Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 507 Grace's Succubus True Form!

Deep within the gloomy Duke's mansion, a city of strangulation and composed of countless twisted bones and crystals of pain, Duke Melkern stared intently at the token in Cohen's hand, which exuded a familiar and majestic aura.

His expression suddenly became much more serious.

Unlike lower-level managers like Kasogor, the Duke, as a member of the inner circle of the Endless Swamp, knew far more inside information.

He knew perfectly well that his superior, Grand Duke Mammon, had long been secretly colluding with a human king, and had even left the Black Tomb, an important stronghold he had cultivated for a long time, for this purpose.

The identity of this extraordinary, almost excessively handsome human male before them becomes obvious.

He is very likely the same Cohen Corleone, the King of Efein who stirred up trouble in the Prime Material Plane and seduced Grand Duke Mammon.

Because Cohen was so well-known in the human world, even in the hellish dimension, there were scattered rumors about his legendary deeds.

Melker quickly learned the whole story, then turned around abruptly and glared fiercely at Kasogor, who was kneeling and trembling to the side, with eyes full of anger and disappointment.

They knew this kid wanted to line his own pocket, which is why they didn't report it; otherwise, this whole mess wouldn't have happened.

Now we can only hope that the other party will not pursue the matter too much. Kasogor is his capable subordinate, and it would be a great pity to kill him.

Duke Melkern, disregarding his status as a legendary transcendent, immediately plastered an almost fawning smile on his face and said to Cohen in a flattering manner:
"Your Excellency, I am very sorry for the offense caused to you and your wife."

"How do you plan to handle this unpleasant matter? Just give the order, and I will do my best!"

Cohen glanced at him indifferently. He didn't want to interfere too much in the affairs of Hell, especially such an insignificant little incident, and said calmly:
"Your Excellency, you shall handle this matter as you see fit."

I have come here to ask His Excellency the Duke for a favor.

Duke Melkern breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Cohen's reply that he hadn't pursued Kasogor's offensive behavior further. He quickly put on an even more ingratiating smile and bowed, saying:
"Your Excellency is too kind. Please do not hesitate to ask if there is anything I can do for you. On behalf of the entire City of Throat Lock, I will do my utmost."

Cohen nodded slightly and said calmly:

“My wife and I are preparing to travel to the first level, Afonas, and we need you to provide us with a disguise, as well as some route maps and intelligence.”

Duke Melkern's expression shifted slightly, and he spoke cautiously:

"Your Excellency, it is very simple to prepare a disguise for you."

However, the structure of the Nine Hells plane is like a tall tower with distinct levels.

To reach the first level, Aphonas, you must first pass through the second level, Dis.

As you may know, the relationship between Grand Duke Dispat, the ruler of Dis, and our Lord Mammon has never been very harmonious.

If you two were to impersonate people from our Endless Swamp and carry the aura of Minauros, you would likely easily provoke hostility and difficulties from Dis.

That would actually make your actions more inconvenient and difficult to carry out smoothly.

To put it bluntly, the root cause of the discord between the two sides lies in the competition for interests.

Although Mammon and Minauros mainly deal in the soul trade, as the most business-savvy devil duke in the Nine Hells plane, he also dabbles in the arms trade.

This was naturally a considerable challenge for Grand Duke Dispart, who was known as the chief arms dealer in Hell.

In addition, the two sides live very close to each other, which often leads to friction, making it even more difficult for them to get along.

Cohen smiled faintly:
“I understand. I didn’t ask to use your Endless Swamp identities. Just give us two normal demon or devil identities.”

Duke Melkern's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and a relaxed expression immediately appeared on his face. He quickly nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I see. Then there's absolutely no problem."

Preparing this type of status is very convenient for us; we guarantee everything will be arranged perfectly for you!

……

It's been three days since we left the city of chokeholds.

Cohen took a deep breath of the scorching air unique to the Nine Hells Plane, trying to use the discomfort to suppress the surging restlessness in his heart.

He tried his best to avoid looking at Grace beside him, even just glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

At this moment, he felt that his willpower, which had endured countless life-and-death trials and was thought to be as solid as a rock, was so vulnerable in the face of this attraction that originated from the very source of life.

The root of all this lies in the disguised identities that Duke Melkorn prepared for the two of them.

With the devil mask, it's not difficult for Cohen to change his appearance.

