My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 55

"Then what can you do?"

"Improve literacy rates and reform schools. Before the next generation of workers comes of age and urban industries are reformed, let them learn to read first."

Compulsory basic education is the best way to resolve the contradiction between rapid urban development and low-skilled labor in advance. After all, when the labor force I use for manual labor is composed of prestigious PhD graduates from top universities, then no matter how much my city develops, the technical requirements of low-skilled jobs won't be too difficult for these gentlemen, right?

Therefore, basic education can be considered the top priority in Yang Hao's reform plan. But then again, the city's development is currently under his control, and its speed is, in a sense, controllable? He looked thoughtfully at the interface that popped up again on the [Puppet Stage] screen. When he realized that he could use a [Resolution] to increase or decrease the city's development level, he suddenly realized with a wry smile that he might actually one day ruin his own city because of drunkenness or for amusement.

"what happened?"

"No, it's just that I suddenly felt an urge to set limits for myself..."

"Heh, is this another interface popped up by your abilities? But since today's work is finished, let's put it aside for now."

"Yes, you're right."

The couple walked from the audience hall to the courtyard, chatting and laughing. Before returning to their palace to bathe and rest, they planned to relax outside for a while.

After finding the bench they had sat on earlier and sitting down again, Yang Hao pulled Koschich onto his lap and reported his work progress to his beloved wife. However, when they got to the topic of the Kazimir spies, Yang Hao suddenly remembered that there was something he had forgotten to ask Koschich.

"By the way, Kosiché, when I went to the Lubyanka Grand Hotel this morning..."

Yang Hao recounted everything that had happened at the Lubyanka Grand Hotel to Kosichrie. Kosichrie's happy smile froze for a moment when Yang Hao mentioned that "Miss Theresa was willing to be at his beck and call just to become the head of the spy agency."

Then, when Yang Hao mentioned that Monica had a conflict with Theresa over the word "dispatch," the stiff smile on her face gradually disappeared.

Finally, when Yang Hao said that he would only send Theresa when he needed her, Kosiché's smile vanished without a trace, and even her tail, which had been enthusiastically drawing circles all over Yang Hao, lost its vitality.

Hmm... what's going on? After finishing his explanation, Yang Hao was puzzled by Kosic's change. But he felt it shouldn't be his fault. After all, he really didn't understand what the aristocracy's "secret language" was—just like you can't expect a science student to understand the poetic expression "The moon is beautiful," or to make a Chinese person understand what milk tea and dumplings mean.

Just as Yang Hao gently grasped Koschie's tail and stroked it up and down repeatedly in an attempt to cheer her up, the immortal black snake let out a sinister laugh that Yang Hao hadn't heard in a long time.

"In short, my dear husband, you are very interested in the 'sendings' between nobles, aren't you?"

"Huh? After all, I haven't looked into it, so of course I'm curious." Yang Hao nodded, admitting that he was very curious about it. His curiosity was running high, like a cat about to be killed by its own curiosity.

"So, would you like to try it tonight? I mean, would you be the one being [sent] by me?"

"Hmm? Okay then..."

"Will experiencing it firsthand help me understand what's going on?" Although Yang Hao found it very strange, he readily agreed to Koschche's suggestion. But this time, cold sweat poured down his back; his loyal head maid was no longer there to save him.

.....

.....

After having dinner, taking a bath, and resting for a while, it was 11 p.m.

Just as Yang Hao thought it was time to go to bed as usual, or perhaps to enjoy a romantic evening with his wife, he saw Koschche standing on the bed, staring intently at him.

"Kosi—" Yang Hao originally wanted to call her by her name.

But the next moment, his little brother was stepped on by Kosiché. That slender foot was covered by a few layers of smooth stockings. In that instant, he became aroused by the sudden stimulation.

“My dearest husband, now I will command you to satisfy me.”

Kosichie grinned sinisterly, and with his actions, with those delicate Felin feet, he made Yang Hao deeply aware of the dark meaning of "Dispatch" that very night.

However, the walls have ears, and Monica, who had barely slept all night, also listened to the man's screams, which sounded like a mixture of pain and pleasure, coming from the room.

Added data after the missing update

Chapter 123

...

Then, until April 1st, which was originally April Fool's Day on Earth, the Duchy of Kosiché continued to develop steadily.

