"I understand."
John nodded slightly in agreement.
Although John had not recognized the style of the earring before, the craftsmanship alone made it clear that it was of considerable value. What he had not anticipated was that it belonged to the daughter of Lord Calia, Phoebe Calia.
Given that this involved the lord's daughter, it was clear that the matter was no simple affair, nor was it something John was qualified to be involved in.
Of course, John had no desire to get mixed up in such matters.
"May I ask your name, sir?"
"John."
"No problem, Mr. John. Given that this involves the lord's daughter, I need to report this matter as it is. Lord Calia might even seek you out to ask about the details. If it's inconvenient for you, you could relay the details to me, and I can explain them to the lord on your behalf."
Hearing this, John pondered for a moment before shaking his head, "No worries, I have enough spare time."
"That's good. Please make sure to return and keep the earring safe."
"No problem."
After discovering the owner of the earring, John had a vague feeling that this matter might be related to some hidden quest.
Yet, in his past life, John had never heard of any hidden quests involving Lord Calia. Most of the time, the tasks were straightforward, like clearing out monsters.
"Johnny, do you think... the lord might think we killed Miss Phoebe and lock us up?"
"It's hard to say; I can't be sure either."
John sighed lightly, helplessly saying, "As far as I know, Lord Calia is a well-respected lord, but after all, it concerns his own daughter, and no one can guarantee he won't lose his reason over it."
"What should we do then? Should we leave the earring with the pawnshop owner and let him explain for us?"
"It's useless, the pawnshop owner already remembers us. If Lord Calia insists on seeing us, and considering Calia isn't that big, we can't leave for another city until we level up, we'll have to face this matter eventually."
"Okay..."
Lily bit her lip corner, clearly still uneasy.
"Let's go to the Armor Shop. If the lord truly needs to find me, they definitely will."
...
"Boss, I really don't think this set of [Finely Forged Crimson Battle Armor] looks all that great, even though it's exquisite-tier gear, it seems a bit too pricey."
"Really? I think it's quite pretty. Don't you think it matches my hair?"
In front of the magical mirror, Helena tossed her long hair and held her gauntlet sword across her chest, striking a very cool pose.
Unfortunately, Exiled Immortal felt nothing, but that was normal; after all, he was even younger than Lily, a true teenage boy, which was probably why he chose a name like Exiled Immortal.
"Boss, that John, what class do you think he is? I scrolled through hundreds of pages on the Leaderboard a few days ago, looked at thousands of names, but didn't notice his. Is it possible that he just looks extraordinary but is actually just bluffing?"
"Have you noticed something strange?"
Helena turned around, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes. "Although I've always been first on the Leaderboard, before I reached Lv7, every time I leveled up, I would receive a system's extra +10% Exp bonus, but I haven't seen that bonus in a long time."
"Are you saying that someone deliberately hasn't turned on the Leaderboard and has already..."
"Yes, and my intuition tells me that this person..."
Helena was about to continue speaking when she heard a delightful chime of wind bells, and the attentive clerk quickly came forward to greet them.
"Welcome to Navillette Armor Shop, esteemed customers. What type of armor are you looking for?"
"We'll just look around ourselves."
Helena knew this voice all too well.
Even without seeing the face of the voice's owner, one could still discern his confidence, as if there was always a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
"John, I didn't expect to bump into you here in Calia City. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"Helena, the illustrious captain of the Pioneer Squad, long time no see."
John was somewhat taken aback as he slowly approached, smiling, "Congratulations."
"Hmm, I actually find that seeing you here brings me more joy than any famed reputation out there."
As she spoke, Helena turned around and spotted a set of leather armor in the display case.
After a moment of contemplation, she pointed at it and said, "Could you take that one out for me?"
"No problem."
The clerk bowed respectfully, opened the display window, and carefully handed over the very sexy-looking leather armor.
Helena received the armor, casting a meaningful glance at John before turning and entering the fitting room.
In less than two minutes, the curtain of the fitting room was swept aside, and a leg as smooth as cream peeked out first—its skin gleaming, the calf well-formed, embodying beauty with strength.
The next second, Helena fully came into John's view.
The snug leather armor contoured Helena's graceful figure, revealing her flat abdomen where the beginnings of toned abs could faintly be seen, her breasts pushing against the armor, round and full.
However, what caught the most attention was her long, fiery red hair.
No matter where she went, Helena was always the focal point of any crowd.
Meeting John's gaze, Helena felt no shyness; instead, she confidently spread her arms and twirled in front of him, asking, "Pretty, isn't it?"
"Beautiful."
...
Noticing John's fixed stare, Lily bit her lip gently.
Looking at Helena's full figure and then at her own, a sudden flare of unnamed resentment sparked within her.
"Showing your belly button like that, you'll catch a cold someday!" Despite her reluctance, even Lily had to admit, Helena really looked stunning—confident, beautiful, and openly displaying her gorgeous figure with such ease, a poise Lily might never learn. With that, she turned and walked away.
"John, do you remember what I told you the last time we parted?" Helena asked.
"Of course."
"Join me. I'll give you the captaincy of Pioneer Squad. Just say the word, and you'll lead us. How about that?"
John immediately replied, "I have a suggestion too. Why don't you leave Pioneer Squad and join me instead?"
"Hmm... that's not impossible," Helena nodded slightly.
"Definitely not happening!"
Hearing this, Exiled Immortal could hardly contain himself.
The boss always seemed so rational, so why did she often make such irresponsible remarks whenever she saw this John?
What was it about him?
"Boss, what about us if you leave Pioneer Squad?"
"Ah, it was just a joke, Exiled Immortal. Don't take it seriously."
"That kind of joke should be avoided in the future. Boss, you're responsible not just to yourself, but to us too."
"Alright, alright, I get it, from now on..." Helena was about to continue when suddenly a soft yet firm voice called out,
"Johnny!"