Moon World Girlfriend Comes Knocking

"That's right, I am Ereshkigal, the mistress of the Underworld. Are you surprised by my entrance? You should be thanking me, otherwise you would definitely be getting bullied by that nasty goddess right now..."

Seeing Lan Ze remain silent for a long time, Ereshkigal immediately grew flustered and embarrassed: "Come to think of it, why did you suddenly go quiet?! Are you disappointed to see me?!"

"No, I'm just wondering how you appeared here... Didn't you run off to the world I was in back then?" Lan Ze asked.

"I did, but later I discovered that I seemed to have the ability to return to this world. However, after I arrived in the Underworld, I didn't know how to find you, and for those few days, it was as if you had completely vanished..." Ereshkigal's shoulders slumped powerlessly as she said this.

"Then, just a moment ago, I thought I'd try using this body to see if I could find you, and I never expected..."

"Never expected... that I would happen to be in the Temple?"

Ereshkigal nodded: "Why are you in the Temple of Ishtar?"

I don't know if it was just my imagination, but Lan Ze felt the clear, beautiful eyes of the Goddess of the Underworld dim significantly, losing their luster.

Lan Ze's heart skipped a beat, alarms ringing in his mind, and he sighed: "Goddess Ishtar made me her Divine Messenger and even signed a contract with me."

"Why didn't you refuse her?" Ereshkigal bit her lip, clearly unhappy.

Lan Ze sighed helplessly again: "She said if I refused, she would curse me to have no descendants and remain single until I die."

This reason was impeccable. When gods fight, mortals suffer; he was just a minor character, so he really had no other choice.

Ereshkigal muttered to herself: "That certainly sounds like something that person would do."

She knew better than anyone just how overbearing Ishtar could be.

And it was no surprise to Ereshkigal that Ishtar would want to snatch Lan Ze away after learning he was the Divine Messenger of the Goddess of the Underworld.

Back in the day, Ishtar had coveted the position of ruler of the Underworld and prepared a full set of divine gear to engage Ereshkigal in a Father-Son Duel.

As a result, after passing through the Seven Gates of the Underworld, all her divine gear was stripped away by Ereshkigal. After being beaten black and blue, she was detained in the Underworld for a long time. This was the dark history of the proud Ishtar's life, so it was easy to understand why she would want to act tit-for-tat and target Ereshkigal.

"So you signed a contract with her?"

Ereshkigal quickly put her thoughts aside, her eyes filled with concern: "Are you alright? She didn't bully you, did you?"

As she spoke, she carefully examined Lan Ze, as if checking for any injuries on his body.

Lan Ze shook his head: "I'm fine, Ishtar hasn't done anything to me yet."

"It seems she wants to maintain a good image in front of you..."

After Ereshkigal muttered this to herself, she immediately looked up and said:

"Then break the contract with her now and become my Divine Messenger instead."

Lan Ze said awkwardly: "Ah, this... I can't do that."

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

"So, you're choosing that goddess?" Ereshkigal's eyes grew dim, and she seemed a bit sad.

"No... this is a long story—"

"If you don't mind, let me explain."

Just then, a clear voice drifted in from outside the side hall. Ereshkigal looked up toward the entrance, where a white-haired man stood smiling before the gate. His smile was as bright as sunshine, giving off a very amiable feeling.

He wore a mage's robe, had a rather handsome face, white hair, and a smiling expression, holding a staff in his hand.

He looked like a Caster... of course, only in appearance.

Compared to standing far away chanting spells, this man was more accustomed to using a sword.

In this day and age, a Caster who lacks melee combat ability is too embarrassed to even call themselves a Caster.

"Who are you?" Ereshkigal frowned.

"Greetings, Goddess. I am the Court Mage of Britain; you can just call me Merlin." Merlin bowed respectfully, "I am here to explain the situation, and by the way..."

He raised his deep eyes, cast a glance at Lan Ze, and smiled slightly: "Mr. Lan Ze, please come back to Uruk with me. As for the reason... I think you'll understand once you return with me."

"Come to think of it, what did it feel like after you left this world?" Lan Ze turned his head to ask.

