Chapter 369: I've Truly Never Audited a Tier-4 Anomaly Blind Date Before
The moment the door pushed open, Sora instinctively held her breath.
In walked a man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He was dressed in a
clean black hoodie, jeans, and white sneakers. His hair was cropped short, his
features were delicate, and his skin was an unnaturally stark white.
If one ignored the faint, ethereal blue shimmer that occasionally flickered in
the corners of his mouth, he looked no different from an ordinary human youth.
However, Sora, Ruby, and Misty were well aware: this client was not human.
This was his fourth manifestation at the bureau.
"Owner Sora, I've come to trouble you again," the Anomaly said. His voice was
polite, even carrying a hint of bashful hesitation.
"No trouble at all," Sora gestured for him to sit. "We have a new strategy for
your case."
The Anomaly took his seat, placing his hands neatly on his knees. He scanned the
office, his gaze lingering for a micro-second on the "skeleton ornament" in the
corner before quickly shifting away.
He likely assumed the shop's interior design was simply going for a "Grim-Core"
aesthetic.
"A new strategy?" The Anomaly's tone carried a spark of hope, but it was heavily
layered with the caution of someone who had suffered through multiple "Data
Failures."
Sora opened her ledger and pushed the pre-prepared files toward him.
"During your last visit, you stated that you had zero racial restrictions. Your
only hard-coded requirement was—"
"Alive," the Anomaly nodded. "Correct. As long as the partner is alive."
"Right. Previously, we were searching the human client pool, but the
compatibility metrics were low. The human tolerance for a Tier-4 Anomaly remains
below acceptable thresholds."
Sora's phrasing was diplomatic. The raw data showed that as soon as human
clients heard "Tier-4 Anomaly," they hit terminal velocity running away—even if
the "ghost" across from them looked like a K-pop star.
"But the global parameters have shifted," Sora said, flipping to the second
page. "Since the Empire stabilized the Planar Gateways, we've seen an influx of
external races. Elves, Dwarves, Dragon-men… these races possess significantly
higher tolerance for cross-species interactions."
"And most importantly—" Sora raised a finger. "They are indisputably alive."
The Anomaly's eyes brightened for a moment. "Elves… satisfy the 'Life'
parameter?"
"Indisputably." Sora pulled a photo from the file. "Look. This is a group shot
of an Imperial tour group from last week. Those in the front with the pointed
ears are Elves—both male and female. The shorter ones are Dwarves. The towering
ones in the back are Dragon-men."
The Anomaly took the photo, staring at it for a long duration.
"Beautiful..." he murmured, as if talking to himself.
Beside him, Ruby and Misty exchanged a look. Ruby raised her hand.
"Um, sir, I have a query."
"Proceed."
"Why the obsession with the 'Life' variable?" Ruby asked, finally voicing the
question she'd suppressed through three previous sessions. "You are an Anomaly
yourself. Wouldn't a partner of the same species be more efficient?"
The Anomaly fell silent for several seconds.
"From the moment of my manifestation, I existed within a Rule-Based Scenario,"
he said. His voice was flat, devoid of emotional spikes, as if he were auditing
someone else's story.
"In that place, everything was 'Dead.' The corridors were dead. The rooms were
dead. The scenery outside the windows was dead. Even the humans trapped inside
would eventually lose their vitality and become dead."
"I spent years in that environment. Every time I opened my eyes, the parameters
were identical. The same hallway. The same room."
"Then the Empire arrived. The Scenarios were restructured. I was granted
freedom."
He looked down at the photo in his hand. "Only after emerging did I realize that
outside, things move. Flowers bloom. The wind blows. The sun rises and sets."
"Humans laugh, cry, argue, and reconcile. Every single variable is unique."
The Anomaly set the photo back on the desk. "I do not loathe my own kind. But
Anomalies, like me, emerged from those stagnant, lifeless voids. Standing next
to them… I still feel the cold."
"I wish to find someone who is truly alive."
"Someone with a temperature."
The office went silent for a long beat.
In the corner, Kaito's soul-fire pulsed. Under the hood, Bochi bit down on one
of his tentacles to prevent himself from making a sound. His black-bead eyes
were glistening.
