Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 372 Claire: You want me to be your queen again, don't you?
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Chief Cassius of the Darkwing Clan gave Cohen a deep look and asked:

"The country you're talking about isn't Effie, is it?"

Do you know how big the Pale Wings are?
The mere Effie... it would be difficult enough to contain even one Golden Wing family, let alone the other four-wing families.

Even if we wanted to relocate, you'd need that much land!

Cohen smiled slightly and said:

"Chief Cassius is right. With Effie's current size, it is indeed difficult."

So I wasn't referring to Efein, but rather... the Kingdom of Ceylon and the Kingdom of Serene!

Unsurprisingly, Cohen's words once again caused a moment of silence in the meeting room.

After a brief exchange of glances among the four, the Purple Wing Clan Chief Fei Jin spoke up and asked:
“I can understand the Kingdom of Ceylon, but that princess was supported by you, wasn’t she?”

Cohen smiled and said:

"Saying 'support' is too harsh. Princess Freya and I have a very good working relationship."

We share a deep friendship.

A deep friendship, plus the fact that everyone had heard that this princess who was restoring the kingdom was also young and beautiful, combined with Cohen's consistent character.

The four of them almost immediately understood the true relationship between the two.

After a pause, Chief Fei Jin continued, "..."

"Your princess hasn't fully succeeded yet, not to mention what the Kingdom of Serene means by this."
Could it be that you've also formed a partnership with the Kingdom of Serene?

As far as I know, the Kingdom of Serene doesn't seem to have a princess of suitable age for you..."

Cohen's face darkened. When did his reputation become so bad?

Before he could refute, Chief Cassius of the Darkwing Clan continued from Fagin's words:

"Last time you exposed Prince Thran's identity at the Northwest Regional Exchange Meeting, Thranne has now been reduced to a vassal state of the Black Tomb."

"The Black Tomb is our mortal enemy, how could we possibly choose them?"

Cohen coughed lightly, looked at the four of them, and said slowly:
“The Kingdom of Serene is not limited to Prince Nairn’s bloodline.”

The four of them were deep in thought, secretly trying to decipher the meaning behind Cohen's words.

Based on what I just said, it's clear that Cohen wants to replicate his success in Ceylon.

The four were quickly tempted; if they could really take this opportunity to overthrow the existing regime of the Kingdom of Serene.

Not only can it severely damage the Black Tomb's power, but it can also provide a place for oneself to live in the future.

A whole Serene plus half of Ceylon would be enough to house their four families.

Moreover, as kingdoms, both Ceylon and Serene have countless vassal states.

When great turmoil occurs, these small countries will naturally and easily become provinces and counties of the kingdom.

For example, the former Duchy of Silverfrost and Duchy of Saint Oak would immediately become the provinces of Silverfrost and Saint Oak of Effie once war broke out.

After a long silence, the White Orchid Clan Chief of Bloodwing asked:

"Can you find another royal bloodline?"

Cohen smiled slightly and pointed to his aunt, Jialin, who had been silent all along.

The four clan leaders were taken aback.

Bai Lan turned her gaze to Jia Lin and asked:
"Does Saint Garlin know where the royal bloodline of Serene is?"

Jialin's lips moved slightly, and she said softly:
"Lady's mother adopted me from the Kingdom of Serene."

The four clan leaders were stunned. After they understood the meaning behind Jia Lin's words, they all showed expressions of astonishment.

They all looked toward Aziz, who was sitting in the first seat.

Aziz nodded slowly:
"It was only recently confirmed, and speaking of which... we have to thank Cohen for it."

Cohen smiled and recited his fabricated story to the four clan leaders.

The four people had different expressions after hearing this.

Clarissa, the patriarch of the Silverwing family, stared at Cohen in astonishment and blurted out:

"Isa is your fiancée, and so is Garline. They're even a generation apart... and you two..."

Cohen choked on his chest, coughed a few times, and said:
"She's just my fiancée in name only."

Chief Clarissa, let's get down to business.

Aziz also changed the subject:
"What do the four clan leaders think of Cohen's idea?"
If we can truly help Jialin successfully restore her kingdom, we will have a foothold in the great turmoil to come, and we will also have a ticket to participate in the struggle among the gods.

The four clan leaders were already somewhat tempted, and now, upon hearing that the bloodline of the Kingdom of Serene was actually that of the Pale Wings' own people, they became even more convinced.

After the four exchanged words for a while, Fei Jin, the patriarch of the Purple Wing Clan, said slowly:
"Then it's settled. From this day forward, we, the Pale Wings, will be His Majesty Corleone's most steadfast allies!"

Cohen secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally managed to get the Pale Wings on board completely.

With the help of the most powerful business alliance on the continent, at least we have no worries about funding.

Many expensive plans and decisions can then be implemented quickly.

