The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

"W-What are you talking about? A living sacrifice, how, how is it possible…"

Even a child could see the elder's quirk, but how could she admit such a thing in front of the envoy from Uruk? Merlin clearly had no intention of letting her go, and he glanced around.

"Just look around and you'll understand. There are so few men. We're in a rainforest devoid of monsters. Where have all the men gone? What's the reason for this unnatural ratio of men to women, young and old? Elder, do you really want me to continue?"

"There's nothing we can do about it! For Wu'er's survival, for my family... a living sacrifice to the Rainforest Goddess is necessary."

The two maids standing beside the elder couldn't help it. With grief and anger on their faces, they loudly refuted Merlin.

"Everyone volunteered. They went there for their loved ones and children, to protect us from the monsters, and to allow us to survive in this place."

"As long as he chooses one person a day to go to the goddess's Eridu temple, the demon will be satisfied. Compared to dying in battle with the monster..."

The maid didn't continue, but everyone understood her point. Compared to the Warcraft Front, losing one person per day was indeed too few. Uruk was perhaps the most populous city left after Uruk, even if its only inhabitants were women, the elderly, and children. But was this any different from other cities? Didn't the men in other cities also join the Warcraft Front? Didn't they die there, too? So what was so unacceptable about human sacrifice?

Tachibana whispered softly in a voice that only Mashu could hear—

"Is this your choice?"

But they have no right to criticize the choices made by the residents of Wuer City. They just want to live. What have they done wrong?

"Powerless humans can do nothing. The goddess rules this rainforest. Messengers from Uruk, you may leave now. There is no human decency in this land anymore. We are only trying to survive."

"Well, it's hard to convince the public now that things have gotten to this point."

"Hahahahahaha—the mysterious and powerful Leopard Man appears!! You rude little brats, we meet!"

Amidst the rain, a yellow figure had somehow climbed to the very top of the temple. Hmm… Koya and the others' old friend, the leopard man pinned to the ground by Koya's arrow yesterday, unable to move. Looks like she's escaped? Pretty quick, isn't she? Koya had thought it would take at least two or three days.

"Hmph! I'll take revenge on you for making me lie on the ice and feed the mosquitoes all night! Wait, wait, don't take out your bow just because I disagree with you!"

"Goddess, our offering for today has been delivered."

"what?"

"So, is that idiotic woman the Rainforest Goddess? Wait, are Quetzalcoatl and the Rainforest Goddess two different people?"

Upon hearing the elder's words, Tachibana and her companions turned their gaze towards the leopard man. A goddess? Her? Even the usually silent Anna spoke at length, a rare occurrence. It's easy to imagine how shocking this fact was.

"Today has nothing to do with you. I'm here to find these people! Hey, I told you not to aim your arrows at me! It's terrifying! I'm here to issue a declaration of war on behalf of Quetzal! When two armies clash, envoys cannot be killed!"

"Let me ask you a question. Did those people who were sacrificed die?"

"Don't think we're that scary~~~ Hey, seriously, they were just dragged away by Quetzal to do hard labor!"

"not dead?"

"Ahem, except for a few unlucky guys who died during the construction, everyone else is still alive and well."

Chapter 155: Mission

"Do you want to take her with you?"

Koya squatted beside the leopard man, and together with Fujimaru Tachibana, curiously poked the doll costume she was wearing. Hmm, it was made of very ordinary material...

Now the hands and feet of the rainforest goddess were frozen to the ground, looking even more miserable than yesterday. She was actually quite strong. Before Koya took action, Anna and Mashu both went forward to try, but both came back injured. In the end, Koya used three arrows to nail her to the spot in the same posture as yesterday.

Koya and his group had no intention of visiting the Quetzalcoatl's temple; their mission was simply to investigate Wuer's situation, and now their mission was complete. Fujimaru Tachibana had learned one thing during his long adventures: a wise man's mission should never be overly complicated, as this would disrupt his original plan. However, the leopard man before them presented a dilemma.

If he brought it back, who knows what Quetzalcoatl would do. But if he didn't, this leopard man would continue to collect Quetzalcoatl as a 'living sacrifice'...

"Hey, can't you try a different tactic? This makes me uncomfortable!"

The leopard woman is full of energy and is suspected of suffering from ADHD. She feels very uncomfortable with all her limbs tied up like this by Koya. Yesterday, she could at least kick the ice with her hands and feet to vent her anger, but now even her hands and feet are frozen. She is really not a human being!

