"Really?" A hint of a smile flashed in Ronan Kendrick’s eyes as he looked at her with a smug expression.

"Of course."

"Alright, I believe you."

Evelyn Ford took out the sweater and socks she had crocheted for him. "Look, what are these?"

"New ones?"

"Yeah. If other people have them, you should too."

Although Evelyn Ford estimated it would only take about twenty more days to leave the Yaxi Basin, the river was growing narrower the farther east they went. A thin layer of ice had begun to form on the surface, and everyone worried the rest of the waterway would be blocked by ice and snow. If that happened, their only options would be to leave on foot or wait for it to melt.

The fishing boat traveled for another three days. By then, the river had narrowed to only fifty meters wide. Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell came to discuss a plan with Evelyn Ford.

"A thin layer of ice is starting to form on the water, the river’s getting narrower and narrower, and the temperature keeps dropping. What do we do if the waterway ahead is completely blocked by glaciers?"

"Don’t panic. Here’s the plan: if it’s really blocked, we’ll stay on the boat for the time being, but we’ll have to pull it ashore. We could freeze to death if we try to leave on foot. If it’s just glaciers in the way, I have a way to deal with that."

Evelyn Ford took out a pair of binoculars to look into the distance. The river twisted and turned, limiting her view. They could only take it one step at a time.

"My worry is that this extreme cold won’t end anytime soon. If a mini ice age starts, we’ll be stranded halfway." Taylor Vance’s brow was furrowed. He had roughly calculated the remaining journey; another half a month and they would be back in their own country.

They discussed it for several hours, but no one could come up with a good solution.

A sudden idea struck Evelyn Ford. "There should still be horses on the shore. Tell Miles Vaughn to stop the boat and pull over. Ronan Kendrick and I will go look in the forest. If we can find a herd of horses, we can get back even if the river is blocked by ice."

Evelyn Ford was a woman of action. She immediately told Miles Vaughn and the others to bring the boat to the shore. She then called Ronan Kendrick, ready to head into the forest to find the horses.

"I’ll go with you. I can ride, so I should be able to help." Miles Vaughn put on his hat, looking eager to go.

"I’ll go too," Wyatt Vaughn also stepped forward. "I can ride as well."

The others wanted to go as well, but Evelyn Ford turned them down. "The four of us will be enough. Everyone else, stay on the boat and be on standby. Don’t disembark. There are snow leopards in the mountains."

After gearing up from head to toe, the four of them disembarked and set off. The snow-covered mountain forest was extremely difficult to traverse. The snow was deep, and a single misstep could cause a person to sink right in.

After walking for about half an hour, Evelyn Ford spotted some horse manure.

"There are signs of a herd here. Let’s search the area. Don’t go off alone, and don’t stray too far."

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick went left, while Miles Vaughn and Wyatt Vaughn went right. They all had whistles to blow immediately if they encountered danger.

There were also some hoofprints on the snow. The trees in the forest were draped with chains of ice. It was amazing that a herd of herbivores like horses could survive under these conditions; their will to live was no less than that of humans.

"Over there." Ronan Kendrick took Evelyn Ford’s hand and led her forward.

"Ronan Kendrick, do you know how to ride a horse?"

"No."

Evelyn Ford smiled. "Me neither. But if we really find a herd, we’ll have to learn on the spot."

"If we ran into any Musk Oxen right now, we could tame them as mounts too. It’s too cold for cars to run anyway."

Evelyn Ford muttered to herself as she walked. Twenty minutes later, she and Ronan Kendrick arrived at a valley where the herd was eating leaves. They were ramming their bodies against the trees, shaking off the snow and ice. Once the trees broke, they could eat the vibrant green leaves.

Evelyn Ford stared at the herd and counted. There were only six horses. ’Not enough.’ 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"That big, dark-red horse must be the leader. As long as we tame it, the others will follow. I’ve seen documentaries; these wild horses are fierce and will only submit to a very strong human."

Evelyn Ford looked at Ronan Kendrick. He raised an eyebrow, seeming to be in a good mood.

"I’ll go."

Evelyn Ford smiled, pressing her lips together. "Good luck. I’ll tame that other chestnut horse."

The two of them snuck up behind the herd. When the horses weren’t looking, Ronan Kendrick leaped onto the dark-red horse’s back. The horse began to buck, trying to throw him off, but Ronan clung tightly to its mane, his body pressed against its back and his legs gripping its belly. The powerful aura he exuded instantly intimidated the animal.

The other horses stamped their hooves nervously. At that moment, Evelyn Ford charged forward. The chestnut horse was very tall, and she needed an excellent jump to get on. Evelyn grabbed its mane and flung her entire body onto its back.

The chestnut horse had a bad temper too. Evelyn Ford took out a whip and struck it lightly. This only made the horse angrier, and it began to gallop. It tried to throw her off with its tail, but Evelyn copied Ronan Kendrick, pressing herself tightly against its back. She was nearly thrown off several times, but she held onto its mane for dear life and kicked its neck. The chestnut horse, completely enraged by Evelyn, let out a furious cry.

"Don’t be mad. Come with me. I’ll take you on a trip abroad. You might even get to see the great plains! This whole land of ice and snow is no fun at all." Evelyn Ford began to sweet-talk the horse.

Half an hour later, the chestnut horse, worn out from Evelyn Ford’s torment, had no choice but to submit to her devilish clutches.

When she returned to the valley, Ronan Kendrick had already tamed the other four horses.

"Evelyn Ford, are you okay?"

"I’m fine. I succeeded. But the seams on my pants burst while I was riding."

Ronan Kendrick didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Let’s head back first, then. You’re choosing this horse?"

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Her name is Lil’ Chestnut, and she’s my mount from now on. Ronan Kendrick, you should name your horse too."

Ronan Kendrick thought for a long time. "Then let’s call her Felicity. As in, good fortune."

Evelyn Ford...

"Just kidding. His name is Blackie."

Evelyn Ford was even more speechless.

"It’s fine. It’s a great name. Let’s go."

Evelyn Ford looked at the horses following behind Ronan Kendrick and couldn’t help but click her tongue.

’She’d tamed one horse, while Ronan Kendrick had tamed five, and he still looked completely relaxed. Meanwhile, she was exhausted, the tops of her thighs were sore, and her butt was aching from being bounced around.’

"We need to make some saddles. I have no idea how to make those things. We can ask Miles Vaughn and Wyatt Vaughn when we get back."

Evelyn Ford took out her whistle and blew it twice. A moment later, two answering toots came from the distance.

Back at the fishing boat, everyone was standing on the deck. They were all stunned when they saw the horses Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick had brought back.

"You really found a herd of horses?"

"We only found six. Put up the deck railings. We need to go back into the mountains to cut down some trees and build a simple pen. And we need more leaves, so we’ll have to cut a lot."

"We’ll go get the leaves. You two get some rest. Where are Miles Vaughn and the others?"

Evelyn Ford took off her fogged-up goggles. "They’re on the mountain to the right. I heard their whistle, so they should be back soon. There aren’t enough horses. There are ten of us, so we’d have to ride two to a horse, but we also have supplies to haul. We’ll rest here for two days and then go back into the mountains to see if we can find a few more."

They used wooden planks to build a ramp, making it easier for the horses to get on the boat. Peter Owens and Officer Graham had already grabbed knives and gone to cut branches, while Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell worked on the railings.