Chapter 1043: Escape

When Xia De once again found Miss Brown, who was hiding in the North District, after leaving Canary Manor in the South District of Tobesk, the last sliver of sunset had already fallen below the horizon.

The city welcomed a new night, but the good news Xia De brought made Miss Brown's mood shift from night to day.

Regarding the help Princess Margaret mentioned, Miss Brown's eyes turned red, and she didn't know what to say. But Xia De had no time to let this lady express her gratitude or worship toward the princess:

"Let's go quickly. When I took a carriage here just now, I saw more police on the streets than usual. It's already nightfall, and I think the entire city will be searched by police tonight. Let's go meet Mr. Fellinger first."

Miss Brown had a map, and after Xia De unfolded it, he spread it on the ground:

"Look, we must first enter the central area of Tobesk, enter the underground sewage pipes from this alley, and find your fiancé."

He pointed to the center of the map:

"Then, go all the way west from here until we reach the banks of the River Terraire. There is a pier on the east bank of the river, and that cargo ship transporting goods for the princess will likely stay until eleven o'clock tonight. As long as we get you on the ship before eleven, you will be safe."

After finishing the plan, the two simply packed their things and gathered them into two suitcases. Carrying these two pieces of luggage while traveling at night was truly a hindrance, so Xia De asked Miss Brown to leave them there for now, claiming that someone would deliver them to the pier on the River Terraire shortly.

But in reality, Xia De first had Miss Brown go downstairs while he handled the traces of the two of them, taking the opportunity to turn the two suitcases into toys and put them away.

"Miss, stay close to me."

Once they reached downstairs, Miss Brown was wrapped in a black lady's coat, wearing a hat, and bundled in a bloated cotton jacket to conceal her figure. Her leg was still inconvenient, so she could not run quickly. However, due to the situation tonight, Xia De could not take her by carriage, which made the upcoming journey very difficult.

The two of them, in a hurry, thus entered the night. Xia De walked in front, Miss Brown followed behind him, and the two first left from the streetlamp-less Long Ear Alley, then turned into another alley one after the other.

According to the map, they chose remote alleys as much as possible, and at every intersection, Xia De would first check if there were patrolling police nearby, while Miss Brown crouched behind cover. If there were no police, the two would pass quickly; if there were, they would detour around the nearby block.

Of course, if they really encountered police they couldn't avoid, Xia De would step forward to chat with them, asking why there were so many patrolmen tonight. As a well-known gentleman living in St. Deran Square, his identity was very deceptive. While Xia De attracted the attention of the police, Miss Brown passed by quickly nearby.

The alleys in the slums of northern Tobesk were crisscrossed, and relying on the map's guidance, it was easy to get lost. Sometimes the police were not the biggest obstacle to their progress; the robbers and drunks lurking in the night were the most dangerous people in the North District.

Since he couldn't fire his gun, Xia De could only choose to step forward and fight them himself. He had been exhausted all day, and his mood was not very good to begin with, so when he landed heavy punches on those troublesome guys, it was inevitable that he couldn't hold back, which also made him truly realize just how much strength he had.

And once they encountered a dead end in an alley, or a low wall not recorded on the map, in order not to waste too much time detouring, Xia De had to find a way to carry Miss Brown over it, or find debris nearby to build steps or a ladder so that the lady with the inconvenient leg could climb over.

This was just the difficulty encountered in the North District. Once they crossed the North District and entered the central urban area of Tobesk, those remote alleys became fewer, the main roads with bright gas streetlamps became more numerous, and the police also increased.

Even though tonight, like most nights of the year, the city was filled with gray smog, it was still very difficult to hide one's identity while moving in the center of Tobesk. The most dangerous moment occurred on an uphill street; Xia De went up first to scout the situation, while Miss Brown hid in the dark gap between two shops downhill.

But at this moment, a team of patrolling police actually walked up from behind them, a group of three people in total, with the leader carrying a kerosene lamp.

When Xia De saw them from the uphill slope of the road, he was truly frightened, but fortunately, the three did not discover Miss Brown hiding in the wall gap. If they had really discovered her, Xia De would probably have had to let them sleep here for a while first.

In short, after arduously crossing half the city, at 8:10 on Wednesday night, the two finally found the alley pointed out by Mr. Fellinger. Xia De opened the trapdoor on the ground and then helped Miss Brown enter the sewage pipe.

