Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 281 The Eastern Territory Emperor’s wishful thinking: send the eldest princess to negotiate with the Scarlet Plunderer?
The only two people left in the entire secret realm were the Star Saint and Marin.

Time passed minute by minute, but the Star Saint never spoke a word. She just flipped through the documents in her hand and didn't seem to pay attention to Marin below.

Marin felt that the air around him was stagnant. He lowered his head involuntarily and forced himself to calm down and concentrate, not to let his mind wander.

But the more this happened, the more confused I became, and an unconcealable panic crept onto my face.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the majestic voice of the Star Saint sounded beside him.

The content of the words made Marin's heart tremble violently:
"Who did you sign the soul contract with?"

Marlin's eyes widened, his face filled with horror.

The rumors turned out to be true. The Saint Lady could really see through people's souls, and could even see through the soul contract imprinted deep in her own soul.

Marin felt as if his heart was being tightly grasped by a pair of invisible hands, veins popped out on his neck, and he was breathing heavily.

"Don't be nervous. I just checked your soul and it didn't do anything harmful to the Xingmang Clan. Tell me what happened.

Could it be that this soul contract was made between you and your partner?"

Baron Marin breathed a sigh of relief and forced himself to calm down.

Things have come to this point, no matter how much he tries to argue, it will be useless. He remembered what Cohen had said and said through gritted teeth:
"Saint, I did not betray the Star Tribe. The soul contract was...signed with a human king.

This human king also... asked me to bring a message to the Saint."

A look of surprise flashed in the eyes of the Starlight Saint, and she asked:
"The human king, what human king?"

Marin gritted his teeth and said:
"King of Effiin, Coron Corleone.

This person knows a lot about the history of our Star Tribe. He saw through my true identity when I was in the Kingdom of Ceylon.

He threatened to reveal the secret existence of the Star Tribe to Her Majesty the Empress of the Central Empire, and forced me to join their intelligence organization called the Military Control Commission."

The Star Saint was stunned when she heard the name Con Corleone. She didn't expect that this bastard king was so greedy that he dared to touch her people.

"The Empress of the Central Empire?"

Marin replied:

"Yes, I saw with my own eyes that he used the communication stone to contact Her Majesty the Empress of the Central Empire. The relationship between them is extraordinary."

The Starlight Saint seemed very surprised. After a moment of thought, she asked calmly:

"You just said that King Effiin asked you to bring me a message. What message?"

Marin also noticed something and whispered:

"He said he hopes to cooperate with our Xingmang tribe and is willing to meet with the Saint Lady to discuss in detail."

The Star Saint narrowed her eyes slightly and murmured softly:
"Isn't he afraid of being accused of colluding with alien races?"

Marin repeated what Cohen said to him to the Star Saint, and then said carefully:

"I feel like this King Effiin seems to be sincere."

The Star Saint sneered:
"He has a good idea. He wants my Xingmang tribe to serve his military?"

Marin lowered his head and dared not say a word.

The Star Saint waved her hand and said:
"I know about this. Go back and don't tell anyone about it."

Marin breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Sir, what should I do next?"

The Star Saint said calmly:
"We'll do what we have to do. As for your director, since he wants to discuss cooperation, tell him that I'll go to Effiin in three days to meet him in person!"

……

Cohen looked at the latest news sent back by Baron Marin, and a complicated thought arose in his mind.

The other party went to the Western Region Empire to pay a visit to the Holy Maiden of the Star Clan.

What surprised him even more was that the saint actually agreed to his request and asked to meet him.

Cohen really didn't expect that this saint would be so easy to deal with.

Is it a trap?

Should I not go see her?
Cohen was silent for a long time and made a decision.

Meet him, no matter how big the risk is, you have to meet him!
If this saint really wants to cooperate with Effiin, it will be of great help to Cohen's future.

The Star Clan spread across the continent can definitely provide strong support for the development of the Military Control Commission.

