Ethan Dawson thought Evelyn Ford was about to say something important, and his expression immediately turned serious.
"Go on."
Evelyn Ford jutted her chin toward the pond. "There are several bodies in there."
Ethan Dawson froze for two seconds, then grabbed onto a ginkgo tree and started retching loudly.
The others wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, their gazes turning toward the pond.
"Evelyn, I don’t see any bodies."
Evelyn Ford picked up a dry branch from the ground and stirred the water with it. After a moment, she used the branch to lift a skeleton to the surface. A tattered short-sleeved shirt still hung from its frame, which was tangled with water weeds and moss.
Ethan Dawson took one look, let out another retch, and vomited up last night’s dinner.
"There are a few more. Want to see them?"
Everyone quickly waved their hands. "No, no, we’re good! Thank God I didn’t drink any of that water."
Look at Ethan Dawson, a strapping man over six feet tall, now with tears in his eyes from vomiting so hard.
"Ethan Dawson just said the water was sweet," Quincy chimed in, twisting the knife without a shred of compassion.
Hearing this, Ethan Dawson vomited so hard he was spitting up bile.
"So, why are there so many bodies in this pond anyway?"
"It’s simple." Evelyn Ford, channeling her inner Conan, began to solve the case for them.
"These people were either murdered and dumped in the pond, or they committed suicide by jumping in."
Miles Vaughn stroked his chin. "I think murder is more likely. If they were also refugees and made it this far, it’s unlikely they’d kill themselves. Maybe a killer wanted their food or luggage, so they murdered them and dumped the bodies."
"It’s also possible they tried to kill the murderer and got killed in return. In any case, whoever dumped them in the pond and contaminated the water source is a real bastard."
Ethan Dawson weakly raised his hand. "When you’re discussing all this, could you please spare a thought for my feelings? I... GAG..."
Everyone struggled to hold back their laughter. They never thought they’d see the day Ethan Dawson would be so embarrassed.
"Let’s go. Back to the RV to eat something. We should get moving," Evelyn Ford said, glancing back at Ethan Dawson.
"Can we reach Frelia by tomorrow?"
Ethan Dawson’s face was pale. After all the vomiting, his steps were a little unsteady.
"We should be able to. I don’t think I’ll be able to drive for a while."
Miles Vaughn clapped him on the shoulder. "Just get some rest. You’ve really been through it, drinking corpse water. Evelyn, he won’t get poisoned, will he? I’ve heard bodies carry some kind of corpse toxin."
Evelyn Ford took out a black pill and gave it to Ethan Dawson. "He won’t be poisoned, but the water was definitely contaminated. He might get diarrhea."
Ethan Dawson took the pill, but it smelled so foul that he rushed to the side, bent over, and started vomiting again.
Evelyn Ford’s mouth twitched. Murmuring, "What a sin," she pulled Ronan Kendrick away.
Back in the RV, Evelyn Ford took out cooked food from her dimensional space, and everyone sat around eating together. Meanwhile, Ethan Dawson stood a short distance away, holding a rinsing cup and staring at them mournfully.
Miles Vaughn waved him over. "You’ve already used half a tube of toothpaste. Stop brushing and come eat."
"Ethan, you only had one sip. You’ll be fine after taking the pill Evelyn gave you," Taylor Vance added, trying to console him.
Ethan Dawson sighed. "I can’t eat. You guys go ahead."
Seeing him suddenly become as melancholy and frail as Diana Lynch, everyone found it a bit jarring.
"Have some lemonade to whet your appetite."
Ethan Dawson sighed again. "Evelyn, if something like this happens again, please don’t tell me. I don’t actually have a very strong stomach for this stuff."
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.
"Alright," Evelyn Ford said, glancing at the others. "From now on, I’ll only tell them."
Ethan Dawson... ’So you’re just going to ostracize me, is that it?’
After breakfast, the RV set off again. They drove around the oasis and back into the desert. Quincy returned the phone to Evelyn Ford. She glanced at it and saw it was full of selfies of him and Zoe.
’What a narcissist.’
"Frelia, here we come!" It wasn’t too cold during the day, so everyone opened the windows for some fresh air. Quincy started acting up again, sticking his head out and yelling.
Zoe copied him, waving her hands just like her dad and shouting, "AWOO, AWOO!"
Watching the two of them, Evelyn Ford leaned over to Ronan Kendrick and whispered, "Don’t they remind you of those two huskies we met back in Westeria?"
Ronan Kendrick glanced at the father-daughter pair leaning out the window and nodded seriously. "They’re identical. A perfect match."
Wendy had officially finished knitting the pink sweater for Officer Graham. When she gave it to him and told him to try it on, Evelyn Ford saw a flash of hesitation and conflict in his eyes.
"Wendy, this color would suit you better."
Wendy shook her head. "Dad, I custom-made this sweater for you. You have to wear it."
Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Officer Graham braced himself and put on the pink sweater.
Immediately, the RV erupted with bursts of laughter.
"Now that’s what a real man should wear," Quincy said, winking at Evelyn Ford. "Give me your phone. I have to take a picture of Mr. Graham."
Evelyn Ford handed him a new phone. "It’s yours. Now stop bugging me."
"You’re the best! From now on, your big bro will pinch every penny to make sure you’re well-fed."
Evelyn Ford gave a dry laugh. "That won’t be necessary."
Officer Graham, still unaware that Quincy had secretly taken several photos of him, tugged awkwardly at his new sweater.
"It fits perfectly." You could tell he was very surprised and happy, as well as a little shy.
"Dad, I’ll knit you a green one next."
Officer Graham coughed. "Green makes my skin look dark. It doesn’t suit me."
"That’s true. What about purple?"
"If I wear purple, I’ll look like a taro root. Wendy, Dad still prefers pink. Don’t trouble yourself."
Wendy sighed. "Dad, you’re so picky. Fine, I’ll crochet you a pair of pink wool slippers later."
Officer Graham nodded. "Thanks for all your hard work."
"Hehe." Wendy was finally satisfied.
Evelyn Ford, watching from the side, was holding back her laughter so hard her stomach hurt. How had she never noticed this father-daughter duo had the makings of a comedy act?
The third day of their desert journey ended smoothly, once again without any incident.
Frelia was getting closer and closer. Within the group, only Zion Lowell and Ethan Dawson had ever been to Frelia; the others knew nothing about this mysterious place.
"Frelia is beautiful. It’s vast and abundant with resources—it has everything. Snow-capped mountains, grasslands, lakes... Frelia can be like the northern frontier, but it can also be like the gentle south."
"Mr. Lowell, when was the last time you went to Frelia?"
Zion Lowell drifted into his memories. "It must have been twenty years ago. Back then, I went to Frelia to visit an old friend who was ill. I stayed there for half a month."
Everyone turned to Ethan Dawson. "What about you? When was the last time you went to Frelia?"
Ethan Dawson thought for a moment. "For me, it was also over twenty years ago. I was just a kid then, visiting Frelia on a trip."
Everyone was thrilled and excited. Quincy immediately started planning their life after arriving in Frelia.
"In short, as long as our big family stays together, we’re not afraid of any hardship."
"After all, with Ronan Kendrick protecting us, we can feel completely safe."
"I want Evelyn to protect me."
"Then you might as well have a Gatling gun protect you."