My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 238

"Let's talk a little about the mobile city, and then see what they offer—that's about it."

"Oh? Hasn't it already been settled with Ms. Therese?"

"But officially, I'm selling to the Kazdel government, not Umbrella Security, so the final price depends on that Demon King's wishes. Besides that, the same goes for diplomatic matters, and some issues concerning the Gallo Empire... Ms. Northumb, aren't you from Gaul?"

"Sigh, don't remind me of that country's mess... Anyway, I'm pretty busy right now, aren't I?"

"Ah."

"Alright. I'll keep an eye on you two then—after all, if you do meet with the representatives of the Royal Court, those Templar Knights won't be able to protect you."

Ms. Norson sighed, thinking that her workload was piling up.

Chapter 155

...

When Mr. Yang Hao's team finally arrived at the Kazdel Palace, he received a genuine and warm welcome from the Kazdel government, not just from a company.

"Welcome, Your Highness, King of Ursus." This was how Lady Therese's sister, who claimed to be the Demon King of Kazdel, greeted Mr. Yang Hao in an approachable manner from her throne. "I am Theresia, the current Demon King of Kazdel."

"I am Yang Hao, currently the Duke and King of Ursus, and also a sponsor of Umbrella Security Company." Mr. Yang Hao simply introduced himself. However, he didn't mention his relationship with Kazimierz—after all, this wasn't a major issue that could be openly discussed, and if Kazimierz maintained its independence, it would be very helpful to Yang Hao's future work. "Instead of pleasantries, let's get straight to the point—Your Highness Theresa, what is your offer regarding these 20 vacant districts?"

After saying that, Mr. Yang Hao plopped down in the comfortable chair that the royal court attendant had brought for him. He was somewhat surprised by this, because the chair was clearly custom-made to his height, not only comfortable to sit in, but also of very good quality, unlike an old, worn-out item found in a warehouse.

The Kazdel people are quite capable, aren't they? Although it's possible that this was due to some information being gathered by the royal representatives during the inspection tour with Therese this morning, the chairs were of good quality and the maker put a lot of thought into them, which pleased Yang Hao.

Faced with Mr. Yang Hao's suggestion to "get straight to the point," Princess Theresa merely glanced at her sister Therese standing on the other side before softly saying:

"Yes. Currently, the resources and assets of the Kazdel region are very limited, and we cannot completely take over these 20 mobile cities—we can purchase 15 mobile cities according to your price, but we also need some of your personnel to train our technicians on the knowledge of maintaining mobile cities. What do you think?"

...For Theresa, the current rule about "only being able to purchase 15 districts" is just a smokescreen.

Kazdel does indeed possess the financial resources to purchase all the mobile cities. However, the problem is that Theresa must consider the complex issue of city maintenance, as well as the crucial matter of training the technical personnel responsible for operating the cities.

There's not much to say about the former. Even if the mobile city has the corresponding factories, Kazdel will not be able to maintain all the districts for a long time, nor will it be able to produce the necessary consumables for maintaining the city. In this case, Kazdel will be completely dependent on commercial imports from Kazimierz or Ursus. Once it becomes dependent on imports to ensure the vitality of the city in the long term, then in a sense, Kazdel will indeed be completely tied down.

However, if that's all there is to it, Theresa isn't entirely opposed to it: after all, it's better than being declared war on by other countries in this awkward situation. Most countries in the world still reject the resurgence of Kazdel, and if becoming Ursus's [secret vassal] can avoid this threat that has lasted for centuries, it's actually quite plausible.

...This major problem with the [technical staff] is the key reason why Theresa had to [minimize the number of urban areas she purchased].

(Maintaining a city requires more than just corresponding products and consumables. If we lack sufficient technical personnel and apprentices for long-term education and training... the city we bought might have to be abandoned in a decade or so.) Theresa thought bitterly, where can Kazdel find enough technical personnel now?

While there were Sarkaz technicians—or skilled workers—who had returned from other countries, their numbers were far too small.

If Kazdel can only maintain fewer than five mobile districts even if it gathers all its technicians, then even if the Ursus people are willing to provide assistance and open their education to them... Kazdel can only maintain up to 15 districts.

Unless the Ursus are willing to offer educational licenses with terms exceeding 20 years and provide direct personnel funding, it will take Kazdel at least several decades to train enough technicians to maintain 20 mobile cities...

...So, whether we can buy more urban areas actually depends on whether the other party is willing to provide more support...right?

Even so... the price we can pay is...

