"The Crown of Seven Stones! The Staff of Storms!"
Ishtar's eyes sparkled, her throat twitching instinctively. Her deep-rooted obsession with gems surged uncontrollably. Compared to these treasures on the cart, everything she had scraped together from the temple and the Sacrificial Grounds—pots, trays, trinkets—was absolute junk!
No, not even junk!
The Goddess of Heaven barely managed to restrain her twitching hands, lifting her head to ask in a dry voice,
"These are...?"
"Of course, gems offered to you!"
rlin, pushing the cart and playing along perfectly, smiled and nodded.
"All of these... for ? Did I hear that right?"
Ishtar clutched her head, stamring in disbelief, her expression dazed.
"Absolutely! You've rendered great service to Uruk—of course you deserve a reward."
"Also, all the loot we seized from the temple earlier? It's yours too."
rlin gave a slight bow, his posture humble and respectful.
Am I dreaming? Can sothing this good actually happen?
Ishtar's breathing turned ragged. Her head spun from pure bliss, thoughts becoming a blur.
Calm down! Calm down, Ishtar! Could that flashy gold freak really be this generous?
She wasn't stupid. Rubbing her stiff cheeks, Ishtar forced herself not to look at the sparkling darlings on the cart. Her expression turned skeptical.
"Why?"
"The King has acknowledged your achievents. Given his generosity, he doesn't hesitate to reward rit."
"As long as you continue to stand with Uruk, this is just the down paynt."
rlin spoke smoothly, then paused and threw out an even more tempting offer.
"Down paynt?!"
"If you join us and help deal with the Three Goddess Alliance, your reward will be twenty percent of all ore in the Babylonian Treasury!"
"The Babylonian Treasury?! That special storage system Gilgash created for the future? Once completed, it's worth the total wealth of all mankind!"
Ishtar stamred, practically fainting from excitent.
"Exactly! We even brought the contract. Just say yes, and all these treasures will be registered under your na!"
"At that point, you'll probably be the richest goddess in all sopotamia!"
Between rlin's flattery and the dazzling promise of wealth, Ishtar could hardly breathe.
"Wait, this sounds way too suspicious, I..."
Yet the offer was so absurdly generous, even the great goddess couldn't help doubting her ears.
After all, she'd just been scolded by everyone earlier and thought she'd be booted from Uruk in sha.
But instead, not only was she not blad—they brought her an entire cartload of jewels.
It was like rising from the depths of hell straight into paradise...
"rlin! We're leaving!"
But the mont Ishtar spoke, Samael yanked the curtain over the cart and pulled the reins, ready to turn around.
"W–Wait! Don't go!"
Ishtar blurted out instinctively, her expression one of utter despair.
Samael halted, then slowly turned back. His tone was cold, his voice low.
"To be frank, personal grudges are one thing. rit is another."
"In this age of silent gods, the fact that you ca to Uruk's aid in a ti of crisis—that alone outweighs everything."
"So even if I've been deceived once, I still choose to believe that you're a goddess worthy of respect."
"Everyone in Uruk who witnessed you drive back the Magical Beasts with their own eyes believes it too. The kind goddess Ishtar will always stand with humanity and protect the city that once belonged to her!"
"That's why I set aside my prejudice and personally requested King Gilgash to let co negotiate with you."
"But since you doubt our intentions, then forget it."
"We've already paid you for your help defending Uruk."
"So now, take the spoils you've looted and leave our land."
"You're not welco here!"
Disappointnt flooded Samael's eyes, piercing Ishtar's wavering conscience.
"I never had any expectations left. But it's a sha—for all those people in Uruk who still believed in you."
"Even Blue Dragon Bašmu—"
"Don't say another word, I'll sign!"
Riding the emotional roller coaster to its breaking point, Ishtar finally gave in. She snatched the clay tablet and hurriedly signed her divine na at the end.
Only when the final stroke was carved and the binding incantation activated did Ishtar let out a deep breath, as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart.
Samael's expression softened a little. He placed a hand on her shoulder and murmured with rare emotion,
"Ishtar, rember your promise."
"Don't let your Uruk beco the next ruined Babylon."
Still distracted by the glimring gems, Ishtar felt a pang of sha. She nodded solemnly.
After all that emotional turbulence, the goddess felt an unexpected weariness. She wanted to rest, to take so ti to process everything that had happened.
So, with Siduri guiding her, she was temporarily settled in the embassy.
The gems she had looted, along with the deposit paid by Gilgash, were also moved to her quarters for the ti being.
But amid all the chaos, Ishtar had clearly forgotten a few things.
Like the fact that she had helped save Uruk, so claiming a reward was entirely justified.
In fact, had she been bolder, she might've even taken advantage of Gilgash's injury to seize control of Uruk outright.
And then there was the contract—she'd signed it without reading the terms.
Let alone noticing the hidden clauses engraved on the back of the tablet, bottom left corner—only visible when not under direct sunlight:
"1. The contract remains valid only until King Gilgash experiences death."
"2. This employnt agreent applies specifically to the goddess Ishtar and her companion, the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna."
"3. All rights to interpret the terms lie solely with Gilgash."
These three hidden provisions all but guaranteed Ishtar would never see her full reward, no matter how things changed later.
In truth, both the funder and the shady guarantor had never been the rule-following type.
Who gives up sothing for nothing when there's blood to squeeze?
Still, this ss started when a certain goddess broke the rules first and swallowed the bait tossed out by the snake.
What seed like a free lunch always carried a price.
So, thanks to helping Gilgash swindle Ishtar, he pocketed a hefty commission.
Compared to the 5% of mineral treasures, that initial bait was ridiculously cheap.
Now that the goddess was tad, the ancient serpent humd a little tune as he did the math for the future costs of building a temple for Tiamat. With Ana by his side, he headed toward the main street to celebrate with a good al.
But just as they passed a shadowy alley, a hunched old man in a linen robe standing in the dark caught his attention.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake
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