Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 345 Queen Effie's Methods!

(Thanks to reader "Auralis" for the generous donation! Thank you so much!)
After a long period of contemplation, Xia Zuo said in a deep voice:
"At most two thousand people. Qiao Lun and I will each contribute one thousand people. We can manage if we grit our teeth and bear it."

Don't assume we're rich. We have a lot of people and things to maintain, so we can't come up with too much money.

Cohen glanced at Joren beside him, who shared the same attitude:

"At most one person can have a thousand people. I won't get a single penny more unless you sell me out."

Cohen then reluctantly said:
"Two thousand people it is. Three days should be enough for you. Transfer the money to the 'Flaming Red Lips' trading company's account."

Once I received the money, I immediately dispatched people to begin the operation.

Xia Zuo looked surprised when he heard that the money was to be transferred to the 'Flaming Red Lips' trading company's account.

He underestimated the relationship between the other person and his cousin.

At the same time, a sense of vigilance arose in his heart. The other party's relationship with Grace was so good that it would become a stumbling block on his path to seizing the throne sooner or later.

Xia Zuo concealed his thoughts and said:
"Commander Ya'en, we will not shortchange you a single penny. Please also take this matter seriously and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Cohen chuckled softly and said slowly:

"Don't worry, as long as your intelligence is accurate, I guarantee that King Efein will appear where he is supposed to be."

"I have a question, though. According to your plan, we're going to split into two groups. Who should I go with?"

Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun had already discussed this issue before coming to see Cohen. Xia Zuo said:
"You go with Young Master Joren to deal with Arnold, I'll stay here and wait for King Effie."

"Without having to confront King Efein directly, any backlash from the curse would likely be less severe."

Xia Zuo's considerate manner almost disgusted Cohen. He knew that the other party had a deep personal grudge against him and wanted to resolve it personally. Perhaps he had prepared some secret weapon that he could not easily reveal.

Cohen chuckled and said:

"Okay, then it's settled."

Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun both breathed a sigh of relief. The most crucial element of the entire plan was the intelligence agent Yann had infiltrated around Arnold. Persuading him to join the cooperation was the key to the whole plan.

Although there was a price to pay, it was entirely within acceptable limits compared to the chance of capturing Cohen.

Thinking of this, even Xia Zuo couldn't help but feel excited. His cheap brother-in-law was truly a lucky star.

Having been in the Kingdom of Ceylon for only a few days, he first extorted a large sum of money from the Southern Empire, and then found clues about Cohen in the Southern Empire's army.

If it weren't for the irreconcilable conflict of interest between himself and Grace, he would have genuinely wanted to treat her as his relative!

After making their decision, the three of them went their separate ways, some raising funds, others looking for help.

……

"I have to say, you're quite the money-maker. Let's not even talk about the compensation money that the Southern Empire sent before. How did you manage to get money out of that bastard Xia Zuo's pocket this time?"

Grace was fiddling with her nails while communicating with Cohen.

Cohen said with a smile:

"There's nothing we can do. There are just too many fools in this world; we can't fool them all."

Grace let out a clear laugh and said:
"I'm already looking forward to the scene when Xia Zuo finds out your true identity."

Cohen replied:

"It's a pity we won't see it anytime soon. I plan to use this alias for a while longer."

As the two were chatting, Grace suddenly said:
"By the way, Father said he wants to see you."

Cohen paused for a moment, scratched his head, and asked after a brief pause:
"Why are you meeting me?"

A surge of anger rose within Grace for no apparent reason, and her voice involuntarily rose a few decibels:
"What do you mean, 'what are you going to do'? Have you forgotten that you're still the fiancée of the eldest princess of the Eastern Region Empire?"

Cohen quickly clarified that he did not mean that, explaining:
"We're not married yet, are we?"

According to the marriage agreement publicly announced by Emperor Eberron at the time, he would have to wait until he had at least half the prestige and strength of the ancient Pirate King before the marriage could continue?

Grace then suppressed her anger and said softly:
"Father simply wanted to see you; he had no other intentions."

Ultimately, it's because of your scheme against the Southern Empire that he's grown to admire you even more and wants to meet with this young talent.

Cohen said:

"Alright, let's wait until after the Noble Martial Arts Festival."

Grace was a little worried when she saw Cohen agree so readily, and said:
Aren't you worried about your identity being exposed?
"My father is surrounded by many top-tier experts. Can your disguise fool them?"

Cohen replied:

"No problem, I'm confident."

Grace was relieved and started talking about other topics.

Cohen also inquired about Grace's recent life and work, which delighted the princess and made her very happy.

After ending the call, Cohen finally headed back to his residence.

There are two beautiful women at home waiting for him to appease them.

When Cohen got home, he told Windsor and Melanie about the whole thing, including Shazo and Joren's plan.

