Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

After a long silence, the rage and shock on Chief Heisenberg's face gradually subsided, replaced by a composure honed by countless trials and tribulations. He slowly spoke:
"This matter ends here."

I bear primary responsibility for the loss of the casting furnace.

I overlooked the dwarves' unique ability to perceive their bloodline artifacts and underestimated the intensity of this connection when activated at close range.

And they didn't provide you with enough defensive capabilities.

I thought that in Constantine, in the House of Lords, right under my nose, no one would dare to make a move.

Arrogance blinded me to my judgment.

"I also agreed to let you handle the negotiations with Grace. All the planning, all the risks, and ultimately, the responsibility rests with me, the chief."

His gaze softened and hardened again, settling on Fyodor:

"Director of Education, please take good care of your injuries and prepare well for the Noble Martial Arts Festival in a couple of days."

Fyodor's face instantly flushed with even deeper shame. He struggled to get up, but was stopped by a look from Heisenberg.

His lips trembled as he said:

"Sir, I...it was all my carelessness...I failed to protect the forging furnace."

Heisenberg abruptly waved his hand, silencing Fyodor:
"Focus on recovering; it's just an external thing."

His body, which had been hunched over just moments before, now stood ramrod straight, as if it could support the collapsing sky.

What erupted from him was no longer the flame of anger, but the pride and confidence that came from the depths of his blood, which had endured countless hardships.

Heisenberg's voice resonated powerfully:

"My noble academy has a history of tens of thousands of years, has survived the ravages of demonic tides, and witnessed the rise and fall of kingdoms."

They have faced invasions from the abyss and encountered the covetousness of demons.

Yet it remained standing, its might enveloping the entire Demon Tide Continent.

It's never about relying on any magical artifacts, it's about relying on people!

Different backgrounds, different surnames, different families, yet all working towards a single goal—

To safeguard the order of the empire, to pass on the glory of the nobility, and to maintain the balance of the continent.

Close unity is the inexhaustible strength flowing in the blood of the House of Nobles, and the secret to its eternal prosperity!

Rest assured, the House of Nobles will not decline because of a single divine artifact.

As long as our hearts remain united, what we have lost will eventually be reclaimed with our own hands, and our glory will surely reappear with an even more dazzling light.

Manfred stood aside, listening to the resounding declaration, a long-lost sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

He bowed slightly, silently expressing his highest respect.

After straightening up, Manfred's gaze regained the composure characteristic of an intelligence chief, and he quickly raised the most pressing practical issue:
"Sir, what should we do about Grace, and that sea creature woman?"

Heisenberg said in a deep voice:
"We can't let this get out of hand, or the consequences will be far more serious than losing a divine artifact."

Grace is easy to handle. Just have someone tell Shazo that Grace got a divine artifact from her fiancé, the Pirate King Yann Hughes.

It's reasonable that Yaon, a descendant of the Demon God, would have a divine artifact hidden in his legendary 'Demon God's Treasury,' which is said to be filled with endless treasures.

He also told Xia Zuo that this artifact was none other than the forging furnace of the Forging Tribe.

Xia Zuo will definitely be restless when he hears this news!

Manfred nodded thoughtfully.

"In addition, have Kazimir compile a list of all the secret bases and forces Grace has established across the continent, including the locations of her so-called trading company's secret base, and place any clues about the Forging Furnace in these locations."

Let Xia Zuo and his men raid the place one by one!

Manfred's eyes lit up:
"That's a good idea."

Heisenberg then added:

"Let Kazimir handle this matter. Once he finishes repairing the 'Hammer of Judgment' at the Church of War, he will be in charge of this task."

As for that mermaid woman... Didn't Greg of the Southern Empire long ago covet the riches of the Endless Sea and the mermaids' collection?
Find someone to tell him.

If he can persuade his father, the Emperor, our House of Nobles will give him our full support!

"Yes!"

A chilling glint flashed in Heisenberg's eyes:
"Things belonging to my noble academy aren't so easy to take!"

……

In the dimly lit secret room, only a few floating deep-sea pearls in the corner emitted a soft light, illuminating the faces of the people sitting around in a half-light and half-shadow.

After listening to Claire's account, Cohen asked, still uneasy:
"Are you sure you didn't kill Fyodor?"

Stealing that artifact that rightfully belonged to the dwarves is one thing.

It can be described as "returning the item to its rightful owner" or "an internal matter of the dwarf race".

Even if things escalate, the dwarves will be in the right. No matter how angry the House of Nobles is, it will be difficult for them to stir up any huge waves in the open.

The various factions within the empire would not support Heisenberg.

But if Fyodor, Heisenberg's top confidant and trusted general, were killed, that would be a different story.

This is tantamount to giving the House of Lords a bloody slap in the face.

