Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

Even after bidding farewell to Qian Tu, Cheng Yu's heart remained filled with doubts. There were still too many unsolved mysteries surrounding Kaimen Richie's past and the history of this tribe, waiting for him to uncover. He knew he couldn't stop; he had to continue his investigation to find the truth.

After leaving Qian Tu's room, Cheng Yu began a new investigation. He first went to the werewolf tribe, hoping to find some clues about Kaimen Richie. However, the werewolf tribe was heavily guarded, and Cheng Yu could not penetrate it at all. He could only wander around the outskirts of the tribe, observing the werewolves coming and going, hoping to find some clues.

Afterwards, Cheng Yu went to the Black Dragon Tribe. Unlike the solemnity of the Werewolf Tribe, the Black Dragon Tribe was much more open and lively. Cheng Yu mingled among the crowd, carefully observing everything around him. He hoped to find other white dragons here, and perhaps even encounter someone like the mad white dragon he had met on the street before, someone who would be willing to pay any price to give him the white scales.

Cheng Yu arrived at the tribe's market. It was bustling with activity, a cacophony of vendors' cries filling the air. A dazzling array of goods were on display. Besides the merchants selling various items, there were also stalls selling slaves. These slaves were mostly resold after being used by nobles; their eyes were vacant, their expressions numb, as if they had lost all hope for life.

Among these slaves, the majority were not white dragons, but other docile, herbivorous beastmen. They were easier to tame, but also easier to tire of by the nobles. Only a lucky few were allowed to remain in noble households, while most slaves were resold elsewhere to continue their miserable fate.

Of course, among these slaves were also some white dragons. Most of them were delirious and had dull eyes, probably due to a mental breakdown caused by not taking the psychiatric medication in time. Cheng Yu noticed that whenever he passed by these white dragon slaves, a glimmer of light would flash in their eyes, but it would quickly dim again, as if suppressed by some force.

Cheng Yu walked up to a stall selling white dragon slaves and carefully examined the white dragon chained up. Its scales were dull and lifeless, its eyes were empty, and it looked extremely weak. Cheng Yu was filled with sympathy; he wanted to help these poor white dragons, but he didn't know how to begin.

He inquired about the white dragon slave's condition and price from the stall owner, hoping to buy it and give it a chance at freedom. However, the stall owner told him that the white dragon had gone mad, was worthless, and could only be used for menial tasks.

Cheng Yu didn't give up. He continued to haggle with the stall owner, hoping to buy the white dragon at a reasonable price. Finally, after much debate, the stall owner agreed to sell the white dragon to Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu paid and unlocked the chains binding Bai Long. Bai Long looked up blankly at Cheng Yu, a hint of confusion in his eyes. Cheng Yu gently stroked Bai Long's head and said softly, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

The white dragon seemed to sense Cheng Yu's kindness; it gently nuzzled Cheng Yu's hand and let out a low whimper. Cheng Yu felt a surge of relief. He led the white dragon away from the market and headed out of the tribe. He knew that walking this path would be difficult, but a voice within him told him that he had to do it.

Aolian's importance in his heart had been increasing without him realizing it, perhaps because he had come into contact with Bailong again.

He left the bustling market with the newly purchased white dragon, silently praying that the dragon would soon regain its senses and have a life of its own. At the same time, he became even more determined to uncover the secrets of this tribe and liberate all the enslaved white dragons.

Cheng Yu, accompanied by his newly purchased white dragon slave, slowly walked along the bustling street. The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the street in a golden hue. Yet, Cheng Yu felt no peace; he had a premonition that something was about to happen.

He hadn't gone far when a group of figures blocked his path. Cheng Yu looked closely and saw that they were several white dragons. He was puzzled; he had heard that the white dragon clan had all become slaves, but these few didn't look like slaves. Although they still had slave marks on their bodies, those marks seemed to have lost their effectiveness.

Just as Cheng Yu was about to ask a question, one of the white dragons suddenly pounced on him, its target being the white dragon slave beside him. Cheng Yu reacted quickly, pulling the white dragon slave behind him while simultaneously slapping the attacking white dragon with his claw.

The white dragon was knocked back a few steps, but it didn't give up. Instead, it quickly turned around, trying to grab the white dragon slave from the other side. Cheng Yu was prepared and grabbed the white dragon's arm, pulling hard. Perhaps due to malnutrition, the white dragon's strength was far less than Cheng Yu had imagined, and he easily controlled it.

