My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 173

Lady Kal'tsit seemed to have actually accepted this explanation: "He does like this kind of thing, but... never mind. Lord Yang Hao, what brings you here?"

"While assigning you a new job, I need to see your recent work results—we'll discuss the details later."

"Yes."

Led by Lady Kal'tsit, Yang Hao left the Templar Knights behind and followed Theresa to the second floor.

On the second floor, in a relatively private meeting room, after Ms. Kal'tsit prepared tea for them, they were finally able to officially begin their work.

"So... Lord Yang Hao, what kind of work do you want me to do?"

"A specific drug for dealing with contact toxic gas has been developed."

"Contact gas?"

“I don’t quite understand this… Anyway, Theresa, could you explain it to Ms. Kal’tsit?”

...

With Miss Theresa's explanation, Ms. Kal'tsit finally understood what her extra task was all about—that is, to develop a drug specifically designed to counter gas attacks for the troops about to go to Kazimierz.

Kal'tsit had seen similar yellow gas before, one that could cause fatal damage not only through inhalation but also through slow, lethal action when it adhered to the skin. Developing a dedicated drug for it wasn't impossible, but first, she needed to obtain samples for experimentation. Furthermore, she needed to understand why Duke Yang Hao was planning to interfere in Kazimir's affairs now that the Dukedom of Kosichear and the Ursus Empire had barely survived a civil war.

“I need some samples, my lord,” she said to the Duke, who was drinking tea. “But I also have many questions, the most important of which are—do you hope that the medicine I develop can be used in a wider area, or only in your own troops? And why are you interfering in the war in Kazimir, when the Ursus Empire has just ended a brutal civil war—and even now, many remnants of that civil war still remain—are you planning to interfere in the war between neighboring countries?”

“I think you should know, Ms. Kelsey, that this involves a lot of political matters,” Yang Hao shrugged, explaining to Kelsey, “and it’s not just about politics—Ms. Kelsey, you probably don’t know how the Colombians use those poison gases, do you?”

“I don’t know, but if I remember correctly, similar poison gas is used in sealed spaces like military bases.” Kal’tsit frowned, wondering if there was anything else to say.

Then, Kal'tsit saw Duke Yang Hao pat Miss Theresa on the back, giving her a disapproving look and signaling her to bring over a document.

...Kal'tsit took the document, and then, in the next moment, her eyes fell on a photograph.

That's a photo of Qazimir refugees fleeing yellow poison gas, with large numbers of soldiers crumbling in the face of the gas behind them.

"In short—according to information from my intelligence agency, the Colombians do not care about civilian casualties. They spread poison gas on the front lines, regardless of whether there are civilians or hospitals and other facilities there. Moreover, the Colombians' method of advancement is to spread the poison gas evenly, and then let their follow-up troops occupy the empty areas after the gas dissipates. This will not only cause serious harm to ordinary people, but will also have an extremely bad impact on the ecological environment."

"...this?"

Kelsey was stunned for a moment.

"Ms. Kal'tsit, you can understand it as the Colombians seemingly intending to keep the total population of Casimir at no more than 30 in the future. Our intervention in Casimir this time is not just about securing benefits decades from now, but more about stopping those Colombian lunatics from continuing their expansion. If they dared to use that weapon against Casimir this time, they'll dare to use it against Ursus, against Letania, and even against regions like Kazdel and Rembiton that lack medical care—Ms. Kal'tsit, tell me, do you want to see that kind of scene?"

"...No, I don't want to."

Just imagining it sent chills down her spine. She believed that no matter how utterly depraved a war might be, it should never involve the brutality of civilians...

"And besides those reasons, there are also more personal reasons—the United City we support is also in Kazimir, and I have to rescue them before they are attacked. Ms. Kal'tsit, do you have any further questions?"

"...there is none left."

She shook her head. Lady Kal'tsit had no more questions, except—

"I still need samples."

“The samples will be delivered soon, so let’s leave it at that—and besides that, I’d also like to see your findings on Ore disease.”

"...plz follow me."

The important matters have been settled, so let's take a look at the trivial matters as they come.

With this in mind, Yang Hao and Theresa, led by Kal'tsit, inspected the various achievements on the second floor of the Oripathy Research Center.

how to say--

With the strong support of the Duke of Kosichä, Kal'tsit developed some relatively effective drugs for infected individuals compared to other drugs of this era.

However, these drugs do not have a curative effect; they only have a suppressive effect. After taking these drugs, even workers in the most dangerous environments will not experience a further increase in infection rates, but this comes at a cost...

"This drug can cause enormous damage to the internal organs of the user. I do not recommend that ordinary people take this drug unless necessary—of course, in special circumstances, this drug, which I call 'iris,' will be the best effective treatment for Oripathy in modern times."

