"Next, our Patriarch has something to announce."
Saying this, the lady turned around and left the stage, giving the microphone to Patriarch Quinn who was now walking towards the center of the stage.
"Greetings, dear friends. Tonight, I have three important news to announce."
He made a pause, making sure that he got everyone's attention before continuing.
"First, I invite you all to congratulate Red Vaelanor for ascending as the Patriarch of the Vaelnaor family!"
Some guests were a bit surprised by this turn of events but some already heard the news so the shock was not great.
"Second, I invite you all to congratulate Patriarch Vaelanor and the Vaelanor family for ascending the rankings and becoming the 1st-ranked family among our 4 great families!"
!!!!!!
What!? What did he just say!? The guests were instantly stunned, some of them even dropped their glasses on the floor. The whole banquet hall became silent except for the occasional sounds of glasses breaking here and there.
Was this for real? How did this happen? Most guests looked to the side of the stage where other Patriarchs were standing, looking for confirmation. Seeing Patriarch Devure nodding and Patriarch Emyren looking at the floor like he already lost his soul, the news seemed to be true!
"I know this might be a slight shock to some of you, however, rest assured that this news is true. Currently, the Vaelanor Group has 7 confirmed Martial Kings. As for whether there are more, only Patriarch Vaelanor would know."
Patriarch Quinn made a pause to let the words sink in. He was not surprised by the faces full of shock among the guests.
"Earlier today, Patriarch Vaelanor appointed Miss Catherine Mollaris as the new acting president of the Vaelanor Group. President Catherine is a 3rd-stage Martial King together with Vice President Kevin. Beside them, there are 5 more 2nd stage Martial Kings among company directors."
The guests didn't even know what to say or think anymore. This was indeed some shocking and unexpected news! It seems that all other great families dropped in ranking.
The Devure family was now 2nd, the Emyren family 3rd and the Quinn family 4th place. Nobody expected this outcome. Imagine going from the 4th place straight to 1st in a day. Such a thing never happened before!
President Quinn waited for another minute before continuing. If these people were so shocked by this news, what is going to happen when he announces the last news?
"Third, I invite you all to congratulate Patriarch Vaelanor for ascending to the 3rd-stage of the Martial Emperor realm!"
*!!!BOOM!!!*
If previously the guests were shocked, now they were completely petrified! What did he just say? They started doubting their hearing, but most of them were strong cultivators themselves so their hearing couldn't have been the problem, right? Some of them directly pinched themselves to try to wake up, strongly believing they were dreaming.
......
In one corner of the hall, a pretty young woman stood gracefully in an elegant blue gown while holding a glass of champagne. Her black hair was tied into a neat bun, showing her delicate neck adorned with a diamond necklace. She wore a pair of diamond earrings that complimented the necklace and her stunning looks.
At this moment, her deep-black eyes were opened wide and her pretty face displayed a look of shock as she stared at the stage unblinkingly.
She was exactly the woman who the original host fiercely chased without success - Molly Rogers!
She just heard the most shocking news of her life! That annoying, sycophantic man who used to chase her around all day long was actually a 3rd stage Martial Emperor!?
Mere words couldn't describe her feelings. Should she be happy? Should she change her attitude now and accept that man's advances?
She was always prideful and strong-willed, she would never accept a weak and arrogant Young Master as her boyfriend or a husband. The reason why she always avoided him in the past was exactly because of this.
She, as everyone else, believed that he was just an arrogant Young Master of a rich family who was a waste. His sycophantic behavior didn't help either! Now she thought all of that might have been just an act orchestrated by him!
Then she recalled his indifferent attitude on the phone earlier. Maybe that man didn't even want her anymore and maybe it was too late now? Maybe he wasn't even interested in her from the beginning and was only acting. In the end, she decided to test the waters later, maybe there was still a chance.
......
In another part of the ballroom, a stunning young woman stood gracefully with her arms crossed. Her long, vibrant red hair darkened to black at the tips, flowing over her back and blending into the deep tones of her dress.
She wore a crimson gown detailed with black lace across her shoulders, bodice, and sleeves, accented by small red crystals. A dark lace choker rested around her neck, matching the dangling earrings and a spiky black hairpin holding back a section of her hair.
Her red eyes looked toward the stage with calm indifference, in stark contrast to the shocked people around her. Nobody would know what was on her mind as even her family members kept their distance from her out of fear. The only one she was remotely close to was her grandfather - Patriarch Devure.
She was exactly the granddaughter of Patriarch Devure, the previously mentioned fiancee - Scarlett Devure.
She was standing alone and there was nobody close to her as her fierce attitude and heroic look kept everyone at a distance.
If Red saw her now he would surely have another cringy, over-the-top appearance description.
......
"Now, let's all welcome Patriarch Vaelanor to share some words with us."