Cohen suppressed his thoughts and said in a deep voice:
"In that case, please have the four clan leaders return and do as I said before."

Sell ​​off as many fixed assets as possible, except for those in the Northwest Continent, while simultaneously shrinking your power base and reducing personnel.

Use all the funds to purchase necessary military strategic materials. I will make a list later, and I ask the four clan leaders to purchase as many items as possible from this list.

These will be highly sought-after and scarce resources in the great upheaval to come. As far as I know, the five great empires have already begun preparations in secret, and we must hurry."

The clan leaders looked solemn; they dared not be careless in the slightest when it came to matters concerning the life and death of their clans.

Having outlined the general direction, Cohen began to develop targeted policies for each family.

Time waits for no one, so we must make the most of every bit of our strength.

Especially after learning about the secret plans of the fifty-eight demon god Ami and the sixty-two demon god Valak on the continent, Cohen felt even more pressure.

Cohen looked at Bai Lan, the patriarch of the Bloodwing Clan, who was closest to him:
"The Bloodwing Clan has always been in charge of mercenary business across the continent and has always held a dominant position in the mercenary industry."

Chief Bailan is requested to secretly gather mercenaries worthy of training and provide them with a certain degree of military-style training, as our reserve force.

Once a war of annihilation ensues, the main force will still be the "conventional" army.

Elite-level or higher troops can only be used as the key to turning the tide of battle. Large tracts of land and territory can only be conquered by "conventional" troops that are easy to assemble and who can establish an absolute numerical advantage.

Cohen couldn't equip every soldier in Effie with divine and magical equipment; he also needed a large number of ordinary soldiers to expand his territory.

The mercenary group consists mostly of retired soldiers and some strong and healthy adventurers, making them perfect for expanding the manpower pool.

Bai Lan replied in a deep voice:

"No problem, I'll arrange it as soon as I get back."

Cohen then looked at Cassius, the patriarch of the Darkwing family, and said softly:
"If Chief Cassius doesn't mind, he can merge his family's manpower with my military intelligence."

"Integrate your family's personnel into the Military Intelligence Bureau system and establish unified operational standards."

In essence, the business handled by the Darkwing family overlaps significantly with that of the Black Tomb, mostly involving intelligence gathering, assassinations, covert operations, and smuggling on the black market.

This is a good supplement to the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Cassius pondered for a moment, then made a request:
I don't have a daughter.

Gabriel is my most valued son, a ninth-tier Shadow Assassin. He will be representing the Central Empire in the Gold Division competition at this Noble Martial Arts Festival.

Cohen's lips twitched slightly, understanding what Chief Cassius meant, but his opening statement, "I have no daughter," seemed somewhat superfluous.

He composed himself and replied:

"The deputy director of the Military Intelligence Bureau concurrently serves as the director of the Operations Division."

Responsible for commanding and planning covert operations and special military missions.

What do you think of this position?

The original head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Operations Department was Major General Basil Burton, the vice principal of the King's Military Academy. Basil provided a great deal of support and assistance in the early stages of establishing the Military Intelligence Bureau.

However, his level is too low; he is only a sixth-order transcendent.

Planning special operations within Effie's home country wasn't a big problem, but once he went abroad, he clearly found himself lacking the energy to do so.

If one doesn't reach that extraordinary level, planning and strategizing will lack an understanding of those extraordinary individuals at that level, which can easily lead to problems.

Moreover, its own level is low and it lacks deterrent power.

Cohen planned to take this opportunity to transfer him to the training department as director, which would also make use of his previous experience as a military academy principal.

Cassius had heard of the intelligence agency under Effie's command, and the fact that they were offering him such a position was enough to show their sincerity.

He didn't say anything else, which was considered an acceptance of Cohen's arrangement.

Cohen then looked at the patriarch of the Silverwing family.

The Silverwing family primarily controls the trade in rare art and luxury goods, similar to Grace's "Flaming Lips" trading company.

It is the core of financial and aristocratic social networks, possessing extensive connections within high-level social circles.

Cohen said slowly:

"Once the great upheaval begins, the so-called luxury goods and works of art will immediately be greatly discounted."

My suggestion is that the Silverwing family should quickly monetize these artworks and convert them into hard currencies such as gold and magic crystals.

Grace's fiery red lips have already begun this work; Chief Clarissa can cooperate with Her Highness the Princess.

"Yes, I own half of the shares in 'Flaming Lips,' and Grace and I basically have the power to decide its development direction."

Clarissa gave Cohen a deep look before replying:
"no problem."

Among the five-winged families of the Pale Wings, the Purple Wings family is second only to the Gold Wings family in strength.

It dominates the trade of magical materials and the alchemy industry across the continent, and more importantly, it possesses a vast commercial logistics network.

Needless to say, magical materials become hard currency during wartime.

As for commercial logistics networks, in times of war, these networks become detailed military intelligence and advance routes.

