My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 187

On the way to the infected area, Yang Hao kept thinking about how to solve Karina's "obsession" problem—after all, he had found a breakthrough, but he seemed to lack the tools to break through that barrier. He wasn't sure how to create a beautiful memory or a moment of fear for Miss Karina to bring her back to reality, so he could only rack his brains.

But Miss Karina, who was very interested in Mr. Yang Hao, noticed his strange behavior. When Miss Karina asked her in bewilderment, the man simply smiled and said they were almost there.

After passing through a checkpoint, Miss Karina curiously observed the people on the streets of the infected area. She examined the Originium crystals on their limbs, and finally shook her head.

"Hmm... this is the infected area... it looks a bit better than I imagined," she said, instinctively tightening her grip on Yang Hao's arm, somewhat afraid of the infected. "But as expected, it's still... I still don't dare to get close to them."

"Well, after all, infected people are patients no matter where they are. I can't let normal people risk getting infected and have unprotected contact with infected people, so I can only isolate them—but at least I can give them the best life in the quarantined area, so that's enough."

"Is that so? That makes sense... The police officers on the street are also infected, so are the hospital staff infected too?"

"Most of them are."

"...I understand now."

Karina nodded thoughtfully. Then she indicated that she wanted to visit the research institute.

Yang Hao complied with her wishes. However, while taking her to Ms. Kal'tsit's research institute, Yang Hao still frequently introduced Karina to the situation in the infected settlement area and the Sarkaz settlement area connected to it. He wasn't just introducing it; he was also explaining his policies to her.

He hoped these interactions would trigger an emotional shift in Miss Karina. However, it was clear that Miss Karina felt nothing out of place regarding the infected's condition—not in a sense of disdain, but rather as if she were...

What does it mean to pay more attention to the brick next to you than to focus on the soil that is everywhere?

Although Yang Hao doesn't consider himself a brick.

With communication yielding almost no progress, Yang Hao brought Karina to Ms. Kal'tsit's Oripathy Research Institute.

As always, Yang Hao pushed open the institute's door, but was surprised to find Mr. Großwazel nowhere to be seen—where had this scholar, who always stayed at the institute doing nothing, gone?!

The guard standing watch at the gate—Huh? Who are you? What are you doing on guard duty?

Meeting Yang Hao's puzzled gaze, the Shield Guard simply gave an Ursus salute, then answered with difficulty:

"The captain has taken Mr. Grovazel out for training. If you wish to see him, sir, you may have to wait until dinner time. Or I can inform them now."

"Ah, no need, no need. It's truly heartwarming to see such a good relationship between father and son—where is Ms. Kal'tsit?"

"She's up there."

"Alright, I'll take some men up there. You guys can continue standing guard."

Afterwards, Yang Hao led Karina directly upstairs. He politely knocked on the door and waited for Ms. Kal'tsit to arrive. Then he said to Ms. Karina beside him:

"Ms. Kal'tsit is a rather aloof person, but she is very knowledgeable, and you may have a lot in common with her."

"That would be best if that were the case."

She seemed excited; it appeared she was looking forward to meeting Ms. Kal'tsit.

After a moment, they all heard footsteps coming from behind the door. Then the door in front of them was opened from the inside, and Ms. Kal'tsit, wearing a white lab coat and clearly having just finished an important experiment, didn't react much when she saw Yang Hao come in. However, when she noticed Miss Karina's arrival, she paused for a moment and looked at the distance between Yang Hao and Karina with a suspicious gaze.

"...How should I address this young lady?" Kal'tsit cautiously asked Yang Hao for the young lady's name, then pondered how to address her—was she Mr. Yang Hao's new lover or just a friend? She needed to figure that out.

"—Greetings, Lady Kal'tsit. I am Karina. I am the successor of Lord Kosichert."

Before Yang Hao could react, Karina smiled and introduced herself. Kal'tsit blinked at Karina's introduction, but nodded in as gentle a tone as possible.

"Hello, Ms. Karina. Please come in—I just finished a rather important project, and now I have time to receive you."

