Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

A new dynasty brings a new atmosphere. After the restoration army of Guimian City and the expeditionary force of Efein entered Quesaon.

Like a fierce north wind, it swept away all traces of Gaius with overwhelming force.

Gaius's ancient palace, which once symbolized supreme power and was steeped in extravagance and intrigue, was naturally no longer usable.

The new Prime Minister, the Duke of Gavin, has demonstrated remarkable efficiency.

Under his command, a special team composed of court sorcerers, master engineers, and elite soldiers embarked on a massive reconstruction of the royal palace.

First, all valuable, historically significant, or magical items inside the palace were thoroughly cleaned up.

Gaius's retreat was hasty; he, along with the entire Ceylon leadership, had never imagined that Quesaon would fall so quickly.

Therefore, a vast amount of priceless wealth was preserved within the royal palace.

From forbidden books in the library to legendary equipment in the treasure vault, from the scepter in the council chamber to the contract scrolls in the secret room.

All the items were registered, sealed, and transported to the newly established National Museum.

Without hesitation, Duke Gavin issued the order that sent chills down the spines of the entire old aristocracy.

Completely demolish the entire palace!
Thus, under the gaze of countless eyes, some shocked, some saddened, and some pleased.

The powerful earth mages joined forces to summon the power of the earth, and the giant golem swung its heavy hammer.

Amidst deafening roars and billowing dust, the vast palace complex that had stood for millennia, witnessing the rise and fall of the Cromwell family, came to a halt.

It was reduced to ruins in just one hour.

The cleanup work was quickly completed, and a more magnificent and grander construction plan has been launched on the original site.

Under the personal supervision of the Duke of Gavin, a new royal palace, in keeping with Freya's royal temperament and symbolizing new life and hope, is about to rise from the ground.

It will be a declaration of the new Kingdom of Ceylon to the continent.

Meanwhile, the powerful officials in Guimian City, as well as the high-ranking generals with distinguished military achievements in the Aifein Expeditionary Force, were not idle at all.

With an iron fist, they swiftly seized and confiscated the luxurious mansions of all the nobles and politicians who had devoted themselves to Gaius and resisted to the bitter end.

These luxurious mansions, scattered throughout the city and once filled with nightly revelry, have undoubtedly become spoils of war for the new regime.

Apart from some being used as military merit awards, most of them were temporarily converted into offices for various functional departments and residences for important personnel to alleviate the immediate crisis.

Among them, the particularly grand mansion at 201 Central Avenue, which once belonged to former Prime Minister Yod Merrick, received "special attention."

Today, the emblem of the Provisional Management Committee of the City of Crowns hangs here, making it a core hub for maintaining postwar order throughout the kingdom and ensuring the smooth transmission of government orders.

The once bustling Prime Minister's residence is now frequented by capable-looking officials and messengers delivering documents.

The banquet hall was no longer brightly lit all night, but rather the offices where mountains of reconstruction documents and livelihood issues were being processed.

The old order has been completely crushed.

New rules are being rewritten on this land filled with dust and hope.

In the living room of an exquisite little villa in the back courtyard, the room is filled with sunlight.

Asuna crossed her arms and looked with satisfaction at Freya, who was standing in front of the huge full-length mirror:

"See! I told you this color suits you best!"
As the second queen to be crowned on this continent after Empress Klein, you should have an aura that matches her!
Gold is the color of the sun, a symbol of power; we should all strive to emulate the great His Majesty Klein!

Freya frowned slightly, her slender, ivory-colored fingers gently brushing against her shimmering gold dress.

He shook his head slightly.

"Asuna, this gold is too dazzling, too aggressive."

I don't feel like this is the real me.

Indeed, when it comes to choosing clothes and matching jewelry, Grace is probably the most skilled.

Asuna's forehead creased into an invisible black line. She stepped forward, her fingers gently pinching Freya's soft cheek with a tender touch, and complained:

"Yes, yes, yes! I only know how to lead troops into battle and wield a sword to kill people. My appreciation skills are not up to the standards of Your Majesty the future Queen."

The art of winning a man's heart is something that our Princess Grace is most skilled at, isn't it?
If you dislike my taste so much, why did you rush to drag me out of the military camp?
If you had known this would happen, you should have just waited for Cohen to come back.

Try on outfits one by one in front of him, and let him tell you personally which one looks best!

Freya rolled her eyes at Asuna, her voice tinged with exasperation:
"I never said you have bad taste; you always misinterpret my meaning."

But this dazzling gold color doesn't suit me.

Her Majesty Klein is an iron-fisted empress who rules over the most powerful empire in human history. She possesses a maturity and majesty that matches the radiance of the sun, and naturally she can handle this color that symbolizes ultimate power.