As for the risks... Cohen thought about it and sent a message to Isabella.

Since the other party is a saint, why not find a saint-level bodyguard for myself?

The first person he thought of was Isabella's aunt who was currently in Effiin.

That saint-level soul singer, Jialin Saint Mela.

After communicating with Isabella, he sent a location to Baron Marin, which was still the Emerald Lake Villa.

However, three days was too short, so he asked to postpone it to half a month later, and the other party agreed.

Cohen wants to swallow up the North Sea Fleet of the Kingdom of Ceylon first.

He had received the complete battle plan of the North Sea Fleet's attack on Scarlet Island from Baron Marin.

Three days later, the entire North Sea Fleet will be dispatched, with a total of more than 80 warships led by five legendary transcendents to attack Scarlet Island.

Eighty warships seemed to be much fewer than the more than one hundred ships of the Scarlet Plunderers.

But this is the most advanced warship equipped by the regular navy of the Kingdom of Ceylon. Whether in terms of power, configuration, materials or the quality of the sailors, it is far beyond the reach of the Scarlet Plunderer before Cohen came.

Normally, the three major pirate groups in the northwest waters combined are no match for the North Sea Fleet.

The reason why the Kingdom of Ceylon sent a large number of troops to the border this time was to achieve a resounding victory with absolute crushing strength, and thereby restore its majesty and status to the other countries on the mainland.

The full deployment of the North Sea Fleet attracted the attention of countries on the mainland.

A top kingdom sent out an entire naval fleet to wipe out a group of pirates in such a high-profile manner. The deep meaning behind this was self-evident.

All countries have sent observation groups or spies to evaluate the development direction of future naval wars from this North Sea Fleet operation. Of course, it is more important to observe how much strength this old kingdom still has.

……

In the Eastern Territory Empire, Prince Xia Zuo seemed unaffected by the disastrous defeat in Florence more than a year ago.

In the court, he still commands the support of all, and dominates the direction of government.

However, when the officials looked at Prince Xia Zuo, there was a subtle hint of mockery and ridicule deep in their eyes.

The most powerful prince on the continent, one of the heirs to the throne of the Eastern Territory Empire, was defeated and suffered heavy losses in a little-known northwestern country.

Even the legendary and elite troops they brought with them were completely wiped out, forced to flee in a panic, and returned home in misery.

Although many people did not say much due to Xia Zuo's power and the majesty of the royal family, they were secretly worried in their hearts. Is it really appropriate to entrust the future of the Eastern Region Empire to such a person?

As the lengthy court meeting drew to a close, His Majesty the Dragon Emperor of the Eastern Territory, Eberron Tang, asked:

"Is there anything else?"

At this time, the Eastern Territory Empire Navy Commander put down the communication stone in his hand and said:
"Your Majesty, I just received news from the Intelligence Department. There is intelligence regarding the waters of the northwest continent that deserves attention."

When the Northwest Sea was mentioned, subtle expressions flashed across the faces of the court officials, and everyone glanced inconspicuously at Prince Xia Zuo who was sitting next to His Majesty Eberron.

Emperor Eberron asked calmly:
"What information?"

The naval commander said in a deep voice:
"The Kingdom of Ceylon on the Northwestern Continent will dispatch its navy to suppress a group of pirates entrenched in the northwestern waters."

Kingdom of Ceylon?

Hearing this name, the expressions on the ministers' faces became even more strange.

Ever since the end of the Northwest Regional Exchange Conference, it is no longer a secret that the Kingdom of Ceylon was secretly controlled by the former Prince Xia Zuo.

Emperor Eberron frowned slightly and said:

"It's just an ordinary incident of the navy suppressing pirates. It doesn't seem to be anything worthy of special attention, right?"

The naval commander said:
"Your Majesty, the Ceylon Navy has dispatched a complete fleet, the North Sea Fleet, led by five Legendary-class officers, totaling eighty main battleships."

