After returning the key to the Golden Capital, Li Lin didn't go back to Ishtar. He left the Cedar Forest and returned directly to the Underworld. At this point, he had done what he needed to do. Going back would just be asking for more trouble. So, he left the still-confused Ishtar to her own devices and returned to the Underworld with his spoils of war—his "payment."
...
In the lowest level of the Underworld, Li Lin arrived at his usual worksite. Although he had talked about making flowers bloom in the Underworld, he couldn't guarantee a hundred percent success. The Underworld was the final destination of death and reincarnation, a gloomy place that rejected all life. Even with a portion of the Authority of Harvest, whether he could actually make flowers grow was another matter.
But he didn't give up. He wanted to try. In his memory, he vaguely recalled a certain silver-haired pretty boy who once made vast fields of flowers bloom on the land of the Underworld. Although they were mere imitations, it was undeniable that flowers... had once graced the Underworld.
...
"Just infusing the Authority directly into the ground won't work," Li Lin mused, looking at the black soil. "Harvest is not the same as growth. There must be an initial pulse of life first."
He understood the nature of the land beneath him. It was the filth the Underworld had accumulated over countless years—the sins and lingering attachments of innumerable deceased souls. In a sense, the evil of the Underworld was so vast that even Angra Mainyu from the Fourth Holy Grail War couldn't compare.
But the Underworld was the Underworld. It could contain so much evil not just because of its special nature. Where there is life, there is death. The cycle of life and death is an iron law of the world. Even in this filthy land, there were still traces of pure, untainted white.
Li Lin firmly believed this. So, instead of infusing the Authority into the earth, he tried a different method: he infused it into the countless spear cages around him.
"The dead things of the past can no longer sprout new buds. The land of the Underworld is no longer suitable for nurturing new life. But these spear cages are different. They contain souls, preserving the spark of life. They are like flowers emerging from the mud, unstained. And what I need to do now is to make that spark of life shine even brighter and more 'bountiful'."
A smile touched his lips.
As he watched, a touch of green appeared on the outer wall of a spear cage before him. Like ivy in a courtyard, tiny stems began to spread across its surface. As the green vines multiplied, a pure white flower bud, no bigger than a fingernail, suddenly appeared in his vision.
Although the flower had not yet bloomed, Li Lin knew his plan had succeeded.
The Underworld was not just about [Death]. And this flower was by no means the first to bloom here.
As for who the very first flower was... there was no need to say.
After successfully planting the Authority of Harvest, Li Lin went to find Ereshkigal.
Over the past few years, they had spent every day together, singing and making merry every night [not really], and their relationship had grown very close. They were just one final step away from making it official.
However, compared to the shy Ereshkigal, Li Lin wasn't in a hurry. While the goddess was certainly a treat, as a man, he felt he needed to do something special to express his feelings for that final step. The blooming of the Underworld seemed like a pretty good idea.
...
"Lady Goddess, I'm back."
Walking into Ereshkigal's temple, Li Lin immediately saw his goddess busy with something off to the side.
"Hmph, you're back?" Ereshkigal glanced at him, her tone slightly cold.
Li Lin was puzzled. He didn't think he had done anything to upset her. Why was she in such a bad mood?
"Um, Lady Goddess, are you angry by any chance?" he asked cautiously.
Ereshkigal pouted and sniffed, her voice tinged with sourness. "I'm not angry! I would never get angry over someone who, despite already having me, deliberately gets close to another me."
Oh~, so that's it!
Hearing her words, Li Lin's worries instantly vanished. He looked at his goddess throwing a little tantrum, a smile slowly spreading across his face. A pouting Eresh is adorable too.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Seeing that he showed no remorse and was even smiling, Ereshkigal's mood soured further.
You detestable man! You said you liked me! she fumed internally, puffing out her cheeks like an angry little squirrel with its mouth full of chestnuts. It was incredibly cute.
She had seen almost all of his interactions with Ishtar. Although Ishtar was also "her," and it was normal for him to be captivated by her appearance, she still felt so angry!
'You already have [me], so don't go talking to the other [me]! You idiot!' she screamed in her heart.
As if guessing her thoughts, Li Lin slowly walked up and pulled her into his arms.
"Eh? Eh? Eh? Eh?!" Ereshkigal's face flushed crimson at the sudden embrace. She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away, but he held her so tightly she couldn't move.
"Mmph~~." Ereshkigal let out a soft whimper, like a frightened little rabbit, and allowed him to hold her.
Feeling the small figure in his arms stop struggling, Li Lin finally spoke.
"You idiot. All those thoughts are unnecessary. If what you were thinking was true, I wouldn't have come back."
P.S. PY for a friend's book. Mwah.
Book Title: Zeus's Grace is Higher Than Heaven
Synopsis: King of the Gods, God among Gods. The great thunder that pierces the universe, the great father god who propagates all things. Now he's got a dimensional chat group.
Official Version: "Beautiful lady, the world is in crisis. Do you want to become a goddess who saves the world?"
Real Version: "Hey beautiful, wanna hook up?"
My patreon.com/BOB_Davinchi
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