The thunderclap, neither loud nor soft, gave old John a sense of déjà vu.
To be honest, old John felt it was somewhat like the thunder they often heard in Thunder Valley.
But why would he think they are the same?
Old John felt a strange unease, wondering if he had misheard.
After all, this is a barren land, so how could there be thunderbirds here?
However, just as he was secretly denying his own guess, a dark shadow suddenly flashed before Old John's eyes.
Old John thought it was just his imagination and didn't pay any attention.
But the next second, the shadow flashed past his eyes again.
Old John then realized something was amiss.
This time, even Ella noticed something was off.
As Ella watched the fleeting black shadow, she had a strange sense of familiarity.
So she reached out and tugged at old John's sleeve, and couldn't help but ask softly, "Look, doesn't it look like a little crow?"
"Little Crow" is Ella's nickname for the young Thunderbird.
The fledglings were all black, looking exactly like crows.
Old John was stunned. Could it really be that baby bird?!
His gaze unconsciously followed the dark figure.
Perhaps sensing Old John and his companion's gaze, the dark figure slowed down.
Compared to before, Old John could vaguely tell that the dark figure was actually a small bird that was entirely black.
Looking at it this way, it seems to match Ella's guess to some extent.
Then, the little bird circled a few times on a dead tree not far away, and landed on a branch, casting its gaze toward Old John and his companion.
Those bright golden eyes looked at them, and judging from its size, it really was that baby bird!
Old John looked surprised, but before he could figure out why the baby bird was there, Carl and Lady came out of the horse farm.
"Old John!"
Lady's voice arrived before she did.
Old John immediately composed himself, pretending nothing had happened, and turned to look at Lady.
However, he was a step too late, and Lady saw the change in his facial expression clearly.
Lady became curious and quickly walked over to Old John's side, looking around curiously in the direction Old John had been gazing.
Unfortunately, when Lady looked over, all she saw were a few dead trees not far away and a few scattered patches of withered grass; there was nothing else.
"Hey, what are you looking at?"
Seeing Lady's reaction, old John felt a moment of panic and thought to himself that something was wrong.
"No, there's nothing to see. We just saw how dry it was. Ella and I had never seen anything like it before, so we were just looking around out of curiosity."
Old John wore a slightly embarrassed smile, and Ella nodded in agreement.
Not only that, old John lowered his eyes slightly, seemingly embarrassed by his apparent lack of knowledge.
However, no one knew that in that instant when he lowered his eyes, Old John's gaze casually drifted towards Lady's direction.
Although it was just a glimpse, old John still saw what he wanted to see.
Fortunately, the baby birds had disappeared from the dead tree.
His slightly tense nerves relaxed.
Disappointed, Lady turned her gaze away. She had thought there would be something new and interesting, but it turned out to be just this barren land!
However, from the perspective of the elderly John and his wife, how much could Lady understand?
Old John and his wife used to live in East City and never left. It's understandable that they would be curious about coming to the Barren Lands.
"Alright!"
Carl walked up slowly from behind by himself, while Jim stayed at the stables to take care of Carl's three swift horses.
Carl walked up to old John, pretending not to see him. His expression relaxed, as if nothing had happened.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Old John immediately smiled and said no.
Although it was already afternoon, the sun was still high in the sky.
Seeing this, Karl took out his pocket watch and checked the time.
It's 2 PM now, an awkward time, with some time before it gets dark.
After a moment's thought, Karl began to explain his arrangements.
“Old John, what do you think? Let’s rest for the night and set off for the outer edge of the Barrens tomorrow morning.”
"Just as we agreed before, we'll stay on the outskirts for three days, no, two days."
"We must come back on the third day."
Karl had originally planned to stay in the barren land for three days, but upon seeing the food supplies the group had, he immediately abandoned the idea.
Aside from the remaining portion intended as rations for the return journey, the rest, if used sparingly, would barely last them four days. Considering the increasing water shortages as they progressed, two days was Karl's ideal estimate.
If things go badly, we might have to leave tomorrow and come back the day after.
Carl told old John about these concerns.
I thought old John would be unhappy because the number of days didn't match the agreed date, but to my surprise, he still had a smiling face.
Old John nodded in understanding, agreeing with what Carl said.
“Okay, Carl, I trust your judgment.”
It has to be said that Lady was instantly moved upon hearing such understanding words.
He couldn't help but reach out and put his arm around old John's shoulder, patting his own muscular chest and making a solemn promise.
"Old John, you're truly a good friend. Don't worry, you've suffered a loss this time. If you ever need anything in the future, just come to me! I'll definitely keep my word!"
Old John heard a series of "bangs" in his ears, which showed how sincere Lady's promise was!
Old John couldn't help but laugh a little guiltyly; only he knew why he was doing so.
Carl had a faint smile on his lips. Although he didn't say anything, he seemed to be touched by how easy-going Old John was.
However, no one noticed that his eyes swept over Old John's guilty smile with a meaningful look.
Something seems off!
Since old John felt that Carl's arrangement was fine, then Ella had even less to worry about.
After discussing it, Carl and Lady led the old John and his wife to the camp next to the "explorers'" temporary outpost.
The campsite is slightly larger than the horse ranch, but it's still incredibly small compared to the Misty Forest.
This is where explorers usually rest and recuperate before setting off for the Barrens, and it is also where they rest after returning from exploring the Barrens.
When the four entered, the camp was empty and there was hardly anyone in sight.
Therefore, we know that at this point in time, the other explorers had not yet returned.
So Karl led the three of them inside.
Although the area around the camp near the Barrens was not as safe as that in the Misty Forest, Carl chose a more central location just in case, since the old John and his wife had no ability to protect themselves.
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