Through Henry Lane’s observations, there were four cars most commonly used inside the manor. One was the lord’s “Lincoln” extended land cruiser, which was probably used by William Lane for business and social occasions. If he was going to the company, he would switch to another “Ram” gray luxury sedan. There was also a more feminine vehicle, which was the current lady of the manor Claire Newton’s car. In addition, there was a bat-shaped sports car, often driven out of the manor at lightning speed by Howard Lane to meet friends.

During these past few days, when eating lunch in the manor’s dining room, Henry Lane would encounter his three family members.

Howard Lane, clearly estranged from him, almost treated him as invisible, and would sometimes chat familiarly with William Lane and his wife about things at the academy. In comparison, Henry Lane was isolated and out of place. Only the lord would occasionally break the silence to ask Henry Lane if he was getting used to things lately, or mention the plan to send him to an academy soon.

The so-called academy was probably one of those famous imperial universities. Since he had come here, even though he was a bastard child with no status, he couldn’t just idle away his life. He grew up in the slums, without any modern education or upbringing, so Henry Lane could foresee that rather than letting him do nothing in the manor, it would be more reassuring to send him to an academy.

Setting aside his playboy habits, Howard Lane was actually very smart. Being able to enter the prestigious Qingyuan Academy at seventeen—an imperial school that rejected countless outstanding candidates—proved that he had indeed inherited the excellence in his parents’ bloodline.

But being admitted to Qingyuan Academy didn’t mean he had a talent for business. When it came to taking on major responsibilities in the group, the young Howard Lane was indeed lacking in experience. He was more likely to become a target for those within the family who harbored ulterior motives.

The group’s position with the imperial military had become unstable, and business had suffered setbacks. William Lane’s health was deteriorating, so it was time to consider the succession of the title and head of the family. Several elder brothers in the family were also harboring ambitions at this moment... Through these key points, Henry Lane seemed to understand why he had been brought to the Lin family manor.

If he was to be used as a shield for Howard Lane, drawing the fire of those elder uncles in the family, it seemed even more logical.

This could also explain why Howard Lane and the current lady of the manor Claire Newton would tolerate his arrival.

This luxurious manor was just an empty shell, filled inside with the cold indifference of real-world human relationships.

This was the high society that the widows on the trash planet dreamed of!

Henry Lane, in a somewhat gloomy mood, thought so with boredom.

……

Although the new environment and the cold manor were very unfamiliar to Henry Lane, he didn’t feel much rejection. The reason was that on Riverside Star, he could see advanced mechas that were unimaginable on the trash planet. He could use the manor’s computers, which could connect to the international web and access vast amounts of information. He could see the modern society he’d only ever seen on TV, and the dazzling luxury within the manor.

Henry Lane had an almost obsessive love for machinery. Thinking back, it seemed to have started from those mountains of junk on Haizhou Star. He grew up among piles of discarded electronic and metal waste, and these deeply ingrained memories naturally became his talent. But no one knew just how deep his obsession and talent for machinery went.

Fortunately, the manor already provided enough to keep him occupied. The powerful computer in his room alone allowed him to absorb information rapidly every day, learning things he could never have known on the closed-off trash planet.

Basically, aside from eating and sleeping, nothing else could distract him.

However, the arrival of that red mecha outside the manor this evening was an exception in his otherwise cold and boring life.

For someone with an almost stubborn passion for machinery, nothing was more fascinating than seeing an advanced mecha—the crystallization of technology.

That fiery red mecha had smooth, hawk-like curves, two long, mechanically designed legs supporting its torso, and the city’s lights shimmered across its body, making it exceptionally beautiful.

With its bare, treaded feet gliding as if on ice, it arrived at the manor. Wayne Group was, after all, a company that manufactured armor, and the manor had its own hangar. During his time at the manor, Henry Lane had already seen several mecha transfers, but they were always lying on large transport trucks. That’s why he was so fascinated by the Lin family manor’s underground hangar. He didn’t quite understand this fascination, but he guessed it was like the excitement pirates felt upon seeing treasure in ancient books—probably the same as his own obsession.

This was also why he had been so interested in information about Wayne Group these days, and why he didn’t reject this new home.

And seeing a mecha in action like this was like a shot of adrenaline for him. It was just as beautiful as those special mechas that had appeared on the trash planet, but compared to the scrap metal he’d cobbled together himself, whether in terms of aesthetics, materials, or onboard electronics, it was on a completely different level—or even a different era.