Hilveld smiled slightly but didn't speak.

This time, however, Elisa and Atira stood by her side. Elisa genuinely seemed to like the cat, and Atira thought it was a prudent decision: "Let's wait until we reach Maxon Creek Station to discuss it."

Fang Hong looked at the sky, realizing the snowstorm wouldn't stop anytime soon, so he nodded in agreement.

He merely asked Miss Fairy, "Is there any problem?"

Tata shook her head, "No problem, Mr. Knight."

Having reached a consensus, no one else had any objections. Since they'd wasted quite some time on this unexpected event, everyone returned to their positions.

Only Tianlan looked slightly smug; what frustrated her was that Lady Cat didn't appreciate her efforts at all, remaining indifferent towards her.

Whenever she got closer, the cat would show her claws and look at the girl warily.

Tianlan sighed and groaned in annoyance.

This little occurrence didn't last long. Once everyone left, Miss Daisy also jumped off the table and seemed quite curious about Fang Hong—wherever Fang Hong went, she followed.

It wasn't long before people saw a cat strolling around the deck, clearly acting like Fang Hong's shadow.

Tianlan found this scene amusing and told Hilveld that her duties had been taken over—

And Miss Ship's Officer wasn't mad, smiling as she watched the cat, who seemed to sense her gaze and looked up with emerald eyes.

The ship was advancing slowly through the snow, pulled by Mr. Greyrock. Fang Hong wore a coat and kept a lookout on deck for possible flying creature attacks. Lady Cat, feeling bored, leapt gracefully onto a triangular platform at the ship's edge, swept the snow with her tail, and then crouched down to sit.

She turned her head, quietly watching the snowflakes flying in the distant darkness.

Fang Hong was startled to see this, as beyond the ship's edge was the furious storm, and the ship swayed in the wind. He feared the little creature might accidentally fall off.

Just as he was about to pick her up, the ship suddenly tilted, and a creaking sound came from beneath the ship.

He recognized it immediately as the sound of the reinforced cables connected to the platform and the saddle on Mr. Greyrock's back, which would make such a noise when taut.

Alarmed, he thought the cables had issues and quickly looked over the edge, but he saw the cables were fine, though he couldn't see the other end below.

Then Bakins came beside him and said, "Captain, the platform's tilting, probably because Mr. Greyrock stepped on something. Should I go down and check?"

Fang Hong turned back, agreed with him, but instead signaled Parker on the other side.

The Papalarian understood and shone a spotlight below.

The light revealed a massive skeleton in the snow below, resembling a giant lying prone on the ground. Mr. Greyrock had stepped onto this giant rib, which had broken under the weight, causing their beast of burden to sink.

"I'll go down and take a look."

This time, Bakins didn't wait for orders, he just climbed out quickly.

Fang Hong watched the agile old sailor disappear into the darkness, and others, sensing the earlier tilt, climbed from below to ask what had happened.

Fang Hong shook his head, furrowing his brows, worried Mr. Greyrock might be hurt, which would be troublesome if they had to stop here.

Fortunately, Bakins soon brought back good news—the beast of burden was fine. After moving the broken ribs below, Mr. Greyrock would soon be able to proceed.

However, the sailor also brought another message.

"There seemed to have been a battle recently down there."

Bakins climbed up, covered in snow, dusting it off while saying in a gruff voice, "That thing's a big pile of bones, definitely taken down by someone else. I saw one of its shinbones blasted apart, with traces of a spell."

"A giant skeleton, likely summoned using a hill giant or troll corpse," Fang Hong replied, having identified the remains earlier. "Looks intimidating, but it's only level sixteen."

"Then those adventurers probably weren't strong. That big skeleton's covered in slash marks, indicating many attackers—at least a small team."

It would take a team to tackle a level sixteen monster; Fang Hong understood their strength might be even lower than theirs.

"With this heavy snow and the bones scarcely covered, the battle should've ended not long ago. They can't be far from us," Bakins added.

Fang Hong nodded, asking, "Which direction are they?"

"The battle trails lead forward, likely right in front of us."

"Maybe people from Maxon Creek Station," Fang Hong suddenly realized and ordered others, "Let's go check if there's anything we can help with."

No matter where they're from, it's part of an adventurer's code to watch each other's backs, as anyone could face danger on their next adventure.

An adventure group out there always has moments when they need assistance.

Of course, there's no shortage of ill-reputed and back-stabbing teams, but in a world with resurrection, such teams usually don't last, especially not for a Free Adventure Group like theirs.

With Fang Hong setting the tone, Atira urged Mr. Greyrock to pick up the pace. Learning from past mistakes, Parker and Xiesta led the way with spotlights on either side, carving a path through the snowy curtain, revealing the increasingly clear battle evidence left behind.

Thankfully, the ground was strewn with undead remains rather than adventurer corpses.

Though it couldn't be ruled out that the dead might've been resurrected nearby in the Holy Sanctuary.

The tilting of the ship sent the cat leaping from the edge ahead of everyone, leaving the crowd to head into the kitchen alone. Fang Hong was curious about her abrupt departure, but then a scream echoed from the front:

"A monster—!"

"Brother Ade, help!"

Then Tianlan came rushing headlong. Had she collided with him, Fang Hong would've likely been knocked overboard.

Thankfully, he stepped aside in time, letting Luo Yu catch the little girl.

"Protect her!"

Fang Hong shouted.

Turning around, he saw a dark shape flying through the snow and rain, heading straight their way in the spotlight. Instinctively, Fang Hong raised his right hand and fired the flying claw.

A muffled "puff" as the claw curved through the wind, seemingly missing the target, but Fang Hong controlled it with a backward swipe, the claw dipped in midair, and it firmly grasped the thing's foot.

"Get ready to attack!"

He shouted just before the mini magical engine in his glove whirred, the cable tight as it dragged the thing in an arc above the platform, dropping it onto the deck with a "bang."

Bakins drew his handgun and fired in that direction, a flash revealing the thing getting hit.

Suddenly, Fang Hong felt the grip loosen, as it disintegrated into a swarm of chittering bats, scattering into the darkness. While still processing this, the Papalarian shouted up ahead:

"Found those folks!"

"Whoa, lots of undead!"

"They're about to be wiped out—!"

Everyone was stunned, turning their gaze toward the snowy field ahead.

...

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