That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

"The fruit sold here is very sweet, but unfortunately it has all rotted because no one is taking care of it."

"And here too!"

"The place where weapons are forged has seen an increase in weapon production due to the presence of monsters, and most of the weapons in the hands of the undead are obtained from here."

Ereshkigal explained it very well, showing his extensive knowledge of Kusa.

Hall listened silently, responding to her words occasionally.

The perceptive Ereshkigal noticed this and forced a smile: "Sorry, I've been the one saying this all along. These things are probably commonplace for Hall, who lives in a human city."

"I guess so, but the feeling is completely different depending on who's by your side."

"Me too! I used to get tired of walking around here alone, but today I'm really happy and not bored at all... Is this what dating is like?"

Ereshkigal has a girlish heart and is passionate about similar things.

"Let's find a place to rest."

Ereshkigal looked ahead with a hint of disappointment. She could still walk a little further, and she wished this moment could last forever. She nodded and said, "Yes, if you feel tired."

"That's not how it works."

Hall chuckled and picked up Ereshkigal in a princess carry.

"Hall!"

Ereshkigal exclaimed in surprise.

Hall grabbed her with both arms and jumped, quickly reaching a high point in the city, from where he could overlook the entire city.

He sat down against a palm tree and embraced Ereshkigal. Her golden hair emitted a faint, delicate fragrance, completely different from Olga Marie's hair, more like a natural floral scent.

Hall had never smelled a similar fragrance before, so it must have been treated with some special flowers, herbs, or fruits.

Chapter 417 Transfer of Power

Two more lines of overly sentimental, cheesy dialogue.

Hall said softly, "I prefer it this way, embracing you as you admire this land and the stars."

Damn, it's even more shameful than I imagined.

As soon as he said it, Hall had an urge to smash his head against a tree trunk behind him and die.

"Ah."

The goddess of the underworld, Ereshkigal, was very receptive to this, blushing to the roots of her ears, and her tense body quickly relaxed.

Blue light converges to form a projection.

Hall used magic to create the ability to observe and project images of the divine universe, and used modern astronomical knowledge to explain the concepts, symbolism, and related stories and legends to Ereshkigal.

Even in the age of gods, aside from differences in concepts, the objective understanding remained unchanged, since there was no shortage of astronomers in ancient times.

Ereshkigal listened very attentively.

Hall waved his hand, and a constellation of Taurus appeared in front of him, followed by a drawing of Taurus.

"Legend has it that Zeus, the king of the gods, fell in love with Europa. In order to avoid being discovered by the Queen of the Gods, he transformed himself into a white bull and carried Europa on his back to fulfill his wish. After returning to his original form, he placed his white bull incarnation in the sky, which became the constellation Taurus."

Ereshkigal chuckled, “Hmm, that’s interesting. It’s similar to our legends. The stars in the universe are all incarnations of the gods, and the other me is the goddess of Venus.”

After a pause, Ereshkigal gazed at the enormous halo in the sky and said dejectedly, "But right now, this halo is probably the most spectacular thing. Soon, everything will become meaningless."

Ereshkigal gripped the hem of her long black dress and whispered, "Terror without reason, an end without warning—if we blame it all on the gods, perhaps humanity can accept the outcome."

coming!

All the preparations were for the next topic.

Hall said calmly, "Is this your reason for wanting to dominate humanity?"

Ereshkigal shook her head with a wry smile: "I like dead humans and control their souls. I'm a terrible goddess."

"Do you really think so?" Hall asked seriously.

“What’s wrong with that? Taking human lives is the duty of the goddess of the underworld,” Ereshkigal said stubbornly, looking away.

Hall sighed inwardly. It was no exaggeration to say that Ereshkigal's personality was twisted. On the one hand, he was distressed by the hatred and disgust he was subjected to, and on the other hand, he had a tendency to self-destruct.

Even if he wins her heart, it will not shake her principles.

Fragile yet strong, emotional yet rational, their physical constitution creates a contradictory spiral that evokes pity.

“Our bet is still going on,” Hall suddenly said.

Ereshkigal paused, then said seriously, "That's right, now I'm even more determined to get your soul no matter what."

"Let's prove it: whether humanity can accept its own fate, whether humanity can accept inexplicable terror and destruction, whether you love the dead or the ones who will eventually die."

Ereshkigal's pretty face gradually turned serious: "Finally, let's get to the point, the Dark Souls game you mentioned yesterday."

