After leaving The Club, Shade returned to House of the Blind and learned the location of the Local Black Market from Ms. Michelle. Then, holding a travel map of Middlesburg, he wandered around the city while making his way toward the black market.
It was easy to imagine that before he truly rescued Priest Augustus, Shade would have many more adventures in this city. Therefore, he wanted to familiarize himself with it as quickly as possible, at least knowing which routes would make for a convenient escape.
Unlike Tobesk and Coldwater Port, which Shade knew fairly well, Middlesburg was an inland Old Continent city nestled against the mountains, and its style was more modern and industrialized. It lacked the long history and political role of a royal capital, nor was it constrained by ocean trade like Coldwater Port, which had caused that city's development to lean toward its docks.
After the arrival of Steam Industry, Middlesburg had been able to devote itself wholeheartedly to industrialization. Relying on its important transportation position and the abundant mineral resources in the Northern Foothills of Sikar Mountain, this Mountain City had steadily expanded in recent years, and its economy had improved as well. Correspondingly, despite being close to the mountains, its air pollution was only slightly better than Tobesk's.
Most of the towering yellow-walled buildings along the streets were less than a century old. The farther north one went, away from the mountains, the newer the municipal infrastructure became. This was particularly evident in the standardized steam meters and gas meters at street corners, as well as the metal pipes climbing the walls, most of which showed no rust.
After all, Middhir Fort City lacked the conditions to expand southward into the Rommel Mountain Range. Thus, although the Steam Factories and the traditional city