Chapter 48: Lord Hook

Chen took a deep, steadying breath the moment she was outside.

The air of the Lower District immediately assaulted her senses—a thick, metallic cocktail of rust, damp earth, and something vaguely organic that made her nose wrinkle in distaste.

“Tsk, this air quality…

it’s certainly ‘all-natural,’ isn’t it?” she muttered under her breath, the grimace on Bronya’s face at odds with the undiminished excitement sparkling in her eyes.

The primary objective was clear: find the little rascals of the Mole Gang, and most, their leader, the one and only “Pitch-Black Hook the Great.”

If the plot was following any semblance of its original trajectory, there was a high probability they were playing hide-and-seek somewhere near Natasha’s clinic.

She lightened her steps, moving with a practiced grace as she relied on a combination of hazy memories from the game and pure intuition, her ears straining to catch the sound of children’s joyful shouts.

Soon, her gaze locked onto a makeshift fortress constructed from discarded shipping containers and scraps of old canvas.

There, a small figure was doing their utmost to curl into a tight ball, attempting to vanish into the shadows and crevices of the junk pile.

The iconic brown-and-white beret was unmistakable, though the hair beneath it was indeed shorter than the Hook she remembered from the game.

It was styled more like a little boy’s cut, but that round, cherubic face and those sparkling eyes belonged to none other than the adorable Lord Hook.

And that expression—the sheer, concentrated seriousness of someone who was utterly convinced they were perfectly hidden—it was almost too much.

Chen’s heart did a little flutter again, though this time it was purely from the nostalgic warmth of seeing a beloved character in the flesh.

It definitely, absolutely had nothing to do with him being a cute little boy.

Definitely not.

She quietly circled around the side of the junk pile, held her breath, and then suddenly popped her head out from behind the edge of a rusty container.

With a smile she intended to be kind but which, on Bronya’s naturally stern features, came across as cool and haughty, she called out.

“Found you!

The Pitch-Black Hook the Great!”

The sudden voice and the unfamiliar face sent a visible shockwave through the little boy.

Hook flinched so hard he nearly launched himself out of his hiding spot.

He scrambled around, pressing his back against the cold metal of the container as he stared at her with wide, wary eyes.

“Wh-Who are you?!” Hook’s voice held the distinct, high-pitched timbre of a child, but he was clearly trying to lace it with an adult’s sternness.

“How do you know Lord Hook’s title?

Are you…

a bad lady from the Overworld?”

‘Bad lady?’ Chen had to suppress a laugh.

It seemed Bronya’s face and fine clothes were, in the eyes of a Lower District child, an immediate red flag.

They screamed “Overworld,” “suspicious,” and “trouble.”

This, however, only served to ignite her mischievous spirit.

She deliberately let her expression fall into a mask of cool indifference, mimicking the condescending yet playful tone of some noble heiress from a storybook.

She tilted her chin up.

“Bad lady?

Heh.

What an impolite little fellow.”

“I heard that the Pitch-Black Hook the Great is the bravest adventurer in the entire Lower District, so I came all this way to see for myself.

But now, it seems…” She let her voice trail off, her gaze sweeping up and down the small boy, who was already starting to puff up his cheeks, indignant that his bravery was being questioned.

“…you’re hardly living up to the name.

Is playing hide-and-seek among the trash the grand style of an adventurer?”

“It is not!”

Hook took the bait perfectly.

His little face flushed a bright red as he jumped out from his hiding spot, puffing out his chest with all his might.

“Lord Hook is…

is carrying out a secret reconnaissance mission!

To observe if any suspicious strangers have entered the Lower District!

And you look very suspicious!”

Just then, several other small figures crawled out from their own hiding spots nearby, gathering around Hook like loyal guards.

They were the other members of the Mole Gang, and they all eyed Chen with the same mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

Chen looked at this gaggle of little sprouts and laughed internally, but on the outside, she maintained her haughty young lady persona.

She spread her hands in a gesture of helpless elegance.

“I’m merely a…

lost traveler.

I was told there’s an amazing person in the Lower District named Lord Hook who might be able to show me the way.”

Hook eyed her suspiciously, his little brain working furiously.

‘A traveler?

Lost?

And she knows my title?

This is suspicious, no matter how you look at it!”But…

she did say I was “amazing”!’

And she didn’t look like one of those mean Silvermane Guards…

“Lord Hook can certainly help you!” Hook finally declared, his magnanimity as the boss winning out.

He planted his hands firmly on his hips.

“But first, you have to answer Lord Hook’s questions!

What’s your name?

Where are you from?

And why are you looking for Lord Hook?”

Chen blinked, a sly grin finally breaking through Bronya’s icy facade.

She leaned down, bringing her face close to Hook’s, and whispered with deliberate mystery in a voice only the children could hear.

“As for my name…

you can call me Sister Ya Ya.

As for where I’m from?

A place very, very far away, a place you’ve probably never heard of.

And as for why I’m looking for you…”

She straightened up, her gaze sweeping over the dim, gritty surroundings and the children’s curious faces.

A smile with an unreadable meaning curled her lips.

“…Because I heard that the Pitch-Black Hook the Great, leader of the most powerful Mole Gang in the Lower District, is the most well-informed and the boldest of them all.

And it just so happens that I am looking for some…

special people, and a very special item.

This is a matter that, perhaps, only the bold and careful Lord Hook would have the interest and ability to get involved in.

You understand?”

Hook’s eyes instantly lit up, shining like twin stars in the gloom.

His puffed-out chest seemed to inflate another few inches, his little face a perfect portrait of pride.

“Well, at least you know your stuff.”

“Hmph, of course!” he nodded vigorously, his beret bobbing with the motion.

“There’s nothing in the Lower District that Lord Hook doesn’t know!

The Mole Gang’s eyes and ears are the sharpest!

Speak, Sister Ya Ya!

What special person are you looking for?

What special item?

Lord Hook will give you some pointers!”

The surrounding little Moles all chimed in, loudly proclaiming their boss’s unrivaled expertise.

Chen chuckled to herself, but on the surface, she adopted a look of thoughtful consideration, tinged with just the right amount of difficulty.

“Hmm…

as for the special person, I’ve heard there’s a very powerful figure in the Lower District named Seele.

Very skilled, elusive, and seems to prefer being alone?”

“Brother Seele?” Hook blinked, blurting it out without a second thought.

“Brother Seele should be at the tavern in the town center right now!”

“The tavern?” Chen raised an eyebrow.

This was a slight deviation from her memory of the game’s plot.

But then again, in this gender-swapped world, Seele showing up in a tavern didn’t seem entirely out of the question.

“At the tavern…

doing what?” Chen asked, her mind instantly cycling through a list of possibilities befitting a cool, aloof male character: drinking, gathering intelligence, meeting a contact, repairing his gear…

Hook puffed out his little chest again, announcing loudly in a tone that screamed, “You don’t even know this?”

“Giving a speech!”

“Giv…

Giving a speech?”

The carefully constructed expression on Chen’s face instantly froze.

The refined smile on Bronya’s lips slackened, replaced by a rare look of sluggish, utter confusion.

For a moment, she genuinely wondered if the questionable air quality in the Lower District was finally causing auditory hallucinations.

“Seele…

in a tavern…

giving a speech?”

[Elysian’s Note:

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