Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Just like you..."

"Oh? You've got your eye on it too..."

"Ahem, I meant I came out for a stroll after eating."

"Ah, yes, just taking a stroll. The embassy was too stuffy, so I came out for a walk. What a coincidence, you're here too?"

"Of course it's a coincidence, I came here specifically to find you."

hiss……

The goddess Uruk's heart, which had just calmed down, jumped back into the air.

"Shall we go for a walk? It's been so long since I've been to Uruk's night market."

Samael's invitation with a light laugh startled Ishtar at first, but she quickly recovered from her surprise and secretly patted her chest, letting out a sigh of relief.

What? I thought I'd been caught red-handed.

"I'm busy, I'm not going!"

Ishtar immediately shook her head resolutely, her expression firm.

"I'll pay for today's expenses."

Samael responded with a smile, glancing meaningfully at Ishtar's fingers hidden behind his back.

The goddess of heaven sensed something unusual. Lost in thought, she lightly bit her cherry lips, her expression showing extreme struggle.

"I heard someone recently imported a batch of pearls from the Persian Gulf, as well as high-purity lapis lazuli from Mount Ebif. If you don't want to go, that's fine, I..."

Samael's lips curled up, his tone playful.

"make a deal!"

Ishtar nodded hastily, then rushed forward, grabbed Samael's arm tightly, and tucked him under her armpit, a fawning smile spreading across her face, just like a couple deeply in love.

More than ten minutes later, inside a luxury shopping mall in Uruk.

Samael sat on a stool in the corner, holding a glass of date juice, sipping it listlessly. His eyes darted around, and suddenly he saw a familiar golden wedge mark on the inside of the cabinet next to him, and he couldn't help but twitch his lips.

This kind of shopping mall is actually Gilgamesh's business, and a royal property at that? Prices are 20-30% higher than outside, what a shrewd businessman!

"It's all changed!"

Just as the ancient serpent was secretly grumbling, a rustling sound arose, and Ishtar, dressed in a formal gown, made a dazzling entrance, her attire nearly blinding Samael's titanium-alloy serpent eyes.

The crown, decorated with emeralds, lapis lazuli, and red agate, and the simple red and black pleated skirt, were accentuated by a striking sapphire brooch the size of a longan on her chest, and even the lace gloves on her hands were inlaid with small diamonds.

"Samael, what do you think of this outfit?"

Ishtar frequently winked and smiled, her voice so sweet it was almost cloying.

"Yes, it's very valuable..."

Such an extravagant aesthetic experience left Samael pondering for a long time before finally managing to come up with a rather conflicted adjective.

Ishtar raised her head, her expression arrogant, her eyes revealing disdain.

“I am the supreme and noble goddess of Uruk, and naturally I must display an attitude befitting that! Wealth is one of the symbols of status! My dear King Shepherd, surely you don’t even understand this?”

Okay, okay, you're right. You're the first person to talk about being greedy so confidently.

Samael rolled his eyes, then stopped arguing, readily tossed over a bag of Zeus's gold, grabbed Ishtar's hand, and walked out of Gilgamesh's shady inn.

It was already five o'clock in the afternoon, and the red sun was gradually setting. Because the capital city was built on the site of Paradise Lost, the souls in the flesh were full of energy and therefore remained bustling.

However, to avoid unnecessary trouble, the two cast spells to conceal their identities, so as not to cause a commotion.

But ever since Ishtar excitedly put on that high-end outfit, the clinking of her jewelry and the sparkle of her diamond skirt drew almost 100% of the attention she received.

Of course, this attention couldn't dampen the goddess's shopping enthusiasm.

Especially when there's a sucker willing to pay the bill, it would be against her beliefs not to fleece this fat sheep a few times.

Wow! Such a big coral! So beautiful! I want to buy it!

"And, and, fist-sized agate? Half-meter-long obsidian? I'll take it all! I'll take it all!"

……

Samael rolled his eyes as he watched the woman exchange the Zeus Gold in his pocket for the glittering junk in his arms.

Asking for an exorbitant price and then settling for less is a tradition; bargaining is an art of psychology.

