My wife is an immortal black snake.

He left the Duke's mansion and, under the care of unseen maids, Yang Hao traveled to the nearest administrative area designated for work relief, conducting round after round of investigations.

………………

After a brief inspection of the nearby work-for-relief construction sites and confirming that some schools would be completed soon, Yang Hao scratched his head, thinking that he needed to recruit more teachers and talents to his territory before the war broke out.

In this era, qualified teachers were essentially a privilege reserved for the upper echelons of the aristocracy or capitalist class. If Yang Hao wanted to extend basic education to the entire Duchy of Kosiché, and even the whole of Ursus, then he would inevitably have to seize those high-quality teaching resources directly from the nobles and capitalists.

Only by securing these highly qualified teachers can he cultivate the next generation of educators. Besides, in this era of economic crisis, where even many nobles and merchants have to tighten their belts—are teachers hard to recruit? Definitely not!

Even a fool could see that for those teachers who couldn't find jobs, as long as they were paid enough, they would be willing to settle down in the Duchy of Koschei—and right now, the Duchy of Koschei was the region with the best economic recovery in the entire Ursus Empire. Crimson Gold, the hard currency of the cricket world, and the tokens of the Duchy of Koschei? Of course! As much as you want!

Who could contact those teachers? Yang Hao immediately thought of his loyal head maid.

“Monica, my faithful head maid, do you know any of those highly respected teachers?”

"Teacher? Ah...you mean a teacher, or a scholar? I don't know any, but I know some people." The head maid's soft voice echoed in the empty air beside her. "Is there anything I can do?"

"You should be able to appear directly where those teachers or instructors are through the mirror now, right? Hmm, could I trouble you this afternoon? I'll go back and prepare some invitations for the Duchy of Kosiché, and then you can deliver them... You don't need to reveal yourself, just deliver the letters, is that alright?"

"As you wish, my lord—that is, may I ask for some reward?"

Monica's voice sounded a little strange. Yang Hao's right hand was lifted up by someone uncontrollably, and he could feel that his fingers were a little wet.

"Well... if you want to." Yang Hao just gave a wry smile, hoping he could hold on tonight.

Chapter 209

On the afternoon of the 11th, after Yang Hao prepared the invitations for those highly respected teachers for Monica and asked her to deliver them in advance, he slumped on the sofa in an empty office, idly looking at his phone and yawning.

He's really had nothing to do lately. He can only wait for the United City to arrive, meet with his friends, and then head to Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Aside from that, he's done everything he could—Mr. Joseph needs time to wait for the results before submitting his report, Mr. Napoleon needs time, Mr. Großwazel needs even more time, and Paul and the little pony even need to wait until his side is finished...

Sigh, thinking about it, it seems I really have too much free time... But rather than wasting my life doing nothing, Yang Hao decided to first figure out how many people have contacted him through the marriage agency app on his phone!

With this in mind, he opened the software and then silently noticed that his name had been given a prefix in the software directory: Puppet Master.

"...Ouch."

He scratched his head and immediately understood why Sonia and Princess Wei Qing of Yan Kingdom called him "Puppet Master"... But never mind, let's check the total number of names on our list first.

First up is Koschke—needless to say, Yang Hao personally came to her door, and now his wife's profile picture is green, representing "online".

Next was the Ursus Emperor, Her Majesty Catherine—her avatar was also green, representing online status, but she hadn't chatted with me for a while. After thinking it over, I figured the situation at Saint-Germain Castle couldn't allow her to slack off any longer.

Next came the princess of Yan Kingdom... This is very strange. Yang Hao swore that he had neither contacted her nor she had contacted him before... Could it be that she had been silently looking at her phone for a while and then quietly came over?

It seems this princess isn't as demure and gentle as she appears at first glance... In fact, she's quite wild inside.

Next up is the Deepsea Hunter. Ms. Sonia's avatar is currently showing a green "online" status, but it seems she's not very busy lately.

Thinking of this, Yang Hao sent a message to Sonia out of boredom.

"Sonia, how have you and your compatriots been settling in with life here lately?"

