Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

"Everyone, in our understanding, and indeed in the understanding of all living beings on this continent, the divine realm that hangs high in the heavens, eternal and immortal, and is the ultimate destination of faith, is about to... face annihilation!"

boom!
Conrad's opening remarks were like a silent thunderclap that exploded in everyone's mind!
A divine realm? A catastrophe?
The realm of the gods is the domain of the gods, the destination of faith, and a synonym for eternity, immortality, and supreme power in the eyes of mortals.

Will the divine realm face a crisis? Will it be a matter of life and death?
How can this be?

Ignoring the instant pallor of the audience and their near-uncontrollable gasps, Conrad continued his statement in a calm, even cold, tone:
"Based on the intelligence we currently have, starting about a decade ago, some incomprehensible and indescribable beings from the deepest part of the endless void have been emerging."

A sustained and terrifying erosion has begun on the outer barrier of the divine realm, what we commonly refer to as the 'Glorious Barrier'!

"Is the fortress of glory being eroded?"

This time, someone in the audience finally couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.

In the continent of the Demon Tide, even the lowest-ranking farmers and the most ignorant children know a very basic understanding of the world:
The continent, or rather the plane, in which they lived was suspended in the endless void.

The endless void is not empty; it is filled with all sorts of indescribable strangeness, chaotic storms powerful enough to tear apart legendary experts, turbulent currents that can distort spacetime, and countless other unimaginable dangers.

The thing that protects the creatures within a plane from interference is the "plane barrier".

The dimensional barrier kept all this terror at bay, protecting the life within and allowing it to thrive.

Similarly, the divine realm, high above and independent of the mortal plane, also has its own protective barriers.

This barrier, in the understanding of the gods and powerful superhumans, is revered as the "Glorious Barrier"!
It can be said that the Glorious Barrier is the lifeline of the Divine Realm, the absolute guarantee that the Kingdom of Gods is protected from the erosion of the Void, and the foundation of the Divine Realm's existence!

And now, Conrad is saying that this "glorious bulwark," which is considered eternally solid and built by divine power, is being eroded by an unknown entity, and is even... facing collapse?!
This news is a million times more shocking than any demonic invasion or any continental war.

That goes beyond the realm of mortal conflict; it involves the most fundamental order of the world's survival.

Once the gods collapse, how will these extraordinary beings, whose faith is based on the gods, cope?
"Indeed, it is the Glorious Barrier."

Conrad confirmed the low gasp, his expression growing even more serious:
"The erosion is ongoing and becoming increasingly severe."

The stability of the magnificent fortress is rapidly declining, with cracks appearing in many places, and its defensive capabilities are being continuously weakened and eroded.

According to the most pessimistic predictions, it may... not last much longer.

Once the glorious barrier is completely breached, the most primal, chaotic, and disorderly 'chaotic torrent' from the deepest part of the endless void will rush straight in and surge into the divine realm!

Under the impact of that level of chaotic torrent, even a supreme god with great divine power who rules over a divine kingdom will have his kingdom melt away and disintegrate as quickly as ice and snow under the sun.

With the collapse of the divine kingdom and the drying up of the source of faith, the divine fire... will also be extinguished!
The gods are about to face their true fall!

The realm of the gods is about to fall, and the gods will perish!
This news is a million times more shocking than any demonic invasion or any continental war!
That was the collapse of the foundation of faith, the breakdown of the ultimate world order.

If even the gods are to perish, what about mortals?

Could the dimension they depend on for survival be the next one?
Many people were already pale and trembling slightly, while the devout believers were almost fainting.

Panic spread silently, like a plague.

Some representatives who had initially resisted the founding of the nation had long since cast aside their ulterior motives, their minds now filled only with fear of the unknown and terrifying future.

Just then, a somber yet elegant voice rang out, breaking the deathly silence of panic.

It was Lucius Aragell, the Blood Lord sitting in the "second tier" seat.

The handsome, pale vampire lord slowly stood up, looked at Conrad, and asked in a deep voice:
"Commissioner Conrad, thank you for bringing us such... thrilling news."

So, where is the path to survival for the gods?

What does this have to do with the so-called covenant of the gods?

Lucius's question voiced the doubts in everyone's mind.

Conrad looked at Lucius and said slowly:
"The only way for the gods to survive is to send their divine kingdoms, which are about to be destroyed along with the divine realm, down from the collapsing divine realm, or rather, to descend upon it!"
Where will it descend?
Descend upon those fertile lands that still possess a solid material foundation, a stable ecological cycle, and... most importantly, a cyclical flow of sufficient faith!

