It was less how simple the quest was, it just needed some justification. "Get me this thing and I'll tell you story" doesn't really work for me. What if instead, the old man was struggling to talk and the character said "Maybe some water will help him?", then as a thank you the old man gives some back story? It tells you a bit more about the character and the location, while also making it something urgent enough that the player feels justified spending time on it.