What was truly needed was an identity document conforming to the rules of hell, and Duke Melkorn prepared for him the identity of a berserker.

Berserkers typically play the role of soldiers or guards in the Nine Hells plane. They are naturally strong and powerful, possessing terrifying melee abilities.

However, they are extremely intellectually deficient, and are therefore often deceived and exploited by more cunning demons or devils.

The reason Cohen was given such an identity was entirely due to Grace's disguise—or more accurately, it wasn't really a disguise.

Faced with Grace's stunning beauty and profound noble bearing, Duke Melkern offered the most reasonable solution: a high-ranking succubus noble.

A noble and beautiful high-ranking succubus noblewoman accompanied by a silent and strong berserker demon guard is a common and logical combination in the Nine Hells Plane, and would not arouse unnecessary suspicion.

For Grace, who possesses the bloodline of a high-ranking succubus, this was practically a natural performance.

She didn't even need to imitate anything deliberately; she simply activated and guided the power of her bloodline, and a natural, captivating charm naturally emanated from her.

However, the effects of activating the power of bloodline far exceeded Cohen's expectations.

Grace's succubus form exuded a deadly charm that seemed to directly pluck the strings of the deepest soul, almost causing Cohen to lose his mind.

This powerful attraction even startled the unsuspecting Duke Melkern, who began to have some startling speculations about Grace's true identity.

But he was very tactful and didn't ask any more questions.

Aside from the disguise, the most important assistance provided by Duke Melkern was the detailed topographical maps of the second-tier Dis and the first-tier Avernas.

After carefully studying and noting down the route, Cohen did not linger in the City of Throat Locks and set off immediately with Grace.

The two followed the path marked on the map, heading towards the second level.

After several days of trekking through the uniquely treacherous environment of Hell—traversing twisted metal jungles, avoiding boiling swamps of souls, and circling hordes of roaming hunters.

They finally reached the boundary between the second and third levels without any major incident.

Ahead lies the most dangerous area of ​​this journey through hell, Dis, the eternal workshop of steel and fire.
As Cohen gazed at the increasingly clear outline of the steel fortress on the distant horizon, resembling a crouching behemoth, he already had other plans in mind.

Having finally made it to the Nine Hells Dimension, besides assisting Grace in securing the support of her great-grandfather, I also need to take this opportunity to expand some crucial "business" for Effin's future.

The second level before us, Dis, is the largest arms production base and arsenal in the entire Nine Hells plane.

The equipment they produce is not only suitable for hellish creatures, but can also be used by human armies.

In particular, these weapons are often covered with a strong hellish aura, which has a natural attribute suppression and corrosive effect on ordinary superhumans in the main plane, and can exert unexpected power in actual combat.

In fact, with his current peak eighth-tier strength and numerous trump cards, even without relying on the disguised identity provided by Melkern, he was confident enough to forcibly cross over to Dis.

But the deeper reason he still chose the identity of "Berserker Guardian" lies precisely in this.

He wanted to use this seemingly lowly but plausible identity as a cover to try to establish contact with some arms dealers within the Dis organization.

Let's see if we can reach some covert, mutually beneficial cooperation to prepare for future competition for supremacy on the continent.

In particular, Cohen had been eyeing the special weapons and equipment from Dis, a type of biological weaponry called War Beast, for a long time.

If these war behemoths, modified by hellish technology and magic, could be introduced into the prime plane, they would undoubtedly become a decisive force on the battlefield.

……

Dis, a plane filled with the aura of steel and fire, is not only an armory of the bottomless abyss, but also an endless dark feast.

The entire plane is composed of black iron mountains, boiling blood rivers, and an ever-burning forging factory.

The sky was perpetually tinged with a dark red by the glow of countless furnaces on the ground, and the air was thick with the smells of sulfur, ozone, and molten metal.

Like the third level of Mammon, Minaros, Dis also has a wide river that runs through the entire level, called the Blood Sulfur River.

The river water was a mixture of scalding blood and liquid sulfur.

This river is not only the lifeline for transporting goods, but also the first choice for countless demon craftsmen to temper their weapons.

Whenever molten metal is poured into the river, it produces a piercing hiss and billowing steam.

The land of Dis is entirely composed of cooled volcanic rock and embedded metal veins, with huge drilling wells and open-pit mines visible everywhere.

