Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 331 Grace: I left the door open for you

(Thanks to "JokerUEPG" and "Book Friend 20210703000736001" for their generous donations, thank you so much!)
Her Highness the Princess is not one to give in easily. Hearing that Windsordler had inexplicably turned the tables on her, she immediately retorted:
"Your Highness, please don't forget to include yourself!"

I heard that a certain elf initially joined Infinity Blade with the idea of ​​cooperating with others.

Your name should probably be on this list too!

Cohen felt a throbbing pain in his temples. He stepped forward to separate the two who were about to start arguing and whispered to Windsor:

“Windsor, let me explain. This Chief Claire’s identity is very complicated. Calm down and let me explain slowly.”

After Cohen's patient reassurance and explanation, Windsordler's emotions gradually calmed down. She frowned slightly and listened to Cohen's explanation.

After a moment of silence, he slowly began to speak:
"I never imagined she was a two-life person... Fish, her life story is quite bumpy."

So, you're saying your becoming the successor to the Pirate King is all thanks to her?

Cohen nodded and said:

"Yes, her ancestor was the companion of the ancient Pirate King. Without her, I probably wouldn't have been able to obtain the ancient Pirate King's legacy so easily."

Windsordler's expression softened considerably, clearly indicating that she had accepted Cohen's explanation.

Cohen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then said:

"The Southern Empire is far from the human continent. Although the Military Intelligence Bureau has set up intelligence stations there, it is difficult for them to access high-level secrets."

Claire's mermaid clan has been fighting the Southern Empire for over a thousand years, and they are more familiar with the situation in the Southern Region than we are. I plan to contact her and ask her to help me gather detailed intelligence.

Windsordler wasn't unreasonable, and seeing Cohen's words, he stopped being petty and waved his hand, saying:

"Alright, I got it. Go find your informant."

Don't bother me tonight, I'm tired.

Without waiting for Cohen's greeting, he went back to his room alone.

Although Miss Elf accepted Cohen's explanation, it was impossible for her not to be angry, which manifested in her actions by leaving Cohen alone in his room tonight.

Cohen glanced at Grace beside him. The culprit behind all this was this outspoken princess. It was hard to say whether she had deliberately brought up Claire's matter in front of Windsordler.

Grace noticed the look in Cohen's eyes, stuck out her tongue, and glanced around nervously, clearly feeling extremely guilty.

Cohen caught Grace, who was trying to slip away. Grace immediately puffed out her alluring cheeks, blinked her eyes, and gave him a fawning look.

Cohen patted Grace's buttocks, causing a ripple:
"You're not allowed to get away with being cute. You've made me sleep alone tonight. Tell me, what are you going to do?"

Grace loosened the bow at her collar slightly, revealing her dazzlingly white chest, her voice brimming with irresistible charm:
"If you have the guts, I'll leave the door open for you tonight!"

Cohen chuckled dryly. He was just talking; he wouldn't dare to eat Grace in front of Windsordler.

Grace spat lightly at Cohen's actions:
"You've got the desire but not the guts, serves you right for sleeping on the sofa tonight. I'm off, go contact your little mermaid!"

The eldest princess raised her fair swan neck, stepped out of the living room in her high heels.

Cohen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to send those two great-grandmothers away. It hadn't been easy.

He waited a while, and after confirming that the two would not be coming down again anytime soon, he took out a golden scale from his pocket and quickly contacted Claire.

Claire's voice came through:

"Do you only remember to contact me when you need something?"

Cohen sighed and explained in a low voice:

“I just returned from the King of Ceylon. I’ve been really busy lately.”

After throwing a small tantrum, Claire got down to business:

"I have found out what you asked me to find out. The Southern Empire does indeed have a plan of action in response to the internal strife in the Kingdom of Ceylon."

They sent Crown Prince Gregor Iavis, targeting two people, but in reality, there was only one.

Cohen paused for a moment, then understood Claire's seemingly contradictory statement.

Claire continued:

"The Southern Empire has two missions this time. The first is to defeat King Efein and seize the 'Blessing of the Gods' that he is suspected of possessing."

The second objective was to dismantle the alliance between the Kingdom of Ceylon and the Pirate King, seize the opportunity to eliminate the Pirate King, and curb his rise to power.

Ultimately, Greg came here specifically for you.

Cohen's expression turned amused, and he chuckled as he said:

"Good, good, good. The people from the five great empires, now the people from the three great empires are all after me. When did I become so popular?"

Claire's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible worry:

"The Southern Empire rarely gets involved in matters concerning the human continent. Now that it has decided to take action, it is definitely not a small-scale affair."

Especially your identity as the Pirate King, which is definitely a primary target for Greg.

