Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

As the two were having a deep conversation, Cohen suddenly seemed to sense something and looked at the communication stone on the table.

Windsordler sensed that Cohen had stopped moving, opened his dazed eyes, and looked on with a questioning gaze.

Cohen lowered his voice, his tone hoarse:

"It seems Her Majesty the Empress has something to discuss with me."

Windsordale paused for a moment, raised an eyebrow, wrapped her arms around Cohen's neck and pressed him down, her voice brimming with irresistible allure:

"Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Cohen paused for a moment, wanting to say something, but was quickly overwhelmed by the exhilarating feeling.

In the palace, Xenias put down the communication stone, her brows slightly furrowed.
After the daytime match ended, Prince Heinz came to plead for her.

For a fanatical believer, the loss of a divine gift means nothing less than the implications.

Kazimir was a rising star in the Imperial military, and his father was the Iron Duke Cassio, who made immortal contributions in the Empire's war against the barbarians.

Prince Heinz Klein, the military leader, must help Casimir reclaim the Judgment Hammer.

Shinise was able to successfully secure her throne thanks in no small part to Prince Heinz, so she decided to talk to Cohen.

I was originally planning to summon him that evening, but before I could even speak to him, I saw him being escorted back to the state guesthouse by a large group of beautiful women.

Shanis didn't want to disturb the group's meal, so she had to wait until the evening to contact him again.

After trying to contact him for a long time without success, Shanis decided to meet with Cohen in person.

After disguising herself, she took several "Rose Guards" and went to the Starry Sky area of ​​the State Guesthouse.

This wasn't Shanes' first time here; she had met Windsordale during the competition and knew where Cohen lived.

I walked to Cohen's door and knocked, but there was no answer.

After a brief examination, I found that there was no sign of anyone inside.

Shanis frowned slightly and muttered to herself, "Where did she go in the middle of the night?"

After thinking about it, Shanies decided to go find her best friend, Windsordale, to ask about the situation.

The two lived not far apart, and Shanis soon arrived at Windsordler's door again. Just as she was about to knock, she suddenly heard a strange sound coming from inside.

Shanis quickly discovered that there were actually two people inside.

Combined with the fact that Cohen's room was empty earlier, Her Majesty the Empress immediately understood everything.

He was instantly filled with anger, and a mix of emotions welled up inside him.

No matter what, Cohen is now her fiancé.

Even the most magnanimous Shanies couldn't tolerate someone sleeping with another woman right in front of her.

He kicked the door hard.

The room immediately fell silent.

On the bed, Cohen's expression tightened, and he covered Windsordler's mouth as she tried to speak, whispering:
"His Majesty has arrived!"
"Don't say anything."

Windsordler's eyes widened, filled with anger:
"Let her come, it's none of our business. If she wants to come, let her in."

Cohen smiled wryly:
"Her Majesty may have come because of what happened during the day. I'll go out and say hello to her."

Windsordler squeezed her long legs together hard, nearly killing Cohen.

After finally managing to calm the elf down with a combination of words and actions, Cohen quickly cleaned up the marks on his body, got dressed, and went outside.

Windsordler lives in a small villa. After discovering that her best friend was having an affair with her fiancé, Shanies had her bodyguards break down the door and was now sitting in the downstairs living room, looking like she was there to confront her.

Cohen smiled and walked towards Shanis, saying:

"Your Majesty, is there something important you wish to discuss with me so late at night?"

Shanis, with a stern face, said coldly:

"Did I ruin your plans?"

Cohen coughed lightly and hesitated before replying.

Shanis took a deep breath:
"You are now the Emperor's consort of the Central Empire. I don't care about other places, but can you restrain yourself a little in Kuntandin?"

If word gets out, what will the people of the empire think? Can't you even show me some respect?

Cohen thought to himself, "If you hadn't come in the middle of the night, who would have known?"

However, at this time, the priority should be to appease her. After speaking softly for a while, Shanis's anger subsided somewhat.

Upon closer reflection, she realized she wasn't really in the right. After all, Windsordler was now the legitimate Princess of Cohen, and she had no reason to stop the two of them from being intimate.

Suppressing the inexplicable emotions in her heart, Shanis said:
"I've come to see you on important business. Uncle Heinz asked me to pass on a message: the August family is willing to pay to redeem the Judgment Hammer of Casimir."

A look of certainty flashed in Cohen's eyes, and he asked with a light laugh:

"What is the relationship between His Highness the Prince and the August family that he would personally intervene?"

Shanis frowned slightly and said:

Don't you know?

Uncle Wang is the head of the Imperial military, and August is a military nobleman from the North with a history of over a thousand years.

Kazimir himself was a promising young talent in the military, and his father, the Iron-Blooded Duke Cassio, was one of the generals most trusted by the royal uncle.

