Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

Chapter 142 The Three Rules of the Smart Core City

Bai Yu felt as if his heart was being pierced by countless tiny needles, each question turning into a dull, stinging pain. He gazed at the mysterious young dragon before him, his heart filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"Forget it, I can't explain it to you guys anyway. Just get out of here and don't waste my time."

The young dragon's tender voice revealed a sense of vicissitude and impatience that was completely inconsistent with its appearance, as if it had already seen through everything in the world and was dismissive of Bai Yu's doubts.

Bai Yu opened his mouth, wanting to ask a question, but he didn't know where to begin. He felt as if he were in a huge mystery, with every clue pointing to a deeper unknown.

Although the young dragon was very small, it gave Bai Yu the feeling of an ancient monster that had lived for tens of thousands of years. But this was too strange. Bai Yu was still thinking about how the egg had left Obsidian and come here. And how it had hatched so quickly?

Bai Yu's thoughts drifted back to the past. He remembered that the dragon egg had clearly been taken away by Hei Yao, and shouldn't have appeared in this eerie palace. What exactly happened? Did Hei Yao return the dragon egg? Or was there more to the story?

And Cheng Yu, who was just frantically saying that he was a monster in his eyes, has now disappeared somewhere.

Bai Yu's gaze swept across the empty palace, trying to find Cheng Yu. However, apart from darkness and silence, he found nothing. Cheng Yu seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

A strong sense of unease welled up in Bai Yu's heart. Cheng Yu's disappearance filled him with immense worry. He didn't know what had happened to Cheng Yu, nor whether he was still safe.

Seeing that Bai Yu hadn't made any move, Youlong became impatient and urged him again, "Hey! What are you still dawdling for? Are you waiting to die? I don't want to die with you two."

The young dragon's voice was filled with anxiety and impatience. It flapped its wings and circled around Bai Yu, seemingly ready to forcibly take him away at any moment.

Although Bai Yu still had many questions about the talking baby dragon in front of him, he didn't have much time to think about it now. He decided to listen to the baby dragon and find a way to get out of here first.

Bai Yu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He knew that now was not the time to dwell on questions; the most urgent thing was to get out of this dangerous place.

He glanced once more at the empty palace, silently praying that Cheng Yu would be safe and sound. Then, he began to walk in the direction the young dragon had indicated.

"Hurry up, hurry up, don't dawdle like an old woman!"

The young dragon urged them on from ahead, its voice echoing jarringly in the empty palace.

Bai Yu quickened his pace, closely following behind the young dragon. He didn't know what would happen next, but he knew he had to leave this place as soon as possible.

A tiger and a dragon moved through the dark palace. Silence reigned, broken only by the young dragon's urging and Bai Yu's footsteps.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared ahead.

"Coming!"

The young dragon's voice carried a hint of excitement.

A glimmer of hope ignited in Bai Yu's heart. He quickened his pace and ran towards the light.

Finally, they arrived at the palace exit.

Bai Yu stood at the exit, glanced back at the darkness behind him, and felt a surge of emotions.

He didn't know how he got there, nor how he left. But he knew he had gone through a thrilling adventure.

"We... came out?"

Bai Yu's voice carried a hint of uncertainty.

"Nonsense, of course I came out! You don't necessarily want to go back, do you?"

"Young Dragon said irritably."

"..."

Bai Yu fell silent. He didn't know how to answer the young dragon's question.

He turned and walked toward the world outside the palace.

The sunlight shone on him, warm and comforting. He took a deep breath, savoring this long-lost sense of freedom.

"What are you going to do next?"

The young dragon flew to Bai Yu's side and asked.

"I……"

Bai Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm going to find Cheng Yu."

"Looking for that lunatic? Are you out of your mind?"

"The young dragon said in surprise."

"He's not crazy, he's just... just..."

Bai Yu wanted to explain, but didn't know how to begin.

"Fine, whatever. I'm not going with you anyway."

After the young dragon finished speaking, it flapped its wings and flew away into the distance.

Bai Yu watched the young dragon's departing figure, his heart filled with questions. Who exactly was this person? Why did they help them? And why did they want to leave so soon?

After escaping from that palace filled with unknowns and terror, Bai Yu found himself no longer in the Black Swamp's territory. He had stepped into the second ring of the three-ring world—"The Brain of the Black Swamp."

