Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Cohen possesses the rule-based skill "Mastery of Shadows," rendering the power of shadows ineffective against him.

However, Shanis was just an ordinary superhuman, and spending too much time in the sub-plane made her susceptible to the influence of the rules.

After they finished talking, the two returned to the main plane.

Perhaps it was because she had just revealed her vulnerability in front of a man in the Shadow Plane that made Xenia feel a little awkward after regaining her senses.

Back in her study, Xenia's expression returned to that of an emperor.

She withdrew her hand from Cohen's grasp, her tone calm:

"I will arrange a response to what you just said as soon as possible."

During this period, you may need intelligence support from the Military Intelligence Bureau under your command.

As I said before, as long as you can cooperate with me sincerely, I will not treat you unfairly.

What is a sacred artifact? I can give you far more than you can imagine.

Cohen believed this; a powerful empire that had been passed down for tens of thousands of years must have a very rich foundation.

However, there are some trump cards that even Shanis cannot use unless it is absolutely necessary.

Cohen chuckled softly, his fingertips gently caressing the "Eternal Ring - Dragon Blood Pact" at his waist, and said:

"Your Majesty, I have even shared the secrets of the Shadow Plane and the future turmoil with you. Isn't that enough of a show of sincerity?"

Shanis pressed her lips tightly together, remained silent for a moment, and then said:
"Let's just say it's a show of sincerity."

Cohen suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice:

"So, how does Your Majesty plan to thank me?"

Shanis took a half-step back alertly.

She discovered that Cohen was really good at taking advantage of others, so she couldn't let this bastard have any sweetness.

No wonder he can seduce so many beautiful women.

Cohen suppressed his playful thoughts, his gaze sharp, his voice carrying a hint of determination:
"I hope that Your Majesty will continue to trust me completely and do everything I say."

Even if our views conflict, I hope Your Majesty will heed my opinion.

Simply put, in future cooperation, I hope Your Majesty will prioritize my interests.

This is very important!

Shanis's pupils contracted slightly, then she let out a cold laugh:
"Why?
Why should I believe you have the ability to confront the various forces within the empire and help me navigate the chaos of the future?

Cohen stared intently at the stunningly beautiful face before him, his tone extremely serious:

"Because I can freely enter and exit the Shadow Dimension, because I can raise tens of thousands of elite troops in just a few years, because I can build the only dragon legion on the continent, because I can foresee the Covenant of the Gods, and also because—"

Cohen tapped his belt with his finger, his voice now tinged with mockery:
"His Majesty is even willing to give me the sacred artifacts that will be passed down through generations."

You've always believed in your heart that I could help you get through this, haven't you?

After a moment of silence, Shanis suddenly reached out and grabbed Cohen's collar, forcing him to look her in the eye. She said coldly, "..."
“Listen, if you dare make me lose this bet… I’ll personally throw you into the Dragon Plane to feed the remnant soul of Erisham.”

Cohen then grabbed Shanis's wrist, his smile deepening.

"If I win, Your Majesty, would you consider turning this 'formal marriage' into a real one?"

Shanis's ears turned red, she jerked them away, and then a slight smile curved her lips:
"Alright, but this emperor has a very strong possessive streak."

"You should first depose Adele from her position as queen, then I might consider spending a few days of real married life with you."

Cohen's expression froze, but he quickly found a loophole in Shanis's words.

If the position of Queen is abolished, the position of Empress can still be given to her.

Cohen gave a mysterious smile and tightened his belt:
"I have remembered Your Majesty's words, and I hope Your Majesty will keep your promise!"

A look of astonishment flashed across Shanis's eyes. Could it be that Cohen would really break with Adele for her sake?

Before she could ask any more questions, Cohen had already reached the door and was about to leave.

Shanis collected her thoughts, hesitated slightly, and then said:

"Be careful at the Noble Martial Arts Festival in three days. They may not dare to do anything to you openly, but they are very likely to trip you up on the arena of the Noble Martial Arts Festival."

The draw is being conducted by the House of Nobles, and they may arrange many formidable opponents for you.

You are now the Imperial Consort of the Central Empire, representing my image and prestige.

"Don't let yourself be eliminated in the very first match."

Cohen turned around and performed a standard knightly salute:

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

……

The conversation with Shanies seemed short, but it actually lasted a long time.

When I left Rose Study, it was already very late at night.

Back in the banquet hall of the state guesthouse, most of the participating representatives from various countries had left, leaving only Isabella and a few others waiting for Cohen.

Grace stayed with the people of Effie, citing reasons such as wanting to repair her relationship with the Golden Wing's daughter and inquiring about the truth of the marriage agreement between King Effie and Her Majesty the Empress.