However, the other white dragons did not stand idly by. They swarmed forward, surrounding Cheng Yu from four directions. Two white dragons tried to subdue Cheng Yu, while the other two tried to seize the white dragon slaves behind him.

Cheng Yu realized the situation was bad, decisively released Bai Long, took out two photos from his pocket, held them high, and muttered, "I've decided on you! Big Guy! And you, Little Shi!"

The two photos exploded in mid-air, transforming into a dazzling burst of light. As the light faded, a gargoyle and a semi-transparent giant slime appeared before Cheng Yu. Seemingly receiving Cheng Yu's command, they charged without hesitation towards the white dragon that was attacking him.

The gargoyle swung its enormous fist, knocking the two white dragons in front and behind it to the ground. The slime opened its massive mouth and swallowed the two white dragons on either side into its translucent body. The last remaining white dragon was grabbed by Cheng Yu and pinned to the ground.

"Who exactly are you people? Why are you trying to steal my White Dragon slave?" Cheng Yu asked sharply, his tone laced with anger.

The white dragon struggled, but couldn't break free from Cheng Yu's control. He raised his head, glaring fiercely at Cheng Yu, and said, "This white dragon slave shouldn't have been saved by you. Saving him will only make his life worse!"

"What makes you say that?" Cheng Yu frowned slightly. "If you don't have a reasonable explanation, then I won't be so easy to talk to!"

The white dragon snorted coldly, offering no reply. Cheng Yu's suspicions deepened; he sensed that this matter was not simple. He turned to look at the rescued white dragon slave, finding him trembling behind the gargoyle, his eyes filled with terror.

Cheng Yu's heart softened; he knew this white dragon slave must have suffered a lot. He gently patted the white dragon slave's shoulder and said softly, "Don't be afraid, it's alright now."

The white dragon slave raised its head, looking at Cheng Yu with a hint of gratitude in its eyes. Cheng Yu smiled, but his resolve only grew stronger. He was determined to find out the truth and free all the enslaved white dragons.

Then he turned his head again, wanting to continue questioning the white dragons he had controlled.

"Why are you here to stop me from buying this slave? And I'm very curious, what's going on with you? Why aren't you slaves?"

The white dragon, pinned to the ground, was still struggling, cursing incessantly, but unable to utter any useful information. Just then, a group of dragon soldiers clad in black armor arrived, parting the crowd of onlookers. Upon seeing the subdued white dragon, they immediately adopted a grinning demeanor, approaching Cheng Yu and explaining, "Sir, these guys are all under Lord Kurosawa's command. Please, be magnanimous and let them go."

Kurosawa? This name only deepened Cheng Yu's confusion. After a moment's hesitation, he released his grip on the white dragons. Seeing this, the soldiers quickly pulled the white dragons to their feet, smiling obsequiously as they stepped aside. Cheng Yu looked at the five white dragons before him, his mind filled with doubt. He decided to find out the whole story, so he said, "I want to talk to you. Tell me, why did you attack me?"

Just then, a white dragon wearing black-rimmed glasses squeezed out from the crowd. His demeanor was refined, and his temperament gentle, quite unlike the other white dragons. He walked up to Cheng Yu, gave the other five white dragons a look of disappointment, then turned to Cheng Yu, shook his hand, and offered an apologetic smile: "Sir, hello, I am Hei Ze's assistant, my name is Bowen. If you want to know the whole story, why don't we go to the best tavern in the Black Dragon Tribe and have a chat?"

He paused, then added, "These guys are always acting recklessly, please don't take offense." He then introduced the names of the five white dragons: "This is Shadowblade, skilled in assassination; this is Rock, a brave warrior; this is Heavy Fist, a master of fist fighting; this is Wild Hammer, charging around recklessly; and lastly, this is Gale, the madman who always causes trouble."

Bowen's appearance surprised Cheng Yu, but it also gave him hope of solving the mystery. He nodded and agreed to Bowen's suggestion. The group followed Bowen through the bustling streets and arrived at a luxuriously decorated tavern.

The tavern was brightly lit, filled with the clinking of glasses and a lively atmosphere. Bowen led Cheng Yu and the five white dragons to a secluded corner and ordered some food and drinks. After everyone was seated, Bowen spoke first: "Sir, I am deeply sorry for what happened just now. Actually, we meant no harm, it's just..."

He paused, glancing at the five white dragons beside him, seemingly organizing his thoughts. The five white dragons also lowered their heads, not daring to look at Cheng Yu.

