Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Adele remained calm, memorizing all the information King Peter had revealed, and then parted her red lips slightly:
"How many of His Majesty's so-called loyal followers are left?"

King Peter paused for a moment to recall before slowly reciting a series of names, locations, codes, and contact information.

Some were mid-level officers hidden in the kingdom's army, some were leaders of assassins secretly trained by old noble families scattered throughout the land, and some were contacts of secret intelligence organizations loyal to the royal family rather than a particular king.

Behind each name lies a force, whether overt or covert, hidden beneath the massive body of Serene. These are the "emergency sparks" that King Peter has painstakingly cultivated and deployed over the years to deal with various unforeseen events (including internal royal strife, foreign invasion, and even being sidelined by powerful ministers like today).

A complex light flashed in King Peter's eyes, a mixture of relief and bitterness:
“Go find them. As long as you have the token, show the gesture, and say the corresponding code word, they will believe you and obey your commands.”

Their loyalty is to the Thranan royal family, to me as king, not to any particular throne.

Including the 'princess' you're planning to have.

As long as she can prove her legitimate Thrann bloodline through tokens and emblems, and demonstrate the determination and ability to lead Thrann out of the mire and wash away the shame.

They will acknowledge her and support her.

This was one of the contingency plans I had prepared for them, in case the royal line died out or the monarch became incapacitated, to support a legitimate heir.

Having explained everything, King Peter seemed to have been drained of his last bit of strength, and his entire consciousness appeared somewhat ethereal and transparent.

He looked at Adele and said earnestly at the end:

“Your Highness Angryn, please… keep your promise. For Thrann’s sake, and for Thran’s sake…”

Adele listened quietly as he finished speaking, her silver-purple eyes remaining unfathomably calm.

"The contract is complete."

Her clear, cold voice rang out, and at the same time, the surrounding icy blue space began to slowly fade like a tide, and the swirling snowflakes gradually turned into specks of light.
"This place is not safe to stay any longer, Your Majesty Peter. In order to ensure that all of this remains unknown to outsiders and to ensure that our plan can be implemented smoothly, I will temporarily seal away this memory of yours from today."

Take care, we... will meet again soon.

Before he could finish speaking, the icy blue scene before King Peter's eyes shattered completely, and his consciousness was suddenly pulled back to reality as if he had fallen from a great height.

"Well--!"

Deep within the dwarven ruins, in a cold, dark cell, King Peter, who had been sitting motionless like a statue, suddenly shuddered and let out a short, muffled groan.

He opened his eyes blankly, and what came into view was still that familiar, despairing rock wall, the cold light cast by the dark blue crystal, and the stale and oppressive atmosphere in the air...

What just happened?
King Peter shook his somewhat dizzy head vigorously, his eyes vacant.

He only remembered that he seemed to have fallen into a deep trance, or had a long and bizarre dream.
In my dream, there seemed to be light and snow, and I also seemed to see someone who said something very important... but I couldn't remember the specifics, only a blurry fragment of light and shadow.

"Strange... I think I've forgotten something very important?"

He muttered to himself, his brow furrowed, trying to salvage something from his hazy memories, but to no avail.

That memory seemed to be completely shrouded in a thick fog, or as if it had never existed.

Strangely, even though he couldn't remember anything specific, was still trapped in this cage of despair, and felt the heavy shadow of national ruin and family destruction weighing on his heart, a strange sense of ease arose from the deepest part of his heart.

It dispelled the heavy gloom and suffocating despair that had been driving him almost insane for days.

It's like being about to drown in the boundless, dark depths of the sea when someone suddenly hands you a sturdy rope. Although you can't see the end of the rope, the tangible feeling in your hand and the upward pull bring you hope for survival.

He remains an imprisoned king, burdened by national and personal grievances, with his future still uncertain.

But that utter despair, which felt as if even the soul was frozen, inexplicably dissipated by more than half.

"Has he gone mad, or has the gods finally taken pity on him?"

King Peter leaned against the cold stone wall, gazing at the monotonous rock face above him, and gave a soft, bitter laugh.

But he could feel that his heart, which had been dead, seemed to be beating a little weakly but stubbornly again.

Outside the cell, the shadow of the ruins remained heavy.

The three tomb masters' senses, like an invisible spider web, still shrouded this area.

Everything seems unchanged.

……

After Adele successfully communicated with King Peter through "consciousness projection," her consciousness did not immediately return to her original body in Florence.

In the final moment before its silver-purple eyes vanished, they seemed to pierce through the many barriers of the ruins and the dimensions of time and space, transmitting to Cohen a set of key information coordinates compressed from pure mental power and several specific memory fragments in a way that transcended ordinary understanding.

Upon receiving the information, Cohen did not hesitate at all and immediately began intensive planning.

She relayed the message from her sister, the Queen, to Virekis.

