Gilgamesh

The temple in Uruk was an extremely complex architectural complex.

Unlike the world Rovi knew before his transmigration, the world and era he was currently in was a mythical realm where the Gods truly existed.

Because of this, the faith people held for the deities wasn't merely primal worship of nature, but rather an expression of human loyalty, fear, and reliance on the Gods.

Therefore, each generation of the King of Uruk would renovate and expand the temple's scale based on what the previous generation had built.

In the common sense of people in this era, humanity inherently existed under the rule and protection of the Gods.

Even Gilgamesh, who disdained the Gods, couldn't overturn this perception. Otherwise, this Festival of All Gods wouldn't be taking place.

The annual collective sacrifice to the Gods could be said to be extremely grand.

Of course, none of this mattered to Rovi for the moment. After receiving the message delivered by the temple's subordinate staff at the High Priest's behest, he immediately took the stone tablet and left his room. He passed through layers of stairs and corridors, walking for quite some time before finally traversing the complex temple structure and arriving at the place where the ceremony was to be held:

The Pantheon.

The main hall where the Gods were enshrined.

It was constructed from massive, natural stone blocks stacked together, with pillars that stood like colossal pillars carved by Gaia from the earth in the beginning to support the world.

Statues of the Gods lined the four sides of the temple. The God King Anu, who symbolized the sky, occupied the central position.

Before the statue of the God King, an old man clad in a linen robe saw Rovi enter through a side door and couldn't help but nod, "Rovi, thank you for your hard work."

He repeated himself, appearing very pleased with Rovi's proactive arrival.

"This is my duty," Rovi replied with a smile, glancing around.

The temple's priests were already present, each sitting solemnly before the statue of the deity they served.

This was also the seating arrangement for the annual ceremony.

The old man standing before the God King's statue, being the High Priest, naturally served the God King. However, he was also the officiant of this annual Festival of All Gods.

Of course, this year, he wouldn't be officiating. Instead, Rovi—

The successor personally chosen by the old man—would preside over the sacrifice.

"Everyone, I'll be counting on you from now on," the old man said, looking at the priests. "This is Rovi's first time conducting such a large ceremony, so I hope you will all help him."

"High Priest, please rest assured. We will actively cooperate with Priest Rovi," the priests responded.

This group of people, who had dedicated their lives to serving the Gods, were no longer young. They all held goodwill towards Rovi and even envied the High Priest for having such a qualified successor.

However, now was not the time for idle chatter, so they didn't say much more.

"The King has arrived!" someone outside shouted.

The priests immediately became solemn and silent.

The High Priest also slowly stepped aside, yielding the space before the God King's statue to Rovi.

Light descended from the carved-out dome above the temple, like scattered golden specks, reflecting the colorful hues of dawn.

Rovi straightened his body.

He had already changed into a ceremonial linen robe on his way there. Holding the stone tablet, he gazed at the open doorway, his expression solemn and unmoving, appearing somewhat nervous.

In the eyes of the others, this was a natural reaction.

After all, while this wasn't his first time performing a sacrifice, it was his first time leading such a large-scale ceremony. It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

However, in reality, Rovi's nervousness was different from what others imagined.

What he was preoccupied with was how to maximally provoke the anger of the King, Gilgamesh, who was about to arrive, in order to achieve his own goals.

Just then, a sound echoed from outside the temple doors.

Clatter.

First, numerous prepared servants filed in. Then, a soft carpet made of wool was unrolled. Treasures were presented one after another, and exotic flowers were offered before the statues of the Gods.

And then came the main guest—Gilgamesh's entrance.

"Hmph, so this is the so-called Festival of All Gods? Such extravagance, yet squandering this King's treasures on a bunch of mongrels who only dare to peek from the heavens. Truly an infuriating sight!"

The voice, all too familiar to the people of Uruk, echoed through the temple.

It seemed that even such an occasion couldn't make their King restrain himself even a little...

Standing beside Rovi, the High Priest, who considered himself merely an assisting officiant, sighed inwardly. Yet, he placed his hope for Uruk's future connection with the Gods onto Rovi.

One had to admit, comparing the worst was a fine civilization... Rovi's actions weren't exactly the most respectful towards the Gods either.

But compared to Gilgamesh, how touching did he seem?

The old man suddenly understood why he placed so much importance on Rovi.

Rovi himself didn't think that much. He simply moved past the exotic treasures that had just been presented and stared intently at the entrance.

That tall figure walking into the hall, surrounded by numerous servants.

Just as Rovi had seen before, Gilgamesh had short hair like gold and a face like a sculpture. His crimson eyes reflected snake-like pupils. He wore the long skirt-like attire common to most men of this era, covering his lower body, while his upper body was bare, revealing mountains of muscles like rock. His skin was covered in red circuits, glowing brilliantly like a celestial being.

Although his cruel nature was already well-known to the people of Uruk, They couldn't help but admit that Gilgamesh indeed possessed the bearing of a king.

He strode forward, surrounded by the crowd, showing no sign of restraint even when facing the many statues representing the deities.

Instead, he cast a second glance at Rovi, who stood before the statue of the God King Enlil.

"Has the High Priest changed this year? Hmph, that's fine. Better than that old stubborn mule—I hope you can bring me a somewhat different performance, mongrel!"

The King of Uruk's arrogance was unchanged.

Normally, at a time like this, one should remain silent and avoid the King of Uruk's unpredictable temper, which could flare up at any moment.

This was also the reaction of most people in Uruk.

But unfortunately, Rovi, who was seeking death, was not a normal person.

Although it wasn't yet time to hand over the stone tablet he held, for Rovi, this was the best opportunity to provoke him.

Accumulating immense rage wasn't something that could be accomplished all at once.

So, Rovi decided to leave him with a sufficiently negative first impression.

Now was the perfect time.

"Believe me, you will 'enjoy' it," Rovi replied with a smile, his voice echoing in the temple. It sounded peaceful, yet inexplicably carried a hint of sarcasm.

"Mongrel, did I permit you to speak?" Gilgamesh's crimson pupils contracted slightly, and he let out a cold laugh.

The surrounding priests, servants, and guards all froze simultaneously.

No one had expected Rovi to respond to such a casual remark from Gilgamesh.

If Gilgamesh were to be enraged... the consequences would likely be unimaginable!

However, to everyone's surprise, although the King of Uruk wore a cold smile, he did not display the expected furious rage...

This young priest seemed genuinely interesting.

He couldn't wait for this so-called priest to encounter some misfortune!