From the very beginning, Ishtar had always been this kind of personality. Because she was doted on by the gods, she was domineering and unreasonable, but at her core she was still a rather simple and kind goddess.
By "simple," it meant that she simply loved gold and silver treasures. She had even gone with Alvin to steal from Goldie's Gate of Babylon before.
As for being kind, compared to the other gods, Ishtar really could be considered kind.
Sensing the boy's gaze, Ishtar shot him a glance, then quickly frowned and said, "What are you grinning like an idiot for? We're almost there. Be careful from here on out. I can't guarantee I'll be able to protect you the whole time."
'Who's protecting who is still up in the air,' Alvin muttered to himself.
Although Gaia had used "cheating" to let Ishtar manifest, the Ishtar before him now wasn't actually in her complete state.
After all, the one who summoned her was King Marco. Even a magus from the Age of Gods couldn't possibly summon a fully intact goddess.
Of course, if he said that out loud now, she'd probably blow up again.
As Alvin's thoughts wandered, the black-and-gold carriage silently entered the forest entrance.
It had clearly been warm and sunny just moments ago, but at some point unknown, lead-colored clouds began to gather in the sky, pressing down dark and heavy, creating an inexplicable sense of oppression.
Alvin leapt down from the carriage, his gaze sweeping across the forest saturated with dense magical energy.
In his ears came the steady clopping of the carriage, and beyond that, plenty of noisy human voices.
Alvin closed his eyes. In an instant, his perception seemed to blanket the entire forest.
"Looks like quite a few people have shown up, seems everyone's moving fast."
Ishtar glanced over lightly and said, "Let's go. We'll head in and take a look first."
"But we still don't know which direction that disturbance earlier came from, we'll probably have to search for a while."
"Why aren't you talking?"
Suddenly noticing that the boy beside her had gone quiet, she looked over and then eyed him suspiciously, "Don't tell me you're scared?"
'No, that's not it.'
Ishtar quickly sensed something was off. When she realized what Alvin was trying to do, the usually arrogant goddess froze on the spot like a clay statue, completely unable to believe her own eyes.
"This guy is actually trying to cover the entire forest directly with magical energy?"
'Isn't that way too extravagant?'
By spreading magical energy over this vast forest, any abnormality within it would be sensed by Alvin instantly.
'Even after already forming a contract with "Mother" to supply magical energy, he can still pull off something this outrageous? Just how enormous is his magical capacity?"
Alvin kept his eyes tightly shut. As the magic from the White Dragon's core spread outward, the chaotic chatter of people, the rustling of animals in the underbrush, and the sound of massive flocks of birds flapping away in panic were all drawn fully into his perception.
And among the magi continuously pouring into the forest, Alvin quickly detected something unusual.
He opened his eyes, looked toward the left side of the forest, and said, "There. Let's go."
Ishtar snapped out of it and clicked her tongue, "Are all fantasy species from Britannia monsters like this?"
'That level of magical energy is probably already comparable to gods in their prime, isn't it?'
'No wonder Gaia sought him out.'
Recalling the scene not long ago where Alvin, enduring the rejection of the Sword of Promised Victory, used his inhuman body to pull it free, Ishtar couldn't help but click her tongue again in secret.
She quickly collected her thoughts and followed Alvin deeper into the forest.
There were still plenty of magi on the forest's outskirts, but as they went deeper, there was barely a single figure to be seen.
Vaguely, an extremely oppressive presence seemed to emanate from ahead.
When she finally saw what that flying object descending from the sky actually was, Ishtar's pupils widened, shock flooding her face, "How could something like this exist in ancient Britannia?"
At the end of the forest, a disk-shaped object radiating a gentle glow was quietly pressing down on the shrubs, exuding a cold metallic texture.
Its entire body was silver, emitting a clean, soft halo. Just standing near it made one feel a chilling aura.
An extraterrestrial flying vessel. Even though it belonged to Gaia's side, seeing a craft from beyond this planet land right before her eyes still filled Ishtar with awe.
BOOM!
As if sensing the approach of strangers, the gentle halo instantly transformed into incomparably sharp, dazzling radiance that shot straight toward Ishtar at high speed.
"Don't underestimate me that much!"
Ishtar raised her right hand in the shape of a gun, firing a beam of magical light straight back. With a terrifying shockwave, the two beams collided in midair, erupting with a thunderous roar.
However, the flying vessel seemed to be provoked by something. One fully charged magical light cannon after another blasted toward Ishtar in the sky.
An intense sense of danger made Ishtar's body tense instantly. She turned and raised her right hand again.
But just as the magic bullet in her hand condensed and fired, beams shot up from the ground in rapid succession, as if erasing the void itself. Even space seemed to warp slightly.
Ishtar couldn't dodge in time and could only watch as the beams rushed toward her.
"Roar!"
Just as the beams were about to reach Ishtar, a low roar suddenly sounded from behind her.
Alvin grabbed Ishtar's shoulder with one hand and smashed the multiple beams to pieces with a single punch.
Ishtar was shaken to the core. Her beautiful eyes flickered as she looked at Alvin.
'This guy's physical body can probably rival that being, right?'
"What are you spacing out for? Move!"
The boy's voice suddenly rang out beside her.
Before Ishtar could react, Alvin grabbed her wrist. Amid a sudden sense of weightlessness, she felt her whole body grow light.
Focusing her eyes, Ishtar saw that at some point Alvin had already lifted her into his arms. A pair of black-and-white intertwined wings spread from his back as he streaked toward the flying vessel at top speed.
With a sharp sound of wind tearing through the air, by the time Ishtar reacted, Alvin had already gently set her down on the ground.