Those present were also aware of Cohen's other alias, "The Successor of the Pirate King," and were not surprised by Grace, the "Successor of the Pirate King's" fiancée.

Inside the banquet hall, Belmody appeared slightly impatient. After waiting a while longer and still no one arriving, she stood up and addressed the crowd:

"I'll go take a look."

Windsordler had little contact with Belmody, but given that Belmody had ruled the Mysterious Continent as the Lord of Sequences for so long, her combat power was certainly not to be underestimated.

Fearing she might clash with the people of the Central Empire, he quickly stopped Belmody and said:
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, Xenise will not do anything to Cohen."

To put it another way, Shanies just announced in front of representatives from various continental countries that Cohen was her royal consort; how could she possibly be detrimental to him at this time?

Vermouth frowned, and Melantha spoke up from behind her:
"Sis, it should be fine. Cohen is so smart, there's no way he wouldn't hear anything if something happened."

As they were talking, footsteps came from outside the door.

Upon seeing the familiar figure appear, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Windsordler shrugged and said:
"Am I right? Shanis won't do anything to him."

"If you really want to worry, you should worry about the fact that we're going to have another sister!"

Claire quickly said:
"Hey, no 'we,' I'm not familiar with him."

Melanza then added:

"My sister is still alive, don't include her in this."

Belmod felt a little guilty and didn't say anything.

Cohen returned to the group, shrugged, and replied:

"What sisters? This matter is very complicated."

I assure you, until today, I had absolutely no idea that I was betrothed to His Majesty Klein.

Isabella pursed her lips, glanced at Cohen, and asked in an unfriendly tone:
"Why did you take so long? What were you two doing?"
What exactly is the situation with that marriage contract?
"You don't really intend to stay in the Central Empire as some kind of imperial consort, do you?"

Cohen instantly felt several gazes directed at him, their eyes filled with questioning and dissatisfaction.

Cohen felt an immense pressure bearing down on him and said in a low voice:
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go back inside."

Isabella gave a soft snort, glanced in the direction of the palace, and left the banquet hall together.

Back at the "Starry Sky District" of the state guesthouse, Cohen casually set up a magic circle. Facing a group of eye-catching beauties, he selectively recounted the things he had discussed with Shanis in the Rose Study.

Everyone then realized that this marriage agreement was actually a fiancée that Cohen's mother had arranged for her son more than ten years ago.

Nefertsis rested her chin on her hand and thought for a while. Her years of experience in intelligence work in the Military Intelligence Bureau made her quickly discover the loopholes.

She looked at Windsordler, who had remained silent to the side, and asked:
"Sister Windsor, did you already know that Her Majesty the Empress's fiancé was Mr. [Name]?"

Windsordler's expression stiffened slightly, his eyes darting around, and he replied:

Why are you suddenly asking this?

Nephthys said slowly:

"Judging from what happened today, Her Majesty the Empress must have known about her fiancé's identity for a long time."

And since the engagement is shrouded in mystery, the only person who could help her choose a fiancée from outside the marriage is probably you.

After Nephthys's reminder, everyone understood, and even Cohen looked at Windsordler in astonishment.

Could it be that Windsor already knew she was Shanis's fiancée?

Grace gave a meaningful smile and said:
"Tsk tsk, she went out to confirm her best friend's fiancé's identity, but in the end she stole her husband herself."

You're such a great best friend!

Feeling both ashamed and annoyed, Windsordler blurted out:

"When I got together with Cohen, I didn't know he was the fiancé that Shanis was looking for!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Windsordler realized something was wrong. Wasn't this tantamount to admitting that she had known all along that Cohen was Shanes' fiancé?
Grace raised an eyebrow playfully:

"Oh?

Why did you remain silent after you learned the truth?
Yeah, after all, 'my best friend's fiancé' sounds way more exciting than a regular man!

Windsordler, embarrassed and angry, blushed with embarrassment:

"You...you still have the nerve to say that to me."

Knowing full well that Isabella and Cohen were already together, why did you still insist on getting engaged?!

Grace's expression froze for a moment. She quickly glanced at her best friend and weakly explained:

"The marriage agreement is just a temporary measure, and also a cover for Cohen's identity as the 'successor of the Pirate King.' Otherwise, given the grudges between the Pirate King and the Alvis family in ancient times, the Southern Empire would have settled accounts with him long ago."

Isabella sneered, arms crossed, her tone dangerous:
"So what's the situation now?"
A royal consort in a marriage of convenience, and a best friend who "got ahead"—

He glared at Cohen as he spoke:

"You're quite adept at building your harem!"

Cohen quickly raised his hands in surrender: "Wait, didn't I just explain that the engagement was arranged by the Empress Dowager?"

