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......

The battle between humans and gods was finally over, and the city was full of vitality. The streets were teeming with people, and everyone's face was filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe and pure happiness.

Xiling looked with great interest at the two sides of the street: many residents were working together to carry a large amount of supplies—fresh fruit, barrels of fine wine, gorgeous fabrics, and some oddly shaped items that seemed to be props for a celebration.

"Are they... preparing for a celebration?" Xiling asked the girl deity beside her.

“Yes!” Ereshkigal nodded. “This is an unprecedented and great victory! After the victory, there must be a grand celebration! To celebrate the hard-won victory, to celebrate the bright future…” She paused, her voice slightly lower, and added with a hint of shyness, “...and also to celebrate…the gods who made great efforts in this battle.”

Originally, there shouldn't have been any celebration for the gods here, but it was later added by a certain king, since two goddesses did indeed contribute a great deal in this battle.

Therefore, the celebration of the two gods was added to this event.

"I see!" Xiling looked enlightened, then a mischievous yet sincere smile spread across her face as she cupped her hands in a gesture of respect towards Ereshkigal. "Then congratulations, Your Majesty, the goddess Ereshkigal! Without a doubt, you are one of the most anticipated protagonists of this celebration!"

"No, not at all~" Ereshkigal immediately waved her hand, her face slightly flushed, but the slight upturn of her lips revealed the fact that she was extremely pleased inside.

Xiling was never stingy with praise for his friends, especially when the other person truly deserved it. He looked at the goddess beside him and said sincerely, "This time, we really owe you a lot, Ailei. Without you, without the Underworld as the final battlefield, without your thorough preparations beforehand... the outcome of this war would have been very difficult to predict."

“No,” Ereshkigal gently shook his head, his smile warm yet earnest, “it was Tianyi who truly caused Tiamat to fall into the underworld. It was she who opened that incredible passage and completed the most perilous and crucial leap. My contribution… cannot be considered…”

Xiling interrupted her self-deprecating remarks: "Tianyi is undoubtedly a great contributor! But you are also an indispensable contributor!"

"Huh?" Ereshkigal looked up in surprise, meeting Xiling's serious eyes.

Xiling continued, "Tianyi was able to open up a new battlefield because she acted on your foundation. If you hadn't made preparations in Uruk beforehand, even Tianyi would have been powerless. So, you deserve immense credit for this."

"Is...is that so?" Ereshkigal was caught off guard by Xiling's direct affirmation. She couldn't help but reach out her hands and hurriedly tidy her sideburns and hair, trying to hide the turmoil in her heart.

"Be confident~ It's definitely going to be like this~" Xiling gave the other person a thumbs up.

“Actually…actually I’m usually very confident!” Ereshkigal subconsciously whispered in defense, her voice barely audible, and even she herself didn’t quite believe the persuasiveness of her words.

Hearing what the other person said, Xiling didn't expose him, and the two continued to stroll around the city.

Suddenly, Xiling spoke up, "What are your plans after that?"

Xiling added, "As for me and my companions, we'll probably be leaving here tonight."

Speaking of leaving, Xiling looked at Ereshkigal with a hint of joking in her voice: "You're not going to say something like, 'Hey! Xiling, you big liar! You promised to be my friend, but now that the battle's over, you're just going to pack up and leave!' or something like that..."

Xiling's voice gradually lowered as he saw the other person's face darken.

The next second, that gloomy face suddenly blossomed into a bright smile, even with a hint of mischievous triumph!

"Pfft! Hahaha..."

Seeing Xiling's guilty expression, Ereshkigal finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, his shoulders trembling slightly. "Did I scare you?"

Seeing the other person's expression brighten after the storm, Qi Xiling breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away non-existent cold sweat from her forehead.

"You really scared me."

“Hahaha,” Ereshkigal laughed happily for a while, the laughter gradually subsiding into a gentle smile on her lips. She spoke softly, her voice gentle: “Actually… I’ll probably be leaving here soon too.”

“Hiling, my friend. Don’t forget, although I am indeed a god of this era, I do not belong to this world. I, Ereshkigal, am merely a consciousness that has descended here, possessing this girl.”

The girl walked past Xiling and went ahead. "Now that everything has settled down, we shadows who shouldn't have lingered here for long should follow the rules and return to our original seats."

“You’re right,” Xiling followed the girl’s steps.

The girl named "Xiling" called out the hero's name.

"I am here," the hero answered the girl's call.

