Chapter 245:
"As long as you follow the rules of the Forest Goddess..."
The priestess in green trembled as she spoke, "Nothing bad will happen..."
"So, because you were safe, but the forest couldn't spread outward," Merlin suddenly spoke up, "that's why you haven't offered assistance to the other cities, right?"
"How could that be? No!" The gray-haired priestess looked agonized upon hearing this. "If we could, we would also want to send reinforcements, but..."
She looked at the people around her.
"It conflicts with the rules of the Forest Goddess. That's what it is, isn't it?" Merlin said, looking around.
"I see. We understand the situation now," he sighed. "Doing nothing is Ur's method of self-defense."
"I hope you can understand," the priestess lowered her head in shame. "We don't have a hero as powerful as King Gilgamesh..."
"Of course, we can understand," Merlin smiled. "As long as you don't resist, you can survive. This is the usual trick of giving up on oneself."
"And then, how many people have been sacrificed here?"
His eyes instantly turned cold. "Is it really one per day?"
"Anyone can guess just by looking around. The number of men here is far too low. For Ur, which hasn't been in a war, this number is far too unbalanced."
"So, the number of men must have naturally decreased due to other reasons."
"It can't be helped!" the priestess said with her head down. "To survive in Ur, human sacrifices are a necessary price."
"Everyone is chosen on the basis of acceptance and consent."
Another priestess spoke up, "As long as we choose one person a day and send him to the Eridu Temple, it will satisfy that demon."
"Is this your choice?" Fujimaru Ritsuka found it somewhat hard to accept.
"Is this the method you use to protect yourselves?" Mash obviously found it difficult to accept as well.
"What do you outsiders know?" The priestess was enraged upon hearing this. "You only say such things because you haven't seen that terrifying goddess!"
"For weak humans, there is absolutely no way to escape," the gray-haired priestess said powerlessly. "So please, everyone, just go back."
"Humanity and ethics ceased to exist in Mesopotamia a long time ago."
Hearing this, Merlin sighed, his face full of indifference as he looked at the Chaldea duo. "It's going to be very hard to persuade them like this, and we won't be able to gather intel either."
"To not fight for anything and rely solely on the sacrifices of others..." Obviously, compared to the intel Merlin was worried about, Fujimaru Ritsuka cared more about the city in front of her...
"Ohohohoho!" Right at that moment, a wild laughter rang out from the top of the temple. "No need to worry!"
The group looked up and saw Jaguar Man, wearing a strange animal mascot suit, standing up there with her arms crossed.
"If you want to know why..." she smiled brightly. "If I killed the sacrifices, I'd be scolded for being an old fogy."
"Wait, is this funny-looking thing the Forest Goddess?" Seeing this, Anna couldn't hold back. A goddess? This thing?
She found it somewhat unacceptable.
"That's right! I am the beautiful Forest Goddess!" Jaguar Man's eyes shone brightly.
"Where did all the people who were taken away go?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked instinctively.
"They were escorted to the Eridu Temple to be manual laborers, of course," Jaguar Man answered honestly.
"Are they still alive?" Mash asked worriedly.
"As a gourmet, I only enjoy the hearts of brave heroes," Jaguar Man said as she leaped down, landing heavily in the center of the plaza. "I like birds, I like fish, and I also eat people!"
"Jaguar Man Warrior! Teleporting here!" She struck a pose. "I won't allow you to take the sacrifices away!"
"Otherwise, all our hard work up until now will have been for nothing!"
"And I'll be made to cry by Kukul."
"Kukul?" Hearing this name, Merlin narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, this is our world!" Jaguar Man drew her somewhat comical weapon. "Land of the Spiraling Serpent!"
"Humans who cannot discern the definition of a god, leave at once!"
Answering her were Anna's scythe and Mash's Great Shield.
"Not leaving, huh," Jaguar Man became excited seeing this. "As long as we have the forest's protection, our sun is invincible!"
"To explain it in simple terms, at least bring a welcoming gift, you idiots!"
As soon as her voice faded, she charged forward, bringing her Long Spear down towards Mash.
Mash reacted with divine speed, raising her Great Shield right in front of her.
"Oho, this shield is really nice," Jaguar Man showed a look of appreciation.
