Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 370 Jialin: Am I really your fiancée now?

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Cohen clearly felt the scrutiny from various eyes, both overt and covert.

The person who came out to greet him was the second elder of the Golden Wing family. Cohen had dealt with the other party at the Northwest Regional Exchange Conference.

The Second Elder, all smiles and friendly, greeted Cohen briefly before saying:
"The Grand Elder and the representatives of the other four winged families are waiting in the main hall. Let's go there now."

Isabella frowned slightly and asked:
"Where's my father?"

The Second Elder smiled and said:

"The patriarch has some business to attend to. He said he'll come shortly after His Majesty Corleone has met with the representatives of the Four Wings Clan."

Isabella looked puzzled.

Cohen's eyes flickered slightly, as if he knew what Aziz was thinking.

He nodded to the Second Elder, took Isabella's hand, and led her to the main hall.

As they approached the main hall entrance, representatives of the Four-Winged Family had already emerged from the hall and were waiting at the door.

Cohen glanced at it.

Of the four representatives, only Ms. Lori from the Silverwing family was relatively unfamiliar; the others were people I had met before.

Pacino of the Darkwing family had been competing with him for a long time in the Lost Lands, and had even extorted two trade smuggling routes and a million gold coins from him.

Blaze of the Bloodwing family is Isabella's uncle, and he also stood up for Effie at the Northwest Regional Conference.

Meyer of the Purple Wings family had also been in contact with Cohen as part of the Lost Lands' observation team.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group re-entered the hall.

After taking their seats, Mayer was the first to offer her congratulations:

"The marriage between the Eagle of Effie and our Daughter of the Golden Wings is undoubtedly a great event for the Pale Wings."
Our clan chief still speaks highly of His Majesty Corleone's heroic demeanor at the Northwest Regional Conference.

We hope this grand event will mark the beginning of a deeper cooperation between the Pale Wings and your esteemed nation!

Cohen smiled and said:

“Of course, Effie has always regarded the Pale Wings as her most trusted partner.”

Cohen's statement eased the atmosphere in the hall considerably, and the representatives' faces visibly brightened.

Isabella's uncle, Blaise, the representative of the Bloodwing family, patted Cohen on the shoulder and laughed heartily:
"Five years ago, after Isa returned from Florence, I knew she might have someone in her heart."

Now, this has finally come to a perfect end. From now on, we, the Pale Wings, will have to bask in the glory and aura of Eifine.

As Isabella's elder, Blaze's tone was much more casual, not as formal as Maye's.

Lori from the Silverwing family said with a smile;

"The Pale Wings have always firmly believed that the strongest alliances are bound by blood ties, and Your Majesty's bond with the Pale Wings will surely be even stronger from now on."

While the representatives ostensibly expressed their blessings for Cohen and Isabella's marriage, their underlying meaning was quite clear.

They kept mentioning the collaboration between Effie and the Pale Wings.

Cohen naturally understood the subtext of these representatives' words, and his expression remained unchanged as he smiled slightly.
"Thank you for your well wishes. I firmly believe that we will work together even better."

A look of delight flashed in the eyes of the four representatives. Just as Maye of the Purple Wing family was about to discuss the matter further, several footsteps came from outside.

Then everyone saw Aziz Wenze, the patriarch of the Golden Wing family, and his wife walk in together.

Following behind was a beautiful woman wearing a veil, radiating a holy light.

Isabella's aunt, Garlene Saint-Mera.

Mayer had no choice but to abandon her plan to continue the conversation, and everyone stood up to greet the leader of the Golden Wing family.

After entering the hall, Aziz greeted the representatives of the Four Wings family in turn, and then began to discuss the specific arrangements for the marriage with Cohen.

The clan chief's wife's gaze also fell on the man who was about to become her son-in-law.

A look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

Aside from the fact that he already has a queen, everything else perfectly matches her ideal son-in-law.

Time passed by, and the wedding arrangements were almost finalized.

The representatives of the Four-Winged Family were getting impatient. Finally, Aziz chuckled and said:

"Let's decide on the marriage arrangements for now."

If you're not in a hurry to go back, why not stay in the City of Sunfire for a couple more days and experience the local customs and culture of the east coast?

Cohen, having caught the implication in his father-in-law's words, glanced at the four representatives and replied:
"There's nothing urgent."

