Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

In the dim light, the two humanoid silhouettes opposite were none other than Old Um, who was leading the charge on both sides, and the commander of the ruined Babylonian capital.

Chapter Seventeen: One cannot, at least should not… (Third update of moral integrity)

Indeed, the two charismatic ghosts before us are accomplices in this gamble.

Both sides provided personnel and venues, each fanning the flames and encouraging betting, with the ancient snake contributing its efforts, all participating in this beast fighting competition that was shrouded in secrecy.

However, to Lin Xian's dismay, after working so hard from beginning to end, he not only had to return all the money to the wealthy gentry, but he also only received a mere 30% of what he had squeezed from the poor.

"Satisfied, of course satisfied!"

"We trust you to handle things. We look forward to cooperating more in the future."

The two shrewd individuals happily took their share, stuffed it into their little stash in the gun cage, and carefully put away the items that had special significance and needed to be returned as a favor.

The underworld, where souls dwell, should be a desolate and gloomy prison.

Once inside, they will endure loneliness and have their memories and emotions worn away by time.

But the troubles this little guy caused after he arrived added a lot of excitement to the otherwise dull life in the underworld.

In particular, the snake Samael suggested that the goddess of the underworld, Ereshkigal, open the gun cage barrier every day to give the undead some breathing room.

For most of the human spirits who had been waiting for so long, this was an unparalleled blessing.

Although one cannot truly roam freely, it is still better than sitting idly in a gun cage, waiting for death.

Moreover, some rules can be gradually changed once a loophole is created.

"By the way, there's something I need to clarify. How did you acquire the ability to transform into the Angry Lion Uldym? Is it related to this beast tide?"

After the spoils were divided, Centurion Taleer's expression turned solemn as he questioned the others earnestly, his eyes, formed from the fire of his soul, narrowing.

He once fought against the beast horde in the ruins of Babylon, ultimately dying in battle. His hatred for these beasts was as deep as the sea.

"Hmm, it's probably because I ate the Undying Spirit Grass, and my body underwent a mutation during the molting process. Lady Ereshkigal is aware of this as well."

"As for the beast tide, I'd like to know where they came from."

Lin Xian flicked his tongue, sighed slightly, and looked a little troubled.

"Haha! That's good, that's good!"

"The Eleven Monsters are the most primitive monster templates in Mesopotamia. It makes sense that as you advance, your bloodlines are purified and your forms become more like these."

"Besides, those things are all bloodthirsty and manic, not as cunning as you, you wicked thing."

The old general reached out from the gun cage, slapped Lin Xian hard on the head, and laughed heartily.

"Can you please stop praising me like that? I want to be a good snake," the accomplice replied dejectedly.

After the pleasantries were over, just as he was about to remove the restraining barrier, two packages were thrown out of the gun cage behind him and landed on the ground.

Lin Xian looked at the golden light shining through and the edges of several mud slabs, feeling somewhat puzzled.

"This is what you are doing?"

"This is a little gift for you; you might need it if you're out there."

The martyrs of the ruined city of Babylon and Um, the muscular old blacksmith from Eresh who was skilled in smelting, exchanged a smile.

"So generous?" Gu She muttered to himself, about to make a few teasing remarks, when suddenly his vertical pupils narrowed.

"What [outside]?"

"nothing…"

The two shrewd individuals inside the gun cage looked up at the dome, avoiding answering, their expressions somewhat subtle.

Including this time, they have worked with this little guy three times now.

It's common knowledge that the dead take the gold and silver they were buried with to bribe the guards in the underworld.

Those Garula spirits do indeed have a particular fondness for treasures that have been imbued with the aura of the living.

Newly formed spirits that have just entered this place can use this trick to lure away Garula spirits and increase their chances of survival.

But they had no idea that snakes also love to collect these things.

Moreover, this little guy always likes to pick out those clay tablets that look worthless but have the location of the inheritance engraved on them when dividing the spoils.

Most of the possessions that humans cannot use when they die are left on the ground.

How could such a wicked creature, full of poison, possibly suffer a loss?

The two astute individuals, with their discerning eyes, had clearly already noticed something amiss.

That's why the snake would definitely accept the contents of the package, and it had no choice but to accept them.

As expected, Lin Xian's tense face relaxed after he caught a glimpse of the few lines of text on the two clay tablets.

He forced a friendly smile, nodded subtly to his partners, and then swam towards the deep mountains, swaying his hips.

Upon reaching a secluded valley, Lin Xian stuffed the stolen goods into a cave and hid them.

Then, the ancient serpent was enveloped in a red and black blood mist, and its body reconstructed into the form of the raging lion Uldeum.

Lin Xian saw his majestic projection on the stone wall and nodded in satisfaction.

He has been in the underworld for nearly half a year, and has basically absorbed the beastly powers he has modified.

The Eleven Divine Beasts spirit origin portraits that Tiamat mapped into his mind through the anchoring line were also gradually deciphered and replicated by Lin Xuan.

The advancement from Bronze to Silver allowed him to master the form of Ulridim the Furious Lion, a process of self-reconstruction.

However, since I've never seen the real prototype, this imitation always feels like something's missing.

If given the chance to kill the corresponding monsters from the monster tide and absorb and devour them, Lin Xian believed he would be able to perfectly showcase their essence.

Besides these, the gifts from those two old foxes are not easy to accept.

One asked me to help deliver a letter, and the other asked me to help find someone.

Sigh, even in death, there are still so many things I can't let go of.

