Big G, Coffee Machine and Goblin

Chapter 33 The Last Teammate

The cloaked figure looked up, scanning the quests on the quest wall, trying to find one that could be completed solo.

Just then, he felt someone put their arm around his shoulder.

"Houghton! Long time no see."

Horton didn't turn around, but twitched his black nose a few times before calling out the man's name, "Solo, you haven't changed at all, you still smell so bad."

"How dare you talk to me like that? Your fur is all matted, and you've lost a lot of weight. How long has it been since you last ate anything? Here, have something to eat first, then I'll talk to you about this request."

The monster hunter pulled out a piece of black bread and handed it to the man named Horton, who swallowed hard but still asked, "There aren't any raisins in this, are there?"

"Don't worry, it's made from rye, bran and oats, and maybe a little sawdust mixed in."

Before he finished speaking, Horton had already started munching on the black bread, making smacking noises as he ate.

Solo brought him back and introduced him to the others, "Houghton, a teammate I worked with before, his skills are undeniable."

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t hire anyone you know who’s very capable?” Charles asked. “Because we don’t have the budget.”

"Horton doesn't count. Look how hungry this kid is. He'd do anything for a little money."

"But why is he starving when he's so strong?"

"It's mainly because of his brain."

"Oh, is he mentally challenged?" Charles lowered his voice.

“No,” Solo patted Horton on the back, “take off your hood.”

Horton stopped eating upon hearing this. "Are you sure?"

"It's okay, everyone here is a friend."

Horton's eyes lit up when he heard those two words, and he then took off his hood, revealing a furry dog ​​head.

Charles couldn't help but gasp. "Orcs? Are there orcs hiding in Eaglebeak City?"

On the other side, the brother and sister adventurers also placed one hand on their weapon, looking tense.

"No, no, no, Horton is not one of those savage and brutal low-intelligence races. He is a kobold, a member of the civilized world just like us. It's just that his people mainly live on the western continent and are not so common on the continent of Revatres."

Solo explained, “Houghton didn’t come to our town voluntarily; he was abandoned here by his parents. Many people confuse him with orcs and subject him to physical and verbal abuse. Now you can understand why this guy is in such a sorry state.”

After a brief silence, Ma Li spoke first, "Is your head made of clay?"

“I don’t know.” Horton reached up and wiped the breadcrumbs off his nose. “I met a mage who was traveling. He’s been to many places, including my hometown. He told me that there are many subspecies of kobolds, although not as many as orcs. But I don’t know which race I am.”

"Anyway, I didn't meet any dogs that looked like me in Revatres."

“You must be a pine tree. There used to be quite a lot of pine trees in my hometown,” Ma Li said. “Your head looks exactly like theirs.”

"Is that so?" Horton was inexplicably happy. "Great! Did you hear that, Solo? I finally know my race! Thank you, learned alchemist."

He thanked Ma Li again.

"You are welcome."

“Speaking of which,” the younger sister of the brother-sister adventurers spoke up again, “I can understand them calling you a bastard and telling you to go back, but why do they also call you a cod eater?” As soon as she said this, Horton fell silent again, and his white ears drooped down.

Solo sighed and comforted him, "It's okay, most people already know about this anyway, so it's fine to talk about it. The reason for this is that Horton once went on a mission with a group of adventurers he didn't know very well."

"That night, he got drunk by those guys, and then they put some of that stuff, excrement, in his bread."

"You ate it?" The older adventurer looked at Horton with pity. "Those people really went too far."

“Not only that,” Horton clutched his head in anguish, “I also thought it tasted delicious.”

"........."

Everyone present fell silent upon hearing his words.

After a long while, Solo coughed lightly. "It's okay. We all have our own weird little quirks. Besides, we're just teaming up to do missions, not to become each other's life partners. There's no need to delve into these things, right?"

He spoke while glancing at the adventurer brother and sister.

The two hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, when shall we set off?" Solo asked Charles.

The half-elf girl was also in a daze. When she came to her senses, she turned to look at Ma Li.

“Let’s do it now,” Ma Li glanced at his phone. “If we set off now, we should be back in Baimu Village before dark.”

"What did you say?" Solo frowned.

Mali didn't answer, and just then, Levi and Renee came in from outside.

Upon hearing that Mali and Charles planned to leave Eagle's Beak City that day, the two of them immediately returned to Squirrel's Tail to retrieve their luggage.

The old alchemist has made up his mind to follow Ma Li from this day forward, listen carefully to his teachings, and learn ancient alchemy.

The adventurer brother and sister were surprised to see that there were two alchemists on their side.

Solo quickly purchased some dry rations and medicine, and then the group headed towards the city gate.

The monster hunter thought that Mali would hire a carriage, but the latter did nothing and just walked straight out of the city gate, and there was no empty carriage waiting outside.

The group walked until they reached a small hill. Ma Li took out the trekking pole from the side of his backpack and adjusted its length.

Solo finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Are we just going to Whitewood Village like this? Don't forget that the agreement in the quest stipulates that the round trip is limited to seven days. For every day that exceeds this limit, we will have to pay each of us an extra silver shield."

“Yes, I know. I’ll take half a day to get you there,” Ma Li said. “But you’ll have to rely on yourselves to get back. You should be able to walk back to Eagle Beak City in six and a half days.”

"???"

Everyone except Ciel was stunned when they heard this.

Meanwhile, Ma Li had already started climbing the mountain, and about half an hour later, he arrived at the cave where the G300p was parked.

The stones and branches that he and Xiaer had previously piled up at the cave entrance remained unchanged, indicating that no one or any animal had entered the cave during this period.

Mali called on Solo and the others to work together to clear a way out of the cave entrance. Then he told everyone to step back and went into the cave alone.

(End of this chapter)