My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 57

Humans are undoubtedly a species. But here's the problem... even races like the Felins and Catterans, which are known for their high fertility but generally weaker physical constitutions, don't necessarily produce many children. And Koschke can only think of one race that is powerful yet unable to reproduce in large numbers.

That's the Drak family of Victoria—they are indeed a powerful and wealthy royal family, but their population is quite small. But this theory probably can't be applied to her own husband, right?

Kosiché frowned, wondering how weak her husband could be. Even with daily sexual activity, he was still so-so. Did he look like the kind of person who was so strong that he wouldn't have many children in his lifetime? Definitely not... but his body was perfectly healthy? What was going on...?

The immortal black serpent was currently lost in confusion, unable to extricate herself for the time being. The old doctor, who seemed to be pondering something, simply sighed and reassured Lord Koschche that there was no need for him to be so tense.

"Lord Yang Hao may belong to an extremely special race. Just know that. In the future, Lord Yang Hao will also become an immortal being similar to Lord Koschche. After having an endless lifespan, children will become an unnecessary existence, won't they?"

"...If you're referring to the issue of succession, then that's correct."

Short-lived species need children to inherit their family property and the business they have built. They know they can never live for thousands of years, so they frantically try to have offspring while in their prime, all to preserve the business they have built.

But do immortal beings need it? Well... for the vast majority, no. Their lifespan might even exceed the history of some empires by hundreds of years. They can control their own destiny, so for them, the heir is more important than the successor to inherit the family business. The simple "fruit of love" between husband and wife is far more important to them. For them, a child born out of love is far more important than a child born to inherit the family business.

This was exactly what Kosichrie was worried about. She was concerned that after Yang Hao learned that he couldn't have children with her, he might feel uncomfortable and depressed about the emptiness in their future family.

Regarding the problem that Koschich was worried about... the old doctor did have a solution.

"If you believe that you and Lord Yang Hao must have a child to maintain family harmony, then I suggest you adopt a child."

“...That works too.” Kosiché’s brows relaxed: if she couldn’t have a child with him, then adopting one wouldn’t hurt.

"But if that child isn't an immortal, he might cause Mr. Yang Hao immense psychological harm with his short life," the old doctor cautioned, reminding Lord Koschche to think things through carefully. "Please consider this carefully."

"...I understand. Well then, you can go now. I'll have a good talk with my husband tonight."

"Yes."

Kosich is worried about how to explain his health report to Yang Hao tonight.

Meanwhile, having finally arrived at Monica's house, Yang Hao, while being entertained by Monica, praised the taste of her home and remarked that his work had indeed become much easier recently.

“Really? It seems Mr. Großwazel and Mr. Joseph have been quite helpful to you.” Monica, dressed casually, poured Yang Hao a cup of black tea and smiled. “Then, perhaps I can consider taking another vacation before going back?”

"No, Monica, you should come back soon... To be honest, I'm used to you taking care of me, and I feel a bit lost without you. Besides, I can't go find the pony to take care of my business without you..."

"Really? Then I'll go back as soon as possible, but please let me rest for a while?"

Monica sighed with a wry smile, thinking that taking care of this person was indeed quite troublesome.

Chapter 128

When Yang Hao arrived at Monica's house, he found it to be absolutely wonderful.

The carefully tidied little house was filled with potted plants. The flowers and plants on the potted plants must have been planted and cared for a long time. If you looked closely, you could see many marks on the trunks that had been pruned a long time ago.

Not only are the flowers and potted plants so soothing, but the interior decoration of Monica's home is also very pleasing and comforting: exquisite wooden furniture is placed in all the necessary places in the house, and some vines are wrapped around the chandelier on the ceiling for decoration. More importantly, Monica, dressed in casual home clothes, looks so beautiful at this moment.

Yang Hao could say without hesitation that he was truly smitten at that moment. After all, everyone has a love for beauty, but Yang Hao respected his head maid, so after maintaining a distance, he sat on the seemingly newly purchased sofa and enjoyed the black tea that Monica had personally brewed.

