This was the first time Haizhong had attended such a grand banquet, especially one where more than half of the social elites of Donghai City were present. In his heart, he was actually very nervous. It was only because of his stubbornness and the innate regal character of the Dragon King that he did not show any signs of nervousness at the banquet.
At the beginning, toasting was relatively easy to handle. Li Wanhuo led him, introducing everyone at each table. Haizhong only needed to briefly meet them and drink a cup of wine with the people at each table, and that was it. However, when he sat down at Qiao Zhenyuan's table, it was the most stressful moment for Haizhong.
The guests at that table could be said to be the few people standing at the very top of Donghai City. The most prestigious were Qiao Zhenyuan, the Party Secretary of Donghai City, and Liu Handong, the Executive Vice Mayor of Donghai City. The least prestigious were still powerful businessmen on par with Li Wanhuo. In other words, any one of the guests at that table would make Li Wanhuo yield to them.
Although everyone at the table had a smile on their face, the aura they exuded as people in high positions made the guests at neighboring tables as silent as cicadas in winter, afraid to speak loudly, lest they disturb the others and invite retaliation. How much more so for Haizhong, who was right in the middle of it all.
Each person was over 40 years old, and any one of them could be about the same age as Haizhong's father. How could Haizhong chat with them?
Fortunately, no one at the table took the initiative to chat with Haizhong. Listening to their lively conversations, Haizhong's mental pressure could be slightly alleviated.
After all, Haizhong was still a normal human being. The Dragon King could rely on his own strength to dominate the sea in the future, but Haizhong himself would always be an ordinary person, no matter what. He had only become a strong ordinary person through electric shocks.
The most fragile thing in this world is a human being. Any one of the people at the table, if they targeted Haizhong, would make it impossible for him to stand his ground in Donghai City, even with Li Wanhuo's protection, because their power was too immense.
Back in his guest room, Haizhong lay tiredly on the bed. The banquet tonight was thanks to the help of those ladies. Many times, during the toasting, some of the ladies would come to their husbands' sides, drinking with him, making his conversations with them more harmonious.
Dealing with drinking sessions was very troublesome, but it couldn't be avoided. After all, Haizhong needed a certain social status. Otherwise, what good would money do? Most of Haizhong's money was of dubious origin. In our Heavenly Kingdom, without social status, this money was worthless. He might end up in jail before he could spend it. The exhausted Haizhong wished he could just lie down and sleep.
Looking around his guest room, he didn't expect Li Wanhuo's castle to have such luxurious guest rooms. A bedroom came with an independent living room and bathroom. There was a sofa chair by the window in the living room, and the warm sunlight through the window made the entire room feel especially warm.
After the servant closed the door, Haizhong heard the servants whispering. Servant A whispered, "Who is the person in the room? Master actually arranged for him to stay in this presidential suite."
Haizhong then understood why this suite was so comfortable, with a living room and a sofa chair for meetings.
Sitting on the sofa chair, the sunlight entered the room through the window. If someone stood opposite Haizhong, the light would interfere, making it hard to see Haizhong's face clearly.
Haizhong knew that Li Wanhuo and Li Jihao would definitely come to see him soon, so he sat on the sofa chair waiting for them. To be honest, the sofa chair was really comfortable.
Sure enough, Haizhong didn't have to wait long. Soon, there was a knock on the door. Haizhong smiled and said, "Please come in."
The door opened, and indeed, it was Li Wanhuo. However, Haizhong didn't expect that the person accompanying Li Wanhuo was not Li Jihao, but Qiao Zhenyuan, the Party Secretary of Donghai City, and his wife, Su Xiaomei.
Haizhong stood up and came to Li Wanhuo's side, saying, "Brother Li, why didn't you inform me that Secretary Qiao was coming?"
Li Wanhuo let everyone enter the room and sit down, then closed the door and said with a smile, "We're all brothers, no need to be so formal. I brought Old Qiao here today because there's something I need your help with."
Hearing this, Haizhong became interested and asked Qiao Zhenyuan, "Secretary Qiao, what do you need help with?"
Li Wanhuo asked, "Little brother, how deep can you dive without equipment?"
