FATE: Target of Grand Master

"Why?"

Ishtar paused, then her eyes darted around, showing a very conflicted expression.

"You don't want to know? Fine, then forget it."

Xia Yan pretended to skip the topic.

"think!"

Ishtar still couldn't resist the temptation.

"That is naturally Ereshkigal."

Upon hearing Xia Yan's answer, Ishtar's face turned red at a visible speed. She immediately hugged her burning face and squatted down with her back to Xia Yan.

If you listen carefully, you can even hear her muttering to herself: "Hehehe. Xia Yan chose me, hehehe."

Seeing Ai Lei's adorable appearance, Xia Yan squatted down like her and then poked her shoulder: "Ai Lei, are you feeling a little lonely all by yourself in the Underworld?"

"Why?"

Ellie was completely taken aback by her unexpected exposure and was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"I know you can possess 'Ishtar' at night."

Xia Yan's words left Ai Lei with no room for argument, and she could only nod silently. At the very moment she admitted it, Ishtar's hair color changed completely from black to gold.

This was the first time Xia Yan had seen Ishtar with blonde hair. To be honest, she had a unique charm compared to Ishtar with black hair.

"Stop staring at me."

Ishtar's face was still like a ripe apple.

"Damn Ishtar, her clothes are way too revealing!"

Clearly, Ereshkigal, being a conservative homebody, could not accept Ishtar's fashion sense at all, which further lowered Ishtar's perceived character.

Now, in her mind, Ishtar is the worst, with three gears down and standing out from the crowd.

Xia Yan had no intention of letting Ai Lei off the hook, and said with a mischievous smile, "Because Ai Lei's smile is really charming."

"ah!"

Ishtar began to shake violently, steam rising from her head as if her brain was overloaded.

Xia Yan quietly admired Ai Lei's appearance.

"Xia Yan, you did this on purpose, didn't you!"

Having recovered slightly, Ishtar puffed out her cheeks, squatted down again, and looked at Xia Yan with a pitiful and helpless gaze, like that of an abandoned kitten.

"And here I am, worrying about you all this time in the underworld, even coming all the way to Earth to see you, and you're just teasing me!"

Ishtar still had unwiped tears in the corners of her eyes, making Ereshkigal appear even more pitiful.

"Sorry, but Ellie, you're just too cute. It makes me want to tease you a little. To give you an example, it's like seeing a toddler's chubby cheeks and wanting to pinch them."

Xia Yan's words were less of an apology and more of an excuse.

"I don't care. Teasing a goddess is a capital offense, let alone daring to tease the mistress of the underworld! I can make sure you won't find peace even in death! Tell me how you plan to atone for your sins!"

Xia Yan thought for a moment and replied, "After we deal with Tiamat, I'll let you taste the dishes I personally cook."

"not enough!"

"Then I'll add playing the most popular games right now."

"Not enough!"

"Are you so strict? Well then, I'll have to use my ultimate weapon. I'll also go shopping with you, buy you new clothes, go to the amusement park—basically, I'll do anything you like."

Ai Lei tried to pretend she didn't care, but she couldn't hide her joy.

"You have to keep your word!"

"Okay, it's a deal!"

After giving Ellie a promise, the conversation returned to normal.

"I've already dug the underworld down to the bottom of Uruk."

This is about the same timeframe Xia Yan had predicted.

"So, Ereshkigal, can you come to the surface now?"

Ai Lei thought Xia Yan would give her a new task, but she didn't expect him to ask her to leave the Underworld.

"That's possible, but if I leave the Underworld, my strength will decrease. Won't that affect you?"

"We'll find a way to deal with combat strength, but more importantly, you really want to see the scenery on the ground, don't you? Not with Ishtar's eyes, but with Ereshkigal's eyes to witness it firsthand."

These words struck a chord with Ai Lei.

Yes, she was too lonely. From the moment she was born, she was given an unwanted authority in the underworld. Since then, she has never left the underworld. Her knowledge of the world outside the underworld comes from the descriptions of the souls and the exploration of magic. She has never seen the world with her own eyes.

It's incredibly unfair that the Queen of the Underworld has seen fewer beautiful landscapes than a mere mortal!

However, Ereshkigal, who had been focused on governing the Underworld, did not make any comparisons and never thought of leaving the Underworld. But after befriending "Xia Yan," a human Master, Ereshkigal's long-suppressed desires were ignited like wildfire. She longed to see the scenery of this world with her own eyes, to taste the food of this world, and to experience the beauty of this world firsthand.

"Oops. I accidentally got sand in my eye."

A single, glistening tear slid down Ishtar's face, and Ereshkigal hurriedly wiped it away.

Xia Yan just smiled and didn't expose him.

"I'll be right there!"

After saying that, Ishtar's hair color changed from gold back to black, clearly indicating that Ereshkigal had returned to her body and was ready to come up in person.

"Wait a moment..."

Xia Yan originally wanted Ereshkigal to return Ishtar to her original place before leaving, but Ereshkigal left too quickly.

Xia Yan hurriedly used the Chains of Heaven to bind Ishtar, whose body went limp and was about to collapse. He muttered helplessly, "At least tell me where this guy was originally."

Unable to bear seeing Venus Goddess spend the night in such a wretched state on the streets of Uruk, Xia Yan sighed and decided to send her to Siduri.

As the High Priestess of Uruk, Siduri's relationship with Ishtar is far better than Gilgamesh's, and given Siduri's personality, entrusting the task to her is definitely the right choice.

Using the Heavenly Lock to effectively control divinity, Xia Yan carried Ishtar on his back and headed towards the temple.

"Huh? Isn't that Xia Yan?"

Lu Bu, who was taking a walk with Diao Yunshang to digest their food, spotted Xia Yan with his excellent eyesight. Naturally, he also saw that Xia Yan was carrying Ishtar on his back at that moment.

Normally, as a man, one shouldn't speak out when seeing another familiar man carrying a woman he knows, but in order to dispel any possibility that Diao Yunshang might have any romantic feelings for Xia Yan, Lü Bu deliberately spoke up.

"That's really true."

Diao Yunshang, who had also clearly seen Xia Yan carrying Ishtar, revealed a mischievous smile and deliberately ran over.

"Hey, Xia Yan, what are you doing carrying a beautiful woman on your back so late at night? Being a womanizer is one thing, but forcing a woman against her will is a crime."

Diao Yunshang and Xia Yan had dealt with each other before, and she trusted his character. She was just teasing him.

Xia Yan naturally knew that Diao Yunshang was deliberately teasing her, so he went along with it and said, "Diao Yunshang, you've come at the right time. In order to avoid any gossip, please take her to Xiduli."

"Why?"

Diao Yunshang was surprised that Xia Yan would hand over Ishtar to her without any explanation. Instead, she didn't know how to refuse and could only suffer in silence.

She glared at Lü Bu, as if to say, "It's all your fault for being so talkative, otherwise I wouldn't have come over."

Lu Bu could only cover his face, thinking to himself, "I only let you take a look, who told you to come and show off?"