Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"So, please, for the sake of these gems, kill that blue dragon!"

Samael's voice was suppressed with grief and indignation as he stared intently at Ishtar.

You want me to slay a dragon?

The goddess paused slightly, her expression showing some difficulty.

"Does even you, who control the war, not wish to avenge us?"

"Fine, I'll use these gems to recruit mercenaries, organize a force, and find a way to reach the cedar forest and take down that blue dragon!"

Samael noticed Ishtar's hesitation and hastily tried to snatch the bag of jewels from the goddess's hands.

"What are you talking about! It's just a dragon, leave it to me!"

Ishtar forced a smile, clutched the gem tightly, patted her somewhat barren chest, and made a grand promise.

"Yes! Thank you, Goddess!"

The honest and upright soldier nodded earnestly, letting out a sigh of relief, as if the bag of gems in his hands was a responsibility and a burden.

Ishtar, maintaining a fake smile, muttered to herself.

Regardless, let's get our hands on the gems first.

As for slaying the dragon? I didn't hear anything! Such a troublesome thing, let whoever wants to do it do it.

We've been discovered? So what if we're discovered?

Ha, does he dare to ask the goddess for a debt?

Well, it's really rare to see such a trusting sheep.

If we don't give them a good thrashing and teach them what pain is, won't they be even more easily fooled in the future?

Ah, I was indeed too kind.

Eager to avoid the parties involved and return to tally the spoils of war, Ishtar immediately summoned the celestial vessel Maana, which floated in the sky, and leaped aboard.

Before leaving, the goddess vaguely felt that she seemed to have forgotten something important.

What was I supposed to do when I came here?

But after a moment's thought, his mind, filled with the brilliance of the gemstones, remained a jumbled mess.

Well, it doesn't seem to be a big deal. The most important thing is to hide these gems first!

Immediately afterwards, the celestial vessel Maana transformed into a stream of light and headed towards the temple at the mountaintop, returning laden with treasures.

"You just gave her a whole bag of jewels so easily? Without leaving a binding contract or something?"

"Do you know this guy's reputation? It's never been very good."

"Tsk, so you actually got deceived by God one day..."

The ghostly cage at his waist gleamed slightly, and Shamhat's tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.

"is it?"

"She may be making a profit now, but I will definitely not lose out in the future!"

The ancient serpent narrowed its eyes, watching Ishtar's departing figure, a slight smile curving its lips.

Speaking of which, how much of the ore in Gilgamesh's vault should be withheld?

Chapter Thirty-Two: If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them (Third Update)

Crossing the Ebifu Mountains, you can see another famous Sumerian city in the distance—Khusa.

In the Age of Gods before Christ, the human-built structures that rose from the plains were quite remarkable.

But this place has long been abandoned, its glory gone. Even the few magical beasts that manage to bypass Babylonia's defenses dare not approach it.

Six months ago, with the emergence of the Three Goddess Alliance, a sudden epidemic broke out in Kusa, severing its connection with other fortified cities.

When reinforcements arrived in Uruk, they found the place eerily quiet, with the streets and houses filled with "sleeping" residents.

There was no blood or signs of struggle around the scene, yet the entire city was filled with the stench of death, as if a vile plague had wiped out the city overnight.

Since then, Kusa has been regarded as a cursed land and has been completely abandoned by the survivors who gradually evacuated from the surrounding area.

As someone familiar with the relevant history, Samael naturally knew the ins and outs, and seeing the outline of the city in the darkness made his liver ache.

During that time, which coincided with the period when their owner, Ereshkigal, was working overtime to manufacture the gun cage, a large number of souls inexplicably flooded into the Underworld, and almost all of them came from Kusa.

Similarly, having just learned how to forge gun cages, I was also drafted into working overtime every day, literally working myself to the bone!

Thinking back now, he can't help but feel a strong psychological shadow, or feel like vomiting at the sight of ore.

Of course, Ereshkigal wouldn't be so ruthless as to massacre an entire city, especially one she was protecting.

However, in contrast to her own physical body, which she was not good at managing, she used the powers of the underworld to preserve the souls of the Kusa people.

In this way, even if the bodies of those Kusa are destroyed, they can continue to live in the underworld as souls.

If they are lucky enough, once the disaster is over and a new era begins, these spirits may have a chance to return to the surface.

In addition, Samael guessed that his owner's decision at the time was also a way of submitting a pledge of allegiance to the "Three Goddess Alliance".

Joining a fight when you can't win isn't a human-only thing.

However, compared to humankind, divine will is unfathomable.

To onlookers who were not familiar with the situation, Ai Lei's actions naturally appeared extreme and heinous.

The ancient serpent, its past memories stirred up, chose to rest and make a fire in the wilderness to avoid further complications, rather than entering the cursed land filled with deathly aura.

Orange flames rose up, and the burning dry branches crackled. Samael, sitting in front of the fire, frowning in thought, became the point where light and shadow were divided.

Half of it was illuminated by flames, and the other half was hidden in darkness.

"Little Samael, I still think... you got the short end of the stick!"

The small ghostly cage was taken off his waist. Shamhat, who was still struggling with that deal, couldn't help but appear and step forward to mutter to himself.

Based on her years of experience in clergy work in Uruk, she could naturally see the perfunctoriness in the goddess's promise.

Expecting her to work with that bag of gems, and paying the full amount before even signing any contract, is like throwing good money after bad.

Ishtar has a history of recklessly breaking contracts, so it would be a miracle if she were willing to take responsibility for something so unenforceable.

