Chapter 62: The Sewer Escape and a Glimmer of Hope

Donning a loose, black-grey tunic and grey pumpkin pants, Qi Lin descended the stairs. Her thighs were encased in black thigh-high stockings, her feet slipped into dark red, low-heeled leather shoes. She twisted her fingers nervously, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

Close behind her, Nia followed, clad in a light blue, knee-length dress. White over-the-knee stockings covered her thighs, and her feet were adorned with brown, tall boots.

Aric glanced at the two descending from upstairs. ‘Are you ready?’ he asked casually, already preoccupied with pressing a backpack woven from green grass.

Nia waved a dismissive hand. ‘We don’t have anything to pack,’ she said, before taking a stool and settling onto it.

A thought seemed to strike her. ‘By the way, where’s Ailin?’ Nia asked Aric, having scanned the room and found him absent.

Aric gave a slight shrug. ‘Still upstairs!’ he replied, rising from his half-crouch. He then stored the backpack away into his magic energy space, his gaze settling on Nia.

Qi Lin self-consciously touched the stockings Nia had insisted she wear. Her eyes fixed on Aric. ‘Where do we go out later?’ she asked. ‘Is it still that same sewer?’

‘That’s right,’ Aric affirmed. He opened the door, allowing the simulated sunlight from the space beyond to stream in before finally answering Qi Lin’s question.

‘Isn’t there anything else?’ Nia murmured, ‘Like a teleportation array or something?’ A memory of the sewer’s foul stench from not long ago made her instinctively wrinkle her delicate nose, as though the odor had returned.

Though Qi Lin, standing nearby, disliked the sewer’s smell just as much as Nia, her reaction was far less pronounced. After all, she was not an Orc and did not possess their acutely sensitive sense of smell.

Aric stood on the sun-drenched floor, spreading his hands in a gesture of disbelief. ‘A teleportation array?’ he scoffed. ‘How could such a thing possibly exist?’

At his words, Nia lowered her head in resigned acceptance.

‘When do we leave?’ Ailin called out from the stairs. He stood radiating magic energy, now clad in a beige robe and with his bone blade strapped to his back, his gaze fixed on Aric by the doorway.

‘The sooner, the better!’ Aric declared, meeting Ailin’s gaze. He then produced his helmet and donned it.

****

Bang!

Aric forcefully closed the wooden door, then turned to face the three figures standing before him, fully prepared for their journey.

‘Let’s go!’ Aric commanded. He lifted the oil lamp, taking the lead, with Qi Lin and the other two following closely behind.

After a lengthy trek, they reached the very edge of the pocket dimension. Aric slowly channeled the magic energy within his body into the oil lamp he held.

Within moments, the oil lamp began to radiate a vibrant green glow, one that clearly did not originate from its own nature.

Crack! The space before them shattered, and a shimmering, wave-like portal materialized.

Without a word from Aric, the three by his side instinctively strode through the shimmering portal.

Once Aric was left alone, he turned back, casting a final glance at the house he had meticulously modified.

‘Goodbye, Logue!’ he whispered.

With that soft murmur, Aric said no more, stepping directly through the portal.

As the portal vanished, the dimension, which should have endured for several more weeks, began to rapidly collapse.

Perhaps within a mere few hours, all signs of its existence would be completely erased.

A gentle breeze rustled through the treetops, producing a ‘shasha’ sound, as if bidding farewell to someone unseen.

****

Tiny specks of fluorescence shimmered, and the oil lamp in his hand began to radiate its light.

Behind them, the magic array carved into the wall also began to crack.

Aric gazed at the cracking wall and the lamp in his hand, then let out a heavy sigh.

Aric shifted his gaze. ‘Everyone, let’s go,’ he announced to the three waiting beside him.

With that, he turned and headed towards the passage leading out of the sewer.

Seeing his lead, Qi Lin and the others quickly fell into step behind him.

‘By the way,’ Nia murmured, lifting her chin slightly and sniffing the air a few times, ‘it doesn’t seem as stinky here as last time, does it?’

‘Indeed,’ Qi Lin agreed, having overheard Nia’s soft comment.

‘Really? No way,’ Ailin said, standing to Nia’s left and pinching his nose to prevent any foul odors from reaching him. He sounded skeptical despite their assurances.