This land was both strange and familiar to Bai Yu. Strange because of the changes in the surrounding environment; familiar because of the unique sense of temporal and spatial disorientation that permeated the air.

The moment he left the palace, Bai Yu's physical functions rapidly recovered, and the suppressed memories flooded back into his mind like a tidal wave. He remembered everything, including why he had come here and the mysterious dragon egg.

"This is... the Brain of Kurosawa? The second ring of the three-ring world."

Bai Yu muttered to himself, a flash of understanding crossing his eyes. He clearly remembered Kurosawa mentioning this place; according to him, it was the core area of ​​Kurosawa's thinking, filled with all sorts of unknown dangers and opportunities.

At this moment, Bai Yu remembered Cheng Yu, who hadn't come out with him yet, so he turned around to look, but there was nothing behind him, as if everything he had experienced was just a dream.

A sudden, intense unease welled up in Bai Yu's heart. He clearly remembered entering that palace with Cheng Yu, but now, Cheng Yu was nowhere to be found.

This bizarre "illusion" directly cut out the part about idioms from the memory "camera tape," leaving only Bai Yu's memories. At this moment, Bai Yu completely forgot about Cheng Yu.

Bai Yu's memories seemed to have been partially erased by an invisible hand. His memories of Cheng Yu became blurry, or even disappeared completely.

Bai Yu turned around and scratched his head in confusion. He felt like he had forgotten something, but he didn't think too much about it. After all, he often encountered this kind of thing during time travel. He began to observe his surroundings again, and this feeling made him very upset.

Bai Yu frowned, trying hard to remember. He felt as if he had forgotten something very important, but no matter what he did, he couldn't recall it.

"Strange... what have I forgotten?"

Bai Yu muttered to himself, his tone filled with confusion.

He didn't think much of it; after all, memory distortions were common during time travel. He shook his head, putting his doubts aside, and began to observe his surroundings.

He found himself in a desolate wilderness. All around was silence, devoid of any sign of life. The sky was overcast, as if rain could fall at any moment.

"Where... exactly is this place?"

Bai Yu felt a surge of unease. He didn't know why he had come here, nor how to leave.

So he prepared to call his master, but that meant he couldn't contact him at all. He didn't care, though, since this kind of thing happened often, more than once or twice.

Bai Yu tried to call out to his master again, but found that the connection between him and his master had been completely severed.

"What happened? Master... Master?"

Bai Yu called out anxiously, but there was no response.

He felt a surge of panic. In his past time travels, his master had always been his guide and protector. But now, he had lost contact with his master.

"calm down……"

Bai Yu forced himself to calm down. He knew this wasn't the time to panic. He had to find a way out of here.

Shaking his head, Bai Yu left. He knew he couldn't stay there any longer. He had to find a way out as soon as possible and return to his master.

Bai Yu wandered aimlessly across the open field. He didn't know where he was going or what he should do.

After walking for a long time, Bai Yu suddenly discovered that a huge city had appeared in front of him.

The city's architectural style was unlike any city Bai Yu had ever seen before. It was full of technology and a futuristic feel, as if it were a city from the future.

"What is this place?"

Bai Yu was taken aback. He hadn't expected that there would be such a huge city in this desolate wilderness.

He quickened his pace and headed towards the city.

"Welcome to the core area of ​​the 'Brain of Kurosawa'—'Intelligent Core City'."

A mechanical voice suddenly rang in Bai Yu's ears.

"Who?"

Bai Yu was startled and quickly looked around.

“I am the smart housekeeper of ‘Smart Core City’, you can call me ‘Xiao Zhi’.”

The mechanical sound rang out again.

"Xiaozhi?"

Bai Yu felt a sense of confusion. He didn't know what this "Xiao Zhi" was.

"Yes, I'm in charge of managing the smart system of 'Smart Core City'. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Xiao Zhi's" voice sounds very friendly.

"I...I want to leave here."

Bai Yu hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Leave? Why? This is the safest and most prosperous place in 'Brain of Kurozawa'."

Xiao Zhi's tone carried a hint of confusion.

“I…I have other things to do.”

Bai Yu explained.

“Alright, if you insist on leaving, I can help you. However, before that, you need to understand the rules of ‘Smart Core City’.”

"Xiao Zhi" said.

