Chapter 55

"Surprised? Didn't expect me to look like this, did you!" Seeing Zhou Tian's surprised expression, the dollmaker appeared very calm, floating directly to the main chair on one side of the house and then gesturing for Zhou Tian to sit down and talk.

Although Zhou Tian had been surprised several times today, he was here to seek help, so he appeared more respectful when facing the dollmaker. After hearing the other party's words, he obediently sat down in the guest chair.

"I know why you came. You occupied an NPC territory outside the city to fight against the undead monsters under the Lord of Yomi. Then you secretly moved all your troops, giving the NPCs the opportunity to occupy the territory. Now, seeing that the NPCs are about to occupy the territory, you are in a hurry. I guess you came here to seek help, right!" Without giving Zhou Tian a chance to speak, the dollmaker glanced at him and preemptively revealed the purpose of his visit.

Zhou Tian was not surprised that the dollmaker knew his intentions. Given the dollmaker's influence in the beginner area and his apparent high intelligence, it wouldn't be difficult for him to understand Zhou Tian's intentions.

Zhou Tian wasn't very concerned about the dollmaker knowing his intentions. He had anticipated this situation before coming. Therefore, after hearing the dollmaker's words, Zhou Tian's expression remained calm.

"You are right, I did come here to seek help."

"Why should I help you? If I go to war with the NPCs, I will lose many of my children. My children are not there to make up for your mistakes. If you want me to send my beloved children to the battlefield, you need to give me a convincing reason!"

"As you said, this is my fault, but you should also understand that if I hadn't done that, the undead army under the Lord of Yomi would have already occupied the Skeleton Cave. In the worst case, they might even have broken out of the Skeleton Cave. You must have heard about the strength of those undead monsters! I'm not trying to boost their morale, but if their main force enters our beginner area, including your dollhouse, none of our factions would be a match for them. So, I don't regret my decision in that matter. As for this incident, it's true that I need your help, but I won't let you help me for nothing. After this military action, dealing with those NPCs will also be beneficial to you."

"Boring, bring the guest out!" Zhou Tian, like a typical lobbyist, had planned to pique the dollmaker's interest, but he didn't expect the other party to react so decisively. After hearing his words, the dollmaker didn't even bother to listen to the details and immediately called a few dolls to escort him out.

"Wait, I have a few more things to say." Afraid of being really escorted out, Zhou Tian quickly said, "Even if you don't help me this time, when the NPCs occupy that territory, you will still have to attack them according to the rules. Compared to when they have built their city, if you act now, the casualties will be much fewer, and the opportunities for merit will be much greater. You should know which option is better, right!"

"Ridiculous, what does that have to do with me." Zhou Tian never expected the dollmaker to have such a peculiar personality. Despite his efforts, he couldn't move the other party. Seeing the dollmaker's calm expression, Zhou Tian was frustrated but, considering the other party's strength, he could only obediently leave the room with the dolls.

"Damn!" Coming with confidence, Zhou Tian never expected such an outcome. Thinking about his current situation, he began to doubt his previous decision.

"If I go back like this, I'm really finished." Feeling anxious, Zhou Tian subconsciously glanced at the two dolls in front of him and made a new decision.

"Let's treat a dead horse as if it were alive!" Unable to think of a solution, even though Zhou Tian knew that most of the monsters in this world had limited intelligence, he still couldn't help but ask the two dolls, "Ladies, do you know what your mother values the most?"

"Father!"

"No, it should be Alice!"

"No..."

As the dolls argued due to their different views, Zhou Tian showed a hint of joy.

Regardless of the reason, the dolls' reactions provided Zhou Tian with a lot of information. To Zhou Tian, the dollmaker was an unpredictable person, and such people were generally difficult to deal with. However, Zhou Tian believed that no matter how difficult a person was to deal with, it was only because the right method hadn't been found. As long as the right approach was used, even the most difficult person could eventually be dealt with successfully.

From what Zhou Tian knew, to improve relations with difficult people, one had to start from what they were interested in. From the dolls' words, Zhou Tian had already obtained relevant information. Now, what he needed to do was to complete that information. With enough information, Zhou Tian was confident he could talk to the dollmaker again from the right angle.

To gather information, there was no better place than the dolls' mouths.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'father' and 'Alice'? Tell me, maybe I can help you evaluate which one is the most important to your mother."

"Mother gave us our bodies, but she couldn't give us our souls. Only Father can create souls. Mother is looking for Father, so Father is the most important."

"No, Mother wants to create a doll named Alice that is like a normal life. Father is just a tool, so Alice is the most important."

"..."

Watching the dolls argue, Zhou Tian's forehead dropped a black line, but he felt a bit more hopeful about how to negotiate with the dollmaker again.

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