My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 90

"Of course it doesn't matter. All my policies have been put in Parliament, but those useless parasites, those clowns who only know how to please others, and those jesters who influence my thinking—even if my policies are 100% effective, they'll probably drag it out for months before they vote on them in the meeting."

The emperor's smile turned cold. It seemed those jesters were indeed quite annoying to her.

"Since you've put it that way... then let's leave it at that. If there's nothing else, I'll take my husband home to rest."

“Alright. But I must mention, Mr. Yang Hao, it’s been a very pleasant chat with you—although you always make excuses, I can tell that it’s not because you lack the ability, but because you’re considerate of Duke Kosiché’s feelings. Hehe, you truly are a family man.”

"...Hahaha."

Unable to understand why His Majesty the Emperor had to steer the conversation towards him at the last minute, Yang Hao felt both proud of the Emperor's assessment and increasingly uncomfortable with the kitten's tail clinging to his waist...

He was in for a tough time tonight. He sighed. He had originally planned to go check on the foal... but now it seemed best to pass.

Let's just get through tonight first.

With this in mind, Yang Hao and his wife respectfully bid farewell to His Majesty the Emperor and returned to their car, which was parked in the palace parking lot, as quickly as possible.

As they settled in and the driver prepared to leave, Head Maid Monica appeared in the back seat of the car like a ghost. Although she simply extended her hands, offering the two gentlemen two refreshing drinks, the encounter was still a uniquely exciting experience for Yang Hao, who was not yet familiar with her.

He took the drink offered by the head maid, drank it down with Kosiché in one gulp, and then sighed.

"We will continue to discuss the details in the next two days, but I feel that His Majesty prefers to discuss it the day after tomorrow."

"Yes. So we can take care of our own things tomorrow."

"Hmm... Deep Sea Hunter? I was planning to hold a victory celebration, you know? Before ending negotiations with His Majesty the Emperor, and before executing those nobles of Duke Nikolai. Sigh, I don't really want to hold a victory celebration after killing those nobles... that would cause a lot of trouble."

"And you don't want to have so many things weighing on your shoulders while also having to recruit those deep-sea hunters?"

"That's it."

Yang Hao rubbed his wife's tail. He planned to make formal contact with the deep-sea hunters at tomorrow's victory banquet, but he didn't know what they would need to gain in order to pledge their loyalty to him.

Hopefully it's not too expensive, or something that the Duchy of Kosiché doesn't have.

Chapter 192

6 month 3 day.

In the Duchy of Kosiché, the great Duke of Kosiché and her husband held a private victory celebration banquet. Invited guests included members of the Duke of Kosiché's cabinet: Mr. Joseph, Mr. Paul, Head Maid Monica, and others, as well as some high-ranking officers from the army [about to go to the battlefield against Duke Nikolai], and Yang Hao's trusted cabinet confidants.

That is, Miss Theresa, Mr. Napoleon, and Mr. Großwazel. They were allowed to bring a maximum of two attendants to celebrate, so the actual number of people was probably a bit larger.

In addition to the aforementioned individuals, the Deep Sea Hunters, who had previously intervened in the capture of the deformed nobles, providing significant assistance and preventing further casualties, were also invited to the Duke's mansion for a banquet.

But then again...

For the Duke of Koschei, dressed in his magnificent robes, who had never seen a Deepsea Hunter—or more precisely, never seen a Deepsea Hunter appear in the Duchy of Koschei, and hadn't even noticed their presence when leaving the hospital...

Looking at the ten white-haired, red-eyed women in front of him, dressed in strange clothes, Koschche could still feel the oppressive aura and the faint air of ignorance emanating from them, even though they were unarmed... Koschche was clearly very dissatisfied with these beautiful deep-sea hunters.

Why are you not satisfied?

The Deep Sea Hunter is a "key talent" that her husband has been longing to recruit.

Many of them are very beautiful. If Margarita's appearance is a 6 in her husband's eyes, and she herself is also a 6 in his eyes, then all those deep-sea hunters are all 7s or higher.

They are powerful, and in a sense, they are beings that the Duchy of Kosiché must acquire in the future, beings that their husbands must come into contact with if they want to achieve immortality.

Most of them are very young, just like Miss Margarita. They don't know much about the society of the short-lived races, which easily gives people an impulse to protect them (in fact, be protected by them).

more importantly--

Their leader inexplicably developed a strong liking for Yang Hao... Could this make Black Snake less wary? Or satisfy her?

No, that can't be... At this moment, the Black Serpent sensed a threat from those deep-sea hunters that was even stronger than the one coming from His Majesty the Emperor. That little bat, placed here, is practically as cute as a pet cat...

