Drawn by the treasure, Ishtar finally agreed to Jiang You's request. Because of Jiang You's Inventory, the Hero King hadn't bothered to consider transportation costs when providing the riches, resulting in even more wealth than originally promised—perhaps including living expenses for the populace?
By the way, Jiang You also received a 20% commission, though he couldn't care less about it. The gold left behind by a previous Master was more than enough for him to squander, and he couldn't use it to buy cards anyway.
Watching Ishtar sprawled amidst the piles of gold, Jiang You couldn't quite understand her. In this era, such wealth seemed to serve little purpose. Why was she acting like a Western fantasy dragon, cherishing the treasures not for their value, but for their sheer existence?
"Over the next few days, I'll arrange for the ordinary citizens of Uruk and Ur to take refuge here. You won't need to directly confront Tiamat herself; just hold back the Lahmu surging from the Primordial Sea... Oh, and you might also have to deal with creatures similar to the Eleven Beasts—they're called Ba'al Lahmu, I think."
"Since I've already lost to you, I can't stop you," Ishtar said, her smile fading slightly at the mention of this. "But can you guarantee you can defeat Tiamat? To gamble humanity's future like this... you're pushing things too far, you know. Will you lose?"
"Nah I'd win!"
Kingu's duel had provided valuable intelligence, and Jiang You's deck already contained cards specifically designed to counter Tiamat. He saw no reason for defeat.
"Fine... I suppose I'm just not skilled enough."
Ishtar reiterated that she was only helping for the sake of the treasure.
With this, the entire fighting force of the Seventh Singularity—excluding Kingu and Tiamat—had rallied to Jiang You's side. All that remained was to evacuate the civilians before launching the final battle. If it weren't for the overwhelming swarm of Lahmu, Jiang You could even summon Tiamat directly without any preparation, since duels were always one-on-one.
As Jiang You approached Uruk, he heard Gilgamesh's signature booming laughter from afar.
"Flee, flee! This King is an insurmountable mountain! Whether in wisdom or strength!"
Nearing the Divine Tower, Jiang You saw Goldie unilaterally pummeling Fairy Tristan.
The shattered clay tablets scattered across the ground suggested that the pair had initially used them as makeshift weapons, hurling them at each other until their tempers flared and they resorted to real blades.
Goldie's firepower was overwhelming. Fairy Tristan's defenses were insufficient, even though she possessed a Noble Phantasm capable of a one-hit kill. However, her Noble Phantasm operated like a curse, similar to the Cursed Stake: Seven Arrows of Retribution. It required preparation and a medium, resulting in a lengthy activation delay. Moreover, Goldie wouldn't give her the chance; his relentless Noble Phantasm barrage kept Fairy Tristan pinned down, leaving her completely unable to close the distance and utterly humiliated.
"Stop!" Jiang You rushed between them, halting the battle. "I expected this outcome, but isn't this a bit too quick?"
"Quick? It's already far too slow!" Goldie snapped, his anger flaring anew. He felt teaching this creature would tarnish his legacy as an educator for eternity.
"Mongrel, do you think This King has endless patience? Any of my subjects would make a better Lord than her! How can she remember nothing but punishments? She's unfit to be a Princess; she'd be better suited as a Cruel Taskmaster!"
"On that point, I actually agree..." Jiang You muttered.
Fairy Tristan's sole talent lay in Curse Magic—this was explicitly stated in her character description. In her previous life, she had been repeatedly tortured to death. In this life, she tortured others for amusement, and when she was displeased. Her twisted personality made her utterly unsuited for governance.
"What do you mean by that?!"
Fairy Tristan lunged at Jiang You, snapping her jaws at his throat. Because she was his Token in this realm, she couldn't trigger his passive abilities. Her bite pierced his neck, and she greedily sucked his blood.
Jiang You had kept his pain sensitivity at the lowest possible setting, so the sensation was barely noticeable—like a mosquito bite.
After a few greedy sips, Fairy Tristan shoved him away in disgust.
"Why does your blood taste like nothing...? And I've been studying so hard! No one can learn all this in just one day!"
"What flavor were you expecting? It's not duck blood. Should I add some seasoning next time?"
Jiang You wiped at his wound. With his C-Rank durability, the two puncture marks quickly scabbed over. Such minor injuries were nothing to a Heroic Spirit.
"You claim you're working hard, and This King won't deny that," Goldie conceded, ever fair-minded. "But if you can't even master this basic stuff in a day, is your head stuffed with straw?!"
"Teacher King of Heroes is so strict," Jiang You remarked.
With Goldie's endorsement, Jiang You had no reason to doubt Fairy Tristan's efforts. In the game, after her Third Ascension, she had been cursed and decayed to the point of losing her memories. Even in that state, she still clung to thoughts of Morgan, uttering the heartbreaking line, "Ah... if using this can enrich the village, will everyone treat me kindly...?"
So Fairy Tristan had actually considered becoming a popular fairy through conventional means.
"As a Lord, as a King, one must strive for perfection, excellence, and absolute supremacy!" Goldie declared.
Goldie thought this was simply a basic requirement. If one couldn't even achieve this, what right did they have to call themselves King?
"My dearest friend Enkidu could recreate any weapon from mere earth with a single glance. Though I admit that might be a bit difficult, who knows? Someday, there might even be someone who can copy their opponent's Noble Phantasms mid-battle!"
"Stop setting up such bizarre flags," Jiang You muttered.
Later, Goldie would have his arm chopped off by the very person he'd mentioned. Within just a few days of the Holy Grail War, Shirou Emiya, an "ordinary" high school student with third-rate swordsmanship and fourth rate Magic circuits, had transformed into a first-rate warrior capable of defeating a careless Goldie head-on. This rapid growth brought tears of blood to the eyes of all the Heroic Spirits—it was beyond mere genius; it was the privilege reserved for the author's favorite son.
Jiang You, who struggled to memorize even basic English vocabulary after days of studying, had no affinity for genius. He fundamentally disagreed with Goldie's values.
"Baobhan Sith has ample time to learn gradually. There's no need to rush her."
"Indeed. This King cannot expect everyone to reach my level. The sheer number of mediocrities in this world is truly laughable."
Goldie nodded in agreement. "We don't have much time left. Even if I've only taught you for a short while, you are still this King's student. To prevent you from disgracing me, I'm increasing the intensity of your training tenfold!"
"Can't you just find someone else?" Fairy Tristan pleaded.
She felt that with Goldie's training methods, a tenfold increase in intensity would be tantamount to killing her outright.
"Someone else? Merlin, perhaps?" Jiang You suggested, pointing to the White Servant watching the spectacle from the sidelines.
"..."
Fairy Tristan realized she had no real alternatives.