It was just a normal greeting. I only sent a few text messages; surely Kosichek wouldn't eat me alive, right? With that thought in mind, Yang Hao smiled, thinking that caring for his subordinates was also part of politics.

Sonia's reply came shortly afterward. It seemed to be her first time using the software to send and receive text messages, as her message contained numerous typos and punctuation errors.

However, after Yang Hao quickly organized his thoughts, her answer was as follows:

Yes, we've gotten used to life here fairly well lately. Although there's no ocean big enough to contain us, at least we don't have to worry about waking up to find our companions either insane or dead. However, we still schedule nightly watch duty before going to sleep. It's kind of a habit of ours.

The text messages that came in were all so terrifying. Yang Hao scratched his head, thinking that although he also used them as a special combat force, in daily life, it was better to keep things as normal as possible. It wasn't good to be on edge all the time.

【Then please relax a bit. Unless we issue a city-wide curfew, almost everywhere here is safe—adapt to your new life in the city. I don't want to see some deep-sea hunters nervously watching our city's swimming pools all day, worried that some monster might crawl out when you migrate here in your entire tribe.】

Will the deep-sea hunters migrate here en masse? To be honest, Yang Hao wasn't sure. But thinking about it carefully, if his layout along the coast of Kos Village was correct, then in the future, as long as enough walls and defensive facilities were built along the coast, only a very small number of deep-sea hunters would need to remain there to ensure the safety of the coast.

Furthermore, the deep-sea hunters who remained behind could occasionally take turns resting in the city. Given this, the Duchy of Koschche would inevitably need to establish trade routes with the coast...

And then again, shouldn't the Duchy of Kosiché be moving soon? Yang Hao thought to himself, the resources around the city are almost depleted. Once the civil war breaks out and they defeat Duke Nikolai, he'll move the Duchy of Kosiché towards that wasted land, hoping to annex another duchy's city as soon as possible...

But we'll talk about those things later.

You're so reassuring. I understand, I'll try to make the children more relaxed—but they haven't quite adjusted to the pace of life here themselves, so please blame me if anything goes wrong.

You didn't do anything wrong, why would I blame you? Never mind, let's talk about work later when we have time. Goodbye.

【goodbye. 】

Chatting with his subordinates was indeed a pleasant experience, but Yang Hao hadn't forgotten the purpose of his trip—to find out who else might be contacting him via mobile phone.

He yawned heavily and continued to examine his phone.

Koschke, His Majesty the Emperor, Princess of Yan, Deep Sea Hunter... that's four already.

Next up is the Sarkaz Demon King...

An archaeologist whose whereabouts are unknown.

Besides these, there are many other scattered names... but then again, did those names exist before?

And why is the name "Margarita's teacher" even included? That's so strange...

Yang Hao rubbed his nose, completely bewildered. Just as he was feeling confused, he heard a vibration and a beeping sound from another communicator in his pocket...

It's worth mentioning here that ever since Kosiché gave Margarita a long-distance communication device, Yang Hao has basically been carrying two mobile phones with him. One is his original phone, and the other is the communication device he uses to communicate with Margarita.

It's Margarita's communicator that's ringing now, in other words...

"It's been quite a while already? Oh dear, come to think of it, why hasn't the messenger returned yet..."

He muttered to himself, then happily took out his communicator and connected to Margarita's call.

... .....

When Margarita rushed back to her apartment, and before she could even change her clothes, she lay on the bed and pulled out her communicator, eager to talk to Yang Hao, she waited anxiously for the call to connect. Meanwhile, Ms. Northon stared at Margarita's gray hair with dead fish eyes, and then reached out to touch the ends of her hair.

"teacher?"

"It's nothing, the teacher is just observing. You can say whatever you want."

"But..."

"Don't worry, I have absolutely no interest in your lovey-dovey talk—besides, this apartment is only so big, there's nothing I can do even if I don't want to listen. That's all."

"Eh~"

She let out a pitiful whimper like a puppy, but once the communicator connected, she quickly refocused her attention on it, and couldn't be happier.

