Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"The Immortal Herb is indeed priceless."

"And the bond between Lord Enkidu and you is immeasurable by any wealth in the world."

Offering gold, silver, and jewels would only tarnish the friendship between the King and Lord Enkidu. All I can do is exchange something priceless for something priceless!

"Moreover, I believe that in your heart, the value of this friendship is more than 30 times that of a mere immortal herb!"

Gilgamesh's lips gradually curled into a joyful smile, which eventually burst into hearty laughter. His abdominal muscles ached slightly, and he even wanted to use the clay tablet at hand to record this delightful event.

"Hahaha! Funny! This is so funny!"

"I actually have the urge to bring you into the palace and raise you as the chief judge of Uruk."

Then, the hero-king placed his hands on the throne and stood up to stretch his limbs.

"In view of the fact that you have brought me pleasure twice, I will pardon your crime of theft."

"Be thankful, you bastard!"

The sword of Damocles that had been hanging over his head was finally removed, and Lin Xian recovered his senses, feeling a sense of joy at surviving a disaster.

However, before Lin Xian could catch his breath, a storm of magical energy swept and gathered around him.

Under Lin Xian's dumbfounded gaze, Gilgamesh drew a strange, sword-shaped weapon covered in red and black patterns from the vortex that connected to the Babylonian Treasury.

This thing does not have a blade in the usual sense. The head is not a sharp part. The main body of the blade is truncated and divided into three sections, which rotate in opposite directions around the hilt.

"King Gilgamesh, you have pardoned me, haven't you?"

Lin Xian's body stiffened, and his voice was dry.

"That's right, your sin of stealing has been forgiven..."

Gilgamesh raised the corners of his lips in a strange smile, and slowly lowered the divine weapon called Ea.

"But to offend a monarch, to distort the law with sweet words, and to bewitch people..."

"You haven't paid back these yet..."

"Therefore, I hereby declare: you shall be banished to your proper place and stripped of your status as a free man!"

The King of Heroes pondered for a moment, his words revealing a chilling, insightful mockery.

Free man? You are no longer.

At the same time, the space around Lin Xian was torn apart by the vast divine power, and the formed pitch-black vortex swallowed the sinful serpent.

When the storm subsided, Gilgamesh casually placed the sword Ea, which had torn apart the world's walls, into the Babylonian treasury.

The hero king, standing in the wilderness, then bent down and picked up the snake skin left behind by the little creature that had stolen the immortal herb from the hot spring, and played with it while it was wrapped around the snake.

Finally, those scarlet eyes looked meaningfully at the sky overhead.

Can't you hold back anymore?

Meanwhile, in the dark and desolate space, a black, turbid current surged and swirled, with tower-shaped gun cages flickering with eerie blue flames covering both banks.

Like a diligent little bee, the golden figure, which is building these special containers, seems to sense something, raises its head slightly, bends down and stretches its arms, and scoops up a handful of river water from the turbid flow.

And... a snake that had fainted.

Chapter Four: Mom's singing is really beautiful.

Darkness, chaos, emptiness, ethereal...

All sorts of indescribable feelings eroded from all directions, tearing Lin Xian's consciousness away from his physical body.

An inexplicable tug caused his spirit to float upwards like a puppet on a string, soaring into the clouds, overcoming the fierce winds, and finally breaking through the blockade of the celestial body.

After breaking through a thin, barely perceptible membrane, the luminous phantom, which had coalesced into the shape of a human from its previous life, seemed to be situated in an endless blue-white ocean.

Looking around, several bubbles, some bright and some dark, of different colors, floated faintly in different areas.

However, the surrounding hazy and colorful light mist and the obscure and mysterious ripples bring more uncertainty, allowing any spying power to only perceive the tip of the iceberg of this vast territory.

Countless chaotic material flows collide and surge, forming layers of undercurrents or whirlpools that separate them.

Behind this phantom, there were invisible threads tightly binding a giant, egg-shaped, colorful bubble.

Through the almost transparent inner walls, mountains, streams, the sun, moon, and stars, the vast fertile lands of the two rivers, and the magnificent Sumerian city-states are faintly visible.

