This was akin to dropping a bombshell.
It sent everyone in the banquet hall reeling.
They looked at Jia Rengui on the stage in disbelief, as if he had lost his mind. Those in the corners, in particular, wore expressions of even greater incredulity.
They stared intently at Jia Rengui, trying to discern any trace of panic beneath his calm facade.
"This... my dear brother Jia Rengui... what do you mean by this?"
A portly man, holding a wine glass, narrowed his eyes slightly.
He appraised the man beside Jia Rengui from head to toe, a flicker of jealousy in his gaze.
Without a doubt, the man beside Jia Rengui was breathtakingly handsome, radiating an aura that felt like an impossibly bright lightbulb, making it difficult to look directly at him.
This man was currently smiling, his expression mirroring the gentle look on Jia Rengui's face.
Jia Rengui chuckled and patted the arm of the man beside him. He then regained his hold on the microphone.
"Everyone, don't react so strongly. I organized this banquet precisely to announce this matter today."
"This is also my daughter, Jia Mengmeng's wish."
"My health is deteriorating. In fact, this banquet was intended to select a husband for my daughter."
"This brother's name is Bai Se. From now on, he will be the spokesperson for the Jia family in the outside world. Please rest assured, he will absolutely not betray us."
Jia Rengui spoke with conviction, but others were not entirely convinced.
They voiced their objections.
"How can you be sure? What if he has second thoughts?"
They spoke openly, completely disregarding Duan Chen's presence. Some even harbored intense killing intent in their eyes as they looked at Duan Chen.
It seemed they were contemplating how to kill Duan Chen right there once all secrets were exposed.
Jia Rengui smiled and replied, "You don't need to worry... he has signed a contract... hehe, so there will be no issues."
Hearing the word "contract," a flash of understanding crossed their eyes. They nodded, a hint of relief appearing on their faces.
What was handed over, what changed hands, wasn't this just a puppet?
If that was the case, they had no further concerns.
As the grand spectacle concluded, Jia Rengui, in a performative manner, added a few more words. He even had Jia Mengmeng come forward, hold Duan Chen's arm, and speak at length.
Then, they all retreated, leaving the lively atmosphere to the banquet hall.
However, in a place hidden from everyone's sight, as soon as Jia Rengui and Jia Mengmeng reached the backstage, their bodies went limp and collapsed onto the ground.
Heer walked up, examined the sutures behind their heads, and wore a pensive expression.
"Still not able to sustain for too long? It seems further improvements are needed."
That's right.
What allowed these two to continue moving on stage, even in their deceased state, was precisely Heer's highly modified medical skills.
Indeed, everyone was shocked.
To make the dead continue to move... what level of medical skill was this?
Or had it transcended the realm of medicine and become a talent?
But they had no time to delve into these matters.
Jun Ci's expression was grave. He rushed to Duan Chen and reported, "Just now, while you were announcing this news upstairs, I observed the people below who showed unusual emotions. At least half of them..."
In other words, they had to face half sea demons!
Sea demons!
They were no common folk.
He was able to face those four sea demons and achieve victory with ease because Duan Chen's initial methods were too brutal and intimidating.
He had frightened Wang Fugui and Jia Mengmeng. The way he exposed Wang Chenyang also left them bewildered.
This allowed him to subdue both of them so simply and effortlessly, without expending any effort.
But if it were others, with such numbers, they wouldn't be able to employ such tactics.
It could only be said that it was all too coincidental.
"And we can't ascertain if the other side has their own unique communication methods, so this method is very likely to backfire," Yuan Qingqing said with concern, looking at Duan Chen.
To this day, the siblings couldn't comprehend why Duan Chen had orchestrated this elaborate charade.
But Duan Chen was exceptionally confident.
"Just watch... I won't disappoint you."
Even if Jia Rengui's death were discovered, so what?
What he wanted was merely a title.
Now that he had a title, he could openly intervene in Ice City's affairs. That was enough.
The sea demons had only replaced a portion of those in high positions. The foundational elements, or those who held significant power but were troublesome, had not been replaced.
They were still ordinary people.
Duan Chen's purpose for orchestrating today's events was not to declare war on the sea demons, but to make those ordinary people aware of his arrival, thereby facilitating his future actions.
This was what he desired.
His eyes flickered, and he took out the original form of the Holy Contract from his embrace, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
The original form of the Holy Contract was a notebook, appearing as a simple black notebook. However, it had unknowingly mutated into a strange entity.
If not properly contained, the spiritual energy emanating from the Holy Contract would constantly interfere with those around it.
For ordinary people, this would lead to frequent nightmares until, under the influence of the Holy Contract, they signed an unfair agreement.
Only spiritual energy users could fully control the Holy Contract.
He gazed at the Holy Contract for a moment longer, his thoughts not yet fully formed on how to return it to Su Cheng.
Regardless, it felt too strange...
He had a desire to keep it for himself, but Su Cheng's Spirit Hunter Guild was a second home to Duan Chen, perhaps even his first.
He couldn't be selfish towards his family...
Duan Chen subtly reined in his thoughts, shook his head, and thought that there might be a better way to handle this. He would ponder it further.
He looked up at the others and announced.
"I will now officially take over affairs here. You will all accompany me. Oh, and Heer, find a way to make their bodies more complete. We still have another scene to perform."