Mrs. Sadie was a different person after she changed her clothes.

  It wasn't just Stephen who felt that way; Arthur felt it too.

  At that moment, Mrs. Sadie was riding her horse, looking heroic as she and Hosea led the way, appearing spirited and dashing.

  "Do you think that woman is acting kind of strange?" Arthur quietly murmured to Stephen, "She feels so different compared to how she is at Camp."

  "Of course, just like she said, she's not some princess who needs to be taken care of."

  Stephen said with some relief, watching Mrs. Sadie's back.

  Mrs. Sadie's condition was what he was most worried about.

  You see, a person immersed in sorrow can't go far; sadness will gradually devour her.

  Seeing her acting normal now made Stephen genuinely happy.

  The four of them headed north from Valentine, traveling east along the Dakota River.

  Stephen had thought they would only make it to the vicinity of the Cumberland Forest at most.

  But Hosea continued eastward, and after a day and a night of trekking, they even entered the mountains of Grizzlies East.

  This area was already within the boundaries of Ambarino, a state even more sparsely populated than the others.

  As far as Stephen knew, besides a Native American tribe in Wapiti further north, the land was basically barren.

  It was quite funny, actually. Stephen had once taken on a commission from a wealthy businessman to find the governor of Ambarino.

  Stephen was puzzled. Why would finding a governor require a commission? Shouldn't you just go to the state government?

  Later, after some investigation, he learned that the governor of Ambarino was always in Washington...

  That guy hadn't even bothered to visit the state since taking office!!

  The state had no cities, no towns, not even a decent-sized village.

  Except for the Wapiti Indian Reservation, the rest was completely uninhabited.

  Frankly speaking, the governor had no interest in governing a bunch of Native Americans.

  So, he simply stayed in Washington, peddling his votes and selling them for money...

  Upon learning this, Stephen naturally declined the mission.

  He didn't have time to travel across the entire American continent to find someone.

  It was Stephen's first time in such a remote place, and he took out his camera, snapping pictures of anything interesting he saw.

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  There were many mountains here, and the terrain was becoming increasingly steep.

  The four had to form a single line, carefully walking along the rugged mountain path, afraid of falling.

  The mountain scenery was very different from the plains. The slopes were mostly bare, a desolate sight everywhere.

  In the foothills not far away, there was a dense forest, where the roars of various animals could be heard from time to time.

  This place was rarely visited by people, a paradise for animals.

  "Say, Hosea, where are we going, anyway?" Stephen asked Hosea, who was riding at the front. "We've been in the mountains for two days now. Are we there yet?"

  Stephen had to admire Hosea for having the enthusiasm to travel so far alone.

  "Almost there! See that lake down there?" Hosea pointed to a clear lake at the foot of the mountain and shouted, "That's the place."

  Stephen leaned over and looked down the cliff.

  Sure enough, a clear lake at the foot of the mountain shimmered under the sunlight.

  Stephen estimated the distance and figured they could get there before dark.

  "Okay, let's hurry then."

  Stephen said to Arthur with a smile, "If you guys hide here, not even the police or the Pinkertons, not even Jesus could find you."

  "Haha, not necessarily." Arthur looked up at the surrounding ridges, "And Dutch wouldn't let us hide in a place like this either."

  "Why? Is it bad here? Concealed, unknown." Stephen continued, "If you hide here for a while, it won't be long before people forget about you."

  "Dutch is a proud man, and he wouldn't agree to us hiding in caves or anything like that." Arthur turned to Stephen and said, "It would make him feel like he's no different from other bandits."

  Stephen was at a loss. What was that? A chivalrous outlaw's pride?

  Stephen didn't understand this kind of behavior and could only express respect.

  The four walked for a while longer and finally arrived at the lake before dark.

  "This is it. We can set up camp by the lake and rest for the night, and then track that beast tomorrow."

  Hosea dismounted with difficulty, stretched his stiff body, and said to the three young men behind him.

  "This is truly a difficult journey." Stephen couldn't help but sigh.

  "Arthur, go look for some prey nearby. We need to eat something good tonight. Mrs. Sadie, if you don't mind, can you help set up the tent?" Hosea said to the others.

  "Okay, I'll go see if there's any prey that can fill old Hosea's belly." Arthur was as sarcastic as ever.

  He picked up his hunting rifle from his horse and slowly walked towards the forest.

  "I'll go take a look around too."

  Upon hearing this, Mrs. Sadie also took her rifle from her horse, chambering a bullet with a "click". Then, she headed into the forest on the other side on her own.

  "She's quite the individual." Hosea shrugged and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you. This old bone of mine needs to rest for a while."

  "No problem, I'll set up the tent." Stephen said with a smile, "That's just how Mrs. Sadie is, she can do anything."

  Hosea stood by the lake, watching Mrs. Sadie's back and said slowly, "We may have all underestimated her."

  Stephen first started a bonfire away from the lake, and then quickly set up three tents around the bonfire.

  One for himself, one for Mrs. Sadie, and one for Hosea and Arthur to share.

  As two gunshots came from afar, Arthur returned with two rabbits.

  "Looks like we have dinner tonight." Hosea happily looked at Arthur and said, "Maybe your hunting skills aren't that bad after all."

  "Of course." Arthur said without any modesty.

  "Come on, I still remember when you used a shotgun to hunt rabbits."

  Hosea said mercilessly, "Back then, you precisely turned the rabbit into a pile of mush."

  Arthur was very embarrassed about Hosea bringing up his past embarrassment again.

  He had to walk to the river with a sullen head and started to deal with the prey in his hand on his own.

  *Bang Bang!*

  Two more gunshots. Stephen curiously looked in Mrs. Sadie's direction.

  Then there were two more shots, immediately followed by a majestic roar from the forest.

  The three now knew the situation was bad.

  "Damn it, what big thing has that woman stirred up?"

  Arthur was the first to react.

  He immediately put down the half-processed rabbit and picked up his rifle, "Stephen, you come with me to see. Hosea, you stay here and don't move."

  Stephen also reacted, picked up the Pump-Action Shotgun from his horse, and followed Arthur's footsteps closely.