My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 26

As Koschiché thought this, she felt her emotions, hardened and frozen by a thousand years of time, begin to stir and become passionate. Feelings she had never experienced before when facing short-lived beings resurfaced within her. If her previous thoughts of Yang Hao were merely a subtle desire to prey, now they were pure possessiveness. She admitted that recalling Margarita's declaration of war made her feel incredibly uncomfortable, and she wished she could have the Serpent Scales cut off the Blood Demon Lady's path right then and there.

But who could blame him when that Blood Demon was the very person his husband was sobbing behind his back because of the dramatic ups and downs in his life? Thinking of this, Kosichrie sighed.

"My husband, shall we make your immortality our primary goal from now on?"

Kosiché decided to retract his previous statement, which was that he did not believe Yang Hao could evoke such emotional impulses in someone who had lived for thousands of years.

Chapter 67

To outsiders, the assassination on the 24th ended in a manner that was distinctly characteristic of the Duke of Kosiché.

According to public reports, an assassin from [a certain party] did indeed successfully assassinate the previous Duke Koschei. However, the Duke's successor has now taken office, and the people of the duchy no longer need to worry about the various problems that would arise from the Duke's departure.

While many were puzzled as to why the succession to the previous duke was so peaceful, without even any factional infighting, the Duchy of Kosiché, under the control of the Serpent Scales, local police, and media, released a shocking news story that morning, only to return to calm by the afternoon. Aside from the core members of the ducal household, no one knew that this event, aside from giving the Duke of Kosiché a new appearance, making him younger, and incidentally changing his race, had absolutely no other impact.

Well, it's not that there's absolutely no impact...

"Duke Nikolai's assassin?"

During this rare period of leisure, thanks to the assassination attempt, Koschei spent time accompanying Yang Hao on leisurely strolls, trying to soothe his restless and unsettled mind. As they returned to their palace to have dinner, the information Yang Hao revealed piqued Koschei's interest.

She is no longer the noblewoman of Ursus. Having been replaced by the petite Felin body, she has not yet gotten used to the various problems of her new body—for example, her tail always changes uncontrollably with her emotions, and she is not used to controlling her body after it has shrunk and she is weaker. She needs time to get used to it.

Therefore, when she showed an expression of great interest, her tail also perked up, its fluffy fur swaying gently, making Yang Hao feel an urge to reach out and pinch it...

However, Yang Hao held back—after all, in a little while, the maid would bring over dinner, along with the sword that Kosiché's new body carried.

"Yes, that's what I see here."

“I believe your story. And the Serpent Scales have already told me about it—but what interests me more is that Duke Nikolai seems to be an Ursus nobleman who took several districts from my territory decades ago.” Taking Yang Hao’s hand, Kosiché led him to sit on the edge of the bed, explaining the events of decades ago while indicating that Yang Hao didn’t need to start working now. “He was a nobleman who rose to power through military exploits—but his ambition was too great, and he had begun to threaten the prosperity of Ursus.”

"Too ambitious? You mean he assassinated you?" Yang Hao curled his lip, already mentally arranging a grave for that Duke Nikolai. But Koschei seemed to have read his mind, lightly brushing his thigh with his still somewhat clumsy tail before saying:

"The assassination was just one part of his plan—my Serpent Scales have obtained evidence that he wants to replace the emperor. If it were through normal channels, I wouldn't say much. But he intends to take power through [unorthodox means], which includes a deal with Kuranta of Kazimir."

"Oh, you can accept him assassinating you, but you can't accept him betraying the country?"

"Because for me, my body can be replaced at any time. But Ursus will not tolerate traitors—or rather, no country in the world will tolerate traitors. No matter the reason."

"It's not that I can't understand... but he did attempt to assassinate you, after all. I just can't accept it."

"So I didn't intend to stop you from doing anything to that Duke Nikolai—after all, you also need a way to vent your emotions."

The two newlyweds, who hadn't even had a wedding ceremony, casually regarded another powerful duke as a victim. It's hard to tell if this was a sign of moral depravity or if they simply didn't consider each other human beings.

Overall, Yang Hao and Kosiché got along quite well. After chatting for a few more minutes about Duke Nikolai and the districts he had seized, Yang Hao fell silent. Embracing his wife, he realized that besides his regular work, his most pressing task now was to find a way to achieve immortality.

