That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Chapter 393 Divinity is a DEBUFF

Dusk had fallen, and a gentle evening breeze swept across the plains within the northern wall.

Beneath the trees on the hills of the plain, Hall's consciousness returned from the sea of ​​origin of life, his body suddenly stiffening, the feeling of separation from his consciousness bringing him immense pain.

“The body has been modified by Tiamat’s special abilities, but the mind refuses to synchronize with them, which is why this change has occurred.” Hall gritted his teeth, making a cracking sound.

His wide-open eyes had cross-shaped pupils, and the magic circuits of his demonic eyes were connected to his body, undergoing internal refinement before gradually calming down.

"Dry!"

Then I was overwhelmed by a feeling of dizziness and kept gagging.

Holtler lay on the grassy hillside, breathing heavily. In the blink of an eye, his cross-shaped pupils turned into ordinary magic eyes.

Returning from the Sea of ​​Origin of Life, Hall's desire for power was answered by Tiamat.

They obtained two kinds of power.

The Azure Star Eyes, inherited from the physical body of the Creator Mother Goddess, are eyes that reflect the inner sea of ​​stars. They have an extremely wide range of uses, serving as both a clairvoyant and a useful tool in battle.

The specific uses remain to be explored, but what Hall has analyzed so far is that it has an effect of restraining divine authority, which can be regarded as a divine special attack in the game.

As we all know, divinity is a debuff.

Secondly, there is the EX-level skill [Self-Modification]. Hall's spirit is connected to the Sea of ​​Origin of Life. When his magic power is sufficient, Hall can transform his own existence into any creature existing in the Sea of ​​Origin of Life.

This includes mythical beasts, giants, dragons, and even gods.

After his mind and body had adjusted, Hall used the tree trunk to get up.

"Finally, we have a trump card." Hall was very satisfied with the result. Now, even if we face the residents on the second floor, we will have a way to fight back.

"Let's go back."

······

At night, Uruk is brightly lit.

Hall, who had spent two months in Uruk, was also astonished by the bustling scene before him. Not only the central street, but every corner of the city was illuminated by braziers. Men, women, the elderly, and children were there, and the crowds were even denser than during the day. The citizens of Uruk were singing and dancing.

A closer look reveals that the citizens of Uruk are celebrating the return of the city's goddess Ishtar and singing praises to the legends surrounding her.

Even though she brought much suffering to Uruk, humanity still instinctively relies on the gods when faced with a true life-or-death crisis.

"That guy will probably be very unhappy."

A clear and melodious voice rang in Hall's ears. The goddess of the underworld, Ereshkigal, slowly descended from the sky, maintaining the appearance of Ishtar and wielding Ishtar's heavenly bow, Maana. The only difference was that her black hair had turned golden, and the expression on her brows was also slightly different, making her appear more gentle than Ishtar.

Hall was a little confused: "Who?"

The Heavenly Bow Maana vanished in a flash of light, and Ereshkigal scoffed, "And who else, the ruler of this city, the king of Uruk?"

Hall nodded knowingly: "Gilgamesh, you can imagine, his relationship with Ishtar is terrible."

Ereshkigal gazed at the city's night view with his crimson eyes and shook his head, saying, "It's not because of that. King Gilgamesh has always insisted that human rights are greater than divine rights, and that only gods recognized by mankind are true gods. This scene is the greatest irony to his beliefs."

That seems to be the case.

Hall looked at the goddess of the underworld beside him, her golden hair fluttering in the night breeze, her pretty face slightly serious, and asked, "Why are you here?"

Ereshkigal's face flushed slightly, and she looked away, not daring to meet Hall's gaze. Her voice was stiff as if she was trying to hide something as she replied, "You did such a terrible thing to the goddess, and the object of your affection was another version of me. It's amazing you're still alive tonight. She must really like you."

"It's all thanks to that human girl who formed the foundation."

Ereshkigal's lips curled into a playful smile. "Although I share the same foundation, don't expect me to be as magnanimous to you as my other self. Once the agreed-upon deadline arrives, I will immediately take your soul."

Hall chuckled.

