In an era where transmigrations and reincarnations had become as common as traffic jams, Leo was clearly one of the unlucky ones. No golden finger. No cheat system. Just a slightly depressive attitude and a small, eighty-square-meter apartment in the heart of New Ark.
Still, today was a big day.
"If everything looks good, please sign here. You will officially inherit your father's estate."
The lawyer, dressed in an impeccable suit, took a reluctant sip of cheap teabag tea in a paper cup, forcing a professional smile.
Leo nodded, picking up the pen. "Sure."
"Now, once more for the record—your father has left you with two items: a bank card containing two hundred thousand credits, and this wooden box. I've never opened the box myself, so I've no clue what's inside. Here's the key."
He pushed a deep violet box and a bank card across the table to Leo, then handed over an old brass key.
Leo had never met his biological father. Everything he knew came from stories told by the man he called Dad—his adoptive father and apparently, a sworn brother to the deceased. Today, on his twentieth birthday, the lawyer appeared with a solemn face and a promise to deliver "what was left behind."
Leo had fantasized for years about this moment: a long-lost father reveals himself to be a billionaire CEO with a private army, a magical bloodline, and a giant harem waiting to be inherited. That's how it worked in all the novels.
But hey, two hundred thousand credits and a mystery box? Still better than nothing.
Leo was a native of New Ark. Average background. Adopted. Grew up with a loving family and a sister who, thank heavens, wasn't blood-related—he'd had some... complicated feelings about that in middle school.
His adoptive dad had broken the truth to him during sophomore year, awkward and clumsy as ever.
"Son, I'm not your real dad."
Leo had squinted at him. "So... second uncle?"
Smack.
"Adoptive father," Dad clarified. "Your biological dad passed away when you were a baby. Left you with me and asked me to raise you right."
That same day, his dad handed him a property deed. One apartment in downtown New Ark. By the time Leo turned eighteen, he moved out to live alone. College, freedom, takeout, and mild existential dread followed.
Now, back to the box.
Leo opened it. Inside: a black pearl, and two sealed letters.
The pearl was smooth, cold to the touch, pitch black with no reflection. Definitely not ordinary.
The lawyer packed up his documents and gave Leo a card. "You can reach me anytime. Good luck."
As the elevator took the young attorney down, he called someone. "Boss, the delivery's done."
A laugh rang out from the other end. "Good work."
Back in the apartment, Leo stared at the business card: Blackridge Legal & Trust.
Everyone in New Ark knew that name. A mega-conglomerate with rumors darker than its balance sheets. Leo had once dreamed of working there. Now he was apparently on their inheritance radar?
He returned to the pearl, then picked up the letter.
"Dear Son,
If you're reading this, I've probably kicked the celestial bucket. Shame I didn't get to see you grow up—hope you turned out handsome like your old man. Or maybe pretty like your mom."
Leo blinked. ...Pretty?
His father continued:
"Your mother was from the southern provinces—gentle, beautiful, smart. We fell in love the moment we met. Then we had you. Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever get to be a father.
But fate's cruel. By the time you read this, I'm probably long gone. I left you in the hands of my best brother, your adoptive dad. He's a good man. Loyal. Slightly dramatic, but solid."
The letter then shifted tone:
"Now, about the inheritance. The house is yours. The money, a little bonus. But the real treasure is the pearl. That thing is our family's legacy. Eat it.
No, seriously. Eat it."
Leo frowned. Eat it?
It was absurd. Surely this was a prank? A posthumous dad joke?
Still... curiosity wins.
He gave the pearl a lick. Cold. Tasteless.
Then—WHOOSH.
The pearl leapt into his mouth, dissolved instantly, and a wave of heat surged into his gut.
"WHAT THE—"
Agony. Fire. It was as if his organs were boiling.
He collapsed.
His stomach swelled rapidly, like a pregnant woman on fast forward.
"I'm... gonna explode..."
Just as he thought the end had come, black light burst from his body, gathering in midair.
The darkness twisted. Shaped itself. Became a human figure.
Then—flesh.
A girl stood before him, tall, nude, ethereal. Long hair. A mole near her eye. Her gaze scanned the room lazily.
She yawned. "Twenty years. Finally woke up."
She walked over, crouched beside him, eyes sharp.
"You're Wynne's son, right?"
Leo, paralyzed from the pain, could only nod.
She crossed her arms, smirked.
"Call me Great-Grandmother."