My wife is an immortal black snake.

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"If I keep sleeping like this, I won't get any sleep tonight... Ugh... But thank you for your help this time."

"It's nothing. Rather, I really enjoy the trust you place in me, Mr. Yang Hao... even though I haven't done anything for you yet."

"If you insist on saying that, I would have had to put in a lot more effort if it weren't for your help with Monica's matter... Oh well, let's get ready, we're about to set off."

She nodded gently, lifted Yang Hao's upper body off her thighs, and then straightened his clothes. Under the stunned gaze of the young man, this mature and reliable deep-sea hunter clan mother walked to the bedside table, quenched her thirst with the water in the cup, and rinsed her mouth.

Yang Hao watched Sonia's movements, and for a moment he felt genuinely attracted... But then again, why couldn't he appreciate Sonia's beauty back in the Duchy of Koschie? Was it because he had been drained of his essence back then, leaving him with almost nothing but pure water?

But then again, do I actually prefer older women in some way? Koschie was like that, and now Sonia is too... It seems like older women have a strange attraction for me?

It's not so much that Margarita and Monica are suitable... but Yang Hao really liked the gentleness and protectiveness that mature women brought, and the confidence and unique charm they possessed that had been refined by time. Perhaps what he liked most wasn't flattery, but mature and reliable women! Thinking about it that way, marrying Koschei would be wonderful...

of course.

This doesn't mean Yang Hao dislikes other things—in fact, he likes everything! After all, no one has ever stipulated that a person can't like more than one thing, right? Hmm?

He sighed to himself, picked up his cane again, and carefully prepared what he needed to take with him before leaving his palace with Lady Sonia.

He planned to go to that bar to find out what was going on, and if nothing unexpected happened, he could start setting up the Imperial Council tomorrow—and he also noted down the faces of several of the most vocal members of parliament and their seating positions.

"Phew... Hopefully, the red gold we have will be enough to buy all the materials we need—besides the high-energy combustibles made from Originium and the small items that produce smoke... what else should we buy?"

"If you wish to have a good time that day, perhaps you could consider buying some snacks and going out for a stroll?"

"good idea."

Hopefully, the bodies of those congressmen will be alright by then.

Yang Hao laughed heartily, completely unaware that he might also suffer the consequences after that day.

Chapter 17

Saint-Germain Castle is located in an inconspicuous corner at the foot of the palace walls, about 600 meters away from His Majesty the Emperor's palace.

There's a bar there.

To be precise, it was a bar of "special status." Those who frequented the bar were either true nobles of the Ursus Empire or the Emperor's personal guards—either of whom held immense influence within the Ursus Empire.

Naturally, the owner of this bar, where these two types of people could comfortably drink and exchange intelligence, was no ordinary person. The owner of this bar, named "Signal Flag," was the former head of the Imperial Guard. After retiring, this idle head of the Imperial Guard chose to open a bar in the palace to pass the time—besides killing time, he would occasionally do some work assigned to him by the current emperor.

For example, some information that is "permitted" to be leaked can be sold. After the information is sold, part of the money is given to His Majesty the Emperor to replenish the national treasury, while the other part is kept for future use.

This is how the former head of the internal security forces has been doing for the past few years. He felt that today would be the same, so he cheerfully prepared the alcoholic beverages and various drinks that might be used tonight.

But just as he was preparing for the coming night and the approaching guards, the bar door was suddenly opened from the outside. He looked up at the clock on the wall in confusion—it wasn't even 10 p.m. yet, how could there be customers?

Since those who could freely enter His Majesty the Emperor's palace were either wealthy and powerful, or former colleagues, and those who wanted to cause trouble in the shop wouldn't necessarily enter so politely through the main entrance, the shop owner didn't suspect anything. He simply wiped the glasses while inviting the two customers to sit down in the nearest seat, and only then did he have time to look up and examine the customers in front of him.

how to say--

These were guests the owner had never seen before. One was a white-haired, red-eyed man carrying a strange weapon; he appeared to be a deep-sea hunter from the coast. The other was a younger, black-haired nobleman who looked weak and carried a cane...

The boss thought for a moment, then suddenly realized—this frail man must be the husband of the rumored Duke of Kosice!

He had heard a little about this man's economic policies and his bold purge of the corrupt aristocracy, and naturally, he held him in high regard. Although he didn't know why the man had come to their house, he still decided to treat this guest with the utmost courtesy.

"What would you like, sir?" the owner asked with a smile to the man who had already sat down at the bar.

"Two sweet cocktails."

"Okay, right away."

The owner immediately got to work. As he mixed drinks, he noticed that quite a few more people seemed to be arriving.

Moreover, they were all unfamiliar faces he had never seen before—the Gauls or deep-sea hunters found a place where they wouldn't disturb the store's normal business and took their seats. It seemed that they were this gentleman's guards.

It's really strange, though. First the Gauls, then the Deepsea Hunters... and now this Sarkaz? He wouldn't be too surprised: after all, when there are too many strange things, the sudden appearance of something even stranger won't surprise people, that's roughly the idea.

"Sir, your cocktails."

