Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Cohen stood atop the Imperial military camp, gazing into the distance at the colossal city, which appeared even more imposing and majestic under the crimson twilight and heavy defensive magic.

What he saw was not only a military stronghold that had to be conquered, but also a once-in-a-lifetime strategic opportunity.

He intends to completely crush Lucius Aragell under the city of Eternal Night and force him to submit.

This proud vampire lord is still indulging in ancient glory and superstition about his own power, and scoffs at the olive branch extended by the Supreme Council.

We must crush their most elite forces here, in front of this fortress where he has deployed his troops and placed his hopes, with a crushing victory!
He needed to witness firsthand how vulnerable the legions upon which he relied to maintain his rule and dignity were in the face of an absolute disparity in strength.

He needs to understand that if he resists to the end, all that awaits the Twilight Continent is complete annihilation and the decline of his race.

Only when his pride is crushed by reality, and when his army suffers heavy losses and can no longer hold on, will he be able to achieve his goal.

Only when he himself falls into the abyss of despair will he lower his noble head and seek the help of the Supreme Council in the manner of a supplicant.

What Cohen wanted was not an equal ally, but a vassal force that had been beaten down by reality and had no choice but to depend on him for survival!

Of course, there was an even more crucial objective: to expose the demon army's disguise and bring Thrall's demon army into the open.

The war between the Eternal Night City-States is unprecedented in scale, and the vampires will undoubtedly deploy their elite forces, drawing immense attention throughout the Lost Lands.

This is the perfect stage to completely expose the demon army.

Once the truth about the Demon Legion is revealed, the Demon Gold Empire will no longer be "a powerful conqueror and ambitious man," but "an abyssal scourge that must be united and purified."

The Supreme Council will gain unparalleled moral cohesion and appeal.

A devastating blow to the vampires would attract maximum attention and create the perfect stage for revealing the truth.

The exposure of the truth about the demons will completely shatter any illusions of "decent peace" or "temporary surrender" within the vampire clan, leaving Lucius with no other option but to join the committee.

Composing himself, Cohen turned and led Mavis toward the central command tent.

The curtain was lifted, revealing that the interior was brightly lit.

Within the enormous magical sandbox floating tent, every terrain feature and every known defensive magic array of the Eternal Night City-State and its surroundings were clearly outlined.

Thrall, the Demon Lord, sat high on his temporary throne made of black stone, surveying the assembled generals beneath him.

Seeing Cohen and Mavis enter, Sal's face lit up with an undisguised, ardent smile.

He actually stood up from the throne and strode down the steps.

This action caused many generals to shrink their pupils slightly. Now that Sal was the emperor of the empire, it was truly unbelievable that someone of such high status would take the initiative to come down and greet Cohen and his companion.

Sal approached Cohen, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and his booming voice echoed throughout the tent:

"Look! Our great hero has arrived!"

Mr. Maine, you've come at the perfect time! This city before us is Lucius the old bat's last resort!

Smash it, and the eastern half of Twilight Isles will be ours to roam freely!

A faint smile appeared on Cohen's lips:

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to clear this last obstacle for you!"

Sal's face showed undisguised admiration, and his tone became even more fervent as he solemnly stated:
"To be honest, Maine, watching your schemes all the way, I feel more and more that ordinary rewards are simply not worthy of your contributions."

Tell me, what do you want?
Endless wealth? Vast territory? Or... power second only to the emperor?

With your achievements, I think you should be made the first Grand Duke since the founding of my Demon Gold Empire!
"To have your own duchy, to rule over a region, and to have only my orders! What do you say?"

Sal's words were not a feigned test, but a sincere promise from the bottom of his heart.

Over the past month, during the unstoppable conquest of the Magnet Empire, the value demonstrated by Korn has far exceeded Thrall's initial expectations.

It could even be said that this was one of the most crucial factors in the success of this eastern expedition.

Thrall originally planned that taking down the Twilight Continent would require at least a year and countless casualties.

However, with Cohen's "assistance", this process was greatly shortened!

In just one month, they have almost occupied half of Twilight Continent!
For each city-state, Cohen could provide astonishingly crucial intelligence—which magic array had fallen into disrepair, which vampire noble had a grudge against the lord, which secret passage could bypass the outer defenses, and which magical nodes had periodic weaknesses in their operation…

Accurate and timely intelligence enabled the Imperial Army to always find the most vulnerable attack points with minimal cost.

Moreover, Cohen's strategic and tactical vision has repeatedly surprised and even impressed Sal.

His strategies often hit the nail on the head regarding the vampire's defensive system, maximizing the advantages of his own units.

