My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 7

So what can Koschei do if she needs neither money nor an official position? Miss Koschei is now the Duke of Ursus, the immortal Koschei who cares about all the people of Ursus and the infected! She can't just abandon managing her territory and run off to Columbia to spend the night with this man who seems to be lusting after her body, can she?

So what should we do? Reciprocate.

“Ah…it’s only fair. You gave me a sculpture, so I’ll give you one in return. That’s the only way.” Miss Kosiché shook her head. “But since you dislike the observation of snake scales, that’s fine—I can observe in another way. Ha, I’ll let you know about this through a letter, along with the gift.”

She had an idea.

Chapter 16

Also at noon on the 11th, Yang Hao's workplace received bad news.

"...Wow, are you serious?"

"Sigh, it's definitely for real... Bolivar and we have border skirmishes..."

The Bolívar had a minor border skirmish with this city. In order to protect their own interests and also to seize more benefits from the other side, the city where Yang Hao and his group were located hired a mercenary group to back them up, vowing to teach the Bolívars a lesson.

But the mercenaries arrived, and there was nowhere for them to stay. Meanwhile, the defensive walls on the city's outskirts also needed repairs. So, naturally, the city government decided to use the Hell Brothers' engineering team to build temporary housing and repair the walls, while the entire city remained in place, brazenly awaiting the arrival of the Bolivarians.

But this is bad, this is really bad, this is absolutely terrible! Yang Hao stood in front of the crowd, seemingly calm, but his heart was in turmoil: because Margarita had mentioned in a text message that she had predicted another natural disaster—and she hadn't returned yet, so he didn't know if this disaster would completely block the city's escape route!

So this idiot city lord is going to fight the Bolivarians to the death for a few thousand pieces of red gold?! My god, can't you old folks think more about your people? If you win, that's fine, but if you lose, and then the natural disaster cuts off your escape route, what are we supposed to do?!

"Why are we preparing for war now of all times?! Aren't we supposed to be going inland to collect minerals in two months?!" Jack muttered to Yang Hao. "And it really is the Bolivarians who have a border skirmish with us? Isn't this just too much of a coincidence?!"

Yes, it's such a coincidence, so coincidental that I fucking think it's someone deliberately targeting him. Yang Hao sighed heavily, patted his old friend on the shoulder to reassure him, and then he had an idea.

Since your city lord doesn't treat us people like human beings, then I'll just have to treat you like one too. Once Margarita returns and knows the exact extent of the disaster, I'll immediately use [Puppet Stage] to temporarily control the city and slip away. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Anyway, it's your Colombian territory that's being lost. In other people's eyes, you're the one who did this, so what does it have to do with me? Sigh, but then again, the Colombian leadership treats people like expendable resources. Why are they all so obsessed with a piece of land?

Protecting territory means losing face, and ultimately losing both people and land. Protecting people means losing territory, but at worst, you can collect interest later. Don't you understand such a simple principle? Besides, the border friction with Bolivar has been going on for so many years, almost escalating into war, yet you haven't actually started fighting! Can't we just be decisive? Isn't the uneven border a valid reason for war? Sooner conquest, or sooner being conquered, is better for everyone!

Ugh!

Yang Hao was troubled by the city lord and the higher-ups in the city, but on the other hand, he also realized that if he continued to be the general manager of a small company, he would never be able to get away with being bullied by the government officials.

Even with Miss Kosiché, it was the same... After all, the Duke was still under the Emperor's command, and if the Emperor was also a fool, then being mistreated every day would be absurd...

...If you really want to say where you won't be mistreated, then the wilderness is the place? But the wilderness lacks basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter. It's more accurate to say that in places without infrastructure, you don't even have the right to be mistreated.

...If people want to live a comfortable life, they can only climb upwards.

"Let's pack our things and head over there first," Yang Hao sighed heavily. "After Margarita returns and tells us the extent of the disaster, we'll see if we can get that incompetent city lord to evacuate the city..."

"But that's impossible, isn't it?"

"Once we know the exact extent of the natural disaster, everything will be fine."

However, it's too early to act rashly. Before obtaining information about the natural disaster from Margarita's side, Yang Hao wasn't prepared to take responsibility for the people of an entire city.

…………

Amidst another border clash between Colombia and Bolivar, Margarita, still in the wilderness and slowly making her way to the city, pondered that she would probably have to wait until tomorrow to get home.

She had not received any news of border clashes between the city and Bolívar, so Margarita assumed that the city was currently going about its peaceful daily life.

"Hmph... I want to go back and drink fresh blood..." she murmured wearily, wrapped in her cloak, moving slowly against the wind that whipped sand across the wasteland. "I don't want to be a messenger of natural disasters anymore... I want to learn tailoring... Ah? Being a novelist doesn't seem so bad either? I can stay home all the time, and I don't have to worry about ruining my relationship by going out every day..."

But what about a tailor? What about a novelist? Margarita sighed heavily, feeling that finding work other than as a messenger of natural disasters seemed too difficult for her.

"Hmm...but then again...I'll have to ask him for help again this time...I wonder if he's been pursued by girls again after all this time we haven't seen each other?"