“Really, sir, if you really can’t hold on any longer, then please contact me as soon as possible,” Monica said with a wry smile. “I don’t want to go back to work to find you exhausted from the heavy workload.”

"Haha, that's impossible. I'll be adjusting my work hours a bit soon, okay? If I'm too tired, I'll take longer breaks—"

"But you spend a lot of time in your bedroom at night, yet your sleep time is getting shorter and shorter."

"...This is very complicated..."

"By the way, sir, I don't know what kind of novel game you and Lord Kosich were playing at the time, but anyway... take care of your health."

"Ah ha ha..."

Yang Hao's bright smile had turned into a wry, dejected grin. He sighed heavily, and after noticing Monica casually sitting down beside him, he began to lament how difficult his work had been without her lately.

"Monica, you have no idea how much of a blow it was to me when I subconsciously wanted you to help me organize the intelligence and then found out you weren't there... Sigh, at that time I had to organize it myself. Paul was busy communicating with Kazimierz's foal to exchange intelligence and interrogating prisoners. I'm not familiar with ordinary snake scales... Koschche was also busy with his work. It was giving me a real headache."

"Where are the other maids?"

“I don’t trust the other maids… I mean, I believe they must be trustworthy people to work in the Duke’s mansion, but I haven’t seen their abilities, how am I supposed to know if they can do their jobs properly?” Yang Hao said, taking another sip of his black tea. He really liked the taste of this black tea, or was it just his imagination? Monica seemed a little different than before…

Is it because she wasn't wearing a maid outfit, and she gave off more of an elegant and graceful noblewoman than a maid? Hmm...

"Hehe, I understand now." Monica seemed pleased with Yang Hao's assessment. "In short, I'll return as soon as I'm done resting. But could you tell me about your recent schedule, sir? Otherwise, I might need some time to get familiar with my new job after I get back."

"Of course. It's just—"

Yang Hao explained his recent plans to Monica, including the work-for-relief program, the upcoming Colombian infiltration of Ursus, the possibility that spies from Casimir might be arriving soon, and the plan to invite nobles from Duke Nikolai's side to come over as guests in order to obtain a pretext for declaring war.

Finally, after a slight hesitation, Yang Hao explained the matter of the "military factory outside the map" to Monica as well. After all, Monica was a maid trusted by both him and Koschei, and he would have to trust her if he needed her to offer any good advice in the future.

After listening to Yang Hao's entire plan, Monica nodded thoughtfully.

"In short, your workload hasn't been too heavy lately, but it will be a busy period starting in May—is my understanding correct?"

"Yes, things will get busy starting in May and might continue into next year. Monica, can you handle this workload?"

"Hehe, I've been through much tougher times before, so you don't need to worry, sir. But then again... is that military factory outside the map something like the 'House of Elegy' you mentioned?"

"Yes. What's wrong, Monica?"

Seeing that Monica's expression was a little strange, Yang Hao's heart skipped a beat, wondering if he had done something wrong.

He quickly asked a question, but Monica's expression grew increasingly strange.

“What I mean is… if someone else could come in with you…” Monica stammered, her face slightly flushed. “What if you, sir, suddenly bring a woman in? We outside wouldn’t have any idea what would happen inside, right?”

"...what?"

"Are you sure you can really guarantee your safety inside? I mean, are you sure the person you bring in—like Lord Kosichä—won't do anything to you inside and then come out several hours later?"

"...hiss..."

So, this is what you were thinking about?

Yang Hao swallowed hard, thinking, "It doesn't seem wrong, does it? If I really bring someone in, and that person has ulterior motives towards me, then wouldn't that be—wait, something's not right?"

Shouldn't they have killed me? Why did they have to do that kind of thing? At this moment, Yang Hao suddenly realized that something was wrong.

... .....

While Yang Hao and Monica were having a pleasant conversation, on the other side, the Emperor's Imperial Guard had already completed their infiltration of the Duchy of Kosiché.

They don't need the local lord's permission to enter the city. As the emperor's trusted inner guards, they have very high authority to do what they want—but generally, the inner guards only do their work at designated locations. For example, investigating any clues about the [Sherlock Nightclub], searching for evidence of [Duke Nikolai's inhumane acts], or... investigating someone the emperor cares about very much.