"Then trouble you."

It seems they can get along well.

Yang Hao nodded easily. After bringing Karina in, he immediately noticed a safe on a shelf against the wall in the lobby on the second floor of the research institute.

"Huh? What's that?" He sat down on the sofa, puzzled, and asked Kal'tsit.

When Yang Hao asked her, Kal'tsit simply stated that it was the most secure safe that Mr. Grovazel had bought from the Sarkaz mercenaries in the Sarkaz settlement with his own salary to prevent his father from discovering his hobby. She had no idea what was inside, but if she remembered correctly, her Wendigo father should have been able to open the safe with ease.

"So he even took some less important documents from me and put them in there—the reason being that Mr. Bozocasti wouldn't just use his halberd to break the safe."

"...Hmm, these are just some picture books, right? It's fine to just put them on the bookshelf...right?"

“Mr. Yang Hao, you haven’t seen the shameful look on Bozokast’s face—you probably can’t understand how painful it is for a Wendigo who, though he despises tradition, is still quite traditional at heart, to see his only son pick up that weird hobby he learned from who-knows-where.”

"Haha... Um, could I see your recent research report? Karina said she wants to talk to you, so I won't bother you anymore."

—Mr. Großwazel, where did you learn such a strange hobby?

Yang Hao was deeply distressed and wanted to take this opportunity to shift the blame far away. However, Ms. Kal'tsit's deep gaze seemed to see through everything, fixed intently on Yang Hao's chest. After a moment, she brought over a recent research report and then began her new task—conversing with Ms. Karina.

They started chatting about ordinary things to get to know each other better. Yang Hao always felt that Ms. Kal'tsit was treating Karina with an extremely aged attitude, as if she weren't in her thirties, but rather several hundred years old.

Yang Hao had only ever experienced that condescending attitude from Kosichrie's treatment of other strangers. But whatever, he wasn't really that familiar with Ms. Kal'tsit, and he didn't know anything about her past. That was that.

So, while the two women chatted, Yang Hao shrugged and started looking at the research report in his hand.

"...So, Ms. Kal'tsit, do you also have your own insights into archaeology? Actually, my father once dug up many amazing things underground, but I alone cannot fully study the complete picture of those things."

"If you're asking me for help, I'll have to check my recent schedule. But you're right, I do have some knowledge about historical sites and ancient books... but I'll have to see for myself to know the specifics. After all, I've already seen far too many things I've never seen before in this territory."

"is it a lot?"

"I guess so. A man who came from Columbia to marry the Duke of Ursus counts as one, this peaceful, almost non-discriminatory infected community counts as another, and the fact that this man seems to be having an affair with the current emperor also counts as one."

"hehe..."

Um, could you guys please... tone it down a little when you're chatting?

I'm still here, so please stop laughing at me for having an affair with His Majesty the Emperor! It would be so embarrassing if word got out—

Yang Hao sighed and flipped through the research report in his hand. The report contained Ms. Kal'tsit's research on Oripathy and some reports on key drugs.

In the report, Ms. Kelsey, with the help of a large amount of money and resources, has developed an experimental drug that can help ordinary infected people slow down the progression of the infection as much as possible—but these drugs have not yet entered the stage of industrial production and seem a little expensive.

If we can enter the industrial production stage, then it will be much cheaper—roughly reduced from 10 Imperial Rubles, which is currently regaining credibility, to 1 Imperial Ruble.

But working at a factory is a bit tough...

Yang Hao wasn't sure if the factories in his territory had the capacity to produce these drugs... If it really didn't work, he'd have to build a new factory. But building a new factory would definitely require more education and knowledge for the drug production positions, and right now, he didn't even have compulsory education, let alone a university professor—Ms. Kal'tsit—huh?

Did I forget to poach people from Saint-Germain?

He pondered for a moment and decided to arrange the teaching staff at Saint-Germain Castle the next day.

"So, Ms. Kal'tsit, what are your thoughts on the mysterious rituals described in those ancient texts?"

