Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

The enormous wealth he had accumulated over the years, which was now impossible to fully explain, was all inextricably linked to the Houston family and this prosperous river valley city-state.

When one is prosperous, both are prosperous; when one is lost, both are harmed!
The Houston family used gold, promising futures, and beautiful women, along with a life of comfort and luxury, to gradually erode the toughness in his bones and smooth out his edges as the kingdom's inspector.

He was raised to be a respectable but hollowed-out puppet in the Valley Federal Parliament hall.

A deep bitterness appeared on Enshaw's face, his thoughts churning like a turbulent tide.

When he chose to board the Houston family's ship, he never imagined that one day it would sail in the direction of rebellion.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his throat felt like it was blocked by a hot iron, and he could only let out hoarse gasps.

Speaker Houston continued to look at him gently, even with a faint smile playing on his lips.

After a long silence and deep thought, Earnshaw closed his eyes in anguish, his voice barely audible:

"Yes, Speaker, I am still more accustomed to the land and water of the Valley City."

Speaker Houston nodded slightly, as if confirming a trivial matter.

His gaze returned to Freya's exquisite and slender figure on the Mirror of the Sky, and he slightly raised his hand, signaling the person lurking in the shadows to retreat.

Then, in a flat tone, as if stating the weather, he said to Earnshaw:
"Little Thor is about to graduate. As an outstanding graduate of the continent's top university, he should come back to serve his country."

When his only son was involved, Enshaw's expression changed, and he quickly said:

“My lord, Thor is still young, just graduated from school, and lacks experience. He shouldn’t ruin your important plans…”

The Houston Speaker calmly broke the silence:
"Duke Gavin has written to me many times, hoping to cooperate amicably with our Central Seven Cities Alliance."

The situation is much clearer now than before, and it's time to place your bets.

I have decided to appoint Thor Earnshaw as my personal envoy to handle preliminary liaison matters in Crown City.

Working in Guimian City might even catch the eye of the future Queen of Ceylon.

Mr. Earnshaw, this is an opportunity many outstanding young nobles would kill for. What do you think?

What else could Earnshaw say? He opened his mouth, then sighed softly:
"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

……

There are many similar forces and organizations within the Kingdom of Ceylon, such as the "Crown Thorn Society" and the "Seven Cities Alliance of the Central Region".

Without exception, they all made their choices the moment they learned that Freya had become the "strongest bronze".

Those forces that were originally wavering and hesitant between the current royal family of Quesaon and the legitimate royal family of the City of Crowns.

After receiving the news that Freya had reached the top of the "strongest bronze" ranking, the neutral lords who held real power in their localities, the border generals who commanded armies, and the silent church officials all began to tip the scales in their hearts toward one side.

Everyone understands the importance of this year's Noble Martial Arts Festival, and everyone knows the significance behind the "Strongest Bronze".

They all understood that from now on, "divine favor" would be deeply imprinted on the banner of this young princess.

In this world of devout faith, what could be a stronger endorsement of legitimacy?
Those ancient families and international conglomerates that had originally provided support and resources to Quissaon for various reasons are now beginning to reassess their choices.

Freya's victory and the honor of being the "strongest bronze" directly changed the weight of the Guimiancheng side.

She is no longer merely a rebel among the exiled forces, but a legitimate heir recognized on the world stage and considered favored by the gods.

Aside from those high-ranking bureaucrats and nobles, and the big shots who influence the national situation.

This news is also a huge shock to the vast majority of the people of Ceylon.

Princess Freya, the legitimate heir of the royal family and the princess who restored her kingdom, won the title of "Strongest Bronze" and was blessed by the gods!

With the deliberate instigation of certain individuals, this news spread like wildfire across every corner of Ceylon.

Just as Cohen had predicted, no honest Ceylonian would refuse a royal heir with the aura of "divine favor" who would bring unparalleled glory to his country.

Freya's image instantly transformed from a distant exile into the brightest beacon of hope in the hearts of the Ceylonian people.

……

The nearly two-month-long Bronze Division competition came to an end with Freya from the Kingdom of Ceylon winning the championship.

According to the competition schedule, after the Bronze Group competition ended, the points of each country were tallied.

The day after the Bronze Group competition ended, a huge leaderboard covering half of the light screen appeared on the "Mirror of the Sky," clearly showing the points and rankings of each country.

Unlike in the past, this time the top two were not from the five great empires.

The ranking and points system for the Noble Martial Arts Festival is a long-standing tradition, with the top eight teams in each group receiving points.

In the Bronze Group, the strongest Bronze player received 100 points, the second-place player received 50 points, and the third-place player received 20 points.

Fourth to sixth place: 10 points. Seventh and eighth place: 5 points.