They have a thorough understanding of the vampires' way of thinking, combat habits, and even their internal factions.

What's even more remarkable is that Cohen is extremely low-key and never takes credit for his achievements. He always attributes victories to Sal's wise decisions and the bravery of his soldiers. Sal finds this understanding and loyalty especially valuable.

In just over a month, in Sal's mind, Cohen had rapidly risen from "a useful defector" to "an indispensable core strategist" and "a pillar of the empire."

Conferring upon him the title of the Empire's first Grand Duke was not merely the highest reward for his past achievements, but also a political declaration and a long-term investment for Thrall.

He wanted to show everyone that the Morgen Empire valued talent and treated its meritorious officials well, and that he, Thrall, had the magnanimity and courage to share the highest authority with those who could truly help him conquer the world.

This was both to retain Cohen's loyalty and to inspire those who came after him.

As Thrall announced this, the tent fell silent, save for the faint hum of the magic sandbox turning.

Envy, jealousy, awe, scrutiny... countless gazes pressed down on Cohen.

The Empire's First Grand Duke!

What a glorious honor and immeasurable power this is!

Cohen met Sal's burning, expectant gaze, his heart as calm as still water.

Sal's trust and generous reward were the result of his careful guidance step by step, and served as the best protection and pass for the implementation of his subsequent plans.

He needs this superior position and Sal's unreserved trust to have enough say and room to maneuver in the upcoming battles to achieve his dual goals.

A sincere humility and a sense of being flattered appeared on his face:

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I will continue to work hard and strive to bring Lucius and his thousand-year glory down into eternal night as soon as possible."

Sal seemed even more excited and shouted:

"I can't wait to personally hold a grand investiture ceremony for you."

Cohen gave a perfectly timed smile and bowed slightly, saying:

"Your Majesty's kindness is deeply appreciated by your subordinate."

However, this investiture ceremony is a grand imperial event, concerning His Majesty's dignity and the imperial system.

In my opinion, it would be better to wait until we have completely conquered the Eternal Night City-State, and then use the defeat of the vampires and Your Majesty's victory as the grandest celebration backdrop before bestowing titles. Wouldn't that better demonstrate Your Majesty's divine might?

This makes the investiture ceremony even more meaningful; at that time, the three armies will celebrate together, further demonstrating the rising power of our Demon Gold Empire.

These words were extremely well-said, expressing both loyalty and gratitude, while closely linking personal glory with the great cause of the empire and the current war, demonstrating a selfless dedication to the public good and a complete lack of ambition for quick success or personal gain.

Upon hearing this, Sal's eyes gleamed with even greater admiration, and he burst into laughter, his voice echoing throughout the camp:
"Good! Well said! Maine, Maine, you always understand me!"
As you said, once we have conquered the Eternal Night City-State, we will hold a ceremony to confer upon you the title of Grand Duke in this very place known to the vampires as the 'Land of Eternal Night'!

"Let the three armies celebrate together, and let those stubborn vampires who are still clinging to life see clearly: those who submit to me will receive supreme glory; those who oppose me will only face the destruction of their city and the extermination of their clan!"

He waved his arm with an air of triumph, as if victory were already in his grasp, then his expression turned serious, his gaze sweeping over the generals in the tent, and he said in a deep voice:

"Alright, enough of the small talk. The most important thing right now is how to crack open this tough nut that is the Eternal Night City-State. Everyone, tell me, what are your thoughts?"

As emperor, Thrall first presented his strategic vision. He walked to the floating magical sand table, his finger hovering over the model of the Eternal Night City-State, his tone carrying his usual aggression and confidence:

"In my opinion, although this city is fortified, it is not a monolithic entity internally."

Mayne's previous remarkable achievements were due to her accurate understanding of the vampire clan's inner workings and her ability to turn key figures against them. Perhaps we can repeat this tactic this time.

Try to win over the generals guarding one or two core areas within the Eternal Night City-State by offering them substantial rewards and explaining the potential consequences, so that they may defect or passively resist at a crucial moment.

We dispatched several elite small commando teams, carrying destructive alchemical items and warlocks skilled in creating chaos, to infiltrate the city.

They created explosions, fires, spread rumors, and attacked command nodes to incite panic and chaos to the greatest extent possible, thus paralyzing their command and logistics systems.

When chaos erupts within the city, the defenders' attention is diverted, and command falls into disarray, our main force can use overwhelming power and surprise tactics to tear through their defenses and breach the city gates in one fell swoop.

Many generals in the tent nodded slightly. If the inside help was effective, it was indeed possible to quickly capture the fortified city at a relatively low cost.

