My wife is an immortal black snake.

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This piece of wood represents all desires, all fervent desires.

A living doll made from this piece of wood will have the most beautiful body, but it will also have the most insane desires.

It's best to mix it with other types of wood before considering refining it.

this...

Yang Hao looked at the piece of wood in his hand, and Teresa and the others also looked at the piece of wood in Yang Hao's hand. Finally, they watched as Hela pulled him to the front of that enormous heart and did the same thing.

It seemed that because the heart still had the ability to resist, or perhaps because Yang Hao's instinctive ability could only be used on targets that were [unable to resist], he tried several times to pull the [wood] out of the living city heart but could not do so. In the end, Hela used her scythe to tear a large gash in the heart that had no ability to resist before he was able to succeed.

The piece of wood that was pulled out was also red, but it was pinkish. This gave him a feeling of eternal, stable pulse, optimism, and perseverance.

Item: Wood (Heart)

This wood represents all optimism and perseverance; it is the principle of life, survival, and protection.

A living doll made from this piece of wood will have an excellent body, possess the most optimistic and persistent spirit, and its body will be more difficult to destroy, and even if destroyed, it can recover very quickly.

It can be used in combination with other types of wood, or it can be used alone to create rare and unique items.

...It seems that the next goal is to find a way to combine these two pieces of wood and then collect other raw materials, right?

Yang Hao blinked, and after gripping the two pieces of wood together, he knew that this incident was finally over.

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

While Yang Hao and his group were dealing with the final matters, Kosiché received a message from His Majesty the Emperor, whom they hadn't been in contact with for a long time.

The message from His Majesty the Emperor essentially means that they have cleared all the roads leading to the territory controlled by the Sherlock Holmes nightclub and have occupied all the towns. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, the only remaining enemies to deal with are Duke Nicolai and three or four other minor counts whose names are unknown.

To this, Kosiché merely sneered and said, "Your Majesty, you don't need to come over. We've dealt with Duke Nikolai ourselves. Now you can take Saint-Germain and go work elsewhere."

...

Faced with Koschei's indifference and rejection, His Majesty remained silent for a while before smiling and indicating that she now had a reason to "stop near the Duchy of Koschei," and that her general would be in charge of the upcoming war, as she could no longer go to the battlefield for the time being.

Moreover, she gave us a lot of things—resources plundered from the destroyed towns. There were so many resources that we couldn't store them all, and Saint-Germain Castle really needed to move those resources to other places.

The Duchy of Kosiché is a good place.

"So what exactly do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"Hehe. You'll find out the details later. And by the way, Colombia has officially declared war on Casimir."

Unable to refuse His Majesty's proposal, and even less able to refuse His Majesty's offer to rebuild the Duchy of Kosiché and replenish resources in this situation... Kosiché could only agree with a grim face and twitching lips—for the sake of those resources... and for the sake of the matter in Kazimir.

But what about the Kazimir situation?

Kosiché thought to himself, "It's time."

I need to have a serious talk with Miss Karina.

Volume Three

Chapter One

Late night on July 8th.

When the Duchy of Kosiché finally completed the clearing and occupation of all the remaining districts of the Duke of Nikolai, wiped out all the monsters that were gradually losing their vitality and wandering in the wilderness, and burned everything that could be burned and buried everything that could be buried—they could finally take stock of their losses as they drove the new district out of the basin.

...The losses to the Duchy of Kosiché were enormous—while it's not to say that the several districts that were re-incorporated, making the entire Duchy of Kosiché appear as a perfect rectangle, were undeserved...but in a sense, the losses were still too great.

The casualties among soldiers, civilians, and militia—excluding reinforcements from the nobles' private armies—probably exceeded 4. Most of these losses occurred when the living city opened its second ramp—at which time the enormous claws not only completely destroyed the defensive towers but also destroyed residences in several residential areas.

Unfortunately, while the outlying urban areas aren't densely populated, the areas it dragged along were precisely where the highest pedestrian traffic occurred... Consequently, the number of casualties in that part of the city was simply too high. Adding the casualties among the militia, it's truly heartbreaking.

Besides the civilian casualties, the deaths and injuries of the well-trained regular army also deeply saddened Kosichev and Yang Hao. However, considering that the mercenaries provided by Ms. Therese might have a two- or three-year term, they should still be able to slowly recover during this period.

And beyond that.

"Hiss... Koschke, am I seeing things...?"

Yes. You read that right.

"but--"

"Please face reality, my husband."