"iris?"

"Because if the crystals and composition of the drug were drawn on a diagram, they would look a lot like an iris flower." Kal'tsit shrugged and showed Yang Hao the box containing ten purple pills.

She said she had distributed the drugs to some of the infected miners who volunteered for the drug trials, and based on her observations over the past few days, the infected did not cause a further increase in the infection rate during the subsequent Originium mining work.

However, many people experienced vomiting and loss of appetite. Kal'tsit conducted simple tests and deductions based on these side effects, and the result was a side effect table.

"Using it for more than one day will cause vomiting, and loss of appetite will occur within a day. However, if used continuously for more than three days..."

"High-risk side effects such as abdominal pain are very likely to occur. If used continuously for more than a week, it will cause irreversible damage to the kidneys."

"...Okay, that's barely acceptable for those high-risk workers—so, Ms. Kal'tsit, how much does this drug cost?"

"This number."

Kal'tsit quoted a string of figures—a very expensive cost; if we were to use pure gold as an analogy, it would take about 10 pieces of pure gold to make one box of medicine.

One box of medicine can last for ten days, and it is not a cure; at most, it can only be considered a preventative medicine for upcoming high-risk environments.

It's actually similar to the anti-radiation medicine boxes that the Soviet Union distributed to its citizens during the Cold War in Yang Hao's hometown—it only gives you medicine to prevent nuclear radiation for a period of time, but whether the side effects of the medicine will kill you is another matter.

Of course, having such a drug is a good thing. Yang Hao's next consideration is how to develop an upgraded version while minimizing its cost...

"Furthermore, Lord Yang Hao, if nothing unexpected happens, I will be attending my first class at that university in ten days—but I am not familiar with the map there, so I will need to take a day off to get a basic understanding of the university."

Just as Yang Hao was considering how to maximize the industrialization of iris production, Kal'tsit suddenly made this request.

Before he could even react, Yang Hao's instinctive answer was this:

"I can come with you if you need to; after all, I still need to retrieve those drones over there—"

...

Then he received strange looks from Lady Kal'tsit, including from Theresa beside him...

Did I say something wrong? He smiled awkwardly, indicating to Kal'tsit that he should just pretend he didn't say anything.

Chapter 17

While Mr. Yang Hao and his secretary were reviewing the results in Ms. Kelsey's research lab.

"...Monica?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I have a feeling that you've been hiding something from me lately?"

"Hehe, what are you saying, sir? I am your most loyal head maid, you know?"

"...Then tell me, why does my husband look increasingly pale lately?"

"After all, adults sometimes look after me, so is there any problem?"

"...a point of restraint."

"I think you are the least qualified to say that, Lord Kosiché."

"..."

He was received in the audience hall.

It's rare that I don't have to take care of the kids.

There's no need to deal with His Majesty the Emperor, who's been in a good mood lately and often goes to the courtyard to enjoy the beauty of life.

There wasn't much tedious work either.

Lord Kosiché is dealing with recent political affairs.

At this moment, she was looking at her head maid with suspicion—her head maid, Miss Monica, who had recently been glowing with health and looked increasingly beautiful.

She had a feeling that her husband and her maid were hiding something from her lately, but she didn't want Serpent Scale to spy on them to avoid causing problems in their family harmony. However, without Serpent Scale's help, and with her questions to her beloved always going unanswered, the great Black Serpent Duke had no choice but to turn his evil intentions to his dashing and earnest head maid.

When questioned by her mistress, Head Maid Monica simply smiled and told the truth—as for the secrets that Lord Yang Hao had paid for with his body... well, she had to keep her promise.

After all, if Lord Kosiché were to find out that the 2 taels of red gold already spent were actually earned through the hard work of Lord Yang Hao and His Majesty the Emperor, this duke, who has only recently managed to calm down, might just fly into a rage and pull out a knife to have a heart-to-heart talk with His Majesty the Emperor... To avoid this worst-case scenario, I'm sure even if Lord Kosiché finds out later, he'll understand my good intentions, right?

Of course, that's what she thought—Monica knew that the best way to prevent Lord Koschche from discovering this secret was to talk to her about work-related matters.

"So, Lord Koschche? Has Miss Karina's condition improved?"

Monica had been very concerned about Miss Karina's condition, since it was the body of the future Lord Koschche. Therefore, it was essential to observe Miss Karina beforehand and prepare a balanced diet for her after Lord Koschche inherited the body.

Furthermore, considering that Lord Kosichä might eventually become a member of the Ursus race again... Head Maid Monica believes that it's necessary to prepare Lord Yang Hao first—after all, he has an Ursus body, not the frail Felin body...