"Leopard Man, what does Quetzalcoatl need so many coolies for?"

"I don't know. I don't care what she does."

"Then what do you know?"

"Hmm... there are delicious fruits in the east jungle! There's a cave in the west that's very comfortable to live in!"

"Well, it's completely useless."

During the question and answer session, Koya confirmed that this leopard man was completely useless and the only use of bringing him back would probably be to cause trouble for Gilgamesh.

When the battle with the Leopard Man broke out, the citizens of Wuer City all fled. Even now that the fighting has subsided, they still hide in the distance, quietly observing the situation. Their eyes, looking at Koya, are not filled with gratitude, but only with unease and a hint of anger...

Their attitude was not difficult to detect. When they heard that the sacrifices being taken away were just to do hard labor, their hearts had completely sided with the Leopard People. To them, the arrival of Koya and his men was considered evildoers who disrupted their peaceful lives. Even though they were messengers from Uruk, they still did not welcome them.

"Alright everyone, we should leave."

Merlin has already started his magic. He understands human hearts better than anyone else. Staying here will only make everyone uncomfortable. Fujimaru Tachibana wanted to say something for a moment, but finally swallowed his words. As for whether to take the leopard man with them, Merlin has already made the decision for them.

As the purple-pink petals enveloped the few people, when they opened their eyes again, they had returned to the place where they had first fought with Mu Xiu Hu Xiu. The body of the monster was still lying there, and its flesh had been eaten by the wild beasts in the wilderness. The beasts that had eaten Mu Xiu Hu Xiu had now died in a circle around its body. Seeing this scene, the other wild beasts instinctively understood that the meat of this green creature could not be eaten.

"Hey, I didn't expect that this escape magic trick I set up would actually help us save time on our journey."

"Let's go... before the sun sets, let's set off back to Uruk."

After leaving the rainforest, the rain didn't follow. The sun was high in the sky. It was now around one or two in the afternoon. If they walked quickly, they could be back in Uruk by evening. However, no one had expected that Fujimaru Tachibana would be the first to propose returning to Uruk. Everyone thought that this young girl would be depressed for a while after what she had experienced in Uruk, but it seemed that Tachibana was stronger than they had imagined.

On the way back, Anna was in the lead, Mashu followed Tachibana to protect her, and Koya and Merlin were still at the end of the team.

"Isn't Tachibana a good kid?"

"She's a lot more mature than I gave her credit for."

"She's a girl who's already traveled to six singularities. She's met countless heroes who've made their mark in history. She's traversed Europe and America, and even sailed the oceans... This girl won't be swayed by a few words from the townspeople."

Tachibana is actually a bit like the doctor. They are both people with strong wills who know what they want to do. Their beliefs will never be shaken by a few words. Beside these two people, Koya only needs to act as a mascot to provide combat power and ensure their safety. They will do everything by themselves.

"Koya, protect her, she is our hope~~"

"I know."

Perhaps Fujimaru Tachibana's situation won't end anytime soon—

[Ding, the system has adapted to the world's rules. Now issuing the main quests——]

[Main Mission: Ensure Fujimaru Tachibana's safety. Main Mission Reward: 500 Basic Attribute Points of each, Special Development Path: Savior Unlocked.]

Side quests: (1) Identify the members of the Three Goddesses Alliance and defeat or subdue them. Side quest rewards: 300 basic attributes for each, special development path: Unlock the gods

(3) Confirm that Tiamat has left this world. Side Quest Reward: World Pass (unique, fixed) x]

[Side Quest (II) rewards have been distributed. Please be sure to give one to Tiamat. For details, please ask Merlin.]

The mission system finally appeared two days after Koya came to this world. Without thinking, Koya knew that these missions were most likely issued after consultation with the world consciousness. However, the rewards of the system this time were really rich... This time he might be able to upgrade directly to Lv.4 when he goes back. As for great deeds, are you kidding? Isn't fighting with gods a great deed?

Was it just the question about Merlin in the final quest prompt? Isn't Tiamat the beast goddess of the north? Those beasts on the northern front are undoubtedly the eleven beasts born from Tiamat. And are the three passes meant for each of the three goddesses? World Consciousness shouldn't be like this...

"Merlin, can you tell me about the myth of Tiamat?"

"Eh? Sure, I'll just use it as a way to pass the time. Tachibana, do you want to listen with me?"

