"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!"
Merlin, pushing the cart and playing along perfectly, smiled and nodded.
"All of these... for me? Did I hear that right?"
Ishtar clutched her head, stammering 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."
Merlin gave a slight bow, his posture humble and respectful.
Am I dreaming? Can something 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 achievements. Given his generosity, he doesn't hesitate to reward merit."
"As long as you continue to stand with Uruk, this is just the down payment."
Merlin spoke smoothly, then paused and threw out an even more tempting offer.
"Down payment?!"
"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 Gilgamesh created for the future? Once completed, it's worth the total wealth of all mankind!"
Ishtar stammered, practically fainting from excitement.
"Exactly! We even brought the contract. Just say yes, and all these treasures will be registered under your name!"
"At that point, you'll probably be the richest goddess in all Mesopotamia!"
Between Merlin'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 shame.
But instead, not only was she not blamed—they brought her an entire cartload of jewels.
It was like rising from the depths of hell straight into paradise...
"Merlin! We're leaving!"
But the moment 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. Merit is another."
"In this age of silent gods, the fact that you came to Uruk's aid in a time 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 Gilgamesh to let me come 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 welcome here!"
Disappointment flooded Samael's eyes, piercing Ishtar's wavering conscience.
"I never had any expectations left. But it's a shame—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 name 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, remember your promise."
"Don't let your Uruk become the next ruined Babylon."
Still distracted by the glimmering gems, Ishtar felt a pang of shame. She nodded solemnly.
After all that emotional turbulence, the goddess felt an unexpected weariness. She wanted to rest, to take some time 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 Gilgamesh, were also moved to her quarters for the time 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 Gilgamesh'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 Gilgamesh experiences death."
"2. This employment agreement applies specifically to the goddess Ishtar and her companion, the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna."
"3. All rights to interpret the terms lie solely with Gilgamesh."
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 something for nothing when there's blood to squeeze?
Still, this mess started when a certain goddess broke the rules first and swallowed the bait tossed out by the snake.
What seemed like a free lunch always carried a price.
So, thanks to helping Gilgamesh 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 tamed, the ancient serpent hummed 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 meal.
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)
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