A Slow Death

It's neither good nor bad. If the Emperor of Ursus consolidates his power, then Black Serpent is confident he can bring Ursus back on track.

But they can only control a portion of them; they can't possibly fight all the nobles, can they? What would become of the country then?

Emperor of Ursus granted Lady Black Serpent immense power, but her authority was essentially confined to Saint-Junburg; the outside world was entirely within the sphere of influence of nobles.

Therefore, Black Snake cannot be all-encompassing when it comes to withholding workers' wages; he can only remind them after he sees it and forcibly correct it as an opportunity.

To allow the Inner Guards to carry out the emperor's will? That's practically impossible.

Because the nobles are not to be trifled with, once these nobles die and no one is there to replace them in time, then the country will face absolute turmoil.

"Why does it hurt so much..."

The Black Serpent Lady lay on the ground, dark red blood seeping through the fabric and dripping onto the hard floor.

An unimaginable, excruciating pain rose from her abdomen, a pain she had never experienced before, but still within a tolerable range.

At first, Black Serpent lived a life of luxury in this body, with a very regular daily routine, until a few years ago when he became a servant to the Emperor of Ursus.

"Take... take me to the hospital." The Black Snake Lady felt dizzy; the pain wasn't a big deal, but her condition clearly triggered her body's instinctive response.

Wouldn't working with this body make me a laughingstock among the nobles?

Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood, so the Black Snake Lady had no choice but to let her Snake Scales help her conceal her identity first, and then find a random hospital to get some treatment.

It's best to finish this in the morning so you can continue working in the afternoon.

Black Snake went to a reputable hospital for a checkup, but the female attending physician shook her head:

"Madam, your health is not good. How long has it been since you had a rest?"

Not wanting her identity to be exposed, the Black Serpent Lady spoke in a low, cold voice beneath her veil. "About a month or so."

Actually, it's been half a year, but if you really think about it, I started working under high pressure several years ago. But before, I could at least sleep for more than an hour, but now I don't dare to sleep for even an hour.

Perhaps because she felt the other person's physical condition far exceeded that of ordinary people, the female doctor accepted this explanation.

"Your body is very weak, and your menstrual cycle has been irregular for a long time. If this continues, you may become infertile. You may not care, but the consequences are not limited to this. Infertility is the best-case scenario."

"You currently suffer from heart failure and breast hyperplasia..."

The female attending physician rattled off a long list of symptoms like reciting a menu, while Ms. Black Snake remained silent.

The female doctor's face conveyed two words: "How come you're still alive?" This wasn't meant as a derogatory remark, but rather indicated a truly pessimistic outlook.

Even if one doesn't Originium Infection, one can still die from various complications.

In the past, the doctor wouldn't have offered advice to others.

But the employer in front of her was willing to pay a lot of money, and in order not to let this cash cow suddenly die in front of her, she was willing to do everything she had learned in her life.

No one cares about Lady Black Serpent's health. The nobles wish she were dead, pointing fingers and gossiping about her all day long, yet they couldn't directly retort.

"I understand, please prescribe the medicine for me."

"Although I really want to make money, given your current health condition, I estimate that only Utopia's medical technology can save you; Ursus's medicine has very little effect."

"You have smuggled drugs from Utopia... The lord of Utopia always likes to play these little tricks."

The female doctor's face darkened, but she finally sighed and told the truth:

"My stock ran out a month ago. Even if you send someone to search me now, you won't find a single pill from Utopia on me."

"Moreover, as far as I know, Utopia severed its trade with the Ursus government five years ago, and its flying caravans have long since ceased operations around Saint-Junburg. My last remaining stock has already been sold to a very prestigious nobleman, and I dare not defy him."

Black Snake Lady: "If you don't save a piece for yourself, Utopia's medicine basically doesn't differentiate between types of illnesses."

Female doctor. "It's no use. Medicine can't cure hunger, and if someone really wanted to kill me, would I even have the chance to take the medicine? In my opinion, medicine is for the living, not the dead."

The black snake's abdomen was still throbbing with pain. "Is there any way to relieve it?"

"An IV drip, or a prescription for a drug that has similar efficacy but is much more expensive."

"Thank you for your help."

