Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

“Hiss…”

An ancient snake, which had somehow swum to Aileen's side, flicked its tongue and blinked. The owner, realizing what was happening, flipped the mud slab over to its reverse side.

All that could be seen were lines of tangled and melancholic wedge-shaped characters.

"Lady Ereshkigal longs to see flowers bloom in the Underworld, but unfortunately I am still too weak to offer her anything more than a false flower field..."

"But I won't give up!"

"I still owe Lady Ereshkigal a sea of ​​flowers..."

"It's a true sea of ​​flowers blooming in the underworld!"

"One day, I will make all the beautiful things on earth bloom in the underworld!"

"I will pay it back... I promise!"

As her gaze moved downwards, Ai Lei's eyes settled on the lower right corner of the clay tablet.

“This is an IOU—Samael…”

Below the signature, the simple line drawing that captures the essence of a snake seems to convey a sense of embarrassment and shyness.

"I have always wanted to give Lady Ereshkigal a gift to thank you for your kindness."

"I can make the underworld bloom, but I can't do that right now."

"But I can guarantee that I will definitely give Lady Ereshkigal a sea of ​​flowers in the future! A sea of ​​flowers that truly belongs to you!"

The ancient snake's tail twitched from side to side, seemingly uneasy, hesitating as it left a mark on the clay tablet, but the tone between the lines was one of unwavering conviction.

"I…"

Just as the little guy felt guilty and wanted to make an explanation and promise, he was unexpectedly held in a pair of soft hands.

At the same time, her long golden hair fluttered in the wind, and her pink cherry lips gently landed on the little guy's forehead, like two cool pieces of jelly.

Furthermore, as the aura of the gods swept over them, the ancient serpent's scales instinctively tensed.

He vaguely sensed from within the animal's body that beneath its hard shell lay a burning passion, like volcanic magma.

"No! Samael..."

"This is the best gift I've ever received since I was born!"

"Only one available!"

"Thank you…"

Ai Lei cradled the little one in her arms, murmuring in response, her eyes sparkling with bright light.

"Do you like this crystal flower?"

"I love them! I love them so much! They won't rot or wither, they can stay with me forever!"

"Then, can the IOU be voided?"

The ancient serpent glanced at the contract tablet that the goddess had placed beside her and asked cautiously.

"Planting flowers in the underworld seems really difficult..."

"Snapped!"

A snake's tail, which was quietly coiling towards the certificate, was roughly slapped away by its owner.

"no!"

"Don't you know that a covenant made with God cannot be broken?"

The goddess, who seemed angry but whose eyes were full of smiles, rubbed the ancient snake's head and emphasized the additional overbearing terms word by word.

"Ugh! This is so cheating! This is too hard..."

The ancient snake struggled to break free from its owner's clutches, writing mournful cries on the clay tablet, lamenting the unreasonableness of divine authority, vividly portraying the image of an oppressed person.

Pitiful, weak, and helpless…

"The land in the underworld is too barren, and it's full of death energy. What should I do if I really can't grow flowers?"

"Then stay by my side forever!"

Ellie blurted it out, but then, under the ancient serpent's tilted head and gaze, the goddess's eyes darted left and right before she put on a stern face and began to explain.

"I mean, I'll make sure you grow the flowers..."

"What you promise, you must do!"

The goddess picked up the little guy with a miserable look on his face and happily stroked its smooth, cool scales.

Ai Lei even hooked her finger and scratched the ancient snake's chin, teasing it to react.

In the end, in the battle between the god and the beast, the pitiful, weak, and helpless ancient serpent was defeated, its face full of depression and dejection.

"Hey, Lady Ereshkigal, I won't change it..."

"good!"

"Then could you please stop keeping those human undead uncles locked up all the time? They've helped a lot, and I want to repay them, just like I did for you, Lady Ereshkigal."

The ancient serpent's question, a compromise, made Ai Lei think for a moment before finally nodding slightly.

"Well, alright, I'll try my best to expand the gun cage barrier in the future to broaden their range of activities."

"But it's impossible to completely restrict contact and let them out."

Lin Xian blinked, looking confused.

"Why? This is the underworld. Are you afraid they'll run away?"

"It's not because of that..."

Ai Lei hesitated for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the distant phantoms of gun cages containing clusters of soul flames, and she lightly bit her lower lip.

"The gun cage barrier can resist the erosion of death energy to the greatest extent and slow down the aging and decay of these souls."

"In fact, not only does the human body have a lifespan and an end, but the soul does too."

The ancient serpent fell into a brief silence, its thoughts in turmoil.

In a sense, Ereshkigal is indeed protecting these souls; her kindness is beyond question.

But isn't this unilateral choice from the gods also a form of power and oppression?

Life in the gun cage was not easy, and coupled with the gloom and oppression surrounding the underworld, some weak-willed souls would eventually be driven mad.

