Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

Cheng Yu lay on the simple wooden boat, drifting along the gently flowing river. The river's current was unusually slow, almost imperceptible. Sunlight filtered through layers of mist, falling warm and comforting on Cheng Yu's face. He wearily closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, a bone-chilling cold swept over him, jolting Cheng Yu awake. He sat bolt upright, shivering, and realized that his surroundings had undergone a complete transformation. The warm sunlight had vanished, replaced by a cold, damp air. The river water was now icy cold, as if flowing with a chilling current from hell. Cheng Yu looked around and found himself in a sinister and terrifying place.

The sky here was a gloomy gray, as if forever shrouded in a persistent haze. A putrid stench permeated the air, nauseatingly strong. In the distance, some twisted and grotesque trees were faintly visible, their branches laden with the skeletons of unknown creatures, creaking eerily in the cold wind. Cheng Yu carefully climbed down from the small wooden boat and stepped onto this unfamiliar land. He carefully observed his surroundings, discovering that the ground was littered with the corpses of demons. Most of these corpses were badly decomposed, some reduced to piles of bones, others emitting a suffocating stench. Cheng Yu felt no fear; after all, he now possessed immortality. Unless someone tore up his "painting," he remained undead.

Cheng Yu began cautiously exploring the area. He noticed that the skeletons of these monsters all bore signs of gnaws, and the bite marks were remarkably fresh, as if they had occurred only recently. This raised a question in his mind: what kind of creature would feed on the corpses of these monsters?

Cheng Yu continued walking forward, occasionally stepping on something sticky. Looking down, he saw fragments of some creature's internal organs, mixed with a dark red liquid, emitting a pungent, fishy odor. Cheng Yu frowned, but showed no disgust or fear, remaining calmly observant. He knew that to uncover the secrets of this place, he had to remain calm and not be intimidated by its outward horror.

As he ventured deeper, the surrounding environment grew increasingly eerie. Strange plants emitted a ghostly blue glow in the darkness, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps. Cheng Yu reached the edge of a precipice and discovered a massive, deep pit below, filled with thick black mist that obscured the bottom. He vaguely heard low, hissing sounds emanating from the pit, as if something lurked within the shadows. Cheng Yu didn't approach rashly but instead chose to avoid the pit. He knew this place was fraught with unknown dangers, and he had to proceed with extreme caution.

Cheng Yu continued forward, discovering that this seemed to be a natural graveyard, littered with the skeletons of demons. Some skeletons were enormous, like small mountains, while others were tiny, like the remains of insects. These skeletons were piled up haphazardly, forming a chilling sea of ​​bones. Cheng Yu reached a particularly high pile of bones and noticed that something seemed to be hidden among them. He carefully dug through the bones and finally discovered a buried stone tablet.

The stone tablet was inscribed with ancient characters, so obscure and difficult to decipher that Cheng Yu couldn't make them out. He tried to sense the characters with his own power, hoping to glean some clues. However, when his spiritual energy touched the characters, a powerful backlash suddenly struck, making him dizzy. Cheng Yu quickly withdrew his spiritual energy; he knew these characters contained some kind of powerful force and shouldn't be touched lightly.

Cheng Yu sighed. It seemed that uncovering the secrets of this place wouldn't be easy. He decided to continue exploring, hoping to find more clues. Just then, he suddenly heard a strange sound in the distance, like the chewing of some creature, or the cracking of bones. Cheng Yu immediately became alert and quietly approached the direction of the sound.

He walked behind a huge rock and peered towards the direction the sound came from. In the distance, amidst a pile of bones, a blurry figure was gnawing on the corpse of a monster. The figure looked extremely thin, almost nothing but skin and bones, yet it moved with extraordinary agility and possessed immense strength, easily crushing the monster's bones. Due to the dim light, Cheng Yu couldn't make out the figure's exact appearance, but he could sense an unsettling aura emanating from it. Cheng Yu decided to observe and see what this figure truly was.

The thing seemed to sense Cheng Yu's presence. In the blink of an eye, the figure appeared behind him like a ghost, its sharp claws pressed against his throat. A chilling aura instantly enveloped Cheng Yu; he could feel the sharpness of the claws, as if they could slice through his throat at any moment. However, Cheng Yu felt no fear, after all, he now possessed immortality. He merely turned his head slightly, trying to see the person behind him clearly.

