My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 34

"I'm not planning such a large-scale reform right now; it's just that this requires long-term planning. How should I put it, Monica, do you know how the issue of [education] can influence public opinion about people infected with the virus?"

"...I don't know." She shook her head honestly. Having once been the heir of a lower-ranking noble family, she naturally knew the importance of education...but how did that apply to infected individuals?

She thought for a long time, but all those books said was, "Send them to where they are supposed to go," and that was all.

Seeing this, Yang Hao knew that the head maid genuinely didn't understand what this meant. So after thinking for a while, Yang Hao used a simple and easy-to-understand example to explain the magic of "education" to the head maid—he meant the magic that "compulsory education," which was completely controlled by the Duke's mansion, could bring.

“Monica, let me give you an example—in the first decade, at most, we can get the current residents to see the infected as their ‘property.’ That’s the best outcome we can give the infected, right?” He explained his thoughts to Monica. “After all, for those citizens who have lived for decades, their worldview and outlook on life are basically fixed. No matter how hard we try to change their minds, without using my abilities, the best we can do is get them to see the infected as the ‘private property’ of their factories. After all, the infected can still provide output in factories and mines.”

“You’re right.” Monica nodded; it made perfect sense.

"But through education—I mean, compulsory education, continuing until age 16—we can instill a concept in the minds of these stubborn children. We can slightly raise the upper limit of their perception of infected individuals as mere private property, making them not just private property, but rather a 'second-class citizen'—slightly lower than themselves. While a large portion will still treat infected individuals as private property, it's undeniable that compulsory education will clothe their minds in a garment of civilization, especially when they understand that the danger of infected individuals is limited to a few aspects. They will gradually come to believe that infected individuals are indeed human, just of a lower status than themselves. It's better than not being human at all."

"...Compulsory education? Is that really possible...? No—Sir, you mean, to send so many citizens to school and teach them to read? No, impossible. The Duchy doesn't have that many schools, and even if it did, the children of the middle class and nobles wouldn't want to attend school with the lower-class citizens." Monica was beginning to suspect that her lord was thinking some strange, unfounded ideas again. She had a feeling that Lord Yang Hao had lost his mind ever since he saw that Casimir-style brothel... No, this won't do. "And even if they agreed...Lord Kosiché can't come up with that much budget for building schools and hiring teachers. This isn't something that can be accomplished just by talking."

"Hehe, Monica, you've given me a great idea! I was just wondering what else could be done with work relief besides building wonders!" To everyone's surprise, Lord Yang Hao snapped his fingers excitedly. "That's right! That labor force can be used to build schools. Besides schools, they can be used to replan some previously poorly planned areas of the city, and they can demolish those useless buildings to build more important ones..."

Ah, I've digressed. In short, Monica, you don't object to the idea that compulsory education will gradually improve people's moral standards, right? So, can you extend that logic further—when the children of the second generation of citizens who received compulsory education enter school under the new family values, can we try to explain things about infected individuals more clearly in the classroom textbooks?

Following this logic, we may not be able to get new citizens to completely treat infected people as "human beings" until the third generation. But in the fourth and fifth generations... as long as this measure continues without error, sooner or later, the infected will be freed from the sins they shouldn't bear, they will regain their human rights, they will be grateful for the dignity and right to walk with their heads held high that we have given them, and they will spontaneously promote the Duchy of Koschei—promoting it as a paradise for the infected, inciting other infected people in Ursus, and even infected people from around the world, to come to Ursus to build their careers.

Although infected individuals have short lifespans and face danger, if managed properly, they remain a vital workforce and even scientific research talent. They come here to contribute to our industry. Their food, clothing, shelter, and shelter will stimulate a large number of private enterprises and the commercial economy. This commercial activity will bring us immense wealth—more than we could use to build the pyramids—which will lay the foundation for our military, our administration, our social reforms, and the prosperity of this territory.

It's not just about people's livelihoods; the infected themselves are excellent soldiers. Imagine what could be more frightening than a group of fanatical, trained, and fearless infected charging into a crowd? These infected simply lack a master worthy of their loyalty, someone who can give them dignity, wealth, and the means to build a family and career.

We can become their masters. When the time is right, and I use my power, they will be at our service. Forever at our service.

He took a breath; saying so much at once seemed like an unbearable burden for him.

"...Did you consider all of this before making this decision?"

...Are you actually thinking about things decades from now, about the possibilities five generations from now?

Monica looked at the man in front of her who was panting heavily, and took a bottle of drink from the refrigerator in the back of the vehicle and handed it to him.

