NABC Page 370
Page 370
"Don't even think about backing out this time. Last time you said you'd pay on credit, and I ended up waiting for three whole months!"
Shiraishi Kawa shook his head helplessly.
"That was an accident; the quality of gemstones needs time to be assessed."
This time I'm ready.
"Hmph, it better be."
Ishtar pouted.
"I should never have let you carve that statue... I always end up being summoned to do work."
Shiraishikawa ignored her complaints and turned to Kuonji Arisu and Aozaki Aoko.
"As you can see, this is the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of Venus in Sumerian mythology, who is in charge of love and war."
"She's someone I can summon briefly through some means... well, an assistant."
"Summoning the gods?"
Aozaki Aoko stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"How is this possible! Even the highest-ranking magicians..."
"Under normal circumstances, that's indeed impossible..."
Shiraishikawa interrupted her.
"However, with the help of special means, along with the appropriate medium and price, a brief summoning can be achieved. Lady Ishtar is a conceptual Mystic Code, a manifestation of a concept that has survived from the Age of Gods."
Kuonji Yuju's eyes held a knowing look.
"Therefore, her power can disregard the rules of modern magic..."
"exactly."
Shiraishikawa nodded.
"The Bridge Giant is very strong, but its structural weakness is perfectly countered by the Noble Phantasms of the Age of Gods. Lady Ishtar's Mountain Shock Star's Furnace can directly attack beings at the conceptual level, which is exactly the Bridge Giant's natural enemy."
Ishtar tapped Maanna impatiently.
"Academic discussion can wait, but where's my gem?"
Shiraishikawa sighed, reached into the shadows, and conjured an exquisite silk pouch out of thin air. He untied the cord and poured out ten gems gleaming with an unusual light.
Each one is about the size of a thumb, with liquid flowing inside, refracting dreamlike colors under the moonlight.
"Ten Star Tears, as promised."
Shiraishikawa handed the gemstone to Ishtar.
The goddess took the gems and carefully examined the quality of each one.
Her expression gradually changed from serious to satisfied, and finally she even showed a happy smile.
"Not bad, the quality is better this time than last time."
She placed the gemstone into a golden box that appeared out of nowhere.
Chapter 464 Speechless
"The transaction is settled."
Aozaki Aoko couldn't help but speak up as she watched this scene.
"Wait a minute! Ten gems in exchange for the power of a god? That's too..."
"Too cheap?"
Shiraishi looked at her with a half-smile.
"Miss Aozaki Aoko, do you know the value of these Star Tears? Each one needs to be extracted from meteorites under specific celestial conditions, and collecting the materials alone takes several years. More importantly..."
He paused, then said meaningfully.
"Do you have the ability to produce ten such gems?"
Aozaki Aoko opened her mouth, but had no words to reply.
As a magician, she certainly understood the rarity and value of gems of this caliber. Even for the Kuonji family, with their combined wealth of 14, producing ten at once would be no easy feat.
Kuonji Yuju had been observing all of this with a detached eye. Just as Ishtar was about to leave, she suddenly spoke.
"Shiraishikawa, what exactly do you want?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear, with an undeniable sharpness.
Shiraishi turned around, his smile fading slightly.
"Oh? What makes you say that, Miss Kuonji Yuzu?"
"Stop playing dumb."
Kuonji Yuju took a step forward, her long black hair fluttering in the night wind.
"With the power you possess, you don't need to contend with us at all. You can summon gods, yet you're entangled with us here. What is your purpose? Or rather..."
Her gaze became unusually sharp.
"What do you want from me?"
Kuonji Yuju stood still, her slender fingers clenched into fists.
Her lower lip was bitten until it turned slightly white, and the taste of blood spread in her mouth.
The shock of the Bridge Giant being instantly destroyed still lingered in her mind. The scene of its enormous body turning into countless points of light and disappearing under the attack of the Venus goddess Ishtar made her truly feel the power of the Age of Gods for the first time.
"The core technology is..."
She silently chanted in her mind, forcing herself to calm down. The magic circuits within her body slowly activated, maintaining the most basic defenses.
Reason told her that it was all in vain—faced with the goddess floating in mid-air, holding a celestial boat, any modern magic seemed so pale.
Ishtar floated in the air, her long golden hair shimmering in the moonlight, while the celestial boat Maana slowly rotated beside her, emanating a breathtaking magical aura.
A playful smile played on her lips as she looked down at the witch below, as if she were looking at a trapped beast.
"Kyuonji Yuju!"
Aozaki Aoko crawled up from the ruins, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, but the fighting spirit in her eyes remained undiminished.
She stumbled to Kuonji Temple, staring warily at Shiraishikawa.
Who exactly is this guy? And what's the deal with that glittering woman?
Kuonji Yuju did not answer immediately.
Her gaze passed over Ishtar and landed on Shiraishikawa, who remained standing at the back with a smile on his face.
The man didn't make a move from beginning to end; he simply watched quietly, as if everything was under his control.
"The servant of the Age of Gods... no, it should be said that he himself was the one."
Kuonji answered in a low voice, his tone eerily calm.
"That is Ishtar, the goddess of Venus in Mesopotamian mythology."
"what?"
Aozaki Aoko's eyes widened.
"Are you kidding me? How could such a mythical figure—"
"She destroyed the Bridge Giant with a single blow."
Kuonji interrupted her, his voice tinged with bitterness.
Do you think modern magic can achieve this?
Aozaki Aoko was speechless, and could only clench her fists in frustration. 933
Shiraishikawa finally took a step forward, his black trench coat swaying gently in the night wind.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with a handsome face, but his eyes were terrifyingly deep, as if they could see right through people's hearts.
"Miss Kuonji."
His voice was gentle and polite, yet carried an undeniable power.
"I think we don't need to continue this pointless confrontation."
Kuonji Yuzu forced herself to remain calm. Her workshop had been breached, her familiar destroyed; she was truly at her wit's end.
The witch's pride wouldn't allow her to easily bow her head.
"what do you want?"
She asked bluntly, her voice icy.
"You went to such lengths to storm my workshop, surely it wasn't just to show how powerful your goddess is?"
Shiraishi's eyes held admiration, as if he appreciated her directness.
He tilted his head slightly, as if considering how to answer the question.
Chapter 465 Your Existence Is Needed
In fact, he already had the answer in his heart—what he wanted was Kuonji Aratsumi herself, her soul, her body, and the possibilities contained within that mysterious bloodline.
He knew that speaking out now would only provoke stronger resistance.
"I need your presence."
He carefully considered the words.
"To help me achieve a specific goal."
Kuonji Yuju frowned, her blue eyes filled with wariness.
What do you need me to do? If it's just ordinary help, it shouldn't require such a big fuss, right?
"Yes."
Shiraishi River readily admitted it.
"Because I don't want you to disobey my orders until that goal is achieved."