Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 341 Queen Effie and the Fate of the Nation
Greg Yalves?
King Gaius's eyes widened in surprise. The member of the Southern Empire's royal family who had been attacked, as they had previously analyzed, was actually the empire's heir, the eldest prince Gregor.

What concerned him even more was the second half of Warren's words: the purpose of the Southern Empire's Crown Prince's secret visit to Ceylon was actually to have a private meeting with the fake princess's side.

These few words immediately made King Gaius feel an immense pressure. A secret meeting?
What could possibly be discussed in private at this point?
The combined pressure from the Windrise Kingdom and Efein was already enough to give Ceylon a headache, but if the Southern Empire were added to the mix... Gaius felt a throbbing in his head.

Fortunately, he remained calm and composed, maintaining his composure in the face of the two ministers, and asked in a deep voice:
"So what's the situation now?"

Baron Warren of the Eastern Empire replied in a deep voice:
"Gregor has been captured by His Highness Shazo, and the bandits who intended to attack His Highness the Prince have also been subdued."

Viscount Carson and I came to see His Majesty late at night to discuss the events of tonight and to have a unified account of what happened.

A meaningful look appeared in Gaius's eyes; he immediately sensed that this matter was unusual.

Whether it's a unified story or a pre-arranged conspiracy, this is something worth considering carefully.

Thinking further, if Greg really wanted to ambush Prince Shazo and Young Master Joren, how could he have only brought three legendary-ranked figures?
The truth is very likely the opposite; the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire are the ones who filed the false accusation first.

After Gaius figured everything out, he was no longer in such a hurry.

He glanced at the two of them and said slowly:
"What unified rhetoric?"
Who is giving the same story?

Warren and Carson exchanged a glance, and the former chuckled and said:

"Of course, it's the fact that Greg intended to murder Prince Shazo and Young Master Joren."

We hope that Your Majesty will maintain a consistent narrative with our two nations when informing the other major empires.

Gaius said slowly:
Is it true?

Warren and his companion immediately became much more cautious. After a brief silence, Minister Carson said in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, the Southern Empire is ultimately far removed from the human continent. Regardless of ordinary trade or the closeness of relations, we, the nations of the continent, are the true allies!"

Gaius let out a soft laugh that made the two of them extremely uncomfortable:

"Are we one of our own?"
Minister Carson's words are a great honor for us in Ceylon!

Ambassador Carson remained expressionless and continued:

"I have another message to tell Your Majesty: the contents of Greg's secret talks with the high-ranking officials of the Crown City."

Although Gaius had some guesses about the content of the secret talks, he still wanted to hear the truth.

Carson lowered his voice:
"Gregor's true intention, or rather the Southern Empire's true intention, is to overthrow the Ceylon Kingdom's regime by supporting Guimian City."

Ultimately, they chose Ceylon as their first stop on the human continent.

To put it bluntly, those islanders who fish also want to set foot on land!

Gaius stared at the Central Empire's Minister Carson and said calmly:

"If I remember correctly, His Majesty Klein also seems to have acknowledged the false princess's identity."

Carson showed no embarrassment whatsoever and calmly said:
"His Majesty is merely stating the facts, without taking any stance."

Didn't the results of the prayers to the gods back then prove this point?

The Central Empire has no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Ceylon, but the Southern Empire is different. If it weren't for Prince Xiazuo and Young Master Qiaolun's obstruction, their eldest prince would have already reached an agreement with Guimian City.

Warren picked up where Carson left off, saying:

“Greg did not come alone this time. There are currently one thousand ‘elite’ and four thousand ‘regular’ troops of the Southern Empire stationed outside Guimian City.”

This is only the initial investment. If the two sides really form an alliance, the Southern Empire will deploy even more terrifying forces in the future.

"How long do you think Ceylon can hold out against Guimian City, which has the help and support of the Southern Empire?"

Gaius remained expressionless and said calmly:

"Tell me, what are your terms for getting me to report the 'facts' you claim to the five empires?"

Warren's gaze became much more intriguing, and he uttered a word of praise:
"Your Majesty truly deserves to be the ruler of the strongest kingdom on the continent."

Our condition is that we help the Kingdom of Ceylon permanently eliminate the threat from the Southern Empire, including the five thousand troops brought by Gregor.

"Your Majesty, you can gain such great benefits simply by expressing your opinion; you have no reason to refuse!"

Gaius stared at the two of them for a long time before asking:
"I want to know whether Prince Xiazuo and Young Master Qiaolun will continue to stay in the Kingdom of Ceylon, and what their purpose is in staying in Ceylon."
How long are they planning to stay?!

Warren said with a faint smile:

"His Highness's itinerary is not something a mere minister like myself can interfere with. As for the purpose, I have already made it very clear: His Highness is here in Ceylon for tourism."