"But this shouldn't be happening?!"

On the bed in the Duke's bedroom in the Duke's mansion.

Hela fell fast asleep in Yang Hao's arms.

The couple, at their wits' end, leaned against the headboard, half-lying down.

Head Maid Monica isn't here, and because Hela is here, she can't properly [serve] the two masters to bed.

So, having no other choice, she had to go back to her room to rest. Meanwhile, the couple in the palace couldn't sleep either, so they could only work on the next day's tasks by the light of their bedside lamp.

But this decision forced Yang Hao to confront his deepest fear—a reality he dreaded—on a night when he was full of energy.

That is, the depletion of resources in the Duchy of Kosiché.

Although Yang Hao felt the loss of human resources was painful, he could still find a way to make up for it...

The resource losses caused by this period of war are much more troublesome. Moreover, they are not losing ordinary resources such as stones or wood that can be collected everywhere, but resources related to Originium.

The pure Originium used to fight against Duke Nikolai, although the vast majority of them were used as high-energy igniters and to make certain expensive equipment, were still being consumed too quickly – now the duchy has less than 20% of its reserves left.

Sugar for industrial use, various alloys, and essential electronic components. These industrial raw materials were also heavily depleted, mainly to support the Duchy of Kosice in its war against the Duke of Nikolai—now, less than 30% of their reserves remain within the duchy.

Besides the lack of industrial raw materials, the shortage of food was also a major headache for Yang Hao...

"So...when will our caravan return?"

"The closest ones will take another 20 days. Our food supply can last for 13 days now, and even if they come back, the food supplies they provide will only last for 7 or 8 days."

"...No matter what, it's still a land-based warship, isn't it?"

"But the problem is, we have a huge population, and let's not forget about the refugees..."

"Oh, and those mercenaries too..."

"So all we can do is wait for Her Majesty's Saint-Germain Castle—she has acquired a great deal of resources from the cities of other nobles in the Sherlock Holmes nightclubs because of her successive war victories. Sigh...darling? This is all we can do."

"...Okay then."

With resources scarce, no nearby raw material gathering places to collect, food that cannot be quickly replenished by land-based ships, and agricultural areas unable to provide sufficient food for the entire city's population... Kosichrie and Yang Hao could only place their hopes on His Majesty the Emperor's Saint-Germain Castle.

Saint-Germain Castle is overflowing with resources. According to the latest news, their underground warehouses are even bursting at the seams, and many of the collected resources are simply piled up on the streets—especially those bags full of flour.

We can't let that food just sit there and go to waste! Although Yang Hao really wanted His Majesty to leave immediately after sending the food, he just couldn't bring himself to do it...

Ugh!

Considering His Majesty the Emperor has fed our starving city, what's a few days of fighting alongside Saint-Germain? Let's fight!

Ugh!

Yang Hao sighed softly, stroking Hela's forehead in his arms. He had been too busy lately to visit the House of Lamentations, and he wondered what Miss Lamentations would say to him then.

But never mind, I'll just go there tomorrow—but before that, my wife and I have some very important things to talk about.

"And Colombia has already declared war on Casimir, hasn't it?"

"Ah."

Kosiché responded softly. Her cat tail, which had somehow already wrapped around Hela's body, was now inside Yang Hao's pants.

Yang Hao was already used to this, so he simply put his daughter aside and then hunched over to enjoy the "massage" brought on by his wife's unsatisfied desire.

"Paul still hasn't sent the message... I don't know if Kazimir is incompetent or a brave warrior."

"If they're incompetent, we'd better hurry."

"If they are brave and skilled in battle..."

“We have to make them miserable—of course, without letting them find out we're the ones doing the work, not even a suspicion,” Kosichee muttered, her face flushed. She noticed the tip of her tail was already wet; it seemed her husband was indeed enjoying her [massage]—if the curling and stretching of the tail counted as a massage. “And… darling? Hehe, this might be the last time you can enjoy my tail, you know? Soon, I'll be getting a new body…”

"I'm worried about how Hela will recognize you then..."

"hehe."

With a wicked grin, she gently pounced on Yang Hao. The old black snake, finally relaxing, no longer cared that a child was sound asleep in their room.

Chapter two

—On the morning of September 1st.

When the Duchy of Kosiché docked at the agreed meeting point with His Majesty the Emperor at St. Johann's Castle, preparing to gather a small amount of resources from the surrounding area to satisfy its industrial needs and appetite.

Yang Hao...