"You said...you wanted to be friends with me,"

"Is it true? From the bottom of your heart?"

“But…” Ereshkigal lowered his eyes slightly, his long eyelashes trembling. “The me you see, the me you talk to, may not be the whole truth of me. My personality… um…”

She seemed a little hesitant to speak, and added in a low voice, "Spending too much time in the underworld might... be a bit bad? Like, um... be more gloomy? Or sometimes be a bit willful?" She tried to find less negative words to describe herself.

"This isn't for you to judge, it's for me to judge. Stop speaking so disparagingly of my friend's character."

"Pfft... Hehe, I'm asking you very seriously!"

"I'm answering you very seriously."

Xiling gazed at the distant horizon. "My personality is also terrible. What if we can't get along?"

The girl stopped and turned to look at the hero, waiting for his reply.

The hero's face slowly broke into a smile. "I'll definitely correct your terrible temper, after all, I'm quite self-centered."

Ereshkigal listened quietly, without rebuttal or anger. On the contrary, a bright and reassuring smile bloomed on her beautiful face.

"Hehehe..." she chuckled softly, her voice as melodious as a silver bell. "Alright. Then I'll... eagerly await that day?" She tilted her head slightly, her smile pure and sincere. "My soon-to-be-separated... friend."

"I also look forward to the day when we will meet again, my friend."

Chapter 103 Mission Completed, Return

Gilgamesh, standing atop the tower with his arms crossed, overlooks the city. As far as the eye can see, his surviving people are busy preparing for the grand celebration that will take place tonight, marking the end of a six-month-long arduous battle.

Today, the top of the tower is deserted, even Siduri is busy preparing for the celebration.

As for work, there is none.

Just as Gilgamesh was gazing at the city, seemingly lost in thought, a sudden sound of footsteps echoed from the tower.

Without turning around, he already knew who the newcomer was.

Footsteps approached him, and then a golden cup appeared in the corner of his eye.

Gilgamesh glanced at it; it was the reward he had given to the magician who protected Uruk.

Holy Grail.

"That guy didn't dare come himself, so he asked me to bring it over to see if you still wanted it. If you didn't, he would have taken it," Xiling said casually, handing the Holy Grail to Gilgamesh while eating food she had bought in the city.

Gilgamesh glanced at it and then ignored it. He continued to focus his gaze on his city and spoke calmly.

"Is he looking down on me? How can I take back what I have bestowed upon him? In the past, I would have cut off his head on the spot, but now, considering his great service, I will spare his life."

"Then I'll thank you on his behalf, although I initially thought you wouldn't take it back." Xiling reached out and tossed the Holy Grail into the Starry Cloak.

Then, while eating, he looked at the city and asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

A city destined for destruction, its people destined for ruin, were abruptly reversed by a few visitors from another world. Their fates were altered, and they were given entirely new destinies. Xiling was curious about what their future would hold, so he asked Gilgamesh, the king who could see the future.

"Who knows what the future holds?" Gilgamesh said calmly.

"Huh?" Xiling turned her head in surprise. "You can see..."

"Fool!" Gilgamesh interrupted Xiling, his voice still cold. "Let the future write its own story. The future that can be seen is ultimately just a projection among countless possibilities. Is that really the so-called future?"

"What kind of future Uruk needs should not be decided by me alone! The right to choose the path should be given to the people of Uruk! Let them use their own hands to decide where they want to go!"

"...Alright."

Gilgamesh turned his head to look at Xiling, his voice calm.

Are you going to see that person?

Xiling rolled her eyes in annoyance: "Oh ho, I thought you were planning to seal those eyes away completely!"

"Hmph, fool. This is just a guess based on basic logic."

"Uh, really? You guessed wrong." Xiling turned his head away somewhat awkwardly, but quickly turned back, his previous embarrassment completely gone.

"We definitely need to meet him. After all, we found some of his things, and it would be impolite to just take them without asking first."

Gilgamesh snorted.

"That's something he gave up himself, why ask again?"

"After all this incident, he should know that things shouldn't be left lying around, so we should still go and ask him about it."

Gilgamesh remained silent, clearly having lost interest in the topic. Xiling, understanding the situation, also refrained from further discussion, patting the remaining food crumbs on her hands and smiling at him.

"Then I'll be going now. See you at the event tonight."

As Xiling turned to leave, a faint whooshing sound came from behind her.

Xiling didn't turn around. She casually reached behind her and caught the flying object firmly in her palm. Looking down, she saw it was a small, dark stone slab that was very finely polished.