Whether this kind of protection, which is tantamount to imprisonment, is good or bad, Lin Xian cannot judge.

In the end, the ancient serpent, who had wanted to plead with the Lord of the Underworld for the souls of those humans, had no choice but to compromise.

"Is it still not enough to further relax some of the restrictions on the gun cage?"

At this moment, the goddess of the underworld, who had just been all smiles, frowned and shook her head resolutely.

"The third storm sweeping through Uruk is creating waves, and Hades must remain stable!"

"More importantly, I don't want to see these souls perish because of my negligence."

"A soul without a physical body or a vessel, wandering in the underworld, is ultimately too dangerous."

The ancient snake drooped its head, seemingly resigned to its fate.

Aileen's heartstrings were touched, and she finally opened her mouth and made a difficult decision.

"Actually, it's not impossible to open the gun cage."

"But at least, we'll have to wait until the third storm that swept through Uruk has passed..."

"For the people of Mesopotamia, death was a blessing in disguise..."

At least, they still have a chance in my hands…

Unconsciously, the owner murmured the lingering thoughts in his heart.

When she came to her senses, the little guy was holding up a mud slab, which was standing straight in front of her, his taut snake face full of seriousness.

"You said it, a written agreement!"

Huh? Ai Lei was both amused and exasperated upon seeing this.

Chapter Twenty-Five: A Sip of Lemon, A Sip of Vinegar (Fifth Update)

A moment later, the ancient snake rolled up the clay tablet contract signed by its owner with satisfaction.

He carefully kept the document that would later loosen restrictions on gun cages and give human souls some freedom.

"Lady Ereshkigal, you actually really like humans, don't you?"

The sudden question from the mud tablet made Ai Lei, who was somewhat distracted, nod subconsciously.

But then, seemingly realizing that such a response would damage his authority, the owner hurriedly shook his head and denied it.

"No way! I have no interest in mere humans. Living things are disgusting!"

"I only love the land of the dead; I don't care what happens to the humans on earth!"

Then why go to Uruk every day to dig tunnels and painstakingly build gun cages, in an attempt to preserve the rationality of the human soul during a great catastrophe?

This stubbornness ultimately crumbled under the little guy's amused gaze.

Like a proud swan, Ai Lei raised her fair neck and slowly loosened her grip.

"Well, if they're willing to risk their lives, maybe I'll take pity on them and give these souls a second glance..."

"After all, if they die, they belong to me..."

According to the Mesopotamian mythology, all humans will enter the underworld and face final death.

In a sense, all the souls residing in those bodies will belong to Ereshkigal.

"In other words, as a goddess entrusted with a soul, you actually love humankind deeply."

The ancient snake saw through its owner's disguise with a single sentence; its unadorned smile had an indescribable slyness about it.

"Don't get it wrong! It only loves [dead humans]!"

Ai Lei slapped the ancient snake on the forehead in annoyance, then huffed softly with her delicate neck stiff.

"It's about loving [human beings who will one day die]..."

The ancient snake flicked its tongue and raised its tail, revealing the clay tablet with the writing on it for correction.

Human beings are alive, and you admire this miracle of life, but pity the suffering they endure.

When humans die, you cherish their preserved souls and create gun cages to help them maintain their rationality.

Therefore, regardless of life or death, your love for them will never change.

"Hmph! That's not true!"

The goddess, her secret exposed, turned her head away, her cherry lips tightened, her cheeks slightly flushed, and she covered her ears with her raised hands, revealing her proud and aloof nature.

The union, conception, growth, and harvest of life are all within the purview of that foolish sister Ishtar. Why should I concern myself with the lives of these humans on earth?!

Just thinking about that irresponsible, spoiled, and willful little sister who enjoys endless praise and pampering, and who owns the most prosperous city of Uruk as a place of worship.

Ai Lei was somewhat indignant and started squatting on the ground drawing circles, her mouth full of strong sour taste.

After creation, in order to maintain order in the Mesopotamian world, according to divine revelation, a deity was needed who was willing to sacrifice his own freedom to forever guard this desolate and cold land and be responsible for managing souls.

At that time, as twin goddesses with two sides, the elder sister, Ereshkigal, became a victim of fate.

Even though she gained supreme power in the underworld and was almost invincible, decay, death, and wailing were not what she wanted.

Since the Golden Age, I have diligently maintained order in the underworld, stabilizing the balance between life and death.

But she was also trapped here, and even getting out of this desolate place to see the sun was an unattainable dream.

What's even more infuriating is that, most of the time, due to ignorance, humans fawn over other deities with real value in order to gain protection and peace of mind.

However, at the same time, they also attributed all the unpleasantness in their lives and the fear of death to the Lord of the Underworld, who represents "death" and "terror".

Why? !

Why should I only be able to watch my own half soar freely in the sky, while I am reduced to a prisoner guarding the underworld?

Why can she act spoiled and fool around with the gods, while I have to bear this heavy responsibility!