TL;DR
- This is part of the Deal? Deal! main story quest in NTE.
- Illica is disguised as a bellboy near the bar counter in the middle of the room.
- Hathor is the bellboy standing near the showcases on the opposite side.
- Haniel is the bellboy near the cake and wine counter.
- All three are dressed as waitstaff — talk to each one to trigger dialogue and progress the quest.
- If an NPC is missing, log out and back in to fix the bug.
- Interact with food items in the area to pick up useful temporary buffs.
- Added a Video Guide at the end.
The Time for Infiltration episode in NTE (Neverness to Everness) is one of the more clever segments in the main story. You are placed inside a busy auction hall and asked to quietly locate three of your companions — Illica, Haniel, and Hathor — who have gone undercover as bellboys to blend in with the crowd.
The room is packed with NPCs who are dressed similarly, and there are no obvious quest markers pointing directly at your targets. It can get confusing fast. This guide tells you exactly where each character is so you can finish this part quickly and move on.
You can learn more about NTE and play it officially here. The game is also available on Android via Google Play and on PlayStation.
What Is the Time for Infiltration Quest in NTE?
Time for Infiltration is an episode within the Deal? Deal! main quest, which is the fourth major story mission in Neverness to Everness. You need to have completed the third main mission — Love that Begins with Lies — before this becomes available.
At this point in the story, your team has disguised themselves as auction hall staff. Your job is to act natural, move through the room, and locate your three companions without blowing their cover. The challenge is that the hall is full of bellboys and waitstaff, and your actual targets are mixed in among them.
If you are still early in the game and want to understand its systems better, check out our NTE daily and weekly routine guide to get the most out of each session.
How to Find Illica in NTE – Time for Infiltration
Illica is at the bar counter in the middle of the auction hall. Look for the bellboy standing right next to the multiple shelves of alcohol. Walk up and talk to them to confirm it is Illica and trigger the required dialogue.
The bar is hard to miss since it is centrally located. If you walk into the hall and head toward the middle of the room, you should spot it without too much trouble.
How to Find Hathor in NTE – Time for Infiltration
Hathor is near the showcases on the opposite side of the hall from the bar. She is standing as a bellboy next to the display cases. Talk to her to progress your objective.
Think of it this way — once you have found the bar on one side of the room, Hathor is on the other end. If you want to learn more about this character, check out our full Hathor build guide for NTE.
How to Find Haniel in NTE – Time for Infiltration
Haniel is near the cake and wine counter. He is positioned as a bellboy next to that food station. Walk over and speak with him to check him off your list.
The cake and wine counter is another one of the food stations spread around the auction room. If you are exploring the area to collect buffs from the food (more on that below), you will likely walk past Haniel naturally. You can also read our dedicated Haniel build guide if you want to get the most out of this character in combat.
What to Do After Finding All Three
Once you have spoken to Illica, Hathor, and Haniel, the quest continues with more story beats. You will need to:
- Head to your seat next to Hotori and wait for the auction to start.
- Participate in the auction battle — raise bids or trash talk a few times to win.
- Follow Haniel and listen to the conversation, then talk to Illica and Jiuyuan nearby.
- Return to your seat for a second auction battle and win again to progress.
- After the event, follow the quest marker to the elevator and continue from there.
Make sure you complete every dialogue trigger after finding each character. Skipping or rushing past conversations can stall your quest progress.
Food Buffs in the Auction Hall – Don’t Ignore Them
One thing many players miss during the Time for Infiltration section is the interactive food items scattered around the auction hall. You can interact with food stations and dishes to collect temporary buffs that help with the upcoming auction encounter.
Take a moment to walk around and interact with what you can before sitting down. It only takes a few seconds and can give you a small but useful edge. This is especially worth doing before the auction battle portions of the quest.
NPC Not Appearing? Here’s the Fix
Some players have run into a bug where one or more of the three targets simply do not show up in their expected locations. This appears to be a known issue after launch.
If you cannot find Illica, Haniel, or Hathor even after following this guide:
- Log out of the game completely and log back in.
- Head back into the auction hall and check the same spots again.
- In most cases, the NPCs will appear correctly after a fresh login.
This is a workaround that has worked for many players who faced the same problem. The characters are not moved — they just sometimes fail to load on the first visit.
About the Deal? Deal! Main Quest
The Deal? Deal! quest is the fourth chapter of NTE’s main story and starts automatically after completing Love that Begins with Lies. It is set in Old Town and takes you through several steps including visiting the Sterry Express building, attending a planning meeting, and eventually attending the auction undercover.
Completing it rewards you with Hunter Level EXP, Annulith, Expansion Core, Fons, and Beetle Coins — solid progression rewards for a main story mission. If you want to level up faster, take a look at our guide on how to increase Hunter Level fast in NTE.
For more story quest walkthroughs, check out our Lost Tales quest guide and the Miles Apart quest guide.
More NTE Guides You Should Read
If you are working through the main story and side content in NTE, here are some guides that will help you at this stage of the game:
- How to parry, critical dodge, and riposte in NTE
- How to Break enemies in NTE
- Anomaly Zones guide for NTE
- Best team compositions in NTE
- NTE character tier list
- Scarborough Fair gacha system explained
- NTE redeem codes for free rewards
- How to get Annulith fast in NTE
The Time for Infiltration segment is a fun twist on the usual mission structure in NTE. Once you know where to look, it only takes a minute or two to find all three characters and keep the story moving. Stick to the bar for Illica, the showcases for Hathor, and the cake counter for Haniel — and you will be done in no time.
Video Guide
Credits: Refia Quest
