Worldly affairs come and go like water flowing east… Life is but a dream passing through spring and autumn.
Uruk.
No, it should be called the Babylonian Empire now.
"Elves! Your people have crossed the line!"
At the assembly gathered by the chieftains of the Myriad Races, the Demon Lord shouted at the Elf Queen opposite him, "How many times do we have to say this? Don't keep coming into Demon Tribe's territory! Do you know how much trouble this causes our children?"
Due to the particularity of their aesthetic sense, the Demon Tribe had always held hostility towards visually pleasing races like Elves and Fairies, even after the fall of the gods.
In contrast, they quite liked the Beast-kin, Dragon Tribe, Youkai, and the like. Especially when Youkai revealed their true forms… those with three heads and ten pairs of eyes could instantly become celebrities within the Demon Tribe, highly popular.
"We are merely passing through your territory. It's just that the Imaginary Tree is closer to your side."
Deep breath, exhale, inhale again.
The Elf Queen maintained her elegant posture, "If we don't go through your territory, we have to detour through the Beast-kin's Grand Canyon. Although our winged and feathered friends can help, I think going directly through your area is the most convenient."
"Then at least wear cloaks or something! Don't you know your people are scaring our children!"
"Children! They are children!"
Remembering how the explosively 'ugly' Elves passing by caused the newly born generation of demons to cry loudly at night, the Demon Lord never imagined that he, who once fought for his race's survival, would now be worrying about such trivial matters.
"Shut up! It's clearly your own aesthetic sense that's the problem! You even find your own Succubi and Blood Knights ugly! That's your own issue!"
Hearing the Demon Lord repeatedly call her ugly, the Elf Queen slammed the table and stood up, shouting.
"Elf Queen, that statement drags in too much. We Beast-kin stand with the Demon Tribe on this. Regarding appearance, I support the Demon Lord."
Although he lost an arm in the great war, the Beast-kin Chieftain Garrosh's boldness remained undiminished.
"Nonsense! We Fairies side with the Elves!"
"Right! We Vampires also think the Elves are beautiful."
"The Youkai support the Beast-kin!"
"The Dwarves don't want to talk."
"Goblin Tech, Shocking the World!"
Watching the Myriad Races assembly, which resembled a chaotic marketplace, the now third-generation God King, the Venus Goddess Ishtar, sighed silently.
Although the Babylonian Empire was now free of the gods, the land where divine authority returned to heaven and earth was reborn, and everyone had new territories to develop, the vanished struggle for survival had given way to clashing racial prejudices.
Holding her head while looking at this noisy crowd, Ishtar sighed.
"Eresh, were they always this noisy before?"
Speechless at the childish behavior of the Kings of the Myriad Races, Ishtar asked the Underworld Goddess beside her.
"Ah? They didn't used to be. Back then, Ryuya was here."
The Underworld's functions had been liberated. To be precise, having absorbed the corpses of the gods, the Underworld could now operate autonomously, no longer requiring Ereshkigal's constant presence.
Attending the Myriad Races gathering with Ishtar, she remembered that although the tribes were noisy before, they exercised restraint.
The first reason was that the gods were still around, and everyone understood their primary duties. The second was Ryuya's presence… faced with the Sun-Crowned King's authority, not a single tribe dared to act up.
Now Ryuya was gone. Although the issue of racial survival was resolved, the conflicts between the tribes remained. This wasn't something that could be settled overnight.
Currently, only two individuals could truly suppress the Myriad Races. One was the Mother Goddess Tiamat, who never participated in these matters. The second was...
Thinking of this, Ereshkigal and Ishtar exchanged a glance and simultaneously chose to leave the noisy marketplace of two.
Inside Uruk's palace.
"King of Heroes! Gilgamesh! Where did you run off to, you arrogant jerk?"
Even though they were both Ryuya's wives, the relationship between Ishtar and Gilgamesh wasn't great.
Searching all over for the King of Heroes, she saw Siduri hurrying over.
"Ishtar-sama, the King is still resting. Do you need something?"
"Siduri, no need to be so formal. Just call me by my name."
Facing the gentle and lovely Siduri, even the proud Venus Goddess showed a smile, secretly wondering why such a sweet girl was Gilgamesh's Chief Priestess.
Ishtar really liked Siduri.
"Call you by your name? No, no, that would be too presumptuous."
Politely refusing Ishtar, Siduri was just that proper.
"Huh? But you called me 'Sister' in bed! Clearly, without Ryuya here, you..."
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, until a blushing Siduri covered her mouth.
Ishtar looked at the nearly tearful Chief Priestess and sighed, "Fine, fine, I'll stop. Where is Gilgamesh? I need to find her."
"Please, both of you, follow me."
Leading Ishtar and Ereshkigal to Gilgamesh's bedchamber, Ishtar smelled a strong, pungent odor of alcohol as soon as she entered.
"Siduri, hasn't Gilgamesh... moved on yet?"
Picking up an empty wine bottle from the floor, Ereshkigal asked.
"The King... has been like this ever since Ryuya-sama left."
Siduri's dark eyes dimmed slightly. In truth, after Ryuya left, it wasn't just Gilgamesh.
Siduri, Enkidu, Tiamat, Ishtar, Ereshkigal, and even the chieftains of the Myriad Races all felt unaccustomed and missed Ryuya deeply.
Wasn't the current bickering among the tribal chieftains, even fighting over trivial matters, also a way to vent their inner loneliness?
But everyone understood what Ryuya had sacrificed for the land of Mesopotamia. They still had much to do, so they couldn't stop.
Only Gilgamesh, the most ancient King of Heroes, the ruler appointed by Ryuya, drowned herself in alcohol all day, clearly avoiding reality.
Looking at Gilgamesh lying on the ground, clothes disheveled, Ereshkigal and Siduri remained silent out of tacit understanding. In contrast, Ishtar rushed over in a few steps.
"Arrogant jerk! How long are you going to stay like this?"
Efficiently pulling Gilgamesh up, Ishtar stared angrily at the drunken Female Gil, her own anger boiling over.