Based on the results of the Bronze Group competition in the first two months, the Ceylon Kingdom, which won the title of "Strongest Bronze," is currently ranked first.

Effie followed closely behind.

Next up is the Southern Empire, home to Woolf, who defeated Thorin, the "Dragonfire Warrior" of the Eastern Empire, in the third-place match.

Lucien Murphy, the "Northern Warrior," and Martin Sanchez, the "Battle Master," representing the host Central Empire, ranked sixth and eighth respectively, earning fifteen points and placing the Central Empire in fourth place.

The remaining Eastern and Western Empires are listed side by side.

The Northern Empire is ranked last.

As is customary, once all four groups of matches have concluded, the countries that maintain a top-five ranking on the leaderboard will receive a gift from the gods, based on their total points.

In every Noble Martial Arts Festival, the five great empires firmly hold the top five positions, especially the Central Empire, which has dominated the first place for a long time.

It was through the gifts from the gods in each generation that the gap between the five great empires and the other countries widened day by day.

Following the release of the rankings, the Silver Group matches will begin immediately.

With such exciting matches in the Bronze Group, the even higher-level Silver Group has attracted even more attention.

The atmosphere in the entire arena was extremely intense, with tens of thousands of eyes focused on the main stage, and even the air seemed to become viscous under the pressure of an invisible force.

Of course, almost everyone in the VIP section focused their attention on the direction where Effie was.

The Bronze Team's many incredible reversals were almost entirely created by Cohen alone.

Countless people are eagerly anticipating the true strength of the Shadow Lord, whose reputation has long been established, who was able to contend with Silver-ranked individuals at the second rank and who held an ancient secret position.
To put it bluntly, most of the legendary deeds of King Effie were fabricated using external factors.

His own strength has not been revealed for a long time.

Everyone was eager to see what kind of performance the famous King Efein would deliver at the Noble Martial Arts Festival.

Not to mention, he is now the legitimate consort of Her Majesty the Empress of the Central Empire, the most beautiful woman on the continent, and the youngest legendary husband.

With such a distinguished background, he is undoubtedly the most prestigious among all the contestants.

Naturally, this attracted a lot of attention.

Amidst the enthusiastic discussions, the Silver Group competition finally began.

Compared to the five or six hundred participants in the Bronze Group, the Silver Group had far fewer participants, less than two hundred.

The competition format is similar to that of the Bronze Group; the teams will be divided into ten groups for group matches.

After a round of draws, the group stage group details were quickly released.

Each person will still play ten matches, and the top five from each group will advance to the knockout stage based on their wins and losses.

Cohen glanced at the group list on the screen, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

"Group Seven: Effin, 'Dragon Seal Weapon Master' Cohen Corleone;

Gars, the "Shield Warrior" of the Principality of Morovie;

Agatha, the "Shadow Warrior" of the Shaman Federation;

Hrud, the "Assassin" of the Kingdom of Taren...

The list is full of representatives of kingdoms, principalities, or regional powers.

The top silver-ranked players from the five empires were cleverly placed in other groups like scattered stars, deliberately avoiding a direct confrontation with him in the group stage.

It seems that the situation in the Bronze Group made the people in the Noble Council wary, so they didn't cause any trouble in the group stage. There were no people from the five great empires in his group, but rather opponents from other countries.

Cohen instantly saw through the thoughts of those old foxes in the House of Nobles.

The opposing side was wary of the terrifying influence he had demonstrated in the Bronze Group and dared not openly send Imperial elites to probe him during the group stage.

Instead, they opted for a safer and lower-cost strategy.

These experts from various countries, whose backgrounds are relatively weak but whose skills are not top-notch, are used as pathfinders.

They should force Cohen to reveal his usual moves, power levels, fighting style, and even some of his trump cards.

The members of the House of Nobles, on the other hand, can observe calmly from the shadows, gather enough intelligence, and then tailor one or more deadly opponents for him during the elimination rounds.

Cohen sneered at these schemes behind the scenes, saying, "If you want to see, then let you see as much as you want!"

After the groups were drawn, the Silver Group group stage officially began with a thunderous chime.

Inside the Imperial Arena, ten arenas separated by reinforced barriers simultaneously host a duel.

The roar of colliding energies, the crisp sound of weapons clashing, and the explosive sounds of magic instantly resounded throughout the arena, pushing the audience's enthusiasm to a new peak.

However, no matter how intense and dazzling the battles were on other rings, the seventh ring where Cohen was always the focus of attention for certain important figures in the VIP seats.

Almost every time it was the seventh group's turn to play, they would subconsciously turn their attention to see if someone was going to take the stage.