The attending physician nodded and went to the back to dispense the medication. It's safe to say that the money was right, and the doctor even prepared the medicine himself.

The doctor acted very quickly, and soon the black snake was confined to the chair and unable to move.

"Your blood vessels are quite thin, so it's best not to move around too much, otherwise you'll have a lot of pain if they swell up."

The Black Snake Lady did not reply, but simply closed her eyes, letting her Snake Scales keep watch around her.

More than an hour later, the doctor came to administer the medicine, and Ms. Black Snake had already fallen into a deep sleep.

A few minutes after the medication was changed, Ms. Black Snake felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, as if someone had stabbed her with a knife.

She instinctively pulled out the IV needle from her left hand, drew a short dagger from her thigh, and held it to the female doctor's neck.

The female doctor immediately collapsed to the ground in surrender. "Misunderstanding... misunderstanding! It's not my fault! I was just dispensing the medicine according to what I've learned!"

Hearing the commotion, Snake Scales rushed in and inspected the medicine preparation room, discovering that there were indeed other people's footprints.

"Master, they are secret guards of certain nobles..."

But before Snake Scales could finish speaking, Lady Black Snake's vision went black and she collapsed to the ground, her white dress stained crimson with dark blood.

The nobles wouldn't kill Lady Black Serpent, because they knew they couldn't kill her, but they would definitely make her suffer.

The only female attending physician on site took the freshly changed IV fluid into the dispensing room, and after examining it with professional equipment, quickly identified the excess drug components. She then immediately began emergency treatment.

Perhaps this is a private clinic, and because it cannot afford to pay the doctors and nurses, she is the only medical staff present.

Fortunately, Snake Scales women present all possessed basic first aid knowledge, which was a great help, and they could also distinguish some simple medicines.

As for how the nobles' secret guards managed to break into the medicine room, Snake Scales's reconnaissance skills are not the best in Ursus, and the troops the nobles keep are not to be underestimated.

If I can't handle the Inner Guards, surely I can handle you?

Dare to raise taxes? Believe me, I'll make sure you never wake up again!

This body is far too weak, but Black Serpent cannot replace it, because she has no time to carefully select a healthy body; the government has already put so much pressure on it that it can barely breathe.

If there truly is a God, please save me...

When the black snake awoke, her long-dormant sleeplessness was somewhat relieved by the unconsciousness, but the excruciating physical pain made it almost impossible for her to think.

She fell ill; after living for so long, she finally fell truly ill.

Physical medicine cannot cure her, nor can it cure this country.

Upon waking, Lady Black Snake did not order her subordinates to collect evidence against the person who had just harmed her, as it was pointless; she would rather use the extra time for her work.

After finishing another IV drip, she took some painkillers and got into a car, heading to a factory far away.

Chapter 726 Slow Death

Despite the excruciating abdominal pain, Ms. Black Snake maintained a composed demeanor after arriving at the construction site.

After some investigation, the supervisor who withheld wages was successfully found. Of course, this so-called supervisor was just a scapegoat pushed out by the nobles behind the scenes.

"Is the investigation complete? How much of the wages were withheld?"

"Reporting to Master, there are two thousand workers involved in the construction, plus an additional 200 management positions. Their wages have been being withheld since the second month of the project's commencement."

Ms. Black Snake sensed something was wrong. The factory had started construction six months ago, which meant that at least five months' wages were owed to her.

Moreover, these nobles embezzled not only the workers' wages, but also very likely the cost of materials.

Because only 5% was completed in six months.

At this rate, even if Ursus is gone, the chemical plant might not be completed.

"Hang the supervisor. Starting today, the workers' wages will be increased to their original levels."

"Shouldn't we pay them back...?"

Lady Black Snake rolled her eyes at her subordinate, "Do you have any money?"

Half a year is neither a long nor a short time, but it is still a considerable expense. The extra money has to be used to make up for the factory's material shortage, so there is no money to pay back wages. It's about time to get back to normal.

Let the people of Ursus suffer, I'll bear the blame.

"Ouch... help me up." After finishing her business, Ms. Black Snake felt her stomach start hurting again.

