Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 364 The Bet with the Queen, the Princess, and the Grand Duke!

The Extraordinary Arena in Florence.

Cohen last entered this place five years ago, where he made a name for himself as the "Lord of Shadows".

The area was placed under martial law three days in advance, and all gladiatorial activities were suspended.

All the preparations were for today's Gold Group qualifier.

To the southeast, twelve obsidian pillars entwined with black eagle reliefs support the entire viewing platform, with a crystal canopy descending upon it.

Looking out from the stands, the view is dazzling and colorful under the sunlight.

The stands were covered with a crimson carpet woven from unicorn mane, and the Corleone royal coat of arms, embroidered in gold thread, was inlaid on the back of each seat.

The dignitaries, whom it is rare to see in public, were seated neatly and orderly.

Their faces all wore expressions of respect and caution.

At the very front of the stands stood a large throne, flanked by two chairs made of moonstone, one of which was slightly larger and represented the positions of the Queen and the Princess, respectively.

Next up are the seats for the Prime Minister and the Grand Dukes of the Four Realms.

It is worth mentioning that only three seats were arranged for the Grand Dukes of the Four Realms, one of which was intentionally or unintentionally placed next to the King.

The accompanying cabinet officials, ministers, and generals would be further back.

Time passed by, and officials and ministers arrived at the stands one after another, finding their seats.

By the time the match was about to begin, the stands were almost full.

Until a deep, cold voice came, everyone in the stands became solemn and stood up to pay their respects.

King Cohencorion of Effie, arm in arm with Queen Adele, walked steadily towards them.

Princess Windsor and Grand Duchess Asuna Iliad of the South were by her side.

Cohen walked up to the assembled officials and said with a light laugh:
"It's rare that everyone is so free today; I see that everyone has come."

The officials wore smiles on their faces, but inwardly they were filled with resentment.

The King and Queen have both come in person; how could they dare not attend?
Cohen waved for everyone to sit down, and then, as is customary, said a few official words.

He then went straight to his seat.

The throne was spacious, and Cohen pulled Adele and Windsordler directly to his side.

There was room for one more person, and Cohen was about to let Asuna sit down as well.

Asuna hesitated for a moment, mindful of what others might say, but ultimately sat down in a seat to the side.

Prime Minister Angus said to Cohen:

"Your Majesty, it's time."

Cohen nodded slightly:

"Then let's get started."

"it is good."

Angus gestured towards a distance, and the crystal canopy above the stands slowly began to open.

The deafening cheers from outside the stands also resounded in my ears at that moment.

In order to inspire all citizens to strive for excellence and win glory for the country.

Cohen has strictly limited the proportion of attendees based on their identity and region.

The requirement is that at least 30% of the attendees must be ordinary citizens and at least 50% must be from other areas to be able to attend the games.

If this requirement weren't made, the outside world today would likely be entirely monopolized by Florentine nobles and wealthy merchants.

Not to mention the common people who rarely even get to see their own lords, many nobles have never even seen His Majesty the King in their entire lives.

Therefore, when the crystal canopy opened and His Majesty the King and His Highness the Queen were seen in their unparalleled beauty, the entire arena was instantly ignited with excitement.

Everyone stood up excitedly and cheered enthusiastically.

Let us cheer for the king who brought them unparalleled glory and honor.

Cohen stood up and waved to the crowd, and took the opportunity to reiterate the principles for selecting participants in this Noble Martial Arts Festival.

There were few qualified people in the Gold Group, so there was no nationwide audition.

Once the preliminary rounds for the Bronze and Silver groups begin, everyone will be eligible to register for the competition.

Those who ultimately secure a spot will be directly granted a noble title.

Undoubtedly, Cohen's words once again ignited the atmosphere in the entire venue.

It has been many years since Effie opened up noble titles to commoners on such a large scale.

……

In the waiting area, Sancho Copperfield stared fervently at the figures on the high platform who could decide the life, death, wealth, and fate of millions of people with just a few words, and clenched his fists.

My breathing became much more rapid.

Although he is a cultivation fanatic, he is not a fool.

Sancho, being born out of wedlock, was always resentful of his origins.

He has always wanted to prove his worth to the family. If he can win His Majesty's favor this time, the entire Copperfield family will be genuinely proud of him!

However, due to his status, he didn't know many people in Florence, and even if he did, he had lost contact with most of them because of what happened three years ago.

Therefore, the waiting area was rather deserted.

However, just as he was lost in thought, a young voice entered his ears:

"Don't be nervous, and don't get too excited."

His Majesty specifically instructed that you be the first to appear.

Mr. Copperfield, you should know what this means.

Sancho's expression hardened. He bowed to Wiesel Adam, the head of the General Affairs Department of the Military Intelligence Bureau, who was in charge of coordinating the contestants, and said in a deep voice:

"Rest assured, my lord, I will not let His Majesty down."

