The Entrance to the Underworld (Continued)

"Hehe..."

Ishtar scoffed in displeasure, then retorted, "Just a wild god without a pantheon, now he's putting on airs. A stingy fellow who doesn't understand the allure of money. I'm too lazy to bother with you."

"Even if I don't understand the allure of money, I'm still better than you, a guy who reeks of money."

Black Lancer Artoria said unhappily, "By the way, you don't smell of money anymore, since all your treasures have been converted into magic by my Tower of the End."

"How dare you bring this up! Do you want to fight?!"

When her sore spot was touched, Ishtar immediately lost her temper and prepared to pounce on Black Lancer Artoria and fight him.

"..."

Rovey, standing to the side, remained completely calm.

It's not surprising, really. After all, these two goddesses have been openly and secretly competing, making sarcastic remarks and acting like treacherous people on each other's behalf all the way here. He's been listening to them from the sidelines and should have gotten used to it by now. As long as they don't start fighting, their bickering is just a minor matter.

He's currently preoccupied with three more important matters: how to find Nitocris, how to bring Gilgamesh back, and how to retrieve the Holy Grail from Ereshkigal.

Therefore, no matter what, they have to go down to the Underworld this time. Now he only hopes that the other party can take into account their past friendship and not make things too difficult for them, and can understand and help them.

I hope she likes the gift I carefully prepared.

"What are you thinking about, Master?"

As Rovey pondered to himself, he suddenly heard the completely different voices of the two goddesses. Rovey looked up and found that Ishtar and Black Lancer Artoria had just finished arguing and were waiting for him ahead.

Black Lancer Artoria: "Hurry up, darling."

Ishtar: "Master, we're heading into the city, come quickly."

"Yes, I'm here."

Upon hearing this, Rovey, who was standing at the back of the group, put the seed back into his pocket and followed them up.

As the three approached, the outline of the city in the distance became increasingly clear. Similarly, it was only when they got closer that they could truly appreciate the unique character of this city.

The most obvious difference is the contrast with Uruk.

Unlike Uruk, where the entire population is mobilized and defenses are constantly being strengthened in all regions, with numerous soldiers patrolling the front lines, city gates, and streets, here the city gates are wide open, with no guards in sight, not even routine checks. It seems as if people can come and go freely. This feels completely out of place in this precarious world; the city seems unconcerned about the risks it faces.

Filled with curiosity, they went inside, and the scene of the city came into view.

The market was filled with stalls and many pedestrians. Although it was completely different from the orderly life in Uruk, it still had a certain order. At least the people's lives seemed harmonious, natural, and free.

However, looking at the divisions here, Rovey felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if they were very similar to the divisions he had seen under Rameses II.

Without giving it much thought, they went straight in, led by Ishtar.

When they entered, the people walking by stopped in their tracks, looking at Ishtar with expressions of both surprise and fear.

"It's... it's a goddess...!!"

"Something terrible has happened! It's Lady Ishtar!!"

"Hurry, hurry home and hide the jewels, otherwise Lady Ishtar will definitely find all sorts of excuses to help and then take the jewels away!!"

"..."

The moment people saw Ishtar, the previously harmonious crowd began whispering among themselves, conveying their unease. The once orderly street instantly fell apart, and everyone fled as if escaping, leaving their stalls unattended.

Rovey Wei had originally wanted to ask passersby for information, but this plan was now completely ruined.

He looked helplessly at Ishtar beside him. "..."

"What kind of look is that?"

Ishtar's expression turned somewhat awkward.

Seeing this, Black Lancer Artoria directly mocked Ishtar, saying, "See that? Ishtar, who keeps calling herself the Supreme God and telling me how great she is, how much humans revere and fear her. When I'm with you, even my storm is overshadowed by your aura. It seems that humans are more afraid of plunder than storms. Have you considered taking on the role of the god of plunder?"

For once, the usually reserved Artoria Black Lancer Artoria) became a master of sarcasm, directly taunting Ishtar face-to-face.

Upon hearing this, Ishtar felt a pang of unease, her frustration reaching its peak. She now wished she could capture all the mortals who ran away at the sight of her and interrogate them one by one.

