My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 37

The Research Slot is arguably one of the core abilities of [Puppet Stage]. It wasn't unlocked in Columbia because he didn't have a city. Now in Ursus, with an entire duchy under his control, the Research Slot should theoretically be unlocked, right?

But Yang Hao couldn't find it no matter how hard he searched... Instead, he found a resolution to open a research slot.

[Resolution: Technology is awe-inspiring (200 political points)]

Technology is a core element of territory development, whether it is military, industrial or medical level - they all need advanced science and technology to support them.

You can open the research slots in the Dukedom of Kosichear, but given that the entire Ursus Empire is still in a relatively ignorant period, you will need to find scholars and scientists before you can conduct scientific and technological research.

effect:

Unlock a research slot to conduct research on military and industrial technologies up to 1045 years in advance.

A new resolution was adopted: scholars and researchers were invited to the gathering.

Initiate a new event: (Wendigo Scholar).

"200 political points? But this is a necessary expense. Even if I'm a miser, I can't be so miserly as to not do something so essential." Yang Hao muttered, spending the nearly 300 political points he had painstakingly accumulated through various events and time since arriving in the Duchy of Kosiché. "Food is the most important thing for people, so commerce must be based on high technology... Ugh, but the technology tree in this world is really twisted. They can create mobile cities, so why do other basic public technologies seem like a giant with a broken leg?"

"I don't understand," he thought to himself. After using the research slot, he immediately started looking at what was available in the research slot without saying a word.

...

Research slots can be used to study many things, broadly categorized into three types.

Military equipment technologies—including one called "Doomsday Weapon"—can be researched. However, researching overly advanced technologies will result in significant losses...

For example, if it's currently 1042, and we were to research a doomsday weapon for 1095, the research time would increase fivefold, and the consumption of various resources would also increase significantly. However, these disadvantages can be mitigated or even eliminated through the national policy tree, which is quite beneficial.

Next comes industrial technology—including advanced mining technology, electronics technology, consumer industrial technology, medical research, and all light industry or high-tech fields. Advanced research will also incur losses, there's not much to say about that.

Finally, there are all sorts of war doctrines...

"What's this 'human wave assault' theory... and what's this 'Burgundy conscription policy'? Oh? I'm even seeing some special theories about infected people? Interesting..."

He looked at everything with great interest, completely unaware that Head Maid Monica had somehow appeared beside him.

Chapter 90

Yang Hao was studying the things on the research tank with great interest. After studying for more than ten minutes, he was pulled up by the head maid Monica, who said that if they waited any longer, the letter that was supposed to be sent out this morning would have to be sent out at noon today.

"My lord, please figure out your work priorities! Instead of sitting here daydreaming, why don't you go and prepare the letters and gifts for your friends?"

"Ah...sorry, I originally intended to go by myself. But I got lost."

"...That's true, sir. You're not familiar with the overall layout of the Duke's mansion. Please follow me."

Led by Head Maid Monica, Yang Hao finally escaped the corridors of the Duke's mansion's living quarters, which had left him completely disoriented. They arrived at what appeared to be a room near the west side entrance of the mansion. There, the messenger and the doctor, who was checking the blood-drawing equipment, were ready and waiting for their arrival.

“Sir, please finish writing your letter before you have your blood drawn.” Monica suggested to Yang Hao, after looking at the blood-drawing equipment prepared by the doctor and then at the two blood bottles on the table. “Otherwise, it will affect your ability to write your letter, whether it is your dominant hand or not, after the blood is drawn from your hand.”

"Row."

With Monica's help, Yang Hao went to a table and began to worry about what to write on the letter.

After much thought, this was the only beginning he could come up with:

"My dear Margarita, how have you been lately?"

Yang Hao wrote his first sentence on the letter paper with an exquisite fountain pen and high-end-looking red-black ink. Through the [Puppet Stage], he could clearly see that Margarita's life was going well recently; she was growing steadily, but he didn't know how long it would take before she left Minos and that village.

What should he write next? He thought for a moment and wrote down the following:

"I'm doing quite well here. You don't need to worry about my life here. Apart from being a bit busy with work after getting married, everything is fine."

Well, he'd never had a wedding himself, so at least he wanted Margarita to know that he was doing well lately, right? Of course, Yang Hao had no intention of breaking his promise—he would wait until Margarita grew up to give her the best and most complete answer.

So, what should he write next? Yang Hao shook his head with a headache and found the doctor staring at him blankly with the blood-drawing instrument, while Monica looked at him with a strange expression he had never seen before.

What's wrong? Is it so strange that I write a letter? He sighed and wrote the third paragraph.

…………

While Yang Hao was writing to Margarita, he was still finding almost nothing in that small village. Margarita decided to use a large object to lure out her fellow clansman that night.