"Hmm..." Ereshkigal cooperated with Lan Ze, resting her chin on her hand and pondering for a moment, "It felt very strange. I saw many cube-shaped buildings, and they were all built very, very high. I was in the middle of transforming the underground there into the Underworld—"

"Um... am I being ignored? Am I being isolated?" Merlin's smile was a bit strained.

Ereshkigal glanced at Merlin: "Say what you have to say."

"It's like this," Merlin resumed his usual smile, "Mr. Lan Ze, do you remember what happened a few days ago?"

"What are you referring to?" Lan Ze was puzzled.

"The matter of entering the Dreamscape of Tiamat..."

Lan Ze was slightly stunned, and said strangely: "Don't tell me you were the one behind that?"

"I only played a role in pushing things along," Merlin smiled slightly, "Not everyone has the chance to enter the Dreamscape of that Mother. After I discovered you could enter the Dreamscape of Tiamat, I did my best to let you enter a deeper sleep to avoid being woken up by external factors."

Lan Ze suddenly realized.

He had been wondering why, after entering the Dreamscape of the Mother of All, he could sleep for three days straight without waking up. He had thought it was just a setting, but it turned out to be Merlin's doing.

Ishtar had said at the time that a white-haired mage was dancing around him; that must have been Merlin casting his spells.

As for why he had to dance... Lan Ze could only interpret that as Merlin's twisted sense of humor.

"Wait, what on earth are you two talking about?!" Ereshkigal interrupted. "What dreamscape of Mother's?"

"It's about this young man beside you; he just entered the dreamscape of the goddess Tiamat a short while ago," Merlin said with a smile.

"Oh... I see..." Ereshkigal nodded blankly, then her eyes slowly widened.

"Huh?!"

She whipped her head around to look at Lan Ze, as if to verify the truth of the matter.

Lan Ze gave an affirmative reply: "That's why I said I can't enter into a contract with you anymore..."

Ereshkigal was still somewhat incredulous: "Isn't Mother in that world..."

Merlin slowly shook his head: "Not at all. She is currently on this land of Mesopotamia, and she is in a deep slumber. But don't worry, I have already woven a dreamscape for her; she will not wake up."

"That's not right," Lan Ze suddenly said. "She will awaken."

Almost the instant those words fell, the bodies of the two people present stiffened abruptly.

The smile that had been so nonchalant on Merlin's face also froze in an instant.

"Mr. Lan Ze... are you serious?" He slowly raised his head to look at Lan Ze.

"Don't you have Clairvoyance?" Lan Ze asked.

"Clairvoyance isn't omnipotent, and besides, my Clairvoyance can only observe the present and then infer the future based on current information," Merlin sighed. "There are limits to it, after all."

"Was what you just said serious?" Merlin asked again.

Lan Ze nodded affirmatively.

Merlin fell silent, his eyes filled with contemplation.

Lan Ze continued to ask: "Since you aren't here for this, then what do you want to do by coming to see me?"

He had thought that because his arrival had caused the future to change, Merlin had deduced everything and come specifically to find him, but it seemed that wasn't the case after all.

Merlin snapped out of his recent deep thought and shook his head: "It's not that I want to see you; it's that the King wants to see you."

"Gilgamesh wants to see me?"

Lan Ze repeated the name, feeling a bit confused in his heart.

Is he trying to throw me in prison?

...But Gilgamesh shouldn't have the time to worry about such trivial matters right now, should he?

After all, he should be busy defending against the demonic beasts from the outside world.

"Yes, he is the one who asked me to invite you," Merlin nodded with a smile, though he looked like an unscrupulous merchant no matter how you sliced it.

Ereshkigal stepped in front of Lan Ze, staring at Merlin vigilantly: "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't care, but this guy is my divine messenger. I won't let him go back with you."

"Ereshkigal..." Lan Ze looked at the figure of the Goddess of the Underworld, feeling moved.

As expected, this girl is just adorable. Even though she's a bit of a tsundere, she is kind at heart.

Noticing Lan Ze's rather moved gaze, Ereshkigal blushed and added: "D-don't get the wrong idea! I'm only helping you because you're my divine messenger!"