Whether it's the deep-seated blood feud between the ancient pirate king and the Southern Empire, or your becoming Grace's fiancé, with national and personal grudges compounding each other, you must be careful.

Cohen replied:

"I know what I'm doing. Don't worry, this 'One Piece' persona will be gone for a few days soon."

Greg wanted revenge, but he couldn't find anyone.

Claire continued:

"It's good that you're prepared. Also, according to intelligence analysis, Greg will secretly support a faction within Ceylon in order to dismantle Ceylon."

Cohen asked:

Do you know which specific faction it is?

"The Viscount House of Lorthermar".

Cohen thought for a moment and said:
“I remember this family. They started out as pirates. They are an ancient maritime trading family that accumulated immense wealth by controlling ports and shipping. Later, they obtained titles by funding royal expeditions. The Lorthermar family owns half of Pearl Harbor.”

Wait, why would Greg choose House Lorthermar?

Could it be..."

Claire gave an affirmative answer:
"The Lorthermar family has a deep connection with the Southern Empire, which I only discovered during this intelligence gathering."

To be precise, the Lor'themar family also has a slight connection to the ancient Pirate King.

Cohen became even more curious, and Claire explained:
"The Lorthermar family started as pirates; their pirate origins are traced back to the ancient pirate king."

When the ancient Pirate King went to war with the Southern Empire, the Southern Royal Family, in order to better deal with the Pirate King, secretly turned several of his subordinates against him, including the Lor'thermar family.

A thoughtful look appeared on Cohen's face. He hadn't expected that such a small family as the Lorthermar would be involved so deeply.

He thought for a moment and said:
"Gregor intends to secretly undermine the Gavin family and control Freya by cooperating with the Lothermar family."

Claire replied:
"This must be their plan."

Cohen nodded slowly:

“I understand. I will remind Freya to be careful of the Lorthermar family.”

After finishing their business, Cohen inquired about the current situation of the merfolk.

Claire briefly discussed the development of the mermaid race, implying that she needed a trustworthy helper to lead the mermaids and conquer the endless sea together.

Cohen repeatedly assured her that as long as he finished dealing with matters in the Kingdom of Ceylon, he would definitely make time to fulfill his contract with her.

After ending the call, Cohen sat on the sofa and fell into deep thought.

With the end of the siege of the Twin Towers, the situation in Ceylon has reached a stalemate. In addition, the defection of several powerful nobles has shifted the tide in their favor.

Xia Zuo of the Eastern Empire, Qiao Lun of the Central Empire, and Greg of the Southern Empire.

These three forces are what he needs to pay the most attention to right now.

Efein's foundation is still weak and cannot compare with the five great empires. If it can take advantage of the current internal strife in Ceylon to take over the power of these three empires, it will be a significant boost to Efein's strength.

After analyzing for a while, Cohen decided to start with Joren of the Central Empire. He figured he should pick on the weakest link first, since the help Joren could get from the Central Empire was definitely not as good as that from the heirs to the throne, Shazo and Greg.

Having come up with an idea, he contacted Melantha, who was far away in the southern border, to inquire about the Black Tomb.

Melantha's reply surprised him slightly; so far, there had been no movement from the Black Tomb, which was unusual.

It's unusual that the Black Tomb didn't participate in such a big event; it's not like they usually do things this way. Surely they didn't dare send anyone this time because they suffered heavy losses in Florence last time.

Cohen then contacted Shanes to inquire about Joron's whereabouts.

Shanes didn't give Cohen a friendly look either, especially after learning that he had been spending a lot of time with Grace lately; her tone was condescending and cold.
"They set off three days ago. I don't know the specifics. Ask your Military Intelligence Station; they know more about it than I do."

After saying that, he hung up the call immediately. Cohen's lips twitched, wondering if he was having a run of bad luck with women today.

Shanis knew very little about the Chief of the House of Nobles, but fortunately, he had Samuel Jones, the Stationmaster of Constantine, as a powerful weapon.

He quickly contacted Samuel, who reported the intelligence he had gathered to Cohen.

After hanging up the call, Cohen murmured a name—Rudolf Bohr.

A look of seriousness appeared in Cohen's eyes as he began to seriously consider how to maximize the absorption of Joren's influence.

……

At the west gate of Quesaon, an ordinary carriage slowly drove into the royal city and then headed straight for the mansion of a nobleman within the city.

Upon arrival, a handsome young man alighted from the carriage.

The nobles who had been waiting at the mansion's entrance bowed respectfully, their faces bearing humble smiles.

"Young Master Qiao Lun, was the journey smooth?" Qiao Lun chuckled and said:

"Baron Rudolf, there's no need for such formalities. My uncle specifically instructed me to follow your arrangements in everything when he came."

