Gilgamesh

  Yin Nanna spoke in a soft and timid tone, but her expression didn't show any fear at all. Instead, she looked at Ah Mon with great interest, seemingly amused.

  "Hey, why should I kill you to silence you? Saving a boat of people isn't doing anything bad! Yin Nanna, can you tell me who the shepherd of Sumur is and what his whip is made of - the snake tendon from the Yu Bei River's monster? You obviously know, so why bring it up now? Did you also know we'd encounter monsters when crossing the river, and was your experience true or false? And who are you, anyway, and why did you come looking for me?"

  Yin Nanna smiled: "Everyone has their own secrets, Ah Mon, aren't you the same? You said it yourself, a divine magician with a secret mission!... I want to thank you for everything you've done to help me. As for what I said, it's all true, but it depends on how you understand it. Maybe you'll understand later... Ah Mon, I will keep my promise and repay you. You can ask me one thing, as long as I can do it, I won't refuse, even if what you want is me..."

  Having crossed the Yubu River, Yun Nana seemed to not care whether her identity was exposed or not. She only wanted to see if Ah Mon could guess who she was without saying anything herself, with a bit of intention to tease him.

  Just then, a man's loud singing voice came from afar. The singing was good, but the lyrics were not pleasant to hear: "Have you ever changed your heart towards someone you loved? Former young lover, year after year, crying for you several times? The shepherd you loved put the most beautiful pastry in front of you, layer by layer, slaughtered the most beautiful lamb to support you, and he was finally beaten into a wolf. Your beloved bird had its wings broken; your raised lion was injured and wandering...

  As soon as she heard the singing, Yoon Nana's face changed and she withdrew her hand from Ahmon's shoulder and stood up. Ahmon also turned his head in the direction of the singing voice, only to see a team of horses coming from the open riverbank at the end of the field, with a luxurious carriage decorated with golden carvings on either side, surrounded by attendants in bright uniforms, looking like a king on an outing.

  The carriage had no cabin, but was shaded by a magnificent parasol. On the carriage sat a man of about thirty years old, with a handsome face and robust physique, wearing a loose purple velvet robe. The coachman was a warrior, over nine feet tall, wearing only a breastplate without a helmet, with a heavy bronze sword hanging from his waist, shining with silver light, and beside him stood a giant shield, almost as tall as an ordinary person, majestic and awe-inspiring, like a god, making people dare not look directly at him.

  The singer was a man in purple robes sitting on the carriage, singing while holding a cup of wine and savoring it with an air of nonchalance.

  As the procession approached from behind, Ahmon had already driven the carriage to the side of the road to make way. But Yin Nanna's face was filled with anger as she shouted: "Gilgamesh, your audacity is not small, daring to sing such a song in front of me! You brought your elite guards from Uruk City, what are you going to do? The singer also saw Yin Nanna and stood up on the carriage, bowing his head in greeting: "Beautiful maiden, you can call me Gil... seeing your divine beauty, may I ask what is your name today?"

  Yin Nanna jumped off the horse carriage and stood in the middle of the road, blocking the way of the convoy. With a cold smile, she replied: "I am Yin Nanna, Gil, Lord of Uruk City. Where are you going?"

  Amon, who was riding in a carriage by the roadside, was shocked to discover that the owner of the caravan was none other than Gilgamesh, the lord of Uruk City in the kingdom of Babylon! He had heard Medanzo mention this famous figure before. Some said he was a ninth-degree warrior, while others claimed he was a great sorcerer, but Gilgamesh himself had never personally confirmed either claim.

  There was another name that was as well-known as Gilgamesh's on the continent of Tianxu, he was Gilgamesh's playmate in his youth and later became the captain of the city-state's guard, named Enkidu, a genuine 9th-level warrior, known as the number one warrior on the continent of Tianxu. This title had some exaggeration to it, but Enkidu indeed had never been defeated by anyone before.

