Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

The Ishtar before us is the one that governs nature and harvest in the Mesopotamian world, and also governs love, fertility and war, and is closely related to the lives of the Sumerians.

As a true "Sumerian," he needed to be able to recognize this great Babylonian goddess at a glance.

Even if it is a spirit possession, the undeniable divine power and rhythm should be perceived by the people.

Otherwise, his plan to embed his new identity into this world would inevitably have significant flaws.

Of course, in the Sumerian concept of reverence for the gods, it was rare to find someone who dared to confront the goddess directly and point out her faults, and such a person was very likely to bring disaster upon themselves.

Despite this, Samael's questioning also revealed a degree of genuine anger.

Just now, even with my magical beast body, I dislocated my cervical spine after being bumped into by the reckless goddess Ishtar.

If it were an ordinary person with a weaker constitution, wouldn't that victim's head have split open on the spot?

If deities were to use their power without restraint, it would be nothing short of a catastrophe for the human world.

This sudden reprimand caught Ishtar off guard for a moment, leaving her stunned and rooted to the spot.

But soon, the Heavenly Mistress, realizing her mistake, chased after him angrily to confront him.

"Wait! You stop right there! What do you mean I'm being unreasonable!"

"Also, Mount Ebif is my territory, why are you sneaking up here like this!"

Samael instinctively paused, and Ishtar grabbed his slightly turned shoulder.

"laugh!"

During the struggle, the slightly damaged bundle on the ancient snake's shoulder was torn apart.

Suddenly, the sky was filled with dazzling starlight, and everywhere you looked were adorable, colorful sprites.

Gems! So many!

Ishtar's right hand froze in mid-air, her expression blank, her eyes glazed over, and her throat moved involuntarily as she swallowed the saliva secreted between her lips and teeth.

"Looks like I've got the wrong person!"

The man who had barged into Mount Aibif staggered a few steps, then steadied himself, turned around and sneered, before bending down to put a variety of gems of different sizes and colors back into the half-cloth.

No! Stop it!

For Ishtar, who was madly in love with gems but could never possess them, this cruel scene was undoubtedly like tearing a piece of her heart out.

Wait, what did this guy just say? Did he get the wrong person?

Could it be that he came to Mount Ebif to find me?!

Gems? Tribute!

Yes! These must be offerings presented to me by the lovely humans down the mountain!

The goddess, her eyes sparkling with brilliance, felt an unprecedented flash of inspiration in her mind, instantly connecting the information piece by piece.

"Haha, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. Tianzhou Maana just went out of control, and I bumped into it without noticing..."

"Are you alright? Why don't you come to my temple and I'll examine your injuries more closely?"

Ishtar's eyes narrowed into slits, her smile as bright as a lucky cat's, as she warmly patted Samael's shoulder as he bent down to collect the jewels.

Excellent, excellent! Finally, a fat sheep has been delivered to our door!

Now, with the great disaster raging, cities outside the absolute front lines of the Warcraft battle have been almost completely destroyed, and I haven't received any tribute from humans for a long time.

However, his magic and divine power both require a large number of gems.

To maintain her image and cover her expenses, she has been forced to hunt monster packs and plunder gems from the homes of disaster-stricken herders.

Even so, how could their meager reserves possibly be enough?

In addition, the nearby ranches, having heard of her great name, began to migrate into the Absolute Monster Front Babylonia.

Now, I can't even scrape up these few bits of debris.

That damned Gilgamesh! He actually caused the cities inside Uruk and the Babylonian defenses to stop offering sacrifices to this goddess! How despicable!

Clearly, I am the true urban god here!

A jumble of thoughts flooded her mind. Ishtar, whose finances were tight, cast a sinister glance at this fat sheep that had come to her doorstep.

We can't let this opportunity slip by! We have to drain this guy dry no matter what!

Upon hearing the goddess's softened tone, Samael, unaware of the danger, relaxed slightly, stretched his body a little, and indicated that he was unharmed, politely declining Ishtar's invitation.

However, as both sides lowered their stances, the tense atmosphere between them finally eased somewhat.

"By the way, which city are you from?"

The very kind and approachable goddess squatted down and picked up the high-quality gems scattered around her one by one. She then approached the owner of the gems and tentatively asked him questions.

Samael's face was as cold and stern. He looked up and gazed into the distance to the west. After a long while, he finally uttered a deep, resonant voice.

"Babylon..."

"What? Are there still any living people in that godforsaken place?"

Ishtar looked bewildered and surprised, but then realized that her words had been somewhat rash. For the sake of the gem, she immediately humbled herself and apologized.

As far as she knew, when the Three Goddesses Alliance first made its move, Babylon, located on the northwest side, was the first to bear the brunt of the fierce attack from the spruce forest monster horde.

Four months ago, this place was completely overrun, littered with bones, and had become a lair for monsters.

Ishtar could hardly imagine how an ordinary person like him could avoid hordes of monsters and escape alive from that hellish place.

"When Babylon fell, I and a group of people who were separated from the main force of refugees did not follow the main force of refugees to the northern wall defense line established in Uruk."

"These monsters are different; they are hunting humans with a specific purpose."

"Therefore, the more people there are, the more dangerous it becomes."

"With that in mind, we crossed the Tigris River from the side, passing through plains where there were fewer traces of monsters, and luckily escaped all the way to Mount Ebif."

Samael noticed the goddess's confusion and, in plain language, gave a rough description of the thrilling escape, leaving the latter with endless room for imagination.

"You guys are very smart to have thought of that!"

