Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

The ruby ​​dagger pressed down again, and the shadow of death followed.

Nobody would willingly die a second time!

The fate of the alpaca is a bitch!

I want to live!

A strong will to survive erupted within Lin Xian. The serpentine pupils in his eyes shrank to the size of pinholes. He raised his neck, lifted his scales, and endured the pain of fighting his instincts, hissing loudly.

"Under the witness of Marduk, the King of the Gods, the King rules over all people, bringing blessings to the nation, and ensuring that the light of justice and righteousness shines eternally in Uruk!"

"If a free man steals cattle, sheep, or other property that belongs to the gods or the palace, he shall be fined thirty times the value of the stolen property!"

Gilgamesh was slightly surprised, and a strange look appeared on his face.

While the Hero King was stunned, the pressure on Lin Xian eased dramatically, allowing him to move with difficulty, and a glimmer of hope began to form in his heart.

Fortunately, the gamble paid off!

In fact, the first sentence shouted by Lin Hsien came from the preface of the Code of Hammurabi.

It not only represents the divine right of kings, but also embodies the sanctity and legitimacy of the legal code.

However, in order to better reflect his current situation, Lin Xian made some minor modifications to the content of the preface.

The crucial second sentence is Article 8 of the Code of Hammurabi, which pertains to the sentencing standards for theft.

While waiting to be cooked, Lin Xian racked his brains and pondered deeply, only finding a glimmer of hope for survival in his current desperate situation.

However, as far as he knew, the era of the hero-king Gilgamesh was from 2600 BC to 2700 BC.

However, the Code of Hammurabi appeared relatively late, between 1792 and 1750 BC.

Although Gilgamesh and Hammurabi belonged to the same Mesopotamian civilization and worshipped the same gods, they were separated by 800 years.

Lin Hsien's act of shouting out the theft penalty clause from the Code of Hammurabi at a critical moment was a gamble.

The Code of Hammurabi is a written law, and according to his fairly good historical knowledge from his previous life...

Before the advent of written law, customary law, which is based on established practices, often existed for a long time.

Therefore, Lin Xian can only assume that the relevant provisions in the Code of Hammurabi actually contained customary legal content similar to it as early as the Uruk Dynasty.

Of course, in his memory there was also the Code of Ur-Nammu, which also belonged to the Mesopotamian civilization and dated to approximately 2113-2006 BC.

This thing is only four or five hundred years apart from the era of Gilgamesh.

Unfortunately, its contents are incomplete, and the key provisions concerning the conviction of theft are not comprehensive.

However, the timing of the implementation of the Urnam Code also proves that long before the two codes appeared, certain sentencing rules for theft were already established.

This gave Lin Xian the courage to defy his biological instincts and ask Gilgamesh to pay the fine.

However, even so, if the two parties' laws are completely unrelated, he will lose his last chance to fight back.

Moreover, if he were to unfortunately offend Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh might die even faster.

“My king, I am not trying to negotiate, but I hope to be judged by the law and punished to cleanse my sins.”

“I committed the theft during the day, and according to Sumerian tradition, I am willing to pay a fine of thirty times the amount.”

Seeing that Gilgamesh's expression softened, Lin Xian nodded humbly to show his sincerity.

He vaguely remembered that fragments of the Urnam Code stated that if someone committed theft at night, they could still be put to death because they posed a greater threat to the owner.

Therefore, Lin Xian naturally wouldn't forget to emphasize the time of the crime.

Under the threat of death, the sinful snake frantically spun its walnut-sized brain.

Despite the intense psychological pressure, Lin Xian felt a faint sense of excitement.

He felt that his mundane 20-plus years of life in his previous life were not as thrilling as this moment, and that he felt more "alive".

Yes, "alive"!

Every muscle, every nerve cell, is working frantically and giving its utmost effort for this pure purpose.

The diverse knowledge he had acquired in his previous life, acquired in a cursory manner, flooded his mind and coalesced into defensive strategies to deal with the various unforeseen events to come.

At this moment, the Hero King, having regained his senses, examined the reptile with great interest, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He actually heard a snake reciting the laws of Uruk? He was trying to buy himself a chance to survive!

That's hilarious! It's so much fun!

However, Gilgamesh preferred "pleasure" to the empty and boring word "forgiveness".

That's right, this Hero King is the legendary Pleasure Prisoner.

The blond-haired, red-eyed king grinned sinisterly, his voice cold as he whispered, directly puncturing the loopholes in the legal judgment the snake had invoked.

"If I remember correctly, that's a right reserved for free people?"

Lin Xian paused for a moment, then slowly raised his head.

"King Gilgamesh, I was born in the land of Uruk, and I belong to your people..."

"I have never been enslaved, I am not a slave, I possess the inherent right to freedom..."

The King of Heroes seemed intrigued. He summoned a jewel-encrusted throne from the golden vortex with his right hand, leaned back in the chair, rested his chin on his hand, and interrupted the slender figure's self-justification.

"But you are a snake..."

"Does your wisdom only benefit humankind?"

"The morning star in the sky and all things on earth belong to the king!"

"Therefore, all living beings, whether from the sky or the earth, or from the forests or the seas, will be with Uruk. Wherever your glory reaches, that will be the paradise of Sumer."

Lin Xian looked up and gazed at Gilgamesh. His soul, which had been nurtured by his previous life's education, actually possessed a kind of dignified and unyielding air.

"That's right, all things on earth, the morning stars in the sky, and all living beings in all nations of the world belong to me!"

"Hahaha, you're much more interesting than the judges of Uruk."

"These idiots, they've studied the law for decades, yet they can't even talk as well as a snake. They should just smash their heads against a wall!"

"As a reward for pleasing the king, a fine of 30 times the original amount? I grant it!"

