Chapter 642 Sister, don’t steal my boyfriend!
The next day.
Siduri hung a "Temporarily Closed" sign in front of the tavern, and then took Lorne to Mount Aibif as promised.
Along the way, she repeatedly reminded:
"Once we're on the mountain, don't ask for anything easily. I'll do my best to help you turn down this marriage."
Lorne nodded and did not reject Siduri's kindness.
Anyway, his only purpose in this trip was to find Ishtar, not to marry this terrorist from the Age of Gods.
Seeing that Lorne was not stubborn, Siduri couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
She tried her best to prevent him from marrying Ishtar, actually for two reasons.
On the one hand, the identities, personalities, and status of the two parties were not compatible. As a friend, she really didn't want to see such a talented person dragged down by a marriage that was destined to be unhappy.
On the other hand, Ishtar not only has character flaws, but is also a huge vortex. It involves the struggle for theocracy in Babylon, which is so obscure that even she is reluctant to talk about it. If the shepherd around her gets involved, I'm afraid there will be no good results.
Therefore, it would be better to give Wutu some face, go to Mount Aibifu for a simple formality, and then end this blind date in a decent manner.
If the shepherd had nowhere to go after this was over, and no faith city-state to stay in, her tavern would be short of staff.
"It seems we've arrived."
The murmur in her ears interrupted Siduri's thoughts, and she looked up and forward.
In the distance, the huge undulations that stretch between heaven and earth are Mount Ebifu, once known as the "Holy Peak".
But as the distance gets closer, the brewing anticipation and mystery will be replaced by disappointment.
Due to the heavy rain in recent days, the river water has risen sharply.
The dirty torrents washed away the soil and rocks from the slopes of Mount Ebifu, revealing its jagged skeleton. Coupled with the already sparse vegetation, the place looked even more desolate.
Continuing up the mountain path, the sense of desolation can be seen everywhere.
The totem poles on both sides were smashed to pieces by some huge force, and most of the magic spells used to decorate and protect the road collapsed and extinguished.
The bluestone slabs used for paving the road were covered with footprints and dirt left by mountain animals, and some were even crushed and arched open.
Even the pavilion halfway up the mountain was in trouble. Its four pillars were broken and the entire pavilion collapsed, completely losing its function of sheltering from wind and rain.
In some places, the accumulated sewage was already ankle-deep, and the sour smell of rotting and fermenting plants was everywhere.
And the culprit was at the end of their sight.
Seven or eight yellow-black demon pigs, about two meters tall, with bristles as hard as steel brushes, surrounded several half-collapsed stone pillars, gnashing their teeth and barking their heads.
After being destroyed by these beasts, the reinforcing divine patterns on the outside of the stone pillar had been completely changed, and the gold powder on the surface had fallen into the dirty river after being washed away by the rain.
“Huff!”
At this moment, the demon pigs also discovered the two outsiders who had entered their territory, and immediately charged forward with their fangs bared, driven by their ferocity.
"Ishtar is being lazy again."
Sidulli shook her head helplessly, raised her right hand slightly, and used her fingers as a pen to write quickly in front of her.
Several golden wedge-shaped divine patterns shot out with a whistling sound, piercing through the skulls of these demon pigs as accurately as cannonballs, causing them to scream and explode with red and white objects, killing them on the spot.
After dealing with the monsters that were running around on the road, Sidulli just breathed a sigh of relief, but she felt a violent tremor under her feet and a strong aura of death coming from all around.
"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The sharp roar seemed to pierce people's eardrums and souls. Hundreds of white monsters with transparent bodies and distorted faces crawled out from the cracks in the ground, waving swords and spears condensed from death, and swarmed towards her and Lorne.
Garula Spirit? !
Sidulli's face turned even darker.
This is a kind of evil spirit existing in the underworld in Babylonian mythology. They are slender and tall, with weapons on their waists, proficient in fighting and killing, often transformed from the souls of warriors, and usually play the role of guards of the underworld.
But these people in front of him were emitting ominous red and black auras, and they were obviously polluted evil spirits!
This kind of thing is rarely seen normally, but now there are so many of them.
Moreover, it was broad daylight!
How did that woman Ishtar guard the ley lines?
Seeing hundreds of Garula spirits roaring and rushing towards them, Sidulli snorted coldly, immediately opened the magic circle diagram, took out a jar of beer, and threw it directly on the ground.
The sealed pottery jar was instantly smashed to pieces, golden wine splashed everywhere, and the rich aroma of wine quickly spread.
At the same time, in a magnificent temple on the top of the mountain.
The figure who was sleeping soundly on the bed suddenly turned over and sat up, flaring his nostrils, sniffing the faint fragrance in the air, his eyes shining.
Wine! Fine ale!
A high-end product that costs at least one gold coin per cup!
"There are two jars left..."
A familiar and pleasant voice sounded from the mountain path.
