My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 29

He screamed and nearly threw the wine glass in his hand into the bathtub.

Faced with the startled and embarrassed Lord Yang Hao, who was curled up in the water covering his private parts, Monica's calm face showed a slight smile before she quickly regained her composure and seriousness.

“I am here to look after you on Lord Kosiché’s orders,” she said. “Lord Kosiché is worried that you might be feeling dizzy from your long bath—she would like to have lunch with you. So, my lord?”

"I-I-I can do it right away! Monica, you can go out now..."

"Yes, sir. The wine cup."

"what--"

Yang Hao hurriedly returned the wine glass to Monica and watched her leave the bathroom with steady, calm steps. He felt extremely embarrassed: he had been thinking too deeply about the problem and hadn't even realized there was someone else in the bathroom!

But Monica too?! She sneaked in on her own, couldn't she have at least given a heads-up?

Yang Hao felt embarrassed and ashamed about the incident. After muttering several things to himself, he finally stood up from the water, wrapped himself in a towel, and went to the changing room to change his clothes.

"My lord, Lord Kosiché is waiting for you in his bedchamber. We have already sent lunch over; please enjoy your meal."

"Ah... I understand. Um, could you excuse me for a moment...?"

......

Yang Hao wasn't used to having someone watching him while he was getting dressed. So, he reluctantly put on his clothes only after Monica left the dressing room.

"Oh dear... I feel like my daily life might be going to be tough from now on..." He sighed bitterly. "And Monica, the head maid—sigh, it's a blessing that the snake scales aren't watching me while I'm bathing right now. What am I going to do when Koschche starts having the maids bathe me?"

He needed to tell her in advance that he hoped to have private bathing time when he wasn't alone with her... With this in mind, Yang Hao patted his cheeks to make his expression look better, and then returned to his room through the door between the dressing room and the bedroom. There, Little Felin was sitting on the bed, wagging its tail from side to side while reading a book and waiting for Yang Hao's arrival.

"You're here?" She looked up at Yang Hao and smiled. "Come on, let's eat. I heard from Monica that you went to many places this morning."

“Yes, to lay a good foundation for future work.” He nodded, sat down next to Kosichie, and before he could even reach for his knife and fork, he felt his hand being entangled by a possessive tail.

... ...

He swallowed hard.

Chapter 74

Fortunately, Koschke didn't intend to do *that* at noon. She seemed to think that doing so would make Yang Hao feel closer, so during lunch together, her tail kept wrapping around his left hand, wrapping and wrapping, sometimes tightening and sometimes loosening. Sometimes, the tip of her tail would even *accidentally* slip through the gap between his fingers, giving him a strange tactile sensation while also making him sweat profusely.

“So, my husband—are you planning to ask me for a budget?” Kosiché asked while eating. “I don’t mean to refuse you, but I would like to know how those budgets will be used.”

It's only natural and reasonable. Yang Hao nodded and explained to his wife where the money would be used.

Kosichrie listened attentively, occasionally asking questions she didn't understand.

"Simply put, you need money to improve the administrative center in our territory, and then you also need money to hire those Gauls—"

“Yes, those Gauls are all talented people. The vast majority are elite warriors, and those who aren’t warriors are skilled artists or craftsmen.” Yang Hong nodded. Kosiché’s mention of “our territory” warmed his heart, but at the same time, a sense of anxiety welled up within him. “Most importantly, they are now homeless stray dogs. We can tame them and make them our…sheepdogs.”

"And then, is it used to monitor the integrity of administrators after the budget increase?"

"Yes. But this will raise some risks. The biggest risk is that some officials may unite to oppose our measures in the future. Well, because they won't be able to embezzle anymore. And the Gauls may not remain neutral with the Ursus indefinitely, so we need to handle this carefully."

Hearing this, Kosiché raised an eyebrow. She put the last bite of the caviar-smeared bread into her mouth, chewed and swallowed, then closed her eyes, pondering the feasibility of Yang Hao's plan.

At first glance, Yang Hao's plan is riddled with flaws. Where does he get the confidence to ensure the Gauls won't betray them? Where does he get the intelligence to ascertain the composition of those illegal Gaul residents? And where did he get the wildly imaginative idea to come up with this system? A system of checks and balances between supervisors and administrators, a system of domesticated sheepdogs spontaneously managing the flock? How can he guarantee that these plans will be implemented, and not just a pipe dream or a waste of vast resources?

Well... if Koschke were facing an ordinary person, she might have rejected the plan long ago—after all, it does seem too risky, full of all sorts of fantastical ideas that are almost impossible to achieve and have no evidence to back them up.

But the one who proposed this plan was her man, the man with her special abilities. His "Puppet Stage" could indeed turn people into highly malleable clay, which he could then slowly remove the stones from within, finally shaping them into the form he desired. Therefore, for him, the plan was feasible. He just needed a little support.

Having thought this through, Kosiché had already made up her mind. She opened her eyes, turned her head, and carefully examined her husband's somewhat nervous face before smiling:

"I understand. So, how much budget do you need?"