This touched a raw nerve at the heart of imperial power.

To maintain the prestige of the House of Lords and to deter all potential challengers, Heisenberg would spare no expense, even if it was just to establish his authority, to unleash a storm that would sweep across the continent.

He might even join forces with Xia Zuo, who is at odds with Grace, to completely uproot Grace's power and drive her out of the Eastern Empire.

This will completely disrupt Cohen's carefully laid plans.

Claire gave Cohen a charmingly disdainful glare without any hesitation:

"Do I look like someone who doesn't know what's important? Rest assured, he's not dead, he's just got superficial injuries."

I estimate they'll all be able to get up and compete in a couple of days.

Cohen's tense nerves slowly relaxed, the seriousness on his face disappeared, and he regained his composure and control over the situation.

He nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to the dwarf brothers sitting on the other side, their entire being radiating excitement:

"Thank you, two dwarf masters."

"Without the intervention of these two masters, our plan would never have gone so smoothly."

Barnes Orn's rugged face, covered in lava-like patterns, was flushed with excitement.

"No, no, it is our entire smelting tribe that should thank Your Majesty."

"You helped us retrieve our clan's sacred artifact, finally allowing our lineage to wash away the shame we've carried for so many years because of its loss."

Gregory Orn, standing to the side, burst into hearty laughter, looking at Cohen with eyes full of sincere admiration:
"To be honest, Chief Ironrock defied all opposition and insisted on cooperating with you humans."

I was extremely unhappy at the time, wondering if the newly appointed chief had been bewitched by some cunning human.

But now I'm convinced, completely convinced. Chief Ironrock's move was truly the best decision the dwarves could have made!

Gregory gave a thumbs up, his face showing undisguised admiration.

As Cohen listened to the two dwarves' heartfelt gratitude, a gentle smile appeared on his face:
"You two masters are too kind. Cooperation is a win-win situation; we've always been allies!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Cohen instructed the two to take the forging furnace back to the Forging Tribe and hand it over to Master Tolkien.

This kind of artifact can only unleash its full power in the hands of a top-tier blacksmith like a master forger.

Gregory's rugged face immediately showed a look of deep agreement, and he nodded vigorously:
"Your Majesty, rest assured, the Master of Quenching is the living forging code of our Forging Tribe."

"It is the wish of all our people that the divine artifact be in his hands!"

Cohen nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Barnes Orn, the legendary strongman who clearly held a higher position and a more composed personality among the two dwarves:
"Please ask Mr. Barnes to go back and personally convey to the Master of Quenching that I will send a mechanic to the Forging Tribe in a couple of days so that they can discuss the matter together."

The research focuses on how to transform the power of the forging furnace into standardized, mass-produced magical weapons and equipment that can be deployed to the military on a large scale.

Ideally, the deployment of magical weapons to all troops within Efein should be completed within a year.

A fleeting look of barely concealed surprise crossed Barnes Orn's eyes:

"A master mechanic?"

It's quite surprising that His Majesty Corleone still has such an ancient, almost lost profession.

Speaking of which, the profession of Mechanic has a slight connection to our ancestors.

He unconsciously stroked his thick beard, lost in a brief recollection.

Cohen smiled and said:

"It is precisely because of this ancient connection that I thought of sending this rare mechanical genius to your forging tribe."

He was placed under the tutelage of the dwarves' most advanced forging techniques, where he specialized in researching various magical weapons.

By the way, this mechanic is currently the head of the Effie military equipment department.

At the same time, I have officially appointed Master Tolkien Tempering as the chief senior advisor of the department in the name of the Supreme Military Council of the Kingdom of Efein!
From now on, the research and upgrading of standardized and uniform magical weapons and equipment for the army of the Kingdom of Efein will rely entirely on the forging skills of the Master of Tempering and the innovative wisdom of this mechanic.

The mechanic Cohen was referring to was none other than Bennett Rogers.

Back then, under the command of the Chaos Demon Lord, he built a communication pillar for the Demon Lord to connect with the sixty-two Demon Gods, Valak.

He later escaped from the Chaotic Demon Continent and eventually fell into Cohen's hands.

After bringing Bennett back from the Lost Lands, he was put in charge of establishing a military equipment department in Effie.

It belongs to the Effiin Military Council and is personally managed by Prince Hauge.

Cohen had always had an idea: to send Bennett to the "Forging Tribe" and, by combining the dwarves' top forging techniques, fully unleash the potential of the Mechanist profession.

Now, we can use the divine artifact "Forging Furnace" to complete this plan.

Before leaving, Barnes seemed to remember something and suddenly stopped, saying, "By the way, the Master of Tempering specifically asked me to pass on a message to you, saying that with this forging furnace, your 'Book of Time and Space' can be upgraded from a sacred artifact to a semi-divine artifact."

