Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

The imperial scepter hanging from Shanis's waist glowed with a dark red blood-red light, perfectly blending her graceful figure with her iron-blooded aura.

She stretched out her slender hand, grasped the scepter, and gently touched the ground, producing a crisp sound.

The huge banquet hall fell silent after the noise.

Representatives from various countries held their breath in unison, inspiring a sense of awe and reverence.

Cohen gazed at Her Majesty the Empress in the light and shadow, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

This is the truest side of Shanies Klein—the supreme emperor of the most powerful empire in human history.

She didn't seem to be sitting on a throne; rather, it was as if the throne itself bowed down to receive her glory.

Shanis walked to the throne, turned to face the crowd, gently touched her scepter, her golden eyes swept across the hall, and her deep, magnetic voice echoed:

"Your presence adds immeasurable glory to this once-a-decade event."

In the name of the Central Empire, I, the Emperor, welcome you all to the Palace of Constantine!

Porcelain-white fingertips glide across the scepter, causing the tip of the scepter to gleam with golden light resembling rose patterns.

Shanis raised her scepter and pointed it out, and a golden column rose up in front of each representative's seat.

A transparent light shield covered the cylindrical platform, through which one could see various colored magic crystals placed on it. After a brief moment of perception, everyone's faces showed shock.

Top-grade magic crystal!

One of each type of top-grade magic crystal with various attributes was placed in front of each participant.

Even Cohen was deeply shocked. As expected of the world's number one superpower, they were truly wealthy and powerful.

Shanis's voice continued:

"These small gifts are a way of providing logistical support for all the participants."

This aristocratic martial arts festival will not discuss border disputes or the continental situation; we only hope that everyone's swordsmanship and wisdom will shine brightly during the festival!

After the opening remarks, Shanis waved gently, signaling the official start of the banquet.

So many representatives came here today not just for a meal.

The main thing is to wait for Her Majesty the Empress to announce her choice of Empress.

The identity of Her Majesty the Empress of the Central Empire as a consort is definitely a matter worthy of attention from all countries.

Without keeping her in suspense, Shanes waved gently in one direction, and Prince Atreides, an elder of the Klein royal family, came forward holding a marriage certificate.

Place the marriage certificate on the high platform in front of Her Majesty the Empress, and then cast an "illusion spell" on it.

The marriage certificate was projected as a giant phantom in the air, with every detail and word magnified.

Immediately, countless eyes turned to the marriage certificate.

Soon everyone noticed something unusual about the marriage certificate: the groom's name had been covered up.

And the method of concealment...

The other four great empires all had saints among them, and they almost immediately determined the source of this power.

God!

Could Her Majesty the Empress's fiancé be a deity?
More importantly, people noticed the date on the marriage certificate, which was over ten years ago.

At that time, Her Majesty the Empress had not yet ascended the throne!

But what's the point of presenting a marriage contract without the man's identity?

Just when everyone thought that Her Majesty the Empress was deliberately playing a trick on them, Prince Atreides spoke up:

"Please enjoy the banquet, everyone. The power here will soon dissipate, and when the time comes, you will all see the true identity of the Imperial Consort!"

Seeing that Prince Atreides had said this, no one dared to press him further, and the banquet officially began.

However, before we begin, we must first take away the gifts that Her Majesty the Empress has given to everyone.

"Hey, this light shield also has a protective magic array set up, how do we remove it?"

There are many similar questions.

When everyone was about to take the gifts that Her Majesty the Empress had given them, they discovered that the light shield on the cylindrical platform was not so easy to break.

Soon, the attendants and ladies-in-waiting offered a solution:
"The top-grade magic crystals are strictly distributed according to the participants. Each participant can open the light shield by inputting their soul power."

All the participants followed the instructions and successfully opened the magic circle.

Cohen had no doubts and channeled his soul power to activate the light barrier.