The Hero King, seated on his throne, burst into laughter, clearly delighted.

But in the instant Lin Xian caught her breath, Gilgamesh summoned a golden goblet from his treasury, gently swirling it. The crimson nectar rippled in the water, and the atmosphere suddenly froze.

"Since everything belongs to the king, how will you pay the 30-fold fine?"

"Moreover, the value of the Undying Grass cannot be estimated using normal treasures."

As the King of Heroes drank the contents of his cup in one gulp, golden vortexes formed behind his throne.

Swords, halberds, knives, spears, and all sorts of weapons emerged from it, their sharp edges pointing directly at this ancient serpent, whose crimson eyes remained chillingly menacing.

"If the price you pay does not satisfy me, I will cut you into shreds and throw you into a pot to make soup!"

Chapter Three: Laugh Until Your Abs Are Sore, Laugh Until You Become Powerful

The law is not meant to embody "tolerance and mercy," but rather to pursue "relative fairness."

Both the Code of Hammurabi and the Code of Ur-Nammu supported a bloody concept—"retaliation in kind."

That is, reciprocal retaliation in the form of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth".

The Immortal Herb was to Gilgamesh what it meant to give him a second life; it was a miracle he had gone through countless hardships to find for Uruk.

However, in the slightest carelessness, the snake swallowed his newfound hope!

Even though this hero-king had entered middle age, he had transformed from a capricious and cruel tyrant into a wise monarch.

But Gilgamesh wasn't so magnanimous as to forgive this sinful serpent with a pointless, saintly heart.

Based on the concept of "retribution in kind," it wouldn't be excessive for the Hero King to stew the thief who stole the Immortal Herb.

Moreover, since this guy has chosen the law to seek a way out for himself, he needs to consider the accountability from the owner.

That's what fairness is.

Of course, a wise ruler would never admit it.

I did this because I was interested and wanted to see how this worm struggled in its desperate situation.

Oh, the pleasure! Once you taste this flavor, you can't stop.

As the blades of swords and spears drew ever closer, Gilgamesh, his face blurred by the interplay of light and shadow, curled a playful smile at the corners of his lips.

"Enkidu!"

Seeing its scales being cut and eroded by the leaking sharpness, the straw rope that held its life in danger of breaking at any moment.

Lin Xian didn't have time to organize his thoughts; his snake-like pupils contracted sharply, and he uttered the key words for help.

However, upon hearing this, the King of Heroes, who had been sitting comfortably on his throne with his legs crossed, his right arm supporting his chin, and a hint of pleasure on his face, suddenly changed his demeanor.

Amidst the piercing sound of air being torn apart, the power of the thunderous axe swept across the land.

A massive longsword resembling demon wings, and two divinely crafted weapons, shaped like double-edged broadswords and covered in wedge-shaped runes, narrowly grazed past Lin Xian on either side.

The terrifying wind pressure slashed and ravaged, shattering Lin Xian's scales into pieces. His body, which was only affected by the power, exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

The pain was like having his skin peeled off, causing Lin Xian's eyes to bulge and his slender body to tremble and convulse.

boom! boom!

Two deep furrows were plowed into the wasteland, and the violent shockwave uprooted the fir trees within a hundred-meter radius, sending soil and stones raining down.

"Who gave you permission to call him by his first name? You bastard!"

Gilgamesh was no longer as relaxed as before; his expression was gloomy, his crimson eyes blazing with bloodlust, and his cold whispers were filled with pure and domineering killing intent.

As a proud and willful hero-king, Enkidu is arguably the only friend he ever truly acknowledged.

After his best friend was cursed and died by the gods, this name became Gilgamesh's greatest Achilles' heel.

If the next snake doesn't have a reasonable explanation, he wouldn't mind showing his former tyrannical side.

Just as Lin Xian, who had been caught in the crossfire, was half-dead, a phantom image of a red and green plant resembling a camel thorn emerged from the belly of the ancient serpent and began to unfold its petals and leaves.

Then, as ripples spread and layers of light washed over the snake, the outward-curling scales and torn wounds on its surface quickly healed.

Fortunately, the immortal herb that entered its body worked its magic.

Otherwise, I would have to suffer for a while longer.

As soon as Lin Xian regained his strength, he let out a rapid hiss and finished the explanation in one breath.

"King Gilgamesh, I have no intention of offending your dear friend!"

"On the contrary, by consuming the Immortal Herb, I had a very long dream, and my consciousness vaguely glimpsed some blurry images."

"In the near future, you will have the honor of reuniting with your dear friend Enkidu."

"This is my congratulatory gift to you!"

After a brief silence, the heavy pressure that had been hanging over Lin Xian slowly dissipated.

The criminal, whose nerves were on edge, collapsed limply as if his spine had been removed.

Gilgamesh's expression was indifferent, his brow furrowing and relaxing, concealing all his emotions beneath his arrogance, making it impossible to guess his true thoughts.

“Your Majesty, you possess the ability to foresee the future, and lies cannot deceive your perception.”

Lin Xian pondered carefully, trying to find evidence to support his statement.

Ancient heroes with divine bloodlines often possessed some degree of precognitive ability, and Gilgamesh was one of the best among them.

Although the precognitive ability is called "clairvoyance," it cannot accurately and clearly see the details of future events.

But if it's used to vaguely perceive the possibility of something happening, it's actually enough.

"Is this unverifiable news the 30-fold compensation you're talking about?"

After a moment, Gilgamesh, who seemed to be lost in thought, slowly opened his eyes and gave a cold smile.

Phew! The hardest part is over.

If you want to live, stay calm!

Lin Xian took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, cleared his mind of distractions, and looked up to ponder in a pure and serious tone.