Whether for public or private reasons, Uncle Wang has to stand up for the August family.

Cohen smiled but didn't speak. The "Heart of Eternity" flashed, and he took out a document from it, handing it to Shanis:

"This is intelligence sent by the Military Intelligence Bureau some time ago."

My original intention was to research the opponents I might encounter in the competition so that I could prepare accordingly.

Unexpectedly, I found some interesting things.

Shanis took the documents with some skepticism, looked at them for a while, then her face suddenly showed surprise. She looked up at Cohen and asked in a deep voice:
"Who is the source of this intelligence, and is it accurate?"

Cohen said:

"Please understand, Your Majesty, that I must keep the source of the intelligence a secret, but I can assure you that the intelligence is absolutely true."

I even verified it with a high-ranking figure in the Church of War through private channels.

Kazimir was able to obtain the Hammer of Judgment from the Church of War not only because of the support of the Imperial military, but also because the House of Nobles secretly provided significant assistance.

The intelligence was obtained by personnel planted by the Starburst Clan within the Noble Council's intelligence agency.

This person also discovered by sheer chance that his superior, the deputy director of the intelligence agency, was actually the eldest son of the Iron-Blooded Duke Cassio, a young talent in the military named Casimir.

Given the sensitive nature of the Starbringers, Cohen decided to keep it a secret for the time being.

Senna slowly suppressed her shock. The intelligence Cohen had given her indicated that Casimir August had secretly defected to the House of Nobles and was a capable lieutenant under Chief Heisenberg.

He secretly serves as the vice president of the Imperial Noble Academy's secret intelligence agency, controlling the intelligence apparatus inherited from successive generations of the Central Empire's Noble Academy, and possessing an intelligence network covering the entire continent.

Shanis quickly thought of more and hurriedly asked:

"That Iron-Blooded Duke Casio..."

Cohen shook his head:

“Kazimir did it behind his father’s back.”

Shanis breathed a sigh of relief, but her expression was still not good:

"Kazimir has deep roots in the military. If that's true, I suspect that the garrison of the 'Northern Falcon Division' has been largely infiltrated by the House of Nobles."

The Central Empire has a vast territory, abundant resources, and occupies an entire continent.

For ease of management, it was divided into twelve zones, each with more resources, population, and area than a typical kingdom.

It was precisely because of this that the Central Empire produced many military nobles and large political groups.

This directly led to a severe split within the Central Empire during the later stages of the Great War of Nations.

There are many reasons for classifying the Central Empire.

Intense internal political factional struggles are one factor, but another contributing factor comes from external sources.

No country wanted to see a complete central empire deployed to the battlefield, so many countries were secretly colluding with the governors of the empire's twelve districts.

Of course, later on, Shanis herself was also pushing for the empire's fragmentation; she could not possibly hand over a complete empire to the hands of her father's killer.

Multiple factors combined to cause the strongest human empire to disintegrate in the early to mid-stages of the Warring States period, giving other empires an opportunity to take their place at the table.

This is an inevitable trend, and it's hard to stop it.

The internal contradictions within the empire have existed since its founding. Most of these military nobles and political groups were people who fought alongside the Klein royal family to establish the empire during its early years.

The Klein royal family was more like the largest of many noble groups, which is why they became royalty.

This fragile balance could easily be broken in the face of turmoil on the mainland, where political forces are being reshuffled.

This is exactly what Shanes is worried about.

In terms of military strength, among the twelve major districts of the empire, apart from the "Kuntandin Special District" directly under the emperor, the "Northern Falcon District" is the most powerful.

If the House of Nobles were to join forces with the "Northern Falcon District," it would pose a fatal threat to the imperial power.

Looking at Shanis, whose expression shifted repeatedly, Cohen gently took her hand and said:

"Things aren't that bad yet. At least from my intelligence, Governor Murphy is still loyal to the royal family and hasn't been infiltrated."

As long as Governor Murphy is in office, the House of Lords will not interfere with the decision regarding the "Northern Falcon District."

The governor of the Northern Falcon Division is Julian Murphy, and his son is Lucien Murphy, the "Northern Warrior" who just participated in the Bronze Division competition.

Cohen's words reassured Shanis.

Shanis sighed:
"Although I have the support of the Winged Elves and my uncle, I am still too young and a woman."

This throne may seem secure on the surface, but in reality…

Cohen chuckled and said:

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten what we said last time?"

A strange feeling welled up in Shanis's heart. She hadn't felt this sense of security since her father's death.

Her Majesty the Empress composed herself, her voice regaining its calmness: "We must inform Uncle Wang about this matter as soon as possible, so that he can take precautions."

