Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 132 The Essence of Power——The Manipulator Behind Ivan!
After five days and five nights of renovation, the entire Executive Yuan has been completely renovated.

Cohen officially moved in with the "Infinity Blade" adventure team and announced that he would take over the power core of the entire "City-State of Cultivators".

It also heralded the official end of the Petrov family's brutal and inhumane rule in the city-state for more than a hundred years.

The news quickly spread throughout the city and also spread to the "Lost Land".

I believe that soon, the entire "Lost Land" and even some forces on the human continent that are concerned about the "Lost Land" will know this news.

How much impact and waves the change of ownership of the main food supply area of the "Lost Land" will cause is a story for later.

At least now, Cohen can comfortably reap the fruits of victory.

Divide the tempting pie of power among the participants of this revolution.

In the Executive Council's meeting hall, except for Grace whose identity was sensitive and who did not show up, the rest of the "Infinity Blade" members were all seated in the hall.

Sitting next to him were Saffron and Oliver, who had surrendered. They were whispering to Cohen about the takeover of the five major agricultural research bases and the tillers and farmers.

Sitting opposite were Thomas Wade, the "vegetable farmer" and several core members of the "Farmers' Association".

Also present below were several representatives recommended from the vast number of farmers and tillers in recent days, as well as representatives from various classes, groups and forces within the city-state.

There were about a hundred people, almost filling up the spacious council hall.

Looking at the people below the stage who were whispering to each other with different expressions, Cohen was very sure that there must be spies from various forces in the "Lost Land" here, and maybe Her Majesty the Witch would also secretly plant people there.

In the entire executive hall, groups of various classes and with different demands gathered together. Under the suppression of the extraordinary aura of the Windsordale Golden Order, everything seemed orderly and there was no chaos.

Even Thomas Wade had a very solemn expression on his face, looking seriously at Cohen who had just sat down.

Cohen glanced around the council chamber and announced the start of the meeting.

Cohen made a few brief opening remarks and handed the floor to Windsardler.

She represented herself in announcing the purpose of the meeting and also announced to outsiders that Windsardler Windrunner, the golden-rank winged elf, would be the official representative and spokesperson of the "Infinity Blade" adventure group from now on.

The speech in Windsardler's hand was one he had prepared beforehand, so she just had to read it directly:
"…First, eliminate the remnants of the 'Farming Society' and take over all of its assets and lands under the name of 'Infinity Blade'.

Members who are willing to withdraw from the association and turn over a new leaf can be given leniency, but they will be required to perform compulsory labor for three years and pay a fine. The amount of the fine will be based on the member's extraordinary level and status in the association.

Article 2: Disband the Peasant Association and establish a Council of State..."

The elf's voice is praised as "a throat kissed by a goddess."

As the princess of the winged elves, Windsardelle's voice is also melodious and moving.

The pleasant voice echoed in the council hall, but the people present had no intention of appreciating this rare heavenly sound. They were all shocked by the content of Windsordler's words.

The first one is to transfer all the assets of the association to "Infinity Blade". Many people who don't know the inside story don't even know what "Infinity Blade" is.

What’s even more terrible is the second one, disbanding the “Farmers’ Association”?
This is unacceptable to many tillers and farmers' representatives.

In the eyes of many people, Cohen and his colleagues were the assistance called for by the "Farmers Association", so why did they want to disband the "Farmers Association" in the end?

Cohen coughed lightly in response to the sudden uproar in the hall.

Thomas Wade in the audience immediately understood and his gaze lingered for a moment on the few people who were making a lot of noise. Soon the hall returned to silence.

Windsordale's voice continued:

"...Establish the City Lord's Mansion and the Council of State. The City Lord's Mansion will have three City Lords: one Chief and two Deputy. The Council of State will select ten representatives from each level, from ordinary people, first rank, second rank, third rank, fourth rank, up to sixth rank, to serve as council members.

All matters of the city-state are handled by the Council of State..."

After hearing this, the resistance on everyone's faces was much less.

The new term "parliamentarian" attracted everyone's attention.

Judging from the content of the announcement, this congressman has quite a lot of power. At least people from all walks of life now have channels to express their demands and opinions.

However, after hearing that the city lord had a veto over all resolutions of the Council of State, he expressed slight dissatisfaction.

Obviously, they were worried about the emergence of a second "Ivan Petrov"-style dictator in the city-state.

Therefore, the selection of the city lord and the election method of the two deputy city lords immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.

"...The city lord will be Ms. Asuna Iliad, [Political Officer] of Infinity Blade. The two deputy city lords will be elected by a vote of all the representatives attending this meeting..."

