In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

"Has this king worked himself to death from overwork?!"

Suddenly, an outrageous yet perfectly reasonable conjecture popped into his mind.

Gilgamesh's face turned incomparably ugly at the thought of this possibility.

If that's really the case, then I'd be the only king in history to have to work overtime all the way to the underworld—that would be incredibly humiliating.

Moreover, he could imagine the chaos that would ensue in Uruk after his death!

No, no...

He had to get out of there quickly, no matter what.

Tiamat is about to emerge, and instead of considering how to manage affairs, he runs off to the underworld. This is not something a king should do...

Thinking this, Gilgamesh frowned as he looked at the dark, seemingly endless path before him, pondering how to get back.

However, at this very moment—

"Everyone, follow me this way. I'll take you to report to the Lord of the Underworld here."

"Huh? You're asking me if she's scary, or if she's prettier than me?"

A female voice came from the darkness, and Gilgamesh immediately hid.

"It's not as terrifying as the legends say. Ereshkigal is very cute. She's a wonderful goddess and doesn't eat souls. She'll even assign you places to stay."

"He actually confessed his feelings to me? Disrespectful, utterly disrespectful! I already have a husband."

"You ask me why I captured you? It's because you're already dead. I don't know much more, after all, I'm not a goddess of the underworld here, just an outsider working for me. Anyway, everyone, come with me, there are many more people in line behind you."

The sound passed by him, and Gilgamesh looked at the leading goddess. She had long white hair adorned with rabbit-ear-like decorations, a unique style. She wore clothing completely different from Mesopotamian style, like a combination of the sky and the underworld, and was now holding a golden scale to guide the souls of the dead.

"That guy's little lover? What a coincidence, I've run into her so soon..."

Gilgamesh murmured something, but did not show himself easily. He still planned to use his wisdom to find a way to escape from here.

Moreover, he was quite certain that Rovi would be finding them soon, so it was best to play it safe for now and absolutely not let Ereshkigal capture them. Just as Gilgamesh was preparing to explore in the opposite direction after Nitocris led the souls away—

He suddenly noticed that there was a teleportation aura not far ahead, followed by the appearance of a crack.

Gilgamesh was pleasantly surprised by the discovery. He assumed it was Loki and the others who had come looking for him, and was about to praise them for arriving at such a timely time. But the next moment, two unfamiliar figures emerged from the rift. One was a middle-aged man dressed entirely in green, and the other was a blue-haired man in a black trench coat with a melancholy expression—a figure completely resembling the young Zouken Matou.

"Who are those two...?"

Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched them appear.

Chapter 250 The Entrance to the Underworld

On a dirt road carved into the jungle, Black Gunner, riding his divine horse, stopped and looked at the intact city in the distance with some surprise. Then, he said in a puzzled tone, "Is this... the entrance to the Mesopotamian underworld?"

"Indeed, it's a bit different from what I imagined."

Looking at the city, which was completely different from the one in the original story, and which seemed to have not only escaped the attack of the monsters on the wasteland, but was actually very prosperous and full of life, Luo Wei fell into deep thought.

"Hmph, what's so surprising about that, my dearest Master?"

Upon arriving at their destination, Lovi immediately dismounted. Seeing this, Ishtar, who was floating in mid-air, landed beside him, cupped her hands to her heart, and then asked with sparkling eyes.

"Master, were you just wondering why a city would be built in the Underworld?"

"Um……"

Ishtar didn't care whether Lovi wanted to ask or not. She was busy building up her favorability and of course wouldn't miss any rare opportunity, so she hurriedly explained.

“In other mythological systems, there can be no human footprints above the underworld. After all, the underworld is also the domain of the gods. Even though it is different from the heavens, it is still a forbidden zone that mortals cannot set foot in. Death must remain unknown, death must remain terrifying, and death must remain awe-inspiring. Therefore, humans cannot get too close to death. Am I right?”

As she spoke, Ishtar blinked.

"Yes, you're right. Whether it's Hades' underworld in Greek mythology or Hell in Christianity, these are areas that people would avoid at all costs. Even the Shadow Kingdom, which is not a normal underworld, would not allow mortals to get so close. Similarly, humans would not be so foolish as to build cities on them."

Black Gun nodded, and said with a similar sense of doubt.

What exactly is going on here?

"It's actually quite simple. In Mesopotamia, the oldest land, death is not simply an end, so there's no fear of death like in other mythological systems. In this culture, death is a liberation, a release and rest, a new beginning to escape a life of toil. So, while the people here still have reverence, they don't resist death. Am I right, Ishtar?"

Just before Ishtar was about to show off her knowledge and offer an answer, Lovi gave the answer directly.

"Ah...yes, you're pretty much right."

Ishtar was somewhat surprised to see that Rovi was so knowledgeable about Mesopotamian culture.

Why do pagan gods know so much about the stories of their own pantheon? And even more surprisingly, they know so much about themselves, which really puzzles her.

"I see, it's because of cultural differences..."

Having cleared up his confusion, Black Gunner nodded, then looked at Ishtar, who was clinging to Rowe almost to him, with twitching eyelids, and asked coldly, "By the way, aren't you getting a little too close?"

"Oh dear, how could that be? After all, I am now the Master's Servant, and close protection is so that I can serve the Master at all times."

Ishtar blinked and said sincerely, "Isn't this the mission of a Servant?"

"Mission? If it's for money, just say so. Why use such a noble and righteous banner? You're such a hypocritical goddess."

Black Lancer Artoria also ruthlessly pierced Ishtar's last veil.

"Ha ha……"

Ishtar scoffed in displeasure, then retorted, "Just a wild god without a pantheon, now he's putting on airs. A stingy fellow who doesn't understand the allure of money. I'm too lazy to bother with you."