Xiling turned around in confusion, looking at the figure with its back to her.

Gilgamesh didn't turn around, and said in a calm voice.

"No matter what era I live in, or what form I take in this world, as long as I possess this item—this certificate inscribed with the friendship and covenant of Uruk… I will surely answer the call and lend a helping hand."

After saying this, Gilgamesh remained silent and turned his back to Xiling.

A slight smile played on Xiling's lips as she turned and left the tower.

-

Even today, after the restoration of humanity, the Central Control Room of Chaldea still retains the bustling atmosphere of the final battle.

Roman slumped in his chair, feeling as if all his bones had been removed. He felt incredibly tired today. Even though the mission to save the world was over, his workload had multiplied several times over. But there was nothing he could do; he was currently the leader here. He could only take the lead in compiling a file and submitting it to the Magic Association before finally finishing his busy work.

"Ah...I want to die..." he sighed, almost a groan, then muttered softly and wistfully, "No, no, I want to eat strawberry cake...the freshly baked kind, with a big pot of black tea, and then I don't have to do anything, just lie there all day...no, a week! Work and all that...it would be best if it all disappeared..."

Just as he was indulging in the wonderful fantasy of being lazy, trying to dispel his fatigue.

Roman felt as if the darkness had suddenly intensified, and he opened his eyes in confusion to see a smiling face appear above him.

Just then, the bright lights overhead seemed to... dim slightly?

“Ughhhhhh!!!”

A terrified scream nearly lifted the dome of the control room. Roman sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, the chair legs screeching against the floor in his panic. He lost his balance and was about to crash awkwardly onto the cold, hard floor.

However, the feeling of falling lasted for less than half a second before an irresistible force shoved him back into the chair.

"What's wrong? Am I scary?" Xiling leaned against the table, looking at Roman with a puzzled expression.

It was as if he couldn't understand why the other person looked so scared when they saw him.

But is that really the case? Obviously, Xiling didn't do it on purpose!

The atmosphere had already reached that point; if he didn't scare the other person, would he be doing himself a disservice?

Roman was panting heavily, clearly still reeling from the shock he had just experienced.

When he recognized Xiling, he asked incredulously, "Mr. Xiling, why are you at Chaldea?"

How did the other party end up here? The Spirit Transfer System wasn't activated, and although he didn't know why the other party was here, Roman wasn't afraid because he had a feeling that the other party didn't seem like a bad person.

"I came all the way here to ask you if you still want the items?" Xiling reached out, and nine items automatically flew out of the Starry Cloak.

There were nine rings.

The nine rings worn by the Demon King Goetia were the last pieces of equipment dropped by the enemy.

Roman—Romani Archman, the former magic king Solomon—his pupils suddenly contracted, and the color drained from his face instantly.

Xiling gestured to him.

"Here you go. Do you want it or not?"

"Huh?" Roman opened his mouth, instinctively trying to force a smile to hide the turmoil in his heart, but his expression was stiff and distorted, even uglier than crying.

"This this......"

Seeing the other person's attitude, Xiling said irritably, "What is this? You're the Magic King Solomon, right? You're acting like I don't know you. I know all about your trivial matters! Now I'm just asking you if you want this thing or not!"

“You…you really know me? I mean…” Roman lowered his head, his voice somewhat dejected.

"I know, of course I know." Xiling snapped her fingers crisply, as if she were dubbing a story, and teased in an almost rap-like tone: "Magic King Solomon, an ordinary man in the Holy Grail War, who would have thought that his body would be possessed by someone else, creating a tragedy for all time~ Don't you think my lyrics flow smoothly?"

"Huh?" Roman was completely dumbfounded. The accusations and questions he had expected did not come. The other party's reaction was so unexpected that it caught him off guard, and the heavy feeling of being exposed was instantly diluted by an absurd astonishment.

"Alright, stop standing there in a daze. Who knows if the corpse will be used by a body collector? Nobody wants that to happen, right?" Xiling shrugged and handed the items in her hand to Roman again.

"This is your item. Do you want it? If not, I'm taking it. And once I've taken it, even if you want it back, it'll be very difficult to get it back."

Roman didn't look at the ring so close to his face. Instead, he looked up at Xiling blankly and asked, "Don't you... have anything else you want to say to me? Like... accuse me of not handling my affairs properly after my death, which led to such a huge disaster... or... something else?" He seemed to be waiting for some kind of judgment, some opportunity for him to atone for his past sins.