"Dad! What were you and Aunt Koschitch doing last night?"

"...Playing, playing games! Yes, playing games!"

He was awkwardly explaining to his child what had happened the night before, under the disdainful gaze of the head maid.

This was truly embarrassing. No matter how slightly Kosichek moved, Hela, who was sleeping in the same bed, could still feel the strange shaking coming from the large bed.

This was truly embarrassing. Even though Yang Hao and Kosiché had properly turned off the lights before engaging in their long-awaited intimate activities as a couple, they had no idea that Hela was a living doll with night vision, a good child.

therefore--

They spent over half an hour engaging in activities under Hela's curious and bewildered gaze. Just as Koschich's wife finally seemed satisfied and embraced Yang Hao, preparing to rest...

The two loving couple, panting heavily, covered in sweat, their bodies burning hot, and fluid still seeping from their joined bodies, saw in the darkness a pair of heterochromatic eyes gleaming, watching them curiously...

... ...

So what could Yang Hao do?

This morning, after Kosichelle calmly (which was anything but calm) said, "You're in charge of disciplining her," her adorable retreating figure brought Yang Hao a real parenting headache.

And now that things have come to this, what other explanation can he offer besides that he was "playing a game"?

We can't just corrupt a child, right? You agree, don't you, Head Maid Monica? Hela is still young, how can I let her go astray...?

But—even if that's what Yang Hao thought, Monica would still despise him. Unable to bear Monica's gaze, which felt like a spear constantly stabbing at his back, Yang Hao handed Hela to Monica's head maid, indicating that she should take care of the child, while also saying that he needed to find Sonia to protect him and go to the infected area to check on Ms. Kal'tsit's research progress.

After bringing back that half-ascended being's head, which was beaming with ecstasy, she didn't even know if she had achieved anything! She really had to go and see for herself, really.

"Heh... My lord, please be careful on your journey." Monica knew from this that the man intended to flee. She chuckled coldly, plotting to show her master her power tonight, while holding Hela in her arms. "If anything happens, I will inform you immediately—please return as soon as possible."

"Yes Yes..."

"Don't forget, you still have work to do."

"Ah...I understand..."

Yang Hao left in a hurry.

Before leaving, he kept thinking that his status in the family seemed to have become even lower because of what happened last night.

Ugh.

Perhaps this is something every immortal must go through—Yang Hao comforted himself in his heart, thinking that perhaps the only one who would not despise him in the end would be Margarita.

... .....

9:20 am.

Yang Hao was carried from behind by Sonia's mother all the way to Dr. Kal'tsit's research institute.

There, Sonia finally calmed down a bit. Ever since she heard about Yang Hao almost being attacked and injured, this doting matriarch seemed even more reluctant to leave Yang Hao's side.

That makes sense. If Yang Hao needs to travel for matters related to Kazimierz, he'll definitely have to take Sonia with him. Monica will stay home to support Koschei while he works, and I'll have Sonia's protection while I'm out. Plus, if anything happens at home, Monica can rush over to give me the news as quickly as possible—it's a win-win situation, who wouldn't like that?

"Mr. Yang Hao, speaking of which, there seems to be a new building under construction somewhere around the duchy recently. There are drone-like things there. Do you have any clues?"

Before entering the research institute, Sonia's soft question startled Yang Hao for a moment. He then explained that it was a positive change brought about by his [National Policy Tree] - what was being built over there was the first comprehensive university in the history of the Duke of Koschche, and those drone-like things were indeed construction drones.

"I haven't even checked what's going on yet, but you did remind me to activate the national policy tree..."

"Hehe, you can't do that again next time."

She reached out and gently pinched Yang Hao's earlobe. Feeling the soft pressure from behind and Sonia's mother's subtle hints, Yang Hao chuckled dryly and pushed open the research institute's door.

Upon entering—

As usual, they saw Mr. Grovazel slacking off. Ever since this Wendigo scholar got his hands on some pornographic books from some unknown pony, he'd been completely absorbed in them. Yang Hao didn't know why this Wendigo came here every morning to read porn, but he certainly managed to complete his tasks properly, and that was enough.

So after greeting Mr. Grovazel, who seemed unfazed and used to the strange looks from those around him, Yang Hao asked him how Ms. Kal'tsit's research was progressing.

Before Mr. Grovazel, who had just put down the centaur picture book, could say anything, Ms. Kal'tsit came out of the kitchen carrying two coffee cups. She paused for a moment, then said that she would speak instead.