Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Chapter 196 The most deadly counterattack against Xia Zuo!
(Thanks to "Sister's Cat in the Arms" for the tip, and thank you, boss!)
Prager is the origin of the Dark Wing family. The waiter's words were equivalent to having seen through the identities of Pacino and the other man.

Pacino and Ram were puzzled when they heard the waiter's words. How could they be discovered so quickly?

The two of them had just entered the city less than an hour ago, and they had also used legendary magic items to disguise their appearance and aura.

How did the other party find out?
Pacino's expression was very stiff, and he asked:

"Who is your master?"

The waiter smiled and replied:
"Mr. Shadow Lord."

When Pacino heard the name he had expected, a look of dejection suddenly appeared on his face.

I originally wanted to attack quietly and unexpectedly, but I didn't expect to be discovered so quickly. It was equivalent to suffering a loss before the negotiation even started.

Ram's face beside him was not in a good mood either. The waiter smiled lightly and said:

"The master also instructed that he will pay for all your expenses in the Endless City today.

Please enjoy your meal. If you have any comments, please let us know immediately and we will make corrections immediately. We will not disturb you while you are dining."

After the young waiter left, Pacino's face instantly turned gloomy, and a light flashed on his body, revealing a rather handsome face.

I've been seen through, so there's no point in pretending anymore.

Ram beside him also returned to his normal appearance, his brows full of thought, muttering softly:
"That shouldn't be the case. There are so many strangers coming and going in Endless City every day, including many powerful young masters and sons of wealthy families from all over the place.

The two of us have always been very low-key, so how could the other party find out our true identity and whereabouts so quickly and accurately?

Even the food was prepared in advance.”

Pacino's face turned pale and he snorted coldly:
"Who knows what kind of evil tricks this kid used, maybe..."

Pacino looked around and said sinisterly:

"This guy is secretly eavesdropping on our conversation somewhere!
Don't forget, he has a skill that allows him to escape into a secondary dimension!"

Ram's expression suddenly changed, as if he felt someone was staring at him.

In the shadow plane, the girls who were monitoring Pacino and Ram in real time all looked at Cohen, who had a stomachache on his face, after hearing what Pacino said.

Cohen was speechless for a while, and said unhappily:

"This Pacino is quite smart. He actually guessed it right."

Under the tight surveillance of Cohen's spies throughout the Endless Alliance and the city-wide monitoring array sent by Adair, Pacino and Ram's true identities were discovered as soon as they stepped into the Endless Alliance's sphere of influence.

After Reid Gallo, deputy director of the General Administration of External Security, reported to Cohen, Cohen decisively used his newly upgraded authority of "Control Shadow" and took several girls into the shadow plane to secretly monitor the two people's every move.

I originally wanted to get some quotes from them for tomorrow's negotiations, but I didn't expect Pacino to be unexpectedly alert.

He just guessed it casually, and he actually got it right.

Grace covered her mouth and chuckled, saying:

"Your Majesty is too conceited. Do you really think that the second heir to the Dark Wing family is a fool?"

Cohen shrugged slightly and said:

"It doesn't matter. I didn't expect to find out anything. The shock I gave him just now was enough. I'm sure he'll be much more honest during tomorrow's negotiations."

Mavis snorted softly:
"If he knew that the three women he mentioned were all taken by one man, I guess the second young master of the Dela family would have a mental breakdown."

Mavis's words immediately caused Windsardler to twist Cohen's arm.

These girls came to the Shadow Plane for the first time and were very curious.

We visited many places under Cohen's guidance.

Currently, Cohen’s authority in the shadow plane is only “Shadow Knight”, and the places he can go are also limited.

He would also retreat if he encountered a shadow creature that was too strong.

Inside the box, perhaps because of Pacino's wild guesses, Ram also felt wary. The two stopped discussing any business matters and began to seriously explore the newly established Endless City.

With Cohen's promise of free consumption, Pacino simply went ahead and spent as much as he wanted, without any of the grace and decency of an heir to a wealthy family.

Cohen was both angry and amused by what he saw.

Be cool, you have to pay me back every penny of the money you spent today when we negotiate tomorrow!

……

In the conference room, Pacino stared at Cohen's mask for a while and said:
"I'm curious about what kind of face is underneath this mask."

Cohen smiled faintly:
"You'll have a chance to find out, but I hope you won't be too surprised then."

Pacino shrugged slightly and said:
"Your Excellency's intelligence capabilities are excellent. Are you interested in cooperating with our 'Dark Wing Family'?

Let's join forces to drive out the Black Tomb and dominate the underground world of the continent!"

