Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

(I apologize here. I have carefully reviewed the plot again, and I will correct the issues from the previous chapter here. I hope you will not find it too abrupt. The pyramid is not a real pyramid; it is just a wooden pyramid-shaped bell tower. I will mention this again in later plot developments. Please forgive my mistake. I will read the plot more carefully in the future, and if there are any other inaccuracies, I will listen to suggestions and make corrections.)

As the gargoyles carried Cheng Yu down slowly, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by two much larger gargoyles. The eyes of these two newly appeared gargoyles gleamed with wariness, seemingly ready to attack at any moment. Cheng Yu held his breath, his heart pounding; he knew he was in an extremely dangerous situation.

At this moment, he was like a sitting duck. If those two thought demons on the other side wanted to attack him, they would succeed easily. He didn't want to crash the plane. He could only pray in his heart.

At this critical moment, the gargoyle beside Cheng Yu made an unexpected move. It spread its wings, blocking Cheng Yu's path, and simultaneously emitted a series of low, rumbling sounds. These sounds echoed in the vast underground space, as if conveying some important information. The two gargoyles that were about to attack were clearly stunned. They stopped, tilting their heads, seemingly listening intently to their companion's "words."

Cheng Yu observed this scene with bated breath. Although he couldn't understand the gargoyles' communication, he could sense the subtle change in the atmosphere. The tense atmosphere gradually eased, replaced by a peculiar sense of curiosity. The two new gargoyles began to respond with the same gurgling sounds, and the three gargoyles began to "converse" in turn.

This strange "conversation" lasted for several minutes. Although Cheng Yu didn't understand the specifics, he could glean some information from the gargoyles' body language. His gargoyle companion seemed to be explaining something, while the other two gradually shifted from initial hostility to confusion, and finally to an indescribable acceptance.

Finally, this unique exchange came to an end. To Cheng Yu's surprise, the two gargoyles, who had initially been hostile towards him, lowered their guard and even looked at him with an almost friendly gaze. They slowly approached and gently touched Cheng Yu with their wings, as if expressing some kind of approval.

Cheng Yu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of immense weight lifted from his shoulders. He couldn't help but reach out and stroke the wing of the nearest gargoyle, feeling its rough yet warm texture. "Thank you..." Cheng Yu whispered, though he wasn't sure if they could understand his words.

To be honest, Cheng Yu wasn't quite sure what kind of creature this gargoyle was. Was it an artificial creature? Or an elemental creature?

Their body temperature and their structure remain a mystery. Their exteriors are solid rock, yet their interiors are like flesh.

After thanking them softly, Cheng Yu suddenly had an idea. He carefully took out a photograph from his pocket; it was a picture of a werewolf-beastman's head. Cheng Yu hesitated for a moment, then held the photograph up to the two gargoyles he had just met.

“Listen, big guys!” Cheng Yu said softly. “I know this might sound a little strange, but I have a request.” He pointed to the werewolf-orc in the photo. “This guy’s name is Evand, and he might be here soon. I hope that when you see him, you won’t attack him, okay?”

The gargoyles tilted their heads, their eyes gleaming with confusion. Cheng Yu's gargoyle companion emitted a series of low gurgling sounds, seemingly explaining something to the other two. Cheng Yu waited patiently, hoping his request would be understood and accepted.

“Look,” Cheng Yu continued, “Although Evand may seem a bit silly and cute, he’s not weak at all, well, maybe he is…”

Okay, let's not digress. Let me explain why. If you attack him, two things could happen: either he's too strong, and you'll be completely killed, becoming one of his spoils; or he's too weak, and you'll defeat him, but he won't be affected at all, at most suffering a minor injury before being kicked out. You might also get injured in the process. I don't want to see either of these outcomes.

The gargoyles exchanged glances, seemingly communicating silently. After a while, they all nodded and gently touched Cheng Yu's shoulder with their wings, as if to express their understanding and agreement.

Cheng Yu breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the gargoyles understood and agreed to his request. He felt a sense of relief, knowing that his friend Evand would at least be a little safer here. "Thank you so much for your understanding," Cheng Yu said to the gargoyles again, "Your kindness touches me deeply."

After bidding farewell to the two newly acquainted gargoyles, Cheng Yu and his gargoyle companions turned and headed towards the building he had always thought was a pyramid. As they drew closer, Cheng Yu began to notice some details he hadn't noticed before. While the building's outline did indeed resemble a pyramid from a distance, closer inspection revealed some unusual features.

When they finally flew up to the structure, Cheng Yu was astonished to discover that it wasn't a pyramid at all. The building before him was actually a massive wooden clock tower, its top just happened to resemble a pyramid. Cheng Yu felt a wave of embarrassment and shame, silently blaming himself for jumping to conclusions without careful observation.

"This is truly an eye-opener," Cheng Yu murmured to himself, looking down at the clock tower buried underground.

This scene only made him pause for a moment.

Without further hesitation, Cheng Yu and the gargoyle flew into the clock tower together.

As soon as Cheng Yu and his gargoyle companion entered the clock tower, they were stunned by the sight before them. A huge vintage clock occupied the entire space; the gears and chains were worn and had long since stopped moving, with some parts of the chain even broken.