  Such a person is someone Ahmon would never dare to provoke, and with his identity, he would only avoid him from afar. But Yoon Nana seemed not afraid at all, blocking the entire convoy with a straight face. It seems that Gilgamesh knows her, and even got up in the car to salute her, but asked what her name was today, although polite, his tone had a hint of jest.

  The Kingdom of Balen and the Empire of Egu are different, it is a united kingdom composed of many city-states that have formed an alliance treaty, in war and action they are consistent against outsiders, internally there is also a city-state alliance council that makes decisions on major events and accepts the leadership of the king, the king is actually equivalent to the role of the alliance leader, the independent rights of the city lords are very large.

  Gilgamesh was a renowned heroic figure, with great prestige, and even the king did not take him seriously in peacetime. He only listened to the dispatch when it came to major decisions affecting the kingdom. However, Uruk City is also an important town on the defense line of the Barren Kingdom along the Euphrates River, so the city owners of each city, including the king, did not dare to offend him easily in peacetime.

  Hearing the conversation between Yinnana and Gilgamesh, Amun began to suspect that Yinnana might be a princess of the royal family, which could explain the scene before him. He had already made this guess when Yinnana wrote her own name in divine script.

  Gilgamesh ordered the charioteers to stop, but he himself stood on the chariot without getting down, still bowing his head in courtesy: "I was inspecting the city-state when I received an urgent report that the so-called guardian god of the Euphrates River, Humbaba's youngest son, a ferocious serpent, attacked the ferry boat during the day. Since Humbaba has violated the divine covenant, I can finally go and slaughter that nine-headed beast!... Enkidu, do you want to come and see the excitement?"

  Amon was startled again by these words, and the whip in his hand almost fell. Hong Baba is said to be the guardian god of the Yu Di River, and Gilgamesh actually said he wanted to slaughter it! His heart was filled with surprise and curiosity, and he also wanted to see the excitement, but reason told him that this excitement couldn't be joined, and it would be wise to leave quickly. Coincidentally, Yin Nana blocked the way and spoke, and he had no choice but to hide by the side of the road.

  Only Yun Nan Na let out a chuckle: "Gill, you're taking En Qi to go kill Hong Ba Ba? It's not easy to deal with, you have to cut off all nine of its heads, can you do it?"

  Gilgamesh narrowed his long eyes, stroking a ring on his hand: "Whether or not it works, I've been wanting to kill that nine-headed snake for a long time. Don't forget that the cedar wood is the most important export of Uruk City-State, but the shipping route is controlled by Humbaba. My people have made sacrifices to it year after year, yet it is insatiable. For many years, no one has been able to navigate at night, and how many people have been swallowed up in its belly?"

  Yin Nanna slightly furrowed her brow: "But I've heard that this is a promise between the two gods, Enlil and Marduk. The forest east of the Youdi River, which abounds with snow spruce trees, is Marduk's divine domain, but the Youdi River itself is Hongbaba's territory, and it is said to be the gatekeeper of Enlil's divine domain... It is forbidden to sail at night because you refused to establish a temple for Hongbaba in the city of Uruk."

  "Gilgamesh snorted coldly: 'Does it really think of itself as a divine being? It's just a gate-keeping beast! The temple of Uruk will only worship the true guardian, not an extortionist! What right does it have to demand that I set up its idol in the kingdom of Marduk, the great god? Poor nine-headed serpent, thinking it can get its own divine domain like this, without even considering who would truly offer sacrifices to it!"

  Yin Nanna smiled again: "Yes, Hong Ba's brain is not very useful... but if you kill it, aren't you afraid of offending Enril?"

  The warrior who was in a hurry to catch the boat suddenly raised his head and said, "Today's events at the crossing have already violated the gods' promise, so I'm going to kill it. As a god, Enlil cannot violate his own oracle!... My most beautiful girl, why do you worry about it? We are the ones facing the fierce battle, we are the ones facing danger, but today I must take up my sword!" Yinnana looked at the big man with a smile that was not quite a smile and said, "Enqidu, have you always wanted to be on par with the gods, to kill Hong Bapaba to prove it?"