I don't even seem to have fully adjusted to the weight of this crown, let alone be able to bear such an imposing aura.

Upon hearing this, Asuna pursed her lips, a sly glint of "I saw right through you" flashing in her eyes, and deliberately dragged out her words:

"Oh—I understand."

"After all this beating around the bush, you're just trying to find a way to say you're still young, younger than all of us, younger than His Majesty Klein, younger than this old maid who's been out in the sun and wind on the battlefield all day, right?"

Freya didn't answer directly, but simply hummed softly through her nose, which was taken as an admission.

She then untied the intricate ties at the back of the gold dress, letting the magnificent yet heavy robe slip down to reveal the simple petticoat underneath.

He turned around and continued rummaging through the huge wardrobe, which was filled with all sorts of clothes and was comparable to a small treasure trove. The fabrics rustled as they rubbed against each other.

Only three days remain until that coronation ceremony, which is destined to be recorded in history.

Over these three days, Freya needed to prepare an overwhelming number of clothes.

First and foremost is the coronation gown worn at the enthronement ceremony, which is the most important and symbolically significant.

It must be solemn and magnificent, and full of the unique atmosphere of the new dynasty.

This was followed by the formal court attire that needed to be worn when receiving various forces from the mainland, imperial representatives, and foreign envoys.

It is necessary to both demonstrate the Queen's majesty and convey an appropriate diplomatic stance.

And the evening gowns for the grand state banquet that evening, which are meant to entertain guests from all sides, need to be both elegant and approachable.

In addition to the everyday clothes worn during breaks... on the day of the ceremony alone, at least four completely different outfits need to be carefully prepared.

Freya felt a strange anxiety when she thought about these things.

That's why he canceled all his scheduled government meetings and conferences early this morning and dragged Asuna over to act as her temporary "fashion consultant".

As a result, from the first faint rays of dawn shining through the crystal window to the scorching sun near noon baking the carpet to a sweltering heat.

The floor of Freya's enormous dressing room was already covered with rejected gowns.

Even the most crucial first coronation dress for the enthronement ceremony has not yet been decided.

Asuna had long since lost her initial interest and was leaning listlessly against the row of towering, gilded wardrobe doors.

With her arms crossed, her gaze casually swept over several familiar evening gowns deep in the wardrobe, and her eyebrows involuntarily rose slightly:
"Hey, I'm saying, there are a few things in your closet that look familiar to me?"

Could it be that Cohen buys several outfits every time he goes shopping, and then distributes them to each of us like military pay?

Freya, who was holding a silver-blue velvet dress, paused slightly upon hearing this and sighed softly:

"That sounds very familiar."

Yes, Melantha said almost the exact same thing when she was here before.

Asuna's lips twitched silently, and a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes.

But that emotion came quickly and went quickly, eventually turning into a soft sigh, and his shoulders relaxed slightly:
"Well, it's already quite remarkable that such a busy person would remember to bring us something."

Freya nodded in agreement, then asked:
"Speaking of which, sir, you've been gone for so long, why haven't you returned yet?"

Logically speaking, it shouldn't have taken this long.

Did you encounter any unexpected trouble along the way?

Asuna answered quickly, even with a hint of mockery:
"A genuine Star Clan Saint was protecting him closely, along with so many legendary-level extraordinary beings."

Not to mention, there's a legendary mermaid clan leader who can command the winds and rains in her own waters waiting to meet them at the other end of the route.

With this lineup, if something were to really happen...

There's probably only one possibility—your husband has willingly been lured away by that alluring mermaid!

Upon hearing this, Freya's eyes immediately flashed with a cold light.

After teasing Freya for a bit, Asuna knew when to stop and patted Freya on the shoulder:

"Of course, that's absolutely impossible."

Your husband will surely remember attending the coronation ceremony of our Queen of Ceylon!

Freya gave a soft hum and muttered to herself:

"If he dares not to come... let whoever wants to be queen be it, I'm not going to serve him anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Asuna not only didn't try to dissuade her, but instead nodded emphatically with a serious expression:

"You're right! I fully support you! If he dares to skip it, I'll be the first to quit with you!"

As the two were talking, Lucia's clear voice came from outside the living room door:

"Your Majesty, Your Excellency, excuse me for disturbing you."

There is a very urgent matter at the front court that may require your immediate attention.

Freya's slight displeasure and playful expression vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden calm.

Lucia, her most trusted steward, knew better than anyone that she had turned down all non-essential official duties today in preparation for the coronation ceremony. Unless something truly dire had occurred, enough to shake the very foundations of the situation, she would never dare to disturb her at this time.

Since Lucia has come in person and her tone is so serious, something extraordinary must have happened.