The bartender handed over two cocktails he had prepared. He realized the man seemed to want to ask him something, so after handing over the drinks, he also stood in front of them, waiting for his question.

And the other side.

After accepting the cocktails from the owner, Yang Hao and Sonia each took a sip of the sweet cocktails. While enjoying the ultimate pleasure brought by the bar in the most prestigious place in the empire, he did not forget his work.

“I heard from the fire chief and the police chief that you might be able to help me with something.” Yang Hao put down his cocktail, which he had just taken a sip from, and looked up at the cheerful boss. “And Her Majesty Catherine did say that you could help me… so I’ll just say it: do you know where to get high-energy incendiary materials? I mean, enough to cover the entire Imperial Council.”

"...Although I can't understand why you would come to me on such an important matter, can I assume that this is His Majesty's instruction?" The boss paused for a moment when he heard the words "Imperial Council," then shook his head and rested his thick arms on the solid wood bar counter.

"That's understandable."

Let alone that His Majesty instructed her, okay? She openly told me that she wanted to set up a parliament—while on the other hand, with this thought in mind, Yang Hao calmly admitted this.

"That's true. Her Majesty has long harbored resentment towards the Imperial Council, but I didn't expect her to resort to such a radical method. You need high-energy incendiary materials?"

"Don't you need me to provide any proof?"

"No need. Since Her Majesty has introduced me to you, she must trust you completely. Since she trusts you completely, it has nothing to do with me, who is no longer part of the Emperor's inner guard. If she gets into trouble because of her trust in you, it is none of my business. After all, Her Majesty is that kind of person, so I will not interfere with her thoughts."

"Alright then... So, what can you give me?"

"Information, some information. And all I have is information."

Then, the hotel owner began to explain something that was "very useful" to Yang Hao.

For example, a warehouse belonging to a merchant house in Fort Saint-Germain stockpiled a large quantity of high-quality spirits—spirits made with chili peppers and alcohol so potent that they could be easily ignited, and no one would think anyone would be foolish enough to use them as kindling. In fact, they were excellent kindling, and when burned, they left behind countless pungent, acrid wisps of smoke in the enclosed space.

For example, in some areas of the outskirts of Saint-Germain, nobles are transporting high-energy Originium—Originium that can generally power extremely luxurious pleasure machines, but can also be used as fuel after being infused with a large amount of energy.

"Those things will leave a lot of Originium contamination, and you'll have to have contamination experts deal with that contamination afterwards."

"...Thanks. Besides that, are there any other incendiary materials that can be purchased normally with [money]?"

"Of course."

Neither of the two items the boss mentioned can be bought with money. Yang Hao might have to steal or rob them... He has to get his hands on those two items, otherwise there might still be survivors after the Imperial Council is burned down.

Besides that, he also needed to prepare a large quantity of basic fuels that could be bought with money... However, while he was arguing with the boss, he didn't notice that Ms. Sonia, who had already finished her cocktail, had a slight blush on her face...

Chapter 18

...

The conversation with the hotel owner brought Yang Hao tremendous gains. He had found the contact information for some of the merchants he needed to collect basic raw materials—if all went well, he could purchase basic fuels and smoke materials from those merchants tomorrow, and then, after finishing his work with His Majesty the Emperor's private engineering team, he could finally worry about the spirits and high-energy stones.

The issues that could be resolved with money have been mostly dealt with; the rest... he'll have to figure out and plan for himself.

"Thank you so much."

"No, it's alright. You are someone His Majesty the Emperor trusts; this is what I should do."

The hotel owner handed Yang Hao a printed sheet of information, which listed the locations of the spirits and high-energy stones. Knowing the locations would make things easier; whether Yang Hao stole, robbed, or bought them was none of his concern.

Having obtained this crucial piece of written intelligence, Yang Hao's work here for the day was now completely finished. He put the paper in his pocket, finished his cocktail, and then planned to leave with his guards.

only...

Before leaving, he noticed that Sonia seemed to be in a strange condition.

"Sonia?"

"...No, I'm fine."

Her face was slightly flushed; the deep-sea hunter didn't seem to have drunk much alcohol, so she might be a little tipsy—but she still jumped off the chair and followed Yang Hao, indicating that there was nothing to worry about.

Looking at Sonia, who was already somewhat drunk, Yang Hao was worried about her condition, but since she had said so, he didn't have anything to say.

He left the bar with his guards, and not long after he left, the bar owner, muttering "What a turbulent time," resumed his preparations for the evening.

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

After returning safely to his temporary residence, Yang Hao first let Ms. Sonia, who was still tipsy, lie down on the bed to rest, while he sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the intelligence report his boss had given him, and fell into deep thought.

He discovered that the people mentioned in the intelligence—well, to be precise, the boss behind the merchant guild that stored flammable liquor, and the nobleman who was carrying high-energy stones home—were all people he had met at the Imperial Council.

Hmm? Looks like I can't let you die in the Imperial Diet. Alas, life is unpredictable, truly unpredictable!