Viser looked at the young man who had previously "spoke outrageously".

Sancho Panza's words to Fei Jin, the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Eastern Border Station, "You won't last five minutes in my hands," had already spread throughout the Military Intelligence Bureau.

As the head of the general affairs department, Wiesel naturally developed a bit of interest in this honest and somewhat endearing young man.

Furthermore, His Majesty personally instructed that Sancho should be the first to appear, to provoke the high-ranking officials and nobles of Florence.

Therefore, Viser valued this person even more.

The opponents assigned to him were also quite intriguing.

Viser smiled and asked:
Do you know who your opponent is?

Sancho paused for a moment, then replied:

"I heard they're from the North."

Viser nodded, then shook his head, and said:

Yes, but not entirely.

Sylvia Ayn, a major general and division commander in the Northern Legion.

He is a powerful ninth-tier peak Arcane Knight.

He once won the runner-up in the All-Army Martial Arts Competition, and participated in the Silver Group competition in the previous Noble Martial Arts Festival, where he also achieved a high ranking.

He is the strongest and most popular candidate among the nominees.

Sancho's eyes widened in surprise, not because of the other party's extraordinary level or past glory and achievements.

It's the other person's surname.

Combining this with what Viser had just said—that Sylvia is in the North, yet not in the North—he vaguely considered a possibility.

Viser seemed to have read the other's mind, nodded, and said:
"That's right, besides that, he has another identity."

His "Ain" is the same Ain as our Marquis Marshall Ain, the Executive Director of the Ain Military Council, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Military Affairs.

Sylvia was the Marquis's youngest grandson and also his most beloved.

From a young age, they received the most systematic and rigorous training.

I didn't tell you before because I was afraid it would put pressure on you.

Now that it's almost time for the performance, I'm telling you this person's identity so that you can understand His Majesty's deeper meaning.

Your match against him this time is of great significance, and it's not just about winning or losing a single game.

So don't worry about his identity, just show your best.

Understand? "

As the grandson of a key figure in the Effie military, Sylvia is not only famous in the Northern Legion, but also highly sought after in the Florentine aristocratic circles.

The competition is not limited to children of noble families; participants will be selected nationwide.

Although the nobles in the country dared not voice any objections due to His Majesty the King's power, they were still very resistant to it from the bottom of their hearts.

Firstly, they didn't want more people to share the pie; secondly, they genuinely looked down on these commoners and slaves from humble backgrounds.

He felt it was a disgrace for these people to compete against him.

Cohen was naturally well aware of the psychological state of these nobles.

The reason he arranged for Sancho and Sylvia to fight in the first match was to curb the arrogance of these nobles.

Let them see the gap and shed their arrogant pride.

Let them see that even an illegitimate child can rival the noble children they have the highest hopes for.

Another point is to curb the unhealthy trend of taking advantage of the Northwest Regional Exchange Conference three years ago to deal with a large number of members of the Corleone royal family and the Senate, and then expanding the scope of the matter to wantonly attack political enemies and retaliate.

Viser's words, both explicit and implicit, sent a chill down Sancho's spine, making him even more cautious about the upcoming duel.

He replied in a deep voice:
"I completely understand!"
I will certainly not let Your Majesty down!

Viserton paused, then took a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Sancho, lowering his voice:

"This is a sword manual that His Majesty asked me to pass on to you."

His Majesty specifically instructed me to give it to you just before you go on stage.

From this moment on, how much you can understand determines how far you can go!

Sancho's eyes flickered; from the few words on the note in front of him, he had already gained some new insights.

A Saint-level Sword Singer!
This is definitely a legacy left behind by a Saint-level sword chanter.

If I can fully comprehend it... breaking through to legendary status is just around the corner!
Sancho took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination:

"I will definitely succeed!"

……

The other waiting area across the street was unusually lively, unlike the quiet area where Sancho was.

The sons of several famous noble families from Florence were all gathered here.

They surrounded a tall young man, whispering something.

"I heard that Sancho is the illegitimate son of some earl family in the East."

Furthermore, he has connections with several members of the royal family who rebelled three years ago.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't have been qualified to participate in the selection competition, but she must have had some good luck to be favored by His Majesty.

"I've been assigned to the first match, and..." Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Sylvia's calm voice:

"Do not presume to guess His Majesty's intentions."

"A sword chanter, at the peak of the ninth rank—such a person is worthy of being my opponent."

A look of seriousness appeared in Sylvia's eyes as she gazed towards the southeast stands.

Using the example of a peak ninth-tier transcendent being, he could clearly see the crowd in the stands.