"But he won't be staying long. The Noble Martial Arts Festival starts in four or five months, and our Highness is a favorite to win the Gold Division, so he'll definitely be participating."

Carson followed up by saying:

"Young Master Qiao Lun is the same. Although he doesn't need to participate in the competition, this year's Noble Martial Arts Festival is being held in our Central Empire. Young Master Qiao Lun has to return to his country to handle the reception affairs, so he won't stay in Ceylon for long."

Gaius's face remained expressionless as he calmly said:

"If it's convenient, please have the two ministers convey a message to the princes and young masters behind them—"

The regime in Ceylon will not waver in the slightest, and the false princess's side has no chance of winning. I hope everything goes smoothly for them in Ceylon!

……

On the same night, in the same Breiburg area, in an ordinary manor villa on the outskirts, a man with a burly figure, an eerie pale blue complexion, and silver-gray patterns resembling glacial fissures on his limbs and joints, was seen.

It was Kinlunga Cox, the first in line to the throne of the Northern Empire, who had secretly arrived alone in the Kingdom of Ceylon.

As the royal family member in the history of the Northern Empire who awakened the Frost Giant bloodline most perfectly, Jinlunga's purpose in coming to Ceylon this time was very simple: he wanted to find an opportunity to observe King Efein up close.

Before Cohen's reputation rose, Jinlunga was widely recognized as a genius in combat against opponents of higher ranks, and was also the most popular candidate for "strongest Silver".

As a battle maniac, Jinlunga naturally wanted to learn about his biggest rival before the Noble Martial Arts Festival began, after learning about the existence of someone like Cohen.

But to his utter surprise, just a few days after arriving in Ceylon, before he could even meet King Efein, the people from the Central Empire, the Eastern Empire, and the Southern Empire started fighting, and even a legendary-level war broke out.

As the two dominant empires in the Northwest Continent, the Northern Empire naturally had many spies in the Kingdom of Ceylon.

The viscount family of Quisaon, which was of medium size, was supported by the Northern Empire.

At this moment, the viscount respectfully handed over the intelligence he had just gathered to Kinlunga.

After reading it, Jinlunjia looked at the viscount with a surprised expression:
"The eldest prince of the Southern Empire, Greg, intends to kidnap Prince Xiazuo and Qiao Lun of the Central Empire."

In my memory, Greg wasn't the type to be so reckless.

The viscount replied respectfully:

"According to the news from the palace, it was indeed Greg who tried to kidnap Prince Shazo and Young Master Joren, but he was countered and is now in their hands."

Jinlunga broke out in a cold sweat. He had originally planned to visit the Northern Empire's secret forces in Ceylon in Quesaon before heading to the northwest to look for King Efein.

It's a good thing I didn't go; otherwise, wouldn't I have become Greg's target too?
Jin Lunjia, a battle maniac, was relatively simple-minded. He didn't realize the dangers of society, nor did he consider that Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun were "the villains who accused the enemy first."

The viscount seemed to sense Jinlunjia's concerns and said in a low voice:

"Your Highness need not worry, your whereabouts are currently under absolute secrecy."

Jinlunjia's expression flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, he asked:

"Is there still no news about King Efein?"

The Viscount replied:

"King Effie's last public appearance was a month ago at a royal conference in Florence."

He disappeared again after that. Based on my speculation, he must have secretly infiltrated Ceylon, and most likely in the northwest region, around the city of Guimian.

The general consensus now is that the princess of the Crown City was jointly supported by King Effie and the Sequence Lord of the Lost Lands.

Given King Efein's past conduct and personality, he would certainly intervene personally, not to mention his Grand Marshal Arnold and an unspecified legion of orcs were currently stationed outside the City of Crown.

The Viscount's analysis was reasonable, and Kinlunga expressed his strong agreement, promptly making his decision:
"Then make the arrangements, I'll head to Guimian City right now!"

……

In the Eastern Empire, Emperor Eberron, looking at the intelligence report in his hand, suddenly let out a hearty laugh, making no attempt to hide his schadenfreude:
"How could Wilson have given birth to such a stupid son? He even tried to claim kinship with me back then, but thankfully I didn't agree."

Otherwise, my illustrious reputation will be ruined by him.

Standing to the side, Grace, who had already returned home, glared at her father with hostility. It was she who had directly ordered someone to beat up Greg, which caused the marriage alliance between the two countries to fail. It had nothing to do with Eberron.

Prime Minister Tiberio frowned slightly and said:

"Your Highness, isn't this a bit too risky? This could seriously damage our relationship with the Southern Empire."

Viscount Rondo, one of the military's top lieutenants, said with a faint smile:
"Prime Minister, our relationship with the Southern Empire seems to have always been rather ordinary."

Not to mention…

Viscount Rondo bowed slightly towards Grace and then said:

"Since we have chosen the descendant of the ancient pirate king as the princess's fiancé, it is destined that our relationship with the Southern Empire will not be so harmonious."