"No, I've experienced something similar before, which is why I have this thought." Lord Yang Hao smiled, took the drink Monica offered, and uttered words that puzzled her.

Chapter 85

National Policy: Compulsory Education (9 years)

You realize that even in the Duchy of Kosiché, compulsory education is not widespread. Currently, only nobles and those from the upper middle class and above can receive an education. These powerful figures have almost monopolized all professions that require a certain level of education—such as civil servants, accountants, tutors, high-ranking servants, and even maids (in that sense).

You are keenly aware that if you want the Duchy of Kosiché to prosper both internally and externally, then the implementation of nine-year compulsory education is a crucial undertaking. However, you will need a long time to prepare, whether it's gathering educational talent, establishing schools, defining the scope of textbooks, or even sending some mischievous children to the Lubyanka Grand Hotel for education to ensure the smooth progress of the reforms.

Upon completion: The Duchy of Kosiché will implement compulsory education. Every 10 years, the textbooks can be revised, gradually raising the moral standards of the educated children within the duchy while your teachers instruct students in truth.

effect:

The output of research-oriented talents will increase by 5% annually, with a maximum increase of 20%.

Literacy rates within the territory have been increasing year by year, reaching a peak of 99%.

Minimum upper limit for public stability: from negative to 10%

You can upgrade the racial status of infected individuals every 10 years. Each upgrade will provide you with various resources, additional military manpower reserves, industrial output, and even attract certain high-tech industries to stay in your territory.

'But you want me to prepare for nine years? Can you give me a discount? How about one year?'

Yang Hao had a sudden realization after talking to Monica. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Work relief didn't necessarily mean building wonders! Building schools was perfectly acceptable!

After all, schools are extremely important to the territory, and teachers are a vital resource. With teachers, Yang Hao can popularize compulsory education. With the popularization of compulsory education, he can free more talented people from the hell of illiteracy and provide them with a helping hand to the duchy. More importantly, with compulsory education, he can gradually change the mindset of the duchy's people, granting the infected a certain amount of power and dignity, while ensuring their unwavering dedication to serving the duchy and providing a perpetual source of industrial output.

After all, Yang Hao currently prefers to use the [Puppet Stage] as an aid while simultaneously exploring the feasibility of various measures. The [Puppet Stage] can accomplish things that Yang Hao cannot, but it also wastes a significant amount of national policies, resolutions, and even events that might be generated through these exchanges. Unless it's something he can't investigate on-site, it's better for him to handle things personally.

This national policy actually achieved a leap from 70 days to 9 years... This...

Ugh!

Yang Hao sighed heavily in his heart. After getting out of the car with Monica, they stood at the Lille Tavern and watched Paul get out and hand the vehicle over to the Snake Scale guards who had been following behind.

"Have they been following us the whole time?"

Yang Hao pointed to several unremarkable civilian vehicles behind him, which were covered in snake-scale war game pieces in his field of vision.

Following the direction Yang Hao pointed, Monica looked somewhat confused, while Paul, who had just finished taking over the duties, gave an affirmative answer: "When you go out, sir, they will follow behind us to ensure your and Head Maid Monica's safety."

“I understand—well, let’s wander around before this tavern opens. What time is it?”

5:40 PM.

"We'll come back at 8 p.m.

With a wave of his hand, Yang Hao, along with Monica and Paul, began their inspection tour of the residential area, followed by the snake scales hidden in the shadows.

...

There wasn't really anything to inspect. Yang Hao had been looking for an opportunity to visit that brothel, but Monica was watching him so closely, her suspicious gaze constantly darting around behind him... Under such scrutiny, he simply couldn't get away.

Should he send Paul in his place? He gave up after a moment's thought: he wanted to see for himself what the Kuranta people looked like, and have Paul describe it to him verbally... What difference was there between that and reading a book?

So after thinking it over, since it wasn't possible today, it wouldn't hurt to go and take a look another time later. With that thought in mind, Yang Hao sighed heavily and then noticed that someone seemed to be distributing bread not far away.

"That is?"

"...Those must be the maids and servants of some minor nobleman. Please wait here for a moment while I go and ask them."

Monica looked in the direction Yang Hao was pointing and saw two people distributing bread to hungry Ursus people who were queuing up looking for work at an intersection in the residential area. She frowned, told Yang Hao to wait there for a moment, and went over alone to ask what was going on.

...

She returned quickly, explaining that it was the personal act of a minor nobleman: distributing bread to starving Ursus people in this time of economic hardship.

"But this didn't have much effect. The Ursus people are hardworking... they only accept aid when absolutely necessary, so—"

Before Monica could finish speaking, an argument broke out in the line of people looking for work.