Aziz then looked at the four representatives:

"The same goes for the four of you. Will you stay in Sunfury City for a few more days?"

Seeing that the father-in-law and son-in-law had finally finished discussing the marriage, the four of them lost all interest in sightseeing. At the others' prompting, Maye of the Purple Wing family spoke up:
"A few days is fine, but we have some other small matters to discuss with His Majesty Corleone. I wonder if now is a convenient time?"

Cohen put down his teacup and said:
“Of course it’s convenient, Young Master Meyer, please speak.”

Mayer hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice:

"Since everyone here is an insider, I'll be frank."

"Your Majesty, our Purple Wing family hopes to achieve further cooperation with Effie."

After Maye finished speaking, the other three also spoke up, expressing the same sentiment.

Cohen's expression remained unchanged, and he said with a faint smile:

What do you mean by this further cooperation?

Maye glanced at Isabella sitting next to Cohen and lowered her voice:

"We hope that Your Majesty, out of consideration for the Golden Winged Daughter, will include the Orc Legion and the divine and demonic equipment in our cooperation."

Cohen's eyes flickered slightly; he wasn't surprised by Mayer's suggestion. After a moment's thought, he asked:
"Orc legions, divine and demonic equipment?"
Are the Pale Wings preparing to form an army?

Seeing that Cohen didn't immediately refuse, Maye's smile widened, and she quickly said:

"It's just about building up some self-defense forces."

The changes on the mainland in the future are foreseeable, and it is too late to rebuild a regular army in a short period of time.

Only with His Majesty's orc legions and divine and demonic equipment combined can our Pale Wings gain some self-defense capability in the great turmoil to come.

Cohen's lips curled slightly as he said:
What are you prepared to offer in exchange?

Mayer immediately replied:
"Money, resources, connections, intelligence capabilities, shareholding... anything that Pale Wings has and that His Majesty would approve of, we can exchange for."

Cohen pretended to ponder for a while before answering under the slightly uneasy gazes of the crowd:
"We already have such a deep cooperative relationship, and the Pale Wings have always been supporting our work in Effie."

Not to mention Isha's connection, in theory this deal shouldn't have any problems.

It stands to reason...

Upon hearing Cohen's words, subtle expressions appeared on the faces of the group.

We await Cohen's next turn of events.

Cohen glanced at the expressions on everyone's faces again and said softly:
"However... as allies, I must remind you of one thing."

Even with my orc army and divine equipment, the Pale Wings still have no chance of surviving the great turmoil to come!

Cohen's words immediately caused the atmosphere in the hall to become heavy.

The four representatives exchanged glances, secretly pondering the deeper meaning of Cohen's words.

Was it a startling statement made out of desperation to avoid cooperating with them, or was it a well-intentioned warning that foreshadowed future turmoil?

I thought about it for a long time but still couldn't figure it out.

Cohen didn't expect them to believe him. Although these four representatives held significant positions within their respective families, they clearly hadn't met Cohen's expectations. Simply put, they weren't qualified to know the true nature of the future.

Cooperation is definitely necessary. With so many forces, funds, and intelligence networks in the Pale Wings, cooperating with them can only benefit the future War of Nations.

You can talk to their clan chief, but these people can't make any decisions.

He took a sip of tea, stood up, and said to the four people:

"It's getting late. Since the four of you have already been instructed before you came, let's tell them what we said and let them make a decision."

Seeing that Cohen was unwilling to say more, the four representatives understood his implication, bowed to each other, and left the hall with heavy hearts.

After the four representatives left, only members of the Golden Wing family remained in the hall.

The atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Aziz, who had been silent all along, finally spoke slowly, saying:

“They had already put our Golden Wing family in a difficult position before you arrived. I told them some things that made them behave for the time being.”

Aziz's revelation was naturally referring to the letters he had just given to the four of them.

The letter contained a simple statement: the agreement between the Golden Wing family and Effie would be made together with the other four Wing families.

In other words, the Golden Wing family would not abandon the other four wings and board Effie's ship alone.

Cohen said with a smile:

“Even my father-in-law’s family is being targeted, so it’s understandable that they’re anxious.”

However, their assessment of the future was still too optimistic.

When that time comes, expecting an army to protect one's assets scattered across the continent is completely unrealistic.