Haizhong said, "150 meters is no problem."
Hearing this, Li Wanhuo finally felt relieved. He knew that Qiao Zhenyuan's problem could be solved. On their way, Li Wanhuo had asked Qiao Zhenyuan how deep the items were in the sea. Qiao Zhenyuan told Li Wanhuo that they were about 100 meters deep, so a professional diver was needed.
Just as Li Wanhuo was about to ask more, Qiao Zhenyuan waved his hand, indicating he would speak. Li Wanhuo didn't interrupt. Qiao Zhenyuan said, "Brother Haizhong, I want to ask if you can enter the inner sea of the Devil's Sea."
If it were any other matter, it would be difficult for Haizhong, but regarding the Devil's Sea, Haizhong had no problem at all. He smiled and said, "The Devil's Sea, I can go anywhere, 80,000 miles of it. What's up?"
Qiao Zhenyuan didn't expect Haizhong to say this and asked uncertainly, "Can you go anywhere in the Devil's Sea, including the inner sea?" Haizhong smiled and nodded.
Qiao Zhenyuan said, "Brother Haizhong, how about this: I'll pay you 10 million to help me find something in the Devil's Sea."
Haizhong asked, "What is it worth 10 million?"
Qiao Zhenyuan stared intently into Haizhong's eyes and said, "It's a batch of goods, very important to me. I want to know if you have the ability to take on this 10 million task."
With the Dragon King, there was nowhere in the Devil's Sea he couldn't go. Haizhong said, "Whatever it is, as long as it's in the Devil's Sea, I can find it for you. But I don't want money; money is not important to me."
From Haizhong's eyes, Qiao Zhenyuan saw a kind of arrogance, the arrogance of someone who believes they are the strongest in their domain. Qiao Zhenyuan knew he had found the right person, but since the other party didn't want money, he asked curiously, "If not money, what do you want?"
Haizhong smiled and said, "Friendship. I need friendship. Friendship is more important than money. Today, you have a problem, and I help you. In the future, when I have a problem, I hope you will help me. Let's be friends, what do you think?" People like Qiao Zhenyuan feared owing others favors, which was a very terrifying thing. That's why Qiao Zhenyuan had offered 10 million as a reward, hoping that a high reward would move Haizhong without him having to owe a favor. He didn't expect Haizhong to look down on 10 million and only want his friendship.
Qiao Zhenyuan said helplessly, "15 million, is this reward satisfactory?" If Qiao Zhenyuan tried hard, he could come up with 15 million, which was better than owing a favor.
Haizhong stood up from the sofa, walked to the window, and sat in the sofa chair, facing the window. He said, "I will never force friendship on someone who doesn't value it. Leave, I won't help you." Haizhong was betting that Qiao Zhenyuan would rather pay 15 million than owe a favor, and that this matter was so important to Qiao Zhenyuan that he had to do it. Now, the only person who could enter the Devil's Sea was Haizhong, so he wasn't afraid that Qiao Zhenyuan wouldn't seek his help.
Neither Qiao Zhenyuan nor Li Wanhuo expected Haizhong to be so decisive, refusing to help at the slightest disagreement. Qiao Zhenyuan, sitting awkwardly on the sofa, didn't know what to say. He was somewhat angry and wanted to leave, but he was afraid that if he left, he wouldn't be able to find the goods in the Devil's Sea. He could only look to Li Wanhuo for help.
Li Wanhuo understood and came to Haizhong's side, saying, "Brother Haizhong, how about helping out for the sake of your old brother? After all, Qiao Zhenyuan is also my brother."
Haizhong smiled and said, "Old Li, do you think entering the Devil's Sea is that easy? The outer sea is easy to enter, but every time I enter the inner sea of the Devil's Sea, it's a huge risk. You know how terrifying giant jellyfish are. One is dead, but the other is still alive. The last time, I chose that time specifically because the other giant jellyfish would leave the underwater canyon to hunt. I timed it to get the poison sac for you. If I was a bit earlier or later, I would have lost my life. Don't underestimate the Devil's Sea; it's not that simple." Hearing this, Li Wanhuo didn't know what to say.