Clearly, it is a world that is being conceived and growing.

A world bubble?!

The phantom, suspended in the boundless ocean of light, murmured to itself, then suddenly realized something.

This is the legendary Sea of ​​Imaginary Numbers, located outside the world wall!

I remember being banished by Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, using the sword Ea?

But before Lin Xian could sort things out, the imaginary sea that gave birth to the world bubble was turbulent with undercurrents.

In just a few breaths, the thread that held him and the ancient Babylonian civilization bubble behind him suddenly snapped.

Instantly, the humanoid phantom began to sway and flicker like a candle flame in the wind under the onslaught of the massive flow of information.

Just as that flickering light of reason was about to be swallowed up and dissolved, a high-pitched and ethereal song tore through the sea fog, forming a luminous thread.

"Ah...ah~~"

This singing voice sounds so familiar, it's so beautiful…

Like...a lullaby...it puts you at ease...

The calls drew the nearly lost souls back to that warm embrace.

The figure rising from the depths of the sea of ​​imaginary numbers, with its slender white fingers gently cupping the faint light in its palm, used its body as a shield to resist the increasingly turbulent undercurrents, demonstrating its instinct to protect.

Then, the crimson star-like eyes looked down, the cross-shaped light in their eyes gazing at the tiny thing in the palm of their hand.

How magnificent!

How sacred!

How loving!

Like returning to the womb of origin, the strong sense of security and belonging gradually stabilized that swaying soul, and involuntarily generated an impulse to get close and worship.

Furthermore, with the return of rationality, Lin Xian gradually pieced together the process of his birth into Uruk and becoming that ancient serpent through the fragmented silhouettes rising from the imaginary waves before him.

The sea of ​​imaginary numbers is the primordial chaos, which gave birth to new life from nothingness, only to be abandoned by the world bubble that represents "new life".

He came from another dimension and was also not accepted by this world. Naturally, he could only be regarded as harmful material and rejected into the sea of ​​imaginary numbers, waiting to be digested and decomposed.

But fortunately, before the "self" disappeared, Lin Xian encountered this magnificent being floating in the sea of ​​imaginary numbers.

Tiamat, the mother of the ancient Babylonian civilization!

The powers she was stripped of gave this world a new life, but in doing so, she lost the foundation of her "existence" and became a ghost drifting in the sea of ​​imaginary numbers.

After rationality disappeared, what replaced it was her instinct as a mother to "return" to her child.

Unfortunately, she is no longer needed by the established world bubble, nor will she be accepted by the stable reality. The self-defense mechanism protecting the Babylonian civilization on the outside also regards her as a disaster.

Without an information anchor, Tiamat is unable to break through this thin world barrier and can only wander in the sea of ​​imaginary numbers.

She lamented, grieved, her heart overflowing with resentment at being "unneeded."

The arrival of a soul from beyond the realm awakened the primal maternal instincts of this goddess of origin. She protected this humble and insignificant being, and rediscovered the joy of motherhood.

Even with Tiamat's protection, the poor child still couldn't withstand the onslaught of the imaginary wave.

Ultimately, driven by instinct, the goddess used her accumulated power to send the nearly vanished extraterrestrial soul back to the place of origin she had always longed to return to.

Since Tiamat is the mother of all beasts, all she can give Lin Xian is the vessel of a "beast".

Coincidentally, an ancient serpent that had devoured Gilgamesh's immortal herb was undergoing a process of molting and rebirth, during which its consciousness disintegrated and reassembled.

Taking advantage of the situation, Lin Xian was able to be reborn and thus became a "free citizen" of Uruk.

However, the convergence and friction between the two consciousnesses caused him to lose the opportunity to run away after committing the bad deed, and as a result, he was caught red-handed by Gilgamesh.

After many twists and turns, Lin Xian racked his brains to survive and finally managed not to be stewed into snake soup.

However, while Gilgamesh used the sword Ea to tear the world apart and banish him, he also blew his unstable soul back into the sea of ​​imaginary numbers.