Windsordler rested his chin on his hand and said softly:
"Then we need to deal with Joren's army attacking Arnold first, and then turn back to cause trouble for Shazo."

"Do you really have to go in person? Can't you just stay out of the way? Xia Zuo definitely has a way to isolate the connection between different planes. What if something goes wrong..."

Cohen shook his head and said:
"No, I need to meet Xia Zuo in person to make him lower his guard."

Otherwise, given his shrewdness, if he didn't see me appear, he would definitely realize that this was a trap.

I must give Arnold enough time to wipe out Joren's army.

Melantha also looked worried and said:

"Are you relying on yourself alone?"
If you show up alone, the other party will definitely realize they've been tricked.

Cohen said:

"I asked Freya to send five thousand territory guards and a legendary-level transcendent to help me. Xia Zuo is afraid that I will discover his true identity, so he definitely won't dare to fight me in a real battle."

All I have to do is keep him in cahoots and wait for Arnold to come and help.

Windsor, the five legendary ranks of the Starbringers are now under your command. Assist Arnold in dealing with the army brought by Joren as quickly as possible.

As for Qiao Lun himself, that kid definitely has a lot of life-saving items on him. It would be best if we could catch him, but if not, we must keep chasing him to prevent him from having time to inform Xia Zuo.

Windsordler's eyes showed hesitation:

"I'll take all five legendary-tier characters with me, but you're not leaving a single one by your side?"

Cohen said softly:

"Don't worry, I'm confident."

Even if Xia Zuo can block interdimensional communication, I have other methods.

Seeing Cohen's resolute attitude, Windsordler didn't say anything more.

Finally, Cohen added one more reminder:
"You can direct from the shadows; you don't need to show yourself. On the surface, you're still a cabinet minister of the Central Empire. It wouldn't be good if word got out."

"I see."

Cohen turned to Melantha, took a scroll from his pocket, handed it to her, and said:
"This is a teleportation scroll. It's a life-saving item that Gilworth, the son of that demon god, took from the treasure trove left behind by his father, the fifty-eight demon god Ami."

"Use this scroll to escape when you and Joren start fleeing for your lives."

Melantha took the scroll, and Cohen continued:

"Joren is hiding in Eagle's Beak Rock in the Redgard Mountains. I will set up an isolation array nearby. The array will only be deactivated after Joren is forced to return the assets he received from the Southern Empire. You will use the scroll at that time."

I will also make sure Arnold is cleared of any suspicion against 'Yan Hughes'.

Melanza remembered everything and said:
"You must be careful and not be careless. Xia Zuo is after your life this time."

Windsordler also kept a close eye on Cohen.

Cohen smiled easily:

"Don't be so nervous. When I was in Florence, I was much weaker than I am now, and the enemies I faced were much stronger."

If things could be resolved smoothly back then, they'll certainly be able to now.

Cohen's confident smile put the two of them at ease.

……

Late at night, at the agreed location, Prince Xia Zuo, Young Master Qiao Lun, and "Pirate King Yan Hughes" disguised as Melantha appeared one after another.

Xia Zuo looked at Melanza and asked in a deep voice:

"Commander Ya'en, the key to the success of today's plan lies with your intelligence agent. Are you confident?"

Melanza's voice was flat:

"Don't worry, Arnold will set off for the border of the Kingdom of Ceylon in three hours."

The attack was officially launched five hours later.

As for the message you asked me to pass on, my intelligence agent has already delivered it. If your intelligence is correct, and King Efein is indeed in Ceylon, he will appear before you as planned.

Xia Zuo took a deep breath and extended his hand to Melanza:

"Commander Yaen, I wish our collaboration this time will be as successful as the last one."

Melanie snorted coldly, did not shake hands, and said indifferently:

"Your Highness, it would be best to be careful. Although I have never dealt with King Effie, I have heard about the battle in Florence."

This person is not so easy to deal with; it's best to be cautious.

Efein had a total of 10,000 orc soldiers in Ceylon. Even though King Efein and Arnold divided their forces, they each had 5,000 men.

"A formidable elite orc legion of five thousand men. You'd better not underestimate the situation." Cohen had previously told them that Arnold's army, totaling ten thousand men, was transported here one by one by the winged elves.

Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun had taken this into account when they made their plans.

Cohen and Arnold each led a unit, totaling five thousand men.

On Joren's side, although he also led an army of 5,000 men, which seemed to be evenly matched, Arnold was going to attack the Ceylon border legion, which meant that Joren had a powerful ally.

Their reason for launching the operation when Arnold attacked the Ceylon border was for this very reason.

Prince Xia Zuo was very confident in his army. He brought his trump card this time: five hundred "special-class" troops, the "Dragon Riders of Breaking Formation," plus four legendary-rank soldiers to support them. He was sure they could catch Cohen off guard.