"My shield is the wish entrusted to me by a Knight of the Round Table," Mash said through gritted teeth, feeling the opponent's monstrous strength. "I will not let down anyone who believes in me!"
Hearing this, Jaguar Man was just about to say something when Anna's scythe silently hooked towards her neck from behind.
Jaguar Man dodged and vanished from her spot.
Both sides were quickly locked in combat, but Anna and Mash were clearly at a disadvantage.
"This self-proclaimed Jaguar Man..." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at Merlin beside her while supporting Mash. "Is actually a formidable enemy."
'Meaning, old man, hurry up and make yourself useful!'
Anna had just been kicked into the sky and then fiercely smashed into the ground by Jaguar Man's axe kick.
'As a legendary magus, how do you have the nerve to slack off right next to me!'
'And how could this person, wearing a mascot suit with 'gag character' written all over her face, be so strong?'
"You can't judge a book by its cover," Merlin said, pretending not to see her condemning gaze. "She is still a divine spirit, more or less."
"She is a proper god. Without a Servant of equal divinity, we have no way to fight back."
"It's a pity, but this time we'll..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a Greatsword pierced through the air from afar, directly forcing back Jaguar Man, who was charging at Mash.
"I say..." Xia Yu activated the Herrscher of the Void's abilities, stepping on the air step by step as she approached. "This place looks just like a tropical rainforest... So are there any tropical local specialties?"
"Hey, I'm asking you," she patted Mash's shoulder. "Did you come across any tropical fruits along the way?"
"Ah? Sorry, I didn't notice any..." Mash said hurriedly.
"Tsk, all flash and no substance," Xia Yu looked disappointed. "I thought I could find some local specialties."
"Hey, you..." Jaguar Man's eyes lit up as she looked at her. "There's no doubt! You are a hero!"
"A hero like you! I haven't seen one in years," her will to fight was fully stimulated. "Kukul's aura... emmm... this one looks appetizing!"
"But... it should be fine if I take a couple of bites first."
"You really aren't afraid of taking a beating," Xia Yu looked at her from the corner of her eyes.
"I have a divine authority for combat, after all," Jaguar Man licked her lips. "Let's have a satisfying fight!"
"I refuse," Xia Yu side-eyed her. "You're not qualified yet."
"Oho, you dare say that to this goddess?" Jaguar Man raised the Long Spear in her hands. "Commendable courage!"
The next moment, as if tearing through space, she appeared right in front of Xia Yu, swinging her strange Long Spear down heavily.
Facing her attack, Xia Yu simply extended two fingers and intercepted her Long Spear mid-air.
"Huh?" Jaguar Man's gaze suddenly cleared up.
The person in front of her had caught her Long Spear with just two fingers... She naturally knew what this meant.
"Want to challenge me?" Xia Yu let go of her hand. "Talk to me when you can beat that Kukul you mentioned."
"Yes, boss! I understand!" Jaguar Man quickly recognized her own place.
Jaguar Man was one of the ancient divine spirits symbolizing combat and death in Central and South American legends. Although she was belligerent, she didn't have a masochistic streak.
She was very clear that charging at such an opponent wouldn't be a fight, but rather a one-sided thrashing.
Who would enjoy that feeling?
Combined with her innate gag-character traits, she yielded incredibly fast.
"The child is teachable," Xia Yu nodded in satisfaction and looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "Alright, I'm going to find something to eat. Do you want to tag along?"
"Of course we do!" Merlin immediately agreed.
"Hmm, then let's find a place where we can cook," Xia Yu turned to look at Jaguar Man. "This rainforest appeared because of you, right?"
"Yes, boss!" Jaguar Man immediately stood at attention.
"Are there any fruits inside? The tropical specialty kind," Xia Yu asked with some expectation.
"No..." Jaguar Man answered weakly upon hearing this.
"Tch, so useless," Xia Yu walked away in disappointment.
Watching her back, Jaguar Man let out a sigh of relief, then turned her head and left.
'Too terrifying, truly too terrifying. Since when did Mesopotamia have someone like this!'
'No good, I have to go find Kukul to discuss this!'
Acting on her thoughts, the orange figure disappeared outside the city of Ur in a few bounds.