However, from a positive perspective, having such a request inscribed on a clay tablet is also a way of getting on the wrong side of the deal.

We can only have fun if everyone has something on each other, right?

Therefore, people in ancient times only had limited cognition, but their intelligence was mostly fine. Anyone who treats them as real fools is an arrogant idiot!

Especially those two guys, they're like cunning old foxes!

It's possible that bringing it on board earlier, and setting up gambling schemes to squeeze money out of these ghostly poor people, was all just a prelude to this current goal.

Well, anyway, things like gold are of little use to these undead who have moved into the gun cage.

Money needs to circulate to have an effect; it won't bloom if it's just piled up in the underworld, right?

I've secured the event time for you, and the animal fighting exhibit has been displayed. Just consider these scrap metal pieces as entertainment, right?

Lin Xian convinced himself without any remorse, his eyes shining as he thought of the gold and silver he had looted from the cave.

However, let's just do these few jobs and not be so ostentatious in the future.

Thinking of those two cunning old foxes who had tacitly conspired to trick him, the angry lion twitched his lips and looked up at the thin red light emanating from the mountains.

Currently, the owner is still digging a hole under Uruk.

According to usual practice, it would take about three to four hours before Ereshkigal would summon him to serve her in bed.

So, while you still have time, go and visit your other teacher.

Lin Xian sighed, composed himself, and strode forward, breaking through the deathly fog and galloping into the deep valley ahead.

This fury lion, with its reddish-brown coat and long golden mane, leaped and bounded with lightning speed, weaving through the gray, deathly fog like a burning flame.

As the road became increasingly rugged and the fog thickened, he could slide past the glossy fur of the arrows, which gradually dulled and withered, their flesh sizzling and beginning to develop several rotten patches of varying sizes.

But the snarling, furious lion, enduring the pain, accelerated its charge forward.

At the same time, a purplish-green plant phantom resembling a camel thorn emerged from his body, humming, and using its immortality, began to dispel the deathly aura and repair his wounds.

Finally, in this state of pain and itching, of ecstasy and despair, Lin Xian ran at full speed for half an hour, broke through the boundary of the dead fog, and jumped into the deep valley.

The first thing the angry lion did upon landing was to roll to its side, spread its belly, and frantically scratch itself against the stone wall, like a large house cat infested with lice.

At the same time, his long, emerald-green hair hung down, and his two fair, soft hands scratched with interest along the texture of the angry lion's mane, relieving the itch that seeped into his flesh.

However, as it continued to grasp, the fingers and palms, moving downwards, touched the indescribable parts of the angry lion.

Lin Xian's hair stood on end, and his limbs shot out as if they were springs.

The startled cat leaned against the corner of the stone wall, looking warily at the slightly regretful figure in front of it, inwardly grumbling.

Humans cannot, or at least should not...

Enkidu-chan.jpg

Chapter Eighteen: Master Siji

"teacher…"

"Call sister!"

"Uh, hello sister..."

"Oh no, call her sister!"

"Sister... little sister..."

"You're speaking so softly, yet you want to learn etiquette from me? I can't hear you."

"younger sister!"

"Add the name and start over."

In the empty, deep valley, a large, reddish-brown cat hid in a corner, its forehead veins throbbing, its face gradually turning black.

But in the end, under the smiling gaze of those golden-green eyes, Lin Xian, with a bitter lion's face, took a deep breath and then roared angrily.

"Yes! Sister Shamhat!"

"Hmm, so good..."

A green-haired woman in a white sacrificial robe smiled and reached out to stroke the big cat's head, her relaxed face showing great enjoyment.

This looks just like a shepherd taming a wolfhound.

Shamhat, the temple priestess of Uruk, was once assigned to the cedar forest to tame Enkidu, who was in a state of confusion.

Legend has it that after six days and seven nights of being together, the divine weapon completely opened its heart, fully trusting and relying on this holy prostitute, and awakened its own humanity.

Furthermore, this divinely created weapon, covered in fur and living alongside wild beasts, also reshaped its appearance based on Shamhat.

So that's right, the green-haired woman's features and figure are exactly the same as Enki in Lin Xian's memory.

In a sense, she was both Enkidu's teacher who guided him into human society and his mother who awakened his humanity.

However, even in the mysterious Silver Age, human lifespan was ultimately limited.

Therefore, Shamhat is now nothing more than a ghost trapped in the underworld.

Shamhat, to make up for his regret of not being able to stay with Enkidu for too long during his lifetime, stayed in this valley after his death to keep vigil for the sleeping child.

But now, she can't even keep vigil for Enkidu; she can only continue to wander and wait in this barrier until her soul is worn away by time and dies completely.

Everything should have been this way.

Little did they expect that a few months ago, this little guy, who had sneaked in to explore Enkidu's cemetery, would accidentally attract Shamhat's attention.

What followed was quite ordinary.

Whether to kill time or to have some fun, Shamhat, at the little guy's request, began to teach him some knowledge and etiquette of the Mesopotamian world.

The cunning little devil, seizing the opportunity, simply called her "teacher" and often came to ask her questions that interested him.

"Tell me, what do you want to know today?"

"Teacher, lecturing is one thing, but please don't resort to violence, okay?"

Lin Xian raised his paw and slapped away the soft hand that was touching his belly and buttocks, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Holy prostitutes were special female priestesses responsible for pleasing the gods. In the city-state, they even played the role of sexual enlightenment, and each one of them was a true veteran priestess.