Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 317 The Powerful Isabella

On a cold, moonlit night, in the palace of Quessão, Prime Minister Merrick arrived at Gaius's office, his expression unusually serious.

"Your Majesty, there is still one hour until the time agreed upon with Brennan."

Gaius put down the official document in his hand and asked in a deep voice:
"Where has the location been chosen?"

"In a suburban mansion, there used to be a secret base of the army."

The security measures are very comprehensive, and there are even protective arrays to block eavesdropping. Even a saint couldn't eavesdrop without leaving a trace.

Gaius was clearly pleased with Prime Minister Merrick's meticulous approach, saying:
"Then let's set off. I hope the people of the Pale Wings will give me this honor."

Prime Minister Merrick added from the side:

"They are businessmen, so they naturally know when to stop. They also understand that spreading rumors won't cause us any real harm."

They probably just want to extort some money from us, to get revenge for their future son-in-law.

King Gaius nodded slightly:
"hope so."

……

Under the protection of several bodyguards, the two secretly arrived at the secret base that Prime Minister Merrick had mentioned.

The two did not go in immediately. Prime Minister Merrick looked at an elderly man in a white robe waiting at the door and asked in a low voice:

"Has the person arrived yet?"

The old man in white robes first bowed slightly to King Gaius, then replied:

"He's here. He came alone. We checked him and he wasn't carrying any suspicious magical equipment or accessories."

Merrick nodded and said:

"After His Majesty and I went inside, a secret curfew was imposed on the surrounding three blocks, prohibiting any superhumans from appearing!"

"Yes!"

In the Shadow Plane, Cohen watched King Gaius and Prime Minister Merrick walk in through the door, a smile curving his lips. He then gave Windsordler, who was standing to the side, a wink, and the latter took out a carefully prepared recording stone.

It was the Princess's first time entering the Shadow Plane. She looked around with curiosity until Cohen warned her that there were many dangerous shadow creatures and magical traps there. Only then did she obediently return to Cohen's side.

Inside the room, Brennan Reyes, the leader of the Pale Wings Kingdom of Ceylon, rose to greet Gaius and his companion as they entered, and said with a smile:

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Prime Minister."

Gaius wore a warm, welcoming smile.
“It’s long overdue to speak with you, sir. Pale Wings has always been our closest partner in Ceylon, and Mr. Brennan’s work in Ceylon is of great significance to us.”

Brennan displayed just the right amount of humility and caution:

"All of this is inseparable from His Majesty's strong support."

The two exchanged polite, dry official pleasantries until Prime Minister Merrick coughed lightly and brought up the main business:

“Mr. Brennan, I wonder if you have heard any rumors about the country recently.”

A look of bewilderment crossed Brennan's face:
"What rumors are you talking about? Is it about the Gavin family rebelling?"

Prime Minister Merrick's lips twitched slightly as he reminded him:
"A secret about our Ceylon royal family."

Brennan's face still bore that genuine look of confusion:

"What secret is the Prime Minister referring to? I've never heard of it before?"

King Gaius frowned and took over from Prime Minister Merrick:

"Sir, I came here in person today to resolve this matter, and I hope both sides can be more frank."

I know that some of the Saxons' previous actions displeased a certain nobleman of the Pale Wings, but... we were also deceived. The real culprit is Prince Xia Zuo of the Eastern Empire. I still hope that both sides can clarify the misunderstanding in time to avoid any bad things from happening.

Our Pearl Harbor in Ceylon has always been a golden port for the Golden Wing family's trade and logistics; we share common interests and demands.

Brennan chuckled and said:

“Your Majesty, you are exaggerating. We, the Pale Wings, have always regarded the Kingdom of Ceylon as our most important partner.”

"If there's anything I can do for you, Your Majesty, please just say so."

A cold smile crept across Gaius's lips:
"There is indeed a small matter that I need your help with, sir."

Gaius glanced at Prime Minister Merrick, who then produced a prepared document and pointed to several individuals listed on it, saying:

"These people have been spreading rumors about a secret from Ceylon's past throughout the country recently, causing a great deal of negative impact on the royal family. According to the investigation, these people are secretly hired by various branches of the Pale Wings!"

Brennan took the documents, glanced at them, his eyes widened, and he said:

"Seriously, such a thing exists!"
Your Majesty, Prime Minister, I truly knew nothing about this matter.

I hereby solemnly declare that the actions of these people have absolutely nothing to do with us, Pale Wings!
We, the Pale Wings, have never authorized our subordinates to do such a thing!

Gaius's eyes flashed with a cold glint as he said in a chilling tone:

"Completely irrelevant, Mr. Brennan? Can you stand by your words?"

