Chapter 66

"Mother?"

Lan Ze's voice brought Tiamat back to reality.

Seeing Lan Ze's curious gaze, the woman gently shook her head, then wrapped her arms around Lan Ze's head and pulled him into her embrace.

This is what Tiamat does whenever she doesn't want to answer a question... and every time she does this, Lan Ze stops pressing Tiamat for an answer.

This is the power of the human heart! It is enough to change everything!

Actually, there's something Tiamat hasn't said... For the past two months, she and Sajyou Manaka have actually been watching Lan Ze play games, but they just haven't let Lan Ze know.

Because Lan Ze hasn't done anything too outrageous so far, including today's "marriage," it's still within Tiamat's acceptable range.

This woman is quite tolerant. As long as her son doesn't do anything too intimate with other women, like kissing or hugging, she generally won't get angry.

Tiamat had no concept of "marriage" at all, nor did she understand what Artoria meant by declaring Lan Ze her Queen.

She was unhappy today only because Lan Ze told Mordred that she was the one who taught him to sing badly.

After feeling the warmth, but somewhat distorted, maternal love in Tiamat's arms for a while, Lan Ze looked up at her, and the woman was gazing at him tenderly in return.

"Aaa?" Tiamat asked.

"I'm running out of magic," Lan Ze said shyly.

It's not that he's lecherous or anything like that; he simply wants to replenish his magic power.

After all, using Tiamat's singing voice today, and even conjuring up her appearance, all require a lot of magic power. And the magic power consumed naturally needs to be replenished; I need to keep it at full strength at all times!

Tiamat nodded "Aaa," then let Lan Ze lie on her lap so he could replenish his magic.

Lan Ze lay on Tiamat's lap, replenishing his magic power for a while. Still seemingly unsatisfied, he looked at Tiamat and whispered, "Aaaa."

Tiamat paused slightly, then nodded gently. Her hand touched the rope around Lan Ze's waist, and she gently untied it.

As Lan Ze's magic power rapidly diminishes, it is simultaneously replenished, forming a perfect closed loop.

Tokyo.

The Age of Gods had actually completely faded away by this time, but traces of it still remain beneath Tokyo at this very moment.

This is the Underworld.

"Phew... we've finally dug this far."

At this very moment, beneath Lan Ze's apartment, the Goddess of the Underworld, with her captivating blonde hair, gently wiped the sweat from her brow, placed her hands on her hips, and let out a satisfied sigh.

For the past two months, Ereshkigal has been expanding her Magic Barrier underground every day, trying to make her "territory" cover the entire Tokyo area.

Ereshkigal is a bit like someone who, at the very beginning of a game, needs to constantly expand her territory to gain more privileges.

And now, she has finally succeeded in extending the Magic Barrier into the apartment where Lan Ze lives.

"If I suddenly appeared now, it would definitely scare that guy, wouldn't it?"

Thinking of this, a wicked smile appeared on Ereshkigal's face.

She pursed her lips, anticipating Lan Ze's surprised expression when he saw her.

It's been over two months since I parted ways with Lan Ze. That guy Lan Ze and my mother are such good friends... I wonder if he's been affected by being separated from my mother.

If I see him later, it wouldn't hurt to offer him some comfort.

Imagined that after seeing Lan Ze, he would rush into her arms and cry bitterly, lamenting the injustice of fate. She also imagined herself, radiating a soft halo, like the Virgin Mary descending, gently stroking the boy's hair and softly comforting him. Ereshkigal's lips couldn't help but curl into a cute smile.

She gently kneaded the hem of her dress at her chest, her eyes sparkling, increasingly anticipating the astonished look on Lan Ze's face when they met.

Ereshkigal slightly raised her head and looked up at the sky.

"So Lan Ze lives here..."

After muttering this to herself, Ereshkigal closed her eyes slightly. She could sense Lan Ze's presence above her.

When Ereshkigal suddenly opened her eyes, the Magic Barrier activated instantly. The girl, who was originally in the Underworld, vanished underground in the next moment and appeared in an unfamiliar hall.

Where am I...?