Ishtar reached out and patted the survivor of the ruined Babylonian city heavily on the shoulder, her pretty face showing genuine admiration, quite surprised by their keen battlefield sense.

Chapter Thirty-One: The Scumbag Goddess's Scheme (Second Update)

Although Ishtar was not a participant in the siege of Babylon, she was able to reconstruct the situation based on scattered information.

Amidst the horde of monsters, the refugees who blindly flocked to the northern wall of Uruk met a tragic end.

War is never merciful, nor is it a game that can be restarted at will.

Even seeing thousands of refugees gathering below the city walls, the Uruk general in charge of defending the line of defense could only cruelly give up.

After all, it was easy to tear open the north wall and let these refugees in, but to quickly re-seal the gap and stabilize the battle line was an impossible task.

Meanwhile, the horde of monsters, relentlessly pursuing them, was close at hand, ready to pounce.

Their appearance is strikingly similar to a pride of lions driving prey into an encirclement, thus causing chaos.

Clearly, these monsters are sharpening their teeth and claws, waiting for the right moment to attack.

If things go wrong here, the defenses that humanity has worked so hard to build will probably be destroyed!

The Northern High Platform, which was previously captured, was due to similar negligence and soft-heartedness.

The people below the city walls are pitiful, but aren't those in Uruk behind them just as pitiful?

If you don't want your hometown to become a miserable ruin like the ruins of Babylon, you have to harden your heart.

Therefore, of the refugees who fled to the northern wall of the Absolute Monster Front after that battle, less than one in a hundred survived.

If we include those who were dragged away by monsters during their escape, died of illness, died of exhaustion, or killed each other, the actual number of deaths and injuries is probably even more shocking.

It was actually lucky that this group of people didn't head towards the Babylonian defenses.

Even so, the extended escape distance and the increased uncertainties along the way resulted in heavy losses for the dozens of people who took this unconventional route.

According to the man in front of them, after entering the Aibif Mountains, they encountered magical beasts and were separated.

Currently, he is the only survivor in his team.

"Humans, there is no need for sorrow or regret. You have already done very well!"

Ishtar's expression turned serious. He gently patted Samael's shoulder to comfort him, his gaze softening further.

Besides the responsibilities of harvest, love, and marriage, she also holds the divine authority over war.

Therefore, Ishtar held a strong liking for soldiers who fought bravely and possessed battlefield wisdom.

"By the way, now that you've finally escaped, why don't you run towards urban settlements?"

"If you can't find your way, I can give you a ride on the Skyship Maana, since you've been working so hard."

However, as soon as Ishtar finished saying those words, she wanted to slap herself.

Gem! He ran away, what will happen to the gem? How talkative!

Just as the goddess was feeling regretful, Samael, who had picked up most of the gemstone, solemnly gazed at Ishtar with a dignified expression.

"Lady Ishtar, the reason I ventured into the Holy Mountain was because I had heard of your fame as the Goddess of War and wanted to make a deal with you."

"As for the reward, it's these gems we brought from Babylon!"

trade?!

What kind of trade? I'll do any kind of trade!

Ishtar's eyes lit up as she keenly sensed the alluring scent. She wished she could abandon all restraint, grab this slow-talking fellow, and shout at him directly.

"Ahem, please feel free to make any requests. God is merciful."

However, once the words were spoken, their true inner thoughts were replaced with a set of excuses to maintain their image, and their demeanor appeared reserved and elegant.

"Mercy? Ha..."

"If the patron god of Babylon were as enlightened as you, why would we need to take the jewels from the temple?"

Samael gave a mocking snort, his right hand unconsciously clenching the bundle tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the excessive force.

Immediately, the man shoved the gem into Ishtar's arms in a fit of rage.

These gems came from the temple of Marduk? No wonder they're of such high quality!

Ishtar's eyelids twitched; amidst her excitement, a hint of worry appeared in her eyes.

The King of Kings was the patron god of Babylon, and in a sense, these gems were somewhat connected to him.

Even if Marduk did not respond to the prayers of the people of Babylon, the things that entered the temple were theoretically already the property of the gods.

However, greed and poverty gradually overcame Ishtar's fear of Marduk.

Anyway, Babylon is gone, your people are utterly disappointed in you, and have turned to me as a sacrifice.

Even if we investigate, it's none of my business, right?

just in case…

So what if?! Once it's in my pocket, it's mine! Not even Father God Anu can take it out!

Ishtar, looking every bit the miser, clutched the bundle stuffed with jewels, bared her fangs, and made a fierce vow in her heart.

At this moment, Samael picked up a clay tablet that had fallen to the ground and fell into deep sorrowful remembrance.

Ishtar curiously leaned closer and immediately saw that the contents seemed to be the war and survey records of a Babylonian general, which contained a lot of information about the monster waves.

Furthermore, on the back of the mud tablet, he also delineated the approximate location of the [Blood Temple], the source of the beast plague, within the cedar forest, based on the marching and activity routes of the monsters.

This item is priceless to Uruk, which is currently fighting against the beast tide, and its importance is self-evident.

Based on the pauses between the lines and the detailed survey data, Ishtar faintly sensed a strong stench of blood.

Countless people have sacrificed their lives in order to obtain this precise information.

Perhaps this team that ventured into Mount Ebif took such a long detour, breaking away from the main group of refugees, precisely to preserve this precious clay tablet.

Based on the information gathered, the goddess was now completely convinced of the soldier's identity and mission.

"Lady Ishtar, my entire force has perished under the claws of that pursuing blue dragon, Backshum!"

"I am utterly useless, unable to avenge my colleagues. No god but you will hear a man's prayers!"