Chapter 3271: Chapter 3272: Steward House

Avoid Kseniya?

When Luigi heard this reason, he suddenly thought of the scene where Kseniya questioned him earlier, and he seemed to understand something.

"The relationship between Kseniya and Sipolov should be more than just generational good friends, right?"

Uncle Kuo hesitated for a moment before speaking softly: "They are indeed friends across generations, but Sipolov is too brilliant among the younger generation of the Yingji Clan, very popular, even..."

Uncle Kuo didn’t finish, but everyone understood.

Sipolov was too popular, even Kseniya, who grew up with him, was attracted to him.

Luigi: "Mutual?"

Uncle Kuo coughed, looked back at Kseniya’s direction, and subtly shook his head.

Luigi immediately got it, it wasn’t mutual pursuit, but Kseniya’s unrequited love.

Considering Kseniya’s headstrong personality, it’s not hard to understand why Sipolov doesn’t like her and even wants to avoid her.

"The love a young girl dreams of is often the unreachable sky outside the cage." Although Luigi didn’t find this unrequited love particularly praiseworthy, he couldn’t resist reciting a crooked poem. If it weren’t for the many people around and Laplace’s dislike of being the center of attention, he might have wanted to play music to accompany his lament.

Upon hearing Luigi’s sentimental lament, Uncle Kuo seemed to find Luigi more pleasing to the eye, nodding: "Yes, knowing you can’t reach it, but still can’t help reaching out."

Angel: "..." He had no objections to the duet between the two. However, Luigi’s "poem" sounded familiar... wasn’t it what Bimon wrote earlier? Has it been adapted already?

Luigi: "But, I also understand Sipolov. After all, love is a long journey, it’s not that you have to have me, further deliberation is required."

Angel: Alright, another adaptation.

In short, due to Kseniya’s relentless pursuit, even at multi-tribe routine gatherings, she wouldn’t let him rest, so in the end, Sipolov simply hid in the neighboring Everything House.

Sipolov himself knew that hiding in the Everything House wouldn’t be able to keep Kseniya unaware. Perhaps Sipolov had already guessed that Kseniya would chase after him, so he definitely wouldn’t stay at the reception, nor the unrestricted office.

Where would Sipolov go? That leads to his second reason for coming to the Everything House.

Uncle Kuo: "Additionally, as far as I know, Sipolov actually has another task that needs to be handled by the Everything House. Originally, he might not have planned to seek out the Everything House so soon; because of Kseniya, Sipolov came now."

An ordinary task can be handled by the Hall of Works. Sipolov not being in the Hall of Works indicates the task isn’t ordinary.

An extraordinary task, in terms of Everything House, is a "big order", and such big orders require a Deacon to handle.

Thus, by combining these pieces of information, it’s clear Sipolov surely went to the Steward House.

That’s what Uncle Kuo knew.

The reason Uncle Kuo was willing to share these bits of information with people he had just met was mainly because these insights weren’t deemed confidential; he didn’t disclose the contents of the big order either.

Moreover, even if it was known that Sipolov went to the Steward House, there are six Steward Houses in the Everything House, so no one knows which one he actually went to.

Additionally, something significant worth noting is that not just anyone can go to the Steward House.

The Everything House staff need to confirm that your task is genuine, your commitment is highly determined, and it must be resolved by a Deacon. Once these three conditions are met, you’ll qualify to see a Deacon.

Which Deacon you meet isn’t up to you.

Overall, in Uncle Kuo’s view, disclosing this information wouldn’t have a substantial impact on Sipolov.

"Kseniya and I previously spoke a lot with the office staff, but they still didn’t reveal Sipolov’s whereabouts, so finding Sipolov in the Everything House is currently difficult." Uncle Kuo sighed, then looked at Luigi: "If you really want to find Sipolov, my personal suggestion is to wait for a while at the entrance. Regardless of where Sipolov is now, he will surely come out after submitting the task."

Uncle Kuo also expressed that afterward, he would be waiting with Kseniya at the entrance of the Everything House for Sipolov.

Meanwhile, Uncle Kuo also extended an invitation for them to join him.

The reason Uncle Kuo invited them to accompany was due to his own motive. Although he didn’t perceive any malice in Luigi and others, at least by staying together, he could continuously observe, or rather...monitor.