Cohen said calmly:
"Can Master Pacino be the head of the Darkwing family?"

Pacino's face froze. Cohen was clearly saying that he was not qualified.

I was very angry, but I couldn't say anything to refute.

Ram, who was standing next to them, saw the two of them were in a state of tension and spoke to ease the atmosphere:

"Mr. Shadow Lord, I believe you already know why we are here today.

I would like to apologize to you here. What we have agreed on should not be changed, but there are special reasons.

You also know that our Dark Wing family started out by relying on intelligence and assassination work. This business has a lot of overlap with those bastards in the Black Tomb.

Although the Pale Wings and the Black Tomb had been at odds before, both sides were relatively restrained and only tried to trip each other up, rarely resorting to fatal attacks.

But this situation completely changed a year ago.

During the Emerald Lake Battle more than a year ago, your sudden appearance caused huge losses to the Black Tomb.

The entire northwest branch of the Black Tomb was wiped out, two saints fled with serious injuries, and two legends fell.

Having said that, I want to emphasize that we have no intention of blaming you at all.

Even our Cassius clan leader couldn't help but exclaim three times in praise of your behavior.

He even sighed and said, perhaps only a hero like you is worthy of the Daughter of Golden Wings!

Having said that, although your actions were very morale-boosting, Black Tomb still blamed this incident on us, the Pale Wings.

As a result, our family's business and operations were completely suppressed by the Black Tomb, and the two sides were so ferocious that they were ready to shed blood as soon as they met.

We in the Dark Wing family are all rough and uncultured, with little culture and intelligence.

Not as good at business as the other four-wing families.

You can only do dirty, tiring and hard work.

Now that they are suppressed by the Black Tomb, this little bit of profit space is gone, and the whole family has reached a point where it is stretched to the limit and can hardly continue.

Sir, you are not an outsider. I will tell you the truth in secret. All the expenses of Master Pacino and I for coming to the "Land of the Lost" this time were borrowed by mortgaging our respective properties and reputations.

If we can't pay it back, the two of us will become the laughing stock of the whole continent!
Therefore, the half profit from this cross-racial trade route is too important for us.

We had no choice but to swallow our pride and ask Mr. to allow us to go back on our previous promise.

If you are willing to do us this favor, we, on behalf of the Dark Wing Family, promise you that from now on, you will be our most loyal and reliable friend!

Ram's speech was well-reasoned and full of emotion. He praised Cohen subtly and played the victim in a reasonable way.

Pacino's ears turned slightly red after hearing this.

Cohen also had some respect for the acting skills of this young master Ram.

He could actually make such a shameless regretful thing sound so sensational, as if if he didn't agree, the entire Dark Wing family would be reduced to sleeping on the streets.

After Ram finished speaking, he looked at Cohen with a sincere and eager look, which made most people unable to harden their hearts and say anything to refuse.

Obviously, Cohen was not among them. His expression remained calm as he said in a serious tone:

"I deeply sympathize with Master Pacino and Master Ram's plight. If you are truly short of money and have financial needs, I can personally provide you with some financial assistance.

I can even introduce you to Taiwo, a reputable and well-funded old-line family from the Lost Land.

The Taiwo family controls the banks, money houses, and chambers of commerce in several oases in the Lost Lands. They would surely be happy to provide the young master of the Dark Wing family with a loan at a reasonable interest rate."

An old conscientious family?

Are you talking about the Taiwo family, the loan sharks and blood-sucking family?
The smile on Pacino's face almost broke.

If Ram hadn't kept giving him looks to remind him not to be impulsive, Pacino would have turned the table and left long ago.

Ram had actually been complaining in his heart for a long time, but he still had a smile on his face:
"Thank you Mr. Shadow Lord for your generosity. It's just a small matter for us personally, but our family needs this profit to get through this difficult time!"

Cohen showed an embarrassment on his face and hesitated:

"I personally sympathize with the Dark Wing family's plight, and I really hope to be able to help you.

But... well, to tell you the truth, I'm just a puppet.

I am not the real boss of the Endless Alliance. You should also know that there is a noble winged elf lady by my side.

I have already promised her this half of the profit and..."

Cohen said this and said no more.

He believed that with the Dark Wing Family's intelligence capabilities, Windsardler, who had been dealing with them for such a long time, must have had his true identity discovered long ago.

It's just that the relationship between him and the Empress of the Central Empire is unclear.

This was exactly what Cohen was aiming for. After all, he would have to fight alongside the Pale Wings later, and it was difficult to openly antagonize the Dark Wings. So Cohen planned to use the Empress's authority. No matter how bold the Dark Wings were, they wouldn't dare to directly question the Empress.

