Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

(While writing this chapter, I realized I translated the shark's name incorrectly. I couldn't remember her name before, so I searched online and only found a picture of all the characters and their names. I mistook her name for "Ho," so I translated it as "何" (He). Her original name should be "Flo." Later in the story, to better highlight the plot, I used the English name. I hope you understand.)

The deafening roar from inside the arena nearly shattered Evand's eardrums. The air was thick with the stench of sweat, blood, and some indescribable putridity, making him want to vomit. The stands were packed with all sorts of bizarre demons, howling and snarling, brandishing their weapons, as if ready to charge into the fray at any moment. Evand carefully weaved through the throng, trying to avoid the more fanatical demons; he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

He continued deeper into the dimly lit corridor, the walls of which were covered with gruesome murals depicting various cruel punishments and bloody scenes from hell. Evans, suppressing his fear, quickened his pace, wanting only to find He as soon as possible and leave this hellish place.

At the end of the corridor stood a heavy iron door, where a burly demon guard stood. Unlike the brutish guards he had encountered before, this one was courteous. Upon seeing Evand, he bowed respectfully, then opened the iron door, gesturing for Evand to enter.

"Thank you." Evand nodded slightly and went into the room.

The room was surprisingly simply furnished. A huge desk stood in the center, piled high with documents and scrolls. Three oddly shaped oil lamps cast a dim, yellowish glow, illuminating every corner of the room. Bookshelves were filled with thick books, and a faint scent of books permeated the air, a stark contrast to the noisy and bustling arena outside.

A massive, three-headed hound-like orc sat behind a desk, its middle and right heads buried in documents, seemingly engrossed in studying something. They conversed in hushed tones in a language Evand couldn't understand, occasionally emitting low growls. The leftmost head, however, drooped, seemingly fast asleep.

Evans cleared his throat, breaking the silence in the room. "Excuse me, are you the manager here?"

The middle head and the right head simultaneously raised their heads, scrutinizing Evand with sharp eyes. The middle head let out a low growl: "Guests." The right head responded lazily, "Oh." The left head remained fast asleep, showing no sign of being awakened.

The middle head of the three-headed hound spoke in a deep, magnetic voice: "What brings you here, stranger? What can the ruler of this city do for you?"

Evans took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "I'm looking for a shark-orc who was captured by demons, and his name is... Flo."

The middle head turned to the right head and growled, "Anyone named Flo?"

The right head shook its head and replied in a muffled voice, "Flo doesn't, but there is a Lady Florine." Then, as if remembering something, it added, "Ah, that tall, elegant, and always confident lady."

Evand quickly shook his head: "No, I'm not looking for a demon, but a shark-orc named Flo. He was captured and brought here not long ago."

The middle head nodded, signaling Evand to wait a moment. It turned around and began flipping through the documents on the desk with its paws, the papers rustling softly. The room fell silent for a moment, save for the sound of the three-headed dog turning the pages and the even breathing of the leftmost head.

After a while, the middle head finally found the information Evand was looking for. It handed the file to the head on the right, who glanced at it and exclaimed in realization, "Oh, you're talking about the shark that was recently sent here, intended to be the grand finale item at the auction."

"Yes, it's him!" Evand exclaimed excitedly. "Can you give him back to me?"

The middle head of the three-headed dog shook its head firmly: "No, he is the final item of our auction, we can't just give him back to you like this."

“But… he’s a living, breathing human being! What you’re doing will…” Evan tried to reason with the three-headed dog, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by the middle head.

"Go to hell?" The middle head let out a low, cold laugh. "But we are demons, and we are in hell."

Evand was speechless; he had never imagined encountering such a situation. He knew that reasoning with a demon was futile. He had to think of another way. He looked around, hoping to find a clue or someone who could help him.

His gaze fell upon the room's vast collection of books; perhaps the answer lay within them. He walked to the bookshelf and began to carefully peruse them, hoping to find information about the Hell Auction and how to rescue Flo. The air was thick with the ancient scent of ink, mingled with the distinctive sulfurous smell of Hell, making Evand feel dizzy.