In a side hall of the banquet hall, representatives from the four powers of the Central Empire—the royal family, the military, the cabinet, and the House of Nobles—were watching the every move of the people in the banquet hall.

Beneath the banquet hall floor, each of the rising daisies was connected to a giant magical circuit.

Whenever someone inputs a wisp of soul power, that soul power travels along the magic circuit to the high platform where the marriage certificate is placed.

One by one, streams of soul power were channeled into the marriage certificate, and everyone's gaze swept over these representatives.

As time went on, more and more participants were eliminated.

Not long after, Cohen infused his soul power and took away the top-grade magic crystal.

Suddenly, the marriage certificate shone with a dazzling light, and the phantom floating in the air also began to brighten.

The people in the side hall who were watching the commotion were all taken aback, and then looked at the marriage certificate floating in the air.

The participants from various countries attending the banquet clearly noticed the significant fluctuations and, recalling what Prince Atreides had said earlier, immediately realized that the concealing power of the marriage certificate was beginning to dissipate.

In an instant, countless gazes filled with various emotions were cast upon the marriage certificate.

Cohen also raised his gaze, watching with interest the swirling magic on the marriage certificate, awaiting the announcement of the Empress Consort of the Central Empire.

On the high platform, the parchment scroll inscribed with the marriage contract shook violently, and the divine seal covering the groom's name trembled violently like ice crystals exposed to fire.

Dark red rose patterns suddenly bloomed from the edge of the marriage certificate, tearing a crack in the mist that concealed the names.

As a result, the wedding certificate projection suspended in the air began to distort and deform, and the originally covered text was reassembled in the void like molten gold.

Representatives from various countries stood up simultaneously, their eyes wide, staring intently at the changing text.

Finally, the mystery surrounding the marriage certificate was completely dispelled.

The five clear characters “Cohen Corleone” solidified in the projection.

In an instant, the banquet hall fell into a deathly silence.

Immediately afterwards, the entire banquet hall erupted in cheers.

Cohen, who was watching the show, froze, his eyes widening in astonishment as he stared at his own name, frozen in place like a statue.

What is Shanis doing?
play me?
This joke is way too much.

Before he could even ask Xenias, countless gazes filled with a variety of emotions shot towards him like sharp arrows.

Cohen was certain that if looks could kill, he would never have left the banquet hall alive today.

Asuna, standing behind him, said blankly:
"You...when did you get involved with Her Majesty the Empress?"
Windsor, do you know?

Windsordale slowly savored the dessert in front of him and said:

"I guess I had a feeling about it. After all, no beautiful unmarried woman who has been in contact with your emperor has ever escaped his clutches."

Melanie stabbed the steak in front of her with her knife and fork, her voice filled with undisguised resentment:

"It's one thing to sleep with women, but to keep it so secret is another. Judging from the way he looks, it's like this is the first time he's found out."

Cohen's lips twitched slightly; he really wanted to reply, "I just found out."

Suddenly, he remembered a story that Archduke Roland had once told him.

Grand Duke Roland had told him that his mother had once arranged a fiancée for him. Could it be...?

No way! This is Her Majesty the Empress of the Central Empire! How could my mother possibly have the ability to find such a powerful wife for me?
Cohen felt like his head was about to explode. He really wanted to rush up and have a serious talk with Shanies about what was going on with this engagement.

The representatives from various countries in the banquet hall were already in chaos, and the entire hall was in an uproar.

No one expected that the fiancé of the Empress of the Central Empire would actually be the king of a small country.

Even though this king has been very powerful in recent years, he is ultimately just hiding in a corner of the northwestern continent.

The five great empires, not to mention their emperors, have always arranged marriages between their royal family members and the kings of their kingdoms or princes of their empires.

Not to mention that King Efein already had a queen and more than one princess.

The shock and astonishment this event brought to everyone was immense.

This is even more exaggerated than the fall of Cohen, the design saint, at the Northwest Regional Exchange Conference three years ago.

Moreover, this marriage agreement was made more than ten years ago.

