greeted him, maintaining perfect etiquette.
He was used to it; he was used to showing sufficient respect and courtesy to everyone.
No matter what Zeke was thinking, his muscle memory would always perform all the necessary courtesies for him.
His swift walk finally brought an end to the arduous journey within the Royal Court, and Zeke arrived at the palace where his father resided.
Here, Zeke could finally take off his mask again.
As Zeke was thinking this and preparing to let loose, he suddenly saw a Lord General in the Royal Court.
Zeke, who had originally intended to shout that he was back, felt as if a large hand had clamped his throat.
It took him a while to utter a faint sound, then he quickly regained his composure.
How troublesome, how troublesome! He thought he could have a holiday, but who knew there was someone inside?
Grisha sat upright on the throne, his gaze steady as he looked at the Lord General before him.
He had already learned of his son's return through the family's detectors, but at this moment, he still needed to maintain the dignity befitting a family head.
"The patriarch of the Reiss Family, a long-standing ally of House Yaeger," Grisha's voice was unhurried.
"Our knight house naturally fully supports the Imperium's Great Crusade and your endeavor to reclaim your family's homeworld.
And due to the long-standing friendship between our two houses, I will naturally support your Great Crusade, however..."
He leaned forward slightly, tapping the armrest of the throne with his fingertips.
"But you should be aware that knight titan operations require continuous logistical support. From ammunition to energy cores, from repair parts to replacement armor—all of these require a complete logistics system to sustain them."
The Lord General on the other side found this very reasonable: "What you say is indeed true. So, what do you need me to do for you to dispatch your family knights?"
"It's simple," Grisha showed a perfectly appropriate smile, "If the Imperial Navy is willing to provide escort and supply support, the knight house can immediately dispatch at least 1,000 knight titans to assist you in combat."
Just then, the doors of the throne room slowly opened.
Zeke entered with standard noble strides, stopping at an appropriate distance and performing a perfect knight's bow.
"Father, I have returned."
A hint of joy flashed in Grisha's eyes; his obedient son was back.
But he quickly reverted to his initial expression: "You've arrived just in time."
"This is the Imperial Lord General, the patriarch of the Reiss Family. Our houses signed an alliance 2,000 years ago, and now he has come to request our aid."
"He wishes to launch a Great Crusade to reclaim over 80 planets in their family's Kasea Sector. This is a grand plan. For the Imperium, it is all benefit and no harm."
Zeke immediately turned to the Lord General, performing another impeccable gesture of respect: "It is an honor to meet you, General."
Lord General Reiss turned his head and returned the bow to Zeke.
After seeing both men complete their respective courtesies, Grisha spoke again.
"My son has returned. If you don't mind, let my son discuss the rest with you. He can fully represent our knight house."
As he spoke, Grisha slowly walked over to his side and whispered to him in a voice only they could hear.
"We were once allies; this is something the knight house will never forget.
For the Great Crusade you wish to launch, we will provide our full support, but beyond full support, we can also offer some additional help.
As for how much we can provide, it depends on whether you can impress my son."
"I can tell you this: my son has the ability to mobilize the family's secret forces, and if you truly want to complete your Great Crusade and desire an extra layer of strength, you can seek his help."
"Don't say I don't look after you; you haven't even received a full noble education and are unaware of many things. You're truly clumsy when conversing with nobles. For the sake of our over 100 years of friendship, speak with my son."
"Support will definitely be provided, but how much support depends on you. And also, help me train my son."
Grisha's words were very direct.
They had known each other for over 100 years, having interacted since childhood. After all, they were allied houses, and their private relationship was quite good.
Theoretically, only the two of them could hear this, but was Zeke an ordinary person?
He was not.
So he heard everything his old man said, and his eyelids twitched.
If it weren't for the elite noble education he had received all his life, he would have started complaining to his old man right now.
After Grisha finished speaking with his old friend, he also walked over to Zeke and said to him.
"This is something you must go through to become the high king, so do your best. Also, any benefits gained from this negotiation will be yours; the family will not take a single penny."
"You can freely make demands and ask for what you want from him, but don't go too far. After all, they are an allied family, and we certainly need to provide them with aid.
However, the extent of the aid depends on what you think is appropriate. Your second uncle has already shown you some of the family's heritage, hasn't he?
If you think it's necessary, that part of the heritage can also be revealed. All decisions are yours to make personally.
The future is yours."
Grisha relinquished his authority. He decided to hand over his power to his son; he wanted to go and enjoy a wonderful life for two with his wife.
After speaking with Zeke, he turned and left, leaving behind a dumbfounded Zeke... Sometimes, Zeke really wanted to ask, what exactly happened?
Why was his return to the family so completely different from before?
And what was with his father's situation? Was he trying to make him take over?
How old was he anyway? Just over 100 years old, he was at the age for making achievements. In Warhammer, how could he retire so early?