In the Age of Gods, years were not counted.
Several years passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, the relationship between Li Lin and his goddess, Ereshkigal, had progressed to a certain degree.
However, the progress was rather minimal.
Is this what it means to be a shut-in? he wondered. It was rare to ever see her leave the temple. Even when she did, it was always for work or on her way to work.
[Eresh-chan working hard is so cute.]
...
One day, Li Lin was walking along the path to the lower levels of the Underworld as usual. As a conscripted laborer, he had naturally gained the ability to create [Spear Cages]. After all, Eresh had brought him here to help her with her workload and share the pressure. If she just let him live a life of leisure, what kind of conscription would that be?
Li Lin had no complaints. He readily accepted the tasks Ereshkigal assigned him. Creating the spear cages was, in a way, the Underworld's Authority being opened up to him. He now possessed not only the divine core of a god of light but also that of a god of death from the Underworld. He was the only being since the dawn of creation, aside from the primordial gods, to have integrated two opposing divinities into one.
"Speaking of which, after all these years, I almost forgot my real purpose."
Arriving at his usual worksite, Li Lin stared at the spear cages covering the ground, lost in thought. This was a relatively flat area, filled with large, azure spear cages thrust into the earth. Within each cage, the unique light of a soul flickered.
Looking at the scene, Li Lin couldn't help but admire Ereshkigal's diligence and sense of responsibility. The Sumerian Underworld was no paradise. It was an abyss that corroded all who entered, living or dead. As its ruler, Ereshkigal had spent eons creating countless spear cages to protect the souls of the departed from the Underworld's corrupting influence, allowing them to find true rest.
Li Lin looked up. The faint blue light of the souls emanated from within the cages, resembling a swarm of countless fireflies. While the light wasn't bright, illuminating only small patches of the gloom, the cumulative effect draped the path in a dreamlike, light-blue veil.
"How beautiful," Li Lin murmured with a smile. "I've seen the stars in the sky countless times, but the lights of the world below are just as breathtaking."
He walked over and picked up a spear cage whose light seemed a bit dim. The next moment, the negative emotions carried by the soul within surged into his body like a tide. It was the entire life experience of a mortal, from youth to old age, containing countless emotions and sins: pride, envy, greed, gluttony... nearly all of the Seven Deadly Sins were present.
Time ticked by. After a long while, Li Lin let out a deep breath and put the spear cage back down.
That's right. What he had just done was absorb the power of the Seven Deadly Sins from that soul to strengthen himself. His true identity was a Demon King of Original Sin, and that was the entire purpose of this simulation.
However, the Original Sin of mortals was a minor fraction of the whole. The main source was the goddesses.
Indeed, through his years of observation, Li Lin had long since discovered that the goddesses were the individuals who held the largest shares of Original Sin. By his estimation, Ishtar was primarily dominated by the sin of [Gluttony], with others being secondary. Ereshkigal, on the other hand, was dominated by [Greed].
He had his reasons for this assessment. In mythology, Ishtar was a goddess of extreme luxury and indulgence, which perfectly matched the concept of [Gluttony]. As for Eresh, it was precisely because she had nothing that she wanted everything, which perfectly fit the concept of [Greed].
However, even though they were vessels of Original Sin, goddesses were still goddesses. They wouldn't be controlled by their desires like mortals. This is why on the surface, although Eresh deeply envied her sister Ishtar who had everything, her rational divinity made her despise such a person of boundless extravagance.
And that's why the kind Eresh-chan is just so adorable. (o>_ After transmitting the newly absorbed power of Original Sin to the [Throne of Heroes] through his connection, Li Lin looked up at the "sky." In the endless, profound darkness, countless pole stars twinkled. They were like a vast river, their mutual attraction forming a magnificent spectacle.
As a god of the Underworld now, Li Lin knew the moment he looked up that every star hanging above was, in fact, the soul of someone who had passed on. They included many creatures, not just humans. It was as if the concept of [Death] from all things had converged in the sky of the Underworld, creating a night sky surrounded by a sea of stars, beautiful beyond words.
"This distant and brilliant divinity... this must be what Lady Ereshkigal is protecting," he mused with a soft smile. "Heh, what a kind and lovely girl she is. What do I do if I'm starting to fall for her?"
Although Eresh and Ishtar looked alike—in fact, they were nearly identical aside from their clothes—and he had initially suffered from "Ishtar PTSD" upon meeting Eresh, he had come to understand over the years that Eresh was Eresh, and no one else.
Compared to Ishtar, Eresh was infinitely cuter. It made him wonder if he should just propose to Utu that he marry Eresh instead. He's marrying off a sister either way, right? Eresh is your sister too, it's all the same! [Laughs :-D]
Of course, this was just a fleeting thought. Whether Utu would even dare to set foot in the Underworld was a question in itself, let alone act as a matchmaker.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, in the Age of Gods, one did not speak a god's name lightly, especially not one's superior. A god's name was often directly linked to their divinity. If you called out a god's name, they could usually hear you no matter how far away they were.
And so, it was obvious... Ereshkigal, who was creating spear cages not too far away, heard every single word Li Lin had just said.
"Mmph~"
Ereshkigal's hands trembled, and an adorable blush spread across her once-calm face.
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