Stephen, of course, didn't torture the guy in the end. He wasn't a demon, after all, was he?

  He could see that this Kieran fellow really didn't know anything. Just like he said, he was just a stablehand.

  The next week was rather uneventful. Stephen gradually became familiar with everyone in the gang.

  From what he could tell, except for Micah, that universally despised character, the people in this gang were pretty decent. Besides Arthur and a few other gunslingers, there were quite a few other interesting people.

  There was the uncle who was drunk all the time, the rigid German accountant Strauss, the generous housekeeper Ms. Grimshaw, and John, who was always lying in bed recovering from his injuries.

  John was Abigail's husband and Jack's father. But he didn't seem to like the mother and son very much, always acting coldly towards them.

  Stephen didn't understand what was wrong with this family, and he didn't want to interfere. After all, even a righteous judge has trouble settling family disputes.

  However, he quite liked the little guy Jack. He was smart, quick-witted, learned things quickly, and always had a smile on his face, which was completely different from his cold-hearted father.

  And then there was the old man named Hosea.

  This wise old man was the second-in-command of the gang, a learned and versatile individual.

  Several conversations with Stephen showed that he was an extraordinary person. He knew the local customs and geography of the surrounding states like the back of his hand, and he always had insightful things to say.

  But he was always talking about retiring, which Stephen found strange.

  Who in a gang talks about retiring? What was even more surprising was that Arthur, the gunslinger, agreed with him.

  As for Dutch, the leader of the gang, although he always said that he would retire after one last big score, Stephen could sense that this guy was actually very restless inside.

  But this didn't concern Stephen. He was just temporarily cooperating with these people.

  After getting down from the mountains, he had to quickly find a place to settle Mrs. Sadie down, and then find a way to track down the O'Driscoll gang.

  The women in the gang also had their own unique characteristics. Karen was bold and could drink. Her alcohol tolerance was unparalleled in the gang.

  Stephen witnessed her downing a bottle of vodka in one gulp, which was simply amazing.

  What surprised Stephen the most was that this gang, which was constantly fighting and killing, actually had a young, artistic woman: Mary-Beth.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  This was a beautiful girl who was obsessed with literary novels, always holding a thick book in her hand.

  Lost in the world of novels, she often forgot the tasks Ms. Grimshaw assigned, and she was also the girl Ms. Grimshaw scolded the most.

  Although Stephen wasn't a top student in his previous life, he had read a lot of strange novels, and he had some knowledge of foreign classics.

  So, it only took him one meal to impress Mary-Beth and become her confidant, constantly asking Stephen for advice on some famous works.

  This also impressed the men in the camp who couldn't utter a word for three days, and they privately said that this kid was really good at seducing women, and they had to be careful in the future.

  Lenny even secretly carried a small notebook, asking Stephen to teach him some verses to pick up girls in bars in the future.

  Stephen had been single in both his lives, so he didn't know anything about this. He could only vaguely make up some random things.

  But these two, one dared to teach and the other dared to learn, and they agreed to go to the bar together in town to test their learning results.

  In short, the people in the gang became more and more optimistic day by day.

  In Arthur's words, everyone gradually felt that the failure in Blackwater was just an accident. After this period of recuperation, they were developing in a good direction.

  Or rather, everyone felt that their luck had returned.

  As for the failure in Blackwater, Stephen asked a few people. But they all avoided talking about it, as if they were hiding something. Stephen didn't ask any further.

  Everyone has their own secrets, and they can't tell him everything.

  The weather was getting better day by day. The snow had stopped, and the long-awaited sun was shining on the earth again.

  The traces of animals in the forest had also increased. Lenny and others went out hunting, and they no longer returned empty-handed, always managing to get something.

  The others in the gang stayed in the camp, like bears hibernating in winter, doing nothing but eating and sleeping.

  Stephen's daily routine was only practicing swordsmanship and shooting alone, or taking his horse out for a ride, and drinking and bragging with Lenny, Bill, and others.

  Oh, right. And Mrs. Sadie.

  This poor woman was still immersed in the nightmare of that night, her husband's tragic death made it impossible for her to face reality.

  Everyone wanted to comfort her, but except for Abigail and Stephen, who had been taking care of her, everyone else was unresponsive when talking to her.

  Early this morning, Mrs. Sadie was sitting alone on a large rock by the forest, looking extremely haggard.

  Stephen walked to her side, sat on the rock, and asked, "Hey, Mrs. Sadie, what are you looking at?"

  Mrs. Sadie turned her head and looked at him. After a long time, she slowly said, "That's the direction of my home. But he..."

  "Hey, you have to cheer up." Stephen patted her shoulder, racking his brains to comfort her: "Look at me, my past was also very tragic. If it weren't for you and Mr. Yake, I might have died long ago. I'm very grateful to you, really. I will avenge Mr. Yake."

  Mrs. Sadie shook her head blankly, and a tear slipped from her eye: "This is not a matter of revenge, but that I will never see him again."

  "I once heard a saying." Stephen looked at the tearful Mrs. Sadie and said slowly: "Some people say that living people are not easy. They have to carry the dreams of their dead companions and strive to fulfill them throughout their lives."

  "Mr. Yake is dead, but his dream is not. You can think about what Mr. Yake's dream was. Then take that as your goal and work hard to complete it."

  Stephen's words seemed to have a slight effect on Mrs. Sadie. Her dull eyes suddenly had a glimmer of light, and she kept murmuring, "Dreams, Yake's dreams..."

  Stephen took out the photo and necklace he found in the ruins from his bag: "I wanted to give it to you before, but your condition has not been good. I think now is the time."

  Mrs. Sadie looked at the photo and necklace in her hand, and finally couldn't help it, hugging the photo and necklace and wailing, her hoarse voice sounding so heartbreaking.

  Cry, it will be better to cry it out.

  After crying, carry the dreams of the dead and try to live in this absurd world!