Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 343 Almost a disaster in the backyard!

(Thanks to readers "乐乐龙泉" and "量北斗" for their generous donations! Thank you so much!)
After a period of internal struggle, Count Lorthermar finally signed the soul contract.

Freya put away the contract and began issuing commands:
“Keep an eye on the five thousand troops that Greg placed in your family. Keep them in check for now and wait for the people from the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire to take over.”

Earl Lorthermar replied:

"Yes, Your Highness."

Having received no further instructions, the count tentatively asked:

"Malfoy, he's now..."

Freya clapped her hands gently, and Lucia stepped forward from the side, saying to Count Lorthemar:
“Earl, please come with me. Young Master Malfoy is safe, but he may have been somewhat frightened.”

Count Lorthermar sighed deeply and left with Lucia.

Within the Shadow Dimension, Cohen had been watching Freya's every move.

Freya's performance greatly satisfied him. In just one hour, she had brought a thousand-year-old family in Ceylon to its knees. He could now entrust all matters concerning Ceylon to her with complete peace of mind.

Cohen originally wanted to show up and offer Freya a few words of encouragement, but when he thought of Freya's murderous gaze earlier, he gave up the idea of ​​showing up.

So he went to Freya's bedchamber, left a letter by her bedside, and then left.

……

Freya continued her inspection of the territory, so Cohen did not follow her. Instead, he headed to Crown City to meet up with Melantha and Windsordler, who were there to pick up the Star Clan.

When Cohen returned to his residence in the City of Crowns, Windsordler and Melantha had not yet returned.

After a moment's thought, Cohen didn't stay at home but went directly outside the city to discuss the next steps with Arnold.

Unlike kidnapping Greg, dealing with Shazo and Joren will require a large-scale military operation, and the commotion will certainly be significant.

Besides, the identity of Pirate King Yann Hughes cannot be revealed for the time being, so he must plan carefully so that even if Xia and Zuo are defeated, they will not focus their suspicions on him.

Just as Cohen went to the camp outside the city to discuss the plan with Arnold, Windsordler and Melantha met the Starbringers in a small town outside Crown City.

The two sides met at a tavern in the small town, which was a one-time safe room for the Military Intelligence Bureau, and would be decommissioned after one use.

After exchanging the secret code, they quickly confirmed each other's identities.

In fact, for the Starburst Clan, the mere sight of these two noblewomen, with their stunningly beautiful faces and captivating auras, was enough to confirm their identities.

Only one person from the Starburst Clan came; she was a hooded woman.

She stared at Windsordler and Melantha, who had removed their disguises, and asked:

"The Princess of Windsor and Miss Melantha?"

Windsordler nodded slightly and said softly:
"Yes, may I ask how you are addressed?"

The woman replied:

"Sandy Cruz, the Ninth Star Envoy of the Star Clan."

In addition, four Star Envoys are temporarily hiding in the town. We are here on the orders of Her Majesty the Saintess to assist... to assist His Majesty Corleone in his work.”

Like Valan, Sandy, a confidante of Galin, is one of the few Starbringers who knows Cohen's true identity.

Sandy gazed meaningfully at the two stunningly beautiful women before him.

When she arrived, she was curious as to why Jialin repeatedly emphasized not to reveal Cohen's identity as the Holy Son to the contact person. Now, seeing Windsordale and Melantha, she understood.

It's clear that the philandering saint is afraid of trouble in the harem and dares not admit his identity as the saint of the Starry Clan to his queen and lover.

Sandy composed herself and stopped interfering in the private affairs between the saintess and the saint.

Although Windsordler noticed the strange look in the other's eyes, he had no clue what it was and didn't think much of it, handing Sandy several documents and materials:
"These are the disguised identities of the five of you in Ceylon. The document next to you contains some intelligence and information about the current situation in Ceylon."

The place you're staying is in this town; it's all in the information.

This is my contact information. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything.

Sandy took the documents and asked:
"I heard from the Holy Maiden that you have some operations that require our cooperation?"

Windsordler nodded and said:
"Yes, in the next few days, we need your help to deal with several legendary figures from the five great empires."

Sandy responded in response:

"Okay, let us know in advance once the time and place are confirmed."

It was a pleasure working with you.

"Happy cooperation!"

After the handover was completed, both parties went their separate ways.

On the way back, Melantha looked towards Windsordler:
"Windsor, don't you think that woman's gaze towards us is a little strange?"

Windsordler replied:

"I noticed that. It is indeed a bit strange, but after all, the two sides are in a cooperative relationship, and we still need to rely on them to deal with the legendary-level superhumans brought by Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun."

There's no need to dwell on these trivial matters.

