Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 340 Princess Windsor and Melantha!

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Xia Zuo's cold voice rang out:
“Gregor, I won’t make things difficult for you, considering that our two families almost became in-laws.”

Cooperate with us properly, so you won't suffer.

You may not know this, but this is Yann Hughes, the fiancé of the eldest princess of our Eastern Empire, the inheritor of the ancient pirate king, and the captain of the Crimson Raiders.

All your movements are in the hands of our commander. You know the personal and public grudges between you and Commander Ya'en. You know what will happen to you if you fall into his hands. I don't need to tell you.

So stop struggling. You have no other way out but to pay up.

Upon learning Cohen's identity, Greg's eyes blazed with fury.

The person who stole his goddess and had a blood feud with their Southern Empire was actually the mastermind behind the entire kidnapping. Greg could no longer hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

His whole body trembled from the intense emotional turmoil, and his voice was filled with boundless hatred:
"What...what exactly do you want to do?"
Will it cause a world war?

At this moment, Qiao Lun spoke up:
“Your Highness Gregor, you can’t say such things carelessly. It was clearly you who brought several legendary-rank guards with the intention of harming His Highness the Prince.”

We noticed it in time, which is why we escaped disaster. How could we be the ones who started a world war?

Cohen glanced at Joren and then said:

"Yes, Your Highness Gregor, the three of us were also doing this to protect ourselves."

Alright, there's no point in dwelling on this anymore. Just make a list of your Alvis family's businesses in the Northwest Continent.

"Trading some material possessions for a prince's life and honor—you're definitely not losing out in this deal."

Greg glared at Cohen, his eyes filled with a murderous intent, and roared:

"Don't even think about it. Either let me go or kill me."

As for anything else, don't even think about it.

Cohen raised an eyebrow slightly and said with a faint smile:

"You're quite resolute, aren't you? It seems Your Highness is certain we won't dare kill you."

Greg's idea wasn't entirely wrong. Kidnapping an imperial prince was acceptable, but killing the heir of the Southern Empire would be something that Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun would not agree to, for one thing.

The Southern Empire might accept being extorted for money, but it would never tolerate its prince dying mysteriously abroad.

However, Cohen's next words plunged Greg into an icy abyss:
"His Highness Gregor's handsome appearance is very much to the liking of certain nobles."

The news that "the Crown Prince of the Southern Empire is being intimate with a man" should attract a lot of attention!

Hearing Cohen's words, even Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun, who were standing nearby, felt a chill run down their spines.

"Your Highness, Young Master Joren, I happen to know a viscount nearby who is particularly fond of a powerful young man like His Highness Gregor."

"Get the photo stone ready, we're going to take some great pictures of Prince Greg later!"

Greg's face turned deathly pale, his eyes widened in terror, his lips trembled, and he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"You...you're a demon!"

Cohen's deep voice rang in Greg's ear:

"You're right, I am the devil!"

……

The three of them looked at the list in their hands and all sighed softly.

Prince Xia Zuo, in particular, had a piercing glint in his eyes.

There was no other reason than that Gregor's list of wealth was simply too lavish, so lavish that even the First Prince of the Continent was somewhat parched.

It's truly unimaginable that the Southern Empire has accumulated such a vast and astonishing amount of wealth in the Northwest Continent over the years.

Cohen even saw the name of Winter Capital, the largest wealth group in the Northern Empire, on the list, belonging to Anthony Watts, the stationmaster of his Winter Court station.

According to Greg's confession, their Southern Empire had even extended its reach into the royal properties of the Northern Empire, owning a 10% stake in Winterland Investment.

Qiao Lun sighed from the side:
"I never imagined that robbing an imperial prince would be worth so much. Captain Yaen truly lives up to his reputation as a pirate; his thinking is indeed more open-minded than ours."

I owe you a favor this time!

Cohen remarked with amusement:
"Young Master Qiao Lun, please don't say that. This was a joint plan between you and Prince Xia Zuo. I only did some insignificant assisting work."