‘Really,’ Nia replied to Ailin. Seeing his continued disbelief, she playfully stuck out her tongue, then turned her back on him and walked over to Aric.

Ailin rubbed his head, then turned his gaze to Qi Lin.

Yet, she too followed Nia, walking past Ailin, clearly disinclined to offer any explanation.

Witnessing this, Ailin, who had been trailing behind the three, cautiously removed his hand from his nose.

After gently fanning a bit of air towards his nostrils, Ailin’s eyes brightened with surprise.

The sewer’s stench was genuinely much fainter than it had been during their previous visit!

Excitedly joining the trio, Ailin pinched his chin in thought. ‘Did someone from Candilac cast a purification spell on this sewer?’ he mused aloud.

Aric remained silent for a moment. After a brief glance at Ailin, he slowly began, ‘Why would those self-serving imperialists bother with such a thankless task? If it benefited them, perhaps they might, but at present, it’s impossible.’

‘Then tell me,’ Ailin countered, clasping his hands behind his head with a smile, ‘why is the stench in this place so much fresher?’

Aric offered no verbal reply. Instead, he simply extended his right hand for Ailin to see.

A faint green light shimmered in his palm, revealing a palm-sized magic array composed of two overlapping cubes, which slowly rotated.

With the green light reflected in his eyes, Ailin suddenly understood.

‘So it was you!’ he exclaimed.

‘Hm,’ Aric responded, his tone utterly indifferent.

‘Is this some kind of purification magic?’ Ailin pressed, his excitement palpable.

After all, purification magic was his weakness. Otherwise, he would have used it during their first visit, sparing himself the experience of that foul stench.

‘More or less,’ Aric replied. ‘The effect is the same.’

In stark contrast to Ailin’s bubbling enthusiasm, Aric seemed entirely uninterested.

‘Same effect, you say! Is it wood magic?’

Aric offered no reply, which Ailin took as implicit confirmation.

Just as Ailin was about to ask another question, Aric cut him off.

‘We’re here!’ Aric announced, his expression growing steadily more serious as he stood at the base of a set of stairs.

Ailin, who had still been eager to ask more, immediately reined in all his superfluous questions and emotions upon hearing Aric’s words.

Nia and Qi Lin mirrored his seriousness.

‘Hoo~’ Aric exhaled, then began to ascend the stairs.

Qi Lin followed as the second. Ailin had initially intended to go second, but seeing Qi Lin already climbing, he resigned himself to being third.

Nia was the fourth. She, too, had wanted to be among the first, but Ailin had inadvertently blocked her, making her the last in line.

Cautiously, Aric nudged the manhole cover above them, creating a narrow slit through which he began to observe the situation outside.

Once he confirmed the coast was clear, he carefully slid the manhole cover fully aside, not a single sound escaping during the entire process.

After poking his head out for one last cautious look, Aric finally climbed out of the stairwell.

Kneeling on one knee, Aric whispered to those still below, ‘Hurry up, come out!’

Hearing Aric’s urgent words, Qi Lin swiftly ascended.

Before long, the remaining three emerged from the sewer in quick succession.

Aric stealthily replaced the manhole cover, then chose a direction and quickly led Qi Lin and the other two away.

For the journey ahead, all four of them would need to exercise extreme caution. They were facing pursuit by Imperial Knights, and even the slightest misstep could lead to them being caught and condemned to a life without sunlight, metaphorically ‘capsizing in a gutter.’

If that happened, any hope of resolving the continent’s current plight would be utterly beyond their reach.

‘Where are we running to?’ Qi Lin asked, her voice laced with doubt as they dashed through the winding streets and narrow alleys.

‘The city gates!’ Aric responded.

‘The city gates?’ Ailin repeated, his gaze fixed on Aric, who was leading the way. ‘Is that truly our only escape route? Or are we simply walking like lambs into a tiger’s den?’

Aric heard movement ahead. He extended a hand to stop Qi Lin and the others, pulling them into a dark corner to evade two approaching Knights. Once they were hidden, he spoke in a low voice. ‘With just the four of us, that would certainly be the case. But what if we have backup?’

‘What do you mean?’ Nia whispered.

‘Didn’t I mention it before?’ Aric said, meeting their gazes. ‘During these past few months in the Imperial Capital, I’ve rescued many survivors from that great war.’ His eyes, hidden beneath his helmet, gleamed with a sharp light.

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