Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Cohen was in an underground plaza that was larger than anyone could imagine.

The square was filled with soldiers in uniform armor, standing in neat square formations that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Every soldier had a solemn expression and stood as straight as a pine tree, exuding a steely temperament that could only be honed through rigorous training and bloody battles.

The army, a large and well-trained regular army!

Sure enough, a staggering army was hidden here!

Looking at these soldiers who bore a resemblance to the armies of the human continent, Cohen's suspicions grew even stronger.

This is most likely a training ground where the Demon Lord Thrall trained his army.

Combined with previous intelligence about Thrall's secret collusion with the Alchemist Baron of the Mechanical Continent, Cohen's suspicion became increasingly clear.

The Demon Lord's pace of establishing his kingdom is probably much faster than outsiders imagine, and this hidden army is one of the important cornerstones of his ambition.

In the Lost Lands, such a well-equipped and well-trained army would be a powerful force capable of changing the course of history.

In particular, Cohen also saw traces of inscribed magic arrays on these soldiers. Although most of them were basic single-target enhancement magic arrays such as "sharp", "solid" or "light", their coverage was so wide that they covered almost the entire square formation.

The resources and technological support behind this have reached an astonishing level. There is no doubt that Sarr is not satisfied with just training ordinary troops.

He's building an elite army!

However, a deeper doubt arose in Cohen's mind.

Even if he wanted to build an "elite" army, why would the Demon Lord Thrall, with his absolute rule over the Chaotic Demon Continent, go to such great lengths to conceal it?
In this lost land where strength reigns supreme, it is commonplace for various oasis factions to possess their own armed forces; in fact, it is a symbol of their power.

Sarr could train his army openly and legitimately.

But he chose such a remote, abandoned mine and used such a powerful shielding array to isolate the inside from the outside. Even the recruitment of soldiers could not be found in the official records of the Chaotic Demon Continent.

The motivations behind this almost obsessive secrecy are particularly intriguing.

Could it be that the existence of this army, or its future purpose, contains some secret that cannot be known to the outside world?

What exactly is Sal plotting?
Cohen stared at the silent steel forest below, his vigilance rising to its highest level. He realized he might have stumbled upon an astonishing secret.

Cohen suppressed the surging doubts in his heart and refocused his attention on the scene before him.

His gaze swept across the entire training ground and quickly settled on a general who was directing soldiers' drills from a high platform.

Based on the demeanor revealed in the other party's every move, as well as the tactical commands and gestures used when directing troops to change formations, Cohen was almost certain that this general must be a top talent that the Demon Lord Sal had "poached" from a certain military power on the human continent at all costs.

Given the atmosphere in the Lost Lands that generally reveres individual bravery and lacks a systematic military tradition, it would be almost impossible for them to naturally produce generals capable of training such an elite legion.

He took out a photographic stone and imprinted the general's face on it, intending to use his intelligence network to thoroughly investigate the man's background after leaving the area.

Finding the place where Sal trained his army was not Cohen's main objective.

He continued to explore every corner in this vast underground space that might hold secrets.

Soon, as he approached a rock wall in the northwest direction of the mine, an unusual energy fluctuation caught his attention.

This fluctuation was not the flamboyant energy and fighting spirit that soldiers exuded during training, but rather an energy source that seemed to be deliberately suppressed and hidden by some force.

Cohen immediately followed the fluctuations, moving step by step towards the source in the Shadow Plane. Finally, after passing through a seemingly ordinary rock wall, the view suddenly opened up before him.

A hidden entrance to an underground cave appeared before him. The entrance was cleverly carved into a natural crack in the rock wall, and traces of illusions and concealing barriers remained at the entrance.

However, it seems that it failed to take full effect for some reason, which is why that trace of abnormal energy leaked out.

Cohen's heart skipped a beat. He had a strong premonition that the key clue to Mavis's case might be hidden deep within this mysterious cave.

After Cohen entered the cave silently, a long corridor appeared before him.

The corridor walls are inlaid with fluorite that emits a faint glow, providing dim lighting.

As he continued to dive deeper, waves of increasingly intense energy surged forth like a tide.

The energy carried an ancient and obscure aura, as if it originated from the abyss.

When he finally reached the end of the corridor, a vast underground stone hall, larger than he could have imagined, suddenly opened up before him.