The goddess in the temple immediately understood where the aroma of wine in the air came from, and an expression of deep sorrow appeared on her face.
What a waste! These are the best beer and the best gold coins!
Moreover, according to the tradition that one should not come empty-handed when visiting someone, these should have been her gifts.
"Not coming out yet?"
After the question, there was the sound of the wine jar being smashed again and the statement of regret.
“Now there is only one jar left.”
“Stop it!”
Along with the mournful cries that resounded throughout Mount Ebifu, a golden light flashed like a morning star, breaking through the mountain mist and descending over the mountain path at lightning speed.
Luo En looked in the direction of the voice, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
The woman's amber eyes sparkled with star-like light, there was a divine sharpness in the corners of her eyes, and the corners of her mouth were raised with arrogance. Her flowing black hair was bound by a seven-angled crown. Her fair skin was as delicate as milk, and her exquisite facial features exuded a unique charm.
She was wearing a dark purple off-shoulder miniskirt with gold trim, a gorgeous belt embellished with multiple layers of gemstones hanging from her waist, the hem of her skirt curled up like petals, black tights and gold ankle high-heeled sandals on her legs, multiple gold armbands on her wrists, and lapis lazuli earrings hanging from her earlobes, looking like a standard Babylonian goddess.
However, as soon as the other party opened his mouth, Loen couldn't hold back:
"What are you doing to my ale, Siduri!"
Although it is a tradition for guests to bring gifts when visiting the host, before she even entered the door, the other party assumed that the beer in Siduri's hand was her own property, and looked like she had suffered a great loss, which was really a bit uncomfortable.
Siduri didn't waste any words. She pointed at the Garula spirit outside the barrier and picked up the wine jar with one hand:
"I would like to give them all to you, but I can't let you have them. This is the last jar."
Seeing her friend trying to let go, Ishtar cried out in anger:
"Maana!"
Maana, the Sky Boat, is the exclusive artifact of the goddess Ishtar.
It is shaped like an ancient and huge double-decker sailing ship, with its hull covered with dazzling gold and sapphire blue patterns, like the brightest stars in the night sky. The sails are woven from invisible magic, swaying gently in the wind, emitting a faint light. The sides of the ship are carved with delicate totems of gods, and each stroke contains ancient power. When flying in the sky, Maanna is surrounded by a flowing magic halo, like a dream ship shuttling between the stars.
In addition to serving as a means of transportation, it can also change its form, exert its war attributes, and become the "Sky Bow" that Ishtar uses to shoot her enemies.
As Ishtar raised her right hand, the Sky Boat Maana that emerged from the starlight turned into a golden-blue longbow, automatically absorbing magic power and automatically pulling the bowstring to its full length.
How dare you cause me to lose two jars of the best beer?
Kill them! Kill them all! Damn bad guys~!
"Swish swish swish!"
Hundreds of light arrows streaked across the sky, accurately piercing through the soul cores of the Garula spirits, killing all the evil souls that escaped from the underworld.
But with the aftermath of the air wave, the mountain path that was still barely connected was blown to pieces. The dozen or so remaining totem poles on both sides were instantly covered with spider-web-like cracks, and then collapsed with a loud bang, and the entire defensive barrier collapsed.
Ishtar's confident and arrogant sneer froze on her face.
She looked at the smoke and dust and the completely destroyed mountain road, her face pale.
Being usable and being completely broken are two different things; the latter needs to be repaired.
And repairing it costs money.
Ishtar sniffed, feeling something sour;
I tilted my ears, and my heart seemed to be bleeding:
In order to buy two jars of beer worth hundreds of gold coins, it would cost at least a thousand gold coins in material costs to build the road.
This deal is a big loss...
Looking at the goddess of war who wanted to cry but didn't dare to in the air, and the surrounding ruins filled with smoke and dust, Loen silently gave her two comments:
Greedy and possessive;
He has a bit of a tiger personality and is extremely unreliable in doing things...
At this moment, Ishtar took a few deep breaths, tried to retract the little pearl that was about to slip out of her eye socket, knelt down in front of Siduri, and asked unhappily:
"Why are you here with me instead of running your own tavern in Mashu Mountain?"
"I heard you were confined to Mount Ebifu, so I came to see you."
Siduri softened her tone, handed over the only remaining jar of beer in her hand, then opened the magic circle diagram again and took out two more jars to complete the list.
The loss was somewhat compensated, and Ishtar's originally gloomy face suddenly looked much better.
Siduri took the opportunity to move half a body away, pointed at Lorne behind her, and said:
"There is one more thing. Your brother Wutu asked me to bring him to meet you. He said he wanted to be a matchmaker for you two."
Upon hearing this, Ishtar looked at her friend in surprise:
"Who is he?"
"Dumuzi, a shepherd near Mount Mashu. Your brother admires him very much and thinks he is a good husband for you."