  That warrior named Enkido said, "Even if Hong Bapaba has the temple, how many people will truly offer sacrifices? I killed that nine-headed beast, and even without a temple, how many people on both banks of the Yubu River would be grateful, singing hymns and composing pastoral songs?"

  Yin Nanna covered her mouth and said, "Unfortunately, you're a step too late. The monstrous snake that was wreaking havoc in the river has already been slain by a young hero who stood out. I was there at the time, and he escorted me safely across the river. Pen Fun Pavilion updates the fastest... You didn't become the hero who saved the entire boat, so are you going to go look for trouble with Hong BaBa? I think you alone might not be able to defeat it, but Gil might have that ability."

  Enkidu stood up from the chariot and turned to face Gilgamesh, saying: "Lord of the city, please allow me to challenge Humbaba alone."

  Gilgamesh glanced at Enkidu and frowned slightly, then said to him with a smile: "My best brother, I will not refuse your request, but I will not let you put yourself in danger either. You may be able to defeat Humbaba, but it's hard to prevent it from escaping. Let me take the lead and cut off its retreat route, so that you can personally behead its nine heads and achieve your merit!"

  En Qi bowed and said: "Thank you, Lord of the City."

  Gilgamesh waved his hand and rushed towards Enkidu:

  "The descendants of Hong Bap-ba do not allow people to cross the river at night, cutting down one by one, and it's an endless disaster. Today, I will cut off the source of this disaster!... Eun Na-ya, are you trying to stop me?"

  Yin Nanna's face was as beautiful as a flower, and she gazed at Gilgamesh with affectionate eyes: "How could I stop you? To be honest, I also want to see someone kill that nine-headed beast. You have the courage, you're really a hero! ... Thank you for inviting me to ride together, I want to witness this rare heroic feat with my own eyes." As she spoke, she lifted her skirt and lightly jumped onto the carriage shaft, getting into the carriage from Enkidu's side, waving her hand: "Gilgamesh, let's go, I can hardly wait!" She actually left Amun behind, following the convoy on foot. Amun was a bit puzzled and also inexplicably relieved. The convoy continued to move forward, passing by Amun's side, and he felt a little tense again. All he heard was Gilgamesh asking: "Yin Nanna, you came in this carriage, aren't you taking it with you?"

  Yin Nanna smiled: "My lamb will find his own way and eventually understand what his mission is. With Hero Gil by his side, I no longer need protection from others."

  Gilgamesh smiled and said: "With Enkidu by my side, my chariot is the safest place on earth. But how could you possibly need me to protect you?"

  The carriage, surrounded by attendants, had already disappeared into the distance, leaving Amun standing alone in the original place. Yinnana was originally going to let Amun take her to the capital of Balen, but now she followed Gilgamesh. If she really is a fallen royal princess who knows and trusts Gilgamesh, with his protection, she no longer needs a magician like Amun, but can't even say goodbye?

  Just as Ah Mon was thinking this, he heard the voice of Yin Nan Na: "I'll go see how they behead the nine-headed snake... You killed Hong Ba Ba's youngest son. If Hong Ba Ba finds out who did it, you'll be in danger when you cross the Yu Di River next time. Wish them success... Go on your way and head to where you need to go. I'll come find you again to fulfill my promise."

  The convoy had disappeared from view in the distance, but Yinnana's voice seemed to be right next to his ear. This was just a mid-level divine technique of "whispering", but it was used extremely skillfully! Amun was shocked again, and then thought that since Yinnana understood divine script and had a noble status, it was normal for her to be proficient in divine techniques. However, the conversation earlier hadn't finished yet when Gilgamesh interrupted him, and he still didn't understand what kind of person Yinnana was, as she came and went with such mystery.

