Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

"Ahem... I didn't see anything this morning, so please don't blame me..." Evan sat awkwardly at the table, with Cheng Yu and Hakan sitting on either side of him. He was afraid that the two of them would come after him for what happened this morning.

But he was overthinking it; after all, who would go looking for trouble?

For some reason, the rain outside still showed no signs of stopping. Cheng Yu even wondered if there was something wrong with the weather. He had never seen rainy days when playing games. It was only when he introduced the cause of the story at the beginning that it started raining heavily for a while.

Cheng Yu glanced at Evande sitting to the side, thinking that perhaps the solution to the problem lay with Evande.

"By the way, Socket Wolf... no, Evand, why are you staying here instead of going out?"

Cheng Yu's question quickly reached Evand's ears. Although he didn't quite understand what Cheng Yu meant, he still answered Cheng Yu's question: "You saw how heavy the rain is. Why would I go out? Do you think the rain will stop if I go out?"

Upon hearing Evand's answer, Cheng Yu immediately understood the problem, and he then said in a joking tone:

"Hmm, maybe the rain will really stop if you go out. Why don't you go and try it?"

"Uh... okay, anyway, nothing's going to go wrong..."

Just as Evan was about to get up, he was pulled back by Hakan's dragon claws. Hakan looked at Cheng Yu with a helpless expression.

It's as if to say, you can't tease an idiot like that.

However, Hakan was forced to loosen his grip by a single look from Cheng Yu. Hakan saw in those eyes what his future status in the family would be.

However, Hakan was overjoyed, it seemed that Cheng Yu had accepted him, but his future "status" might be a bit miserable.

Evan looked at Hakan with a puzzled expression, completely baffled as to why Hakan would grab him one moment and then let go the next.

However, he didn't think about it for long and continued walking towards the door.

Cheng Yu also left the table and followed, giving Hakan an angry glare as he passed by.

However, Hakan felt he still needed to fight for his position at home, so under Cheng Yu's angry gaze, he hugged Cheng Yu directly.

"Oh dear, don't be so angry. What happened this morning was my fault. I should have taken it easier."

Cheng Yu rolled his eyes speechlessly. He wasn't angry because of this, maybe a little, but he hadn't admitted to liking Hakan. It was just Hakan's wild imagination... that's all...

As soon as Evand stepped out of the tavern, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed as quickly as oil in water meeting dish soap, and the rain stopped just as soon as possible.

Hakan, upon witnessing this scene, did not make any move, but his eyes clearly conveyed everything.

"What... what's going on here? Cheng Yu, can you explain?"

"I don't know either. Anyway, the rain has stopped now, so I should go. You'd better take a walk in the forest."

How could Cheng Yu explain this? He couldn't very well say that if you stayed in the tavern the whole time, the plot wouldn't be able to develop, and if it couldn't develop, it would definitely rain.

After saying this, Cheng Yu disappeared completely into the forest.

Evan stood blankly at the tavern entrance, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment. He looked at the clear sky, then at the glass in his hand, seemingly trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Hakan came out of the tavern, looked at Evand, and said, "It seems that everything here is very important to you, and the key to leaving the mist may also lie with you."

Evand turned to look at Hakan, his brow furrowed. "Why? I don't think I'm anything special."

Hakan sighed, "Cheng Yu's departure, and the sudden stop of the rain, both suggest that we and you still have unfinished tasks."

Perhaps we need to find some clues in the forest, or solve some problems we haven't noticed yet. Okay, I won't say any more; I need to continue drinking.

After saying this, Hakan turned and went back to the tavern.

He didn't seem to care much about Cheng Yu leaving Hakan, even though he got along so well with Hakan this morning.

Such doubts lingered in Evand's mind.

As for why Hakan wasn't worried about Cheng Yu, it was because after Cheng Yu left, he left Hakan a photograph. He could summon Cheng Yu back whenever he wanted, so he didn't really have anything to worry about.

After listening to Hakan's words, Evand nodded. Although he was somewhat puzzled, he decided to trust Hakan.

