Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Hextech quickly took the rune key and command flag, symbolizing command of the Eastern Theater, from Thrall, a cold smile creeping across his face.

Thrall wanted him to be a shield, to deplete the power of their Mechanical Continent.

How could he not want to take this opportunity to completely bring the vampire clan's territory and resources under the control of the Machine State?

Although the vampires are crippled, they have been operating in the Lost Lands for so many years. Their long-standing magical knowledge, unique biological materials, and the rich territories they have conquered are a fatal attraction for the Machine State.

Hextech thought to himself, "Thrall, you want me to clean up your mess, but you're also wary of me becoming too powerful."

Let's see who has the last laugh. This mess on the Eastern Front might just be an opportunity for our Mechanical State.

Given the urgency of the situation, Sarr wasted little time, and the two sides began the formal handover of defense duties.

The demon soldiers of Chaos Continent also began to withdraw from some secondary defenses and forward positions, handing over the fortifications to the cold mechanical golems and rune warriors under Hextech's command.

……

Sal was eager to return home, but the flames of war on the southwestern border of the Chaotic Demon Continent and the shadow of "Cohen Corleone's" personal campaign hung over his head like the Sword of Damocles.

After hastily handing over the defense of the eastern front to Hextech, he led his core staff and personal guards, traveling day and night via emergency teleportation arrays and high-speed flying mounts.

In less than three days, they returned to the power core of the chaotic Demon Continent—the advanced city-state of Demon Capital, standing amidst lava and shadow.

As the number two figure in the current chaotic Demon Continent, and a top strategist regarded as an arm by the Demon Lord Sal, Cohen naturally belongs to this core team and returns together.

The atmosphere in Shanghai was completely different from the bloody turmoil on the front lines, yet equally tense.

The sudden appearance of the Supreme Council's allied forces on the flank was like a dagger thrust into the empire's rear, filling this high-ranking city-state, which served as the rear base, with tension and unease.

As soon as Sarr returned to his court, he immediately summoned the remaining senior officials and generals to discuss countermeasures.

Cohen also quickly got involved in developing a defense strategy for Sal.

They analyzed the possible attack routes of the Allied forces, assessed the weaknesses in their own defenses, allocated the remaining troops, and put forward a series of seemingly safe but actually subtly guiding suggestions.

At the same time, he also took this opportunity to easily obtain the logistics and dispatch information of the core of the Demon Gold Empire.

He also took advantage of his position to use seemingly reasonable reasons such as "analyzing the pressure on frontline supplies" and "optimizing the allocation routes of materials".

They systematically reviewed detailed information on several of the most important logistical supply lines from the Chaotic Demon Continent to the eastern front.

This includes a transportation route map, the location of outposts and warehouses along the way and the garrison strength, and most importantly—the specific coordinates and weak points of defenses for several bridges, tunnels, and magic transmission pipelines that cross treacherous terrain.

Cohen then quietly relayed these top-secret messages back to the Endless City.

After confirming that Sal was completely absorbed in the war in the southwest and devoted himself to dealing with the offensive of the allied forces led by Melantha in disguise, Cohen used the Book of Time and Space to quietly return to the Endless City, the headquarters of the Supreme Council.

Cohen's return is top secret.

On the surface, the "King of War" is displaying his divine power on the southwestern border of the Chaotic Demon Continent, so his true form naturally cannot show itself openly.

Only a few core committee members knew that he had quietly returned.

The lights in Windsordler's office at the city lord's mansion had just been turned off.

After a busy day, dealing with representatives of various forces, handling a massive amount of diplomatic paperwork, and coordinating internal affairs of the committee, I had to work hard all day.

Even though Windsordler was already a half-step legendary level transcendent, his exquisite features still couldn't hide his fatigue.

Back in his bedchamber, he waved for the maids to leave and was about to take a nice bath when suddenly his pointed ears twitched slightly, and a captivating ripple flashed in his emerald eyes.

A charming smile, tinged with a hint of reproach, bloomed at the corners of her lips, instantly melting away all weariness:
"Why are you hiding anything now that you're back? Are you going to give me a surprise?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cohen emerged from behind the curtain of the inner room, holding a bouquet of "Moonlight Orchids," a rare find even in the Endless City, his gaze fixed intently on Windsordler.

Without another word, Windsordler kicked off her high heels and, like a fledgling returning to its nest, lightly and precisely leaped into Cohen's already open embrace, her arms naturally encircling his neck.

The longing for separation, the worry hidden beneath a calm exterior, and the concern for a lover in enemy territory—all these transformed into an unspoken, burning emotion.

Windsordler, the princess who always appeared noble and aloof in front of outsiders, seemingly untouched by worldly dust, was now expressing her desires in the most direct and passionate way.

