Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Non-interference?

Cohen's breath hitched, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.

……

He actually burst out laughing...

Far from restraining herself, she seemed to have discovered something extremely amusing, her emerald eyes gleaming with mischief as she whispered in his ear, her breath sweet as orchids:
Cohen: "..."

He looked at the woman in his arms who seemed to thrive on chaos, and felt a headache coming on, followed by a surge of anger.

The fluctuations from the communication array grew clearer and more urgent, and what was in his arms...

Just as Cohen was being teased by Mavis and weighing whether to "punish" this troublesome vixen on the spot before dealing with official business, or to forcibly push her away to answer that deadly message.

The "artist" in his arms clearly had little patience to wait for him to make a decision.

A sly glint flashed in Mavis's blue eyes. Taking advantage of the moment when Cohen was distracted and suppressing the restlessness within him, she directly connected the communication for him!

"Mei'er! No—" Cohen realized it was too late and only managed to whisper half a cry.

The runestone activated, its faint glow illuminating the moment a stable and clear magical connection was established.

Cohen felt a jolt on his scalp, and all his romantic thoughts were instantly blown to the winds.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging blood and adjusting his breathing, which had become somewhat heavy due to lust, to a steady state.

He glared at Mavis warningly, cursing the troublemaking little devil a thousand times in his mind.

But the communication was already established, and Windsordler's clear and melodious voice resonated through magical resonance.

"What a disappointment. It seems the vampires really have no one left to use, that they actually sent such a... good-for-nothing prince."

The elf lady's voice maintained its elegant tone, but the coldness and slight impatience in it almost betrayed her communication runes. "I really have no interest in dealing with him. I'll leave the follow-up matters to Rachel."

While struggling to keep his breathing steady, Cohen quickly got into the zone and responded:
"Windsor, you've worked hard... Kashram's abilities and perspectives are indeed limited. The vampires sending him here may have been a test."

What if we didn't waste too much energy on him?

As he spoke, Mavis was already... If Cohen hadn't already reached the maximum level of willpower, he would have been exposed by now.

Windsor's voice continued:
"As expected, based on subsequent feedback and some intelligence we intercepted, there was a strong opposition within the vampire clan."

The treaty that Keshram brought back touched their most sensitive nerves, especially the clauses concerning military command and Lucius's status.

The council of elders and the leaders of the major clans strongly objected and currently show no intention of signing a treaty.

As Cohen listened, he secretly exerted his strength, trying to restrain Mavis's writhing hips with both hands, while keeping his voice as steady as possible:
"A bunch of old fogies who won't shed a tear until they see the coffin, but this was expected."

Windsordler paused for a moment, then continued:

"Somewhat surprisingly, Blood Lord Lucius himself secretly sent me a handwritten letter through a clandestine channel."

Cohen perked up, temporarily ignoring the strange feeling in his body: "Oh? What did he say?"

He sensed that Mavis's movements seemed to pause for a moment, as if she were listening.

"The meaning in the letter is very clear: he personally tends to accept the conditions, or rather, he recognizes reality and chooses to survive."

However, within the clan, especially among the council of elders and the ancient noble class that controlled power, resources, and the army, the opposition was deeply rooted and powerful.

He cannot be suppressed in a short period of time by his own efforts.

We hope we can give him more time to try and mediate.

Upon hearing this, Cohen's lips curled into a knowing, cold smile:

"Lucius is a shrewd man, and also a ruthless and cunning leader who knows when to yield and when to stand firm."

He saw our strength and also saw the true crisis facing the vampires.

His biggest enemies are the internal parasites and stumbling blocks, even more troublesome than the Demon Gold Empire.

However, we don't have much time to waste on internal squabbles within the vampire clan.

The Demon Gold Empire will not wait, nor will the demons' infiltration stop.

I will eliminate the main opposition forces for Lucius.

The most vocal elders within the vampire clan, along with a few of the most stubborn noble families, possess several secret treasure vaults deep within the Twilight Continent.