Brennan hesitated for a moment, then asked:

"At least I didn't receive this instruction, and as for whether it was an action by other departments, I don't know much about that."

Our Pale Wings has a very complex internal system, and each department does its own thing and generally doesn't interfere with each other. I'm only responsible for business matters, and other things are not within my jurisdiction.

However, I can ask the higher-ups on His Majesty's behalf.

Should I consult my superiors?

Faced with this blatantly delayed and evasive reply, Gaius felt a surge of anger.

Brennan's ungratefulness angered him; he, the ruler of a nation, had come in person to negotiate, yet the other party showed him no respect whatsoever.

His voice had become much colder:
"Then you may ask for permission. I will be waiting for you right here!"

Brennan's face remained impassive as he spoke, enunciating each word clearly:

"Your Majesty should tell me what this secret you mentioned is, so that I can ask my superiors."

Gaius's expression turned cold, his icy gaze fixed on Brennan, and he said in a chilling voice:

"Your superior knows, go ask him!"

Brennan remained unmoved:
"Please explain further, Your Majesty."

Gaius exuded a chilling killing intent, and Prime Minister Merrick, seeing that the two were about to break off negotiations, spoke up to ease the tension:
“Mr. Brennan, the core members of the Pale Wings must know about this matter. As a high-ranking member of the Pale Wings, you have no reason not to know.”

So much time has passed, what's the point of bringing this up now?

"The Pale Wings surely wouldn't expect a piece of news from over a hundred years ago to have any real impact on Ceylon."

Brennan smiled and turned to look at Prime Minister Merrick:

"We business people always believe in being completely transparent in our business dealings. If you don't tell me the truth, I can't ask my superiors for instructions."

If any misunderstandings arise due to a lack of information, that would be quite unfortunate.

Brennan's attitude was clear: he wanted to force the Ceylonian king and his minister to talk things out.

Force them to admit that they were regicides and usurpers!
Gaius and Merrick couldn't understand what the point was of forcing them to admit it. Was it just to stand on the moral high ground and condemn them to satisfy their twisted psychology?
King Gaius's eyes were cold and stern. After a long silence, he said coldly:
"I want to know who the superior you're planning to report to is!"

Brennan laughed and said:

"Since His Majesty has come to me, he should be able to guess what's going on."

Gaius stared into Brennan's eyes, his voice laced with an unsettling tone:

"Isabella Winzer, the Daughter of the Golden Wings!"

Perhaps there is one more, the King of Effie, Cohen Corleone!

Brennan did not give a direct answer, but judging from his attitude alone, Gaius was certain that he had guessed correctly.

Gaius snorted coldly and said calmly:

"The secret refers to a power transition that occurred more than a hundred years ago in the Ceylon royal palace."

Brennan responded quickly:

"What kind of regime change is this?"

Prime Minister Merrick then spoke:

"A change of regime that changed the history of Ceylon and made Ceylon great again."

Brennan smiled:

"Mr. Prime Minister, let me put it more simply: this is a long-planned coup!"

A power struggle between a subordinate and his ruler!

Prime Minister Merrick's expression changed slightly, but Gaius, standing beside him, remained calm. Brennan's sarcastic remarks had no effect on him. He spoke:
"Call it whatever you want, a coup or a coup, the fact is that the original lineage is no longer capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of Ceylon. If we let them continue, Ceylon will eventually become a vassal state of others, and even the Cromwell family name will disappear like those royal families in history."

It was thanks to that change of regime that, through the efforts of my grandfather, father and I, three generations, that Ceylon, after more than a hundred years of development, leaped from a mid-level kingdom to the most advanced kingdom in the entire Demon Tide Continent.

With national strength increasing, people becoming wealthier, and the government being efficient and the people harmonious, do you, the Golden Winged Daughter, and King Efein, who hides behind her, really think that such a small stain can erase all these facts?

In the Shadow Plane, Cohen coughed lightly and said to Windsordler:
"Delete that part; you don't need to record it."

A smile appeared in Windsordler's eyes as he manipulated the recording stone with magical energy flowing through his hands.

Inside the room, the conversation continued. Brennan's questions remained sharp:

“I understand that the strong prey on the weak, but Your Majesty, if in the future… or even just looking at the three heirs you have chosen now, do you really think they are capable and qualified to shoulder the heavy responsibility of Ceylon?”

A sinister look appeared in Gaius's eyes, and his usually calm face became somewhat ferocious.

Brennan's question hit him right where it hurt. It was precisely because he lacked confidence in his successor that he wanted to get rid of the powerful nobles in the country as soon as possible.

It was precisely because he was worried that the Pale Wings would take advantage of this upheaval in the purge of the nobles that he was willing to set aside his status and negotiate with Brennan in person.