Inside the bedchamber, the cool moonlight and warm candlelight intertwined, illuminating the tender figures. The rhythm of the raw stone echoed, as if trying to recall all the time of separation, until the sky outside the window began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

As dawn broke, Cohen carefully withdrew from Windsor's alluring and seductive body.

He placed a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead, then whispered in her blushing ear:

"I'm going to see the Princess. You can sleep a little longer."

Windsor, still half-asleep, muttered something in dissatisfaction, her brows furrowing slightly. However, she knew that Cohen had finally come back, and she couldn't monopolize him.

Half-asleep, she vaguely waved her hand, as if in tacit consent, before sinking back into a contented slumber.

Cohen tucked her in, and looking at his lover's peaceful sleeping face, a hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes. He then quietly got up, put on his robe, but instead of going to find Grace first, he quietly slipped into Belmody's room.

Belmody had already sensed Cohen's presence when Cohen was messing with Windsordler.

She was not yet asleep; she was wearing a silk nightgown and leaning against a soft couch by the window.

He held a crystal wine glass in his hand, the amber liquid rippling in the morning light.

Seeing Cohen push open the door and enter, her stunningly beautiful face showed no surprise whatsoever; instead, a mischievous smile appeared on her lips, her eyes sparkling with captivating charm.

"Our busy Emperor Corleone has finally decided to sneak back from the enemy camp, which is a den of dragons and tigers."

However, your return this time doesn't seem to be to handle any major military or national affairs concerning the fate of the mainland.

Or did he come back specifically to reward his long-neglected women in his harem?

Cohen chuckled softly, strode forward, and without a word, pulled the mature and stunningly beautiful woman into his arms, whispering in her ear:
Is there a difference?
The Supreme Council and Effie are where they are today thanks to you, Windsor, and Grace, who have been my strongest pillars and made invaluable contributions.

I'm back to 'comfort' you all with my body, to bring you joy and make you work even more efficiently from now on.

Isn't this dealing with a matter of paramount importance to the nation and its people?

Upon hearing this, Vermouth was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled, gave him a charmingly reproachful look, and said playfully:

"You have so many fallacies; you can even make something like this sound so noble..."

Before she could finish speaking, Belmody suddenly looked toward the door, where Grace, dressed in a simple home dress, had already pushed the door open and walked in.

Grace saw Cohen groping Belmody and quickly turned her face away, angrily saying:

"Cohen, what are you doing?"

It turned out that she had received a message from Cohen in secret, saying that he had secretly returned and that there were important "military and national affairs" that needed to be discussed immediately in Belmody's room, which is why she rushed over.

To his surprise, upon entering, he found Cohen pinning Belmody down on the soft couch.
Upon seeing this, Cohen showed no embarrassment at being caught in the act; instead, a triumphant smile flashed in his eyes.

He wouldn't give Grace a chance to escape. With a wave of his hand, a gentle yet irresistible force swept out, directly bringing the startled Grace to the spacious soft couch.

Seeing Cohen's actions, Vermouth instantly understood his "malicious intentions." Her beautiful eyes widened, and a blush rose on her gorgeous face. She exclaimed urgently:

"Cohen! Don't do anything reckless!!"

……

Cohen gathered the committee members together to discuss important matters.

Cohen spoke slowly to the crowd:

"Melantha is fighting very well on the front lines. The banner of 'Warlord' is loud enough to keep Thrall's attention firmly pinned on the southwest of Chaos Demon Continent."

Our next crucial step is to completely sever the direct land connection between the Chaotic Demon Continent and the Mechanical Continent.

Geographically and strategically, these two main oases were divided in two, preventing them from supporting each other and forcing them to fight independently.

Pope Reed began by saying:
“We have seen the intelligence that His Majesty sent back earlier. With this intelligence, destroying their passage will be a piece of cake.”

Cohen nodded slowly, then continued:

"The intelligence information is not only the transportation route of the Demon Gold Empire, but also the lifeline for the transfer of supplies and the mobilization of troops."

Most of the logistical supplies for the Chaotic Demon Continent are supplied by the Mechanical Continent through some major transportation routes.

Currently, the Mechanical Continent is responsible for these transportation routes and logistical support tasks.

Taking this place would be tantamount to strangling the Demon Gold Empire, and could even be used to sow discord between the Chaotic Demon Continent and the Mechanical Continent!

The Supreme Council acted with great efficiency. After Cohen finished assigning the tasks and returned to Shanghai, the operation officially began.

It was personally planned by Pacino Dela, the second in line to the Darkwing family, who was skilled at such gray operations, with the Chamber of Commerce of President Conrad providing cover and some guidance.

Windsordler coordinated with some elven rangers and dwarven demolition experts to form elite special raiding squads.

Using the route map and information on weaknesses provided by Cohen, they bypassed the main patrols and outposts, surgically cutting into the key nodes of the Demon Gold Empire's logistics supply line.