Back then, Effie's status and fame were much lower than they are now, and Cohen was just a prince who had only been born a few years earlier.

Everyone simply couldn't understand why a princess of the high and mighty Central Empire would have such a connection with a prince of an obscure little kingdom in the Northwest Continent.

Standing directly in front of the marriage certificate, Prince Atreides, a member of the Klein royal family, staggered back half a step.

The ornate cloak swept over the champagne tower that the waiter behind her was carrying.

His cloudy pupils trembled as he stared at the marriage contract he had personally handed over, his heart churning with turmoil.

He could hardly believe that the woman he and Prince Heinz had helped to the throne would choose such a man as the future consort of the empire!

……

In a side hall of the banquet hall, aged fingers suddenly crushed a crystal wine glass, and dark red wine dripped from the fingers of Heisenberg Wertheimer, the First Lord of the House of Nobles, onto the carpet.

Standing behind him, Qiao Lun stared blankly at the name floating in the air, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, but he couldn't utter a sound, as if an invisible force was choking him.

The composure that Chief Heisenberg had cultivated over decades of political maneuvering crumbled at this moment—King Eifine, who had repeatedly disrupted the House of Nobles' plans, was actually Her Majesty the Empress's most deeply hidden pawn.

Chief Heisenberg did not believe for a second that Her Majesty the Empress would not know the true identity of her fiancé.

No wonder Her Majesty the Empress ignored Effie's repeated provocations against the dignity of the Central Empire.

So this bastard king is actually Her Majesty the Empress's fiancé?
If it weren't for the fact that the divine and demonic equipment in Cohen's possession was different from that of the Central Empire, he would have suspected that Effie's rapid progress in recent years was all due to the Empress's support.

However, even if the other party was not supported by Her Majesty the Empress, this marriage contract alone is enough to prove that the relationship between the two is not ordinary.

"If the Crown Prince is King Effie, then what is the significance of the marriage alliance with Windsordler?"
A ruler and his subjects both serve the same person?
Who exactly is this Cohen?

Could he really be the illegitimate son of some deity?

After holding it in for a long time, Qiao Lun finally managed to utter this angry remark in a hoarse voice.

Heisenberg gradually suppressed the violent turmoil in his heart, a chilling glint in his eyes. He fixed his gaze on Cohen and said slowly, "The plan against Cohen is temporarily suspended."

The staff around him exchanged glances and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon learning that Cohen was Her Majesty the Empress's fiancé, they had already begun to back out.

The House of Nobles can deal with the king of a remote country in the northwest continent, the lover of the Golden Winged Daughter, and even the lover of the Minister of Internal Affairs.

But you absolutely cannot deal with the imperial consort of the central empire, because that would be blatant treason!
No one dares to bear such a heavy charge.

Not far away, even the usually composed Minister of Military Affairs, Prince Heinz Klein, couldn't help but stand up.

The medals on his chest clattered crisply from the sudden movement, and an undisguised look of astonishment appeared on his bronze face.

After all that, it turns out that Shanis's fiancé is actually King Effie?

How can this be?

Not to mention that more than ten years ago Cohen was just a prince of a small country who had just been born, even now, with Effie's status, he is absolutely not worthy of climbing up Her Majesty the Empress's social ladder.

Why would there be such a marriage agreement?

Moreover, it was a marriage contract blessed by the power of the gods.

Prince Heinz looked toward the saints in the distant St. John's Cathedral.

The saints, led by Archmage Viktor, knew Prince Heinz's thoughts and slowly nodded in his direction.

Prince Heinz was even more astonished.

The saints' actions proved the marriage was real, which puzzled Prince Heinz even more.

He had practically watched Shanies grow up, so how could a fiancé of Effie suddenly appear out of nowhere?
Lost in thought, he recalled the scene of Shanis's engagement.

A woman saved her and then arranged for her to marry the woman's son.

Prince Heinz immediately realized that the key to the problem lay with Cohen's mother.

