I really didn't want to burn it.

Leon knew what Ishtar was struggling with.

In mythology, Ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld, cannot leave the underworld, but correspondingly, the gods cannot enter the underworld while they are alive.

In the entire mythology, only two and a half gods and humans managed to enter the underworld alive and emerge alive: one was Ishtar, who served Leon, and the other was Era, the god of war and husband of Ereshkigal. The last half was Enkidu, recorded on the 12th tablet.

Enkidu is considered half a person because of the inherent contradiction in the existence of those 12 clay tablets.

It's worth noting that Enkidu failed to emerge from the underworld in the first 11 tablets.

By the way, if we follow the mythological setting, Gilgamesh wouldn't be able to put Enkidu's body into the Underworld.

Not to mention that in later parts of the story, Gilgamesh was even released by Ereshkigal after his death.

Li Ang didn't know what Ereshkigal herself was thinking, but Ishtar was definitely going to be devastated.

She went down to the underworld to bring the god of agriculture back to the human world, but she was stripped naked and cursed with illness. After all that torment, she was still left empty-handed and had to slink back to the human world in disgrace.

"So, this is the destiny of Ritsuka, the protagonist?"

"Lord Utnabistim, what's wrong?"

Just as Ishtar was about to open the gates of the underworld, she heard Leon talking to himself and asked him curiously.

Li Ang waved his hand: "It's nothing, just a feeling. Open the door."

"Well then, I'll knock on the door."

As Ishtar spoke, she boarded her spaceship, Skyship Maana, and flew into the sky, concentrating her magic on the halo at the bow of the ship.

"Let's begin!"

As Ishtar laughed wildly, blue and white light began to converge.

"Moanna's bow gun is being loaded with tidal cluster shells!"

"The output is an isosceles triangle formed by one-third the length of lapis lazuli!"

"Smash, lid of the underworld!"

Amidst Ishtar's sweet cry, a beam of light struck the ground.

"Hmm...this is going to be interesting."

Li Ang squinted at the corner of his eye with his finger, suppressing a laugh.

Given Ai Lei's temper, she would definitely punish her younger sister severely if her front door was so violently broken down.

I'm sure the trip to the underworld will be very exciting.

"But Ishtar really never learns her lesson. Can't she just be a good guest?"

Thinking of Ishtar's behavior when she went to the underworld last time, Li Ang shook his head helplessly.

That time, Ishtar didn't bombard the gates of Hades, but instead stood at the gates like a shrew, cursing and hurling insults.

Can you imagine Ishtar banging on the door knocker of Hades while shouting into Hades like Aunt Snow?

"Open the door! Sister, open the door! You're so capable of stealing men, but you're not capable of opening the door?!"

If you just put yourself in Ellie's shoes, anyone would probably immediately get their heart and blood vessels working together – commonly known as a spike in blood pressure.

No wonder Ereshkigal treated Ishtar the way she did later.

To put it bluntly, it's all their own doing.

As for why Ishtar is still so arrogant even after already suffering a loss once.

Ishtar probably thinks that since Utnabistim is on her side this time, even her sister should back down a bit.

If that's the case, why should I use my position to settle personal scores and act like a bully using someone else's power?

Unfortunately, Ishtar will never know that Leon had already met with her sister and made a deal.

"What a pitiful goddess."

DD commented that she knew perfectly well that Ishtar had been set up.

"She's going to get really badly treated."

Li Ang shrugged: "Probably. She asked for it and got it. She doesn't deserve any sympathy. Anyway, she's just a stupid goddess who can't even lose a cow."

What are you talking about me?

Ishtar, stepping on Maanna, landed in front of Leon and the other two, her eyes filled with suspicion.

Because of the wind from the explosion, she didn't hear Leon and DD's conversation, but from their expressions and her woman's intuition, Ishtar believed they were talking badly about her.

A clever response, but unfortunately, it lacks the benefit of the "Maoyue" (卯月) element. Pshaw, it's useless.

Leon simply smiled and said, "I was praising your courage in opening the gates of Hades." Ishtar believed him immediately and proudly raised the lid of her teapot.

“Naive and easily fooled,” DD said in a voice only she and Li Ang could hear. “Master, I’m even thinking of tricking her into taking me home as a pet.”

"Don't say things like that."

Li Ang whispered a reminder.

Cultures around the world describe the underworld in strikingly similar ways. Although the specifics differ, they are all basically dark underground kingdoms, and all are gloomy and terrifying.

According to the myth, it was an absolutely dark environment where the dead, covered in layers of dense feathers, lay on the ground eating dust and dirt.

Some unfortunate gods who fell from heaven are also punished here, the most representative being King Gu, Ti Ma's second husband.

Yes, that's the mythological prototype of Li Ang's current Mast.

Fortunately, the underworld in the singularity is not as terrifying as described in mythology. Although deathly energy still permeates the area, the glowing minerals and souls make it at least not completely dark.

"This place is better than I expected."

Even DD shared his thoughts.

“It seems Ereshkigal has renovated this place,” Ishtar said with a hint of arrogance. “The last time I was here, it was far more terrifying than this.”

Li Ang joked, "They probably hired a decorator named Mushroom."

If the underworld were depicted exactly as it appears in mythology, FGO would probably be reclassified as R18.

It's worth noting that the underworld in Mesopotamian mythology has a truly extreme taste, which even Enkidu feared.

