Cowardice Opens Up a Whole New World 3/4
"What? Your cow is lost?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
Ishtar hurriedly raised her hand, but under the scrutinizing gaze of the two ancient snakes, she nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, looking embarrassed and awkward.
Immediately, the Great Goddess of Uruk furtively parted the waist-high withered grass, confirming that her four teammates in the open space were busy feeding the Quetzalcoatlus and resting to recover their strength, and that no one had noticed them. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Just now, the team's leader, citing the loss of the "Marduk's Axe," requested to instead use the Anu's Bull, Gurralana to fight against the massive Beast Goddess.
Ishtar tried to cover up her mistake, but faced with Samael's barrage of questions and his discerning gaze, she ultimately had no choice but to confess her predicament.
"I scolded it a few times because it eats too much and raising it consumes a lot of magic and gems."
"Who knew it would run away in a huff!"
The goddess looked resentful and lowered her head, not daring to look at the team leader whose expression was clearly off.
"King Gilgamesh offered 20% of the mineral treasures; Issei is for you, Issei is because he coveted Gugalanna's fighting prowess!"
"Sir, this shouldn't be publicized."
Samael gave a serious warning, and Ishtar, sitting opposite him, experienced a rollercoaster of emotions upon hearing it.
Finally, upon hearing this whispered remark, the goddess nodded vigorously, overjoyed.
If it weren't for the Underworld Protection surrounding Samael, she would have loved to pick up this Shepherd Priest was clearly protecting and favoring her, and kiss him passionately.
"Back then, when you bumped into me at Mount Epiph, you were looking for cattle after hearing the commotion?"
"Um..."
Ishtar nodded awkwardly, then muttered an explanation in a low voice for why she had been so passive in fulfilling her previous dragon-slaying quest.
"During that time, I was traveling all over the world, busy searching for traces of Gugalanna, and I really couldn't take care of anything else."
"Moreover, the Sky Ark Ma'anna needs energy, and my own Magecraft relies on gems, so I have no choice but to take your sacrifice first."
Samael nodded slightly without changing his expression, his demeanor softening considerably, and then asked a pointed question.
"Have you explored the entire Mesopotamian world?"
"Pretty close!"
"This makes no sense! Such a huge divine beast, and we can't even see its shadow. Jian Yi's disappearance is just as inexplicable as the axe's..."
"I think so too. That thing is tens of meters high, and it's like that..."
Ishtar looked bewildered, slowly raising her head to look at Samael, her eyes flickering, her face grim.
Now that you mention it, it's quite possible!
"Has even our Father God abandoned us?"
The Heavenly Bull was a divine beast bestowed upon her by the Sky God Anu to punish humanity. She vaguely knew that its purpose was mixed with the conflict between gods and humans, including the intention to use divine authority to suppress royal authority.
If it is said that Gugalanna severed ties with her and refused the call of his mistress,
The most likely reason is that a higher-level being summoned this creation.
Samael looked up at the increasingly dark and deep sky, smiled, and spoke with a profound meaning.
"So, knowing all this, are you still willing to stand on Uruk's side, Goddess?"
"This is defying the will of Heaven!"
Ishtar remained silent for a long time, glancing several times at the figures packing their belongings and recovering their strength on the open ground.
Among them were goddesses, a total of three, all of whom were heretics who defied fate.
Finally, Ishtar turned her head with difficulty, her teeth clenched.
"When did I, the goddess, ever need them to tell me what to do!"
The goddess haughtily raised her chin, her tone disdainful, her face full of lawlessness.
"Destiny, destiny, that's just those old fogies spouting nonsense. If it's true, what does it have to do with me!"
"Even if the Father God came, if he's too long-winded, I'd dare to pluck a few of his beard hairs!"
At that moment, whether intentionally or unintentionally, a series of thunderclaps resounded in the sky.
Ishtar, who had been so arrogant just moments before, suddenly turned pale and his brow twitched.
Is it going to rain?
Samael glanced at the suddenly changed weather and whispered something.
"It's normal for the weather to change this season, don't make a fuss."
The goddess opposite him immediately straightened her back, looked around with disdain, and remained indifferent.
Samael asked tentatively, his expression mocking.
"Shall we continue discussing the concept of destiny?"
"How about you tell me? I'm not feeling well right now..."
Ishtar immediately backed down, forcing a dry laugh as she tried to change the subject.
"You saw it on the Cylinder Seal too; there's no prophecy of the future..."
"Therefore, we have never done anything against the will of Heaven."
"It was only because Uruk suffered Beast Calamity that we voluntarily offered Great Sacrifice in order to protect ourselves. A merciful god accepted our invitation and made a covenant. We simply fulfilled our obligations in accordance with the principle of fairness."
Samael's smile was strange, and a meaningful sarcasm appeared on his face.
"Yes!"
Ishtar suddenly understood, and a sly look appeared on his face—the same look he always had when he got into trouble and found an excuse to get away with it.
"I didn't defy the will of heaven. This goddess is simply making money because of Gilgamesh's offerings! Who can stop me from doing that?"
"Even God needs to live."
With her joy evident, this goddess shamelessly uttered the word "money-making," a term that came from the bottom of her heart, and confidently pinched her slender waist.
As her fear gradually subsided, Ishtar looked at Samael beside her with a broad smile.
Having agreed on their testimonies, the man and the deity nodded in tacit understanding.
"You're so wicked! Your ability to exploit loopholes is top-notch. It was definitely the right choice for this goddess to make you the Shepherd Priest!"
The goddess, in a pleasant mood, couldn't help but move closer to Samael, her eyes full of admiration.
But these words of praise sounded particularly harsh, making the kind-hearted snake want to hit someone.
Forget it, I won't bother arguing with this crazy woman.
Anyway, even if Ishtar seems to be making a profit, he definitely isn't losing out.
Samael already knew about the goddess's lost love, and he even used this information to set a trap for her in the employment contract, extorting a consultation fee from Gilgamesh.
Now, by bringing up the old story, he pretended to conceal it, taking the opportunity to gain favor with Ishtar.
Secondly, we can take this opportunity to give this Goddess of Heaven a warning, so that she will make up her mind sooner and tie herself to Uruk.
As Gilgamesh dies of exhaustion and the situation becomes turbulent, the hidden secrets of those dark corners are surfacing.
If it is truly as I believe, then the gods are destiny.
With this preventative measure in place, even if the Triple Goddess Alliance collapses and the situation deteriorates rapidly after the fog is cleared, Ishtar can at least maintain her position in Uruk.
Before the two could continue their whispered conversation, the Quetzalcoatlus on the open ground hissed, signaling the start of their mission.
Samael and Ishtar nodded to each other, then walked together out of the bushes and back to the group.
As the Quetzalcoatl soared into the sky, the Ancient Serpent looked down upon the ever-shrinking creatures, its expression somber.
Marduk's Axe, the Cylinder Seal, the heavenly bull—those high and mighty bastards—repeatedly diminished humanity's advantages.
Their purpose is already quite obvious.
Samael secretly raised his middle finger, his eyes flashing with intense malice.
Destiny! Destiny!
Screw fate! I've never even faced death once, and now I'm not accepting it!
I'm rich now, Rin. jpg