"Sanae - let's go hunting nearby first."

But doing this requires a lot of blood. Besides Margarita's own blood, she also needs a lot of blood from other creatures—taking blood from the villagers is definitely out of the question, so Margarita's only target is the creatures that roam freely in the wilderness.

Fortunately, she knew how to find those creatures, and her pet Sanae knew how to weaken them to the point of near death before sending Margarita to collect their blood. But then again, hasn't Sanae been growing increasingly strange lately?

After sneezing again, Margarita squinted, rubbed her nose, and muttered, "If this keeps up, I'll have to carry tissues with me all the time." She then picked up Sanae, her little pet, a rock crab infected with Oripathy.

...Whether it was Margarita's imagination or not, Sanae seemed to be growing less and less like a rock crab lately. Not only did it seem to be getting bigger, but strange hairs were also growing on its shell, and one of its claws even looked like it had grown a bat-like wing membrane... Fortunately, Margarita had never brought Sanae into the village, so no one noticed what kind of strange creature this rock crab had become.

With the thought that everything would go smoothly tonight, Margarita led Sanae toward their pre-arranged destination.

......

While Margarita was enthusiastically working on her plan, Yang Hao had finally finished writing his letter.

He wrote in the letter about his life in Ursus, some minor complaints, and his rants about Koschei. Of course, it wasn't that Yang Hao had developed any annoyance towards Koschei; he just subconsciously felt that if Koschei continued like this, he probably wouldn't live to achieve immortality.

He looked at one of the passages with deep emotion. After confirming several times that the content did not offend Margarita or Kosiché, he put the letter into the envelope and sealed it with sealing wax.

"I'm all set—all that's next is to draw the blood and then refrigerate it, right?"

He spoke to the doctor beside him. After receiving an affirmative reply, he rolled up his right sleeve, placed his right hand on the table, and watched as the doctor applied some kind of cooling oil to his arm before inserting the needle of the blood collection device into the area covered by the cooling sensation.

The oil must be some kind of external anesthetic, and it must be a high-end anesthetic that only nobles could use—before Yang Hao could get rid of this thought, he saw the blood collection device draw out his blood and fill two blood collection bottles in less than 5 seconds.

"My lord, I am about to use a medical Originium Arts technique on you," the doctor said after removing the blood collection device. "For the next half hour, please refrain from any strenuous activity with your right hand."

"I understand."

Using your right hand for vigorous exercise? What are you implying? Yang Hao shook his head. After the doctor used Originium Arts to help him stop the bleeding, his purpose for this trip was considered complete.

Next, all that's needed is for the messenger to work harder and deliver the letter within a week.

“My lord,” Monica, the maid, looked at her mistress with a hint of helplessness, “no matter how fast the messenger is, it’s impossible for him to send the letter within a week—especially since your destination is Minos. So it will take at least a month for the messenger to reach its destination and deliver the letter to Miss Margarita.”

“More than a month? It’s not unacceptable… Oh, speaking of which, Monica, do you know any scholars or researchers in Ursus?” Yang Hao chuckled a few times before getting down to business with Monica, who was about to accompany him to the administrative office. “I mean—scholars who focus on research into new technologies.”

"scholar?"

Monica blinked in confusion, then shook her head. "No, I don't know... Lord Koschei might know someone similar. But as for me, I don't know what kind of person you need."

"So, do you know Wendigo scholars?"

"Wendigo? Me—oh? You mean that Wendigo scholar? He's quite a notable figure in the Ursus Empire..."

Monica originally intended to subconsciously indicate that she did not know.

But soon, she remembered that there was indeed such a person in the Ursus Empire. A Wendigo scholar named Grovazel.

This is the first Wendigo scholar ever recorded in Ursus's history. The first Wendigo Imperial scholar—although Monica had not conducted any academic research, she was still aware of this first Wendigo scholar in history.

It is said that the Wendigo scholar lived with his war hero father. Although the father and son had quarreled before, they now got along well. Although Monica found it hard to imagine how a rigid soldier could get along with his scholar son, and didn't know how the soldier had raised a scholar, she knew that it was a family matter and she shouldn't interfere.

But then again, why would adults be interested in Wendigo scholars? Under Monica's puzzled gaze, Yang Hao gave his answer:

"I've thought about this for a long time. If scholars or researchers could help us research some advanced technologies, perhaps we could resolve this economic crisis more quickly."

"...I understand. Should I have someone contact him? But that requires Lord Koschche's permission." I see—in that case, as a maid, I should fulfill my master's wishes.

But now Monica serves two masters. She needs both masters to agree on this before she acts... otherwise, if she angers one of them and affects their family relationship, that would be terrible.

