Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 288 The true identity of the Star Saint!
The crystal chandelier cast specks of light on the dome, shining on Claire's dazzling jade back like frosted porcelain, forming a strange, enchanting and beautiful picture.

The animal bone Cohen used was given to him by Claire. It was a treasure from the Tide Tribe's treasury, a thigh bone from a legendary siren.

The moment the animal bones were immersed in dragon blood, the dark golden liquid suddenly boiled.

The steaming hot breath entangled on the animal bones, winding into strange runes.

Cohen gripped the animal bone tightly, his wrist hovering above Claire's jade back. The air began to vibrate inexplicably, as if transparent silk threads were being pulled out from the void, entwining between the tip of the pen and the skin, weaving into an invisible net, preventing the tip of the pen from falling.

He clearly felt a huge resistance, which came from both the remaining will of the legendary beast bone itself and Claire's body's automatic defense mechanism.

Cohen said softly:

"Keep your breathing rhythm going and try to relax."

As soon as he finished speaking, the magic power in his body surged, bathed in the power of the golden dragon, and began to break through the invisible net and write on Claire's back.

After the first stroke, Claire's back instantly tightened like a guitar string. The moment the dragon blood touched her warm skin, it turned into a hot fluid like lava, spreading in all directions of her body in an instant.

Cohen's expression tensed, and he immediately concentrated his mind and calmed down. He continuously output magic power from his hands, and the fluid was forcibly tamed into a cold dark blue track, which began to outline and spread on the beauty's jade back.

The fiery and unbridled dragon power penetrated into every pore of Claire like thousands of tiny silver needles, and exploded tiny sparks under her skin.

Even with Claire's rational mind, she couldn't help but let out a painful whimper from her throat.

Cohen's expression was stern, and he was not shaken at all by Claire's reaction. The curse had already begun to be carved. If he gave up halfway at this time, not only would the materials be scrapped, but all the previous suffering would be in vain.

He believed that Claire could endure it. She had even overcome the difficulties of reincarnation, so the physical pain was nothing.

Cohen took a deep breath and continued to draw the curse seal in a large scale. Claire's shoulder line rose and fell slightly, and the dazzling white butterfly bones on her back spasmed and trembled as the pen moved. Beads of sweat fell along the spine into the waist. The seductive picture made people's heart sway.

The amazing charm almost made Cohen lose his mind. He bit the tip of his tongue lightly to regain his consciousness, and his hands moved faster and faster.

Claire's back was covered with spider-web-like glowing lines, her beautiful pupils had become extremely dim, her hair was moving without wind, and her breathing was filled with blood foam.

Finally, the last stroke was completed, and a golden magic circle instantly appeared in the entire room. The remaining dragon blood suddenly broke free from control and transformed into three translucent dragon phantoms, roaring and drilling into the center of the seal.

Claire's body suddenly arched up, her long hair flying in the turbulent flow of dragon power, until the moment the curse was completely imprinted into her bone marrow, all the light and fluctuations came to an abrupt halt, leaving only a curse mark the size of a fingernail, with mysterious dragon patterns flowing on its surface.

Claire's eyes were filled with captivating golden light, and her body began to ripple with faint golden ripples. Her originally flawless back now had an even more "evil" temptation because of the rune.

Cohen was mesmerized by the enchanting scenery. Then, golden light shone brightly and fiery power erupted from every corner of Claire's body.

The clothes on her body could not withstand the powerful force emanating from Claire's body and turned into powder. Before Cohen had time to appreciate it carefully, he felt a darkness in front of his eyes and was thrown out.

Cohen steadied himself outside, the image of Claire naked just now still lingering in his eyes. The breathtaking curves made him linger on it.

I didn't realize it, but it was quite substantial. Although Claire had her back to him, Cohen could clearly see the bulging white outlines on both sides.

Grace came to Cohen's side at some point, her eyes full of ridicule, and asked:
"What? You forced yourself on someone and got thrown out?"

