Lin Chen politely thanked the "succubus" bartender.
Amber warmly invited them, "Why don't you sit for a while? It's rare for the bar to get a new customer. I'll go to the wine cellar and pick out two bottles of good wine for you to try."
"Sure, sure! You're such a nice person!"
Chen Xiao Diao agreed at once. Even without spirit wine, ordinary wine could still be fed to Lu Zhishen. It would be a waste not to take advantage of such a bargain.
Amber entered the basement through a concealed stairway.
Only then did Lin Chen notice that the bar had a staircase leading not only to the basement, but also up to a second floor.
Curious, he extended his attention toward the second floor, only to sense a trace of violent fluctuation!
At that moment, Lin Chen's mental strength was comparable to that of an intermediate Card Master, making him far more perceptive than a beginner Card Master like Chen Xiao Diao.
This agitation was unlike the ferocity of a card spirit battle, and unlike the sinister malice of an Anomalous Invasion.
Instead, it carried a kind of excited... pleasure?!
The fluctuations of this spiritual power were so strange that Lin Chen couldn't help quietly walking up to the second floor, wanting to investigate.
The entrance to the second floor had been fashioned into an arched corridor. Large oil paintings hung on both sides, depicting naked men and women drinking together. The paintings even featured not only men and women, but also adorable babies and flocks of sheep.
The second floor gave Lin Chen a feeling that went beyond mere debauchery. It held a kind of frenzied delight!
This sensation came from a room deep within the corridor. Drawn in by temptation, Lin Chen moved closer,
and faintly heard the unrestrained laughter of a woman coming from inside,
along with a thick, sweet scent of blood.
He couldn't help placing his hand on the doorknob,
feeling as though he was about to enter an immensely pleasurable domain.
Pleasure, excitement, intoxication!
Lin Chen's heart thudded restlessly. The stimulation left him no time to think,
and he was just about to push the door open and enter!
At that moment,
a hand suddenly settled on Lin Chen's shoulder, stopping him.
The author came along with Chen Xiao Diao to beg for votes and follows! This was extremely important for the book's future exposure!
After seeing the book's ranking data, Chen Xiao Diao embarrassedly tugged at the reader's sleeve and said, "Bro, the first recommendation is coming up soon. Could you help me cast a vote first?"
The reader had plenty of monthly votes and wasn't under any pressure, so he immediately cast two monthly votes for the book.
Section 24: A Never-Ending Feast of Revelry
A hand suddenly settled on Lin Chen's shoulder, stopping him.
Lin Chen whipped around and saw Amber's marble-white, flawless face.
The blood boiling in his heart instantly calmed, and his reason returned.
"Mr. Lin, the second floor is the VIP lounge, provided for some experienced customers to rest and entertain themselves. Please don't disturb them casually."
Amber still wore a proper smile, as though Lin Chen's peeking had not angered him in the slightest.
Lin Chen hurriedly apologized, then followed Amber downstairs and returned to the bar counter.
Chen Xiao Diao asked, "Brother Chen, where did you wander off to? Why does your face look so uncomfortable?"
Lin Chen waved his hand blankly to indicate that he was fine, only wondering why he had inexplicably thought of going up to the second floor.
Amber said gently, "Would you two like something to eat? Our shop also serves barbecue."
Another regular customer beside the bar enthusiastically chimed in:
"You absolutely have to try this shop's mutton skewers! The meat is incredibly tender and fresh. Do you know just how fresh it is? When you eat it and it reaches your stomach, it still feels alive, as if it's wriggling around!"
A perfect arc appeared at the corner of Amber's mouth. "You're exaggerating, customer. Hahaha..."
Chen Xiao Diao's eyes lit up, her appetite piqued. But when she remembered how little money she had, she still gritted her teeth and refused.
Lin Chen, however, felt uneasy and quickly said goodbye together with Chen Xiao Diao.
After leaving the shop, he once again sat on the back of Chen Xiao Diao's motorcycle.
Once he was free of the aroma of wine and had the cold wind blowing against him, Lin Chen could finally gather his thoughts and recall everything that had happened.
Chen Xiao Diao took the initiative to speak. "Amber is actually a really good person. He speaks so gently.
"If I drank alcohol, I'd be hanging around in his shop every day too. But the smell of alcohol in his bar is too strong. It makes me feel a little dizzy."
Lin Chen solemnly warned her, "This shop is no simple place. There must be some secret behind it..."
Chen Xiao Diao asked, "Brother Chen, did you discover something? Are there any strange monsters!?"
Lin Chen said, "Not strange monsters, but I can't quite put it into words either. It felt like 'indulgence' and 'pleasure.'"
Chen Xiao Diao laughed. "Brother Chen, isn't a bar a place where people come to relax and have fun? Isn't it normal to feel that way?"
Lin Chen said, "Yeah. Maybe I'm just too sensitive."
Then he changed his tone. "But it's still better to be careful. You absolutely cannot go to that shop alone in the future! I must accompany you, or you have to go with your coworkers."