“I don’t think the vast majority of them can be brought back to life—if those rituals are real. But if there are a very small number of rituals that can actually make this land a better place, I think there is a need to bring them back to life. But that’s only after we’ve confirmed that they are safe and beneficial to the majority of people, rather than turning mobile cities into bombs.”

“Eh? I see... As for me, I’ve inherited my father’s ideas. My father and I both believe that anything that has been discovered should be brought back to the light of day—after all, many things may indeed be as dangerous as recorded, but if we have the opportunity to continue our research and delve deeper, perhaps we can discover their value? Just like fire.”

"...Is fire, which can both burn down forests, also the first truly bidirectional energy source that we humans have been able to utilize since ancient times?"

"Yes, that's how I see them—but my personal opinion can't fully analyze the details and essence of those things... If possible, I hope someone can help me."

"...If there's time. But Miss Karina, I must warn you carefully—some things are better buried underground than to emerge from the ground."

"But Mr. Yang Hao doesn't seem to think so?"

"Huh? Huh?"

Hearing that Karina seemed to be calling him, Yang Hao looked up blankly and shifted his attention from the report to the tea table.

Then he saw that both women were looking at him, and for some reason, the woman named Kal'tsit's eyes seemed particularly dangerous.

Chapter 43

......

Karina said she needed to use the restroom, so she left temporarily.

And it was right after Karina left, Kal'tsit, who had been watching Yang Hao with a dangerous look, who began by saying:

"I must solemnly remind you, Mr. Yang Hao—some things are better left buried deep underground, never to see the light of day."

Faced with Ms. Kal'tsit's warnings and reminders, Yang Hao was completely bewildered:

What's going on? I don't know anything about this. Why are you suddenly throwing this question at me?

Besides, whether or not something can be buried deep underground isn't up to me, is it? What if there's a uranium-235 warehouse here that's been leaking for who knows how many years? If it explodes on its own, wouldn't I have to deal with the mess? It seems better for me to have the ground dug up and the contaminants transferred to Colombia as quickly as possible than to wait for it to explode on its own!

So, Ms. Kal'tsit, aren't you being a little too idealistic in your thinking?

Yang Hao scratched his head, hesitated, and after repeating himself for a while, he finally replied:

"But Ms. Kal'tsit—sometimes all we can do with those things is either let them bury underground for decades and then explode on their own, blowing everything on the surface into the air, or we dig them up and find a way to dispose of them harmlessly. It's certainly a good thing that they can bury themselves deep underground and peacefully spend a long time there, but the problem is that many things simply won't stay there quietly."

“...You make a good point. However, I don’t think what Miss Karina is talking about is the kind of thing that ‘must be dug out’.”

"But the problem is that her father has already dug them out. What we need to do is to conduct research and find a way to dispose of them harmlessly, instead of wasting manpower and filling them back into their original place."

"But at least you can persuade her not to go into further research."

"How can you stop a child from following in his father's footsteps? It's human nature."

Yang Hao's words silenced Kal'tsit. After all, as outsiders, who had the right to stop someone from following in their father's footsteps?

Perhaps you could try killing her, perhaps you could imprison her, perhaps you could humiliate her—but nothing could stop her spirit from continuing her research.

Rather than trying to stop her, it's better to support her—that's Yang Hao's opinion anyway.

What was Kal'tsit thinking? To be honest, Yang Hao was somewhat curious. After all, he had previously sent the Serpent Scales or the Tenet ponies to investigate Lady Kal'tsit's past to ensure she wasn't some spy, but the problem was that no matter how they investigated, they could only find a large number of people with the same name—they all had white hair and green eyes, resembling Felin. In a few legends, the woman who resembled Felin seemed to be accompanied by a hard monster.

However, since the monster isn't with Ms. Kal'tsit right now, Yang Hao hasn't tried to lead her to the same person from over two hundred years ago... right?

That’s it.

In response to Yang Hao's explanation, Kal'tsit simply shook her head:

"...Humans are not rational beings. Even knowing that acting impulsively and following one's own thoughts will only lead to worse results, will some people still embark on this path without hesitation...?" She sighed. "But I don't want you to become that kind of person. Your territory is already the best I've ever seen, the place that best matches my vision of the future."