After hearing what Cohen said, the two fell silent.

Although it is not known how much of Cohen's words are true and how much are false, at least Windsordler's identity is genuine, and they actually have their own speculations internally.

Could this Lord of Shadows be the one secretly supported by His Majesty Klein in the "Lost Land"?

After all, what this person did was too horrific, and it seemed hard to imagine it just from his own words.

With the support of Her Majesty the Empress, many things, although unbelievable, are at least within the acceptable range.

The silence was soon broken by Ram's somewhat sad voice:
"No... can't you do some more work?
Sir, you have such a good relationship with Miss Windsordale, could you please play the emotional card a little?

Even for the sake of our Golden Winged Daughter, please think of another solution, sir."

Cohen showed hesitation on his face and his attitude seemed to soften.

Seeing this, Ram thought to himself that it was right to follow the Madam's path, and quickly struck while the iron was hot:

“Mr. Shadow Lord, our Dark Wing family is very optimistic about the future between you and the Daughter of Golden Wing.

If you extend a helping hand to us this time, we hereby guarantee that we will strongly support your marriage with Miss Wen Ze at the Five Wings Family Joint Meeting!"

Pacino was also inspired at this time and said quickly:
"My good brother, my good good brother, has been deeply impressed by your charm recently and has decided to give up his pursuit of Miss Wen Ze.

We, the Dark Wing family, would love to see you become the son-in-law of our Pale Wing!"

Except for the Purple Wing Family, people from the other Pale Wing families all tried to pursue the Golden Wing Daughter.

Pacino's eldest brother, Gabriel Dela, the first heir of the Dark Wing family and possessing the strength of a ninth-level [Shadow Assassin], is one of Isabella's fanatical pursuers.

He even secretly assassinated several of Xia Zuo's men because Xia Zuo openly expressed his love for Isabella.

Now that Pacino has made such a statement, it can also reflect from the side that the current situation of the Dark Wing Family is indeed not very good. It seems that the Black Tomb has indeed increased its suppression of the Dark Wing Family.

Seeing that the atmosphere was almost set, Cohen stopped pretending and said with a light cough:

"Since that's the case, should I try harder and talk to Miss Windsor again?"

Ram said sincerely:
"Thank you sir!"

Cohen nodded slightly, then stood up and left the meeting room temporarily.

After Cohen left, Pacino took out a magical device. A green light flashed, and the two people were enveloped in it, cutting off all surveillance.

Pacino's expression returned to a cold state as he looked at Ram:
"How credible is what he said?"

Ram said in an inexplicable tone:

"It's half and half. He's definitely not Windsordale's puppet, but I don't quite believe he has 100% say-so."

Pacino nodded slightly, a strange look in his eyes, and whispered:
"I also tend to believe that he has the support of His Majesty Klein. I even suspect that he was originally supported by His Majesty Klein to fight against Heisenberg."

Ram showed an expression of approval and said:

"It makes sense. The country has clearly been divided up by Heisenberg and other major families and forces. Training a qualified agent in the 'Lost Land' at this time is indeed in line with His Majesty Klein's character and methods.

But if this happens, it will be more difficult for us to get back the half of the profit."

Pacino sighed:

"It all depends on how much our Miss Wen Ze holds in the heart of the Shadow Lord.

It's really ridiculous that the dignified 'Pale Wings' has to be reduced to relying on a woman and taking the lady route."

Ram moved his lips and thought to himself, if you hadn't been so arrogant and wanted to use the "Lost Land" incident to gain attention and surpass your elder brother Gabriel's inheritance order, why would we have to bet on this half of the profit that originally belonged to us?
Ram sighed in his heart. This is the disadvantage of a large family. There will always be heirs who gamble with the interests of the entire family for their own personal gain.

Unfortunately, these heirs often hold high positions and have more family resources at their disposal, so the damage they cause to the family is even greater.

All I can say is that fortunately they still have women to sell. If they had lost Isabella's favor, this half-percent profit might have been wasted.

Cohen left the meeting room and found Windsordler and others who were monitoring the meeting not far away.

Windsardler's face was obviously full of jealousy, and he said sourly:
"And what about the Pale Wings? They're really good at selling their daughters. If you just give them a nod, will they hold a wedding for you and the Golden Wings' daughter tomorrow?"

Cohen laughed dryly and said:
"That's all they said to make me feel better, don't take it seriously.

By the way, Windsor, has Her Majesty the Queen given any instructions recently?

How is she going to respond to Florence? She's not just going to watch the show, is she?

Seeing that Cohen was deliberately changing the subject, Windsardler glared at him and said:
"I don't know. She hasn't contacted me in a long time. Didn't she give you her contact information? Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Cohen thought to himself, Dare I ask.