“Karina? Hmm, she’s doing very well. Everything that’s needed for the inheritance is gradually returning to normal after I answered her questions. However, I’ve also allowed her to have contact with my beloved—after all, she’s eager to get to know my husband before I inherit her body.”

"Ah, this... Has anything like this happened before?" Monica paused, blinked, and stared blankly at Lord Koschei, wondering if Lord Koschei wasn't afraid that Miss Karina might take advantage of the situation.

And then again.

What if Miss Karina really gets pregnant because of her relationship with Lord Yang Hao before inheriting the body?

Is this child Miss Karina's or Lord Kosiché's?

Or perhaps, both?

The conversation abruptly shifted from a personal issue to philosophical and ethical matters, and Head Maid Monica's expression became quite strange. However, Koschei didn't seem to notice. She simply muttered, "Don't worry, everything is going according to plan," before letting out a heavy sigh, indicating that although there had been less work lately, the situation in the Ursus Empire was still far from optimistic.

“I roughly understand what my darling is planning to do… He intends to carry out a high-intensity purge of the nobles of the Ursus Empire, aiming to reduce their numbers to a dangerous level before establishing a completely new system. Although His Majesty the Emperor seems to be letting him do as he pleases, I need to have a detailed discussion with him about this tonight… After all, the foundation of the nobility is still too solid, and many nobles secretly possess power that rivals that of a small country—he needs to be serious about this.”

"But wouldn't Lord Yang Hao be able to easily eliminate those nobles?"

Faced with Monica's curious question, Koschche remained silent for a while before offering a very intuitive analogy:

"Just like sex, my dear, dealing with His Majesty the Emperor seems to be a relatively easy thing. After all, it's not like dealing with an old monster like me who has lived for thousands of years, nor is it like dealing with an ascendant like you, Monica—when facing mortals, my dear, he has overwhelming or superior strength."

"Forehead..."

"But Monica, think about it carefully. If you had squeezed every last drop of blood out of him the day before he went to His Majesty's room, would he still be able to do whatever he wanted with His Majesty? Would His Majesty still be able to do whatever he wanted with him? He wouldn't even be able to get an erection. What could he do? Now you should understand this when you apply it to the matter of purging the nobles of the Ursus Empire, right?"

Why don't you show any embarrassment when you talk about this, Lord Koschche?

Monica stared at her owner in astonishment. After a moment, she shook her head, indicating that she understood.

"So, Lord Yang Hao's ability requires the consumption of [something], and once that thing is exhausted, he won't be able to deal with the surging wave of noble rebellion?"

"That's exactly what I mean—and as I understand it, he's probably used up all of those things recently."

"...Then you'll need to rest and recuperate for a while."

"However, he seems to want to rest and recuperate after the Kazimir affair is over—on another note, have the Kazimirans been interested in St. Arthur's Castle or crossing the border recently?"

"not at all."

Monica thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"I think those arrogant knights and rulers are still too proud to think they can solve the problems in Colombia... Alas, I hope they don't come begging to us when they're reduced to just one city. By then, Casimir will be worthless."

"Yes, it is."

The conversation between the mistress and servant ended. If nothing unexpected happened, Monica would have to prepare lunch in ten minutes, and also check on Sonia and the others who were playing with Hela in the courtyard.

And there's another big event this afternoon—the diplomats Ms. Therese sent to sign the business contracts are also arriving soon.

I hope my dear can come back before that time.

With this in mind, Duke Kosiché stretched lazily and decided to be more restrained recently so that Yang Hao's body wouldn't be able to recover.

Just as she was having this thought, for some reason, she felt that the light outside the windows of the audience hall seemed a bit too green and glaring.

"That is?"

"Hmm—it seems to be the green light coming through the glass from the administrative center that's under construction. Lord Yang Hao said it might take more than ten years to build."

"Sigh... I really don't understand why he likes such huge buildings... But oh well, let him like it—what's the state of that university?"

"It must have been created by the adults' [puppet stage]. Those drones built a simple university for us with extremely high efficiency, and there are many places there that can be expanded—it's just that those drones have run out of energy and can no longer operate."

"Can't it be charged?"

Kosichello blinked, thinking that drones and the like—aren't they all rechargeable?

Although she admits that there are many things she has never seen in her long life, surely drones are something she can't understand?

And this was something she really couldn't understand.

"That's not related to our current... energy sources. We can't recharge it; we can only wait for Mr. Yang Hao to return and check the situation."

According to Monica's description, it seemed to be an "extremely advanced" and "completely undisassembleable" drone... Now that things had come to this point, Koschke could only wait for her husband to come home and ask him what was going on in bed.

Just kidding, she hasn't forgotten her goal of practicing self-discipline during this period.

"Okay, let's leave it for now. How's Joseph's situation?"

Then, the conversation turned to Kosiché's most trusted interior minister and his work.