Unlike the foul-smelling section of the pipe he entered with the doctor last week, the pipe Mr. Fellinger chose, although still warm and humid, had no stench. After all, not all areas of the sewer were meant for flowing sewage. When Xia De and Miss Brown followed the pipe and found Mr. Fellinger, they were surprised to find him hiding in a dark room similar to a lounge.

"This is a lounge for staff maintaining the pipes."

After just explaining this to Xia De, Mr. Fellinger and Miss Brown embraced and kissed. The man and woman shed tears, whispering sweet nothings to each other, and promised to escape together and continue living in a place where no one knew them.

"Ahem~"

Because the length of their conversation was truly too long, and they seemed to have forgotten that Xia De was still standing to the side, Xia De had to cough to remind the two that it was time to move; he didn't really like the sewer environment:

"We must set off for the banks of the River Terraire as soon as possible. The road ahead is not easy to walk. If you want to pour out your hearts, there will be plenty of time once you are on the ship."

He also briefly explained the upcoming plan to Mr. Fellinger. This gentleman, who used to be responsible for sewer gas pipe maintenance, said while wiping his own red and swollen eyes:

"I am truly grateful to you, but if that is the case, we actually don't have to walk on the ground. From here, yes, in the sewer, I know a path that leads directly to that pier on the banks of the River Terraire, it's just that some areas along the way are locked by metal fences, and there will be rats in some areas."

"It doesn't matter, I have a master key on me. As for the rats, I think none of us will care... unless a group of hundreds of rats attacks us together."

Xia De said casually and beckoned to the two:

"Let's set off quickly."

If this were an adventure game from the Outlander's hometown, or a knight's novel of this world, moving in the sewer would inevitably lead to enemies like ghouls, mutant rats, or even sleeping evil witches. But in reality, the sewers of Tobesk were very calm. Although they heard people talking in the distance halfway through, no one appeared in front to block them.

The only danger was the ubiquitous small creatures: spiders, rats, and many small creatures hiding underground to hibernate because of the arrival of winter.

Xia De even saw groups of wild cats living in the sewer. These cats, like the cats on the ground, liked Xia De very much. Although they didn't approach him directly, more than a dozen cats led the way together, driving away groups of rats, allowing them to walk through the most dangerous section of the journey.

And as a reward, Xia De gave those wild cats a lot of Little Mia's cat food. In this way, all the cat food on him was consumed, and he really hoped Little Mia wouldn't discover this.

Relying on Mr. Fellinger's familiarity with the sewer, although they took the wrong path twice halfway, they finally reached the end of the sewage pipe at 9:30 at night.

After Xia De opened the rusty iron door, outside was a long and narrow dark passage. Continuing forward, after Xia De kicked open another door not far away that was stuck in the wall due to deformation, outside was the channel of the River Terraire. It seemed this was an abandoned drainage outlet.

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

In the pitch-black night, that cargo steamship was quietly docked at the edge of the pier. There were some firelights on the ship, flickering and indistinct, making it impossible to see its specific appearance.

Xia De made an excuse to scout the nearby area first, turned the suitcase in his pocket back, and returned it to Miss Brown. Afterward, under the cover of the night, the three hurried to the pier:

"Faster, your freedom is right before your eyes."

Xia De urged in a low voice, letting Miss Brown and Mr. Fellinger walk ahead first; he was very worried about the scene where hundreds of guns appeared from behind.

But the thing he worried about did not happen; the night was still so deep, and there was no one at all on the riverside avenue.

"Oh, there is someone there!"

But Miss Brown, who had walked a step ahead, stopped. Xia De turned to look, and on the small pier bridge, there was actually someone waiting for them. It was not the captain who had received the news in advance, but a blonde girl wearing a cloak and hood, watching the three walk over from the side of the bridge with her maid.

Mr. Fellinger and Miss Brown's eyesight was far inferior to Xia De's, so only Xia De recognized Princess Margaret Anjou at a glance.

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

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

"Don't delay time, come with me quickly."

The three hurried onto the bridge, and Princess Margaret also walked over, but deliberately avoided her former maid; the princess was still unwilling to speak to Miss Brown.

"Sir, Miss, come up quickly, the ship is about to set sail!"

The sailors on the deck also urged at this time, and Xia De immediately pushed the two toward the wooden ladder to board the ship. Princess Margaret stepped back two steps, watching Xia De talk to the two, and she remained silent throughout. ===== CHAPTER 1044 =====