Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

"Are you... waiting for me?"

The voice was deep and hoarse, carrying a hint of weariness, yet revealing an inexplicable sense of authority.

Cheng Yu slowly stood up, his gaze falling in the direction from which the sound came.

A figure could be seen slowly emerging from the shadows.

It was a person draped in a black cloak. The cloak was wide and heavy, completely enveloping his figure, revealing only an aged face. His face was covered with wrinkles, each one seemingly recording the vicissitudes of time. His eyes were deep and complex, containing both a wise glint and an unconcealable weariness.

His body was somewhat hunched, seemingly due to years of bending over. Judging from the claws and toes peeking out from under his cloak, he was likely a white dragon beastman.

"It really is you..." Cheng Yu looked at the newcomer, a knowing glint in his eyes, as if everything was within his expectations.

The sudden appearance of the white dragon beastman instantly caught Aolian's attention. She carefully sensed its aura, and suddenly, her pupils dilated, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief!

"You...how did you get here?!" Aolian's voice trembled with extreme shock. She began to wonder if all of this was still an illusion.

Why is this old man here?!

Faced with Ao Lian's questioning, the old man seemed somewhat guilty and turned his head away, avoiding her gaze. He turned to Cheng Yu and said in a hoarse voice, "Young people these days... are indeed very clever... they actually managed to guess... that I would come here..."

Cheng Yu did not respond to the old man's words. He looked at Ao Lian with some confusion, not understanding why Ao Lian would show such a shocked expression after seeing this old man.

Who exactly is this old man? And what is his relationship with Aolian?

Bai Yu stood to the side, watching the scene unfold, feeling like an outsider. He felt that all he needed to do was quietly observe the spectacle.

However, he wasn't idle. He was trying to contact his master. He felt that his master was really unreliable and he had to ask about the situation again.

Bai Yu was extremely dissatisfied with Kroni's sudden appearance, his show-off act, and his subsequent departure. He needed to find out what had happened.

"Master! Master! Are you there?!" Bai Yu kept calling out to Kroni in his heart.

However, Croni did not respond.

"Where did that unreliable old man go?!" Bai Yu cursed inwardly.

"Who...who are you?" Aolian asked again, her voice tinged with wariness.

"Me? Heh..." The old man chuckled, a hint of bitterness in his voice, "Just... a forgotten person..."

“The forgotten ones?” Aolian frowned. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about…”

“It’s normal that you don’t understand…” the old man said, “because… you have… forgotten… many things…”

"Forgot? What did I forget?" Aolian pressed.

“You…forgot…your past…your mission…and…yourself…” the old man said, a trace of sadness flashing in his eyes.

"My past? My mission? Myself?" Aolian murmured to herself, "What...what have I forgotten?"

"Want to know?" the old man asked.

"Yes!" Aolian said without hesitation.

“Then… come with me…” the old man said, turning and walking into the darkness.

"Wait!" Cheng Yu suddenly spoke up, "Where are you taking him?!"

“A place…he should go…” the old man said, continuing to walk forward without turning his head.

"I can't let you take him away!" Cheng Yu said, standing in front of the old man.

“Young man…you can’t stop me…” the old man said, a hint of helplessness in his voice, “This is his fate…and also…my fate…”

“Fate?” Cheng Yu frowned. “I don’t believe in fate!”

“You don’t believe it… just because it doesn’t exist…” the old man said. “Some things… are destined… and cannot be changed…”

"I don't believe it!" Cheng Yu said firmly. "I want to know the truth! I want to know... who you really are! Where are you taking him! What kind of relationship do you have with him!"

"The truth? Heh..." The old man chuckled. "The truth... is often cruel... Are you sure... you really want to know?"

“I’m sure!” Cheng Yu said without hesitation.

“Alright…” the old man sighed, “Since you’re so persistent… then I’ll tell you…”

He slowly raised his head, looked at Cheng Yu, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

“I… am Ide…”

"What?!" Cheng Yu exclaimed in surprise!

"You...you're Idris?!" Cheng Yu asked incredulously. "This...how is this possible?! Shouldn't you be Kaimen Richie?"

“Nothing is impossible…” the old man, no, Id said, “I have always been Id… but I forgot, I chose to become someone else, and this is my true self…”

"Why...why did you do this?" Cheng Yu asked.

“Because… I’m tired…” Id said, his eyes filled with weariness. “I’m tired of… the endless fighting… tired of… eternal life… I just want… a peaceful life… like when the black dragon never existed.”

"So you chose to forget? To let the whole world forget you?" Cheng Yu asked.

