"Old... Sister Shamhat, cough cough, don't look at me like that. I'm scared..."
The ancient serpent coiled within the cracks of the rocks cleared his throat thoughtfully. With his head raised, he looked like a reptile facing danger, poised to strike.
"Call me Teacher!"
The Holy Prostitute crouching at the cave entrance made the demand with a solemn expression.
"Oh, Teacher Shamhat..."
Faced with this unreadable woman, Lin Xian suddenly felt his teeth ache.
Yet after hearing the ancient serpent's response, Shamhat at the entrance revealed a bright, pure smile and repeatedly recited the words her student had spoken earlier.
"Never show understanding toward those harboring hatred."
"Never show approval toward those harboring joy."
"Never show praise toward those harboring pain!"
"She has her choice, and I have my answer!"
Lin Xian had initially thought this teacher of his had somehow snapped again and was acting crazy.
According to established history, these meaningful words had actually come from Ziusudra, the exceptionally long-lived survivor of the Great Flood during the Golden Age.
Or rather, they had come from the Grand Assassin who descended upon the world of Mesopotamia through the Eye of Heaven, using Ziusudra as a vessel, to help humanity survive its crisis.
His strength could not be underestimated.
Moreover, this assassin who loved to go on unstoppable rampages stood at the very pinnacle of humanity's Heroic Spirits, making him better able to see through the relationship between humans and gods.
Thus, although his three pieces of advice sounded somewhat forceful, they were truly words of wisdom.
Simply put, humanity needed to abandon its unnecessary fantasies about the Three Goddesses.
Only by displaying humanity's steel-like resolve could they make those goddesses lower their proud heads, face the tiny creatures upon this earth, and establish a basis for mutual understanding.
Naturally, the ancient serpent did not want to let such a powerful ally from a friendly faction slip away.
He had been counting on clinging tightly to this Grand Assassin's thigh, charging all the way to the Three Goddesses, and having tea with them while discussing their ideals in life.
Even taking a step back, even if the real Ziusudra was not an unstoppable Grand Assassin, his identity as a human who had lived through Enlil's Great Flood and the Golden Age still made him worth recruiting.
Therefore, Lin Xian had once planned to seek out this mysterious old man. Even if he could not learn the assassination arts of charging into battle and cutting people down, he could at least build a good relationship with him in preparation for the unexpected.
However, even after borrowing Ereshkigal's divine aura to dart around everywhere, searching all of the Underworld and even taking a lap beneath Kutha, he had failed to encounter that mysterious old man.
It was also during this period, while investigating Enkidu's tomb, that Lin Xian had accidentally run into Shamhat and could only make do by dragging her aboard his pirate ship.
Now, returning to the present, the ancient serpent saw understanding and emotion gradually emerge in Shamhat's eyes and wisely remained silent.
"Good!"
"Very good!"
"Truly very good!"
"How tragic! How foolish, to speak of humanity to gods from a position of inequality!"
"You can recognize this much. You're better than I am!"
"You possess wisdom far beyond this era. When it comes to dealing with the world, I have nothing more to teach you."
Looking somewhat excited, Shamhat extended her delicate hand with reserved gentleness and softly stroked the ancient serpent's head, granting her disciple the highest praise.
Then, the Holy Prostitute murmured self-mockingly.
"I kept wondering where exactly I had gone wrong."
"Whether it was the Wedge of Heaven or the Chain of Heaven, they were both saints bestowed upon the world of Mesopotamia by the gods to guide humanity."
"Give him love. Let him feel love. Teach him to love."
"Then, loving humanity, loving his nation, loving this world would make everything better."
"Indeed, with Enkidu's help, Gilgamesh changed from a Tyrant into a Wise King."
"To protect the people, he guided Gilgamesh to slay the divine beast Humbaba in the Fir Forest."
"To eliminate the Beast Calamity and drought, the two worked together to dismember Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, restraining the goddess's actions."
"But in the end, the child who saved Uruk, even all of Mesopotamia, could not save himself and could only die beneath the gods' curse!"
"We praised his kindness and appreciated his achievements, yet we only hastened his march toward death."
From her calm words, Lin Xian heard the hatred Shamhat had buried deep within her heart. He sighed and spoke thoughtfully.
"Because that was what you wanted, not what the gods wanted."
Moved by the ancient serpent, the Holy Prostitute, who had opened her heart at last, smiled mockingly.
"Yes. Just as humans cannot be bothered to reason with ants, gods also disdain listening to human pleas."
"Do you know? When our king saw his dearest friend die in his arms, he held that child's corpse beneath the rain and remained there for seven days and seven nights."
"Afterward, the king began desperately trying to restore Enkidu's life. He emptied his treasury and performed several Great Sacrifices to the gods in succession."
"A king once so proud was willing to kneel in the temple for his dearest friend, begging and repenting before the gods."
"Even Nash, Kutha, Eridu, Babylon... the Sumerians throughout all of Mesopotamia, moved by that child's sacrifice, continuously offered gold and silver, cattle and sheep, slaves, and magical beasts to the gods, hoping those lofty beings would show mercy and spare that child."
"But not a single god responded. They merely watched with cold eyes."
"The king ultimately fell into despair. He placed his dearest friend's body in the Underworld, hoping he would find peace after death."
"But even so..."
Shamhat raised her eyes toward the crater blasted open by violence, a trace of sorrow appearing in her gaze.
"Humans do not reason with ants because we cannot communicate and can hardly empathize."
"But gods and humans are so alike. There is no real barrier to communication between you."
"It wasn't that they couldn't understand. They simply weren't listening at all! They didn't even care to listen!"
The ancient serpent flicked his tongue and answered coldly. Then he slithered out of the cave, climbed before Shamhat's knees, and spoke with a serious expression.
"Teacher, if you truly made a mistake, it was only that you weren't strong enough!"
"At the very least, you weren't strong enough that the gods could not ignore you."
At that moment, Lin Xian recalled an old joke, and a trace of mockery appeared in his eyes.
"Enkidu merely lost his life, while the gods lost face—their authority was at stake!"
Such biting mockery made darkness surge in Shamhat's eyes.
"Humbaba devoured travelers and caused plants to wither. None of you cared."
"Gugalanna ravaged the land, causing seven years of drought and countless people to starve to death in the great famine. You remained silent."
"But once our heroes rose up and eradicated those calamities, it all became sin!"
After a long silence, Shamhat's furrowed brow relaxed, and a smile spread across her face.
"Little Samael, come here once before you leave."
"Definitely!"
The two figures, one large and one small, nodded in mutual understanding.
One wished to let the dead rest in peace and bid farewell to her once-powerless self; the other wished to use practical action to force his master to face the real problem, lest she regret it for the rest of her life.
And shattering the Triple Goddess Alliance to rewrite the destined fate of the world of Mesopotamia was also their shared goal.
Since their interests aligned, they were on the same boat.
When Shamhat's thoughts touched upon those words, her expression turned strange as she looked the slender figure up and down.
Only after Lin Xian's scalp began to prickle beneath her stare did the Holy Prostitute finally speak suspiciously.
"I say, Little Samael, I always feel that you have other reasons for shattering the Triple Goddess Alliance and indirectly taking humanity's side."
Lin Xian grinned and narrowed his eyes.
"King Gilgamesh personally acknowledged me as a free citizen of Uruk. Can't I stand with my own country?"
"But you're a snake. Your bloodline is closer to magical beasts..."
"Can't I be human in spirit?"
Shamhat looked the slender figure up and down again, unmoved.
"You? Who are you trying to fool?"
Before you continue