My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 11

What is this? What's with that bottle of blood?! I...I...I won't need to drink blood anymore?! Margarita hadn't even recovered from the blissful thought of no longer needing to buy expired blood from the hospital for her upcoming journey when Yang Hao said this:

"You can take a shower at my place later and then go back—oh, it's fine if you don't go back. But I still have to go to work... Sigh, but I suggest you go back first, or go out for a walk?"

"Hmm?"

Chewing on something, unable to speak, Margarita blinked at Yang Hao, asking him what was wrong.

"It's nothing, I'm just not sure if you can actually absorb the nutrients from normal human food now that you can eat it. I remember Blood Demons can only get nutrients from blood, right?"

"Mmm." Margarita nodded.

"That's why I told you to go back or go out more—try some snacks that ordinary people eat, right? And see what foods make you feel unwell... I need to observe you, otherwise I won't be at ease." Yang Hao shrugged, stuffing bread into his mouth as he mumbled, "And then—if you feel unwell or anything strange happens, remember to tell me. Although I checked you out last night, I'm still worried..."

"Hmm?!"

　Margarita was so startled by Yang Hao's words that she almost spat out what she was eating. However, the man in front of her simply finished his breakfast in a hurry, told Margarita to "just put them in the sink after you're done," and then put on his shoes and went to work.

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...

After enjoying a delightful meal, Margarita was in a good mood. While helping Yang Hao wash the dishes, she pondered the matter of the bottle of blood.

“…I’ve taken so much care of him…and yet I seem to have never been able to give him what he expects…” Margarita muttered to herself in frustration as she scrubbed the greasy dishes with a sponge. “I’m so terrible…but, but every time I try to ask him what he wants, it feels like he’s forgotten about it…”

In Margarita's memory, two years ago she had asked Yang Hao several times what gift he wanted. If he wanted, she would even tie herself up and give herself to him. But when Margarita asked him, he seemed to have forgotten about what happened five months ago.

Hmm... Margarita thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer... The only conclusion she could come up with was: Maybe Yang Hao is a little forgetful?

Probably? For Margarita, although two years is just a blink of an eye, she still remembers things from so long ago... or even not that long ago? Or rather, for a Sarkaz Blood Demon, planning one's life in years is only natural, right?

Margarita recalled what her mother had told her. In her memory, both sets of parents, both Sarkaz Blood Demons, had been in love for over twenty years. Those twenty years were roughly equivalent to twenty-odd months for an ordinary person?

Hmm...not bad...right? Her mother told her that she needed at least twenty years to determine if someone truly wanted to spend their life with her... As the two people who had the greatest influence on Margarita, she naturally chose to follow her mother's advice and use the Blood Demon's concept of time to decide her own life's destiny. However, it's okay if it's a little earlier...it doesn't have to be 20 years, actually, 5 or 6 years is fine too...

"Hmm... Mom told me it would take 20 years... but if we reduce it to 5 or 6 years... that should be fine, right?"

Furthermore, Margarita hasn't shown any interest simply because she can't find a job other than as a messenger of natural disasters...

"Huh?! Water, water is overflowing!"

However, letting your brain wander while washing dishes is obviously not a good thing. At the very least, when Margarita noticed that the water in the sink had overflowed, she let out a cry of surprise, hurriedly turned on the tap, and then looked at the water-soaked floor with a nervous expression.

......

Meanwhile, Miss Koschke, who had been spying on Yang Hao's room all morning, was preparing for her workday. She realized that a major reason why Yang Hao was so disheartened about going on a blind date on his phone was Miss Blood Demon's frustratingly bad sense of time.

For the immortals, their lifespan is far too long, long enough that seven generations of an ordinary family would have died out while an immortal might only be entering the adolescence of their race.

The same applies to Blood Demons. A Blood Demon's average lifespan is at least several hundred years. For a Blood Demon, spending 20 years testing a partner's loyalty and whether they can overcome numerous difficulties after marriage is perfectly normal. Of course, Miss Koschke doesn't think the Blood Demon's parents' upbringing was wrong. After all, they are Blood Demons; perhaps they never believed their daughter would fall in love with an ordinary person, at least not someone with a lifespan comparable to an ordinary person.