His finger slowly pointed to the ground.

"That is, the continent of the Demon Tide where we are!"

"With our mortal kingdom, the land we live on, the faith we offer... we serve as the last ark to carry their divine kingdom, to perpetuate their divine fire, and to shelter them from the torrent of chaos!"

"boom--!!!"

This time, the council chamber could no longer remain silent.

The sounds of gasps, suppressed screams, incredulous mutterings, and even the sound of someone overturning their chair in extreme shock... all blended together to create a chaotic wave of sound.

The gods have descended to earth?

A divine kingdom descends to earth?

Those great deities, whose existence can only be perceived through prayer, oracles, and sacred sites, those eternal and immortal beings residing in independent divine kingdoms, are actually going to... personally intervene.

To forcibly bring their kingdom into the world of mortals?!

This is no longer a myth or legend; this is myth forcibly intruding into reality!
It is a battle between mortals and gods, who will compete for living space, for resources of faith, and for that final seat on the "Ark" under the same sky!
The continent of Demon Tide is a land of numerous kingdoms and racial conflicts, where undercurrents are already turbulent.

If we were to add the arrival of the gods with their divine kingdoms, what a hellish scene that would be!
Wars between nations will escalate directly into faith wars between gods and between divine kingdoms!
That will no longer be a battle between mortal armies, but a direct clash of divine power! It will be a true... war of the gods!
Everyone, regardless of their previous attitude towards the founding of the nation, was now stunned by this unprecedented, subversive, and terrifying prospect, their minds blank.

They seemed to see that in the near future, the boundary between the sacred and the mortal would be completely broken, burning stars (fragments of the divine kingdom) would fall from the sky, and incarnations of gods or legions of angels would walk on the earth. Faith would become swords, and prayer would turn into gunpowder smoke...

And what will become of the Lost Land, this already chaotic and divided land, amidst the impending arrival of the Kingdom of God and the overwhelming waves of faith wars?
Aren't they, a disorganized bunch, the best and first victims to be crushed?

Only now did many people realize why His Majesty Corleone and the Supreme Council were so eager to push for nation-building and to "unite as one"!
It's not for the simple purpose of becoming king or conquering, nor to satisfy personal ambition, but for the sake of this impending, unprecedented, and ultimate chaotic world that will sweep across gods and mortals.

For this lost land, for all living beings on this land, let's fight for a glimmer of hope!
An unprecedented chill, mixed with fear of the unknown divine war and an urgent desire for "unity to survive," engulfed everyone present like an icy tide.

Looking at Cohen, then at the ten top commissioners, and especially at President Conrad who dropped this bombshell, everyone's gaze became incredibly complex.

Previous resistance and doubts seemed so insignificant and out of place in the face of this world-ending prophecy.

Inside the council chamber, a deathly silence descended once more, but this time, the silence was heavy with the impending storm and filled with the suffocating feeling of facing a fateful decision.

Conrad's voice gradually lowered:

"However, as we all know, no matter how large our Demon Tide Continent is, there is a limit to the divine radiance it can bear."

A divine kingdom, which could not possibly contain all the gods, descended at the same time.

According to the gods' own calculations, including the four main regions of the Central Continent, the Land of Dragons, the Northwest Continent, and the Endless Sea, the entire main plane can only support a maximum of one hundred divine kingdoms!

Once this limit is exceeded, the world's rules will completely collapse due to the overload of divine power.

At that time, all the gods, along with all of us mortals, will be reduced to ashes!

"One hundred..."

Even the usually reckless wolf lord Tolwald was stunned, his eyes vacant, muttering to himself.

How many deities are known on the mainland?
I'm afraid it's far more than that!

This means that a large number of deities will inevitably be "eliminated"!
Even gods are being eliminated, so what about ordinary people like them? Just thinking about how things will turn out in the future is chilling!

Conrad's tone carried the weight of recounting an epic tragedy:
"Thus, after a long period of deliberation and even struggle, the gods finally reached a cruel consensus and established a covenant, which is now the Covenant of the Gods that the entire continent is paying attention to!"
The covenant stipulates that the gods have the right to select a human kingdom on the continent of the Demon Tide as the foundation for the descent of their own divine kingdom, which is called the Contractual Divine Kingdom.

Once selected, it is permanently bound and cannot be changed!
Subsequently, the Demon Tide Continent will launch a plane-level elimination tournament that affects all nations, all races, and all faiths—the 'Battle of All Nations'!
War will no longer be merely a clash between ordinary armies.