"It's fine if Kosiché is resting today, I'll have a good talk with her tonight—could you make a note of it for me? Oh, right...after talking with Mr. Joseph, we'll go out for a bit. Have Snake Scales prepare for intelligence gathering."

"Yes."

Monica wondered if she was planning to go out and look for... a nobleman to be added to that "Naughty Kids List" again. She thought with a touch of helplessness, "After the reforms in the administrative center are finished, the number of nobles in the duchy will probably be reduced to a dangerous number, right?"

But never mind, those nobles who plunder the people's wealth through force have no reason to continue living. Since the lord intends to do this, I should support him—

But, should I go out...?

...

Monica hesitated for a moment.

She still told Yang Hao that Lord Koschche had allowed him to go to that brothel.

Of course, Yang Hao's embarrassed expression upon hearing the news was another matter entirely.

... .....

[Event: Wendigo scholar Grovazel]

You heard about this first Wendigo scholar in Ursus' history from your personal maid.

The Wendigo are the most powerful warrior race in the world. They are tall, have ferocious appearances, possess unparalleled fighting power, and are said to have a tradition of cannibalism.

What kind of winding path did a Wendigo take to become a scholar? You're not interested in that; what you're interested in is whether Mr. Großwazel can help you with your great cause.

note!

Grovazel is a scholar who is close to those infected with Oripathy. If you issue negative policies towards the infected, Grovazel will leave your territory immediately!

'So, is giving chemical ecstasy to infected people who are about to die from the disease a negative policy?'

Um...

Monica knowing the Wendigo Scholar's reputation was a good thing that surprised Yang Hao.

Because she knew this title, an event popped up on Yang Hao's end. This event allowed Yang Hao to prepare in advance for a scholar to activate their research slot—all of which was a good thing.

Why is it that my face still feels like it's been burned, burning hot?

“…”

Yang Hao stood in front of the Kazimierz brothel, gazing at it. Because the brothel only opened at night, it was not open at the moment, but Yang Hao could almost see the centaur girl in his imagination running happily on all fours while accurately shooting arrows into the bullseye with both hands.

Although it was a brothel, Yang Hao could still imagine the scene of those centaur knights fighting.

He felt his palms were sweating and he was a little nervous, not for any other reason than his wife—who actually allowed him to go in and see the world?!

Even Monica didn't object... This is just... this is just... amazing!

"Gudong."

"Finally, finally I can see what those centaur girls, those Kuranta people, really look like?!" Yang Hao was incredibly excited. Right behind him, just as the disdainful head maid Monica was about to remind him to "calm down," they overheard two well-dressed gentlemen casually passing by the brothel making this comment about it:

"Ivan, the service at this restaurant is really good!"

"Yeah, wow—I guess you're a true warrior knight, aren't you? I was lying there, and she was just moving around. But she didn't even show a hint of emotion, while my back was practically giving way..."

"That massage therapist's grip was ridiculously strong; I suspect she was a steel bar twister in her past life..."

......

The two well-dressed gentlemen chatted about strange topics in public as they left the street.

After listening carefully to their conversation, Yang Hao felt that something was off.

If those Kuranta people were the centaurs I imagined... could they actually do that pose?

He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a clue... In the end, he simply gave up thinking and decided to [see for himself what the scene was like tonight].

...

Then, a new event popped up in front of him.

Chapter 91

[Event: A Casimir-style brothel? No! It's a Casimir-style spy!]

In the Duchy of Kosiché, the Casimir-style brothels undoubtedly became the object of desire for the middle-class leeks—I mean, the objects of the dreams of the middle-class gentlemen.

It must be mentioned that brothels using the guise of "warrior knights" held immense appeal for the Ursus people, who were constantly at war with Kazimir. What could bring more pleasure than pinning a former enemy to the ground and torturing them? Of course, there are, but those gentlemen clearly didn't have the guts.

However, it's clear that the spy knights of this brothel possess some kind of magical Originium Arts, capable of deceiving outsiders and making gentlemen genuinely believe they've engaged in thrilling and intense encounters with the Kurantas. They've already gleaned numerous secrets from middle-class gentlemen and are waiting to transport them back to Kazimierz next month. These secrets won't cripple the Kosichean Duchy, but the scandals involving the nobility could very well serve as a stepping stone to establishing a high-level spy network within the Kosichean Duchy.

...Perhaps you can uncover the secrets hidden within this brothel today and expose them to the world. Your wife will be delighted, and if successful, you might not have to suffer so much when you go home tonight.

Moreover, due to recent capital operations, Qasimir's spies are no longer loyal and devoted to the country... I think you understand what this means.

'Wait a minute? Someone's actually interested in centaurs? And they'll suffer tonight? What does that mean?'

Result after completion:

[Obtain a spy infiltration route for the knights who are fighting in Kazimir.]