Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Ethan Dawson
Ethan Dawson invited Zion Lowell to Fairgate to help build some cabins. The pay was a barrel of gasoline. Zion Lowell didn’t want to go at first, but seeing how sincere Ethan was, he ultimately agreed.
When Evelyn Ford wasn’t developing poisons, she was tilling the fields in her dimension. Ronan Kendrick had built several aquaculture ponds next to the well, and the fish, shrimp, and crabs they’d brought back from Tarr City were starting to multiply rapidly. It was just a shame they hadn’t activated the aquaculture section of the dimension while they were drifting at sea; all the fish they’d caught had already been processed.
The wild-caught sea fish tasted much better than the ones she raised herself. If it weren’t for the baskets of tuna and king crab piled high in her dimension, Evelyn Ford would have thought their time on that little island had all been a dream.
Evelyn Ford made some crab roe buns. When Officer Graham came over to report on the fence repairs, she gave him a steamer basket full and told him to take them home for him and Wendy to share.
"Were these made with the seasonings you brought back from Tarr City?" Officer Graham asked, a subtle reminder for Evelyn to be careful about letting others know. Evelyn just smiled, not denying it.
"Yes, they taste pretty good. Wendy should like them."
Officer Graham still looked a little worried. "Is Ronan Kendrick all right?"
"He’s fine. Why do you ask?"
Officer Graham hesitated, then spoke. "Those side effects of his are pretty severe, aren’t they? Is that ability of his the reason his hair turned white?"
Evelyn Ford froze. She hadn’t expected Officer Graham to connect it to Ronan Kendrick.
"It’s a minor issue. Not a lasting side effect."
Officer Graham’s expression grew serious. "Innocence is no protection when you possess a treasure. You absolutely cannot let anyone else know. Not Quincy, not Wendy—no one."
"Okay, I understand."
Officer Graham picked up the food to head back. Before he left, he looked at Evelyn and gave a slight nod. "Ford, thank you for trusting me."
At dinner, Evelyn brought up the matter. "Mr. Graham is completely trustworthy. Quincy wouldn’t betray us, but he has a big mouth, so it’s best he doesn’t know about things like this. Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell are good people, but I still feel a certain distance from them. As for everyone else... well, that goes without saying. In our entire group, Mr. Graham is the only one I trust one hundred percent."
"I trust him." Ronan Kendrick smiled. "You said it yourself—he was a criminal detective. He sees the patterns in things, so it’s not like we could hide it from him anyway. He never lets on that he knows and still does his best to help us clean up our messes. That shows his character is reliable."
Evelyn Ford sighed. "The temperature has started dropping again these last few days. Fluctuating back and forth like this, a lot of people are bound to get sick. I just don’t know if the Fairgate farm will be finished before the next wave of extreme cold hits."
She had come to believe the prophecy’s contents: after the animal mutations, there would be five years of extreme cold. Trees would wither and die, the land would become barren, and the environment would grow ever harsher.
With limited resources, the survivors would turn on each other, killing for territory and supplies just to stay alive.
「One month later.」
The Fairgate farm was officially complete. Evelyn Ford went to take a look. It covered a considerable area; the cabins and the greenhouses for the aquaculture zone were all finished. Even the earthen pits looked properly constructed.
When Evelyn Ford arrived, Ethan Dawson was leading a dozen or so men, digging for groundwater. He was now the leader of Fairgate Farm, and it was clear he was quite capable.
"Master Ford, we’ve spent the last few days digging ponds and clearing land. Do you see any areas where our farm could be improved?"
Evelyn looked around and shook her head with a smile. "Not at all. It’s better than our farm on Immeasurable Mountain. It’s twice the size, and the cabins and greenhouses are very well made."
"To be honest, there’s something I wanted to ask your opinion on, Master Ford. The temperature has shown signs of dropping lately. Do you think the extreme cold will come sweeping back?"
"The weather has always been unpredictable. I can’t say for sure."
Ethan Dawson sighed. "Looks like I’ll have to organize everyone to chop some wood and stock up. We just sowed the wheat half a month ago, and I’m worried we’ll get a blizzard or a torrential downpour. Does your farm need to go chop firewood?"
"We still have some wood. It should be enough to last us a year, maybe a year and a half."
"Master Ford, a year or two probably won’t be enough. It would be best to chop enough for three or four years."
Evelyn was surprised by Ethan Dawson’s foresight and began to size him up discreetly. ’He’s probably not the one who sent the message to Shane Landry,’ she thought. ’If he was, he wouldn’t have been in such a miserable state before.’
"You mean if the extreme cold returns, it could last for three or four years?"
Ethan Dawson nodded. "It’s a possibility. Throughout history, every little ice age has lasted for many years—at least ten or twenty. After an ice age ends, there might be a great drought. But I try not to think that far ahead. Who knows if we’ll even live to see it."
He finished, a wry smile tugging at his lips.
Taylor Vance had met Ethan Dawson thirteen years ago, so he had to be at least in his thirties. Ethan was tall and scruffy, with a scraggly beard and an unkempt appearance. When he smiled, crow’s feet appeared at the corners of his eyes, but his gaze was incredibly sharp—like a falcon that spends its life walking a tightrope.
"Thank you for the warning. It seems our preparations haven’t been thorough enough."
Ethan Dawson shook his head. "Our two farms need to stick together to survive the refugees and the extreme weather. You’ve been generous, Master Ford, willing to trade supplies with us. Your farm doesn’t have many people, so in a couple of days, I’ll bring all my people over to help you chop firewood. I figure one day should be enough."
Evelyn rubbed her nose. ’With that many people chopping wood,’ she worried, ’all the nearby trees will be stripped bare.’
"Well, thank you so much, then."
She suspected Ethan Dawson had another favor to ask. Sure enough, as soon as she agreed, his eyes lit up and he immediately jumped in. "Master Ford, actually, I was also hoping to trade for some vegetable seeds. I was wondering if you had any to spare?"
Evelyn gave a hollow laugh. "I’ve only got two packs of cabbage seeds left. You can have them both."
Afraid he might ask for something else, Evelyn made a hasty retreat.
Back at their farm, Evelyn couldn’t help but vent to Ronan.
"That Ethan Dawson is a real piece of work. He basically just copy-pasted our farm. The entire layout is identical. Theirs is just bigger—I feel like you could play a soccer match in there."
"Why did you suddenly go over there?" Ronan Kendrick asked, frowning.
"I was inspecting the thornbushes outside the fence when Ethan Dawson came by to return some tools. He said he wanted to ask my advice about some farm matters, so I went over with him."
"Shady old man," Ronan Kendrick scoffed, pulling Mina into a hug and ruffling her fur vigorously.
Mina squirmed out of his clutches and ran pitifully to Evelyn, as if to tattle on him.
"Oh, right. Ethan Dawson is bringing his people over in a couple of days to help us chop firewood. In exchange, I gave him two packs of cabbage seeds."
Ronan was perplexed. "Why is he so eager to help?"
"He said it’s about our farms sticking together to survive."
"Old guys like him are the best liars."
Evelyn suppressed a laugh. "I swear, he absolutely didn’t trick me."