Melantha said:
"That's true. Let's go back. I reckon Cohen has already arrived in Guimian City."

……

Cohen was unaware that he had almost been exposed in front of Windsordler and Melantha. He had already found Arnold and was discussing specific battle plans with him.

This time, Xia Zuo brought 500 "special forces" soldiers and 5,000 "elite" soldiers, in addition to the four legendary-level soldiers who made their move at Breiburg last time.

Joren also brought 5,000 "elite" troops, but he didn't bring any "special forces" troops. He only brought two legendary troops.

Cohen analyzed:
"This should only be their first batch of personnel; the rest will probably be sent over gradually after the [Noble Martial Arts Festival]."

We don't need to worry about the legendary-level transcendents; the Star Clan can stop them.

The key is these troops. We currently have a legion of 10,000 orcs, and dealing with them is proving somewhat difficult.

We must not underestimate the 'special forces' army under Xia Zuo's command.

The incomplete long-distance teleportation array developed by the Queen's sister is still usable, but it consumes too much power.

Sending 10,000 people has already consumed a lot of time and resources, so sending more would be too inefficient.

After holding the Twin Towers Fortress and annihilating the Northwest Legion, only one Border Legion remained between the southern border of Effie and the Gavin region.

Once the border is secured, troops can be continuously transported from the country, eliminating the need to incur such high costs in sending troops.

Cohen's meaning was clear: that's all the troops they have.

Arnold was well aware of this fact, and after a moment of contemplation, he offered his opinion:
"It would be best to make them split up their forces to fight, just like His Majesty did when he dealt with the North Sea Fleet at sea last time."

I have full confidence in dealing with one side on my own.

Cohen nodded slowly. What Arnold said was exactly what he had in mind, but there were two difficulties in this matter.

First, a legitimate reason needs to be found to separate the two forces; second, it is necessary to ensure that after one side is eliminated, the other side will not take the opportunity to escape.

Of course, the most important point is to ensure that there is no risk of the Pirate King Yann Hughes's identity being exposed throughout the entire process.

Cohen pondered for a moment and then said:
"It wouldn't be a bad idea to have them split up, but we'd need a lure."

Arnold said:

"My orcish secret and the fact that I am part of them are the biggest bait. What else could possibly make them split their forces?"

Cohen's lips curled slightly as he said:
Yes, it's me!

Arnold frowned and asked:
"Isn't Your Majesty going to be with them as the Pirate King?"

Cohen touched the mask on his face and chuckled as he said:

"The Demon Mask isn't something only I can use. Hmm, I have a plan, but I still need someone else's cooperation!"
My plan is as follows…

After Cohen finished discussing things with Arnold, he received news that Windsordler and Melantha had returned.

The next task would require their cooperation, so Cohen didn't stay long at the military camp. Before leaving, he said to Arnold:

"By the way, I just came from Freya's place. She did a great job, so you can rest assured."

Freya will surely become a great queen in the future.

After leaving the military camp, Cohen contacted Akdemon, who was still in Quessaon disguised as Joren's spy, and asked him to come to Guimian City as soon as possible.

When he got home, Windsordler and Melanie had already prepared a meal and were waiting for him.

Looking at the two stunningly beautiful women, each with their own unique charm, Cohen couldn't help but sigh, realizing that this was the meaning of his hard work and struggle outside.

While eating, Cohen explained his plans for the future.

After listening, both of them became deep in thought.

After a while, Windsordler spoke first:
"The plan sounds feasible, but it's too risky to implement and prone to unforeseen changes."

The person pretending to be with you is especially important; they must know everything about you.

Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun are both intelligent people; ordinary disguises cannot escape their eyes.

Cohen nodded and said:
"Yes, so I'm going to hand this difficult task over to one of you two."

"If we're talking about familiarity, you two are the people who know me best here. With my training, you can easily fool me for a few days."

That's true. If you're in bed together every day, you'll naturally know each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Just as Windsordler was about to accept the task, Melantha said directly:
"I'll go. I did this mission in the Lost Lands, so I have experience."

Besides, my transcendental level is higher than Windsordler's, so if anything happens, I'll have a better chance of escaping than she does.

Windsordler frowned slightly and said:
"Hey, who are you looking down on? When it comes to speed, even you, a half-step legend, might not be able to beat me."

Melanza replied:
"It's not a real race to escape; the important thing is to help Cohen carry out the plan smoothly, and I'm confident in that."

"I've been hiding in the Black Tomb for so long and no one has discovered my identity, not even that I'm a woman. Aren't I more suitable for this mission than you?"

Cohen actually thought Melantha was a good match, but he was afraid of hurting Windsordler's feelings, so he suggested that the two of them discuss it themselves.