However, Cheng Yu only glanced at it before losing interest. "Just an ordinary clock," he muttered to himself. "Our target is deeper."

They continued their descent, traversing the intricate wooden structures. As they went deeper, the air grew increasingly cold and damp. Cheng Yu couldn't help but shiver, but thankfully he was still wearing his leather jacket, which he quickly put on before continuing onward.

After a while, he realized the gargoyle hadn't followed. Looking back, he saw the gargoyle was captivated by the missing collection box. He knew there was a box behind the clock tower containing gold coins, but that wasn't his purpose. "Leave the treasure to Evand," he said. "We have more important things to do."

Finally, they reached the bottom of the clock tower. Cheng Yu held his breath; the sight before him shocked him.

This was far more appalling than the scene he had imagined: a city ravaged by war, and an aura of death surrounding it. He even suspected that the city would collapse completely at the slightest provocation.

To the right of the clock tower lies a vast underground city, connected by a stone bridge. This underground city is far larger than imagined, but it has long since become ruins. The ravages of war have completely destroyed this once prosperous city. In the darkness, the towering outlines of buildings and winding streets are vaguely visible, but with an added sense of horror.

"Unbelievable!" Cheng Yu exclaimed. "Indeed, the power of war is immeasurable. I really don't know what those who worship the god of war are thinking!"

He shook his head, inwardly lamenting the horrors of war, while his peripheral vision caught sight of the stone bridge to his right. His gaze was drawn to the bridge, the only passage to the underground city. However, the bridge was riddled with cracks, appearing precarious and as if it might collapse at any moment.

Cheng Yu hesitated for a moment, but quickly smiled with relief.

“Luckily you’re here,” he patted the gargoyle’s head, “we can fly across directly without worrying about the bridge collapsing.” The gargoyle made a low grumble, seemingly in agreement.

They flew across the stone bridge and arrived at the entrance to the underground city. Cheng Yu jumped off the gargoyle's back and carefully stepped onto the ground, afraid of collapsing the place.

Once he had steadied himself, he looked around and discovered that although the city was ancient and dilapidated, it still retained a certain mysterious vitality. The buildings on both sides of the street had a unique style, blending features from multiple eras, as if time had stood still here.

Upon arriving in the underground city, Cheng Yu couldn't wait to pull out his camera and, with the help of the gargoyles, took pictures of the entire city.

After doing all this, he also needs to think carefully about what to do next.

Of course, he wouldn't search through this room and that room like in the original story. He wasn't here to explore the city; his main purpose was to go to the demon city beneath it.

Cheng Yu carefully considered his current situation. Although the underground city was mysterious and attractive, its precarious structure made him hesitant to act rashly. His safety was his primary concern.

“Big guy, I think I’ll need your help. You won’t mind, will you?” Cheng Yu turned to the gargoyles and said, “We need to be careful. This place looks like it could collapse at any moment. Can you still carry me in the air? We need to explore the city, but we can’t risk stepping on the ground.”

The gargoyles gave a low growl in agreement. Cheng Yu climbed back onto one of the gargoyles' backs and gripped its hard shoulders tightly. "Alright, from now on, follow my commands and fly along my designated route. I'll take some photos at each important location."

The gargoyle nodded and then took flight under Cheng Yu's command.

Under their command, they avoided most of the dangerous areas. Cheng Yu didn't want to cause trouble for himself. These things were originally meant for Evand to explore on his own, so there was no need for him to explore them.

Their aerial journey went very smoothly. The gargoyles nimbly darted among the ruins, sometimes rising and sometimes falling, allowing Cheng Yu to observe this mysterious underground city from various angles. At each key location, Cheng Yu would raise his camera, carefully frame the shot, and then press the shutter.

They flew over a ruined temple, its massive stone pillars covered in strange runes. Cheng Yu took several photos, hoping to study these mysterious characters later. Next came a plaza with a statue in the center, but it was incomplete, and could only be vaguely discerned as some kind of humanoid creature.

As Cheng Yu delved deeper into his exploration, he gradually discovered a strange phenomenon. The layout of the city seemed to follow a specific pattern. He began consciously searching for this pattern, directing the gargoyles to fly to specific locations.

After an unknown amount of time, Cheng Yu had completed most of his point-gathering tasks, and it was time for him to take action.

He took out nine photos, a piece of white paper, and a paintbrush from his backpack. Eight of the photos were scenes inside the underground city, while the other was a panoramic view.

Cheng Yu began to infuse his magic into the nine photos. A mysterious power was poured into the photos, and they flew out of Cheng Yu's hands and began to spin around him.

"Hehe, big guy, don't blink. You're about to witness the greatest 'story' in the world, after all, this is my 'path'!"

As Cheng Yu's childish voice faded, he pulled a blank canvas from his backpack.

"Did you know? There's an unbreakable principle in all the records from ancient times to the present, which is the 'extreme'. The 'extreme' is also the number 'nine'. How many mythical creatures have tried to break the 'extreme'!"

As he spoke, Cheng Yu unfolded the canvas in his hand and began to paint on it. After a while, he continued, "Haha, of course I can't possibly do it. I'm just being sneaky. Although I can't do it perfectly, at least I can try, right?"