Emperor Eberron's eyes showed astonishment, and he couldn't help but ask:

"Is this group of pirates very powerful?"

The commander replied:
"This group of pirates is called the Scarlet Plunderers. A few days ago, they annexed another pirate group of the same level. They then wiped out a dangerous area called the Weeping Trench, which was guarded by three legendary banshees.

More importantly... Your Majesty, this so-called Crimson Plunderer was most likely secretly established by that demon incarnation."

When these words were spoken, all the ministers looked shocked.

The incarnation of the devil?

A small group of pirates actually had connections with the gods, which had to attract their attention.

After hearing this, Eberron frowned deeply, a strange look appeared in his eyes, and then he put his thoughts aside and waved his hand, saying:

"That's all for today. The Prime Minister and some of the military ministers will stay for a while."

"Yes."

The political and military affairs of the Eastern Region Empire are clearly divided. Political affairs are under the charge of the prime minister, while military affairs are jointly under the charge of the emperor and the five military ministers appointed by him.

Prince Xia Zuo was also one of the five military ministers.

After everyone left, Emperor Eberron looked at Sean Buchanan, the Navy Commander who was also one of the Five Military Commanders, and asked in a deep voice:

"Is it the Fifty-Eight Demon God Ami who made a deal with the White Dragon Emperor?"

This matter was also mentioned by the Demon God's son Gillivos Gian when he handed the "Phantom Dragon Wing Cloak" to Cohen. It was obtained when the Demon God Ami made a deal with a certain emperor of the Eastern Territory Empire.

Commander Sean nodded and replied:
“Yes, he later founded a pirate group in the northwest waters, the Scarlet Plunderers.

I heard that the current leader of the pirate group is a descendant of the founder of the Scarlet Plunderers."

Emperor Eberron sighed inwardly. In the long history of the empire, there would always be a few incompetent emperors who would use the wealth accumulated by their ancestors to sell their own land.

The fact that strategic-level weapons such as the God and Demon Equipment were actually being sold brought great disadvantage to the Eastern Territory Empire.

Emperors of all generations will learn from the lessons of Emperor Bailong to prevent similar situations from happening again in the future.

Emperor Eberron's thoughts faded, as he pondered how to seize this opportunity to retrieve the blueprints from the Crimson Plunderer. Robbery was definitely not an option. Demon God Ami had anticipated the deal, fearing that the Eastern Territory's successor emperor might rene on his promise. Therefore, he had established a meticulous and rigorous contract, connecting the Eastern Territory's royal dragon veins and ensuring no breach of contract.

He was thinking about how to get the Scarlet Raiders to hand over the blueprints voluntarily.

Eberron was not worried about the Crimson Reaver using it himself. To put it bluntly, without a kingdom-level strength to support research and production, it would be impossible to turn the divine and demonic equipment on the blueprint into reality.

What he was worried about was this naval battle. If the Ceylon Kingdom Navy defeated the Scarlet Plunderers and seized the blueprints of the divine and demonic equipment from them, that would not be good.

Not to mention the unknown impact that having another kingdom with divine and demonic equipment would have on the existing international situation, the five major empires alone would be difficult to deal with.

The five empires had a secret agreement regarding the divine and demonic equipment. Apart from anything else, at least the blueprints of the "divine and demonic equipment" in the hands of the five empires could not be leaked.

If the blueprints of the "Phantom Dragon Wing Cloak" were really obtained by the Kingdom of Ceylon, Eberron would not be able to explain to the other four empires.

While Emperor Eberron was thinking hard, Prince Xia Zuo asked:

"Are you saying that the leader of the Crimson Reavers who's been dancing so happily lately is the son of the Demon God?"

Emperor Eberron stopped thinking, glanced at Xia Zuo, and asked:

"You know a lot about the Northwest."

Prince Xia Zuo couldn't say that ever since his disastrous defeat in the Northwest Continent, he had been thinking about returning for revenge all the time, increasing his intelligence input there, and knowing everything that happened in the Northwest.

