Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 158 The Obligations of a Knight
Isabella leaned over and found that it was a message from her best friend and "intelligence agent" Grace Tang. When she saw the content, she immediately reacted and said:
"Is it one of those three people just now?

Their reaction was quite quick, they've already started investigating your background at the Flaming Lips!"

Cohen obviously had the same guess. Isabella on the side did not wait for a reply from the communication stone. She and Grace had a private way of communicating.

He took out a piece of lapis lazuli that was gleaming with a faint green light, and randomly input a few spells. A faint shadow rose from the lapis lazuli.

Cohen looked closely and saw a smaller version of Grace.

Grace's voice soon sounded:

"What's wrong, Isa, why did you contact me suddenly?

Your family member hasn't been in the 'Lost Land' these days, so I don't have any new information for you..."

Isabella's pretty face flushed instantly, and she said quickly:

“Grace, he’s with me.

What intelligence or no intelligence, stop talking nonsense..."

The shadow was stunned for a moment, then slowly turned around and saw Cohen standing beside him with a half-smile on his face.

Cohen said unhappily:

"It's really hard to guard against a thief in your own home. My Lord [Logistics Officer], when did you take on Miss Mavis's [Intelligence Officer] duties as well?"

Grace stuck out her tongue cutely and quickly changed the subject:

"Master, I have something important to report!"

Ke En knew that now was not the time to argue with her about these things, so he asked:

"I saw you just said someone was investigating my identity as 'Lord Yann'?"

Grace replied seriously:
"He's a small warehouse manager in the northern part of the empire. For some reason, he suddenly reported to headquarters and asked for advice from someone named 'Lord Yann'.

I have previously explained to several senior executives that all matters involving your identity must be reported to me individually for handling.

So as soon as they saw this report just now, they immediately reported it to me and asked how to respond.

Have you been using the identity of Lord Yann these days?"

Cohen nodded slightly and said:
"Yes, it was indeed used in the dwarf tribe these past two days."

"Dwarves?"

Grace was obviously very surprised. She continued:
"What do you think we should do now?"

Cohen pondered for a moment and said:
"Can you find a way to investigate this warehouse manager? Ideally, could you get him to tell you who is asking him to inquire about my identity?"

Grace replied:
"No problem, I'll have someone from the Supervisory Department go over there and make sure he tells everything honestly!"

……

Only two people came from the headquarters' inspection department, and the leader was a young woman.

But it was this young woman who made Marcus Yang feel his heart tighten.

To be able to reach the position of senior management of the Supervisory Department at this age, and to be a woman at that, needless to say, she must be the closest person to the chairman.

Maybe she is the lady-in-waiting or maid of Her Royal Highness the Princess.

Marcus was almost crying. Although he had a little say in the northern part of the empire, he was just a tiny shrimp to the entire "Flaming Lips" Chamber of Commerce.

How could I alarm a person of this level to deal with me?
It was too late to say anything now. He could only pray silently that the other party was not coming for him.

Marcus calmed down and eagerly led the two leaders of the Supervisory Department upstairs.

However, soon, the young woman's words made Marcus feel like he was falling into an ice cave:
"Let's not go to the conference room. Let's find a quieter room. I have a few questions for you."

Marcus swallowed hard. If it weren't for his years of professionalism, he would have collapsed in fear.

Even if it wasn't the soft-padded room at the Supervisory Department's headquarters, the private interrogation in this small room was enough to show that the trouble he was in this time was not going to be small!

The room was located in a corner of the building. The sunlight was blocked by heavy curtains, making it seem a little dark. The air in the room seemed to be frozen, and it was so quiet that one could hear one's own heartbeat.

A simple rectangular table stood between Marcus and the two leaders of the Supervisory Department, like a natural barrier.

Marcus's forehead was slightly sweaty, and his hands were rubbing nervously on his knees, but he tried to stay calm.

From the moment they entered the room, the two leaders of the Supervision Department sat there in silence, flipping through the piles of documents in their hands.

Finally, the young woman's voice rang out, each word steady and powerful:
"We'll ask you a few questions. As long as you answer truthfully, we won't make things difficult for you."

Marcus lowered his eyes and replied honestly:

"I will tell you everything I know. Please ask your questions, leaders."

The young woman said calmly:
"Where did you learn the name Lord Yann?"

Marcus' pupils shrank slightly, and he felt confused and surprised. He secretly glanced at the inspector opposite him, as if trying to guess his intentions.

The name uttered by the young woman really caught Marcus off guard.

Could it be that they came to investigate me because of this name?