Qiao Lun's lips twitched slightly as he said:
"Commander Ya'en is indeed cautious. Just because you are the son-in-law of the Eastern Empire, the people of the Southern Empire wouldn't dare to do anything to you."

Xia Zuo interrupted the two of them:
"Let's start the allocation. Once it's done, we need to send people to take over as soon as possible. I see that many of the industries listed here are in the Northern and Western Empires. Taking them over smoothly won't be a simple matter."

Whether it's asset inventory, share transfer, or direct physical delivery, all require a significant amount of manpower and time. These procedures need to be completed before the Southern Empire can react.

Cohen didn't care; no matter how much was allocated, they would all have to obediently give it back in the future.

He gave a faint smile:
"Then let's stick to the previous arrangement. I'll take half, and the rest you two can split equally."

Although Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun looked rather unhappy, they couldn't very well renege on their debt at this point.

As for Qiao Lun, he was, after all, the son-in-law of the Eastern Empire. In his view, the other party was in cahoots with Xia Zuo, so naturally he wouldn't dare to go back on his word at this time.

Xia Zuo, on the other hand, was worried about Grace. No matter what, Cohen had contributed the most to this matter, and even if it came to Emperor Eberon in the future, he would not be in the right.

Cohen looked at the list in his hand, began to mark it with a pen, and quickly selected the industries he needed.

Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun divided the remaining wealth equally, and most of the Southern Empire's assets in the Northwest Continent were completely divided among the three of them.

Cohen handed the two men the handwritten letter and token he had just coerced Greg into writing, saying:

“Then let’s each go about our own business and return as soon as possible. Don’t forget, Greg still has five thousand troops hidden among the Lorthermar family’s guards.”

"We will be back within three days to deal with these five thousand people."

"Isn't that young master Lor'themar in your hands now? Have him hold Gregor's army in check until we return before we make our move."

Cohen smiled and said:

“No problem. After dealing with the Southern Empire, we should deal with Marshal Arnold of Efein and obtain the secrets of the Orc Legion.”

This should be much easier than kidnapping an imperial prince.

At this moment, Joren completely let down his guard and took the initiative to shake hands with Cohen:

"Our first collaboration went so smoothly, Commander Ya'en. I'm even more excited for our next collaboration."

Prince Xia Zuo's expression improved considerably. Although his earnings this time were only half of Cohen's, they were still substantial enough to greatly alleviate his current financial situation.

In particular, most of the industries in the Southern Empire generate continuous revenue, providing him with a stable source of income.

Cohen chuckled and said:

"Don't forget, you two. Have your respective people go to the Southern Empire and extort a sum of money from them, and while you're at it, clean things up so there are no future problems."

This had been discussed beforehand, so neither of them had any objections. Finally, Cohen said to Xia Zuo:
"Just transfer my share directly to Her Highness the Princess's account. I'm sure Her Highness the Prince wouldn't renege on his sister's debt!"

Xia Zuo said calmly:

"Don't worry, Commander Ya'en, I guarantee you won't be short a single gold coin!"

……

After saying goodbye to Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun, Cohen quickly returned to his residence in Guimian City.

Windsordler and Melantha breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Cohen return unharmed.

Windsordler still had a hint of complaint in her voice:
"He hasn't sent a message for so long, leaving Melanie and me in the house living in fear."

I should have gone with you.

Cohen gently hugged the two of them and said with a smile:

"You two are too well-known, especially Windsor, so it's easy for Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun to recognize your identities."

Besides, I'm now publicly known as the son-in-law of the Eastern Empire. Even if Xia Zuo and Grace are at odds in private, publicly they'll still do everything in their power to ensure my safety as his brother-in-law.

Melanie, however, still felt it wasn't enough, and embraced Cohen, giving him a long, deep kiss.

Cohen was also moved and began to respond passionately.

Windsordler's voice rang in Cohen's ears:

"You'll get something to eat when we get to bed later, let's get down to business!"