"Koyakoya, you don't need to ask Merlin, I know it too! In Chaldea, I read myths from all over the world. Tiamat is the creator goddess in Mesopotamian mythology. She is also known as the Mother of Saltwater. She and the God of Freshwater gave birth to the gods of Mesopotamia and are the mother of all gods. When the gods rebelled against the Father of Freshwater, Tiamat stood firmly by her children, but later the gods betrayed her. She gave birth to eleven monsters to fight against the gods. In the end, Tiamat and the eleven monsters were defeated. The gods split her body in two and created the heaven and the earth. Legend has it that this was the ritual of creation in the human world."

Chapter 156: Ishtar

On the way back to Uruk, they encountered a few magical beasts and some that had transformed into zombies due to their abundant magic power, but they were not very powerful, and Anna quickly defeated them. Anna is actually very powerful, judging by the level of Orario, she should be at Lv. 6, and she also possesses the power of a Noble Phantasm, but unfortunately these monsters are not enough for Anna to demonstrate this power.

According to Tachibana, the Servants are merely projections in Valhalla, not their true strengths. It's incredible... If they're just projections, yet they're so powerful, how powerful were their original bodies in life? Lv. 8 or even Lv. 9?

After returning to Uruk, the group did not act together. Tachibana and the others went to the ziggurat to report their mission to King Gilgamesh, while Koya was taken to the temple of Ishtar by the priests of Uruk.

"Hey~~ You're back."

There was no one else in the temple except Ishtar. She was lying on her bed, eating some fruit. When she saw Koya coming, she waved him over. Koya didn't hesitate and sat down beside her.

"You really don't have the slightest respect for me! You actually sit next to the goddess so carelessly. You know, those priests who handed me fruit had to bathe and change clothes before they could come near me!"

"Well, shall I go shower and change now?"

"Forget it, forget it. You're my future partner, so there's no need to go through all this trouble. By the way, did you encounter anything interesting during your trip to the rainforest this time?"

“Haven’t you ever been to a rain forest?”

"Tsk, I don't want to see that lunatic again. The last time I went to that woman, she threw me off Ma Anna. Ugh~ Even thinking about it makes my head hurt."

Looking at Ishtar's pitiful appearance, Koya felt that the goddess was like a spoiled child complaining to her parents about being bullied. She was quite cute. Koya reached out and patted her head soothingly, which made Ishtar quite dissatisfied. However, she just slapped Koya's hand away from her head without showing any anger.

"I met an interesting person, I guess. It was a woman in a doll costume. She claimed to be the goddess of the rainforest, but in fact she was just an idiot."

"You met that tiger? You didn't hurt her, did you?"

"Tiger? Isn't that a leopard man?"

"She's obviously a tiger, how could she be a leopard? If you don't say this, you haven't hurt her, right?"

"No, I just froze her to the ground and asked her some questions, but that idiot didn't know anything."

"You did a great job! You did a great job! Hahaha, that tiger has come to this day!"

Ishtar nodded in satisfaction, then laughed out loud. She didn't know how the leopard man had provoked her. Judging from the aura he exuded, the leopard man was obviously weaker than Ishtar. Moreover, with Ishtar's personality, if she was bullied, she would definitely think about how to retaliate. If others helped her to get revenge, she would not be thanked but would be angry instead. So this tiger was a god.

"I don't know why, but when I saw that girl, I felt something was wrong. I didn't dare to attack her, and I didn't dare to refute what she said! That tiger must have used some kind of witchcraft. Obviously, it wouldn't be like this when facing the Father!"

"Have you encountered a natural enemy?"

As they chatted, Ishtar rested her head on Koya's thigh, and Koya played with her hair. This was a habit he and Hestia had developed after spending so much time together. Hestia loved lying on Koya's lap, and Koya would twirl Hestia's hair in his hands, watching the black hair slip through his fingers...

"What a joke! How could that guy be considered my natural enemy? My only natural enemy has always been Ereshkigal!"

Koya and Ishtar got along very well, which was incredible to the priests who were secretly observing the scene from outside the temple. They couldn't understand why the arrogant goddess was like a cute kitten in front of this man. The arrogant goddess who used to be so spoiled by them was now just a coquettish one in front of this man... Is this really the goddess Ishtar?!