"Ok?"

“Ordinary poor people live and work in peace and contentment. The infected have their own lives, and there are affordable drugs coming soon. The Sarkaz people will not be discriminated against. There are even plans to provide basic education for all school-age children here—you have no idea what you have done on this land. This is a feat that has not been seen on this land for hundreds of years.”

"what?"

“You are the first person I have ever seen do this and actually achieve results. In a sense, you are also the ruler I currently rate the highest—so I do not want your current territory to be destroyed by some well-known, clumsy methods.”

Um, what is it?

Is it possible that I have such a high opinion of you, Lady Kal'tsit?

Yang Hao was quite...surprised. He had thought that a focused researcher like Ms. Kal'tsit wouldn't speak highly of others outside of research? But now it seemed she was doing quite well? Hmm?

...

He took a sip of tea to hide his surprise. Then he shook his head:

"But a country that remains unchanged will only decline in the end. So whether the changes are good or bad, all we can do is prepare and then take a gamble."

"bet?"

“Ms. Kal'tsit, you have to admit that when you're in charge of a nation instead of a research institute, what you face and how you develop are largely gambles. Some gamble away everything, while others gamble away resource gaps.” Yang Hao shrugged and put down his teacup. “Like right now—I’m gambling right now. Either I gamble that Ursus will become better and allow the world of my grand vision to appear on this land, or I gamble and lose, having my living space squeezed by neighboring Columbia. We are all gambling, but fortunately, I have more than one chance.”

“...Perhaps I can understand your thoughts. But this is just too…” Lady Kal'tsit frowned.

"After all, other countries can't just watch us develop peacefully. Who wouldn't want to farm and develop peacefully in peacetime? But the problem is that there are always a few troublemakers in the world who want to extend their dirty hands into peaceful places... In this situation, even if we don't gamble, they are. They go to the casino with chips in their hands, and we have to be forced to take our chips as well."

"But you might be able to leave that casino directly."

"And then watch them complete their encirclement of us, waiting to have to import every single grain of wheat from neighboring Yan Kingdom?" He shook his head with a wry smile. "Ms. Kal'tsit, I don't know if you've ever been in a similar position... but what I can tell you now is that we have no right to leave the casino. Unless I can make my country and my territory number one in the world later, with the power to directly overturn the tables, we can only gamble for the time being."

If, decades from now, Ursus possesses the power to crush Colombians with a single finger, then Yang Hao certainly wouldn't need to gamble with the nation's fate or resources—but he doesn't have that power now. Even with the help of the puppet stage, he's still standing in a casino—it's just that someone is helping him cheat and gain an advantage.

But he still didn't have the power to overturn the table and shut the casino down. He still had to wait, wait for more than ten years, until his fields were cultivated properly.

"...Ugh."

Hearing this, Ms. Kal'tsit understood that this was a difference in their philosophies. In this situation, there was no need to persuade the other party—since neither side could convince the other, it was more practical to do their own job rather than waste words.

So they all fell silent. And it was at that moment that Miss Karina returned.

She seemed unaware of what had happened, and calmly returned to her seat, continuing to chat with Ms. Kal'tsit about her father's research.

Chapter 44

That evening, when Yang Hao and Karina left the Oripathy Research Institute, Karina seemed very happy.

She said she was glad someone was willing to help her research her father's belongings. But no matter how Yang Hao looked at it, he felt that Karina's happiness didn't seem to lie there...

She kept raving about how delightful her conversation with Ms. Kal'tsit was, but her mind was elsewhere. She kept looking at Yang Hao, as if what pleased her wasn't Ms. Kal'tsit's praise, but rather Yang Hao's company.

Indeed, that was the case. When Yang Hao asked her what she wanted to do next, the cheerful noblewoman made a request of him:

"Could you... help me take a look at the things I need to lend to Ms. Kal'tsit after we get back? Hmm, it'll be quick..."

"After we get back?"