The arrival of Ishtar plunged all of Kusha into tension.
The crowd gathering at the city gate grew larger and larger, but no one dared to approach the Goddess who radiated divine might.
Doros stood at the very front, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
He had met Ereshkigal and could be considered someone who had interacted with deities, but the sense of oppression given off by the Goddess of Venus before him was completely different.
If Ereshkigal was the ghostly chill of an abyss, then Ishtar was the scorching heat of a blazing sun.
Her very existence declared—’I am the incarnation of beauty and war, the ruler of the heavens.’
“What?
This Goddess pays a visit, and you are so unwelcoming?”
Ishtar tilted her head, her tone sounding like a joke, but no one dared to take it as one.
Doros hurriedly bowed: “Goddess, you misunderstand.
It is truly an honor for Kusha to be favored by you.
It is just that…
our small City-State is humble, and I fear we might slight the Goddess.”
“Humble?”
Ishtar scanned the city wall, “This Goddess thinks these walls are built quite solidly.
And those granaries, they look like they were built recently as well, don’t they?”
Doros’s heart tightened.
This Goddess was truly not just passing by as simply as it seemed.
“The Goddess has eyes like torches.” He responded, bracing himself, “Kusha’s population has grown recently, and to prepare for a potential year of famine, we did reinforce some infrastructure.”
“A year of famine?”
Ishtar smiled, a smile so beautiful it made it impossible to look away, yet it carried an indescribable danger.
“Or is it that you are guarding against something else?”
The air seemed to freeze.
Just as Doros did not know how to answer, Iga suddenly stepped forward.
“Lady Goddess.”
Her voice was very calm, so calm that it even surprised Doros.
“Kusha is just an ordinary City-State; there is nothing worth guarding against.
If the Goddess has any questions, why not enter the city for a detailed discussion?
Standing at the city gate is hardly the way to treat a guest.”
Ishtar looked Iga over with great interest.
“Interesting…
you little girl, you certainly have guts.”
She suddenly reached out, a golden light shot from her fingertips, heading straight for Iga.
Doros rushed over without a second thought, blocking in front of Iga.
But that light did not hit him; instead, it stopped half a meter away from him.
A faint black barrier appeared, blocking the light from the outside.
“Oh?”
Ishtar raised an eyebrow, “Ereshkigal’s protection?
It seems she truly cares a lot about this City-State.”
The black barrier slowly dissipated.
Only then did Doros realize his back was soaked with cold sweat.
“Goddess, this is…”
“Don’t be nervous.” Ishtar withdrew her hand, “This Goddess was just probing a little.
After all, a City-State that could make that Dead Otaku Ereshkigal take the initiative to protect it must have something special, right?”
Dead Otaku…
Upon hearing this, it hardened; Iga’s fists hardened.
Who are you calling a Dead Otaku?
You had better not let me catch you next time…
Ishtar!
If you can escape from under my nose fully clothed, then I, Ereshkigal, have lived all these years in vain.
This Goddess wants to see what charm Kusha really has.”
Ishtar said, stepping into the city gate.
Doros and Iga exchanged a glance and could only brace themselves to lead the way.
Along the way, Ishtar looked around, occasionally making sounds like “Oh” and “Hmm,” making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
When passing the marketplace, she suddenly stopped.
“These things…
are a bit interesting.”
She pointed to some pottery on a stall.
That was the new style of pottery recently developed by Kusha, using an improved firing technique, making it sturdier and more durable than ordinary pottery.
“This is a new work by Kusha’s craftsmen.” Doros explained, “We have been trying to improve various implements to make the people’s lives more convenient.”
“Improve?”
Ishtar picked up a clay pot and examined it carefully.
“Interesting…
you humans always like to fuss with these little gadgets.”
She put down the clay pot and continued walking forward.
“But that’s right, your lives are so short; if you didn’t fuss with something, wouldn’t it be too boring?”
This sounded like teasing, but Doros heard a trace of…
loneliness?
No, that’s impossible.
How could a high and mighty deity feel lonely?
After arriving at the temple, Ishtar walked around the main hall.
“Ereshkigal’s statue…
tsk, it really is quite shabby.”
She commented unceremoniously.
“But it’s no wonder; that girl never cares about such superficial work.”
Saying this, she turned to Doros.
“You, this High Priest, are actually quite interesting.”
“The Goddess overpraises me.”
“Overpraise?” Ishtar laughed, “This Goddess is not complimenting you.
You, this person, have quite a bit of ambition, yet you pretend to be cautious and meticulous.
To tell you the truth, This Goddess hates this type of person the most.”
Sweat broke out on Doros’s forehead again.
“Goddess, you misunderstand; I just want the people of Kusha to live better…”
“Stop, stop, stop.”
Ishtar waved her hand.
“Don’t say these high-sounding words.
This Goddess has lived so long; what kind of people have I not seen?
You want to make Kusha stronger, you want this City-State to survive in the shadow of the gods; what is there to be afraid of admitting?”
She walked up to Doros, her deep blue eyes staring straight at him.
“Humans are just humans; having desires and ambitions is normal.
Someone like Enkidu, on the contrary, is an anomaly.”
Upon the mention of Enkidu, Doros’s heart stirred.
“Goddess…
was Enkidu’s death because…”
“It was because he was too special.”
Ishtar interrupted him.
“A creation of the gods possessing humanity is in itself a provocation against the gods.
Moreover, he was mixed up with that bastard Gilgamesh, making This Goddess lose all face before the gods.” This story is hosted at g.com.
Her tone suddenly became somewhat angry.
“So he died; that is the price.”
“Then what about Kusha?”
Iga suddenly spoke up.
“Kusha is also very special, and it is also challenging the bottom line of the gods.
Did the Goddess come today to pass a death sentence on us?”
“Iga!”
Doros wanted to stop her, but Iga did not back down.
Ishtar, however, laughed.
“You girl, you really have guts.”
She sat down in front of the statue, crossed her legs, and hooked her fair toes toward Iga.
Watching Ishtar’s actions, Iga’s eyebrows twitched uncontrollably.
But she quickly pretended to be nonchalant, though there was a hint of suppression beneath that formulaic smile.
Ishtar…
good…
you are very good!
She immediately made another fierce note in her heart.
“But This Goddess likes your straightforward personality.
Compared to those guys who only know how to flatter, you are much more interesting.”
She paused.
“As for Kusha…
This Goddess did come today entrusted by certain deities to see what exactly is wrong with this City-State.”
Doros’s heart sank to the bottom.
“However…”
Ishtar changed the subject.
“This Goddess looked around and didn’t find anything significant.
Isn’t it just repairing city walls and hoarding some grain?
What is the problem with that?
Do the gods really have to manage how humans live their lives?”
She stood up and brushed the non-existent dust off her arms.
“So This Goddess’s conclusion is—Kusha is very normal; there are no abnormalities.”
Doros was stunned.
This…
what does this mean?
“Does the Goddess mean…”
“It means This Goddess is too lazy to deal with your trivial matters.”
Ishtar yawned.
“As for the gods, This Goddess will deal with them.
However, in exchange…”
She suddenly leaned close to Doros, smiling with deep meaning.
“You must agree to one condition from This Goddess.”
Doros tensed up all over: “What condition?”
“Very simple.”
Ishtar extended one finger.
“Next time that bastard Gilgamesh comes to Kusha, remember to notify This Goddess.”
Doros:???
This…
is this also part of your play?