A knowing glint flashed in Vireikis's emerald eyes. She stretched languidly, and her stunning figure slowly faded from the room.

The efficiency of a demigod far exceeds the imagination of ordinary people.

In just one or two hours, in the darkest hour before dawn, Vilekis's figure had quietly returned.

With a gentle flick of her wrist, several items landed silently on the table in front of Cohen.

A ring, neither gold nor jade, with a dark, iron-like luster throughout, but with a strange black gemstone set in its face that seems to contain a deep abyss vortex, and it feels icy to the touch—the Abyss Seal Ring.

The metal emblem, about half the size of a palm, features an intricate and ancient Serian flower and sword cross pattern on the front, with dark red light flowing slowly like blood vessels deep within the patterns. The back is engraved with the ancient Serian proverbs as fine as mosquito gnats—the Serian emblem.

Cohen carefully examined the token, and after confirming that it was genuine, he carefully put it away.

He had no time to appreciate or reflect; he immediately activated another top-secret communication line.

On the other end of the communication was Garin, who was in the Ceylon Royal Palace, handling most of the kingdom's heavy state affairs for Freya as the "Queen's Chief Advisor".

Cohen told Garline that all preparations were complete and the plan was about to enter the substantive phase.

She needs to immediately mobilize the Star Clan's power to carry out preliminary preparations for the revival of the Star Empire, such as resource allocation, personnel mobilization, and public opinion preparation.

All the power that Effie possesses will become her strongest support.

Funding, intelligence, military force, and diplomatic support will all be tilted in her favor.

Also, tell Jialin that once she has finished taking care of everything, she should hurry over to Toringard, as some of King Peter's loyal subordinates require her personal contact.

Jialin had been waiting for this day for a long time. After receiving Cohen's message, she immediately took action.

At the same time, Cohen issued instructions to the Military Intelligence Bureau and its vast intelligence and propaganda machine to launch a public opinion shaping plan.

This order was quickly transmitted to every corner of the mainland through the efficient and covert network of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

The orders were received by secret agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau, who were lurking in major cities, taverns, merchant guilds, mercenary guilds, adventurers' associations, post stations, and even some noble salons and court servants.

They came from all walks of life—bartenders, merchants, wandering poets, and disgruntled minor officials—yet they shared the same mission: to tell a good story.

Almost overnight, a story that sounded legendary, tragic, and romantic began to circulate quietly in many well-informed places on the mainland.

The protagonist of the story is William IV, the late king of the Kingdom of Serene, who was known for his iron-fisted, shrewd, and even somewhat ruthless nature.

The story says that this seemingly serious and rigid king had a secret and scandalous love affair in his youth.

He secretly fell in love with a noblewoman from the Starry Sky Clan who had fallen into hiding and lived in anonymity.

This woman was not only of noble birth, but also possessed breathtaking beauty and intelligence.

The two were truly in love, their love burning fiercely, but due to the great racial barriers, the strict court rules, and the delicate political situation in Serene at the time, they could not be together openly and could only bury their feelings deep underground.

Later, this Starbreeze woman gave birth to a baby girl for William IV.

To protect their child and her lover from criticism and persecution, the woman, shortly after giving birth, suppressed her grief and entrusted her infant daughter to an old servant who had a past relationship with the Jin Yi family.

He ordered her to take the child to a distant place, live in anonymity, and raise the child as an ordinary person.

After arranging everything, she vanished without a trace, as if she had evaporated into thin air. Some say she fled in grief, some say she was persecuted to death, and others say she returned to the secret settlement of the Starry Remnants...

This girl perfectly inherited the best bloodlines from both her parents—possessing both the noble temperament and political talent of the Serene royal family, as well as the unique mystique, intelligence, and natural affinity for star magic of the Starborn race.

Her adoptive father (the old servant) took her back to the Golden Wing family, where she grew up safely under the careful guidance of the matriarch of the Golden Wing family, and her knowledge, manners, martial arts skills, and magic were all quite remarkable.

She even reached the top Saint level in the Demon Tide Continent. Time flies, many old friends have passed away, but the girl who holds the Saint status remains as youthful as ever.

Just then, the girl learned of the earth-shattering changes that had taken place in her homeland, Serene—the old King Peter (son of William IV) had been imprisoned and murdered by treacherous ministers and the evil Black Tomb organization, the royal bloodline had been almost completely wiped out, and the entire kingdom had been seized by the demon's henchmen, sliding into the abyss of destruction.

Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, this "Princess Thrann," now living among the common people, resolutely decided to no longer endure in silence.

She must return to the land that rightfully belongs to her, expose the conspiracy, reclaim the throne, save the people of Serene from their suffering, comfort her father's spirit in heaven, and fulfill her mother's unfinished wish to protect them.

