My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 54

And so, Yang Hao returned to his palace. He then lay down on the bed, signaled to Monica not to worry, closed his eyes, and entered the House of Lament.

Unlike the previous plunge to the bottom, this time Yang Hao's entry into the House of Elegy was fraught with twists and turns. He felt like water being poured into a half-full bottle, being held back and spun around by the mischievous kids outside.

After a bout of inexplicable dizziness, Yang Hao arrived at the House of Elegy once again—this time, the House of Elegy was emanating a strange white aura.

"Hello, welcome." Miss Elegy stood as always in the spot where he had left last time. "Today's light is brought by the Hour of Winter. It represents passing away, remembrance, death, decay, snow, end, and weakness. So most of today's merchandise reflects that as well."

"But I want to take that thing—the initial molten metal!"

“Those are products provided by Zhuzhi Sichen. Now, let’s come and take a look.”

Guided by Miss Elegy, Yang Hao, though unable to find the items he wanted, still enthusiastically looked at the new additions to the store that day.

It's no wonder it's associated with "winter," isn't it? Most of the goods Yang Hao saw looked dilapidated, filled with an atmosphere of end and decay.

"This is a poem of mourning. After this poem is recited with a heartfelt voice, a deathly winter will appear within a 50-kilometer radius of the mourner, defying the laws of physics. As for what will happen after winter arrives? Perhaps it will remain winter there forever, or perhaps it will dissipate in a few days. In a sense, this is quite useful."

This stuff would be extremely useful in operations aimed at polluting enemy territory. It would be especially effective in the warm south—if the enemy has only one food production base, a never-ending winter could be devastating.

But the problem is that the cities in this world are all mobile cities. If I can't hold on, can't I at least run away? So after thinking about it for a moment, Yang Hao gave up on the item.

"This one is the [Flag of Doom]. Its effect is that if you raise the flag on a certain tile, it will add a negative effect called [Doom] to everyone on that tile. Hmm, after the countdown of the negative effect ends, everyone will be completely destroyed from their souls—do you think the person using the flag will be affected? Heh, everyone."

Hmm... this thing is used for mutual destruction in the end, so Yang Hao didn't consider it.

He shook his head and asked Miss Elegy if there were any other items worth considering.

After a moment of silence, Miss Elegy smiled and led Yang Hao to the last shelf with newly added products.

"This is?"

"The last item, and also the most valuable one—well, I think you should be able to use it."

The item displayed on the shelf appeared to be a mirror. Curious, Yang Hao took the mirror down from the shelf and discovered that it was made of an unknown alloy.

"【Winter Mirror】, this is a mirror used to summon servants or to allow someone to ascend," Miss Elegy said with a smile. "You can use this mirror, combined with some materials from your puppeteer, to allow someone to ascend. The ascended person will be granted the right to move freely within the mirror, enter and leave the mirror world at will, and kill someone within the mirror—the person in the mirror? You may call it that from now on."

"So, are there any strange negative effects?"

“If the person who has been ascended is disloyal to you, they might assassinate you.”

"Okay, then I'll take it with me."

Haha, are you kidding me?

Under my control of the [Puppet Stage], is it possible for anyone disloyal to be placed by my side? Impossible!

Yang Hao happily accepted the mirror, and after chatting briefly with Miss Elegy about his prospects for ascension and some needs, he left the House of Elegy.

Then, in the next moment, Yang Hao's consciousness returned to the real world. He sat up abruptly in bed and nodded in satisfaction when he found the [Winter Mirror] in his arms.

"Monica—I'm going to take a shower."

He called out to the loyal head maid, who had been sitting in the room and was now curiously looking at the mirror that had suddenly appeared in his arms.

Chapter 121

"Sir, that mirror is..."

"The good stuff I brought back from the House of Lamentations? Oh, it's—"

...

In the bathroom next to the Duke's bedroom, Yang Hao soaked in hot water to wash away his fatigue while explaining to Monica where he had just been.