The operation unfolded simultaneously at multiple locations. The Bloodshed Bridge, reinforced with massive iron chains and demonic skeletons, spanning the Bone-Eating Canyon, plunged into the bottomless abyss along with a transport squadron atop it in a deafening explosion.

The magical tunnels that ran through the entire Blackrock Mountains were also blasted, causing a large-scale collapse that completely buried several convoys loaded with supplies.

Several magic pipelines, built over the putrid swamp and specifically designed to transport liquid magic resources, were also precisely pierced through key points by the elven archers who had quietly infiltrated the area, using specially made magic-piercing arrows.

This triggered a chain reaction of magical explosions and leaks, polluting a large area that cannot be repaired in the short term.

Several large transit warehouses located in hidden valleys were infiltrated without the guards' knowledge, and the stockpiled food, weapons and magic crystals were all burned to ashes.

A series of precise and deadly strikes quickly paralyzed the main logistical route from the chaotic Demon Continent to the eastern front.

When the news reached the Demon Capital and the royal court of Thrall, the arrogant Demon Lord was first stunned, then erupted in volcanic fury:
"what?
The Bridge of Bloodshed was destroyed, the Magic Tunnel collapsed, the Magic Pipeline leaked, and the warehouse was burned down.
How can it be?

These routes are well-hidden and heavily guarded. How did the Supreme Council know about them?
And with such precision? A simultaneous attack overnight?!

He immediately thought of the mole, of Effie's pervasive intelligence network, and of the elusive Cohen Corleone!

But he never imagined that the mole was standing not far from him, with the same "solemn" and "angry" expression on his face.

After a brief outburst of rage, comes the suffocating feeling of cold reality.

Sal forced himself to calm down, but the chill in his voice only intensified:
"The logistics line... has been cut off... and the main roads are almost completely paralyzed..."

That's ruthless!

His staff and generals also looked extremely grim, knowing what this meant.

Thrall looked at a commander and said in a deep voice:

How long will it take to restore the connection?

The commander, whose name was mentioned by Sal, trembled and replied:

"Your Majesty... The Weeping Blood Bridge is located on the outskirts of the Land of Order, and is therefore subject to greater magical interference, making it more difficult to repair."

In addition, there are magic energy tunnels and magic pipes, the raw materials required for these things are even rarer, and it will probably take a long time just to prepare the materials in the early stages...

It is estimated that...it will probably take at least three months to restore traffic.

Moreover, now that the entire route has been exposed, the Supreme Council's sabotage squad will not allow our repair team to repair it safely.

My subordinates believe that we should still rely on air transport and some alternative routes for now.

"Three months?"

Thrall roared angrily:

"With hundreds of thousands of troops on the front lines, the daily consumption of food, water, medicine, arrows, armor repair materials, and magic crystals... tell me, how long can that be sustained by limited air transport and fragile backup routes?!"

This is the most fatal problem!
Although his demon legion was infused with demonic souls and possessed formidable combat power, their physical foundation remained that of mortal flesh and blood!
They need to eat, drink, and rest; they need treatment when injured; they need to repair broken equipment; and spellcasters and war machines need massive amounts of magic crystals to operate!

Without stable land-based logistical support, relying solely on air transport and a few backup routes is simply a drop in the ocean!
Sal's voice grew colder, carrying a hint of panic he himself was unwilling to admit:

"Once the reserves are depleted, food supplies run out, arrows are used up, armor is beyond repair, and magic crystals are cut off..."

Are you expecting my brave warriors to fight, hungry and unarmed, against the well-equipped and well-supplied Allied forces of the Supreme Council?!

Inside the command center, there was a deathly silence; all the generals realized the gravity of the situation.

This is not about the gains or losses of a single city or region; it is a severe crisis concerning the life and death of hundreds of thousands of troops in the entire Eastern Theater Command and even the chaotic mainland of the Demon Continent.

Sal took a deep breath, suppressing his rage.

He must immediately find a way to reopen the supply lines or find an alternative, otherwise Chaotic Demon Continent may fall into an even greater crisis due to shortages of supplies and wavering morale.

Soon, on the advice of his advisors, he issued a series of strict orders that were almost like drinking poison to quench his thirst.

On the one hand, it involves extreme internal exploitation.

All the vampire territories that had been occupied by the Demon Gold Empire, the other weaker territories that had been conquered before, and even the parts of the chaotic Demon Continent's edge that the Demon Gold Empire originally controlled, all received the coldest conquest order from the Demon Capital.

Tax collectors and raiding parties were given almost unlimited power, and food, minerals, magical materials, and even the rations and tools of ordinary people were forcibly requisitioned under the guise of "special war tax" and "imperial security donation".

Those who resisted were killed without exception, and even those who cooperated were scavenged.

