Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 374 The Empress's Choice of a Consort!
The Southern Empire, with its capital at Whirlpool Fortress.

Emperor Wilson Alvis of the Southern Region sat on his throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

Listening to Edmund Dantès, a veteran intelligence officer of the Empire and director of the Southern Intelligence Bureau, report on the latest situation.

Edmund had thick black hair, a tall and straight figure, and sharp eyes like an eagle. He was Emperor Wilson's most trusted right-hand man.

When Wilson was still a prince, Edmund was already serving as an advisor in his palace, roughly similar to the relationship between Prince Chazor and Andrei.

"...In the Northwest Continent, the Kingdom of Ceylon has entered a truce period, and even the princess who restored the kingdom is preparing to participate in the Noble Martial Arts Festival."

Her aim was probably the divine favor she would receive after winning the title of strongest.

If she gains favor, many of the previously wavering factions within Ceylon will choose to join the side of the City of Crowns for their own benefit.

I believe many people can see this.

Surprisingly, King Gaius did not interfere in this matter at all.

The Central Empire, as the organizer, tacitly approved the participation of the Princess of Restoration.

My colleagues at the General Administration and I all believed that Gaius wanted to sabotage the competition while the princess was participating, perhaps through an accident or a mishap.

Emperor Wilson's eyes revealed no emotion. After a brief silence, he spoke:
"If you can't win on the battlefield, killing one princess will only result in another appearing."

Gaius couldn't understand this; Ceylon would change hands sooner or later.

As for the Central Empire, it was likely the elven queen of King Efein who orchestrated it.

Edmund bowed slightly and replied:

"Your Majesty is wise. Princess Windsor and the Winged Elves she represents are His Majesty Klein's strongest support."

A hint of seriousness appeared in Emperor Wilson's eyes as he asked:

"What's Effie up to lately?"

Edmund paused deliberately, his gaze subtly sweeping over the handsome man at the head of the officials, the First Prince Gregor.

Then he replied:
"Their king recently married a new queen, Isabella Winzer, the daughter of the Golden Wing family."

Upon hearing this, Greg's eyes flashed with deep anger, and he said coldly:
"Our businesses in the Northwest Continent have indeed been taken over by the Golden Wing family."

When Gregor led his army to intervene in the Ceylon civil war, he was outmaneuvered by the combined forces of Joren of the Central Empire, Prince Shazo of the Eastern Empire, and the Pirate King Yann Hughes.

Not only was the entire army wiped out, but the Southern Empire also lost all its industries in the Northwest Continent to the enemy.

Later, they heard that all of this was actually orchestrated by King Effie. The assets that Joren, Shazo, and Yaen had just acquired and hadn't even had a chance to enjoy were all snatched away by this king.

Greg later investigated and found that these businesses all belonged to the Golden Wing family. Now that the news of the marriage alliance has come out, everything makes perfect sense.

Edmund knew this was Gregor's sore spot; the eldest prince had never suffered such a blow or setback in his life.

It's one thing to be schemed against, but the person who schemed against him is also being schemed against.

After going through layers of nested dolls, he was the most pitiful, the most foolish, and the one who suffered the most heavy losses.

As the heir to one of the five great empires, this humiliation is something he will remember for the rest of his life.

Emperor Wilson glanced at Greg indifferently, and the latter immediately calmed down and his expression returned to normal.

Edmund secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

"The power behind Effie is already terrifying."

There are two oasis-level powers in the Lost Lands, the Winged Elves who can interfere with the emperor of the Central Empire, the Golden Wing Family who are the richest families on the continent, and the Cobalt Soul Academy, the inheritors of human civilization.

Not to mention he also possesses divine and demonic equipment, the secret to training an orc army, and what appears to be a long-distance spatial teleportation array...

The General Administration's recommendation is to upgrade Effie to a top-tier kingdom level and dispatch a professional intelligence team to Florence for round-the-clock observation and surveillance.

This long report is Edmund's main point.

He was reporting to his emperor, and at the same time, he was informing the imperial elites present.

Stop looking down on other countries with the superior mindset and perspective of the five great empires. The heavy losses suffered in Ceylon last time were a lesson learned.

Emperor Wilson answered almost without hesitation:

"Okay, I'll leave this to you. Go do it yourself."

"Yes."

Wilson paused for a moment, then asked:

"Has the information you reported earlier regarding the Merfolk and Tidefolk been confirmed?"

Edmund said in a deep voice:
"Yes, Your Majesty, it can be confirmed that the Tide Clan Chief Claire is indeed holding the long-lost divine artifact, the Trident of Poseidon!"

Wilson let out a barely perceptible sigh, then suppressed his emotions and said calmly:
"The previous sea queen was a mermaid who was made a god, so her inherited artifacts naturally favored her own people."