However, when everyone's gaze, including Sarna's questioning and expectant look, fell on Cohen, the chief of staff who had just been promised the title of Grand Duke, slowly shook his head.

Cohen's expression turned unusually serious. He stepped forward, approached the sand table, and spoke slowly:
"If Your Majesty's plan had been implemented half a month ago, or even a few days ago, it would certainly have had a very high chance of success. However..."

He paused, met Sal's slightly narrowed gaze, and continued:

"According to the latest intelligence I just received, the situation has changed drastically. Blood Lord Lucius is no mediocre ruler. Our initial unstoppable offensive, the rapid fall of several city-states, and especially the frequent success of our internal subversion tactics, have aroused his highest vigilance."

He may not be able to fully investigate the internal traitors and plug all the loopholes for the time being, but he has taken the most extreme and thorough measures to deal with the Eternal Night City, a crucial hub that cannot be lost.

He did not resort to the usual job rotation or increased surveillance.

Instead, it underwent a complete overhaul!

All the commanders of important defense zones, the heads of all key positions, the heads of all core functional departments, and even... all the intelligence and internal affairs personnel he suspected might have been infiltrated or were not absolutely reliable, were all replaced within a few days!

And those who will take over these positions are no longer the vampire nobles and local generals who might be bribed or threatened, or who have their own agendas.

Instead, Lucius directly awakened and dispatched from the deepest part of Twilight City, from those ancient tombs and dark dungeons that had been buried for countless years—the most core and stubborn group of elders in the vampire council.

The most powerful among them is a legendary elder, Simmons, who is also the current city lord of the Eternal Night City-State.

Many of Simmons's followers have already detached themselves from worldly affairs, spending years immersed in ancient magical research and simple slumber, with very little contact with the outside world.

They possess an almost obsessive loyalty to the traditions and honor of the vampire clan, and are virtually unmoved by ordinary interests or threats.

With this major reshuffle, most of my intelligence network within the Eternal Night City-State was almost completely uprooted.

Previously developed informants were either transferred or placed under surveillance, or simply disappeared.

Now, all the key positions are held by unfamiliar faces; they are the true backbone of the vampire clan.

Trying to win them over in a short period of time is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

As for sending small groups of troops to infiltrate and create chaos... the chances of success are extremely slim, given that such experienced, perceptive old guys know the city inside and out.

It's more likely to alert them, causing them to tighten their defenses even further.

The expressions on everyone's faces grew increasingly somber as Cohen continued his narration.

Cohen concluded with a resounding affirmation:
"Your Majesty, the previous tactics were based on the premise that there were gaps in the enemy's defenses."

But now, Lucius has temporarily welded shut the cracks inside the Eternal Night City-State using the most effective method.

If we continue to use the old tactics, we may not only fail to achieve the desired effect, but we may also fall into the trap set by the other side!
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but this time my intelligence agent is probably not of much use."

Silence fell over the tent for a moment.

Sal narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly processing the bad news from Cohen and rapidly considering countermeasures.

The seemingly feasible "inside-outside" strategy failed to work.

It seems that this anticipated decisive battle is truly about to turn into a head-on, head-on assault.

Emperor Sal was silent for a moment, a barely perceptible shadow crossing his face, then he sighed and said:

"Mr. Maine need not blame himself for this. We were unstoppable before, taking several cities in succession, making Twilight Continent unable to lift its head."

It would be strange if Lucius didn't react again.

This demonstrates that our military might has already caused him significant pain, forcing him to resort to his most valuable assets and use this almost self-destructive method to solidify his final stronghold.

"So, Maine, in your opinion, where should we begin?"

Cohen met Sal's gaze and offered his thoughts:

"My opinion is the same as the previous plan to break into the Crimson City: to directly behead their core leadership."

Especially the newly appointed core elders of the vampire clan, whom Lucius sent to oversee the area.

The rule of vampires, especially in a structure that relies on ancient bloodlines and traditions, is extremely dependent on a small number of core decision-makers at the top.

If we can successfully carry out a decapitation strike, we can wipe out this newly appointed core command.

Then, the entire vast defense system of the Eternal Night City-State would instantly fall into a state of chaos, with no leader and everyone fighting their own battles.

At that time, when our main force launches another general offensive, the defense system that has lost its unified brain, no matter how strong, will be nothing more than a sluggish shell.

With the unparalleled frontal assault capability of our demon soldier legion, we can easily tear open multiple gaps in the city's defenses in the shortest time with relatively low costs, thus securing victory in one fell swoop.

After hearing this, Sal quickly realized the most crucial and contradictory aspect of the entire plan and asked:

"A decapitation strike... a good idea. But Maine, as you just said, our intelligence control over the city is almost zero. We have no way of knowing the elders' activity patterns or their guards."