"That's because you're on the first floor..."

Samael snapped out of his daze, picked up a dry branch, and poked at the flames. A cryptic smile appeared on his face, half-hidden in the shadows.

"First of all, this bag of jewels was originally intended as toll money to bribe the goddess Ishtar."

"Besides, it was getting dark soon, and if we wanted to leave the scene of the crime as quickly as possible, we had to be willing to spend money."

As far as he knew, Ishtar and Ereshkigal were opposing twin sisters with a mysterious connection between them, and they were currently sharing a séance host.

Once night falls, one's former owner may regain consciousness at any time and take control of that body.

Although he had changed his appearance and escaped from the underworld, his appearance was too coincidental, and he still had the conspicuous ghost Shamhat hanging on his waist.

Just to be on the safe side, Samael wanted to leave the scene of the crime as soon as possible to avoid running into Aileen.

If they are caught and brought back, they might actually become snake soup, or be skinned, stuffed with cotton, and turned into a snake-shaped pillow.

Therefore, this bag of jewels given to Ishtar was both protection money and a life-saving payment.

Hearing the ancient serpent's cryptic explanation, Shamhat was shocked.

The fact that Ereshkigal and Ishtar are now in a state of one body with two souls is something she never expected. Samael's act of playing a tragic role with Ishtar on Mount Ebif to waste time is incredibly audacious.

"Then why didn't you hurry up and run after you paid? We almost got stuck there until night!"

Fortunately, this holy prostitute is unaware of the remarkable feat of someone discussing law with Gilgamesh and trying to find loopholes to escape punishment.

Otherwise, she would probably be so shocked that her jaw would drop on the spot.

At this moment, Samuelton paused, his serpentine vertical pupils, slightly reflecting the firelight, filled with a profound depth.

"So, that's the second purpose of that bag of gems: I need a plausible identity to exist in this world..."

"An identity that can withstand verification from multiple sources..."

Shamhat carefully recalled the argument between this guy and Ishtar on Mount Aibif, and a strong look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Who is Samael?

Brave soldiers who braved the monster waves from the ruins of Babylon to deliver vital intelligence to Uruk!

What about physical evidence?

The clay tablets left behind by the ghost of the centurion, Taller!

Where are the witnesses?

The Great Goddess Ishtar!

As for the other comrades?

Heh, they either died at the hands of the blue dragon Backshum or went missing. If you don't believe me, go ahead and dig up other witnesses yourselves...

Moreover, this man risked his life to enter the sacred mountain of Ebif, offering sacrifices to the war goddess Ishtar, begging her to kill the blue dragon Bashum and avenge his fallen comrades!

Who would doubt the integrity and loyalty of a brave soldier?

In fact, at this point in the story, Samael's identity, the timing of his appearance on Mount Aibif, and his motives all have a perfect and reasonable explanation.

Whether Ishtar is willing to kill the blue dragon Bashum after accepting the gem is no longer important.

These identity information, which have formed a fixed impression in her mind, are what determine every step she takes in the future.

Now that the chain of evidence has been formed, even Marduk, the king of the gods, would probably find it almost impossible to verify Samael's true identity through these clues.

Besides, it's a pseudonym.

Even if we assume that the King of Kings, who holds the Tablet of Destiny, could perceive something amiss and have some doubts...

Is his judgment credible?

This valiant soldier named Samael was an upright man who, in a fit of rage, retrieved the jewels from the temple and offered them as a sacrifice to the goddess of war, Ishtar.

Marduk's suspicions seemed to have the makings of settling personal scores.

If he were to retaliate against the survivors who escaped from the ruins of Babylon for this reason, it would be beneath his dignity as the King of Kings.

Similarly, Ishtar, who took the bag of jewels, will be dragged down even if she doesn't do anything.

After much deliberation, the Holy Prostitute, having finally figured out all the key points, gazed wistfully at the ancient snake that divided the light and shadow beside the fire, her expression dry.

"You thought of every single step?"

"You even lied to God beforehand! You're such a wicked thing!"

Chapter Thirty-Three: Master Chef of Thousand-Layer Cakes (Fourth Update)

"Teacher, while we're talking, could you please refrain from making personal attacks...?"

The ancient serpent turned its head and looked resentfully at Shamhat, who was floating beside it.

Moreover, this is just the beginning.

The layered pancake he made had only just been peeled open.

The third purpose of smashing out that bag of gems was naturally related to the blue dragon, Bashium.

Samael's account of his escape to the great goddess was actually seven parts truth and three parts fabrication, and there were clues to follow.

However, the real protagonist is the centurion Tarel, who is imprisoned in the gun cage of the underworld.

However, the story ends with their elite team, tasked with exploring the Blood Temple, the origin of the beast plague, and relaying information to other fortified cities. This alarmed the blue dragon Bashium, who guards the Cedar Forest, and a massive wave of monsters, leading to their complete annihilation on their escape.

Take people's money and eliminate disasters with them.

On the one hand, the education from his previous life instilled in the ancient serpent a strong sense of respect for such heroic soldiers who bravely faced death.

Therefore, the martyr felt uneasy spending the gems he plundered from the temple, and there were even more hidden dangers involved.

It would be better to go with the flow and give it to Ishtar, so that she can cause trouble for the blue dragon Backshum. That way, the care those two shrewd people gave me in the Underworld would not have been in vain.

On the other hand, the potential of his beastly powers has not yet been developed. He needs more materials to complete his own evolution and awaken the spirit origins of the eleven magical beasts within him.