"Heh, not a magical beast after all?" The figure let out a low laugh, a hint of surprise and mockery in its voice. Cheng Yu then noticed that the voice was slightly childish, seemingly belonging to a young man. Immediately afterward, the figure released its claws and circled around to face Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu finally saw its appearance clearly: a thin, white dragon-beastman, dressed in tattered clothes, with pale skin and eyes filled with despair and exhaustion.

"It's strange that a wolf-orc would come here." The white dragon-orc chuckled self-deprecatingly, his tone tinged with barely concealed despair. "In this godforsaken place, to actually see normal people, it seems I haven't gone completely insane." His words were filled with sorrow, as if he had given up all hope.

Cheng Yu listened to the white dragon beastman's words, his heart filled with doubt. He didn't understand what the other party was trying to express, nor did he understand what had happened here that would make a white dragon beastman so desperate. "Who are you?" Cheng Yu couldn't help but ask, hoping to get some information from the other party.

The white dragon orc shook his head, letting out another self-deprecating laugh. "Who am I? Haha, I don't remember anymore." He seemed unwilling to reveal his identity, a flicker of pain in his eyes. "What's your name?" he countered, seemingly more interested in Cheng Yu's background.

"Cheng Yu," Cheng Yu replied succinctly, without revealing any further information about himself, as he was unsure whether the other party was trustworthy.

"Cheng Yu? A beautiful and wonderful name," the white dragon beastman murmured to himself, seemingly trying to recall something. "Beastmen, you are always so naive, thinking this world is full of hope and light." His tone carried a hint of mockery and disdain, as if he were filled with disappointment in the human world.

"How long have you been here?" Cheng Yu ignored the other man's sarcasm and continued to ask. He wanted to know how long this white dragon beastman had lived here, hoping to learn some secrets about this place from him.

"How long?" The white dragon orc paused, seemingly pondering the question. "I don't know, perhaps a long time." His eyes became unfocused, as if he had lost all sense of time. "Here, time has lost its meaning."

Cheng Yu frowned. He could sense that the white dragon orc's mental state was unstable, perhaps due to living in this dark and terrifying place for a long time, leading to his mental breakdown. He decided to try a different approach, hoping to obtain more information. "Why are there so many monster corpses here? Have you seen any other orcs?"

The white dragon orc remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Monsters? They're all food." His tone was cold, as if he were discussing something insignificant. "As for orcs, you're the first person to arrive here." A strange light flashed in his eyes, as if he were somewhat curious about Cheng Yu's arrival.

"Food?" Cheng Yu repeated, unable to imagine that these terrifying monster corpses could be food. "You mean, you survive by eating these monster corpses?" He looked at the white dragon beastman's thin body and couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

“Otherwise what? Am I supposed to eat you now? But that's fine too, what do you think?” the white dragon beastman retorted, a hint of impatience in his voice. “There’s no other food here, except for these.” He pointed to the surrounding skeletons, his eyes filled with helplessness and despair. “Do you think I want to eat this stuff? I just want to survive.”

"Then tell me, what exactly is this place? Why are there so many monsters here?" Cheng Yu continued to press, eager to know the secrets of this place.

The white dragon orc fell silent again, gazing up at the gray sky, his eyes filled with confusion and fear. After a long while, he slowly spoke, "This is the 'Forgotten Land,' a place abandoned by the gods. These monsters are creatures cursed by the gods; they are trapped here, never to leave." His voice was low and hoarse, as if recounting an ancient legend.

"The Forgotten Land? A place abandoned by the gods?" Cheng Yu repeated the white dragon orc's words, his heart filled with doubt. He couldn't understand why such a place existed, nor could he understand why the gods would abandon these creatures, and even more so, he couldn't understand whether this map even existed in the game.

“Young man, you’d better leave here as soon as possible,” the white dragon beastman suddenly said, a hint of worry in his eyes. “This is not a place for you; it’s full of danger and despair.”

"Tell me, how can I leave this place?" Cheng Yu asked. He knew this place was indeed dangerous, but he couldn't give up. He had to find a way out to unravel the mystery of this place.

The white dragon orc shook his head and sighed, "No one can leave this place. Once you enter, you can never escape." His words were filled with despair and helplessness, as if he had been abandoned by fate.