Windsordler knew the mission was important and Melantha's words made sense, so she didn't argue further. After confirming the person impersonating Cohen, Cohen began comprehensive training for Melantha.

Just as the training was nearing its end, Cohen finally received news that Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun had returned.

The two went to take over the assets of the Southern Empire in the Northwest Continent and have only just returned to Guimian City.

Cohen approached the two immediately, his tone tinged with displeasure:
"I say, you two young masters, you haven't forgotten that Greg still has five thousand men stationed at the Lothermar family's base."

If they don't come back soon, these five thousand people might riot.

Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun both seemed to be in good spirits and didn't pay much attention to Cohen's complaints.

After giving a few perfunctory replies, Qiao Lun said with a smile:

"It's still early, and the prince and I have complete faith in the commander's abilities."

I also have good news to tell the commander: the army I brought from the Eastern Empire has secretly infiltrated the vicinity of Guimian City and is ready to launch an attack at any time.

"Find a pretext to get Gregor's five thousand men out. His Highness the Prince and I will coordinate a few charges; it'll be a piece of cake."

Having tasted great success with their previous successful collaboration, Young Master Qiao Lun no longer hesitated and brought everyone over.

Cohen chuckled inwardly, then looked at Xia Zuo, who said unhurriedly:

"Five thousand elite troops, at a ransom of one hundred gold coins per person, asking the Southern Region Empire for five hundred thousand is not unreasonable, is it?"

Xia Zuo was equally confident; before the battle even began, he was already thinking about post-war reparations.

However, given that he had already extorted a lot from the Southern Region Empire last time, he couldn't go too far this time, so he proposed a relatively conservative figure.

Joe Lun echoed:

"Not bad, I think this price is quite fair."

However, this time the three of us have to divide it equally; we can't let Captain Ya'en take half for himself.

Oh, and the captured divine and demonic equipment—we'll divide it equally among the three of us.

Cohen sneered inwardly. "Let you keep it for me for now. I'll take it back from you sooner or later."

He smiled slightly and said:

"Since you two are so confident, let's settle on this. I'll speak with the Lorthermar family, and we'll make our move tomorrow night?"

"can!"

……

Late at night, the Southern Empire's army, disguised as guards of the Lorthermar family and led by Earl Lorthermar, arrived at a canyon outside the city.

The leading general was the vice-captain of Gregor's personal guard, named Ser Sanchez, a powerful superhuman at the peak of the Gold rank.

Behind him stood a dense, well-equipped imperial soldier.

In addition to their standard equipment, each person had a reverse-spiraling scimitar strapped to each side of their waist.

The divine and demonic equipment of the Southern Empire—the Eternal Tide Vortex Twin Blades.

The blade is not solid metal, but is composed of compressed liquid abyssal seawater and the flesh and blood crystals of a legendary sirens.

The most powerful feature of this divine and demonic equipment is the liquid vortex magic array engraved on its double blades.

When the soldier swings the blades at high speed, the double blades will spray water blade magic outwards, forming a spiral water tornado with a diameter of ten meters.

Enemies within range will be continuously torn apart and inflicted with "bleeding" and "suffocation" statuses.

If a large army coordinates to form a battle formation, the waterspout will have a wider range and greater power.

Especially when fighting in the ocean, the combined power of the endless sea's tides can produce amazing results.

It is the most powerful of the five divine and demonic equipment possessed by each of the five great empires.
General Sel waved to stop the troops behind him, looked at Earl Lorthermar, who was leading the army, and asked in a deep voice:

"We've been walking for so long, why haven't we arrived yet?"
Where is His Highness?

Earl Lorthermar spoke calmly and slowly:
"I don't know the specifics either. My mission was to bring you here. As for anything else, His Highness didn't tell me much."

General Sel frowned, and after a brief silence, coldly questioned:

"Count, was the legendary-level battle in the Breiburg region truly unrelated to His Highness?"

Gregor's five thousand men had been hiding within the Lorthermar family, unfamiliar with the area and lacking any intelligence channels, relying solely on information from Earl Lorthermar.

General Sel had also sensed the scene of the great battle between the nine legendary ranks not long ago, and he instinctively felt a sense of unease.

General Sel's questioning made Earl Lorthermar's tone much more impatient:

"General, I've told you many times already. It was the people from the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire who discovered King Efein's whereabouts and wanted to take action against him, which triggered the legendary-level war."

If you don't believe me, ask His Highness yourself when he arrives.

He paused, then raised his voice, his tone becoming much colder and sterner:
"General, I want to reiterate that we have an equal and cooperative relationship."

The Lorthermar family is not a servant of the Southern Empire. Even in ancient times, my ancestors were your Southern Royal Family's closest assistants and partners.

