The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

"Merlin, tell me the truth."

"Hey, Koya, what are you talking about? Didn't Tachibana tell you the actual situation?"

"I may not be very clever, but you haven't done a very good job of hiding this. Is that goddess in the north Tiamat? And will the real Tiamat awaken in Uruk?"

Merlin still had that frivolous smile on his face, and he seemed to have no reaction to Koya's question.

"Can you tell me how you came up with that?"

"These are just speculations. I only thought of this when Tachibana and the others mentioned going to the water quality observation station in the Persian Gulf today. Seawater isn't drinkable. Furthermore, even under direct threat from the northern magical beasts and the southern rainforest, Gilgamesh personally went to the water quality observation station to check the water quality. I don't believe there aren't some issues. Seawater is salt water, so I can only attribute this threat to Tiamat."

"That's a very accurate guess. Indeed, King Gilgamesh and I are more concerned about the still-awakened Tiamat within the sea than the alliance of the three goddesses."

From Merlin's mouth, Koya finally learned the truth. First, one thing must be confirmed: both Gilgamesh and Merlin possess special abilities. Merlin's clairvoyance allows him to see everything happening in the present, while Gilgamesh's Merlin is unaware of it. However, Merlin knows that this ability allows him to glimpse a glimpse into the future. According to Merlin, this clairvoyance also allows him to see into the past, to see everything that actually happened. (I have no interest in participating in the debate between the Twinkling Clairvoyance and the Omniscient Star, so I'll leave this topic vague.)

In short, with the existence of these two, all situations in Uruk are actually in the hands of Gilgamesh. Now Gilgamesh has written the script, the actors have come on stage, and at the end of the script, Uruk will face Tiamat.

"This singularity is enormous. Looking out from the Persian Gulf, the entire Indian Ocean is contained within it. The ocean in the singularity is even wider than the land, and that's all because of Tiamat."

"When will she attack Uruk?"

At this point, Koya's heart was filled with doubt. He lamented the exaggeration of this world. He had thought that with his complete Black Dragon template and newly acquired Holy Sword, solving Tachibana's problem would be easy, but now he was facing the God of Creation. Wasn't the leap too big? After all, he hadn't even explored below the 30th floor in Orario.

"Tiamat is currently trapped in a dream by my magic. Unless she experiences significant stress, she won't awaken. The trigger for her awakening is the northern Beast Mother Goddess. While she isn't Tiamat, she possesses the power of a beast mother's womb by chance. You can think of her as Tiamat's incarnation. The moment she's defeated, Tiamat will awaken."

"Is Uruk ready?"

"Koya, what do you think of Ishtar?"

Merlin did not answer this question, but abruptly brought up a person who had nothing to do with the matter.

"Um?!"

"She actually has a sister, the mistress of the underworld, Ereshkigal."

After leaving Merlin, most of Koya's questions were answered, but more doubts surfaced. He was no longer prepared to dwell on them. With Merlin and Gilgamesh in control, his role wasn't that of a sage who saved the world with wisdom, but a hero who shattered hope with force. This was fine. Koya never considered himself particularly clever. He couldn't think of a single solution to save the world; he simply followed the script laid out by Merlin and the others.

"Mr. Koya, Lady Siduri would like you to visit the temple."

"Uh, it has nothing to do with King Gilgamesh leaving the city, right?"

"Lady Siduri must be looking for you because of the goddess Ishtar."

Chapter 158: Clay Tablet of Destiny

"Master Koya, please raise your arms. Okay, chest, waist, and shoulder width have all been confirmed. Thank you for your hard work, Master Koya."

"No...it's not hard just standing still. But what are you doing, Siduri?"

"Preparing for your divine marriage with the goddess Ishtar. By the way, what kind of gemstone would you like, Master Koya?"

"Ruby, right? But are they preparing for the wedding now? Will it have any impact on Uruk?"