The nobleman named Rudolf immediately showed a flattered expression and said repeatedly:

"You flatter me, sir. With Young Master Qiao Lun here, all of us here will naturally serve him as our master."

Joren smiled and followed Rudolph into the mansion.

Baron Rudolf Bohr was the highest-ranking intelligence agent planted in the Kingdom of Ceylon by the House of Nobles of the Central Empire, and he had been lying in wait all along.

Joren only learned of this person's existence before he came to Quesaon.

The Central Empire's Noble House has spies and informants spread throughout the continent, which is the biggest asset of the Noble House's chief ministers throughout history.

Rudolf Bohr's official position in Quesaon was Road Inspector, whose duties included maintaining the main roads from the capital to the provinces and requisitioning 20% ​​of the caravans along the way.

Using this position, Rudolf could easily collect detailed intelligence on the entry and exit of various forces into the royal city. Therefore, even when there was an opportunity for promotion, Rudolf did not choose to move up and stayed in the position of Road Inspector for decades.

Of course, his wife, children, and elderly parents lived very comfortably in the Central Empire, and his rank in the Central Empire was no less than that of a typical provincial governor.

The woman who lived with him in Quesaon and played the role of the Baroness was his subordinate, who was also a secret agent of the Middle Empire.

After everyone was seated, the Baroness observed the situation from outside, while Rudolf began to report to Joren on the latest intelligence from Quissaon.

"Since the news of the defeat at Twin Towers Fortress came, the entire city of Quesaon has been under wartime control. Except for the East Gate, which is open 24 hours a day, the other three gates are only open for two hours at noon each day."

A curfew was imposed; after sunset, the city's central clock tower would sound, and no one was allowed to leave the city. Violators would be prosecuted as spies. Officials of mid-level and above in Quissaon patrolled the city in shifts according to their duty schedule, and I was also assigned a patrol mission.

The situation was even more dire for the military, with all the troops stationed outside the city withdrawing to the inner city and the defense of the city walls being taken over by the royal guards.

I've heard that the next step will be to implement resource control, including the allocation of supplies and control of weapons.

Rudolf's few words contained a great deal of information, which made Joren, who had just arrived in Ceylon, feel the seriousness of the situation.

After pondering for a moment, Qiao Lun said:
"Is it really that serious? We only lost a portion of our troops and failed to capture the Twin Towers Fortress. It shouldn't be that tense."

Isn't Gaius making a mountain out of a molehill?

Rudolf patiently explained:
"King Gaius is probably worried about more than just Effie. Young Master Joren, according to intelligence, the Windrise Kingdom has also been making moves recently. I heard that several legions have begun to secretly move towards the border."

This was what Gaius was truly worried about. The Kingdom of Windbreak and Ceylon had a thousand-year-old feud, and King Horn would absolutely not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Qiao Lun's face, and then he asked:
"Besides these, did Gaius take any other countermeasures?"

Rudolf nodded and said:

"Aside from the various internal responses within Ceylon, Gaius's most noteworthy move was his cooperation with that Pirate King."

According to my intelligence, the cooperation between the Eastern Empire's princess's fiancé, the Pirate King Yann Hughes, and Ceylon has officially begun.

Several shipyards in Ceylon have been taken over by the military, presumably to build 'ghost ships'.

If the Ceylonian royal family could deploy ghost ships of considerable fighting capacity, they could easily circle around the coastline to the rear of Gavin's territory and open a second front.

Qiao Lun nodded in agreement and said:

"That's a good idea, but it probably won't have much impact on the situation in the short term. The division of Ceylon is probably irreversible."

Rudolf chimed in:
"Yes, that's beyond doubt. With the defection of those great nobles, the legitimate royal line is now extremely sought after!"

A smile appeared on Qiao Lun's lips:

“A beautiful princess with no background is naturally in high demand.”

Everyone says this princess is a puppet installed by King Effie. What do you think?

Rudolf paused for a moment, then gave his judgment:
"I don't quite agree that this princess is a puppet, after all, the 'Lord of Sequences' of the Lost Lands stands behind her."

Considering the 'Endless Alliance' that King Efein established in the Lost Lands, I speculate that King Efein reached some kind of agreement with the Sequence Masters.

The Lord of the Sequence helped King Effie gain a foothold in the Lost Lands, and in return, the latter would help her students restore their kingdom.

Qiao Lun nodded in agreement:

"Most people in the empire think so too."

Besides these, what about the other forces? What were their reactions?

Rudolf paused for a moment and asked:

"Who is Young Master Qiao Lun referring to?"

"Eastern Empire, Northern Empire, Southern Empire."

They must have sent people, right? What have they been doing since entering Ceylon?

