How did I die, again?
The man, or rather the King of Uruk—Gilgamesh, stood atop the mountain, frowning as he pondered the cause of his own death.
Because he had previously killed the Heavenly Bull, driven away the Goddess Ishtar, angered the gods, summoned various natural disasters and curses, and abandoned his duties as king to seek immortality, leaving Uruk for a long time. Thus, when he finally returned with great enlightenment, he found his kingdom in chaos.
To make amends for his mistakes, he reorganized his old troops, ascended the throne, and worked day and night to deal with domestic affairs, hoping to restore the former order of Uruk as soon as possible.
In the last moments of his memory, he seemed to be handling official business.
So, did I die from exhaustion?
Gilgamesh concluded, feeling utterly absurd.
At this moment, a group of fully armed Garura spirits passed through the dead air, drifting over to deliver a divine message to the spiritual state of Gilgamesh:
"Hero King of Uruk, the Lady Goddess wishes to see you."
Hero King, King of Heroes.
In every Divine Era, heroes born of Divine Blood and Divinity were as numerous as cattle, and only the strongest had the right to enjoy this honor.
The Garura spirits referred to him in this manner, clearly showing some degree of respect and recognition.
—Ereshkigal wants to see me? What’s that crazy woman up to?
Gilgamesh frowned as he thought for a moment, but ultimately decided to follow the Garura spirits.
Passing through layers of gray and oppressive death fog, the scene before him suddenly opened up.
Water trickled gently, greenery was everywhere, and the flowers and grass competed in their splendor.
This was a beautiful paradise completely incongruous with the Netherworld environment.
And in the center of the paradise, a man and a woman sat around a stone table, tasting malt wine and snacks.
The woman had a face very similar to Uruk’s former City Guardian God Ishtar, but with a completely different temperament, gloomy and introverted, and she was indeed the mistress of the Netherworld, Ereshkigal.
The man looked quite unfamiliar, seemingly having had no interaction with him.
"Gilgamesh, right? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, sit down."
Luo En proactively greeted him, waving a hand to pull out a chair before the table.
Gilgamesh’s eyes flashed, and he asked thoughtfully:
"Was it you who wanted to see me?"
"Yes, let me introduce myself, Dumuzi, a wandering Shepherd God invited to the Netherworld as a guest. Acting on my suggestion, the Nether wants to establish a comprehensive judgment system to determine the fate of the departed souls based on their words and actions during their lifetime. But due to the gravity of the situation and the complexity of the affairs, it’s necessary to recruit three souls with rich administrative and judicial experience to serve as Judges of the Underworld. I’ve heard of your deeds and found you very suitable, so I specifically recommended you to the Goddess."
Luo En explained the situation at length.
Upon hearing this, Gilgamesh discovered a flaw:
"You came to find me of your own accord? So, in other words, I’m not actually dead, and you all dragged me down to the Netherworld?"
Gilgamesh swore inwardly, almost enraged to the point of blowing his top.
He was working just fine in Uruk, busy every day to the point of splitting headache.
And now, not only were his living troubles unresolved, but they had also arranged for him a job in the afterlife.
Did he look so much like an ox or a horse?
Even oxen and horses should have time to eat some fodder and take a good rest, right?
"Judge of the Netherworld? What’s that got to do with me? I have no interest in playing house with you all."
Gilgamesh snorted and was about to leave.
This is only because he had cultivated himself over the years, losing his previous bad temper. Otherwise, he would have flipped the table by now and quarreled with these two deities trying to manipulate him.
Whether he could beat them or not wasn’t the point.
"Aren’t you even going to listen to our terms first?"
A tempting voice came from behind, yet Gilgamesh continued without a pause, inwardly sneering.
Trying to bribe me? What a joke!
I dominate Uruk, holding the Key of God that opens the Babylon Treasure Vault; everything from gold and gemstones to Divine Artifacts and secret treasures, I have it all. What terms could possibly sway me?
Gilgamesh abruptly halted, turning back to the two deities seated at the stone table:
"Where did we leave off?"
"You wanted to return to Uruk."
"Didn’t want to play house with us."
Luo En and Aile replied while drinking.
"Recruiting me to serve as a Judge in the Netherworld, adjudicating the departed, is it? I have to say, you have quite the foresight, hahahaha!"
Gilgamesh laughed heartily, taking a seat in the empty chair, with no trace of awkwardness from the earlier mockery.
It must be noted that after experiencing a series of trials, this Hero King, once infamous for his tyranny, had had his edges smoothed by harsh reality, becoming much more tactful.
Knowing when to restrain and bow their head is good.
An expression of satisfaction flashed in Luo En’s eyes, as he poured Gilgamesh another glass of wine and further explained the entire situation to the Hero King.
Gilgamesh mused, asking:
"So, you intend to use justice to govern the Netherworld, punishing evildoers and rewarding the virtuous, to bring them equality?"
"Regardless of the gods or humanity, even between humans, it’s inherently unequal! Some are kings, who can enjoy riches without doing anything; some are nobles, who only need to beckon to be adorned in gold; some are slaves, who may not even earn a full meal despite toiling endlessly...this is reality! The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, the world has always been ! Your insignificant kindness and compassion can’t change anything."