Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 356 Your Majesty Gaius, I'll help you get rid of the fake princess!

On the way to the third destination, Windsordler asked:

Was there anyone else in that stone chamber?

Cohen nodded in reply:

Maybe.

There was a ghostly lantern in the stone chamber just now.

The Night Watch can use this lantern to project spiritual power over long distances; I suspect someone was spying on us through it just now.

Windsordler quickly asked:

"Is it that Representative Lorenzo you mentioned?"

Cohen replied:

"It's very possible. I actually hope it's him. Letting him know my stance would be more beneficial for future cooperation."

Lorenzo's affair was just a minor incident.

Now is not the time to cooperate with the "Night Watch Order". Everything must wait until the continent changes and the gods are too busy to take care of themselves before I can confidently tell them about the Thieves' Church's headquarters.

The third mechanism, the "Mirror Maze," is the furthest, located in a mountain range called Mirror Abyss in central Ceylon.

Freya recognized the name of the mountain range and said:

“I’ve been to this place with my father before. There’s a mysterious area there called ‘The Realm of Mist and Shadows’.”

It is shrouded in a thick magical mist year-round; any ordinary person who steps inside will lose their way and never be able to escape.

When he was young, Arnold traveled all over Ceylon and once came to Mirror Abyss Mountain on a mission.

Cohen nodded in reply:

"Yes, the place we're going to Mirror Abyss Mountain to find is this 'Realm of Misty Shadows'."

After a day and a night of flying, the three arrived at the foot of Jingyuan Mountain the next morning.

Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, you can see that Jingyuan Mountain is composed of a special crystal mineral, which refracts a dazzling light under the sunlight.

The entire mountain seemed to be surrounded by a dazzling halo.

This place is more of a famous tourist attraction in Ceylon. Cohen can see many tourists and adventurers looking around.

At the foot of the mountain where the three were located was a tranquil lake called "Mirror Lake".

The lake water is crystal clear, and the surface is as calm as a mirror, clearly reflecting the entire view of Jingyuan Mountain.

The depths are filled with traps and mechanisms of all sizes. Any creature that tries to touch the lake will be sucked in by the mirror magic within the water and trapped in an endless illusion.

There are many warning signs from the Sri Lankan government erected beside Mirror Lake, prohibiting tourists from going into the lake.

A look of seriousness appeared in Cohen's eyes; he knew Mirror Abyss Mountain much better than anyone else.

In the beginning, this was just an ordinary mountain range. When the Arcane Empire fell, one of the empire's large guardian mechanisms crashed here.

As the magic became chaotic and time passed, this place gradually transformed into Mirror Abyss Mountain, which possesses the "Realm of Mist and Shadow".

The so-called "realm of mist and shadow" is actually the core of the mechanism.

Cohen grasped Windsordler and Freya's hands separately and said in a deep voice:
"We'll go into the water once there are fewer people. Remember, hold onto my hand and don't let go. No matter what you see, just follow me."

After a while, Cohen's magic surged, and the three of them transformed into a beam of light, plunging into the lake to the astonishment of onlookers.

The moment they fell, the three of them were stretched into distorted shadows. The expected bone-chilling cold sensation did not occur; instead, they felt as if they had fallen into a thick fog.

There was no feeling of weightlessness during the fall; instead, it felt like passing through layers of mirrors.

After falling for some time, the three finally made contact with the "ground".

Then they discovered that what was in front of them was an inverted Mirror Abyss Mountain—the crystal-clear mountain hung upside down overhead, and colorful halos flowed down from the cracks in the rocks like a waterfall.

Even more astonishing are the tiny specks of light floating all around, each of which explodes into a tiny fragment of memory.

Windsor and Freya were naturally drawn to these fragments of memory, but soon, a voice that brought them immense peace of mind rang in their ears:

"Don't look at those memories, you'll easily get caught up in them. Grab my hand and come with me."

