Writing the Deed!

As evening fell and the sky's faint redness gradually faded, a bonfire was lit on the cliff's edge.

Ereshkigal, kneeling on the bluestone, rested her chin on her hand and gazed into the deep valley. The ground was covered in colorful Crystal Flowers, which flickered on and off, their soft glow appearing particularly beautiful against the twilight scene.

Lost in the moment, the Goddess closed her eyes and reached out towards the sea of Crystal Flowers. Her expression was one of sweet, unburdened contentment, as if she possessed a world blooming with flowers.

Immediately realizing such an action was unbecoming of her status, the master opened her eyes and furtively glanced around.

Confirming that no one was watching her with derision in this silent world, Ereshkigal let out a relieved sigh and patted her chest, the flush on her face slowly receding.

However, due to the "blind spot under the lamp" phenomenon, Ereshkigal never noticed the mischievous creature that had witnessed everything.

After a flurry of internal thoughts, the Goddess's gaze fell upon the clay tablet resting on her knees, and her pretty face was filled with satisfaction.

This was a gift she had found while searching among the Crystal Flowers. The tablet, etched with bold lines, vividly depicted the scene of her first encounter with the Ancient Snake, as the God of the Underworld.

She remembered how pitifully it had collapsed in her palm, unconscious, so frail, so tiny.

"Celebrating the 200th day anniversary of the meeting between Lord Ereshkigal and Samael!"

A line of crooked cuneiform characters below caused Ereshkigal's fingers, which were caressing the tablet, to pause for a long time.

The Ancient Snake, which had climbed onto its master's shoulder, could faintly sense a slight tremor emanating from the Goddess's body.

Yes, it had been over half a year.

She and this little guy had been together for so long without even realizing it.

These awakened memories, unlike her experiences over millennia, were not mostly pale and hollow. Almost every moment was filled with vitality and color.

Just as the Goddess was lost in recollection, a strange emotion washing over her, her fingertips brushed against some peculiar indentations on the back of the tablet.

"Hiss hiss..."

The Ancient Snake, which had somehow slithered to Ereshkigal's front, flicked its tongue and blinked. The master, brought back to her senses, couldn't help but flip the tablet over.

Lines of tangled, depressed cuneiform characters met her eyes.

"Lord Ereshkigal really wanted to see the Underworld bloom. Unfortunately, I am still weak now and can only give her a field of fake flowers..."

"But I won't give up!"

"I still owe Lord Ereshkigal a sea of flowers..."

"A sea of flowers truly blooming in the Underworld!"

"One day, I will make the beautiful things of the earth bloom throughout the Underworld!"

"I will repay you... I definitely will!"

As her gaze moved down, Ereshkigal's eyes settled on the bottom right corner of the tablet.

"This is an IOU – Samael..."

Below the signature, the simple sketch that depicted a few serpentine features seemed to convey a hint of shyness and embarrassment.

"I've always wanted to give Lord Ereshkigal a gift to thank you for your kindness."

"Making flowers bloom in the Underworld, I can't do that right now."

"But I can promise that I will definitely give Lord Ereshkigal a sea of flowers in the future! A sea of flowers that truly belongs to you!"

The Ancient Snake's tail twitched from side to side, as if it were somewhat uneasy. It hesitated before leaving its mark on the tablet, but the tone of the writing was full of conviction.

"I..."

Just as the little guy, filled with guilt, was about to offer further explanations and promises, a pair of soft hands gently cradled it.

Simultaneously, her golden hair scattered in the wind, and her pink lips lightly kissed the little guy's forehead, like two cool pieces of jelly.

Furthermore, as the divine aura washed over it, the Ancient Snake instinctively stiffened its scales.

He could faintly sense within his master a blazing passion, like volcanic lava, buried beneath a tough exterior.

"No! Samael..."

"This is the best gift I've received since my birth!"

"This is the only one!"

"Thank you..."

Ereshkigal held the little guy to her chest, murmuring a reply, her eyes shimmering with bright colors.

"Do you like these Crystal Flowers?"

"I like them very much! I like them extremely much! They won't rot, they won't wither, they can stay with me forever!"

"Then, can this IOU be voided?"

