Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

(Brothers, I'm a model citizen, so why do people keep saying I'm making inappropriate jokes? Which eye of yours saw me making inappropriate jokes? If you don't have evidence, this is slander! (o?n))

A strange atmosphere filled the private room. Evans frantically helped Cheng Yu "set up" the space. Although he still didn't understand Cheng Yu's purpose, his fear gradually dissipated, replaced by a strange excitement and anticipation. The demons obediently allowed themselves to be manipulated, as if they had completely lost the will to resist.

Time flew by, and the day of the auction arrived in the blink of an eye. Evand was still fast asleep in his bed at the Demon Tavern when he was transported to the auction site by a mysterious force. Cheng Yu had left the night before, leaving him with a sufficient amount of Bevolkel coins.

Evans groggily opened his eyes, the deafening noise around him preventing him from falling back asleep. It took him a while to realize where he was. The auction had begun, and Cerberus was standing on the stage, enthusiastically introducing the items for sale.

“The first item,” the three-headed dog held up a blood-red vial, the liquid inside exuding an unsettling, corrupting aura, “is a treasure! It will grant you immense power, making you invincible in battle! Of course,” it lowered its voice, feigning mystery, “the acquisition of power always comes at a small price…”

The demons below the stage stirred, discussing the potion's effects and consequences. Evand looked at the potion, a vague unease creeping into his heart. He remembered Cheng Yu saying that demons were obsessed with power, willing to pay any price.

"Starting bid: 10 Bevolkels!" the three-headed dog shouted.

Evand felt the money pouch in his pocket; the Bevolkel coins Cheng Yu had left him were enough to buy the potion, with plenty to spare. He hesitated for a moment, then ultimately decided to wait and see what other items were up for auction.

The next few items were all strange and unusual: a cloak that could make someone invisible, a wand that could control minds, and an elixir that could grant immortality. Evand wasn't interested in these things; he just wanted to buy He as quickly as possible and leave this awful place. (These are some items I added myself; after all, an auction shouldn't offer only a few items.)

Finally, the three-headed dog produced an iron plate wrapped in a black cloth.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next item to be auctioned..." Cerberus paused mysteriously, then suddenly pulled back the black cloth, revealing a strangely shaped rock. "Doesn't it look like a charging lava bull?" A murmur immediately rippled through the crowd. The rock was entirely red, its surface covered with cracks, and it did indeed have the imposing presence of a lava bull, but it seemed to have no practical use.

“To be honest, I’m not quite sure what this thing is for,” the three-headed dog scratched its head, “but it looks pretty imposing, so it wouldn’t be bad to keep it as a collectible!” Evan looked at the lava rock, feeling a little hesitant. He didn’t have a collecting hobby, and this thing would probably just gather dust if he bought it.

But then he thought, his purse was still bulging, so buying it wasn't a big deal. What if it came in handy later? So he raised his hand: "I'll bid!" In the end, the lava rock was acquired by Evand.

"Congratulations, sir!" The three-headed dog smiled and accepted Evand's coins, then took out the next item for auction—a grotesque skull gauntlet.

“These aren’t ordinary gauntlets!” the three-headed dog explained. “They contain immense power, enough to grant an ordinary person formidable combat abilities! However…” it lowered its voice, “using them comes at a price. Every time you kill an enemy, your corruption level increases by one point.”

These words were clearly meant for Evand. The demons present didn't care about corruption points; they were demons to begin with. Evand looked at the gauntlets, a flicker of desire rising within him. If he could possess them, perhaps he could better protect himself in Hell.

Without hesitation, he joined the bidding, and the price soared until it finally sold for 120 Bevolkels. Evand counted his remaining money; he had 280 Bevolkels left. He had originally planned to use that money to buy He, but the next item made him change his mind.

The three-headed dog produced an ancient medal, radiating a faint golden light. "The Soul Medal!" the three-headed dog announced loudly. "It contains extremely powerful energy, but no one has yet been able to fully control it. The seller believes that rather than letting it gather dust, it's better to give it to someone destined to possess it."

Evand recognized it at a glance—it was the medal he had been searching for! He had to have it! "I'll offer 150 Bevolkels!" Evand shouted impatiently, afraid someone else would beat him to it.

However, other demons were clearly also interested in the medal, and the price quickly exceeded Evand's expectations. "250!" "280!" Evand gritted his teeth and shouted out the highest price he could afford: "300!" There was a moment of silence, then a demon raised his hand: "310!" Evand's heart sank; he only had 280 Bevolkels left and was no longer able to raise the price.

Was he really going to miss out like this? Just then, a familiar voice rang out: "500!" Evans turned around in surprise, and it was Cheng Yu! When did he get back?

Cheng Yu's sudden appearance instantly froze the tense bidding atmosphere. The demons recognized Cheng Yu as the one who had "served" them in the private room that night. A hint of fear flashed across their faces, but it was quickly replaced by excitement.

The three-headed dog frowned, somewhat displeased. This golden wolf cub, working illegally without a work permit, was now causing trouble at the auction—it was practically testing her limits. However, she didn't react, only saying with a forced smile, "Sir, are you sure you want to bid 500 Bevolkel coins? You know, you've never worked here before, where did you get so much money?"

Cheng Yu smiled confidently, not directly answering the three-headed dog's question, but walking straight towards the demons who recognized him. He said in a commanding tone, "Give me all your money."

Although the demons hesitated for a moment, they eventually handed over their money. Cheng Yu whispered a few words in their ears, and the demons' eyes lit up as if they had seen something incredible.