The two snapped out of their daze, grabbed Cohen's hand tightly, and, led by him, walked deeper into the area.

To ease their tension, Cohen continued speaking, explaining their location to them:

"The place where we are standing now is the 'Realm of Mist Shadows,' which was once a large mechanism used by the Arcane Empire to defend against invaders."

When fully deployed, it can even trap Saint-level beings, but it certainly doesn't have that much power now.

This large mechanism is composed of various traps and mechanisms. The entire mechanism array has three layers, with the third layer being the core mechanism, the 'Mirror Maze'.

We need to navigate through three layers of traps to reach the bottom layer.

Windsordler sighed:
"It's unimaginable how glorious the Arcane Empire was at its peak. A simple mechanical defense array can still function normally even now."

Cohen also agreed with Windsordler's sentiments.

The three walked forward and soon arrived at the first level of the mechanism array, the Mirror Corridor.

This is a long corridor composed of countless mirrors, neatly arranged on the walls, floor, and ceiling.

As you walk through the corridor, countless reflections of yourself fill your field of vision, as if you were in an infinitely extending space.

Cohen said:

"First floor, mirrored corridor."

Follow my steps and watch your step.

There is an invisible pressure-triggered device at intervals along this corridor.

When these devices are stepped on, the mirrors flip up, revealing hidden spike traps behind them, or releasing a powerful surge of magical energy.

In addition, the mirrors in the corridor will periodically change positions, causing people to lose their way.

Overall, however, it's not a particularly difficult mechanism; any mechanism master of Gold rank or higher can easily solve it.

Following Cohen's footsteps, the three of them quickly left the Mirror Corridor.

The second level is a space filled with mist, which looks like a wilderness.

Cohen's voice slowly rang out:
"The second layer - the Mirror Illusion."

This level is slightly more dangerous.

You'll soon notice that the scenery around here is constantly changing.

As soon as the words were spoken, the misty wilderness vanished instantly, transforming into a bustling ancient city.

The architectural style within the city-state, which was clearly out of step with the times, immediately made Windsordler and Freya realize one thing: this was a city-state from the Arcane Empire!

The three of them stood there on the busy street, occasionally receiving strange looks from passersby.

The three people's clothing styles and appearances seemed incongruous.

In an instant, a pedestrian dressed in black robes suddenly ran towards the three of them at high speed, holding a dagger in his hand.

Cohen called out to Windsordler, who was about to make a move:

"Don't move, it's an illusion."

Windsordler heeded Cohen's advice and did not take action.

The dagger drew ever closer, but the moment it touched the three, the man in black robes vanished in a wisp of mist.

Cohen said softly:

"In the Mirror Illusion, there is a special kind of mirror creature—the Mirror Spirit."

Mirror spirits are spiritual entities formed by mirror magic. They have no physical form, but they can manipulate elements within the illusion.

It will create corresponding illusions based on the psychological weaknesses of those who enter the maze, in order to confuse and attack the intruders.

According to the records of the Arcane Empire, some powerful Mirror Spirits can place all the residents of a city in an illusion.

However, these spirits are now many years old and have little power; at best, they can only simulate images to scare people.

We can break the illusion by finding its core.

Cohen led the two on a stroll through this ancient arcane empire city-state, allowing them to appreciate the customs and culture of that time.

Illusions cannot be created out of thin air; they require a medium that is related to the illusion itself. Once the medium is found, the illusion can be broken.

Generally speaking, the medium is placed in the most important place in the illusion, and the most important place in a city-state is naturally the city-state government.

The three arrived at the Executive Government and walked straight into the heavily guarded gate. All the guards who came forward to stop them turned into smoke the moment they touched the three.

Cohen could clearly see the confusion, bewilderment, and anger still lingering on their faces before they disappeared.

Anger at being unable to resist the invaders!
The resentment at failing to protect his city-state.

He felt a strong sense of familiarity with that expression.