Cohen shook his head and said:
"No rush, don't tell anyone about this yet."

Now that we know his identity, but the House of Nobles is unaware that Kazimir has been exposed, this is our opportunity.

"Does Your Majesty not wish to plant a spy within the Noble Council's intelligence network?"

Shanis frowned slightly, understanding Cohen's meaning: he wanted to use this opportunity to turn Kazimierz against him. She said:
"The royal family has tried to do this throughout history, but very few have succeeded."

The Noble House Intelligence Agency is a secret intelligence agency personally overseen by the successive chiefs of the Noble House. Entry is extremely rigorous, and the identities of all middle and high-ranking personnel are top secret.

There are also multiple control measures in place for members of the intelligence agency.

Since Kazimir has decided to betray his father, he cannot be persuaded with just a few words.

A deeper meaning flashed in Cohen's eyes:
"We'll only know if it works or not by trying."

This matter will ultimately fall to the judgment hammer of Kazimir.

I severed the soul bond between the Hammer of Judgment and Kazimir. As a fanatic, Kazimir will surely find someone to reconnect the soul contract. This is our chance!

This is a weapon that Kazimierz took from the Church of War. To re-establish the soul contract, he must return to the Church of War.

The Church of War and the Temple of Battle are both sacred sites of Ares Beacon, the God of War, on the human continent.

Recalling that Cohen had used "Summoning Gods" to secretly communicate with Ares, the God of War, when he was in Florence, Shanis nodded thoughtfully.

After a moment's thought, Shanis seemed to have thought of something and said:

"You've made such a big splash today, they might not dare to do anything to you openly, but they might try to harm you behind your back."

Anyway, be careful in everything you do, and return home as soon as the Noble Martial Arts Festival is over.

Cohen said:

"I might have to stay a few more days; I have some things to take care of."

He had promised Nephthys that he would go to Mosa Province in the southern part of the Empire to find the "Black Rose Key" that could unlock the Night Rose family's treasure.

However, when it came to other women, Cohen didn't explain it so clearly, only saying that he had important business to attend to in Mosa Province.

Mosha Province is located in the "Blazing Fire District," one of the twelve administrative districts of the empire, and is not far from Kuntandin.

After a moment's thought, Shanis said:

"Then be careful and keep your whereabouts confidential."

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Um... there's one more thing I need to inform His Majesty in advance.

So, regarding the Gold Group matches…

Shanis's beautiful eyes widened in astonishment as she exclaimed:
"You...you're actually planning to do this?"
No wonder your Effie Gold Group is missing one person..."

Cohen asked:

"Is it possible to register at the last minute?"

Shanis replied:
"It's fine to register for the competition on the spot, as long as it doesn't exceed the total number of participants. In any case, we have the right to interpret the rules of the competition."

But... are you sure you're confident?

A confident smile appeared on Cohen's face:
"I will not let your majesty down."

After a moment's thought, Shanis agreed:

"Alright, since you've made your decision, that's settled then. I'll make the arrangements in advance."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The discussion was almost over, and Shanis got up to leave, but then turned back, looking into Cohen's eyes:
"This isn't your house, what are you doing here?"

The thought that Cohen would go off to Windsordale to fool around again after she left made Shanis feel uneasy.

Cohen sighed inwardly and said softly:
"I will escort His Majesty back to the palace."

Shanis was then satisfied and said:
"The palace has no shortage of places for you to sleep. You can sleep in the palace tonight."

"I will follow Your Majesty's arrangements."

……

As the morning light of the second day pierced through the clouds, the magnificent outline of the Imperial Arena gradually became clear in the dawn mist, like an ancient behemoth awakening.

Tens of thousands of spectators poured into the audience with an almost pilgrimage-like fervor and curiosity.

Their focus was no longer solely on the competition itself, but rather on using the competition to search for any clues about the mysterious country of "Efein".

Today is the second match of the quarterfinals, and both sides still have one player from Effie participating.

Effin's "Dragon Rider" Asuna Iliad faces off against the "Energizer" Reid Berg of the Western Empire.

Yesterday's breathtaking scenes—King Cohen Corleone of Effie effortlessly defeated the pride of the Empire, confiscated the divine artifact, and revealed his power to challenge the very rules.

The impact of all this is like a meteorite thrown into a calm lake, stirring up not only towering columns of water, but also layers of undercurrents and whirlpools that churn violently beneath the surface.

Furthermore, the mysterious relationship between the champion and runner-up in the previous Bronze Group competition and King Effie has further imbued the name "Effie" with a layer of legend and mystery.

It is no longer a country name, but a synonym for "unknown power", "forbidden inheritance" and "subversive cognition".

The audience's discussions were no longer simply about predicting the outcome:
"See that?"