Countless slaves, including captured low-ranking demons, corrupted souls, and unfortunate beings from other planes, were driven day and night by overseers wielding flaming whips to mine precious hellfire iron and the even rarer soulsteel.

Most surprisingly, in stark contrast to the chaos and disorder common in other levels of the Nine Hells, the inhabitants of Dis exhibit a chillingly high degree of organization.

The demons and devils here seem to have abandoned the chaotic nature inherent in the Nine Hells plane.

They imitated the most rigorous military management system of human nations, forming a class society with strict hierarchy and clear division of labor.

From the lowest-ranking miner slaves, to foremen overseeing production, to officers in charge of different regions and war blacksmiths commanding large armies, and finally to the Grand Duke Dispart at the top.

Society as a whole is like a sophisticated and ruthless war machine.

The ruling class of Dis is steel devils.

These behemoths are generally over ten meters tall, resembling living fortresses covered in dark metal.

They are not only shrewd managers, but also ruthless battlefield generals and unparalleled weapons masters.

The supreme ruler of Dis, Grand Duke Dispat, is an ancient steel demon whose strength has reached the Saint level. He controls an arms trade network that spans multiple planes and is undoubtedly the largest arms dealer in the Nine Hells Plane.

Its will determines the flow of weapons in countless interdimensional wars.

Beneath the steel devil lies the cunning and treacherous Contract Demon, who oversees civilian affairs and diplomacy.

The contract here is naturally a soul contract with the Iron Demon.

They are the devil's lawyers and negotiation experts, responsible for negotiating intricate arms contracts with all sorts of clients across the multiverse.

From rebellious angels filled with discontent to ambitious mortal kings, their footsteps have traversed the entire multiverse.

It is through the operations of these contract demons that Dis's weapons are sold throughout the entire plane, becoming the cornerstone of the continuous wealth of the layered realms.

Aside from the Iron Demons and Contract Demons who form the ruling class, there is the backbone of the entire hierarchy: the Crafts Demons.

Besides the Steel Demons and Contract Demons who form the ruling class, the backbone of Dis society consists of a large number of Craft Demons.

They are demons obsessed with the forging process, born for casting.

The most distinctive feature is that these craftsmen have at least five arms, enabling them to simultaneously handle multiple precision tasks such as material quenching, rune engraving, and component assembly.

The highest-ranking artisans are known as "Soul Forgers," who possess the skill to forge soul crystals from the third-tier Throat-Locking City into the most powerful and malevolent soul enchantments for weapons.

It can endow weapons with terrifying and extraordinary properties that allow them to devour life and tear apart souls.

Like the endless swamp ruled by Mammon, Dis also has the largest number of lower-level beings—the lesser demons and the lowly demons.

They were at the very bottom of a harsh hierarchical system, serving as endless laborers, miners, and slaves.

Under harsh conditions and brutal lashes, it provides the most basic and bloodiest power for the grand industry of the upper echelons of evil.

The prosperity of the entire country was built on this precise and rigorous political system.

The reason why Dis has become the leading arms giant in the entire Nine Hells plane is that they do not simply buy and sell swords and weapons, but provide "integrated war solutions".

Here, customers can purchase the most basic mass-produced enchanted weapons and armor, such as the standard scimitars issued to low-level demon legions.

You can also buy legendary longswords that are forged specifically for the slaughter of high-ranking angels and contain the power to destroy saints.

In addition, DIS also offers a variety of large siege machines that can change the course of the battlefield—terrifying catapults that can throw hellfireballs, and automatically advancing steel siege towers.

Including Cohen's most coveted biological weapon war monster, a war behemoth bred in a war incubation pit.

In the land of steel and fire, there is no weapon of war that they cannot create, only one that their customers cannot imagine.

Dis's business even extends to "army rental," where, for the right price, they can even "rent out" an entire well-trained elite army to solve problems for their clients.

This is one of the main reasons why Prince Xia Zuo of the Eastern Empire is so determined to break through the Hell Plane. He desperately wants to gain the support of Dis, this huge arsenal, in order to enhance his strength in the struggle for continental supremacy.

Cohen gazed at the orderly yet intensely destructive steel world before him, pondered for a long time, and began to plan his next move.

……

Painful Shipyard, this colossal structure lying on the banks of the Blood-Sulfur River, is the throat through which the Dis Layer Domain handles its cargo.