Gaius forced himself to suppress his emotions and said in a deep voice:

"Is the Pale Wings going to follow the example of the Black Tomb and start interfering in the internal affairs of human nations?"

Brennan chuckled softly, raised his voice, and repeated:
"I understand. Your Majesty now suspects that we, the Pale Wings, have secretly sent people throughout Ceylon to spread rumors about how your grandfather led an army to force the abdication of the legitimate royal bloodline and usurp the throne more than a hundred years ago. Is that right?"

Gaius's eyes were cold:

"You've got the answer you wanted. Now, you can go and ask your superior!"

Brennan chuckled softly:
"Since Your Majesty is so frank, I will naturally not refuse to give Your Majesty face."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took out the communication stone in front of Gaius and contacted Isabella.

When the Golden Winged Daughter's voice came from the other end of the communication stone, King Gaius's expression gradually turned extremely ugly.

Isabella's words were very simple and direct:
“I sent the men, and I spread the news. The reason is simple: your third son is Cohen’s enemy, which is my enemy. I did this to get revenge.”

"If you want me to stop, fine, but have your third son publicly apologize to Cohen, and banish that guy named Andrei from the Kingdom of Ceylon. Then this matter will be over!"

Isabella ended the call immediately after speaking, giving Gaius no room to bargain.

Brennan put away the communication stone, a gentle smile on his face:

"My young lady has already made her conditions very clear, and they are not particularly harsh."

"If Your Majesty agrees, I hope to see the apology statement within three days. As for Andrei, whom you mentioned, I don't know him very well. If he is still in Ceylon, please urge him to leave as soon as possible."

Gaius suppressed his emotions and said calmly:

"I agree to the conditions. I hope the Golden Wing family will keep their promise and stop spreading those secrets. Some things should be buried in history forever."

Brennan bowed slightly:
"The credibility of the Pale Wings is beyond question!"

After Brennan finished speaking, he left, leaving Gaius and his minister alone in the room.

Prime Minister Merrick speaks:
"The conditions are not too harsh, but they are somewhat disrespectful to His Highness the Third Prince."

Gaius shook his head and said:

"What does face matter? What I care about now is Andrei from the Eastern Empire!"
When did he come to Ceylon again, and why is he hanging out with the Saxons again?

Haven't you suffered enough at his hands already?

Prime Minister Merrick's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a low voice:

"Perhaps Andrei promised the Third Prince some conditions, such as the Gavin family incident. I suspect that Andrei was behind it."

A sharp glint flashed in Gaius's eyes, and Prime Minister Merrick continued:

"Your Majesty, it is not advisable for us to fall out with the Eastern Empire now. After all, they helped us eliminate a traitor."

Gaius nodded slowly and said:

"Do as Brennan says, and quell the domestic public opinion storm as soon as possible to prevent the Gavin family from using this matter to stir up trouble."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

……

In the king's study, the Saxon was both shocked and furious, utterly unable to accept his father's absurd command:
"Let me publicly apologize to that bastard king?"
"Why? This is impossible!"

Gaius had anticipated his son's attitude, and his voice was equally stern:
"Because he has a good lover!"

We in Ceylon still need the help of the Pale Wings!

Because you couldn't dethrone him back in Florence!

Are these reasons sufficient?

Saxon's angry expression faltered for a moment, and Gaius continued:

"Also, there's something else I need to ask you. Have you been in contact with Andrei from the Eastern Empire recently?"

Saxon's pupils dilated, and the anger on his face faded considerably. After hesitating for a moment, he said:

"Yes, his master has a deep-seated hatred for the King of Effie and wants to form an alliance with us. I am still considering it."

Saxon, worried that his father would discover his secret dealings with Andrei, immediately became much more cautious and sensitive, and asked:

"How did Father find out?"

Gaius gave Saxon a deep look:
“The Pale Wings told me, Saxon, that one cannot fall into the same pit twice. I will not pursue the matter further. You should inform him to leave Ceylon immediately.”

Saxon's eyes widened, his emotions even more intense than when he had just heard that he was to publicly apologize to Cohen.

He still has important deals to complete with Andrei, how could he let him leave Ceylon just like that?

His voice carried a very clear sense of resistance:
"Father, what does this have to do with Andrei?"
Anyway, Effie will become our enemy sooner or later, so wouldn't it be better to have another ally?

Gaius said indifferently:
"If you need allies even to deal with Efein, shouldn't you consider whether you can truly shoulder the responsibility of Ceylon?"

Gaius's words instantly shattered the Saxon's defenses. He could disregard dignity and interests, but he could not disregard his image in his father's eyes.

