Chapter 84: Do You Understand What Pure Fiction Is! Pitch-Dark Hook the Great!
"The monarch's command is absolute..." Dan Heng's voice remained steady, reciting the ancient mandate without missing a beat.
"Hey, what are you muttering? Fall in line, now!" a Silvermane Guard barked, his grip tightening on his halberd as suspicion finally broke through his strict discipline.
"And the city is his witness!"
The moment the final syllable left his lips, the Astral Express Crew exploded into motion.
Stelle and Caelus pivoted back-to-back, their baseball bats cutting through the freezing air in perfect, synchronized arcs. The heavy thud of metal meeting armor sent the rear guards flying backward into the snow.
Dan Heng spun his spear, Cloud-Piercer, low across the cobblestones. A sharp shockwave of wind erupted from the sweeping blade, knocking the legs out from under the vanguard and sending them tumbling into a chaotic heap.
Taking advantage of the sudden opening, the four of them broke through the encirclement, sprinting directly toward the swirling, fractured energy of the Fragmentum rift that March 7th had pointed out moments earlier.
The remaining Silvermane Guards scrambled to their feet, raising their rifles to fire, only to find their triggers jammed tight. Thick, unyielding frost had crept up the barrels, completely encasing their weapons in ice.
"Hehe... I'll take the first leap, everyone!"
March 7th spun around, flashing a highly exaggerated, playful grimace at a stunned Bronya, before throwing herself backward into the dimensional tear.
Stelle, Caelus, Dan Heng, and Welt dove in right after her, their silhouettes swallowed by the crack in reality one by one...
While the Astral Express Crew played a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek with the Silvermane Guards, Leon had already slipped away, descending quietly into the Underworld.
Compared to the pristine, snow-draped Overworld, the scenery here was suffocatingly bleak. Leon tilted his head back. There was no sun, no sky, no clouds. Only a colossal, oppressive ceiling of jagged bedrock looming heavily over the rusted iron structures.
The entire Underworld felt like a tomb trapped in eternal night. There was no starry sky to gaze upon, only a gloomy canopy of stone pressing down from above.
The Furnace Core stood dead center in Boulder Town, a massive pillar of machinery stretching all the way up to the rocky heavens. The flickering, amber-colored flames burning within its center cast long, dancing shadows, providing the only meager warmth and illumination for this buried populace.
"Who are you? Hook the Great hasn't seen you around here before."
A sharp, childish voice broke his observation.
Leon glanced down. A little girl with a massive, oversized hat and bright, round eyes was staring up at him, hands planted firmly on her hips.
He hadn't expected this. He figured his first encounter down here would be Natasha, Seele, or maybe that slippery scammer Sampo. Instead, he got the local playground boss.
Truth be told, it was a little embarrassing. Back in his past life, when Leon first started playing Star Rail, he usually kept the game muted while multitasking. Looking at the character model and the rough-and-tumble attitude, he had genuinely assumed Hook was a rowdy little boy.
It wasn't until he finally turned the volume up and heard her voice that the illusion shattered. It was a massive misunderstanding. And honestly? It was entirely miHoYo's fault for that character design.
"Hello there. I'm a Trailblazer. Just passing through to see the sights," Leon replied, a lazy smile spreading across his face.
'Yes, definitely. I am a highly respectable Trailblazer.'
Hook wasn't alone. Two other pint-sized companions hovered nervously behind her. The legendary Moles. However, aside from Hook, Leon really couldn't remember the names of the other two kids off the top of his head.
"Trailblazer? What's that?" Hook tilted her head, the oversized brim of her hat dipping dangerously low, her eyes full of confusion.
"I know, Hook!" Julian, acting as the undisputed brains of the squad, immediately stepped up, pushing his glasses up his nose. "The books say a Trailblazer is someone who travels the stars and goes on big adventures exploring the world!"
"Oh..." Hook dragged out the syllable, her eyes sparkling with sudden realization. "Then isn't that exactly like us Moles?!"
"Is it a bit impolite to just say that..." Alina, the third member, whispered nervously, tugging at her clothes.
Leon chuckled, watching the trio huddle together to whisper among themselves. They clearly thought they were being stealthy, but with his enhanced senses, he could hear every single word perfectly.
"So, since you guys like running around as The Moles, have you encountered a lot of crazy things?" Leon asked, leaning down slightly.
