Chapter 34: Ziusudra Arrives
During this stretch of days, Rowe rarely left his home.
Yet even without stepping outside, he could feel it. Uruk was the same Uruk only in appearance. Beneath the familiar streets and walls, something had already shifted.
Ever since the conclusions reached in that small house began turning into real policy, the city state had started moving in a new direction. The people who lived here were the first to notice.
Each time they woke to a new morning of work and routine, they found more guards along the ramparts, and fewer strangers on the streets.
The rise in guards was obvious. The threat on the borders demanded vigilance.
The decrease in foot traffic came from the merchants. Over these days, Siduri had quietly invited them in one by one, hiring them under Uruk's name and sending them outward across the Mesopotamian Plains.
Merchants had always been the most restless people in any era. Even the remotest villages saw them eventually, so long as silver or grain could change hands. If you wanted a rumor to reach the edge of the world, you paid a trader to carry it.
And so the whirlwind began.
Some whispered that the gods had grown tired of humanity and intended to reenact the ancient flood, wiping the land clean to remake mankind.
Others swore the heavens meant to sacrifice all people as fuel, so the gods could descend again in their true bodies and reclaim dominion over the plains.
The rumors poured out as if guided by an invisible hand. Even when priests rose to deny them, the denials dissolved in the air. With the gods' credibility long spent, reassurance sounded like mockery.
In that atmosphere, even though the heavens repeatedly declared that the punishment was aimed only at Uruk, other kingdoms still wavered.
They began to huddle together, first out of fear, then from habit.
According to Rowe and Gilgamesh's plan, that fear should have driven them into Uruk's orbit. Uruk was the strongest kingdom on the plains, the natural core for any alliance.
And indeed, many city states had already submitted alliance tablets to Uruk, begging for protection.
But not all of them.
A portion drifted toward another power.
"Is that so?"
Rowe's voice echoed in the courtyard as Siduri delivered her report.
"Yes."
Siduri glanced at Gilgamesh before continuing.
The king sat with his head propped on one hand, eyes half lidded, lost somewhere in thought. Since he showed no intention of answering, Siduri took the burden herself.
"It is the outsiders from the Akkad City State who are leading the opposition against Uruk."
"Out of the twelve city states on this land, seven have already submitted alliance tablets to us. The remaining five have gone to the Akkad City State formed under Akkad's banner."
Rowe rubbed his chin.
He had heard of Akkad. Long before his transmigration, after finding Gilgamesh in the Type Moon stories, he had skimmed historical records and seen its name. A city state founded by outsiders centuries ago, destined in the future to replace Uruk after its decline. The Code of Hammurabi would one day rise from its civilization.
That was later.
Right now, Akkad did not have the strength to rival Uruk.
So why surface at this moment?
Rowe's mind moved quickly.
They were siding with the gods, riding the crisis, and trying to carve meat from Uruk while the city was distracted.
The odds were high. It was practically certain they had already received promises from the heavens.
"How do you plan to handle it?" Rowe asked.
Gilgamesh's answer came without hesitation.
"Everything in heaven and on earth belongs to this King. Rabble who dare covet what is mine must be crushed with thunderous methods. Only then will the disobedient learn fear."
"They cannot be tolerated," Siduri added, her usual gentleness sharpened into steel.
"Anyone who blocks the way should be killed," Enkidu said, smiling faintly. "That is what weapons are for."
This courtyard had long since become a second council chamber.
And the stance here was unanimous. Uruk would not tolerate a challenge to its hegemony, especially not now.
"But can Uruk spare troops for an expedition?" Rowe pointed out the obvious flaw.
The Bull of Heaven and Humbaba were still forming on the eastern and western borders. Scouts had to remain on watch in case either beast moved sooner than expected. The allied city states that had submitted tablets also needed handover and joint defense.
Unless Gilgamesh personally marched, Uruk simply did not have the room to swing its full blade at Akkad.
Rowe glanced at Gilgamesh, then continued in a calmer tone.
"Even if you want to act, you cannot do it lightly. You are the symbol of the kingdom and the ultimate deterrent. If you attack without a legitimate reason, the city states that came to us out of fear will start fearing us instead. That kills the plan before it can bloom."
He let the words settle, then raised his chin.
"So I will go."
"I will first probe the city states that sided with Akkad. I will see what those people are truly planning. Then we decide."
It was the perfect excuse. And more importantly, it was the perfect chance to court death.
City states in this era did not share the habit of sparing envoys during wartime. If he walked into enemy territory carrying Uruk's name on his back, a knife in the night was not only possible, it was likely.
Worth trying.
"I will go to the foreign nations bearing the king's decree, and deter the disloyal."
"Then I will also…" Enkidu lifted her hand immediately.
"Enkidu, you should stay in the royal city," Rowe cut in before she could finish. "This will be the core from now on. I will be at ease with you here."
He reached into his robe and placed a small crystal sealed key into her palm.
"Take this. We can sense each other's presence through it."
She looked reluctant, but she nodded, accepting the key.
It would let them stay connected and let Rowe know her status at all times. If anything went wrong, he would feel it instantly.
Rowe turned and tossed another key toward Gilgamesh.
The king caught it with one hand, not refusing. Of course he had to wrap his acceptance in something unpleasant.
"A wild dog who just crawled back from scavenging in the gutter wants to wander out again?"
He wanted Rowe to rest a few more days. He would never admit it outright.
Rowe snorted.
"Compared to me, you are more likely to die from exhaustion. Worry about yourself first. Do not think I have not noticed that since the plan was decided, you have been buried in the palace every day, annotating these matters all night."
Gilgamesh did not deny it.
The Gilgamesh who ruled by hand in his later years had arrived early, dragged out by irritation, ambition, and perhaps a sliver of responsibility he refused to name.
Rowe extended his hand.
"Give it to me."
Gilgamesh blinked.
"Give what?"
"The seal that proves I am Uruk's envoy. I am going to enemy territory. Without it, how do I prove my identity?"
"The king's seal is in the Babylon Treasury. Go find it yourself." Gilgamesh scoffed.
Then, as if it cost him nothing, he added, "Since you are this King's envoy, this King will allow you to act under the prestigious name that encompasses the four seas."
"Well, thank you very much."
Rowe stood, waving him off.
"Who knows how many people you have offended out there with that foul mouth? I just hope I do not get beaten to death the moment I step outside."
He turned toward the door.
"I will go prepare. I leave immediately."
Better to move before night dragged on and those city states decided to crawl back to Uruk on their own. He needed the risk, not the convenience.
"Hmph. Then this King will also take his leave."
Gilgamesh rose.
"And you, clay doll made by the gods, you have become somewhat of a friend recognized by this King. This King allows you to walk in this world under my protection."
Enkidu tilted her head in confusion as a golden ripple bloomed in her palm.
The Gate of Babylon.
Just as he had done with Rowe, Gilgamesh had granted Enkidu access.
She did not understand why, but she still offered thanks.
"Thank you, Gil."
"Call me what you like," Gilgamesh replied, already turning away.
He strode off.
Rowe left after quick preparations.
Only Enkidu remained inside the house.
And Ishtar.
"Ahhh, can you let me go before you leave?"
Her voice, still bound and dangling from the Chains of Heaven, rose into a shriek from behind the door.
Rowe could no longer hear her.
Because the moment he stepped outside, he was stopped.
By an old man in tattered clothes, looking like a vagrant who had walked through dust and death alike. And by the name that came from those cracked lips, spoken with the weight of a legend.
"Ziusudra?"
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