80. Merlin
The hero, presumably, died fighting his comrades.
The dazzling morning sun cast an overly bright spot of light across the room.
However, this light, heralding the dawn of a new day, could not penetrate the thick blanket.
Xiling buried himself completely within it, like a lifeless specimen.
The outside world was too noisy; the small, dark kingdom within the blanket was his eternal resting place.
The pain, the pain was horrible... Now that the hero was gone, the bed beneath him served as a coffin, the quilt covering him the lid that sealed him from the clamor of the world—sealed here forever.
"Xiling, wake up! Didn't we agree to meet the King of Uruk today?"
Kevin walked in and spoke, looking at the dead man veiled in the blanket.
"...The hero died last night," Xi Ling's muffled voice emanated from beneath the quilt, each syllable dripping with a heavy sense of world-weariness.
"Don't come digging my grave for no reason."
"If you don't get up, I'll repeat what I said last night."
Swish!
A figure passed Kevin at a barely tangible speed, stirring up a breeze.
Xiling, already fully dressed, said with his usual calm expression, "Let's go. We have a lot to do today."
With these words, he left Kevin speechless and headed outside.
Looking at the people outside, Xiling was about to say something when the Tarnished, seeing him, said, "Together..."
Xiling immediately gave him a death stare, and the Tarnished made a zipper-like gesture at his lips. Seeing this, Xiling dropped his death stare and addressed the crowd, "Today I will go alone with the king to discuss the search for and subjugation of the three goddesses."
Xiling could locate the goddesses with his hero abilities. However, perception is one thing; precisely locating and describing the coordinates of specific locations across the vast land of Mesopotamia is another. This time, he planned to act separately, so he needed to ask Gilgamesh about the goddesses.
No one objected; the goal was clear, and action was imminent.
However, Elaina raised her hand and said, "Can I go shopping during this time?"
"I'll leave it to you," Xiling waved, turning and leaving.
...
Xiling once again entered the sacred tower.
Before he even entered the main hall, a slightly frivolous male voice with a unique rhythm drifted out.
Xiling raised an eyebrow at the voice. As expected, upon entering the hall, a male wizard in white robes, with flowing white hair and an almost unreal handsome face—Merlin—was explaining to Gilgamesh with a chuckle.
"...So, my king, this is the situation. Hahaha, I had a small incident. I wasn't able to successfully pick up the two people from Chaldea."
"I happened to run into that person on the way—and the result, naturally... was... a warm welcome. And now, I've been escorted all the way to get away..."
Up on the throne, Gilgamesh's crimson eyes never left the clay tablet in his hand. He gave a slight nod to Merlin's chatter, not even lifting his eyelids, a reluctant acknowledgment of his knowledge of the creature.
Just then, footsteps entered the hall. Merlin looked back. Hmm... he didn't recognize him. At that moment, Gilgamesh finally put down the seemingly endless pile of clay tablets. His crimson gaze passed Merlin and turned directly to Xiling.
"Are we about to begin?" the king asked calmly, clearly having foreseen Xiling's intentions.
Xiling nodded. "Yes, as you said, we'll begin."
"Very good," Gilgamesh pointed at Merlin beside him.
"I'll leave this fellow to you. Ask him anything you want to know. He knows as much as I do."
"Huh?!" Merlin's smile instantly fell, and he exclaimed in exaggerated surprise.
"Wait a minute! Noble King! I've just escaped Kingu's passionate chase after countless hardships, and I haven't even had time to touch the ground! Why are you handing me over? This is too cruel!"
"Shut up, Merlin!" Gilgamesh berated mercilessly.
"I asked you to do something. Which of them have you accomplished? You didn't retrieve the person, and you couldn't find and bring back the Slate of Destiny I need! You failed the mission, and you still dare to mention rest in my presence? Dream on!"
"Eh~~ Why is this happening..." Merlin completely withered, dejected like a frost-bitten eggplant. Just then, Merlin felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Xiling give him a thumbs-up.
"I'll leave it to you this time, long-distance running champion."
"Huh?" Merlin pointed, confused. "Are you talking about me?"
"Hahaha," Xiling smiled, not explaining. He extended his hand and said, "My name is Xiling. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Merlin, known as the Magus of Flowers, but I'm just an ordinary magus." Merlin's self-introduction came across as frivolous, perhaps even teasing.
