Northern Mesopotamia, Fir Forest.
This was a forest that had existed from the beginning.
The tropical jungle in southern Mesopotamia had appeared after the manifestation of the goddess's authority—a man-made forest, so to speak. The Fir Forest in the north, however, was different. It had existed on this land from the very start.
To Mesopotamia, fir trees were an extremely precious and valuable resource.
Because the region lay between the two rivers, timber was scarce. Moreover, forests were generally inhabited by extraordinarily powerful magical beasts, making it incredibly difficult for the Sumerians to enjoy the benefits that wood could provide.
In the past, Gilgamesh and Enkidu had once joined forces to subjugate Humbaba, a magical beast dwelling in the Fir Forest. It was an exceedingly famous monster, one even the gods were reluctant to provoke lightly. It had once brought danger to Gilgamesh and Enkidu, so it was easy to imagine how difficult it would be for ordinary humans to set their sights on this Fir Forest.
Yet deep within this Fir Forest stood a temple.
It was a Temple of Blood. Blood filled the air throughout the entire structure, making it extremely ominous. Rather than enshrining a god, it seemed more like a place where a monster dwelled.
In truth, a monster did dwell within this temple—or rather, a god no different from a monster.
Someone was walking barefoot through the temple.
That person was Gingu.
Gingu walked through the dim, ominous corridors. Cocoon-like objects hung from the surrounding walls, and shadows seemed to shift within them, yet he never spared them even a glance.
Gingu reached the depths of the temple and stopped before a place that resembled a pool of blood.
Looking at the blood pool before him, Gingu spoke in a slightly reverent voice.
"Have you