Cohen's mouth curled up, his aggressive gaze fixed on Grace's alluring face, and he said with a wicked smile:

"I hadn't finished talking to His Highness just now, why did His Highness suddenly run away?"

Grace spat lightly, stretched out her jade foot and was about to kick Cohen in the vitals. Cohen dodged to the side and said unhappily:

"Be careful not to break it and it won't be useful later."

When it comes to dirty talk, ten Graces combined are no match for Cohen. Seeing that she couldn't win the argument, Grace glared at him fiercely and said:

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tell Isa about you!"

This sentence was quite damaging to Cohen. Cohen was not afraid of anything else except a fire in the harem.

If Grace told Isabella that she was forced and that Cohen was using this engagement as an excuse to make it real, her harem would be in trouble again.

Cohen quickly regained his composure and said:

"I'm helping Claire improve her physical fitness and help her better control the Trident of Poseidon. I'm not doing anything else weird. Don't say anything nonsense."

Grace was about to continue speaking when Claire, who had changed her clothes, appeared.

Claire's face didn't look very good, with a hint of blush still on it. After nodding and greeting Grace, she reached out and grabbed Cohen and returned to her residence.

Back in the room, Cohen quickly explained:

"I didn't see anything just now. Your clothes were torn by themselves. It's none of my business."

Claire bit her red lips, took a deep breath, and regained her composure:
"I'm leaving now. I called you back to say goodbye."

Cohen was stunned for a moment and said:
"So fast?

Have you already controlled the Trident of Poseidon?"

Claire tapped her chin.
"I tried it just now, and it has already recognized me as its master."

Cohen laughed dryly:
"So soon, then... then... when will you... come back?"

Claire's lips curled up in a touching arc, and a blue light flashed in her hand, and the Trident of Poseidon appeared in her hand.

She said softly:
"According to our previous agreement, I can also authorize you to use the trident. Please extend your hand."

Cohen stretched out his hand, and Claire used the trident of Poseidon to brand a symbol on his palm, then cut her finger and dripped a drop of blood on it.

After the dazzling light flashed, Cohen felt a sense of flesh and blood connection with the Trident of Poseidon in front of him.

Claire said softly:
"I'm going back. With the Trident of Poseidon, the Tide Tribe's position will be stable. I may have to stay in the tribe for a long time.

If you have any problems, you can come to the South China Sea to find me."

Cohen certainly wouldn't be as clueless as before at this time, and quickly said:
"If you're alright, I can come find you."

Claire looked at Cohen with a half-smile and said:
"Okay, I'm leaving now. Keep in touch!"

After saying that, he left Cohen with a piece of light golden scale and disappeared on the spot.

Cohen looked at the scales on his hand that still had a warm scent, and a complicated feeling welled up in his heart.

Legend has it that mermaids are born with a scale on their foreheads. After finding a partner worthy of lifelong commitment, the two will exchange scales as a token of trust.

Cohen sighed softly, put the scales close to his body, and turned his gaze to Grace who had arrived.

Grace held a communication stone and asked in astonishment:

"Claire just threw a communication stone and said she was leaving?"

Cohen nodded and said:
"The Tide Tribe has some matters to deal with, and she needs to rush back to the South Sea."

Grace had an inexplicable emotion on her face:
"Is it so sudden? I was planning to discuss with her whether the 'Flaming Red Lips' company could introduce some luxury goods from the ocean.

She left in such a hurry.”

Cohen said:

"Didn't she leave you her contact information? Besides, it's not like we won't see each other again. When you have the chance in the future, go to the South China Sea to find her."

Grace nodded and then asked:

“I was just about to tell you that the Kingdom of Ceylon has sent a peace negotiating representative, and he will probably arrive in the next few days.

And what are you going to do with the prisoners you have in your custody?"

Cohen's mouth curled up and he smiled faintly:

“Peace talks?
He actually didn't send troops to punish the culprit?

It seems that His Majesty Gaius is truly tolerant."

