Chapter 246
"Quetzalcoatl, heh, Quetzalcoatl..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka sat on the stone with a blank expression on her face.
"Is Senpai okay?" Mash looked at her melancholic back with concern.
"She's been like that ever since she found out that one of the Three Goddesses is Quetzalcoatl."
"To be fair, who wouldn't break down?" Merlin shrugged when he heard this. "No matter how you look at it, Quetzalcoatl is the supreme god of the South American Pantheon... With our strength, we can't even beat Jaguar Man, yet we want to face her..."
"Sigh," he sighed and shook his head.
"There's always a way, Senpai!" Mash comforted her, innocently placing a hand on Fujimaru Ritsuka's shoulder.
"That's a supreme god," Fujimaru Ritsuka turned her head with lifeless eyes. "Trying to defeat her with the strength in our hands... It's basically impossible, unless..."
"Unless..." Merlin turned his head to look at Xia Yu, who was currently roasting meat.
"Unless..." Mash's eyes lit up as she followed his gaze.
"Do you see this, Anna?" Xia Yu fed the meat skewer in her hand to Anna, then casually ruffled the hair on her head before continuing, "These people, they aren't honest at all."
"They clearly want me to take action so badly, yet they still beat around the bush for so long."
"Liars," Anna, who finally no longer showed much resistance to Xia Yu's touch, cast a cold glance at Merlin and gave such an accurate evaluation.
"Oh my, you can't really say that," Merlin scratched his head upon hearing this. "I'd prefer to call it the art of conversation. So Miss Kiana is very willing to..."
"I know, I know," Xia Yu nodded. "As for whether I'm willing or not... Actually, big sis is quite nice."
She looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and said pointedly, "She really admires brave heroes. Just yesterday, she even came looking for me to fight a round."
"And the result?" Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes lit up when she heard this.
"I won," Xia Yu proudly raised her head. "Stats mean everything!"
After all, big sis wasn't Quetzalcoatl in her prime, just a facet that descended as a Servant. In terms of stats, she naturally couldn't compare to a Herrscher.
"Then can Big Sis Kiana help us..." Mash was extremely excited.
"Hmm, for Firefly's sake, I'll agree to lend you a hand once." Hearing this, Xia Yu stroked her chin, then said meaningfully, "But are you sure you want me to use it on her?"
"Of course," Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded upon hearing this. "The Goddess of Demonic Beasts's Authority focuses on producing Demonic Beasts, and we've also made contact with Lady Ishtar. Right now, the trickiest one is the South American..."
"No, respected Miss Kiana." Right at this moment, Merlin interrupted her. "We can deal with that supreme god of South America. Your power... needs to be saved for a much more dangerous phase."
"Dangerous?" Hearing this, Xia Yu shrugged. "But I think she's quite cute."
"...I reckon you're the only person in this world who would use 'cute' to describe her," Merlin sighed.
That 'big cutie' she spoke of was currently still sleeping in the Persian Gulf. In order to maintain the dream, his Heroic Spirit main body even had to permanently reside in the Persian Gulf, and this current one was just a projection.
So they couldn't expect him to be much of a fighter. There was a reason why he just watched from the sidelines the entire time during the previous battle with Jaguar Man.
As for his main body... if Tiamat were to just yawn, he would be shaken to death.
"Merlin, are you saying..." Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka's pupils shrank, and then her whole demeanor plummeted.
Merlin clearly knew something, and that unknown threat was definitely greater than Quetzalcoatl.
Heh, hehe.
Was this the Age of Gods?
Fujimaru Ritsuka was deeply shocked.
A threat even more powerful than the chief god of a Pantheon...
Fujimaru Ritsuka's heart completely died.
"Three Goddess Alliance, Three Goddess Alliance..." Xia Yu shook her head. "Did I just hear you lump Ishtar into that as well?"
"Uh, is that wrong?" The few of them exchanged glances.
"Of course it's wrong!" Xia Yu had to clear Ishtar's name. "Even though she's clumsy and seems really fun to tease, you can't just throw dirty water on her."
"Ishtar was legitimately summoned by the priests of Uruk to fight against the initial horde of Demonic Beasts. From the very beginning, she was naturally never in the same camp as the Three Goddesses."
"But then why does Lady Ishtar never protect the people?" Fujimaru Ritsuka still couldn't understand.