Even the fact that the new leader of the Scarlet Reavers had returned to power was well known.

In response to Emperor Eberron's words, he did not hide anything and reported the information he had obtained to the military officials and the prime minister.

Emperor Eberron raised his eyebrows slightly and said:

“Being able to contact the Sharkmen and Mermaids, it seems this leader has remarkable personal abilities, truly worthy of being the son of the Demon God.

I guess that Pillar Demon God Ami also put a lot of effort into him."

The Prime Minister now spoke:
"Your Majesty, do you wish to take this opportunity to retrieve the blueprints that the White Dragon Emperor traded away from the Scarlet Plunderer?"

Emperor Eberron nodded and said:

"This matter will leak out sooner or later, especially with the major unrest that may occur in the mainland in a few years.

If a blueprint for a divine or demonic device from the Eastern Territory Empire were to become lost, it would definitely cause us immense trouble. We must seize this opportunity to retrieve it."

The others were obviously aware of the seriousness of the problem and expressed their agreement.

The next question is how to retrieve the drawings. Bound by the contract, they cannot seize them by force and can only ask the other party to return them voluntarily.

Several people turned their eyes to Prince Xia Zuo at the same time.

When it comes to understanding the northwest, Prince Xia Zuo is the undisputed leader, especially since he secretly manipulated the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Ceylon and wanted to interfere in the political situation of the Kingdom of Ceylon.

Although the negotiations between the two sides broke down after the Battle of Florence, some forces still remained.

Prince Xia Zuo frowned slightly, thinking intensely in his mind. After a long silence, he said:

"I have an idea. Send someone to negotiate with the Scarlet Plunderers and promise to help them resist the attack of the Kingdom of Ceylon.

Have them return the drawings.

And he could also use this to do a favor for the third prince Saxon, as the navy was the power base of Charles, one of his rivals for the throne.

If Charles were to suffer another crushing defeat against the pirates, the Saxons would surely have a much easier time."

Emperor Eberron's brows relaxed, obviously he had the same idea.

They never considered whether the Scarlet Reavers could defeat the Ceylon Navy. In their opinion, a group of scattered pirates could never be a match for the regular Ceylon Navy.

This is the top kingdom in the northwest continent, second only to the two empires.

Everyone agreed with Prince Xia Zuo's proposal, and then the selection was made.

Who is more suitable to send to negotiate?

The Prime Minister said:
"This matter is of great importance and involves royal secrets. Moreover, the other party is also the son of the Demon God, so their status must be equal."

This clearly states that it would be best to send a prestigious member of the Eastern Territory royal family to represent the Eastern Territory Empire in negotiations.

As soon as the words fell, everyone turned their eyes to Prince Xia Zuo.

Prince Xia Zuo saw this and said calmly:
"I've recently felt the opportunity for a breakthrough. I think I'll break through to the ninth level soon. I may not have the time to go."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone exclaimed in admiration.

Emperor Eberron was also very surprised. A ninth-level cultivator in his early thirties was already considered extremely outstanding in the history of the royal family of the Eastern Territory Empire.

It seems that the previous setbacks in Florence have made Xia Zuo realize a lot.

Prince Xia Zuo's face did not show any excitement. Being a ninth-level cultivator at the age of thirty was indeed very powerful, but compared with his mortal enemy, King Effiin, who was already a fifth-level cultivator before the age of twenty and held an ancient secret position, he was still far behind.

Not to mention that this bastard also has the youngest legendary queen on the continent!

The first heir's level breakthrough must be the top priority. Emperor Eberron thought for a moment, looked up at the few people, and asked:

“Where’s Grace?
I haven't seen her in the palace for a long time."

When Her Royal Highness the Princess was mentioned, everyone was stunned.

In their impression, Her Royal Highness the Princess never gets involved in any military or national affairs, and is only responsible for some business, cultural and other work.