Grace coughed lightly, raised her chin slightly, and said:
"You should say that it was my intimidating power that forced him to swallow his anger!"

Cohen complimented Grace as she wished, and then suddenly asked:

"Who is the peace negotiating representative sent by the Kingdom of Ceylon this time?

After all, the Princess of the Eastern Territory Empire is here, so we can't just send some random soldier here."

Grace nodded and said:

"The Ceylon Kingdom's peace negotiating representatives are indeed quite influential. They are Charles Cromwell, the second prince of the Kingdom of Ceylon, and Norn, the commander-in-chief of the Ceylon Kingdom's navy, who is Gaston's immediate superior who you captured."

Cohen's eyes moved slightly, and a malicious smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

……

Time goes back to three days ago, in the Kingdom of Ceylon, the Council Hall.

Gaius looked at the notice sent by the Eastern Empire and felt a chill all over his body.

The Ceylon officials were in almost the same situation.

The leader of the Scarlet Plunderers is actually the son-in-law of the Eastern Territory Empire!

The Kingdom of Ceylon could not accept it, and neither could King Gaius.

Do you really have to put on a smile even after being beaten up by someone?

As time went on, the true identity of the leader of the Scarlet Reavers was gradually revealed.

Lord Yan Xiusi was originally the assistant to the chairman of the "Flaming Red Lips" under the command of the Princess of the Eastern Territory Empire, and was Grace's most trusted and closest person.

In addition, he has the background of a demon god and inherits the ancient Pirate King's legacy. Such a person is a perfect match for marriage with the Eastern Empire.

But this put their Kingdom of Ceylon in an extremely embarrassing situation.

Not only did they lose their regular fleet, but now they have to fawn over them and negotiate peace?

The notice sent by the Eastern Territory Empire clearly stated that Her Royal Highness Princess Grace Tang was now on Scarlet Island. Originally, the Eastern Territory Empire had planned to investigate the Kingdom of Ceylon for its attack on Scarlet Island.

Considering that a fleet of the Kingdom of Ceylon was destroyed, bygones will be forgiven.

Looking at the complicated affairs, Gaius, who had ruled the Kingdom of Ceylon for hundreds of years, finally felt deeply exhausted.

A feeling of despair spread from the bottom of my heart, as if I had entered a state of rest.

He waved his hand to stop the ministers and said calmly:
“Send people to negotiate. From now on, we will coexist peacefully with the Crimson Reavers.

Regarding the northwest waters, if the other party is interested, we can cooperate with them in development."

The ministers looked bewildered. Are they just giving up like that?

They are the Kingdom of Ceylon, second only to the five great empires!
How could they not even handle a small band of pirates? Some ministers wanted to object, but upon seeing Gaius's resolute gaze, they swallowed their words.

Gaius said calmly:
“As for the candidates for the peace talks, Charles, you and Norn can go.

The main thing is to get both the people and the warships back."

Charles's face also looked very sad. He was in charge of the naval fleet. The loss of the North Sea Fleet was definitely a heavy blow to his power in the fight for the throne.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He had originally wanted to take this opportunity to save face in front of his father, but in the end he ended up with a fate similar to Saxon in Florence.

Although he was extremely reluctant to take the lead in such humiliating peace talks, Gaius's direct mention left him no reason to refuse.

In this way, Charles and Commander Norn, with mixed feelings, went to the main base of Scarlet Island to negotiate peace with Cohen.

With the departure of the Ceylon Kingdom's peace negotiation delegation, everything came to an end, and it also announced the powerful appearance of the Scarlet Plunderer as a major force in the northwest waters.

No one in the northwestern coastal countries dares to look down on Yann Xius, the captain who holds the dual identities of the heir of the ancient Pirate King and the son-in-law of the Eastern Territory Empire!

……

It was the first time that Cohen met Charles Cromwell, the second prince of the Kingdom of Ceylon. He looked a bit like Saxon, but was a bit more plump than Saxon.