This concerns his future ambition to seize the throne. He doesn't have the methods and prestige of his great-grandfather, so he can disregard the legal order of succession.

Saxon remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:

“Father, I understand. I will inform Andrei today to leave Ceylon immediately. In addition, I will release an apology statement as soon as possible.”

Gaius's expression returned to normal, and he said:
"Go ahead, you can send people to take over Gavin's territory. Be careful to avoid armed conflict, guard the border, and prevent direct members of the Gavin family from defecting abroad."

"Yes!"

Upon leaving the palace, the Saxons went directly to see Andrei, whose expression became extremely interesting upon learning that he was to be expelled:

Did His Majesty Gaius say why?

Saxon shook his head:
"No, he didn't even say why I issued an apology statement, but he did mention that it was all related to the Pale Wings."

Andrei fell into deep thought, and after a while, slowly said:

"Why would the people of 'Pale Wings' know I was here?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you: has your whereabouts been leaked?"

Andrei frowned and said:
"Few people in the Eastern Empire know my whereabouts. If I'm not mistaken, it's most likely that the Military Intelligence Bureau has been keeping an eye on you and found out my whereabouts in the process."

Upon hearing the name of the Military Intelligence Bureau, Saxon's expression visibly changed. After a moment of silence, he made up his mind:

"Once I've finished dealing with Gavin's matter, I'll go to the Principality of Bia to complete our transaction!"

Andrei nodded slowly:
"Alright, then I'll leave Ceylon first. See you in the Principality of Biya."

……

The third prince of the Kingdom of Ceylon, Saxon Cromwell, issued a public apology to King Cohen Corleone of Efein, an event that instantly dominated the headlines across the entire Northwest Continent.

Everyone was initially watching to see when a fierce conflict would erupt between the tense Efein and the Kingdom of Ceylon. However, instead of a conflict, they received an apology and concession from the Kingdom of Ceylon.

In everyone's mind, the country of Effie became even more mysterious and terrifying. What exactly did they do to make the arrogant and domineering third prince, Saxon, take the initiative to submit?

However, before everyone could recover from this news, another bombshell announcement sent the entire Northwest Continent into a frenzy.

The Gavin family, who were just convicted and imprisoned and whose crimes of treason were made public... have rebelled!
Moreover, one of the main figures in this incident is the third prince, Saxon, who just issued an apology statement.

When the Saxon led the royal guard to take over Gavin's territory, they encountered exceptionally fierce resistance, and the royal guard was completely annihilated by the well-prepared Gavin family!
If Saxon hadn't made preparations beforehand and brought several legendary-level transcendents with him, he might have perished there himself.

The Gavin family's rebellion shocked the entire Kingdom of Ceylon and definitively confirmed his crime of treason.

In the Ceylon royal palace, a somewhat disheveled Saxon delivered a passionate speech at the royal council:
"They truly have the ambition of wolves, gentlemen. I can assure you that the Gavin family has long been prepared for rebellion. The royal guards were ambushed before they even entered Gavin territory!"

The Saxons, and indeed the entire nation of Ceylon, never imagined that the Gavin family would rebel.

From the perspectives of legitimacy, strength, resources, and the number of extraordinary individuals, the Gavin family's rebellion is doomed to failure.

Gavin territory could not possibly withstand the royal army's attack for a month. To put it bluntly, if the Gavin family had packed up and left immediately after Duke Gavin declared his treason, there might have been a chance that some of them would have survived.

But if they insist on rebelling, then their bloodline will be completely severed, leaving no one alive.

Moreover, their master, Antoine Gavin, is currently in prison. How could they dare to disregard the safety of their chieftain and revolt so brazenly?
Gaius was also shocked by this. He suddenly understood why Antoine had not seen him since the incident. Had the other party already decided to rebel?
Where does his confidence and self-assurance come from?
Soon, Gaius realized something. Looking at the map spread out on the table, he saw that the border of Gavin's territory was right next to Effie!
Recalling the previous interactions between Antoine's eldest son, Iphiel, and King Cohen of Effiin... a bold guess immediately surfaced in his mind.

Several ministers in the royal court couldn't help but show strange expressions, clearly having the same thought as Gaius.

Prime Minister Merrick, his face grim, looked at the Saxons not far away and asked in a deep voice:

"Third Prince, were the troops that attacked you all from the Gavin family?"

Saxon paused, shook his head, and said:
"The attack came suddenly, at night, led by five legendary-level warriors, with ten times our strength. My retreat was rather hasty, and I didn't notice anything amiss. It must be..."

Before he could finish speaking, Saxon was suddenly startled, a chill running through his chest like a cold wind!

(End of this chapter)