That's the Red Dragon Duchess; she arrived riding a dragon!
"His Majesty Corleone from yesterday, his relationship with her, Freya, and Nephthys is definitely not ordinary."

"I heard that Princess Freya, the 'strongest bronze', was also created by King Efein, and Miss Nephthys, the runner-up, is also from Efein."

Now the king is this monster... Good heavens, what secrets is this country hiding?

"Freya's soul magic, Nephthys's mind magic... they're all incredibly sinister!"

Every mention of "Effie" carries a subdued sense of awe and a burning curiosity in the eyes.

"The second match of the quarterfinals has officially begun!"

The referee's booming voice instantly ignited the anticipation of the entire audience.

In the Western Empire, Reed Berg, the "Energizer," makes his first appearance.

The passage opened, and Reed Berg calmly emerged from the Western Empire region, dressed in a clean and tidy dark gray mage robe, with a dark gold geometric pendant hanging from his waist. His face was calm, and his steps were unhurried.

Like a scholar entering a laboratory to dissect an unknown entity.

Reed is a mage who has devoted himself to the Evocation school, which is more like an outlier compared to mages from other schools.

Evokers are not spellcasters who summon elements or manipulate ready-made magic in the traditional sense; they call themselves engineers of the universe's rules and sculptors of the structure of reality.

They believe that everything in the world—matter, energy, space, force fields—is composed of a fundamental "source substance."

The ultimate skill of a Shaping Mage lies in understanding these fundamental rules of formation.

And with absolute willpower and a precise way of thinking, they "shape"—that is, forcibly change the form, attributes and operating logic of these rules in a local area, thereby achieving a power that is almost like that of a creator.

They believed that gods were nothing more than "shapers" who controlled higher-level rules.

The entry requirements for becoming a mage of the Energy Shaping School are very strict. Strong computational ability, spatial imagination, logical deduction ability, and a deep understanding of the origin of matter are the basic requirements.

Simply put, those who can join the School of Energy are all top students.

The "Source Material Research Institute" of the Western Regions Empire is the power center and highest institution of learning for the magicians of the Energy Shaping School across the entire human continent.

Reid Berg was the chief academician of the institute.

Unlike the usual bronze, silver, and gold classes which are classified according to their extraordinary levels, they have their own unique ability systems.

It is classified according to the level of plasticity.

It is divided into basic energy shaping, intermediate energy shaping, advanced energy shaping, legendary energy shaping, and energy transformation.

Basic plasticity mainly refers to the plasticity of matter and energy.

It can change the form and properties of matter and energy, compressing flames into "sunburn rays" and shaping lightning into "electric grid cages".

Intermediate-level energy manipulation involves spatial manipulation and gravitational manipulation.

To create strong gravitational points and anti-gravity fields by conducting spatial confinement and short-distance directional jumps within a small area.

At higher levels of Evocation, energy flow interference is involved, which can alter the trajectory of magic or energy on an opponent, interrupt spellcasting, and powerful Evocation mages can even extract energy directly from a target for their own use.

Legendary energy can reshape macroscopic matter and even forcibly compress spatial structures, simulating short-lived "miniature black holes".

A level 6 "Energy Shaping Mage" can already master "Basic Energy Shaping" and "Intermediate Energy Shaping".

As the chief student of the "Source Quality Research Institute" and a carefully cultivated seed candidate of the Western Empire, Reed Berg has already touched the realm of advanced energy shaping.

Unlike Reed Berg's lackluster entrance, Asuna's entrance this time was much more impressive—

An ancient dragon's roar, tearing through the clouds and shaking the soul, boomed from the heavens, carrying the majesty of an ancient behemoth and its boundless vitality, instantly igniting the passion in everyone's blood.

Everyone looked up suddenly.

A colossal creature with wingspans that blotted out the sky pierced through the thin morning mist and swooped down.

Its entire body was covered in thick scales with a crimson sheen and edges shimmering with golden runes—it was Asuna's contracted dragon.

On the dragon's spine, Asuna Iliad stood proudly, her lithe and beautiful figure outlined by the silver and blue interwoven close-fitting dragon knight armor.

"Roar--!"

"Asuna!!!"

"Valkyrie!"

"Effie!!!"

The frenzy in the stands erupted to its peak, with applause, roars, and screams nearly lifting the dome of the arena.

For humankind, dragons are moving legends and symbols of power.

Upon reaching the quarterfinals, Asuna no longer intended to hold back. She understood that every opponent she faced from the beginning possessed the ability to claim the title of "Strongest Silver".

Facing such an opponent, she had to go all out, so she brought Kona into the ring right from the start.

The two stood on the ring, and a resounding bell rang, officially beginning the match! (End of Chapter)