Cohen's mother...

Prince Heinz shook his head; they could only wait until later to investigate.

As an imperial prince, he had never paid attention to the people and affairs of a small country in the northwest continent.

His gaze swept over the group of generals behind him, and he said softly:
"Let's cancel all the previous plans. We're all family now, what's the point of scheming?"

The generals looked at each other, and then fell into a long silence.

What happened today caught even these experienced veteran generals somewhat off guard.

……

Prime Minister Hayes and his cabinet ministers also stood up in shock.

Prime Minister Hayes' mind was rapidly reconstructing the political landscape of the continent—

The Golden Winged Family, the Winged Elves, the Lost Lands, and now the Central Empire...

Unbeknownst to many, Effie had become a significant figure who could influence the course of events on the continent.

More importantly... the other party is the Child of Prophecy!

Doesn't that mean the Central Empire will have a prophetic son, the Emperor Consort?

Prime Minister Hayes suppressed his emotions and calmly addressed the cabinet members behind him:
"Regardless of what promises or communications were made to you by any party in the past, and regardless of any previous cooperation."

Anything directed at King Effie is hereby nullified.

Understand? "

The cabinet ministers nodded in agreement.

The representatives of the Eastern Empire were seated at the front of the banquet hall.

Prince Xia Zuo was completely unaware that his sable cloak had slipped off his shoulders, and the wine cup he was holding froze in mid-air.

The enemy who had always been against him and whom he harbored deep hatred for turned out to be the partner of the emperor of the most powerful empire in human history.

Prince Xia Zuo found it hard to accept.

His facial muscles twitched slightly, revealing a ferocious and terrifying expression.

Grace also stared with her beautiful eyes wide open, her hands clenched tightly, inwardly cursing Cohen to the point of madness.

The delegation from the Kingdom of Ceylon was not far ahead. Prince Orlando mechanically turned his head and looked at Prime Minister Youde.

The gaze seemed to say, "The enemy who destroyed Ceylon is now being crowned with glory by the emperor of the most powerful empire in humankind. How can we possibly take revenge?"

Not far from the Kingdom of Ceylon, there was also a group of representatives representing the City of Crowns.

Sitting at the very front was none other than Freya.

At this moment, a hint of annoyance appeared on her stunning face, and she muttered something under her breath, seemingly harboring some resentment towards someone for being too philandering.

……

Inside the magnificent and brightly lit banquet hall.

Cohen had clearly replaced the stunningly beautiful and dignified Empress, becoming the center of attention at the entire banquet.

Of course, it was also the epicenter of the entire storm.

Countless gazes, like tangible blades, pierced Cohen.

The curiosity and astonishment of socialites and noblewomen, the ill intentions of nobles, and the detection spells of mages intertwined to form an invisible noose, enveloping Cohen.

Cohen even sensed a chilling killing intent from more than one place.

He could clearly distinguish the components in his line of sight:

The schemes of the Central Empire's Noble Council, the jealousy of the Eastern Empire, the hatred of the Kingdom of Ceylon... and many more unfamiliar eyes, like a pack of wolves surrounding a lone lion king.

Cohen's back was taut and straight. He snorted coldly, and his dragon-like aura surged from his body.

The "Child of the Mist" was activated, cutting off all detection.

Coupled with his already maxed-out willpower, he directly shattered all detection and interference.

Behind him, Belmody, who had been silently observing the situation, also noticed Cohen's predicament. He exuded a subtle sense of pressure, making everyone present feel as if a stone was pressing on their hearts.

The noise in the banquet hall subsided considerably, and everyone stared in astonishment at Belmody, who had made his move.

Besides being amazed by the other party's appearance, which was no less than that of Her Majesty the Empress, they were also shocked by the other party's strength.

Prince Quentin of the Eastern Empire said in a low voice:

"Such strong pressure, the opponent's domain level must be very high... It seems that Effie came prepared this time, and the competition for the strongest legend will be suspenseful again."

