Old Paul, the owner of the bakery, was kneading dough, muttering to himself, "I wonder where Old John went? I went to look for him today, but he wasn't home."
Old John was Old Paul's neighbor. His family ran a liquor store, selling everything from wheat beer to wine. Old Paul would sometimes go to Old John's house when he was feeling peckish, and he could always get a few drinks to satisfy his cravings.
Today, after selling bread at noon, he thought he would go sit down for a while in the afternoon.
To his surprise, when he got to the door, he found that Old John's house was closed, with a sign that read "Closed" hanging on the door.
What's going on?
Old Paul scratched his head, puzzled.
Old Paul sometimes gets lazy and decides not to open the shop. If it weren't for his skill in making bread, the shop would have been shut down long ago.
The wine brewed by Old John's family is exceptional, yet they never mention closing down for a day.
You should know that Old John's family has been running their shop for decades since they moved here. They open for business whenever someone comes to buy alcohol.
But today, even though it's not a holiday or festival, Old John's family is not opening their shop!
Could something have happened?
Old Paul kneaded the dough while thinking worriedly.
Meanwhile, John, whom Paul was worried might have gotten into trouble, was driving an oxcart with his wife Ella to the border between the East and West districts.
East is simply divided into two districts.
The East District is the municipal center of East, where nobles and cultivators live and go. The West District is the commoners' district, with countless taverns and restaurants, and many merchants set up stalls there.
Therefore, when old John, a man who looked like a commoner, drove his oxcart to the border, he attracted a crowd of onlookers.
Everyone's eyes followed the oxcart until it stopped in front of a tall building.
Everyone looked up to see where the oxcart was headed, and the words "Explorers" came into view.
Everyone immediately looked away and began to whisper among themselves.
"What's this old man doing here?"
"Who knows? I wouldn't go on an expedition at such an advanced age!"
"That's hard to say. What, can't the old man take a risk?"
The two middle-aged men teased each other for a while, then looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Old John ignored the sarcastic remarks coming from those around him, his expression remaining unchanged.
He tied the oxcart to a stone pillar and reached out to help Ella off the cart.
Everyone felt inexplicably out of place watching his actions, and laughter rose and fell.
Although the building in front of us does not occupy a large area, its overall gray-black color gives it a very solemn appearance.
A giant lion stands at the entrance, carved from a single block of stone. The lion is so lifelike that its mane seems to flutter in the wind. It is in a roaring pose, its mouth wide open, as if a lion's roar can be faintly heard coming from it.
The entire lion exudes an aura of power!
But now, the majestic lion has a rein on one foot, and the other end of the rein is tied to the cow's nose.
Following the reins, people focused their attention on the cow.
Perhaps it was because of the intense gazes from the crowd that the cow suddenly let out a "moo," and everyone burst into laughter.
Ignoring the surrounding laughter, Old John helped Ella down and then reached out to stroke the cow to soothe it.
Then, ignoring the intense gazes around him, he led Ella slowly into the "Explorer's" building.
As the name suggests, "Explorer" is a place to stay prepared for explorers.
At first, the explorers were all lone wolves, venturing out alone. However, as their numbers gradually increased and information was shared, a few powerful explorers came together and created the Explorers' Association, which anyone who loved adventure could join.
"Explorers" was created by the Explorers Association and is located in major cities. You can find "Explorers" not only in bustling cities, but also in remote towns.
"Explorers" is not only the base of the Explorers Association, but also a place for every explorer to exchange information, receive tasks, complete tasks, and relax along the way.
This place also offers explorers gourmet food and fine wine, as well as temporary accommodation, all of which require payment.
After all, the Explorers' Guild isn't a charity.
When Old John entered the "Explorer's" cabin, it was at its most bustling time.
Inside the "Explorers' Club," the place was bustling with activity. Groups of two or three sat together, their tables laden with a dazzling array of delicacies, their hands holding huge barrels filled with fine wine. A few burly men, talking about something, suddenly slammed their barrels together and burst into laughter.
Besides them, there were also a few explorers sitting in the corner, talking quietly, seemingly exchanging information.
Old John and Ella entered silently, and no one noticed their sudden appearance. Everyone was still engaged in lively conversation or enjoying their food and wine.
Old John didn't seem to care and led Ella through the crowd to the bar.
Annika was organizing the recently released adventure quests behind the bar, categorizing them, marking their rewards, and then nailing them to the black wooden board in front of the bar for adventurers to choose from.
A knocking sound came from inside. Annika looked up and saw two slightly weathered middle-aged men.
Annika raised an eyebrow, surprised to find it was someone she knew.
"Old John, what brings you here today? I don't recall ordering any wine recently!"
Old John's wine was renowned far and wide, not only for its mellow aroma but also for its potent aftertaste, making it a favorite among explorers. As a result, explorers frequently sourced their wine from Old John's distillery.
Annika put down her work, somewhat curious.
"Why is Ella here too?"
Old John always delivered the wine, and Annika only saw Ella a few times because she occasionally had a sudden urge to go to the winery.
Annika asked with some concern, "Has something happened?"
However, the two people in front of them shook their heads, with smiles on their lips, as if nothing bad had happened.
Annika became even more curious.
Fortunately, old John didn't keep him in suspense and directly stated his purpose.
“Annika, we’re not here to deliver alcohol. We’d like to ask someone to take us somewhere.”
Ella added, "In other words, we're here to issue exploration missions."
"Eh~"
Annika's eyes widened in surprise, finding it hard to believe what she was hearing. She couldn't help but ask, "Are you leaving?"
Old John nodded.
"Absolutely true?"
Ella nodded.
"Then what about our wine?! We'll be out of wine then?!"
Annika wailed, "Old John's wine is never enough!"
Old John's family looked unusual, with black hair and black eyes. No one knew where they had moved from, but they had moved to Eastbourne twenty years ago and opened a distillery to make wine.
At first, nobody came to visit, since the old John family looked so strange that the people around them were wary of them.
But one day, the neighbors suddenly smelled a special fragrance, faint yet irresistible.
The crowd, unable to resist the urge, followed the aroma and finally stopped in front of Old John's distillery.
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