'Why are you running? All I took were a few gems from you! Didn't I help you out and even lick my feet?'

Although she still felt resentful, she had to admit that her personality was indeed too free. She herself was a goddess who didn't restrain her emotions at all; if she saw something she wanted, she would naturally find a way to get it, completely disregarding the opinions of mortals. As long as she could have it and satisfy herself, that was enough. This was completely opposite to the Storm Goddess beside her, who constantly proclaimed justice, correctness, and rigid adherence to rules. That's why they always disliked each other.

In Ishtar's view, gods are capricious, gods are free, gods are unrestrained, and this is perfectly self-evident.

She wasn't sure if Rovey, that godlike being, was a complete god, but she just couldn't understand why Black Lancer Artoria could suppress the other side of the god with the human side, even though she was a genuine chief god, just without a pantheon.

However, despite her inner displeasure, she still gained some understanding after possessing this body. In fact, her personality was assimilated by Rin Tohsaka, which greatly limited her. Therefore, her current battle with Black Lancer Artoria is just like the playful fighting of the past. If it were her true self, she would have fought her to the death long ago. This is also why she did not severely punish those mortals.

Now, she no longer steals jewels, nor does she hurt others indiscriminately.

After all, that's the style of a robber, and it's really not elegant.

The Tohsaka Family's upbringing is characterized by ease and elegance.

So she changed her approach, to a method that she could convince herself of—that is, to earn money through labor.

For example, helping residents repair roofs (which caused the houses to collapse), helping merchants drive away Demonic Beast (because the fighting was too chaotic, the goods were destroyed), and escorting people from the wilderness home (which led them to the wrong city). After doing these good deeds, Ishtar thought that since she had already done the work, wouldn't it be reasonable for her to take some reward?

Hiring a goddess to work for you? You'll get some gems, some gold, and all that. It's totally worth it, right?

And she allowed them to lick her feet.

Such a blessing is higher than the heavens.

She can never repay her kindness.

Suddenly, Ishtar's mind cleared, and she still believed that she had done nothing wrong; the only ones at fault were those greedy humans.

They actually want her to work for free?

No way!

But the facts were undeniable, and she truly had nothing to say in response, given the very real fact that she had a poor reputation among humans.

However, seeing that she had unusually kept quiet, Black Lancer Artoria had no intention of continuing to make sarcastic remarks.

She simply disliked Ishtar's behavior, and her sarcasm stemmed from the guy's stubbornness and the fact that he had repeatedly provoked her.

Since Ishtar had shut up, I naturally had no intention of continuing the argument.

Ishtar was also surprised that this guy didn't mock her.

"You rascal, are you... mute?"

She asked, somewhat puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Black Lancer Artoria.

She was just too kind; she clearly gave this guy too much face.

Ishtar doesn't deserve any sympathy!

Similarly, this happened right before the two of them had even stopped arguing.

"This is--!?"

As Rovey began to actively explore the city, he suddenly realized something. He turned his head sharply and looked into the dark alleyway to the side.

Right there, in a shadow that almost everyone overlooked, sat an old beggar, dressed in tattered clothes and sporting a white beard, like a statue.

"Um?"

The other party seemed to have noticed Rovey's gaze. The old beggar, who had been sitting in the darkness in the corner, seemingly waiting to quietly decay, also raised his head slightly, revealing a face that was mostly obscured but still dignified, and a pair of sharp, knife-like eyes looking at Rovey.

"What are you doing here...?"

He was about to ask King Hassan a question, but the other man spoke first.

"—O chosen one who wishes to save the world, the end is near, and besides the old man of the mountain, there is another who has the right to inherit the Grand Rank, and that time has come."

"The gates of the Underworld are right beneath your feet, hurry..."

Before Rovey could finish speaking, he stood up, picked up the worn-out bowl, and disappeared into the alley, his figure vanishing from sight.

"Grand Assassin..."

"Another one who inherits the principles of the Grand Rank? Does this mean a new Grand Rank has appeared in this Singularity, and the Counter Force has already activated the Final Battle Formula, Heroic Spirit Summoning? Who exactly is the Grand Servant being summoned? Will other Grand Servant be summoned later...?"

Rovey muttered to himself, beginning to think seriously.