To be honest, Koya was a little reluctant in his heart. He and his women had not yet had a wedding, and Koya had already planned to give one of the three passes to Ishtar. If Hestia, the jealous little girl, knew that he and Hestia had held a wedding in this world, it would take more than a day or two to appease her.

"With the support of King Gilgamesh, all expenses for this wedding will be covered by his treasury, so it won't have any impact. Furthermore, as the goddess Ishtar is our city's deity, her wedding will greatly boost the morale of the warriors, so..."

It was already evening when Koya left the temple. Aside from the initial measurements, Siduri spent the rest of the time teaching Koya how to deal with Ishtar, including her hobbies, how to appease her when angry, and what gifts to offer as apologies. Siduri explained every detail, leaving Koya feeling a bit unsteady after leaving the temple. He had absorbed so much knowledge that day. Siduri's mouth was like a crossbow, chattering non-stop without stopping, even without needing to drink water. It was terrifying, truly terrifying.

"Are you okay? Do you want a plum?"

Ishtar jumped down from the Sky Boat, took out a plum from somewhere and stuffed it into Koya's mouth - so sour!

Koya looked at Ishtar with even more resentment. It was because of this goddess that Siduri had been nagging him all day. At the end of the day, his mind was almost filled with all kinds of strange knowledge about Ishtar!

"Don't look at me like that. I'm a little scared of Siduri's condition. I can't fight her, and if I run away she'll look at you with tears in her eyes."

"You're very experienced?"

"Ahem, I'm leaving now. I still have some things to do!"

With a swish, Maanna, the Sky Ship, streaked across the night sky. The trail of magic emanating from it caused meteors to fly backwards across the sky. He wondered what Ishtar was up to, or why she had come here. Was she simply here to see him?

When they were able to return to the embassy, Tachibana and Mashu also came back. They were sitting at the dining table eating simple food. The moment they saw Koya coming back, Tachibana's eyes lit up and she rushed to Koya.

"Koya Koya, do you have fried chicken in your warehouse? And you'd better give me a bottle of Coke. I haven't eaten these two things for a long time."

"it is good."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Koya. Where did you go today?"

"I've been listening to Siduri chanting in the temple all day, and now my head is buzzing..."

"Ah, this... was really hard work!"

Tachibana recalled the time when she accidentally got injured during a job in Uruk one month ago and was lectured by Siduri while she bandaged her wound. She remembered that she fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow after she returned to her room. Miss Siduri was so terrifying!

·Dividing line·

For the next two days, Tachibana and the others were free again. Gilgamesh did not assign them any new tasks, so the two girls took Koya around the city and helped people when they met those in need. They did not lend a helping hand with any purpose, but simply because they were enthusiastic... They were two good girls.

Merlin, the scumbag who's the complete opposite of this nice girl, has been holed up at the Diana sisters' house for the past two days. Their brothers have been kicked out. While I know Merlin's body is a bit unusual, isn't it a bit much to spend two days in a row having sex except for the two sisters eating? Are you really a nightmare? And not some succubus?!

After learning about Merlin's whereabouts in the past two days from Siduri, Tachibana and Mashu were unwilling to mention the dirty name of Merlin.

Another member of the team, Anna, would join the helping team from time to time, but she spent more time helping the elderly in the place where Uruk settled. However, the relationship between Koya and Anna was much better than before. After all, under Koya's active offensive, no girl could stay still.

On the third day, when Koya and Tachibana were eating steamed buns, fried dough sticks and drinking soy milk, a soldier knocked on the door. Gilgamesh's next mission had finally arrived.

"The clay tablet of destiny?"

"Well, on my journey back to Uruk from the underworld, I suddenly saw a glimpse of the future in a city and recorded it on a clay tablet. If I remember correctly, it was left in Kusa."

Although he was discussing the mission with Tachibana and the others, Gilgamesh still held the clay tablets of government affairs in his hands, and after reading one, he would move on to the next. It seemed like every time I saw this king, he was always working. Would he die of exhaustion? No, it shouldn't be that way. How could such a strong man die from exhaustion?