However, Kosice did not show any signs of embarrassment. She simply smiled, holding a wine glass in one hand and her husband's arm in the other, indicating in the most glamorous setting that her husband would say a few words before the banquet began.

"Oh dear, didn't you say that?"

Holding a cane in one hand and a wine glass in the other, Yang Hao's public complaint brought knowing smiles to the faces of the people present. Apart from the deep-sea hunters, those attending the banquet were all the private soldiers and trusted subordinates of these two lords, so they had long been aware of Lord Kosch's doting love and trust for her husband.

With a helpless expression, Yang Hao released his wife's hand and, with Monica's help, walked to the podium. He looked around at his ministers and subordinates, and finally raised a toast to the deep-sea hunters who were somewhat distant from the center of the banquet, but still within his sight. He then smiled and said:

"Although I would like to start the banquet immediately, so that everyone doesn't have to listen to me ramble on on an empty stomach... unfortunately, there is a problem that I must raise now."

His expression turned serious, and the faces of his ministers below also changed from laughter to solemnity. Everyone here knew the crimes committed by the nobles of the Duke of Nikolai, and they all knew very well that the nobles of the Duke of Nikolai were not perverts who could be kept at bay by mere condemnation and restrictions on their movement.

"That is—the perpetrator of the recent extremely heinous cannibalism case, the nobles of the Duke of Nikolai. I think you all know that, in addition to the nobles who were previously executed by me and the head maid of Kosiché, namely Monica, there are still some nobles from the Duke of Nikolai's faction imprisoned in the Serpent Scale prison."

They committed countless crimes, even more ruthless than the most brutal war criminals—they slaughtered and devoured my people simply to satisfy their appetites, and they even violated and devoured the mother of a daughter under five years old in front of her for mere amusement... They are the common enemy of all mankind, even the Originium Bugs seem more noble and harmless than them.

Our Dukedom of Koschche will inevitably face a fierce battle with the Dukedom of Nikolai. Even with the Emperor's support and the support of other nobles possessing basic conscience and humanity, Koschche and I hope you will be prepared.

Prepare for a large-scale rebellion within the empire.

In any normal setting, this would be a shocking and appalling speech questioning the stability of the empire, but Yang Hao had the evidence, and his subjects were willing to believe it, so it didn't cause any trouble here—if you had to say there was one, it was that Mr. Grovazel seemed to have some issues.

"In short, sir, you mean we'll soon have a fierce battle with Duke Nikolai's territory?" Wendigo asked, raising his hand with a puzzled expression. "Then can we request support from the Imperial army? After all, Duke Nikolai has committed such heinous acts; surely many in the entire Empire despise him?"

This is a good question. With the Emperor's support, it is only natural for the Duchy of Kosice to request the support of the Imperial Army, rather than relying solely on its own private troops and the reinforcements of other nobles.

But the problem is...

“As I said before, this could lead to a massive rebellion within the entire empire.” Yang Hao shrugged, answering Mr. Grovazel’s question in the now quiet banquet hall. “Even the imperial army might be split in two… The [Sherlock Nightclub] standing behind Duke Nikolai is a malignant organization that has absorbed a large number of imperial nobles and generals as regulars in its terrifying cannibalistic banquet halls.”

Those nobles and generals knew that if their cannibalism were exposed, they would face certain death—so with no way out, they were bound to rebel.

In the current economic crisis, the Imperial Army itself is also suffering. At that point, it would be good enough if the Imperial Army could at least hold its own against the rebels, wouldn't it?

"That's right, then I understand."

Mr. Großwazel nodded. After he had no further questions, the banquet officially commenced at Yang Hao's suggestion.

But why hold a banquet at this time? On one hand, Yang Hao hoped to have a public and respectful opportunity to meet with the Deepsea Hunters. On the other hand, with war approaching, after the execution of the nobles imprisoned under Duke Nicolai, the Koschie Duchy would likely face a long period of chaos.

Perhaps because of the war, or perhaps because of his busy schedule, he might not be able to find a place where everyone could get together to eat, drink, and relax by then. So, let it be.

After informing Kosiché, he first went to the chat spot of the new trio consisting of Teresa Pony, Mr. Napoleon, and Mr. Großwazel. After a brief greeting, he inquired about their recent situation.

Theresa nonchalantly indicated that the work on Creed was nearing completion, but she wouldn't be staying in the Duke of Nikolai's territory for much longer—it was unclear whether the Duke had gone mad or what, but he had begun a massive search for anyone suspected of being a "spy." Even innocent merchants were being targeted. Theresa hoped to finish the remaining work quickly before things got worse so that her sisters could evacuate.