In her memory, Yang Hao had quite a few girls chasing after him. But in the end, he always politely declined. Margarita felt very sorry for him... after all, if she hadn't been worrying about this and that... perhaps she wouldn't have made him wait so long.

But even with these thoughts... Margarita still had to keep waiting. After all, she couldn't accept a life where she could only hold him back. And she also needed to give Yang Hao time to consider their relationship...

but...

In that case, is it really impossible for him to fall in love with other girls...?

...

For a moment, Margarita couldn't think straight.

"Snapped!"

Then, Margarita slapped her cheek hard. She simply couldn't imagine such a thing. To her, she had already taken Yang Hao for granted, making him the only colorful person in her world, the only person she could rely on.

"No, don't think too much..." she muttered to herself, quickening her pace. "Right now, we're just good friends... but after a while, after I find a new job, we can take it a step further... Hmm, good luck, Margarita! Don't let your Sarkaz blood demon identity defeat you..."

Having regained her resolve, the Sarkaz Blood Demon girl continued to stride confidently toward the city.

Meanwhile, far away in Ursus, Miss Kosichä had also prepared her gift and had Serpentscale and a messenger carry it over.

Chapter 17

On the evening of the 11th.

When Yang Hao dragged his weary body home, the blasphemous curses against the city's lord never stopped.

"Fuck them! What border friction? This is more like you guys taking the initiative to attack, isn't it?!"

They were taken to the outer city of the mobile city, where the government's secret police demanded that they reinforce the defensive walls to prevent the Bolivarian naval guns from breaching the city's defenses in one fell swoop.

However, when Yang Hao and his team received the design drawings, they realized that this was not the so-called "reinforced defensive barrier" at all, nor was it the patching up of the defensive walls on the edge of the mobile city that they had imagined.

Instead, they modify the existing attack equipment to create more attack platform nodes, and then make minor repairs to the defense wall.

At this point, someone might ask: "These attack devices are also a form of city defense. How do you know whether those defensive naval guns are meant to deal with enemies boarding the ship or to board other ships? You're just being reckless for no reason!"

If only I were just acting crazy for no reason... Have you ever seen a defensive team not dig trenches, but instead send assault squads to attack someone else's lines? The design drawings that Yang Hao personally reviewed showed that the boarding rope equipment added to the defensive and offensive nodes was entirely for offensive purposes.

"I fucking refuse to believe that those rope guns specifically designed for boarding can throw down the guy who jumped onto his own city wall?!" He kicked open his front door, locked it, and then jumped onto the sofa in the living room, lying there, genuinely not wanting to move.

The city lord has lost his mind, or perhaps he's been blinded by short-term gains, and is planning to use the pretext of "border friction" to launch a war against Bolivar. Yang Hao could tell what was going on even without using "Puppet Stage," and once he used it, the city lord's ulterior motives were laid bare.

"What the hell is this 'Resolution on Bolivar'?... Ugh, natural disasters are coming soon, what the hell are you talking about?"

With the help of the [Puppet Stage], Yang Hao clearly saw the decisions that the city lord was making.

[The Bolivarian Resolution] – Simply put, this is a military strategy. Over a 70-day period, the city will undertake a series of actions to support the upcoming border war.

A series of facilities, including strengthening urban defenses, adding more armed platform nodes, converting parts of the city into military land-based ships, and hiring mercenaries, are all prepared for offense rather than defense.

To put it simply, this isn't a so-called "border conflict," but rather a "war of aggression" waged under this pretext. Of course, as long as things don't escalate, to outsiders, it certainly appears to be a border conflict.

Then—if this military strategy succeeds, Yang Hao's city will gain several more districts and more Bolivarians. But if this military strategy fails...

Yang Hao slowly lifted his face from the soft sofa. In his field of vision, the negative consequences of the failed strategy against Bolivar were on full display.

The city would be the first to be drawn into a quagmire of war—nearby Bolívar cities would also join the war, and in the worst-case scenario, the city would be defeated outright.

Secondly, even if the city withstood the attack of the Bolívar army, its retreat would be cut off by the ensuing natural disasters, leaving it almost completely cut off from other cities in Colombia.

Finally—there are all sorts of negative situations.

What about the year-long absence of caravans due to the loss of contact with other Colombian cities [commercial output -50%]? What about the potential famine caused by accommodating a larger population?

Even more importantly, even if you conquer a city in Bolívar, the Bolívar people there are incredibly rebellious, and they might revolt every few days...

...This, who can withstand this?

Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't start a border conflict with Bolivar at this critical juncture when a natural disaster is imminent!

Fortunately...

"Phew... This resolution will take another 69 days to complete. Before that, once Margarita comes back, I'll just take control of the city and leave."

Yang Hao is a pacifist (self-proclaimed), so to avoid being blocked by natural disasters due to war, after Margarita returns and brings him clear information about the prophecy of natural disasters, he will immediately use his abilities to save the city and turn the tide.

However... this will come at a cost. Just like Yang Hao previously used political points to compensate workers in order to improve their stability—to deviate from a city's course without warning also consumes a significant amount of political points.

