Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 323 The gods favor them, and they gather in Ceylon!
Will the strongest kingdom on the continent be split in two because of the king of a small northwestern country?
Prince Xia Zuo's judgment was so bold that it caused those present to show strange expressions.

The military ministers of the Eastern Empire present were accustomed to looking down on everything and everyone outside the five great empires with a superior perspective and mindset. They had no concept of the strength of Cohen and Effie.

I don't think a small Effie can interfere with the situation of the strongest human kingdom.

Prince Xia Zuo originally had the same mindset, but after the Northwest Region Exchange Conference, he completely abandoned it.

Those scenes that shocked him back then are still unforgettable to this day.

That young king seemed to possess endless trump cards and strength, calculating everything with extreme precision, eventually even alarming demigods.

After returning from the Northwest Continent, Xia Zuo carefully reviewed the entire operation and realized that his biggest mistake was underestimating the enemy!

He warned himself that when he faced Cohen again, he should estimate the strength Cohen displayed by ten or a hundred times!
Emperor Eberron stared intently at Xia Zuo, then asked:

"So, in your opinion, is this Cohen Corleone definitely going to personally participate in this war in Ceylon?"

Xia Zuo nodded emphatically, giving a very affirmative answer:
"I don't know under what pretext or by what means he will participate in this Ceylon civil war, but I'm certain he will personally get involved!"

Emperor Eberron suddenly raised his voice:

"Alright, this time I'll give you full support. You take your men to Ceylon and have another head-on confrontation with him."

Strip him of the gods' favor and make him the protagonist and guide of that future era!

Xia Zuo's eyes flashed with a bright light as he made a firm statement:
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly not let you down!"

Aberron reminded him:

"Don't forget, we're not the only ones who can see this; the other empires might also send people there."

The great upheaval to come will be a catastrophe, but it will also be an opportunity.

Was the ancient war between gods and demons a catastrophe? Absolutely!
The war between gods and demons swept across the entire human continent and sub-dimensions, resulting in the deaths of countless legends and saints.

But it was precisely during the war between gods and demons that countless new gods were born. Xia Zuo, do you understand what I mean?

A serious look appeared in Prince Xiazuo's eyes as he spoke slowly:
“I understand that my opponents this time include not only Cohen Corleone, but also heirs from other empires.”

They will also take advantage of this internal strife in Ceylon to defeat Cohen and seize the divine favor from him!
What I need to do is become the ultimate victor—defeat Cohen and take Ceylon!

Aberron's voice returned to calm:

"Go ahead, if you need help, you can consider your future brother-in-law."

Although he is not powerful enough yet, he is, after all, the successor of the ancient pirate king and the son of a demon god.

Remember, when you're out in the world, you represent the Eastern Empire.

Xia Zuo agreed without showing any emotion. As for whether he listened to Emperor Eberon's advice, only he himself knew.

After the meeting, Prince Shazor immediately summoned his advisor, Andre Ian, who had already returned to the country.

Upon seeing the prince return, Andrei immediately asked:

"Your Highness, what did His Majesty say about Ceylon?"

Prince Xiazuo's face lit up with excitement:

"His Majesty has agreed to let me lead my men to Ceylon to confront Cohen head-on. This time, I am determined to take back everything I lost in Florence!"

Andrei breathed a sigh of relief, his voice tinged with apology:

"It's all because I didn't do my job well in Ceylon. I never expected such a big mistake to happen, which gave Effie the opportunity to instigate the Gavin family to rebel and even find the bloodline of the legitimate royal family of Ceylon."

This would inevitably plunge Ceylon into an unprecedented civil war or even division, and our investment in the Saxons would not yield the expected returns.

Prince Xiazuo waved his hand and said:
"You've done enough. At least the third prince is still in our hands, so we still have a great advantage."

Let's consider this matter closed and not mention it again. You're going to Ceylon soon, so tell them your thoughts.

Andrei regained his composure, pondered for a moment, and replied:

"Based on my understanding of Cohen Corleone, Gaius's decisions to mitigate the risk of civil war are likely to be ineffective."

Ceylon will inevitably fall into a long period of division due to the existence of the legitimate royal heir, and various ambitious figures within the country will take this opportunity to raise their own flags.

Our task is to help the Saxons quell the various ambitious figures, defeat the legitimate monarchy supported by Cohen, and expel him from Ceylon, rendering all his efforts and preparations futile!

A deep light gleamed in Prince Xiazuo's eyes as he coldly and solemnly said:

"That's not all. After ending the civil war in Ceylon, we must drive them directly back to Efein and completely expel them from the human continent!"

Andrei said slowly:
"Did His Majesty specify what level of extraordinary power can be used?"