On the river, several massive steel ships, comparable in size to mountains, lay silently at rest. These ships were the core tools for interdimensional transport, carrying Dis's death weapons to every corner of the multiverse.

The dock was bustling with activity.

Countless demon slaves loaded and unloaded goods here like worker ants, and the air echoed with the sounds of whips and chains clashing.

This place is not only a logistics hub, but also a forward outpost and qualification checkpoint for outsiders to enter the world.

Almost all businessmen and arms dealers intending to conduct arms deals with Dis must first undergo Dis's official vetting here.

On such an ordinary day, the shipyard welcomed a pair of exceptionally eye-catching individuals.

A succubus, whose beauty could dim the surrounding firelight, was accompanied by a berserker demon with a massive, mountain-like physique and a ferocious aura emanating from the peak of the Gold rank.

Grace's stunning charm almost instantly attracted the intense attention of various forces at the dock.

However, no one is stupid enough to survive and thrive in the dog-eat-dog world of Dis, and they quickly realized the significance of this combination.

Such a stunningly beautiful and extraordinary high-ranking succubus was accompanied by a berserker demon whose strength had reached the peak of the Gold rank.

This is no ordinary wandering demon; it is very likely a representative of a powerful demon noble or even a higher-level force.

The consequences of rash actions are far beyond what these arms dealers or mercenaries can bear.

Therefore, most of those ill-intentioned glances wisely withdrew after a brief pause.

The crowd on the dock instinctively made way for the conspicuous pair.

Cohen's gaze swept over the busy and chaotic dock before him, and he introduced it to Grace:

"The entire second level is vast, roughly equivalent to the territory of a great human empire."

All merchants who come to Dis for arms deals, regardless of which dimension they come from.

They would all choose to board special ships at the Painful Shipyard, traversing the extensive Bloodsulfide River to reach trading posts or military factories scattered throughout the region.

As Grace listened to Cohen's introduction, her beautiful eyes took in his muscular, ferocious appearance as a berserker.

Her eyes darted around mischievously, and she raised her hand to gently cover her red lips, letting out a soft, bell-like laugh:
"I said, why do you dress up like such a clumsy and stupid person?"

"Don't you have a demon mask? Wouldn't it be more impressive and easier to act by simply disguising yourself as the son of a demon god?"

Upon hearing this, Cohen shrugged helplessly, gave Grace a look that said, "You're still too naive," and said:

"My Princess, when have you ever seen a true son of a demon god personally come to such a chaotic dock to discuss business?"

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the watchful eyes around him, before continuing his explanation in a low voice:
"A concubine favored by the son of a demon god, accompanied by a powerful berserker demon bodyguard."

Representing the son of the Demon God, the Pirate King Yan Hughes has come to the Nine Hells Dimension to inspect and discuss arms cooperation.

This combination of identities is both plausible and avoids arousing unnecessary suspicion, making it easier for us to act covertly.

Grace's eyes sparkled, a captivating smile curving her lips. She tilted her head, casting a meaningful wink at Cohen, her voice laced with a lazy huskiness:

"So, my dear bodyguard, what is our specific plan next?"

Cohen raised his head, his gaze quickly sweeping across the noisy and chaotic dock, soon locking onto a ticket booth with a rusty iron sign hanging above it, where all sorts of demons gathered. He said slowly:
"Dis's core capital is Furnace City, the location of the palace of Grand Duke Dispat, the arms dealer, and also the place where the largest trade is completed."

However, if we were to directly access the core trading circle of high-end weapons, simply heading to Forge City would likely result in no one paying any attention to us.

First, you must find a middleman who has influence in the local area and has sufficient connections.

So our first stop is Eternal Night City.

There's a trustworthy professional broker there who can connect you with almost anyone in Dis who's influential, for the right price.

Grace raised an eyebrow when she heard the name "Eternal Night City".

Since she had decided to come to the Nine Hells Plane, Grace had naturally done her research on the place, especially the city called "Eternal Night City".

That place is a renowned entertainment center throughout the entire Nine Hells Plane, filled with underground nightclubs and luxurious casinos driven by painful illusions and soul energy.

It is the ultimate money pit for mercenaries, arms dealers, and outlaws to squander their wealth and seek thrills.

It would be strange if Grace didn't have suspicions when she heard that her man was going to a place like this.

(End of this chapter)