Aberron's eyes lit up, and he turned to look at Grace, smiling as he said:

"Xia Zuo said that this matter is also related to your Pirate King fiancé?"

All the military personnel and cabinet members also looked at Grace.

Grace's expression shifted slightly, and she said softly:

"Yaen unexpectedly learned of Gregor's whereabouts and contacted Shazo and Joren of the Central Empire."

This was likely a plan devised by all three of them.

Emperor Eberron chuckled and said:

"You don't need to hide your fiancé's shortcomings in front of me."

"This whole thing was orchestrated by your fiancé, wasn't it? That kid really has some guts, daring to plot against the Crown Prince of the Southern Empire. He truly is worthy of being the son-in-law I chose." Grace curled her lips slightly. Clearly, it was my good taste that made me pick this man.

Aberron said:
“I’m getting more and more interested in your fiancé. Find some time to have him come back so I can have a good talk with him.”

Grace's eyes shone with a captivating light; she was naturally delighted that Cohen had earned her father's approval.

But she soon hesitated again.

Cohen's disguise might fool most people, but it might not fool his father, who was surrounded by many saints.

She said softly:
"Father, didn't we say that we would discuss marriage after Yann truly became the new Pirate King?"

Emperor Eberron waved his hand and said:
"It was just a meeting, and I didn't ask you to get married right away."

Grace didn't know what else to say, and vaguely replied:

"Okay, I'll take him back to China after he's done with his work."

However, even at the earliest, it will have to wait until after the Noble Martial Arts Festival.

Grace's attempt to change the subject was very effective. Mentioning the "Noble Martial Arts Festival" immediately piqued Emperor Eberron's interest, and he addressed the crowd:

"This year's Noble Martial Arts Festival is very likely to be the last one before the turmoil on the continent."

With the event taking place in the Central Empire, this year's Martial Arts Festival was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Whether it's for the sake of breaking through the legendary status in the future or to promote the national prestige of the Eastern Empire, we must be fully focused and try our best to improve the ranking of each group.

It would be best to compete for the championship, but if not, the overall ranking shouldn't be too low.

There are some things that everyone knows without me saying them: the national ranking in the Noble Martial Arts Festival actually represents the national fortune of that country for the next ten years.

The blessings of the gods extend not only to individuals but also to nations.

Effie's rise is a perfect example!

Back then, Queen Effie defeated the young princess of the Central Empire, the current Emperor Klein, and became the 'Strongest Silver,' shaking the continent.

The various unbelievable things that happened to Effie afterward are all clear for everyone to see, so I don't need to elaborate.

This year's Noble Martial Arts Festival is of even greater significance to all nations.

The continent is about to fall into an unprecedented upheaval. Whoever gains more glory in this Noble Martial Arts Festival will receive more divine favor in the future upheaval.

Today's meeting is also to formally inform everyone that there are exactly five months left until the preliminary rounds of the Noble Martial Arts Festival.

During these five months, all officials in the empire, from top to bottom, must shift their focus to preparing for the martial arts festival.

As is customary, each country can send a maximum of five participants per group, plus one substitute player per group, for a total of twenty-five people.

The list of 25 people needs to be finalized within a month.

Grace was in charge of personnel selection and competition preparation.

I won't put too much pressure on you. I won't ask you to win a lot of championships; just make sure you're in the top two overall.

In addition to the four group champions, each place in the Noble Martial Arts Festival has corresponding points.

The higher the ranking, the higher the score, and a national overall ranking will be generated based on the final score.

In previous aristocratic martial arts festivals, the top two positions were always held by the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire. Therefore, Emperor Eberon's requirement was not considered high, and the ministers had no objections.

After discussing the martial arts festival, Prime Minister Tiberius brought up the events that had occurred in the Kingdom of Ceylon:
"Your Majesty, what should we do about the Southern Empire?"

Emperor Eberron waved his hand and said:
"Do as Xia Zuo says. Have Herbert (the ambassador of the Eastern Empire to the Southern Empire) and the people from the Central Empire go to Wilson to demand an explanation."

As for Greg himself… once we receive the compensation from the Southern Empire, we can just dump him at the embassy.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

……

The atmosphere in Whirlpool Fortress, the Imperial Palace, the political center of the Southern Empire, was extremely heavy today.

Early in the morning, ambassadors from the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire arrived in a huff to demand an explanation.

After the Southern Empire's rulers and ministers learned the whole story, they were all utterly shocked—

Their eldest prince attempted to kidnap Prince Xiazuo of the Eastern Empire and Young Master Qiaolun of the Central Empire, leading to a major conflict in the Kingdom of Ceylon.

What they found even more unacceptable was that Greg's plan not only failed, but he also lost out and was subdued by the other side.