"Good thing you arrived in time, Sister Kiana," Fujimaru Ritsuka hugged Xia Yu's arm and rejoiced. "Who would have thought that someone who looked like a gag character would actually be a goddess!"
"Is everyone in the Three Goddess Alliance like this?"
"She really is a proper goddess," Xia Yu sighed. "Even though her appearance is... well, quite comical."
"Calling herself Jaguar Man, coupled with this tropical rainforest environment," Merlin pondered upon hearing this. "Although her appearance... doesn't quite show it, she likely stems from the jaguar god worship of South America."
"She is a goddess holding the divine authorities of both combat and death."
"The Americas... That means those human sacrifices..." Fujimaru Ritsuka's face looked terrible.
After all, human sacrifices were an everyday occurrence in the native religions of the Americas.
"How could it be like this..." Mash looked at the surrounding city. "To not put up any resistance at all..."
"Mash, don't project your common sense onto everyone else," Xia Yu shook her head upon hearing this.
"Don't forget, this is the Age of Gods. Ur is just an ordinary city. They are not like Uruk; the gods they worshipped have disappeared. They do not have a demigod King of Heroes, and they cannot rebel against the rule of gods."
Xia Yu continued, "The education you received makes you feel that this is wrong, that people should stand up and resist at times like this. But for the people living in the Age of Gods, submitting to the gods is just their daily life."
"You cannot judge these suffering people by your own standards while ignoring the historical context."
Xia Yu said softly, "Besides, in my view, they have already done all they can. How can a group of ordinary people fight against an opponent that even you couldn't defeat?"
"Moreover, judging by the priests' tone, they don't think human sacrifices are a given either. They have also resisted and fought."
"They simply lost the battle. You cannot demand that every single one of them be a hero or a martyr, refusing to yield even if the entire city dies out. That is unrealistic, Mash."
"Is that so..." It was the naive Mash's first time hearing such a philosophy.
"It is indeed like that." Right then, Chaldea's communication bracelet rang. "But it's not your fault, Mash."
The Doctor's guilty voice sounded. "It's my problem. I didn't teach you these things, didn't teach you how to view history correctly."
"No, it's not your fault, Doctor," Mash lowered her head. "I was never a normal human to begin with..."
"I get it, a homunculus, right?" Hearing this, Xia Yu smiled and patted Mash's shoulder. "It's fine, who isn't a homunculus nowadays? Before I had the name Kiana, my codename was Homunculus K423."
"Wait, you are also a homunculus?" Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka spoke in astonishment. "I remember Miss Firefly also came from the homunculus legion of that Glamoth Empire..."
"Yeah," Xia Yu nodded. "Why else would we be good friends?"
"Then what about Miss Furina..." Mash couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, she doesn't count as a homunculus," Xia Yu pondered for two seconds. "At most, she counts as a god-made human."
"She was created when the Hydro Archon Focalors, one of The Seven, separated her own humanity. In short, she wasn't born normally either."
"The Seven? The Hydro Archon Focalors?" Hearing this, the Doctor's expression turned a bit subtle. Why did this name...
"If you're worried about those chosen people, then I think you can rest assured, Mash." Right then, Merlin suddenly spoke up, "Remember? That Jaguar Man mentioned a name just now."
"Uh... it seemed to be something like... Kukul?" Mash said uncertainly.
"There is only one god in South America with this name," Merlin's expression turned solemn. "Kukulkan, which is the legendary Quetzalcoatl, the supreme god of American mythology."
"If it's her, there is no need to worry about the lives of those people, because Kukulkan is a kind and highly intelligent goddess who detests human sacrifice rituals. She loves humans deeply, is the god of life and harvest, the god of culture, the god of wind and rain, and even has legends of presiding over the sun."
"Without a doubt, she is a benevolent god."
"That's not good news at all," Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression changed upon hearing this. "A benevolent god... The Three Goddess Alliance wants to destroy humanity. Could a benevolent god do such a thing?"
"And if it really is Quetzalcoatl..." Her face instantly slumped. "A supreme god..."
'How are we supposed to fight that!'
★ ★ ★
T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
★ ★ ★
Shilling time!
Members of my [email protected]/quickinquickout can read advanced chapters on quick-tl(dot)com—and even customize translated terms to match their preferred names and terminology!