Chen Xiao Diao pouted. "Got it, Brother Chen. Why are you acting like a parent and starting to boss me around?"
Lin Chen said seriously, "Since you call me brother, I have the responsibility and obligation to look after you!"
After spending these few short days together, Lin Chen had genuinely come to regard this innocent, warmhearted girl as his little sister, so he really didn't want anything to happen to her.
It was also related to his mindset as someone who had transmigrated. In a foreign land, alone and without a single familiar face, it was only natural to hope for a friend or relative to keep him company.
As for Chen Xiao Diao, although she still muttered a few complaints, she was secretly touched to hear that someone was willing to care about her.
After sending Lin Chen to the foot of his apartment building, the two went home separately.
Meanwhile, at Amber's bar,
the regular customer at the bar was also an apprentice Card Master. After Lin Chen and Chen Xiao Diao left, he drank a few more glasses. By then, he was slightly tipsy, and with the alcohol going to his head, he began pouring out his grievances to Amber:
"Life is truly hard! Look at me—I'm a Card Master, and I thought I had transcended ordinary people. But I'm still just a worthless apprentice Card Master.
"My cards aren't strong, and I've failed several times at creating cards. Saving money and gathering materials is a long road, while improving my strength is even more remote.
"If a strange dungeon were to break out nearby one day, or some evil cult caused trouble, I'd probably be finished with my strength!
"This world is like a huge furnace, and low-level Card Masters like me are nothing but firewood to feed it.
"Instead of thinking about improving my strength and eradicating strange phenomena all day, I might as well come here, sip a few drinks, and have some skewers!"
Amber comforted him. "That's right, customer. Instead of spending every day in fear and trepidation, you might as well indulge in pleasure. When there's wine today, drink your fill today—just like our shop's motto—
"While triumphant, one must enjoy oneself to the fullest; getting drunk is like being reborn!"
The regular was already having the time of his life. He slapped the bar counter in agreement.
"Well said! Store Manager Amber, it's fortunate to have you around. Otherwise, my life would truly be unbearably dreary!"
Amber's voice was soft and gentle, yet it sounded exceedingly convincing.
"Since you have sorrows in your heart, customer, the private rooms on the second floor have a batch of newly brewed wine, as well as drinking companions specially provided for regular customers. They're sure to bring you joy and make you forget your worries."
The Card Master exclaimed in delight, "You even offer drinking companions?! I have to experience that. Store Manager Amber, you must take me upstairs!"
Amber supported the Card Master's unsteady, drunken body and said, "Please, follow me."
The two arrived at the room at the very end of the second floor—the very room Lin Chen had nearly opened.
They pushed the door open—
Inside was a huge private room. A massive round table stood in the center, covered with wine as bright red as blood.
There were also seven or eight beautiful women dressed in thin white gauze and wearing ivy wreaths on their heads. Their cheeks were flushed as they crowded around someone lying beside the table.
The lights were brilliant, and the color of the wine was alluring.
As a drinking customer, the Card Master stared at this banquet of reclining bodies, his mouth already hanging open in astonishment.
Amber clapped his hands. "Sisters, the customer has arrived. Be sure to serve him well."
The drunken beauties who had been lying down immediately rose. They came over to support the customer, led him to sit in the center of the room, then teased him, caressed him, and kissed him.
The fragrance of the beauties drifted around him, the aroma of fine wine intoxicated his senses, and the ambiguous atmosphere grew thick.
Incense burned in the corner, making the room's aura even more dreamlike and unreal, leaving people intoxicated.
The Card Master held a beauty in each arm and drank the food and wine they personally fed him. His face was flushed, and his body trembled with excitement.
Even more beautiful attendants twisted their bodies beside the Card Master, singing and laughing, leaving him dazzled and unable to take it all in.
Amber spoke in a voice as light as gauze. "Honored guest, relax. There's no one else here. You can release your desires to your heart's content."
"Of course! This is great! I'm having such a wonderful time!"
The Card Master had already fallen into a frenzy. He cast aside all restraint and drank recklessly, wine splashing from his lips, bright red as blood.
The beauties worked together to weave a flower crown and placed it on the Card Master's head.
This made the Card Master feel incomparably exhilarated, as though he had donned a crown. He felt that he possessed everything.
Together with the scantily clad attendants, he held hands, sang songs, and danced in circles, spinning round and round without stopping...
At that moment, he felt that his happiness was like the circle formed by all these people, turning forever with no break in its circumference.
It was like an endless pleasure!
No one knew how much time had passed when Amber reminded him, "Honored guest, the wine is almost finished."
The Card Master grew anxious, afraid that the feast would come to an end. "Bring out more wine!"
Amber spoke unhurriedly. "Why don't we brew a cup of the finest grape wine in our shop together, right here?"
The Card Master no longer cared about anything and agreed to everything.
"That sounds wonderful! Together, together!"
Amber said, "This finest grape wine must be brewed with blood. We're just missing the vital essence now. What do you think we should do?"
Before you continue