"Even so, thank you."

After being thanked by Lan Ze without hesitation, the Goddess of the Underworld, after a brief moment of shame, crossed her arms and huffed like a tsundere: "...Now you know how good I am to you, right?"

"I know, I know. Ereshkigal is the best in the world," Lan Ze nodded.

Ereshkigal shot Lan Ze an annoyed, shy glance.

For some reason, she always felt like Lan Ze was teasing her.

At this moment, Merlin smiled and spoke: "Goddess, please do not worry. I don't think the King wants to punish him for the incident of stealing from the treasury last time. After all, the King must have already guessed the reason why Lan Ze would go to the treasury for no reason back then."

The name of Ishtar was quite famous here in Uruk. As her divine messenger, Lan Ze's actions would certainly be influenced by Ishtar.

After pondering for a moment, Lan Ze nodded: "I'll go back with you."

He knew exactly how terrifying that overwhelming power would be once Tiamat descended. If he wanted to rewrite that ending of near-total annihilation, relying on himself alone would absolutely not be enough.

He had to make others realize this as well.

"It's a huge help that you're willing to cooperate, Mr. Lan Ze." Merlin immediately clapped his hands with a smile, then turned to look at Ereshkigal:

"Goddess, if you don't mind, why don't you come along as well?"

Ereshkigal hesitated for a moment and muttered: "I suppose I can, but I can't guarantee that that goddess won't make a scene later."

Although she was talking to herself, she ultimately agreed to Merlin's invitation and let out a soft sigh.

After all, she wasn't entirely at ease leaving Lan Ze in Uruk.

Divine Tower, King's Hall.

When Lan Ze and Ereshkigal arrived at the hall with Merlin, they saw Gilgamesh, who was busy arranging for soldiers to defend against the demonic beasts.

The King looked very busy at this moment; Uruk soldiers would enter the hall from time to time to report the situation, and Gilgamesh would provide new instructions immediately.

This atmosphere, which felt as if it were frozen solid, made one feel a sense of solemnity in their heart.

"King, I have brought Lan Ze back," Merlin said.

It is nearly impossible to wait here for Gilgamesh to finish all his work; even if they waited until the next day, they would still see a busy Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh slightly raised his hand, handed the clay tablet in his grip to Siduri, and then ordered the surrounding soldiers to withdraw for the time being.

Only then did he turn his attention to Lan Ze, his red eyes, resembling those of a serpent, radiating a majesty that made one dare not look him in the eye.

"Ho, not only Lan Ze, but you even brought that goddess back? Your performance truly surprises this King, Merlin."

Merlin shook his head and laughed, "She came of her own volition."

"Came of her own volition?" A hint of surprise flickered in Gilgamesh's eyes, "Is it for this human? This is truly unexpected..."

"That is because he is my Divine Messenger!" Ereshkigal shouted in her own defense, though her slightly flushed cheeks betrayed her.

Gilgamesh mocked her without restraint, "Your explanation is too hasty, making it even easier for people to misunderstand, you useless goddess... no, you seem to be..."

Gilgamesh's voice paused, and he did not expose her.

Ereshkigal let out a soft whimper, clutching the fabric of her skirt tightly as she lowered her head slightly; steam seemed to be rising from her head, as if she might erupt at any moment.

Merlin hurriedly spoke up to interrupt this awkward atmosphere, "Oh King, on the way here just now, Mr. Lan Ze mentioned a very important matter."

"An important matter?" Gilgamesh's gaze shifted to Merlin.

Merlin looked left and right, walked a few steps to Gilgamesh's side, and whispered something.

The more Gilgamesh listened, the deeper his brow furrowed, until finally, after a moment of silence, he spoke, "Is what you say true?"

Merlin nodded without hesitation, "If what we ultimately have to face is not the Beast Goddess outside, but... the Creation Mother Goddess, Oh King, have you thought of a strategy to deal with it?"

Gilgamesh did not answer, his gaze fixed directly on Lan Ze, "I saw you a few days ago, when you and that useless goddess were coveting this King's treasury."

"My apologies, I was in a bit of a rush at the time and didn't get to say hello," Lan Ze said humbly.