She was not a god, and yet she carried an invisible pressure on par with one.
The woman herself had no intention of showing any intimidation. It was simply something a being of divine rank naturally conveyed to other forms of life.
She had hidden it well enough that no Ocelomeh noticed, but it could not escape Shiomi's divine eyes.
"No, not really. Just a little... instinctive reaction." Shiomi quickly recovered his composure. "You're not one of Mexico City's Ocelomeh, are you?"
"Mhm, that's right. I'm not in a warrior role. I'm not very good at fighting. Cultivation and growing things are what I'm best at," the woman introduced herself.
Shiomi had his doubts for an instant, but quickly became certain she was not lying.
For a being of this level, even without any combat training, instinct alone would probably be enough for her to stand above all life in Mictlan.
As a life-form, she existed on an entirely different plane, so human standards simply did not apply.
"I see." Shiomi nodded in understanding. He glanced at Morgan and the others, who were starting to come over, and signaled with his eyes for them not to worry, that he could handle it. Then he continued, "You said just now that you came all the way to Mexico City specifically to look for a jade headdress?"
As he spoke, he lifted the jade ornament from among the accessories in his arms.
"Yes, exactly." The woman looked openly envious. "But you got to it first. It may have been a bit of a scam, but that's a skill in itself. The fact that he couldn't resist your gaze just means he wasn't good enough."
Clearly, she had seen through the trick Shiomi had used in his purchase.
The fact that she could see through his suggestion at a glance was further proof that she was at least an existence on the same level as him.
"In that case, I'll give it to you as hush money." Shiomi held it between his fingers and slowly offered it to her. "If you expose my little trick here, the nearby Ocelomeh will notice, and our operation will be compromised."
And that would mean losing the chance to catch Tezcatlipoca and the others off guard.
When it came to war, taking the initiative mattered.
As for whether Tezcatlipoca had already anticipated this, that was a separate issue.
After all, Mexico City had shown no reaction at all up to this point.
"Oh? Hush money?" The woman smiled brightly. "I'm happy to get something for free, of course, but why? Even putting my own preferences aside, this is still valuable."
"It's nothing much. Jade doesn't really suit them, so I was thinking of keeping it for myself." Shiomi said, "But if someone else wants it more, I don't mind giving it away."
"So in your eyes, this jade headdress suits me better?" the woman asked in surprise.
"In that case, I'll gladly accept it. Getting a gift from a foreign god is a first for me."
Once she accepted the ornament, Shiomi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Looks like you've already figured out who I am."
"You're the so-called god of Chaldea, aren't you? You haven't fully returned yet, but you're already stronger than you were before." The woman's smile took on a slightly sly edge. "In any case, you're here to make trouble for the god of Mexico City, so I'll just quietly cheer you on from a distance."
"That's more than I deserve." Shiomi shook his head.
"Still, since I've gotten such a nice gift for free, I ought to offer a little something in return."
As she spoke, the woman reached into her hair, which looked like a curtain woven from crystal, and casually pulled out a single strand. In her hand, it transformed into a crystal skull the same color as her hair.
"A crystal skull?" Shiomi looked genuinely surprised.
"It's actually something made from my hair. To the Ocelomeh here, and to the Deinos of Chichen Itza, it's something extremely precious." The woman stuck out her tongue playfully. "This isn't the sort of thing you can just pick up anywhere."
"If it's that valuable, why give it to me? It's worth more than the jade headdress, isn't it?" Shiomi did not reach out to take it, asking that instead.
"It's a token of friendship, and also... mm, an apology, I suppose. An apology for mistaking you for enemies."
The woman explained with a slightly apologetic smile, then placed the crystal skull on top of the other ornaments Shiomi was carrying.
Then she took the jade headdress and swiftly left. Like a gust of wind, she vanished from the riverside market in the blink of an eye, leaving behind no trace of her presence.
"So you kept us from coming over just so you could flirt with some mysterious woman?" Morgan appeared at his side before he noticed and murmured darkly into his ear.
Shiomi shook his head as he handed Morgan an ornament set with pale blue diamonds. "I just didn't want to cause an argument."
"An argument?" Scáthach asked, turning over the ornament Shiomi had bought for her in her hand.
Artoria, who took the last ornament, noticed him pick up the crystal skull the woman had left behind.
"Is that the return gift that woman left you?"
"She said it was an apology." Shiomi held the crystal skull between his fingers and studied it.
"Why?" Morgan asked, slightly puzzled.
Shiomi held the skull out toward Morgan. "Touch it and you'll understand."
Still confused, Morgan reached out and touched the crystal skull, and her expression instantly changed to shock.
It was neither plant nor mineral, hard and soft at once, hot and cold at the same time...
Those contradictory qualities were all gathered in that crystal skull, and that was the sensation it gave Morgan.
"Remember now?" Shiomi could not help shaking his head.
He passed the skull to his master and Artoria as well, letting them examine it, then continued.
"She said this was something made from her hair. But once you actually touch it, you realize it feels almost exactly the same as the giant of light that attacked us when we first entered the Lostbelt."
"That giant... was her?" Artoria was startled.
"That's the only possibility." Shiomi lowered his voice. "She gave this to me as a token of friendship, and at the same time as an apology for mistaking us for enemies."
"Why would she do that now?" Morgan was highly suspicious of her motives.
Shiomi shook his head. "No way to know. She ran off far too quickly. Clearly, she has no intention of revealing who she is, and no intention of fighting us either. And... she also showed that she isn't on Tezcatlipoca's side."
"Does that mean she wants us to attack the temple without worrying about being ambushed from behind?" Scáthach considered the possibility.
"Who knows." Shiomi turned and looked toward the temple standing at the center of Mexico City. "In any case, we've had enough rest. Next, it's time to properly pay our respects to the Smoking Mirror seated high above in Mexico City's temple."