"come in."

Lucia gently pushed open the door and entered. When she saw Freya standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror, her eyes flashed with undisguised amazement.

Her Majesty the future Queen has just changed into a deep blue velvet gown, as dark as the midnight starry sky, with silver thread embroidered star trails flowing from her shoulders to the hem.

It complements her stunningly beautiful face.

Lucia exclaimed sincerely, her voice as soft as a feather:
"Gods above, Your Highness, you are breathtakingly beautiful now."

I believe that when the footage of your coronation ceremony spreads across the mainland in three days, no one will be able to question your title as 'the most beautiful woman in the mainland.'

Upon hearing this, Freya's lips curved into a subtle, reserved smile. She did not turn around, but continued to gaze at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure in the mirror.

He casually posed a question that, though seemingly innocuous, was enough to make any court lady's heart stop:
"So, Lucia, in your opinion."

Compared to the previous "most beautiful woman on the mainland," who was hailed by everyone, who is truly superior?

The air seemed to freeze in an instant.

Lucia's polite smile froze abruptly, and the color drained from her cheeks at a visible speed.

The previous holder of that title was none other than Queen Adel Corleone of Effie.

This person is not only the apple of her boss His Majesty Corleone's eye, but also someone the future queen is destined to call "sister."

This is a truly deadly question.

Seeing Lucia's embarrassed expression, with even her fingers slightly curled up, Freya finally couldn't help but chuckle, breaking the suffocating tension:
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore.

Sister Adel's beauty is truly unique in this world.

If it weren't for those advisors constantly nagging about how bearing this empty title would greatly benefit winning over the hearts of the Ceylonians and stabilizing the situation,

I would never want to put myself in such a ostentatious position.

Lucia's tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly, as if she had escaped a disaster.

She quietly let out a sigh of relief.

After what seemed like a casual joke, Freya's expression turned serious, and she asked:
"Alright, let's get down to business."

What emergency has occurred that requires your personal intervention?

Lucia's expression immediately returned to its usual seriousness and respectfulness; she lowered her head slightly and lowered her voice even further:

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Gavin has made a significant discovery."

He led a thorough cleaning of the old palace archives, with a particular focus on Gaius's private study.

In a highly concealed magical compartment, a letter written in ancient cipher was discovered.

The contents of the letter have been preliminarily deciphered, and their core message points to... the 'Lost Land'!
The Prime Minister considered this letter to be of great importance, and thus sent me to report it to His Highness.

Lost Land!

Freya and Asuna both tensed up at the same time. Why would the Ceylon royal family be connected with the forces of the Lost Lands?
Freya quickly suppressed her surprise, her voice remaining steady as she pressed on:
"Does anyone else know this news right now?"

Lucia answered immediately, speaking quickly and clearly: "Besides Prime Minister Gavin himself, there was only an old clerk who was assisting with the organization at the time and accidentally triggered the hidden compartment mechanism."

There was also a university professor in charge of translation.

The Prime Minister reacted swiftly, immediately taking control of and isolating the clerk and professor.

The original coded letter and the preliminary deciphered copy have been sealed and secretly moved to a safe house within the Military Intelligence Bureau, awaiting your personal disposal.

A hint of approval flashed in Freya's eyes; Prime Minister Gavin's handling of the situation was decisive and meticulous.

Without the slightest hesitation, she said decisively:

"Well done, I'm coming right now!"

The two passed through layers of checkpoints in a dark corridor guarded by expressionless elite military intelligence officers.

Finally, they entered a secret room illuminated only by a few eerie blue magic lamps.

On the stone table in the center of the room, the letter retrieved from the depths of Gaius's study lay quietly.

The letter itself was not long, and it was made of special paper tanned from the leather of some kind of abyssal monster, with an eerie dark red sheen at the edges.

The content wasn't long, but it stirred up a storm in Freya and Asuna's hearts.

Because the name at the end was none other than Sal Ignaryon.

The Demon Lord of the Chaotic Demon Continent, known for his cunning, cruelty, and destructive desires.

What's even more unsettling is that, judging from the wording and tone of the letter, this is by no means a tentative first exchange.

It's more like part of a long-running, clandestine conversation.

The letter was dated two years ago, and its contents appeared to be a "business" negotiation.

The Demon Lord Thrall, in exchange for a rare magical mineral from the Lost Lands that Ceylon desperately needed, requested Gaius's assistance in secretly smuggling a group of specially selected human slaves into the Demon Continent.

However, the tacit understanding and unspoken agreement revealed between the lines are enough to prove that the friendship between Gaius and the lord of the oasis was already deeply rooted and could not be summarized as a simple exchange of interests.

