After entering the dream, in the space of white mist, it was time for the weekly gathering once again.
Warhammer Byrne, following his intuition, quickly arrived at the round table. Scanning the area, he noticed that in addition to the three previous avatars, a new member had joined the gathering this time.
Young Byrne looked over and smiled lightly. "You're a bit slow this time. Take your seat quickly; I'm still waiting to manifest some delicious food."
Warhammer Byrne rubbed his temples, pulled out the chair beside him, and sat down. At the end of the last gathering, he had inadvertently discovered that he could manifest objects. To avoid standing out too much, he had intentionally misled the others into believing they possessed the same ability. To prevent anyone from trying it secretly before he arrived at future meetings, he had devised a "rule" where the ability only functioned once everyone was present, effectively closing that potential loophole.
Following the routine, each avatar took turns naming the food they wanted. Usually, Young Byrne would speak first. However, with a newcomer joining, the new member had to introduce their situation first.
"Um, hello everyone. I'm new here. I've traveled into the world of Honkai: Star Rail."
Star Rail?
Hearing this, Warhammer Byrne noticed that the newcomer was dressed exactly like an employee of the Interastral Peace Corporation (IPC). He was very familiar with this game. Before his reincarnation, he enjoyed playing it during his leisure time; it wasn't taxing, making it perfect for office workers like him. He hadn't expected an avatar to actually cross over into that game world.
Cryptid Byrne asked, "No wonder your clothes look so familiar. Did you join the IPC?"
"I didn't join; I was already an employee of the Corporation when I crossed over."
Inception Byrne followed up, asking, "The IPC, huh? Which department are you in? Strategic Investment or Marketing Development?"
Star Rail Byrne replied instantly, "I'm in the Strategic Investment Department. My direct superior is Aventurine."
Aventurine?
The image of that flamboyantly dressed man who won every bet immediately surfaced in Warhammer Byrne's mind. Aventurine—a senior executive of the Strategic Investment Department and one of the "Ten Stonehearts." His tone was always lazy and his pace unhurried, yet he could always pinpoint an opponent's weakness with precision. Every seemingly casual movement was the result of meticulous calculation, like a gambler who remained eternally in control of the dice. This was one of Warhammer Byrne's favorite characters in the game.
Inception Byrne raised an eyebrow. "I didn't expect you to become Aventurine's subordinate. I remember that guy; he seems casual and fond of gambling, but his mind is terrifyingly meticulous. Every step is calculated to the bone, rivaling a follower of Tzeentch, except he bets on interests rather than human hearts."
Star Rail Byrne gave a bitter smile and spread his hands. "You're absolutely right. Since I arrived, I haven't actually met him in person yet. My impression of Aventurine is the same as yours—stuck at the game level. At most, my original host's memories contain one or two instances of following him to handle investment cases. In one of them involving a planetary mine investment, the other party tried to cheat. He saw through it at a glance and forced them to pay triple the liquidated damages with just a few words."
Warhammer Byrne remarked, "Impressive. Truly worthy of the name 'Aventurine of Stratagems.'"
Young Byrne took a sip of milk tea and clapped his hands. "Alright everyone, the newcomer's introduction is over. Next is the sharing session. Compared to last time, I actually have something I want to share."
Young Byrne paused briefly. Seeing everyone's attention converge on him, he spoke again. "You might not believe this, but just yesterday, I discovered I lost six hours of my memory."
The other avatars were shocked by this revelation, though a strange look flickered through Warhammer Byrne's eyes. After all, a few days ago, when he attempted to summon the "Time Kerchief" in the white mist space, he had accidentally entered the world where Young Byrne resided. Furthermore, the duration he spent there was exactly six hours.
Inception Byrne asked, "Strange. We've traveled to different timelines, and the gatherings in the white mist space never affect our reality memories, let alone cause a random loss of six hours. Think carefully—was there anything unusual before or after the memory loss?"
Young Byrne shook his head. "After the last gathering ended, I woke up to find it was already two in the afternoon. Normally, I should have woken up around eight in the morning, yet six hours were just gone. But what's even weirder is that those six hours weren't just skipped. I was acting normally, like I was sleepwalking, completely unaware of it."
Good grief, it really was the six hours I spent there.
Understanding Young Byrne's words, Warhammer Byrne tried to guide him away from overthinking it.
"Well..." He took a sip of the coffee in front of him and spoke casually. "Did your body feel any different after the memory vanished?"
"Not really, just the loss of memory."
"Since there's nothing wrong physically, don't worry too much. As travelers, we are special existences ourselves. Perhaps it was some kind of 'rejection reaction' that caused the memory loss."
Warhammer Byrne's words seemed casual, but he was secretly observing the reactions of the other avatars. He deliberately avoided the possibility of interference from the white mist space; after all, his accidental intrusion into Young Byrne's world could not be exposed. Furthermore, he couldn't be sure if such cross-avatar interference would trigger anomalies in the white mist space or even affect the safety of the others. It was better to avoid trouble by keeping the truth to himself.
After hearing this, Young Byrne scratched his head. "You have a point. We aren't like ordinary people to begin with. But honestly, thinking about how I moved around for six hours without knowing it—like a marionette—still gives me the creeps." As he spoke, his fingers unconsciously rubbed the milk tea cup, a trace of unease remaining in his eyes.
Seeing the atmosphere turn tense, the eldest-looking one, Inception Byrne, stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, don't be so nervous. Young Byrne is fine, isn't he? Let's continue sharing. Do you have anything else besides the memory loss?"
Young Byrne shook his head. "Nothing else. That was the weirdest thing; everything else has been pretty normal. What about you guys? Anything new?"
Inception Byrne continued, "Well, it's my turn. Lately, I've been getting better at constructing dreams. Before, I could only build small, conventional dreams. With my recent attempts, I can now try adding small amounts of fantasy elements. Simple daily dreams—"
After a while, when Inception Byrne finished his sharing, it was Warhammer Byrne's turn.
Warhammer Byrne thought for a moment and shook his head. "My last seven days have been quite uneventful. Nothing worth sharing." After saying this, he turned his gaze toward Star Rail Byrne.
"By the way, your earlier introduction was a bit brief. I'd like to hear more. Why don't you tell us a bit more about your situation?"