For the first two tasks, the Imperial Guards had clear objectives and could proceed step by step. However, the third task was somewhat perplexing: even the Emperor didn't know where the person she cared about was, so the Imperial Guards were actually dispersed to more than a dozen cities and even the Emperor's own villages to search for that person's whereabouts.

The guards who came to the Duchy of Kosiché were also dispatched because of the third strange mission—of course, if they had only come for this strange mission, then the three guards would not have been here.

More importantly, the Duchy of Kosice and the Duchy of Nikolai have had some conflicts in the past. If the Duchy of Nikolai really wants to do something big, it is very likely that it will target the Duchy of Kosice first.

"Phew... Is our mission here to search for evidence and wait for an opportunity?"

"Exactly."

Due to the nature of their mission, the Imperial Guards were strictly forbidden from appearing in front of other nobles. At the same time, they also had the crucial responsibility of reporting on the economic crises in various regions to the Emperor while on duty. They were currently standing on the rooftop of a building in a residential area of ​​the Duchy of Kosiché, observing the flow of people on the street while taking notes.

This city looks much like other cities affected by the economic crisis, but unlike those cities that are declining, the economic crisis in this megacity seems to have subsided.

"Hoo... Some districts in Duke Kosiché's territory have already come back to life. The Duke's mansion is buying up consumer goods stockpiled in warehouses in the name of the Duke and his current husband, Duke Kosiché, and sending more orders to bankrupt businesses so they can reopen."

An internal security guard was recording something on a communicator while simultaneously speaking fluently into the street below.

"Although there are many unemployed people in the duchy, their eyes shine brighter than those of the unemployed elsewhere. I understand that Duke Kosiché executed five minor nobles for their crimes last month, and the administrative center of the ducal palace has completed its reforms. Their next plan is to implement a work relief program, a term I've never heard of before. We need to observe it further."

After saying this, the guard turned off the communicator. He gave his two companions a look and then left.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Imperial Guards will remain in the city for three months to observe its progress. If the Duchy of Kosice manages to overcome its economic crisis and prosper through their plan, the Imperial Guards will report their achievements truthfully to the Emperor.

But then again.

"This is not Duke Kosiché's scheme. According to the intelligence we have gathered, the current Duke Kosiché's husband is the one who devised these plans to deal with the economic crisis, reform policies, and the 'work relief' program."

"...She is an immortal, how could she have a husband? Or is this a cover-up, and the man is actually the real Duke Kosiché?"

"Further observation is needed."

"...Agreed."

The guards did not believe that the man named Felin, who merely sat in the audience hall performing routine political duties, was the real Duke of Koschei. They believed that Felin's husband, Lord Yang Hao, was the true Duke of Koschei.

However, they need to observe more before they can draw a final conclusion.

...

At the same time, the deep-sea hunters were also approaching the Dukedom of Koschche. They were currently resting on a mountaintop about 40 kilometers from the city. The battles with the infected creatures on land along the way had exhausted them considerably, and they really needed to rest.

"Sonia—is that city our target?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll be frank with you now that the juniors are asleep—everyone believes you because you're the most senior hunter, but the problem is, I still have my doubts."

“Rabbi, I know that older Deepsea Hunters will have doubts about my prophecy, but the problem is, if the Deepsea Hunters continue to maintain the status quo, we will either die in the shallow waters resisting the invasion of the deep sea, or go mad one night.”

The deep-sea hunter known as Sonia sighed heavily, sat down on a rock, and took off her hat.

She was an Agor, an Agor with over 70 years of combat experience. She had long, white-grey hair and pale red eyes. She was voluptuous and beautiful, the only flaw perhaps being the terrifying weapons she wielded, which somewhat detracted from her beauty.

It was a massive knife with terrifying serrated edges. This weapon, which Sonia called the "Meat Saw," was deliberately folded for easy indoor use, but could also be unfolded for outdoor combat against monsters—it could slay giant monsters and crush small Originium bugs. But no matter what it killed, the blood splattered from its prey would stain Sonia's entire body red.