The Duchy of Kosiché benefited greatly from the addition of Grovazel, a Wendigo scholar. One such benefit was that, with Mr. Grovazel's strong support and assistance, the reform of the administrative center, which was originally scheduled to be completed on June 12, was brought forward to April 20.

With the administrative center reforms being completed so far ahead of schedule, Yang Hao had no choice but to urge the Gauls to finish their retraining as soon as possible. However, compared to the Gauls, who needed to rebuild their base, the reorganization of the Casimir spies was progressing much faster.

This Kazimierz spy organization, comprised of fewer than 50 members loyal to the Duke of Kosichea [for the money provided], was renamed [Tenet] by Yang Hao. Now, under its new leader, Theresa, the Tenet organization is operating smoothly. The proficiency of this spy unit exceeded Yang Hao's expectations: they were not only adept at gathering intelligence behind enemy lines, but also skilled in close-quarters special operations. They could not only launch armed raids on locations they believed might hold secrets, but also use special Originium Arts to make those affected unknowingly reveal their darkest secrets and thoughts.

In the [Puppet Stage] rankings, they are a small unit on par with [Serpent Scales]. Compared to Serpent Scales, they are better at [frontal combat] and [intelligence gathering], but less adept at [covert operations] and [assassination]. Worst of all, they have virtually no way to replenish their manpower within the Dukedom of Koschche, while Serpent Scales can readily source manpower locally—so to effectively utilize them, Yang Hao needs to consider honing his military skills.

Incidentally, the Gauls' Templar Order is a force on par with the Serpent Scales. However, they possess virtually no stealth capabilities, while their ability to engage in direct combat completely overwhelms the Serpent Scales and the Creed—even if the two organizations were combined, their strength in direct combat would only be half that of the Gauls.

However, the Gauls couldn't replenish their ranks in the Duchy of Cosice... Otherwise, Yang Hao could have expected them to restore the standard of a small division of 1 men that Mr. Napoleon had mentioned.

"But then again... now that the reforms are completed ahead of schedule, darling, your supervisors can also start working?"

"Although they're still living in prefab houses next to the base that's still under construction, it's enough for them to take office." Yang Hao, panting, lifted the sweat-soaked, shiny Kosichek off his shoulders. A new month, a new grain tax to pay, yet his body remained healthy, strong, and full of energy.

For no other reason than that Yang Hao's life has been very comfortable lately, even to the point of having extra time for exercise. This is all thanks to the trustworthy and capable people within the Duchy of Kosiché! Whether it's Mr. Joseph, Paul, or the newly joined Mr. Napoleon and Miss Theresa, their abilities are worthy of Yang Hao's trust, allowing him to alleviate the pressure on his shoulders and concentrate his energy on more important matters—while also having a lot more time for exercise.

Under Monica's supervision, Yang Hao completed a full set of training tasks almost every day during the second half of March: 50 pull-ups, 5 sets of push-ups, and a 1000-meter jog. After completing his training, he could eat nutritious and energy-rich food: after all, he wasn't training for bodybuilding, so naturally, it didn't matter what he ate.

But despite this, when Kosic complained one day that he had gained some weight around his stomach, this suddenly disheartened man still increased the intensity of his workouts and reduced his intake of fatty foods. It can be said that everyone has a desire to look good.

But not long after he changed his plans, he temporarily lost Monica's supervision: she went on vacation, and before leaving, she reminded Yang Hao not to get dizzy from soaking in the bathroom. Fortunately, Yang Hao was already familiar with the Duke's mansion, and Paul could take care of him outside, so although things had been a bit tough lately, Yang Hao wasn't so desperate that he needed Monica's constant care to get by.

Monica won't be back until April 15th. In the meantime, Yang Hao is forbidden from having any contact with Miss Theresa alone. As for the reason? Ask Koschche.

"Then, you'll handle this kind of thing that only you can manage." Koschei curled her tail around Yang Hao's penis, giving him one last stimulation in his dazed eyes, and then laughed, "Now, let's go take a shower first—otherwise, going to sleep all sticky won't be comfortable. And what about the research tank?"

"Yes... He's alright with the research slots... Mr. Grovazel is a good scholar, but he's also quite adept at research."