It appears that a worker looking for work got into a conflict with a maid. The content of their argument cannot be heard here, but judging from the worker's increasingly humiliated expression, and how he could only put away the bread after the maid's repeated insistence, and then return home dejectedly, he had indeed reached a dead end.

"...I imagine that worker must have several mouths to feed at home," Yang Hao remarked. "This has truly reached a point of no return. We need to hurry."

“...You’re right.” Monica nodded. “So, what’s next?”

“Let’s keep walking. Oh, Paul—keep an eye out for any guys who might be Gauls. I’m afraid I’ve missed them.”

......

They strolled around the residential area for a while longer. After carefully observing the living conditions of the residents and the behavior of some of the minor nobles, Yang Hao concluded that [some minor nobles did not need to be cleansed, but the vast majority needed to be re-educated, and a very small number needed to be directly punished].

“Some minor nobles simply hoarded large quantities of necessities when the crisis arrived.” Sitting on a secluded bench, Yang Hao fell into deep thought in front of Monica, who was rubbing her forehead and sighing heavily, talking to himself. “While some nobles took the opportunity to buy up large amounts of the people’s hard-earned money from them—but these people could still be educated, and at least there was no forced buying and selling.”

"My lord..."

“But another group of nobles abuse their power, directly hiring henchmen to rob the residents. I can't tolerate that. Monica, what are they called—”

“...Baron Luther.” Monica sighed heavily, signaling Paul to use the snake scales to temporarily scare away any potential pedestrians. She thought to herself, half-laughing and half-crying, that next time Lord Yang Hao was deep in thought, she would definitely have to take him to a more private place.

“Yes, that Baron Luther—I think there’s no point in trying to save those kinds of nobles. We need to send them all to Lubyanka with proper and legitimate reasons. But before that, I need to come up with a list…”

He paused for a moment, then started muttering things like, "I can also get those laborers to build administrative wonders, like the Lubyanka Grand Hotel outside the school."

“My lord, I don’t know exactly what Lubyanka is... but isn’t it inappropriate for you to discuss politics in public?”

Monica finally seized the opportunity when Yang Hao was distracted and blurted out everything she had to say. After all, this was really too outrageous—discussing politics in an unsafe place... Sigh, I have to talk to Lord Koschche about this tonight.

Otherwise, the next time this gentleman might discuss serious matters, it might be at that brothel—

No, that's impossible. I won't let Lord Yang Hao go.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought popped into Monica's head for no apparent reason, so she quickly shook her head to calm herself down.

Faced with Monica's reminder, Yang Hao reluctantly nodded, acknowledging that it was indeed his fault. And judging by the time, there was still some time before 8 PM...

How should he use this time? He sighed, and after eating a simple, portable meal (which Monica always carried with her) to quench his hunger and thirst, he decided—

...First, check your phone for any incoming messages.

"Sigh... Let's rest for a bit. We might get back a little late tonight."

He muttered to himself and took out his phone. Amidst Monica's latest sigh, he casually began browsing the apps on his phone, checking for any recent messages.

...The answer is naturally no. After all, Yang Hao's phone is a Colombian model. Even if it were compatible with the signal in Ursus, it's impossible for his friends to travel that far to send him a text message, right?

But then again, even though he was already married, the marriage agency app was still there. He looked at the app in confusion, and with the thought of "avoiding trouble after marriage," he tried to uninstall it by dragging it, only to find to his surprise that he couldn't uninstall it.

Forget about uninstalling it, Yang Hao couldn't even move it... Sure enough, the perks of transmigrating are this strange.

"...But then again, compulsory education alone will take up nine years of my life..." he thought to himself. "And does Koschei's ambition to make Ursus stronger include the infected? That's a good question..."

Simply put, Koschche's attitude towards the infected will determine how Yang Hao ultimately treats them.

If Koschke doesn't need the infected, then after bringing them dignity and human rights, he's made the best use of them, treating these rare human resources as secondary resources—that's the best they'll ever be treated. Since they're all unnecessary, Yang Hao has fulfilled his duty as a lord by transforming them from "non-human expendables" into "consumables that are somewhat human."

At that point, he'll probably make the infected do extremely dangerous work... and then do nothing else. After all, the happiness of the people will no longer be related to the infected.

So... what if Koschke's ideal also included infected individuals?

Without a doubt, if his wife was willing to treat the infected equally, he would treat them equally as well. Yang Hao hadn't forgotten his promise—he would make the people of his territory smile with joy and happiness. Naturally, in this situation, the infected were also his people, and he wanted them to feel that this territory was a place where they could feel happy.