"Even if I don't understand the allure of money, I'm still better than you, a guy who reeks of money."

Black Gun said unhappily, "By the way, you don't smell of money anymore, since all your treasures have been converted into magic by my Tower of the End."

"How dare you bring this up! Do you want to fight?!"

When her sore spot was touched, Ishtar immediately lost her temper and prepared to pounce on Black Gunner and fight him.

"..."

Luo Wei, standing to the side, remained completely calm.

It's not surprising, really. After all, these two goddesses have been openly and secretly competing, making sarcastic remarks and acting like treacherous people on each other's behalf all the way here. He's been listening to them from the sidelines and should have gotten used to it by now. As long as they don't start fighting, their bickering is just a minor matter.

He's currently preoccupied with three more important matters: how to find Nitocris, how to bring Gilgamesh back, and how to retrieve the Holy Grail from Ereshkigal.

Therefore, no matter what, they have to go down to the underworld this time. Now he only hopes that the other party can take into account their past friendship and not make things too difficult for them, and can understand and help them.

I hope she likes the gift I carefully prepared.

"What are you thinking about, Master?"

As Lovi pondered to himself, he suddenly heard the completely different voices of the two goddesses. Lovi looked up and found that Ishtar and Black Lancer had just finished arguing and were waiting for him ahead.

Black Gun: "Hurry up, darling."

Ishtar: "Master, we're heading into the city, come quickly."

"Yes, I'm here."

Upon hearing this, Luo Wei, who was standing at the back of the group, put the seed back into his pocket and followed them up.

As the three approached, the outline of the city in the distance became increasingly clear. Similarly, it was only when they got closer that they could truly appreciate the unique character of this city.

The most obvious difference is the contrast with Uruk.

Unlike Uruk, where the entire population is mobilized and defenses are constantly being strengthened in all regions, with numerous soldiers patrolling the front lines, city gates, and streets, here the city gates are wide open, with no guards in sight, not even routine checks. It seems as if people can come and go freely. This feels completely out of place in this precarious world; the city seems unconcerned about the risks it faces.

Filled with curiosity, they went inside, and the scene of the city came into view.

The market was filled with stalls and many pedestrians. Although it was completely different from the orderly life in Uruk, it still had a certain order. At least the people's lives seemed harmonious, natural, and free.

However, looking at the divisions here, Luo Wei felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if they were very similar to the divisions he had seen under Ramses II.

Without giving it much thought, they went straight in, led by Ishtar.

When they entered, the people walking by stopped in their tracks, looking at Ishtar with expressions of both surprise and fear.

"It's...it's a goddess...!!"

"Something terrible has happened! It's Lady Ishtar!!"

"Hurry, hurry home and hide the jewels, otherwise Lady Ishtar will definitely find all sorts of excuses to help and then take the jewels away!!"

"..."

The moment people saw Ishtar, the previously harmonious crowd began whispering among themselves, conveying their unease. The once orderly street instantly fell apart, and everyone fled as if escaping, leaving their stalls unattended.

Luo Wei had originally wanted to ask passersby for information, but this plan was now completely ruined.

He looked helplessly at Ishtar beside him: "..."

"What kind of look is that?"

Ishtar's expression turned somewhat awkward.

Seeing this, Black Gunner directly mocked Ishtar, saying, "See that? Ishtar, who keeps calling herself the Supreme God and telling me how great she is, how much humans revere and fear her. When I'm with you, even my storm is overshadowed by your aura. It seems that humans are more afraid of plunder than storms. Have you considered taking on the role of the god of plunder?"

For once, the usually reserved Artoria Pendragon (Black Lancer) became a master of sarcasm, directly taunting Ishtar face-to-face.

Upon hearing this, Ishtar felt a pang of unease, her frustration reaching its peak. She now wished she could capture all the mortals who ran away at the sight of her and interrogate them one by one.

'Why are you running? All I took were a few gems from you! Didn't I help you out and even lick my feet?'

Although she still felt resentful, she had to admit that her personality was indeed too free. She herself was a goddess who didn't restrain her emotions at all; if she saw something she wanted, she would naturally find a way to get it, completely disregarding the opinions of mortals. As long as she could have it and satisfy herself, that was enough. This was completely opposite to the Storm Goddess beside her, who constantly proclaimed justice, correctness, and rigid adherence to rules. That's why they always disliked each other.

In Ishtar's view, gods are capricious, gods are free, gods are unrestrained, and this is perfectly self-evident.

She wasn't sure if Luo Wei, that godlike being, was a complete god, but she just couldn't understand why Black Gun Dai could suppress the other side of the god with the human side, even though she was a genuine chief god, just without a pantheon.

However, despite her inner displeasure, she still gained some understanding after possessing this body. In fact, her personality was assimilated by Rin Tohsaka, which greatly limited her. Therefore, her current battle with Saber Alter is just like the playful fighting of the past. If it were her true self, she would have fought her to the death long ago. This is also why she did not severely punish those mortals.

Now, she no longer steals jewels, nor does she hurt others indiscriminately.

After all, that's the style of a robber, and it's really not elegant.

The Tohsaka family's upbringing is characterized by ease and elegance.

So she changed her approach, to a method that she could convince herself of—that is, to earn money through labor.

For example, helping residents repair roofs (which caused the houses to collapse), helping merchants drive away monsters (because the fighting was too chaotic, the goods were destroyed), and escorting people from the wilderness home (which led them to the wrong city). After doing these good deeds, Ishtar thought that since she had already done the work, wouldn't it be reasonable for her to take some reward?

Hiring a goddess to work for you? You'll get some gems, some gold, and all that. It's totally worth it, right?

And she allowed them to lick her feet.