In the early morning, the Sun God Utu was awakened by his wife Dawn and Fertility Goddess Sireda.
As usual, he rose from his luxurious Golden Palace. His two children: Goddess of Justice Kitum and Order God Misharu, also his two Lesser Deities, had already opened the doors of his chamber and prepared the Sun Chariot needed for his journey.
With the Scorpion Guard punctually opening the barrier of the Eastern Divine Domain, casting the majestic silhouette of Mo Zhou Mountain, Utu knew it was time for his departure.
He mounted the radiant Sun Chariot outside the palace, traversing the vast sky, as he customarily journeyed to the entrance of the Underworld located beneath the distant western Mashu Mountain, which was his daytime duty. Later, when night fell, the two Lesser Deities would likewise open the far western gate to welcome his return with the Sun Chariot. During this period, Utu had to navigate a sea filled with the aura of death to return to his chamber.
The fragmented gold of sunlight penetrated through clouds and mist, scattering across every corner of the earth, bringing light and warmth to the world, allowing trees and crops to grow, and illuminating the hearts of humans.
And when the sun illuminated the entire sky, Utu’s Divine Authority would peak, enabling him to oversee everything that happened in the daylight, scrutinize the deeds and words of all beings, including events occurring in the Netherworld, which could not easily escape his eyes. His radiance was terrifying to all who venerated evil, akin to an omnipresent "net of law".
Therefore, he was also known as the God of Truth, Judgment, and Justice, the judge of the Celestial Realm and the world, wielding the power of justice and law.
Fortunately, with the end of the last Divine War, both the Pantheon of Gods and humans entered a stage of recuperation and rest, so malevolent acts and disputes that caught the Sun God’s attention were not frequently seen.
As usual, the sun rose and set as usual.
Upon returning to the Temple, Utu handed the reins to his two offspring, eagerly dismounted the Sun Chariot, and headed towards the foot of Mo Zhou Mountain.
There, a tavern managed by Wisdom Goddess Siduri was open, renowned for its exquisite Malt Wine.
After a day’s work, nothing could better reward the day’s toil than a hearty drink of Malt Wine.
As usual, the tavern was open with cheerful lights.
The incarnated owner Siduri sat elegantly behind the counter, calculating today’s revenue on clay tablets.
She was draped in a pure white linen robe, its collar and cuffs embroidered with lapis-lazuli-colored Sumerian patterns, a braided gold cord cinching her waist. Her black-purple hair cascaded like a waterfall to her waist, adorned with star and moon headpieces of gold and glass. Her features were dignified and gentle, with light golden eyes that seemed to hold millennia of wisdom, and a tear mole at the corner of one eye adding an aura of divinity. Her hands were always folded in front of her, her slender fingers caressing the clay tablet recording the texts, the lapis lazuli bracelets on her wrists chiming softly, refreshing to the ear.
With the afterglow of the sunset streaming into the tavern, her standing figure cast a long shadow on the ground, the edges of her white robe glowing with a honey-colored halo, forming a beautifully epic composition.
As he entered, Utu shook his head, covertly withdrawing his admiring gaze.
Though she was a very fine woman, with a good demeanor, her standards were too high. He had kindly introduced several fine men to her, but none of them met her criteria.
Thus, the Lady of Beer seemed to remain single up to now.
Tch, the common flaw of intelligent women.
At that moment, Siduri seemed to sense something and looked up, her face revealing a professional gentle smile:
"You’ve arrived? As usual, the southeast corner by the window?"
"Then please have a seat, I’ll head to the kitchen and prepare the finest Malt Wine and appetizers for you."
"Make it two servings."
Utu added one last sentence.
Siduri smiled and nodded, soon bringing two servings of Malt Wine and food, placing one in front of Utu and the other opposite him, evidently prepared for a guest yet to arrive.
And as the last ray of sunset slipped below the horizon, a slender figure stepped into the tavern right on time.
He was very young, appearing as an innocent young man. His features were handsome, his eyes soft, always with a faint smile on his face, naturally engendering good will. He wore a Sumerian short tunic convenient for movement, and the cheap fabric had some grass and dirt on it, suggesting his life was not affluent.
As usual, before entering, he patted himself down, ensuring he would not contaminate the tavern’s environment before stepping inside.
This subtle action gave Siduri, behind the counter, the feeling that her hard work was being respected, greatly raising her spirits.
She smiled and gestured to the southeast corner.
The young man, or rather Luo En in disguise, lightly nodded, approached the window, and greeted proactively:
"Greetings, Lord Shamash, once again you honor me with your kindness."
Having departed Nineveh and arriving at Mo Zhou Mountain to investigate Goddess Ishtar’s whereabouts, several months had passed.
The Lady of Heaven indeed, as Semiramis had said, was elusive and hard to pin down.
Therefore, Luo En had frequently staked out near the Gods Tavern at the mountain’s foot, yet had never encountered Ishtar.
However, disappointments are often followed by delightful surprises.
Though he didn’t catch Ishtar, during his staking out, he serendipitously met a person intimately connected with his target – namely, the kindly middle-aged man before him who called himself "Shamash".
Shamash, derived from Akkadian, was in fact another name the Babylonians of this region used for the Sun God Utu, emphasizing his role in bringing law and justice to humans. The famous Code of Hammurabi stele depicts King Hammurabi standing before Shamash, receiving the symbols of King’s Authority and the Codex in bas-relief.