“You don’t need to put pressure on yourself right now.” Kosichä patted the hands that were wrapped around her. She had clearly felt those hands last night; she knew exactly what every inch of skin felt like. But this body hadn’t touched them yet, so this feeling of her soul being clear while her body was still unfamiliar was strange to her. “Take it slow, rest for a few months first.”

“If that hadn’t happened, I probably would have taken a few months to rest before returning to work.” He sighed. “But you were assassinated, then you explained the truth about immortality to me, and finally you managed to get me to accept the fact that your body can be replaced at any time—under these circumstances, I can’t take a few more months to rest.”

"So, what do you want to do?"

"...Take a few days off to recover from this, and then start with simple tasks to gradually adapt."

...

Yang Hao plans to start some simple work in a few days. He needs work to distract himself and transform his anxiety into strength, which he can then use to improve life here.

At the same time, he also had to use the [Puppet Stage] to search for national policies that could grant him immortality... In fact, he was doing that now, but searching for a national policy branch that met his needs among thousands of national policy categories and trillions of national policy branches was still too difficult for him, and it also required a lot of time to do so.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten the House of Lamentations, which he hadn't visited for some time. However, he didn't place too much hope on those wondrous items that had numerous side effects while possessing only a few advantages. Instead of hoping to find a way to achieve immortality without side effects in the current House of Lamentations, Yang Hao might as well just search for similar Originium Arts in the present world.

...And most importantly, Yang Hao wanted to be a man standing shoulder to shoulder with Kosiché. He meant that he didn't want to be dependent on others.

He wanted to become her equal—although he knew his [Puppet Stage] had that potential, potential is still just potential, and he needed time for that potential to grow, didn't he?

"Then I understand."

Faced with Yang Hao's explanation, Kosiché nodded thoughtfully and selected a relatively easy, minor job for Yang Hao that he could gradually adapt to: "Since you're asking so much... then, could I ask you to help look at the livelihood issues in the territory? It doesn't need to be too much; what's troubling me right now is the internal chaos and numerous contradictions among the people. You should be able to tell, right?"

"Ah, I can see that." Yang Hao's expression changed as soon as the topic of people's livelihood came up. This was more than just internal chaos and numerous conflicts... the stability level had reached a negative number. If Kosiché were to withdraw the army and police, the people in her territory would immediately riot. There was practically no way to avoid things getting worse. "Should I just adjust them directly?"

Yang Hao has plenty of ways to directly adjust the stability from negative tens to positive numbers. However, he needs to use the [Puppet Stage] to first subtly influence the residents' thinking and then proceed gradually.

He calculated that if they acted now and allocated all resources, they could probably turn the stability index from negative to positive in about a month and a half. But it's impossible to allocate all resources to them—so at the very least, it would take six months to a year. Only after these livelihood issues are resolved can everyone have the energy to focus on development, reform, and ideological trends!

After completing the necessary infrastructure and basic ideological work step by step, they would have plenty of time to deal with Duke Nikolai. Perfect timing, Koschei—no, our duchy—looks rather unsightly with several missing corners. If we reclaim that city, we should be able to fill in the missing corners and make this giant city, composed of four mobile cities, a perfect rectangle.

But then again, does the Ursus Empire support civil war among nobles? Yang Hao meant a civil war among nobles that wouldn't be subject to state intervention.

"Not for now, but if you insist, then proceed at your own pace—but please remember, I don't want you to bury yourself in work as soon as you arrive. Please take a few days off to adjust to life in Ursus before taking things slowly." Kosicher smiled. "And you're wondering whether the Ursus Empire supports a civil war among the nobles?"

"...Yes. How did you know?"

“When you’re thinking, the expression on your face reveals a lot of information—of course, you don’t have to worry about being noticed by someone with ulterior motives outside. It’s only when we’re in close contact that I have a chance to notice what’s flashing in your eyes.”

"Huh? I see... Well. So this country supports a civil war among the nobles?"

"Theoretically, we don't support it, but in reality, the number of nobles, big and small, who have disappeared due to the civil war between nobles has filled several pages in the Ursus register. As long as things don't escalate, it's fine."

"...So, do you want to do that?"