Freya said in a deep voice:
"This is far more than just buying slaves."

Judging from the wording and tacit tone of the letter, there must be a deeper deal between Gaius and the Demon Lord Thrall.

And the core of this deal…

She raised her eyes, met Asuna's gaze, and said, word by word:

"It's highly likely that it's related to the arrangements made by the Demon Lord Thrall in the Lost Lands!"

Asuna and Freya are the core figures of Effie.

The secret reports submitted by the Military Intelligence Bureau were handled daily.

They were also aware of the undercurrents among the various forces in the Lost Lands, especially regarding the Demon Lord Sal Ignarion of the Chaotic Demon Continent.

They quickly connected this matter with the fact that the Demon Lord Thrall had colluded with the Abyss Demon Tribe to prepare to establish a kingdom in the Lost Lands.

Asuna's expression became more serious than ever before:
"If the dirty deal between Gaius and Sal was not really about selling slaves or exchanging resources, then it was not just about selling slaves or exchanging resources."

Rather, it concerns the portal through which Thrall is meticulously preparing to invade the Prime Material Plane with the demonic army he is currently setting up in the Lost Lands…

She didn't finish her sentence, but the terrifying possibility it contained sent a chill down the spines of both people present.

They all thought of the worst possible outcome:

What if Gaius, driven to despair, went completely mad before the kingdom's destruction, recklessly making an even darker pact with the devil?

Thrall was permitted to set up several stable channels within the Kingdom of Ceylon, perhaps in some sparsely populated but secluded place containing special ley line energy, in advance for the large-scale arrival of the demon army.

Or, more cunningly, Thrall may have been exploiting Gaius's ambition and despair from the very beginning, using the promise of "helping Ceylon cultivate an invincible army of Abyssal demons" as bait.

This lured Gaius into unknowingly ordering the opening of a soul portal or dimensional anchor point connecting to the Abyss, a portal that could allow the demon lord, his legion's projection, or even his true form to descend directly.

In either case, as long as such a passage is successfully activated on Ceylon, it will be of great benefit to this land that has just experienced war and is in dire need of reconstruction.

This would be an irreversible and devastating disaster for the peace of the entire continent!
Thinking deeper, since the cunning Demon Lord Thrall was able to maintain such secret correspondence and transactions with Gaius for years, or even longer, it's quite remarkable.

So, on the thrones of the other human kingdoms on this vast continent, there are those seemingly glamorous and majestic kings, emperors, and even grand dukes.

Did they also hide the same secret letters in the depths of their study's hidden compartments?
If the moment comes when Thrall deems the time ripe, he will rise up in the Lost Lands, tear open a dimensional portal, and summon a massive invasion of demonic legions.

Who can guarantee that a few human kingdoms, or even one or two powerful empires, won't suddenly turn against them from within and become accomplices of the demons?

A bloody storm was unleashed in the heart of the mainland, in collusion with external invasion.
At that time, the entire continent will face a desperate nightmare woven by the abyss and human traitors!
Freya and Asuna's eyes met. No words were needed; the heavy gloom and unprecedented worry in their eyes said it all.

This is no longer just a crisis for Ceylon, but a Damocles' sword hanging over the scales of the entire world.

Freya took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her turbulent emotions, and said in a low voice:
"This matter involves too much, so we have to wait for Mr. [Sir] to return and make a decision on it personally."

Asuna nodded in agreement:
"I'll send my husband another message and tell him to come back as soon as possible!"

……

They rushed as fast as they could, and the letter, which was powerful enough to shake up the continent's格局 (geju, meaning overall situation or structure), was discovered the following evening.

With a slight spatial distortion, Cohen's figure appeared outside the newly established temporary royal court in Quesaon.

Accompanying him were the elegant Grace and the Saintess Galin, whose body shimmered with starlight.

There was no time for a formal meeting with the Effie Expeditionary Force and the dignitaries of the Crown City.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Freya dismissed everyone and handed the letter to Cohen.

Cohen took the letter, his gaze sweeping over the twisted, scorching abyssal script. His previously slightly weary expression suddenly turned serious.

Clearly, with his extraordinary insight, he instantly realized that behind this seemingly simple letter lay a terrifying crisis that could overturn the existing order.

He didn't immediately express his opinion, but slowly raised his head and cast a probing gaze at Jialin beside him.

Saint Jialin understood, and with a casual stroke of her slender, jade-like fingers, a faint, pure golden light gathered at her fingertips.

It then quickly transformed into a fist-sized, slowly rotating golden sphere of light, the inside of which seemed to contain countless fragments of light and shadow and whispers.

It was Aunt Garin, the soul singer, who forcibly extracted a portion of Gaius's memories before his death! (End of Chapter)