In his explanation, he had just used his "consciousness" to enter a magical place where he could retrieve things, but the price was that he could only go once a month. After understanding what this meant, Monica nodded thoughtfully and half-squatted on the ground with her hands, which were covered in refreshing shampoo, to style Yang Hao's hair.

"Is this force okay?"

"Of course—but speaking of which, did you prepare for Koschche like this before?"

"I suppose so. Lord Koschei actually had another body before. Alas, that body had to be replaced soon due to illness. The Ursus body you first met with Koschei was actually his second body this year."

"Huh? How long did it take to finish the first sentence?"

"Hmm... about three years. Hereditary diseases are still an insurmountable obstacle for us, and for Lord Koschche, three years is enough time to use up all the political resources above. Rather than keeping that body, it's better to just replace it."

As Monica explained, she ruffled Yang Hao's hair. Since arriving in Ursus, Yang Hao had lost a lot of hair in the initial period—but fortunately, now that he had relaxed his mindset and wasn't working so hard, his hair loss had stopped, and his hair seemed to be getting thicker and denser.

Even so, Monica still had to be extra careful when washing his hair. Partly to avoid damaging his hair roots, and partly to make him more comfortable.

"So, how long does Koschche hope to use this body?"

Yang Hao was very curious about this. After all, if Koschche could change bodies at will, then this Film Cat body shouldn't be in use for very long, right?

He meant that it wasn't that he wouldn't need much time, but rather that Kosiché estimated he would consider changing bodies after he had exhausted all the political resources and abilities of the little cat, Felin.

So, was the question about the heir earlier because of this?

Faced with Yang Hao's curiosity, Monica simply rinsed the foam off his hair with water and shook her head.

"Lord Kosiché didn't tell me how long he planned to use this body. But Miss Grin... is in very good health, so it should last a long time."

"Miss Green?"

"That was the original name of that body."

"Oh...then, what's the principle behind Koschke possessing someone else's body?"

"First, it requires a long period of preparation for a certain Originium Arts, and then... the caster needs to accept Lord Kosch's philosophy."

"Really? That sounds so simple."

Yes. That's it.

Monica dried Yang Hao's hair and then stood up. Her maid uniform wasn't wet from the service, but washing Yang Hao's hair in such a humid environment must have been hard work for her.

Afterwards, Monica prepared chilled wine for Yang Hao to quench his thirst while explaining Miss Green's living conditions to him. Through Monica's explanation, Yang Hao gradually understood the price Koschei paid for using her abilities—or rather, the price that those possessed by her had to pay.

First, the person possessed by her must accept her ideology. The more they accept Koschei's ideology, the lower the likelihood of their consciousness rebelling after she possesses them.

Secondly, after being possessed by Koschei, the possessed person is actually almost completely dead in terms of soul... But according to Monica, if they still have the will to resist, are they actually able to resist Koschei's every move in some sense?

After a moment's thought, Yang Hao concluded that this was, in a sense, a risk.

Hmm... but he felt that possibility was unlikely. So he decided against it.

"So, is it possible for Monica... someone possessed by Koschei, to regain her own consciousness?"

“That’s possible. Lady Koschei’s previous body… that is, the Ursus body, regained consciousness before she died. She told me that.” Monica confirmed Yang Hao’s guess. “But… my lord, please don’t worry about them. Even if Lady Koschei has completed the possession, she can’t actually do what they [don’t want to do].

"Can I understand this to mean that if the body doesn't want to eat fish, then even if Koschke wants to eat fish, he can't?"

"Yes."

"Oh... well, I have another question—does the child accept Koschitch's spirit as his mother, or does he accept her physical body?"

"Please resolve this with Lord Koschche."

...

And so, Yang Hao finished his shower, lost in thought. He felt he understood his wife better now, but what about Miss Green...?

He sighed inwardly. Yes, perhaps he shouldn't care, but as expected...

