"It's not stealing when a goddess does it!" Ishtar protested. "I was just going to borrow it, not keep it. Why do you have to say it like that?"
"Heh, 'borrow'? Do you even believe that yourself?" Li Lin scoffed.
"Of course I... Mmph." Ishtar was about to say, "Of course I believe it," but she swallowed the words. She knew herself best. As much as she hated to admit he was right, if she had succeeded, she definitely wouldn't have returned it. After all, why should she return something she stole with her own skills? [Hands on hips, completely justified.jpg]
"Tsk, well, I didn't succeed, so I don't admit to being a thief," Ishtar finally muttered, turning her head away stubbornly.
Li Lin just shrugged, unconcerned. He wasn't Utu, the god of justice and law. He had no obligation to reprimand the stubborn Ishtar. He dusted off his clothes and stood up. "Alright, since you're safe now, I'll be taking my leave."
With that, he turned to go. He planned to go back and confess his feelings to Eresh directly. Then, after getting a clear answer, he would get a good dose of "Eresh energy" to recover from the annoyance of running into Ishtar.
However, just as he turned, before he could take a step, Ishtar grabbed the corner of his cloak.
"Wait a minute."
"Hm? Is there something else?" Li Lin asked, turning back with a confused look.
"No, nothing... it's just, there's something I've been wanting to ask," Ishtar said, not answering directly. She furrowed her brow and twitched her delicate nose as she moved closer to him. "Why... do you feel so familiar to me? And there's a scent on you..."
"Sniff, sniff."
Ishtar actually moved right up to him and began sniffing, her red eyes filled with confusion.
"Wh-what are you talking about? I suddenly don't understand!" Li Lin's calm expression nearly cracked. He was sweating bullets internally, a little voice in his head screaming, Oh crap, am I about to be found out?!
Fortunately, the aura of death around him was probably too thick. After sniffing for a while, Ishtar couldn't find anything conclusive.
"Mmm~, that's strange. Why is there nothing unusual?" She frowned, still not giving up. "You... are you hiding something from me?"
A woman's sixth sense was telling her that this self-proclaimed "god of death" was definitely suspicious. He might even be connected to her runaway husband! After all, everyone knew the Underworld was a godforsaken place. What kind of god would willingly go there to work? Especially a born-and-bred celestial god like him—that was even more impossible.
At this thought, Ishtar felt she had grasped the key. If she could just get this man to tell her the truth, she could finally uncover everything!
The idea was nice, but Li Lin wasn't about to expose himself in front of his ex-wife. If he did that, how could he possibly pursue Eresh? So, he put on a serious expression and said, "Your esteemed Grace, Goddess Ishtar. I am but a humble god of death. What could I possibly have to hide from you? To be precise, you are a star in the heavens, and I am a glimmer in the earth below. Our divinities are such that we are unlikely to ever meet. If I hadn't happened to be passing by this time, we might never have met more than a few times in our entire lives."
"Hmm, what you say... does make sense." Ishtar nodded. Although her sixth sense detected something off about him, his reasoning was sound, leaving her with no holes to poke. In the end, she pouted unhappily and chalked her suspicion up to a mere feeling.
Phew, that was close. I thought I was done for, Li Lin's inner voice wiped a cold sweat from its brow. Seriously, is this useless goddess part dog? How is her sense of smell so sharp? She can even pick up a scent through layers of death aura?
He couldn't believe his perfect disguise had a flaw when it came to scent. If he hadn't thought on his feet, he might not have been able to fool this idiot goddess so easily.
"Hmm, are you thinking something bad about me in your head right now?" Just as his inner monologue was going wild, Ishtar's face suddenly appeared right in front of his, her expression full of suspicion.
"Uh, of course not! My heart and soul are as clear as a mirror. My actions and thoughts are all righteous. How could I possibly speak ill of someone behind their back?"
"Oh, is that so? Alright then, this goddess will believe you for now." Looking at Li Lin's eyes, which seemed to be shining with sincerity, Ishtar finally nodded and dismissed her doubts.
HOLY CRAP!!! Is this woman a monster?! How can she even sense what I'm thinking?! Li Lin roared internally. This was just too ridiculous. It wasn't strange for gods to read minds, but that was usually when dealing with mortals. He was a god himself, and one who had been empowered by both the [Primordial Mother] and the [Underworld]. Logically, no one should be able to probe his thoughts.
But in the face of a woman's intuition, he had been utterly defeated.
Damn it, I have to get out of here. If I stay any longer, I'm afraid even my underwear won't be safe!
Li Lin grit his teeth and decided not to delay any further. He turned and walked towards the edge of the cedar forest.
Ishtar, standing behind him, didn't stop him. She just watched until Li Lin walked face-first into an invisible wall with a loud THUD.
Only then did she speak.
"It's no use. By saving me, you've also been marked as an intruder by the defense mechanism here. The divine beast that guards this place will not allow anyone who breaks the gods' rules to leave. In other words, you are now my accomplice. We're two grasshoppers tied to the same string now."
Li Lin: "..."
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME—!!
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