Marcus' throat was dry, and he wasn't sure whether to answer truthfully.

Glenn Wildhammer of the dwarf "Wildhammer Tribe" not only worked with him, but the two also had some other interactions.

Once he tells the truth and other things are exposed, it will be bad for Marcus as well.

At this moment, Marcus couldn't help but blame Glenn in his heart. Why did he have to look up "Lord Yann" himself?
He now had a rough feeling that the two people from the Supervisory Department were here just for this "Lord Yann".

Marcus couldn't help but hesitate.

The person opposite him would not give him time to think. The other person next to the young woman was obviously an ordinary inspector.

He was dressed in a smart uniform and always had a cold expression on his face, as if he would never smile.

He said in a deep voice:
"Are you thinking of how to fool us?"

Marcus's face turned pale, and beads of sweat kept pouring down. He kept saying:

"no no……"

After much consideration, Marcus decided to tell the truth, otherwise he would have no way of explaining how he knew the name "Lord Yann".

If you lie, you will be easily discovered.

Marcus trembled and said:

"It was... a dwarf named Glen who asked me about it."

"Speak clearly, what dwarves? Where are they from?"

Marcus adjusted his language and whispered:

"He worked under me for a while before, I think it was in the Northwest Continent..."

The young woman interrupted Marcus directly, her voice a little colder:

"like?
What Your Highness needs is not an appearance!

Give me a positive answer, or you should know the consequences!"

Your Highness!

Hearing the young woman's name, Marcus completely lost any desire to deny it.

There are only a few people in the entire empire who can be called Your Highness.

In the "Flaming Lips" Chamber of Commerce, there is only one!
If a person of this level wants to deal with me, she doesn't even need to say a word. Just a glance and countless people will serve her.

Marcus immediately dismissed all his thoughts and spoke more fluently:

"Glenn Wildhammer, the eldest son of the Great General, leader of the Wildhammer Tribe, the leading tribe of the Dwarven Alliance in the Northwest Continent.

He worked under me for a while before, and recently asked me if 'Lord Yann' was a member of our Chamber of Commerce."

The young woman's face remained stern, making it impossible to tell whether she was happy or angry. She continued to ask:
"Through whose connections did this dwarf get in?"

Marcus' heart trembled. He was reluctant to say so much before because he didn't want to bring the topic to this point.

Although the "Flaming Lips" recruits staff in an unconventional way, it is impossible for them to recruit a foreign dwarf from far away in the northwest continent for no reason.

This is what Marcus was worried about. He didn't expect that the young woman opposite him was so experienced. She didn't give him any chance to fool around and asked the key question right away.

If it were an internal audit of an ordinary chamber of commerce or company, Marcus would never have described it in such detail. However, the other party was a royal enterprise backed by the eldest princess of the empire, and controlled the state's violent machinery...

He closed his eyes and replied resignedly:
"He is... a staff officer from the 37th Brigade of the Northern Army Group. He introduced Glenn Wildhammer to us."

The high-end luxury goods of "Flaming Red Lips" are also very attractive to the concubines of high-ranking military officials.

As the director of the northern storage center, it was not surprising for Marcus to deal with the standing army stationed in the north.

What is surprising is why this military advisor would help a dwarf far away in the northwest continent to get a position in the Chamber of Commerce.

A cold look appeared on the young woman's lips, and she did not press the warehouse center director for further questions. The matter involved the military, and the other party must know very little.

She said slowly:
"One last question. Do you want to continue to stay here as your warehouse manager?"

A glimmer of light suddenly appeared in Marcus's gray eyes.

Ever since he walked into this room, he had given up any hope for his future. He was lucky enough to be able to leave his job peacefully and not be handed over to the state violence agency.

He never expected that the other party would suddenly ask such a question.

He felt his throat dry, and his voice was filled with tears.

"Can...is it okay?"

"Of course, as long as you do what I say, the position of warehouse manager will still be yours!"

……

In the "Forge Tribe" military camp, Glenn Wildhammer finally received a message from Marcus. When he saw the content of the message, he couldn't help but take a breath.

Yanxin and the general hurriedly asked:

"So, is the identity of this Lord Yan true?"

Glenn nodded heavily, with a tone of astonishment, and said:

"Not only is it true, but it also has a very powerful origin!"

Glenn paused and said:

"According to my friend, Lord Yarn is the personal secretary of the chairman of the 'Flaming Lips' Chamber of Commerce!"

Yanxin and the general's expressions changed drastically. Glenn had previously told them some secrets about the "Flaming Red Lips" Chamber of Commerce. It was said that this chamber of commerce had royal background in the Eastern Territory Empire, and even that their boss was the eldest princess of the empire.