Cheng Yu weighed the coins in his hand, then tossed them to the three-headed dog: "Keep the change, and give the medal to Evand." After saying that, he walked over and sat down next to Evand, as if nothing had happened.

The three-headed dog was stunned for a moment, then realized that this kid was using other people's money to buy things! She was about to explode when she saw the demons excitedly surrounding Cheng Yu, seemingly obedient to him. She wondered to herself: What methods did this kid use to make these demons so obedient?

Evan accepted the medal from Cheng Yu, his heart filled with gratitude and confusion. He didn't know how Cheng Yu had obtained so much money, nor did he understand why he was helping him.

"Thank you, Cheng Yu," Evan said sincerely.

Cheng Yu smiled and said, "No need to thank me, I just wanted to help you." He paused and then added, "I know you really want to save He, and I want to help you too."

Evans nodded, a warm feeling welling up inside him. He knew that Cheng Yu genuinely wanted to help him.

“What should we do next?” Evand asked.

Cheng Yu smiled mysteriously: "Don't worry, I've already made arrangements." He leaned close to Evand's ear and whispered, "After the auction, we'll go rescue He."

Looking into Cheng Yu's confident eyes, Evand felt a surge of hope. He knew that as long as Cheng Yu was there, they could definitely rescue He. The auction continued, and one rare treasure after another was sold, but Evand no longer paid attention to them. His mind was entirely focused on He, eagerly anticipating seeing him again.

With the hammer falling on the last item, and due to the reduced number of demons bidding, coupled with Cheng Yu's performance, the auction for He quickly came to an end. The noisy auction finally concluded. Aivende and Cheng Yu rose and left the venue, heading towards where He was being held.

Along the way, Evan couldn't help but ask, "Cheng Yu, how did you manage to get so much money?"

Cheng Yu smiled mysteriously: "It's a secret." He paused, then added, "I'll tell you after we rescue He."

Evans nodded and didn't press the matter further. He knew Cheng Yu must have his reasons.

They arrived at the place where He was being held, a heavily guarded place, with demon guards everywhere. Evand felt uneasy, unsure how to rescue He.

Cheng Yu, however, appeared relaxed, as if everything was under his control. He walked up to a demon guard and whispered a few words. The demon guard nodded, then opened the cell door and released He.

When Evans saw He, he rushed over excitedly and hugged him tightly.

"He, are you alright?" Evan asked with concern.

He coldly pushed Evand away, refusing his embrace. But she still shook her head, "I'm fine. It was my housekeeper who called you. You did a good job..."

Evand's smile froze instantly, his heart filled with sorrow. He had tried so hard to rescue this guy, only to be treated like this in return. But since he had accepted his friend's request, Evand acted much more normally.

Cheng Yu walked over to them and said with a smile, "Congratulations on your reunion, but it seems this guy isn't very appreciative."

"Uh...maybe he just doesn't like to talk much...haha..." Evan said, feeling speechless. He clearly didn't want to talk to him. He felt that the plot shouldn't be like this. He thought that the original plot should be that even if the other party didn't want to talk to him, he wouldn't be so cold.

"Alright, what are you still thinking about? This is hell, do you want to stay here forever?"

Cheng Yu's words sent a chill down Evand's spine. The demons of hell were fickle, greedy, and cunning; even Cerberus's assurances might not be reliable. He instinctively gripped the Soul Medal in his hand. This medal was the key to maintaining He Freedom, and he absolutely could not lose it.

Just then, the three-headed dog strode over with elegant steps, its emerald eyes gleaming with cunning. It handed Evand a parchment roll invoice, on which was written in hellish script, detailing "He's" "ransom" fee and various other miscellaneous additional charges, leaving Evand bewildered.

Then, Cerberus handed Evand a black card with "Return and Warranty Card" written on it in silver hellish script. "To protect our customers' rights, we offer a three-day return policy. If you're not satisfied with the product, you can get a full refund with this card, including 'He'," Cerberus explained, a hint of mockery in his voice.

Upon hearing this, Evand was instantly enraged. He had finally managed to rescue He; how could he possibly return him? He snatched the warranty card and angrily tore it to shreds. "I won't return it!" he roared at the three-headed dog.

The three-headed dog, instead of getting angry, chuckled and elegantly shrugged. "Young man, don't get so worked up. I'm just doing my job. However, tearing up the warranty card is very impolite, you know." A dangerous glint flashed in its emerald eyes.

Evans took a deep breath, trying to calm his anger. He knew he had lost his temper, but the thought of He's previous cold attitude and the cunning nature of the demons of hell made it impossible for him to control his emotions.

"Will those demons take He back?" Evan asked worriedly.

The three-headed dog shook its head. "The demons of hell don't like secondhand goods, so they won't take 'He' away. However..." It gave Cheng Yu a meaningful look, "...it's hard to say about the others."

Cheng Yu leaned lazily on Evand's shoulder and said casually, "Yeah, the demons' greed is a bottomless pit. Who knows what they'll be up to? Besides, Lord Cerberus is so busy, he doesn't have time to meddle in these things."

The three-headed dog smiled noncommittally, its emerald eyes sweeping over Evand and Cheng Yu, its tone carrying a hint of warning, "Gentlemen, Hell is no benevolent place. You'd better be careful, or else..." It didn't finish its sentence, but the threat was clear.

Evan and Cheng Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes. They knew the road ahead would be difficult, and the dangers of hell were far more than they had imagined.

“Let’s go, we should leave.” Cheng Yu straightened up and said to Evans.

Evand nodded, took He's hand, and the three of them left the auction hall together, heading towards the exit of Hell. Behind them, Cerberus's gaze remained fixed on their retreating figures, its emerald eyes gleaming with an inexplicable light.