"My name is Ereshkigal, remember it well!" Ereshkigal blushed as she announced her name, and Li Xing couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahahahaha, are all Mesopotamian goddesses this adorable?"
"Adorable... is what... I am a goddess, how can I be described like that? How rude..." Ereshkigal turned her head away shyly, fiddling with her hair.
Then Ereshkigal quietly asked, "Am I... really... cute?"
"Yes, of course, it's true. I have a wife who loves origami. Here, this flower is for you." As Li Xing spoke, a paper flower appeared in his hand, which he offered to Ereshkigal.
"Is that so? You have a wife. Thank you, the flower is very beautiful." Ereshkigal took the flower and said with a smile.
"Yes, I have many wives. They are all sleeping now." Li Xing began to slowly tell Ereshkigal about his past, the personalities of each wife, and their travel stories. To be fair, the relationship with Mei Mei and Kaguya was a result of him acting on impulse, with not much emotional depth. Most others had some sort of storyline with Li Xing. This was the author's fault, but the author didn't regret it...
Finally, Li Xing talked to Ereshkigal about this singularity, hoping she would go easy on Fujimaru Ritsuka because he had a mission to complete.
And so, the two chatted all night. Although it was mostly Li Xing talking and Ereshkigal listening, Ereshkigal found the outside world truly wonderful. She also became interested in Fujimaru Ritsuka, whom Li Xing mentioned. Just a mortal, yet able to traverse through various eras to save humanity. It was a dangerous path, but they still arrived in the Age of Gods.
"Alright, I understand. Your goal is for me to help you deal with the Demon God, right? Unfortunately, due to the Three Goddess Alliance, I cannot act against the other two goddesses."
"How can you say that? When it comes to making friends, I'm serious!"
Afterward, Li Xing stood up, preparing to leave. Dawn was breaking, and Ishtar would appear soon.
"Even though you have a purpose... I don't dislike it. Well, it's daylight now, time for me to sleep." Ereshkigal waved goodbye to Li Xing and walked away.
"Good night, Ereshkigal." With that, Li Xing flew towards Uruk City. Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others should have just woken up by now.
...
After everyone woke up, they immediately entered Uruk City to search for the Tablets of Destiny. The entire city had become an empty shell, with no one in sight. However, since no monsters had entered Uruk, Merlin suggested they split up to search more effectively.
After separating from the others, Li Xing found a place to rest. Searching for the Tablets of Destiny required entering the Underworld, and it was impossible to find them now, so he decided to rest.
On Fujimaru Ritsuka's side, while searching in a house, they suddenly saw a figure and quickly chased after it. As they walked, Fujimaru Ritsuka saw a patch of darkness.
This was no longer Uruk City, but the Underworld. Outside, Fujimaru Ritsuka had lost all signs of life, as if their soul had been drawn out.
Li Xing arrived by Fujimaru Ritsuka's side immediately and found that Fujimaru Ritsuka's condition was the same as the citizens of Uruk, having died without a soul. It was the special illness that Anna had mentioned before.
In the Underworld, Fujimaru Ritsuka saw over a dozen wraiths. These wraiths moved forward and choked Fujimaru Ritsuka, trying to kill them. But suddenly, an old man appeared and saved Fujimaru Ritsuka.
Ziusudra, the old man Fujimaru Ritsuka had met in Uruk before, and King Hassan from the Sixth Singularity.
Because King Hassan owed Fujimaru Ritsuka a favor, for dealing with his disciples in the Sixth Singularity, King Hassan sent Fujimaru Ritsuka out of the Underworld and asked them to inform the magi that the Underworld still existed.
...
Outside, Fujimaru Ritsuka slowly opened their eyes. The first thing they saw was Mash's tear-streaked face, constantly thanking their senior.
"I'm sorry, Mash, for making you worry. I'm fine now."
"That's great, Senpai!"
Mash wiped away her tears and suddenly smiled. Merlin, however, saw something in Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand and quickly asked what had happened. The item in their hand should be the Tablet of Destiny, right?
Everyone was astonished. The Tablet of Destiny was found just like that. Fujimaru Ritsuka then recounted everything that had happened. Merlin fell into deep thought upon hearing the story.
While Merlin was still contemplating, a figure suddenly flew from afar and, without a word, unleashed a few gem magic spells. However, Mash blocked them all with her shield.
It was Ishtar. Ishtar learned that Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others had been inquiring about her in the pasture and appeared to find them. Ishtar would not allow anyone to inquire about her without permission, as it would tarnish her dignity, especially since no goddess would steal gems.
"She really is a bandit goddess!" Li Xing rubbed his forehead. This woman was hopeless.
"What did you say!" Ishtar raised her hand and shot a magic spell at Li Xing. Li Xing parried it with his sword and then appeared behind Ishtar, striking her head with a chop, knocking her to the ground.
"Sorry! It was a righteous sneak attack." Li Xing rubbed the back of his head and slowly descended. Ishtar, lying on the ground, looked up at Li Xing before passing out.
Since it was already evening and dark, Ereshkigal would appear. Taking advantage of the opportunity, everyone quickly tied Ishtar up. Li Xing, feeling a little embarrassed, went outside to wait.
As night fell, Ereshkigal awoke, but this time with black hair. No one knew it was Ereshkigal, except for Li Xing.
"Oh my, it's dark. Good morning. Huh? Why am I tied up? Where is this? And who are you?"
"Hello... I am humanity's last Master, Fujimaru Ritsuka..."
Ereshkigal was stunned for a moment. This human before her was the Fujimaru Ritsuka that Li Xing had spoken of. But to do something like kidnapping, weren't they afraid of retribution?
Then Fujimaru Ritsuka asked about the Three Goddess Alliance, why they invaded Uruk, and the true names of the goddesses.
The invasion of Uruk was naturally for the Chaldea's Great Cup in Gilgamesh's possession. Whoever obtained it first could claim this land as their own. As for the true names of the other two goddesses, Ereshkigal could not reveal them.
"Can you really be this leisurely at night?" Ereshkigal asked with a smile, reminding Fujimaru Ritsuka. Then, a large number of skeleton soldiers appeared throughout Uruk City.
"Are these... the ancestors of Uruk's citizens returning to visit?" Merlin couldn't help but remark sarcastically, then ordered everyone to retreat quickly.
Before leaving, Fujimaru Ritsuka untied Ereshkigal and urged her to escape as well. This inadvertent act of kindness made Ereshkigal even more interested in Fujimaru Ritsuka.
Upon reaching the rooftop, everyone saw the dense army of skeleton soldiers and didn't know what to do. Suddenly, several bolts of lightning flashed, instantly clearing a path for Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others.
It was Ereshkigal's Crimson Lightning. Ereshkigal helped Fujimaru Ritsuka on a whim, considering it repayment. However, Ereshkigal then saw Li Xing outside, smiling at her.
"Thank you!" Fujimaru Ritsuka offered their thanks and quickly left Uruk City.
"Goodbye! Goddess!" Li Xing also bid farewell and followed them as they left together.
"Li Xing... the Fujimaru Ritsuka you mentioned is indeed interesting. It would be a pity to hand them over to other goddesses..." Ereshkigal's hair was now golden. She looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka's retreating back, lost in thought.