Man Cannot, At Least Should Not

Indeed, the two charismatic spirits before him were both accomplices in this gamble.

Each side brought their own players onto the field, fanning the flames and encouraging bets. The ancient serpent exerted its influence, participating together in this beast-fighting competition veiled in darkness.

It was just that, to Lin Xian's chagrin, after all his efforts for so long, he not only had to return the rich gentlemen's money in full but also only received a meager thirty percent of what he'd taken from the poor spirits.

"Satisfied? Of course, we're satisfied!"

"You handle things, and we're at ease. Let's cooperate more in the future."

The two shrewd individuals happily took their shares, stuffing them into the small vault within the gun cage. They also carefully packed away the items that held special significance and needed to be returned as favors.

The underworld, where souls resided, should have been a silent, gloomy prison.

Once inside, they would endure loneliness under the erosion of time, their memories and emotions worn away.

But since this little guy arrived, the constant turmoil he caused had added a great deal of spice to the monotonous underworld life.

Especially when Samael, that serpent, suggested that the Underworld Goddess Ereshkigal regularly open the gun cage barrier, giving the spirits some time to breathe.

This was practically an unparalleled gift for most human spirits who had been cooped up for so long.

While they couldn't truly roam and frolic, it was still better than sitting alone in the gun cage, waiting to be extinguished.

Moreover, some rules, once a crack was made, could be slowly changed.

"Right, I have something I need to ask clearly. How do you possess the ability to transform into the Lion-like Urum? Is it related to this beast tide?"

After dividing the spoils, Centurion Taliel's expression turned serious as he earnestly inquired, his eyes, formed from soul fire, narrowing.

He had defended against the beast tide in the ruins of Babylon and died in the end. His hatred for these beasts was as deep as the sea.

"Hmm, it's probably because I ate an Immortal Herb, and my body underwent a mutation during shedding. Lady Ereshkigal also knows about this matter."

"As for the beast tide, I'd rather know how they came about."

Lin Xian flicked his tongue, sighing slightly, appearing somewhat troubled.

"Haha! That's good, that's good!"

"The Eleven Demon Beasts are the most original monster templates of Mesopotamia. It makes sense that as you advanced, your bloodline purified and your form shifted towards these."

"Besides, those things are bloodthirsty and frenzied, they wouldn't be as cunning as you, a bad guy."

The old general extended his hand from the gun cage and patted Lin Xian's head heavily, laughing heartily.

Can you not praise me so much? I want to be a good snake. The accomplice grumbled in agreement.

After the pleasantries, just as he was about to remove the restraining barrier, two packages were unexpectedly thrown from the gun cage, landing on the ground behind him.

Lin Xian looked at the golden light and the edges of a few clay tablets revealed within, feeling a bit bewildered.

"What are these?"

"Little gifts for you. They'll be useful outside."

The martyr of the ruins of Babylon, and that old blacksmith Umu from Eresh City, with his brawny arms and expertise in smelting, exchanged a knowing smile.

So generous? The ancient serpent muttered, about to tease them, but his vertical pupils suddenly constricted.

"What 'outside'?"

"Nothing..."

The two shrewd individuals inside the gun cage looked up at the dome, avoiding the question with subtle expressions.

Counting this time, they had cooperated with this little guy three times already.

It was common knowledge for spirits to bribe guards in the underworld with accompanying gold and silver.

Those Garuda Spirits indeed loved treasures imbued with the aura of the living.

New spirit bodies entering this place could use this trick to lure away Garuda Spirits and increase their chances of survival.

But they had never heard of a serpent also liking to collect such things.

Moreover, every time they divided the spoils, this little guy liked to pick out the clay tablets that seemed to have little value but were inscribed with locations of inheritances.

The wealth that humans couldn't use upon death was generally left on the ground.

How could such a bad guy full of poisonous fluids possibly suffer a loss?

The two shrewd individuals, with understanding in their eyes, had clearly seen some clues.

Precisely because of this, the items in the packages were something the serpent would definitely accept, and must accept.