Theresa was deep in thought, her expression impassive.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yang Hao seemed to understand her thinking: this woman actually lacked the necessary technical personnel to maintain their future city. In other words, could they really take over all the cities just by receiving more "technical support"?

Yang Hao really didn't want to bring several vacant cities home. It would be as embarrassing as going fishing and coming home empty-handed. So, after thinking it over, since you have a shortage of technical personnel, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give you more subsidies so that you can manage to take over all the mobile cities.

However, this would require money, or something else—so after making up his mind, Mr. Yang Hao smiled and said something simple and easy to understand:

"If we can provide enough technical personnel to train you... can you take over these 20 mobile cities?"

His words caused the noblewoman seated on the throne to fall silent for a moment. Then, Yang Hao saw the long-awaited notification from Miss Elegy:

[Event: Kazdel's Trade]

Summary: The Demon Lord of Kazdel desires to devour 20 mobile cities, but she lacks sufficient technical personnel for maintenance. Not only is maintenance impossible, but she also currently lacks the capacity to produce enough consumables to meet the future needs of these cities.

Now you've made a proposal that could solve one of her problems, but—Princess Theresa seems quite skeptical that you'd be willing to make her pay a relatively low price.

What do you think?

'Of course, if I don't lose, I'll make a profit.'

Oh, I see. Are you worried about whether I can keep my promise?

Yang Hao's smile was as bright as a flower: if that's the case, he has plenty of ways to solve it.

Chapter 156

"If I were to say 'no' right now, perhaps Your Highness Yang Hao would be able to understand through your own channels that I am not being sincere? So, to be frank, if you are willing to provide us with more technical personnel to transfer our expertise, we are willing to buy all the mobile city areas."

As she said this, Theresa glanced again at her sister, who for some reason kept staring at the Ursus Duke. She realized that her sister seemed to have some terrible thoughts about this man, but she couldn't communicate with her right now, so she could only leave it at that.

In response to Theresa's answer, Mr. Yang Hao merely frowned slightly, then smiled and said:

"Your Highness Theresa, what are you talking about? I am just a duke, I don't have any official status in the Ursus royal family."

"No one is unaware of your relationship with His Majesty Ursus."

"But it wasn't recorded in any official documents, was it?"

"...If you insist on this, then what do you say?"

Theresa didn't want to dwell on the title "Your Highness" any longer: since Mr. Yang Hao insisted on correcting her, then so be it.

She thought for a moment, then tentatively asked:

"So, as the party purchasing the city, what kind of discount are we entitled to?"

"May I ask if the discount you're request is for [Umbrella Security Company], [Kazdel Royal Court], [Kazdel Government], or even the [Kazdel] region itself?" Mr. Yang Hao simply nodded mysteriously, giving Theresa four options: "I'm certainly willing to provide you with the corresponding structure, but this time the transaction with me is with [Kazdel], not anything else—I'm not entirely clear on how you allocate resources internally, but my discount will only be given to one group."

To openly declare their faction in front of all the Sarkaz—this wasn't just for the thrill; more importantly, Yang Hao needed to know a part of the Demon King's thoughts and ideologies.

However, things did not disappoint Yang Hao. After a moment of silence, Princess Theresa simply smiled and said that they were all part of Kazdel, and naturally, she hoped that this was a discount for Kazdel.

A very idealistic princess. And if Yang Hao wasn't mistaken, although this princess seemed idealistic, judging from the respect shown to her by the others present, she still possessed a certain level of shrewdness... or so he thought. But never mind, she now represented the entirety of Kazdel.

"Alright, that's enough," Mr. Yang Hao nodded, then smiled.

"So, as a bonus for your purchase of 20 mobile cities, the Duchy of Kosiché is willing to provide you with enough positions for training technical personnel—if you calculate the time, 20 years should be enough for the Kazdel people to train enough technical personnel to maintain 20 mobile cities. But I must make it clear that this is not free."

"What does the Duchy of Kosiché need... no, what does Ursus need?"

“An agreement, a commercial and political agreement. Besides that…” Yang Hao paused for a moment, then said seriously, “there’s also the issue of the ruins of the Gallo-Paxil Empire.”

"...I understand. Let's discuss the details in the meeting room."

This wasn't an important matter that could be discussed in public. So, after a brief moment of thought, Theresa and Yang Hao reached a consensus: they would discuss the important matters themselves, while the less important political trivia would be left to their respective secretaries.

With their departure, the battlefield of political diplomacy shifted. Karina took over the handover from Yang Hao. She had prepared thoroughly, but even so, she still felt nervous facing an elderly Sarkaz.

