Enkidu

Enkidu carried Jiang Yang across the sky, flying toward Uruk.

At this time, Mesopotamia had flourishing trees, lush grasses, and fertile soil.

Vast stretches of plains irrigated by rivers lay here, and verdant grasslands extended from beneath their feet to the horizon.

Beneath the sun, the boundless green ocean shimmered with the radiance of life and nature, a beauty beyond what the eye could take in!

And upon this land, a city built of yellow earth stood on the horizon.

The earthen city was ancient and rugged, with a wild, primitive feel.

Yet such a place was by no means small or petty; instead, it was grand and magnificent. This was a city-state that could accommodate well over a hundred thousand people.

This was Gilgamesh's city-state, Uruk.

The two flew to the edge of the city.

Originally, Enkidu had intended to take Jiang Yang straight to the royal palace.

But Jiang Yang had refused. He wanted to see the Golden Humans' most advanced civilization of the present day.

Gilgamesh was an exceedingly proud king. He had once been so brutal that his people could barely survive.

And so the Golden Humans of the Mesopotamian Plain had prayed to the heavenly gods for help.

The Awakened of the Sumerian Shelter had then assumed the majestic bearing of gods, rebuking his actions and judging his character, seeking to make him a wise king.

But Gilgamesh had refused to accept any of it, ever since his C-Rank Awakened mother had succumbed to the ravages of time and passed away.

He was no longer as obedient as before. Moreover, his talent was exceptional, and at the time, when he was only a few decades old, he had become a powerful King-Rank Awakened.

At that time, apart from Mar, who was in seclusion attempting a breakthrough, one other person in the Sumerian Shelter had reached King-Rank. He had taken on the guise of a god of war to punish Gilgamesh, only to be defeated by him.

Their leader was in the midst of a breakthrough, and the situation had not yet reached the point where they needed to seek help from other shelters.

With no other choice, the Sumerian Shelter had found Enkidu, a King-Rank powerhouse who was likewise of mixed divine and human blood, and asked him to persuade Gilgamesh.

Enkidu was also extraordinarily talented. He was already a King-Rank being at the time, and he had gone to Uruk to persuade Gilgamesh.

The two had fought a battle, and Enkidu, who had become a king earlier, had actually proved slightly inferior.

But as they were both born of mixed divine and human blood, Gilgamesh had felt a deep mutual appreciation for Enkidu, and the two had become good friends.

Gilgamesh had heeded Enkidu's advice and begun to become an outstanding ruler. Under his governance, his people had begun to live in peace and work in contentment.

In return, when Gilgamesh had revealed his ambition to unify the world, Enkidu had willingly entered his service.

Enkidu had volunteered all these stories to Jiang Yang on their way here.

While telling these stories, he had also spoken of Gilgamesh's ambition.

From the Golden Humans' standpoint, doing so would be a great achievement.

But he was not a Golden Human. He was an ember of Human Civilization from the previous epoch.

The Golden Humans were merely the first generation of new humans they had used to select those closest to the old humans.

Uruk.

Jiang Yang and Enkidu strolled through the bustling ancient city-state, where Golden Humans with blond hair and vertically slit pupils came and went, plying all manner of trades.

Along both sides of the streets paved with yellow earth, there were not only two-story earthen houses, but all kinds of stalls everywhere.

Fish sellers, vegetable sellers, straw-mat weavers, linen weavers, and more-their varied cries made it feel like a bustling marketplace.

Had those pairs of vertically slit pupils not been so jarringly out of place, Jiang Yang would have thought he had traveled back to the ancient days of the Fifth Epoch.

"A flourishing, prosperous land, a place where people live in peace and work in contentment. When it comes to governance, Gilgamesh has done well."

Jiang Yang offered sincere praise. As an ancient monarch, Gilgamesh could indeed be considered a wise ruler.

"Do you think so too, my divine lord?"

Beside him, Enkidu spoke excitedly. Recognition of his king was the finest praise he could receive.

"But this is no reason for Gilgamesh to defy the heavenly gods, much less the capital for his arrogant desire to rule over gods and humans. I will beat him awake."

Seeing Enkidu's expression, Jiang Yang smiled faintly, yet spoke firmly.

Enkidu choked, not having expected Jiang Yang's words to take such a swift turn.

Even Enkidu, who always presented a gentle face to others, could not resist snapping back at him.

"Is that so? My king will not lose. But if the Sun God is defeated, then please have the Divine Clan submit to my king."

"I will not lose, Enkidu."

Silence instantly fell between them, and Jiang Yang no longer looked at Uruk's prosperity, though the sight always reminded him of the civilization that had once been.

"Enkidu, take me to see Gilgamesh."

"Very well, divine one."