They educated their daughter using the same methods they used against the Blood Demon, teaching her everything she would need to deal with it.

"...No matter what, treating an ordinary person the way you would treat an immortal of your own race...Miss Margarita, are you really stupid? Or are you just too young to have considered such things at all?" Miss Koschke, now dressed in formal attire, recalled the mutterings she had overheard Margarita while spying. Even someone who had lived for thousands of years found it absurd...

But their upbringing was clearly flawed—their daughter didn't fall in love with another blood demon; she fell in love with a short-lived one.

"But thinking about it, it makes sense. Young people always have their moments of arrogance... thinking that short-lived creatures can wait for them for decades, thinking that even if they do nothing, the other person will still patiently wait for them... Heh, if she experiences another ten years or so of life, perhaps she'll understand how terrible these things are..."

Miss Margarita is only 30 years old at most. If she were 50 or 60, perhaps she would view Yang Hao the same way she views short-lived people, and then either reject him decisively or wholeheartedly accept his love in just a few decades? Long-lived versus short-lived... making a decisive decision is better for both parties.

But there are no "what ifs" in life. Miss Margarita has already missed her best opportunity, and Miss Koschke, who is still alive, may now be worried about how to prolong Mr. Yang Hao's life after he becomes her husband.

After all, Miss Koschei also hoped to manage the people of the duchy better through her future husband for as long as possible. His abilities were so outstanding that Miss Koschei was willing to trade the life of the current, capable and warlike Emperor of Ursus for it—if she could really do that.

"Phew. Time to get to work."

After finishing the last piece of decoration, she glanced at the Sarkaz sculpture, which still emitted a faint blue light and was placed in a corner of her bedroom, and smiled charmingly. She planned to make various preparations for her future meeting with Yang Hao while working.

....... .......

Meanwhile, Yang Hao, who was directing the workers, noticed that Jack hadn't come to work today.

After chatting with the employee in charge of holiday arrangements for a while, he discovered that Jack had taken sick leave because his back was hurting and he needed to see a doctor today.

In his memory, this obese Fengti tribesman always had a good back. Why was he experiencing back pain now? Yang Hao's lips twitched. He could only imagine that his family's nightlife was so rich that it had taken a toll on his old back.

He was genuinely envious... not just of the nightlife aspect, but he envied that Jack now had a reason to strive for something.

"Sigh... I hope Miss Kosiché can give me a reason to strive."

He sighed, activated the [Puppet Stage] and ordered the workers to officially begin work. He decided that if the current city lord ordered the city to move one meter toward Bolivar today, he would kill him immediately and it would be better to replace him with another city lord.

Chapter 28

After having breakfast, Margarita washed Yang Hao's dishes (although she almost messed it up), cleaned his house, and took a good shower in the bathroom. Then, she prepared to go out for a walk and tidy up some things that needed to be organized when she got home.

"Hoo... Should I still record the changes in my body? Hmm... there haven't been any changes yet!"

Margarita was in a good mood, humming a song as she put on her boots. She turned to look at the hallway leading to Yang Hao's house.

...How should I put it? She felt that this place was actually quite nice...no need to move, no need for anything, living here with him was actually quite good.

Although the house was a bit crowded, Margarita didn't dislike the crowded life of being with people she liked.

"Phew... I'm going out," she murmured softly, a departure phrase she had practiced for a long time. If nothing unexpected happened, she'd probably be saying it a lot after they started living together, right?

Margarita never had the chance to say those words at home. But the future will be different, you know? Hmm... but she needs to hurry...

Let's go check out the tailors' association later.

With that thought in mind, Margarita locked the door and left.

......

Once on the street, Margarita experienced all sorts of things she had never felt before.

The aromas of various delicious foods wafting from the breakfast stalls on the street were stimulating Margarita's sense of smell. She watched with longing as people bought breakfast, her gaze shifting back and forth between hot dogs and flatbreads. She hadn't felt any vampiric urges yet; instead, her thirst for ordinary food seemed to be growing stronger.

Hmm... but I can't overeat! I've already had breakfast, so I need to be moderate, very moderate.

She swallowed the saliva that welled up in her mouth. Although she really wanted to try the hot dogs and sesame seed cakes, she hesitated for a moment, then patted her cheeks and decided to go to the tailors' guild first to see how she could make money if she learned tailoring skills.