However, in the original mythological work, the "divine weapon" didn't perform very well when it died.

This is different from the indifference described in FGO.

In mythology, after learning that he had been sentenced to death by Anu, the father of the gods, Enkidu cried and cursed the holy prostitute Shatham—the one who taught Enkidu wisdom through the exchange of bodily fluids.

After cursing his old lover to death, Enkidu complained and blamed everyone, as if he wouldn't have died if he had gotten together with Gilgamesh.

Enkidu then dreamt of the terrifying scene of his soul in the underworld, and from then on fell ill and never recovered, eventually passing away.

In mythology, Gilgamesh's reason for embarking on the journey to find immortality was not to save Enkidu, but simply because he was terrified by Enkidu's death and desperately wanted to live.

In this respect, Gilgamesh is similar to Sun Wukong leaving Flower Fruit Mountain to learn new skills.

However, the difference between the two is that Sun Wukong eventually returned after completing his studies, while Gilgamesh returned to Uruk with regret.

It can be said that although Gilgamesh and Enkidu are portrayed as exceptionally great in the Epic of Gilgamesh, their performances differ from the traditional image of heroes in some details.

I just don't know if this difference is due to the difference in values ​​between ancient Babylonians and modern people, or if it's just the storyteller's personal bias.

Don't assume that historians don't include their own opinions; for literary creators, including personal opinions is practically an essential skill.

Even great historians like Sima Qian, the Grand Historian, were not immune to their own biases.

Li Ang could never forget the "King of Han Jump" in the Annals of Emperor Gaozu.

"Hmm... indeed, scholars always like to use all sorts of sarcastic and unsettling language."

"Master, you're talking nonsense again." DD nudged him from behind. "Watch your step, don't fall."

"Don't worry, it won't happen."

Li Ang and his companions were walking on a path leading underground. The path was steep and sloping, with a bottomless abyss on one side.

"Pause."

Suddenly, Ishtar called out to Leon and DD.

At this moment, DD realized that they had arrived in front of a huge, heavy stone door.

The door is decorated with many shimmering patterns, which look mysterious yet also have a terrifying and eerie feel.

"this is……"

DD stared in astonishment at the strange, massive gate before him.

"This is the legendary Gates of the Underworld. There are seven such gates in the entire Underworld. Each time you pass through a gate, you need to remove some of your clothes and accessories until you reach the final destination and face judgment."

Ishtar looked thoughtfully at the gate.

"Wait...wait a minute! Take off all your clothes?!"

DD blushed and screamed.

She wouldn't mind if it were on Li Ang's bed, but in a public place...

Even though there was only one man and one woman around, and the man was someone she liked, DD still couldn't accept this behavior.

Fortunately, Li Ang provided an explanation.

"Don't worry, the so-called stripping is a symbol; its main purpose is to strip people and gods of their power."

At this point, Leon glanced at Ishtar.

“That’s right.” Ishtar coughed lightly, her face flushed. “As long as you voluntarily give up your power, you won’t encounter anything like having your clothes stripped off.”

"So when you came last time, you were stripped naked because you resisted?"

DD looked at Ishtar with disdain.

“Nonsense, how could I not resist!” Ishtar retorted loudly. “Do you think I’m the kind of person who can be manipulated at will?”

“Girl, haven’t you heard this saying?” Leon patted Ishtar on the shoulder and said with a smile, “If you can’t resist, then enjoy it.”

"I've never heard of that before. Where did this fallacy come from?"

Ishtar scoffed disdainfully.

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PS1: The original words Ishtar shouted when she knocked on the door in the mythology were:

"Gatekeeper! Open the gate! Open the gate so I may enter! If you refuse to obey, I will cause the gate to collapse, the door knocker to fall off, the lintel to fall, and the door panels to shatter. I will cause the dead to rise from the underworld and devour the living—so that the number of the dead will exceed the number of the living!"

Slamming the door, cursing, and hurling insults—all three were executed in one smooth motion.

Hmm... looking at it this way, it doesn't seem wrong that Mi-chan said Ishtar is like the goddess Yuki from the anime series "Goddess of the Gods." ╮(╯▽╰)╭

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PS2: The description of Enkidu's death in mythology doesn't quite fit the concept of a hero, but I think it's probably to emphasize the fear of being punished for defying the gods.

As mentioned earlier, in Mesopotamia, the gods were inviolable.

Chapter 194 Ereshkigal: Who is more beautiful, me or Ishtar?

"What nonsense is this about enjoying what you can't resist?!"

Ishtar retorted defiantly, hands on her hips.

"Well, I was just trying to ease the tension."

As he spoke, Li Ang pushed the stone door with his hand.

Squeak. Squeak.

With a sickeningly loud turning sound, the stone door slowly opened.

Ishtar stared in surprise at the open stone door, tidying her slightly disheveled hair as she added, "I was just about to say, never try to force your way through the door, or you'll find something even more wonderful waiting for you."

"Is it an even more unpleasant sound of grinding?"

Looking at the goosebumps covering his hands, Li Ang rubbed his ears and complained, "I think your sister should oil the door hinges, or is she using this torturous sound to repel intruders?"

“Who knows? At least she’s much more sensible this time than last time.” Ishtar curled her nose and said smugly, “Sure enough, even Ereshkigal can’t resist Lord Utnabistim.”