From this day forward, every battle, every conquest, every upheaval will be directly or indirectly influenced by the will of the gods, who will intervene or even descend upon the land.

The mainland will be transformed into a raging, bloody crucible, solely to select the ultimate survivors!
The flames of war will mercilessly devour weak nations and weak gods!
Conquest! Annexation! Alliance! Destruction! All means are permitted!

Until the continental map was completely reshaped in blood and fire, forming a new continental order jointly dominated by the most powerful nation and the gods behind it!

Only those nations that have endured countless calamities and ultimately stood firm in this new order, and only the gods they worshipped and swore oaths with—whether originally powerful or weak—were able to achieve this.

Only then can they obtain the final 'ticket' to continue the divine fire and the divine kingdom on this last fertile land of life! "As for those gods whose kingdoms were crushed and swallowed up in the struggle for supremacy..."

Their fate is only twofold: either they perish along with their collapsing divine realm, becoming part of the old era.

Alternatively, one could be stripped of their divine kingdom, drifting like a rootless duckweed in the endless void, enduring the eternal erosion of chaos… until utter annihilation, their divine name fading away!

He concluded in a resolute and unwavering voice:

"In other words, from the moment the Covenant of the Gods was announced, the continent will enter an era of 'Divine Order' that is completely shrouded and deeply interfered with by the will of the gods."

The gaze of the gods will fall upon the world like never before, and their will will, through the contracted kingdoms, directly or indirectly influence or even dominate every shift in the continent's格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or structure of the world).

At that time, any political entity, independent force, race, or even civilization that is not recognized by the gods or is too weak... will be mercilessly wiped out by the torrent of the new order!

A deathly silence enveloped the entire council hall.

Conrad's words laid bare the bloody, naked picture of the future, revealing it to everyone without reservation.

There is no warmth, no luck, only the most primitive competition for survival, and it is a life-or-death ultimate elimination competition that completely binds the fate of the mortal kingdom and the gods in the sky together!
Weakness is the original sin.

Division is a path to death.

In the coming "Age of Gods", a "Lost Land" plagued by infighting, lacking a unified will and strong cohesion, is no different from a piece of fat meat waiting to be divided in the eyes of the gods and those unified and powerful contracted nations!

After a long silence, Cohen slowly rose, scanned the room of people with varying expressions, and delivered his final concluding remarks:

"So do you all still think that we, the lost land, have time to slowly argue, weigh things, and fight amongst ourselves?"

With the countdown to the Covenant of the Gods underway, and the crucible of the 'Battle of Nations' about to ignite, our only way to survive is—to establish a nation!
To establish a unified, powerful empire, capable of bearing the gaze of powerful deities, and able to survive and fight for a place in the bloody struggle for supremacy in the future!

Only by establishing a nation can we, as a complete political entity, qualify to be 'chosen' by the gods as a covenant nation!
Only by uniting as one and pooling all our strength can we possibly secure that ticket to the future in the upcoming, most brutal elimination round!

As the words fell, only heavy, suppressed breathing and countless pale, desperate faces, or faces filled with a mixture of determination and panic, remained in the council hall.

Unification and nation-building are no longer optional political issues, but the only way out in the face of life and death!

After Cohen finished speaking, the entire conference room fell into a deathly silence. Even though they had speculated about the chaos to come, many people still felt like they were in a nightmare when the bloody truth was revealed.

A bloody elimination tournament at the dimensional level!

An epic battle for supremacy among nations!

Even the gods will face annihilation!
Unbelievable! Unacceptable!
God is coming, not as a savior, but as the "descendant" vying for the last ark of survival.

The war on earth has not yet ended, and the shadow of a divine war has already loomed over the land.

Faced with such an ultimate catastrophe that sweeps across gods and mortals, if the Lost Lands remain a disorganized mess, fighting their own battles, their fate is almost predictable.

Either they will be easily crushed and swallowed up by other unified and powerful empires or pantheons in the upcoming war of faith and resources.

Either they will perish silently in despair when the chaotic torrent finally reaches the mortal realm, due to the lack of unified organization and power.

The instinct for survival overwhelmed everything.

The discussion that followed shifted from "whether or not a nation should be established" to "how to establish a nation in order to maximize its cohesion and survive future storms."

