Vanessa froze, then her eyes lit up. "I-read about it-in history textbooks! The Imperial Capital's sewers-are amazing!"
Dorothea nodded. "Correct. Saint Clair's sewer system is not merely a network of sewage channels. When Emperor Augustus first founded the Empire, he planned it as the core of the city's functional underground network. Key infrastructure, including gas pipelines and steam power mains, is integrated within it."
"The interior is relatively spacious, and some main passages meet basic conditions for travel. Its habitability rating is low, but significantly better than the old house we currently occupy. Both accessibility and concealment meet our core requirements for a base."
Dorothea adjusted her glasses. "Most importantly, there would be no rent, which could greatly alleviate our current financial difficulties."
Vanessa nodded to herself. It did seem like a good option.
But Allen, beside her, frowned. "It's one thing for us to live in the sewers, but Elsa and Clara would have to live there too?"
Dorothea's expression did not change. "I cannot understand your logic. Elsa and Clara are both human, with no unusual physiological features. Relocating to an underground environment is assessed to increase their probability of survival."
Allen took a deep breath. "Turn off [Rationality] first. Let Dorothea come back."
Miss Crow nodded. The monocle over her right eye disappeared, then her shoulders shook, and she abruptly stood up, eyes wide. "I-I wasn't being stubborn!"
Vanessa:
Allen:
,"
"Ahem. Anyway, Dorothea, are you going to make your little sister live in the sewers?"
Dorothea stiffened and turned to look out the nearby window.
There were no gas lamps to light the old district at night. Only the cold moonlight traced the outlines of the weed-choked courtyard.
The azaleas Clara had picked that day stood in a broken clay pot, in full bloom.
If they