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"..."
Julian said with pride that sounded extremely sad to Sora, instantly dampening his and Paimon's good mood.
The kid on the other side was startled when Kong suddenly changed into a "Sima face", but he still coughed twice: "Hmm, I heard you want to discuss a big business with me?"
"Are you 'Boss Hook'?"
"Hehe, that's right, I am 'Dark Lord Hook', the boss of the Mole Gang!"
As soon as he saw the little girl with blonde hair and golden eyes, Kong felt that she was extraordinary.
It's not about that inexplicable self-confidence, but the whole set of clothes she wore was more sophisticated and exquisite than those of all the children who followed her.
The felt hat on her head looked like two black eyes, or a pair of arrogant nostrils staring at the sky.
"Don't look around when you're talking to people. You like my hat? You have good taste. My dad made it for me with great care!"
"Dad? Aren't you the boss of the Mole Gang? And you have a boss above you?" Kong slightly suppressed his sympathy for these kids, because he knew that sympathy can easily hurt others.
"Dad is not Hook's boss, he is a family member. Why do I have to tell you so much? Why don't you tell me what business you want the Mole Gang to do?"
The little girl crossed her arms across her chest, and only then did Sora realize that the huge device on her back wasn't a toy... it was a real thing.
Allowing a child under the age of twelve to run around and play with drilling equipment would take a lot of hard work on the part of the parents, or else Hook could handle the equipment, eliminating the possibility of adults robbing her.
It seems that the most outrageous third guess is about to be true...
"Actually, I wanted to do business with Dihuo and sell meat to the lower districts. But since you found me earlier than Dihuo, it's not impossible for me to share some of the benefits with you."
Even when communicating with children, Kong still adheres to his bottom line of never lying.
"……Meat?"
The corner of Hook's lips twitched visibly, and he looked very excited.
"Are you an upper-class butcher?"
"Not really. I'm only responsible for the transfer and the contact... You little kids definitely can't handle so many of our 'orders'."
Kong squatted down again. He felt that this cute and fairy-tale-like little girl in front of him had a familiar power flowing through her. She was actually a destiny walker: "I can trade with you with candy and other food - take me to find the Earth Fire. The big orders will be for them to eat, but if you want to continue doing business with me and use some of the Earth Fire as leftovers to earn pocket money and side dishes, you're always welcome here."
"Take you to find a commission from Dihuo? Of course, but don't underestimate us, the Mole Gang! The adults underground are under the care of Dihuo, and the children are under the care of the Mole Gang!"
"But Boss Hook, this guy is dressed like a gentleman and speaks in a set way - he might be a young master from the upper class district who is here to plot against us!"
It’s not like there weren’t children who expressed doubts about the sudden emergence of an empty identity.
"Ah, you can rest assured about this. My status in the upper district is 'exiled', and the job I do is closer to 'smuggling'."
It was meaningless to explain so much to a group of children, but Kong just wanted to gain the trust of the children in front of him... It was so precious to be able to maintain a bit of childishness in a difficult environment. It was better not to be the "deceptive adult" in Julian's words.
In addition, after the group of malicious eyes disappeared, there was still a pair of eyes staring at him. Perhaps it was not just the little girl in front of him who scared away those evil spirits... he was still being monitored.
"Eula, I met a group of cute kids here, and they agreed to take me to find the Earth Fire."
"...Can't you just come to the meeting place they decided on?"
"Tell Sergey that I like these kids very much. They took the initiative to help me out, so I have to repay them."
"…He asked if the kids you met called themselves the 'Mole Gang'?"
"Oh? From what he said, this Mole Party can't really be considered an organization for children to entertain themselves?"
"Sergey said that the little brats of the Mole Gang are quite famous in Rock Town. They are very noisy, especially their leader. He plans to ask her father, Fesman, to help you out. Please bear with it for a while."
"…I already said they are not being entangled. They are helping to lead the way."
"Is that so? Oh, he also said that a fire patrol officer has already rushed over to the garbage dump. She will be responsible for your safety. She asked you not to run around in the east direction. You and the children can wander around the rest of the area as you like, but don't delay for too long."