As for Windsor…

Nephthys calmly analyzed the situation, attempting to ease the atmosphere of an impending fire:

"Sir, you now need the power of the Central Empire to deal with future turmoil."

A marriage alliance with Her Majesty the Empress would also be very beneficial for us, Effie.

but……"

Nefertis glanced at Windsordler and said softly:
"Windsor's actions of concealing crucial information do indeed need to be explained."

Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Windsordler simply spoke her mind:
"That's right, I did know about Xenia's engagement a long time ago."

However, we didn't know who the man was at the time.

The only certainty is that the other party has a mother of legendary rank or higher, and is the son of a god.

I traveled all over the mainland, my main task being to help Shanis select a suitable fiancé.

Cohen was indeed on the shortlist, but there were many qualified people, so it was impossible to confirm at the time.

Later, something happened, and Shanis herself confirmed your identity.

However, he didn't tell me that when we got together, I had no idea that you were the fiancé that Shanis was looking for.

It was only recently, through Shanis's attitude, that I confirmed your identity.

Cohen roughly understood, and seeing everyone deep in thought, he seized the opportunity to change the subject:

"Ahem, I just received news that the lottery for the Noble Martial Arts Festival may have been rigged."

Instead of dwelling on the past, let's think about how to prepare for the upcoming match.

Although everyone was unhappy with Cohen's interruption, they still gave him face, sparing him from the torment of a chaotic situation.

Nefertis spoke up at the opportune moment, providing detailed information on the participants from various countries and analyzing the possible opponents that Cohen might be assigned.

Isabella and the others stopped dwelling on Cohen's romantic escapades; the Noble Martial Arts Festival was the most important event. Although they had faith in Cohen, the necessary preparations still needed to be made.

Cohen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and joined the discussion.

After discussing it for a while, Isabella rested her chin on her hand, looked at the list in front of her, and said thoughtfully:

"Among the representatives of the Central Empire's Silver Group, the most promising are Casimir August and Joren Wertheimer."

Of the two, Casimir is stronger. If Heisenberg wants to achieve his goal of defeating you, he will likely arrange for Casimir to be your opponent in the first match.

Asuna read out the information about Kazimierz:
"Sixth-tier peak, a priest in the war domain."

His most notable achievement was killing three 'elite' barbarian warriors single-handedly during the Empire's campaign against the barbarians.

At that time, Kazimir had just broken through to the sixth rank. Now he should be able to break through to the gold rank at any time, but he has been suppressing his level and not breaking through for the sake of this Noble Martial Arts Festival.

"Elite" barbarian warriors are equivalent to the peak of the sixth rank of humans. Barbarians can unleash their bloodline talents when they are on the verge of death, and three of them working together are no less than a typical gold-rank warrior.

Kazimir was able to kill these three people when he first entered the sixth rank, so his strength is indeed not to be underestimated.

Nephthys continued, picking up where Asuna left off:
"The priests in the field of war are actually priests who believe in the god of war."

The core advantage of these extraordinary individuals is their ability to both attack and defend; they are essentially an army in themselves.

It's like a mobile steel fortress.

Its core skill is 'Holy Fortress', which combines heavy armor defense, burst damage, and holy crowd control.

Before reaching the Legendary rank, the combat strength of a War Priest primarily depends on their individual physical attributes and the blessing power they receive from Ares, the God of War.

Before meeting Cohen, Nephthys was a prospective saintess of the Temple of Battle and had met many priests in the field of war, so she had a deep understanding of this type of extraordinary person.

Isabella said solemnly:
"I've heard of Casimir August; he's the eldest son of the Iron-Blooded Duke Casimir August."

As the heir to the August family, Kazimir must have received top-tier physical training from a young age.

Furthermore, Langdon Robert, the master of the Temple of Battle, has excellent relations with the Imperial military, so it wouldn't be difficult for Cassio to obtain more of the God of War's blessing power for his son.

Windsordler gave a precise assessment:

"The ultimate war domain priest."

Apart from Jinlunga of the Northern Empire, who perfectly awakened the bloodline of the Frost Giants, he had almost no rivals.

He came here specifically to be the 'Strongest Silver'.

If Heisenberg really does make him your first opponent, it's definitely aimed at eliminating you in the very first round.

Grace suddenly interjected, her tone playful:

"Have you forgotten one important point?"

I've heard that Kazimierz is a fervent suitor of Her Majesty the Empress.

Against any other opponent, it would be one thing, but against Cohen, the holder of the title 'Empress's Consort,' Kazimir would absolutely fight to the death.

Claire, seizing the opportunity, fanned the flames, mimicking the aristocratic tone and drawing out her words:
"To rid Her Majesty the Empress of the wild men unworthy of wearing the crown."

—What a romantic declaration in the ring!