"Who can blame them when the King of Uruk and she share such a tangled and messy history?" Xia Yu shrugged. "It's already a miracle that those two don't start fighting the moment they meet, and you still expect them to cooperate sincerely?"
"Besides, Ishtar has always been a capricious god, whether in mythology or reality."
Meaning it wouldn't be strange for her to do anything.
"Since Lady Ishtar isn't part of the Three Goddess Alliance," Mash suddenly asked, "then besides the Goddess of Demonic Beasts and Quetzalcoatl, who is the other goddess?"
Hearing this, everyone coincidentally looked at Xia Yu.
"It's better if you explore this kind of thing yourselves," Xia Yu smiled. "Don't always think about taking shortcuts. Your journey is still very long, and I won't be able to accompany you the whole way."
"Rely on a mountain, and the mountain will fall. It's always most reassuring to rely on oneself."
"Is that so..." Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed.
Sigh, and here she was hoping to cling to Big Sis Kiana's thighs for support.
"Alright, if everyone is done eating, I should go to sleep too." With a wave of Xia Yu's hand, a tent appeared beside them.
"Hm? Are you not returning to Lady Ishtar's Temple tonight?" Merlin had a bad premonition when he saw this.
"Oh, she got into a spat with me," Xia Yu said calmly. "So I'm coming out to lay low for a bit."
"I understand, I understand," hearing this, Merlin immediately put on a pained expression. "When you provoke enough people, it always takes some time to clearly figure out everyone's feelings."
The others had no intention of staying up any longer, so everyone soon fell asleep.
Unlucky Merlin took the night watch. Who told him to always cause trouble?
"Quetzalcoatl, huh..." On a donkey cart unique to Sumer, Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed. "King Gilgamesh, are you confident in defeating her?"
"I don't know..." Mash sighed.
"And we still have two other goddesses we need to conquer." Fujimaru Ritsuka's body swayed with the donkey cart. "The Goddess of Demonic Beasts deep within the northern forest, and that unknown third goddess."
"It wouldn't happen to be Jaguar Man, would it?" Hearing this, Mash tensed up.
"No, although Jaguar Man is also a deity, she should have descended as an existence attached to Quetzalcoatl," Fujimaru Ritsuka said anxiously. "Just who in the world is this third goddess?!"
"Let nature take its course, Senpai." Hearing this, Mash handed her an apple. "Anyway, based on our respective strengths, it's definitely impossible for us to give up, so we'll run into her eventually."
"Let's focus on our current mission," Mash hurriedly added at this point. "This is work personally assigned by King Gilgamesh after all."
"Investigating the water quality of the Persian Gulf..." Fujimaru Ritsuka said thoughtfully.
"Yes, heading to the observation post set up in the Persian Gulf," Mash replied. "We're to bring back the seawater collected from there."
"It's basically just a job transporting goods."
"And this route won't be attacked by the Three Goddesses," Fujimaru Ritsuka followed up. "The weather is nice, too."
"The surroundings feel very peaceful."
"Mr. Merlin and Miss Anna didn't tag along." Mash's lips spoke of regret, but her smiling expression revealed her true feelings. "What a shame."
"Because there are only two travel passes, right?" Fujimaru Ritsuka turned to look at her.
"Yes," Mash also turned back to look at her. "So this is also a long-overdue private trip just for the two of us with Senpai."
"That's how it was supposed to be..." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked back into the cart helplessly.
"Yeah," Mash's tone was also full of disappointment. "It really was supposed to be like that..."
"Oh, the Zagros Mountains are covered in beautiful white clouds," Gilgamesh sat in the donkey cart as if there was no one else around. "I should recite a verse here..."
"For some reason, King Gilgamesh has also tagged along with us," Mash closed her eyes. Although her tone remained sweet, anyone could hear the faint traces of resentment in it.
"Um..." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked back at Gilgamesh. "You should probably tell us the reason you're traveling with us now."
A king who was busy with a myriad of state affairs every day, and was mocked daily for being on the verge of dropping dead from overwork, suddenly had the leisurely mood to appreciate the scenery...
"This King occasionally wishes to go see the ocean as well," Gilgamesh stated with an unchanging expression. "That is all."
"See the ocean?" Fujimaru Ritsuka was stunned.
"Does that mean you're on break today?" Mash was a little excited.
"It's precisely because This King doesn't have time to go out and play..." Were Gilgamesh's recordings all shot overseas?