But just as she turned to head towards her destination, she bumped into a familiar couple...

“Mr. Jack? Madam…”

"Oh? Margarita, you're back? It's been so long!"

It was Jack and his family. Under Margarita's dry, staring gaze, Jack, a much thinner member of the Fonhooves tribe, was being supported by his wife, Waifan. He had one hand on his waist and the other raised high, waving to Margarita.

"Hmm, long time no see... What's up?"

Margarita greeted him, still confused, but what was wrong with Mr. Jack?

Faced with Margarita's question, Jack remained silent. While Jack was still silent, Mrs. Waifan, who was supporting him, used a strength disproportionate to her small frame to hoist the frail but still robust-looking, muscular-looking man onto her shoulder.

Ignoring her husband's struggles and the astonished stares of passersby, Mrs. Waifan spoke casually and cheerfully to the dumbfounded Margarita:

"It's nothing, we have a good relationship, so I accidentally hurt his back—we're going to take him to the hospital to get it checked out now. Sigh, honey, you're so frail. You need to start exercising next week, understand?"

".....Hahaha..."

Is that so?! Looking at Mr. Jack, who was being carried on Mrs. Waifan's shoulder, looking utterly hopeless and having given up struggling, Margarita chuckled dryly and said that she wanted to go to the tailors' guild to learn tailoring skills and then find a job that she could do in the city.

In response to Margarita's statement, Mrs. Vaivan simply smiled and nodded, indicating that she could offer some small assistance if needed.

Just as Margarita was about to say she would "think about it," Mr. Jack, who was being carried on Mrs. Waifan's shoulders, suddenly said the following:

“Margarita, it’s good that you’re back…” He sighed, looking up at Margarita with lifeless eyes. “Let me tell you, Yang Hao has been acting strangely lately. You’ll have to keep an eye on him.”

"Hey, hey? What's wrong with Yang Hao?"

Yang Hao seemed strange. Margarita immediately tensed up. What happened to him? Was he sick? Or was he having work problems? Or perhaps, was he being targeted by bad guys?! Jack didn't say a word, but in her nervousness, Margarita considered every possibility she could think of, except for the one Jack was trying to say.

Seeing the sudden tension on Margarita's face, Jack realized that Yang Hao might not have told her about his situation yet. So, with the mindset that "it's better to let my friend resolve this sooner rather than let him get addicted to online dating and end up being scammed and losing both his money and his love," Jack carefully considered his words.

"Well—Yang Hao seems to have recently become infatuated with some woman from Ursus online." He didn't mention that Yang Hao had actively sought out someone for an online romance, and it turned out to be the right thing to do: because Margarita's eyes changed upon hearing the word "woman," becoming dull and lifeless. "You'd better keep an eye on things, huh? Um, I mean—you two have been at it for way too long?"

"...Thank you, I...I'll ask him when he gets back," Margarita forced a dry laugh. She truly hadn't expected this...

Who was it? Which villain was it?! Margarita's anxiety and darkness surged from the abyss to the mountains in an instant. She almost lost all reason in that moment... She... she refused to let this happen!

It could be said that Margarita could tolerate many things. She could tolerate her work being despised by countless people, she could tolerate the dirty work that would require killing countless innocent people, she could tolerate the fact that she might have to spend hundreds of years learning a job that she was completely unskilled in... The only thing she could not tolerate was giving Yang Hao away, and she would harbor utter murderous intent towards anyone who tried to take him away from her.

...call.

...She absolutely had to find out what was going on from Yang Hao...and she also needed to investigate his identity...

"We'll be going now... Margarita, let us know immediately if you need any help."

...Although Jack and his wife were very worried about Margarita, seeing that she seemed to know what to do next, they left first, eager to get to the hospital.

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For some reason, Yang Hao, who was working, suddenly shivered. He had a vague premonition of something bad, but after thinking about it for a moment, he decided to leave it alone for the time being.

Because now Yang Hao faces another major issue...

"Hello, how much longer will it take for our campsite to be completed?"

"This afternoon, please go sit next door for a while and don't disturb our work."