"But since the King wrote the Tablet of Destiny, he should still remember its contents, right?"

"My consciousness was very blurry during this special state. I only vaguely remember writing something like this. Why do I have to remember its contents?"

Gilgamesh's words were so confident that Tachibana and the others felt helpless. Although they were already aware of the king's temper, he still deserved a beating!

"The town of Kusa is now under the control of the goddess Ishtar, so Mr. Koya, please go to Kusa this time."

Siduri quickly took up Gilgamesh's topic. She must have saved the day many times. Serving such a king was truly difficult for Siduri.

"Hmph, that goddess isn't someone you can easily deal with just because of this relationship. She won't hesitate to kill anyone who covets her property, even if it's her parents or siblings. So be prepared. Fujimaru Tachibana, this is the king's order. Go to Kusa and bring back the Destiny Tablet."

On the carriage to Kusa, Merlin told several people about the current situation of the city of Kusa.

"The city of Kusa was one of the first to suffer disaster after the Three Goddesses descended. Overnight, all of Kusa's citizens perished. There were no signs of fighting, no signs of poisoning. Some collapsed with food still in front of them, while others were trading on the streets outside... It seemed as if they had all died in an instant. The expressions on their faces were peaceful, as if they were asleep."

"Is the whole city like this?"

"Oh, yes. When General Leonidas led the rescue team to Kusa, the entire city was dead."

Chapter 159: Departure to Kusa

If we turn the timeline forward a little, Tachibana and Koya have just come out of the sacred tower.

Tachibana happily brought Koya to the market in Uruk, ready to buy some supplies needed for the journey. Although Koya wanted to say that he had everything in his portable warehouse, seeing Tachibana's excited expression, he didn't say it out loud to spoil the fun.

At the market, Koya also bought a number of handicrafts and weapons discarded on the front lines. He didn't have the money of Uruk, but the magic stones seemed to be very popular among the locals, so he agreed to Koya's request for a barter.

"Koya, are you buying these weapons to give to the people in your clan?"

"Well, the weapons here are very useful. At least they can be used up to Lv. 3."

Everything in Uruk was exaggerated. Every soldier on the northern front had a Level 3 strength, the captain was Level 4, and some generals were even Level 6... Honestly, a few thousand Level 3s in Orario would be a force to be reckoned with, especially considering these warriors were daily engaged in direct combat with monsters, possessing extensive combat experience and mastery of the art of war. Their weapons were naturally excellent, too. Even these discarded, damaged weapons were more than enough for the Hestia Familia!

"It would be great if Goddess Hestia could come and help us. She would definitely be able to deal with this singularity."

This is also the characteristic of Orario. Although the low-end combat power is insufficient, the high-end combat power is frighteningly abundant. Gods who have lived for hundreds of millions of years seem to be more common in Orario than adventurers.

"According to the system, it is currently unable to afford the energy required to transport Hestia."

"What a pity."

"Hey...wait a minute, is Mr. Koya related to the goddess Hestia? Is that the Hestia from Greek mythology?"

Mashu was standing next to Tachibana holding something. This was the first time she heard Koya introduce her background. The mythological stories about the goddess Hestia flashed through Mashu's mind, but she could not find any records about Koya.

"Koya is from another world. In their world, the gods sealed their divine power in the underworld and established their families. Koya is the leader of Hestia's family and also her husband."

"Eh???"

"By the way, Goddess Aphrodite and Goddess Artemis also like Koya~~ Oh, and Koya is the grandson of Goddess Hera. Koya, do you have anything to add?"

"No, you remember the people around me clearly."

"Hehe, after all, maybe I'll have to meet them in the future. When the time comes, Koya, you have to stand by me!"

"it is good."