Furthermore, without inside help, we can't just storm in to find them; what's the difference between that and a direct assault on the city?

This is the core of the problem.

The other generals in the tent nodded in agreement, their expressions showing either contemplation or doubt.

Cohen's plan was good, but it was extremely difficult to execute, especially after losing the most crucial intelligence support.

The opponents are not fools, especially those vampire elders who have lived for who knows how long; they are bound to be more afraid of death and more cautious.

The essence of decapitation tactics lies in "precision" and "surprise". If you don't even know where the target is or how to approach it, then there is no point in talking about anything else.

All eyes were once again focused on Cohen, awaiting his answer.

At this moment, Cohen's status in the entire Magic Gold Empire has changed.

Thrall's undisguised high regard for him, the series of ingenious strategies he offered, and the newly promised title of "Grand Duke of the Empire" made him the second most important figure in the hearts of the generals, second only to Emperor Thrall.

Cohen seemed to have anticipated this question and said slowly:
"Your Majesty's consideration is absolutely correct. Without an inside accomplice, it is indeed impossible to find the location of these vampire elders."

However, we can change our approach—instead of us going to them, we should force them to come to us!

Sal's eyes lit up, and he pressed for an answer:
"What's your idea?"

Cohen paused for a moment, his gaze slowly sweeping over the generals in the tent, and posed a question:
"Your Majesty, generals, in your opinion, at this moment, what is the situation for the vampires trapped in the Eternal Night City-State, especially for those vampire elders who have just taken over the defense and are eager to make contributions and stabilize the situation?"

What, or rather, what kind of goal, is most attractive and valuable to them, to the point that they are willing to take certain risks to try to acquire or destroy it?

This question brought a brief silence to the tent.

In fact, the answer to this question is obvious, and everyone knows it. What the vampires want to figure out most right now is why the army of the Demon Gold Empire is so powerful.

The reason they were able to be invincible and sweep across the entire Twilight Continent was, to put it bluntly, the secret of the demon legion.

After a moment, a general spoke thoughtfully:
"In my humble opinion, at this stage, what they are most eager to know is probably the secret of our demon legion!"
Our early victories were too swift. Apart from Lord Mayne's intelligence support, the demon legion's disregard for casualties, frenzied attacks, and certain bizarre recovery and enhancement abilities caused a huge psychological shock to the vampires.

They must be frantically researching, trying to find a way to control it.

Any information about the demon legion is invaluable to them.

That would be enough to tempt any vampire commander, even to the point of risking their life for it.

The general's words were met with agreement from many of the officers in the tent.

Indeed, the strength of the demon soldiers was key to the Demon Gold Empire's early sweeping victories, and it was undoubtedly a top priority for the enemy to study.

A glint flashed in Sal's eyes, as if he had grasped something, and he looked at Cohen:
"Maine, you mean... use this as bait?"

Cohen nodded and replied:

"Indeed, the vampires must be filled with curiosity and deep fear about the source of the Imperial Legion's power."

They wanted to crack the code, but felt utterly powerless.

If we can create a seemingly plausible opportunity to convince them that they have a chance to observe this secret up close.

I believe this temptation is absolutely irresistible to those newly appointed elders eager to prove their abilities before the Blood Lord.

Seeing the thoughtful expressions on everyone's faces, Cohen stopped keeping them in suspense and, meeting Sal's probing gaze and the focused eyes of the generals in the tent, revealed his plan in its entirety:
"Specifically, we can fabricate intelligence that there are several strange stone pillars in a heavily guarded military base somewhere in our Demon Gold Empire."

These stone pillars are the key source of our special elite force.

It is the special energy provided by these pillars that endows the Imperial soldiers with extraordinary combat power and resilience.

The most crucial part of this intelligence is that these pillars are extremely rare, their manufacturing process has long been lost, and they are extremely fragile; once destroyed by external forces...

The enhancement capabilities of the Empire's special soldiers will be severely damaged, and may even be cut off from their source.

Ordinary military attacks are unlikely to be effective in destroying these pillars.

It requires a legendary-level expert to lead an elite small commando team, break through multiple layers of defenses, and completely destroy it in a very short time with a powerful energy impact or a specific destructive method.

Imagine if the elders of the Eternal Night City-State, who had crawled out of their coffins, received such information, what would they do?
Especially now that the frontline battle is going poorly, and they are struggling to find an effective way to deal with our demon soldiers.

This intelligence was like a ray of light in the darkness for them, a strategic opportunity that could potentially turn the tide of the war! (End of Chapter)