Nurturing Humanity

Chapter 9

Era of the Search for the Great Beast

It was a pity.

Xu Zhi was eating, chatting with Chen Xi while enjoying the simple yet fragrant peasant meal. The food was both nutritious and delicious, and Xu Zhi was happily chomping away. He did not have the time to pay him any attention… He did not want to pay attention to him at all.

Ultimately, all lives would end in old age and death. No one could live forever.

Even the late Insecta Queen, who exuded so much valor, was unable to attain immortality. Otherwise, before she approached the end of her lifespan, she would not have tried to break open the barren land and break into the legendary Realm of Immortality to seek the possibility of extending her life.

No species could live forever.

He, Xu Zhi, the “farmer”, was now terminally ill, and there was no telling when his gastric cancer would deteriorate into the final stage. He could die at any time. He did not even have the luxury of dying a blissful death from old age.

“And this king of that land in the sandbox? He’s really blessed. He led a glorious life that had the attention of all. Future generations will write far-reaching hymns to sing his praises. Even I am envious of him.”

Xu Zhi laughed.

Gilgamesh had lived such a legendary life that even Xu Zhi was envious of him. His exploits had been magnificent and his achievements had been great. He had founded a civilization, and within the tribe, he had married more than three hundred beautiful wives. In this lifetime, was there anything left for him to regret?”

Nothing.

If it was not for the fact that Xu Zhi could not become a miniature being, with due honesty, he would have run in and lived a happy and dream-like life, just like a carefree deity, and would have stayed that way until his time was up.

From Xu Zhi’s point of view, there was nothing to regret after having lived such a life. A terminally ill person like himself would have been very satisfied.

“Let’s go. Let’s go to the city to buy a washing machine.”

Xu Zhi stood in front of his yard and ran his hand through his head of thick, black hair in a peculiar manner.

“Brother Xu Zhi, let’s take my electric car!”

Chen Xi laughed. Then, she scratched her head and said, “Actually, I still have a lot of questions to ask you that require your professional knowledge. After all, you are a senior in our school, and I am also studying the same major as you previously did!”

“That’s good.” Xu Zhi smiled.

Xu Zhi had not bought a car for himself.

After all, there were only hundreds of thousands left from the savings he had accumulated from his previous job. After buying a good car, he would have practically emptied his savings. Back then, buying a car was not an option for him at all. He had used most of his savings on the chemotherapy, and now, there was only a bicycle in the yard. So naturally, he had to hitch a ride in Chen Xi’s electric car when heading out.

Xu Zhi and Chen Xi happily shared a ride on her electric car as they headed to the city to shop.

He bought some electrical appliances to make life easier for him on the farm. After all, he was used to living in a modernized city. If his house was not equipped with electrical appliances, he would have a hard time!

This time, he appeared to be in a more leisurely mood, thinking that Gilgamesh would accept his death as calmly as his first time.

If resistance could not prevent one from aging, then it was best to silently accept one’s impending death, just as he, Xu Zhi, had chosen to do. He would spend his final moments enjoying life to the fullest.

However, he had overlooked one thing.

Man is an animal that is never satisfied with being satisfied.

The first time he faced death, Gilgamesh had almost resigned himself to his fate. He was ecstatic when he was given a second chance at life. Yet being reborn after experiencing the fear that death had brought him had made him utterly afraid of death.

This Hero King wanted to live a third life.

...

In the year 102 of the Sumer Dynasty, Gilgamesh was one hundred and forty-two years old.

More than a hundred years since his founding, this legendary king, who had already lived through a lifespan that was three times that of an ordinary civilian, was now beginning to look old. He was completely shocked, and he was furious at everyone. He directly issued a royal decree and launched a nationwide search for the Great Beast of Wisdom.

“Anyone who finds traces of the Great Beast of Wisdom will be handsomely rewarded!”

At the same time, he summoned and gathered all the world’s oddball figures and began to concoct potions and study black magic.