Feeling the cold sensation of the floor beneath her feet, Ishtar finally came back to herself. When she realized she was already inside the flying vessel, an inexplicable sense of humiliation welled up.
A goddess of the heavens, actually needing someone else's help one day.
If the one who had summoned her wasn't King Marco but someone with far greater magical power, she wouldn't be feeling this stifled right now.
"Let me make this clear first. Even at that level just now, I could've handled it myself."
Even though it was embarrassing, the goddess of the heavens was still stubborn.
She glanced at the boy and said quietly, "But I suppose you did an okay job."
"To be able to clash head-on with magic of that level using just your body, even in the most brilliant era of the Age of Gods, I've only seen one person capable of that."
"I had extra reinforcement back in Britannia," Alvin paused, "Looks like my guess was right. Once we're inside the vessel, it doesn't seem to attack us anymore. Let's head further in and take a look."
Despite being an alien flying vessel, the interior was filled with a modern style. Occasionally, walls gleaming with gold could be seen, inlaid with precious coins.
On those coins were engraved complex scripts and patterns.
The pattern depicted a woman holding a great sword, towering in stature and emanating an overwhelming killing intent.
Ishtar didn't seem interested in the coins at all and simply headed straight deeper into the vessel.
Seeing this, Alvin couldn't help saying, "Aren't you always interested in gold and silver treasures? Why now—"
Ishtar glanced at him coolly, "What I like are gemstones, not gold coins. Besides, this little bit of wealth is nothing."
Alvin froze for a moment, then quickly laughed, "True. Back at King Marco's place, you probably extorted quite a bit of treasure too."
"Extorted? That's called tribute, got it!"
The goddess of the heavens stopped, hands on her hips, looking unhappy, "And even the wealth King Marco had was nothing special."
"I've seen a treasury that could truly be called a 'mountain.'"
Alvin scanned the vessel's interior and said, "You mean the King of Heroes?"
"You even know about that?"
Ishtar instinctively looked at Alvin, then her gaze instantly turned dangerous, "Seems like you've looked into me quite a bit."
"I just heard a few things about Uruk from other transmigrators."
Alvin smiled. His expression was relaxed, but his attention never left the flying vessel.
Because it was far too strange.
The White Dragon could sense a person's presence through their heartbeat, pulse, even breathing. Yet from the moment he stepped onto the vessel until now, he hadn't sensed a single living being.
'Has the people inside already left?'
"Look, what's that?"
At that moment, Ishtar's voice rang out. Her curious gaze was fixed on a tightly shut iron door ahead.
The door looked ancient and unremarkable, but faintly, a golden glow seemed to leak out from the crack.
Alvin steadied himself and walked forward.
Creak!
With a heavy sound of the door opening, he pushed it open.
And after seeing the scene beyond the door, he couldn't help but freeze.
Gemstones and gold, an entire room was covered wall to wall with gold and silver treasures. The dazzling brilliance was almost blinding.
"My god! How can there be so many gemstones?"
Behind him, seeing this shocking sight, Ishtar's eyes lit up instantly, excitement surging.
"So many gems. I only ever saw this much in the King of Heroes' treasury!"
As if thinking of something, Ishtar suppressed her excitement. A radiant smile appeared on her face as she said, "Alvin, since you're also a witness, how about we split the treasure here fifty-fifty?"
Ishtar was great in every way, except she was too greedy. The moment she saw gems, she couldn't move. Alvin said helplessly, "I'll pass. Just take what you want."
"But don't take everything. And you're not interested in gold anyway."
"I may not be interested in gold, but it's not like I can't take it all—"
Ishtar's voice suddenly stopped.
Like a statue frozen in time, she stared blankly at Alvin, disbelief filling her beautiful eyes.
That strange sense of familiarity surged up in her heart.
("This is that flashy king's Gate of Babylon? If we take all his treasures this time, when he comes back, he'll be furious, won't he?")
("Savith, as the great contributor who brought me here, take whatever you want. This goddess is very generous to her friends.")
The boy standing before the Gate of Babylon looked utterly helpless as he sighed, ("I'll pass. Just take what you want.")
("But leave him some gold at least. You're not that interested in that stuff anyway, right…")
("Better than nothing. I even prepared several sacks.")
Before the glittering Gate of Babylon, the goddess of the heavens lay atop a pile of gemstones. Laughter filled her crimson eyes as she joyfully examined the boy at the doorway.
Even though a white mask concealed his true face and voice, Ishtar could still sense the helplessness in his tone.
'Why did such a distant memory suddenly surface?', Ishtar's expression wavered slightly. In her pale golden eyes, Alvin's face was reflected.
He seemed not to have realized anything yet and hesitated, "Did I say something wrong—"
Very rarely, there was not the slightest hint of a smile on Ishtar's face.
"Alvin, actually, ever since I first met you, there's been a question I've wanted to ask you."
She slowly extended her right hand. In her palm, a white mask quietly appeared at some unknown point.
The surface of the mask formed a white spiral, exuding an aura that was both sacred and bewitching.
BOOM!
The instant he saw the mask, it was as if a thunderbolt exploded in Alvin's ears. His pupils slowly widened.
'Savith's mask?'
During the Uruk era, after assisting the King of Heroes in parting ways with the gods, Savith himself had completely vanished from that world.
And after that, the system had left no information whatsoever regarding that "mask."
'At the very end of the Age of Gods, this mask actually ended up in Ishtar's hands?'
"Do you recognize it?", At that moment, Ishtar's voice suddenly pulled Alvin back to reality.
Alvin snapped out of it, but before he could speak, Ishtar had already stepped forward.
Under Alvin's increasingly complicated gaze, she slowly placed the mask onto his face.
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