As Koschei's husband, Yang Hao felt it was his responsibility to remember the names of every heir possessed by Koschei. He wanted to at least remember their names, so that when they passed away, their tombstones wouldn't only bear the title "Duke Koschei," a designation referring to Koschei.

"Then I'll wait for Koschche to come back before having lunch. By the way, Monica."

"Yes?"

"Speaking of which, you've been working so long, don't you want a gift?"

"Gift?"

Monica paused for a moment, then blinked.

After a while, she joked:

"If it's a gift from you, sir, I'll accept it without hesitation."

"Hasn't Koschche ever given you a gift?"

"Lady Kosiché has already given me so much. A place to stay, a decent job, her trust... that's enough."

"Haha... Let me think about it carefully. From now on, I'll leave everything to Monica." Yang Hao laughed. He really would feel uncomfortable if he didn't have this serious and dedicated head maid taking care of him.

“Yes, I will take care of you from now on until I leave.” Monica smiled, but knowing the difference in their social standing and the future racial disparity, she only regarded Yang Hao’s “future” as a fleeting moment in her short life.

But it doesn't matter. As long as I'm alive, let me serve you, and Lord Koschche. Monica thought to herself.

Chapter 122 203 Chapters Awaiting Update

...

That afternoon.

While Yang Hao was helping his wife with political affairs, and the two were enjoying a public and intimate moment in the audience hall, Margarita, under Mr. Mosen's guidance, began preparations for her spiritual practice around a cemetery about 2 kilometers away from the small village.

Margarita didn't understand Mr. Mosen's meaning in asking her to do this, but after hearing him say, "This will help you understand the brevity of the life of a short-lived species," she accepted the arrangement without hesitation. She had to come to meditate every evening, and the afternoons were her preparation time for meditation.

"Mr. Morsen..."

"what happened?"

"That's right, my Sanae—"

"It's been doing well lately, wow, I have to feed it a lot of pest blood every day. Is this rock crab really a rock crab?"

"...When I took it away, it was still a rock crab." While adjusting the black cloak she would be using, Margarita appeared more mature; she was no longer the nervous, tongue-tied woman she used to be in front of strangers. "However..."

“Anyway, I really don’t think those things with wing membranes are rock crabs.” Mr. Northon said, puffing on his cigar and exhaling thick smoke. “And this isn’t how you put on clothes—here, give it to me.”

Margarita obediently handed the cloak to Mr. Morsen, who, after a brief inspection, deftly took a sewing kit from his pocket. She sewed up the tear in the cloak with black cloth and thread while smoking a cigar. Every now and then, she would glance up at the silent Monica, seemingly assessing her figure, or perhaps adjusting the cloak's size accordingly.

"Speaking of which, Monica, do you prefer a Feline or a Lupo?" Perhaps out of boredom, or perhaps simply to ease Monica's tension, Mr. Morsen asked. "Although I initially thought he was just a pervert who could lay a hand on an unweaned child—but then I realized that we Blood Demons all looked pretty much like ordinary young men before weaning, so I've dismissed that notion."

"Uh..." So this is the kind of person Yang Hao is in front of her? Margarita chuckled awkwardly, thinking, "This... doesn't seem wrong, does it?"

"And since he's taken care of you for so long, he must genuinely have feelings for you. But the problem is, he feels he's poured several years of his life into you, sacrificing a significant portion of his youth, which, for us Blood Demons, is only a few months." Mr. Morsen pursed his lips, and noticing Margarita's expression freeze, he changed the subject. "Sigh... but let's not talk about him for now. Anyway, he promised to wait for you decades later—let's talk about that woman who stole your man?"

"...Actually, it wasn't really her stealing it..." Margarita muttered softly, "I was just too oblivious...too cautious..."

