Evelyn Ford was in the kitchen brewing medicine. The boat had temporarily stopped. They had been so busy rushing their journey that Taylor Vance, Zion Lowell, and Quincy had all fallen ill. Wyatt Vaughn was crying out in pain from her period. Evelyn Ford gave her acupuncture and brewed some medicine, which helped ease her discomfort.

Officer Graham, Peter Owens, and Miles Vaughn went onto the glacier to gather ice. Ronan Kendrick was in his room making crossbow arrows, while Wendy was taking care of the six small animals.

Miles Vaughn spotted an elk, borrowed a rifle from Evelyn Ford, and chased it into the distance. An hour later, he returned, dragging the elk behind him. The ice was so slippery that he had fallen several times, scraping up his face.

"Evelyn Ford, let’s have elk stew for dinner tonight."

"I’m not the head chef. You all can decide." Evelyn Ford said, looking at the plump elk. She walked over and stroked its antlers.

"Mr. Graham and I already have it planned. The two of us will cook," Miles Vaughn said, his face alight with excitement. His aim had improved so much, and now that he’d finally managed to hunt something, he was eager to share it with everyone.

"Alright, I’ll give you a hand." Evelyn Ford smiled and started boiling some water.

"Perfect timing. The medicine is ready. Everyone come have a bowl. Even if you don’t have a cold, drink it as a precaution. The temperature is dropping, and this cold air is really harsh."

Evelyn Ford called everyone over to drink the medicine, just as Officer Graham and Peter Owens returned from gathering ice.

After drinking the medicine, the group began to process the elk. Evelyn Ford placed an iron wok on the stove. Once it was hot, she added oil and seared the meat. When it was about seventy percent cooked, she added water. Soon, a fragrant aroma began to drift from the wok.

The weather was frigid, and the elk meat was perfect for warming them up and driving away the chill.

Everyone sat gathered together, chatting and joking like a family. Wyatt Vaughn even asked when Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick were planning on having a baby.

Evelyn Ford smiled. "We don’t have any plans for that right now. We’ll see what the future holds."

Wyatt Vaughn sighed. "To be honest, I’d love to have a child. But with how harsh things are now, bringing a baby into this world would be cruel and irresponsible."

Evelyn Ford agreed. Natural disasters could erupt at any moment; no one knew whether tomorrow or tragedy would arrive first.

"I wonder if we’ll ever see Serena and her family again. I kind of miss little Annie."

Quincy sighed as well. "And there’s Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman. We all made it out of Corinth alive together. With them gone, it feels like something’s missing."

At the mention of Roy Henderson, Wendy’s face crumpled and she burst into tears. "I miss Roy Henderson."

"Don’t cry, Wendy," Quincy said, patting her head. "I’m sure we’ll see Roy Henderson again someday."

"Really?"

"Of course. Say, can I play with your Snow Rabbit for a little while?"

Wendy shook her head. "No. Miss Ford gave it to me. I can’t let anyone else play with it."

Quincy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "But I’m your Uncle Quincy!"

The ten of them finished the entire elk in a single meal. True to their hopes, it warmed them up considerably, leaving a pleasant heat spreading from their stomachs.

「The next day」 The boat set off, continuing its journey. Evelyn Ford was feeling lazy, nestled in her blankets with no desire to get out of bed. Ronan Kendrick had already finished making over a hundred crossbow arrows, and the others were practicing their shooting. The sounds of their cheers and applause drifted in from time to time.

Upon entering the Yaxi Basin, they found more glaciers and fewer people, but the forests had become more plentiful.

The Yaxi Basin wasn’t an ocean, but a river stretching over two thousand kilometers.

The encroaching seawater was held back outside the Yaxi Basin, which was still home to high mountains and forests.

"At this rate, we should be back in our own country in about twenty days." Evelyn Ford folded up the map and gazed out the window. The forests on both banks of the river were a blanket of white. When the wind blew, icicles would occasionally fall from the trees.

Animals foraged in the forest. Spotting the boat, they would startle and quickly hide themselves in snowdrifts.

"Ronan Kendrick, quick, look over there! There’s an arctic fox playing with its tail."

Ronan Kendrick followed her gaze. The arctic fox did look a bit silly.

"There are three of them. Look, on the snowdrift up there—two more are hiding and watching it."

Evelyn Ford stared intently for a while before she could finally make them out.

"Those must be the arctic fox’s parents."

"Speaking of which, why haven’t Mina and that little squirrel had any babies yet? I can understand with Lola. It’s probably too cold, and birds have a natural instinct to avoid unfavorable conditions. After all, laying and hatching eggs is a long process."

"Maybe Mina is infertile," Ronan Kendrick said with a straight face.

"That can’t be right." Evelyn Ford felt a pang of uncertainty. "We might as well have just neutered him, then."

Ronan Kendrick suddenly gave her a strange look. Evelyn Ford blinked. "I wasn’t talking about you. Why are you looking at me like that?"

The corners of Ronan Kendrick’s mouth twitched into a smile. "Others might be living Bodhisattvas, but our Evelyn Ford is the living King of Hell. Impressive."

Evelyn Ford let out a laugh. "Are you complimenting me or insulting me?"

"A compliment, of course."

Evelyn Ford huffed but picked up Mina to examine him anyway. Perhaps she wasn’t an expert in veterinary medicine, because she couldn’t find anything wrong.

"Then is it a problem with Mina’s mate?"

Evelyn Ford then picked up the little female squirrel and examined it all over. It was also perfectly healthy.

"I get it now," she realized. "Squirrels usually start mating in January or February, when it’s spring and the weather is warm. It’s too cold right now. They probably think it’s still winter, so they haven’t even considered having babies."

Ronan Kendrick’s face flushed red when he heard her say the word "mating" so nonchalantly.

"Is that right? I’m going to get a glass of water. Suddenly a bit thirsty."

Evelyn Ford...

Watching Ronan Kendrick beat a hasty retreat, Evelyn Ford pursed her lips to hide a smile.

A fair number of survivors lived along the banks of the Yaxi Basin. They could occasionally spot Hunters with rifles in the mountains. In addition to igloos, there were rows of wooden cabins. Thick smoke rose from the forest, and now and then, they could hear children crying and adults cursing.

The locals were panicked and wary of the sudden appearance of the fishing boat. They only seemed to relax after the vessel sped up and vanished from sight.

The two-thousand-kilometer voyage was long and tedious, but the thought of returning to their homeland soon filled everyone with excitement.

Everyone clung to a beautiful dream: that upon their return, they would find the seawater had receded, the temperature had risen, and all of nature had been reborn.

Occasionally, they would see wild horses running through the forest—powerful, well-fed black steeds that made everyone wish they could own one.

"Miss Ford, I can hit the bullseye now!"

Wendy ran over excitedly to tell Evelyn Ford the good news. Evelyn Ford handed her a pair of newly-made socks.

"That’s wonderful. This is your reward."

"Miss Ford, from now on I can protect my dad, and I can protect you, too."

Wendy tilted her head back, proudly flexing her arm.

"Alright. Keep it up, warrior Wendy."

Ronan Kendrick would sometimes get jealous. "Who do you like more, me or Wendy?"

Evelyn Ford burst out laughing at him. Ronan Kendrick’s expression was dead serious. "Don’t laugh. Hurry up and tell me. Who do you like more, me or Wendy?"

Evelyn Ford deliberately teased him. "That’s a tough choice."

"But even though it’s a tough choice... it’s definitely you."