Ensure the rapid flow of resources even during wartime blockades.

Cohen hopes that the Purple Wing family can start now to establish a "wartime emergency channel" between countries and continents.

He explained his general idea to Chief Fagin, and Fagin's face clearly showed interest.

Several other clan leaders also got involved, and they quickly came up with a general plan.

With the matter largely settled, Aziz rose to deliver his final closing remarks:

"Old friends, three thousand years ago our ancestors started as small vendors going from street to street."

It has developed into a commercial empire that dominates the mainland.

We now possess resources and power countless times greater than our ancestors. I firmly believe that we will overcome this challenge once again, and that the Pale Wings will forever soar over the human continent!

...Florence, the Royal Palace, the King's Office.

Hermann reported to Cohen on the participants of the newly selected "All Nations Nobles Martial Arts Festival".

Aside from Belmody and Prince Haug, the other three members of the Legendary Group were action specialists who had gained further insights under the pressure of the domain of high-ranking legendary superhumans sent by the Golden Wing family.

The only spot in the main draw of the Gold Group belongs to Sancho, with Sylvia as a substitute.

Apart from Cohen and Asuna, the other three main players and one reserve in the Silver Group all came through the preliminary rounds.

Although Cohen gave commoners a fair chance to compete, nobles still had a greater advantage in the Silver rank.

All four spots were monopolized by the noble sons of Effie.

There's no way around it; the gap is just too big. It's still too difficult for an ordinary person to cultivate to the peak of the sixth rank before the age of thirty.

However, in the Bronze group, which has relatively lower requirements, all the spots except for Nephthys were taken by ordinary players.

Cohen placed the list on the table and said:
"Just as I said before, all these commoners will be granted noble titles."

If one can achieve a top-100 ranking in the Noble Martial Arts Festival, their noble rank will be raised by one level.

Hermann answered in response.

After dealing with the list, Cohen asked:
"How's the collaboration with the Pale Wings going?"

Hermann answered fluently:
"It's ideal."

Princess Isabella personally oversaw this matter, and there were almost no disagreements between the two sides.

With the addition of the Darkwing family, our Military Intelligence Bureau's strength across the continent has more than doubled.

"For small countries like the Duchy of Silverfrost and the Duchy of Saint Oak, our military intelligence network is more than capable of orchestrating a coup."

Cohen also seemed very excited, saying:
"Alright, let them continue to develop, and try to get the Military Intelligence Bureau's agents to infiltrate the military departments of various countries."

Especially the Kingdom of Ceylon and the Kingdom of Serene.

The situation in Ceylon has basically stabilized, and the Kingdom of Serene is our next target.

The entire country of Serene is now under the control of the Black Tomb.

There will inevitably be conflicts and contradictions between the native nobles and forces of Serene and the Black Tomb.

We should make good use of these conflicts.

Another key factor is people. Success depends on people, and so does failure.

Wherever there are people, there will be loopholes.

I have a preliminary idea to establish a dedicated public relations department under the Operations Department.

This department has no other task but spending money!
They bribed, corrupted, and tempted key figures and departments of the enemy forces.

Don't be afraid to waste money; even if you have to throw mountains of gold at it, you have to break through my defenses.

Hermann's eyes lit up, and after a moment's thought, he replied:
"A dedicated public relations department...The Military Intelligence Bureau used similar methods when recruiting intelligence agents before."

However, due to budget and funding constraints, we couldn't go that far.

Cohen said:

"There's no need to worry about funding."

The largest commercial alliance on the human continent is behind us; we can have as much money as we want.

In addition, when developing, we should not focus on the big picture and neglect the small details; sometimes, even junior staff members in some departments can play a significant role.

We'll spare no expense if it's valuable.

Pale Wings is currently secretly raising funds and selling off assets.

We can take advantage of this opportunity.

The assets of the Pale Wings are highly sought after throughout the continent, and can be sold at low prices to 'important people'.

Once they take it the first time, they'll take it again. After a while, even if they don't want to, they'll have to get on our ship.

Once you're on our ship, getting off won't be so easy!

Hermann's eyes lit up with admiration, and he answered loudly:

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. I will expedite the implementation of this matter."

Let's try to come up with a feasible plan tonight.

Cohen trusted Herman's abilities, and after thinking for a moment, added another instruction:
"By the way, demons are quite familiar with corruption and depravity."

Send a message to the Southern Military Intelligence Station, asking Gilworth to return to headquarters.

I plan to put Gilliesworth in charge of this department.

Hermann nodded in reply:
"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, why don't you just give this department a name?"

After a brief moment of thought, Cohen said:
"Let's call it the Public Relations and Coordination Department!"

After imitating the stories of "Liu Bang and Chen Ping," Cohen was preparing to sneak off to visit the Queen's office.

If she's not too busy with official duties, she can do some light exercise.