It contains the wealth they have amassed over hundreds of years, and even their family's secret treasures.

At the same time, they also control several key magical nodes and strategic strongholds, which are the lifelines for maintaining their status and military power.

I plan to persuade Sal to send troops to raid these strategic locations, destroy their money and lifeline, and let's see what those old guys will have left to be arrogant about, and what they will have left to incite their people to fight to the death.

At that time, the opposition within the vampire clan will naturally weaken!

Cohen was getting to the heart of the matter, his tone cold and his logic clear, as if he could already see the Thrall Legion piercing the heart of Twilight Continent like a sharp knife, crushing the self-righteous reliance of those noble elders.

However, the instant he finished speaking—

"Uh!"

It suddenly emanated from him.

Although the sound wasn't loud, it stood out remarkably clearly in the quiet room and with a stable magical communication connection.

It made a sound.

"!!!"

Cohen's words came to an abrupt halt, and he froze instantly, feeling the hairs on the back of his head stand on end.

He turned his head sharply, glaring fiercely at the culprit, his eyes practically spitting fire, and silently roared through his lips: What are you doing!
Mavis herself was startled, and her beautiful face instantly turned bright red.

Faced with Cohen's murderous gaze, she knew she was in the wrong and quickly covered her mouth, her blue eyes instantly welling up with tears, making her look pitiful.

She playfully stuck out her tongue and silently mouthed, "I'm sorry, it wasn't on purpose, it really... hurt..."

On the other end of the call, Windsordler's voice abruptly stopped.

Cohen's mind raced, trying to find a reasonable explanation, such as "I accidentally bumped my injured arm" or "a cat suddenly darted past"... but any excuse seemed pale and weak in light of what had just happened.

Mavis, who was in his arms, seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation and was so frightened that she dared not move at all. She lay in his arms like a quail and even breathed softly.

She looked at Cohen with only her big, watery eyes, innocent yet frightened.

Cohen looked helplessly at the "troublemaker" in his arms, and felt the almost freezing silence on the other end of the communication, and felt a sense of powerlessness called "you reap what you sow".

After a deathly silence on the other end of the line, Windsordler's voice finally broke through again—still that clear, melodious voice, but one that carried an unmistakable chill.
“Miss Mavis Tinuville!” Windsordler called out the name precisely, her tone flat, even strangely gentle, but this gentleness was more chilling than direct anger. “Did you have a good time with my husband in Twilight Continent these past two days?”

Mavis shuddered, her cheeks, already flushed from pain and embarrassment, turning an even redder red, almost as if they were about to bleed.

……

He tried to make his voice sound calm, though he still couldn't hide the husky and languid quality that came with it:
"Your Highness, Princess of Windsor, do you have any instructions?"

Windsor's cold laughter came clearly:
"Instructions? I dare not presume."

I was just thinking that Miss Mavis was so 'dedicated' that she didn't forget to 'participate' even when listening to the highest-level military briefings.

Shouldn't your sister, Melantha, who coordinates intelligence from the rear, learn a thing or two from this enthusiasm for your work?
You should know that she'll be heading back to the Lost Land in the next couple of days!

Mentioning Melantha, Mavis seemed to have been struck on a nerve...

He mumbled softly:

"You two talk business, I won't disturb you any longer."

After saying that, he hurriedly...

Then, like a child caught doing something wrong by their parents, ...

Cohen watched Mavis's departing figure, then looked down at his own equally disheveled clothes.

I felt an unprecedented headache and a sense of powerlessness.

He wiped his face, trying to gather his thoughts, and explained to the elf lady in as calm a tone as possible:
"Windsor, I...sigh, I didn't mean to do this."

That was... uh, it was an accident, Meifei... well..."

However, before he could even stammer out a plausible reason, Windsordler interrupted his explanation:
"Alright, no need to explain. Don't I know what kind of person you are?"

Then he deliberately raised his voice:
"After all, they are infiltrating behind enemy lines, which is very stressful. Life on the front lines is also very dull and boring. It is only natural for people to need to relieve their loneliness occasionally, and that is understandable."