"...But letting people escape from a city costs a lot of political points...more than 80?! Why is it so expensive this time?! Who tripped me up?! It only takes 120 political points to become a city lord through a proper election...I'm still 60 points short? Where am I going to find so many political points...Hey? I can select a national policy here? What is this...?"

Just as Yang Hao was feeling the pinch of the political points he would have to spend to escape the city, he noticed something eye-catching out of the corner of his eye.

That was the national policy tree he hadn't looked at in a long time. Ever since he clicked on the "Colombian Workers Stand Up" national policy and caused trouble, he hadn't looked at anything here.

But now, it seems there's something interesting hidden in this national policy tree that Yang Hao has kept sealed away for so long.

He swallowed hard, hesitated for a long time, then opened the national policy tree and found this in the first column of selectable national policies:

　"【Securityism (10 days)】:"

If we save the land but lose the people, we lose both. If we save the people but lose the land, we gain both. We can try to gain something from this border conflict, but before that, we must ensure the security of our rear.

effect:

Political points +20. The political points required for this 'Escape from Natural Disaster' policy have been reduced by 20.

change:

You're being watched.

......

this?

Yang Hao blinked and realized that this was great news, like a timely help in a snowstorm: this national policy could be completed in just 10 days, and upon completion, it would not only increase his political points by 20, but also reduce the number of political points required for this [Escape from Natural Disaster]!

Yang Hao originally only had 40 political points. With each passing moment, while he gained a fixed 20 political points, the 80+ political points required for [Escape from Natural Disaster] would be reduced to 60+.

Calculating the daily increase in political points, isn't that enough?

But... will I be targeted?

Do you need it?

He pondered for a long time, and finally sighed.

"At the very least, before I leave, I need to make sure Margarita can have a home here..."

Yang Hao initiated this national policy. He was really tired today and didn't feel like chatting with Miss Koschke for the time being.

...

The fact that he hadn't contacted her today made Miss Kosichä, who was far away in Ursus, feel vaguely annoyed.

Chapter 18

Around 9 a.m. on the 12th, Yang Hao arrived at his workplace as usual. After greeting his employees, they took their tools, ate their breakfasts, and began to move towards the outlying urban area where they needed to "repair and repair".

Throughout the journey, Yang Hao kept pondering what "You're being watched" truly meant. He thought to himself, "Right now, the one who's definitely watching me is Miss Koschek's 'Snake Scales'?"

Hmm... and that's a stretch too much. Yang Hao thinks it was at most incidental—when Ursus was carrying out a secret operation against Colombia, Miss Koschei used her position to have her subordinates keep an eye on his situation. But in that case, it shouldn't be counted as a negative effect of national policy, right?

"...And I didn't have my usual chat with Miss Kosichä yesterday...sigh, but I don't want to take out my anger on her either," Yang Hao muttered to himself. He hopped up the stairs to the office in his temporary workplace, deciding to slack off for a bit, send her his apology for not contacting her yesterday, and then pretend to work. "Hmm, I'll send her a text to tell her what happened...and while I'm at it, I'll ask if there are any other people this stupid above the Duke of Ursus."

Currently, there's really nothing Yang Hao can do, at least not until Margarita returns.

.....

That noon, after Yang Hao finished his assigned work, he sent his workers home with their pay. They had completed the construction of the attack platform on the city wall, and staying there would only mean them working for free for someone else; there was no point in doing anything else.

On his way to the food street to buy some food to take home, Yang Hao noticed that the pedestrians on the street were all filled with anxiety. They didn't know what the city's leaders were thinking, and everyone was afraid of the impending border conflict.

In this world, mobile cities are weapons in themselves, and the inhabitants living on these weapons are naturally unable to avoid war. They can only passively accept all orders from the city administrators, then huddle at home, praying for good news of victory.

"...Nobody wants war." He shook his head. "The common people prefer a peaceful and stable life. If they weren't forced into it, who would want to fight? Sigh. But perhaps this is the difference in thinking between nobles and commoners when they are in a high position? Will I become that kind of person after I become a noble?"

When the topic of nobility came up, Yang Hao immediately thought of the Duke of Kosice. Was the Duke of Kosice the kind of noble who advocated peaceful development? Or was she also a nobility that sought to expand through military expansion?

If in the past I could only be a gigolo who freeloads off others, then it's really not appropriate for me to interfere with her policies...

But if one can obtain a position and acquire abilities and achievements commensurate with that position, wouldn't that, to some extent, influence Miss Kosiché's decisions?

Well, it's like—Miss Kosichelle originally wanted to wage war on a certain place, and then she achieved her goal through a peaceful method that wouldn't lead to war, or something like that?

But if that's the case, it's like he's being used unilaterally... Thinking of this, Yang Hao frowned.

Yang Hao doesn't mind that others approach him out of envy of his abilities, but he is bothered by not receiving the desired return after his efforts...

Just like his relationship with Margarita now. He had given so much to Margarita, but had never received the return he expected from her. So, after thinking it over, he became disheartened and thought that their relationship was good enough as it was, and he didn't expect it to go any further.

What about Miss Kosiché? What if Miss Kosiché is also unilaterally enjoying her own efforts without giving herself the reward she wants?