However, she didn't forget her job, nor did she forget Mr. Yang Hao's trust in her and his affirmation of her abilities. So this young woman, who was technically stepping into diplomatic work between countries for the first time, also began her own efforts.

"Regarding this trade, we can capture more than 80% of Kazdel's market share... What? Not possible? Then, 75%?"

"..."

It has to be said, this girl has a real knack for killing people. Yang Hao initially hoped for a 50% market share, but she insisted on raising it to 80%, which was unsurprisingly rejected.

Even so, Karina, through her abilities and the formidable strength of the Duke of Koschche—no, the entire Ursus Empire—reduced the rejection rate from 80% to 70%, a 20% increase over the original plan.

That 0.01% on paper will bring the Ursus Empire hundreds of thousands in revenue every year. Karina's efforts this time are indispensable.

She looked forward to the day Mr. Yang Hao would reward her. But before that, Mr. Yang Hao had to finish his business with the Demon King first.

Under the watchful eyes of a group of Templar Knights accompanying him, and Lady Northumen standing silently behind him with her lips twitching, Mr. Yang Hao gazed at Lady Theresa, the noble princess, sitting opposite him, and Theresis beside her.

If Lady Theresa was an idealistic queen from a poor and weak nation, then Lady Therese beside her had been molded by reality into a pragmatist. If Lady Theresa was the kind of ruler who would try to save the lives of her subjects even when faced with necessary sacrifices, then Lady Therese was the kind of pragmatist who would sacrifice more lives for greater national interests if necessary.

Yang Hao felt it was unnecessary to determine which of them was more important now. However, one was the CEO of the company he supported, and the other was the CEO's sister; it seemed they had previously been in a state of conflict...

very funny.

"...In short, regarding the Gallo-Island ruins, this is the intelligence my surveyors brought back," Therese said, pushing a sealed document towards her. "That place is no longer suitable for human habitation. Even if a Vay mortal were to enter, they would likely die of unexplained organ failure within two days."

"Where are the hazmat suits?" Yang Hao took the document, opened it, and took out the papers inside. He read through the documents and found that although the situation was urgent, it wasn't so urgent that it needed to be resolved in two or three years.

According to Therese's explorers' records, those eerie, slowly moving purple crystals would take at least 40 years to reach the border village of Kazdel. In other words, if Yang Hao were willing to use Kazdel as a shield or a scapegoat... Ursus would have over 100 years to prepare to fight this monster that was devouring the Gallic Empire.

However, this would expose them to the risk of confronting psionic entities without sufficient strategic depth. Therefore, Yang Hao decided to use Kazdel as a buffer zone while striving to acquire the industrial and power foundation necessary to fight psionic entities within 50 years.

"Hat protective suits won't work either. The same goes for..."

“Even Kazdel’s ancient magic couldn’t protect them from prolonged activity within the ruins of the Gallic Empire. However, the Banshee Queen’s people discovered that using armor with high Originium content as protective suits could allow explorers to operate in the [Wasteland] for longer periods.” Before Therese could finish speaking, her sister shook her head, revealing information Therese hadn’t been able to obtain: “But this is an extremely risky plan. The Sarkaz’s susceptibility doesn’t mean they’re willing to risk infection to venture further in.”

"Really? I think it's related to the discrimination people around the world face against those infected—but to be honest, the world might not be any better even without those infected."

"..."

"So, how much do I need to pay for you to allow the Sarkaz to be the pioneers in exploring the [Wasteland]?" Yang Hao put down the documents in his hand, as they didn't actually contain much information. "And considering the preparations we need to make, we also need to find something useful from the first moving [purple crystal]... those are actually the ruins of a Gallo-Imperial city. Time is of the essence; what you lack is only sufficient incentive."

"...I suppose so. After all, that's something we can't refute—but Mr. Yang Hao, at least I hope that those Sarkaz who are willing to be pioneers will get what they deserve."

“Your Highness Theresa, you may wish to learn about the attitude of our Duchy of Kosiché towards all infected and Sarkaz people—if your Kazdel cannot provide these warriors with what they desire, then our Duchy of Kosiché is not concerned with doing so.”

“They are, after all, the people of Kazdel. We will take good care of them—we just need some real help.”

"alright."

Alright, it seems the idea of ​​scavenging people from Kazdel is temporarily on hold—but that's alright, even if we can't scavenge people, using you as pawns is enough.