Xia Zuo withdrew his hand and said with a faint smile:

"Commander Yaen is right, I will be extra careful."

Melantha sneered:

"To put it bluntly, the intelligence agent who infiltrated Arnold's inner circle was someone I trained at great expense."

Once this operation begins, my intelligence agents will be completely exposed.

"If the plan succeeds, losing an intelligence agent is no big deal. But if you mess it up, I'll have to find someone to compensate me for my losses!"

Xia Zuo's previous confidence was immediately dampened by Melantha's words.

Joren kept muttering to himself, "A pirate captain is a pirate captain; he never forgets about money."

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting a bit tense, he spoke up to smooth things over:

"Commander Ya'en, our first collaboration went so smoothly, the second one will definitely be even more perfect."

"Your Highness, it's getting late, you should go now."

According to the plan, Yaen had already sent someone to reveal the route of the Ceylon Kingdom's reinforcements to Efein's side. As a disguised reinforcement, Shazo needed to arrive at the support route in advance in order to lure Cohen into a trap.

Xia Zuo didn't want to stay here and get entangled with this pirate captain who was desperately demanding money any longer, and said calmly:
"Alright, gentlemen, I'll go ahead to greet King Alfein, Cohen Corleone!"

After Xia Zuo left, Qiao Lun said to Melantha:

"Commander Ya'en, let's go too."

"Arrive near the border first, then strike when Arnold launches his attack on the border legions."

Melanza nodded calmly:
"Okay, let's go."

……

A cool night breeze swept across the Redgard Mountains on the border of Ceylon. Five thousand elite troops from the Central Empire, like a group of lurking iron-gray pythons, lay close together in the uneven craters of Eagle's Beak, the most precipitous peak in the mountain range.

Not far away, thirty magic crossbows were tightly wrapped by layers of withered vines and dark green thorns, and the lightning runes engraved on the barrels glowed faintly blue in the night.

Hidden at the forefront of the army, Joren looked up at the distant border. The border of Ceylon looked like a torn gray rag, and with his eyesight, he could vaguely see sentries moving back and forth.

To avoid being discovered by the Ceylon Border Legion, they ambushed themselves at a considerable distance from the Ceylon border.

Beside Joren, Melantha also stared calmly at the sentry in the distance, without uttering a word.

Time ticked by, and then a gust of wind blew as one of Qiao Lun's legendary-rank guards returned from gathering information.

"Efein has already set out and will pass through the Redgard Mountains in about an hour."

A hint of excitement flickered in Joren's eyes as he looked at the indifferent Melantha and said with a smile:

"Commander Ya'en's intelligence agent is really capable; the enemy did indeed set out on time."

If this succeeds, our Central Empire will owe you a favor!

Melanie said calmly:
"If a fight breaks out later, I'll be extremely grateful if you have your two legendary-rank guards keep an eye on my safety!"

Joren immediately gave instructions:

"Bomon, you will be responsible for Captain Yaen's safety. Remember, Captain Yaen is just as important as I am."

A dull response came from behind.

The group fell silent and continued to lie in ambush at Eagle's Beak Rock, waiting for Arnold to appear.

While Qiao Lun and his men were lying in ambush at Eagle's Beak Rock, Prince Xia Zuo had already led his army to the so-called reinforcement route.

With the help of the third prince, Saxon, the army brought by Shazo has been disguised as the Third Field Army of the Central Theater of Ceylon, awaiting Cohen's arrival.

Not long after, Xia Zuo's legendary-rank guard returned from gathering intelligence in the distance, bringing news that greatly excited Xia Zuo:
“A large army, numbering no less than five thousand, is marching towards this place.”

Xia Zuo asked in a deep voice:

"Is it Cohen's orc army?"

Legendary Rank Return:
"They were all covered in black armor and black faces, just like the orc legions from before."

The enemy army has legendary-rank guardians, so I didn't dare approach to investigate.

Xia Zuo's eyes gleamed with excitement as he said:
"You did the right thing. The most important thing now is to keep a low profile and not let the other party notice anything unusual."

Cohen is a slippery fellow; he'll run away at the slightest sign of trouble.

"Pass down the order: according to the previous battle plan, retreat first, and do not make a move until Cohen appears!"

"Yes."

Standing next to Cohen was Leon Lorthermar, a legendary transcendent from the Lorthermar family and the previous patriarch of the Lorthermar family.

After the Lorthermar family was subdued by Freya, her first order was for them to send out a legendary-ranked member to be on standby at any time.

Leon looked at the renowned king before him, feeling a mix of emotions.

Only then did he finally realize that Princess Freya's true supporter was actually the famous King Efein.