As the story circulated, it was continuously embellished and enriched by agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

The book adds elements full of detail and dramatic tension, such as "the jade pendant that William IV gave to his lover as a token of their love," "the loyal old servant was actually a retired court master from Serene who secretly taught the princess both literary and martial arts," and "the princess had repeatedly performed acts of chivalry among the common people and was known as the most righteous saint."

The story is full of twists and turns, combining palace secrets, cross-ethnic love, the mystery of one's origins, national and family feuds, and the story of an orphan girl's restoration of her kingdom, making it highly engaging and widely disseminated.

It spreads rapidly by word of mouth, especially in taverns, marketplaces, and among aristocratic women who appreciate romantic legends.

Following this, under Cohen's covert coordination, exchange of interests, political pressure, and other means, various influential forces on the mainland began to "unanimously" confirm or support the news in various ways, forming a powerful force of public opinion.

Queen Freya of Ceylon was the first to issue a public statement, expressing her deep sympathy and firm support for Princess Garin of Serene, as someone who had also experienced hardship and eventually returned to her homeland.

It also strongly condemned the despicable acts of the Black Tomb forces in murdering the emperor, usurping the throne, and colluding with the demon god.

Newspapers, notices, and bards were mobilized to spare no effort in exaggerating Princess Garlin's tragic, orthodox, and heroic qualities, portraying her as Serene's "divine savior."

Official or semi-official channels of the Central Empire, the Western Regions Empire, and the Windrise Kingdom have successively released messages with clear biases, indirectly acknowledging the claim that "a legitimate heir to the throne exists in Serene."

They also expressed concern about the current "illegitimate regime" in Serren. While not directly recognizing Garin, they created a favorable international atmosphere for her legitimacy.

The Church of Light and the Church of Prophecy, which are closely associated with Cohen or Effie, also expressed their views in their own ways.

The Church of Light issued a pastoral letter calling for "protection of innocent royal descendants who have been persecuted"; the Church of Prophecy, as always, remained mysterious, but a key figure in its leadership directly acknowledged Saint Garin's identity in a semi-public setting, greatly increasing the credibility of the rumors.

The Golden Wings of the Pale Wings, as Princess Galin's "mother clan," played a crucial role at this moment.

They then produced what they called "ironclad evidence"—some old, well-made letters and keepsakes.

It provided crucial evidence of blood ties from the perspective of relatives, greatly completing the story's chain.

The instigation of various forces, both overt and covert, the carefully crafted tragic story, the endless stream of evidence, and the pervasive and highly influential propaganda network of the Military Intelligence Bureau all contributed to this.

This caused the identity of "Princess Jialin of the Kingdom of Serene who had fallen into exile" to quickly transform from an insignificant rumor into a major event sweeping across the entire continent's public opinion field within just a few days.

Its rapid spread, wide coverage, and numerous and high-level channels of support left everyone speechless, catching Black Tomb and its controlled Serene pseudo-regime off guard.

Although the three tomb owners and the puppet regime they supported used the state apparatus to suppress the rumors of "Princess Jialin" as soon as they first emerged, denouncing them as "a clumsy lie fabricated by Effie and traitors" and "a shameless conspiracy to overthrow the kingdom."

They also carried out large-scale arrests of those spreading rumors, seized suspicious printed materials, and blocked border information, attempting to nip this unhealthy trend in the bud.

However, in the face of this media tsunami, meticulously planned by Cohen and the Military Intelligence Bureau and with the tacit cooperation of various forces, the denial and suppression by the puppet regime appeared clumsy, slow, and full of loopholes.

The more frantically they try to ban and arrest people, the more guilty and cowardly they appear, further solidifying their suspicions of being guilty and persecuting orthodoxy.

Especially when some of the arrested rumor-mongers, under severe torture, instead revealed more vivid and astonishing anecdotes about the princess and royal secrets (including some assassins planted by the Kuomintang), the credibility of the puppet regime was further damaged.

On the surface, the ancient capital of Toringard maintains a distorted tranquility under the oppressive control of the puppet regime.

But beneath the surface, turbulent currents were already surging.

In the shadows of the streets and alleys, at the corner tables of taverns, in the whispers of post station grooms, and even in the secret glances exchanged by some low-ranking officials, the name "Princess Jialin" was repeatedly mentioned, accompanied by sighs, expectations, and suppressed excitement.

More importantly, unlike any previous contender for the throne, Princess Garin possesses an overwhelming label of strength—a saint!
Looking across all the countries of the continent, there is not yet a reigning monarch who is himself a saint-level transcendent being standing at the pinnacle of mortal existence.

This is not merely a guarantee of military strength, but also an almost legendary symbol, representing the combination of destiny, power, and legitimacy.

In a world where personal strength and prestige are closely intertwined, the appeal and deterrent power of a saintly queen are immeasurable.