Just as he was deep in thought, a voice called out from behind him again.

He turned around and saw Ishtar, who had just been defeated and Black Lancer Artoria Alter, calling out to him.

"Hurry up and come with me, what are you standing there for, Master?"

She called out loudly.

Seeing this, Rovey nodded and walked over. They hadn't seen King Hassan appear, so they didn't know what he had seen.

"Ishtar, now that we've arrived at the city above the Underworld, where is the entrance? Can we just dig down?" Rovey asked.

"What are you thinking? You don't actually believe that the Underworld is right beneath this city, so you just want to dig it open with brute force, do you?"

Isn't that so?

"Of course it's not that simple. After all, that's the Underworld, the abode of the gods. How could it be found so easily? It can only be opened when the right time and the right latitude and longitude are in place."

"What is the correct time?"

Ishtar said, "Since it's the Underworld, we can only enter at night, when Underworld entrance will open automatically and the defenses will be weakest. The correct coordinates and latitude and longitude are in the area on the outskirts of the city. We just need to wait until nightfall and then use our absolute power to break through and enter. So, we can just wait in the city for now."

"So that's how it is. I was right. The Underworld here does indeed have special conditions."

Rovey nodded. After hearing Ishtar reveal this information, he knew he had indeed come to the right person.

"So that's how it is. The Underworld here really doesn't move."

Black Lancer Artoria nodded, and roughly understood the difference between the Underworld here and his own side.

"Huh? Your Underworld can move?" Ishtar asked curiously.

"Pretty much. After all, Merlin said that the location of the Land of Shadows is uncertain and can move, which is why it is so difficult to find," Black Lancer Artoria replied.

"It can move... Is this a spaceship from somewhere?"

Upon hearing this, Ishtar said speechlessly, "In that case, can we really deal with all the dead souls on earth?"

Artoria was also unaware of this, since she had never died.

This is the difference between different regions.

Compared to these two regions, the Underworld, which mortals still have a chance to enter, is far more significant, chaotic, and terrifying than the hell in Rovey's territory.

Demon kings and fallen angels are all down there, and hell is even divided into layers.

Because wandering around the city is never a good idea.

So Rovey used a few gems to rent a fairly large house in the city, even though the other party cried and dared not ask them for money, only begging Ishtar to leave quickly.

This incident made Ishtar even more ashamed, and she even wanted to argue with the guy who spread rumors about her, but she was dragged away by Rovey.

Later, after realizing that taking Ishtar along to ask for information would only scare her away, Rovey told Ishtar to stay in the room and not come out, while Black Lancer Artoria stayed there to watch over her and prevent her from causing any more trouble. Then he went out alone to investigate the surrounding area.

"Um?"

Just as he stepped out of the house, intending to first ask the city's residents what was going on, why it hadn't been attacked by Demonic Beast, and who designed this Egypt -style layout, he was about to leave.

He had only been outside for a short while when he saw a crowd beginning to converge towards the center of the square, so he followed along out of curiosity.

Soon after, Rovey, standing in the center of the crowd, looked up and clearly saw a familiar figure, and heard a very familiar crying sound.

"Injustice! Injustice! Utter injustice! I'm really not a liar, I just came here to find something! I dug the pits randomly just to get to the Underworld, I didn't mean to cause any damage! Those women were lusting after my good looks, I didn't seduce them, I'm the victim here!!"

That familiar voice, coupled with that tuft of white hair tied to the pillar, made it obvious who it was.

A silver-haired monster in a white robe was bound hand and foot to a pillar, with wood piled up at his feet. On the other side, a priest wearing a shamanic mask held a torch aloft, ready to burn Merlin to ashes, while the crowd below cheered.

"Shut up! Outsider!"

Faced with Merlin's tearful pleas, the masked priest sternly rebuked him, then raised his torch and said fiercely, "No matter how much you try to justify yourself today, it will be to no avail. First, you dug a pit in the temple, offending the majesty of the gods. Moreover, you even dared to seduce the priests of the temple. Your crime is compounded, and you shall be burned at the stake!"

"Good!"

"OK!!"

"Burn him alive!!"

"Burn him alive!!!"

The crowd below also raised their arms enthusiastically, and then their emotions became excited.