Fortunately, the situation is still under control; the Tideborn are not a particularly powerful race.

Let's put this matter aside for now, and avoid attracting the attention of others, especially the other empires.

Edmund replied:
"Understood... Oh, Your Majesty, there's one more small matter."

According to my informant within the Sea Clan, Chief Claire of the Tide Clan will be representing the Sea Clan to attend and observe this year's Noble Martial Arts Festival.

Could we take advantage of the fish coming ashore...?

A sinister glint appeared in Edmund's eyes.

Emperor Wilson frowned slightly and asked:

"Attend and observe the noble martial arts festival?"

Given her current status and abilities, she doesn't seem qualified.

Edmund's voice held a hint of something unsettling:
"Perhaps it's because of her reputation as the most beautiful woman among the sea tribe?"

The fact that Claire was reincarnated and rebuilt her life was not a secret among the sea creatures and the higher-ups of humanity.

Wilson looked slightly taken aback, then shook his head and said:
"Forget it, given Claire's personality, she definitely wouldn't carry a divine artifact like the Trident of Poseidon with her at all times."

"It's best not to cause trouble on the Central Empire's home turf."

Edmund dismissed the suggestion and went on to report the rest of the key intelligence.

For example, the contestants from the five great empires participating in this noble martial arts festival.

After Edmund finished reporting the intelligence, he withdrew on his own initiative.

Edmund's final report served as a prelude to the subsequent topics.

Emperor Wilson's gaze then fell upon the person standing next to the eldest prince, Greg, and his voice softened considerably:
"Prime Minister, have the participants for the Noble Martial Arts Festival been finalized?"

Imperial Chancellor Winston Smith bowed slightly and said:
"All ready. Here is the detailed list."

Wilson took the list, glanced at it briefly, then turned it face down on the table and slowly stood up.

His expression turned serious, and he addressed the crowd:

"There are some things I don't tell everyone because I don't want to cause them too much disturbance."

But now that things have come to this, I should reveal something to everyone.

Upon hearing His Majesty the Emperor's words, the officials' expressions turned solemn, and they listened intently to what Wilson would say next.

Emperor Wilson raised his voice:

"It is already certain that in the foreseeable two to three years, the entire continent, not just the central continent and the northwest continent in the narrow sense, but referring to our entire Demon Tide Continent main plane, will be affected."

They will all be plunged into unprecedented turmoil.

The specific reasons are still under investigation, but it is certain that this great upheaval will sweep across every country and every race in the main plane.

Forget about duchies and kingdoms; I can tell you definitively that even the five great empires could perish!

Don't forget, at its peak, the Arcane Empire was more powerful than the five great empires combined!
But now, it's still just ruins in the Lost Land!

Some of the officials present had already learned of the news through their own private channels, and none of them showed any particular emotion.

Most officials were hearing this earth-shattering news for the first time, and their faces showed shock and astonishment.

Without giving the officials time to process the news, Emperor Wilson continued:

"Therefore, the Noble Martial Arts Festival, which can determine the fate of the nation for the next ten years, is of paramount importance!"

In the past, the Central Empire and the Eastern Region Empire were always locked in fierce battles. This time, our Southern Region Empire can no longer stand by and watch.

Even if we can't win the title of strongest, we must still improve our ranking and try our best to stay in the top three.

Everyone's expression tightened, and they replied in unison:

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Wilson finally turned his gaze to his eldest son, Greg, and said in a deep voice:

"If you lose something, you can just take it back yourself."

With Xia Zuo and Qiao Lun's strength, they will also participate in the Gold Division of the Noble Martial Arts Festival this time.

This is the real contest that concerns the fate of the nation, understand?

Greg took a deep breath, his eyes rekindling with fighting spirit, and answered loudly:

"Yes, Father!"

……

On the Land of Dragons, Emperor Eberron of the Eastern Empire gazed at the twenty-four participants and alternates led by Xia Zuo in the martial arts arena, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. He said to Grace:

"Well done, thank you for your hard work these past few days."

Grace smiled and replied:
"It is my honor to share my father's burdens."

Princess Grace was in charge of organizing and selecting participants for the Eastern Empire's Noble Martial Arts Festival.

Emperor Eberron chuckled softly, his words carrying a deeper meaning:
"Is your fiancé, my good son-in-law, the Pirate King Yan Hughes, really unwilling to participate in the Noble Martial Arts Festival?"

This is a grand event for the entire human world, the most dazzling stage on the continent of Demon Tide.

Being able to showcase one's skills in this area would be far more prestigious than being the heir to the Pirate King.

Ever since Emperor Eberron began to doubt Cohen and Yarn's identities, Grace had deliberately avoided mentioning anything about Cohen in front of her father. At the same time, to avoid any awkwardness that occurred during her previous answer, Grace had anticipated many possible scenarios.