Doesn't that mean the other person is the eldest princess's personal secretary?

No wonder the other party was able to easily get a three million order from Di Tieyan. Thinking of this, Yanxin's face turned gloomy.

The general also sighed and said to Glenn:

"Go back and tell your father that this matter ends here.

The Forge Tribe has a new chieftain, and I must swear allegiance to him."

Yanxin's face was filled with mixed emotions, and in the end, he reluctantly agreed with the general's words.

After all, they are members of the "Forge Tribe". With such powerful support for the new chief, they have no reason to continue fighting among themselves. The right thing to do is to develop the tribe well.

Glenn Wildhammer's expression showed no sign of fluctuation. He smiled faintly and said:

"It doesn't matter. I'm also very happy to see that our brother tribe has made such great progress.

It’s getting late, so I’ll go back first.”

The general gave his final words of advice:
"Glenn, regarding the matter of Lord Yann, I hope you will try to keep it confidential."

Glenn smiled and said:

"I understand. I won't make things difficult for you."

……

"Glenn Wildhammer?
Staff Officer of the 37th Brigade of the Imperial Northern Army?"

On the communication array, Cohen fell into deep thought as he listened to the two people mentioned by Grace.

Glenn Wildhammer, a man Tieyan had met before, was the son of the general of the Wildhammer tribe and a relative of Tieyan's brother, Ornn.

The Northern Army of the Eastern Territory Empire, well, it seems that the force that colluded with the Dwarf Alliance in the previous life was the military of the Eastern Territory Empire.

I don’t know whether it was a secret plan of the entire military or the intention of the Northern Army Group alone.

Are the top leaders of the Eastern Territory Empire aware of this?

Of course, what Cohen is most concerned about is whether Prince Xia Zuo is also involved?
He thought about it for a while and felt that it was unlikely.

If Xia Zuo could interfere in military affairs, there wouldn't be so much trouble.

Cohen thought for a while and said:
"I understand, please excuse me, Your Highness."

Grace waved her hand nonchalantly and said:

"I don't know much about the Northern Army Group. If you need me, I can ask Father when I have time."

Cohen thought for a moment and then refused:

"Forget it, I'll investigate this matter myself."

Cohen is not sure whether this is the military's own plan or a suggestion from the Emperor of the Eastern Territory Empire.

If it was the latter, once Grace asked, wouldn't it be equivalent to ruining his father's plan, and Cohen himself would not have any good consequences.

Anyway, there is still some time before the real war of nations, so there is no need to rush this matter.

Grace also seemed to come to her senses and did not insist.

Cohen secretly kept these in mind and asked casually:
"How is the construction of our Endless Alliance going?

Did anything happen?"

Grace replied:
"Don't worry, everything is going well. We just need a leader..."

Seeing Isabella's face was a little ugly, Grace realized that she had said the wrong thing, and quickly stopped talking and said:
"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be busy now. Bye!"

As he spoke, the shadow disappeared in an instant, leaving Cohen with a confused look on his face.

Isabella sighed softly and said:

"Is it almost time for you to go back?"

Cohen reached out and hugged Isabella. At this moment, any words were pale and powerless, only actual actions were meaningful.

Sure enough, after he hugged Isabella, the latter's mood improved significantly.

Releasing her embrace, Isabella suddenly asked:

“I always feel like you’re in a hurry for something.

It seems like something is always chasing you, forcing you to constantly develop your influence and accumulate strength.

Did you predict something important to happen again?"

Cohen was amazed at Isabella's meticulous observation.

Yes, he was indeed a little anxious.

It's not just the great turmoil that may occur in Florence in a few months, but more importantly, the storm that will sweep across the continent a few years later.

The battle of nations!

By then, the entire continent will be thrown into chaos because of the news released by the Church of Prophecy, and war and blood and fire will come to the continent again after a thousand years.

Under the witness of the gods, every country, big or small, will be involved in wars.

As the leader of a country, Cohen is destined to be unable to escape this fate.

He had too little time. Compared with those empires and kingdoms that had accumulated for thousands of years, Florence's foundation was too weak and he had too few allies.

In the future situation, it will be impossible to fight alone, and alliances between countries will be necessary.

Otherwise, even an empire would be contained by countless alliances of countries.

Isabella was right, there was indeed something pushing him forward, because if he didn't make good use of this period of calm after the storm, he would not be able to control his own destiny and the destiny of those around him in the future.

Besides, whether this is a period of calm remains to be discussed.