An epic figure who could manipulate the power of the three giants—the Central Empire, the Eastern Empire, and the Black Tomb—it's no wonder the Lor'thermar family was defeated by him.

Cohen spoke slowly:
“Someone just arrived, a legendary-level figure. If I’m not mistaken, they should be from the Eastern Empire. Xia Zuo is already waiting for us ahead.”

Leon was startled and whispered:

"I didn't detect any scent."

Cohen smiled faintly and said:

"Of course he won't let you find out. Xia Zuo won't make a move unless he sees me show up in person."

Leon said in a low voice:

"So what do we do now? Keep moving forward?"

The thought of five thousand elite troops and five hundred special forces soldiers from the Eastern Empire waiting ahead sent chills down Leon's spine.

Although Cohen said everything was going according to plan and there would be no problems, Leon still had some doubts.

He had long heard of King Effie's glorious deeds; he dared to snatch dragon eggs from a saint when he was only at the second tier. Leon didn't have that ability or courage.

Leaving aside the special forces and elite troops of the Eastern Empire, Leon had no confidence in dealing with the legendary-rank troops they brought.

A legendary-ranked warrior trained by an imperial prince will definitely be much stronger than a legendary-ranked warrior trained by an ordinary nobleman of a kingdom.

Cohen brought Leon along this time, not intending for him to do much.

Bringing a legendary-ranked soldier was mainly to intimidate Xia Zuo and prevent them from easily investigating the army's situation, since the army he brought this time consisted of disguised orcs.

In response to Leon's question, Cohen smiled and said:

"Viscount, don't be nervous. Let's rest for a while and wait for them to start before we take action."

……

Joren, who was lying in ambush at Eagle's Beak Rock, kept his eyes fixed on the army not far away.

Arnold's orc army, like a black torrent of steel, slowly passed through the Redgard Mountains, a necessary route.

Joren stared intently at these massive black beasts. Back at the Northwest Regional Exchange Conference, it was these very beasts that ruthlessly destroyed all his support, causing the prestigious Central Empire's Noble House to lose face. Not only did they lose their strategic-level floating behemoth, but they also lost two legendary-level warriors.

A sinister smile crept across Qiao Lun's face. This time, he was determined to exact revenge for the blood feud from last time.

However, the ferocity on his face quickly turned into astonishment, followed by deep terror.

He discovered a chilling fact—the number of people was incorrect!
The army behind Arnold had far exceeded their estimated five thousand men.

Did Cohen and Arnold not split up their forces?
Or was Ya'en's intelligence incorrect?
Melantha's voice rang out, tinged with seriousness:
“My intelligence is infallible. Now I’m curious about something: where did you get the information that King Efein came to Ceylon? Is it possible that this was all a trap from the beginning?”

Melantha's interruption left Joren confused, but before he could think it through, the advancing orc army suddenly stopped and turned towards their ambush position.

Joren could almost see the indifferent gazes beneath those orc masks.

A chill crept up his spine to the back of his neck, and Qiao Lun felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his throat, an invisible fear almost overwhelming him.

Melantha said coldly:
"Trap! Retreat!"

Joren finally snapped out of his daze of fear, his voice becoming shrill:
"Retreat, retreat!"

Before they could finish speaking, everyone suddenly sensed a vast surge of magical energy emanating from the Eagle Beak Rock beneath them. Immediately afterward, the ground beneath their feet began to twitch as if it were alive.

The moss-covered mountain walls began to peel away, revealing the dark blue mountain body. Countless crimson streaks of light burst forth from the cracks in the rocks, illuminating each soldier of the Central Empire as if bathed in blood.

Joren trembled, his eyes wide. He recalled the awe-inspiring scene at the Northwest Regional Exchange Conference, where Queen Effie had transformed the entire venue into a super magic circle. A shrill roar erupted from his throat:
"Retreat! Retreat quickly! Everyone, get out of Eagle's Beak Rock immediately..."

Before Qiao Lun could finish speaking, he was drowned out by a series of earth-shattering noises:

The first roar came from the deepest part of Eagle's Beak Rock, and the rock strata throughout the valley emitted a crisp sound like shattering glass. The boulders where the Imperial soldiers were hiding crumbled, revealing the dense diamond-shaped engravings inside.

Only then did everyone realize that the belly of Eagle Beak Rock had long been hollowed out and carved out into a three-layered circular magic array.

At this moment, the magic array has been activated by an invisible force. The crossbowmen closest to the bottom of the valley were suddenly thrown into the air, and the ground beneath their feet swelled up like boiling metal.

To Joren's utter astonishment, the glowing runes climbed up the rock layers one by one. With each rune that lit up, a translucent, skeletal pattern would appear on the corresponding part of the mountain.

This is no longer a natural mountain range; it has been completely transformed into a living trap built with vast amounts of magic!
(End of this chapter)