[Stars]

The matter was soon settled.

Liu Yiyi was so moved that her eyes filled with tears. To be precise, she had already been crying for a while.

Even without an ability like He Siying's "Wind Language," a veteran Heir's five senses far surpassed those of an ordinary person. She had heard everything clearly from outside the door.

"Why doesn't my dad care about me at all? Boo-hoo..."

She said this as she watched Shen Bai approach from a short distance away.

"Maybe because you gripped Uncle Liu's arm a little too hard when your inheritance awakened. If you hadn't snapped his humerus in two, I believe he would have been very worried about you too."

Shen Bai held a document envelope in his hand. He coldly stated the truth, then signaled that Li Yanguo and the others could leave first.

Li Yanguo nodded and left with Wu Xiaofeng and the other two.

He knew that the four of them would be involved in plenty of similar matters in the future. As ordinary people who had encountered a Netherworld incident, and as police officers who knew about the Gifted and Heirs, they were bound to become a bridge between the two sides.

As Li Yanguo and the others left, the sounds of the mother and son crying inside the room gradually subsided. After patiently waiting a little longer, Shen Bai curled his fingers and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Feng Wanshu sounded a little congested, but she had calmed down.

Hearing her reply, Shen Bai slowly opened the door and walked in.

Everyone followed Shen Bai back into the room.

Feng Wanshu had composed herself. She sat beside Hu Zihao, both of their eyes red, with a few tears that had not entirely cleared.

"Ms. Feng, what have you decided?"

As Shen Bai asked, he opened the document envelope in his hand.

Feng Wanshu glanced at Hu Zihao beside her.

"I agree."

Shen Bai nodded, took several documents out of the envelope, and handed them to Shi Yu and Han He, asking them to pass one to Hu Zihao as well.

"All right, Ms. Feng Wanshu. In the days ahead, I'll arrange rotating measures to ensure your safety. For now, we may need you to leave. Don't worry, we don't operate under strict confinement, so your son can go home whenever he has free time."

After hearing this, Feng Wanshu parted her lips, seemingly wanting to say something.

But in the end, she said nothing. She simply turned and hugged Hu Zihao again, then hid the reluctance in her eyes, turned back to nod at Shen Bai, stood up, and left the room without looking back.

He Siying, who was at the door, left with Feng Wanshu. Carrying a bag she had just retrieved, she followed Feng Wanshu downstairs.

Once Feng Wanshu and He Siying had left, Shen Bai continued:

"Now, read the contract carefully. It lists the things you need to keep in mind. This contract has certain special effects, but don't worry. Only the special clauses involving certain secrets contain power."

Hu Zihao took the contract Shi Yu passed him and thanked him.

"I'll make this clear first. Once we sign the contract, we must commit ourselves to fighting the Netherworld and Evil Sin. There's no question that this is dangerous. I can't make empty promises that I'll keep everyone safe, but I can promise that I'll do everything I can to keep you all safe."

Shi Yu looked at the contract. There were many, many clauses, but he did not read them very closely, because he had already decided to join. He would have to follow them anyway, so there was little point in reading them.

He skimmed through the first few pages and went straight to the final page, where he was to sign.

The last sheet had a large blank space and just a few striking, gilded lines.

By signing, the signatory confirms their membership in [Stars].

"We shall devote ourselves to the great undertaking of driving back the Netherworld and illuminating the future."

"We swear to burn our power to the very last moment, until the break of dawn."

"We salute you, one among countless stars."

"May the stars pierce the coming night!"

Shi Yu gently reached out to touch the words imprinted on the paper,

A faint but scorching power flowed through the gilded words.

"Power..."

Shi Yu could clearly sense the power clinging to them.

Shi Yu hesitated no longer. He picked up the pen beside him and wrote his name in the blank space on the paper.

"Shi Yu"

The instant he finished the final stroke, a strange power surged. Shi Yu watched as the name he had written on the paper in black ink gradually took on color. The edges of the black letters trembled slightly, then flecks of gold began to spread, slowly coloring his name.

That was not all...

Shi Yu's eyes widened in wonder.

At some point, the entire sheet had turned an inky black, like the deepest night, like a black hole from which not even a sliver of light could escape.

His name, meanwhile, had taken on a layer of brilliant gold, floating in the "night sky" alongside the gilded words, like shining stars.

Once his name had turned completely gold, Shi Yu saw other names slowly appear around it, one after another, one after another.

For an instant, he even saw the names of Han He and Hu Zihao.

Then countless names joined into a bright, golden sea, gradually filling the entire black sheet.

Bright and clear, like a manuscript kissed by Jehovah. Like a blazing sea of stars.

That page of stars trembled gently, freed itself from the contract, and floated into the air. It slowly dissipated, turning into countless motes of golden dust that melted into the air.

The same happened with Han He's and Hu Zihao's contracts. As the three young men watched the wondrous sight, different feelings stirred within them.

Then they heard someone speak.

"Welcome to [Stars]."

Shen Bai's voice rang out.

"Welcome to our ranks."

Liu Yiyi looked at the three young men and spoke softly.

"Welcome to number 597... 'Snow Cedar.'"