Early the next morning, Adam and his group began their climbing journey.
The mountain before them was not majestic in the sense of sprawling breadth, but it rose steeply. Standing at its foot, even craning your neck, it seemed you could not see even the midpoint of the mountain.
But it was happening.
Adam took the initiative, pressing his hands against the trees along the mountain path.
No matter how rugged the road, no matter how steep the cliff, it was nothing to one who had mastered extraordinary power.
But the others behind him were in trouble.
The Stone Age people had almost no experience climbing high mountains.
They preferred grasslands with abundant water and grass, or primeval ecological forests, which were more suitable for human habitation.
Since time immemorial, people had learned to use natural fire, possessed reason, and understood better than ever what it meant to seek advantages and avoid harm.
Therefore, no one lived in the mountains anymore.
There would be no people who climbed high mountains, let anyone who would pass on their climbing skills to future generations.
So their group was destined to face danger.
However, no one chose to retreat.
Not only because they were Guardians of the Fire, but also because they did not want to carry the name of [Coward] for their entire lives.
They were not elderly, possessing the wisdom accumulated from their life experiences.
They were not children, needing to curl up in their mother's arms seeking shelter.
In this barbaric and primitive Stone Age, only with courage and sacrifice could adults be recognized by their tribesmen, win the favor of their beloved women, and even gain the opportunity to become leaders.
Otherwise, they would be isolated, ignored, or even exiled.
In the end, this was an era where only the brave could survive.
People who feared death but still faced it bravely.
They followed the path Adam took toward the mountain peak.
Although human life was short, wisdom and experience were passed down through generations, and the survivors chosen by nature were physically strong, so the group quickly advanced from the foot of the mountain to the slope.
They found a gentler path, and the people who had been somewhat wary now gained more confidence in their hearts.
They continued moving toward the mountain peak and entered a fir forest.
The fir forest emitted a chill, and some people couldn't help but shiver. They looked into the distance, and in the distance lay snow.
"Further ahead is her dwelling."
A young man couldn't help but murmur.
He did not mention the name Ereshkigal—both out of reverence for the gods and because of the power of the name itself.
Mentioning her name in the dwelling of the Goddess of the Underworld would surely be known.
Once the goddess set her sights on it, death and desolation would come here.
This was one of the precautions Adam had told everyone about before leaving.
"Go slowly. There's snow ahead."
Adam gave instructions to the crowd.
Unlike the multitude of beasts at the foot of the mountain, here there seemed to be only snow, but danger was hidden beneath the seemingly innocent snow.
For example, a natural pit covered by snow. If you weren't careful, a person could fall into it and die instantly.
One careless young man in the group died because of this.
"He should not have died here."
Adam's mood was somewhat depressed. A life dying before his eyes was always sad, but he soon shook off this thinking that should not exist.
In such an environment, wasting time would only put the living in danger.
"Let's move on. Be more careful on the next part of the road. We are about to reach our destination."
Perhaps because they were climbing higher and higher, the air grew thinner, and some people even had hallucinations in their eyes, mistaking the path to death for the right direction and urging their companions to go with them.
In this case, Adam would not hesitate to slap them twice, then reach out and take them by the shoulder, using the authority of fire to bring warmth and reason.
The climbing road was very dangerous.
Even if there was a beautiful winter landscape ahead, no one tried to stop and admire it. They accelerated and continued moving forward.
One morning passed, another day passed.
At sunset, everyone finally reached the mountain peak. With the naked eye, they could see a chariot drawn by seven black divine horses standing nearby.
Before everyone could relax and feel excited, they saw a dragon of pure white bones surrounding the mountain peak.
It had no name and no myth that could be heard.
It was a dead dragon, a dead creature from the underworld, and the guardian of the temporary dwelling place of the Goddess of the Underworld on earth.
It had no words and needed no answers, but it stood on the mountain peak, driving away any creature trying to meet the goddess of the underworld.
But Adam was not among these creatures.
He stood still. The flames were his apostles, melting the ice and snow around him, and the skeletal dragon retreated.
Then Adam said:
"Ereshkigal, is this your hospitality?"
The words had not yet fallen
The skeletal dragon's entire body scattered. Snow, like goose feathers, quickly fell from the sky, and the mountain peak, stripped bare, slowly transformed into a dwelling made of bone, ice, and snow.
The dragon's head was the gate, and two dark blue soul-fires were the keys to opening the door.
It meant,
Only two guests were allowed.
The fierce wind and snow did not subside but intensified.
The roar of the wind, the wind and snow beating against clothing, seemed to silently urge the people to quickly choose two.
The goddess Ereshkigal was indeed a bit difficult to read. Obviously, she had invited Adam, but she did not disregard those around him with even the slightest lack of emotional intelligence.
Of course, more likely, she simply didn't care.
After all, for the gods, the lifespan of beings on Earth was far too short, equivalent to a moment of divine contemplation.
Why should the Goddess of the Underworld care about them?
Adam cared.
He reached out and touched the ground, and there was a circle of flames sheltering everyone.
Then, looking seriously at the crowd, he asked directly:
"Who wants to come with me?"
"I do."
Everyone looked at Neos.
Although he had not been in the tribe long, he was the most capable person in the tribe.
If before this journey began, someone might have carefully schemed to go with the Fire (Adam) to see the Goddess of the Underworld.
But now, after so many trials, Adam and Neos had completely carried everyone on this path, and no one was shameless enough to speak against it with a brazen face.
So,
Adam would take Neos into the dwelling of the Goddess of the Underworld.
Everyone eagerly awaited their return and the possibility of learning the answer to the difficult question: why do people die?
Death....
The death that puzzled and terrified everyone.
It would be answered in the conversation with the Goddess of the Underworld.
However,
What mattered most to Neos was that he could finally begin to carry out his plan to resurrect his parents.