The three-headed dog observed Evan's every move with great interest, but did not stop him. Instead, it reminded him, "You can also participate in the auction. However, this is my room, and it's not a good habit to mess with other people's things."

Upon hearing this, Evand awkwardly withdrew his hand. He was so nervous that he forgot where he was—in Hell, and even in front of his master, he was flipping through his master's books—which was indeed quite rude.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was too nervous," Evans quickly apologized, regretting his rash behavior.

Cerberus nodded politely, then began to explain the auction rules to Evand: "The rules are simple: as long as you have enough Hell Pass Coins, you can buy anything you want."

"Hell Pass Coin?" Evand repeated the unfamiliar term in confusion.

“Yes,” the middle head of the three-headed dog explained, “the auction will be held in a week. However, living people’s gold coins won’t buy anything here.” It gave Evand a meaningful look. “So, you’re penniless right now.”

Evans nodded dejectedly, knowing just how bad his situation was. He was in hell, penniless, and trying to rescue Flo was an impossible task.

“So, you need a job.” The middle head of the three-headed dog snapped its fingers, and a yellowed parchment and a quill pen appeared out of thin air in front of Evand, slowly floating into his hand. “This is your work permit. You just need to sign your name on the dotted line, and you can become a full-fledged employee of Hell.”

Evand took the parchment and quill and carefully read its contents. There were no traps or hidden clauses in the license; it was just a regular work permit agreement. He was relieved; he didn't want to be deceived by the devil again.

He picked up the quill and signed his name on the parchment—"Evand." The ink spread across the parchment, emitting a faint smell of sulfur. The moment he finished signing, the parchment suddenly burst into flames, turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing into the air. At the same time, Evand felt a strange energy surge into his body; he felt a subtle connection established between himself and this hellish world.

“Alright, now you’re a full-fledged employee of Hell,” said the middle head of the three-headed dog. “You can find all sorts of jobs in Hell and earn Hell Pass Coins. Good luck, Evand.”

Looking at the three heads in front of him, Evand suddenly found it somewhat comical and couldn't help but ask, "By the way, I still don't know your names."

"Boss." The middle and right heads answered in unison, while the left head remained asleep, as if everything outside was irrelevant to it.

Evans felt his head spinning even more. "Wait, you all call him 'boss'?"

"Yes, we all call him Boss." The middle and right heads answered in unison again.

"This is so inconvenient!" Evand couldn't help but complain. "If I need to ask you guys for help in the future, I can't just call you 'boss,' can I? And how am I supposed to know which 'boss' I'm calling?"

The three-headed dog seemed to realize the problem as well. Its two heads looked at each other, and the middle head said, "It's indeed inconvenient. How about this, mortal, you give us a name."

"Name it?" Evans was somewhat flattered. "May I?"

“Of course,” the right head urged, “but you’d better hurry, our time is precious.” As soon as it finished speaking, a portal shimmering with an eerie light suddenly appeared on one side of the room, and a large pile of documents flew out and scattered onto the desk. The middle and right heads immediately let out a wail; it seemed they were about to get busy again.

Evand stared at the three heads before him, lost in thought. He needed to come up with three names that were both pleasant to hear and easy to remember, while also fitting their identities and personalities. The middle head looked composed and capable, the right head was somewhat lazy and casual, and the left head seemed to be sleeping the whole time, its personality a mystery.

“How about this,” Evand had a sudden inspiration, “the one in the middle is called ‘Throbrus,’ the one on the right is called ‘Hades,’ and the one on the left is called ‘Hypnos,’ how about that?”

“Cerberus, Hades, Hypnos…” The middle head repeated the three names, seemingly savoring their meaning. “Not bad, quite imposing. It’s settled then.”

“Great!” Evand said happily. “From now on, I will call you Serberus, Hades, and Hypnos.”

“Hmm,” Thurberus nodded, “Now, do you have any more questions?”

Evan thought for a moment and asked, "I'd like to know how to earn Hell Pass Coins? What kind of jobs are available?"