After listening to her friend's introduction, Ishtar glanced at the handsome boy in front of her and snorted coldly:
"Shepherd? Forget it. Compared to this useless pretty boy, I would rather marry the god of agriculture, Enkimudu, and sow barley and beans together."
Although her brother likes to worry and is a decent person, isn't his vision too poor?
In the Age of the Babylonian Gods, farming was the main occupation for the survival of the city-states, and grazing was just a supplement. What future could it have?
Seeing Ishtar's disgusted expression, Siduri immediately felt relieved and said with deep agreement:
"I also think you two are not suitable! If you don't have any other questions, we'll leave first."
As she spoke, Siduri took Lorne's arm and prepared to turn around and go down the mountain.
"etc!"
However, Ishtar suddenly stopped the two of them, with a puzzled look on her face.
"You said he was just a shepherd?"
"That's right."
"Then how did Wutu fall in love with him?"
"Your brother often drinks with him in my pub. They get along very well and gradually become familiar with each other. Then he asked me to introduce him to you."
"What do you think of him?"
"Not really, just an ordinary person who is a little smart."
Siduri answered casually, with a hint of understatement in her tone.
Ishtar nodded and smiled:
"Okay then, go ahead."
Siduri secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and just as she was about to pull Loen down the mountain, her hands suddenly felt empty.
At this moment, Ishtar was holding Lorne's arm and said to her friend with a smile:
"You can go, but he has to stay. Go back and tell Wutu that I want him!"
This sudden change made Siduri look stunned:
"Didn't you say it was inappropriate?"
"Now is the time."
"Don't be impulsive. How can you take marriage lightly? Don't you want to marry the god of agriculture, Enkimudu? I can find a way to match you up."
"No, I changed my mind. Herding is also good. I've seen a lot of farming. It's just a good change of taste."
Ishtar answered seriously, but she was sneering in her heart.
Do you really think I'm stupid?
No matter how bad Wutu's vision is, he would not fall in love with a shepherd who has no good qualities.
And you, when will you be free enough to escort an ordinary person to Mount Aibifu to act as a matchmaker for me?
I don’t know whether he is a good person or not, but I know that the more valuable something is, the more people will fight for it.
How could you, a person who is always polite to everyone and never says harsh words, take the initiative to slander and belittle others, and act like you are afraid that I will choose him.
Then, there must be something special about him.
At least in your eyes, he is very valuable!
If I don't take advantage of this opportunity to buy now, won't I suffer a huge loss when the market goes up someday?
At this moment, seeing the smugness revealed in Ishtar's eyes, Siduri realized that she had just made a mess of things.
She felt depressed and said helplessly:
"Let me take him away. I'll pay for a year's supply of wine and the repairs to the mountain road."
Ishtar's heart beat fast when she heard the exchange terms proposed by her friend.
The bet was right! There really is something fishy about this kid!
Seeing that Ishtar did not respond for a while, Siduri had to grit her teeth and said:
"Two years! In addition to the repair fee, I will give you three boxes of gems!"
Can this price be raised further?
Hiss~~!
Ishtar gasped, the expression on her face changing from shock to ecstasy.
It’s sent! It’s sent!
As long as she finishes this job, she can live freely for a long time!
Ishtar turned her head and looked at the "husband" she had just acknowledged. Her eyes were full of burning excitement, as if she saw a little golden man waving at her.
Seeing that her friend seemed to be moved, Siduri asked again:
"How about it? Are you satisfied with this price?"
"I refuse!"
However, Ishtar shook her head like a rattle and dragged Lorne behind her, while showing a look of guarding against thieves to her friend.
You want to trade this with me? You must be kidding!
The more you pay, the higher the price of this thing!
My luck with money is not good to begin with. I finally made a lot of money, but I didn’t make enough money…
No, unless it increases by more than ten times, no one can make me let go!
It’s no use even if Marduk comes!
Siduri is anxious:
"We can negotiate the price. I..."
"No! Not even if I die! You actually want to bribe me with some money and wine? Am I that kind of god? I don't have any sincerity at all!"
Before Siduri could finish her words, Ishtar decisively mobilized her power and moved her good friend out of Mount Ebifu.
Looking at the starlight falling from the sky turning into a barrier that completely sealed off the entire Mount Ebifu, and the unscrupulous friend who carried Lorne onto the sky boat Mayanna and headed straight for the temple on the top of the mountain, Siduri's eyes went dark and she wailed in her heart.
It’s over, I’ve made things more unhelpful than helpful!
Du Muzi, I'm sorry, it's my fault.
But soon, the goddess known as wisdom regained her spirits and looked at the soil at the foot of the mountain that was emitting wisps of black air with shining eyes.
There is no other way. Since the soft approach doesn’t work, I can only try another way to remedy the situation.
(End of this chapter)
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