In a short period of time, the vampire homeland, which was already devastated by war, became even more impoverished and filled with resentment.

The flames of rebellion were quietly growing in the shadows.

On the other hand, it involves extortion from external parties.

Thrall's gaze fell upon the neutral factions that had not yet been drawn into the war and were struggling to survive in the harsh environment of the Lost Lands.

One after another, strongly worded "conscription notices," resembling final ultimatums, bearing the insignia of the Supreme Command of the Demon Gold Empire, were sent in all directions:

The numerous independent city-states and floating island communities received orders requiring them to voluntarily contribute large amounts of food, metal, magic crystals, and labor from artisans.

Ancient tribes that guard ancient ruins and possess unique heritages or resources are being asked to hand over the magical mines and rare medicinal herbs that they have protected for generations.

Even the communities of exiles struggling to survive in perilous situations, secret societies, and the territories of certain lone strongmen were not spared, and were required to pay exorbitant "protection fees" or provide sufficient logistical supplies.

The announcement ended with a blatant threat:

"...Failure to pay on time, or insufficient payment, will be considered as hostility towards the Demon Gold Empire."

The imperial army will arrive soon, and with thunderous force, it will sweep away all resistance, leaving no one alive!

Thrall's actions have stirred up a massive wave in the vast neutral zone of the Lost Lands.

Fear, anger, and humiliation spread among countless small and medium-sized forces.

Under the military intimidation of the Demon Gold Empire, some forces swallowed their anger and handed over their precious savings.

Their hatred for Thrall and their fear of the Morgen Empire reached their peak, and they secretly conspired to find a way to protect themselves or resist.

By doing this, Thrall has essentially created countless potential and scattered enemies for himself while he is surrounded by powerful adversaries, completely destroying the ambiguous space that was originally based on limited cooperation or at least non-aggression with certain neutral forces.

Sal was not unaware of the consequences of doing so; he knew that it would alienate the people of neutral lands, forcing them to side with the Supreme Council or unite against it on their own.

But the situation was already extremely critical; without supplies, the frontline army collapsed instantly.

We just need to get through this hurdle first!

In addition, Thrall had to repair the passage at any cost, almost draining the already limited number of engineering golems and mage teams in the city, and forcibly conscripting a large number of laborers and vassal races from the occupied territories.

They rushed to the damaged logistics hub day and night, demanding that the passage be repaired as quickly as possible at all costs.

To ensure the safety of the restoration work and deter possible further attacks, he even dispatched a legendary-level transcendent to oversee the operation.

Sal issued a death order: Anyone who delays the project will be killed! Anyone who fails to perform repairs will be killed! Anyone who misappropriates resources will be killed!

Finally, a thorough investigation into the leak is necessary.

Such a precise and fatal strike was no accident; there must be a mole inside!
He strictly ordered the intelligence department and his personal guard to spare no effort to thoroughly investigate the source of the leaked intelligence on the logistics lines, find the traitor, and kill anyone involved!

Thrall doesn't trust anyone now, so he entrusted the task to Baphomet, who was personally sent by the Pillar God Valak, because only he could not possibly betray him.

In Shanghai and even in the occupied front lines, a climate of fear and unease prevailed. Secret arrests and torture were commonplace, and the entire newly formed empire was gripped by dread.

While Sal was searching for the traitor and the upper echelons of the Magnum Empire were in turmoil due to logistical crises and oppressive policies, Cohen had already begun to steadily advance his next plan.

He had long anticipated that Sal, gripped by the panic of being cut off from supplies, would inevitably carry out a brutal purge within his ranks.

As a newly promoted high-ranking official with the deep trust of Thrall, he is certainly safe in the short term, but if Thrall digs deeper, there is no guarantee that there won't be some clues.

We must shift the focus and find a scapegoat of sufficient weight.

In order to perfectly conceal himself, and at the same time further sow discord between Thrall and Hextech.

He set his sights on the generals of the Mechanical State who were in charge of planning and protecting specific logistical routes.

These people are indeed Hextech's confidants, entrusted with important tasks, but precisely because of this, they possess the most crucial information about the routes and are the most reasonable candidates to be "leaks".

Cohen secretly ordered the already prepared military intelligence action team, in coordination with the Darkwing family's assassin guard, to launch a swift and decisive attack on the residences of several generals from the Mechanical Continent.

Of course, the attack was not intended to kill, but to abduct people without leaving a trace and to stage the scene as a retreat.

Baphomet had an extremely keen sense of smell, and he quickly noticed these strange disappearances and began to investigate following the clues deliberately left by Cohen.

Using his vast intelligence network and special tracking magic, he followed the clues and gradually discovered the forged evidence that had been cleverly scattered.

Having obtained the evidence, Baphomet, brimming with pride, went to Sal to report his final investigation findings. (End of Chapter)