The two then separated, and Windsordler glared at Cohen, asking:

"After all that effort, was the operation a success?"

Cohen pulled out the list and token from his pocket, waved them at the two men, and wore an undisguised smug look on his face:
"Quite successful. The Alvis family's businesses in the Northwest Continent are now completely in our hands."

To be honest, the Southern Empire truly lives up to its reputation as a wealthy landowner guarding the Endless Sea; its capital is incredibly abundant. Not to mention anything else, just within the two major empires of the Northern and Southern Empires alone, it possesses numerous high-quality assets, which has saved me several years of hard work.

The two took the list and began to look at it. Melantha was now in charge of the Northwest Continent of Black Tomb, and her main activities had been in the Northwest Continent. She knew more about many of the forces on the continent than Windsordler did.

As she straightened her clothes, which Cohen had just crumpled, she glanced at the list of assets and said in a low voice:
"The scope is huge, involving so many countries and regions. Receiving so many assets in a short period of time is not an easy task."

Cohen nodded in reply:

"Yes, so we need to arrange for someone to take over as soon as possible, otherwise it won't be so easy once the Southern Empire realizes it wants to take over."

As they were talking, Cohen's eyes lit up, and he said to the two of them:
"The person I've been looking for has arrived!"

Soon, two familiar auras came from outside the door, and Cohen led the two men in to welcome the newcomers.

It was none other than Prince Hauge, whom they hadn't seen in a long time, and Wiesel Adam, the head of the General Affairs Department of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Cohen had planned this long before he kidnapped Greg. Since it involved so many countries and regions and was all business-related, it was most appropriate to have the local military intelligence agencies cooperate with the Golden Wing family to take over.

Upon seeing Cohen, Prince Hauge immediately asked:
"You were the ones who caused that commotion of those nine legendary-level fighters fighting just now, weren't you?"

Cohen briefly recounted what had just happened to Prince Hauge:
"...Now that Gregor is in the hands of the legendary-rank guards brought by Shazo."

The people from the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire will likely be heading to the Southern Empire tonight to demand an explanation. The Southern Empire won't be able to react in time. We must take advantage of this lull to seize all of the Alvis family's influence in the Northwest Continent!

Prince Hauge nodded and said:
"The Queen has already told me that Viser will be in charge of coordinating the relationships of the Golden Wing family."

Viser bowed to Cohen and the others: "Your Majesty, Princess Windsor, Miss Melantha, good evening."

Cohen waved his hand and said:
“Viser, I trust you the most to handle this matter. Hurry up and don’t give the Southern Empire any time to react.”

This is the asset list, along with Greg's handwritten letter and personal items. If anyone doesn't recognize these two items, just take them by force, understand?

Viser nodded emphatically, his voice serious:

"Yes, Your Majesty! We guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"

Prince Hauge and Viser wasted no time; the Kingdom of Ceylon already had properties belonging to the Southern Empire, and they went to take them over overnight.

After seeing the two off, the whole matter came to a good conclusion.

Cohen breathed a sigh of relief, his arms around the two beautiful women, his breathing becoming much heavier.
"You men work so hard for this family, you should reward him with your bodies!"

Melantha didn't care, since she had already slept with Asuna and Cohen back in the Southern Territory, but this was the first time she had slept with Windsordler.

Cohen didn't give her a chance to refuse. He lifted the princess's buttocks and pulled Melanza into the bedroom.

While Cohen was sleeping with his beautiful wife and concubines in his arms, King Gaius, far away in Quessaon, did not close his eyes all night.

Upon learning that a battle between nine legendary-ranked warriors had taken place within the territory of the false princess, the Quisson Palace was once again brightly lit in the dead of night.

Cabinet ministers and senior military officers gathered in the King's office.

Since the defeat in the Battle of the Twin Towers, Quissaon has placed much greater emphasis on the rebels.

Any movement from the false princess's side was enough to make Quisson's heart pound.

The military intelligence arrived quickly. After reading it, Gaius's eyebrows furrowed into a knot, and a deep sense of bewilderment appeared on his face.