Ms. Northumbert kept watching, she had to be careful this time. If Margarita called again and heard strange noises, then I'd be in trouble...

"Margarita?"

"Hmm! Yang Hao! How have you been lately?"

Then, in the next instant, Ms. Northumbers suddenly covered her forehead with her hand: Margarita, I am very pleased that you are gradually growing in your values ​​regarding the Blood Demon... But the problem is, can't you grow properly in your social skills?

The person you're talking to right now isn't your friend, it's someone you like! You're greeting them like you'd greet a friend? Are you planning to meet them again decades later and then hand them over to someone else?

Just as Ms. Northumberon was about to reach her breaking point, even having the urge to say, "You stay out of my way and let me do it," she heard Margarita shyly say these words into the communicator:

"I... I miss you so much. Although I dream about you every night, I still want to become more mature and capable of taking responsibility before I go to find you..."

...While not outstanding, at least Margarita—you've passed the test!

After her rollercoaster-like ordeal, Ms. Northumber's mood finally began to slowly improve. She sighed heavily, happy for Margarita's growth but also worried about their upcoming conversation: she was genuinely afraid that Mr. Yang Hao would pull that kind of stunt again... Who would ask their wife to do *that* while they're on the phone with someone else...?

But then again, was it his own choice at the time? Just then, Ms. Northumber suddenly recalled a scene she seemed to have seen in some literary work: a scene from a erotic book where, just before a meeting, the husband had to maintain a proper appearance, and the wife was doing it for him under the table...

But Ms. Norsen thought to herself, no matter how shameless that black snake might be, it couldn't be that shameless, could it? As an immortal being, even if it's shameless, there should be some limits...

Ms. Norson was unaware that she had actually guessed two facts correctly, and while she was lost in thought, Margarita and Yang Hao's happy conversation was almost over.

"Huh? So, you're going to work in the capital of Ursus after that?"

"Yes. But I'll be going home in a few days. Sigh, the Ursus Empire is about to start a civil war... Now that I think about it, if you were by my side when the civil war happens, at least I would feel at ease."

"Well..."

"But you should focus on growing up properly first, okay? I'm fine here. It's just that I'm really worried about whether you're eating properly outside... It seems like your pet is wandering around outside the city every day?"

“Sanae? Hmm, because Sanae needs to eat... so after we came to the city, I let her roam freely outside the city.” Margarita muttered softly, “And recently she’s been getting bigger and bigger... to avoid causing trouble, this is the only way.”

"Really? Looks like I'll have to prepare a pet room for you where your pet can play happily from now on... Ah, Margarita? If possible, please don't keep all the bad things bottled up inside, okay? Just tell me what's wrong... alright?"

"Hmm... I understand... Well, it seems the communicator's time is almost up..."

"Yes. Let's call it a day then? I'll put in a good word with Jack and the others for you in a while, so you don't have to worry, okay?"

"Good~"

They chatted for a few more minutes, and then Margarita hung up the phone, completely satisfied. Humming an unknown song, she rolled around happily on the bed, tucking the communicator back into its original place.

Ms. Northum just looked at her, and after a moment, Ms. Northum said:

"In that case, Margarita—actually, your training in Minos is almost complete... Next, we might be going to a place that's quite far, yet very close to Ursus, you know?"

"Teacher?" Margarita turned around, somewhat puzzled.

“Kazdel, you could say it’s the homeland of all the demons,” Lady Northrend said, shaking her head and puffing on her cigar. “You can learn a lot in Kazdel. Most importantly… Margarita, Kazdel is the homeland of all Sarkaz. And as blood demons, our bloodline, while not ancient, is still quite long—perhaps we can find some rituals there to stabilize your prophetic abilities.”

"My, prophecy?"

"Yes, your prophetic abilities are still unstable, more like speculation than fact—I can't guarantee that Kazdel has a ritual that can further evolve your abilities, but going there is never a bad idea. Besides, you can learn a lot there, and after you've learned something, you can go to Ursus nearby—do you have any other objections?"

“No, no…but teacher, since I no longer need to drink blood, can I still be considered a Blood Demon?” Margarita nodded, then shook her head. “Can I…still be considered a Sarkaz now?”

