"I never thought that Sumerian myths and legends would survive to the present day," the countess sighed, shaking her glass, "but the result of the translation is that many of the stories that are now circulating are from the Sumerians, and even many of them are followers of Isitar." ”

"But you're not. ”

Magellan never doubted this, he just didn't know how the countess was going to open the mechanism.

"I'm not an atheist like you, Professor Magellan, I just don't like the Holy See, but I also believe in science," the countess shook her head with a smile, "of course, it doesn't matter, the question now is how to open the mechanism." ”

"Found a way?"

"Yes," the countess wasted no time, and she began to explain to Magellan the harvest of this time, "fortunately Isital is not science. ”

In contrast to the One Divine Science, the primitive ancient goddess Isitar was very tolerant of believers, and basically anyone would be accepted as long as she was sacrificed, regardless of whether she was religious or not.

Therefore, as long as the countess completes a sacrifice as required, she can use prayers or sacrifices to affect the power of the goddess in the temple and activate the mechanism.

"Some of the stories that are still circulating today, along with the literature, are enough to give me some clues as to how to please Isitar. And ......," said the countess, putting her glass to her lips, "I know where the goddess is." ”

"Legendary ......"

"Yes, even the Sumerians of the ancient past, everything about them has been preserved in the legend to this day, enough for me to find a useful clue. ”

Magellan shouldn't have been surprised, only this time he didn't find much time to talk to the locals.

"Where?"

"Babylon, Sky Garden. ”

Magellan was silent for a moment.

Eventually, everyone here decided to put the issue aside for a while.

"Do I need anything to prepare?"

"I'm ready," said the countess, smiling and raising her glass to Magellan, "get ready for the show." ”

......

It was a bitterly cold morning.

The temperature changes brought about by the change of day and night in the desert are always confusing, and the cold of the night usually subsides only after the sun rises, and until then, the right thing to do is always to hide in the cabin.

But the goddess Isitar, the Morning Star, does not like her own devotees to sleep in.

Magellan sneezed hard and raised his hand to rub his nose.

He wasn't afraid of the cold, but his nose was irritated by the cold air inside at the entrance of the temple.

At Magellan's side, the countess wore a thick trench coat, and a metal ball with a beautiful blue color emitted heat in her hand, slowly warming the air around them.

The morning star shines in the sky, and this is the time when Isitar receives prayers every day.

Standing in the light of the fire, Magellan placed a bunch of ears of wheat, a small fish, and a hare on the ground in the middle of the temple, then stepped back, took the metal ball from the countess's hand, and held it high in front of the sacrifice.

This was the sacrifice needed to worship the goddess Isitar, and for the primitive gods and tribes, the most important thing was always survival, and wealth meant food, whether it was the wheat that was grown, the game that was hunted, or the catch that came from the current, was a sacrifice that the gods loved.

Then the countess stood where the idol could be seen and began to recite the psalms.

The ceremony began.

"The children of the great river live by the waters,

From the water they seek food, multiply freely,

The two great rivers are a gift from the gods,

But the gods were not ready to rule the Sumerians.

One day the stars will shine,

One day the flow of water will change,

The blue stars shine in the sky,

Brighter than the sun,

purer than the moon,

The hair of the goddess flutters in the sky,

It was at this time that Isitar came.

Ah, Goddess,

She made the great rivers flow, and offered fish to the Sumerians' nets.

She gave birth to a sage and painted words on Sumerian clay pots.

Isitar ah Isitar,

The river will always stop, and time will always change,

The gods live forever, and wisdom endures forever,

The stars always shine on the dawn. ”

With Magellan's prayers, which could only be understood in a few words, the temple resounded with the sound of flowing water, then the ropes tightened, the wooden wheels turned, and finally the boulders rubbed against the walls.

Then he saw the boulder on the temple turning.

Familiar patterns, lines carved on boulders.

But in the eyes of the countess, it was a different picture.

The image of the goddess gradually disappeared, and the stars behind her absorbed all the divine power, and then burrowed into the blue ** magic lamp in Magellan's hand.

Then the flames on the top of the temple were extinguished, and a unique dark blue light illuminated the entire space.

This time, Magellan also saw what the countess saw.

The lines flipped from the back reflected the light, forming curvatures of light, all of which converged in the center of the temple to form a phantom that resembled a magical image.

It's hard to say what it was, several curved surfaces form a cube, and the places where the light curtains intersect form different lines that seem to represent something, but Magellan can't see what it is at all.

"May the morning star shine forever. ”

The countess ended the sacrifice with these words, and then took the magic lamp from Magellan's hand.

"What is this?"

Magellan looked at the blue phantom and had a vague guess in his mind, but he didn't dare to be sure.

"I don't know," the countess shook her head, then whispered something, and the blue magic lamp went out, "but there is no need for an answer for the time being, we still have two temples to go." ”

"What did the goddess say to you?"

"Her divine power is scattered across the land between the great rivers, and only true warriors who find three are qualified to meet her. ”

"The test of the warriors of classicism, in those days, it was the bravest and most foolish act to leave human territory and enter the wilderness, and the guardians of the temple would not welcome outsiders. Magellan said this, thinking another question, "And where does it all end?"

"Babylon, Sky Garden. ”

Magellan sighed helplessly, he did not want to return to Baghdad, but the location of ancient Babylon was on the river outside the city of Baghdad: "That garden and the temple above it have disappeared for more than two thousand years......"

Even if Magellan had the ability to create a flood that would flood the ruins of the Sky Garden, the countess would not be able to make enough magic potions, and without the Essence Pool, it would be impossible for the goddess to return.

"Don't worry," the countess turned and walked out of the temple, the sky was already white, and the sun was about to rise, "the goddess has prepared everything, just like a chef prepares breakfast." ”