So that was why he used this kind of excuse to sneak out.
"You're way too reckless..." Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't even have the energy to complain.
"Wait," Mash suddenly remembered someone. "Where is Siduri?"
Gilgamesh tilted his head.
"Slipping away from right under Siduri's nose is not difficult at all."
Hearing this, the Chaldea duo exchanged glances, then began a moment of silence.
Gilgamesh certainly had plenty of legends.
"Why the miserable expressions..."
"Perhaps it's not my place to say," the righteous little angel Mash said with a straight face, "but this kind of behavior isn't very acceptable."
"You sure have the nerve to speak up," Gilgamesh sneered, turning his head to look at the female protagonist.
"Anyway, having you help me isn't because I feel work is too tiring," he added. "Nor is it to come out looking for a thrill."
"Alright, just like usual, tell some jokes to entertain This King!"
"The King really did just want to come out and look for a thrill, didn't he," Fujimaru Ritsuka instinctively retorted.
Meanwhile, back in Chaldea, the Doctor held a cup of coffee and couldn't help but sigh, "His Majesty the King is quite unreasonable too..."
His tone was full of ridicule for an old rival.
"Ahhhh!" Seeing this, Da Vinci stepped right up and raised that treasure. "How could His Majesty the King laugh so hard at a joke that his abs cramped up?"
"I absolutely have to enjoy this scene through the screen."
And so, Mash began carrying out the mission while chatting with the others.
Just like that, they made their way to the observation post.
"So this is the observation post." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the tall building built from stone bricks in front of them.
"The seawater we are to bring back this time," Gilgamesh spoke up, "is for the urgent research being conducted in this observation post..."
"They're conducting proper water quality investigations here," Mash immediately realized their group's situation.
"But in this era, water really is quite precious," she said instinctively.
"Let's go," Gilgamesh didn't say much more, walking straight towards the lighthouse.
"King Gilgamesh?!" Obviously, upon seeing Gilgamesh, the people of Uruk had already composed themselves as if accustomed to the sight. "To think you came personally! Is it really okay to leave your state affairs behind?"
"Heh, just like Senpai's reaction," Mash stepped a little closer and said.
"It's nothing, just some minor matters to handle," Gilgamesh continued. "Very simple matters."
"Huh? But weren't you..." Mash's brain still hadn't fully processed it.
"Hmph? Are you looking down on This King?" Gilgamesh gave her a sidelong glance.
"Senpai, Senpai~~~" Mash tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "The King is definitely pretending that he has a lot of free time."
"In truth, he completed some important work. He's really amazing."
It was obvious that Mash had already grasped the essence of conversing with him.
Soon, the two sides finished the handover.
Seeing that there was still some time, Gilgamesh also wanted to snatch a moment of leisure from his busy schedule, so he wasn't in a hurry to return.
The group arrived at the beach.
"Phew, the work is finally done for now," Fujimaru Ritsuka poured a cup of water for Mash.
"Senpai," Mash took it, "thank you very much."
"The Persian Gulf..." They stood side by side on the beach. "It's so beautiful..."
"It really isn't bad." Right at this moment, Xia Yu's voice drifted over from behind the two of them. "I just don't know if we can go fishing."
"Hm? Big Sis Kiana?" Seeing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes lit up, and she immediately went up to link arms with her. "Are you here to fish?"
"What else would I be doing?" Xia Yu gave the fishing rod in her hand a shake. "I wanted to change up my palate, but I just don't know how the seafood from the Persian Gulf tastes."
"Hmm... there's no pollution in this era," Mash said with sparkling eyes. "It will definitely be delicious!"
"Right, do you guys know how to fish?" Xia Yu casually constructed two more fishing rods. "Want to have a little competition?"
"Sure!" Seeing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka rubbed her hands together eagerly and said, "If we win, then all the cooking at the base for the next month will be Big Sis Kiana's job!"
"Alright," Xia Yu smiled slightly. "If I win... hmm, one request. A request that doesn't violate your inner moral compass."
"It's a deal!" A gleam flashed in Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes as she directly high-fived Xia Yu.
"Wait, Senpai!" Seeing this, Mash quickly spoke up. "We don't have any bait!"
"Am I that stingy of a person?" Hearing this, Xia Yu raised an eyebrow. "Feel free to use my bait, lest you claim my victory was unsporting."
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