After all, Hakan had been here longer than him and seemed to know more. So, he and the wolf began searching for clues in the forest.

After searching for some time, he discovered a path hidden by trees. A few drops of rain still clung to the leaves of the leaves on either side of the path. Evans carefully trod forward along the path, afraid of disturbing any important clues.

After walking for a while, he came to an open space. In the center of this open space stood an ancient stone tablet. The tablet was covered with ancient runes and looked very old.

Evand walked up to the stone tablet and carefully examined the runes on it.

After a while, he raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion, because he couldn't understand these symbols at all.

For Evand, this was simply astronomical.

"These runes tell an ancient legend. It is said that only by finding all the medals can the secrets of the forest be unlocked and the place restored to life."

Evans was completely confused, but he quickly became alert.

"Who are you?!" Evand drew his sword, held it horizontally in front of him, and stared warily at the large blue-gray lizard that had suddenly appeared behind him.

“I’m sorry, child, I frightened you. My name is Nexus, and I am the chief of the Lizard Tribe.”

Standing behind Evand was a blue-gray lizardman, carrying two barrels of arrows and a longbow that looked incredibly powerful. His eye sockets were yellow, and his pupils were blue; this was the first time Evand had ever seen eyes like that.

When Nexus saw Evand looking at him, he tilted his head and made a strange expression. It was the first time he had ever seen such a big dog as Evand. His heart felt like it was being squeezed, and a surge of love suddenly welled up inside him.

Evand was also observing Nexus. Looking at Nexus's strong body, Evand's heart was pounding faster and faster, a feeling even more intense than when he saw Hakan.

"Hello! My name is Evand, it's nice to meet you, Nexus!"

Evand's hostility diminished considerably, probably because Nexus hadn't shown any malice to begin with, so he confidently extended a claw.

Nexus also grasped the paw that Evand offered, and the moment the two paws touched, both of their heart rates increased.

"Evand, can you tell me what you're doing?" Nexus finally resisted the temptation and was the first to loosen his grip on Evand's hand.

"I...I don't know...No, I'm looking for a way out of the fog..."

"Hey! Kid, you're being too reckless!"

"what?"

"I'm telling you, you're being too reckless. Before you take any action, you should have a plan in mind, instead of wandering around aimlessly like this. It's like you're about to rush out and start a massacre. You're only going to be doomed if you do that."

Trust me, you should make a proper plan, otherwise you will only hurt yourself and miss the best opportunity.

"My child, listen to me. I still regret the decision I made when I was young. Because I was in a hurry, I successfully beheaded the enemy leader, but my teammates died because of it!"

Evand was silent for a moment. He seemed to understand something. Before this, he had done many foolish things that put him in danger.

“You’re right… I shouldn’t have done that. I’ve made the same mistakes as you before, so many times. If it weren’t for the help of my friends, I probably wouldn’t be here now. Thank you for reminding me!”

“Good, child, it seems you understand what I mean. You have a group of trustworthy and reliable friends, but what will you do if you leave them one day?” Nexus laughed happily. He was glad that Evand understood what he meant, so he posed another question.

"I...I don't know, I don't know how to answer you..." Evand didn't know how to answer this question because he was too weak now, and it would be difficult for him to do anything else without the help of his friends.

"Haha, child, let me tell you, without the support of friends, you can only rely on yourself. To rely on yourself, you must have a flexible mind. Fighting is not just about brute force; there are many ways to resolve a battle."

For example, many monsters possess intelligence just like us. Given the right conditions, you could seduce them just as you seduce me.

"Huh? Are you sure?!" Evand was beginning to doubt whether Nexus had lost his mind, but out of politeness, he decided to listen to the end.

“Of course, when those low-intelligence monsters are filled with lust, we have essentially already dealt with them. Monsters whose minds are filled with filth are no match for us. If you still don’t believe me, I can demonstrate for you.” Nexus looked at Evand with confidence, not feeling that he had said anything wrong.

