An infinite journey starting from Baldur's Gate

Chapter 9 Inviting Newcomers

While the woman and Ying Xin were having a verbal confrontation,
Ma Long was so determined that he risked having his throat cut, and suddenly grabbed the opponent's wrist and forcibly moved the blade away from his neck!

He is betting that others are not as powerful as him!
Women's arm strength is naturally weaker than men's, unless specially trained.

As expected, since most of the attention was focused on Ying Xin, when the woman noticed that Ma Long was resisting, her reaction was a little slower.
The "captive's" carotid artery could not be cut in time.

Instead, he was thrown aside with great force, and then the situation of both parties suddenly reversed!

Ma Long successfully counterattacked and pinned the woman's hands under his body.

"Let me go! Bastard!"

Seeing her gnashing her teeth and angry expression, Ma Long suppressed the anger in his heart:

"I advise you to calm down, miss. Don't act like I'm forcing you. In the beginning, you were the first to hold the knife to my throat."

He is not a saint, he also has a temper,

He tried to help but was injured by a sharp blade. He didn't directly beat the opponent, which was good.

Gradually, after several attempts to resist to no avail, the woman had no choice but to stop moving. She stared straight at the man in front of her who was pressing her down, and smiled slightly:
"It's bad luck for me~ If you win, what do you want to do to me next?"

Hearing this, Ma Long couldn't help but frown and stared into her scarlet eyes.
Just when he was about to reply, the bug in his head became restless again.

"Ah! Damn it!"

The woman who was originally smiling screamed, her delicate and handsome features wrinkled,
Although Ma Long didn't say anything, he wasn't having an easy time either. This time, the insect allowed him to see some memory fragments that didn't belong to him!

However, they are basically scenes of walking in dark alleys or streets.
It seems that there is no useful information, but in fact it is not...

Similarly, the woman also saw the fragments from Malone's mind when he was in hell, and understood that we are all the same kind of people.

They are all unlucky people who were kidnapped by the mind flayer.

"Just...what happened? I saw...you were also caught by those monsters?"

"Yes, and we all have bugs implanted by the Mind Flayer in our brains. We can sense each other and establish a spiritual connection, so that we can communicate without words."

"But I don't like the feeling of it running around in my head. It's disgusting."

After explaining, Ma Long took the initiative to stand up and no longer restrain the other party.
He has learned the woman's true identity from her memory, and like Shadowheart, he is also a major character in the story of Baldur's Gate 3.

Originally he was supposed to be a man, but now he has become a woman...

It just corresponds to Shadow Heart, changing from female to male.

"I thought you and the monsters were in the same group. I'm so sorry~"

"I hope you won't hold a grudge."

After sorting everything out, the woman stood up with a smile, rubbed her wrist and apologized.

However, this apology was not very sincere, at least Ma Long didn't see any guilt in her expression or eyes.

"I really don't want to forgive you graciously, but... considering that everyone is a victim,"

"I suggest you join us and find a way to get rid of the bugs, how about that? Of course, if you don't think that guest is a big deal,"

"Then we'd better go our separate ways now."

Considering all factors, Ma Long could only make this choice against his will.

Although this guy almost killed himself, his strength is unquestionable!
Very flexible and agile,
Inviting her to join will also be helpful for the future adventure journey, and the road will be easier.

The woman pretended to think for a while, looked at Ma Long and Ying Xin, who was next to her with cold eyes, shrugged her shoulders and raised a smile:

"I have to say, the proposal is very exciting. Well, I agree," "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Asteron. I come from Baldur's Gate, and I was also captured by a monster there. "

After hearing these words, Ying Xin still had a bad expression:

"That's it? I don't object to you joining us, but please show your role to the team first."

His words are very straightforward. If you want to join the gang, you must at least reveal what you know.
Although the team should develop in an all-round way and invite all kinds of talented people to join to enhance the overall combat strength, accepting useless people will only drag everyone down!
Hearing the thorniness in his words, Astelon immediately "reciprocated" in his own way.
Playing with the dagger, he replied nonchalantly:
"Really? What I'm best at is deception, stealing gold coins from passers-by's pockets, and taking advantage of some people's sleep,"

"Close quietly and slit their throats gently, never missing~"

"Hmph! You can give it a try, wanderer."

Ying Xin snorted coldly and said with disdain.

Rogue is a general term for criminals such as thieves and assassins who specialize in walking in the shadows.

"Quiet! We are companions now. No matter what unpleasantness we had just now, we can forget our grudges with a smile. No more conflicts are allowed."

Seeing that the two did not deal with each other, Ma Long knew that he had to intervene. It was serious for his teammates to start fighting among themselves.

If anyone fails to do their best during the adventure, it will cause irreparable tragedy! Therefore he must ensure that everyone lives in peace,
You don’t have to be friends, just don’t be tit-for-tat.

As soon as these words came out, both Shadow Heart and Astelon decisively shut their mouths and stopped speaking, focusing their gazes on the team leader.

"My name is Malone, a paladin. He is Shadow Heart, a priest. Welcome to join."

Reluctantly adjusting his mentality, Ma Long flashed a smile and extended a friendly hand.
Try to forget what the other person just did and release the kindness in your heart.

"..."

Hearing this, Astelon was stunned for a moment and stared blankly at the two of them without saying a word. The faint smile on his lips had disappeared.

But Ma Long knew the reason and tried hard to hold back the urge to laugh.
He asked about the situation with a concerned look on his face:

"what happened?"

"Ahem...it's okay. What's your plan next?"

Astelon pretended to be calm and calmly asked about the main target in the follow-up.

"First explore this shell ship, and then go to find settlements or towns,"

"We've talked long enough, catch up."

After informing him of the itinerary, Ma Long took back the weapon from Ying Xin and continued to move forward, exploring and searching.
Collect everything you can get your hands on, the most important thing is gold and silver.

Because he wants to buy himself a suit of armor,
As a paladin, how could he not have strong and shiny armor? That would not be in line with his character, so money is indispensable.

After all, armor is a rare item that is several times more expensive than weapons!

If you buy a cheap one, the defense will be worrying.

Seeing him gradually walking away, Ying Xin glanced sideways at Astelon, without saying a word.

Then he strode to follow Ma Long's back.

She was the only one left standing there, biting her red lips and whispering softly:

"Damn it, the paladin and the priest came together and thought they could finally open up meat..."

After muttering to himself for a while, Astelon sighed helplessly and caught up with his companions.

　Brothers, please comment more, don’t leave the author alone
　　
　
(End of this chapter)