[Event: Coincidence]

You're preparing to use violence to obtain what you need for your next move! But you've noticed... the very scoundrel of a councilor you're planning to attack is the one who humiliated you in the Imperial Diet.

Perhaps they won't be able to die in the Imperial Council, but it doesn't matter, where they die is still where they die. Maybe by then, their DNA won't be mixed in with those charred corpses that are unrecognizable?

Friendly reminder—look to your side.

'ah?'】

what?

This... I know this damn puppet show will pop up events to remind me if my guesses are correct...

But what's the problem? Look next to me? What's the problem next to me? Aside from Sonia, who seems to be drunk, there's nothing else—

"Forehead?!"

Yang Hao suddenly realized something. He turned around in a cold sweat and found that Sonia, who had been lying on the bed with her eyes closed, had somehow become dizzy and was now sitting on the bed.

Her face was flushed, she was dizzy, her mouth was slightly open, and she was sucking on her fingers.

"Sonia?! Are you alright?!" Yang Hao's face turned deathly pale in an instant. He swallowed hard and quickly reached out to support Sonia's shoulders, who looked like she was about to collapse—this woman, who was so old, turned out to be a woman who had never drunk a drop of alcohol before?!

This alcohol tolerance... is really, really terrible! If I remember correctly, sweet cocktails don't have much alcohol content at all...?

"...I...I'm fine." Faced with Yang Hao's concerned question...she shook her head. Her words sounded rational, but the problem was she didn't seem rational at all.

She extended her right hand, from which the finger had just been sucked, and then gently placed her still-wet finger on Yang Hao's hand. She removed Yang Hao's hands, and then, clearly drunk, the older woman, chuckling in her intoxication, embraced Yang Hao's body.

She was very strong, and combined with the physical limitations of deep-sea hunters, Yang Hao was unable to resist. He could only watch helplessly as Sonia hugged him, then pulled him back onto the bed.

Because he was on top, and because Sonia had taken the initiative to hug him, it was inevitable that his face was pressed tightly against Sonia's full breasts.

Her clothes smelled of sweet wine, along with a faint body fragrance.

That area was soft yet somewhat firm, unlike Monica, which was completely soft.

From a man's perspective, would Yang Hao like the feeling of his face pressed against a soft, fluffy dumpling? Of course he would! But liking it is one thing, he's not the kind of man who would sneakily take advantage of someone when they're not looking! After all, Sonia acted this way because she was drunk. Taking advantage of her while she's drunk is one thing, but if he actually laid a hand on her, would he even be human?!

Of course not, so—

"Hoo hoo... Hehe... Mr. Yang Hao? Mr. Yang Hao—you're just like a child—I don't dislike children like you, but can you give me something to do? I don't want to be taken care of by a child all the time. Give me something to do... okay? Okay?"

She was too drunk.

Listening to Sonia's soft voice, her usual gentle tone now tinged with a slightly overactive energy... Yang Hao concluded that she was truly drunk—at the same time, he made up his mind that he would never drink alcohol in Sonia's presence again, absolutely never!

Otherwise, given her alcohol tolerance... this time it's one thing, but what if Sonia does something like this again in an inappropriate setting in the future?

He was somewhat dazed, but still tried to break free from Sonia's embrace. However, naturally, how could a frail man resist a strong deep-sea hunter? The physical disparity between Yang Hao and Sonia was like that between a small rabbit and a Vay mortal—a hopelessly unequal difference.

He tried several times, but instead of letting go of Sonia's embrace, she held him tighter and tighter... For a moment, he really thought he was going to suffocate on her chest, but she seemed to still have some sense. After noticing that Yang Hao's face was already flushed and he didn't even have the strength to resist her, she loosened her embrace slightly, allowing Yang Hao to breathe and smell other scents besides her body fragrance.

...

But that was it.

Yang Hao was still firmly under her control, held in her arms. Drunk, she kept talking, complaining that Yang Hao was taking too much care of her, so much so that she had no chance to perform, no chance to work, and could only stare blankly at him.

But the problem is—this is all I can do for you, isn't it? And isn't the job of a bodyguard to follow me around, protect my safety, and then just stand there doing nothing? You want something to do, but I really can't find any work for you...

Is this...is this my fault?

“Sonia…” Yang Hao tried to calm Sonia down.

"Hehe~ I won't let go until you find something I can do for me, okay? Hehe..." But it seems his plan has failed once again.

Sonia seemed determined to have him assign her a task before she would let go of his hand, but how can I assign you a task now?

"Do you mean I'm ordering you to take a bath with me?" Yang Hao thought to himself, both amused and exasperated. This order seemed to actually work, but if he really did it, how would he face Sonia after she woke up?

So what to do?

Yang Hao racked his brains thinking... but just as he was thinking, he suddenly realized something.

Ms. Sonia wanted to have something to do so that she wouldn't seem like just a pretty face.

Now—hasn't this given me a perfect opportunity to do something for her?!

"Sonia, Sonia! Please, please let me go—I really need you and your junior to do something tomorrow! Really! Please let me go..."

Whether it's attacking a merchant guild warehouse or a noble's mansion, in the end, it always requires a large number of people.