Although the process was not without debate, compromise, and tug-of-war over interests—regarding the new empire's political system (monarchy? republic? federalism?), the distribution of power (central and local governments, the seats and responsibilities of various factions within the new regime), the integration of military forces, and the coordination of economic and religious policies…

But under the looming threat of the "Covenant of the Gods," no one dared to risk the future of their entire race for a little immediate gain or a fleeting sense of freedom.

After a series of intense discussions and repeated confirmations, and with Cohen's deliberate guidance and the coordination of other members of the Supreme Committee, the basic framework and key principles were finally established.

Integrate all the forces of the Lost Lands and establish the sixth great empire of humankind!
Next comes the more acute, more core issue, which will inevitably lead to even fiercer competition.

Who will be the monarch of this new empire?
Who is qualified to sit on that supreme throne and rule this ancient, chaotic land that is about to undergo dramatic changes?
This issue is more sensitive than the founding of the nation itself, and it concerns the vital interests and future status of every power.

Even those parties who had just barely reached an agreement on the founding of the nation were now on edge again, their eyes involuntarily focusing once more on Cohen, who was in the main seat.

In particular, the five homegrown giants: Sebastian Conrad, Dominic Reed, Ilya Taiwo, Adrian Solari, and Gustav Nilsson.

Prior to convening today's meeting, Cohen had not discussed the new imperial monarch with them in any way.

It was only mentioned that a convincing candidate would be presented at the meeting.

Since Cohen said so, Conrad and the others did not ask any further questions. After all, the Supreme Council's current status and strength were largely due to Cohen.

However, they each had their own plans regarding who would inherit the throne of this newly formed empire.

They even believe they are competitive enough.

In terms of wealth and influence, Conrad believes he is second to none.

In terms of the power of faith, Pope Reed has hundreds of millions of believers behind him.

The Taiwo family holds a pivotal position in the financial world.

In terms of lineage and ancient prestige, the Duke of Solari considers himself a legitimate nobleman.

Nilsson also had his reasons for his confidence in terms of force and underground channels.

Moreover, these five individuals, to some extent, represent the most deeply rooted local forces in the Lost Lands, especially given the clearly dominant position of the "outsider" Cohen and his allies.

Electing a monarch they can accept, or at least who can partially represent their interests, is key to maintaining balance and securing their future voice.

They didn't know Cohen's specific plans, but deep down, they all thought that Cohen would likely choose one of the five of them.

Or at least, the person approved by the five of them and closely connected with local forces should be appointed as "Emperor" in exchange for their maximum support for the new empire and to avoid internal division.

After all, no matter how strong Cohen is, he still needs someone to manage this land and the cooperation of local forces.

The air in the hall became still again, filled with silent struggle and speculation.

All eyes were on Cohen, waiting for him to reveal the answer.

Cohen sensed the heavy atmosphere and saw the expectation and scrutiny hidden in the eyes of the five giants.

His expression was calm, as if he were unaware of the silent power struggle, and he slowly rose from his seat of honor:
"A consensus has been reached on the establishment of the nation."

So, the next step is to decide who will lead this new empire, and who will sit on the throne as the monarch who will rule over all directions.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the top committee members, lingering particularly on the faces of the five local tycoons, before speaking clearly:

"The emperor will undoubtedly be chosen from among the ten highest council members present who will decide the future of the Lost Lands."

Only in this way can the legitimacy, representativeness, and unity of the new imperial power core be demonstrated.

This matter was decided before the joint establishment of the Supreme Council, and I think no one should have any objections!

Upon hearing this, Conrad, Reed, Taiwo, Solari, and Nilsson's expressions softened slightly, and they even revealed a hint of "it should be this way."

Cohen's statement seemed to confirm some of their suspicions—Cohen himself knew that as an "outsider" and an absolute deterrent of force, he was perhaps more suited to the role of a behind-the-scenes controller or protector.

The former monarch needs someone who can balance the interests of all parties, especially someone who can represent the local forces.

The selection of ten committee members reflects both respect for the committee and gives them room to operate and advocate.

The subtle exchanges of glances among the five people suddenly became frequent, and each of them began to quickly calculate and weigh their own chances of winning against the other four, as well as possible alliances and deals.

However, Cohen's next words were like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing their nascent expectations and calculations.

Cohen's gaze went straight in Mavis's direction:
"After careful consideration, I believe that the most suitable and only qualified monarch to lead the newly established empire and guide the lost lands to meet the challenges of the future is—"

Commissioner Mephisto Tinuville!

"Mavis Tinuvel will be crowned Empress, becoming the sole and supreme Empress of the new empire!" (End of Chapter)