However, after discussing it within the Mind Ribbon, Angel and the others decided to politely decline Uncle Kuo’s invitation.

Uncle Kuo didn’t mind; in his perspective, if Angel and others were determined to find Sipolov, they’d ultimately reconvene at the entrance with them. It’s just a matter of timing.

"Then I’ll bid farewell for now. Lastly, I apologize to you on behalf of Kseniya’s rudeness." Uncle Kuo took off his hat and placed it on his chest while performing a standard military salute.

Without staying longer, Uncle Kuo turned and returned to Kseniya’s side. Watching from afar, Kseniya seemed to be questioning Uncle Kuo, but Uncle Kuo merely smiled without saying anything and took Kseniya to the office hall’s teleport point.

After they left, Luigi spoke in the Mind Ribbon: "Looks like this time Glaipnir was wrong."

Angel looked at Luigi with confusion. How was this related to Glaipnir?

Luigi: "Didn’t Glaipnir previously deny Gutalace’s speculation?"

Gutalace believed that Sipolov entering the Everything House must have something major going on. Coupled with rumors of Ice Country and Everything House already having alliances, and the shadow of a commander behind Sipolov.

Hence, Sipolov’s visit to the Everything House might very possibly be a precursor to the onset of a new war.

At that time, Glaipnir outright denied Gutalace’s speculation.

The reason being, Gutalace never got it right when it came to brainstorming.

However, now from Uncle Kuo’s account, Luigi feels Gutalace might be correct. Sipolov’s big order may indeed be related to a new war involving the Ice Country; otherwise, why would it be called a "big order"?

In other words, Glaipnir’s irrational denial might really be wrong.

Angel: "Actually, there’s no need to worry about what Sipolov’s task is."

Whether Sipolov’s task is the start of a new war doesn’t really concern them. Even if a war storm is truly brewing, it doesn’t matter.

In Angel’s eyes, the focus now should be on Sipolov himself. Can we locate Sipolov before the gathering?

With this in mind, Angel’s gaze turned to Laplace.

Previously, their rejection of Uncle Kuo’s offer was primarily suggested by Laplace.

Given their current circumstances, going to the Steward House would still be difficult. But don’t forget the relationship between Dog Deacon and Laplace.

Dog Deacon is currently at the Everything House, and Laplace doesn’t mind meeting Dog Deacon.

As long as Dog Deacon is seen, regardless of which Steward House Sipolov is in, Dog Deacon’s internal permissions can be used to locate Sipolov.

However, the issue they face now is... how to contact Dog Deacon?

"If it were in the past, I could use remote sensing to locate the Temporal Body directly, even if there were spatial barriers, it wouldn’t matter." Laplace paused: "However, since I returned control to the Dog Deacon, I can’t sense its position anymore."

Laplace gave the Dog Deacon absolute freedom, and now there’s nothing that can be done about it.

Luigi: "Should we go to the Affairs Hall to ask for help?"

No one objected.

Thus, everyone headed to the center’s elevator and took it down to the next level, arriving at the Affairs Hall.

The Affairs Hall was smaller than Angel had imagined, roughly a quarter the size of the Marine Theater. However, there were many small doors around, suggesting more extension space.

The overall layout and atmosphere of the Affairs Hall had a strong resemblance to a Witcher Organization’s Task Hall. Various enclosed counters and service personnel stood inside them; above, mirrors hung mid-air, constantly updating all kinds of commission information.

The entire Affairs Hall was bustling not only with commission handlers but also many investigators from the Everything House who came to pick up commissions, making it extremely lively.

Although the investigators and commission handlers were in the same space, they were distinctly separated. Investigators mostly gathered in the southeastern corner, while other areas were dedicated to the service of commissioners.

Notably, most of the investigators and staff had a humanoid appearance, and Angel could feel that many of them were not native creatures of the Mirror Domain.

It’s likely they were outsiders or simply Empty-hearted People cultivated by the Everything House.

In addition, their costumes were quite distinctive. Although they were all dressed in the red and black uniform of Everything House, their styles varied. Investigators mostly wore trench coats, while staff preferred tailcoats.

As soon as Angel and the others stepped off the elevator, a tall man dressed in a burgundy tailcoat approached and asked if they needed assistance.

Angel and Luigi exchanged a glance, and Luigi stepped forward to request help: "We do need some help."

With a gentle smile, the staff member responded: "We want to see the Dog Deacon."