Prince Xiazuo replied:

"Below the Saint level, the high-end combat power is still at the Legendary level. After the last Northwest Region Exchange Meeting, the five emperors and some high-level Saints and even demigods have held many secret consultations. They have reached a common point: before the turmoil on the continent begins, Saints are not allowed to take action again."

Andrei pondered for a while, then said:
"The Kingdom of Ceylon is vast, and its population and land area are the strongest among the five great empires. Even if all the legendary-level beings in the country were sent out, it would not be possible to conquer it all by relying solely on high-level extraordinary beings."

"The key is still the army, Your Highness. Cohen relies most on his orc army. If we want to completely defeat him this time, we must start with the army."

Xia Zuo understood Andrei's words: if possible, deploy a higher-level army, such as a "special forces" army!
Xia Zuo fell silent. He had three "special forces" units under his command, each with about a thousand men, all of whom were elite soldiers equipped with two sets of "divine and demonic equipment".

The resulting combat power can easily break through the legendary domain of a legendary-level superhuman, making it Xia Zuo's trump card.

However, currently only one "special" army unit called the "Dragon Riders" is in the country, while the rest are carrying out other operations abroad.

Xia Zuo's influence extends throughout the entire human continent, and his involvement is not limited to the Northwest Continent; he even has operations in the Abyss of the Underworld.

Seeing that a "special forces" army was about to be deployed, Xia Zuo clearly hesitated. In addition to needing two sets of "divine and demonic equipment", special forces also have extremely high requirements for the soldiers' physical fitness and mental strength. These soldiers can be said to be one in ten thousand. Once the equipment they wear or the soldiers themselves are depleted, they cannot be replenished in a short period of time.

Not to mention that Prince Xia Zuo's current financial situation is not ideal. Ever since Prince Quentin sided with him at the Northwest Regional Exchange Conference, he was kicked out of the "Flaming Lips" trading company by Grace.

This resulted in Xia Zuo losing a significant amount of financial support. His reason for personally going to Ceylon this time was also because he coveted the vast wealth and resources of the Kingdom of Ceylon.

Without financial support, it is easy to imagine how difficult it would be to maintain the enormous expenses of a "special forces" army.

These "special forces" troops were the apple of Prince Xia Zuo's eye, and he didn't want them to be deployed unless it was a particularly critical occasion.

Seeing that Prince Xiazuo was clearly hesitant, Andrei continued:

"Your Highness, judging from the combat power displayed by Cohen's orc legion at the last Northwest Region Exchange Conference, ordinary 'special forces' troops would hardly be a match for them."

The orcs' superior physical abilities and bloodline talents already make their elite armies far stronger than ordinary humans. Furthermore, Cohen possesses an ability to amplify the army's power. With these multiple advantages, only by deploying a special forces-level army can we have a guaranteed victory!

Xia Zuo's gaze gradually hardened, and he slowly nodded, saying:

"Alright, then I'll take half of the [Breaking Formation Dragon Riders] with me this time, and deliver a fatal blow to Cohen at the crucial moment."

Andrei breathed a sigh of relief and asked:

Did His Majesty mention Princess Eldest and her fiancé?
They are now in Quessaon.

A slight smile curved the corners of Prince Xiazuo's lips:
"His Majesty instructed me to seek cooperation with them if necessary, but... I don't think they have any intention of cooperating with me."

My cousin's judgment isn't bad; finding the Pirate King has secured a good future for her. However, she forgot one thing: as the Pirate King, Yaon has obtained the treasure inherited from the Pirate King, and naturally, he must also inherit the grudges of the ancient Pirate Kings!

Upon hearing this, Andrei suddenly realized and said:
"Southern Empire!"
Yes, the Southern Empire will not stand idly by and allow a second Pirate King to appear. If Yaen were hiding in the Eastern Empire, that would be one thing, but since he wants to make a name for himself outside and even wants to cooperate with the Kingdom of Ceylon, the Southern Empire will definitely not let this opportunity pass.

The Southern Empire will certainly intervene in Ceylon's internal strife, and may even, like us, support a faction and interfere in Ceylon's internal affairs.

Prince Xia Zuo smiled faintly:
"According to my intelligence, the eldest prince of the Southern Empire is eager to come to the Northwest Continent."

Don't forget, he initially intended to arrange a marriage between us, but my cousin sent people to beat him up, causing him to lose face.

Furthermore, Grace has found the heir of the Pirate King to be her fiancé. This time, it's truly a matter of settling old scores, national grudges, and personal feuds all at once!

Andrei echoed:

"Judging from this, Ceylon is sure to be very lively soon!"

Xia Zuo's voice carried a hint of something inexplicable:
"To put on such a grand show before the world-renowned Noble Martial Arts Festival is quite a nice appetizer!"

……

The Southern Empire's capital, Whirlpool Fortress, is a fortified city situated at the center of a giant circular sea eye, with surrounding ocean currents forming a natural defensive barrier.