In addition, the process of King Peter's disappearance and abdication was already full of doubts, and the timing of the rise to power of the three tomb owners and the emergence of the Black Tomb was too coincidental.

Many former Thranes officials, officers, local lords, and even ordinary people who were loyal to Thranes or simply uneasy about the eerie atmosphere of the Black Tomb already harbored distrust and resentment towards the puppet regime.

At this moment, the appearance of "Princess Jialin" was like a torch lit in the darkness, quickly gathering these previously silent discontents.

She not only possesses the story and tokens of legitimate bloodline, but also personal strength sufficient to rival or even suppress the high-end combat power of the Black Tomb, which undoubtedly gave all opponents a strong boost of confidence.

In an instant, the name "Princess Jialin" ignited like a wildfire in the hearts of countless survivors of Serene, those who cherished their former masters, and those who dared not speak out against the rule of the Black Tomb.

Just as public opinion on the mainland was in an uproar over "Princess Jialin," Jialin herself had quietly completed all the preliminary arrangements.

He entrusted the preliminary preparations for the Starlight Revival to several Star Lords within the clan, and, with the help of Effie and the Pale Wings, began to secretly mobilize resources and gather dispersed forces.

Then, without alerting anyone, Jialin traveled day and night and arrived at the turbulent capital of Serene—Torlingard.

Late at night, on the outskirts of Tolingade, a safe house disguised as an ordinary farmhouse.

The cellar was transformed into a temporary shelter with good sound insulation and complete facilities.

Jialin was already waiting here. She had changed out of the gorgeous clothes she usually wore when working in the Ceylon court and into a set of dark casual clothes that were easy to move in.

Her long silver hair was cleverly tied up and hidden, but her pure and noble temperament, which had been refined over time, still flowed under the dim light.

The air rippled slightly, like water rippling, and Cohen appeared in the cellar without warning, as if he had always been there.

Jialin's eyes flickered slightly as she watched Cohen appear. In an instant, the scene from when she first met this young man many years ago flashed through her mind.

At that time, Cohen was still known as the "Lord of Shadows," but his strength was only at the second tier, making him seem like an ant in the eyes of the Starry Saintess.

However, with her audacious schemes, she manipulated several saints and legendary powerhouses, including herself, and ultimately orchestrated the destruction of the Northwest Branch of the Black Tomb.

Even I was fooled by his harmless appearance back then.

Thinking of this, Jialin couldn't help but smile gently.

Her smile softened the usual aloofness and sanctity between her brows, adding a touch of vibrant human warmth, like a snow lotus quietly blooming atop a snow-capped mountain, breathtakingly beautiful.

What Cohen saw made his heart flutter.

Jialin's beauty is undeniable; her unique charm, a blend of the mysterious nobility of the Star Clan, the ethereal purity of a saint, and the dignified bearing of someone long accustomed to a high position, is truly rare in this world.

At this moment, her gentle smile, as if melting away ice and snow, possessed a magic that struck straight to the soul. Even with Cohen's resolute will and his experience of seeing many beauties, he couldn't help but be momentarily stunned, unable to look away.

Jialin immediately realized that she had revealed her emotions, quickly suppressed them, and regained her usual calm and composure.

His gaze swept over Cohen's back, and he asked in a low voice:
"Where's the person next to you? Didn't they come along?"

She naturally learned about the Elf Queen's arrival in Serene with Cohen through intelligence channels, since she herself possessed some elven blood.

Cohen shook his head, his gaze returning to clarity and calm, as if the momentary lapse in concentration had never occurred.

"She's sleeping soundly in the annex. Never mind her, Auntie, let's go first..."

Upon hearing Cohen's address, a subtle, strange expression flickered across Jialin's exquisite face, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness and slight reproach:

"You'd better not call me 'Auntie' anymore. Given our current situation and our status within the clan, it just sounds really awkward to me if you keep calling me 'Auntie'."

After all, Cohen is now a holy son within the Starburst Clan, and according to the ancient traditions of the Starburst Clan and the outside world's understanding, they should have been... a couple.

This relationship makes the title "little aunt," which originated from Isa, seem particularly subtle and even somewhat awkward at this moment and place.

Cohen readily agreed and immediately changed his tune, his smile unchanged:

“Sister Jialin, this is a token we received from King Peter.”

These are the loyal forces entrusted to them by King Peter.

Cohen solemnly handed the Abyss Ring and the Seran Emblem to Garlin.

Then they handed over an encrypted list containing names, addresses, contact information, and corresponding code words.

Jialin's expression instantly turned serious. She accepted the token and nodded slowly, "Thank you for your hard work."

Cohen replied in a deep voice:

"Sister Jialin, let's not delay. There are many people we need to contact, so let's start tonight!" (End of Chapter)