The research slot system in the [Puppet Stage] is a mysterious system. Although Grovazel spends all his time in the administration office offering useful suggestions to Mr. Joseph after taking office, the research slot can still conduct its own research while he is [handling other matters]. This makes Yang Hao feel more than once that a Wendigo scholar actually has 48 hours to squander in a day.

However, this was also good news—so after only two days of surprise, Yang Hao readily accepted the convenience his abilities brought to his territory. After careful consideration and with Kosiché's advice, the first technology Yang Hao chose was the industrial lathe of 1045.

It is now 1042. He plans to research a technology that is three years ahead of its time, which will result in a research time penalty, adding about 60 days to the research time.

These 60 days, added to the original research time, total exactly one year of research time—in other words, if research begins in mid-March 1042, industrial technology from 1045 can be used by mid-March 1043. Is this profitable? Of course it is! Moreover, some national policies and events can advance this process, so it is definitely profitable.

Moreover, the industrial technology of 1045 not only brought better factory and industrial capabilities to the Duchy of Kosiché, but also included corresponding economic technologies for the people's livelihood. It can be said that this was not only three years ahead of other countries in industry, but also in the people's livelihood economy.

If there's any problem, it's that upgrading the industrial sector will increase the demand for raw materials. But isn't that a good thing? Yang Hao's work-for-relief program officially begins tomorrow. Preparing the necessary resources a year in advance will allow the upgraded Duchy of Kosiché to increase its commercial influence, alleviating the economic crisis as quickly as possible, while also preparing for compulsory basic education.

Yang Hao had already planned out what would happen next; all that was left was to wait for the right time to execute it.

"By the way, Koschke..."

"Ok?"

“I’d like to try to invite the Duke of Nikolai and his nobles to our place.”

besides...

Should we also plan to invite the Duke of Nikolai's nobles over as guests, thus giving us a reason to declare war?

Chapter 124

4 month 2 day.

Before Yang Hao and his wife could finalize the matter of inviting the nobles of the Nikolai Duchy to a "gathering" to obtain a pretext for declaring war, while he was outside preparing for the work-for-relief plan, a secret medical team secretly entered the Duke's mansion in the Koschke Duchy.

Today, Duke Koschche happens to be off work. Therefore, the task of this secret medical team is undoubtedly to examine the esteemed Duke.

"So, doctor, I'm in trouble."

"Haha, the last time I saw you you were from Ursus. How are you getting used to being a Philo now?"

The elderly doctor laughed heartily and took out various examination instruments from his medical kit, placing them on a nearby table. Anyone with even a basic understanding of medicine would recognize these as tools for detecting pregnancy.

Why did Koschke suddenly decide to have a physical exam on April 2nd? The answer is simple—just in case.

How many times had she and her husband done it in mid-to-late March? At least twice a day, sometimes five or six times, with a minimum of once a day... and they hadn't used any protection.

So this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a far-sighted sense of crisis that necessitated bringing the doctors over—but then again, what if someone actually gets shot? Those ten days or so... they're bound to get shot, right?

The immortal black serpent felt a little uneasy at this moment. After all, to be honest, this seemed to be the first time she had a biological child?

So she sat on the bed, somewhat nervously waiting for the old doctor to finish the examination. As she waited, she noticed that the old doctor's expression was becoming increasingly strange.

What happened? Kosiche frowned. Just as she was about to ask the old doctor what was going on, the doctor greeted her first:

“Um, Lord Koschke? Let me confirm one thing first—you and your husband didn’t use any protection, and you did it every day last month, right?” The old doctor took off his reading glasses, wiped them slightly with the corner of his clothes, and looked at Koschke strangely. “Furthermore, Miss Green’s body was fine during her previous check-up, and you didn’t experience any problems after you possessed her, right?”

"...Yes."

"Well... so the result is obvious, you don't have any symptoms of pregnancy. But logically speaking, with such frequent intercourse, even before and after your period, you should at least be pregnant..."

"...So, the result is that my body doesn't show any signs of pregnancy, and you suspect my husband might have a problem?"

"Yes. After all, that gentleman hasn't had a single medical check-up since he arrived in Ursus."

It was an unexpected yet perfectly reasonable outcome. Kosiche blinked dryly, wondering how she was going to explain this to her husband.

...After a brief moment's consideration, she abandoned her reserve: she'd explain everything to him when he returned. After all, he hadn't undergone a thorough medical check-up since arriving.