“No, there must be a way. And I can’t leave you. Why the hell would I leave?” Cheng Yu said firmly, refusing to believe that fate was beyond redemption. “Tell me, why are you trapped here? You must know some clues.”

The white dragon orc looked into Cheng Yu's determined eyes and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he slowly spoke, "Alright, I can tell you some things, but you should be prepared." His voice was deep and serious, as if he were revealing a forbidden secret.

Seeing Cheng Yu's bewildered expression, the white dragon orc burst into laughter, the sound particularly jarring in the deathly silence of the "Forgotten Land." "Judging from your expression, I knew you didn't understand. Just kidding, don't take it seriously." He waved his hand, seemingly apologizing for his abruptness. "This is the 'Forgotten Land,' once you're in, you can't get out. I was just delusional, actually thinking you could escape." He shook his head helplessly, his eyes filled with despair and sorrow.

Cheng Yu stared at the white dragon beastman, his heart filled with doubt and confusion. He couldn't understand why the other party would say such a thing. Was there really no way to leave this godforsaken place? "Why? Why can't we leave? There must be a way!" Cheng Yu asked unwillingly, refusing to believe that fate was beyond redemption.

The white dragon orc didn't answer, but silently grabbed the huge wolf leg and began to devour it. The wolf leg was still stained with undried blood, emitting a pungent, bloody smell. Cheng Yu watched the white dragon orc wolfing down the food, his stomach churning. He couldn't help but think of his own wolf-orc identity, as if he could see his own leg being eaten, and a strange sense of dread washed over him.

"What, scared?" The white dragon beastman noticed Cheng Yu's unusual expression, stopped chewing, and looked at him with a half-smile. He held up the wolf leg in his hand and waved it at Cheng Yu, seemingly provoking him. "Come on, let's eat together. Here, this is a rare delicacy."

Cheng Yu suppressed the discomfort in his stomach and shook his head. "I'm not hungry." He tried to keep his voice calm, not wanting to appear weak in front of the other person.

The white dragon orc shrugged, offering no further insistence. He continued gnawing on the wolf leg, making nauseating chewing noises. Cheng Yu stood to the side, gazing at the mountains of monster skeletons piled around him, his mind filled with questions. He wanted to know how this "Forgotten Land" had come to be, why there were so many monsters, and why the white dragon orc was trapped here.

"How long have you been here?" Cheng Yu asked again, hoping to get some clues from the white dragon beastman.

The white dragon orc swallowed his food and mumbled, "I don't know, it's been a long time." He looked up at the gray sky, his eyes filled with confusion. "I've already said it, here, time has lost its meaning."

"Didn't you try to leave?" Cheng Yu pressed on relentlessly.

"Try? Haha, of course we've tried!" The white dragon orc suddenly became excited, the wolf leg in his hand falling to the ground with a dull thud. "I've tried countless times, but I've failed every time. This place is like a giant cage, trapping us firmly."

"A cage? Could there be a barrier or magic circle here?" Cheng Yu frowned, beginning to suspect that this place was sealed off by some kind of force.

The white dragon orc shook his head. "I don't know. I only know that everything here is full of strangeness and danger. The monsters you saw are just the tip of the iceberg. Deep within this land, there are far more terrifying beings." His voice became low and trembling, as if he were recalling some horrific experience.

Cheng Yu listened to the white dragon orc's words, his doubts growing stronger. He decided to explore this "Forgotten Land" himself and find a way out. Just as he was about to take a step, the white dragon orc stopped him.

"Where are you going?" The white dragon beastman's eyes were filled with vigilance.

"I'm going to go and see, to find a way out of here," Cheng Yu said firmly.

"No! You can't go!" the white dragon orc shouted excitedly. "It's too dangerous there, you'll die!"

"I will not die," Cheng Yu said calmly, his immortality granting him boundless courage and confidence. "I am going to find the 'Lost Relic,' I've heard it can break the curse here."

"A lost sacred relic?" The white dragon orc paused, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. "Where did you hear that from?"

"I..." Cheng Yu was speechless for a moment. He couldn't very well say that Yun had sent him. "I heard it from someone else," he answered vaguely.

The white dragon orc was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright, if you insist on going, I won't stop you. But remember, once you enter the depths of the 'Forgotten Lands,' there's no turning back." His tone was full of warning and helplessness.

"I understand." Cheng Yu nodded and turned to walk away.