At that point, the infected population will become Yang Hao's top priority in further deepening reforms. He will build schools and bus stations for them, provide them with food, shelter, and jobs. The only thing he needs is the loyalty of the infected, their unwavering loyalty.

...Loyalty alone is not enough. The infected will also need to bring more positive effects to the duchy, that's for sure.

[Event: The thoughts of the infected]

You've given deep thought to how to deal with the infected population in the future. You considered two options, but ultimately decided to ask your wife for her opinion tonight.

Although you have roughly two plans to choose from, you might come up with a third or fourth? In any case, don't forget your past promises; they are proof of your humanity.

'Can I achieve immortality as a human?' Effect: Increases the probability of a human-centric longevity-related national policy by 0.0001%.

'What is a human? Can you eat them?' Effect: Increases the probability of non-human longevity-related national policies by 0.0001%.

Is this percentage no joke?

"...Sir, it's almost 8 PM." Monica suddenly reminded Yang Hao while he was lost in thought. "If we head to the Lille Tavern now, we'll arrive at our destination precisely at 8 PM. But I must warn you, if you intend to enter the tavern—"

“My lord, at least let me accompany you,” Paul added, uttering the words Monica hadn’t said.

"Alright, alright, I know you won't let me go in alone. You can come in with me—and make sure the other snake scales are ready too."

Yang Hao sighed helplessly, thinking that he probably wouldn't be able to go out alone anymore.

Chapter 86

Lille Tavern is a tavern that has been open for two years in a residential area of ​​the Duchy of Kosichè, and it only operates at night.

This tavern doesn't welcome noisy guests. It serves Gallic-style liqueurs, Gallic-style baguettes so hard they could break wood, and Gallic-style roasted snails. The former is nothing special; in a time when Gaul has disappeared, winemakers lack suitable winemaking locations, the best grapes, and even basic wine barrels. Every bottle of these sweet liqueurs they offer is one less available.

...Perhaps for this reason, Gallic liqueur has become a kind of "collectible." Even in Ursus, where the economy is not doing well, many nobles still travel long distances just to buy a bottle of liqueur to collect or simply to have a drink. Thanks to their good fortune, the tavern owner, Mr. Napoleon, was able to use the tavern's profits to support his fellow countrymen whom he "illegally" accepted.

"Captain, how long has it been since the Gauls were wiped out?" Just as we were about to open for business and make money, a corporal who had once served under Napoleon asked while wiping wine glasses. "We've almost reached 1600 men now... If we continue to take them in, we'll have to consider finding accommodation for our compatriots in other residential areas, and our finances are also in trouble."

"How long can the finances hold up?" Mr. Napoleon raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the bottle of Gallic liqueur on the wall—he currently had 30 bottles left, the rest being ordinary wine and beer. If he sold all of that Gallic liqueur at the current market price increase, it should be enough to feed his current 1564 people for a year or two. "Has old Pele still not found a new source of revenue?"

"No, there's nothing at all—although this city is considered one of the more stable major cities during the economic crisis, we simply can't find any work for our compatriots...and even the Ursus people themselves are struggling to survive, let alone our compatriots who don't have residency permits."

The city beneath their feet was experiencing an economic crisis. With its own people struggling to feed themselves, even illegal factories were unwilling to accept outsiders without residency permits—or, to put it another way, they would only accept people with bear ears, while the Gauls did not.

"Sigh... let's take it one step at a time. Is it really true that nobody wants a baguette baker these days?"

"Captain, don't forget what the Ursus people say about our baguettes—they're so hard they could smash a man's skull."

The corporal's complaints elicited a wry smile from Mr. Napoleon: after all, it made sense; the Ursus people were used to eating large loaves of bread, much easier to eat than hard, crumbly baguettes. At least, easier than baguettes that had been sitting out for days and had gone stale.

He sighed heavily. He looked up at the clock on the wall—it was 7:59 PM. Time to open for business.

"I hope a few big clients will come in today and buy our liqueur bar," Mr. Napoleon muttered, gesturing for his corporal to go out and hang up the sign that says 'Open for Business'.

The corporal quickly put down his glass, wiped the water droplets off his hands with a clean tablecloth, put on a waiter's vest, and left the pub.

... .....

Napoleon waited for two minutes, but the corporal didn't come. The Gallic veterans, who appeared to be drinking in the tavern but were actually on guard, began to feel uneasy.

"Captain, I'm going out to take a look."

"No, we'll wait a little longer—"