With her gaze fixed on His Majesty the King, who was smiling and talking to the Queen and Princess, Sylvia recalled the words her grandfather, Minister of War Marshall Ian, had reminded her of the previous night:
"Don't underestimate your opponent. His Majesty won't choose such an opponent for no reason."

With so many people there tomorrow, do your best. It's important for you and for the entire Ain family!

Sylvia cleared her mind, took a deep breath, closed her eyes to rest, and adjusted her body to its peak condition.

Having spent over a decade fighting alongside the Northern Legion, his personality had long since become calm and composed.

We will not underestimate any enemy.

……

Up in the stands, with little time left before the game started, Cohen turned to look at Secretary of State for Military Affairs Marshall Eden, who was not far from him, and said with a light laugh:

"I had long heard that General Sylvia had made numerous military achievements in the Northern Legion and was exceptionally talented."

I'm really looking forward to him representing Effie in the competition.

Marshall stood up and said:
"Thank you for your high regard, Your Majesty."

All the members of the Aiden family were willing to offer their unwavering loyalty to Effin.

Cohen smiled, and Herman's voice came from afar:

"The first round of the selection competition for participants in the Gold Division of the Noble Martial Arts Festival."

Sylvia Aiden versus Sancho Copperfield.

Without any opening remarks or speeches, after the list of participants was announced, the entire arena was shrouded in a magical barrier.

The aftershocks of a battle between peak ninth-tier cultivators are quite terrifying, and preventative measures must be taken.

As Hermann's voice fell to the ground, Prince Hauge hovered above the arena.

As a high-ranking legendary paladin, he is the most suitable person to be the referee for the selection tournament.

After all, it's just a selection process, not a life-or-death duel, so he needs to step in to protect her when necessary.

The entire venue fell silent, and the nobles in the southeast stands held their breath, watching the two figures appear in the arena.

Sancho Copperfield wore a silver-blue sword robe and held a golden-tier magic longsword in his hand.

Although he himself also carried a sword, its quality was far inferior to the one in his hand.

To ensure fairness, this sword was specially selected by Cohen from the national treasury for him to use in the competition.

Compared to Sancho's light attire, Sylvia, as an arcane knight, wore much heavier equipment.

He was clad in a full set of runic heavy armor, wielding a shield, and holding a knight's sword crackling with lightning in his right hand.

With each step, the dust on the ground trembled.

The moment the two appeared, the sheer aura they exuded was enough to ignite the passion of the spectators.

Prince Hauge, with a solemn expression, swept his gaze over the two men before raising his right hand high to announce the official start of the match.

Following Prince Hauge's gesture, Sylvia launched the first attack.

Regardless of what kind of variant class the Sword Singer is, it is ultimately still a branch of the mage class.

For a soldier like Sylvia, who is experienced in combat, the most effective way to deal with spellcasters such as mages and warlocks is to engage in quick close-quarters combat.

Do not give the other party the space and time to cast spells.

Sylvia slammed her heavy shield into the ground, and the sand beneath her feet instantly cracked open in a spiderweb pattern, spreading rapidly toward Sancho at a visible speed.

Within a few breaths, similar spider webs had appeared at Sancho's feet.

Immediately afterwards, a blue-green plasma burst forth from the crack, forming a huge electric net that enveloped Sancho.

Arcane Shock!

Shelvia kept her grandfather's instructions in mind and did not underestimate her opponent. She immediately used the Arcane Knight's exclusive skill.

This is a group control skill; Sylvia directly targeted Sancho alone.

Even if someone has a ninth-tier golden body, being touched by this electric grid would immediately cause them to become dizzy and paralyzed.

Sancho's expression remained calm. Just as the lightning was about to strike, he transformed into a thousand phantoms and disappeared into the electric grid.

Seeing this from the stands, Windsordler let out a soft exclamation and said:

"It resembles a movement technique of our Elven race, the Sword Chanter. Interesting."

Cohen continued:
"The sword chanters were originally created by the elves. The movement technique that Sancho uses is called 'Wind Whisper Step,' which is the starting stance for all sword dances."

On the field, the two had just faced off in the first round, and the tension was already extremely high and the situation was very dangerous.

Sancho used Wind Whisper to escape the arcane shockwave's range, then suddenly accelerated, his figure shifting sideways like a phantom, arriving behind Sylvia in just a few breaths.

At the same time, the sword in his hand quickly drew an arc, and three wind blades mixed with dangerous frost aura went straight for Sylvia's throat.

Having received instructions from Viser, Sancho held nothing back in any of his moves.

Furthermore, he believed in Prince Hauge's abilities as the referee and that he wouldn't let the Minister of War's grandson die by his sword.

From the moment Sylvia slammed her shield down, unleashing an arcane shockwave, to Sancho's sword nearing his throat.

It took no more than five seconds in total.

