Moria's calm words echoed in her ears.

"Do not resist."

"Next, obediently accept the contract."

As soon as the words fell, a cold, archaic power flowed from his fingertips and poured into the center of Jasmine's brows.

However, at the instant the contract was about to form, a cold System prompt sounded in Zhou Huai's mind.

【Ding! Contract failed!】

【Prompt: The Avatar does not possess an independent soul and cannot act as the subject of the contract to sign a soul contract.】

Zhou Huai was stunned for a moment.

Then he quickly came to his senses.

So that was how it was.

This so-called Demon Lord Contract was essentially a binding at the soul level.

The Avatar was merely a vessel controlled by the Intellect Core AI, lacking a soul, so naturally it could not sign.

Having figured this out, Zhou Huai felt a bit regretful.

He had originally planned to let Moria and the other Avatars sign the contract as well.

Yasuo, Xiang Yu, and even more Avatars in the future would all be able to enjoy the attribute bonuses of the "Night Demon" state at night.

Just thinking about that scene was exhilarating.

Now it seemed hopeless.

It was impossible for him to contract with his own soul.

The System obviously did not allow such a bug-like operation.

Zhou Huai hesitated no longer.

His consciousness instantly withdrew from Yasuo's body and swiftly poured into Moria's body.

He raised his hand again, and his pale fingertips once more tapped Jasmine's forehead.

"Once more."

Jasmine didn't understand why, but she still obediently nodded.

Zhou Huai chanted silently in his heart.

【Demon Lord Contract】!

This time, a completely different feeling appeared.

A majestic power surged from the depths of his soul, turning through his fingertips into an intricate, pitch-black rune that branded itself upon Jasmine's soul.

"Mm!"

Jasmine let out a muffled grunt, her body trembling violently.

She felt as if her soul was being gripped by an invisible giant hand, about to be completely torn apart.

Amidst the extreme pain, there was also a bizarre majesty that made her want to prostrate herself in worship, descending deep into her consciousness.

She saw it.

In the endless dark night, a majestic throne hung high.

Upon the throne, a hazy figure sat quietly, overlooking her, this humble ant.

That figure was her god, her Sovereign.

It was the only object she needed to pledge allegiance to in this life.

The thought of rebellion, having barely risen for a split second, was completely crushed by that vast majesty.

She gave up struggling.

Or rather, she willingly offered up everything she had.

The ritual ended.

Zhou Huai felt that an invisible thread had been added to his soul.

The other end of the thread was connected to Jasmine, who was kneeling before him.

He could clearly perceive her emotions and her thoughts.

He even had a feeling that as long as his mind stirred, he could easily extinguish the flame of her soul.

This feeling of controlling everything fascinated him.

Jasmine slowly raised her head.

Her gaze towards Moria had completely changed.

It was no longer the awe towards a stranger expert, nor the dependence when facing the "boss".

That was a gaze mixed with fanaticism, adoration, and absolute obedience.

Like the most pious believer looking up to their own deity.

"Your servant, Jasmine."

She prostrated on the ground, her voice pious and humble.

"Greetings, Master!"

At this moment, there was only Moria in her eyes.

That swordsman beside her who had once been called "boss" instantly seemed to no longer matter.

Zhou Huai was very satisfied with this result.

Controlling Moria, his voice softened.

"Very good."

"Now, look at your own attributes and see what changes there are."

"As you command, Master."

Jasmine lowered her head and quickly checked her status panel.

The next second, unbelievable joy erupted in her eyes.

"Master! All my attributes... have increased by more than twenty points!"

"Especially Agility, which increased by a full fifty points!"

As a C-rank Professional, the attribute points gained from leveling up each time were pathetically few.

Now, gaining so many attributes for free was definitely a huge boost for her.

Zhou Huai smiled with confidence.

"This is just the beginning."

"In the future, you will become even stronger."

Finishing his words, he prepared to transfer his consciousness back to Yasuo's body and arrange Jasmine's next tasks in the identity of the "boss".

However, the instant his consciousness left Moria and entered Yasuo's body—

Jasmine, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly widened her eyes.

Her face was written full of incredulity.

"Master... You... Why did you suddenly enter the boss's body?"