When the three of them returned to the embassy, Merlin and Anna had already returned. Looking at the unsatisfied look on Merlin's face, could it be that he had been dragged out of bed by the soldiers and had to return here? Hmm... considering Merlin's personality, that was very likely.

"Hey, you're back. The soldiers have already told me the mission. Tachibana, you've been really tired. You have to run to Kusa again without any rest. That place is not a good place."

Anyway, on the second day, the group boarded a carriage to Kusa.

Great, timeline returns to the present!

"Mr. Koya, Mr. Koya! Can you tell me more about your world?"

"Sure, there's nothing I can't say."

It's fair to say the Chaldeans were incredibly receptive. Even knowing Koya was from another world, they weren't surprised, only curious. Mashu explained that they'd already seen Servants from other worlds, like King Arthur from another world. They'd also learned about parallel Servant universes thanks to several minor singularities (events), and even Tachibana had experienced traveling to other worlds (actually event singularities) in her dreams. Mashu wasn't the least bit surprised by Koya's origins; she was simply curious about what his world was like.

"In my world, the gods are very unreliable. They often do incredible things on a whim. One time, over thirty gods conspired to hang themselves at the entrance to the dungeon of the Tower of Babel. The adventurers who had just returned from the dungeon that day, or were about to head there, were terrified by the sight of over thirty gods hanging from the Tower of Babel."

"Wow~~"

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, the pleasant chat time is over. The carriage won't reach the next road, so we should stretch our legs——"

"It's... it's really a miserable scene."

The scene in front of him was extremely exaggerated. It was clearly a plain, but it looked like it had been bombed by a meteor shower. The grassland was covered with potholes of all sizes. No wonder Merlin said that the carriage could not reach the next road. It was not just the carriage that was in trouble, but even the road ahead was difficult to walk on!

"Senior, look, there's someone over there!"

"Hello - are you all right?"

The kind-hearted Tachibana immediately stepped forward and rescued the old man and his sheep from the pit. According to him, this was originally a pasture, and he was here to look for his lost sheep.

"What the hell is going on here?"

“It’s a natural disaster.”

"Is it a meteor shower?"

Faced with Mashu's speculation, the old man shook his head and sighed helplessly.

"It's the goddess Ishtar."

"Eh? Isn't Ishtar the patron saint of Uruk? Why would she destroy the pasture?"

"Goddess Ishtar has been incredibly excited these past few days. She was actually attacking a monster on the pasture, but the goddess blasted the monster and the pasture into the sky. She also forcefully snatched all the gems from my house, saying something like, 'This is your contribution to my worship! I'll protect you.' Hmm, I wonder which unlucky guy caught Ishtar's eye. I hope he's safe."

Hey, the unlucky guy who was spotted by Ishtar was standing next to the rancher. Under the strange gazes of Tachibana, Mashu and Anna, Koya had to stand up.

"I'm sorry, old man. I want to compensate you for the damage Ishtar caused you. Do you think these gems can repay you?"

Koya took out a handful of magic stones from his portable warehouse. It was also thanks to the fact that he and Atalanta had hunted monsters in the dungeon for a whole day before coming here, otherwise he really didn't know how to compensate them now.

"Sir, why are you paying for the goddess Ishtar?"

"Ahem, I should be considered her fiancé, so please accept it."

"This, this... are you telling the truth? Please don't make fun of that goddess. Even if she's a bandit, she's still the patron saint of Uruk. Please don't say such filthy words."

"Hahaha, old man, please accept him. He is indeed the husband chosen by the goddess Ishtar."

Merlin used a little bit of illusion to make the rancher accept Koya's identity and accept the magic stone. After saying goodbye to the unfortunate rancher, Mashu couldn't help but speak.

"Goddess Ishtar doesn't seem to be like this in mythology. With her pride, she would never do such a thing. Even if she wanted to rob, she would only rob the treasures of the gods."

"Yes, if it was the original Ishtar, she certainly wouldn't do such a thing—"

Chapter 160: Dead City Kusa