Big G, Coffee Machine and Goblin

Chapter 44 The Golden Hound
In order to complete Baldur's Gate 3, Mali set off a few days later than originally planned.

However, he eventually completed all the preparations before departure, stepped on the pedal, and climbed into the driver's seat, which was higher than himself.

I already felt the seating position was quite high when I drove the G300p before, but that was compared to a sedan. Getting into the truck is like switching to a top-down view in a game, and the field of vision becomes incredibly wide.

Contrary to what many people imagine, the driving experience of trucks is actually quite good, at least on the highway it's quite pleasant.

The original car features excellent suspension seats and large side mirrors. However, you need to be careful when turning, as the extra-long body results in a large turning radius, and it's not as easy to stop as a small car.

There's nothing we can do about it; it's a limitation at the physical level.

Once inside the canyon, the newly built road, which Ma Li had worked so hard to construct, came in handy.

Even though it's just a roadbed of intermittent gravel and sand, it's much more comfortable to drive on than before. I don't need to constantly watch the road ahead, worrying about where I might get stuck or where I'll have to detour.

Ma Li set off at 3 p.m., and if he wanted, he could probably drive out of the canyon by 1 a.m.

However, this was only the first day of his trip, and he didn't want to stay up so early, so he parked his car and rested at 10 pm.

It has to be said that having a container is really convenient. You don't even need to set up a tent to sleep; you can just sleep in the container. The armored metal body gives you a great sense of security. It's just that when Ma Li is sleeping on the floor, he sometimes misses the separate bedroom that he dismantled.

Fortunately, the shower room and toilet were preserved.

Before going to bed, Ma Li took a hot shower. As for the water and energy consumed, there was no need to worry. Firstly, he installed photovoltaic panels on the roof of the car, so he could charge the car with the help of sunlight when he left the red fog and went outside.

Secondly, as a byproduct of road construction, Ma Li also set up many supply points in sections of the canyon, where he stored water, oil, and food.

This ensures that he is always at full strength when he leaves the red fog, and as long as he has enough diesel fuel left to drive into the red fog, he can immediately get supplies on the spot.

He even parked an SUV at the end of the red fog, just in case the heavy truck broke down on the way and he had to walk across the canyon back to the city.

After reading a few more chapters of "A Novice Solving a Major Case," Ma Li turned off the lights and went to sleep.

…………

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Charles opened his eyes, quickly dressed, splashed some water on his face in a basin, and went to the small hill under the cherry tree, where he stood on tiptoe and looked toward the forest.

This has almost become her daily routine, but today she still couldn't see the little train that was belching out black smoke.

A voice came from behind the half-elf girl, "He won't be coming back."

It was Melissa who spoke. Chief Lord Diamond had found a place for Houghton and Will to sleep in the barn, while Melissa stayed at the Shire's cabin.

After spending time together, the two have become friends.

Melissa really liked the half-elf girl's carefree and enthusiastic personality, which was like an energetic golden retriever.

Even if it sometimes gets into trouble, as long as it tilts its head back, sticks out its tongue, and gives you a fluffy smile, all your dissatisfaction with it will melt away with that smile.

That's why Melissa felt it was necessary to tell Charles the truth.

“You’ve lived here all this time, so you should know better than me how dangerous that red fog is. No one can live in it. Besides, winter is almost over, and it’s already been more than two or three months longer than he promised.”

Melissa paused, then repeated, "He won't be coming back." The snow on the ground made Charles's face gleam, and she bit her lip as she retorted, "No, Master Mali will come back, he promised me."

“You’ve lived in this little village for too long, Charles. In the outside world, people always deceive each other.” Melissa rubbed her hands together, her breath quickly dissipating into the air.

"Especially men, don't expect them to keep their promises."

The half-elf girl couldn't argue with her, but she still insisted, "He will come back!"

Melissa was almost going crazy. In her eyes, Charles was even more like a puppy than Horton, inheriting their stubbornness as well.

She felt she had made a reasonable argument, but it turns out that you can't reason with people and dogs.

"Whatever." She gave up on one last attempt. "Will and I are leaving tomorrow anyway. His arm is healed, and we have a lot of things to do. We can't waste our time here endlessly."

Upon hearing this, Charles nodded, and without saying a word, turned around and went back into the house.

When she came out, she first threw Melissa's belt, which was full of daggers, then grabbed a wooden shield with one hand and drew a short sword from her waist with the other.

"What?" Melissa asked, grabbing the belt in confusion.

"Let's have another fight, before you leave," the half-elf girl said eagerly.

"You idiot, can't you understand what I'm saying? He's not coming back, so why are you still training like this?" Melissa's temper flared up.

"Want to teach me a lesson? Then do it!" Charles said, full of fighting spirit.

Melissa really wanted to teach this stupid half-elf a lesson, so she stopped talking nonsense, untied her cloak, and fastened her belt.

"Give up. Even if you train for another ten years, you still won't be able to catch up with me."

Despite saying that, she had actually seen Charles's progress in this short period of time, and was somewhat alarmed.

When the two first started sparring, Melissa could easily defeat Charles.

Over the past few months, the gap has been narrowing rapidly.

It's important to know that Melissa and Will both started learning martial arts from a young age, and Melissa's teacher was no ordinary person. In contrast, Charles was just a village girl from a small village who lost her mother at a young age, and her father was just a third-rate adventurer.

Doesn't this mean that if the two of them receive the same training, Ciel will perform better than her?
Melissa refused to accept this possibility, and she shouted, "Take this!" before raising her hand and throwing two throwing knives!

The whistling flying knife was blocked by the half-elf girl's shield, but Melissa took advantage of the moment when the wooden shield blocked Charles's view, and also took a pair of long legs, silently circling behind her opponent.

A small knife, like a venomous snake, swiftly coiled around Charles's neck!
This was Melissa's trump card, a move she had never used in front of Charles before. However, considering that the two were about to part ways, she decided to stop holding back and teach this stubborn golden hound a lesson.

However, just as she was about to succeed, the knife was stopped.

Charles had already sheathed his short sword at some point, blocking the attack in time. Moreover, while Melissa was still stunned, he twisted his waist and lowered his shoulder, ramming his head into the latter's chest.

(End of this chapter)