A while ago, Cohen also tentatively asked the Empress, but the result was sarcastic ridicule and belittlement.

This made Cohen confused. He reflected seriously and thought that he didn't seem to have done anything to offend her. Why did the Empress' attitude towards him become so abnormal since their last meeting?

Could it be that he seduced her palace steward and best friend?

That’s not the case. She can’t let Windsor remain single for her whole life.

Cohen even tried to indirectly probe the Empress's sexual orientation, and unsurprisingly, he was scolded again.

As a result, Cohen has developed a stress reaction towards Shanice and no longer actively contacts her.

Seeing Cohen's embarrassed expression, Windsordler said in surprise:
"What's wrong? Didn't Shanice reply to you?"

Cohen couldn't speak ill of her best friend in front of his woman, so he covered it up:

"Yes, perhaps His Majesty Klein was too busy, and I'm just an insignificant person, so he didn't pay attention to the message I sent."

Windsardler said:

"It's okay, I'll contact her later and ask her what her plans are."

Seeing that the time was almost up, Cohen adjusted his expression and walked back into the meeting room.

As soon as he entered the door, Cohen said excitedly:
"Yes, there is a way!"

The two of them immediately perked up and looked at Cohen expectantly.

Cohen sat back down and was about to speak, but suddenly stopped, a look of hesitation on his face.

Pacino coughed lightly, and Ram beside him received the signal and asked:
"But what's the secret?"

Cohen showed an embarrassment on his face and said:
"There is a way, but the conditions proposed by the other party are a bit harsh."

After hearing what Cohen said, the two men looked a little embarrassed. It was obvious that Cohen, or the supporters behind Cohen, was going to kill someone.

And they have to be willing to take the blow.

Pacino suppressed the grief and anger in his heart and said:
"Please tell me, sir, what else do you want besides our lowly city-state?"

Cohen said quickly:

"One million in cash, transaction records and information of the Pan-Continental slave market, and two smuggling routes from the Northwest Continent to the Eastern Territory Empire."

hiss……

After hearing the conditions proposed by Cohen, the two of them gasped.

One million in cash is not a big deal. For such a big Dark Wing family, one million in cash is more than enough.

As long as the cross-racial trade routes are running, the one million can be recovered in a year, and there will even be a huge surplus.

Article 2: Pan-Continental Slave Market Transaction Records and Information?

The Dark Wing Family was engaged in black market and underground transactions, and naturally they were also involved in many transactions related to the slave market.

However, this is confidential information of the Dark Wing Family. Once it is given out, it is very likely to leak some details of the black market, which may have an impact on the family's business.

However, since the other party already has that kind of relationship with the Daughter of Golden Wings, he probably won't deliberately target the Dark Wing Family. This is barely acceptable.

When they saw the last one, they couldn't sit still any longer.

Two smuggling routes from the Northwest Continent to the Eastern Territory Empire?

There were two things Pacino didn't expect. First, he didn't expect Cohen to know that they controlled the smuggling route from the Northwest Continent to the Eastern Empire. Second, he didn't expect this guy to dare to ask for it directly.

You know, in order to establish these two smuggling channels, the Dark Wing Family has invested huge manpower and material resources, and even one of these two channels is controlled by Pacino himself.

To hand over these two channels would be like cutting out his own flesh and blood.

Pacino couldn't hold back his expression and said:
"The first two are fine, but the last one is not."

Cohen was not surprised by Pacino's reaction. One million cash was nothing to the Dark Wing Family.

As for the transaction records and information of the Pan-Continental Slave Market, Cohen wanted to find information about Orc slaves from them so that he could buy them first.

The last one is Cohen's preparation for the future.

There is a smuggling channel leading to the Eastern Territory Empire, and we can find a way to target the supply chain of Xia Zuo's business empire and strike it.

He wanted to cut off Xia Zuo's financial lifeline first, defeat Xia Zuo financially, and then deal with him.

It can be seen from Xia Zuo’s layout against the Jinyi family that his financial situation is actually in trouble.

The few companies under his control with average profitability have long been insufficient to support his huge power in the fight for the throne.

If it weren't for Prince Quentin's secret funding, Xia Zuo would have gone bankrupt long ago.

Even in the extraordinary world, although money cannot solve all problems, if you don’t have money, many problems will really arise.

As long as we defeat Prince Quentin this time, we can find an opportunity to cut off Xia Zuo's economic lifeline in the future. When his finances collapse, it will be much easier to deal with him!
This is Cohen's most deadly counterattack against Xia Zuo!
(End of this chapter)