Five years ago, in the Nightmare Mist Illusion of Starfall Valley, Mavis and Melantha's grandfather...

A sense of emotion inexplicably rose in Cohen's heart. Even though it had been gone for tens of thousands of years, and even though its existence had been erased by the gods, one could still glimpse the awe and glory of that great civilization from the slightest clues.

Cohen stopped in his tracks. He had arrived at the hall of the government building. Behind the rectangular council table hung an ancient royal coat of arms.

Cohen reached out and took the badge, muttering to himself:
"Such a great civilization should not simply disappear silently from the annals of history!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire city-state turned into smoke and vanished without a trace.

Cohen placed the badge into the "Heart of Eternity," suppressed the turmoil in his mind, and continued walking forward.

The surrounding scenery continued to change, and this time the three arrived at a gloomy ancient castle.

This is an ancient castle. Judging from the luxurious interior decoration, it should be the residence of a nobleman in the Arcane Empire.

Cohen led Windsordler and Freya into the castle and said:
"Once you break through the illusion twice in a row, you can leave this level."

As they spoke, the three of them walked into a long corridor inside the castle.

On the walls of the corridor, the murals of figures hanging there suddenly began to slowly move their eyes, a bizarre scene that sent chills down one's spine.

Cohen ignored the murals on both sides and walked forward along the corridor until he stopped in front of a huge family crest.

Another badge appeared. Cohen reached out and took the badge. The ancient castle in front of him began to slowly dissipate, and everything returned to calm. The three of them appeared at the entrance to the third floor.

Cohen looked at the two badges, one large and one small, in his hand, a hint of joy appearing in his eyes.

His purpose in coming to Mirror Abyss Mountain this time was not only to find a suitable mechanism for Freya, but also to collect these badges from the Arcane Empire.

These badges are the keys to unlocking the treasures of the Arcane Empire in the future.

Cohen put away the badge and led Windsordler and Freya into the third level, the Mirror Core.

This is also the location of the entire maze's mechanisms.

The third level is a huge circular space with a purple crystal ball suspended in the center, where powerful mirror magic energy churns.

The crystal ball was surrounded by countless small crystal pillars, each engraved with different magical runes.

Cohen pointed to the crystal pillars above and said:
"These are the mediums for the 'Mirror Maze' mechanism. Pick one."

Don't go too high, fourth tier is fine.

Freya released Cohen's arm and stepped forward to use her warlock bloodline to sense the various mechanisms, large and small, and quickly found the most suitable one.

Having searched all three mechanisms, Cohen and his companions left Mirror Abyss Mountain without lingering any longer.

...Cohen and the other two returned to the City of Crowns and reunited with Asuna and Melantha.

Freya was to remain in Guimian City, and Cohen gave her some instructions on how to use the mechanisms.

Afterwards, Cohen opened the Book of Time and Space and returned to the Scarlet Isle main base with Asuna, Melantha, and Windsordler.

To ensure Freya's eligibility for the competition wouldn't be interfered with by Quassaon's side, Cohen decided to approach Gaius as the Pirate King Yann Hughes.

However, now that he was on Crimson Island, he naturally wanted to inspect the pirate crew's situation again.

After listening to Flint's report, Cohen expressed high praise for the Crimson Raiders' recent developments:

"Well done, thank you for your hard work."

Yann Hughes's identity may disappear for a while in the next few months.

I'm going to the Central Empire to participate in the Noble Martial Arts Festival.

You have full authority to make decisions regarding all matters, big and small, within the group.

"Ensure you're ready for combat training. Once the Noble Martial Arts Festival ends, the Crimson Raiders will likely be facing off against the entire Ceylon Navy."

Flint nodded solemnly:

"I understand."

After meeting Flint, Cohen returned to the residential area and said to the three women:
"The fleet sent to pick you up should arrive tomorrow. You can wait on the island and return home once the ship arrives."

I'm going to Quesaon.