"Once you've collected all the upgrade materials, come to the Forging Village."

Cohen felt a surge of excitement; he could finally improve.

Back then, Mavis and Melantha's grandfather said that the "Book of Time and Space" had the prototype of a divine artifact!

It's unknown what level the "Book of Time and Space" will reach after being upgraded to the artifact level.

After seeing the Orn brothers off, the excitement and joy on Cohen's face gradually subsided.

Looking at Grace and Claire, his voice became much calmer:
"Even though we managed to snag the items, it doesn't mean everything is settled."

Grace, who was playing with her slender, jade-like fingers, paused slightly upon hearing this, and said dismissively:
"Didn't you say that old man Heisenberg didn't dare to make a fuss for the sake of the bigger picture?"

Since he doesn't dare to overturn the table, what do we have to worry about?

Cohen smiled wryly:
"Your Highness, just because they don't make a fuss doesn't mean they won't retaliate."

Heisenberg is the chief of the House of Nobles, wielding the oldest and largest power on the continent, deeply rooted throughout the Central Empire and influencing the order of the entire Demon Tide Continent.

In some ways, the history of the House of Nobles is even longer than that of the Central Empire.

The House of Nobles was established before the Klein dynasty even founded its own kingdom.

Such an old monster who has lived for countless years, experienced countless bloody battles, and whose scheming is etched into his very bones.

How could he possibly stand by and watch us snatch away the forge he considers the cornerstone of his future strategy, right under his nose?

And then you just swallowed your anger like nothing happened?

Grace's expression became more serious, she sat up slightly, and her voice took on a serious tone:
"How will he retaliate? I am the eldest princess of the Eastern Empire, not a member of their Central Empire."

Claire also seemed unconcerned:

"That's right, I'm still a sea creature, not one of you humans. If he's so capable, let him come to the Endless Sea to find me."

Cohen calmly analyzed:
"Heisenberg's reach cannot extend to the Eastern Empire and the Endless Sea."

But that doesn't mean others can't.

He first turned his gaze to Grace, and his voice softened slightly:

“Your Highness, ever since we used the two ‘golden smuggling routes’ entrusted to us by the Darkwing family, we have cut off nearly 70% of the Xiazuo Group’s financial resources in the Northwest Continent and the black market trade.”

And not long ago, we joined forces to seize all of his core industries that he had painstakingly built up over decades in the Northwest Continent.

Your cousin has fallen into an unprecedented financial crisis.

If at this moment, someone were to tell him that his ambitious 'good sister' Grace Tang, who was vying with him for the throne, actually possessed a priceless artifact, enough to arm an invincible army or even change the course of the empire.

"Your Highness, what do you think Xia Zuo will do?"

Grace's expression instantly became much more serious.

Xia Zuo's financial crisis was orchestrated by her and the military, and she knew it better than anyone. At this moment, Xia Zuo was like a hungry wolf trapped in a desperate situation.

He would seize any opportunity that could turn the tide, regardless of the consequences.

Grace's voice carried a hint of doubt:
"You mean Heisenberg is going to join forces with Shazo?"
How can this be?

Even though I am unwilling, I have to admit that Xia Zuo is the most likely next emperor of the Eastern Region Empire.

Heisenberg was the chief of the House of Nobles of the Middle Empire.

Our Eastern Empire and the Central Empire have always been in a relationship of rivalry and competition.

They could even be considered potential enemies.

These two people lack even the most basic trust for cooperation; how could they possibly join forces?

Cohen analyzed in a deep voice:
"cooperate?
You overestimate Xia Zuo and underestimate Heisenberg's cunning.

Heisenberg disdained cooperating with Xia Zuo; he wouldn't even show his face.

He will only hide in the shadows, inciting Xia Zuo, this desperate mad dog, to bite you, to seize the Forging Furnace, and to create endless trouble for you.

Heisenberg may have already obtained information about your several extremely secretive and deeply hidden key bases within the Eastern Empire through the pervasive intelligence network of the House of Nobles.

All you need to do is casually leak a few top-secret clues about the possible hiding places of the artifact to Xia Zuo, like scattering bait.

That way, they could accurately lure Xia Zuo and his pack of bloodthirsty mad dogs over.

Even more shameless, Heisenberg might even disguise your 'Flaming Lips' trading company's normal business operations as suspicious outposts to lure Xia Zuo into attacking them.

"Then you will lose not just one or two bases, but the reputation and foundation of your entire trading company, and even your influence in the economic lifeline of the empire."

Grace's face immediately turned extremely ugly. If that were to happen, she couldn't bear such a huge loss.