“Yes… this is the best choice!” Id nodded. “I chose to forget… forget my identity as a high priest or a shaman, forget my past… forget my mission… I became… a completely new me, an ordinary white dragon beastman who was swallowed up by someone else.”

"But now... you've remembered again?" Cheng Yu asked.

“Yes…” Id said, “because some things cannot be avoided, and some responsibilities must be borne. My promise to Kaimen has always been like this.”

"What happened? What responsibility?" Cheng Yu pressed.

“The future of this world…” Id said, a resolute glint in his eyes, “This world is facing a huge crisis, and I must stop it from happening, just like when I cut off one of my own tails to eliminate the Black Dragon.”

"Crisis? What crisis?" Cheng Yu asked.

“A crisis… capable of destroying everything…” Id said, his voice heavy, “This crisis… is more terrible than you can imagine…”

"So... what do you plan to do?" Cheng Yu asked.

“I need His help…” Id said, pointing to Aolian.

"Him?" Cheng Yu looked at Ao Lian. "How can He help you?"

“He possesses immense power…” Ide said, “His power can help me stop this crisis from happening. I need the power to change dreams. Aolian will eventually become the Dream God, succeeding the previous Dream God! She might even be a god of a higher rank than the Dream God!”

“But…he is your disciple! And so much time has passed, he has been staying in this place, he may have already forgotten, how could he truly become a god? Besides, isn’t there still the Dream Builder?” Cheng Yu said somewhat excitedly.

“I will help Him remember, you don’t need to worry about that at all, but do you really think it can succeed? Are you really willing to be a dream builder?” Yi said, answering her own question, and then asked in return.

“You’re right, I don’t want to be a dream builder, but it’s the only way to help Him, so…”

“I know, I can help my own apprentice too, you don’t need to worry.”

"How can you help him? Do you mean to usurp his divine position? He is your disciple, how could you do such a thing?!" Cheng Yu roared as he asked.

“Child, I understand your thoughts, but some things are unavoidable. At least I know He is my disciple, and my methods will not kill Him…” Id said. “I will take Him to a place where He once lived… a place filled with memories. There you should be able to help Him regain his power and then inherit the authority of the Dream God.”

"Where?" Cheng Yu asked.

“The land forsaken by the gods, you may already know about that place,” Id said.

"The Land Forsaken by the Gods?" Cheng Yu exclaimed again. "Isn't that... the legendary place? Even the Dream God doesn't know where it is. How do you know?"

“Yes… I know about a place that even the gods don’t know about. You think the same way I do, that you’ve known about this place for a long time.” Id nodded. “It’s a real place, a place abandoned by the gods. It was once the kingdom of the gods.”

"Why go there? I remember Aolian wasn't some first-generation god, how could she possibly have memories there? You're lying!" Cheng Yu looked at Yide angrily.

“Because…the answer He needs is there, and the answer I need is there too, so we can only go there. Besides, how long have you known Him? How do you know He doesn’t have any memories there? Aolian was brought back to the White Dragon Clan by me. No one knows His background better than me,” Ide said.

“But it’s dangerous there… what if…” Cheng Yu said.

“I know that place is more dangerous than anywhere else in the world right now,” Id said. “But we… have no other choice. I have made my choice, and it is time for Him to take on His responsibility.”

“I’ll go with you!” Cheng Yu said.

“No!” Id shook his head. “You can’t go!”

"Why?" Cheng Yu asked.

“Because you have more important things to do, and you’ll only cause Him trouble,” Id said.

"More important things?" Cheng Yu frowned. "What things? Why are all you gods like this? Even a newly appeared Outer God said the same thing to me. Do you riddle-makers find this funny?"

“Find those fragments…” Id said, “They are… the key to stopping this crisis…”

"Fragments?" Cheng Yu recalled Kroni's words. "Why don't you just say what fragments they are? You won't tell me!"

“The fragments of Bai Ze…” Ide nodded. “Those fragments will appear in every corner of this world in any form. You must find them and put them back together…”

“But how am I supposed to know who Bai Ze is? How am I supposed to find someone who doesn’t exist?” Cheng Yu said.

“You’ll find out, there’s always a way,” Id said. “When the time comes… you’ll know…”

"Timing?" Cheng Yu recalled what Kroni had said when it started playing. "What exactly is that...?"

“You’ll find out then…” Id said. “For now, just remember, your mission is to find the fragments and stop the crisis…”

“I’ve got it…” Cheng Yu said, “But…you still haven’t told me…what exactly is your relationship with him? Is it really a master-disciple relationship?”

“We…” Ide looked at Aolian, his eyes filled with complex emotions, “We are indeed master and disciple, I think He knows that too, but He can’t believe it, because in Bailong’s memory, I have long since disappeared.”