Uruk was unusually lively today.
The entire city's residents were in a state of excitement and celebration, as if holding the grandest festival in history.
As the horns sounded, the citizens instinctively cleared the main road.
Looking toward the city gates, the triumphant army was returning.
From initial distrust and unease, to fear, and finally transforming into pure worship.
That man was their king—Gilgamesh.
After ascending to the throne, he implemented numerous policies that rapidly developed Uruk, especially in agriculture, instantly making it the most powerful agricultural nation among all neighboring countries.
Through commercial trade, the nation's overall strength grew even more formidable.
Of course, military reforms also led to the development of many astonishing weapons.
Then, the king of the most powerful nation—King Agga of Kish—sent envoys demanding that King Gilgamesh send workers to dig wells and repair canals for Kish without offering anything in return.
The arrogant King Agga of Kish even threatened war if Uruk refused.
So let there be war!
Initially, nearly all neighboring nations believed Uruk stood no chance of victory in this conflict.
But who could have imagined that the mighty empire of Kish, at the height of its power, would soon find Uruk's forces at its gates?
Who could have predicted that Uruk's soldiers would be better equipped than Kish's army? Even the hundred-man elite guard of King Agga—his most powerful personal troops with their fully armed, superior equipment—only matched the standard gear of Uruk's regular soldiers.
Particularly impressive was Uruk's specialized archer corps, whose arrows were exceptionally sharp with terrifying range. Without metal shields for defense, they were virtually unstoppable.
And then there were the so-called siege engines.
It was these massive contraptions that allowed Uruk's soldiers to easily scale city walls, leading to the rapid fall of King Agga's capital.
Thus, the army now returned victorious, and the powerful nation of Kish had submitted to Uruk.
Of the four thousand soldiers who went to war, fewer than five hundred were lost, while Kish's forces suffered over two thousand casualties.
"That—that person is—"
"It's King Agga of Kish!"
"No mistake, it's King Agga of Kish!"
In one of the prisoner carts sat a disheveled, utterly defeated man.
Though he appeared completely broken, one could still discern an extraordinary presence about him.
Following behind was an exceptionally impressive war chariot, upon which sat a figure looking down upon everyone with his chin resting on his hand.
His arrogance was godlike.
That man was their king—Gilgamesh.
The crowd erupted in cheers, celebrating the king who had led Uruk to become a hegemon.
Eventually, the captive King Agga of Kish was brought to Uruk's execution platform, where his life came to an end.
Meanwhile, on the throne of the ziggurat temple...
Where the statue of the temple's patron goddess—Ishtar—once stood in the place of honor, now there was only empty space. The divine image had mysteriously disappeared.
A few years ago, this would have been an event that sent the entire city of Uruk into panic.
But under the king's leadership over these years, through extensive promotion, the citizens no longer held such deep reverence and awe for the gods.
Instead, they gradually came to believe that their king was the true god—one who used divine wisdom to make the nation incredibly prosperous.
Just as the king, seated on the throne atop the temple tower, was about to speak, a soldier rushed in urgently.
"Armies from Lagash, Ur, and Nippur have been spotted advancing toward Uruk!"
This report instantly drew cruel smiles from those in the hall.
"Heh, isn't this perfect?"
"They're delivering themselves to us!"
"Saves us the trouble of finding an excuse!"
Uruk's expansion naturally came with a hunger to swallow up neighboring city-states, and now they didn't even need a pretext for war.
Of course, the reason these nations were attacking Uruk was also expected—Uruk had stolen most of their trade.
"Your Majesty, I request command over Lagash!"
"Then I'll take Ur!"
"Nippur is mine!"
"Wait, if you three take everything, what's left for the rest of us?"
"No, Lagash should be mine—I've studied it the most!"
For a moment, the hall erupted into chaos.
"Enough!"
The king on the throne spoke in a somewhat languid tone, instantly silencing the entire hall.
"You take Lagash. You handle Ur. And you, Nippur. That's it. Don't disappoint me."
No one dared to oppose the king's orders—they all accepted them without question.
Because the king's word was absolute.
And as expected, the armies of Lagash, Ur, and Nippur were swiftly crushed by Uruk's forces.
In the blink of an eye, these three nations fell under Uruk's dominion.
"90%"
[Current Progress: 90%]
Only a small corner of the card in his vision remained petrified.
However, this 90% progress had been reached even before Gilgamesh conquered Lagash, Ur, and Nippur—it hadn't increased since.
So, what was still missing?
Enkidu? There was no trace of this person.
The Bull of Heaven incident?
That involved the so-called goddess—Ishtar, the deity once worshipped by Uruk.
Did gods truly exist? Unclear, but he had sensed something watching him multiple times—likely the so-called gods.
Of course, he could also confirm that this world was not the world of the Nasuverse.
Suddenly, a woman appeared before him without warning.
A woman dressed in an extremely provocative manner, gazing down at him with a haughty expression.
Her look was as if she were examining a new pet—an infuriating gaze that made him want to gouge out her eyes.
This woman couldn't possibly be the goddess Ishtar, could she?
If he clashed with her, he wasn't without means to deal with her—but he'd only get one chance.
That chance was the reward granted when the progress reached 50%!