The Eastern Territory Empire's layout, Prince Xia Zuo's plot...

Cohen was convinced that those high-ranking empires must have a premonition of what might happen in the future.

Although not as clear as myself, I know what will happen in the future.

But they have all started to make their plans, and there is really not much time left for him.

Fortunately, this trip to the dwarf tribe went very smoothly.

As long as the "Star Guardian Armor" here is forged, and with the addition of the third batch of trained orcs, he can form an "elite" army of 20,000 people.

With the bonus of the orcs' innate bloodline, the command of the god of war Arnold, and the rune power of his own "Banner of Command", even if he cannot reach the level of a "special-level" army, it is enough to sweep away the rest of the "elite-level" armies.

These 20,000 people will be his biggest trump card when he returns to Florence to quell the rebellion in the royal capital a few months later!
Only after successfully controlling the domestic situation will one's power begin to explode and rise.

Owning a country and having an "adventure group" with a few members are two completely different things.

The "Lost Land" is, after all, just a "Lost Land" and cannot be compared with the vast and rich human continent.

My roots are still on the human continent.

He had already planned it all. Once he completely controlled Florence and had a showdown with Adele, he would be responsible for robbing money, land, and people outside, while his sister the queen would be responsible for the country's internal affairs and economic development.

Working as a couple makes the job easier!
Only then can you develop your power, expand your territory, and recruit personnel as you wish.

The "Infinity Alliance" will be handed over to the girls of "Infinity Blade", who will help each other and develop together.

Cohen's idea is perfect, but there will definitely be many difficulties in its implementation.

At least there is a time bomb hidden in the dark in the royal capital right now——

Who is behind the alliance between Justice Gore and the DuPont family?
This is what Cohen has always wanted to understand.

He was completely certain with the Grand Duke of the Southern Territory that it was Prince Xia Zuo and the Kingdom of Ceylon under his control who were behind the plot.

After his last trip to the Kingdom of Ceylon with Mephis, he no longer took this group of enemies seriously.

The DuPont family is the most dangerous now. How and when will they launch the attack? How many people do they have in the capital or even the palace? What level of strength do they have?

These are currently unknown.

There was not much time left before the final war, so he had to hurry and deal with everything here and return to Florence to take care of the situation in the royal capital.

There had been no news from Hermann for a long time. If Uncle Hauge had not said that Hermann was fine, he would have thought that he had been exposed and met with an accident.

Based on Prince Hauge's secret observation, Cohen speculated that Hermann must have been put under some kind of spell, similar to a soul contract signed with others, which prohibited him from revealing any information to others.

But Cohen was not worried, as these problems would be solved once he returned to the capital.

In addition to Nephthys's "Psychic", a powerful weapon, he himself has also studied many similar methods.

He could even tell who was behind the scenes from the methods used by these people!
Cohen felt a gentle touch between his eyebrows. Isabella looked at him tenderly and said softly:
"I saw you were stunned for a long time. Did my question embarrass you?"

Cohen finally recovered and held Isabella in his arms. He sniffed the faint fragrance coming from her porcelain-white neck and whispered:
"It's a bit urgent, but if it's not urgent, when will I be qualified to take off the mask and meet the patriarch of the Golden Wing Family?"

Apparently, Isabella also told Cohen about her previous conversation with her father.

When Isabella heard this, her heart felt as sweet as if a honey jar had been overturned.

Cohen continued:

"Don't you think the situation on the mainland has become very delicate?
Well, to make an analogy, it's like a forbidden spell scroll about to explode, ready to explode at any moment."

Isabella's face moved slightly, and she recalled for a moment and said:
"Father and several elders in the family have said something similar. Cohen, did you really predict something?"

Cohen gently stroked Isabella's hair and whispered:

"Even if I really predicted something, no one would believe me if I told them, and it might even bring me disaster."

Cohen paused, then changed the subject and said softly:
"But Isa, don't worry. No matter what happens, you only need to know that there will always be a place for you in my future, and your knight will always wield his sword for you!"

Listening to the touching love words, Isabella's heart was overflowing with love. She turned to face Cohen, and her originally noble and aloof golden eyes were filled with tenderness and locked tightly on his face.

Seeing that Cohen hadn't made any move, she chuckled and slid her hand down his broad chest.

Cohen's eyes suddenly burned with blazing flames, and he said in a deep voice:

"Woman, you are playing with fire."

Isabella's golden eyes were filled with a hint of excitement and fear. She hummed softly and grabbed with her delicate hands.
"As Her Highness the Princess's knight, you should be aware of your duties!"

(End of this chapter)