Old John assumed that Annika from "The Explorer" meant she would get back to him in two days.
However, to everyone's surprise, half a month has passed.
There was still no word from the "explorers," and no one had come looking for them.
In the first few days, only Ella was panicked and kept urging old John to go to the "explorers" to ask about the situation.
Unfortunately, old John remained unmoved, thinking it was only a few days later, and the explorers might arrive anyway.
Given that he had been dealing with the "explorers" for nearly twenty years, he naturally believed that the "explorers" were trustworthy and would not do anything that would break their word.
He even solemnly assured Ella that the "explorer" would definitely keep his word.
In any case, for the sake of those two East Pearls, the "explorer" will probably keep his word.
Fortunately, Annika came to explain the situation shortly afterward.
Old John's task has already been taken over, but the two are currently still in Hope City, and it will take some time to get from Hope City to East City.
Annika estimated that the explorers from Hope City would arrive in about ten days.
After Annika explained the reason, it did put Old John and Ella at ease.
However, as time went by, Annika's words lost their power to reassure people and make them wait patiently.
At least for now, not only is Ella restless, but even old John is terrified.
Even he couldn't help but wonder if the two of them had been tricked by the "explorer".
Could it be that the "explorers" only want the Pearl of East and refuse to take on the task of two commoners?
Just as old John was filled with anxiety and restlessness, there was a knock on the door of the distillery.
"Bang bang bang—"
At this moment, old John and Ella were sitting in the inner room, looking at each other in silence.
Upon hearing the commotion, old John immediately got up and strode outside, with Ella following closely behind.
They were two complete strangers.
The two men were so tall that they completely blocked the entrance to the distillery.
It was midday, and the intense sunlight streamed in through the window, generously showering the two of them.
Therefore, old John could see both of them clearly.
A man with short, dark red hair, a serious expression, and sharp eyes entered and immediately began to survey his surroundings without making a sound.
However, he quickly averted his gaze and stood quietly to the side.
The other person had slightly longer brown short hair and a much more carefree expression.
When he walked in, he looked around the rather empty hall with a curious expression, as if wondering why it was so deserted.
Moreover, both of them wore relatively light armor, which is generally preferred by explorers.
Because such light armor can protect vital parts from injury while allowing for easy movement.
Besides, the two people in front of me were both travel-worn and unkempt, clearly having traveled a long way.
Judging from their attire and expressions, they were very much like explorers who had come from Hope City.
Old John's eyes immediately lit up with surprise.
The explorers have really arrived?!
The moment Old John turned around, Carl noticed the other man's gaze.
He casually raised his eyelids slightly, and before old John across from him noticed, he had already returned to normal.
With just one glance, Karl lowered his eyes slightly, but couldn't help raising his eyebrows slightly.
This was a middle-aged man with a slightly unusual appearance. He had short black hair, was of medium height, and did not have deep-set eyes like most people, nor a high nose bridge.
Although her appearance seemed somewhat plain, she possessed a strange allure that drew people in to investigate further.
"Who's here? Who's here?"
Ella stepped out from behind Old John, her face clearly showing her impatience, as she asked the question anxiously.
Having waited a long time for the explorers, Ella's anxiety grew.
After seeing the attire of the two people who entered, Ella's eyes, like Old John's, lit up with surprise.
Are you on an expedition?
Unlike old John, who, though full of guesses, hesitated before asking aloud.
Ella blurted it out immediately.
"Yes, madam."
Lady, who was still looking around, heard the voice and turned to face Old John and Ella.
Immediately, Lady lowered her head slightly, looked down, placed her right hand on her left chest, and bowed to Old John and Ella.
He then slowly straightened up and finally saw what the couple looked like.
Unlike Carl, who would ignore what he found strange, Lady couldn't control her facial expressions at all.
He immediately demonstrated what it means to be dumbfounded.
The couple in front of me didn't have the striking features of ordinary people; they had a strange quality that was easy to forget at first glance, yet also very attractive.
Moreover, for some reason, Lady saw a strange resemblance between the couple.
If it weren't for the fact that the wife's long hair was piled up at the back of her head, which was particularly noticeable, Lady would have suspected that the people in front of her were twins.
Therefore, Lady was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth, and his right hand pointed from Ella to Old John, and then from Old John back to Ella.
"You, you, you..."
Lady was clearly out of the loop, but thankfully Carl was there.
Carl remained expressionless, took a step forward, covered Lady's foolish appearance, placed his right hand on his left chest, and bowed to the couple in front of him.
Good day, sir and madam.
"I am Karl, the explorer who accepted the mission."
"I and this man behind me, Lady, will escort you both to Hope City and the Barrens."
"I'm sorry, Lady and I are only just arriving."
Carl briefly introduced himself, explained his purpose for coming, and apologized for being late.
During this time, Lady quickly returned to normal. Although her expression was still a little unnatural, it was not as exaggerated as before.
Old John and Ella quickly introduced themselves and said it didn't matter that they were late, but they hoped to set off for Hope City as soon as possible.
Karl readily agreed to such a request.
However, he still has one more question to ask.
"Have you two packed your luggage?"
Ella nodded eagerly: "We've already packed up."
Carl noticed Ella's eagerness and suggested, "How about we leave tomorrow morning?"
Ella looked troubled; in fact, she wanted to leave right now.
But the explorers made this suggestion...
Ella looked up at Old John's expression and saw that he was giving her a subtle wink, clearly signaling for her to agree.
Since Old John had said so, Ella finally nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that's fine too."
Although Ella agreed very reluctantly.
Carl could tell that Ella was unwilling, but there was nothing he could do about it.
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