After Eula hung up the phone, she looked at the terminal on Beloberg where the planetary clock was reset with some surprise: "Those kids are actually active in the early morning. What kind of schedule is this... Ah, it's been 'dawn' for a long time."
This was the first time that Eula was troubled by the sense of disorientation brought on by jet lag.
200. How many old lovers do you have?
They said they were going to look for Dihuo, but Hook and her friends didn't know if there were any changes to Dihuo's offices or bases. They just knew some Dihuo members and wanted to bring Kong to those members and go to places where he couldn't go anywhere.
At first glance, Hook seemed to be a little too trusting of outsiders and was easily deceived, but she was not without caution - she did not intend to introduce some adults who were in charge of dispatching work in the underground fire and had little fighting power, but instead planned to find those "notorious" guys in the underground.
such as--
"Sister Xier!"
At the end of the street, a blue-purple shadow flashed out.
The red ribbon that marked her identity as Dihuo, the black tube top, the corset that looked like a split high-cut swimsuit that formed a small depression at the navel, the hot pants, and the gradient skirt and sleeves that looked like butterfly wings, which made the chic blue-purple hair more layered. When this girl appeared, she was surrounded by gorgeous fragments of light, as if she did not belong underground, but should be flying in the sky——
Although her face was full of dissatisfaction, she still showed up - as the "reliable adult" in the underground fire as Hook said, to be precise, she had to show up because of Hook's search.
In addition, Kong had glanced at her hiding and moving location several times just now. The accuracy of his gaze surprised her and made her think that there seemed to be no need to continue protecting this person in secret.
"Are you so easily bribed? Hook, if I don't show up, where are you going to take him to find the Earth Fire?"
The girl named Xi'er started to get angry at Hook right away, and her tone was very unfriendly, but she didn't really blame Hook. Instead, she kept glancing at Kong, as if she was afraid that he would suddenly kidnap Hook from behind.
The young man in front of her gave her a very strange feeling - she had seen many strangers looking at her in strange ways - there were those who coveted her beauty, greedy or longing for her, there were those who were hostile to her, full of hatred, fear and awe, and of course, there were also many... who looked down on her, but the kind that Su Kong was particularly difficult for her to deal with.
It was an expression as if he was looking at an old friend... but they were just strangers meeting for the first time. She was extremely uncomfortable with the familiar attitude.
He was first "stunned" by her appearance, but soon his expression changed to one that was 70% similar to the way Oleg looked at her... God knows what this golden retriever, who looks younger than her, has experienced, and how he will try to get close to her next.
However, the flying "doll" next to him seemed to be a living creature as well. After seeing his ferocious eyes, it retreated a little bit in a normal way - this was the normal reaction of a normal person seeing a ground and fire cadre.
"Take him, take him to the fight club! There are a lot of people there, and many adults from the Earth Fire will go to watch the games after work! You can always run into one or two!"
Hook's momentum weakened a little in front of Xier, but she didn't think her behavior was out of line. She just wanted to help people on both sides at the same time.
"It's okay. I'm not stupid enough to take people to places they shouldn't go."
After getting Hook's answer and seeing that Kong was not aggressive at all and even looked gentler, although Xier was puzzled, she still leaned over and advised Hook not to continue to get involved in this mess.
The Mole Gang is not just a playful organization, but this business is too important, so it’s best not to involve children - moreover, the other party is despicable and knows how to use children to narrow the distance with the residents of the lower class and show their affinity. This kind of scheming should not be underestimated.
"So, even if we bring it here?"
Julian scratched his head, uncertain.
"Well, that completes our deal - here's the payment."
Under Xi'er's newly alert gaze, Kong took out three energy bars and handed them to Hook: "It's a pleasure to work with you, Hook. Let's do business again next time we have the chance."
"Hey, so straightforward - ahem, I mean, you're always welcome to talk business! Hehehe!"
This little girl almost fell under Kong's sugar-coated bullets, and did not even emphasize that she was "Dark Lord Hook". If it weren't for Seele's constant scrutiny, Hook would probably have peeled off the plastic on the spot to enjoy his "commission reward".