If what Cohen said is true, her hard-earned business, built over many years, will face collapse under pressure from both internal and external forces.

Cohen then turned his gaze to Claire:
"Chieftain, this time Heisenberg will definitely join forces with that ambitious Crown Prince Gregor to intensify his pressure on your merfolk with an even tougher and more aggressive stance."

According to my intelligence, within a year at most, Gregor will use the pretext of eradicating pirates and securing shipping lanes to target the core territory of the merfolk.

Claire, on the other hand, remained calm, a playful smile curving her lips:

"It's okay, you're still here, aren't you?"

"Since I've done the work for you, you're obligated to clean up the mess."

Cohen smiled slightly and said to the two of them:

"That's natural. In fact, I've already devised a complete countermeasure plan in response to the storm that Heisenberg is about to unleash."

Perhaps by taking advantage of Heisenberg's countermeasures, we can dismantle the interest group that Xia Zuo has painstakingly built in the Eastern Empire.

This will leave Xia Zuo completely isolated within the Eastern Empire!

Grace's beautiful eyes suddenly lit up with an amazing light, and she leaned forward slightly, staring intently at Cohen.

Cohen met her gaze and slowly explained his plan:
"Besides you, there are also the deeply entrenched noble families, regional officials, and secret organizations of the Eastern Empire."

Don't they have their own secret strongholds, bases, or shady businesses on the Demon Tide Continent?
If the clues Heisenberg provided to Shazo regarding the 'artifact hiding place' did not point to your secret base, but rather to the core and vital locations of other forces in the Eastern Empire...

Then, if you lead Xia Zuo, this mad dog blinded by greed and rage, and his men to attack and plunder these places, what do you think will happen?

A look of surprise flashed in Grace's eyes. She instantly understood Cohen's plan: to use someone else to do the dirty work and to shift the blame to someone else!
She replied:
"Then Xia Zuo will inevitably make enemies on all sides in the country and become the target of everyone's criticism."

Those forces he attacked, whether they were prominent nobles in public or powerful figures in the shadows, would regard him as their mortal enemy.

His carefully cultivated allies will turn against him, and his already crumbling supporters will completely abandon him.

The problem is, how could that old fox Heisenberg possibly obediently do as you want?

Cohen smiled slightly and said:

"So we need a key person to secretly guide all of this."

Do you remember Casimir August, the vice president of the intelligence agency whose signature weapon I broke in the previous Noble Martial Arts Festival Gold Division competition?

I've received word that he's about to depart for the headquarters of the Church of War to repair his 'Judgment Hammer,' the weapon whose divine covenant I severed.

A look of understanding flashed in Grace's eyes, and she nodded thoughtfully.

Cohen's gaze then shifted to Claire, whose eyes also gleamed with interest:

"As for the Southern Empire, there's even less to worry about. As long as Gregor dares to lead his army into battle, I will make sure his fleet sinks forever in the endless sea!"

……

Lord Landon Roberts looked at Cohen as he entered through the door, a knowing, amused smile appearing on his face.

His voice was deep and magnetic, making it impossible to tell whether it was a question or a statement.

"It's done."

Cohen smiled just right and nodded slightly.

"It's done, and it went very smoothly."

Thank you for your support, Lord Landon.

Lord Langdon said, seemingly alluding to something:

"I heard that Fyodor, the principal of the Holy Radiance Academy, was seriously injured while sparring with someone on the eve of the Martial Arts Festival."

This matter should be unrelated to His Majesty's affairs.

Cohen's smile remained unchanged:
"is it?
The head of the education commission is injured?

That's amazing!
However, with the Central Empire's noble academy's millennia-old foundation, surely they can't even produce a few kinds of miraculous healing medicines?

It shouldn't have a major impact on the upcoming Legends Tournament.

Lord Langdon's smile was also quite amusing:

"Probably not, but Your Majesty is also the Imperial Consort of the Central Empire, and Chairman Feodor, as the Chairman of the Noble Academy, is also your direct subordinate."

"Your subordinate has been injured, and on the eve of this highly anticipated martial arts festival, shouldn't Your Highness, the Imperial Consort, take the initiative to visit and offer your condolences?"

Cohen's smile remained gentle.
"I'm afraid if I go to offer my condolences, the Education Commission Director's injury will heal even more slowly."

Cohen stopped dwelling on the topic, took a step forward, and his gaze became calm and focused again:
"Lord, besides expressing my gratitude, I have another matter to ask of you."

Lord Langdon's eyes flickered slightly, and he said with a smile:

"The Temple of Battle is happy to make a deal with the Child of Prophecy."

"Anything that is within the temple's power and does not violate the God of War's will!"

Cohen stared into Langdon's eyes and said, word by word:

"I want to see the God of War!" (End of Chapter)