"I just picked up an ordinary key. I didn't touch anything else."
"A key?" Li Lin frowned.
"Mhm, just an ordinary key." As if afraid he wouldn't believe her, Ishtar moved away from the tree and began to explain with animated gestures. "I was just passing by, and you'll never guess what I saw! An ordinary key was just lying there on the ground among the dead leaves."
She spread her hands, pointing to the ground. "The craftsmanship looked decent, so I picked it up. I thought maybe someone had lost it, and I could do them a favor by returning it. But then, you know what happened. That crazy Humbaba suddenly strung me up and accused me of stealing its things."
She surreptitiously glanced at Li Lin, then turned away, licking her fingers and dabbing them under her eyes to feign tears. "Waaah, it's so unfair! I didn't even get inside the gates of the Golden Capital, so how could I have stolen anything? As a god of justice, you believe me, right?"
With that, she moved closer, looking up at him with teary, puppy-dog eyes.
Li Lin: "...."
You want to guess if I believe a single word of your bullshit? He couldn't help but roll his eyes. This useless goddess could spin lies without even blinking. Picked it up by chance? Planned to return it later? Do you even believe that yourself?
Li Lin placed a hand on her forehead and pushed her away. "Alright, cut the crap. Take it out and let me see."
"Uh, well, there's no need for that. It's just a small, insignificant trinket, nothing special." Ishtar's expression stiffened. She started fidgeting, tapping her index fingers together in front of her chest, trying to play dumb.
"Fine, if you're not willing, then forget it."
Unexpectedly, Li Lin didn't press her. He just shrugged calmly. This made Ishtar's face light up, but before she could celebrate, his next words made her jaw drop.
"Since you're unwilling, I guess I'll just have to throw you back to Humbaba. Every debt has its debtor. You'll just be strung up for a little longer, it's no big deal."
With that, Li Lin turned as if to leave her there.
"Ch-chotto matte—!!" Ishtar cried out in Japanese. "I'll take it out, okay?! I'll take it out!"
Seeing that he was about to leave, she couldn't maintain her composure any longer, her face twisting into a grimace.
"Hehehe~, that's more like it. Why do you always have to make me use my ultimate move?" Li Lin grinned triumphantly, crossing his arms with a smug look.
"Ugh, I don't know what kind of bad luck I have to have met you," Ishtar lamented, finally realizing his plan. But with her weakness in his hands, she had no choice but to reluctantly take out the so-called "key she picked up" for the sake of her freedom.
"This is...!"
Li Lin's brow furrowed as he saw the key. He took it and examined it closely, immediately spotting the critical detail.
Holy crap, this is what you call an 'ordinary key'? This is the goddamn Silver Key that opens the main gate to the Golden Capital!
He realized he had underestimated Ishtar's recklessness. Normally, gods weren't forbidden from entering the Golden Capital. After all, it housed their Noble Phantasms. Back when he was a god of light, he had stored some things there himself and could retrieve them if needed.
But the Silver Key was different. It wasn't just a key; in a sense, it was the Golden Capital itself. It was the legendary item that granted its wielder ownership of the entire Treasury of the Gods!
"Good grief, I thought you just stole a few things, but you were planning to haul away the entire treasury!" Li Lin looked at Ishtar, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "No wonder Humbaba is after you. If it let you go, it would be flayed alive by the other gods!"
"Ehe~." In response to his accusation, Ishtar stuck out her tongue and tapped her head with her fist, trying to look cute and get away with it.
Li Lin: "...."
Ehe, my ass. Get serious, Barba—... I mean, Ishtar!!
"Alright, now that I know the cause, the solution should be simple," Li Lin said. "You stand here and don't move. I'm going to go buy you some oranges."
With that, he ignored Ishtar and walked back into the forest. Along the way, he looked at the key in his hand, and a flash of inspiration struck him.
Speaking of which, since this is already in my hands, wouldn't it be a waste to just return it?
He stopped, his eyes glinting as he thought. Everyone knows Ishtar stole the key, and she's the criminal Humbaba captured. So, it would be perfectly normal if a few things went missing from the Golden Capital, right?
A sinister smile spread across his face. "Besides, I haven't even been paid for saving her yet. This will cover the fee nicely."
He hesitated no longer. Channeling a sliver of divine power into the key, he opened the gate to the Golden Capital just a crack.
"First, I should pick things that can survive in the Underworld. Hmm, what's this...? Ishtar's confiscated divinity?"
His sharp eyes spotted a quietly floating green orb of light in a corner. "Right, she also holds a portion of the Authority of Harvest. Heh, as a goddess of war who does nothing but run wild, this Authority is wasted on her. It would be much better if I took it to plant in the Underworld."
Without a second thought, he pocketed the green orb. Then, he skimmed a few other inconsequential items from the treasury—mostly decorations and clothes. He didn't touch any of the important Noble Phantasms or Authorities. He knew his limits. Taking some things could have serious consequences, and unlike Ishtar, he didn't have the entire Sumerian pantheon backing him up.
And so, Li Lin packed up nearly all of Ishtar's personal treasures from the Golden Capital, planning to give them to Eresh. In his mind, since they were twin goddesses, what belonged to Ishtar also belonged to his Eresh. It was just moving things from the left hand to the right. No big deal. (chuckles)
Ishtar: The hell it isn't!
P.S. This is why Ishtar becomes progressively poorer later on and can't resist gems. (smirk, laughs :-D)
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