This woman, on the other hand, saw something, grabbed it, and wouldn't let go no matter what, so the price wouldn't come down at all.

Add to that Ishtar's questionable taste; most of the items she had were simply not worth the price.

Fat sheep! Absolutely fat sheep!

The vendors nearby swarmed forward like sharks smelling blood.

After several unsuccessful attempts to signal her with her eyes, Samael had no choice but to pull away the blushing, gleaming-eyed shopper and flee from the enthusiastic salesman as if she were in dire need.

"This one would be perfect for the bedside table in the bedroom, this one for the closet, and this one would be most suitable for setting in a crown..."

In the dimly lit alley, Ishtar, clutching a glittering gem, crouched on the ground like a hamster counting its food.

Chapter 225: Price Reduction Deal (3.3k)

"Are you satisfied?"

Samael leaned against the wall and asked with a smile.

"Satisfied! Extremely satisfied!"

The goddess, squatting on the ground counting her spoils and kissing and nibbling on the jewels, nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice. Even the way she looked at Samael was as if she were looking at a glittering little golden statue, her eyes full of heat and hunger.

"Let's return the key to the Royal Palace Tower quietly before Siduri finds out."

Samael glanced at the sky and spoke softly, breaking the unspoken understanding between them.

"A key? What key?!"

However, Ishtar immediately straightened her face and shook her head, feigning ignorance with terrible acting skills.

"Come on! If you didn't steal the key to the royal palace tower that Siduri was keeping, what were you doing there late at night, fiddling around like that?"

"What stealing? You're tarnishing my reputation! I was just browsing out of curiosity. If you don't believe me, search me!"

Ishtar, with an expression of utter indifference, darted around and even puffed out her chest—the only place where she could hide the stolen goods.

Pshaw, only children make choices. This goddess wants them all!

This heroic act of being "a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water" left Samael with no way to act, and Ishtar, seeing this, immediately revealed a sinister smile of triumph.

Even though we're so close, this guy is still the same. When he's serious, he's more serious than anyone else; when he's not serious...

Tsk, I've never seen him act inappropriately towards this goddess...

For some reason, thinking about this made Ishtar's mood inexplicably worse.

Despite the lack of evidence, Samael had no doubt about his judgment, and his scrutinizing gaze intensified. His stance of blocking the alleyway exit made his purpose self-evident.

"You come and check! Otherwise, making baseless accusations is blasphemy!"

The goddess, confident that she had grasped the man's temperament and was now in an invincible position, arrogantly thrust her breasts closer, even jumping up and down to demonstrate her innocence.

"when!"

However, just as Ishtar, who had won a resounding victory, was about to swagger out of the alley, due to the excessive movement and the fact that the great goddess was too thin to hold anything, a bright golden glint fell from the ravine and landed straight in front of the two of them.

Amidst the crisp metallic clang, Samael was speechless, feeling a sense of powerlessness as he looked at Ishtar, whose expression was stiff, who was covered in sweat, and whose smile was awkward.

"Wait! How come it's the Key-Sword of the Golden City? Gilgamesh actually left this thing with Siduri for safekeeping, and you actually dared to take it!"

After confirming the origin of the metal artifact by the light of the fluorite lamp, Samael slapped his forehead, utterly speechless at the sight of the thief goddess caught red-handed.

"They're just interested in the legendary Babylonian vaults and want to take a look inside. Yes, just a look... I promise I won't touch anything..."

Ishtar pointed to the sky and swore an oath, her face full of conviction.

However, the fact that he was carrying a lot of inferior gemstones and was dressed in expensive ornaments was hardly convincing.

"I believe you ghost!"

Samael, expressionless, grabbed Ishtar by the collar, simultaneously taking the key sword from the ground into his hand, and began to deal with the embassy thief who had been arrested.

"No, no... I've already got the stuff, but if I still can't see the Babylonian Treasury, I'll die with regrets!"

Ishtar stubbornly remained on the ground, even rolling around repeatedly on the smooth bluestone pavement.

"Isn't it enough that you've already taken so much?"