The Imperial Palace, a meeting before the Emperor.

In the imperial court, a tall, handsome young man was engaged in a heated debate with several high-ranking officials:

"Xia Zuo, that guy from the east who always boasts about being the number one prince on the continent, is definitely going. I've already received accurate information from the Central Empire."

Her Majesty the Empress dispatched Joren Wertheimer, the nephew of Heisenberg, the Chief of the House of Nobles—the same Joren Wertheimer who suffered a major embarrassment during the exchange with Xia Zuo in the Northwest. The Western and Northern Empires are originally from the Northwest continent; they certainly wouldn't stand idly by after what happened in Ceylon.

Five great empires, are we, the Southern Region Empire, just going to stand here and watch?

We missed out on the huge festivities in Florence last time, are we going to have to stay on the island and watch the show again this time?

Ladies and gentlemen, the great upheaval of the future will sweep across the entire human world. If we continue to stay on the island and engage in minor skirmishes with those few mermaids, our Southern Empire will become the first victim once the situation changes!
The situation is quite clear: King Cohen Corleone of Efein is very likely blessed by the gods. The fact that Cobalt Soul Academy chose to help him back then must have seen through this.

I can tell you definitively that Cohen Corleone is the mastermind behind the turmoil to come.

If we don't stop and intervene, we'll truly be watching helplessly as the king of a remote, small country becomes the protagonist of the next era!

The young man's words were very harsh. Facing the old, conservative, and stubborn bureaucrats in the court, he felt an urge to cut them all down with one stroke.

All they do all day is fight with the merfolk over a few wretched islands; they can't see the future situation at all.

The young man who spoke was Gregor Jarvis, the eldest prince of the Southern Empire.

Faced with Greg's repeated questions, the rulers of these Southern Empires did not show any unusual emotions.

Emperor Wilson Alvis of the Southern Empire coughed lightly, drawing everyone's attention to himself, and then spoke slowly:

"Regardless of whether we ultimately intervene in this internal strife in Ceylon, we really can no longer afford to remain indifferent."

Emperor Wilson's words effectively sided with Greg, and the officials began to whisper in agreement.

One of them suddenly spoke up:
"Your Majesty, I've heard that the fiancé of the Eastern Empire's eldest princess, the descendant of the ancient pirate king, is also in Quesaon?"

Upon hearing the words "fiancé of the eldest princess of the Eastern Region Empire," the eldest prince Gregor's expression clearly changed.

Several years ago, the Southern Empire had intended to form a marriage alliance with the Eastern Empire. The eldest prince, Greg, personally went to propose marriage, but was beaten black and blue by Grace's men.

This was Greg's greatest humiliation. Now, hearing that the goddess he once longed for had become someone else's fiancé, he was naturally overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

Emperor Wilson, his expression grave, nodded and said:
"According to the intelligence, that is indeed the case."

The title "Descendant of the Ancient Pirate King" alone represents endless hatred.

Just as the Elf Queen Virekis once mentioned to Cohen, the ancient pirate king and the Southern Empire had fought more than once.

They harbored a deep-seated hatred for each other; one of the emperors of the Southern Empire was personally killed by the Pirate King.

As a descendant of the ancient Pirate King, Korn naturally inherited this hatred from the very beginning.

The moment the Pirate King Yann Hughes was mentioned, the atmosphere in the court changed abruptly and immediately became serious.

The eyes of the high-ranking officials gleamed, their intense gazes fixed on Emperor Wilson.

His Majesty the Emperor pondered for a moment, then spoke:
“We investigated this person before. He is suspected to be a descendant of the Fifty-Eight Pillar Demon God Ami. Now he wants to climb the social ladder by marrying the eldest princess of the Eastern Region Empire. He is not someone to be trifled with easily.”

Greg immediately spoke up:
"But that doesn't mean we should just sit idly by and watch him cause trouble in the Kingdom of Ceylon. Father, I'm certain that this Yann Hughes is going to cooperate with the Ceylon Navy to build the ghost ship."

Once they build enough ghost ships and restart the ancient pirate king's voyage to conquer the endless sea, it will inevitably have a severe impact on the hegemony of our Southern Empire.

We must deliver a fatal blow before he becomes too powerful!

Unlike before, when it came to One Piece, the attitudes of the officials of the Southern Empire changed noticeably, and they showed more agreement with Greg's words.

One of the high-ranking officials spoke up:

"How does Your Highness plan to deliver a fatal blow?"

Greg, clearly prepared, replied directly:
"Like Joren of the Central Empire and Xia Zuo of the Eastern Empire, he led people to the Kingdom of Ceylon to support a local power, overthrow the existing regime in Ceylon, and disrupt the cooperation between Pirate King Yann Hughes and Ceylon."