He casually handed the intelligence to Prime Minister Merrick beside him, rested his chin on his hands, and fell into deep thought.

After reading it, the Prime Minister also showed confusion on his face. The intelligence was passed around among the people, and everyone who read it showed a similar look of surprise.

The intelligence was simple: they had discovered the true identities of the nine legendary figures who had fought in the Breiburg region.

Once the human continent reaches the legendary level, it becomes difficult to conceal the strange phenomena in the domain. Therefore, the identities of legendary-level superhumans in various countries are generally not a secret.

Countries with even a little heritage and history preserve detailed information on legendary-level superhumans across the continent, and a simple comparison can reveal the identity of the person who made the move.

It was the true identities of these nine legendary figures that left the Ceylon officials bewildered and astonished.

Gaius spoke slowly, his voice chilling to the bone:
"It says that among these nine legendary ranks, there are people from the Southern Empire, people from the Eastern Empire, and even people from the Central Empire."

Are the five great empires planning to kick off the legendary group finals of the "Noble Martial Arts Festival" ahead of schedule in Ceylon?

Although Gaius's last words were a joke, no one dared to laugh out loud.

This is clearly a self-deprecating joke about Ceylon's own situation. Ceylon has now become a whore that anyone can sleep with, and legendary battles can be waged without any warning on Ceylon's territory.

This disregard for the Ceylon authorities infuriated Gaius.

Even if you are one of the five great empires, you shouldn't treat Ceylon so lightly. Ceylon is not yet destroyed; it is still the strongest kingdom on the human continent.

The room was deathly silent, and anyone could hear the chill hidden in King Gaius's words.

After a brief silence, Prime Minister Merrick broke the tense atmosphere:

"If we combine this with previous intelligence analysis, perhaps there is a reasonable explanation for all of this."

Gaius looked at Merrick, who in turn looked at the third prince, Saxon, behind Gaius and said softly:

"Your Highness, has Prince Xiazuo of the Eastern Empire recently visited Ceylon?"

Saxon had been feeling uneasy since he first saw the intelligence, and now that Prime Minister Merrick had brought it up, his expression turned much uglier.

Faced with the gazes of everyone present, he reluctantly admitted it:
"Yes, I've been here for a while now."

However, I heard that his relationship with the eldest princess of the Eastern Empire is not very harmonious, and my father has recently been working closely with that princess's fiancé, Yann Hughes.

Therefore, I did not tell my father about his arrival.

Those present were all seasoned veterans of the top echelons of Ceylon's officialdom; how could the Saxons' little scheme possibly escape their notice?

It's nothing more than this Third Prince wanting to secretly use Prince Xiazuo's power to rebuild his prestige in the country.

However, this is not the time to pursue this matter. King Gaius stared at the Saxons and asked coldly:

"Where is he now?"

Saxon's Adam's apple bobbed, and he replied dryly:
"They were in Quessaon for the past few days, but it seems they've left recently."

"Where have you been?"

Saxon shook his head:
"I don't know. It's difficult for ordinary people to know the whereabouts of an imperial prince."

Prime Minister Merrick then continued:

"No need to guess, they most likely went to the Northwest region."

The four legendary transcendent beings from the Eastern Empire who made their move tonight are very likely his subordinates.

The other two legendary figures from the Central Empire, if I'm not mistaken, should be from the Central Empire's House of Nobility.

Based on the battlefield situation, it appears that the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire are joining forces against the Southern Empire.

As Merrick finished speaking, a name inexplicably popped into Saxon's mind, and he blurted it out:

"Joren?"

Everyone then turned their attention to Saxon, who explained:

"Joren Wertheimer."

The nephew of the chief noble of the Central Empire's House of Nobility, he had a brief alliance with Prince Xiazuo of the Eastern Empire at the last Northwest Region Exchange Conference.

Merrick said in a low voice:
"Since they've collaborated once before, it's highly likely they'll do it again."

