Big G, Coffee Machine and Goblin

Chapter 48 Dreaming Back to the Millennium

Since the car navigation system was no longer working, Ma Li simply removed it. Now, in its place is a compass and a photocopy of the Principality of Calderan.

He took a sip of the still-warm coffee, placed the thermos on the cup holder, and then turned on the CD player. This time, it was Pu Shu's "New Boy" playing.

Yes, I see sunshine everywhere/happiness floating in the city sky.

The new century arrived like a dream, filling me with warmth.
Is your old pocket watch still ticking? / Are your old leather shoes still wearable?

Here's a Future brand cigarette / Don't you want to try it?
…………

This is a Windows advertising jingle from 1999.

Although Pu Shu himself stated in a later interview that he did not like the song, "New Boy" did indeed carry people's beautiful expectations for the new millennium and was very popular at the time.

It was playing on loudspeakers in almost every street and alley.

That was the period of China's rapid economic growth, when opportunities were everywhere, and people were full of confidence in the coming 21st century, just like the song says.

"The road ahead will be free of pain; how cool will our future be?"

Ma Li also hoped that the caravan's first trade would go smoothly.

The truck's mud tires rolled over the snow-covered wasteland and withered grass, and then waded through a stream covered with a thin layer of ice.

Every now and then, tree branches extending horizontally from the roadside would brush against the roof of the car, making a rustling sound, and further ahead, the road would become a steep and rugged mountain road.

Although it's called a mountain road, it's actually just a narrow path worn down by passing vehicles and pedestrians. Moreover, because Baimu Village is located in such a remote area, few people go there regularly, resulting in the road being in a very untouched state.

Ma Li remembered this place. He used to slow down when driving his G300p through this section of the road, but now he was completely focused the whole time, not daring to be careless for a moment, and constantly turning his head left and right to check the rearview mirrors on both sides.

Especially before entering a curve, they would steer as far as possible to stay on the outside, then cut inwards when entering the curve, and pull back to the outside lane when exiting the curve.

This increases the turning radius and reduces the risk of roll.

However, mountain paths in the wild are not as sturdy and stable as highways. You have to be careful every time you go close to the edge, and there are always loose stones and clods of earth rolling down from the cliff.

Occasionally, large rocks will be encountered in the middle of the road. In such cases, Ma Li will stop the car and let Holden and the others push the rocks away before continuing the journey.

I don't know if it's because the song "New Boy" really brought good luck, but there hasn't been much rain lately, and the snow on the mountain hasn't melted yet, so the risk of landslides is not high.

The snow nearby reflected light so intensely it hurt the eyes. After enjoying the view outside the window for a while, Charles started rubbing his eyes frequently.

Fortunately, Ma Li was prepared and wore sunglasses in advance, so he was not greatly affected.

He also took a bag of Little Raccoon instant noodles from the storage box above his head and gave it to the half-elf girl as a snack.

Two hours later, the truck passed the most dangerous section of the road, and the road ahead became smooth again.

However, before Ma Li could catch his breath, a new situation arose.

Two groups of people appeared to be fighting down the hillside in the distance. However, they were too far away to see the details clearly.

Ma Li instructed his co-pilot, Sharl, to take the binoculars off her head. The half-elf girl had used them before and quickly got the hang of them. She put them in front of her face and let out a gasp.

"It's the lizardmen! They're robbing... Uncle Barney's caravan."

"Do you know them?"

Charles nodded. "The villagers call him Blackheart Barney in private, but the people in Eagle's Beak prefer to call him Garbage Collector Barney or Cowardly Barney, because his caravan is small and he only has a few guards. He doesn't dare to go here or there, so he never gets the big money. He's busy from beginning to end all year round, but he can only earn a little bit of hard-earned money."

"But he was also one of the few merchants who were willing to do business in Baimu Village. He would buy grain and animal hides from the village and take them to Eagle Beak City to sell. However, he would often drive the price down very low. He would also bring inferior iron farm tools that city people would not value to the village to sell."

"He had just been to the village about three days ago, but he was so unlucky that he ran into the lizardmen on his way back."

"How many of those lizardmen are there? Are they very powerful? How do they compare to goblins?" Ma Li then asked.

"Let me count, um, one, two, three... there are six lizardmen in total, and there is another one in the distance that should be their leader. I have never fought with lizardmen, but my dad said that they are much stronger than goblins, stronger than humans, and agile as well, and they have scales on their bodies."

"Although they are far less tough than dragon scales and not as good as chainmail, they still have decent defensive capabilities. If you are not strong enough or your weapon is not good enough, it will be difficult to break through their defenses."

"They are born robbers. Regardless of age or gender, they do not engage in production and live entirely by robbing! Like goblins, they can be seen all over the continent of Revatres. Forests, swamps, deserts... their strongholds are everywhere. They are the monsters that merchants hate the most."

After listening to the half-elf girl's words, Ma Li made a decision without much hesitation. He shifted gears and accelerated while pressing the steering wheel to honk the horn.

He then picked up the walkie-talkie and called out to the passengers in the passenger compartment, informing Will and the others of the emergency situation ahead and asking them to prepare for battle.

Ma Li's idea was simple: apart from rescuing people, the newly formed caravan, including the four guards and himself, were all rookies with little combat experience. They had hardly ever cooperated before and needed to improve their teamwork through real battles.

The seven lizardmen seem like perfect practice targets.

They were much stronger than those green-skinned goblins, but not ridiculously so. And according to Sharl, they would likely have to deal with these guys again on the journey ahead, so it was good to get a feel for their strengths and weaknesses here first.

As the truck accelerated, the distance between the two sides quickly closed.

Even without binoculars, Ma Li can now see what those things look like. They do look very much like lizards, with triangular heads, vertical pupils, pointed mouths, sharp barbs growing on the back of their necks, and skin covered with scales. However, they can walk upright like humans.

Moreover, their weapons and equipment actually looked quite good. Some of the lizardmen held flails in one hand and kite shields in the other. The emblems on the shields showed that they were made by the Morales family, the rulers of Eaglebeak City.

This suggests that these guys, or someone among their companions, had fought against the guards of Eaglebeak City.

On the hillside, there was a lizardman riding a wild boar, probably imitating a knight from the continent of Revatres, wearing full armor except for a helmet.

The main problem is that the head shapes of lizardmen and humans are so different that armor can still be used to fit them, but helmets are completely out of the question.

It also noticed the approaching heavy truck and looked up in this direction.

(End of this chapter)