Ereshkigal muttered to herself in confusion, her gaze sweeping across the living room. It was a living room that looked neither too big nor too small. A flat-screen TV hung on one wall, and a bag of potato chips that had already been eaten was on the table. The person eating it seemed to be quite gentle, having carefully folded the bag after finishing the chips and placed it on the table. She wondered why they hadn't thrown it in the trash can.

Besides that, there was a bottle of cola on the table and two salted fish-shaped cushions on the sofa.

"Isn't that guy home?"

Ereshkigal muttered this to herself, then tiptoed out of the living room.

"Lan Ze?" she called softly, but naturally there was no answer.

Just then, Ereshkigal's gaze suddenly fell on a tightly closed room not far away.

After gazing at it for a moment, she slowly walked forward, pressed the doorknob, and gently pushed open the door.

"Aaaa."

"AaaAaaa~"

Tiamat's singing voice drifted softly from the room. After Ereshkigal's gaze swept across the room, it immediately fixed on the blue-haired woman at the head of the bed.

Lan Ze clearly noticed someone had opened the door, so he looked up and exclaimed in surprise, "Ai--"

Before he could finish speaking, Ereshkigal had already closed the door.

With her back to the door, she gasped for breath, rubbed her eyes hard, and after confirming that she had calmed down and was no longer being deceived by the illusion, she pushed the door open again.

How could Mother be in Tokyo...?

And isn't this the apartment where Lan Ze lives?

That was definitely a hallucination...

While giving herself these reminders, at the same time, Ereshkigal's gaze fell back into the room.

Then, the Goddess of the Underworld witnessed an unbelievable scene, a scene that was the first of its kind to shock her since birth.

"What... what are you doing to Mother?!" Ereshkigal cried out, staring at the two people in the room.

At this moment, Lan Ze had replenished his magic power and was getting intimate with Tiamat.

No... it's more like Tiamat nestled her head in Lan Ze's arms like a cat, letting him stroke her hair and smooth the horns on her head, as adorable and obedient as if her owner were grooming a cat's soft fur.

Tiamat also heard Ereshkigal's voice. She glanced up at Ereshkigal, stared at her daughter for a moment, then looked away and continued to gently rub against Lan Ze's chest. Because she was lying face down, her soft body was slightly deformed from the pressure. If Sajyou Manaka saw this scene, she would probably have a mental breakdown.

Even Ereshkigal was a little shaken when she saw this scene.

Lan Ze clearly realized something as well. Seeing the Goddess of the Underworld's stunned expression, as if to say, "My mom has shocked me," he hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "... Why don't you give it a try?"

Sajyou Manaka was walking back to her apartment.

She was in a good mood today. Although Tiamat had been strutting around the apartment with her chest puffed out every day, she generously ignored Tiamat's unseemly bust size, since Tiamat had told her how to enlarge her breasts.

After spending some time together, Sajyou Manaka had a general understanding that Tiamat's actions were not intentional provocations. The Creation Mother Goddess had a good temper and generally wouldn't provoke others.

Many times, those were just unintentional actions by Tiamat.

She is a mature adult.

A mature adult knows how to be considerate of others.

Mature adults also understand the importance of courtesy and magnanimity.

Although her breasts are not large, she already possesses a heart capable of encompassing all things!

Just like when she discovered recently that someone was trying to expand the Magic Barrier underground, and had even invaded her apartment, she did not stop them either.

In the past, she would probably have dealt with any intruders who invaded her territory, but since meeting Lan Ze, she has learned to be "magnanimous".

Although the creature underground had invaded her apartment with its Magic Barrier, she didn't sense any hostility from it. This was enough to prove that the creature was expanding its Magic Barrier simply to control the underground and had no intention of threatening the people living on the surface.

"Great, let's go back early and prepare dinner today~!" Sajyou Manaka muttered to herself, carrying shopping bags, and walked into the apartment with elegant yet relaxed steps.

At this very moment, in the room where Lan Ze is located.

When she heard him finish speaking, Ereshkigal was visibly stunned. She blinked, clearly still a little dazed.

Tiamat tilted her head and blinked, glancing at Ereshkigal standing to the side before quickly looking away. She pressed her soft face against Lan Ze's palm and rubbed it gently. Each time Lan Ze lightly scratched Tiamat's snow-white neck, a soft "Aaa" sound came from the woman.