If I'm not mistaken, tonight is a secret operation by Xia Zuo of the Eastern Empire and Qiao Lun of the Central Empire against the Southern Empire.

The fact that they could have three legendary-level bodyguards suggests that the people from the Southern Empire were of high status, and they might even be members of the Alvis royal family.

Under Prime Minister Merrick's analysis, the whole incident became clear.

Gaius frowned, thought for a moment, and then spoke:
"So, Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun secretly kidnapped members of the Southern Empire's royal family, intending to extort something from them?"

Prime Minister Merrick replied:
"That's pretty much it. Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun are really bold. And that member of the royal family of the Southern Empire is stupid enough. How did they get caught?"

Although this matter is not directly related to Ceylon, it did happen on our territory. If anything happens to that person from the Southern Empire, we might also bear joint responsibility.

Gaius's face grew even more gloomy. When it rains, it pours. The invasion of the Windbreath Kingdom and the rebellion of the false princess had not yet been resolved, and now he had gotten himself into this hot potato. Ceylon was really having a run of bad luck!
Prime Minister Merrick promptly offered the most reasonable advice:
"Your Majesty, the affairs of the five great empires should still be left to the five great empires to handle. My suggestion is to inform the Central Empire, the Eastern Empire, and the Southern Empire of this matter."

At the same time, we should go to the Northern Empire to find His Majesty Abraham and ask him to mediate for us.

The clash between legendary figures from the three great empires on the northwestern continent is itself a challenge to the prestige of the Western and Northern Empires.

Gaius nodded slowly and said:

"Let's do it this way, Merrick. I'm more at ease if you handle this personally."

"it is good."

The Foreign Minister suddenly spoke, his tone revealing surprise:

"Your Majesty, Viscount Carson, the Minister of the Central Empire to Ceylon, and Baron Warren, the Minister of the Eastern Empire to Ceylon, request an audience."

In the dead of night, at this sensitive time, the joint audience between the envoys of the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire was undoubtedly for the matter that had occurred that evening in the Breiburg region.

Gaius slowly closed his eyes, suppressing all his emotions, his voice becoming devoid of feeling as he said calmly:

"Everyone has worked hard tonight. Prime Minister, please take the two ministers to the study. The rest of you may return."

Everyone answered in unison:

"Yes."

Not long after, Merrick brought Viscount Carson and Baron Warren to the study.

After exchanging polite greetings, Baron Warren of the Eastern Empire got straight to the point:

“Your Majesty, Viscount Carson and I are bothering you so late because it is about something of utmost importance.”

"Your Majesty, you must have already received news of the legendary battle that just took place in the Breiburg region."

King Gaius, with a smile on his face, said:
"I just received intelligence, but that area is rebel territory after all, and my intelligence is limited. I only know that nine legendary-level superhumans are fighting, but I don't know the specifics of what is happening."

Are the two ministers aware of this?

Baron Warren smiled and said:

"That's what we came here for."

Of the nine legendary ranks, four are from our Eastern Empire, two from Viscount Carson's Central Empire, and the remaining three belong to the Southern Empire.

King Gaius showed appropriate surprise and asked:

"They are all legendary figures from the five great empires?"
What exactly happened to provoke a conflict between your three great empires?

Baron Warren and Viscount Carson exchanged a glance, and the former involuntarily raised his voice:

"The course of events is quite simple: the eldest prince of the Southern Empire, Gregor Jarvis, came to Ceylon and held secret talks with the high-ranking officials of the Crown City."

Our Prince Shazo and Young Master Joren of the Central Empire happened to be traveling in the Breiburg region of Ceylon when Greg discovered their whereabouts.

Greg is utterly depraved; he actually wants to kidnap His Highness the Prince and Young Master Joren to blackmail our Eastern Empire and Central Empire.

Fortunately, His Highness received the intelligence in time and made preparations in advance, which prevented Gregor's plot from succeeding.

That's the whole truth about what happened tonight!

(End of this chapter)