The whole person looked more easy-going, and was followed by a tall middle-aged military officer. This person was the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the Kingdom of Ceylon, Admiral Norn.

Cohen also saw a familiar figure in the peace negotiation delegation.

Marin, the director of the intelligence department of Quesaon Station and Charles's permanent secretary, naturally came along as well.

Seeing Marin, Cohen remembered the agreement he had made with the Saint of the Star Tribe. According to the agreement, the two parties would meet in Florence in three days to discuss the cooperation between Effiin and the Star Tribe.

Cohen suppressed his inner thoughts, put on his devil mask, and said stiffly:

"Are you Charles, the second prince of the Kingdom of Ceylon?"

Charles was extremely dissatisfied with Cohen's attitude, but as a defeated general, he couldn't act like a prince, so he replied in a deep voice:
"I'm."

Then he looked at Grace beside Cohen and saluted respectfully:
"Greetings, Her Royal Highness the Princess. I didn't know you were also on Scarlet Island. I'm sorry to offend you."

Grace greeted him calmly and put her arm around Cohen's shoulders, her meaning was clear.

Charles felt a little aggrieved, so he looked at Cohen again and apologized sincerely.

Cohen waved his hand and said:
"Stop talking nonsense and explain your purpose."

Commander Norn, who was next to Charles, spoke:
"Captain Yan, may I ask what price our Kingdom of Ceylon will have to pay to redeem the officers and warships captured by Your Excellency?"

Cohen shook his finger and said lightly:

"You can only choose one between people and things. See for yourself."

Charles' face showed surprise and he asked:

"We, the Kingdom of Ceylon, are willing to pay any price..."

Cohen interrupted the other party and said coldly:
"This is the bottom line. If you don't want to talk, you can leave."

Charles's face froze. Choice, is there any choice?

Even though Charles believed in his heart that those warships were much more valuable than some soldiers, as the prince of the Kingdom of Ceylon, he had no choice but to redeem the soldiers.

Not to mention that there is a naval commander watching nearby. Most of the captured officers of the North Sea Fleet are Norn's brothers.

Even if he wanted to agree, Norn would not agree.

Charles sighed and said:

"We want to redeem them. Captain Yan, please set some conditions."

Cohen's mouth curled up dangerously, and he said lightly:

“Just follow the extraordinary level of the personnel.

An ordinary navy soldier, one hundred gold coins.

Bronze tier, one thousand gold coins.

Silver level, 10,000 gold coins.

Gold level, 100,000 gold coins.

As for the Legendary class... one Legendary class, one battleship!"

As Cohen spoke word by word, Charles and Noon's eyes widened, their pupils filled with disbelief.

They thought Cohen would ask for a lot, but they didn't expect it to be so high.

Not to mention the legendary rank, just redeeming the officers below the gold rank would empty most of the Ceylon Navy's assets.

Not to mention that the final legendary level had to be exchanged for a battleship. If the princess of the Eastern Territory Empire hadn't been sitting next to him, Charles would have slammed the table and lost his temper.

Are they being treated as scapegoats?

Charles suppressed his anger and squeezed out a few stiff smiles from between his teeth:

"Captain Yan, isn't this price a bit too high? Can we negotiate it?"

Cohen's attitude was very firm:

"Your Highness, do you need me to list for you how much our Crimson Plunderers lost in this naval battle?
Not to mention anything else, just inviting the legendary transcendents of the Mermaid, Sharkman and Pale Wings to take action cost me several pieces of legendary magic equipment.

I haven’t even told you about all this yet!”

Charles's face turned extremely ugly, but he could understand it a little bit. They were also well aware of the price of inviting a legendary transcendent to take action. Cohen's asking price was not too outrageous.

Commander Norn said solemnly:
"Captain Yan, our Kingdom of Ceylon is willing to assist you in conquering the entire Northwest Sea and eliminating all sirens and pirate forces within the region. What do you think?"

Cohen's expression changed slightly, but his face remained cold.
"If you had this ability, why would you have waited until now?"