"...You actually accepted things from strangers. Didn't your father teach you to be careful?"
"But, but this elder brother said he was Grandpa Oleg's guest..."
"This has nothing to do with whether he is a guest or not... but... ah, maybe it's because I have been too busy with work recently, I am a little nervous. Next, you come with me, the guest from the sky."
For Xier, calling the other party "guest" was the best she could do to be polite.
Hook and his little followers waved goodbye to the air, and after Seele turned around, they couldn't wait to open the candy wrapper, broke the chocolate bar that was only enough for one person into four pieces and distributed them to their friends.
He has a sharing spirit and is willing to help others. In the underground environment, this child will have a great future.
"Did Old Xie ask you to protect me?"
After confirming that Hook was not entangled by the returning thugs, Kong suppressed some of his joy of "reunion". He knew that the person in front of him was not the one in his memory, but emotional fluctuations were inevitable.
"Well, he said that you abandoned the goods and covered his retreat, but the leader asked me to come - he asked me to tell you that the Earth Fire will not easily owe favors to others, and we will make up for the losses caused by the Rift attack."
"There's no rush for this. If we can establish a relatively stable channel, we can move a lot of goods back and forth."
Sora glanced back at the junkyard, "It's just... maybe the entrance and exit aren't that welcoming."
The passage in the garbage dump also needs to build an upward conveyor belt or a simple ramp... It can be foreseen that the earth marrow sent up there will be subject to some "influence".
"Just tell the boss about these things. I'm just a bodyguard leading the way. I won't understand if you tell me more."
Whether it was the roughness of Xier's speech or his attitude of claiming to be a "muscular guy", there was a subtle gap between him and Kong.
This kind of "rudeness" actually helped Kong to quickly adjust his mindset and stop being immersed in beautiful fantasies about the past.
"Ever since the passage to the furnace core was sealed, the underground has been in chaos. I just drove away some of the scum who wanted to attack you. You should have noticed that they are just one step away from attacking you."
Seele turned and walked towards the center of town, not seeming to care whether Sora could keep up with her pace or not.
"Wow, so that's how it is. I told you that you shouldn't be so arrogant. Thank you for your help, Ms. Xi'er."
Paimon hurriedly thanked Xier and scolded Kong at the same time.
"Although your behavior is not very decent... but those guys who do nothing but find fault all day long are just as deserving of a beating - let me make it clear first, if you still like to show off your wealth, I may not be able to arrive in time next time."
"I originally wanted to mingle with the locals."
Sora said something extremely terrifying with a shy smile.
"...Oh, then your method is quite suitable for the rules of the lower zone."
Xier glanced back and showed a little interest in the air.
"But I'm responsible for the town's security. I'll make sure you're not attacked, and you don't start any trouble. This will be better for everyone."
"What do you think I'm here for? To cause trouble?" Kong was amused by Xier's attitude.
In the center of town, the huge core of the furnace came into view like an Optimus Prime, and the inverted ore vein was even more spectacular, but the hurried flow of people in the downtown area below began to pass by the two people. They anxiously started their busy day, which was a bit dazzling compared to the leisurely street scene in the upper area.
"... I can see that your work is very effective. I have been to many turbulent areas with economic recession, and the situation is much worse than here."
"Forget the compliments. Family members know their own business."
Xier had an illusion that when Kong came to the underground, he did not feel any awkwardness of being in a foreign country at all, and he felt as relaxed as if he was back home.
"We'll be there soon, Goethe Hotel. We'll use this as a temporary negotiation venue and reserve a bed for you."
Seeing that the green dots on the map were concentrated in the hotel, Sora confirmed that Eula and the others were being treated to delicious food and drinks.
But... "Goethe Hotel"? Is this still a chain of upper and lower floors?
A boundary anchor was slowly emitting a soft light next to the hotel. Everything was so similar...
I just hope that this time, I won’t be driven out of the city halfway again…
There are probably not many "decent" buildings and meeting places in the underground world. Choosing this place means that Dihuo has already "upgraded the courtesy" for these visitors. At least the front of the gate is clean enough, and the interior style of the building is retro but also warm, which is rare.