Upon hearing Gregor's words, Emperor Wilson's face clearly showed interest, and he asked:
"Tell me more about it."

Greg, clearly well-prepared, began to explain his plan to everyone:
"The situation in the Kingdom of Ceylon is now very clear: the current royal family is the largest force, followed by the Gavin family, which supports the legitimate royal heir."

It's hard to say who Joren of the Central Empire will support, but Xia Zuo of the Eastern Empire will definitely support the current royal family of Ceylon, not to mention that his brother-in-law has a cooperation agreement with King Gaius.

Our only option is the legitimate royal descendant.

I've also read the information about this princess. Her backer is none other than the Lord of the Sequence of the Lost Lands. Her background is indeed not weak, but it is generally acknowledged that the Lost Lands cannot participate in the affairs of the human continent.

Therefore, the only forces she can rely on are the Gavin family and Effie, who is hiding behind the scenes. We can support a noble family similar to the Gavin family, seize control of this princess, and turn her into our puppet.

"In her name, we will restore Ceylon, taking control of this most powerful kingdom among humankind, and using it as a foothold for our journey across the northwestern continent."

Gregor's plan drew slight nods from many present. If the plan could be successfully implemented, it would not only disrupt the cooperation between Pirate King Yann Hughes and King Gaius, but also bring Ceylon, the strongest human kingdom, into its own hands. Furthermore, it would strike at the recently rising King Efein and seize the "divine favor" that seemed to be surrounding him. It was indeed a win-win situation.

The key lies in whether Greg can proceed as planned, given that this Cohen Corleone is the one who caused the downfall of both the two great empires and the Black Tomb.

Faced with the doubts of the crowd, Greg appeared very confident:

"Don't compare me to those two good-for-nothings. I refuse to believe that a mere ducal ruler can be that powerful!"

Having not personally witnessed Cohen's phenomenal performances in Florence, Greg was full of confidence.

Everyone present shared the same sentiment, not believing that a king from a small country could withstand the pressure from the empire.

Emperor Wilson delivered the final blow:
"Alright, Greg, let's proceed with your plan!"

……

Cohen pulled away from Windsordler's clinging body, gave her a light kiss on the corner of her lips, and quietly left.

After washing away the traces of their lovemaking, she stepped outside and saw Her Highness the Princess waiting at the door.

Grace's eyes held a mischievous smile:
"I'm quite curious, do you bring Windsor with you to protect your safety, or specifically to satisfy your physical needs?"

Cohen replied helplessly:

"Your Highness, Windsor and I are a legally married couple. Isn't it normal for men and women to have sex?"

I said, "You didn't eavesdrop all night, did you?"

Grace spat lightly and said:

"You're so beautiful! Now that you're gone, it's time for you to fulfill your duties as the son-in-law of the Eastern Empire!"

Cohen's expression shifted, then he familiarly took Grace's arm and went to bid farewell to His Majesty King Gaius, whose mind was full of troubles.

In the palace of Quissaon, Gaius listened to the report from the eldest prince, Orlando, his brows furrowed deeply.

After finishing his report, Gaius's voice was indifferent and devoid of any emotion:
"Are you sure you searched every single house and every single household?"

Orlando replied in a deep voice:
"Yes, except for a few sensitive areas, every corner of Quesaon has been searched, but we still couldn't find any trace of Cohen and Antoine."

Gaius stared into Orlando's eyes and asked:
"Which sensitive areas are you referring to?"

Orlando replied:
"The residences and offices of the five great empires in Quissaon."

Without your warrant, Father, our men cannot simply enter and search these places.

Gaius fell into deep thought and asked:

"Are there any Western Region Empires or Central Empires?"

Judging from the previous attitudes of these two empires towards the "false princess," they may have secretly reached some kind of agreement with Cohen. Gaius suspects that they are protecting Cohen and Antoine.

Orlando shook his head and said:

"No, it's a Grand Duke from the Northern Empire, and the other is the Eldest Princess from the Eastern Empire and her fiancé."

Gaius frowned slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then asked:

"Have all the people and vehicles leaving the city been checked? Have you found anything unusual?"

"No."

Gaius's face showed a hint of doubt. These two living people, Cohen can stay in the sub-plane and not come out, can Antoine do the same?

Aren't they afraid of being corrupted by the power of the rules of the next dimension?
Just as they were hesitating, a servant came to report that the eldest princess of the Eastern Empire and Yann Hughes, the leader of the Crimson Raiders, had come to say goodbye.

Gaius was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized that the two had mentioned before that they had to leave Quisson for a while due to some business.

Gaius instructed Orlando to intensify the search, and shortly afterward, Cohen and Grace walked in.

The first thing Cohen asked upon meeting was:
"I've heard that the arrogant King Efein came to Quesaon and kidnapped an important prisoner. Is this rumor true?"

(End of this chapter)