Before the ordinary people and low-level superhumans in the stands could even understand what was happening, Sylvia, on whom everyone had placed high hopes, had already walked a tightrope between life and death.

Sancho's extremely swift sword strike completely caught Sylvia off guard.

Firstly, he hadn't expected his opponent to escape the arcane shockwave's range so easily; secondly, he hadn't expected a mage to launch a close-quarters attack.

And the speed is so fast.

Just as the sword was about to slice through his throat, a blue arc of electricity suddenly erupted from a pendant hanging around Sylvia's neck, deflecting Sancho's sword.

Immediately afterwards, more and more arcs of electricity burst out from the pendant, weaving a six-pointed star pattern around Sylvia.

As the six-pointed star formation took shape, a thunderous roar resounded throughout the stands.

As an arcane knight, he naturally had a mount, but Sylvia never expected that he would be forced to summon his mount after just the first move.

The first thing to penetrate the six-pointed star magic circle was the beast's hoof covered in silver armor.

As soon as the beast's hoof stepped onto the ground, the surrounding lightning left charred marks on the ground.

Next to emerge were mechanical horns covered in magical runes—not biological horns, but energy-conducting organs made of extraordinary metals and rare materials, capable of autonomously absorbing the surrounding magical energy.

Each spiral pattern is flowing with liquid lightning.

When the warhorse's complete body broke through the spatial barrier and entered the arena, the atmosphere in the entire arena was instantly ignited to its highest point.

The crowd stared in awe at the warhorse, a creature that combined the beauty of flesh and machine, and let out sharp whistles and cheers.

In the waiting area, Fei Jin, the station chief of the Eastern Border Station, who was also in charge of the competition and was acting as a staff member, watched the battle on the field, pursed his lips, and looked very serious.

Viser, standing to the side, said in a solemn tone:

"I have witnessed Sylvia's true combat prowess."

"Among extraordinary individuals at the Gold Rank alone, there shouldn't be anyone in Effie who could force his mount out so quickly."

As a ninth-rank cultivator, Fei Jin could see things more clearly.

He knew he couldn't have survived such a fast sword strike.

Fei Jin nodded slowly:

"It seems he did give me face before."

Indeed, His Majesty was right.

Viser asked curiously:

"What?"

Phaekin narrowed his eyes and repeated to Viser a sentence that Cohen had said when he had Phaekin personally deliver Sancho:
"The gap between nine-tier beings is greater than the gap between a human and a dog!"

On the southeast stand, Secretary of War Marshall's expression became extremely solemn.

He knew better than anyone the true fighting prowess of his most prized grandson.

The fact that he could force his mount out with a single move shows just how terrifying Sancho's true combat strength is.

Adele said softly:
"This person is indeed quite good. Judging from his combat strength, he should be able to hold out against Windsor for ten minutes."

Windsordler's eyes flickered, and she said:

"His Wind Whisper Step is useless against me. If we were to actually fight, I could probably finish the battle in five minutes."

Asuna asked with great interest:

"How does it compare to Melantha?"

She's the lowest level in this group, so it's hard to tell what's going on.

She had spent the most time with Melantha and was most familiar with her combat abilities, so she could only use her as a reference point.

Adele answered quickly, seemingly knowing Melantha quite well:

“Melantha is already a semi-legendary figure. In a life-or-death battle, one move would be enough to kill him.”

Asuna looked surprised. She never expected that Melantha, who was like a frustrated woman who was always dissatisfied, could receive such high praise from Adel.

So, wouldn't that make her even more powerful than Windsordler, the real Elf Princess and future Elf Queen?
Upon reflection, she realized she had never witnessed Melantha using her full strength.

During her time living in the Southern Territory, there was no one who was worthy of Melantha's full strength.

Well, I've only ever witnessed Melantha's prowess in bed...

Hearing the three talking, Cohen raised an eyebrow and said with a smile:

Who do you think will ultimately win the game?

Adele narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and then said:

"Shervia received the most advanced training and heritage in Effie."

His mount was also custom-made and tamed by a specialist from the Western Regions Empire, commissioned by Marquis Aiden, and was already at the eighth level.

Sancho's talent was exceptional, but his foundation was still too weak.

The crisis was created in Sylvia by surprise just now, but now the latter is on guard.

It won't be so easy for Sancho to replicate his previous attack.

If this drags on, Sancho won't stand a chance against the combined strength of him and his horse.

Windsordler also said:

“I don’t think Sancho has a good chance. The sword chanter’s inheritance he received is probably not very advanced. He only knows a few moves.”

"I can't break through the Arcane Knight's defenses."

Asuna blinked and said, "I'll listen to my two older sisters."

A sly smile crept across Cohen's lips:
"Okay, let's make a bet among the four of us!"

If we lose the bet…

(End of this chapter)