For example, the question Emperor Eberron just raised was also within Grace's expectations.

Emperor Eberron's question was actually a deeply hidden trap.

There seem to be many answers to this question.

For example, if Grace answered that she was not capable enough, did not want to stand out, or was unwilling to come because she had offended too many people, she would fall into the language trap carefully set by Eberron.

Because this is an answer from a human perspective.

In everyone's perception, Yaen is not human.

Therefore, this question may seem to have many answers, but in fact there is only one real answer.

After a moment's thought, Grace smiled and replied:

"Father, have you forgotten? Yaen is a descendant of demons. How could he appear on the stage of the noble martial arts festival where the gods celebrate their victory in the war between gods and demons?"

Emperor Eberron's eyes lit up with realization. He patted his forehead and said:

"I had completely forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it."

That's truly a pity; I won't be able to see my son-in-law shine on humanity's most glorious stage.

Grace suppressed her emotions, her voice tinged with shyness:
"Father, he is still just my fiancé."

Emperor Eberron smiled and decided not to set any more traps for his daughter.

He turned his gaze to the twenty-four contestants, led by Xia Zuo, and his voice became much colder and more stern:

"I have said many times about the importance of this Noble Martial Arts Festival. Every time you win a match, the fortune of the Eastern Empire will increase."

This time, I must suppress the Central Empire no matter what.

Furthermore, it's unusual for Heisenberg to bring out the Dragon Plane, which they've kept hidden for so long. Whether he did it to lure King Efein or for some other purpose, it's worth it.

Now that it's been taken out, there's no way they'll have a chance to take it back.

Understand? "

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

……

Compared to the grand oath-taking ceremonies of the Eastern and Southern Empires, the Western and Northern Empires were much more low-key.

However, the level of importance attached to it has also been raised to a very high level.

Every participant was personally entrusted and selected by His Majesty Emperor Abraham Cox.

His eldest son, Kinlunga Cox, who had met Cohen in the Kingdom of Ceylon, was determined to win the title of "Strongest Silver" this time.

Jinlunga perfectly awakened the Frost Giant bloodline inherited by the Northern Empire. Before Cohen became famous, Jinlunga was always a genius representative of fighting beyond his level.

He is also widely recognized as a battle maniac throughout the Northwest Continent.

This is also the greatest hope for the entire Northern Empire. The Northern Empire relies on Jinlunjia to compete for the "Strongest Silver" title to help them improve their ranking.

A strong fighting spirit surfaced in Jinlunjia's eyes.

Without a doubt, in the past five years, King Effie, Cohen Corleone, has been the most prominent young man in the entire Magic Tide Continent.

Putting aside his many extraordinary and legendary deeds, he not only had the most beautiful woman on the continent as his queen, but also married the candidate for the Elf Queen and the daughter of the Golden Wing as his consorts.

This unparalleled good fortune alone is enough to make Cohen the public enemy of all young men on the continent.

On the arena of the Noble Martial Arts Festival, no orc legions, sub-dimensional escape techniques, or profound stratagems are of any use; only fists matter.

It's hard to say how many of the participants in this Noble Martial Arts Festival are aiming to defeat Cohen, but Jinlunga probably has quite a few.

Although he was a cultivation fanatic, he wasn't particularly interested in beautiful women.

But that doesn't stop him from writing his own legend on the stage under the spotlight, stepping on such a prodigy!
……

Unlike the rest of the continent, who were busy preparing for the Noble Martial Arts Festival, the Central Empire, as the host, was holding an extremely important imperial conference that had little to do with this grand event.

Its extreme importance can be seen from the number of participants in this imperial council meeting.

Inside the magnificent palace, atop the dome, a dazzling twelve-tiered circular crystal chandelier, symbolizing the twelve administrative districts of the empire, shines brilliantly.

The lights shone on Empress Shanes Klein, who sat in the center, as if a goddess had descended.

This prompted many people to secretly sigh that if the Empress hadn't been so young back then, and hadn't been dealt with so badly by Adeline, the title of the most beautiful woman on the continent would never have belonged to Adeline.

Empress Shanes Klein sat enthroned on the main throne.

To his left sat an elderly man with prominent cheekbones, Prince Atreides Klein.

He was the uncle of the previous emperor and a grandfather-level elder to Her Majesty the Empress.

Behind Prince Atreides sat the direct descendants of the Klein royal family, arranged in neat rows.

Seated next to Prince Atreides was Prince Heinz Klein, the Imperial Minister of Military Affairs, who was also a member of the Klein royal family but represented the Imperial military.

Prince Heinz was backed by the military leadership, including the Chief of the Imperial Army General Staff, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, and the commanders of the major military districts.

Seated to Xenise's right was Heisenberg Wertheimer, the chief of the Imperial House of Nobles, who held the reins of the entire empire and had once conspired with the Lord of Hell to assassinate the emperor.