"What... what on earth is going on?!" After staring blankly at the scene for several minutes, Ereshkigal finally broke the silence with a gasp of astonishment that could no longer be concealed.

"Why is Mother here?!"

"Well... to put it simply, it's like this, and then like that," Lan Ze explained.

"Who can understand what you're saying!" Ereshkigal let out a small groan, the astonishment on her face not yet completely gone, her gaze never leaving Tiamat.

Originally, she imagined Lan Ze would burst into tears upon seeing her, then throw himself into the arms of the Goddess of the Underworld and recount all his hardships.

However, now...

The scene was completely different from what she had imagined!

It's not just different; in Ereshkigal's eyes, Lan Ze is now living in paradise!

He was so close to the Creation Mother Goddess, and even relied on by her so much... If Ishtar saw this, she would probably be so jealous she'd want to bite her handkerchief.

"What exactly happened?" Ereshkigal couldn't help but ask again.

Lan Ze thought for a moment and explained roughly, "In short, my mother also gained the authority to exit the game, so I brought her back with me."

On the other hand, if Ereshkigal doesn't show up soon, I've almost forgotten about her... Lan Ze thought to himself.

Ever since Ereshkigal left the game, she has been expanding her Underworld beneath Tokyo.

Lan Ze used to think of Ereshkigal occasionally, but ever since he brought Mother of All back, he has been obsessed with Nai Zi all day long. That heavy weight filled his heart and became an inseparable part of him, making him forget everything else.

Even after hearing Lan Ze's explanation, Ereshkigal still seemed a little dazed.

No, she had actually understood Lan Ze's explanation and even come to terms with reality, but she still found it hard to believe.

After all, that was her "mother," the Creation Mother Goddess of Mesopotamia!

Logically, the Sea of Life should have been continuously producing Lahmu when she was born, but now Tiamat looks like an ordinary person... Well, actually she has nothing to do with ordinary people, at least ordinary people don't have such a pair of big horns on their heads.

In short, Tiamat today is truly a world apart from what it was before.

She can even act cute...

"Aaaa~" Tiamat gently rubbed her cheek against Lan Ze's palm, like a cat rolling around in a playful tantrum, but each "Aaa" made Ereshkigal's eyes show a little more despair.

"Do you want some water?" Lan Ze suddenly asked.

Ereshkigal paused, then, noticing Lan Ze's gaze, shook her head. "Ah... no need, thank you--"

"No, this isn't the time to talk about that!" Ereshkigal stepped forward, wanting to ask Lan Ze in detail about what had happened in between, but when she got close to the bedside and saw Tiamat's figure, she inexplicably felt a little scared.

"Does Mother live here now...?" Ereshkigal asked tentatively.

Lan Ze nodded slightly.

Just then, Tiamat suddenly yawned softly, rubbed her eyes, and then tugged at Lan Ze's sleeve. "Let's sleep together."

"Together?!" Ereshkigal's eyes widened in surprise when she heard Tiamat's words.

While Tiamat was speaking, he had already pulled Lan Ze into bed with him, and the back of his head was resting on a soft pillow, which became a perfect head cushion.

Even someone as thick-skinned as Lan Ze felt a little embarrassed... It wouldn't have mattered when no one was around, but now that the Goddess of the Underworld was watching, it made him feel a bit awkward.

"You guys..." Ereshkigal, standing by the bed, stared at the scene, stammering as if she wanted to say something, but when she saw Tiamat's figure, she couldn't say anything. She could only cover her face with her hands and look at Lan Ze through the gaps between her fingers.

"This is just pure maternal love, don't misunderstand," Lan Ze explained.

Ereshkigal stared at Lan Ze with a "I don't believe you" look on her face.

"... It's really very naive. You can give it a try; your mother probably won't object."

As Lan Ze spoke, he turned to face Tiamat, and when he looked up, the woman nodded slightly.

"My mother agreed," Lan Ze said.

Ereshkigal's eyes lit up immediately. She nervously twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers, then took small steps forward.

"I... I really can't do anything with you, okay... I'll give it a try then." Ereshkigal replied softly, a hint of expectation in her eyes.