“Actually, we’ve been looking for someone who can help us,” Bowen continued. “We know you’re a werewolf with great power, so…”

"So you're planning to steal my White Dragon slave?" Cheng Yu interrupted Bo Wen, his tone tinged with displeasure.

Bowen quickly explained, "No, no, no, we just want to ask you for help in rescuing our people."

"Rescue your people?" Cheng Yu was even more puzzled. "Isn't this what I'm doing now? And yet you still want to take this slave away, and they even say I shouldn't be doing this?"

Bowen sighed and slowly explained the whole story. It turned out that over the course of several hundred years, Heize had taken in a total of 11 out-of-control white dragon slaves, and Bowen was the last one. The reason why these guys suddenly did this was mainly because the existence of these 11 conscious white dragons was the last line that Heize could tolerate.

If the tribe were to have another white dragon with its own intelligence, like them, Obsidian would be furious. Considering Black Swamp, the extra slave would be killed. This extra white dragon would not be easily killed by Obsidian; it would only die in endless torment.

Moreover, another reason is that Bai Long's bloodline has recently been in turmoil.

"Sir, you should have met our master by now, right? And you should have received the scales left by the Dream God by now, right? Although these two words are a taboo in the Black Dragon Tribe, I still have to address Him that way, because the meaning of these two words will help you understand the whole story better."

“Dream God…” Cheng Yu repeated the name, his thoughts drifting to the mad white dragon he had encountered before. Dream God, scales—these words were like scattered puzzle pieces, giving him a vague sense that there seemed to be some connection between them, yet he couldn't piece them together completely.

Bowen pushed up his glasses, his tone becoming serious: "The original White Dragon clan all worshipped the Dream God. The Dream God himself was also a White Dragon, and he showered his blessings upon his people. The White Dragons who received the blessings would also continuously spread the genes of the blessings. Therefore, every White Dragon carries the genes of the Dream God in its genes."

He paused, then continued, "However, after the fall of the Dream God, this gene went completely dormant. But in the White Dragon's prophecy, the appearance of the 'Dream Weaver' will reactivate this gene. At that time, the White Dragon clan will need to help the Dream Weaver complete the process of activating the gene. Ultimately, the Dream Weaver will become the new Dream God, or resurrect the Dream God."

Cheng Yu listened intently, vaguely sensing that he might be the "Dream Builder" of the prophecy. He recalled the white scales he had obtained earlier and the actions of the mad white dragon, and seemed to understand something in his heart.

“Because of this prophecy,” Bowen’s tone became heavy, “the eleven white dragons under Lord Kurosawa split into two factions. One faction is the ‘Dream God Faction,’ which longs to resurrect the Dream God and free the white dragon clan from their slave status; the other faction is the ‘White Ze Faction,’ which is forever loyal to Lord Kurosawa and believes that Lord Kurosawa will eventually become the supreme White Ze God.”

Cheng Yu's heart skipped a beat; he finally understood the whole story. It turned out that the five white dragons that attacked him were members of the "Bai Ze Sect."

"Then why did they attack me?" Cheng Yu asked.

Bowen sighed and explained, “The members of the ‘Baize Faction’ believe that the current White Dragon Clan has lost all its history, and there is no need to worship a dead life. Even if they were to worship, they would first have to see how strong this ‘Dream Weaver’ is. So, it was just a test.”

He paused, then added, "Actually, those five were fully capable of defeating you, but they didn't use their full strength at the time. If they had another chance, they could kill you without hesitation in a short time."

Hearing this, Cheng Yu felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn't expected to have inadvertently escaped a deadly attack. He looked at Bo Wen and asked, "Which faction are you from?"

Bowen smiled, but instead of answering directly, he asked in return, "What do you think?"

Looking at Bowen's meaningful smile, Cheng Yu already knew the answer. He knew that Bowen was different from the five white dragons; he was a much more complex person. Every word he said was worth pondering.

“I think I understand,” Cheng Yu said. “What should I do next?”

Bowen pushed up his glasses again and said, "That depends on your own choice. Do you want to help the 'Dream God Faction' resurrect the Dream God, or..."

He deliberately left his sentence unfinished, giving the choice to Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu understood that his choice would determine the fate of the White Dragon Clan, and also his own future.

The noise in the tavern gradually faded away, and Cheng Yu fell into deep thought. He had to make a choice, a choice that concerned all the White Dragons, and also his own.