Ereshkigal still couldn't look Hall in the eye, her small hands clutching her blond hair to unconsciously hide the blush on her pretty face, and she complained insincerely, "Why don't you say a word... If you're willing to offer a sacrifice that satisfies me, and beg sincerely, I might be able to make an exception."

Seeing Ereshkigal's shy expression, Hall felt more relaxed: "By then, there won't be that chance."

Ereshkigal asked expectantly, "Why? Isn't parting just a prelude to an even more romantic encounter?"

She completely inherited Rin Tohsaka's girlish side; just how deep is her love for romance?

Hall gazed tenderly at Ereshkigal: "It's enough that I can talk to you like this for now."

"Wait...wait..."

Ereshkigal's pretty face stiffened, a blush visibly spreading to the back of her ears. She lowered her head and whispered, "What are you saying all of a sudden? I...I! I'm not ready yet!?"

Ereshkigal suddenly leaped away, hastily leaving behind the words, "I'm going to comfort the souls of those who died on the battlefield!"

······

Servant Dormitory

When Hall returned, the first-floor living room was full of people: Olga Marie, Merlin, Gyokumaru and her attendants Musashibo Benkei, Leonidas I, and the High Priestess Siduri.

The atmosphere was lively, with everyone chatting and laughing.

Upon seeing Hall return, Leonidas I rose to greet him, patting Hall on the shoulder and laughing heartily: "I've heard that you've accomplished another remarkable feat, and the entire city is celebrating for you."

Hall corrected, "It's not me, it's Ishtar."

At the long table, Beef Ball drank his wine, raised his glass and smiled: "Lord Hall, no need to be modest. I have already heard about the matter from Lady Siduri. This glass is for you."

Merlin chimed in, "That's right~ that's right, she's the highest-ranking goddess, Ishtar, who has a terrible relationship with King Gilgamesh. Yet you've managed to make them coexist. That's quite an achievement."

Dr. Roman projected a data image: "All the data about the goddess Ishtar has been compiled."

High Priestess Siduli bowed to Hall: "Lord Hall, on behalf of everyone at the sacrificial site, I thank you for persuading the goddess to return."

Is that considered persuasion?

Hall was speechless.

Merlin held up a grape-like fruit in his hand: "The sacrificial site sent gifts, including a lot of fruit, which is a very precious food in Uruk in this era."

"Shall we host a banquet?" Siduri suggested with a smile.

Ushiwakamaru's eyes lit up, and he stood up and said loudly, "Although it is a pity that Lord Amakusa and the others are not here, celebrating with the people, feasting with the city, and rejoicing with the king is the best kind of banquet."

“A proper celebration is fine,” Olga Marie reluctantly nodded.

"Leonidas, you can't postpone the drinking this time, can you? Let's settle this at the drinking party!" Musashibo Benkei said, looking at Leonidas I.

"The banquet should have been held after the victory of the war. Let's rest tomorrow and have a good drink tonight."

Chapter 394 Gil's Anxiety

The dormitory had a night of revelry, but things returned to normal the next day.

Ishtar's return to Uruk had a greater impact than Hall had imagined, and the city of Uruk experienced a dramatic chain reaction after the high priest Siduri announced the news.

First, there was a week of celebrations that lasted day and night. Then, the spirit of the citizens of Uruk changed. They became more optimistic and confident, and their fear of monsters lessened considerably.

With Ishtar's return to Uruk, the number of fugitives arriving in the city surged, significantly increasing the workload for Hall and his team.

As for Ishtar herself, she only needed to stay at the sacrificial site, occasionally making a public appearance, and did nothing but enjoy the service of the priests, as well as the willing offering of property by a large number of Uruk citizens.

It wasn't that Ishtar was being lazy, but rather that King Gilgamesh hadn't issued any orders, as if he were completely unaware of Ishtar's return.

When an official from Uruk inquired about it at the palace, he received a stern rebuke from King Gilgamesh: "Nonsense! What's the point of relying on a goddess to defeat another goddess? Only when humanity defeats the goddess can its worth be proven."