Sora took a deep breath. "Understood."
She tucked the photo back into the folder. "We will conduct a preliminary audit
of the Imperial tour groups over the next two days. If a compatible match
manifests, we will contact you immediately."
The Anomaly stood up and offered Sora a respectful bow. "Thank you, Owner Sora.
Truly."
Sora waved it off. "It's my function. Think nothing of it."
The Anomaly turned toward the door. Halfway there, he paused and glanced back at
the "skeleton ornament" in the corner.
"Owner Sora."
"Yes?"
"That skeleton decoration in your shop… it's quite detailed. But having it in a
marriage bureau—doesn't it negatively affect the client's emotional state?"
Sora's mouth twitched. "Oh, that? That is… the Guardian Treasure of the Store."
"I see." The Anomaly nodded politely and exited.
The moment the door clicked shut, Ruby's legs gave out, and she slumped into her
chair. "Owner Sora… your 'Nerve' parameter is off the charts. Calling the
Sovereign a 'Store Treasure' to his face..."
Sora also felt she might have over-calibrated her response. She cast a cautious
glance toward Kaito.
Kaito stood up from the chair, allowing a fraction of his aura to leak back into
the room.
"The Guardian Treasure of the Store."
He repeated Sora's words. His tone was unreadable. Sora's spine stiffened.
"...I withdraw the statement."
"Unnecessary," Kaito's soul-fire brightened. "The logic was sound. Statistically
accurate."
Bochi crawled out from the hood. "Master! You're not angry?!"
"Why would I be?"
"Because he called you a decoration!"
"I was, in fact, playing the part of a decoration."
Bochi was momentarily speechless.
Kaito walked to Sora's desk, his bony finger tapping the data card left by the
Anomaly. "Regarding the Elves. I will handle the logistics."
Sora looked up at him. "Are you… certain?"
"Greed has the manifests for every Imperial tour group. Auditing the list for
single Elves currently in this plane is a minor task."
Sora opened her mouth to speak, then closed it.
She felt a deep sense of surreality. A Being of Sovereign-rank, utilizing the
Empire's highest administrative systems to audit a list of single Elves for the
purpose of a Tier-4 Anomaly's blind date.
The "Absurdity" variable was hitting a record high. But she had learned not to
question the Sovereign's methods.
"Then… much appreciated, My Lord."
Kaito nodded. He sent a brief command to Skele-Greed through the Soul Link.
Command: Audit the manifests of all Elves currently touring the Eldritch Realm.
Flag those with 'Single' status.
Greed's response manifested in seconds. [Reporting to the Sovereign: Awaiting
clarification. What is the objective of this audit?]
Execute the order.
[...Understood. Processing.]
A detailed manifest arrived thirty seconds later. Kaito relayed the data to
Sora.
Out of the current tourists, there were fourteen Elves. Seven were single, four
were married, two were widowed, and one was listed with an "Indeterminate
Emotional Parameter."
Sora recorded the data with professional speed, performing a preliminary filter
based on her expertise.
"Of the seven singles: three males, four females. Ages range from 200 to 800
years."
"The client has no gender preference, so keep them all in the pool," Sora's pen
paused. "However, the age gap… will that be a variable for the client?"
Lyra Frost, who had been quietly drinking her tea, finally spoke up. "An Elf's
lifespan spans millennia. If you audit them by human standards, the entire
Empire is 'over-age'."
"Sound logic," Sora agreed. "I'll organize the data and initiate the preliminary
matching protocols."
She looked at Kaito. "Mr. Kaito, by your next visit, I should have a viable
match proposal manifest."
"No need to wait for a future session," Kaito sat back down, appearing in no
hurry to leave. "Begin the process. I will observe."
Sora blinked, then immediately buried herself in her work.
The scene was truly fantastical: The Sovereign of Evernight, sitting in a tiny
office, watching a human girl screen Elven dating profiles for a ghost.
Lyra Frost took another sip from her thermos. Since retiring, she had witnessed
more "Unique Scenarios" than she had during her entire tenure as Chief.
Logistics secured, she thought. The show must go on.
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you