The Ancient Snake glanced at the contract tablet the Goddess had placed beside her and asked cautiously.

"Planting flowers in the Underworld seems really difficult..."

"Slap!"

A snake tail, which had stealthily coiled towards the proof of debt, was gruffly swatted away by its master.

"No!"

"Don't you know that once you make a pact with a god, you absolutely cannot go back on it!"

The Goddess, whose eyes were full of smiles despite her seemingly angry tone, rubbed the Ancient Snake's head and emphasized the added 'overlord clauses' one word at a time.

"Ahhh! That's cheating! This is too unfair..."

The Ancient Snake struggled free from its master's claws and lamented its fate on a clay tablet, bitterly recounting the unreasonableness of divine authority. It truly looked like an oppressed victim.

Pitiful, weak, and helpless...

"This land in the Underworld is too barren, and it's all dead energy. What am I supposed to do if I really can't grow flowers?"

"Then you'll stay by my side forever!"

Ereshkigal blurted out, but then, under the Ancient Snake's curious head tilt, the Goddess's gaze darted left and right before she put on a stern face and explained.

"I mean, I'll supervise you until you grow flowers..."

"What you promise, you must fulfill!"

The Goddess pulled up the little creature with its sorrowful face, happily stroking its smooth, cool scales.

Ereshkigal even hooked a finger under the Ancient Snake's chin, teasing it to elicit a reaction.

Finally, in the confrontation between the goddess and the beast, the pitiful, weak, and helpless Ancient Snake surrendered, its face filled with dejection and defeat.

"Well, Lady Ereshkigal, I won't change it anymore..."

"Good boy!"

"Then can you stop always keeping those human spirit uncles locked up? They've helped a lot, and I want to repay them, just like I repay you, Lady Ereshkigal."

The Ancient Snake's compromise request made Ereshkigal ponder for a moment before finally nodding slightly.

"Well, alright. I'll try my best to partially expand the Gun Cage Barrier from now on, increasing their range of activity."

"But completely lifting the restrictions and letting them out is impossible."

Lin Xian blinked, his expression puzzled.

"Why? This is the Underworld. Are you afraid they'll run away?"

"It's not because of that..."

Ereshkigal hesitated for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the distant phantoms of the Gun Cage Barrier that contained clusters of soul fires. She bit her lower lip.

"The Gun Cage Barrier can maximally resist the erosion of dead energy, slowing down the aging and attrition of these souls."

"In fact, it's not just human bodies that have lifespans and beginnings and ends; souls are the same."

The Ancient Snake fell into a brief silence, its thoughts in disarray.

In a way, Ereshkigal was indeed protecting these souls, and her kindness was undeniable.

But wasn't this unilateral choice by a deity also a form of tyranny and oppression?

Life within the Gun Cage wasn't easy, and coupled with the gloom and oppression enveloping the Underworld, some souls with weaker wills would eventually be driven mad.

Lin Xian couldn't gauge whether this protection, equivalent to a form of imprisonment, was good or bad.

Ultimately, the Ancient Snake, intending to plead for those human souls to the Lord of the Underworld, had to compromise.

"Can't you just relax the restrictions on the Gun Cage a bit more?"

At this moment, the Goddess of the Underworld, who had been smiling moments ago, frowned and resolutely shook her head.

"The third storm sweeping through Uruk is building momentum. The Underworld must maintain stability!"

"More importantly, I don't want to see these souls perish due to my negligence."

"Souls without physical bodies or anchors, drifting in the Underworld, are ultimately too dangerous."

The Ancient Snake drooped its head, appearing dejected and powerless.

Ereshkigal's heartstrings were thus plucked, and she finally opened her lips, making a difficult decision.

"Actually, it's not impossible to open the Gun Cage."

"But at the very least, we have to wait until the third storm sweeping through Uruk passes..."

"For the humans in the world of Mesopotamia, death is actually a form of good fortune in this crisis..."

At least, in my hands, they still have a chance...

Unconsciously, the master murmured the lingering thoughts in her heart.

When she came back to her senses, the little creature had raised a clay tablet and was holding it directly in front of her face, its tense snake face full of seriousness.

"You said it, put it in writing!"

Huh? Ereshkigal looked at this, unsure whether to laugh or cry.