Ishtar's reputation in Uruk quickly reversed, thanks to her current personality. Compared to the legendary terrifying goddess of Venus, she is now kind and lovely, and her occasional acts of kindness towards humans are met with overwhelming gratitude.

In contrast, Gilgamesh, who spends 20 hours a day sitting on the throne handling state affairs, remains unknown and has to endure criticism such as disrespect for the goddess.

Perhaps one day, if Gil's sudden death becomes a major news story, it will attract the attention of the citizens of Uruk.

Whenever he thought of this, Hall suddenly felt some understanding and sympathy for Gilgamesh's philosophy. Working so hard that you die suddenly is not as good as a goddess's words. Who could bear that?

Human civilization can only continue if it survives by relying on its own strength.

Inside the palace, King Gilgamesh, who was reviewing the clay tablets, felt extremely uncomfortable because of the subtle gaze of Hor beneath his throne, which made him look as if he were looking at a pitiful prisoner.

King Gilgamesh couldn't help but put down the clay tablet in his hand and asked irritably, "Magician Hall, is there something you want to say to me?"

"No."

Why are you staring at me?

"I admire your heroic bearing."

"Hmph, although I am indeed exceptionally charming, I still hope you can tone it down a bit. I don't have time to respond to your admiration right now," King Gilgamesh said with a smile that was both pleasant and proud.

Hall knew Gilgamesh's personality and simply shook his head with amusement at his answer.

But clearly some people didn't take these words as a joke, and Hall keenly noticed that the Uruk officials beside him were looking at him with a strange air about them.

On his throne, King Gilgamesh reviewed the clay tablets presented by Hor: "The timber commission from the shrine, a large amount of timber was felled in the fir forest, and after preliminary processing, it was thrown into the Euphrates River to float down to Uruk, saving a lot of manpower and greatly alleviating the timber crisis in Uruk."

This is how Hall completed his timber collection commission yesterday. With more and more fugitives entering Uruk, the houses that need to be built, plus the large amount of timber consumed in the construction of battlefield facilities on the north wall, have led to a severe timber shortage in Uruk.

Hall summoned a rock giant, which chopped down half of the cedar forest in one fell swoop.

King Gilgamesh nodded in approval and put down the clay tablet: "Magician Hall, you have completed this mission beautifully once again. However, there is no time for you to rest now. I would like to ask you to go to Nippur and protect the citizens there as they move to Uruk."

Hall nodded: "Okay."

The high priestess, Siduli, descended and handed the stone tablet containing the entrusted information to Hall. Beneath her transparent veil, she said respectfully, "Lord Hall, thank you for your trouble."

Leaving the palace, Hall examined the information recorded on the clay tablets as he walked.

Nippur, a fortified city located outside the North Wall, is not far from the North Wall. It is situated on a high platform, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, because the North Wall is a target, it has not been attacked by a large number of monsters, and thus has survived to this day.

After the monsters launched their attack, some citizens moved to Uruk.

The remaining citizens, upon hearing of Ishtar's return to Uruk, could no longer remain silent and sent out appeals for help.

The problem is that most of these citizens are civilians who lack combat capabilities and can only serve as a burden.

Having received the commission in the morning, Hall traveled to Nippur in the afternoon.

A group of soldiers gathered outside the North Wall City, consisting of dozens of ordinary soldiers and ten elite soldiers wearing full-body armor made by Hall.

It is worth mentioning that the combat effectiveness of this group of elite soldiers is vastly different from that of the Northern High Platform a month ago.

Back in the days of the Northern High Platform, it took three elite soldiers to deal with an ordinary magical beast. Now, with their familiarity with armor operation, combat with magical beasts, and the education of Leonidas I in Sparta, one elite soldier is enough to take on three magical beasts.

Upon seeing Hall, the silver-haired battlefield general Tomoe Gozen took the initiative to greet him: "I'm sorry, Leonidas has other missions, and I have to guard the North Wall, so I can only entrust the task of covering the evacuation of the citizens of Nippur to you."

Dressed in Japanese samurai attire, with silver hair flowing down her shoulders, she exudes both heroic spirit and gentle Eastern grace.