  The horse team was no longer in sight, Ah Mon raised his whip to urge the horses on, but suddenly he lifted his head alertly. A black dot appeared where the horse team had disappeared, and the black dot quickly grew larger into a figure of a man running at full speed, with an extremely robust and tall build like a giant, who was none other than En Qi Duo, the warrior who had been driving the horses earlier.

  Enqi seemed to be just walking, but his speed was even faster than a startled horse's gallop, and he could even catch up with the birds flying across the sky. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of Amun's chariot. Every step he took was silent, but Amun felt that there was a power that made the earth tremble, and in front of this warrior, one couldn't even muster the courage to resist.

  When Ah Meng saw the face of En Qi Duo, he had already taken out the high-level scroll "Spatial Chaos" from his bag and placed it together with the other two mid-level scrolls. If this ninth-level warrior had hostile intentions towards him, Ah Meng only hoped to be able to escape as quickly as possible. But why would the "Number One Warrior of the Tian Xuan Continent" come looking for a small horse carriage driver like him? Was it at the behest of Yin Nan Na?

  Seeing the speed of Enqitu, Amun even doubted whether he had a chance to use the scroll if the other party really wanted to launch an attack. Enqitu came to the front of the carriage and stood still, like a small mountain, although his face was calm but without any intention of attacking Amun, with both hands holding a golden plate, coldly saying: "Coachman, it was you who killed the monster that was committing crimes in the Yu Di River, protecting the full boat of passengers, maintaining the safety and dignity of the city-state. This is the reward from the Lord of the City, please take it."

  Although the proud warrior said a "please" in his words, the tone was an irresistible order. Amun jumped off the carriage, stretched out both hands to take over the golden plate, and replied very respectfully:

  "Many thanks, Lord of the castle, but I'm also teaching to save myself." He could feel that Enqi had some inexplicable hostility towards him, and under the gaze of this great warrior, even breathing felt a bit difficult.

  "Your actions should be commended, this is the city lord's gratitude... Young magician, you are passing through the city-state under Yinnana's protection today, hurry up and leave! Next time we meet, beware that I will kill you! Remember, a woman like Yinnana cannot belong to you."

  After finishing speaking, Enqi turned around and walked away, quickly disappearing beyond the horizon. A gust of wind blew by, and Amun suddenly felt a chill, just from those few short sentences, he had already broken out in a cold sweat. Looking again at the golden plate, there were two scrolls and ten Shen stones on it, the scrolls being the "Spatial Lock" and "Detection Seal" that he had used up in the river.

  Gilgamesh was well-informed of the news, not only knowing what happened on the Euphrates River, but also clearly understanding what kind of scroll Amun used. He ordered Enkidu to send two of them, and symbolically compensated for another scroll with ten divine stones.

  "The Song of Ice and Fire" is probably worth far more than ten divine stones, it's something that Nero created alone, Gilgamesh may not even know what the scroll is, but he's already being very generous, possibly also for Yinna's face.

  Enril just called Amun a "magician", obviously already knowing his identity, with an extremely bad tone, and said that he was able to pass through the city-state only because of Yinnana's protection, and next time they meet will kill him. This is truly a disaster for Amun, when did he offend this ninth-level great warrior and high-ranking city-state guard captain? Listening to Enril's last words, it's clear that he was warning Amun not to have any unseemly thoughts about Yinnana!

  Amun patted his heart and asked himself, he didn't have any unclean thoughts about Yinnana! Being with this woman was really troublesome. First, they encountered someone who tried to kill them outside of Sumel town, then there were monsters attacking while crossing the river, and now they were threatened by a great warrior for no reason. Fortunately, he didn't need to travel with her anymore, otherwise Amun, a mere 5th level magician, would not be able to keep his life safe!

  Armon was a bit too self-deprecating, what he encountered today was the top existence on the Tianxu Continent. In fact, as a fifth-level magician who also possessed the power of a fifth-level warrior, he could not be underestimated in any city-state on the Tianxu Continent.

