Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 1059: Escape

Chapter 1059: Chapter 1059: Escape

When Shard once again found Miss Brown, who was hiding in the Northern District, from the Canary Estate in the Tobesk Southern District, the last ray of sunset had already dipped below the horizon.

The city welcomed a new night, but the good news Shard brought lifted Miss Brown’s spirits from night to day.

Regarding the help mentioned by Princess Margaret, Miss Brown was at a loss for words, her eyes slightly red. But Shard had no time to let this lady express her gratitude or admiration for the princess:

"We should leave quickly. When I came here by carriage just now, I saw that there were more police on the streets than usual. Now that it’s nightfall, I think the entire city will be under police search tonight. Let’s first meet up with Mr. Felinga."

Miss Brown had a map here, and Shard spread it out on the floor:

"Look, we have to first enter the Tobesk Central Urban Area, go through this alley, and enter the underground sewer to find your fiancé."

He pointed to the center of the map:

"Then head west from here to the Terael Riverbank. There’s a pier on the east bank of the river; the cargo ship for the princess will stay there until about eleven tonight. As long as we get you onto the ship by then, you’ll be safe."

After discussing the plan, the two of them quickly gathered their belongings into two suitcases. Carrying these on a night road was quite cumbersome, so Shard suggested Miss Brown leave them here for now, assuring her that someone would deliver them to the pier at the Terael Riverbank later.

However, in fact, Shard first asked Miss Brown to go downstairs while he dealt with their traces and took the time to transform the suitcases into toys and put them away.

"Miss, stay close to me."

They went downstairs together. Miss Brown was wrapped in a black women’s coat, wearing a hat, and bundled up in a bulky cotton outfit to disguise her figure. Her legs were still not very mobile, making it impossible for her to run fast. But given the night’s situation, Shard could not take her by carriage, making the journey difficult.

In a hurry, the two stepped into the night. Shard walked ahead, Miss Brown following behind. They first left through Long Ear Alley, which had no streetlights, and then turned into another alley, one after another.

According to the map, they chose the most secluded alleys wherever possible, and at every intersection, Shard would check first for patrolling police, while Miss Brown crouched behind cover. If no police were present, they would pass through quickly, but if there were, they would detour around the nearby blocks.

Of course, if they happened to encounter police they couldn’t avoid, Shard would step forward and engage in conversation, inquiring about the reason for so many patrols tonight. As a gentleman of some repute residing in Saint Delan Square, his identity was quite misleading. Meanwhile, Miss Brown would swiftly pass by once Shard distracted the police.

The intricate alleyways of the Northern District’s slum could easily result in getting lost, even with the map’s guidance. Sometimes, the robbers and drunks roaming the night posed a greater danger than the police.

As he couldn’t shoot, Shard had to choose to engage them in physical combat. Having had a tiring day and already in a foul mood, he couldn’t always control his strength when dealing with these troublemakers, which also gave him a real sense of how powerful he truly was.

If they encountered a dead end in the alley or a low wall not marked on the map, Shard would either have to carry Miss Brown over or look for scraps nearby to make a step or ladder, allowing the lady with limited mobility to climb over.

This was only among the challenges they faced in the Northern District. Once they crossed it and entered the Tobesk Central Urban Area, the remote alleys dwindled, roads with bright gas lamps increased, and so did the police presence.

Even though tonight, like most nights of the year, the city was cloaked in grey smog, disguising one’s identity and moving through the Tobesk Center was still incredibly difficult. The most perilous moment arose on an uphill street when Shard went ahead to scout, while Miss Brown hid in the dark gap between two shops downhill.

At this moment, a patrol of police, consisting of three members led by one holding a kerosene lamp, approached from behind them.

Shard was indeed startled when he saw them from the uphill road, but fortunately, the three did not notice Miss Brown hiding in the wall crevice. If they had spotted her, Shard feared they might have needed to put them to sleep for a while there.

In short, after arduously crossing half the city, at 8:10 on Wednesday night, the two finally found the alley indicated by Mr. Felinga. Shard opened the hatch on the ground and then helped Miss Brown into the sewer.