The staff member’s smile froze instantly: "What’s that?"

Luigi continued to explain they were old acquaintances with the Dog Deacon and wanted to have a chat with them. He even offered to let the Dog Deacon confirm remotely.

Yet the staff member kept shaking his head: "I’m just the most junior employee; I don’t have the privilege to communicate with the Deacon."

Luigi: "Is there a way for us to meet the Dog Deacon?"

The staff member shook his head: "I don’t know that either."

In short, any question related to the Deacon was met with ignorance from the staff. Moreover, not just this staff member, but others were similarly uninformed.

Bringing up the Deacon seemed like mentioning a forbidden word, with no one daring to discuss them idly.

"The hierarchical concept here seems just as strong as those in the Yingji Clan." After getting no answers from several staff members, Luigi couldn’t help but remark.

Angel: "Now it seems that the only way to see the Deacon is using the method Uncle Kuo mentioned earlier, by commissioning a big task?"

So-called commissioning refers to tasks they can’t solve themselves.

To be honest, they indeed had one issue they couldn’t resolve, which was... the arrival of the Calamity Puppet.

But even for this matter, Angel didn’t think the Everything House had the capacity to solve it.

After all, this calamity troubled both the Singer and the Feather Forest Clan, and if the Everything House could handle it, they would be stronger than those two combined.

Still, although Angel didn’t believe the Everything House possessed the ability to solve it, treating this matter as a commission would definitely qualify it as a "big task."

Perhaps, through this, they could meet the Deacon?

Angel shared his thoughts, and Luigi and Laplace didn’t have much to say. However, Gareth in the distant Mana Hut offered his opinion.

Through the Mind Ribbon, Gareth was already aware of their situation. He voiced his opinion: "Even if you mentioned the Calamity Puppet, the Everything House might not let you see the Deacon."

Angel: "Why?"

Gareth: "Since its inception, the Everything House has never failed a commission, and it’s not just because their investigators are powerful, but also because they assess whether to accept commissions based on the current circumstances."

"For extremely difficult commissions, they won’t take them."

"Like the Calamity Puppet, if you tell them, you’d merely be gifting them information. In reality, they’re unlikely to accept such commissions."

Gareth even speculated that for commissions like finding a "master" for Meatball, if not for Meatball’s Special Talent, they might not have accepted it.

After all, Meatball had lost all past memories, its body entirely altered, with no hint of its origin.

Trying to find its master was akin to finding an insignificant grain of sand in the boundless Pan-Dimensional Plane.

This was even harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

If not for the Dog Deacon’s identity, Everything House would definitely not accept this commission.

"Moreover, for an organization like this, informing them of the Calamity Puppet-related matters might even lead to unforeseen consequences. I advise against revealing it."

The majority of people in the Everything House are not Mirror Domain creatures. Like Angel, facing the emergence of the Calamity Puppet, they can entirely choose to leave Mirror Domain to avoid the disaster.

In other words, they don’t share the mindset of advancing and retreating together with Mirror Domain creatures. Fundamentally, they’re not on the same front.

Judging by Everything House’s chaotic neutral attitude, they might stir something before leaving, disrupting any existing plans.

Hence, as a precaution, informing them of the Calamity Puppet beforehand is not a wise choice.

"Upon analyzing this, it indeed seems we shouldn’t say anything." Luigi muttered: "So, should we come up with a different commission?"

But finding a commission significant enough to draw out the Deacon is truly difficult. Especially since the Everything House can use special methods to assess the authenticity of a commission and the depth of your intent.

If they perceive your lack of strong intent, they will surely realize Angel and the others are not truly focused on their supposed target.

Therefore, Gareth believes pursuing the Deacon via commission may not be a good approach.

"Do you have a suggestion?" Luigi asked Gareth.

Soon, Gareth replied with an answer: "I just asked Gutalace to confirm something. Every deacon commands a certain investigation squad. Even for a deacon like the Dog Deacon, who rarely leaves the Everything House, there are direct investigators under their command."

In the Everything House, mentioning the Deacon is taboo, but if it’s about the Deacon’s direct investigators, they needn’t worry about this forbidden aspect.

Moreover, these direct investigators can directly contact the respective Deacon.

This means if they want to find the Dog Deacon, the simplest method is to seek out the Dog Deacon’s direct investigators.

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