Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Furthermore, although she signed the contract, she didn't read the terms carefully at all.

Needless to say, she would notice three invisible buoy contents on the lower left of the back of the clay tablet, which could not be seen unless facing the sun.

"1. The contract is only valid until King Gilgamesh dies."

"2. This hiring is aimed at the goddess Ishtar and her retinue, the bull of the heavens, Gugalana."

“3. Gilgamesh has the right to interpret all provisions of this article.”

These three implicit clauses, even if they change in the future, almost completely eliminate any possibility that Ishtar could successfully receive her wages.

In reality, neither the investor nor the guarantor were honest, law-abiding citizens.

Paying a loss is less appealing than secretly getting something for free.

There's nothing we can do; it's because a certain goddess broke her promise first and swallowed the bait thrown by the snake.

What seems like a free lunch often comes at a much higher price.

Therefore, he was able to obtain that considerable commission by helping Gilgamesh cheat Ishtar.

Compared to the 5% chance of getting rare mineral treasures, the initial investment in fishing was incredibly worthwhile.

Having tamed the goddess, the ancient serpent, calculating the expenses for building a temple for Tiamat, hummed a little tune and took Anna to the street for a good meal to celebrate.

However, as he passed through a dimly lit alley, the sight of an old man in a burlap robe standing in the shadows stirred something within him.

Chapter 71 Hell is Others (Two-in-One)

Beneath the gray-black robe, the shadow holding the wooden staff seemed to be darkness itself, leaving one unaware of its presence.

Perhaps this is the legendary figure who survived the Great Flood of Enlil—Jusudra.

However, before Samael could get close enough to test him, Anna ran up beside him, carrying her favorite snacks, and gently placed them in the hands of the old man holding a cane.

"Little girl, pointless pity is a kind of evil, and pointless self-blame is also a kind of evil."

"Moreover, beasts fallen from God seem to need the mercy of others even more."

Anna was slightly taken aback, thinking that her behavior had hurt the old man's pride, and subconsciously lowered her head to avoid him.

"This is a warning, listen carefully! The other is both hell and heaven."

"To run away means to give up choices, which leads to the most tragic extreme!"

"Hold fast to this kindness, for it is your only path out of the darkness!"

The purple-haired girl sensed the gentleness beneath the old man's sternness, and her unease subsided slightly, but she was still somewhat confused about the meaning of his words.

However, the ancient serpent, who knew Anna's fate well, sensed something amiss.

Her prototype is Medusa, the Gorgon sister from ancient Greek mythology, who is the youngest of the three Gorgon sisters.

In the future, for some reason, the goddess Athena will incite heroes to defeat the three of them.

The constant stream of outsiders became a nightmare that disturbed the peaceful lives of the Gorgon sisters.

"Other" is hell!

Therefore, Anna and her sisters fled the marshland and took refuge on the invisible island in order to protect themselves from the world.

Even so, the heroes continued to land on the island to fight, and that isolated overseas residence became the dead end that led the Gorgon sisters to their demise.

Ultimately, the adult Medusa, unable to resist the heroes' attack, devoured her two sisters and became the fallen evil god Gorgon, the prototype of that monster goddess.

And according to the old man's advice, or perhaps prophecy.

If we don't blindly run away, but instead make proactive choices and actively respond at the crossroads of fate, we may encounter a different outcome.

Others can also be paradise!

As someone who managed to escape the great flood that Enlil, the three pillar gods of Babylon, used to cleanse the land, this "extremely long-lived being" in West Asian culture was indeed extraordinary.

Samael looked surprised and amazed.

At this moment, the gaze from beneath the hood turned to the ancient snake, and a growing sense of astonishment filled his eyes.

"All I see in you is chaos."

Suddenly, this legendary survivor of the catastrophe in West Asian culture seemed to remember something, and the hand holding the wooden staff trembled slightly.

Samael and Anna were instantly pulled into an indescribable abyss, completely isolated from everything around them.

"Defy fate! Defy fate!"

Jusudra, who clearly possessed exceptional prophetic talent, reached out his thin, bony arm and grabbed Samael's wrist. His hoarse, deep voice was somewhat distorted.

"Listen carefully! All waters are divided into upper and lower sections, with birth and death each occupying a separate area!"

"Authority is not the exclusive domain of the gods; the hearts of the people can also unite the will of Heaven!"

"When the earth and the sky reunite, the world will once again face a choice!"

"Where there is destruction, there is construction; where there is no death, there is no life!"

It was like a whisper from the darkness, exploding in Samael's mind, repeating itself meaningfully over and over again.

In an instant, a gale arose, blinding white light pierced through the clouds, and a muffled thunderstorm spread out in a winding pattern, its indescribable gloom seemingly causing everything to kneel down in submission.

By the time Samael came to his senses, the mysterious old man had already vanished, leaving only a lingering aura reminiscent of a dragon's might in the surrounding space.

No, it's purer and more terrifying than Dragon's Might.

Perhaps, this should be called... Kamui?

The ancient serpent, without even digesting the information, immediately grabbed the bewildered Anna and carefully slipped away from the scene. They ran all the way to the vicinity of the North Wall defense line before the suffocating feeling that had been lingering in their hearts gradually subsided.

Old man, what secrets have you revealed that have caused such great trouble?

Samael leaned against the shadows of the wall, panting heavily, his eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

He had assumed that the old man was also an "outsider" who had been drawn into this calamity by chance, and that "Jusudra" was just a West Asian name with some metaphorical connotations, meant to help him integrate into the community.