"About this number..."

Yang Hao gave Kosicci a figure that wasn't too large. Half of the budget was to be used to increase spending at the administrative center, and the other half was to be used to recruit those Gauls.

But shortly after Yang Hao recited the string of numbers, Kosic added:

“My husband, you should know that we are part of the Ursus Empire, right?” She placed her hand on Yang Hao’s inner thigh, gently stroking it. “So, I don’t care about a small number of Gauls and outsiders. But my bottom line is—you cannot let outsiders replace the Ursus people. At most, maintain the balance, understand?”

“Of course I understand, Koschei. But then again, aren’t you worried about what I might do after I create a secret unit on par with Serpent Scale?” Yang Hao didn’t stop Koschei’s caresses; rather, he quite enjoyed the feeling of dancing ballet on the front lines.

"Hehe, I won't interfere with your personal thoughts. Of course, if you insist on going to that Kazimierz knight-style brothel in the residential area, I'll have Monica and the maids teach you a lesson that very night."

"what..."

He covered his face, feeling incredibly embarrassed after his wife discovered his interest in flattery.

... .....

Lunchtime with his wife always passed quickly and pleasantly. After a short rest, Kosiché returned to his governing duties. Yang Hao, with nothing else to do, didn't plan to go out for a stroll today. He now had a sufficient budget and expected to begin implementing reforms to the administrative center by noon tomorrow.

In the early stages of reforming the administrative center, there was no need to worry about oversight. Under Kosiché's reign of terror, civil servants didn't dare risk losing their jobs and even execution to embezzle funds. Therefore, Yang Hao initially focused more on the progress of the administrative center reforms: the re-education of civil servants, the expansion of talent pool, and the upcoming reconstruction.

That's right, it's about reconstruction. Reconstructing the administrative center is actually part of Yang Hao's plan to address the economic problems—during his casual conversation with Kosichie, he noticed that these four mobile cities had no intention of separating, at least not under Kosichie's control.

Without being separated, the four mobile cities have more than eight administrative districts. The personnel in the administrative centers of these eight districts are widely distributed, which makes the work efficiency of some data that requires the joint processing of personnel from all eight districts extremely slow. It's like a snail that is about to die of thirst struggling to crawl forward in the desert. By the time the problem has fermented to the point of being out of control, it still hasn't been processed.

Therefore, Yang Hao's work-for-relief plan included a new initiative: the construction of a massive administrative center around the Duke's residence. This center, which would take several years to build, would integrate all the basic administrative work of the four mobile cities, greatly improving the administrative efficiency of the Dukedom of Kosiché, and would also be a spectacle.

[Event: Administrative Spectacle]

You have decided to build a massive administrative building in the Duchy of Kosiché to replace the existing, outdated, fragmented, and inefficient administrative centers.

This administrative marvel will bring unparalleled administrative benefits to the Duchy of Kosiché once completed, but it will take several years, or even decades, to build.

As the planner, could you give it a name?

'Siberia?'

'Or is it called the Cheka?'

'It's called the Administrative Core, that's all!'

Yang Hao scratched his head and finally decided to just call it the Pentagon.

Chapter 75

Having finished planning his next tasks, Yang Hao stretched and decided to take a nap while sending his consciousness on a virtual journey to the House of Elegy to see if he could get some good stuff.

He wanted to get the items related to the French. After all, if you think about it, the Gauls are very similar to the French in the original world. Some items that are effective for the French should also be effective for them, right?

“We could try turning the Gauls into Frenchmen, and then turn those Frenchmen into our family’s personal servants,” Yang Hao muttered to himself. “But… oh dear… staying with Kosicé is so stressful…”

It's not work-related stress.

However, every time Yang Hao was alone with Koschche, he would think about what he would do if he failed to achieve immortality.

After all, Margarita's prophecy... strictly speaking, isn't a "certain fact." Her prophecy is more like a "deduction," just like how she could dodge an enemy's attack that was originally destined to hit her based on the prophecy... Maybe Yang Hao actually wasn't meant to live that long?

He was not entirely sure. But the more anxious he became in his search for the secret to immortality, the more nervous he became about the strange and unusual methods of achieving immortality found on the National Policy Tree.

Therefore, an invisible pressure has been accumulating in his heart. Fortunately, he can still bear it for now. But then again...?

"Oh dear—why are there really brothels in the style of the Kazimierz knights in Ursus? Could this be a Kazimierz spy infiltrating Ursus? I remember, didn't Kazimierz have a conflict with Ursus...?"

Yang Hao muttered to himself as he lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

......

After a series of familiar maneuvers, Yang Hao's consciousness returned to the House of Lament. However, unlike the previous time when it was surrounded by purple light, today the House of Lament was a striking red.

"Welcome, guest." Miss Elegy waited for him in the same spot as before. "Today, the Diviner of the Cup is emitting a red light that represents desire. He is the Diviner of indulgence, gluttony, greed, lust, and reproduction."

"...That sounds really strange. I just heard about some horrible things that hedonists did in real life this morning."