As a result, at the critical moment, the Origin Goddess, who gave him new life, saved him once again.

Tiamat…

The soul, its palm shimmering with a faint light, looked up at the dazzling cross-shaped starlight and couldn't help but murmur unconsciously.

However, deep within her eyes lay a state of chaos and emptiness, incapable of producing any clear emotional response.

But as the chaotic waves surged once more, her clenched fingers tightened even more, revealing her instinct to protect.

No, Mother Goddess…

A strong sense of sorrow welled up in Lin Xian's heart. He stretched out his fingers, wanting to touch the two great beings that had protected him and given him new life.

But as wisps of gray mist seeped through her fingers into Tiamat's palm, the goddess of origin rose higher and emerged from the sea of ​​imaginary numbers, suddenly opening her mouth to scream.

"Ah ah↗ ah↗"

The terrifying power of the gods shattered the surging tide of imaginary numbers, tearing apart the mist that stretched for hundreds of millions of miles.

At the same time, the world bubble that gave birth to the ancient Babylonian civilization system in the mist began to take on a clear outline.

The previously severed connection, like a regenerated thread, converged and extended from this world, wrapping around Lin Xian's consciousness.

Then, after a brief pause, the goddess Tiamat spread her ten fingers and let the tiny one be pulled back into the world bubble.

As he watched that majestic silhouette being gradually swallowed by the waves and mist of the sea of ​​imaginary numbers, Lin Xian froze, his outstretched fingers trembling, his mouth agape, his heart filled with unease.

But before this humble and insignificant being could vent his frustration and resentment, his consciousness seemed to be constantly falling as the spider silk pulled him down.

A strong feeling of weightlessness followed.

It felt like a mere second had passed, yet also like an eternity had gone by.

The five senses were regained, and perception gradually returned from numbness to clarity.

"Still alive? That's great!"

"The underworld has finally come to life, even if it's just this tiny one!"

In the dimly lit and empty hall, a golden-haired goddess wearing a crown excitedly held the awakened little creature up to her face, blinking her bright eyes rapidly.

Immediately, he seemed to realize his lapse in composure.

The goddess coughed lightly a few times, barely managing to suppress her excitement. She put on a dignified air, placed one hand on her hip, pointed at the snake in the gun cage, and solemnly declared.

"Listen! Little one on the ground, I am Ereshkigal, the goddess of the earth, and you will have the honor of becoming a citizen of the underworld!"

"So, you have to be a good boy and listen to me!"

The underworld has truly come to life and creatures; perhaps this is a good start.

The goddess stroked the snake's smooth, cool scales with her fingertips, a pleased smile curving her lips.

Chapter Five: Please, have some decency!

In the civilization of the gods, the underworld was not an illusory concept, but rather a death kingdom buried deep underground and built in the dark abyss.

In the dimly lit valley, the rugged rocks cast heavy shadows, making the environment appear dark and mysterious.

The surging black river in the center churns and swirls within the waterway, creating towering waves.

The spray splattered out distorted human faces, emitting shrill wails and screams, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the surroundings.

In stark contrast to the atmosphere were the numerous gun-shaped cages erected on both sides of the valley.

The clusters of contained, ghostly blue soul flames appeared quite peaceful, their shapes vaguely resembling those of people who had once been human, and some even showed signs of bright clothing covering their bodies.

Clearly, the scattered gun cages around the perimeter serve to soothe the souls of the dead, maintain their sanity, and prevent these inhabitants of the underworld from falling into depravity and losing their way.

Nestled deep within the mountains and valleys, the towering, spire-shaped temple of Meslamthea radiates warmth.

A faint red light pierced through the thick fog of death, bringing a touch of warmth, and a new day began in the underworld as usual.

Squads of Garula Spirits, shrouded in mist and exuding a sinister and icy aura, patrolled and guarded different areas based on their instincts.

Meanwhile, in the various areas separated by the seven doors, the ghosts dwelling in the gun cages also awoke from their slumber and engaged in sparse communication through some kind of muffled whispers.