Koya and Ishtar's interactions continued until Fujimaru Tachibana came over. The originally bubbly scene between the two of them instantly turned into a smoke-filled war with the arrival of Fujimaru Tachibana. The two women learned a lot of sarcastic remarks and gossips without any instruction. The content was so unbearable that Koya didn't even want to share it, but in the end, Ishtar actually gave in?

Ishtar, in the thick of a battle with Fujimaru Tachika, suddenly seemed to have a sudden thought. She gave him a nonchalant smile, then left the temple on the Sky Boat and flew eastward toward Uruk. Fujimaru Tachika thought Ishtar had conceded defeat and cheered for a moment in the temple. Only Koya saw that Ishtar's final smile was like the look of a confident hunter upon seeing his prey.

"Koyakoya, let's go back! This time, King Gilgamesh praised us for completing the mission very well and gave me a few gems as a reward. These gems contain a lot of magic power. Although they can't be used as Saint Quartz, I asked the system and they are worth the same as Saint Quartz in the mall! Hehe, I don't know how many gems King Gilgamesh has. If he gave them all to me, wouldn't I be able to buy anything I want in the mall~~~~"

"Don't be so ambitious. Speaking of which, Tachibana, what did you buy me?"

"It's martial arts, martial arts: shooting a hundred heads~~"

"Then you should first master this martial art before thinking about other things. It's very powerful."

"I got it~~"

Tonight, Keya felt that the teacher in his dream seemed particularly brave, and the punches he landed on him seemed to have a little more weight. After so much training, Keya could have fought with a strong man for more than ten minutes, but today, with three punches, Keya fell to the ground and was about to be resurrected. This old teacher was a little angry today, and why was he angry? Even after Keya woke up from the dream, he sat on the bed and looked at the flowers and plants outside the window for a long time, but he still couldn't figure it out.

When they arrived at the lobby of the embassy, Koya did not see Tachibana and the others, but only saw the note they left.

"Going to the observation point in the Persian Gulf with King Gilgamesh? Specifically heading to the water quality observation point in the ocean..."

Koya's mind involuntarily emerged the myth that Fujimaru Tachibana and she talked about yesterday, Tiamat, the Mother of Salt Water... It seems necessary to find Merlin.

Chapter 157: The Truth about the Singularity

When Koya found Merlin, he was having a great time. He was drinking in the room with two girls in his arms in broad daylight. The two girls looked to be natives of Uruk. The older one was about eighteen or nineteen years old and the younger one was only sixteen years old. Merlin would use magic to produce some flowers from time to time, making the two girls blush. The most important thing was that the older girl was holding a baby in her arms... Merlin was really a torturer and a good playful guy!

"Hey, Koya, why are you here? Didn't you go out with Tachibana and the others?"

"When I woke up, they had already left the city. Merlin, I came here this time because I have something I want to ask you."

Koya was also a well-informed man, so seeing Merlin like this wouldn't have embarrassed him. Rather, he and Merlin had a high degree of similarity when it came to women, though Merlin was open to any attractive woman, while Koya preferred young girls. Merlin knew from Koya's attitude that a fun threesome wouldn't be possible for the time being, but it didn't matter; he'd already had a blast last night.

"Diana, can you and your sister go to the bedroom and wait for me for a while? I have something to talk to Koya about."

"Ah."

The two girls, glancing back every few steps, walked toward the bedroom. The glint in their eyes nearly captivated Merlin. Merlin truly had taste. The elder sister was mature and charming, with a special drink to bless her, while the younger sister was petite and adorable, completely devoted to Merlin. But Koya could tell Merlin hadn't developed any feelings for either girl. To him, they were probably just a beautiful sight to behold for a while, but he definitely wouldn't settle down there just for that.

With Merlin waving his hands twice in the air, the illusion barrier was constructed in this room. Although Merlin was better at swordsmanship than magic, he was definitely not weak in illusion with his talent for nightmares.

"You, aren't you afraid that her husband will come back and beat you to death?"

"Her husband died in the north, and I personally handed her the remains. Diana is a very smart girl. She was the one who invited me. As a girl who just gave birth, she really needs shelter. Koya, are you interested? I have several resources here."

"Forget it, it's my fault. I shouldn't have brought up this topic."

If it were Tachibana, she'd definitely be cursing Merlin for his actions by now, but Koya didn't think it was a big deal. After all, this kind of thing wasn't uncommon in Orario, with many women marrying with their children because their husbands died in the dungeon. Let's leave this topic at that; business was more important.