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[HSRGSS] Chapter 20: A Little Matchmaker
🕑 Added 2025-07-14 05:57:25 +0000 UTCBeneath Belobog lay a hollow underground settlement structure known as the Underworld.
Ancient relics and buildings from the Old World lay buried within the looming rock walls, while massive support pillars connected the city to the surface.
Miners gathered here in large numbers, responsible for extracting the rare energy ore known as 'Geomarrow,' which supplied heat energy to both the Overworld and the Underworld.
Even though the Eternal Freeze had receded and the rift caused by the Stellaron had closed, the role of Geomarrow had shifted from heating to serving as an industrial mineral, so there was still a strong demand for miners.
However, with more people, chaos became more likely, so after Lucian liberated the Underworld, he let Natasha continue managing it together with the organization known as 'Wildfire.'
In the end, he left the management of the Overworld to Cocolia and the Underworld to Natasha.
As for Lucian himself, he simply became a hands-off overseer, controlling the big picture from behind the scenes.
===
Boulder Town.
In the Underworld, Boulder Town was known as the most populous area, and here stood a clinic—the only clinic in the entire vast Underworld.
At this moment, a purple-haired girl, carrying a medical kit in her left hand and a giant scythe on her right shoulder, walked up to the clinic door with a bold and heroic demeanor.
"Hmph! I'll definitely come back!"
BANG!
Suddenly, the clinic door was slammed open, and a small figure rushed out.
It was a blonde-haired little girl wearing a large ushanka on her head, her whole body looking round and chubby.
"Hook?"
Seeing the little girl, the purple-haired girl called out with raised eyebrows.
Hook glanced at the purple-haired girl, then kept running, as if she had suffered some huge injustice.
"Seele, come in."
A somewhat helpless voice came from inside the clinic.
Hearing her name called, the purple-haired girl named Seele walked into the clinic and placed the medical kit on the table.
"Hook got into trouble again?"
Seele asked the owner of the helpless voice curiously.
"She was playing with her mining claw at her friend's house and smashed their wall, so I confiscated it."
Replying to Seele was a well-endowed, blue-gray-haired woman in a white layered dress that resembled a doctor's coat.
She was none other than Natasha, the manager of the Underworld, whom Lucian had entrusted with the responsibility.
"Heh, her destructive power isn't even a tenth of mine."
Seele glanced at the claw shaped like a tiger paw in the corner and couldn't help but chuckle.
"By the way, Seele, there's something else I need you to do." Natasha sighed softly and changed the topic. "Go patrol the city, especially where the Silvermane Guards are stationed."
"Huh? Isn't the Underworld liberated already?" Seele asked in confusion. "Why bother monitoring them again?"
"Yes, the crisis is over, but still, we must always be cautious." Natasha replied earnestly. "Lucian is a hero, yes, but you can't guarantee others won't try something. Besides, if we ever discover he's a tyrant, at least we'll have a place to shelter ourselves."
Seele nodded, then shook her head.
"I have no problem watching out for the Silvermane Guards, but I don't wanna be on guard against Lucian. I mean, he saved all of us, saved the entire world. In my eyes, he's a good guy, a hero."
Upon hearing this and seeing the determined gaze in Seele's eyes, Natasha was left speechless.
"Seele..." Natasha smiled wryly. "You know, you really should learn to see things in shades of gray, not just black and white."
She had watched Seele grow up, so she understood Seele's personality very well.
From Seele's perspective, everything and everyone was either good or bad, not realizing there was gray in between.
"Seeing the world in black and white isn't so bad, though." Seele shrugged nonchalantly. "Lucian saved the Underworld, so I see him as a good guy."
"Alright, alright, he's a good guy, okay?" Natasha waved her hand, not wanting to argue anymore. "Go patrol the city first."
Shrugging again, Seele lifted her head, shouldered her scythe, and left.
===
On the other side, as Lucian strolled leisurely into the Underworld, buildings came into view as he passed through a heavy iron gate.
Compared to the bright and glamorous Overworld, this place was undoubtedly gloomy and damp.
In the distance, glowing orange crystals could be seen embedded in the stone walls.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a small figure darted past him before quickly doubling back.
"Are you Lord Lucian?!"
Hearing this, Lucian looked down and saw a little girl whom he immediately recognized.
"Ah, I know you! You're the Pitch-Dark Hook the Great!"
Seeing Hook's adorable appearance, Lucian squatted down to meet her gaze and spoke in an admiring tone.
Hearing her name spoken by the legendary Lucian, Hook became extremely excited and wished she could gather everyone to hear Lucian call her 'Pitch-Dark Hook the Great.'
"Heehee, I knew you were my kind of person! I was just about to look for you."
Hook grinned and then rummaged around for something.
She searched her pockets for a while before finally pulling out a sheet of paper from her ushanka and handing it to Lucian without hesitation.
"What's this?"
Lucian took the paper and unfolded it.
He could barely make out that it was a drawing of a person, someone with long hair, holding a giant syringe.
He couldn't figure out anything else since it was too abstract.
"Hm~hm, this is my drawing of Big Sis Natasha. I'm giving it to you, but you have to promise me one thing."
Hook looked very serious, which piqued Lucian's curiosity.
"What is it?"
"I want you to be Big Sis Natasha's husband."
"Huh?"
Lucian was completely taken aback.
How could this little one make such a strange and bizarre request out of nowhere?
"Why? I need a reason, or I'll have to refuse."
Lucian tried to hand the drawing back, but this scared Hook, so she quickly shoved the drawing into his arms.
"Because that old witch is too fierce and always punishes me! Uncle Sampo told me that if she finds a husband, and he keeps her in check, she won't be so fierce anymore."
"I think you look the best, you're the strongest, so you definitely can handle that old witch."
"If you become her husband, she won't scold me again!"
Upon hearing Hook's innocent reasoning, Lucian couldn't help but laugh and sigh at the same time.
'Damn Sampo—always teaching kids the wrong things.'
"Please~ I'm begging you, help Hook out~" Hook suddenly acted cute. "As long as you become that old witch's husband, I'll make you an honorary member of the Moles!"
Sighing quietly, Lucian took off Hook's ushanka and patted her head with a smile.
"Alright, I promise. In a few days, I'll become her husband."
He was naturally just joking, humoring a child.
However, to Hook, that was a real promise—a promise that good days were coming for her!
"Mm, to thank you, I'll give you Big Sis Seele too."
Hook soon pulled a photo out of her back pocket.
It showed a purple-haired girl and Hook, with the city in the Overworld as the background.
"It was taken a few days ago when Big Sis Seele and I went to the Overworld. It's yours now."
Hook grabbed Lucian's hand and shoved the photo into his palm.
"Alright, I gotta tell the other Moles the good news. I'm off!"
Leaving these words behind, Hook hopped and skipped away.
"So young, yet already a matchmaker..."
Lucian muttered to himself as he watched Hook leave, then stood up and glanced at the photo in his hand.
He had to admit, Seele was very photogenic—she looked beautiful, almost as pretty as Bronya.
'A photo, huh... I wonder if I can use Disarm on this thing too...'