The Prime Minister said:
"The Princess doesn't seem to be in Dragon City. Should we ask the people from the Flaming Lips Chamber of Commerce?"

Eberron waved his hand and said:

"No, I'll contact her later.

I'm planning to send Grace over, what do you think?"

The Prime Minister frowned and thought for a while, then said:
"It's not inappropriate for the Princess to go, but there are a bunch of pirates in there. If they bump into Her Highness..."

Emperor Eberron said:
"This is a small matter. Just send her a few more guards. I will also notify the Western Region Empire and ask them to help look after her."

The Prime Minister said:

"I have no objection."

Emperor Eberron looked at the rest of the people again, and none of them had any objections.

Then he made the final decision:
"Okay, let Grace go then."

After the court meeting ended, Emperor Eberron contacted Grace, who was working for Cohen for free in the Endless Alliance in the "Lost Land" through a communication array.

Grace was surprised to see that the letter was from her father, and she quickly connected the magic circle.

Eberron doted on his only daughter very much, and after Grace came of age, he never restricted her freedom again.

Logically speaking, at Grace's age, she should have been married to the heir of an empire or a large organization, but Emperor Eberron always respected Grace's opinion.

Despite repeated persuasion from his ministers, he still refused to give in.

Aiberon looked at Grace, frowned and asked:

"Where have you been again? Why have you been gone for such a long time without even telling Father?"

Grace covered it up:

"Nothing much. I have some business to attend to here in the Northwest Continent. What can I do for you, Father?"

When Eberron heard this, he was shocked and said:

“You are in the Northwest Continent?
That's perfect, I was just about to tell you that I have something that requires you to go to the Northwest Sea."

Grace was confused. What happened in the northwest waters?
She collected her thoughts and asked:

"Father, please speak."

Emperor Eberron briefly explained the matter to Grace, and then added:

"The leader of the Crimson Reavers is very likely the son of the Demon God. You must be careful when negotiating with him.

I will also send a few Legendary ranks to accompany you..."

Grace interrupted Emperor Eberron and said:

"No need to send anyone. I can still handle a few pirates."

What Grace is doing now must not be known to the people of the Eastern Territory Empire. Anyway, the Northwest Sea is so close to Effiin, so if it really doesn't work, just let Cohen accompany her on a trip.

Seeing that Grace insisted on her request, Emperor Eberron had no choice but to remind her to be careful.

After ending the communication, Grace contacted Mavis, who was also in the "Lost Land" and was helping to guide Freya to complete her identity transformation mission.

Mavis frowned slightly and asked:

“You’re going to be gone for a while, how long?

I’m busy here too.”

Grace says:
"You'll be back in about two weeks. It's nothing serious anyway. Just help me with the paperwork."

Mephisto had no choice but to agree:

"Then go and come back quickly. Don't be like that jerk who never comes back and only orders others around."

Grace obviously knew who the bastard Mavis was referring to. She smiled playfully and said:

"Okay, I'll definitely come back as soon as possible."

Grace was ready to hand over her work and contacted Cohen.

Cohen was busy formulating a detailed combat strategy with General Fan Ze and others, and was surprised when he received Grace's news.

The princess has to leave the Endless Alliance for a while.

However, when he saw the task Grace asked him to do, he was shocked beyond words.

Grace is going to negotiate with the leader of the Scarlet Plunderers on behalf of the Eastern Territory Empire to retrieve the blueprints of the divine and demonic equipment that she had traded with the Demon God Ami?
Cohen was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

Facing Grace's request for Cohen to go with her, Cohen calmly replied:
"Okay, I happen to be familiar with the leader of the Scarlet Reavers. I'll wait for you on Scarlet Island."

Grace was also very surprised that Cohen actually knew the leader of the Scarlet Predators. That might make the negotiations go more smoothly.

With Cohen's assurance, Grace did not hesitate any longer and headed directly towards the exact coordinates of the Scarlet Island base left to her by Emperor Eberron.

(End of this chapter)