At a point in time, a large number of all kinds of giant beasts living in the primordial deep forest were slaughtered. Their horns, hearts, and various body parts were used in experiments. Even the great Alla beast, whose species had once thrived so greatly, was brought to the verge of extinction as a result.

In the course of history, this was the period of the famous Age of Tyrannical City-states, where dark sorcerers ran rampant.

In year 113 of the Sumer Dynasty, a court sorcerer created a longevity magic potion from the horn of the Dora beast, the sap of the Whitebeard Grass, and the organs of various beasts. The magic potion had been successful in prolonging Gilgamesh’s life but soon lost its effect after repeated doses. Once again, he was headed down the path of an inexorable decline.

Death was inevitable for all living creatures, even the greatest of heroes!

It was now year 145 of the Sumer Dynasty, and another thirty years had passed. Gilgamesh could feel that his life was fading away very rapidly. The magnificent old man sat on his throne, completely gray-haired and wrinkled. He sat on his throne, calm and motionless, and closed his eyes.

“My life is coming to an end. Clearly, I have no wish to die yet…”

After meditating for three days, he finally opened his aged eyes. Choosing to succumb to time, he decreed.

“Screen candidates for the next king!”

Boom!

There was uproar as emotions ran high. The dynasty reeled in shock.

“The great king is dying!”

“Gilgamesh, the long-lived and immortal Hero King, is reaching the end of his life?”

For a while, no one dared to speak up.

The last time Gilgamesh was about to die of old age, he had made his most trusted son, Aga of Kish, the next leader. But after he had gained a second chance at life, he killed his son with his own hands.

Everyone was afraid of becoming the next Aga of Kish. If Gilgamesh were to survive again, he would surely kill the next king!

At this point, Gilgamesh, who was truly deserving to be the wisest of kings, issued a simple decree.

“Candidates for the throne will receive the Blood of Power! You will possess a power that’s equal to mine, so you do not need to fear me! And you will be granted the right to lead your men beyond my city and build another kingdom.”

Permission to build a city!

To be given the Blood of Power!

The news spread, and the entire nation was shocked.

“The throne is mine!”

“I will be the next king of Sumer!”

Countless merchants, slaves, paupers, nobles, and craftsmen flocked to the palace.

In the end, even though countless warriors had passed the trials, they died from being unable to bear the Blood of Power. Only the forest warrior, Enkidu, and the savanna savage, Ishtar, had been able to. Both of them had received the Blood of Power and eventually lived to establish two new city-states.

Two kings with the Blood of Power had emerged. They were about to take over royal authority, replace the aging Gilgamesh, and lead the next generation of Sumerian civilization.

Civilization had begun at the hands of Gilgamesh, but it could not be cut off at his hands.

By year 175 of the Sumer Dynasty, the three kingdoms were established and with the three kings ruling the world together, the Sumerian city-state entered an unprecedented period of prosperity. Yet Gilgamesh suddenly felt that death was going hit him full-on and began trying in vain to put up a final struggle.

He gathered his craftsmen and built a temple. This was the Palace of the Great Beast that he had built, and it was even more elaborate than his Palace of King Uruk. He dedicated it to the Great Beast of Wisdom.

In the great stone temple, there was a statue of a great, towering giant. With white light surrounding it, this ten thousand feet giant held the young Hero King, Gilgamesh, in one hand, and looked down at the entire world. His entire being was radiating an amazing white glow of divinity.

On this day, he led the entire nation’s population that comprised his ministers, and all of his millions of people, to worship the Great Beast of Wisdom, hoping that the great, gigantic intelligent creature could sense him calling out to it.

“If only I could see the Great Beast of Wisdom one last time before I die; if only I could see that great and mysterious intelligent species before I die, then…” Tears were streaming down Gilgamesh’s aged face.

After eighty-eight years, Gilgamesh, who was dying of old age, led his entire court of ministers to the temple to pray, and he pleaded for a second audience with the Great Beast of Wisdom.

“Great Beast of Wisdom, Gilgamesh wants to meet you again!”