Snake Scales quickly helped its owner back into the car and applied a hot water bottle to her lower abdomen.

I lay there with my eyes half-closed for a while before I recovered. It's almost autumn now. Ursus covered in snow all year round, and there's hardly any hot season at all.

"Master, this year's wheat harvest in the south is about 20% less than last year..."

"I understand. Help me contact the relevant people in Utopia and, as usual, pay for the food. No country has surplus food, and even if they did, the travel expenses would be astronomical."

Ms. Black Snake was very grateful that she still had a relationship with Master Huang, because Master Huang did not charge her transportation fees, and the price of the grain was only slightly higher than the market price.

But soon, Snake Scales brought very bad news. "Master, our savings are gone... The money we received from selling the land two years ago has been spent."

"How much tangible asset do we still have? Intangible assets are fine too..."

"There's not much left. Most of the land in the Koschei territory has been sold to Utopia. What's left are some mines and administrative areas. These mines need to supply the neighboring Mobile City. If they're all sold, the north will completely belong to Utopia."

A bitter smile appeared on the Black Serpent Lady's lips. In fact, these assets were originally intended for Talulah as start-up capital, but now Ursus's collapse was even more severe than she had imagined.

In the previous war between the multiple emperors, Ursus gained no benefits and suffered a huge loss.

The war machine was broken and could only stand still and wait to die.

The physical pain is nothing compared to the piercing pain in one's soul. If the people of Ursus hadn't been saved by Lady Black Serpent selling her own assets, the population of Ursus today would be at least 10% smaller than it was ten years ago.

Of course, these are just the people Black Snake has saved over the past ten years or so; there are many more he hasn't saved.

As the social demographic structure changes, the number of elderly people will increase, and the rate of negative growth will accelerate.

It's rotten...

"I haven't been in contact with the lord of Utopia for almost ten years... although we don't seem to have any past relationship, at most we used to work together to beat up Kazimierz."

Lady Black Serpent actually has some land that she can sell, but these lands are essential assets for maintaining her status as a duke.

If she were to truly disappear, her political power within the country would decline drastically, which would be quite unfortunate.

At this point, with Ursus in complete chaos, political games continue to unfold, with no unified force guiding the proceedings.

The Black Snake Lady has no control over this, nor the ability to do so.

"Report this news to the Emperor. I am out of money, and the country's tax revenue must be used for some practical purposes."

Lady Black Snake closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "Tell the emperor I need a week's leave. Tell him to stop playing political games and come here to get things done. Remember, make sure he does everything himself and absolutely does not outsource any tasks to nobles."

There are only a handful of people in China who can actually do the work; outsourcing the job would be a complete disaster.

The Black Serpent Lady returned to the territory of Koschei a day later.

There's another grave next to the castle; that's Koschei's grave, not the Black Serpent's.

The castle hadn't been repaired in a long time, but thanks to the Snake Scales that lived inside, it maintained the basic operation of the territory.

The house is kept clean frequently, so you can move in immediately with just your belongings.

All the trees around the castle had been cut down, and because of the cold autumn weather, they had to go into the city to buy fuel.

Lady Black Snake and her men worked for quite a while before they finally had time to rest.

She was wrapped in a thick coat, gazing into the distance at the land she had sold, which now belonged to Utopia.

Decades ago, Black Snake often went to Master Huang's castle to freeload.

On many occasions, they were able to get enough fuel from that man to keep their castle warm for half a month.

Things have changed, but the only thing that hasn't changed is Lady Black Snake herself.

The weather is quite sunny today, so visibility is high.

Master Huang's castle is only a dozen kilometers away from Black Snake's castle, and the entire area in between is a vast plain.

But what's important isn't the castle itself, but the houses surrounding Master Huang's castle.

The development levels of Master Huang's territory and Black Snake's territory are almost worlds apart.

The Koschei territory that Huang Cao acquired at the time, while not entirely barren, still had many undeveloped areas.

But what about now?

The Black Serpent's castle is surrounded by wasteland. The only place with people around is where Master Huang lives. Further away is the Mobile City, hundreds of kilometers away.

Everywhere in the Utopia-controlled area, wisps of smoke rose from chimneys, and the houses were neatly arranged and very orderly.