Chapter 770: Cultural Victory! Semiramis!

Semiramis and Ninus looked at each other, neither willing to yield.

Ninus understood that Semiramis was telling the truth; after all, no one had noticed her arrival when she first came.

Ninus also realized that if Semiramis left, he might miss out on this "extraordinary woman," so he said directly:

"Fine, since you are unwilling, I cannot force you. In that case, you shall serve as our Babylonian Grand General."

"What! That won't do!" A group of generals led by Wengnies immediately objected. "Your Majesty! She is a woman! Where in our country is there a precedent for a woman to serve as Grand General!"

Hearing them say this, Semiramis glared at them. "Just because there was no precedent before, does it mean there cannot be one in the future? If you have objections, then compete with me. Whether it is combat or tactics, if I lose to you, I will willingly step down. But if you lose, you will be demoted to a common foot soldier. How about that?"

This...

Hearing Semiramis say this, the group looked at one another, but in the end, no one dared to step forward to challenge her.

After all, Semiramis's record and strength were clear for all to see; naturally, no one dared to challenge her.

Year 5, May 8th: Semiramis officially became a general of Babylon.

Year 5, June 3rd: Semiramis returned to Babylon with the army. Although people still questioned her identity, once she displayed a bit of magecraft, no one questioned her again.

Year 5, July to December: Semiramis began leading troops to inspect Babylonian territory. Wherever she went, sweet rain fell (Primordial Rune of Water), and everyone welcomed her, calling Semiramis the incarnation of Ishtar (Fun fact: Ishtar: Goddess of love, harvest, fertility, and war!)

Year 6: Semiramis began reforming the military system. Each army was set with one Grand General and one Vice General. The cavalry was divided into forty squads, each with one hundred men, and ten squads formed a regiment.

There were one hundred squads of infantry, divided into five regiments, each with one Lieutenant General. The armor, tassels, and banners of each regiment were of different colors to distinguish them.

A special female army was established, commanded personally by Semiramis.

Year 7, January to March: Semiramis improved iron-smelting techniques and replaced the weapons for the entire army, earning praise from all.

Year 7, April: The Babylonian army was strong and well-disciplined, so King Ninus decided to begin the conquest of Asia.

Year 7, May: Wherever Ninus went, it was like walking on flat ground; he was invincible, and Ninus became increasingly confident!

Year 7, June: Ninus decided to lead the expedition personally to attack Bactria. Before mounting his horse, Semiramis personally poured... no, served him a glass of fine wine. Ninus laughed heartily and drank it in one gulp!

On the battlefield, Ninus held his spear and was invincible. Then, an arrow flew from nowhere and shot directly at Ninus!

Ninus suddenly reacted slowly and was struck by the arrow, falling from his horse on the spot.

Thanks to Semiramis's quick reaction, she immediately ordered the retreat and rushed Ninus back to Babylon.

On the way, Ninus succumbed to his severe injuries. In the presence of everyone, Ninus, whose sons had all died accidentally some time ago, used his last breath to hand the throne to Semiramis.

And Semiramis refused directly!

Year 7, July 1st: Without a leader, Babylon fell into chaos, and various regions declared independence, while Semiramis chose to resign and return to her hometown.

That night, a meteorite fell directly from Venus into Babylon, inscribed with a few large characters:

"Received from Heaven, may it be eternal and prosperous."

At the same time, a three-headed evil dog suddenly appeared from underground, holding a piece of silk in its mouth, on which was written:

"Babylon shall rise, the Empress shall reign!"

Year 7, July 2nd: Just as Semiramis, who was preparing to retire, reached the city gate, the entire city's populace blocked the entrance! Everyone knelt to welcome the Empress. At the same time, someone brought out last night's "divine oracle," and loyal subjects threatened Semiramis by splashing their own blood five steps away. Helpless, Semiramis could only ascend the throne as Empress amidst the cheers of everyone!

Seeing this, Lin Ye nodded with satisfaction. As expected of someone he taught; she was truly a talent.

The inspection was to build a reputation, and the military reform was to plant her own people. As for Ninus's death... one could only say Semiramis didn't waste her time studying chemistry; this move was much more brilliant than simply poisoning his wine as in history!

And Ninus's abdication before death... it might fool others, but it couldn't fool Lin Ye! Illusion! It was all just illusions!

You could have just agreed directly; why go through all that trouble to win people's hearts afterward?

The meteorite was requested from Ishtar, and the three-headed dog... wasn't that his own Cerberus, the three-headed hound of Hell!

"But I have to say, this performance was indeed effective."

In the Age of Gods, the common people believed in gods most of all. Semiramis herself was a demigod, and with a pile of achievements and the mythological buffs he provided, it would be strange if she didn't win the hearts of the people.

This move was definitely more brilliant than the historical method of Semiramis dressing as a man and pretending to be Ninus.

However, Lin Ye had to say that among all the people he had simulated, Semiramis was the one who succeeded the most while receiving the least help from him.

Lin Ye was also very curious about what would happen to Semiramis next, so he continued to watch.

Year 7, July 3rd: On the day Semiramis became Empress, the rebellions in various places were suddenly suppressed and subsided.

Year 7, July 4th: Semiramis, having officially become Empress, came before Lin Ye. Looking at Semiramis, Lin Ye smiled and said to her:

"Congratulations, Semiramis. You have finally become the Empress of Assyria—no, it should be the Empress of all Babylon. So, what do you plan to do next?

Will you become a holy king for the country and the people like Artoria, or start a path of conquest like Iskandar, or develop a tech tree like the Qin Shi Huang of the Lostbelt? Of course, if you want to develop religion like Solomon, I can help you with that too. I'm quite familiar with Ereshkigal; sending seventy-two demons from the Underworld isn't impossible."

However, listening to Lin Ye's options, Semiramis shook her head at all of them.

"Conquest, technology, religion—these are not what I want. What I want is to build wonders that will be passed down through the ages! I want to leave my deeds on these wonders so that future generations will forever look up to them."

Good grief, she doesn't want a conquest victory, a science victory, or a religious victory; she wants a cultural victory, right!

Looking at Semiramis's choice, Lin Ye only wanted to say one thing at this moment:

"Your Majesty! Wonders ruin the country!!!"