Inside the carriage, Peter Owens was drenched in a cold sweat from the pain. After disinfecting the carriage, Evelyn Ford took out a black bottle. The pills inside, which she had refined from Mandala, served as an anesthetic.

Peter Owens took a pill and quickly passed out. Evelyn Ford reached over to unfasten his clothes. Ronan Kendrick stood nearby, his face impassive, but he didn’t try to stop her from operating.

"Can you hand me the tools?"

"Yes," he replied, his voice somewhat cold. If Evelyn Ford were to turn around, she would have seen the conflict in his eyes.

Even though it was a minor surgery, Evelyn Ford was still a little nervous.

Half an hour later, Evelyn had treated the incision and let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"The surgery was a success."

Peter Owens was still unconscious. After putting the lamp back into her space, Evelyn Ford picked up the medical kit and opened the carriage door.

"How’s Peter Owens? Was the surgery a success?"

"The surgery went well. Peter Owens hasn’t woken up yet."

"That’s great! That was terrifying. Acute appendicitis is horrible. When I was a kid, my neighbor’s son had it and died before he even got to the hospital."

Evelyn Ford agreed. Although an appendectomy is a minor surgery, twenty or thirty years ago, it could certainly be fatal.

Especially now, with how harsh conditions were. Without the means to perform surgery, a person could literally die from the pain.

That night, no one dared to sleep soundly, afraid that something might happen to Peter Owens. Fortunately, he woke up the next morning. Although his wound was a bit painful, he was in relatively good spirits.

"Miss Ford, thank you."

Evelyn Ford waved her hand. "You’re welcome. Mr. Graham has already brewed some medicine for you. You’ll sleep for a few more hours after you drink it. We need to get back on the road. Can you handle it?"

"No problem." Peter Owens grinned. He already had an honest, simple-looking face, and his smile made him look even sillier.

Officer Graham brought a bowl of medicine for Peter Owens to drink. With the carriage and container packed, the group set off once more. The road was flat, and the carriage rode smoothly with hardly a jolt.

Aside from strong winds, Stone Ridge presented no other dangers; they didn’t encounter any wild beasts on the way. However, once they entered the ridge, the sun vanished behind the clouds. The sky turned dark and oppressive, as if it were about to rain, and waves of cold air washed over them. Evelyn Ford put heating pads in her shoes, but they grew cold within about two hours.

To get through Stone Ridge as quickly as possible, the convoy planned to travel without resting, stopping only to feed the flocks and herds and for bathroom breaks. Mina and Blackie were curled up inside the carriage, while the two birds flew outside.

She slid open the window and saw strange rocks piled into various formations, which looked man-made. Not far away was a large boulder, on which the words "Stone Ridge" were faintly visible.

Hugging a hot water bottle, Evelyn Ford curled up by the window and gazed outside.

’Lately, it feels like my life is on repeat. Every day is the same: travel, rest, chop firewood, cut branches...’

Her hands had grown very rough. She rubbed some hand cream into them, staring at their red, swollen skin for several seconds.

Ronan Kendrick took her hand, enveloping it in his own. His hands were so warm, so reassuring.

"Ronan, your body is incredible. You don’t get chilblains, you never gain weight, and you don’t seem to age. It’s wonderful."

Ronan didn’t reply, simply frowning as he examined her red, swollen fingers.

"Let me see your chilblain cream."

Evelyn Ford raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to use it too?"

She then took out a jar of chilblain cream and handed it to him. Ronan opened it, glanced at the contents, then pricked his finger and let a few drops of his blood fall into the jar.

"Ronan, you..."

"It should help," he said, stirring it with a small spatula until the fresh blood was completely mixed into the cream.

Evelyn didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Ronan was using his blood to keep her alive. As she watched him apply the medicated cream to her hands, her heart ached.

"You can’t do this again. The chilblains don’t hurt at all."

’I don’t want to become a leech, constantly feeding off of Ronan.’

"Evelyn, you know my body is unique," Ronan said, his expression completely serious. "Even if I were severely injured, I’d heal quickly. So you don’t need to worry, and more importantly, don’t feel guilty. I don’t like seeing that look of guilt in your eyes."

"But I feel like a vampire, always taking your blood."

"I’m more than happy to let you keep taking my blood."

He still looked so heroically fearless. Evelyn was both amused and exasperated.

Before he could react, Evelyn lunged forward and gave him a quick kiss.

"Thank you."

"Not sincere enough. Do it again."

Evelyn pinched his cheek. "Get lost."

Evelyn hummed a tune as she looked out the window. Ronan scooted closer and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You’ve been very moody lately. A book I read said this is called menopause."

Evelyn whirled around and grabbed his neck. "You’re the one going through menopause! Ronan Kendrick, you are so dead."

Ronan let her press him against the wall of the carriage by his neck, a smile still on his face as he looked at her.

"This is more like the real you."

「Three days later.」 The sprawling convoy finally exited Stone Ridge. Peter Owens’s incision no longer caused him much pain, but he still couldn’t move about freely. Aside from bathroom trips, he had to remain lying down in the carriage.

Beyond Stone Ridge lay a vast plain, but it was a plain without grass—only snow and permafrost.

The permafrost was harder than rock. In marshy areas, however, it became a muddy slush. If you fell in, you would sink quickly, making it incredibly difficult to get out—much like quicksand in a desert.

They still had some fodder, but only enough to last for two days. They had to find trees or grassland as soon as possible before their supply ran out.

This was Evelyn’s first time seeing the plains. They were vast and boundless, stretching to the horizon. But the barren, frozen earth lent the landscape an air of infinite desolation.

Right now, the most pressing problem wasn’t the fodder shortage. It was the complete lack of cover. There wasn’t a single rock in sight, making even a trip to the bathroom a challenge.

Evelyn could make do with cat litter, but the others would have to hold it. After all, nobody wanted to use an open-air toilet in full view of everyone.

Around eight in the evening, they finally spotted a small grove of trees. The group was so relieved they almost wept with joy. Everyone who needed the bathroom made a mad dash for it, afraid a moment’s delay would be too late.

The Mammoth stopped at the sound of Ronan’s whistle. Evelyn saw Quincy run so fast that he tripped and fell, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

"Miss Ford, do you need to go?"

Evelyn shook her head. "You all go ahead. I’m not in a hurry." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Evelyn and Ronan stayed behind to start a fire and boil water. Half an hour later, the others began to trickle back.

"Honestly, there’s no need to be so shy," Zion Lowell said. "If you really can’t hold it, just relieve yourselves on the spot."

As soon as he finished speaking, the others gave him an exasperated look.

"If we don’t go far enough, what if the sheep eat it?"

"No way, right? Sheep aren’t dogs."

Everyone couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

As miserable as their situation was, they still found it hilarious.

The flock of sheep, not understanding the commotion, heard the laughter and began to bleat along.

"Evelyn, today I finally understand what a road trip from hell really feels like."