Finally, as the light screen of the "Mirror of the Sky" scrolled once more, Cohen Corleone's name appeared—

Effie, the "Dragon Seal Weapon Master" Korn Corleone, faces off against Gars, the "Shield Warrior" of the Principality of Morovie!

Without prior arrangement, the eyes of the VIPs and most of the audience were drawn to ring number seven.

Everyone wanted to witness the prowess of this renowned imperial consort in his first battle.

Cohen stood on the smooth stone surface, facing a burly man two heads taller than him. "Shield Warrior" Garth was fully armed, his heavy silver-gray enchanted plate armor reflecting a cold arc of light.

In particular, the tower shield, which was as tall as a person and engraved with protective runes, was firmly fixed in front of him.

He was like a mobile fortress, exuding a majestic aura as heavy as a mountain and indestructible.

He even leaned forward slightly, pushing the shield to its maximum defensive position, clearly determined to engage in a war of attrition with Cohen in the strongest defensive posture.

Seeing Cohen's opponent clearly made the audience even more excited.

Unlike Cohen, who has yet to play, "Shield Warrior" Garth has played five consecutive matches and achieved a five-game winning streak.

Compared to Cohen, most viewers of the Central Empire are actually more familiar with the "Shield Warrior" Garth.

Although the opponent came from the Duchy of Morovie, he had lived in Kuntandin since childhood and had been studying at the Holy Radiance Academy, where he was a famous combat genius.

He has achieved remarkable results in several competitions at the academy and can be considered a well-known prodigy.

The people in the House of Nobles went to great lengths to arrange for Garth to be Cohen's opponent in his first battle.

They were well aware of the incredible fighting prowess Cohen had previously displayed, so they chose a player with maxed-out defensive attributes.

Gals has orc blood in his body. In addition to his amazing physical defense, he can also unleash a "bloodthirsty" state similar to that of orcs at any time.

When it erupts, it can withstand several rounds of attacks from a Gold-tier transcendent being.

The House of Nobles chose him as Cohen's first opponent to see how Cohen fought and how he planned to break through this impenetrable defense.

Countless people craned their necks, their hearts leaping into their throats.

Faced with a purely defensive opponent of this caliber, should one launch a direct attack or outsmart them?
Magic or physical?

Everyone was eager to see what the famous King Alfein was capable of.

The battle bells toll.

Cohen did not adopt any fighting stance, but simply looked at Garth calmly, his gaze as indifferent as if he were observing an inanimate object.

Garth's eyes also revealed caution.

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

He had no contempt for a superhuman who could fight against a fourth-tier being at the second tier.

As soon as the match began, he immediately set up various defensive measures in front of him, activated the magic circle on the tower shield, and was ready for battle.

Surprisingly, Cohen remained motionless, seemingly waiting for him to deploy his defenses.

Just when everyone was getting impatient...

Cohen moved. He made an extremely simple movement—spreading out his right hand and gently pushing it forward in the direction of Garth.

There was no sound, no light, and no surging energy fluctuations.

However, with such an ordinary push, Gals's massive figure suddenly froze.

The tower shield, powerful enough to withstand a full-force attack from a Gold-tier transcendent being, along with the heavy armor covering his entire body, seemed to be suddenly gripped and squeezed by an invisible giant hand.

The hard, magical steel emitted a teeth-grinding groan as it twisted and deformed under unimaginable force.

A look of utter horror flashed across Garth's face. His body suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, solidifying into a massive, azure-blue rock—his innate skill, Rock Core Barrier.

However, it was all in vain. No matter how much he struggled, he could not break free from the invisible force field.

"Uh-ah!!"

The horror on Garth's face was instantly replaced by a beastly madness.

A strong sense of crisis ignited the ancient rage that had been dormant deep within his bloodline.

His already imposing body, as large as a small mountain, expanded its muscles at an unbelievable speed.

The seams of the plate armor groaned under the strain, as if they were about to burst open at any moment.

Roar! ! !
A deafening roar erupted from Gars's mouth, not a human voice, but more like the howl of a savage beast.

The orc bloodline within him has been fully activated!
His exposed skin was instantly covered with dark red, writhing, animal-like markings.

His eyes were completely consumed by crimson, with no pupils, only two balls of blood-red flames burning with a frenzied fighting spirit.

A ring of frenzied, dark red blood energy suddenly exploded around his body, attempting to resist the omnipresent pressure enveloping him.

As everyone gazed at the scene before them, the same name flashed through their minds.

The ultimate talent originating from the Orc King's lineage—"Bloodlust and Fury"!
In this state, Gals' physical defense, strength, and resilience will increase exponentially.