  The cold sweat had dried, Ah Mon sat in the carriage and asked himself a few questions. Did Yinnana have any hostility towards him? No, there wasn't any. Had Yinnana done anything wrong? No, she didn't seem to have done anything wrong either. Had he done anything wrong? No, even more so, he hadn't done anything wrong. Had he wronged Yinnana in any way? No, he had only helped her without offending her in the slightest.

  Having thought of this, Ah Meng calmed down again, shook the whip and drove the carriage to leave quickly. He had just seen clearly that Gilgamesh's team left the road and crossed the fields towards the upper reaches of the Youdi River, while this road led in another direction. According to Yin Nana's words, it could bypass the city of Uruk and return to the official road. Ah Meng only wanted to walk as fast as possible.

  The whip cracked, the horse ran very fast, Naiscott's gift was indeed a rare good horse, galloping all the way from noon to dusk. After dark, the carriage finally slowed down, the horses were tired, and if they continued to run, these two fine horses would not be able to withstand it either, he had already walked far enough. Enqi had said that Amun could pass through the city-state this time, and there was no need to be too afraid, Amun just wanted to get further away from those potential dangers.

  All the way without any situation, after dark, Amun found a secluded forest far from the road, drove the carriage into the woods and hid it, and looked for water sources nearby to drink and rest the horses. He also needs to rest well, the consumption of fighting with the strange snake during the day is indeed very large, and after running wildly all the way, he feels a bit dizzy.

  In the second half of the night, Amun fell asleep in the carriage and woke up feeling a bit dizzy. He started to sit quietly and practice the basic meditation of the divine technique. Suddenly, his soul felt a slight shock and disturbance. The detective technique was activated to make the perception reach its most sensitive state, and he heard various sounds coming from afar.

  There was a terrifying roar of monsters, like the sound of millions of wild oxen screaming in unison, and the shouts of brave warriors. It sounded vaguely like Enkidu's voice, accompanied by the crashing and bursting sounds of mountains and seas. Was Enkidu really fighting against Humbaba, the nine-headed giant snake guardian of the Cedar Forest? Could he kill it, or would he be killed by the giant snake? The sound came from a very distant place, even with the detection technique of the gods, it was barely audible, yet it still made one's heart tremble.

  Amon killed the young son of Homba Baba, and next time he passes by the river Yu Di, he may be retaliated against by the river god, so he should hope that someone can kill Homba Baba. Enkidu has also threatened Amon, so he should hope that Enkidu will die from the snake's kiss. But when Amon heard the sound of the fight, in his heart, he still hoped that Enkidu could successfully kill the nine-headed serpent.

  As for the warrior's threat, he didn't take it too seriously. The Tianxu continent was so vast that Amun, a hidden magician, could go wherever he wanted, and it was almost impossible to meet the proud city-state guard captain again, even in Uruk City. Even if they did encounter each other, they would just avoid each other from afar. Enqi was just trying to intimidate him, and it was impossible for him to personally hunt down such an insignificant person - Amun wasn't Humbaba!

  The distant battle didn't end until dawn, and the scene was as tragic as one could imagine. Ah Mon listened intently, recalling the old madman's words: whether it was martial arts or spiritual arts, if cultivated to the ninth level, one would already be at the pinnacle of a mortal, even possessing the power to fight against divine spirits, known as a demigod. The old madman also suspected that some so-called divine spirits were merely demigods and not true divine spirits.

  It seems that the so-called Yu Di River's Hong Ba Ba might be a demigod, and even the 9th-level Grand Warrior En Qi dared to go and kill it. He should also know where the nest of the nine-headed giant snake is located.

  Gilgamesh: The lord of Uruk city-state in the kingdom of Babylon.

  Enqi Du: The captain of the guard of the Kingdom of Balun, the city-state of Uruk, a 9th-level warrior, known as the number one warrior on the continent of Tianxu.

  Humbaba: The legendary guardian deity of the Euphrates River, a nine-headed serpent who guards the borders of Enlil's divine domain (to be continued)