"Of course you are. You're just a Sarkaz blood demon who doesn't need to drink blood. Alright, alright, get some rest—we'll help you quit your job tomorrow, and then we'll buy enough supplies before we set off. You still need a lot of time to train."

The Blood Demon gently stroked the hair of the still-weaning child. She thought to herself that this trip to Kazdel would be the most crucial turning point in Margarita's growth.

For no other reason than that Kazdel is the homeland of all Sarkaz. That's all.

Chapter 210

Monica returned around 7 p.m. When she arrived, she found the two adults waiting for her in the palace.

"Lord Kosiché, Lord Yang Hao, I'm back."

They looked like they had just taken a shower and didn't seem to be discussing official business, so Monica simply stepped out of the mirror, reporting that she was safe and sound to the two adults while also keeping an eye on whether they had enjoyed their dinner properly.

She noticed that neither of the adults were eating properly... But oh well, since they only liked the food she prepared, she should be happy about that, shouldn't she?

"Monica, you're back? Hmm—I really want to ask you how the mission went, but let's prepare dinner first? I'm starving—"

"It's not that you can't eat the food prepared by other maids, it's just that you're used to Monica's dinners, so you're being picky about food, right?"

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Lord Yang Hao showed no remorse for his picky eating habits, while Lord Kosch, lying on his side with his head on Lord Yang Hao's lap, felt helpless but also waited for Monica's food with feigned reluctance. Seeing this, Monica simply smiled slightly, bowed, and went to prepare dinner.

After a while, she returned with steaming hot food, and the couple, who were starving, eagerly prepared to enjoy the meal she had prepared.

"Monica, so how's your work going?" Yang Hao asked Monica, who was standing by waiting for instructions, while feeding his wife, who seemed inexplicably unwilling to move. "Did you run into any trouble on the way? I'm more worried about whether you've gotten into any trouble than whether the mission is completed."

“No, sir. Everything went very smoothly. Several professors were even stunned for a while after seeing the invitations that appeared out of nowhere before they dared to pick them up and look at their contents,” Monica laughed. “And moving through mirrors is even easier for me than running in reality… It’s just that if there are too many mirrors at the target location, I might have to destroy a few to appear in the right place.”

"So, if there are too many mirrors, you'll get disoriented, right?"

"Yes. But if it's someone I've been in contact with, they'll have a mark on them. I can follow that mark to appear as close to them as possible, even right in front of their eyes."

"Oh...that sounds a bit scary. If I knew someone was going to crawl out of my eyes, I'd definitely feel uneasy..."

"So, how are you feeling now, sir?"

"Since you're my head maid, I naturally don't have that kind of worry. Don't you think so, Koschche?"

Yang Hao rubbed his wife's cheek, then she rolled her eyes at him and twisted his wrist hard with her tail. He smiled awkwardly, let go, and let his wife move off his knees.

After a while, having finally swallowed the mouthful of food, Koschche wiped his mouth with the handkerchief Monica handed him and said:

"Let's put your picky and overly attentive owner aside for now. Monica, besides the work your dear entrusted to you, is there any other news?"

“Yes. I recently took some time to visit Miss Theresa’s secret hideout in the Duchy of Nikolai. She asked me to deliver a message—but she also warned me that the message might not be true.”

"What news?" Yang Hao was somewhat surprised, because Theresa had no precedent for sending out information that was "possibly untrue".

　 Faced with Yang Hao's surprise, Monica simply lowered her head and pondered for a moment before repeating:

"In short, Miss Theresa, through her Originium Arts, accidentally overheard from the head of a military factory that it might be relocated to a land-based vessel to collect resources from mining areas and produce [special weapons] on-site. I personally believe this is highly credible, because ever since you, sir, slammed the head of Duke Nikolai's nobleman against the city gates, the Nikolai Duchy has been engaged in military expansion..."

"So, what is her thinking?"

"If everything is confirmed to be correct, she will steal the landships from the military factory along with the equipment—but it's very risky, she needs your permission, and..."