"rule?"

Bai Yu felt a sense of confusion.

"Yes, 'Smart Core City' has its own rules. Only by following the rules can you survive here."

Xiao Zhi's voice became serious.

What are the rules?

"First, you are not allowed to kill; second, you are not allowed to cause damage; third, you are not allowed to lie."

Bai Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief after hearing Xiao Zhi's concise and clear three rules. These rules—no killing, no destruction, no lying—were not unfamiliar to him; in fact, they were second nature to him. In his past time travels, he had long been accustomed to all sorts of rules and constraints, and these basic moral principles had long been internalized as part of his behavior.

"I understand all these rules, so don't worry. By the way, where is the exit to leave here?"

Bai Yu nodded slightly, indicating his understanding and acceptance of these rules. He was more concerned about how to leave this place called "Intelligent Core City" and return to his familiar timeline.

"You've come to the right person!"

Xiao Zhi's voice carried a hint of pride and satisfaction, as if he were very pleased to have answered Bai Yu's question. After all, as the intelligent steward of "Smart Core City," guiding visitors and answering questions was its duty.

"After all, this is within my job scope."

Xiao Zhi added, his tone slightly playful.

After scanning Bai Yu's entire body, it immediately answered Bai Yu's question, providing detailed information on the procedures, materials, and precautions required for Bai Yu to leave "Intelligent Core City."

"First, you need to go to the 'Time and Space Administration' to obtain a 'pass'. Only with this pass can you pass through the 'Time and Space Gate' and leave 'Intelligent Core City'."

Xiao Zhi's voice was clear and organized, explaining the complex process in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

"To apply for a 'pass,' you'll need to provide your identity information, purpose of visit, and departure time. But don't worry, I can fill in all this information for you; you just need to confirm it."

Xiao Zhi continued, his tone full of enthusiasm and thoughtfulness.

"In addition, the 'Gate of Time and Space' only opens once a day, at exactly noon. You need to arrive at the 'Gate of Time and Space' before noon, otherwise you will have to wait until the next day."

Xiao Zhi reminded Bai Yu to pay attention to the time so as not to miss the opportunity to leave.

With Ash's help, Bai Yu quickly obtained the pass, and Ash even thoughtfully gave Bai Yu a map.

"This map marks the locations of the 'Time and Space Administration' and the 'Time and Space Gate'. You can follow the directions on the map to get there."

Xiao Zhi's voice was full of concern and thoughtfulness.

This is very strange. How could this so-called Xiao Zhi know all his information through scanning? This is too outrageous. He doesn't remember revealing his identity as a time traveler to anyone. This can only mean that there is something wrong with this Xiao Zhi.

However, Bai Yu didn't care. He felt that a robot couldn't do anything to him. Looking at the map in his hand, he knew that with these things, he could leave. However, before that, he wanted to find out if he had seen a dragon. After all, this part of his memory hadn't disappeared. He still remembered the black and white baby dragon.

Bai Yu's thoughts returned to that mysterious palace, and to the black and white baby dragon. He remembered that before the baby dragon left, it had said some strange things, as if it had some special understanding of this world.

Bai Yu was unaware that he had forgotten Cheng Yu. He was simply following his usual practice and wanted to inquire whether anyone had seen the dragon.

He felt that the baby dragon might be related to the secrets of this world, and finding it might be able to resolve some of the doubts in his heart.

"Ash, have you ever seen a black and white baby dragon?"

Bai Yu posed his question to Xiao Zhi, his tone tinged with anticipation.

"A black and white baby dragon?"

Ash's voice carried a hint of doubt, as if he was trying hard to search his database.

“I haven’t seen him before… However, there’s a ‘know-it-all’ in ‘Smart Core City’ who might know some clues.”

Xiao Zhi thought for a moment and then said.

"Know-it-all?"

A hint of curiosity flashed in Bai Yu's eyes.

"Yes, 'Know-It-All' is the most knowledgeable person in 'Smart Core City'. He knows a lot about this world. You can go and ask him."

Xiao Zhi suggested.

"where is he?"

Bai Yu asked impatiently.

“He’s in the central square of ‘Smart Core City’, you can find him easily.”

Koichi replied.

"Okay, thank you, Xiaozhi."

Bai Yu thanked Xiao Zhi, and then followed the map's directions toward the central square.