Big G, Coffee Machine and Goblin

Chapter 16 The Great Insect Pupa

Ma Li could sense that Shar was hiding something from him, but since the half-elf girl didn't want to talk about it, he didn't press her for details out of politeness.

However, this time, Xia Er took a little longer to "return the menu." Ma Li glanced at his phone; a full fifteen minutes had passed and she still hadn't returned.

Meanwhile, a new situation arose at Golden Carp. Apart from the two people still playing cards, all the other patrons rushed to the other side of the tavern.

Even the man who looked like a bard stopped singing and enthusiastically joined in, clutching his lute.

The atmosphere was even more lively than when they first entered the shop; some people even started betting, and the patrons placed their bets. Silver shields and bronze kronos piled up on the table.

Ma Li also peered over, but the place was already packed with people, and he couldn't see what was behind it at all. After a while, he suddenly heard a cheer that almost lifted the roof off.

The bard seized the opportunity to begin a new performance, this time playing a stirring piece with a magnificent melody that resembled an epic of heroism. However, at this moment, Ma Li was more concerned about where the half-elf girl had gone.

Fortunately, he finally spotted Shire; the half-elf girl was staggering through the crowd.

"The food's all ordered, burp!"

After hastily uttering those words, Charles turned and left.

"Where are you going again?" Ma Li asked, puzzled.

"The outhouse!" The half-elf girl felt the pressure coming from her bladder and quickened her pace.

…………

The golden carp tasted better than Ma Li had imagined. Although the seasoning wasn't very rich, the ingredients were fresh and the chef's skills were quite good.

Ma Li doesn't really like eating carp because it has too many bones, most of which are small and difficult to pick out.

However, the fish jelly made through boiling, concentration, and filtration solves this problem. The dense clusters of small bones and scales inside the carp have softened and formed a gelatinous substance, eliminating the risk of them pricking the throat.

As for the fish balls, they were rather strange. They were wrapped in carp skin and stuffed with chicken and vegetables, resulting in a rather odd texture.

The pea omelet and roast chicken were quite good, but by the time the creamy nut cheese was served last, Mali was already quite full. The main problem was that the half-elf girl, who was supposed to be the main eater, was unusually quiet this time, barely eating a few bites and running to the outhouse every now and then, making at least six trips during the meal.

When they finished eating and were about to leave, Ciel tried to stand up twice by supporting herself on the table with both hands, but she couldn't. In the end, Mali reached out and helped her up.

"It's alright, I can walk by myself." The half-elf girl said as she strode towards the wall.

Fortunately, Ma Li reacted quickly and grabbed her again. "I didn't know you liked drinking so much."

“I…I’m not an alcoholic, hiccup,” Charles muttered. “This is a war, and I’m drinking with the belief that I will win.”

“Alright, your battle is over, it’s time to go back and rest,” Ma Li said. “Tomorrow morning, before the animal communication potion wears off, I need you to come with me to the potion shop.”

"no problem."

The half-elf girl readily agreed, but as she stepped out of the tavern and was sobered up by the night breeze, she saw the inn's sign and suddenly remembered something very serious.

Ma Li had already reached the door and was about to go in when he found that Charles was still following behind him.

"Good night."

"Well, goodnight," Charles said, but his feet didn't move.

"What's wrong? Can't you find your room?"

“No, I thought about it again… How about we share a room? Eagle Beak City isn’t safe, there are a lot of thieves and burglars. You’ve brought a lot of alchemical artifacts, and we spent the night in the SUV, right? That’s common on the road. I can sleep on the floor! Uh, never mind… never mind.”

The half-elf girl racked her brains and finally came up with a lame excuse, but she gave up halfway through. Seeing that there was still no response, Ciel dejectedly prepared to go sleep in the stable.

Just as she turned around, Ma Li finally spoke, "What you said makes sense, so let's do it this way, but you don't have to sleep on the floor."

“You’re going to sleep on the floor? How can that be?” The half-elf girl shook her head repeatedly.

“What are you thinking? Of course I’m not sleeping on the floor,” Ma Li said. “I mean, that bed is big enough for two people.”

"Eh?"

Now it was Charles's turn to be dumbfounded. In fact, if she hadn't drunk too much, her face would have been red to begin with, and she would have been performing a live-action prawn-boiling act right now. Even so, her ears were burning hot, and her mind was a complete mess.

Meanwhile, Ma Li was already washing up. He then took out a small roll from his backpack, which, when unfolded, turned into a large bag longer than a person.

Ma Li laid the bag out at one end of the bed, took off his coat, and quickly crawled inside. Then, with a casual pull, the bag somehow closed up, completely enveloping him.

Combined with the fly-like black eye patch on his head, he now looks like a giant worm pupa.

There have been news reports that even star-rated hotels are not cleaned to a satisfactory standard, but even the worst guesthouses are better than the hotels in this world.

Since Ma Li actually saw what appeared to be fleas on the bed, a sleeping bag became essential.

"Get some rest, you'll be busy tomorrow."

After saying that, Ma Li closed his eyes. He was really tired. He hadn't slept for a day and a half and had driven a long distance for a long time. He even had to drink two cups of coffee halfway through the journey to keep going until now. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep immediately.

Charles paused for a moment, then took off his boots and leather armor and climbed into bed.

Just as the landlady and Ma Li had said, the bed was indeed very large, easily accommodating two or even three people. The mattress, made of pea husks, straw, and wool, was also very soft.

The half-elf girl initially thought she would have wild thoughts. But Mali's strange appearance dispelled all her ideas, and under the influence of drunkenness and drowsiness, she quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Ma Li was woken up by his alarm clock.

He discovered he had an extra arm and a leg; no wonder he dreamt last night of driving in the mountains and being buried by a mudslide.

Charles opened his eyes at that moment, yawning, and said, "Good morning, what's that noise?"

"My phone." Ma Li paused. "Could you move it?"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh." The half-elf girl noticed her sleeping posture and quickly withdrew her hands and feet.

Ma Li crawled out of his sleeping bag, put on his waterproof jacket and hiking boots, and said to Xia Er after getting ready, "I'll wait for you downstairs."

After he finished speaking, he went out. About three minutes later, the half-elf girl also came downstairs dressed.

This time it was Ma Li's turn to be surprised. Xia Er asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing. You're the fastest woman I've ever met to get out the door."

"Isn't this good? Hmm... to be honest, I haven't showered for several days."

Normally, when Ciel returned from the forest, she would take a bath first, but this time a lot had happened, leaving her no time to take care of her personal hygiene. The girl sniffed her arms and found they smelled.

"Are there any bathhouses in town? We can take a break after we finish our business, if there's still time," Ma Li said.

The half-elf girl was about to raise both hands in agreement, but then she remembered that according to the agreement, she would also have to pay for the bath, and suddenly felt that it wasn't absolutely necessary to take a bath.

(End of this chapter)