"If this can make the Ursus Empire stronger, then what does it matter if a duke and his people are sacrificed?"

...

In a sense, Yang Hao understands his wife better now.

Chapter 68

[National Policy: Brain in a Vat (90), requires completion of all national policies above.]

A nation cannot lose its ruler, and even if it means resorting to extreme measures, we must ensure that this sole ruler lives on forever!

Effect: The current co-ruler/you will be transformed into (Brain in a Vat), gaining immortality before suffering fatal damage.

A brain in a vat can only think.

......

[National Policy: The Walking Dead (90), requires completing all national policies related to necrology above.]

A nation cannot lose its ruler, and fortunately, our research into necrology has yielded some results. We can transform the ruler into an immortal walking corpse without affecting his mind, thus allowing him to rule us forever.

Effect: The current co-ruler/you will be transformed into an (immortal zombie), forever unable to die in the physical sense.

And what about the spiritual aspect?

......

[National Policy: Final Contract (50), requires the completion of all national policies related to psionic abilities.]

Perhaps we can take a gamble; those who once purged the Gauls should not mind granting our rulers the chance to live forever.

Effect: By making a pact with the End of Time, you will be subject to (retribution) in 50 years, but the current co-ruler/you will gain immortality.

So, what's the price?

.....

That night, Yang Hao lay in bed pondering matters of immortality. With Koschie taking a bath, he could move freely in bed, tossing and turning, using these movements to dispel the restlessness caused by excessive thinking.

He couldn't help but feel frustrated because the several national policies he found related to "immortality"... all seemed so terrible and insane.

The options are either to achieve immortality for one's own brain, or to become a walking corpse, or even to sign a contract with some higher beings—but the immortality of the brain goes without saying, and becoming a walking corpse is even more obvious.

That being called "The Cycle of the End"—judging from its description, it's a terrifying thing that wiped out the Gauls, leaving only a bunch of refugees. If I sign a contract with it, doesn't that mean my duchy will also be gone? And what if, even worse, I'm the only one left who lives forever in 50 years?

Ugh...

Yang Hao felt that the national policy tree provided by the [Puppet Stage] was getting more and more outrageous... but oh well. After all, there were trillions of national policies to choose from here. If he slowly searched through the vast ocean, he should be able to find a longevity national policy that suited his taste, right?

"I just hope the search doesn't take too long..."

He muttered to himself, and just then, the girl in the bathrobe came in through the door leading to the changing room.

"Awaited."

...Kosich said that her current Feline cat body was much younger than she had imagined. If the Ursus noblewoman's body was already 35 years old at the beginning, then her current Feline body would be at most 26 years old.

If he were any younger, Yang Hao would have called the police... Luckily, even though Koschitch's body is small, it's still a legal entity. With that thought in mind, Yang Hao sat up in bed and subconsciously stretched out his arms to Koschitch as she walked towards him—the same way he greeted Margarita when they first met.

Kosichello didn't realize what was happening. She simply smiled, walked up to Yang Hao, let him hug her, and then gently placed her on the bed. She said:

"My husband, would you like to have a wedding?"

"A wedding? Hmm... I'm indifferent to that." Yang Hao stroked his wife's cat tail. After making sure the maids wouldn't bother them, he could finally relax and be affectionate with Koschitch. "I don't care if there's a wedding or not. I've always thought that way—what about you?"

“I don’t mind. But if we hold a wedding, there might be some strange rumors going around.”

"A strange rumor?"

Yang Hao was very puzzled: It's just a wedding, why would there be any strange rumors?

Faced with Yang Hao's question, Koschche simply gave a strange smile:

“My body may be replaced for certain needs, and each replacement means the death of my original body—you know that.”

"Ah, um. What does this have to do with rumors?" Yang Hao was still puzzled.

“But every time I change bodies, I am still Duke Kosiché—that’s perfectly fine in our eyes, and it’s fine in the eyes of our loyal subordinates.” Kosiché pulled Yang Hao by the shoulder, drawing him close and making him untie his bathrobe. “But the problem is—it will seem very strange to the citizens.”

"Very strange?"

"'The husband of the 20th Duke of Kosice, and now the husband of the 30th Duke of Kosice'—if you wish for your current physical body to be immortalized, then after the wedding, I imagine your image in the eyes of the citizens will become quite strange. Such rumors won't affect our rule, but you'll probably be given a rather odd title..."

