Chapter 16: Big Insect Pupa

Mali could feel that Xia'er was hiding something from him, but since the half-elf girl didn't want to say, out of politeness, he didn't go to ask.

It was just that Xia'er's "returning the menu" took a bit long. Mali glanced at his phone, and a full quarter of an hour had passed, yet she still hadn't returned.

At the same time, a new situation appeared in the Jinliyu. Except for the two people still playing cards, all the other drinkers rushed to the other side of the tavern.

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

The atmosphere was even livelier than when they first entered the store, and some people even opened a gambling game, and the drinkers placed bets one after another. Silver shields and copper Krun coins were piled on a table.

Mali also leaned out to look, but unfortunately, that place was already crowded with people, and he couldn't see what was behind at all. After another while, a burst of cheers erupted in his ears, almost lifting the roof.

The bard also took the opportunity to start a new performance. This time he played a generous and impassioned piece, the melody magnificent as if it were a heroic epic, but Mali was more concerned about where the half-elf girl had gone at this moment.

Fortunately, he finally saw Xia'er. The half-elf girl was walking shakily from the crowd.

"The dishes are all ordered, hiccup!"

Xia'er left this sentence in a hurry and turned to leave.

"Where are you going again?" Mali asked suspiciously.

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

…………

The taste of the Jinliyu was better than Mali imagined. Although the seasoning wasn't rich, it won by the freshness of the ingredients, and the cook's craftsmanship wasn't bad.

Mali didn't actually like eating carp because there were too many bones in this kind of fish, and most of them were fine bones, which were hard to pick.

However, the fish jelly made by boiling, concentrating, and filtering solved this problem. The dense small bones and fish scales in the carp had softened to form gelatin, so there was no problem of pricking the throat.

As for the fish balls, they were quite strange, actually wrapped in carp skin, stuffed with chicken and vegetables, and the texture was weird.

The pea omelet and roasted chicken were not bad. Mali already had no stomach to eat the cream nut cheese served last. It was mainly the half-elf girl who should have been the main force of dry rice, but this time she was contrary to the norm, hardly eating a few mouthfuls, and running to the latrine every once in a while. She went at least six times in one meal.

And when they finished eating and prepared to leave, Xia'er tried twice with her hands supporting the table but couldn't stand up, and finally, it was Mali who reached out and pulled her up. 【16-

"It's fine, I can walk on my own," the half-elf girl said as she strode toward the wall.

Fortunately, Mali was quick-witted and grabbed her again. "I didn't know you liked drinking so much."

"I... I'm not a drunkard, *hic*," Xia'er muttered. "This is a war, and I'm drinking with the conviction of certain victory."

"Alright, your battle is over, it's time to go back and rest," Mali said. "Tomorrow morning, before the Animal Communication Potion wears off, I still need you to accompany me to the potion shop."

"No problem."

The half-elf girl agreed immediately, but once she stepped out of the tavern and was hit by the night breeze, she sobered up slightly. Seeing the inn's sign, she suddenly remembered something very dire.

Mali had already reached the door and pushed it open, preparing to go in, only to find Xia'er still following behind him.

"Good night."

"Mm, good night," Xia'er said, but her feet didn't move.

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

"No, I was just thinking... why don't we stay in the same room? Yingzui City isn't safe; there are many thieves and pickpockets, and you're carrying quite a few alchemy creations. Besides, we spent all of last night in the off-road vehicle, right? This is very common during travel. I can sleep on the floor! Uh, never mind... pretend I didn't say anything."

The half-elf girl racked her brains to come up with a lame excuse, but she lost her nerve halfway through.

Seeing that there was no response from the other side, Xia'er hung her head in disappointment, preparing to go sleep in the stables.

Just as she turned around, Mali finally spoke, "What you said makes sense, so let's do that. But you don't have to sleep on the floor."

"You go sleep on the floor? How could that be?" The half-elf girl shook her head repeatedly.

"What are you thinking? Of course I won't sleep on the floor," Mali said. "I mean that bed is quite large, enough for two people."

"Eh?"

Now it was Xia'er's turn to be dumbfounded. In fact, if she hadn't been drunk, her face would have already been red; at this moment, she could have performed a boiled shrimp act on the spot. Even so, her earlobes were burning hot, and her mind was a complete mess.

On the other side, Mali was already washing up, then pulled a small round roll from his hiking backpack. After shaking it out, it actually turned into a large bag longer than a person.

Mali laid the bag out at one end of the bed, took off his outer coat, and quickly slipped inside. Then, with a casual pull, the bag closed up somehow, wrapping his entire body inside.

Combined with the fly-like black eye mask on his head, he now looked like a giant insect pupa.

There were always news reports that even star-rated hotels didn't clean their hygiene well, but even the worst homestay was better than the inns in this world.

Because Mali had truly seen bugs that looked like fleas on the bed, a sleeping bag became very necessary at this time.

"Get some rest early, we have a busy day tomorrow."

After saying this, Mali closed his eyes. He was truly tired; he hadn't closed his eyes for a day and a half and had driven for a long time. He even had to drink two more cups of coffee along the way just to make it this far. The moment his head hit the pillow, he immediately drifted into dreamland.

Xia'er stood there blankly for a moment, then took off her boots and leather armor and climbed onto the bed.

This bed was just as the landlady and Mali had said—it was indeed very large, more than enough for two or even three people. Moreover, the mattress made of pea husks, straw, and wool was quite soft to lie on.

The half-elf girl had originally thought she would let her imagination run wild. But Mali's bizarre appearance dispelled all her thoughts, and under the influence of both drunkenness and sleepiness, she soon fell asleep as well.

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

He discovered an arm and a leg draped over him. No wonder he had dreamed of driving in the mountains last night and being buried by a mudslide.

Xia'er opened her eyes at this moment, yawning as she said, "Morning, what's that sound?"

"My phone," Mali paused. "Could you move a bit?"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh." The half-elf girl noticed her sleeping posture at this point and hurriedly retracted her hands and feet.

Mali crawled out of the sleeping bag, put on his windbreaker and hiking boots, and after tidying up, said to Xia'er, "I'll wait for you downstairs."

After saying that, he went out. About three minutes later, the half-elf girl also came downstairs, fully dressed.

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

"No, nothing. You are the fastest woman I've ever met when it comes to getting ready to go out."

"Is that not a good thing? Mm... come to think of it, I haven't bathed in a few days."

Usually, when Xia'er returned from the forest, she would take a bath first, but quite a few things had happened this time, leaving her no time to attend to her personal hygiene. The girl sniffed her own arm; it already had a scent.

"Are there any bathhouses in the city? After we finish our business, if there's still time, we can freshen up," Mali said.

The half-elf girl was just about to raise both hands in agreement, but as soon as she remembered that according to their agreement, she would have to pay for it, she suddenly felt that a bath wasn't strictly necessary after all.