After all, wasn't that exactly what Paimafi was supposed to do?
I was quite surprised that Miss Mavis, who always prides herself on being a refined artist, would be so dedicated and ingenious in carrying out this kind of task. It really impressed me.

Windsordler made no attempt to conceal his voice, clearly speaking intentionally for Mavis to hear.

Mavis, who hadn't gone far, blushed instantly. Windsordler's words were practically treating her as...

Although she had a close relationship with Cohen, she was still a well-known intelligence officer in the Lost Lands and a powerful figure who was halfway to legendary status.

She was here to work with Cohen, and Windsordler's words were a double insult to her character and professional ethics!

She was so angry that she was trembling all over, her teeth clenched, and she wanted nothing more than to rush back and confront Windsor.

But when he thought about the stupid thing he had just done and the consequences if his sister Melansa found out, his arrogance instantly vanished.

In the end, he could only angrily carry the pile of tattered clothes back to his room.

In the living room, Cohen's lips twitched as he heard Windsor's words, which were both "considerate" and sarcastic, and he remained speechless for a moment.

He knew that Windsor's words were partly sarcastic towards Mavis, and partly meant for him.

Fortunately, Windsordler knew when to stop while he was ahead.

After a brief assertion of sovereignty and a gentle reminder, we moved on to the main topic:
"That's the basic situation. Once your operation proceeds smoothly and the most stubborn opposition within the vampire clan suffers a heavy blow, the rest will be a matter of going with the flow."

The Twilight Continent will be fully integrated into the Supreme Council's system.

Cohen straightened his expression and said:

"Once the vampires submit, the situation will be completely different."

Our Supreme Council will be directly facing the military might of the Demon Gold Empire, so we can no longer remain merely as a behind-the-scenes supporter and intelligence operator.

We must step into the limelight and officially begin our actions.

We cannot allow Thrall to deplete the last remaining strength of the vampire race; that would not be in our interest.

We need a relatively complete Twilight Continent.

Windsordler replied approvingly:
"Belmore and Grace, and the rest of us think the same way. We can't let Sal completely defeat the vampires, otherwise all our previous work will have been for nothing."

Cohen quickly asked a crucial question:
"How is the deployment of the long-distance directional space teleportation array progressing?"

This is key to our rapid deployment of troops into the heart of the chaotic Demon Continent.

Without a stable and efficient large-scale transmission network, it would be virtually impossible to launch a strategic-level raid across such a vast distance.

Windsordler replied:

"Everything has been arranged and can be activated at any time for large-scale, multi-batch stable transmission."

The Eastern coalition forces coordinated by Belmoti have also completed their final assembly and pre-battle preparations.

Once the teleportation array is activated, the first batch of assault troops can be deployed within two hours.

They appeared directly on the eastern flank of the Chaotic Demon Continent and in some of its relatively weakly defended hinterland.

At that time, with the help of our inside agents there, we could launch a surprise attack that would catch Sal off guard.

This was exactly the plan that Cohen had repeatedly rehearsed with Belmody, Grace, and others.

By using the vampire crisis to lure Thrall's main force eastward, they can then launch a fatal attack from his most unexpected and relatively vulnerable rear.

It can demonstrate the Supreme Council's military power, making those wavering neutral forces see the situation clearly, and also alleviate the vampires' predicament.

Cohen nodded in reply:

“Very good. Once our allied forces start fighting in the heart of the chaotic continent, Thrall’s base will be directly threatened.”

He dared not stand idly by; no matter how important the battle against the vampires on the front lines was, it was not as important as the raid on his hometown.

He will definitely lead his legion back to reinforce the area.

At that time, I will persuade Thrall to leave Hextech's mechanical legions on the front lines of Twilight Continent to continue the standoff with the vampires.

"Once Thrall himself and his most elite core troops are transferred away, the pressure on the vampire front will be greatly reduced."