Yang Hao agreed to her request. After all, the number of Little Colt spies who died was one less to lose, so it was better to keep their organization intact as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Mr. Napoleon and Mr. Groivazel were in a more ordinary situation. Mr. Napoleon was selecting suitable new recruits from the Gauls he had previously rescued to train in order to bring the Knights Templar to a strength of one thousand as soon as possible, while Mr. Groivazel, in addition to his daily academic research, also frequently went to Mr. Joseph to discuss political affairs.

He still couldn't forget the details of Yang Hao's "work-for-relief" program, and before Yang Hao left, he asked him to "talk to him about it when he had time." Considering the long lifespan of the Wendigos, Yang Hao smiled and agreed.

After finishing his conversation with his subordinates, the atmosphere of the banquet reached its climax. Now, Yang Hao could directly approach the Deep Sea Hunters without any problem, and it wouldn't seem like he was favoring outsiders. So, after exchanging a glance with his wife who was not far away, Yang Hao placed his empty wine glass on the banquet table and slowly walked towards the Deep Sea Hunters with his cane.

"Hello, Ms. Sonia, and your compatriots. I hope you enjoy this celebration."

"Greetings, Puppet Master. We thoroughly enjoyed this banquet, but I imagine you didn't invite us all here simply to give us a chance to attend?"

Yang Hao felt that the deep-sea hunters, especially their leader, Ms. Sonia, were looking at him strangely... Was there something wrong with his clothes? He was extremely confused, completely baffled as to why the deep-sea hunters were giving him that look that seemed to want to devour him...

"It must be my imagination!" He smiled, and after indicating to Ms. Sonia that it was indeed more than that, he said seriously:

"Actually, this occasion is also to give you appropriate rewards. After all, you saved the head maid whom my wife and I trusted the most, and you also captured a criminal who was roaming the empire. I think that money alone cannot affirm your value - so I hope to give you more rewards."

"I see..."

"So please tell me, if it's something I can offer, then I will give it to you as a reward. Well, it's not really a reward, since it's what you deserve."

Was this contact just to give the deep-sea hunters a reward? Definitely not! Don't let Yang Hao's current appearance as a gigolo fool you; his heart is as black as ink!

This is actually quite common in corporate life at Columbia. To use an analogy, it's like you've come from out of town and started a new job at the same large company. Then one day, you receive a gift from the head of company A—even if you truly deserve it, in the eyes of the heads of companies B and C, you're now considered one of company A's people. Therefore, the other heads naturally won't have any further intention of recruiting you.

If we compare the Ursus Empire to a company, with its various dukes as the top leaders, then this becomes a consensus:

The foreign deep-sea hunters resolved some of the incidents for Duke Kosichä, rescuing a noblewoman from the ducal palace, and they also received a reward.

Subsequently, the deep-sea hunter received an invitation from Duke Koschche and arrived at the Duke's mansion to attend the banquet as agreed.

At the banquet, the deep-sea hunter received even more rewards from the Duke and Duchess of Koschei, rewards that were simply too many to count.

After the banquet, all the dukes who received the news would unanimously agree that the outsider deep-sea hunter, who had received payment twice, had become Duke Koschche's man, and offering help rashly might be mistaken for "undermining their cause."

Thus, even if the Deepsea Hunters leave the Duchy of Koschei and seek help from other duchies, the dukes will be incredibly indifferent due to various pieces of information. Without the help of other duchies, the Deepsea Hunters will have no choice but to rely on the Duchy of Koschei to obtain certain things from the inland areas.

But then...you know what I mean? You've already taken our money twice, so this time, asking for our help won't be free, you know? Sigh, I know you don't have much money, but if you're so capable, why not sign a 30-year work contract in our territory? Then you'll get paid for your work, and you'll also get our help to get what you want—and we can use your strength to accomplish things that were otherwise impossible. Isn't that a win-win situation?

By the way, a win-win situation means that Yang Hao has a chance to achieve immortality, Duke Koschche leads his people to prosperity and strength, and the Deep Sea Hunters will be able to find something? Hmm... I don't know.

"Exactly, can I suggest anything?"

“That’s right. You can take anything that’s in our territory.”

So hurry up! I'm waiting for you to set a trap!

Yang Hao waited with a smile, watching the thoughtful Ms. Sonia, while the devil in his heart grinned.

　 At that moment, an ominous premonition suddenly surged within me.

"Then, I want you, Master Puppet Master."　

After seeing Ms. Sonia point directly at herself

"...what?"

The smile on his face froze.

Not far away, the leader of the Deep Sea Hunters also noticed that he had uttered such shameless words.