Behind Chief Heisenberg naturally sat the chairpersons and presidents of the various committees of both houses of the House of Peers, such as the chairman of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the First Grand Duke of the Continent, and the chairman of the Education Committee, Fyodor, the principal of St. Glory Academy.

Seated next to Heisenberg was Reich Chancellor Hayes Glenn, with the cabinet members sitting behind him.

Winsard's father, Beren Windrunner, the Imperial Minister of Foreign Affairs, was among those listed.

Besides the four core groups—the royal family, the House of Nobility, the military, and the cabinet—to the left of where everyone was gathered, there was a long, circular table made of several rare obsidian meteorites.

The long table was empty, but there were an unknown number of bronze chairs on it, each with a pattern resembling a palace carved on its back.

Each palace is also different.

Anyone with a little knowledge can see that each palace pattern here represents a temple, representing the pinnacle of human transcendence—a saint!
Although none of the saints from the Holy Temple showed up, the fact that this table was placed here meant that the saints were also paying attention to this imperial council meeting.

A careful observer will notice that each chair carries a faint, ethereal aura.

The convening of this imperial council was entirely impromptu, and the root of the idea lay in a single sentence uttered by Her Majesty the Empress.

The "stubborn" and "unyielding" Empress Shanis Klein finally relented and agreed to discuss her marriage and decide on her consort.

This news shocked all factions within the empire's upper echelons.

Aside from the sentiment that Her Majesty the Empress had finally agreed to leave a bloodline heir for the Central Empire, the main reason for the sentiment stemmed from concern for the selection of the Empress.

The title of "Emperor's Consort" signifies that the Empress is her other half, that she can share power with the Empress, and that she can interfere with the Empress's decisions.

This means greater benefits.

There is no reason for any party to give up such a good opportunity.

The day after Her Majesty the Empress relented, various factions sent over their carefully selected candidates.

This imperial council meeting is the one where everyone discusses the final selection of the emperor's consort.

However, it ultimately depends on Her Majesty the Empress's personal wishes.

Otherwise, even if they forced a consort on the Empress, he would most likely be treated as a puppet and would not gain any benefits.

As a representative of the royal family and a senior member of the clan, Prince Atreides was undoubtedly the host of this "husband selection event," both in public and private matters.

In front of him was a stack of documents, all of which were candidates recommended by various factions in the past few days.

Initially, there were several times more recommendations than this, but after rigorous screening and selection by everyone, only a dozen or so people remained.

His appearance, talent, family background, and personal abilities are all exceptional.

There is no doubt that the information on Joelen Wertheimer, the chief's nephew, is among them.

Although after a series of failures, Joren's impression score in the Empress's eyes was basically zero, but who could blame him for having a good uncle?

Out of respect for Chief Heisenberg, when discussing the final list, everyone still allowed Joren to retain a glimmer of hope.

What if Her Majesty the Empress suddenly changes her mind and is willing to become part of the Noble House?
Although this list has already been carefully selected by everyone, it still needs to be carefully reviewed at the final decision-making meeting.

Prince Atreides then briefed everyone on the detailed information of these individuals.

As the companion of His Majesty the Emperor of the most powerful empire in humankind, I cannot afford to make the slightest mistake.

In particular, one's family background must be clean.

The saints on the left, who were observing the meeting, would also make deductions and verifications based on the information reported by Prince Atreides.

Atreides' voice was slow and deliberate, echoing throughout the spacious hall.

After each person's information was read out, everyone would turn their attention to Her Majesty the Empress, trying to discern her preferences from her expression.

As time went on, Atreides had very little information left.

Her Majesty the Empress still did not show any particular emotion.

However, the more important the person, the more likely they are to be the last one standing out.

At this moment, Atreides had just finished reading Joren's information, and there was only one copy of the information left in his hand.

After reading Joren's name, everyone looked at Shanes, especially Heisenberg.

Before Joren's repeated failures, he had always been the most popular choice for the Queen.

Unfortunately to Heisenberg's disappointment, Her Majesty the Empress's expression did not change.

Prince Atreides deliberately waited a moment before continuing to read the information of the last person:
"Count Casimir August."

Twenty-five years old, peak sixth rank, "War Domain" priest.

He is proficient in ancient rune forging techniques and adept at instantly predicting battle situations by observing celestial phenomena and terrain.

He is currently a colonel and regimental commander of the Northern Army Group of the military, and once won first place in the Imperial North-South Joint Military Exercise.

With equally outstanding individual combat skills, he will represent the Imperial Silver Group in this Noble Martial Arts Festival and is a seeded contender for the strongest Silver Group.

The eldest son of Cassio August, the Iron-Blooded Duke who commanded the Northern Allied Army of the Empire and ended the century-long barbarian war on the border.

(End of this chapter)