Now, they are even being confronted by two major empires demanding compensation.

The whole thing was so bizarre that Emperor Wilson didn't even realize what was happening at first.

Only after realizing that his beloved son had been captured did he turn to the chief eunuch beside him and ask:
"Who went out with Greg?"

The Grand Minister of the Palace said in a deep voice:

“I will contact the three senior instructors in the observation tower now to inquire about the specific situation.”

The Abyss Observation Tower is an institution established by the Southern Empire's royal family to cultivate and honor high-level extraordinary individuals, ranging from powerful ninth-tier extraordinary individuals to legendary and saintly individuals, and named according to the observer, mentor, and tower master.

Advanced mentors represent extraordinary individuals with legendary-level strength.

The contact was quickly resolved; all three senior mentors had disappeared without a trace.

That proves that the two ambassadors were not lying. The three legendary figures responsible for Greg's security have lost the ability to make contact, let alone Greg himself.

Herbert, the ambassador of the Eastern Empire, spoke with astonishing fury:

"Your Majesty may not know this, but Prince Xia Zuo's golden body was almost shattered. If it weren't for the many life-saving items he carried, I'm afraid I would be handing you a declaration of war right now!"

The ambassador of the Central Empire echoed this sentiment:
"Our young master Qiao Lun is also seriously injured and is still unconscious."

Chief Heisenberg was furious upon hearing the news and ordered us to demand an explanation from His Majesty.

Emperor Wilson frowned deeply. Faced with the combined pressure from the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire, even he felt a sense of powerlessness.

The key issue now is that the whole story is only one side of the story. Their biggest connection in Ceylon is the Lor'thermar family, but the Lor'thermar family has yet to send any news.

At the stalemate, the ambassador of the Kingdom of Ceylon arrived and presented Wilson with a complete investigation report.

The report contained exactly what the ambassadors of the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire had said. Upon seeing the report, Wilson felt both frustrated and furious.

The two imperial ambassadors were still urging them on, their words clearly implying that they wanted to pay to ransom the people.

Ambassador Herbert's voice was so powerful it made you want to clench your fists:
"Your Majesty, I think it's best to deal with this matter as soon as possible. In a few months, the highly anticipated Noble Martial Arts Festival will be held."

His Majesty wouldn't want this news to spread like wildfire at a time like this, would he?

The news that the prince of the Southern Region Empire had failed to kidnap the prince of the Eastern Region and was captured instead would cause the Southern Region Empire to lose face completely.

Wilson took a deep breath, his eyes showing a serious expression.

Regardless of the truth, the most important thing now is to get Greg back as soon as possible.

While blood ties and personal feelings play a role, as the first in line to inherit the throne of the Southern Empire, Greg himself possesses a large number of the empire's core secrets.

Every extra day spent away from home increases the likelihood of a breach of confidentiality.

Without further hesitation, he gave the Prime Minister a wink, who understood and said to the two ambassadors:

"Gentlemen, let's go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to talk."

The two ambassadors exchanged a glance and replied:

"Alright, then we'll do as the Prime Minister says."

After seeing off the two debt collectors, Wilson's eyes suddenly turned fierce.

Wilson knew his son well; although he was somewhat arrogant and reckless, he wouldn't do something so reckless.

It's highly likely that Greg was set up, or even that Shazo and Joren are the ones who falsely accused him!

The whole thing was suspicious from beginning to end. The behavior of the Central Empire, the Eastern Empire, and the Kingdom of Ceylon was too abnormal.

However, it's impossible for these three parties to join forces against the Southern Empire. Wilson suspects that someone else is behind all of this.

Wilson suppressed his thoughts, his icy gaze sweeping over the assembled ministers, and said in a chilling voice:
"Investigate! Find out the truth of this matter immediately!"

"I'd like to see who dares to plot against the Southern Empire from behind!"

……

Cohen opened his eyes from the warm embrace, reached out and found that Windsordler was no longer there.

Looking at Melanie, who was still sleeping peacefully, I got up quietly without disturbing her.

After finishing tidying up, I went out of the bedroom and found Her Highness the Princess preparing breakfast.

To maintain secrecy, no maids or servants were assigned to the place where the three lived; Cohen usually went out to buy the meals.

Cohen wrapped his arms around Windsordler from behind, burying his face in her neck and inhaling her delicate fragrance.
"It is an honor to enjoy breakfast made by the future Elf Queen herself."

Windsordler slapped Cohen's groping hand away and said:

"Where's Melantha? Don't let her sleep. Get up and eat. Aren't we going to see Freya today?"

Cohen released his grip and said:

"I can go by myself in a bit. You two can help me with something else."

Windsordler, holding his tray, asked:
"what's up?"

Cohen said slowly:

"Our allies have arrived. You and Melantha, go and help me bring them over!"

(End of this chapter)