“There are many kinds of jobs in Hell,” Hades said lazily. “You can be a gladiator in the arena, but I doubt they’ll hire you. Or you can be a waiter in a tavern, a porter at the docks, or even a cook in Hell’s kitchen. As long as you’re willing to put in the effort, you can earn Hell Pass Coins.”

"So... are there any easier jobs?" Evan asked cautiously, not wanting to do dangerous work as soon as he arrived in Hell.

Hades grinned, revealing a set of sharp teeth: "Easy work? Of course there is, like... organizing books in the Hell Library."

“Organizing books?” Evand’s eyes lit up. “That sounds like a good job. I love reading.”

“It’s up to you to decide,” Thurberus said. “Alright, we need time to work now. You can go now. If you’ve made up your mind, come find me and I’ll help you start your work week so you’ll have a legitimate identity to work.”

“Okay, thank you,” Evand said gratefully. He had finally found a job that could earn Hell Pass Coins, bringing him one step closer to rescuing Flo.

After bidding farewell to Serborus, Hades, and Hypnos, Evand left the library. Before officially starting his work week, he decided to explore the hellish city thoroughly and find out where he could work, so he could earn Bevolkels—the universal currency of Hell—more efficiently once the work week began.

The lower levels of Hell City were far more vast and complex than Evand had imagined. The streets crisscrossed, and the architecture varied wildly, from Gothic spires and Baroque domes to Egyptian pyramids—a bizarre and surreal mix. Shops lined both sides of the streets, selling all sorts of exotic treasures, from demonic weapons and equipment to rare magical potions.

Evand wandered through the bustling streets, carefully observing his surroundings and keeping an eye on the demons passing by. He discovered that not all the inhabitants of Hell were hideous monsters; some demons looked similar to humans, only with slightly different skin and eye colors.

After some investigation, Evand roughly identified several potential jobs. He could perform in the square to earn tips; he could help the librarian organize books for a fee; he could clean garbage in the underworld or mine for minerals—these jobs were hard work, but the pay was relatively high. If he wanted something easier, or even a job that didn't require much thought, he could work as a waiter in a tavern, though that would require quick reflexes and nimble movements. Of course, there were some jobs Evand would absolutely never consider, such as working in places where demons indulged in pleasure; no matter how high the pay, he was unwilling to sell his soul and dignity.

After silently calculating in his mind, Evand realized that he could only manage three jobs a day at most. If he included the places where demons indulged in pleasure, considering the travel time, he could probably only do two a day. Thinking of this, he shook his head vigorously, wondering how he could have included such places in his calculations. It must be the filth of hell that had affected his mind.

Evand returned to Cerberus's library and explained to Therberus that he was preparing to begin his work week. Therberus nodded, his claws tracing a complex path through the air, and a dark red light enveloped Evand, announcing the official start of his work week.

“Good luck, Evand,” Thurberus said. “I hope you earn enough Bevolkels to buy what you want.”

After thanking Thurberus, Evand left the library. He decided to try his luck in the square, hoping to earn some Bevolkels by performing a talent. He went to the center of the square, found an open space, and took a wooden flute out of his backpack. It was the only musical instrument he had brought from his hometown, and one of his few sources of comfort.

He took a deep breath, placed the wooden flute to his lips, and began to play a melodious tune. The beautiful melody echoed across the square, attracting many demons to stop and listen. Some demons even swayed gently to the rhythm, rare smiles appearing on their faces. When the piece ended, applause and cheers rose and fell. Some demons generously tossed Bevolkel coins to Evand, the clinking of the coins bringing him a sense of satisfaction.

Although he didn't earn much, it was a good start. Evand carefully put away his Bevelkel coins, preparing to begin his next job. He looked up at the sky; the sky of Hell was always dark, without sun or stars, only thick clouds obscuring everything. He knew he still had a long way to go, but he wouldn't give up. For Flo, for himself, he would persevere.

(Everyone, help me think of a way to make money? *doge emoji* ↖(^w^)↗ We need to distinguish between games and reality, after all, we can't just earn that little bit, right? Hehe~)