When they heard about the candidate for the city lord, everyone was at a loss and exchanged inquiring glances with each other.

Asuna Iliad, this name was too unfamiliar. She was neither from the "Farmers' Association" nor from the "Farming Society", and she had never heard of a similar name even in the "City-State of Farmers".

"Infinity Blade", after hearing this name, a few people looked thoughtful.

Soon, Windsardler's voice fell, and Asuna slowly stood up from beside Cohen, her face solemn and her tone stern:
"From now on, I will be the lord of the Cultivator City-State. I hope you will cooperate.

If anyone is unwilling to cooperate, then this city lord does not mind using violence."

The crowd was in an uproar again.

Looking at the young and beautiful woman standing up, I felt a huge sense of unreality hitting my mind.

Is this girl twenty years old?
A twenty-year-old city lord?
This is not the human kingdom on the mainland, where young nobles can rely on inheritance to become lords or city lords of a large territory.

This is the "Lost Land"!
It is a "city-state of order"!
It is the "order-based land" where every inch of land is valuable!
Normally, a "Floating Island of Order" has to go through the battles of countless forces before the final winner can be determined.

But now, such a huge "orderly city-state" has to be completely handed over to a delicate girl.

Many people in the audience began to feel restless.

Among them, the most intense opposition came from wealthy businessmen, nobles, high-level extraordinary people who had not participated in the war five days ago and attended the meeting as representatives of various classes in the city-state, as well as spokesmen for some larger forces in the "Lost Land" who were supported in the "City-State of Farmers".

These people do not have much sense of belonging to the "farmer city-state" itself.

Only care about things that involve your own practical interests.

Now they suddenly have to replace the city lord with a young and unfamiliar one, which they simply cannot accept.

Because in essence, the fact that Ivan Petrov and the Petrov family behind him were able to rule the "City-State of the Tillers" for generations was the result of compromises and struggles among these people behind the scenes.

This type of people has a more appropriate title - "investors".

They don't mind too much if the flag on the city wall changes or the city lord changes his investment.

Anyway, Ivan was supported by them. Recently, he has become a little disobedient and has his own little thoughts. He has been colluding with the forces of "Chaos Demon Continent". So he can be replaced.

Therefore, these "investors" naturally acted as spectators and chose to stand by and watch the coup a few days ago.

But they must have a say in who will be replaced and who will be in power. To put it more bluntly, the new city lord must be elected by them and serve their interests.

They may not appear on the list of the city-state's official institutions, may not serve in any government department, and may even bow respectfully to the rulers of the city-state.

They rarely appear in public and are always used to manipulating everything behind the scenes.

But they must share the biggest piece of the power pie.

Because these "investors" are the real power holders of the "farmers' city-state".

The essence of power is to dominate people.

Ivan and all the successive rulers of the Petrov family could only control the ordinary people living in the city-state and some helpless extraordinary people.

These "investors" have more people and resources at their disposal, and a city-state cannot develop with only food as a resource.

Daily necessities, weapons, foreign trade, labor resources, infrastructure, including potions, which are the most important to the Sequencers, these various industries and departments are all controlled by "investors" of all sizes.

Their offices are filled with various confidential documents and account books related to the "City-State of Farmers", and behind every number lies a huge political transaction and network of relationships.

They may not be able to manage the city-state well, but it is definitely easy for them to destroy the "farmer city-state".

In the eyes of these "investors", by not interfering in the coup, they were already showing goodwill to Cohen's side.

If Cohen is sensible, he should take the initiative to seek advice, and the two sides should negotiate together and elect a nominal city lord, who will serve as the community of interests for both parties.

But after a few days, Cohen showed no intention of coming to seek advice. He even set up a city lord's mansion and a council, as if he was going to divide the power of the city-state right in front of them.

How can these "investors" tolerate this?

Finally, someone couldn't help but stand up and speak.

The man who stood up was of medium build, with a slightly plump belly cleverly concealed by a finely tailored high-end suit.

This suit looked like it was made by the best tailor in the Western Empire. The dark grey fabric exuded a low-key luxury under the lights of the council hall, and every seam seemed to speak of its expensive price.

Seeing this person, Cohen's eyes moved slightly, and finally someone couldn't hold back and was about to jump out.

Cohen had also heard of these "investors".

To be precise, the reason why he chose to hold a council meeting five days later was to make careful preparations for these "investors"!
During these five days, he was not just flirting with his adventure team. These "investors" were the cancer hidden in the city-state, and they wanted to develop the "City-State of Farmers" and the subsequent oasis into their own independent kingdom.

