The Poison of Radiance: Samael

"I still have 1,200 spear cages left to make. I shouldn't have overslept."

Within the deep valley shrouded in mist, the goddess, slumped on a dark blue-black stone, counted the new souls in the Underworld on her fingers. Then, she looked at the empty surroundings, feeling utterly dejected.

"Ahhhhh! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"

Ereshkigal frantically grabbed both ends of a lock of golden hair, stuffed it into her mouth, and whimpered, biting down to release her inner frustration.

Her pouting cheeks, flushed with a round and cute curve, became a rather interesting sight in this desolate and harsh landscape.

Humans are such troublesome creatures!

Their souls flooding into the Underworld only increase my workload!

Making prisons to confine souls is exhausting work!

As the mistress of the Underworld complained, her gaze fell upon the decomposing humanoid phantoms floating in the black river. Her tightly furrowed brow slowly relaxed.

Ah well, spear cages are just minor things, not a big deal.

As the ruler of this territory, I should provide basic dwelling places for the souls entering the Underworld.

After all, they will all be my subjects. If their accommodations are too shabby, wouldn't that reflect poorly on me?

Ereshkigal persuaded herself, then patted the dust off her red and black long skirt, preparing to get back to work, channeling her divine power to create the spear cages that would restrain and protect the souls.

Tsk, tsk, this not-so-honest owner is really too cute.

A rustling sound emerged as the Ancient Snake, which had been sleeping in a cool, dark crevice, lazily poked its head out, watching its owner's expressive charade with great interest.

In reality, the powers of death, decay, and rot permeated the entire Underworld.

Once ordinary souls entered, their memories, emotions, and reason would be continuously eroded, eventually transforming into pure "mana" and returning to the origin.

However, this Underworld Goddess, who constantly grumbled and complained, was inherently diligent and skilled at taking care of others.

By channeling her own divine power to create spear cages, she allowed these spirits to maintain their reason for a longer period.

In the myths of ancient Babylon, humans were created by the King of Kings, Marduk, as tools to serve the gods after his victory over Tiamat.

Therefore, most gods felt no particular pity or affection towards humans.

An anomaly like her owner, who meticulously cared for even souls, was truly an angel among gods.

It's a shame that despite possessing a benevolent heart, she became the Underworld Goddess, representing terror and death.

Just as the Ancient Snake was admiring its owner's every move from its vantage point, Ereshkigal, sensing its presence, suddenly turned her head.

Immediately, the goddess's outstretched right hand lightning-fastly grabbed the tip of Lin Xian's tail, dragging him forward. She playfully pulled the lively pet into various contorted shapes.

"Hmph! It's all because you're too… comfortable to hold…"

"...Too noisy!"

Ereshkigal put on a fierce and imposing facade, scolding the pet snake. While venting her frustration, she didn't forget to shift the blame.

Hey, hey, hey, owner, before you lie, could you at least organize your thoughts?

She overslept and lost track of time, and she's blaming me for that?

The Ancient Snake rolled its eyes, grumbling inwardly.

As there was no sun in the Underworld, the Meslamtaea Temple built by the owner absorbed magma and geothermal heat, serving as a divine celestial body that provided slight warmth and light.

However, this also made the interior of the Meslamtaea Temple rather hot and stuffy.

Even with Ereshkigal's powers maintaining it, staying inside for extended periods was not a pleasant experience.

Especially when sleeping.

Therefore, the Ancient Snake, being a cold-blooded creature, became a cylindrical bolster for its owner to cool down.

Judging by Ereshkigal's recently improved sleep quality and increasingly longer wake-up times, the effect of that tool-snake must have been quite good.

"Hey! Don't zone out! You have to help too!"

The dark red metal spearhead raised in the Underworld Goddess's hand hit Lin Xian's head. She hummed softly, issuing commands to mask her recent lapse in composure.

The Ancient Snake was forced to comply, so it raised its tail, coiled around a basket of dark red iron ore, and handed it to its owner.

Not bad, not bad, very smart. I'll give you extra food tonight.

Hmph, hmph, who says the Underworld is only about death and decay? If this Goddess can have her first living citizen, she'll have a second, and a third!

Seeing this, Ereshkigal gracefully raised her hand, plucked a few ore pieces from the basket, and continued weaving the spear cages, her lips unconsciously curving upward in smug satisfaction.

However, such thoughts were just fantasies. This kind of unrealistic plan was almost impossible to realize.

It was because the snake behind her was an exception.

It possessed immortality within its body, adapted to the environment of the Underworld, allowing it to survive normally without withering or decaying.

Combining the recent discussions among the new batch of Uruk spirits and the movements on the surface, the snake's true origin was naturally revealed.

"Hey, little guy, I heard you were thrown into the Underworld because you stole the immortal herb that fellow Gilgamesh worked so hard to obtain?"

Lin Xian hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly, a complex and helpless look flashing in his eyes.

What does that have to do with me, Lin Xian, if you're looking for the snake before its molt?

Why is every black pot being shoved onto me?

What's worse is that I can't even refuse this.

"Hahahaha! To think that arrogant guy could ever be on the losing end. Well done!"

Ereshkigal's eyes lit up as she heard this, and she comfortably reached out to caress the ancient snake's cool head.

The relationship between the Underworld Goddess and the king of the earth was far from harmonious.

Gilgamesh, in his pursuit of eternal life, had even entered the Underworld to bother her several times.

What was even more outrageous was that the guy had preserved the corpse of his best friend, Enkidu, in the Underworld.

Honestly! What does she take this place for? A garden? Or a tomb?

The goddess muttered to herself, naturally delighted to see Gilgamesh suffer a setback. Her gaze towards her pet snake also softened with satisfaction.

"Oh right, I've always been calling you 'little guy,' 'little guy,' which is too casual. Let me give you a proper name."

Lin Xian's spirits immediately lifted. His tail flexibly coiled around a stone from the basket, and he wrote a line of cuneiform on a nearby, relatively flat and smooth stone slab.

Afterward, the ancient snake bit the corner of its master's cloak and pointed it out to Ereshkigal.

"My name is Samael, meaning 'poison of radiance.'"

Samael, the primordial serpent in Jewish tradition who tempted Adam and Eve to pluck the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He also embodies the image of a fallen angel, bearing twelve serpent-like wings.

We are all of the same kind. Since this name will be well-received in Mesopotamia from now on, yours is mine.

As the ancient snake muttered this to itself, it glanced at another line of text on the stone, a strange curve appearing on its lips.