The snow in Eldoria had begun to melt, revealing treacherous ground. The road was a mix of frozen earth, ice, and rocks. The animals frequently lost their footing, and wagon wheels would sink into the permafrost, making them incredibly difficult to free.

Eldoria’s soil was black, with a thick layer of permafrost whose surface was crusted with white frost crystals. Their wagon wheels kept sinking into the frozen earth, and everyone had to get out to push.

To lighten the load on the wagons, everyone had no choice but to get out and walk on the muddy, frozen roads.

They had originally planned to be out of Eldoria in two weeks, but under the current conditions, they were only managing to cover a little over thirty kilometers a day. At this pace, they would likely only get halfway in that time.

Thankfully, these treacherous stretches of frozen road weren’t constant. They would only encounter a few hundred meters of it every one or two days.

Eldoria was mountainous with complex terrain. The trees here had almost no branches, so they had to chop them down, scrape the snow and ice off the trunks, and let the flocks and herds eat the bark.

Furthermore, the forests of Eldoria had many eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus aren’t cold-hardy plants, and at these temperatures, they had all frozen to death.

Fodder became an issue, and the frozen earth exacerbated the difficulty of their journey. Everyone grew anxious, fearing the animals would starve.

Evelyn Ford could only secretly give the herds and flocks extra rations. Fortunately, back at the safe zone, she had worried that the withered grass at Four Seasons Green might cause a fire, so she had cut it all down. She had also chopped plenty of branches along the way. Her supply of fodder was more than enough; getting these animals all the way to the Northwest would be no problem at all.

During this period, everyone’s shoes were wearing out at an alarming rate. Fortunately, the hides from the Musk Oxen they had slaughtered earlier had already been processed. Evelyn Ford had curved needles, so everyone learned to make their own shoes from the leather. They were ugly, but the hide was incredibly durable and wouldn’t damage easily.

As they entered Eldoria’s most perilous region, the Volan Canyon, Taylor Vance warned everyone to be on high alert. The canyon road was a treacherous, winding path, and not only was it rugged and dangerous, but rocks could also fall from the canyon walls. One moment of carelessness could get you crushed.

Before the apocalypse, it was known as the Valley of Death. Explorers had ventured into the canyon, only to never return. The paths inside were a confusing labyrinth; a single wrong turn could lead you into a toxic mine or send you plunging into a massive pit.

Evelyn Ford remembered reading a news report once that the Volan Canyon contained arsenopyrite, the raw material used to make arsenic.

The group hadn’t even entered the canyon yet when the sound of rolling stones echoed from up ahead. But this was the only road to Khoros, so they could only brace themselves and press on.

Once it grew quiet up ahead, the group began to enter the Volan Canyon. To prevent falling rocks from crushing the wagons or the flock, they moved at a rapid pace. They didn’t even dare to speak loudly, fearing it might trigger a rockslide.

A river once flowed through here, its current terrifyingly swift. It had dried up during the period of extreme heat, leaving behind nothing but jumbles of rock and mounds of snow.

Since the path through the canyon was so difficult, riding in the wagons was not only jarringly bumpy but also added to the horses’ burden. So, everyone, bundled in all their gear, had to dismount and proceed on foot again.

Evelyn Ford leaned on a walking stick with one hand while Ronan Kendrick supported her with the other. Officer Graham and Donovan Irving were having a particularly hard time. Both walked with a limp and stumbled every few steps.

Wendy, despite her young age, was in excellent physical shape. She was very sure-footed and almost never fell.

The three elk were in an even sorrier state. The doe took a fall and broke one of her antlers. To help her keep her head balanced, they had no choice but to saw off the remaining one.

Just then, a series of thuds—THUMP, THUMP, THUMP—came from behind them. A huge boulder rolled down the mountain, nearly crushing one of the argali sheep at the rear of the column. The terrified flock scattered in every direction. The group could only pick up their pace, desperate to get out of the canyon as soon as possible.

But the canyon was long; it would take at least ten days to traverse. Under these conditions, they could only subsist on dry rations for their meals. Their nightly rest periods also had to be shortened, and they had to do their best to find places where the canyon walls were less steep before they could stop to recuperate.

"This road is absolutely brutal," Quincy complained. "Good thing I strapped on these leather kneepads, or my kneecaps would’ve been shattered by now." The words were barely out of his mouth when, with a WHAP, he fell again.

Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell were older, but both pushed themselves to keep up with the group, never once stopping to rest.

"I can’t wait until we reach the great grasslands. The roads there have to be easy to travel."

"Not a chance," Taylor Vance said with a wry smile. "The permafrost on the plains might be even worse. Not unless the temperature rises to fifteen degrees above zero and the frozen layers start to thaw."

Everyone’s expression soured. Khoros stretched for three thousand kilometers. If it was all frozen earth, they were in for a world of suffering.

"I actually think the conditions on the plains will be a bit better, because of the altitude," Evelyn Ford offered.

Evelyn Ford was comparatively optimistic. Hearing her words, the group once again felt a spark of hope for the grasslands.

But the rocks that periodically tumbled down from the canyon walls had everyone as jumpy as startled birds.

When they reached a relatively wide section of the canyon, Evelyn Ford surveyed the surroundings with her binoculars. The canyon walls on both sides were low here, the slopes gentle. Any falling rocks wouldn’t pose a danger. They decided to rest here for half a day to water and feed the animals. It was also a chance for them to have a hot meal and warm their frozen feet.

Quincy and Miles Vaughn unloaded wood and branches to boil water, while Officer Graham and Peter Owens took charge of feeding the animals.

The others shoveled snow into a large pot to melt. Evelyn Ford went to check on the flocks and herds, worried about being caught off guard by a sudden birth like last time.

Once the water was hot, they soaked their previously baked flatbread in the pot to soften it, adding salt, pickled cabbage, and Dried Meat. Their meal was as simple as that. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Once they had warmed up a bit, they would have to set out again to cover more ground before dark.

"Get on. I’ll carry you," Ronan Kendrick said, squatting in front of Evelyn Ford. His brow had been furrowed the entire time, watching her struggle to walk.

"I’m not tired. It’s just the road that’s difficult."

Ronan Kendrick didn’t say anything, just stared at Evelyn, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"You’ve fallen thirteen times today." If he hadn’t been holding her up, every single one would have been a hard fall.

Evelyn Ford chuckled. "It doesn’t hurt. Getting back up after a fall and keeping going... that’s a sign of an indomitable spirit, right?"

"Doesn’t hurt?" Ronan Kendrick was clearly skeptical.

"Nope. I’m tough as nails now. Besides, I’m wearing so many layers that it doesn’t hurt when I fall."

’Getting back up is the hard part, though.’

Thirteen falls was nothing, really. The others had probably fallen a hundred times each by now. Every few minutes, you could hear their pained cries of "Oof!" and "Ow!"

The lambs were constantly falling and bleating pitifully. Thankfully, the argali were large and had thick fleece, making them a particularly cold-hardy species.

"You’re so stubborn. And for the record, you are not ’tough as nails.’"

Seeing her insistence on walking on her own, Ronan Kendrick could only continue to support her.

"Once we’re out of this canyon, the road should be much easier. And look, the sun feels closer every day. I checked the temperature—it’s already climbed to negative fifty-nine degrees."