“Perhaps they are believers in the God of Cups? After all, the pursuit of sensual stimulation is a necessary step for believers.” Miss Elegy shook her head. “Please come with me—this is today’s new product.”

They wandered back and forth between the shelves once again, browsing the oddly shaped goods while chatting about trivial matters.

"The Eldar's luxurious palace—literally, it will unfold into a luxurious palace, but in return, you must worship a god called Slaanesh."

Slaanesh?

"Once you become a follower of Slaanesh, you will do anything for sensual stimulation—"

"That's it."

Yang Hao just scorned those perverts today, and now he's supposed to join them? Forget it.

"This? It's a mental education device. It can transform your pain into pleasure. What do you think?"

Yang Hao had a feeling that using this thing would turn him into something extraordinary... After thinking about it, he quickly refused.

"This is a Burgundy red wine, made with the blood and sweat of countless people, possessing an unimaginably sweet and mellow aroma."

"...Never mind that. But then again, why are all the goods today so strange?"

Yang Hao scratched his head, thinking that although Margarita might like the wine, he was unwilling to risk corrupting her by drinking such things.

And seriously, why are all the products today related to perversion? Did I come at the wrong time? He was very puzzled by this.

Faced with Yang Hao's question, Miss Elegy simply smiled and explained that today is the day the Cup of the Gods shines, and naturally, the vast majority of the goods here are related to the Cup of the Gods. The Cup of the Gods represents indulgence, stimulation, gluttony, and greed; naturally, the goods available today are all related to what the Cup of the Gods represents.

"Would you like to continue looking?" Knowing Yang Hao had absolutely no interest in Cup of the Heart's merchandise, Miss Elegy asked with a smile. "Or would you like to see some of their previous merchandise?"

"Previous items? Didn't you say that the previous items would be refreshed when I come back next time?"

"Of course. But because of the evolution of your [Puppet Stage], there's still a chance that items that have appeared before will reappear in front of you. Would you like to take a look?"

"Let me see..."

Since there's nothing to do back home anyway, Yang Hao might as well try his luck. With that thought in mind, Yang Hao, led by Miss Wange, arrived at the last item, a gray one that stood out starkly from the surrounding red merchandise.

"This is?"

It was a sword, a rusted sword that was unusable. But the sword seemed to possess a strange magic; Yang Hao couldn't take his eyes off it, for it was so sacred and captivating.

"Joan of Arc's sword, the ashes you didn't take before, became her sword after the stage evolved—although the blade is completely rusted, this sword was originally a symbol," Miss Elegy said with a smile. "Your [Puppet Stage] can show its purpose, why don't you take a look now?"

"...is it okay?"

"Of course. My relationship with you is even closer than your relationship with your wife, so why not?"

It seemed Miss Elegy had revealed something extraordinary. Yang Hao took a deep breath and chose to use [Puppet Stage] to investigate the sword.

Rare item: Joan of Arc's sword.

The rusted Crusader fittings: the sword originally had ten crosses engraved on it, but now they are no longer accurately identifiable due to corrosion.

It was Joan of Arc's sword, but Joan of Arc was denounced as a devil and witch by the English during her trial. In a sense, this sword was also once considered the devil's sword—at least that's what the English thought.

This sword can be used to create a knightly order of French culture, and all people of French culture will recognize this sword, no matter what world it is in.

The effects of owning it:

People with a French cultural background gain 1% approval rating daily, up to a maximum of 30%.

It can create the Imperial Knights (Shock), Knight Squire Infantry (Firepower, Siege), and the Knights Templar (Shock, Guerrilla, Standalone).

We can declare war on any territory that claims to be the core of French culture in the name of "Make France Great Again," we can use "resolutions" to peacefully unite all believers in French culture, and we can create a system of joint rule with all countries that embody French culture.

They gained the claim to the "Holy Roman Empire," but the creation of this empire would provoke hostility from the vast majority of nations.

God bless France!

"[Elegant Eastern profanity]?!!"

This was the first time Yang Hao had ever seen such a powerful tool that he could use right now.

So, he instinctively swore in the slang from his hometown.

Chapter 76

...

Finally, Yang Hao took the rare sword, named "Joan of Arc's Sword," or simply "Joan of Arc's Sword," out of the House of Lament. Before leaving, he held the sword and made a small joke to Miss Lament:

"Since you say you can take some things out of the House of Lamentation for free, then on the other hand, can I take you out with me?"

Faced with Yang Hao's joke, Miss Elegy simply smiled in the red light and said, "Of course. But if you take me out, this little house outside the material world will lose its purpose. Please consider it carefully, because the goods of the Sichens are more important than me."

"That really works! I understand now... When can I come over next time?"

"One month from now. The evolution of your [Puppet Stage] ability will also reduce the waiting time—we look forward to your next visit."

After Miss Elegy's farewell, Yang Hao returned to reality. He remained lying in bed, in the same sleeping position, but somehow, he found himself holding Joan of Arc's sword, which was stored in a slender glass case.