Your distrustful attitude and actions are unacceptable to me.

General Sel was taken aback by Count Lorthermar's stern tone and was at a loss for what to do, so he had no choice but to believe what the other party said.

After walking a little further, Earl Lorthermar turned to Sel and said:

"There are still matters to attend to in the territory. You all stay here and wait for His Highness. I'll be leaving now."

General Sel wanted to stop Count Lorthermar, but after glancing at the legendary guard beside him and considering the guard's earlier actions, he refrained from saying anything to stop him.

The night grew deeper, and the surroundings were deathly silent. Years of military service had gradually cast a shadow over Ser's heart.

He instinctively sensed something was wrong and said to his adjutant:

"All troops are on high alert, ready to withdraw from the canyon at any time."

Before the words were finished, a cluster of eerie blue flames lit up from the top of the cliff, followed by a vast surge of magical energy rising from all directions.

General Sel tensed, drew his command sword from his waist, and roared angrily:

"Enemy attack! Form a shield formation!"

At this moment, Ser was not too flustered. They were an elite army from the Southern Empire, whose combat power absolutely crushed the armies of most countries in the Northwest Continent.

But when he saw the enemy troops standing on the cliffs around him with the help of the scattered magical light, endless fear arose from the bottom of his heart.

He was familiar with the two people standing at the front of the line.

Joren Wertheimer, nephew of Heisenberg, the chief of the House of Nobles of the Central Empire.

And the aloof young man next to him was none other than Xia Zuo Tang, the number one prince of the continent and the Eastern Empire.

Sel was confident he could handle any army from the Kingdom of Ceylon, but faced with the combined might of the two most powerful empires in human history, he didn't even have the courage to launch an attack.

In particular, he also saw the five hundred people closest to Xia Zuo, a "special forces" army, the [Breaking Formation Dragon Riders], a powerful army that had once fought alongside Xia Zuo against Hell.

Seeing that he was surrounded by Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun's armies, Sel was plunged into deep despair.

Xia Zuo's cold voice came from afar:

"Your prince is already in our hands. This is his handwritten letter and token. Surrender or resist, the choice is yours."

Xia Zuo handed the items to the legendary-rank guard beside him, who then took them away.

Upon seeing the familiar handwritten letter and keepsake from Prince Gregor, Sel's last shred of will to fight to the death vanished.

Even the prince has fallen into the enemy's hands, so what need is there for me to resist?

Not to mention that these five thousand men were no match for the combined forces of the two great empires, and Sel had to consider the well-being of his brothers.

When the news of their surrender reached Cohen and the others, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they are certain to win, it's best to avoid fighting if possible. Their main objective is to make money, and they don't want to become blood enemies with the Southern Empire.

Shazo's powerful voice reached Sel's ears:

"Leave your weapons and armor where they are, and everyone retreat 500 meters."

Your safety and dignity will be guaranteed as long as you follow the instructions.

Furthermore, all officers of mid-ranking rank and above, as well as nobles, will be given the treatment they deserve.

People are still willing to believe in the credibility of the first prince of the mainland.

After the other side acted according to the instructions, Xia Zuo and his two companions began to send people to receive the divine and demonic equipment and take control of the prisoners.

Cohen spoke up:

"It's inconvenient for me to show myself. You can take over the prisoners. I'll be in charge of the weapons and equipment."

Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun exchanged a glance and nodded silently.

Anyway, they would deal with those who stepped forward themselves.

Intermarriages between noble families of the five great empires are very frequent. Even though the Southern Empire is located far overseas, over the years, many families have formed marriage alliances with noble families of the Central Empire and the Eastern Empire.

Especially the army that was personally led by the eldest prince Gregor, must have been full of his trusted subordinates.

Perhaps some of these captured officers are related to Xia Zuo or Qiao Lun.

It's not a life-or-death struggle, so we still need to consider the relationships we have with others.

Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun took the list of people they had obtained from Greg and matched it with each person who stepped forward.

When they spoke to a senior military officer named Lance Cooper, both Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun noticed that the other's expression was somewhat strange.

However, both of them wisely kept quiet. After the headcount was completed, Xia Zuo addressed the mid- to high-ranking officers and nobles:
"Please bear with me for a few days and stay in my army camp. Once your people from the Southern Region Empire arrive, I will naturally let you go."

I've assigned two orderly soldiers to each of you. You can tell them if you need anything.

Now, please cooperate and follow the orderly in front of you back to rest.

The faces of the crowd were gloomy; as defeated generals, they had no other choice.

Lance Cooper naturally followed the orderly back, but when he arrived at the tent the orderly had led him to, he was shocked to see the people inside!
(End of this chapter)