Melantha blinked and asked:

"Are you in a hurry? Can you stay another night?"

Asuna also showed an expectant expression.

Windsordler secretly curled his lip and said:
"Aren't you full yet?"

Why rush it this night?

Melantha gave a soft hum:
“After he returns to his country, your queen will definitely keep him occupied for a long time, and he might not even be able to leave the palace.”

Cohen secretly defended his sister, the Queen, in his heart: How could Adele be so domineering?

However, seeing the expectant looks in the two women's eyes, Cohen softened and said:
"Then let's leave tomorrow!"

……

……

……

Cohen tiptoed away from the fragrant beauty, washed up, put on his clothes, and donned his mask.

Upon arriving at the port, they boarded the warship that had been waiting and headed towards Quesaon.

Quisaon, the royal palace.

Gaius has been in a much better mood lately than before.

The troublesome Alfie finally halted his offensive after breaching the northwestern border defenses of Ceylon.

However, Gaius did not dare to relax his guard and continued to mobilize heavy troops, keeping a watchful eye on the movements of the Crown City.

Soon, he received another piece of good news.

Yann Hughes, the long-lost son-in-law of the Eastern Empire and the Pirate King, has returned to Ceylon.

He had also heard about what had happened near Guimian City not long ago.

Yaen, Joren, and Xia Zuo were outmaneuvered by King Effie. Not only did they suffer heavy losses, but they also had to return everything they had extorted from the prince of the Southern Empire.

After this incident, Yann's hatred for Effie deepened even further.

They are now naturally close allies.

Therefore, Gaius was very pleased to receive Cohen.

As Gaius expected, Cohen asked as soon as they met:
"Your Majesty, when can we begin our planned attack on Emerald Harbor?"

Gaius concealed his joy and said in a deep voice:

"The construction of the ghost ship is progressing rather slowly, especially since we also need to be wary of the Windrise Kingdom's naval fleet."

At the earliest, we'll have to wait until we've built a fleet of ghost ships.

Probably after the Noble Martial Arts Festival.

Cohen's face darkened, and he fell silent.

Gaius chuckled softly and offered words of comfort:

“I’ve heard about what happened recently. I didn’t expect King Efein to be so cunning, daring to scheme against so many people at once.”

Cohen waved his hand and said:

"I admit I'm not as skilled as others this time."

But he wasn't so lucky next time.

After chatting for a while, Cohen said:

"Your Majesty, the Noble Martial Arts Festival is coming up soon. Do you have any thoughts on it?"

Gaius raised an eyebrow slightly and asked calmly:
"What exactly is Mr. Yann referring to as his idea?"

Cohen lowered his voice and said:

"I have accurate intelligence... That bastard King Efein is planning to send your princess to represent Ceylon in the Noble Martial Arts Festival to win the strongest bronze medal and obtain the destiny of the Ceylon nation!"

Gaius's eyes darkened; the other person's words revealed a great deal of information.

Freya is actually going to participate in the Noble Martial Arts Festival, and she's even representing the Kingdom of Ceylon.

If she succeeds, it will be a huge blow to them, and they must stop her.

However, King Gaius had a detailed understanding of the ins and outs of the incident from some time ago, regarding the other party's intelligence.

The root cause of Xia Zuo and his two companions' failure was that Ya En's intelligence was completely exploited by King Effie.

Could this be another trap?
Seeing the doubt on Gaius's face, Cohen clearly knew what the other was worried about, and feigned anger, saying:

"Your Majesty, this time the intelligence is truly accurate, and we were not fooled by that King Efein."

This informant was personally recruited by my father!

Gaius knew Yaen's identity; he was a descendant of the fifty-eight demon gods Ami, and an informant he had personally developed, so there shouldn't be any problems.

Cohen continued:

"Anyway, you should receive news about this in a few days."

As far as I know, this King Efein is preparing to have his Windsor Princess work as the Empress of the Middle Empire.

