"I didn't think that the internal state of such a small dukedom would be so complicated," Erwin said as he opened the door of the pub with a smile, then emerged from the establishment with Onean. Prior to departing, he paid the bill for Chahan's meal as well, and he also specifically requested the waitresses to look after the severely inebriated man.

Erwin had quite a bit to drink himself, and his cheeks were bright red, but he was feeling a lot more comfortable and refreshed with the cold wind outside blowing over him.

Thus, the two of them began to casually stroll along the streets of Zans.

"What a poor guy. He only just woke up, only for you to get him drunk again," Onean said with an amused smile.

"Having just gotten out of a relationship, I'm sure he was looking for any excuse to have a few more drinks," Erwin said as a smile also appeared on his face. "Also, I was very generous in paying his bill for him. We don't have a lot of money on our hands at the moment, so that was quite a good deed."

"Didn't you get the information that you wanted out of him as well?" Onean asked.

"The stuff that he told us is all too superficial," Erwin said. "I feel like he knows some deeper secrets, and I'll have to dig up those secrets in the future."

"Is that why you left him a message to come and find us at the Holy Jade Cathedral tomorrow?" Onean asked as she thought back to what Erwin had said to the waitress prior to their departure.

"Sherry, Lanyon, and the others aren't here with us, so I have to find some useful people here to keep me company," Erwin said. "It's quite a coincidence that we were able to meet someone who fits the bill dining in a random pub. You know, now that I think about it, that Chahan was quite a cautious fellow. Even after having so much to drink, he still refused to reveal the name of his lover, so it looks like he can be trusted with secrets. Most people in his place would've been eager to go onto the streets to reveal some private details about his ex-lover in revenge for getting dumped."

"That's perhaps why he caught the eye of that mature noblewoman in the first place," Onean remarked in an indifferent voice.

"It sounds like you harbor a bit of distaste toward him," Erwin chuckled as he turned to look at the expression on Onean's face.

"Not at all," Onean replied with a shake of her head as she took a glance at Erwin.

"Let's go find an art supplies shop. We're going to need to buy a lot of oil paint to cover that entire dome ceiling," Erwin said.

"Shouldn't we find a place to stay first?" Onean asked.

"There's no need to do that. I already enquired Lia about lodging, and he told me that Mrs. Magleda on Flying Deer Street has a spare room that she's looking to rent out, so all we have to do is go to Flying Deer Street to find her later. I'm sure Lia must've already informed her that we'll be coming," Erwin said.

"Looks like you have it all figured out," Onean said in an indifferent voice.

Erwin could tell what Onean was worried about, and he said, "I still can't tell exactly what kind of person Lia is, but I feel like he surely doesn't have any reason to plot against us for now, right?"

"I just think it's best to keep your wits about you in a completely unfamiliar place," Onean said.

"Let's just stay there for now. I'm sure it'll be fine," Erwin said. "Besides, it's not like we're a pair of completely defenseless people, so there's no need for us to tread with excessive caution."

"Well, you're the one who was badmouthing the church behind their back. If something does happen, then I'll just let them take you away," Onean said with an amused smile.

"Do you think you'll be able to get away? Don't forget that I told them that you're my wife," Erwin countered with a smug grin.

"Do you think they're idiots who'll simply believe everything you tell them?" Onean scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

"What? Are you saying that we don't look like a couple?" Erwin asked as he cast his gaze toward Onean while squeezing her hand forcefully.

In return, he was zapped by a bolt of lightning with extremely potent paralyzing properties, and his body immediately jerked bolt upright as a result.

Erwin winced as he lost all feeling in his body for a split second, then turned to glare at Onean with a grumpy expression as he said, "I should've had my way with you white you were laying injured in that carriage." 

"Indeed," Onean replied in an indifferent voice. "It's a pity that you passed up such a golden opportunity."

"That's what I get for not having the courage to go through with my plans," Erwin said in a self-deprecating voice.

"By the way, you must've thought of something that you want to draw for the mural, right?" Onean asked as she turned to look at Erwin, abruptly changing the subject.

"How could you tell?" Erwin asked with a surprised expression.

"If you hadn't thought of anything, you wouldn't be in such a hurry to go and buy art supplies."

"There doesn't seem to be any direct correlation between the two. Regardless of whether I have inspiration or not, I have to buy the art supplies eventually," Erwin said.

"But if you can't think of anything to draw, then you'd definitely be procrastinating and thinking about doing something else," Onean explained.

"That's some exceptional deductive reasoning," Erwin sighed. "You really do know me too well."

"I know everything going on in that little perverted mind of yours," Onean said as she stepped around so that she was standing in front of Erwin, then poked a finger into his chest with a confident smile. "So for the sake of your own wellbeing, you'd better stop thinking about all that unnecessary stuff."

"You really think you can read me like an open book?" Erwin scoffed with an unconvinced expression. "Alright, then why don't you tell me what I'm thinking right now? And don't just default to using Lana as an answer because I wasn't thinking about her just now."

"You're probably wondering when Christine is going to be able to find you, isn't that right?" Onean asked as she took a glance at him.

Erwin faltered slightly upon hearing this, then turned to look directly at Onean.

On this occasion, it was Onean who backed down, quickly looking away right after their eyes met.

Erwin's expression darkened slightly as he let go of Onean's hand and continued onward on his own.