Aziz nodded and said:
"I hope those four old friends can understand your implication."

Cohen said with a smile, "I have full confidence in them, and I estimate we can talk things over tomorrow."

The main purpose of Cohen's words today was to force out the patriarchs of the other four-winged families and to finalize the specific details of the cooperation with them face-to-face.

After discussing these matters, Cohen mentioned another purpose of his visit to the Golden Wing family:
"By the way, I need a certain number of legendary-level extraordinary individuals, preferably veteran legendary-level individuals, or those with a deep understanding of the rules."

Aziz asked:
"Approximately how much? Are you in a hurry?"

Cohen nodded and said:
"It's a bit urgent. I'm preparing to train participants for the Noble Martial Arts Festival."

Around five people, the more the better.

Aziz made a quick estimate and said:

"Okay, I'll get someone to help you when I get back."

With the matter settled, Cohen stopped talking and turned back to chat with the three women.

……

Since Cohen and Isabella hadn't actually become husband and wife, Cohen felt awkward about moving in with Isabella directly.

He stayed in a small villa in the northwest corner of the Golden Wing Mansion, which was specifically used to receive distinguished guests.

In the evening, Cohen and Isa's family had dinner and then went home to rest.

Isabella followed Cohen to the villa, and the two lingered for a while before she left with a hint of reluctance.

Cohen was about to rest when he heard a faint sound. He looked up and saw a stunningly beautiful figure appear in his room.

Upon seeing the person approaching, Cohen breathed a slight sigh of relief and said softly:

"Holy Maiden, is there something you want to tell me since you're up so late at night?"

Jialin stared at Cohen for a long time before slowly speaking:
"You didn't tell Isha about my situation, did you?"

Cohen raised an eyebrow and said:

"Is it about the Starburst Clan?"

No. "

Jialin sat down as if they were old friends, expertly poured a glass of water, and said:
"I came here for no other reason than to thank you."

The Starbringers are thriving in Ceylon, and the army you helped train is quite powerful.

If the future truly unfolds as you predicted, the Star Empire will surely be revived.

Cohen had originally planned to speak with Saint Jialin alone, as his proposed collaboration with the Four-Winged Family also involved the Star Clan.

Since the other party had taken the initiative to come, he decided to be frank and speak his mind:
"Auntie..."

"Don't call me aunt!"

Cohen paused for a moment, then tentatively said:

"Is it inappropriate for me to call them together with Isha?"

Jialin slightly furrowed her brows:

"Isha is Isha, and you are you."

"What custom does the Starburst Clan have where a holy son calls a holy daughter 'aunt'?"

Cohen hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Then should I just call you Jialin?"

"Whatever, just don't call me 'Auntie'."

Cohen continued from where he left off:

"You should have heard what I said to the other representatives of the four-winged families during the day today."

After they report today's events to their own families, the patriarch of the Four-Winged Family will definitely call me in for a face-to-face meeting.

My plan is to make them supporters of your Starburst Clan's restoration. What do you think?

A look of surprise appeared in Jia Lin's eyes:

"So that's what you're planning?"

However… not everyone is like you, so unconcerned about the reputation of colluding with the Starburst Clan.”

Cohen was confident about this, and said:
"Without revealing my Starburst Clan identity, I'll just say that a royal descendant wants to restore the kingdom."

"As long as I give them accurate information about the future changes on the mainland, they will understand the situation."

Jialin's brows furrowed even deeper:
"What royal descendants?"
Is it the same as the Kingdom of Ceylon?

Cohen said in a low voice:

"The Kingdom of Serene is now almost entirely controlled by the Black Tomb. I will take over this country sooner or later."

You can be a descendant of the royal family of this country.

In the future changes on the continent, a complete nation is the ticket to the game of the gods; without this ticket, one is not even qualified to enter the game.

Once the patriarch of the Four-Winged Clan realizes this, he will definitely grant the request.

Jialin was silent for a moment before saying:

"The patriarch of the Four-Winged Family is not a fool; they want to cooperate with you."

You've gone to great lengths to find help for this royal descendant; they'll definitely suspect your relationship with him.

At this point, Cohen looked somewhat embarrassed and said in a low voice:

"This is exactly what I wanted to discuss with you. I'm afraid you really will be appearing as my fiancée from now on..."

(End of this chapter)