The Central Empire is the host this time, and as long as His Majesty Klein agrees, there's a high probability the deal will go through.

A fierce glint flashed in Gaius's eyes:
“Now we, Quesaon, are the only legitimate government in Ceylon.”

Acknowledging the identity of the false princess does not equate to acknowledging the legitimacy of her regime.

In matters involving national internal affairs, His Majesty Klein, even if he were to show favoritism, would not forcibly interfere as long as we strongly oppose them.

Cohen's tone suddenly turned serious, and he said in a deep voice:
"That's precisely why I sought His Majesty's advice on this matter!"

I hope Your Majesty will not object, and in fact, you should do your utmost to make this happen!

King Gaius's gaze suddenly became complicated as he stared intently at Cohen.

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Cohen's eyes:
"Every Noble Martial Arts Festival has a casualty rate!"
Especially in the bronze group competition, the physique of superhumans is inherently fragile, and if they accidentally make a mistake...

Gaius's eyes widened in surprise. He suddenly realized that he had almost forgotten that the man in front of him was a ruthless pirate captain who committed all sorts of evil deeds and killed without blinking an eye in the Endless Sea.

Having suffered such a huge loss, how could I not retaliate?
However, the method of revenge made Gaius somewhat uneasy.

This kid actually wants to kill Freya directly?
Cohen continued:

"King Efein is too strange, and he's the son of the gods. He's not easy to kill."

However, the princess he was supporting was only at the Bronze rank, making her much easier to target.

So, Your Majesty, are you interested in cooperating?
Without the princess as a bargaining chip, those rebellious nobles will soon fall apart!

To be fair, Cohen's proposal really appealed to Gaius. If Freya could really be eliminated, that would be a permanent solution.

Gaius narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then said:
Are you confident?

This fake princess is a mechanical sorcerer, and her combat power mainly relies on the mechanisms she wields.

With Effie's current abilities, finding her a few powerful mechanisms shouldn't be a problem.

Cohen said in a deep voice:

"No matter how powerful the mechanism is, it must be matched with the sorcerer's ability."

Freya is at most Tier 3, and the mechanisms she can use are also Tier 3.

I'll shove a few demons into the competition; they'll self-destruct as soon as they enter the arena. I refuse to believe a mere Tier 3 can withstand that."

If Cohen hadn't mentioned it, Gaius would have forgotten that the other party was the son of a demon and must have a large number of demons under his command.

King Gaius's eyes flickered slightly, and then he said:

“Every contestant has to be vetted by the organizers, the people of the Central Empire.”

Are you sure your demon can infiltrate so easily?

A slight smile appeared on Cohen's lips:
"Your Majesty, I've already opened my heart to you, so there's no need to hide anything from me now."

As far as I know, the regulations for censorship only apply to small countries below the kingdom level.

For participants from various empires and kingdoms, the so-called review is just a formality, merely verifying their extraordinary level.

Am I right?

A strange glint appeared in Gaius's eyes as he said:

"So, Mr. Yann, you want to put your few demons into Ceylon's team?"

Cohen smiled faintly and said:

"Your Majesty, I am doing this to solve a major problem for you. Shouldn't you do your part?"

Gaius then asked a crucial question:
"How can you be sure that the person you arrange will be able to match up with Freya?"

The arena matches at the Noble Martial Arts Festival are all determined by a draw conducted by the organizers, making it difficult for outsiders to interfere.

Cohen's lips curled slightly:

"Your Majesty, please don't forget that we are not the only enemies of Effie!"

Gaius's eyes lit up.

Cohen lowered his voice and said slowly:
"The chief of the Central Empire's House of Nobles, Mr. Heisenberg's nephew, Young Master Joren, suffered such a great loss at the hands of King Effie. Do you think he doesn't want revenge?"

Gaius slowly extended his hand and said:
"Happy cooperation!"

(End of this chapter)