Unlike the stinking section he had entered with the doctor last week, the pipeline chosen by Mr. Felinga was still warm and humid but without the odor. After all, not all areas of the sewer were for sewage. When Shard and Miss Brown followed the pipeline and found Mr. Felinga, they discovered he was hiding in a chamber that resembled a resting room.

"This is the workers’ lounge for pipeline maintenance."

Mr. Felinga briefly explained to Shard before embracing Miss Brown tenderly. The man and woman, tears streaming, exchanged sweet nothings, promising to escape together, continuing their life where no one knew them.

"Ahem~"

Their conversation dragged on so long, seemingly forgetting Shard was still standing beside them, that Shard had to cough to remind them it was time to move. He really didn’t like the sewer’s environment:

"We must leave for the Terael Riverbank as soon as possible, the road ahead won’t be easy. If you want to pour out your hearts, there will be plenty of time once we’re on the boat."

He briefly explained the upcoming plan to Mr. Felinga, who had once been responsible for the maintenance of the sewer gas pipelines. While wiping his red swollen eyes, he said:

"Thank you so much, but if that’s the case, we actually don’t have to walk on the surface. From here, yes, in the sewers, I know a direct route to the pier by the Terael Riverbank, though some parts are locked with metal grilles, and in some areas, there might be rats."

"It’s alright, I have a Master Key. As for the rats, I think we wouldn’t mind... unless a horde of hundreds of rats attacks us at once."

Shard casually said, gesturing to the two:

"Let’s hurry up and go."

If it were an adventure game in the Outlander’s homeland, or in knight novels in this world, moving through the sewer would inevitably encounter enemies like ghouls, mutated rats, or even Sleeping evil witches. But in reality, Tobesk’s sewer was very calm, although they heard distant voices along the way, no one showed up to stop them.

The only danger was the ubiquitous little creatures like spiders, rats, and many small animals hibernating underground due to the arrival of winter.

Shard even saw groups of wild cats living in the sewer. These cats, like the ones on the surface, were very fond of Shard. Although they did not directly approach him, a dozen or so cats led the way ahead, dispersing the hordes of rats, allowing them to pass through the most dangerous section.

In return, Shard gave the wildcats lots of Mia’s cat food. As a result, all the cat food he had was completely consumed, and he very much hoped Mia wouldn’t find out about it.

With Mr. Felinga’s familiarity with the sewers, although they took two wrong turns along the way, they finally reached the end of the sewer at half-past nine in the evening.

After Shard opened the rusty iron door, there was a long dark passage outside. After walking forward, the other deformed door that was stuck in the wall was kicked open by Shard. Outside was the Terael River’s waterway; it seemed to be an abandoned drainage outlet.

And the pier was less than a hundred steps to their left.

In the pitch-black night, the cargo steamship quietly berthed beside the pier. There was some light on the ship, flickering and indistinct.

Shard excused himself to scout the surroundings first, returned the suitcase in his pocket to Miss Brown, and then, under the cover of darkness, the three quickly moved towards the pier:

"Hurry, your freedom is right in front of you."

Shard urged in a lowered voice, letting Miss Brown and Mr. Felinga go ahead. He was very worried about the scene of hundreds of guns suddenly emerging behind them.

But what he worried about did not happen. The night remained deep and still, with no one on the riverside avenue.

"Oh, there’s someone there!"

But Miss Brown, who was a step ahead, stopped suddenly. Shard turned to look and saw that someone was indeed waiting for them on the small pier. It was not the Captain who had received the message in advance, but a blonde girl in a cloak and hood, watching the three approach with her maid by the pier.

Mr. Felinga and Miss Brown’s gaze power was far inferior to Shard’s, hence, only Shard immediately recognized Princess Margaret Anjou.

"No need to worry, it’s Her Highness."

Shard explained, and Miss Brown immediately began to tremble all over.

"Don’t waste time, follow me."

The three hurriedly walked up the pier. Princess Margaret also approached, but deliberately avoided her former maid, still unwilling to speak with Miss Brown.

"Gentlemen, lady, step aboard quickly, we’re setting sail!"

The sailor on the deck urged them, and Shard immediately pushed the two closer to the boarding ladder. Princess Margaret stepped back two paces, watching Shard talk to the two, remaining silent all the while.