"No way! The Babylonian Treasury, the original text of human wisdom! What are these junk compared to that? You are my shepherd king, my betrothed! The treasury should have a share of mine, why should that golden-haired fellow monopolize it! Don't you want to see it? Come with me! You can keep an eye on me! I promise I'm just going to take a look!"

This greedy and ruthless goddess clung to Samael's coattails, weeping and wailing to a heartless man.

Samael's lips twitched. He had never encountered such a shameless goddess. He even began to silently mourn for the tragic people of Uruk. What sins had they committed to encounter such a despicable faith...

Oh no, her father is finished; they stabbed her in the back together.

"We've been married for so long, and I've never asked you for anything. I've helped you a lot during the Three Storms, the War of the Titans, and the Greco-Persian Wars. You can't expect me to work for nothing, can you? It's too much if you won't even let me take a look!"

Seeing that the King of the Gods before her seemed somewhat shaken, Ishtar immediately added fuel to the fire, putting on a pitiful expression with her eyes brimming with tears, as if she had spoken an emotionally charged piece.

"It's not impossible..."

Samael eventually gave in to Ishtar's persistent pleading.

“Samael, I knew I wasn’t wrong, you’re a good snake!”

The goddess of the heavens beamed and patted Samael on the shoulder with a hearty laugh, her excitement and approval evident.

However, as Ishtar celebrated wildly, a certain good snake suddenly became serious and changed the subject.

"One price, split 30/70!"

"what?"

Samael blinked and gestured to Ishtar.

"I want 70% of the hush money."

"..."

I take back what I said earlier, you shameless and despicable bastard! I've been painstakingly infiltrating around Siduri and the others for thousands of years, and this is the chance I've finally gotten, and you just ask for 70% of it! Where is your conscience?!

Such a heart-wrenching extortion left Ishtar feeling as if her flesh had been ripped out, and she was so angry that she glared and fumed.

"Even if you have the key, do you know the entrance to the Babylonian vaults?"

Samael crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the alley, looking at the stunned goddess with a hint of pity.

"Don't be foolish and try to break into the Royal Palace Tower. The Gate of Babylon is in the northwest corner of the outer city, near the sacrificial site. Moreover, it requires a special incantation to make it appear. When I was the King of Uruk, I happened to be in charge of allocating resources. This information is worth 70% of the price, right? Otherwise, you won't get a single penny."

"Seventy percent complete! Deal!"

At least 30% can be pocketed, so it's not a loss! Ishtar weighed it for a moment, suppressed her heartache, and stretched out her dirty paws to shake hands with Samael's.

As the agreement was reached, the Goddess of Heaven's eyes sparkled, and even a glistening strand of saliva spilled from the corner of her lips.

Since they were already allies on the same boat, the two figured the embassy dinner and casual conversation wouldn't last them long.

Therefore, the two sides hit it off immediately and prepared to take action right away.

However, after Ishtar got up and took a few steps, he stopped at the alleyway exit, turned around abruptly, and threatened Samael with a serious expression.

"You didn't see anything just now, did you?"

"..."

Now you're finally thinking about integrity! Where were you all this time? You think integrity is free, so you can just throw it away like it's nothing?

Recalling the way someone had just thrown a tantrum, Samael rubbed his forehead again and weakly agreed.

This goddess, whose IQ clearly drops to zero when treasure is mentioned, actually nodded in satisfaction, genuinely believing that her dignified image was completely unaffected.

The capital of Uruk, in the northwest corner of the suburbs.

Ishtar stood before a section of the dilapidated city wall, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. With a few runes drawn on it, the ancient wall rippled like water.

The goddess's lips curled into a smug smile. She then pulled her companion, who had been watching quietly, and leaped into the air. After a burst of magical energy flashed with seven-colored aurora, the two arrived at a floating staircase made of giant stones.

The surroundings were pitch black, and at the top of the hundred-step staircase stood a gilded gate over twenty meters high, adorned with thousands of gems. A four-legged dragon beast roared to the sky, devouring stars and causing the earth to sink. Fourteen strange and grotesque magical beasts were engaged in fierce battles with humanoid gods.