He extended his hand and shook Xiling's.
"If you're ordinary, then no one else is extraordinary."
Seeing the two recognize each other, Gilgamesh spoke again, "The King wants to know what you'll do next."
Merlin tactfully stepped back slightly, offering Xiling his place in the middle. Xiling stepped forward and explained, "We plan to split our forces into two groups. Merlin will lead my companions to seek out Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent goddess of the Three Goddesses Alliance. If we can convince her, that's all that matters. If not, we'll have to resort to force."
Gilgamesh listened quietly to Xiling's words.
Xiling continued, "After that, I'll go directly to the Gorgon, the goddess of warcraft, and decapitate her. The plan is that simple."
Hearing Xiling's brief description, Merlin blinked in surprise. He instinctively cast his gaze towards the Hero King on the throne, trying to detect a hint of mockery or disapproval on his face—
However, what he saw was the slightest upward curve of Gilgamesh's lips! The curve was subtle, but clearly visible, conveying a sense of approval and recognition that "it's only natural" and "exactly what I want"!
Merlin's doubts instantly soared. "Where on earth did this person... come from?"
Moreover, the king didn't scoff or say anything, but instead smiled in agreement.
In the shadows at the edge of the hall, a petite figure stood quietly, her wide hood almost completely shrouding her face in shadow.
When Xiling calmly said, "Go directly to that Warcraft goddess, the Gorgon, and behead her," her body seemed to stiffen imperceptibly.
But she didn't look up, nor did she make a sound. She simply silently pulled her hood down with even greater force.
Just then, Gilgamesh spoke, "I haven't found any definitive clues about the goddess you're talking about yet."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I have the clues and methods to find her."
"Heh..." Gilgamesh let out a low, knowing laugh, which then grew louder—
"Hahahahahaha!" A resounding laugh echoed through the hall.
When the laughter died down, Gilgamesh waved his hand suddenly, like a banner, his voice firm and decisive: "Then, act!"
"During your campaign against the Demonic Goddess, the Kingdom of Uruk will spare no effort to provide you with all possible support! Soldiers, supplies, intelligence... anything I possess in my treasury, anything available on Uruk's land, will be at your disposal! And you—"
"You only need to do one thing: defeat those three almighty goddesses one by one!"
"As you will, we will act." Xiling waved, turning and heading out of the hall. Anna, in the shadows, also silently left.
Merlin bowed slightly to Gilgamesh on the throne, offering a graceful farewell: "Then, I will also take my leave."
Just as Merlin turned to leave, Gilgamesh's voice rang out again, with a rare solemnity: "Wait, Merlin."
Merlin paused, turning to gaze at the figure on the throne with some confusion. It wasn't until Xiling's footsteps faded away at the end of the corridor, and they were alone in the hall, that Gilgamesh slowly spoke:
"This change is something neither you nor I could have foreseen. It's no exaggeration to call what's happening a miracle."
Merlin didn't quite understand Gilgamesh's words. It wasn't that far-fetched, was it? He naturally didn't know what Gilgamesh had witnessed.
Gilgamesh, on the other hand, clearly had no intention of explaining to Merlin the nature of the miracle he had witnessed.
Gilgamesh's gaze seemed to penetrate Merlin, radiating into the distant future. He continued, "But miracles are only miracles. They may shine for a moment in desperate situations, but they won't always favor the same people or the same era. The road Chaldea must embark on... is long and arduous. They have a long way to go."
His sharp gaze refocused on Merlin's face.
"Originally, I was supposed to be the one to bring down the trials, but things have changed. Therefore, on this journey, I need you... to do what you do best."
"Observe"
"Observe?"
"Yes, isn't that what you, son of the incubus, often do and should do most?"
"Observe. Observe Chaldea's choices. Observe whether they have the resolve to overcome countless storms and reach the end."
Merlin was a little confused by Gilgamesh's words.
"What miracle? And our eyes are different! You see the future, I see the present. You see things I can't!" He grumbled inwardly, but he still nodded.
"Leave it to me."
Merlin left with these words and turned to leave, quickly chasing after Xiling and Anna.