Duke Kosiché crushed the delicate stem of the goblet in his hand.

Chapter 193

"Then, I want you, Master Puppet Master."　

Ms. Sonia's earnest request left Yang Hao speechless.

Not only was Yang Hao stunned, but Koschei, who had been watching his conversation with the Deep Sea Hunter from a distance, was also stunned. Then, furious at the Deep Sea Hunter's shameless behavior, she crushed the stem of her wine glass. If she hadn't already finished her conversation and was waiting for Yang Hao to return, her strange behavior might have instantly chilled the lively atmosphere of the entire venue, making it impossible to salvage the situation.

Monica noticed it too. Her face was grim. To her left was Lord Koschich, who, though outwardly calm, was inwardly seething with rage, his body shattering the wine glass uncontrollably. In the distance was Lord Yang Hao, who looked dazed and didn't know what to do. Unable to attend to both sides, after much consideration, she chose to trust Yang Hao's methods and stood behind Lord Koschich, serving her and quickly replacing the broken wine glass.

...

As for Yang Hao, he was not only bewildered at this moment, but the word "why" kept echoing in his chaotic thoughts: Could it be that his charm was so great that not only the emperor, but even the deep-sea hunters far away on the coast could not resist him?

This shouldn't be! If you wanted gold and silver, or even snake scales or soldiers to help you fight the monsters on the continent, that would be fine! But you...you want me so directly?! This...this—what are we going to do?!

Yang Hao has only ever experienced a direct approach like Kosic's! But the problem is, back then he hadn't confirmed his relationship with Margarita, and it was one thing to accept it while he was single... But now that he's married, and things with His Majesty the Emperor aren't even settled yet, he's already in an ambiguous relationship with the pony, the head maid, and Margarita... This... isn't quite right?

At this moment, Yang Hao had even forgotten that he had once planned to use a scheme like seduction to keep the Deepsea Hunter by his side and use him for his own purposes... Perhaps this is what it means to be a "good young man who says the most hateful things in Zaun but greets her as 'Auntie' in real life."

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to speak but then stopping, repeating this motion for over ten seconds—after several cycles—he glanced at Kosichek, who was already smiling...and turned to leave the banquet hall. Monica, after nervously looking around for a while, finally gave Yang Hao a suggestive look and followed him away.

He was speechless. All his words were swallowed down as saliva. A few beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead and rolled down his face. The deep-sea hunter opposite him simply watched him, slowly lowered his hand, and quietly waited for Yang Hao's reply.

Yang Hao had no intention of replying at that moment... his mind was completely occupied by the sight of Koschitch turning and leaving. This was the first time he had ever seen Koschitch so angry—even though it was because of him that he felt... great. But she was genuinely angry.

This is bad, this is really bad... Koschei is really angry... Monica, were you just implying that your master is going to die when he gets back?

"...Please wait a moment."

Yang Hao knew that Kosic had left early to avoid spoiling the celebratory atmosphere of the victory banquet... but even if he wanted to go back and comfort her, he couldn't leave now. Helpless, he could only anxiously think about what to do next while wiping away his cold sweat.

Hmm, let's help him sort out his thoughts.

First of all—regardless of the reason, it's a definite fact that the Deepsea Hunters want him as a person; the only question is which aspect of him they want.

Do you need my flesh to be made into something? Or are you like that emperor who doesn't have a crown prince and needs me to come and help? Or perhaps you know the true nature of my abilities and simply want me to do something for your territory?

There's not much to say about the first one... Yang Hao refused outright, leaving no room for negotiation—unless you only want a fingernail, it's really not going to work.

Reason? He's afraid of pain.

As for the second one... Yang Hao couldn't understand it at all!

In his memory, he didn't have that...special constitution at all, right? He had even been told by doctors that he might never be able to have children! If that Ms. Sonia really had the ability to predict the future, then she must have known about this, right?

Furthermore, he understood the emperor's desire for an heir. After all, given his current achievements and abilities, it was quite normal for Empress Catherine, as the monarch, to use their biological child as leverage to ensure his eternal loyalty to Ursus—a common practice among nobles in both this world and his home world. But did the Deepsea Hunter know about this?

Do they really know what they're doing in Ursus? I mean—they live on the coast, maybe without even a city, do they really need this?

Yang Hao expressed his doubts about this.

As for the third reason... it's easy to understand. Their territory is in some trouble, so they want me to go and help them, which is understandable.

But it's still the same thing: understanding doesn't mean you have to go and help in person, right? Not to mention that Yang Hao is unfamiliar with that place... It would be better to send him to His Majesty the Emperor's palace in Saint-Jun Castle right now than to send him there rashly.