Just as he was about to leave, his expression changed, and he took out a golden scale from the Heart of Eternity.

A faint magical fluctuation emanated from the scales. Feeling a bit guilty, Cohen looked around and told the guards outside the door to stay away for the time being.

Then, she softly chanted a spell, and the scales emitted a golden light, transforming into a stunningly beautiful figure in the space in front of her.

Cohen hadn't contacted Claire in a long time and knew that the most beautiful woman in the sea tribe must be full of resentment.

So he took the initiative to speak, his voice magnetic yet gentle:

"How have you been lately? I've been busy with the Noble Martial Arts Festival these past few days."

I keep thinking of contacting you, but I keep forgetting.

Claire was initially annoyed, thinking that after all, they had been through life and death together, and now she had stolen her first kiss.

Aside from helping me inquire about the Southern Empire last time, they haven't contacted me proactively even once in all this time.

Then why would I give you the scales?
Claire had originally intended to confront them.

But upon hearing Cohen's words, his mind wandered somewhat, and suppressing his emotions, his voice remained rather cold:
"Yes, you are a very busy person, unlike me, who is just the chief of a small clan and is nothing in your eyes."

I heard you just married the daughter of the Golden Wing as your queen. Congratulations!

Cohen inwardly groaned, but after some gentle and soothing words, he finally managed to calm the most beautiful woman in the sea tribe down.

He breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious, feeling that it was even more tiring than fighting a peak Gold-rank opponent.

Claire, now appeased, got down to business:
"So, are you going to the Central Empire to participate in the Noble Martial Arts Festival?"

Cohen replied:

"Yes, does the clan leader also want to participate?"

Claire rolled her eyes at Cohen and said:

"I am a sea creature, how could I possibly participate in your human martial arts festival?"

Cohen thought to himself, "Windsor is still an elf, but she still participated, didn't she?"
Seeing Cohen's gaze, Claire immediately realized what was happening and spat lightly:
"Stop! Don't even think about making me enter the palace to become your queen."

"I am destined to unify the sea tribes and become the Queen of the Seas. You're more suited to be my empress."

Cohen's lips twitched, and he casually changed the subject:
"The Noble Martial Arts Festival is a major event on the continent. The Sea Clan always sends representatives to attend. Will the clan leader come to watch the competition this year?"

This was exactly what Claire wanted to say. The Sea Clan Alliance had recently sent word that they hoped Claire would attend the Human Noble Martial Arts Festival as a representative of the Sea Clan.

With the current strength of the Tide Clan, they are naturally not qualified. The reason why the Sea Clan Alliance sent Claire is mostly because of her reputation as the number one beauty of the Sea Clan.

She raised an eyebrow and said:

"Yes, I have just received a notification that I will be departing around next month."

However, I wasn't very familiar with the sea creatures traveling with me.

The journey from the South China Sea to the Central Continent spans almost half of the Demon Tide Continent, making the travel time extremely difficult to pass.

Now that things have come to this point, Cohen clearly understands what Claire means.

He hesitated slightly, then asked knowingly:
"Does the clan leader intend to travel with us to the Central Empire?"

Claire's eyes flashed slightly fierce as she stared at Cohen:

"What's wrong, Your Majesty Corleone? Is there something troubling you?"

She assumed that Cohen would readily agree to accompany her, given that she was such a beautiful woman.

Seeing that Claire was about to lose her temper, Cohen coughed lightly and quickly tried to salvage the situation:
"No, that's not it. I also really hope to travel with the clan chief."

"But we're about to set off, and the clan leader is still far away in the South China Sea. I'm afraid we won't have enough time..."

Claire's lips curled into a faint smile as she spoke softly:
"I have arrived at the port of your Emerald Harbor!"

Cohen was immediately taken aback and blurted out:

"You...you've already arrived in Effie?"

Claire chuckled softly:

"I know you're pleasantly surprised, no need to say anything."

"Send someone to pick me up immediately! I'm on the Pale Wings merchant ship!"

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Cohen's face was slightly pale, and Claire came over without saying a word.

I wonder what the Queen will think.

This looks more like a woman chasing after her husband from afar.

Cohen took a deep breath, his face solemn, and went first to the Queen's sister's office.

With assistants like Windsordler, Isabella, Melantha, and Asuna, Adel has been quite relaxed lately.

When Cohen arrived, Adele was reading books on magic arrays, researching her hobbies.

Seeing Cohen arrive, Adele's eyes showed a hint of helplessness as she said:

"You need to be moderate in this kind of thing. I don't care what you do at night, but can you control your desires during the day?"

Cohen's lips twitched slightly; he never expected that he would be seen this way by his sister, the Queen.

With a soft sigh, Cohen walked up to Adele, carefully considered his words, and began:

"Sis, I have something to report to you!"

(End of this chapter)