Yang Hao thought for a moment, then tentatively offered a price:

"Each Vanguard can be exchanged for a portion of the [goods] from Ursus."

"So, what specific products are they?"

"...Let's talk about it in detail."

Princess Theresa is definitely not someone to be trifled with.

Mr. Yang Hao nodded, thinking that if he was difficult to deal with, he was—he could still hold on.

Chapter 157

What followed was a long period of wrangling and bickering.

Princess Theresa is unlike any other person Yang Hao has met in Ursus. If Her Majesty Ekaterina is the kind of assertive Ursus woman who will cut off all escape routes if the opportunity arises, and if the other Ursus diplomats may be shrewd or foolish, but they all act solely for their own interests, then Theresa is completely different.

She was indeed an idealist. She demanded that Yang Hao pay the "Vanguards," not the "Kazdel," the rewards they deserved. But at the same time, she was also a pragmatic person, because she wouldn't allow Yang Hao to grant the Vanguards what they deserved by directly granting the Infected the Duchy of Koschche settlement rights.

She repeatedly emphasized that "the infected in Kazdel are also the people of Kazdel," completely blocking Yang Hao's attempt to directly plunder people, while also making her own promise to her people. However, judging from Theresa's strange expression beside her, it is estimated that many of Theresa's "promises" will have to be terminated due to "special reasons," or that she will not be able to fulfill them.

After all, it makes sense. Unless one is a dictator with extremely strong military power, it's really impossible to accomplish most things one by one according to one's own wishes.

Therefore, Yang Hao decided to remind the princess, and also to make Kazdel realize his place—that you are merely our vassals.

“I believe Kazdel is currently running smoothly under Your Highness’s rule, but that doesn’t mean other nations wish for the same,” Mr. Yang Hao murmured. Behind him, Lady Northrend, having grasped his intentions, simply closed her eyes to avoid giving him any information. “Ursus, as the first major power to extend a helping hand to Kazdel, is, after all… asking for far too much.”

"...I thought you had already helped Kazdel before."

"Kazdel is not part of Umbrella Security. My previous assistance was for a company—what that company does with the resources they receive is their business, and I won't interfere. I'll just ask to see results within a specified timeframe."

Yang Hao kindly reminded him that he wasn't supporting Kazdel, but rather the fact that [Umbrella Security Company] was involved. After all, a company is a company, and a region is a region. He couldn't possibly represent Kazdel just because he was a company from the Kazdel region, or Kazdel could represent him, could he?

While it might sound confusing, that's the truth: who knows if the actual controller of the company established in your home is an Ursusian or a Colombian? In this situation, if Yang Hao really had that intention, he could simply have Therese remove you, the Demon King. Besides, the Demon King's lineage is too feudal and ancient. Something that might hinder industrialization and the further development of the nation and society... it's best to abolish it as soon as possible.

"...I see."

Princess Theresa nodded reluctantly, understanding Yang Hao's implication.

"And Your Highness Theresa, I don't know if you're truly prepared—the coming period won't be peaceful. On my way here, we encountered countless observers from other countries. Are you really ready to fight off their invasion?"

"They might infiltrate Kazdel, but I don't think they'd infiltrate Umbrella Security, a company openly funded by an Ursus lord, would they?"

Then, Yang Hao... was outmaneuvered. She was indeed very clever and knew when to use a strategic retreat. Just two minutes after Yang Hao hinted that he could choose to support Umbrella Security Company in destroying your legitimate government, she said that if Yang Hao really announced that, then Kazdel would actually be safe.

Aside from not knowing whether her sister would truly serve Yang Hao wholeheartedly, Theresa's thoughts had already gained Yang Hao's respect and practical consideration to a certain extent. However, since things had come to this point, Theresa understood that Kazdel was essentially faced with only two choices: openly become a vassal or covertly become a vassal.

Although she felt utterly powerless, she could only choose the slightly better option between two bad ones: becoming Kazdel's destiny. And frankly, instead of fantasizing about having the power to rebel against Ursus now and her sister's wholehearted support, she should think about how much Kazdel could gain after becoming a "vassal"...

...

With this in mind, Theresa resumed her discussion with Yang Hao. The discussion about the upcoming vassal treaty between Ursus and Kazdel continued for a long time, even past lunchtime...

"Why don't we eat and chat?" Theresa invited. And then? Yang Hao's lips twitched, and he agreed.

...

In the private dining room of Kazdel Palace, Yang Hao was only accompanied by Lady Northon this time, while Theresa and Theresis each left only one guard to show their respect.