The stone hall was several times larger than the mine plaza above, but what truly shocked Cohen was the sight of the forest standing in the center of the hall.

Dozens of enormous stone pillars of varying heights stood in the stone hall like a strange stone forest. The style of these pillars was very similar to the communication pillar he had seen when the Demon Lord Thrall communicated with the sixty-second Demon God Valak.

However, they are much smaller in size, and the incantations and symbols carved on each stone pillar are different, making them more complex and profound.

However, Cohen was certain that the patterns and decorative style on the stone pillar undoubtedly came from the demon race.

In addition, a small group of people gathered at the base of each stone pillar.

Led by a powerful ninth-tier transcendent being, he was accompanied by several scholars dressed in pristine white research robes.

Each group gathered around the stone pillars, some with their heads down taking notes, some having heated discussions, and some casting spells, seemingly engrossed in studying the mysteries of these pillars.

Cohen's gaze swept rapidly across the group of researchers, and finally, under a stone pillar near the corner of the stone hall, he saw the stunning face that he had been longing for day and night.

Mavis!
Mavis was unharmed and was now frowning slightly, staring intently at the flowing runes on the stone pillar in front of her, holding a thick research notebook in her hand.

Seemingly completely immersed in some kind of academic exploration, her noble and elegant face seemed to radiate a faint halo in the dim light of the stone hall.

A feeling of relief instantly welled up in Cohen's heart. He had finally found her!
……

Following the complex and obscure rune diagrams personally taught by the Demon Lord Sal, Mavis's slender fingers danced up and down on the cold stone pillar.

Like playing the piano, it precisely outlines complex and profound energy patterns.

When the last stroke was completed, a rune glowed faintly and resonated with the stone pillar itself, and she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Mavis glanced quickly out of the corner of her eye at the other groups of researchers who were still working diligently. It was clear that she had far surpassed everyone else in progress.

She silently told herself that enough was enough and she shouldn't be too flashy.

In this kind of clandestine research, keeping a low profile and even taking it easy is the wisest way to survive.

So she decisively stopped what she was doing, pretended to be deep in thought as if she had encountered a problem, and stared blankly at the stone pillar.

The white-robed scholars standing beside her, who were assisting with the research, were probably extremely anxious, but none of them dared to urge her on in the face of this respected ninth-tier city lord, the "musician."

She could only stand silently to the side, watching this lord brazenly dawdle over his work. Mavis's thoughts had already flown outside this enclosed stone hall. Ever since the Demon Lord Sal brought her here a week ago under the pretext of an "important mission" to inscribe these runes day and night, she had been completely cut off from the outside world.

The powerful shielding array set up here is like an invisible cage, completely imprisoning her within.

She could imagine that her sister Belmody and Cohen must be extremely worried because of her sudden disappearance.

But the more this happened, the more she had to force herself to stay calm.

Her carefully cultivated identity as a "musician" in the chaotic continent is crucial to Cohen's overall strategy and her sister's plans.

We must never expose ourselves because of a momentary impulse.

Just as she was estimating the time and thinking it was almost time to wrap up her "performance" and was about to turn away from the stone pillar, a familiar voice she had been longing for rang clearly in her ears:
"Mei'er, I'm here!"

In this underground stone hall filled with countless cold stone pillars and obscure runes, the daily research work has long blurred the concept of time.

Mavis mechanically repeated the tasks assigned by Sal, but her heart, like this sunless underground world, was shrouded in an indescribable boredom and despair.

She didn't know how long this would last, and she also needed to find a way to spread the word about the plan that the Demon Lord Sal was plotting as soon as possible.

Just when she was in this extremely difficult situation, the voice she had called out a thousand times in her heart miraculously penetrated all the shields and obstacles and clearly resounded in her ears.

For a moment, Mavis almost thought she was hallucinating from excessive longing.

However, the voice was so real, carrying a sense of reassurance that made her soul tremble.

Mavis's body trembled slightly, and her beautiful eyes, which had been somewhat dim due to fatigue, suddenly burst forth with an unbelievable brilliance.

However, the extreme caution she had developed during her long period of infiltration forced her to suppress the call that was about to escape her lips.

His face quickly regained its slightly tired calm.

She quickly scanned the entire stone hall, and only after confirming that the researchers and guards around her had not shown any abnormalities did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

He then calmly placed the tools in his hand on the workbench next to the stone pillar.

