A dream of the past

High on the throne, the Sumer gods stood below, discussing amongst themselves. They were all deities, rulers of their respective realms, yet they were troubled by a single question.

"Lord Enki, you are the wisest god among us. No matter what kind of predicament we are in, the path to a solution will be found under the light of your wisdom."

Wise water god, surely you already have the answer in your heart, and the God-King will, as always, adopt your advice.

A deity spoke to the water god Enki, his voice full of flattery, but Enki merely smiled and shook his head.

On that throne, Enlil opened his eyes a crack and his gaze swept over the gods below, who were struggling with a foolish problem.

He spoke.

"Your noise is too jarring and disturbs my peace. So much time has passed, and not a single god has been able to offer a decent solution?"

"Aren't they just the smallest ones who are unwilling to put in the effort to contribute to us, and don't want to be enslaved anymore?"

Enlil's words silenced the gods; their gazes lowered, their eyes flickering, yet none dared to meet the throne's eyes.

"Enslavement." To use this word to describe a god seems rather insulting. Although it is indeed true, as Enlil said, that the newly born gods do not possess the powerful divine strength of Enlil's generation.

They nurtured grains and raised animals on the Daichi to serve a higher deity.

Such unrewarded and endless labor is indeed slavery. But even so, they are gods, and to tear open their wounds like this is simply too disrespectful.

But so what? This is what the supreme god Enlil said; who dares to object?

"Enki, go and create a creature, and let them do the work in place of the gods."

Enlil spoke in a somewhat commanding tone, but Enki frowned and gestured to Enlil, who ignored him.

"God-King, you ask me to create rivers and nurture life, which I can certainly accomplish. But to create a life that can do the work in their place..."

"You just need to answer me: can you do it?"

Enlil's words interrupted Enki, Enki frowned.

If the problem were truly that simple, why would the gods have debated it for so long?

"Yes, but to create life to replace labor, one needs not only the authority of life and the clay to create life... but also... the blood of God!"

Upon hearing the final condition, all the gods fell silent, and the previously noisy hall became as quiet as a tomb.

Every god knows perfectly well that if they want to create a being to do the work in place of the gods, they must first turn their swords against their own kind.

The problem is, who will be the sacrifice? And who will decide which god will be sacrificed?

"Oh..."

A soft laugh echoed in the deathly quiet palace. Enlil looked at the gods, who all shrank back. Faced with this question, all the gods chose to avoid it.

"Pathetic thing, "Enlil sneered.

Then he spoke, his tone as casual as if he were deciding what to have for dinner.

"Then let's kill two gods."

In the palace of the City of Lahmu, Enlil sat on his high throne and slowly opened his eyes. The palace was much taller than before, but sadly, no god stood there anymore.

Did I dream? It's been so long since I've dreamed; it actually makes me feel a little nostalgic.

The stone tablet behind the curtain emitted light, and a seemingly very weak soul emerged from it— the Thirteenth Grand Protector.

"Uncle Enlil... I... I failed, I'm so sorry."

His obsequious, groveling manner would have been incredibly familiar to Bai Wunan were here.

Enlil waved his hand and said, "That outsider's power exceeded my expectations, and your defeat was to be expected. He is now imprisoned in my mother's cell and no longer poses a threat."

The Thirteenth Grand Protector trembled like leaves. Seeing this, Enlil frowned, but felt a surge of pleasure. This is how power should be, this is how a god should be!

"Alright, is it because I sealed away the souls of those brothers and sisters, wearing them down to death, that you feared I would do the same to you? Bai Tiangao, no, I should call you the Thirteenth Grand Protector, shouldn't I?"

Upon hearing Enlil's words, the Thirteenth Grand Protector trembled as if struck by lightning.

"Heh, it's alright. That's just how humans are, playing these pointless little tricks. I won't kill you. Go back to that stone tablet and recuperate. Those gods still have some soul power left, enough for you to repair yourself."

Upon hearing this, the Thirteenth Grand Protector ' faces suddenly lit up with wild joy, followed by astonishment.

"But... but if I were to repair it, how could I fight alongside you then? Those two Demon God..."

Enlil's gaze sharpened, and he said coldly, "Are you questioning me?"

"No, no!"

The God-King stood up, looked down at the Thirteenth Grand Protector on the ground, patted one of them on the shoulder, and said:

"After I distributed my power, the gods all became disloyal to me because of it. In the end, the only one who remained loyal to me was you, the outsider."

"Do as I say. A mere Uruk, one Demon God is enough."

This was definitely the gentlest thing the God-King had ever said. Perhaps in the eyes of the gods and humans, Enlil was a brutal wind god, a god who had destroyed the world three times.

However, it would be a grave mistake to think that he secured his divine position solely through power.

Upon hearing Enlil's words, the Thirteenth Grand Protector knelt down and roared:

"Grandpa, no, God, I, Bai Lubao, was abandoned by my father since I was a child. He never cared about me. I was abandoned by my entire clan. My brothers insulted and hurt me. Even my young nephew dared to trample on me and treat me like a pig or a dog."

Only you... only you have granted me dignity. I, Bai Lubao, swear to be loyal to you, even unto death!

Enlil nodded and waved, signaling the Thirteenth Grand Protector to return to the stone tablet to mend their souls.

His gaze was fixed on the distance; the Sea of Imaginary Numbers was empty, yet his eyes shone brightly, as if he were staring intently at...

Inside the stone tablet, the Thirteenth Grand Protector clearly felt that the sense of surveillance that had been lingering there had finally completely dissipated.

Once he was sure the watchful feeling that had been like a thorn in his back had completely disappeared, the Thirteenth Grand Protector slowly straightened up. The humble and terrified expression on their faces peeled away like a cheap mask, replaced by a cold laugh that was a mixture of mockery, resentment, and complete control.

"Ha, ha, ha... They finally fell for it."

He threw his head back and laughed loudly, and with his laughter, one after another illusory figures appeared inside the stone tablet.

"It wasn't for nothing that I put on such a great show. Ladies and gentlemen, the day for you to pay for your blood debts... is fast approaching."