The Scheming and the Tsundere

"Lord Ereshkigal, you are kind, benevolent, lovely, and beautiful. Thank you for taking me in."

The Underworld Goddess unconsciously read the cuneiform script below aloud. After a moment's pause, her cheeks flushed, and her speech became stammering.

"L-lovely and beautiful?"

"How can I be that good?"

As a rustling sound came from behind her, the Ancient Snake flicked its tail, dropped a stone, and nudged its keeper's hand with its head, pointing to a new passage of cuneiform.

"Although the standards of beauty vary, they are still absolute."

"Black can overcome white, and earth can overcome heaven."

"In my eyes, in the Underworld, you are naturally more dazzling than all the stars in the sky!"

Black can overcome white? Earth can overcome heaven?

Ereshkigal's delicate body trembled, and she murmured as if sensing something, the light in her eyes growing brighter.

Her hands, which had been intertwined at her hem, restless and nowhere to go, gradually clenched into fists. Finally, with a mix of excitement and a hint of catharsis, she powerfully waved them towards the air.

That's right! How could I possibly lose to that spoiled, indulgent, and wicked woman!

However, in her daze, as Ereshkigal's gaze darted around, it fell upon the dark and gloomy death mist surrounding her, and her domain shrouded in desolation and decay.

The goddess's body squirmed restlessly, her pearly teeth biting down on her lower lip, her expression becoming somewhat uncertain.

"But I am the unfortunate one who governs decay and death…"

"In the Underworld, not even a single flower blooms, nor does a single vine grow…"

Facing the self-pitying goddess, the Ancient Snake flicked its tongue and shook its tail, continuing to write its response on the stone.

"Light is born from darkness, and death is new life…"

"Because they will die, humans will cherish life even more…"

"Perhaps in the eyes of the foolish, only the filth and darkness after plants decay can be seen, but these are the very foundations that nurture beauty."

"Therefore, compared to lives that freely enjoy the sun and squander time, the decay and death buried in the soil, unknown and unsung, are more worthy of, and more in need of, praise!"

This revolutionary yet powerful philosophy stirred waves within the Underworld Goddess's heart.

"Even if the Underworld is dark and gloomy, and not even a small grape vine can grow."

"But Lord Ereshkigal, you provide refuge for countless souls and took me in."

"In this desolate land, you are the most beautiful flower of the Underworld!"

The Ancient Snake forcefully drew lines on the stone slab. As it reached the end, the stone pen, coiled in its tail, tapped rhythmically on the blank space. Its vertically slit pupils, shining with a faint glow, seemed to be in thought.

After a moment, Lin Xian's gaze was gentle and reverent, and he solemnly added a sentence at the end.

"And, the only one!"

Hearing these earth-shattering words of affirmation, the long-standing, self-abandoning gloom that had enveloped the Underworld Goddess's heart tore open with a long, narrow rift.

In the past, she had heard countless pleas, curses, and insults from the mouths of the dead souls.

While all things have a beginning and an end, new life, representing the "beginning," is often praised, while death, representing the "end," is always blamed.

In countless years, this was the first time Ereshkigal had heard such recognition.

Moreover, she never expected these words to come from a snake.

Could it be that the Immortal Herb also had the effect of awakening intelligence?

At the same time, the overwhelming emotions made it impossible for the Underworld Goddess to maintain her outward dignity, her pretty face flushing red.

This subtle attitude of accepting praise while feigning rejection added a touch of humanity and a charming, down-to-earth appeal.

"Well, well, even though I saved you, there's no need to just pick out the nice words."

Hmm, this keeper's skin is a bit thin. It's about the right amount of praise, any more would seem deliberate.

The Ancient Snake put on a show, displaying a hesitant expression, and then drooped its head with slight reluctance.

The Underworld Goddess held her pet in her arms, her fingertips gently stroking its smooth, cool small head. Then, she waved her hand over the stone slab covered in cuneiform, erasing the markings.

"Oh, right, you called me Ereshkigal just now?"

"Hmm, even though it's a bit of a departure from my True Name of God, the sound is similar, and it doesn't sound bad."

