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    Yaeger tilted her head, her eyes widening slightly in confusion. "The sewers?" The moment the words left her mouth, an image of a filthy, waterlogged tunnel filled with rotting garbage and stagnant sludge formed in her mind.

    "The sewers of Jade City," Rosalina clarified.

    "You’re saying my escape route is through the sewers?" Yaeger asked, utterly dumbfounded.1 That instantly reminded her of the well-engineered sewer systems she had read about online.2

    The most famous among them was the Green Island sewer—an engineering marvel that had remained functional for decades. Most notably, its spare parts were meticulously preserved in grease film.

    In fact, legend had it that they even kept a German engineer preserved in grease film, ready to be unwrapped whenever repairs were needed. Whenever an issue arose, they would unseal him, let him work his magic, then wrap him up again for future use.3

    It was a flawless system.

    Then there were the sewers of the Eastern Capital—remarkably clean and even considered livable. People could even row boats through them!

    ‘A sewer that doesn’t stink? Either this world defied logic, or the system wasn’t operational at all,’ Yaeger mused.

    "Yes and no." Rosalina’s gaze shifted toward Aurora and Fiat.

    "Master, do you trust them?" she asked.

    "They are my allies," Yaeger answered without hesitation.

    Aurora’s heart swelled with warmth at her words, while Fiat trembled with barely contained excitement.

    "Really? If they’re your allies, then they’re my comrades as well. I don’t mind sharing this with them." Rosalina nodded before continuing, "Master, in truth, Jade City was designed by my ancestors."

    The moment those words left her mouth, everyone’s expression shifted. Aurora and Fiat were visibly stunned. Yaeger, too, was taken aback. If Rosalina was telling the truth, then she must have knowledge of Jade City’s hidden secrets—and its weaknesses.

    "Not only that," Rosalina continued, her voice steady, "our clan oversaw its construction. Concerned for the safety of future generations, our ancestors built a secret passage—one that only our family knows. It bypasses the moat and leads directly outside the city."

    As for why only her clan knew of this passage... well, anyone else who had learned about it hadn’t lived to tell the tale. Yaeger didn’t need Rosalina to spell it out. She could piece it together herself.

    After all, the best-kept secrets were the ones buried with the dead.

    "The secret passage is inside the sewers?" Yaeger asked, her expression darkening. She really didn’t want to step foot in the sewers.

    Sure, she could purify the air around her and block out the stench, but the sheer sight of such filth would still make her skin crawl. If she were still in her male body, she might have tolerated it. But in her current form? Absolutely not.

    "That’s right," Rosalina confirmed. "But don’t worry, Princess. I know a shortcut—we’ll reach the secret passage quickly." Noticing the clear disgust on Yaeger’s face, Rosalina quickly added.

    "Really?"

    "Yes."

    "Then... fine." Yaeger exhaled and nodded.

    With no other viable options left, she had no choice but to take the risk.

    ‘I never thought I’d see the day...'' If she had any clue where the core of the barrier was, she’d rather take the massive risk of destroying it than subject herself to the sewers. Unfortunately, Rosalina had no idea where it was located. r??O??E?s

    Time was running out. Finding the barrier’s core in such a short span was practically impossible. With no alternatives, Yaeger had to abandon that plan altogether.

    "The well?" Yaeger stared at the dilapidated, weed-infested well before her.

    "Yes," Rosalina confirmed with a nod. "Master, let’s head down."

    Yaeger hesitated, then sighed in resignation. A wry smile crossed her lips before she finally stepped forward and prepared to descend.

    Meanwhile, in the grand chamber of the palace... The vast chamber stood eerily empty, save for a lone figure seated upon the throne. Emperor Richard.

    Resting his face against one hand, he stared out impatiently.

    "It’s been an hour, and she’s still not caught? You useless fools!" he snapped in frustration.

    Even with the barrier active, they had failed to capture a mere outsider. If that wasn’t incompetence, what was? If not for his dignity as Emperor, Richard would have stormed out himself and captured that damned outsider, [Princess], with his own hands.

    ‘She has nowhere to run. I just have to wait.'' He leaned back into his throne and let out a long, weary sigh.

    With every second the barrier remained active, his empire bled resources. How could he not be frustrated? But personally venturing into the outer district just to catch a single fugitive? That would be beneath him.

    If an Emperor had to handle everything himself, what was the point of having subordinates? Were they just for show?

    ‘Tch!’ Richard had half a mind to execute those incompetent fools on the spot. ‘My empire is sorely lacking in talent.''

    The Sky Empire had no shortage of prodigies, yet his own empire struggled to produce even a handful. The disparity was infuriating. What was the most crucial asset in any era, in any world? Talent. Without talent, there was no future.

    Everyone understood the importance of talent, but understanding alone wouldn’t change the reality—his empire simply didn’t have it. He couldn’t simply conjure it out of thin air.

    ‘Wait... Maybe I can.'' A thought struck him—the [Warlock Association]. He never harbored any true resentment toward that mysterious organization. In fact, he felt a degree of appreciation for them.

    If not for the [Warlock Association] targeting Alicia, his hold on the throne wouldn’t have been so secure. But now that Alicia had broken free from her curse, his grip on power was slipping.

    "Alicia, don’t you dare dream of taking my throne!" His expression darkened as he glared forward, resentment burning in his eyes. Of all his enemies, he hated his sister the most.

    If she had been just another ordinary woman, he wouldn’t have cared. But Alicia was anything but ordinary—she was the most extraordinary prodigy in the empire’s history. A threat like her could never be ignored... unless she was eliminated before she could rise against him.

    The commoners'' district remained as bustling as ever. S.K.Y. and Taurus, each leading a team, eagerly combed through the district in search of their target.

    With a manhunt of this magnitude, they believed it was only a matter of time before the infamous Black-hearted Princess was flushed out. Once that happened, all they had to do was stay close to the main forces and swoop in to reap the rewards. A perfect plan.

    Of course, reality rarely matched expectations. Whether things would actually go their way was another story. At present, however, it looked like they wouldn’t be gaining anything at all.

    Beneath the well. Rosalina carefully felt around for the trigger mechanism, her movements precise and deliberate. The last thing she wanted was to set off a hidden trap and ruin everything.

    Yaeger stepped onto something brittle beneath her boot. Looking down, she grimaced slightly. Judging by the scattered bones, there were at least three complete skeletons down here.

    That meant at least three people had come here before them. What they were doing here, however, was anyone’s guess.

    ‘Is this place still secure or not?'' A gnawing unease crept over Yaeger. Had this place already been discovered?

    Crack!

    A sharp sound echoed through the well. The ground beneath them shuddered as a cloud of dust billowed into the air. Within moments, the stone gave way, revealing a gaping black hole before them.

    ? PreviousNext ? Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)MoreClick to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window)Silva: Well, this is rather common in RPG, what are you surprised about? Do you not play games?Keissen: I don''t really understand these references, maybe some kind of inside joke from China.Silva: uh... what the actual fuark? I even had to dig up the raw to double check if this translation is actually accurate! And it is!Like Loading...