His mental will was almost unshakable, and his pain perception was greatly reduced, which was enough for him to withstand the attack of a Gold-rank expert for a while or even launch a violent counterattack.

Gars's bloodline actually comes from the Orcish Royal Court?

Even the VIPs were somewhat astonished, especially Gronn, the chieftain of the Warsong Clan and the Great Chieftain of the Orcish Alliance, who said to Fyodor, the principal of the Holy Radiance Academy, standing beside him:

"Is the orc bloodline in this kid part of our royal bloodline?"

It was no secret that Gals came from the Holy Radiance Academy after he achieved five consecutive victories.

For someone from a small duchy to achieve so many victories on the stage of the Noble Martial Arts Festival, his background had long been thoroughly investigated.

Principal Fyodor nodded calmly.

On the arena, Gals, who had activated his "bloodthirsty" state, unleashed a savage and unparalleled power like a prehistoric behemoth.

However, it was all in vain.

Garth was still unable to break free from this irresistible force.

Deep shock appeared in everyone's eyes. Even a Gold-level superhuman could not hold Gars down with one hand in his current state.

How could Cohen subdue him from a distance?

Before anyone could think further, Cohen on the ring made another move, gently pushing his outstretched fingers towards the outside of the ring.

Its enormous body resembled an insect frozen in amber, unable to utter a single sound.

Then, propelled by an irresistible force, his feet left the ground, and he was sent flying backwards silently, as if struck head-on by a battering ram.

boom--!
With a deafening roar, Gals slammed into the protective barrier at the edge of the arena like a cannonball, causing the entire barrier to vibrate and hum.

Garth was embedded in the light screen, his eyes rolled back, with only a faint trace of his soul proving that he was still alive.

Everything happened in a flash.

From the moment Cohen raised his hand, to the moment this warrior, renowned for his defense, activated his orc bloodline, and finally to the moment he turned into a twisted mass of scrap metal hanging on the barrier.

The process was so fast that it caused most viewers' brains to freeze.

These brief few seconds were stretched out and frozen in the eyes of countless people focused on Arena Number Seven, and were deeply engraved into the depths of their souls like a brand.

There were no incantations, no energy effects, no sword strikes, and the source of the power was not even visible.

A sixth-tier peak "Shield Warrior" known for his defense, who had won five consecutive matches and even awakened the bloodline of the orc royal family, was so easily killed by Cohen?
Cohen displayed an absolute suppressive power that was almost at the level of rules, far beyond the comprehension of ordinary Silver-rank players.

A collective gasp erupted from the audience.

What followed was an even louder and more intense wave of discussion.

Cohen lowered his hand, without even glancing at his opponent again.

He turned away indifferently and walked off the stage.

A terrifying, deathly silence, and an incredulous buzzing sound spread wildly behind them.

This was the first time Cohen had displayed his personal strength in front of the entire continent, and in just a few short seconds, he stirred up a huge storm.

Even those representatives of forces who had initially favored Cohen or held goodwill towards Effie now wore expressions of pure shock and awe.

Their gazes changed drastically as they watched the figure slowly walk back to his seat.

In the extraordinary world, great power originates from within oneself, and the invincibility of individual combat strength is what truly commands awe.

Wealth, power, and connections are important, but only the power that an individual holds in their own hands and is strong enough to override the rules is the true foundation.

In the VIP section, Chief Heisenberg's eyes were filled with apprehension; Cohen's demonstrated strength far exceeded their expectations.

They didn't expect a muscle-bound "shield warrior" to hold off Cohen for long, but being dealt with so easily still shocked them.

"Is this the power of the ancient secret professions?"

I don't understand at all!

Similar thoughts have surfaced in the minds of many people.

Regardless of what the audience thought, the competition continued.

Not long after, Cohen's name lit up again on the screen of arena number seven.

This time, almost everyone in the audience focused their attention on ring number seven.

We eagerly await what King Effie, who just annihilated a shield warrior on a five-game winning streak, will do next.

This time, Cohen's opponent is Hrud, an "assassin" from the Kingdom of Taren.

Compared to the overwhelming presence of Garth in the previous match, characterized by his massive, mountain-like size and superior defense, Hrud appeared much leaner.

He comes from the Kingdom of Taren, a kingdom renowned for training elite assassins and shadow guards.

Hrud was one of the best among them. His peak Silver Rank strength, combined with his exquisite stealth skills, allowed him to have a smooth run in the previous battles.

He only managed a draw against "Shield Warrior" Garth, and won all the other matches.

The reason for the draw was simple: he couldn't break through Gars's defenses, and similarly, Gars couldn't catch the agile assassin. In the end, the two sides ended in a draw.

The opening bell rang, and countless eyes were once again focused on Cohen! (End of Chapter)