Kosichrie was silent for a moment, then wrapped her tail around Yang Hao's left leg and laughed:

"【The man who has inherited the title of Duke of Koschei for generations?】Do you like him?"

"what..."

To be honest... if things really developed that way, Yang Hao was truly at a loss for words. Although he didn't mind having this title assigned to him, thinking about it carefully, if he became the protagonist of countless romance novels or even male-male romance novels in later generations because of this title... wouldn't that be too strange?

But if he had to accept it, it wouldn't be impossible... However, given the current situation where he has no choice and Koschche doesn't have any need for a wedding, it's only natural for him to refuse.

"Hehe, I can tell from your expression that you don't like that kind of title. So let's leave the wedding arrangements as they are—more importantly, are you planning to go out tomorrow?"

"Hmm... I need to understand the situation on-site to work more effectively, right? Besides, my abilities can't last forever, otherwise—"

"Just like when you fainted on the road?" Koschche shook his head. "I won't force you to use your abilities indefinitely. I hope you can be mindful of moderation when using them. Your health is more important than your career."

"I guess so... But then again, there are some careers I have to fight for even at the risk of physical injury, don't I?"

Moreover, that time I fainted... actually, it was because my ability was evolving that I fainted, you know? With a dry laugh, Yang Hao didn't say this out loud. Instead, at Koschie's invitation, he, also naked, slowly entered her new body.

His subconscious thought of Felin's petite body was that it was soft cotton. Koschchet seemed so soft and fragile in his arms... Was she really entrusting her body to me with peace of mind, or was she actually preparing for the worst?

And... on another note, in Margarita's prophecy, did she see her child with Kosiché?

The novel sensation stimulated his nerves, and Yang Hao's mind went blank for a moment. Then, in the next instant, he was taken over by Kosiché in a forceful and predatory manner.

......

"Ah Qiu!"

While traveling at night, Margarita sneezed. She wondered if her body could catch a cold now.

She rubbed her nose, thinking that this sneezing probably wasn't from a cold, but rather Yang Hao missing her from afar? Hmm, when someone misses you, you can't help but sneeze or something?

She shook her head, picked up Sanae, who had inexplicably grown much larger, and placed her on her shoulder. Margarita was almost at her destination: a small village on the border of Minos.

She had heard that an elderly Sarkaz Blood Demon lurked in this area, and she planned to come and see if he could offer her advice, or share his experience of living in a short-lived society.

Chapter 69, Part 25

On the morning of the 25th, Yang Hao opened his eyes in a daze, feeling a fuzzy itch on his face. He subconsciously thought that this noblewoman was using a feather duster from who-knows-where to get him out of bed.

He mumbled a few vague responses, then instinctively reached out and grabbed the furry thing on his face—before he was jolted awake by the beautiful moans coming from Kosichek.

“My husband, although I personally don’t mind satisfying your urges in the morning, it’s almost time for work now. Could you hold back until tonight, or until I have time? If it really comes to it, you can ask the maid to take care of it, okay?” With her tail being held by Yang Hao, the now-feline Koschie’s face no longer held its previous composure, nor did it display its previous gloomy smile. She simply blushed and leaned in, giving him a morning wife’s kiss before pulling her tail out of Yang Hao’s grasp.

Yang Hao was fairly certain about the sensitive spots on Koschei's new body. One of them was her ear; just a gentle touch with his mouth would be enough to make even the thousand-year-old Duke Koschei succumb, emitting a weak, comfortable, almost crying, sound of pleasure.

Another sensitive spot is her tail. Because it's rarely exposed to external attacks, the skin on her fluffy tail is incredibly smooth. If you run your finger through the thick fur and gently stroke the skin, layer by layer, it will wriggle and move—

Well, her face started to turn red. But Koschei seemed to enjoy this intimate behavior; after all, if she disliked it, she would have slapped herself in the face long ago, right?

"Ah—uh...sorry. I wasn't fully awake, it just happened unconsciously..."

Fully awakened by his wife's good morning kiss, Yang Hao felt both somewhat embarrassed and satisfied with his current life. Aside from that, he still vaguely felt uneasy and uncomfortable.