“Alright, then you can demonstrate for me…” Evand accepted Nexus’s request with some hesitation.

(I don't know how many words have been omitted here...)

After Nexus's series of actions, Evand completely trusted Nexus, but his first kiss was also taken away, even though it was his own choice.

"Alright, child, I'm leaving now. I've been away from my people for too long, and they'll worry about me. You can practice this skill with other people. If you've practiced well enough, come find me in the swamp."

"Okay, teacher!"

Nexus paused slightly as he left. Clearly, he liked the way Evand had addressed him, but he might have preferred it to be even more affectionate.

Finally, Nexus disappeared from Evand's sight, but Evand suddenly realized that he seemed to have forgotten something.

"Hey! I haven't asked the teacher yet what the inscription on this stone tablet means!!"

Finally, Evand returned to the tavern looking dejected.

Hakan, who had been waiting in the tavern for a long time, went up to Evand when he saw him return and asked, "How did it go?"

"Nothing much, I just saw a stone tablet, but I couldn't understand what was on it. Later I met my teacher and roughly understood what was on the stone tablet. It seemed like it was about collecting some kind of medal? That's all I know."

Evan sat dejectedly in the corner of the tavern, his glass swirling gently in his hand, as if pondering the secrets inscribed on the stone tablet.

Hakan looked at him, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, but he didn't press for details immediately. Instead, he sat quietly to the side, waiting for Evand to share more.

The tavern was dimly lit, filled with a faint aroma of alcohol and the smell of burnt wood. Dark clouds began to gather outside the window, but the rain had stopped, yet a sense of oppression still lingered.

After a while, Evand seemed to snap out of his reverie. He looked up at Hakan and hesitated, "The teacher I just met was named Nexus. He taught me a technique called seduction. Can I try it on you?"

"No! You're overthinking it. It's Nexus, that guy, who wants to practice seduction. You should go find Vittoria. I can't help you with anything." Upon hearing Nexus's name and the seduction technique, Hakan quickly refused. With his personality, he couldn't resist the seduction technique. If Nexus really did that, he'd probably be sleeping on the floor from now on.

"Uh..." Bartender Vitt, who happened to be passing by, overheard the conversation between the two beasts and felt his face turn green. Well, his face was already green to begin with.

“Hakan… I think this experiment is more suitable for you. This method will be more obvious on you, which will better prove the power of seduction. So you should do it…” Victor’s face didn’t show anger, but rather a smile…

Witt has always been like this; everyone who knows him appreciates his approachability—in short, a lovable green crocodile. (He even looks a bit like a lizard; the Indians would definitely adore him. Anyway, I digress.)

"Young man, if you want me to practice with you, you can come to me when I'm free. Doing things unrelated to work during working hours will make the boss angry. If you're willing to pay enough, I can still provide you with special services."

Upon hearing Witt's words, Evand's expression grew even more embarrassed. He scratched his head, unsure how to respond.

This seduction technique was indeed a new skill he had just learned from Nexus. He had only wanted to find an opportunity to try it out and see if it was really as magical as Nexus had said.

Unexpectedly, Hakan and Witte rejected the proposal so directly.

Hakan looked at Evand's embarrassed expression and, though he found it somewhat amusing, he tried his best to maintain a serious demeanor.

He knew that Evand was still a novice and might not yet understand this strange skill.

So he patted Evand on the shoulder and said, “Evand, I know you might be interested in this skill, but you have to understand that not all skills are suitable for every situation. Seduction is powerful, but it needs to be used with caution. I suggest you learn more about this skill before deciding whether to use it.”

Witt nodded and added, "Evand, I understand your curiosity, but as a bartender, I have my duties and principles. If you really want to try it, you can pay a higher price for me to provide you with special services."

Witt emphasized the words "special services" again, but Evand didn't seem to understand what they meant.

I'm still thinking of trying to talk to Witt again during my work break.

Seeing Evand in this state, Witt was helpless and had no choice but to give up and return to his post.