We must first eliminate this group of "investors" hiding in the dark. Today's meeting is the bait to lure out these "investors"!
Look, a fish has already taken the bait!
Saffron, who was not far away, obviously knew this person and whispered to Cohen:

"He is the largest supplier of magic potion materials in the city-state. Even the top leaders of the association go to him to buy the magic potions they need for cultivation.

I don’t know his real name, but I heard Ivan call him Manager Morrow.”

Manager Morrow's hair was meticulously combed, with a few barely noticeable strands of silver mixed in with the black hair, and was neatly combed back.

His face was round and smooth, with a slight blush on his cheeks, and he looked like a man who had been pampered.

He had a pair of narrow, deep eyes with yellow-brown pupils, revealing shrewdness and calculation. His nose was straight and wide, and his mouth was always pursed into a straight line, with a barely perceptible curve at the corners of his mouth, but there was not much warmth in that smile.

Manager Morrow stood up, bowed gracefully to Windsordler, smiled, and said:
"Dear Elf Miss, excuse me for interrupting you. I have some trivial opinions here. Could you allow me to express them briefly?"

Manager Morrow's manners were impeccable. Windsordale looked at Cohen, who nodded slightly.

Manager Moro smiled and turned his gaze to Cohen. It was obvious that he also knew who was the real boss here.

He spoke in a steady tone:

"Dear leader of the Infinity Blade Adventure Group, I have several good friends who have heard of your reputation a long time ago and have been looking for an opportunity to meet you.

I wonder if you would be willing to honor me with your presence tonight?

Come to my humble abode, my good friends have a big deal to discuss with you."

Cohen raised the corner of his mouth slightly and smiled faintly:

"I have long admired your great name. How about this: I host a banquet tonight at the Executive Mansion to entertain you all?"

Manager Morrow was very pleased with Cohen's tactful attitude. He believed that they would offer Cohen a deal tonight that he could not refuse.

If this young man is sensible, then there is nothing wrong with letting a young and beautiful woman be the city lord.

The premise is that she has to be obedient!

After hearing Cohen's statement, the expressions of Thomas Wade and others sitting opposite him suddenly became much uglier.

They obviously also knew the tricks of Manager Moro and others. In fact, the Petrov family was originally considered a conscientious wealthy family in the "City-State of Tillers". Later, they were gradually bewitched and supported by these people and became the notorious "landlords".

They worry that Cohen will repeat the same mistakes.

Especially the think tank of the "Farmers Association", the "vegetable farmers".

This "vegetable farmer"'s family used to serve "investors", but later because they did something wrong, the whole family was stripped of their identity and status and exiled to the slums.

Therefore, "vegetable farmers" know these people's background best and hate them the most.

Unable to help but feel resentment in the eyes of the "vegetable farmer", Wade on the side quickly signaled to the other party to suppress his emotions.

No matter what Cohen's true thoughts were, as his subordinates, they had no choice but to obey.

He now only hoped that Cohen would not be bewitched by these people. He felt that with Cohen's status and position, he should not be lured and controlled by "investors".

Manager Morrow's little episode threw a small stone into the hearts of everyone present.

The expressions on their faces varied, some expressed contempt for Cohen's apparent succumbing to pressure from "investors," some expressed bewilderment at their ignorance, and some expressed concern about the city-state's future.

Cohen stared coldly at the expressions of these people and motioned Windsardler to continue reading:

"...All armed forces within the city-state will be disbanded and reorganized into the 'Guard Corps'. It will be led by Mr. Arnold Constantine, the [Military Officer] of the Infinity Blade..."

This point also sparked a lot of discussion. All armed forces, wouldn't that also include the guards of each family in the city-state?
Who is responsible for the safety of these noble gentlemen?

Is it all up to this [Military Officer] Arnold?

Wouldn't that mean we are at the mercy of others?
Manager Moro's eyes became much darker, his thick eyebrows slightly raised, like two small hills, and he murmured softly:

"It seems like I need to give them a good warning tonight before we can talk about anything..."

After the meeting, Cohen walked over to Manager Moro, who was about to leave, and whispered:
"Mr. Moreau, I love making friends and doing business with friends.

I hope all your good friends can come to the party tonight. I have a big surprise prepared for you all."

Manager Moro smiled amiably.
"Mr. Captain, I assure you that they will all arrive on time for the banquet!"

Cohen also showed a kind smile, took Windsardler's hand, and said gently:

"Well, my wives and I await your arrival!"

After everyone left, Windsardler pulled his hand out of Cohen's arms, with a hint of unnaturalness on his face.

