Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 87 - 67: Rescuing Princess Theodora_2

Chapter 87: Chapter 67: Rescuing Princess Theodora_2

"Let me see," Mia, accompanied by Aske, circled around the outside of the monastery, "they check very thoroughly at the entrance, it’s not likely that we can sneak in by hiding among the goods."

"The walls are three meters high and topped with tension nets, clearly designed to prevent climbing."

"Look at the top of the wall, there are lights at regular intervals! Isn’t that to guard against us, the Shadow Sequence users?" Mia said angrily, hands on her hips, "It’s simple, we come at night, cut the wires of the lights, and then sneak in from the shadows."

"That won’t work," Aske pondered, "there’s a demigod in this monastery. Something like lights going out would definitely be noticed by their spirituality."

"When his spirituality sweeps over us, even if we’re in the Shadow Realm, we still risk exposing ourselves."

"So why don’t we infiltrate through the sewers?" Mia came up with a new idea, "This monastery is large, there must be a dedicated sewer entrance for the water company’s regular maintenance."

"Hmm, but their security must have considered that," Aske said. "Important areas in the sewers usually have iron meshes. If cut, they trigger an alarm."

"What if I enter the Shadow Realm and then cut the iron mesh there?" Mia’s eyes twinkled as she suddenly got an idea, "Destroying things in the Shadow Realm won’t affect the Main Plane. Instead, it’s the environment of the Main Plane that affects the Shadow Realm."

"If we cut the iron mesh in the Shadow Realm, even if an alarm goes off, it will be in the Shadow Realm. Do they really have someone stationed in the Shadow Realm?"

"If they have a high-ranked practitioner of the Shadow Sequence," Aske slowly said, "then they wouldn’t set up so many light bulbs to specifically guard against you. Yes, let’s do it that way!"

So, the two of them had a meal nearby and then went to play in an arcade. Mia excitedly suggested playing a claw machine game but was ruthlessly rejected by Aske.

The two passed the time in front of various arcade machines until one in the morning when there were virtually no pedestrians outside, at which point they stealthily went out.

Mia confidently led Aske to a secluded alley where, at its end, lay a sewer manhole on the ground. Using a Short Sword, she pried the cover open and took the lead by climbing down.

"Don’t close the lid, let some light come down," Mia said from below, "otherwise, in total darkness, we might not be able to find this entrance when we come back."

Hmm, when it came to experience with crawling through sewers, perhaps nobody in Constantinople had as much as she did. Aske compliantly followed and jumped into the sewer.

If one were to describe the smell of the sewer, it would be like rotting, fermenting garbage mixed with feces.

While things had been fine in the game world, Aske really wasn’t quite adapting to this Otherworld now.

Mia walked ahead, leading the way. Equipped with the abilities of the Shadow Sequence, she seemed like a fish in water in this dark environment, effortlessly seeing the surroundings ahead.

"Hmm?" Aske staggered as an old pipe, silent and invisible, tripped him.

However, his balance was remarkable, and with slight adjustment, he stabilized his figure.

Mia looked back, hesitated for a moment, then extended her small right hand and grasped Aske’s fingers.

"If your night vision isn’t up to it, just say so!" she said in a reproachful tone, "I won’t leave you behind!"

"Truly considerate," Aske complimented her.

"Shut up!" Mia was somewhat embarrassed.

She held Aske’s right hand and skillfully walked forward along the aisles on either side of the sewer, avoiding the occasional pile of indescribable abandoned objects, continuously reminding him:

"... there’s a step ahead, be careful... there’s a puddle up ahead, don’t step into it, can you take bigger steps..."

"Okay, okay." Aske continually responded.

"Hmph, I feel like I’m leading a big dumb dog." Mia grumbled.

"Have you ever had a dog?" Aske asked.

"I had one." Mia replied, "Then it was gone."

"I guess it drowned." Aske said.

"No, you’re wrong." Mia said softly, "It just ran away with someone."

"Ran away?" Aske was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, it was taken in by a noble family." Mia said without turning her head, "I found it on the streets one winter, it was so small then, I could lift it with one hand."

"I raised it to over a meter long, do you know how much effort that took me? In the Sunken Palace, there was hardly anything to eat, the most lavish food was one fish per person per day, followed by that hard black bread that could chip your teeth."

"But a dog needs to eat meat, otherwise it’ll become malnourished. So, I always saved my fish for it." Mia said gloomily, and Aske felt her grip on his hand subtly strengthen, "It needed walks, so I took it up to the surface every day, nearly covered all of Constantinople."

"I raised it for five years, almost as if it were my own family, and what happened?" she said with a resentful tone, "That family... just fed it some raw meat for a month... and lured it away."

"Didn’t you try to steal it back?" Aske asked curiously.

"I tried." Mia said, "It still recognized me, but it didn’t want to come with me. I tried to pull it forcefully, but it bit me. No choice, I had to leave on my own."

"Dogs can’t be completely tamed." she concluded, "Often, they are close to you only because you offer them the best food."

"Don’t be so absolute." Aske said, "Maybe you just encountered a dog with bad traits... I’ve also heard many touching stories of loyal dogs, staying by their owner’s side through thick and thin... well, though I don’t know if those stories are true or made up."

"Hmph." Mia seemed somewhat annoyed, "Aren’t men just like dogs? If they meet a prettier girl, they won’t hesitate to abandon the wife they have at home."

"Please don’t speak in such an experienced tone." Aske said with a mix of laughter and helplessness, "Miss Mia, who’s underage, have you ever been in love?"

"No." Mia said, "Having gone through countless betrayals, I find it very hard to trust anyone again."

Aske sighed inwardly, realizing she was still bitter about Master’s sudden departure, and could only gently advise:

"Adults also have their many difficulties. Sometimes letting go is just to let the other person soar higher."

"Is that your reason for rejecting Nora?" Mia said with a sideways glance.

"Can’t we just not bring up me and Nora!" Aske said, frustrated.