As always when finishing a research session, I walked steadily toward the exit of the stone hall.

Back in the stone chamber assigned to her for rest, and after setting up several isolation arrays, Mavis finally seemed to have all her strength drained away. Leaning against the stone door, she said in a trembling voice:
"Alright, this place is safe now, and the Demon Lord Thrall isn't here either."

As soon as the words were spoken, a subtle ripple spread through the space in the center of the stone chamber.

A familiar figure, the one she longed for, slowly stepped out from the void.

When Cohen's warm, smiling face came into view, Mavis could no longer suppress the surging emotions within her.

Like a fledgling returning to its nest, she suddenly rushed into Cohen's open embrace, greedily breathing in the air that made her feel incredibly safe.

Inside the stone chamber, time seemed to stand still.

Mavis nestled close to Cohen, the two whispering sweet nothings, absorbing each other's warmth and scent.

After a long while, Cohen gently stroked Mavis's long hair and spoke softly:
"You've worried me to death these past few days. I couldn't get in touch with you at all, and I was almost ready to go to Sal's house in person."

Mavis looked up and said helplessly:
“I didn’t expect this to last so long. Sal is too meticulous. He doesn’t trust anyone and has everyone imprisoned here to work for him.”

Cohen asked:

“I see that each of you has been assigned a stone pillar. What are these things? What exactly does Sal want you to do for him?”

Upon hearing this question, the joy that had just appeared on Mavis's face gradually faded.

She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she straightened up slightly from Cohen's embrace and asked him seriously:
"Did you see those soldiers training outside when you came in?"

Cohen nodded and said:
“I see.

Their military bearing was impeccable, and their training was highly disciplined; in terms of discipline and imposing presence alone, they were no less than the regular armies of some kingdoms on the human continent.

Sarr is indeed very skilled at training troops.

Mavis took a deep breath, her gaze piercing through the walls of the stone chamber, as if she could see the perfectly aligned ranks of soldiers outside. A chill crept into her voice:
"You've only seen the surface. Those soldiers aren't ordinary warriors at all; they're... containers!"

container!

The moment those ominous words left Mavis's lips, Cohen's heart sank.

A chilling sensation instantly shot up his spine.

Mavis's voice also became much more serious, and she continued:

"The stone pillars we were assigned to take charge of were the 'Abyss Pillars' that the Demon Lord Thrall obtained from the sixty-two Demon Gods Valak three months ago at some price."

Each magic pillar is connected to a specific demon race beneath the abyss.

However, this connection is extremely unstable and filled with chaotic spatial turbulence.

Thrall's task for us was to inscribe and maintain a stable 'rune channel' on these magic pillars, based on the rune diagrams he provided.

Cohen then asked:

"What will be the purpose of this runic channel once it's completed?"

Mavis's voice carried a hint of coldness:
"Once all the rune channels on the magic pillars are imprinted and successfully activated, Thrall can use these magic pillars as transit points to silently bypass most of the planar barriers set up by the gods."

They will be banished to the depths of the abyss, and the demon souls of entire tribes connected to the Demon Pillar will be massively guided to the Prime Material Plane.

Then the rigorously trained and physically strong soldiers outside will become the perfect 'vessels' for these summoned demon souls!
Thrall's true aim was to build a terrifying demon army driven entirely by demonic souls, yet possessing the high level of discipline and tactical prowess of humans!

Cohen was suddenly startled, and the fog in his mind cleared up.

He finally understood why Sal had to train his army so secretly, why he had chosen this abandoned mine, and why even the recruitment of soldiers had to be done in such clandestine manner.
Everything he did was to cover up this earth-shattering conspiracy that was enough to shake the entire continent's order.

In an era where the order framework maintained by the gods has not yet completely collapsed, openly summoning and forming a demon army is undoubtedly a declaration of war against all pantheons of order, and Thrall dares not do it!

That's why he had to resort to this method, doing it secretly.

If he succeeds, if he really manages to build this demonic army disguised as a "human army" without anyone noticing, the consequences will be unimaginable!
At that time, it will likely not only be the Lost Lands, but the entire continent will face a catastrophe from the abyss.

The schemes of the sixty-second Demon Lord Valak and his representative Sal are far more terrifying in their madness and ambition than those of the fifty-eighth Demon Lord Ami, who previously attempted to create chaos in Eifine! (End of Chapter)