Cohen was exasperated. He had finally managed to smooth things over, but Grace and Claire, those two who never miss an opportunity to stir up trouble, brought it all up again.

Fortunately, the understanding Nephthys changed the subject in time:
"Kazimierz's weakness is his over-reliance on the power of blessings."

This is a common problem among priest-type extraordinary professions.

While the blessings of the gods can provide them with powerful assistance, their combat strength will also rapidly decline if their power is interfered with.

The gentleman could use the rules of shadow to sever his ties of faith with the God of War.

Isabella was quite confident in Cohen, saying:
"Beating Kazimierz is not difficult for Cohen. The key is to win beautifully, to win in a way that leaves everyone speechless."

Otherwise, people would really think that Cohen achieved his current success because of women.

Cohen grinned.

Isabella vented her frustration briefly before getting down to business:

"The Silver Group is no problem for you, but the Gold Group... are you sure you want to participate as well?"

Cohen's expression turned serious. His gaze swept over the group of beautiful women, and he said in a calm tone:
"We must participate in the Gold Group; this is an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of Effie to the entire continent."

This will also give our allies more confidence.

Claire joined the competition the latest and was surprised to learn that Cohen was actually planning to participate in the Gold Group competition.

This is really going to be big news!

However, recalling the other party's many amazing deeds, winning two championships in a row at the Noble Martial Arts Festival is in line with his style.

As the night deepened and the matter was nearly resolved, everyone prepared to return home to rest.

Cohen coughed lightly, just about to ask which lady would like to discuss the "competition" of the past two days with him.

Isabella seemed to have read his mind and spoke in advance:

"Don't come looking for me tonight, and don't look for them either."

I advise you to explain things to Adele before the message gets back.

Hearing Isabella's words, Melantha, who was preparing to take action, immediately gave up the idea of ​​going back to her room with Cohen.

Cohen's expression stiffened slightly, and Asuna gave him a helpless look before returning to her room.

Cohen shrugged helplessly, sent the girls back to their rooms, and then went back inside to contact Adele to explain what had happened that day.

……

Time flies, and before you know it, it's time for the Noble Martial Arts Festival to officially begin.

As dawn broke, the bells of King Tandin pierced the clouds, and twelve golden beams of light, symbolizing the twelve administrative districts of the empire, shot straight up from the dome of the Imperial Arena.

The array of magical runes suspended in mid-air swirled like a galaxy, enveloping every corner of the Imperial Arena.

This rune array has both projection and propagation functions, and is connected to the magic network that spans the continent.

Every corner of the mainland, wherever there is access to the magic network, can watch this once-in-a-decade grand event.

The Imperial Arena is shaped like a twelve-pointed star, with each point representing a spectator area.

Each spectator area consists of twelve spiraling, circular stands.

The black and gold arena at the very center of the twelve-pointed star has a diameter of three thousand meters and is divided into five competition areas, allowing five matches to be held at once.

The arena is engraved with various powerful magic arrays and patterns, enough to withstand the aftershocks of a legendary-level battle.

The dome directly above each viewing area is not a solid object, but a magical projection made up of countless "celestial mirrors" that reflect every detail of the arena.

Twelve judge golems, each tens of meters tall, are evenly spaced along the edge of the arena. These bronze golems serve as both judges and guards.

Capable of capturing movements down to a fraction of a second, the memory crystal embedded in the golem's chest saves the exciting battle scenes in real time and replays them.

In addition to the twelve viewing areas reserved for dignitaries from various countries, there is also a huge marble grandstand on the top floor in the northwest corner.

It was specifically used to receive commoners and wealthy merchants without titles from all over the country.

The entire marble grandstand features a hollow design, with all seats capable of holding 50,000 people supported by floating mica stones.

The floating mica stone originated from the floating stone of ancient times. Although it is not as precious as the floating stone, the fact that so much floating mica stone could be used as a venue for ordinary people to watch the game is enough to prove the profound foundation of the strongest empire on the human continent.

Directly below the arena is a steel corridor hundreds of meters deep, with twelve radial passages connecting twelve spectator areas.

Representatives from each country will also compete through the steel corridor.

As the golden pillar of light slowly descended, a massive gilded throne rose slowly to the east and hovered in mid-air.

Her Majesty Shinise Klein's long, greyish-brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, and the thorn crown reflected a cold, sharp light.

She lightly tapped the scepter with her fingertips, and dark red rose patterns spread from her feet, instantly covering the giant arena with a radius of a thousand meters.

"In the name of the Empire—"

Her Majesty the Empress's voice resonated throughout the entire arena via magical resonance, and also spread to every corner of the continent through the rune array:
"The annual International Nobles' Martial Arts Festival has officially begun!" (End of Chapter)