Watching the polite mercenary leave the construction site with his men, Yang Hao's lips twitched. He thought to himself that this city lord was determined to cause trouble in Bolivar.

...The story begins when Yang Hao brought Ah Dui to his new workplace.

He had just arrived, put on his safety helmet, and hadn't even had a sip of tea to rest when the city lord's secret police approached him and issued a new mission to the bewildered Yang Hao and his workers.

A camp was to be built for the upcoming mercenary contingent, and the camp was to be located on a peripheral town facing the direction of Bolivar.

This urban area is practically a wasteland. Several years ago, a serious industrial accident occurred here, causing businesses and residents to relocate due to the unbearable pollution. Now, a few years later, the industrial pollution has dissipated, and since mercenaries needed a camp to renovate, the city lord generously designated this abandoned urban area as a mercenary camp.

And it's not a temporary mercenary camp, but a permanent one—it seems this city lord has big ambitions. He's determined to make a fortune from the border conflict in Bolívar, and he's convinced he'll win.

Why did Yang Hao make this guess? Well... it's related to the information he obtained from the [Puppet Stage].

Permanent Mercenary Camp (Phase 1):

A camp used to house mercenaries. It seems the city's owners want the mercenaries to stay here longer and hope that more mercenaries will come to the city.

8 hours remaining until completion.

Phase 1 effect: Mercenary monthly cost reduced by 5%, plus one additional mercenary slot.

...Look at this, a permanent mercenary camp. If it's just for temporarily stirring up border conflicts, what's the point of building a permanent mercenary camp?

You can't exactly hire mercenaries to wash your feet, can you? And even if you were just washing feet, you wouldn't need that many people, would you?

Yang Hao believes there's now another reason why the city lord must die, but before that, he needs to figure out the mercenaries' mission first.

So after assigning tasks to the workers, Yang Hao threw down his safety helmet and took off his safety vest, becoming an idle manager. He walked towards the place where the mercenaries had gathered for a temporary rest, intending to get closer to them and ask them some questions.

Before he even got there, Yang Hao was shocked – apart from the captain who seemed relatively normal, what kind of monsters and demons were his mercenaries?

A group of Sarkaz mercenaries exuding the aura of veterans? Hmm? Sarkaz mercenaries?

Although Yang Hao only knew one Sarkaz person, Margarita, that didn't stop him from knowing exactly how the Sarkaz mercenaries earned their fearsome reputation on this land...

"You'll be able to move into the new camp in a few hours—but then again, where are you from?"

"Kazdel, let's come here and see if we can make a lot of money."

"Ah, so they're mostly Sarkaz mercenaries?"

"Maybe. I heard that two Colombian mercenaries have been hired, but they haven't arrived yet, and I don't know if they'll be joining us."

And these are mercenaries from Kazdel... Mercenaries from Kazdel are all battle-hardened warriors!

Besides their mercenary group, are there two other mercenary groups on their way? After bidding farewell to the captain of the Sarkaz mercenary squad, Yang Hao frowned and thought to himself, "This city lord is determined to cause trouble in Bolivar."

Three mercenary groups, one of which was a Sarkaz mercenary group—combined with the city's existing police force and a small number of troops, this had become an army capable of conquering a city!

Moreover, a reason why the city is stuck in place, neither moving forward nor backward, has emerged... The city lord is waiting, waiting for the next two mercenary groups to arrive before moving!

"Should we just kill him now?" Yang Hao shifted his gaze to the resolution—the one that only cost 5 political points to kill the city lord. But then he suddenly realized something: did a mere city lord really have the authority to hire an army to attack Bolivar's border?

Isn't this something orchestrated by a powerful figure behind him? For example... the state government?

Realizing some oversights in his previous thinking, Yang Hao returned to his makeshift office made of corrugated iron. He first glanced at the workers' progress, and after confirming that they could complete the task on time, he took a deep breath and decided to ask Miss Koschitch for a favor.

The Puppet Stage has a rule that's hard to define as either a flaw or a normal feature. It will reveal the strategies of other forces when necessary, but when it's not necessary, only Yang Hao himself or a spy can track the progress of others' secret plans.

But it's alright, he knows that the unit called "Serpent Scales" is Miss Koschei's private army, and he needs their help... Surely Miss Koschei would be willing? Um...