"Well, as a reward for those words just now, you can continue to call me that from now on. It's decided."

To alleviate her pet's disappointment, Ereshkigal offered a simple incentive.

The Ancient Snake tilted its head and let out an excited hiss. Its serpentine body, about two meters long, slid and climbed around its keeper's chest and neck, displaying a sense of intimacy.

"Haa! So ticklish…"

The tingling sensation from the scales brushing against her neck and chest made Ereshkigal tremble with laughter.

Then, after a period of playful activity, the goddess tugged on her pet's tail, pulling the clingy little fellow away from her. She then mimicked the posture of a shepherd training a dog, issuing commands to the snake.

"Sit! Stop messing around!"

The Ancient Snake obediently slid off Ereshkigal, coiled in the center of a large, dark green boulder, and used its tail to pick up several pieces of ore, offering them to its keeper.

"Ah! This is bad, this is really bad! I still have more than half of my work left!"

The moment the goddess took the ore, she looked up at the gradually dimming divine radiance of the temple and immediately became flustered, rushing to catch up.

"It's all your fault! All you do is cause trouble every day! If you don't finish this, you're not going anywhere!"

Ereshkigal, growing more frantic the busier she got, complained incessantly while channeling her magic to refine the metal raw material for the spear cage from the ore.

Well, she's just a little girl who lacks love and recognition.

Lin Xian obediently cooperated with his caretaker, commencing his work. Seeing her diligent and hardworking back ahead of him, he couldn't help but curve his lips slightly.

Speaking of which, it's been several months since Gilgamesh threw me into the Underworld.

Because of my immortality, I've been thriving here, my body and magic constantly growing.

Furthermore, during my leisure time, Lin Xian even took the opportunity to learn basic cuneiform from the souls of the Underworld.

In addition, by organizing the information, I've also grasped the distribution of power among the city-states in the Mesopotamian region, as well as related divine legends, laying the foundation for my future entry into the surface cities.

All in all, this exile has actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

It can be confirmed that the Heroic King did indeed keep his promise and magnanimously let me off the hook.

However, as Lin Xian recalled the details of his previous debate with King Gilgamesh, he vaguely remembered something that made him feel suspicious.

When he mentioned the prophecy that "he will reunite with Enkidu," the Heroic King did not seem surprised at all.

Could it be that Gilgamesh had already foreseen this outcome through his clairvoyance, which can see into the future?

Then why did my gamble to buy my life with this information still succeed?

While thinking, Lin Xian didn't neglect his work. His tail coiled around a metal spear blank inscribed with divine cuneiform patterns and inserted it into the soil, forming a barrier to protect souls.

Suddenly, the Ancient Snake seemed to remember something. It turned around and rustled out a line of questions, poking its head towards its caretaker, Ereshkigal, for guidance.

"Lady Ereshkigal, do you always know when I sneak out?"

"Of course!"

"But still, the temple is too stuffy. If you stay inside all the time, you'll get suffocated."

"Hehe, but every time you sneak out of the covers with a shifty look, it's just too funny."

The goddess paused her movements slightly, reminiscing about the previous entertainment, her lips curling into a gentle smile.

"Weren't you asleep?"

Lin Xian, who thought his stealth missions were always perfect, asked dejectedly.

"Little one, this world is very dangerous. If you want to survive, you must maintain at least a minimum level of vigilance even when you sleep."

"Besides, you are too weak to even conceal your aura properly. I can see your every move without using my divine power to sense you."

"Moreover, without the aura of my Divine Spark, any wandering Garuda Spirit could track your scent as a living being and tear you to shreds. Don't be so reckless again."

The mistress, Ereshkigal, flicked Lin Xian's forehead with her finger, speaking with a tone of earnest advice.

The Ancient Snake's body stiffened, as if it had realized something. In a moment of sudden enlightenment, it hesitated for a moment before writing a fragmented sentence on the stone slab.

"Then, what about King Gilgamesh?"

"If I encounter him asleep again, can I..."

The Underworld Goddess's smile froze, her brow furrowed, and a strange expression gradually appeared in her eyes. She mused solemnly and whispered.

"Run! As far away as possible!"