Zhou Huai's consciousness inside Yasuo's body froze on the spot.

What is going on?

Controlling Yasuo, a hint of astonishment laced his voice.

"You... You can perceive it?"

Jasmine nodded very sincerely.

"Yes, Master."

"Just a moment ago, I could clearly feel that your soul... left Moria's body and entered the boss's body."

She carefully raised her head, looked at Yasuo, and then looked at Moria, who had returned to a dull, sluggish state.

"Master... What on earth is going on?"

"Are you finally the Master, or the boss?"

Zhou Huai facepalmed in his heart.

Good grief.

Now things had gone off the rails.

Calculating every possibility, he hadn't expected that this Demon Lord Contract actually came with a built-in soul-tracking function.

That made sense too.

The contract was bound to his soul.

What Jasmine pledged allegiance to was Zhou Huai's soul, not the shell of some specific Avatar.

Therefore, whichever Avatar his soul entered, that Avatar would be her "Master" in Jasmine's eyes.

Now, his biggest secret was directly exposed.

However, upon second thought, Zhou Huai didn't mind.

Anyway, Jasmine had already signed the contract, showing absolute loyalty and never betraying him.

Telling her didn't matter either.

It would save her from making a fuss later when he switched Avatars.

Zhou Huai simply told the truth.

"Actually... I am both your Master and your boss."

"Whether it is Yasuo or Moria, both are my Avatars."

"My main body is not here."

Jasmine's mouth slowly widened into an "O" shape.

She blankly looked at Yasuo and Moria before her, her mind struggling to process it.

Then realization dawned on her.

No wonder.

No wonder she had seen with her own eyes back then that the boss was swallowed by Dragon Breath.

Dead as dead could be.

Yet later he had appeared intact before her, rescuing her from the Bloodfiend Syndicate.

Turns out... that wasn't the boss's main body at all!

It was just a Avatar!

Thinking of this, an indescribable excitement surged within Jasmine's heart.

She had been struggling with this earlier.

She had pledged her loyalty to Moria.

Then what about the boss?

Now, this knot in her heart was completely untied.

They were the same person to begin with.

Looking at her look of sudden realization and extreme excitement, Zhou Huai reminded her.

"Regarding the matter of my Avatars, I do not want a third person to know."

"Do you understand?"

Jasmine's expression grew stern, and she immediately stood up from the ground, straightening her back.

The expression on her face became incomparably serious, her gaze solemn.

"Rest assured, Master!"

"Jasmine will defend this secret with her life!"

Zhou Huai nodded with satisfaction.

From his storage space, he took out a black crystal card and handed it over.

"Inside here are five million Daxia Coin."

"It is the startup capital for the guild."

"Purchasing the guild base, recruiting members, all expenses will come out of this."

Jasmine took the crystal card, her hands slightly trembling.

Five million!

In her entire life, she had never seen so much money.

Zhou Huai continued to speak.

"In terms of recruiting people, I don't have high requirements for professional ranks; D-rank and above are fine."

"But I have one requirement."

"The people recruited must be ambitious, thirsty for power, and unwilling to be mediocre."

"I do not want mediocre people who slack off in the guild."

Jasmine nodded forcefully, firmly engraving these words in her heart.

"The guild will implement a one-week probation period."

"After a week, I will have Moria conduct an evaluation on them."

"Those who pass the evaluation can become official members."

"Those who fail will be directly kicked out of the guild and never hired."

This so-called evaluation was naturally signing the Demon Lord Contract.

Only those who truly craved power and would climb up at all costs were more likely to accept this contract that was akin to selling oneself.

Looking at Jasmine, Zhou Huai's voice was steady.

"Starting from now, Yasuo will cooperate with you to build the guild together."

"You go find a reliable person first to take care of your sister."

"In the afternoon, start taking action."

In Jasmine's eyes, the panic and hesitation from before were gone.

Replaced by an unprecedented firmness.

"Guaranteed to complete the Master's task!"

She paused and asked one last question.

"It's just... what is the name of this guild we are creating?"

What name?

Zhou Huai thought briefly.

The corners of his mouth hooked up, and he slowly spat out two words.

"Eternal Night."