67 Gilgamesh, King of the Underworld

"Siduri..."

In the magnificent and spacious temple of Uruk King City, someone addressed the towering throne: "His Majesty, have you not yet returned?"

An elderly man with a weathered face clad in linen robes stood before the throne.

He was the high priest of the Pantheon and had once facilitated encounters between the sage no longer of this world and the king.

However, that was in the past.

The current Pantheon had been divested of most of its authority, retaining only the right to perform sacrifices. Most of its elderly members spent their days in leisure at home.

Yet, the former high priest still visited the palace daily to pose the same query.

Had the king returned?

"Master High Priest," a voice came from beside the throne. It was Siduri.

Although her appearance was still young, her voice was no longer crisp and clear as before, but had a hint of age: "His Majesty has not returned yet. ."

"Really..." The old priest was not surprised, but he was a little disappointed: "It seems that the departure of Lord Luo Wei and Enkidu has had a great impact on the king."

Ever since the day the sage Luo Wei was taken by the primordial deity Tiamat, and Enkidu vanished without a farewell, leaving behind only a 'letter' informing Gilgamesh of her quest to find Luo Wei and urging their friends to take good care of him, things had changed.

The remaining goddess, Ishtar Rin, also vanished, reportedly ascending to a higher plane of existence where all gods are destined to converge.

She promised to await Luo Wei's return there, to settle the 'accounts' left unresolved from before.

Following these events, the young and wise King of Uruk, after a period of silence, declared he would venture to distant lands in search of an elixir to lift the curse.

Years passed without his return.

Were it not for the comprehensive system established by the sage Luo Wei, which allowed the country to function in the king's absence, provided the king's authority was upheld and defended by the people, Uruk would have long since crumbled into a mere titular entity.

Yet this didn't mean that Uruk had no need for its king, Gilgamesh.

Without Gilgamesh, Uruk managed to maintain operations, but it was always in a state of contraction.

Significant issues were deferred, decisions awaiting authority.

Even Siduri lacked the requisite wisdom and bravery.

Thinking of this, the old priest sighed again... Precisely because he knew the stories of those three people, it was even more touching and helpless.

Just at this moment, the familiar laughter came from outside the door.

"Huh ha ha ha... It seems that this country cannot do without this great king!"

As crazy and confident as ever.

The old priest was stunned, and so was Siduri.

They looked at the figure walking outside the door at the same time...

He had long golden hair and was wearing golden armor.

His hair was messy and his face was still handsome, but his skin was slightly dark, with traces of many experiences.

"His Majesty!" Siduri exclaimed, barely containing her excitement.

"King——" The old priest, too, leaned in, overcome with emotion.

Gilgamesh nodded, striding towards the throne.

He paused, casting a glance at the two long-empty seats beside it, and couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"His Majesty, you..." Siduri began, her surprise evident.

She knew that Gilgamesh had sunk into a 'depression' after Luo wei and Enkidu's successive departures—manifested in more severe outbursts and unrestrained behavior, reminiscent of his demeanor before encountering the sage.

But now, that despondency seemed to have vanished.

"It's nothing, Siduri," Gilgamesh dismissed with a shake of his head. "I was just reminded of that fool's expression when seized by Tiamat... Damn, even the mention of that coward sends me into fits of laughter, hahaha!"

Siduri fell silent.

It's over, the king is broken again.

After laughing for a while, Gilgamesh paused again and said, "Do you know where I have been on this trip?"

"I walked across the entire world and found the legendary grass of immortality that can lift all curses." He sat down on the throne and said in a low voice, "But I threw it away again."

Because that thing should not belong to me in the first place.

Because during this long journey, Gilgamesh had seen a lot and learned a lot.

'These were the words of the returning king'

'I have climbed the world's tallest peaks, beholding the vibrant clouds trailing the celestial bull'

'I have delved into the abyss, glimpsing Underworld' earthly depths'

'I have sailed the boundless seas, sighting the horizons of heaven and earth'

'Only then did I comprehend'

'My friend...'

'You have always been at my side'

"Hmph... That idiot left a vast world for me in the underworld!" Gilgamesh laughed out loud.

Where should the future of Uruk go?

He also thought carefully after his two friends left one after another.

Uruk would certainly not survive forever.

Not only because of the so-called historical correctness, but also because nothing in this world is eternal.

Stagnation will bring destruction, and so will rapid expansion.

However, after Luo Wei suffered the curse, he traveled back and forth to the underworld countless times...

There, he opened up a vast world with the power of his own unique attributes.

Whether forward or backward,

The sage in front of the king have already chosen their escape route.

"I believe that guy is still alive."

"So I, the king, will personally lead Uruk and the common treasure of the three of us to the most glorious moment. I am here waiting for their return!"

These were the last words the king left on that day.

'Since then, the king began to work hard to govern and began to conquer in all directions'

'He actively handled government affairs and reformed Uruk'

'He led the army to expand the territory of Uruk to the entire Mesopotamian plain'

'He spread the name of Uruk to the Earth'

"He once intersected with the vast world of the Aegean Sea, bringing great influence to the scattered city-state civilizations and was called 'the greatest king of the Golden Age.'"

"He is the first king, also a symbol of heroes."

"The first, the heroic king."

"In his later years, he led all of Uruk to the underworld, where he awaited the return of his friend."

"After his departure, Mesopotamia scattered once again. It was only after that the Akkadian civilization rose again, and Babylon united Mesopotamia."

"Five hundred years later, Hammurabi created the world's first code of laws based on the clay tablets left by the sage."

'The Ungodly Pluto'

'The King's Luo Wei'

'To this day, some people still call it that'

"The Epic of Gilgamesh."

"Hahaha... you flashy thing, although your mouth is foul, you still do a good job!"

"Gil, very good..."

__________

The Underworld.

After the Goddess Ereshkigal vanished, it fell under the 'rule' of Gilgamesh.

Atop the towering royal palace, he slightly opened his eyes.

Is it an illusion...

Their voices.

A hint of surprise flashed through the king's crimson eyes.

He looked at the key that floated up in front of him.

Tumbling, it transformed into silver-white chains and a spiraled sword.

The manifested projections of the power left by Enkidu and Rovi.

Gilgamesh was stunned.

Then he smiled.

It turns out it wasn't an illusion.

It turns out they were always by his side...

"His Majesty... King of the underworld of the Aegean Sea invites you to be a guest."

Siduri's voice rose on one side.

These days, the neighboring king of the underworld, the 'god of machines' who descended from the heavens, has been hoping to obtain the 'nature' suitable for a king of the underworld from Gilgamesh.

"I know, tell that mechanical head—the king will go." Gilgamesh collected the item in front of him and stored it in the deepest part of his treasury.

In those crimson eyes, contemplation was put aside, leaving only solemnity and that unchanged rampant smile.

Even as he entered the netherworld, he never minded proclaiming his existence to the world.

And in the 'future' that he could see, in that soil, there was the figure of that guy.

...

"Enkidu... what is human nature?"

"Actually, I don't understand either, but I know, as long as you have the longing for someone in your heart, then you will definitely understand what humans are."

"Is that so... but I still don't understand."

"One day you will understand, just as you have already shed that broken shell of steel, you will inevitably become a deity who understands human nature, Artemis."

"As for me, I was also once just an emotionless creation of the gods..."