“I understand. Doctor, please be prepared this afternoon. I will come with my husband when he returns.”

"Yes, Lord Kosichek."

......

While Kosiché and his doctor reached an agreement, not far away in the administrative office, Yang Hao was intently discussing the matter of work relief with Mr. Joseph.

The administrative center, having completed the first phase of reforms, now has the minimum capacity to support the needs of the work-for-relief program. Although the Gaulish overseers have only been in office for less than a day, their presence has indeed greatly deterred potential corrupt elements—after all, not everyone has the guts to embezzle money in front of heavily armored warriors wielding axes.

As for bribery, that's utterly ridiculous: one of Yang Hao's measures to prevent the Gauls from being bribed by low-level civil servants was to pay them generous rewards. Combined with the 24-hour, second-by-second monitoring of the [Puppet Stage], and other influences... needless to say.

Therefore, Yang Hao can now confidently carry out the "work-for-relief" program while simultaneously undertaking the second reform of the administrative center.

However, we still need to discuss with Mr. Steel what priorities should be given to the "work relief" program.

“Sir, I personally do not recommend that you prioritize building administrative wonders, like the Pentagon,” Mr. Joseph said seriously, adjusting his glasses as he explained his thoughts. “We should prioritize building factories, schools, and basic infrastructure—for example, transforming the squalid slums into lower-grade residential areas. The existing administrative efficiency is sufficient for our needs. Now, we need to instill confidence in the people, in the merchants, and in the city's economy, letting them see that you and Lord Kosiché are indeed working on something.”

"That's true, but could higher administrative efficiency provide more convenience for the city?"

"What the people need now is not convenience, but bread and dignity. Sir, only when they have bread and dignity will they begin to seek convenience."

"That's true. So, what about the planning for schools and civilian factories..."

"Schools are of paramount importance to our next generation, but civilian factories are where our consumer goods are produced... However, considering that the Duchy of Kosiché does not lack consumer goods, but rather job opportunities, we can start with schools."

The economic crisis in the Duchy of Kosiché had a rather unique aspect: the quantity of consumer goods.

It can be said that the Duchy of Kosiché is not lacking in consumer goods—whether it is the bankrupt factories and enterprises or the abandoned warehouses, where large quantities of consumer goods are stockpiled, just waiting for people to come and buy them.

But people don't have the money to buy these essential consumer goods. What they lack is [work].

If we wait any longer, or if Kosichek hadn't paid much attention before, the milk-pouring incident from the last world would probably have happened here.

Fortunately, Yang Hao's work-for-relief program came a little too late. So... it's alright!

"So, let's start by having our people build [schools], [compact residential areas], some infrastructure, and the Four Seasons Gulag Hotel to house prisoners. The wages will be paid partly from the consumer goods stockpiled in warehouses and partly from tokens issued by our government."

"So many at once? Is that alright?"

“No problem. So many hungry Ursus people are looking for work, we have plenty of jobs to satisfy them.”

Yang Hao nodded, indicating that they should continue to discuss more in-depth details, when he suddenly had a strange premonition.

[Event: The Plot of the Immortal K]

Chapter 125

[Event: The Plot of the Immortal K]

Lord K of Columbia has not given up on his plan to kill or capture you. The fact that the United City escaped Columbia's siege dealt her a further blow.

She was still trying to find a solution and took concrete actions.

Effect: Lady K will attempt to infiltrate the Duchy of Cosch, and Columbia will prepare for war under her and other immortals' influence.

'Who did I offend?'

"..."

"gentlemen?"

"No, it's nothing. I just suddenly remembered a few things. Let's continue."

Why won't this Colombian K settle down?! Isn't there a wave—a Casimir—separating Colombia from Ursus?!

As Yang Hao muttered to himself, he continued discussing some details with Mr. Joseph. And then again, infiltrating the Dukedom of Koschei? Preparing for war against Ursus? Hmm...

The former can be dealt with by the already well-fed foals and snake scales, but the latter? Not to say anything, but if a real war breaks out, will Colombia attack Casimir first, or will Ursus attack Casimir first? Otherwise, with only a tiny amount of Western troops operating in the barren land, it won't be easy for either side to win this war.

Ah, Ursus might be in a better position, since as long as there's a war to fight, the economy and cohesion can recover.

The premise is that we can win.