"We can only go on adventures around Boulder Town," Hook muttered, her tone suddenly deflating with heavy envy.
She was a good kid at heart, but definitely a bit of a brat when she didn't get her way.
"Is that so? Well, do you want to hear about my adventures?" Leon narrowed his eyes, a mischievous glint flashing in his pupils. He had just thought of something incredibly entertaining.
"We do!" The three kids shouted in perfect unison, their eyes wide and eager.
Leon cleared his throat. When he spoke again, his voice dropped an octave, taking on the rich, dramatic cadence of a seasoned tavern bard. It instantly hooked the children's attention.
"Deep in the furthest reaches of the distant galaxy, there lies a lonely doomsday city named Belobog. Endless snow and howling winds have shrouded this city for seven whole Amber Eras."
"Wait, that's not right, big brother. Our place is called Belobog too!" Hook interrupted, waving her hands. She at least knew the name of her own home.
"So, is this a story about our world?" Julian asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Maybe there's another city out there also called Belobog!" Alina chimed in, her imagination running wild.
Leon just smiled mysteriously, offering no confirmation, and smoothly picked up the narrative.
"According to ancient historical records, back then, an Architect, desperate to resist the apocalyptic invasion of the Antimatter Legion, did not hesitate to use forbidden power. They summoned an unending frost to freeze the world and halt the enemy's advance."
"But now, the snow and wind have miraculously receded. The city has become warm and livable once more, and life has begun to recover from the ice. Some say a group of nameless heroes used a mysterious method to end the frost, granting Belobog a new life."
Leon's vivid description made Hook and her crew stare at him, completely spellbound. When she heard about the snow receding, Hook leaned over and whispered loudly to Alina, "Look! Just like how we defeated the underground monsters to save the town!"
"However, the truth is far darker..." Leon's tone shifted abruptly, the warmth draining from his voice until it sounded like cracking ice. "This was all a grand scheme laid out by the Lord Ravager Celenova."
"Long before the snow destroyed her Legion, she had buried a seed deep within the ice fields, waiting patiently for the right moment to rule the world once again. While the people of Belobog were still celebrating the joy of rebirth, someone discovered a horrifying truth. Deep within the remaining academies, the frozen Voidrangers were gathering in formation."
"Celenova's seed had sprouted."
Hook and the others gasped sharply, clutching at each other. This plot was full of terrifying twists and turns. As expected of a Trailblazer, his stories were amazing!
"She made the snow recede. She made the ice melt. But in doing so, she awakened the Voidrangers who should have slept forever. These monstrous beasts knelt on the frozen ground, swearing eternal allegiance to their terrifying leader, shouting her terrifying name in unison..."
Leon paused at just the right moment. The silence stretched. The three children practically stopped breathing, their small shoulders tensed as they waited for the terrible name to drop.
His gaze slowly swept over them, finally locking onto Hook. With a deeply meaningful expression, he enunciated the shocking title, word by agonizing word:
"Pitch-Dark Hook the Great."
Julian:???
Alina:!!!
Hook:... "Eh—?!! So it was me?!"
"I'm actually that powerful?!" Hook let out an ear-piercing shriek of disbelief. She pointed a trembling little finger at her own nose, her round eyes bulging with a chaotic mix of absolute shock and sudden, overwhelming pride.
'Me? For real?!'
"He's definitely lying to you! He's just teasing a kid!" Julian yelled, immediately seeing through the dramatic nonsense.
"Big meanie! Hook isn't a bad person!" Alina protested, puffing out her cheeks and glaring at Leon.
Leon threw his head back and laughed out loud at their explosive reactions.
He hadn't just made this story up out of thin air. It was pulled straight from the ridiculous records of Pure Fiction, the exact same nonsense you could hear from that strange bird NPC, Youci.
Of course, since it was Pure Fiction, it was obviously the handiwork of the History Fictionologists. Leon was completely innocent here; he was merely a humble messenger of their chaotic lore.
Thinking about it, Leon remembered two other utterly unhinged Pure Fiction stories. One involved Pela putting Bronya on trial, a narrative that defied every shred of logic and character motivation.
The other was even more amusing: the epic tale of the Shadow General Qingque.
When he eventually made his way to the Xianzhou Luofu, spreading that particular story around was going to be absolutely hilarious.
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