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Chapter 14 - Turned Into Gacha?! - 14

"Is this for me?" Ishtar reluctantly tore her gaze away from the Asterite and looked back at Amber.

"Mm." Amber nodded, handing the Asterite over. "Where I'm from, this kind of stone is an essential catalyst for crafting many items. While it holds some value, it isn't considered particularly rare."

"Not rare... just how not rare are we talking?" The Goddess of Venus swallowed hard.

"Pretty much everyone can easily produce several thousand of them."

"What!? Several thousand!?"

Ishtar felt like her breath was about to stop, even though she didn't actually need to breathe.

But Amber's display of obscene wealth had truly struck her a heavy blow. Gemstones of this quality weren't merely for admiring.

 The logic of ordinary human society—that gemstones are only for appreciation, and thus the prettier they are, the more valuable—simply didn't apply here.

In the world of magecraft, the common sense that 'clearer gemstones are more beautiful and thus more valuable' was replaced by 'clearer gemstones are better at storing and transferring magical energy, and thus more valuable.'

For those touched by mystery, gemstones weren't just for looking at. Their greater importance lay in being catalysts for magecraft.

However, only true magi who specialized in gemstone sorcery could unlock their full potential. Merely using them as vessels for storing magical energy was considered far too extravagant.

So, while the concept of 'clearer equals more valuable' existed, practically no magus would develop an obsession with gemstones.

And yet... Ishtar, and the vessel Ishtar currently inhabited, happened to be completely and utterly powerless against them.

"F-For a welcoming gift, just one shows a distinct lack of respect for a Goddess..! And you, as a deity yourself, surely your resources are more substantial than 'everyone's,' aren't they?"

Upon learning these stones weren't scarce, the greedy goddess's eyes glittered, before she adopted a haughty posture.

Amber never intended to give just one. After all, she was currently operating under the title of the Phoenix Celestial. 

Giving just a single one wouldn't just disappoint Ishtar; she'd feel it was beneath her own dignity.

But some matters had to be addressed separately.

"Upon accepting these Asterites, I hope Goddess Ishtar will refrain from laying hands on human treasures henceforth," Amber stated her condition.

"...This... let me ask, are the Asterites in your possession processed? They wouldn't naturally form such a regular shape, would they?"

Ishtar hesitated slightly.

Amber actually didn't know the answer to that.

'They have been processed,' Fu Hua informed her.

"Mm," Amber nodded in confirmation.

"And that pink color... is that the result of infusing them with magical energy?"

"Mm."

"In that case, I can promise not to demand tribute for the next ten days." Having said this, and considering the other party was, for now, counted as a friend, Ishtar reluctantly added an explanation: "While I fully understand this stone's value in magecraft, purely in terms of color, I still prefer gold, you see. After all, it's for decorating my temple."

"..." Now Amber understood what 'insatiable greed' truly meant.

"D-Don't look at me like that! Isn't it only natural for a Goddess to receive offerings for protecting a city!"

Feeling a bit self-conscious under that gaze, Ishtar quickly decided she had nothing to feel self-conscious about. 

"When you get down to it, it's that King of Uruk who refuses to pay me my due tribute! Instead of growing angry and destroying Uruk, I've been mercifully protecting his citizens! I'm only trying to claim what I rightfully deserve!"

She actually had a bit of a point.

Hidden earlier, Amber had indeed witnessed Ishtar protecting the citizens.

Moreover, even Amber understood clearly that just as one shouldn't impose modern aesthetics on ancient people, she couldn't use human standards and morality to measure a god.

"Very well, let's leave it at that for now." Amber looked toward the citizen who had been quietly calming the horses. 

With a wave of her hand, her spiritual energy righted the overturned carriage and returned the scattered gemstones to the chest inside. "You should return to Uruk now."

"Yes! Th-Thank you, esteemed deities!" The man knew better than to waste words, understanding perfectly what attitude was needed to survive in these times. After expressing his gratitude, he drove the carriage away without a backward glance.

"Now, let's proceed to your temple."

Watching the citizen leave, Amber turned to Ishtar.

"Come to my temple?"

"Since I'm giving you a considerable number of gemstones, we can't very well just dump them on the ground for you to pick up one by one," Amber explained.

"I could use my magical energy to carry them all back at once... but fine, I'll take a break for today." After a moment's thought, Ishtar decided that since she hadn't found anything all this time, one more day wouldn't make a difference, and abandoned her original search plan.

One paying a visit, the other receiving a guest. Though they had just met, the two had directly skipped to the second stage of friendship.

Ishtar's temple wasn't far, though to be fair, this Singularity wasn't particularly large to begin with. 

After just a few minutes of flight, they arrived amidst a cluster of mountains riddled with pits and basins. Ishtar's palace sat atop the central peak.

"So this is Mount Ebih?" Amber asked, somewhat dubiously, eyeing the mountain range that could hardly be called attractive.

"It is! So, what do you think of my palace?" Ishtar, seated on her Maanna, smoothed her hair with a flourish.

"..."

Thanks to Mash's intensive crash courses for Ritsuka over the past few days, Amber had heard some of Ishtar's epic tales.

Unlike Fujimaru Ritsuka's perception of Ishtar as powerful and well-connected, Amber, while acknowledging Ishtar's strength, also found her... a bit of a goofball.

And the primary source of this perception was the very incident concerning this Mount Ebih.

That mountains are beautiful and majestic is a perfectly normal view. Many poets and scholars praise mountain scenery, channeling their own ambitions into their verses. But Amber had never heard of anyone finding a mountain so beautiful that they decided to flatten it.

What kind of logic was that?

Not to mention Ishtar's other exploits, like drinking with her father, then absorbing all the divine power he recklessly released in his drunken stupor, and stubbornly refusing to give it back despite his repeated attempts to reclaim it.

Given all that, why not just humor her?

Realizing this, Amber took a quiet breath. "...Indeed, to act in ways beyond mortal comprehension could be considered one of Goddess Ishtar's unique traits."

"Just call me Ishtar. We're sort of friends now, after all." Missing the nuance in Amber's tone, Ishtar waved a hand dismissively, looking pleased with herself. "Alright, follow me in. You should know, you're the very first guest since I finished building this temple. Feel honored and full of anticipation."

The two flew into the palace together. Aesthetically, Amber found it hard to appreciate this kind of stone-hewn architecture. Still, Ishtar's taste wasn't entirely lacking; while assembled from stone blocks, she had at least shaped each one properly.

However, the fact that no light penetrated the interior, leaving the entire palace gloomy and dark, instantly crushed any budding appreciation Amber might have had.

After surveying the rather dismal hall, Amber found she honestly couldn't muster a compliment.

Ishtar, standing beside her, was also feeling a bit awkward.

Influenced by her vessel's nature, she felt she ought to offer some hospitality to her guest. Furthermore, she should probably present a return gift for the offerings she'd received.

But... she currently seemed to have nothing.

The utterly empty palace, devoid of even a single attendant, felt a bit too shabby for a goddess... a little too embarrassing to show off.

Fortunately, she was spared further awkwardness. Just as she was hesitating over how to broach the topic, both of them felt an abnormal tremor run through the earth.

What's happening?

--+--

T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.

It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!

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