But now all indications suggest that he is not a quest NPC who says a few prophetic words to different people.

The old man had an extraordinary understanding and connection to the Mesopotamian world; he may very well have been a West Asian hero who survived the Great Flood of Enlil.

Moreover, Jusudra seemed quite surprised by Samael's appearance, and even had a hint of anticipation and surprise.

Those who defy fate... those who defy fate...

Forget it, that sounds like a word that's easy to incite hatred.

If even you can't do anything about it, what can you expect me to do?

Samael's mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't help but complain in his mind.

He now has a feeling that the waters of the Age of Gods were far deeper than he had imagined.

With planning in mind, Samael calmed down and pondered the four pieces of advice given by Jusudra.

However, due to the obscurity and unfamiliarity of the passage, coupled with the sudden appearance of thunder and gale in the sky that had left him shaken, the ancient snake was at a loss for what to do and had no choice but to put his thoughts aside for the time being.

Well, I originally came out to treat myself to a meal to celebrate successfully recruiting Ishtar.

As a result, I still encountered this kind of mentally taxing and frustrating situation, which gave me a headache.

Samael shook his head helplessly. Seeing that it was getting late, he pulled Anna up and prepared to buy groceries to go home.

Before leaving, however, out of a sense of duty, the two went to visit Leonidas, who was still recuperating at the barracks, as well as Tim, the garrison commander of the East Gate barracks, and the old general Tabard.

With the restorative magic of the temple as a foundation, plus the ample supply of potions from the Firelink Shrine and the Astronomical Observatory, the spines of the three North Wall defenders have basically recovered to about 40-50%.

At this rate, they should be fully recovered in a week at most.

When he was dragged back, he was half-dead with many broken bones. Yet he was able to get out of bed and train so quickly. The physical condition of humans in the Age of Gods is truly remarkable.

Despite their mixed feelings, Samael and Anna were still happy for these familiar faces who had fought alongside them.

After leaving behind some bouquets and pastries as a gesture of goodwill, the two returned to the embassy at dusk, bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

As night fell and the food was served, the swindler Merlin, as usual, came over to freeload.

Considering the guy's performance as a straight man during the day, Samael decided to turn a blind eye.

However, looking around the seating area, the key figures who had just checked into the embassy today were missing.

That's right, it's Ishtar, the goddess of the heavens who was tricked into coming.

Could it be that she's still blaming herself for the same excuse she gave during the day?

The ancient snake glanced at the empty seats and muttered to itself, feeling a little guilty.

As he said, fraud is a means, not an end.

Now, both the financial and personal goals have been achieved.

If this causes Ishtar any serious psychological trauma, Samael's remaining conscience will suffer to some extent.

After a moment's hesitation, the ancient serpent picked up a lamp, went upstairs, and came to Ishtar's bedroom, intending to offer her some words of comfort and, incidentally, invite her to join him for a meal.

However, as soon as he approached the window, he heard a series of crisp, rapid impacts, along with excited cheers from women.

I peered inside through the cracks in the window frame.

Then, Ishtar, who was "deeply remorseful" because of a pang of conscience, spread the jewels and gold and silver in the box on the ground like a squirrel storing nuts.

Immediately, the goddess, her face flushed with excitement, curled up into a ball and rolled and thrashed about on the piles of jewels and gold and silver.

She would even occasionally reach out and scoop up a handful of gems, tossing them upwards and letting these cute little things gently hit her.

"Get rich! Get rich!"

"With these, I can rebuild the temple on Mount Abif three times over! I can use gem magic however I want!"

"And after the deal is done, there will be a 20% commission on the ore from the Babylonian Treasury!"

"Father God Anu, is this a dream?"

"I'm so happy..."

"This goddess has decided, I'm going to sleep with them tonight!"

Lost in her reverie, the goddess buried her head in the pile of gems, took a deep breath, and embraced these colorful little darlings like an octopus, even wishing she could drown in them.

Outside the window, the ancient snake, who had initially felt a little apologetic, now had a face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Comfort? Comfort my ass!

In just half a day, she transformed her house into a dragon's lair and had a great time.

I was an idiot to overestimate her integrity!

Tsk, even giving her 20% is too much on the surface! This kind of woman should be kept on a leash, never letting her get what she wants.

Samael muttered to himself, then turned and prepared to leave the dwelling that resembled a dragon's lair.

However, as Ishtar regained her senses, the sound of her footsteps on the floor also startled the great goddess who had buried herself in the pile of jewels.

"When...when did you...come here?"

Ishtar hurriedly got up, scrambled open the door like a thief, and looked in astonishment at Samael, who had stopped in the corridor. She stammered out a question.

"Not long after..."

Thank goodness, the goddess behind the crack in the door patted her chest, and her heart, which had been pounding, slowly calmed down.

"Oh. I guess you said something like 'you've struck it rich'..."

Samael wore a mocking expression, but before he could finish speaking, a hand suddenly reached out from behind the door and grabbed his collar, violently pulling him into the room with lightning speed.

"boom!"

The ancient serpent was pinned to the ground, the impact sending dozens of colorful gems flying, and the sound of gold coins clattering as they flowed was deafening.

In the darkness, two figures intertwined and twisted together.

"You...you heard everything?"

Ishtar pointed at the suspect's nose, asking questions with a fierce but weak expression, looking embarrassed.

"You saw it too, right?"

"definitely is!"

"Ugh! This is so embarrassing!"