Even Amber could tell what Ishtar was getting at in an instant.
She'd already mentioned before that the other reminded her of someone from her past, and now with this attitude, it was obvious she was seeing that person's shadow again.
For a goddess as proud and lofty as Ishtar, being looked at while someone was thinking of another was nothing short of disrespect.
Besides, even if the other party weren't a goddess, treating someone as a stand-in for another was hardly a good thing.
Faced with the goddess's sarcasm, Amber naturally knew she ought to apologize. "My apologies, that was rude of me."
"Hmph, this is already the second time. There won't be a third," Ishtar retorted, crossing her arms and lifting her chin to make her displeasure clear.
Their exchange drew a soft laugh from Ritsuka.
"What is it, Master?" Ishtar turned to Ritsuka, who had chuckled unexpectedly.
"Nothing, just thinking that perhaps only you could make the Celestial wear such an expression," Ritsuka said. "At times like these, I feel like the distance between the Celestial and us isn't so great after all."
That was pleasing to hear.
Extremely pleasing.
A smile instantly spread across Ishtar's face as she descended from the shrine's divine throne.
"Well, of course. I am Ishtar, after all. Besides, the Phoenix might be much closer to you all than you imagine. She is humanity's guardian, one who walks alongside them—she would never be a stranger to people."
"Is that so?"
Ritsuka didn't know much about the Phoenix Celestial. According to the novels Merlin mentioned, the Phoenix Celestial didn't seem particularly approachable.
But after experiencing so many Singularities, Ritsuka understood well that Servants were reflections of a Heroic Spirit from a certain period. It was unclear which version of the Phoenix Celestial this was. If she herself didn't wish to reveal it, no one could ever know.
That was one of the reasons why fictional Heroic Spirits were so hard to pin down.
Hearing this, Amber's eyes lit up slightly.
Is he going to ask? Now? Right here?!
She'd been wanting to share just how incredible Fu Hua was with everyone, but never found the right opportunity.
If she said it herself, it'd feel like showing off, so she'd kept the urge suppressed. But now, with the conversation steering this way, wouldn't it be natural for them to ask her?
Come on! Ask!
However, Ritsuka simply nodded, thinking to himself that if she wanted to share, she would in due time. He dropped the topic and moved on to the next matter. "Since we've accomplished our goal here, let's head straight back to Uruk."
The abrupt cutoff left Amber feeling strangely suspended, neither here nor there.
Fortunately, her Navigation system hadn't forgotten to help manage her expressions.
"Back to Uruk? What's the rush?" Ishtar sounded reluctant. Even though she'd accepted Gilgamesh's gifts, that didn't mean she felt grateful to him.
On the contrary, she disliked him even more. After all, his attempt to win her over practically screamed that he thought she was some poverty-stricken goddess, flaunting his wealth right in her face.
Even if it was true, she still had her pride!
Amber assumed Ishtar was just reluctant to leave the shrine she'd painstakingly built. She was about to offer some comfort and suggest flying everyone back when her long-silent Navigation popped up a screen in front of her.
[Optional: Speak with 'Ishtar' during the night.]
Navigation was usually quite reserved, remaining inactive unless prompted—almost like an emotionless AI.
Now that a quest had suddenly appeared, Amber was naturally inclined to complete it.
But… at night? She still had her cultivation to attend to at night…
'Skipping one night won't affect much,' Fu Hua interjected.
She had begun to grasp the logic behind this system's quests.
Simply put, it hoped for characters within the "story" to notice and acknowledge Amber. The more recognition she gained, and the more pivotal the characters who acknowledged her, the greater the benefits Amber would receive.
Since Navigation had spoken up, it likely meant something significant would happen tonight.
Amber felt touched by Fu Hua's consideration but couldn't resist teasing her. 'And here the Celestial once said that cultivation is a matter of advancing or regressing, that we must practice daily. Haha, women.'
Fu Hua couldn't help but feel this girl was fated to be her nemesis. All her previous disciples combined hadn't been as unruly or as skilled at provoking her anger.
Luckily, Amber knew she was dancing on the edge and quickly added, 'But this adaptability of yours—I acknowledge it! As expected of the Celestial. With your teaching skills, I could probably skip ten days and still be fine!'
Yet all it did was give Fu Hua more material to note down.
Unaware of this, Amber followed up on Ishtar's words. "The journey back to Uruk will take three days. If you're reluctant to leave the treasures in your palace, you can secure them first and catch up with us along the way."
"That won't be necessary," Ishtar waved a hand, then sighed. "Never mind, let's set off now. Three days should be enough to cool my head so I don't punch that King of Uruk the moment I see him."
Since the goddess had spoken, no one had any reason to object.
After all, the Demonic Beast Frontline wasn't in immediate crisis. With three Servants guarding the front, it was unlikely anything would go wrong—unless a goddess personally attacked.
As for the other goddess awakening three days later, they would already be back in Uruk by then.
Of course, if a goddess did launch an assault, those three Servants wouldn't be able to hold out.
Divinity was certainly a weakness, but it came with far more advantages than drawbacks.
For instance, if there were ten thousand weapons in the world, and a thousand of them were anti-divinity, then divinity would only be vulnerable to that thousand. Without divinity, one would be vulnerable to all ten thousand.
And as it happened, none of those three Servants possessed moves effective against divine beings.
Ishtar gathered the treasures she had collected in the shrine, then left with the group without further ado.
Night fell quickly. Thanks to Ishtar having dismantled the divine stone guardians of Mount Ebih, their path had been clear. They found a suitable spot to make camp.
Facing Ishtar, who was now their companion, Merlin asked with feigned concern, "It seems we'll have to camp in the wild. I wonder if the goddess has any experience with camping? If not, please don't stand on ceremony—you're welcome to take the night watch for all of us."
His scheming was practically written on his face. "Sorry to disappoint, but I've had plenty of experience sleeping under the stars. I wouldn't mind taking watch for you all, but because of your impudence, I'll have the Phoenix keep me company."
That suited her just fine.
Amber nodded. "We'll take care of the night watch, Ishtar and I."
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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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.