She hadn't bathed for months, as had most of the deep-sea hunters here. If their route tomorrow went smoothly, they should be able to cross a stream before entering the big city—there, they could wash themselves and their clothes to avoid gossip upon entering the city.

Then, they could try to exchange the coastal products they carried for necessities in that city, giving them a few weeks to search for the puppeteer in the "prophecy." Sonia had planned everything meticulously, but then again, not everyone trusted her.

Rabi, another veteran deep-sea hunter, was like that. Like Sonia, she had lived a very long time and fought on the front lines for a long time... Because of this, she didn't believe in so-called "prophecies" at all, because those "prophecies" had already driven several young people mad, and she didn't want Sonia to become like that.

However, if they don't do this, the Deepsea Hunters are destined to face the most terrifying end in a bleak future, with only one in ten surviving.

A disorganized group of deep-sea hunters simply doesn't have the ability to fight against an entire deep sea. But that puppeteer can unite the disorganized deep-sea hunters—only in this way can the deep-sea hunters have a glimmer of hope for the future.

“…If you insist, I can’t really say anything.” Rabbi sighed, looking at the deformed battle axe she was dragging in her hand, and shook her head. “But if you’re about to go mad, I’ll kill you first—you’re too strong. If you really go berserk, a young man like you won’t last two moves.”

"If I'm about to go crazy, then I'm counting on you."

"Ah."

They remained silent for a while before returning to their respective tents to rest.

Chapter 129

...

Yang Hao lingered at Monica's house for quite a while before finally leaving. By the time he left, it was already very late. Yang Hao declined Monica's offer to take him back to the Duke's mansion, saying that he would hurry home as soon as he was sure he could get home safely, intending to finish the rest of his work the next day.

After he got home, for some reason, Koschche was very happy to invite him to dinner and then take a bath together. Looking at the charming and sexy outfit he was wearing, Yang Hao swallowed hard, knowing that no matter what he said tonight, it would be at least three times.

"Kosichek, what happened? What's making you so happy?"

"It's nothing, it's just that your medical report has come back—we'll talk about it properly when you take a bath later." She smiled and gestured for the maids outside to bring in dinner.

...What a sumptuous dinner tonight!

According to Cosice, after she [impromptu] found a Gaul loyal to them and had their baker work at the Duke's palace, the couple now enjoys freshly baked, crispy baguettes every day.

Then there's caviar—Yang Hao's favorite. But then again, caviar with bread and biscuits is already a regular part of Yang Hao's diet. So there's nothing particularly special about it.

But the problem is...

“That… Koschke…”

"what happened?"

These are—

"Lizard skewers, grilled kidney slices, and some other nourishing ingredients. Oh, and garlic—though I don't dislike the smell of garlic, remember to chew some gum to get rid of the odor in your mouth tomorrow morning, okay?"

"..."

Lizard meat skewers, a food believed to have aphrodisiac and kidney-tonifying properties, need I say more?

Roasted kidney slices—in my memory, they are also a food that can enhance male virility and nourish the kidneys.

Garlic, needless to say, is also very beneficial to the kidneys.

There were also all sorts of other ingredients... When Yang Hao saw them, he could almost hear his kidneys groaning. Sweating profusely, he thought to himself, "It seems today won't be another ordinary day where three or four times will suffice." Koschche, are you feeling a little too good?

And then again, is it because my health report is very healthy that you're so happy?! My dear wife, even if I'm in great health, I can't handle being exploited like this...

As Yang Hao muttered to himself, he smiled and ate lunch with his wife. While enjoying the delicious food, he chatted with Kosiché about the military factory outside the map.

"Speaking of which, Kosichello, I have an idea—that factory won't consume our territory's resources, right?"

"Hmm? If your explanation is correct, then that's true." Koschie, with a piece of roasted meat in her mouth, fed Yang Hao mouth-to-mouth before nodding thoughtfully. Her tail wriggled restlessly, having somehow slipped inside Yang Hao's pants, causing the already profuse sweat on his face to flow even more. "Do you have any thoughts?"