"Who is this woman? Where did she come from? I don't recall Effie having such a strong legendary rank."

"Another beauty, what incredible luck..."

"Be careful what you say. He is now the Imperial Consort of the Central Empire. Be careful not to offend him!"

Similar discussions arose one after another.

Her Majesty the Empress glanced at Belmody with surprise, then gently tapped the scepter in her hand.

A captivating smile curved his lips, and the rose pattern on the tip of his scepter suddenly bloomed, forcefully suppressing the boiling noise and making the entire banquet hall exceptionally quiet.

She then parted her red lips slightly, looked directly in Cohen's direction, and her magnetic voice pierced the hall:
"This marriage is a covenant witnessed by all the gods. I wish that the wedding will be held three years from now, and I hope that everyone present will witness this grand event."

His gaze swept over the crowd below the stage, as well as the various factions in the side hall, and he raised his hand to signal the attendants to continue the banquet:

"Tonight we shall celebrate the opening of the Noble Martial Arts Festival; all other matters are secondary. Please continue!"

Her Majesty the Empress's words were quite clear: the matter of the engagement was over.

Although everyone still had countless questions in their hearts, they had to suppress them and continue to put on a brave face as they attended the welcoming banquet.

On the side of the House of Nobles, Chief Heisenberg breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that the marriage would take place in three years.

His aides behind him also spoke up:
"After all, he's just a fiancé; there's still room to salvage the situation."

Another aide said:

"Since he's going to participate in the Noble Martial Arts Festival, let's take this opportunity to teach him a lesson."

If he gets defeated and eliminated in the very first match, I wonder if he'll still have the nerve to be Her Majesty the Empress's fiancé!

Heisenberg approved the approach and looked at Joren:
Are you confident?

This time, he had no military intelligence or orc legion behind him; he was all alone.

"You've been at the peak of the sixth rank for a long time, and you've received the highest level of training from the Central Empire. Are you confident you can defeat him?"

Joren's lips moved, as if he wanted to say, "I can."

But considering all of Cohen's extraordinary abilities, he ultimately refrained from saying the affirmative:

"I'm not entirely sure."

Heisenberg sighed softly. If his nephew could personally defeat the Empress's fiancé, he would have more say when proposing to annul the engagement.

He said slowly:
"Then let Kazimir go. He was originally kept to deal with that Jinlunga from the Northern Empire."

"Let's suppress Cohen first."

Count Casimir August was the last person recommended to the Empress by Shanis. He was a sixth-tier peak transcendent and a priest of the "War Domain".

Having fought bloody battles with barbarians on the border for years, his personal combat strength is extremely extraordinary.

I have sparred with Jin Lunjia several times, and the result was even.

He is widely recognized as a strong contender for the title of "Strongest Silver".

Qiao Lun nodded slightly, and then said:
"I think once this news gets out today, not only us, but other countries will also be interested."

At least Xia Zuo of the Eastern Empire wouldn't stand by and watch his mortal enemy become the partner of the emperor of the most powerful empire in human history so peacefully.

Chief Heisenberg did not continue speaking, but leaned back slightly and closed his eyes in thought.

Although the discussion in the banquet hall was forcibly suppressed by Her Majesty the Empress.

But this turmoil is clearly not going to end so easily.

Lord of Shadows, Son of Prophecy, Creator of the Orc Legion, Owner of the Most Beautiful Woman on the Continent, Lover of the Golden-Winged Daughter, Consort of the Future Elf Queen, and Lord of the Oasis-level Power in the Lost Lands.

Cohen Corleone, who was surrounded by various halos, has now transformed into the companion of the emperor of the most powerful empire in human history.
Representatives from various countries rushed to send messages outwards, and swarms of carrier pigeons and magical beacons swept across the night sky like locusts, pushing the exposure of this marriage that had shocked the continent into an even more turbulent vortex. (End of Chapter)