Windsordler continued:

"Melansa will be back in the next couple of days, and she will temporarily impersonate you then."

The more you're on the front lines, the more pressure Sal will be under.

At that time, we can coordinate with the allied forces to assist the vampires in an orderly recapture of lost territory.

Cohen nodded slightly, then quickly added in a serious tone:

"Tell those committee members that there are two issues they must pay attention to during the process of reclaiming the lost territory of the vampires."

First, during the recapture process, especially the takeover of key towns, strategic locations, and resource points, the people who take over must be people we absolutely trust, or agents whose interests are deeply intertwined with ours.

We must never let the vampires think that once the territory is taken back, it belongs to them again, or even give rise to the idea of ​​rebelling again.

They may temporarily manage the land, but the lifeline must be in our hands.

Secondly, the attack on the remaining enemy troops must be carried out with caution.

You need to put pressure on them to force Thrall to divide his forces, but you can't push too hard and cause the remaining enemy troops to act desperately, or make Thrall feel that the front line is about to collapse and that he would rather abandon his homeland than not eat the vampires first.

This balance requires precise judgment from the frontline commanders and your committee.

Windsor listened quietly, and only responded affirmatively after Cohen finished speaking:
"Understood. I will personally oversee the placement of personnel with Belmotti, combining commercial infiltration, intelligence networks, and necessary military support to ensure that every inch of reclaimed land is under our actual control."

Regarding the control of the intensity of operations on the front lines, we will maintain close communication with the coalition commanders and the Efin Military Council to ensure the achievement of our strategic objectives.

After the business was finished, both ends of the communication fell into a brief silence.

Windsordler asked softly:

How long will it take you to be able to come back from there?

Cohen paused for a moment, not quite deciding how to answer, when Windsordler quickly added:
"The frontline military affairs were busy, with all sorts of things to deal with, but I didn't feel anything was wrong and could still bear it."

But just now, upon hearing…

She spoke the last few words very softly and slowly, like a soft feather gently scratching Cohen's heart.

This kind of unintentional coquetry and aggrieved expression is far more captivating than any deliberate flirting.

Cohen's heart softened instantly. He lowered his voice and carefully estimated:

“Windsor, I’m currently on the front lines of the vampire clan. My every move is under Sal’s watchful eye. If I suddenly disappear for too long, it will arouse suspicion.”

However, things will be much better once I return to Chaos Demon Continent with Thrall's reinforcements.

In the land of demons, I had more freedom of movement and more reasons and opportunities to leave Thrall.

When the time comes, I will definitely find an opportunity to go back home, to see you and to check on the family.

"...Okay. I understand. Be careful over there. I'll wait for your news."

Cohen responded in a low voice.

"You too, take care of yourself, thank you for your hard work."

The light from the communication runestone slowly faded.

Cohen stood still, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and temporarily suppressed the tender emotions he felt about the frontline deployment, the fate of the vampires, and Windsor's "I miss you."

He opened his eyes, turned towards the bedroom, and said helplessly:
"Alright, the communication is over."

After a brief silence, the bedroom door was gently pushed open a crack.

Mavis's figure reappeared at the doorway...

There was still a trace of... on her face, and her eyes flashed with guilt for doing something wrong and a rare obedience.

He stopped a few steps away from Cohen, head slightly bowed, like a child awaiting a scolding, his voice low:
"I'm sorry... This time, it was my fault. I shouldn't have interrupted you and Windsor when you were discussing serious matters."

Cohen looked at Mavis's somewhat pitiful appearance and felt a pang of tenderness in his heart, so he didn't say anything more.

But he deliberately put on a stern face, his brows furrowed slightly, and he looked serious and displeased...

"You know you were wrong? Then... how are you going to apologize and make amends for your 'serious mistake'?"

Mavis blinked her seemingly expressive eyes, tilted her head, her wet hair slipping down her shoulders with the movement, and suggested:

……

……

"Of course, the dancer's moves are always something to look forward to."

But first... I want to see the most authentic dance moves! (End of Chapter)