Hall nodded: "That's right, or you could say it's a trial given to humanity by the goddess of the underworld."

"How exactly do I do it?"

"To create a world without hope, without death, without gods, a world of only fire and despair, to give mankind the greatest trial."

"I don't quite understand."

"Ereshkigal, could you temporarily transfer your powers as the goddess of the underworld to me?"

"Transferring power? Is such a thing possible? If you were a god, it might be possible, but you are human, and I am a god, and a very special one at that, the goddess of the underworld."

"Don't worry, I have a way if you agree."

"Since you've put it that way... okay, I'll cooperate with you. What do you need me to do?"

Hall concealed his true nature through magic. He is now the ultimate being created based on the special powers of the creator goddess Tiamat. He can be said to be a new generation of gods prepared for the new world. In terms of his status, he is no less than Anu, the chief god of Mesopotamian mythology.

However, Tiamat is currently dormant, so this characteristic cannot be manifested.

With magic and Tiamat's power, it was not difficult for Hall to seize the power of the gods born from their mothers' wombs.

Moreover, Hall was prepared.

"Do you remember what happened to us in the Uruk underground palace?"

"My sacrificial site."

“That’s right. I have carefully studied that sacrificial sarcophagus that can transform spirits into Garula spirits. I can use that thing to realize my idea. There’s no time to lose.”

Hall picked up Ereshkigal's delicate body and opened a spatial portal.

"Wait, I can't leave Kusa City in my current state," Ereshkigal said hastily. Coming to the surface in her true form as the goddess of the underworld might result in her immediate death due to conceptual rejection.

"Don't worry, I'm ready."

Hall stepped into the portal.

They reappeared in the deepest part of the Uruk underground palace.

It was cold and dark, with an inexplicably heavy atmosphere, filled with the scent of death.

Ereshkigal looked around in surprise. This land was clearly connected to the underworld, and could be said to be the entrance to another underworld.

"Hall, how did you do that?"

“I have investigated your priests and found a lot of information related to the goddess of the underworld. It contains methods for building an entrance to the underworld, and I don’t need to prepare anything. This sacrificial site itself has all the necessary conditions.”

"Forehead."

Ereshkigal blushed; even she, the goddess of the underworld, knew nothing of this.

Without Rin Tohsaka's foundation, her personality would be even darker and more withdrawn, and she would never have responded to the priest's request.

Rumble~

Hall used alchemy to excavate the simple stone coffin.

The magic ritual array, which had been prepared in advance, unfolded on the spot, connecting with the stone coffin and illuminating the vast underground sacrificial site.

The sarcophagus is a funerary object created along with the underworld. It was originally intended to create Garula spirits who could manage the spirits of the dead, and to grant ordinary spirits the right to walk in the underworld.

Hall investigated deeply using magic and discovered many interesting abilities, one of which was the power to control the underworld.

Of course, this requires the consent of Ereshkigal, the master of the underworld.

Hall suspected that this thing might be used to pass on the power of the underworld, after all, the existence of the underworld was of great significance to the Age of Gods.

The chief god can fall, and if the underworld loses its order, the entire divine system will collapse.

Hall opened the sarcophagus and lay down inside. "Areye, all you need to do now is touch the sarcophagus and you'll know what to do next."

Ailei nodded, and the moment she reached out to touch the stone coffin, as the master of the underworld, she immediately understood all the relevant information about the temporary granting of powers.

only···

Ereshkigal shrank back a step and shook his head, saying, "No, Hall, this ritual is not for humans, but for the gods."

Only deities can inherit divine powers; the existence of ordinary people would likely be shattered by the power of those powers, breaking their souls.

Hall smiled calmly: "Arena, trust me."

Ereshkigal and Hall stared at each other for a long time before finally nodding.

Chapter 418 Transforming Kusa City

The sarcophagus closed, plunging Hall into complete darkness.

"The stone coffin completely isolates us from the outside world. The magic eye's X-ray vision is useless. We can't connect with the true ether elements outside, and we can't hear even the slightest sounds."

"But I could feel the heavy pressure."

"It could probably drive claustrophobic patients crazy."

Hall reached out and touched the cold stone coffin, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Before long, Hall felt a strange power seep into his spirit, extending to its origin and penetrating the very foundation of his soul to transform the structure of his spiritual body.

It was neither painful, nor comfortable, nor repulsive.

It felt incredibly strange, like undergoing a "spiritual foundation transformation" in the Sea of ​​Origin of Life.