Rudolf replied in a deep voice:
"The Northern Empire hasn't received any information yet. The Eastern Empire sent Prince Xia Zuo, and the Southern Empire seems to have sent the eldest prince, Grego."

There is no news yet about Prince Shazor entering Ceylon. I estimate that the first place he will visit after arriving in Ceylon will be Quessaon. This time, he will probably support the third prince, Saxon, who is Gaius's lineage.

As for Gregor of the Southern Empire, considering the rumors that he was once sent away by the princess of the Eastern Empire, and the grudges between the ancient pirate king and the Southern Empire, he will most likely go and support the legitimate lineage.

Rudolph had clearly made preparations in advance, and his analysis of the various forces was very thorough. Joren quickly gained a clear understanding of the current situation.

After a moment of silence, Joren looked up at Rudolph:

"Which side do you think we should help, Baron?"

Rudolf answered quickly, clearly already having the answer in mind:
"The legitimate bloodline will seize control of Princess Freya and drive all other forces out of the game!"

Qiao Lun said with a faint smile:

"That's a good idea, but there are even better ones."

Rudolf frowned slightly and asked:

"Is Young Master Joren going to help Gaius?"
While helping the current royal family allows us to directly confront Efein with their power, our main objective is to establish a foothold in the Northwest Continent.

Even if we truly help Gaius and his people defeat the orthodox bloodline, we still won't gain enough benefits, not to mention the Eastern Empire is watching us with predatory eyes.

Joren smiled and shook his head, saying:
"No, this time I'm going to stay neutral and just watch the show in Quesaon."

The men I brought have all been dispersed and hidden among the common people.

Through my encounter with King Alfie at the last Northwest Regional Exchange Meeting, I learned a lesson: the sooner you reveal your hand, the faster you lose.

This time, I will absolutely not make a move unless it comes down to the very end and the outcome is decided.

Let Xia Zuo and the others go and fight that freak Cohen first.

Joren's decision was a huge surprise to Baron Rudolf. If it weren't for the difference in their status, he would have been furious and shouted, "You are the representative of the strongest empire in human history, with the Central Empire standing behind you, and you actually backed down?"

Her Majesty the Empress of the Central Empire and the Chief Sage have sent you to compete with the prodigies of various empires and seize the "divine favor" bestowed upon King Effie.

If you shrink back as soon as you arrive, even if you win in the end, the favor of the gods will not fall on you.

Rudolf looked surprised for a moment, but Joren felt no shame whatsoever. He had absolutely no interest in any divine favor.

The scene in Florence had left a deep psychological scar on him, and the Empress's warning in court before she left was a reminder that if he made any mistakes again, he would be exiled to the border.

Not to mention that this time the opponent is not only King Efein, but also Xia Zuo, who is determined to seek revenge. It is said that even a "special forces" army has been dispatched.

There's also the eldest prince of the Southern Empire, who's prepared to fight the Pirate King to the death. Each of these people is of higher status than him and has more confidence in their chances of failure.

They lost, but they'll still be princes and dukes when they go back. If Qiao Lun loses again this time, he'll have to spend his whole life guarding the border in the Northwest.

Therefore, Joe Lun only planned to follow one principle this time: I would rather do nothing than make a mistake.

He concealed his emotions and said calmly:

What are some fun places to visit in Quesaon?

I'm tired of being cooped up in Kuntandin all day. Now that I finally have a chance to get some fresh air, I'm going to indulge in being a proper playboy for once.

Rudolf composed himself and bowed slightly.

"Yes, Young Master Joren, once I have arranged a disguise for you, you will be able to move freely in Quesaon openly."

Qiao Lun suddenly paused and asked:

"By the way, I heard that Cohen was in Quesaon a while ago, and even rescued Duke Gavin from the heavily guarded royal prison."

Is he still in Quessaon?

Rudolf shook his head and said:

"He's long gone. Duke Gavin has gone to Florence to sign a contract with King Effie. King Effie should be with him."

"That's good. Go and make the preparations. Also, send someone to keep a close watch on the Third Prince Saxon's residence. Notify me as soon as Prince Xiazuo arrives."

"it is good."

……

Baron Rudolf Bohr stood respectfully before Cohen, giving a detailed report on Joren's actions since entering the city.

But at this moment, Rudolf's voice sounded somewhat strange, full of humility and ingratiation.

It was none other than the voice of Akdemon, the Fear Demon.

After learning that Baron Rudolf Bohr, the road inspector of Quesaon, was the highest-ranking intelligence agent planted in Ceylon by the chief of the Central Empire's House of Nobles, Cohen speculated that once Joren entered Ceylon, he would contact Baron Rudolf.

Therefore, Akdemon was sent ahead of time to replace Rudolf's soul. As expected, Joren arrived as promised and took the bait!

(End of this chapter)