Big G, Coffee Machine and Goblin

Chapter 13 Finding a Temporary Parking Lot

Ma Li listened to the half-elf girl recount the great battle that took place more than a hundred years ago.

Looking again at the ruins in the distance, now covered with grass and moss, I had a new feeling.

It's as if you can glimpse a corner of the fierce battle from those ruins, where the roars of warriors and the desperate cries of the trolls at sunrise linger together above the dilapidated castle.

Witnessing these historical events firsthand is also part of the journey.

Speaking of travel, Ma Li had always had plans to go, both domestically and internationally, and there were many places he wanted to visit. However, due to work, he hadn't been able to make the trips and could only indulge in the experience through games.

Later, due to continuous overtime work and irregular work and rest, my health deteriorated, so I resigned from my original company, which unexpectedly freed me from the heavy workload.

However, his body was not suited for long-distance travel, and the uncertainty of the future also dampened his enthusiasm for the trip.

Unexpectedly, the arrival of the red mist led him on a journey.

Ma Li gripped the steering wheel, feeling the bumps coming from under the seat.

Driving on unpaved roads requires extra caution, but on the other hand, it also makes the driving experience less monotonous.

It's like an intimate dialogue with the earth.

The driver needs to decipher the hidden messages transmitted through the chassis and suspension, which is perhaps part of the fun of off-roading.

About half an hour later, neither the village nor the castle had disappeared.

The voice from the passenger seat also disappeared.

When Charles first took a car ride to Eagle's Beak City, he was indeed very excited. He not only actively acted as a tour guide, explaining the local customs, history and anecdotes of the continent to Mali, but also occasionally exclaimed in surprise, such as "The trees are moving backward!" or "They're flying!"

Sometimes he would whisper to Ma Li, "Is there a demon imprisoned under the car, desperately pulling it?"

However, she soon started to yawn. Charles hadn't slept all night, and unlike Marie, she hadn't had any coffee.

As the car swayed, the half-elf girl quickly succumbed to the overwhelming drowsiness and drifted off to sleep.

Her sleeping posture was strange; she curled up in a ball on her seat with one arm draped over her head, like a little beagle.

After hitting her head on the glass several times, she changed direction and leaned against the armrest box on the other side.

Charles didn't know how long she had slept. When she opened her eyes, she found that the SUV had stopped.

There was no one in the driver's seat.

The half-elf girl was startled, but fortunately she soon saw Ma Li outside the window again.

The latter was holding two small cylinders in front of him, walking back and forth.

The girl rubbed her eyes as she pushed open the car door, just as her stomach started growling again.

"Oh, it's dinnertime again. What are we having for dinner? Canned food?"

When she said the last two words, her tone rose noticeably, indicating great anticipation.

However, Ma Li said, "No, let's eat in town."

"Go into the city?" Charles was taken aback.

“Eaglebeak City should be just ahead,” Ma Li said, pointing in a direction to his side.

The half-elf girl instinctively wanted to refute, because the last time she went to Eaglebeak City, it took her five and a half days, and that was when the journey went relatively smoothly without encountering any trouble.

It's only been half a day since they set off, and it's not even dark yet, so how come they're almost there?
But when Charles looked in the direction Ma Li was pointing, he indeed saw a town at the foot of the mountain. Was it newly built? No, impossible. A new town couldn't be built overnight.

First, there must be a castle. Around the castle, some basic living and trading areas will appear. Then comes the long wait for the population to grow and gradually form a town. This process may take decades or even hundreds of years.

Then the half-elf girl took the small cylinder that Mali handed her and, imitating Mali, held it in front of her eyes.

The next moment, the blurry town in the distance suddenly became clear.

Charles felt as if he had flown to the city gate, which startled him so much that he almost dropped the little thing he was holding. But then he saw the tall towers on both sides of the city gate, with their red spires that looked like a pair of sharp eagle beaks.

It really is Eagle Beak City!

The half-elf girl was dumbfounded, for the first time in her life she felt that her small village and the big city were not so far apart.

"Why did you stop when you were almost there?"

"Oh, I'm looking for temporary parking."

"Temporary...parking lot?"

Ma Li didn't plan to drive the G300p into the city, at least not before obtaining his alchemist identity. Otherwise, if he couldn't explain himself or if the city's powerful figures noticed him and impounded the SUV on some pretext, he would suffer a huge loss.

Money is a minor issue; the real problem is that there's nobody left in Luoyang right now, so theoretically he can drive any car he wants.

The main problem is that this means he'll have to walk back.

You have to hike through forests, canyons, and red mist; it would take at least ten days to half a month to get down.

Just to be on the safe side, don't drive into the city. Find a place to hide the G300p and pick it up when you're done running errands.

Ma Li looked around at many places, but still didn't know which place was safer and less likely to be spotted by passersby.

Fortunately, Charles was an expert in this field. Her years of hunting experience allowed her to easily distinguish between human and animal footprints on the ground, and also made it easier for her to find a safe place to stay in the mountains and forests.

Finally, Ma Li drove the off-road vehicle to a secluded cave halfway up the mountain. The half-elf girl found some dried bear droppings from somewhere and sprinkled them outside the cave entrance.

According to her, this would scare away other wild animals, and experienced hunters would stay away from it.

After locking the car, the two found some branches and stones to cover the entrance to the hole, making it difficult for outsiders to spot, before continuing their journey.

The half-elf girl led the way, while Ma Li followed behind, carrying a backpack and holding a trekking pole.

The two arrived in Eagle's Beak City before nightfall.

Along the way, Ma Li was stared at quite a bit because of his blue windbreaker, cargo pants, and hiking boots. Fortunately, we were already very close to the town, so no one made a move.

However, they encountered some trouble when entering the city.

After discovering that Ma Li was a foreigner, the guards searched his backpack and found a bunch of strange-looking things inside.

Finally, they took a few items, saying they would send them to the Alchemist's Guild for further evaluation, and would return them if there were no problems.

Charles was somewhat dissatisfied and wanted to argue with the person who looked like the captain, but Mali stopped him.

"Forget it." He gestured for the half-elf girl to look at the corner, where a dwarf caravan's goods were being searched. The caravan leader—a burly dwarf with a beard tied like a braid—was yelling angrily, but it was no use.

Moreover, Ma Li had no idea how the guards judged suspicious items. They took bear spray, a compass, and a can of deep-fried tuna, but left behind a camping knife and a small can of natural gas.

　sense
　　
　
(End of this chapter)