As expected, after Lin Xian glanced at the few lines of text on the two clay tablets, his tense face relaxed.

He forced a kind smile, gave his partners a subtle nod, and then wriggled his waist, swaying towards the deep mountains.

Arriving at a secluded mountain valley, Lin Xian hid the ill-gotten gains in a cave.

Subsequently, red and black blood mist permeated the ancient serpent's body, and its form was reconstructed into that of the Lion-like Urum.

Lin Xian looked at his imposing projection on the stone wall and nodded in satisfaction.

He had been in the underworld for nearly half a year, and the Beast Authority he had self-modified was now largely absorbed.

The "Eleven Demon Beasts" spiritual basis portrait, mapped into his mind by Tiamat via an anchor line, had also been gradually deciphered and replicated by Lin Xian.

The advancement from Bronze to Silver allowed him to master the self-restructuring of the "Lion-like Urum" form.

However, since he had never seen the true original form, this imitation always felt like something was missing.

If he had the chance to defeat and absorb a corresponding monster from the monster tide, Lin Xian believed he could perfectly showcase their divine aura.

Besides these, the gifts from those two old foxes were not easy to accept.

One asked him to deliver a message, and the other asked him to find someone.

Sigh, even in death, there were still so many worries.

But from a positive perspective, the fact that they inscribed these requests on clay tablets was also a way of dragging him onto their ship.

If everyone has leverage over each other, they can play together happily, right?

That's why ancient people were not limited in knowledge; most of them had perfectly fine intelligence. Anyone who thought of them as truly stupid would be the truly arrogant fool!

Especially those two guys, they were cunning foxes who had become refined with age!

It's possible that the reason they brought him in to set up a gambling game to fleece these poor ghosts for their burial fees was to pave the way for this current situation.

Well, anyway, gold and the like are no longer of much use to these spirits residing in the gun cage.

Money needs to circulate to have an effect; piling it up in the underworld won't make it bloom, right?

I secured the activity time for you, and the beast-fighting events have been showcased. Consider this spent waste metal as mere entertainment expenses!

Lin Xian justified himself without any guilt, his eyes shining at the thought of the gold and silver he had plundered from the cave.

However, this would be the last few jobs; he shouldn't be so ostentatious from now on.

Thinking of the two old foxes who tacitly colluded to trick him, the mighty lion twitched his mouth and looked up at the faint red glow of the mountains.

Currently, his master was still digging a hole underneath Uruk.

According to her usual habits, Ereshkigal would probably summon him for the night in three to four hours.

So, while he had time, he should go visit his other teacher.

Lin Xian sighed, collected his thoughts, stretched out his claws, broke through the death mist, and galloped towards the deep valley ahead.

This lion with brown-red fur and a golden mane leaped and bounded, swift as lightning, weaving through the gray death mist like a blazing flame.

As the path became more rugged and the death mist grew thicker, his slick fur, capable of deflecting arrows, gradually dimmed and withered. His flesh sizzled, and several rotten patches of varying sizes began to appear.

But the baring-toothed lion endured the pain and accelerated forward.

Simultaneously, a phantom image of a purplish-green plant resembling a camel thorn emerged from his body, humming and utilizing its immortality to dispel the death energy and repair the wounds.

Finally, after half an hour of running at full speed in this painful, itchy, and almost ecstatic state, Lin Xian broke through the boundary of the death mist and leaped into the deep valley.

The first thing the lion did upon landing was to roll sideways, spread his belly, and frantically scratch himself against the rock face, like a giant housecat infested with fleas.

At the same time, emerald green long hair cascaded down, and two fair hands followed the texture of the lion's fur, scratching with interest to alleviate the itch that had seeped into his flesh.

However, as the scratching continued, the descending fingers and palms moved towards the lion's unmentionable regions.

Lin Xian's fur stood on end, and his limbs sprang out, as if equipped with springs.

The startled big cat retreated to a corner by the rock wall, looking at the slightly regretful figure ahead with vigilance, while his mind furiously ranted.

Humans shouldn't... at least, not like this...

Enkidu.jpg

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has just been changed!