"Tch, what are you getting so angry for?" Onean murmured to herself with a displeased pout as she looked on at Erwin's departing figure. "Are you feeling insecure just because I managed to guess what you're thinking? Don't ask me to guess if you can't afford for me to be right."

...

On the airship in the sky above the northern side of the Terarody Mountain Ranges.

A very somber atmosphere had settled over everyone on the deck. They had been searching nonstop for several days throughout the surrounding area in a radius of several dozen kilometers, but they were still unable to find anything. Not only were they unable to discover any signs of Erwin and Onean's whereabouts, they couldn't even figure out where the ice dragon had gone.

It seemed that as soon as the ice dragon appeared, all of the living creatures within a radius of hundreds of kilometers had fled the area, leaving only the fierce and frosty wind to blow through the mountains and valleys. As a result, they didn't even find a single magic beast during their search.

Unfortunately, there was no way for the search to continue. In such a freezing climate, staying here for excessive periods of time would place everyone's life under threat. Thus, Christine summoned everyone back onto the airship the previous night. No one could figure out what was going on in these mountain ranges. For some reason, the temperatures on the ground were far lower than the air temperature in the sky, and that went against all conventional wisdom.

The following morning, Christine gathered Sherry, Lanyon, and Georgina together to discuss what they were going to do next.

Sherry wanted to stay and tell everyone that he wasn't going to leave these mountain ranges until he found Erwin, but before he could verbally express his intentions, he noticed that everyone's complexions were already looking quite terrible and sickly. In particular, Christine was neither a martial artist nor a magician, so she had no way of protecting herself, and there wasn't any color left on her face. It was as if the next gust of wind that blew past the airship could take her life away with it.

Thus, he decided to remain silent in the end. His loyalty toward Erwin was beyond doubt, and he would certainly be willing to stay here and continue to search for Erwin. However, in doing so, he would have to force everyone to stay here at the expense of their lives, and that was a decision that he was unprepared to make.

Lanyon was also standing in silence with his head lowered. All of his close friends from Fooz were waiting for a verdict from him. and he knew that if he were to insist on staying behind to continue searching for Erwin, then they would be sure to follow him until they dropped dead. The problem was that searching for Erwin in these mountain ranges was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack, so Lanyon was also grappling with a dilemma, unsure of how to proceed.

Meanwhile, Georgina was standing off to the side while gently stroking Momo's mane, seemingly unwilling to participate in the discussion.

Momo was a very intelligent creature, and it seemed to be able to understand what the cause of everyone's internal conflict was. All of a sudden, it reared up and raised its front hooves before letting loose a long neigh, as if it were telling everyone on the airship that it would not be right to abandon their companion so easily.

Georgina hurriedly tried to console Momo upon seeing this, but Momo refused to be soothed, leaping up and down repeatedly in a furious manner.

Normally, Momo and Erwin didn't see eye to eye with one another, but for some reason, it was determined to stand up for Erwin here.

Christine couldn't help but heave a forlorn sigh at the unicorn's furious display. After a brief silence, she said, "I'm sure all of you have already realized what the situation we're currently in is like. At a time like this, we cannot afford to hesitate."

Everyone else remained silent, still unwilling to speak, so Christine continued, "My opinion on the matter is that we should set off toward the north right away. This is not a place where we can stay for much longer. It may be the start of spring right now, but the climate inside these mountain ranges is extremely unforgiving. I'm just a little girl who doesn't know any martial arts or magic, but setting myself aside, even all of you are beginning to feel the physical toll of searching through the snow and ice over the past few days, right?"

"So are we just going to abandon Master Erwin?" Sherry asked as he turned to look at Christine.

This was the question that everyone else also wanted to ask.

"No. Instead, we're going to find help," Christine said as she swept her gaze over everyone present. "Trust me, I definitely wouldn't abandon Brother Erwin."

Sherry, Lanyon, and the others looked into Christine's bloodshot eyes, and in those eyes, they saw a sense of determination beyond her years. They then thought back to how she had been desperately scouring through the unforgiving landscape down below the past few days, and they knew that she was no less concerned for Erwin than everyone else.

"If we continue to search aimlessly here, we'll only be throwing our lives away in vain. In contrast, it would be a much better idea to wait until the weather gets warmer, then organize a larger search party before returning here," Christine continued.

As someone who had been in the world of business for most of her life, Christine's way of speech was very persuasive and inspiring. As a result, Sherry and Lanyon were beginning to be swayed by her suggestion.

"No matter what we have to do or how many people we have to recruit, we must track down Master Erwin!" Georgina suddenly said in a loud voice as he turned to Sherry and Lanyon with a determined expression. Sherry was normally a man of few words, and even when he did speak, he was quite soft-spoken. Among all of the remaining mercenaries of the Four Winds mercenary legion, Georgina was the youngest and also the purest one. However, he was raising his voice here to remind everyone not to let their cowardice get the better of them and convince them against doing what was right.

"Regardless of whether Brother Erwin is dead or alive, I will be sure to find him, regardless of the price that I must pay. You have my word on that." Christine also adopted a firmer and more resolute tone in her voice as she spoke. This was her stance on the matter, and the determination in her voice matched the resolve in everyone's hearts.

Her gaze seemed to have pierced through everyone standing before her, passing through all of the mountains up ahead and the countless layers of snow and ice, searching for the object of her fixation.