Commander Norn breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Cohen did not refuse outright. He then continued:

"We don't have the ability to do so, but we still have you, Captain. We can definitely cooperate and conquer the Northwest Sea together.

When the time comes, you will take the lion's share and we will just take a small share.

As long as the leader is willing to reduce the conditions by half, we can sign the agreement now!"

Cohen's eyes flickered, and he pretended to think for a long time. He nodded slowly and said:
"That's not impossible, but I'll have to personally choose the person I'm collaborating with."

Norn nodded and said:
"I wonder who Captain Yann wants to cooperate with?"

Cohen said calmly:
"That deputy commander of yours is the one I captured. I've seen that he's quite capable in naval warfare, able to hold out for so long under the siege of my ghost ship. He's the one we'll take."

Norn breathed a sigh of relief. The Davenport behind Gaston was an ancient nobleman with a thousand-year-old heritage in the Kingdom of Ceylon. There was no possibility of him betraying the Kingdom of Ceylon.

Norn felt relieved to have him serve as the cooperative representative of the Kingdom of Ceylon.

He even felt a little grateful in his heart, because if Gaston returned home like this, he would definitely not be able to escape the fate of being held accountable for the defeat. Now that Cohen had spoken up, he could get a way out.

Noon glanced at Charles next to him, who was frowning in thought.

Cohen chuckled and said:

"If Your Highness is worried, you can appoint another person to serve as Gaston's deputy."

Charles' eyes lit up. At this moment, Marin, the permanent secretary in charge of recording, obviously understood Cohen's hint and took the initiative to speak:
"Your Highness, if that doesn't work, I'll cooperate with General Gaston?"

Charles smiled immediately and said:

"Okay, thank you for the hard work."

The matter was finalized, and both parties did not waste any time talking. They drafted a cooperation treaty on the spot and signed it. They even left an extra copy for Grace, letting the Eastern Region Empire serve as a witness to the cooperation and guarantee that the Kingdom of Ceylon would not violate the contract.

After the negotiations, it was time to hand over the prisoners. The ransom and warships that Cohen requested would take time to raise back home, so Charles returned home first, leaving Commander Noen and Secretary Marin here.

Late at night, Cohen appeared in Marin's room.

When Baron Marin saw Cohen, he bowed and whispered:

"Hello, Director."

Cohen waved his hand and said:

"Has there been any news about your Saint Lady recently?"

Marin's face showed a solemn expression:

"The Saint said she would meet you in Florence in three days. Director, please give me the address."

Cohen thought for a moment and said:

"There's a villa at Emerald Lake. Let's meet there."

Marin nodded and reported the news to the tribe.

After finalizing the time and place for the meeting, Cohen contacted the bodyguard for this trip, Isabella's aunt, Saint Jialin.

This was discussed with Isabella before.

Saint Jialin's response was also very decisive, and he said that he would definitely show up on time.

Cohen finally felt relieved. After telling Grace something, he took out the Book of Time and Space, imprinted a new space node on Scarlet Island, and disappeared on the spot.

After Cohen returned to the palace, he asked around and learned that the queen had taken people down to patrol and was not in Florence.

Even Windsardler was too bored studying the elven culture, so he went out with Adele to relax.

Cohen felt a little regretful. After waiting in the palace until the appointed time, he secretly rushed to the Emerald Lake Villa.

As soon as he entered the villa, Cohen immediately felt himself being locked by a powerful will. His heart sank, and he couldn't even escape into the shadow plane.

A holy figure appeared before Cohen, the Holy Maiden of the Star Clan!

Cohen looked around but didn't see Saint Jialin. He was wondering why Saint Jialin didn't come since he didn't seem like someone who would go back on his word.
Suddenly, he recalled Baron Marin's description of the Saint of the Star Tribe when he first met him.

His pupils shrank slightly, and after a moment he slowly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the holy figure in front of him and chuckled softly:
"Should I call you Auntie... or Lady Saint?"

(End of this chapter)