Cohen acted as if nothing had happened and asked:
"How are the preparations for the banquet tonight? My goal is to catch them all in one fell swoop, so that no one can escape!"

Windsordale replied:

“If that narcissistic princess is reliable, there shouldn’t be any problem.

But are you sure this is really a good idea?
They are from very powerful backgrounds, so don't go too far.

This isn't the human continent. If things get really bad, the Central Empire's reputation won't work here."

Cohen made a reassuring gesture:

"Don't worry, everything is going according to plan!"

……

At dinner time, Manager Moreau arrived at the Consulate with several well-dressed and appropriately dressed people.

The ones who came out to greet them were Saffron and Oliver. They were no strangers to the people in front of them.

There were six people in Moro's group, including tycoons, businessmen, religious leaders and representatives of some old forces in the "Lost Land".

Manager Moreau and Saffron exchanged pleasantries in a friendly manner.

The people behind him looked at the newly renovated Executive Yuan with great interest.

One of the middle-aged men dressed like a priest said:
"It seems this regimental commander is also a man of taste. I like this decoration style. It is hundreds of times better than that of Ivan's nouveau riche."

A pale-faced young man behind him coughed lightly and said in an inexplicable tone:

“I heard that he has an elven wife, and the elves’ aesthetics and artistic abilities are recognized as top-notch throughout the continent.

It's not surprising that he has this taste.

Speaking of which, this leader is quite capable. He actually managed to get an elf as his lover. Quite interesting..."

A faint laugh broke out from the crowd, and a handsome young man in a black leather jacket said:

“Yo yo, it looks like our little Sir Nelson can’t control his dick again.

My dear brother Damp, that is a golden-level elf, are you sure you can subdue it?"

The young man named Dump Nilsson licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with greed:

"As long as they want to survive here, even the Gold Rank ones have to obey!"

Nelson's words seemed to set the tone for the upcoming banquet, and everyone who came with Manager Morrow showed expressions of deep agreement on their faces.

No matter who you are outside, here you must obey the rules of the game of the "City-State of Farmers".

After Manager Moreau and Saffron finished their pleasantries, the group followed Saffron into the depths of the Executive Mansion.

They soon approached the inner hall, where several black-armored Tiger and Leopard Army soldiers stopped them at the door.

Seeing this, Saffron immediately went up to him and whispered a few words.

The leading black-armored soldier shook his head and said:

“They can go in, but the people behind them can’t.”

Saffron's expression changed slightly, and she looked at Manager Moro with a wry smile and said:

"Did some of the guests bring secret guards with them?"

When Saffron said this, Moro and others were shocked and looked at the black-armored soldiers guarding the door.

Moro sensed that he was just an ordinary soldier, without even a trace of extraordinary aura.

How could such a person actually feel that he had a secret guard?

Even Saffron and Oliver, who were at the fourth level, didn’t notice this!

Moro still had a warm smile on his face and said lightly:

"Haha, when I go out, I always have to bring a few personal guards with me. I'm used to it."

Saffron said immediately:
"Please rest assured, guests. It's absolutely safe inside the Executive Mansion. Our Lords have said that this dinner is quite private and important.

It is inconvenient for some outsiders to participate.”

At this point, Saffron couldn't help but smile bitterly and said:
"Even I am not qualified to attend this dinner, so I can only send a few of you here. So I hope the guests can understand."

Moro's face showed a solemn expression. He turned around and glanced at the other five people. After exchanging a few glances, Moro nodded slowly and said:

"Well, the guest should follow the host's wishes. Our safety now depends entirely on you, the captain!"

Saffron breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest to assure him:
"Please rest assured, our lords will absolutely defend your safety to the death!"

Moreau nodded slightly and waved his hand at the void behind him. Soon, several dark shadows came out of their latent state and went to other places in the Executive Yuan under Oliver's arrangement.

The black-armored soldier also moved aside, revealing an arched door.

Saffron said respectfully, "The lords and ladies are already waiting for you inside. Please proceed!"

Moreau and his group of six slowly stepped through the gate, and no one could notice that a faint light swept across them.

As soon as they entered the hall, everyone was attracted by a nearly perfect figure not far away.

Windsordale, dressed in gorgeous attire, did not use a mask to cover her face. Her long silver hair was tied into a bun at the back of her head, revealing her beautiful face as if kissed by a goddess.

Whether it is her face, expression, clothes, makeup or accessories, everything is impeccable.

So much so that Moreau and others completely overlooked one thing - why Windsardler, who had been hiding his appearance, suddenly revealed his true appearance.

If they had this awareness, perhaps they would have realized earlier that today's dinner was destined to be unusual!
(End of this chapter)