"But the problem is you're just a baby. That immortal being is stealing a man from a baby? Has she no shame?" Mr. Morsen chuckled darkly, placing the modified cloak on the table beside him. "That undead black serpent—from what I understand, it's an immortal from Ursus, next to Gaul. And if I'm not mistaken, this black serpent doesn't have a fixed body; it gains immortality by possessing others. Sigh, while I acknowledge her love for Ursus, she'd do something so shameless? I despise her."

For Mr. Mosen, a proud immortal, the thing she despised most was someone who would fight with a child who hadn't even been weaned for candy—and even more so, she despised the despicable act of an old monster who had lived for thousands of years fighting with a baby who wasn't even 30 years old for a man.

Using your thousands of years of experience to steal someone else's childhood sweetheart? What kind of hero are you? Have you no shame? Aren't you, the Black Serpent of Ursus, supposed to do anything for Ursus? Why are you just starting to steal her away?

Although Mr. Mosen was only over 600 years old, she truly looked down on people who had lived for thousands of years for doing such things.

Of course, it's also possible that she hasn't met a man she needs to swallow her pride and compete with a younger person for.

"..."

Although Margarita was looking at Mr. Morsen with a strange expression, she was still very grateful that he was willing to speak up for her, even though they were from the same clan and had only known each other for less than a month...

But a month...

For ordinary people, a month of interaction would already be considered a sign of a very good relationship, especially given the frequent contact between them. But for the Blood Demon, a month is practically equivalent to spending only a day or two together.

Margarita nodded absently. After putting on the cloak that Mr. Northumbers had prepared for her, it was already quite late.

"Your training today is the same as before—watch those people bury their loved ones, then look at the birth and death dates recorded on their tombstones, and finally see if any villagers are there," Mr. Norsen instructed, this being the fifth time she had given this instruction. "Soon you will dispel the few remaining doubts in the process. Then you will soon understand that, for us Blood Demons, an old man who was perfectly fine last week will die of old age this week—but you probably don't quite understand what I mean by that, you'd better see for yourself."

"Yes... well, I'm leaving."

"Keep it up, Margarita. And please, don't bring back any more of that beast's blood, okay? We're civilized people, we only drink human blood."

"..."

Is the standard of civilization in the Blood Demon realm determined by what kind of blood one drinks during meals? Margarita, who no longer needed to drink blood to survive, nodded thoughtfully and began her cultivation journey.

... .....

Meanwhile, while Margarita was diligently pursuing her spiritual practice, Yang Hao was also helping his wife with her final political affairs. After confirming that there was no more work to do that afternoon, the couple chatted casually as they left the audience hall, with their loyal head maid following behind, ready to serve them at any time.

"Koschei, your job is really tedious. I didn't expect you to have to handle so many things... But then again, it seems that in most parts of Ursus, the living conditions of the infected haven't reached the level I imagined?"

"It's probably because Ursus's industrialization level isn't high yet, and the number of infected isn't that many. But I highly suspect that when the new nobles are vigorously developing industry, they will shift the blame onto the infected."

The living conditions of the infected in Ursus are not as bad as Yang Hao imagined. At least, in most parts of Ursus, people only treat the infected as patients who cannot be contacted casually. Overall, the social situation of the infected here is quite good.

But just as Kosichrie had anticipated, with the support of the current Ursus Emperor, the new nobility, who were vigorously developing industry, would soon shift a series of social contradictions onto the Infected—because rapid industrial development would inevitably mean a large-scale selection of the workforce. Literate and illiterate workers would no longer be on the same social class.

So, what about the working class who can't find work because they're illiterate? Yang Hao heard from Kosiché that the new nobles clearly wouldn't spend large sums of money on such things. They would only deal with the problem in a more direct way: let them be unemployed, then blame the unemployment on the infected, making the infected bear the suffering instead of the nobles and the rapidly developing cities.

"However, on the other hand, rapidly developing cities can't escape this problem... even our city is no exception. As more jobs require specialized skills, education level will become another important criterion for comparing different jobs..."