Saying this, he turned, looking around for Red, but he couldn't see him anywhere! Where did this guy go? He was here a moment ago. And just as everyone was starting to get confused...
"Mmhf... wait a mmh-moment!"
Patriarch Quinn turned towards the sound and saw Red standing among the guests, stuffing his mouth full of food while also holding a cake and feeding Eve slowly. Eve was looking at him with hearts in her eyes!
???... Was this guy being serious!? He was eating at this moment!?
Red couldn't be bothered with any of this. As soon as he entered the hall he saw delicious-looking dishes all around him, he couldn't help but drag Eve with him and try some! Isn't this what banquets were all about? To have good food and drinks!
Not many guests saw this scene as the place was overcrowded and Red was standing below the stage among other guests, but the ones who saw it couldn't help but laugh at Patriarch Quinn inwardly. That guy was on the stage making a big opening for the honored guest while that guest couldn't be bothered with him.
Red finally swallowed the food and slowly walked towards the stage.
"Eve, honey, wait for me here. I'll be back shortly." While leaving, he didn't forget to pat Eve's head.
"Okay, darling.~"
'I swear, this is the last time... If anyone ruins my fun again after this... I'll break their legs!'
[Host, calm down. Just finish this and then you can eat and drink to your heart's content!]
Up on the stage, Patriarch Quinn felt a sudden shiver down his spine. He looked around but couldn't find anything. 'It must've been the wind, right?' He thought... There were no winds in the hall...
Red climbed on the stage, took the microphone and looked at it curiously.
'Why do these people use microphones anyway!? They are all strong cultivators! Couldn't they just infuse their qi into their voice to speak louder?'
He looked at the guests who were now looking at him in silence. The guests were actually stunned by his appearance. Standing under the headlights, with his current appearance, he looked like a celestial being who descended from the heavens. They never saw a man this handsome.
All the ladies in the room had hearts in their eyes, some even drooled. Some were so dazed that they didn't even feel their husbands pinching them. The men, on the other hand, were feeling extremely envious and showed angry looks on their faces.
Red wouldn't care, he just wanted to get this over with and enjoy some food and drinks with Eve... he calmly spoke...
"Good evening, everyone. Nice to meet you. I'm Red Vaelanor, the current Patriarch of the Vaelanor family."
He stopped, thinking... What should he say?
'Hey! That damn man just told me to deliver a speech, but he never told me what to say! What speech? I have absolutely nothing to say to these people!!!'
He looked at Patriarch Quinn.
"What should I say?"
Patriarch Quinn was baffled. Was he asking him? How would he know? Wasn't it just a speech!? Just improvise something!
"Just... say whatever you want!"
"But I have nothing to say!"
After this, they both became silent for a moment. Red was not good at this! Okay? If he had something to say he would have said it. He was not afraid of anyone! But... he really had nothing to say.
Luckily, at this awkward moment, someone asked a question.
"Good evening, Patriarch Vaelanor. Could you please confirm Patriarch Quinn's earlier statements? Is everything he said really true?"
Red turned towards the voice and saw an old man with long white hair looking at him nervously.
"Yes... What he said is indeed true. My family is now 1st-ranked family, I'm now the Patriarch and... as for me being the Martial Emperor..."
Red released his aura and his Emperor's domain. He was very careful to avoid hurting anyone. There were also some weak people among the guests and he didn't want to hurt innocent people.
!!!!!!
*Crack* *Crack* *Crack*
Even so, the whole hall trembled with his power, while he avoided hurting people, he forgot about the building, he hurriedly retracted his aura. Earlier he just released a sliver of his power but cracks still formed on the walls... The chandeliers started to shake, it seemed like the whole building might fall at any moment.
Guests were naturally petrified. First they felt that tyrannical aura earlier, and now even the ceiling might fall on their heads!
Red waved his hand and the cracks on the walls instantly disappeared and the ceiling stopped shaking. What he actually used at that time was one of laws of heaven and earth - the Law of Time. Martial Emperors could infuse laws of heaven and earth into their domains and Red could use all laws in existence as the Progenitor of Chaos.
The guests breathed a sigh of relief. Even so, quite a few of them wondered about what he just did. They have never heard of the ability to restore broken things so fast!
......
Scarlett Devure, who was calm and indifferent earlier, now finally had hints of shock and doubt in her eyes.
She was calm when he ascended the stage. Sure, she felt that he was otherworldly handsome, but she wouldn't pay much attention to other people's looks. She was calm even when he released his aura to show his cultivation.
But she finally showed some shock when she saw what he did. She immediately knew what he did! He used the Law of Time!
"Maybe... I should find a chance to speak with him later..." She muttered to herself.
* * * * * *
[A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! If you have any suggestions, please comment.]
[A/N: Scarlett's image: https://imgur.com/a/9fYMzf5]