"Banana… banana."
Jaina couldn't understand why, just because Sunday pointed a banana at her, she could only make that sound.
Was he angry that she was taking too long to process his check-in?
A thought formed in her mind. Everyone who came here had to check in, so if she wanted to break out of this state, the only way was to assign him a room and see what happened.
She glanced at the registry. There were still plenty of vacant rooms, with varying prices.
Jaina picked the best one and handed over the keycard.
"Banana!"
Seeing the room number on the card, Sunday finally smiled. He accepted it with satisfaction and dragged his luggage toward his room.
"Phew…"
She let out a sigh of relief. That method worked.
But being stuck only saying "banana" was still a problem.
If this was the effect of the corruption, then after a few more times… she'd be done for.
She took out a pill, hesitated for a long time, then put it back.
She could still tolerate her current condition. With only three pills, it was better to save them for emergencies.
After waiting for a while, another guest arrived at the front desk. She wore a purple headscarf and idly flipped through a set of cards.
"…Black Swan."
From earlier livestream discussions, Jaina knew Black Swan belonged to the Garden of Recollection and specialized in collecting memories. So where should she assign her?
Next to Sunday? No, she only had one premium room left, and she needed to save it.
After all, if Sunday was here, Robin would likely come too. And if that sister-obsessed man found out Robin wasn't in the best room, he'd definitely come back to cause trouble.
With that in mind, Jaina handed over a different room card.
Black Swan said nothing, took it, and left.
After that, more and more guests arrived—people from the IPC, the Astral Express, the Stellaron Hunters, and the Galaxy Rangers. One by one, various factions checked in, and Jaina deliberately scattered them into different rooms.
[Sushang: Wait, why does this seem so easy? Just assigning rooms?]
[Jing Yuan: The game probably hasn't really started yet.]
[Fu Xuan: This likely isn't the difficult part. The real challenge comes later.]
[Valerius: The little mouse is pretty clever. Those room arrangements are very intentional.]
Valerius saw it clearly. Jaina's room assignments were strategic. The IPC members surrounded Sunday and Robin, while the Astral Express crew were placed far away. Black Swan was positioned nearby, and Sparkle was right next to her.
If this didn't lead to chaos, nothing would.
[Seele: Little mouse?]
[Qingyi: Jaina's a mouse-type Thiren. Calling her "little mouse" fits.]
[Ellen: Then what am I?]
[Rina: You could be "sharky."]
[Ellen: Get lost.]
[Nekomata: Then I'm a cat-type Thiren, so "kitty"?]
[Seele: Do we really have to make these names so cutesy? Then what about Bronya?]
[Valerius: How about… "ducky"?]
[Bronya: ...…]
That was even worse. Everyone else had cute names like mouse and cat, but hers sounded like a dish.
[Silver Wolf: Heh… what kind of name is "ducky"? Then what am I, "wolfy"?]
[Valerius: I think "pine nut scent" suits you better.]
[Silver Wolf: Pine nut scent?]
[Kafka: Hmm… Mr. Valerius, do you have some kind of interest in our little one?]
It was strange. Everyone else got animal-based names—why did Silver Wolf get something like that? It actually sounded decent.
[Fu Xuan: Heh… that's a good one.]
[Zhongli: Hmm… indeed.]
[Hu Tao: Hahaha, that's great, that's great.]
[Silver Wolf: What do you mean? What exactly is "pine nut scent"?]
[Lingsha: The part near a duck's tail.]
[Silver Wolf: Tail?]
[Xiangling: It's the duck's butt.]
[Silver Wolf: Valerius, I… %￥#@…]
[Bronya: Valerius, be serious.]
Bronya was slightly displeased. She had also been curious about what "pine nut scent" meant—turns out it was duck butt.
And Valerius had called her "ducky"…
Wouldn't that mean…?
She reached back and touched it.
…It did feel rather perky.
"…Does Valerius like this?"
Inside the space.
With fewer guests coming and going, Jaina finally had time to think about her next steps.
She only needed to survive here for a few days, but it was clearly not going to be that simple.
"How can I minimize variables?"
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her.
One of the rules stated that violence was prohibited in the lobby. Anyone who violated it would be expelled.
So… could she provoke the guests into fighting each other?
From past experience, the IPC and Penacony's local forces didn't get along. If she could stir conflict between them, it might create an opportunity.
"…Too bad I have no combat ability here. I'll need a reliable ally."
To provoke conflict, she needed someone who could protect her in critical moments. The most likely candidate was the stowaway, but she had no idea who that was yet.
So she decided to lie low for now and wait until she encountered the stowaway.
"…No, that's not right."
She quickly realized a problem.
She couldn't enter the dream.
So how was she supposed to find the stowaway?
Wait until they were discovered and expelled?
That wasn't realistic.
"…Looks like I can't rely on that."
Realizing she might not be able to contact the stowaway at all, Jaina decided to look for another ally.
At that moment, a figure shrouded in black mist approached the front desk.
"Check-in."
Placing a music box on the counter, Acheron spoke in a cold, detached tone.
"It's her!"
In an instant, Jaina locked onto her target.
She looked powerful. If she could build a good relationship with her, her safety would be secured.
"Banana… banana."
The moment she spoke, Jaina's face darkened.
Damn it—how was she supposed to communicate like this?
Should she use a pill?
After thinking for a moment and seeing that Acheron was also covered in black mist—likely infected as well—Jaina decided to take the risk.
She swallowed a pill. It was bitter, but her ability to speak returned immediately.
"Miss Acheron, a pleasure."
"Check me in. Quickly."
Acheron ignored her greeting. The black mist around her thickened, her hand already resting on her sword. It felt like if Jaina delayed even a second longer, she would draw it.
"Here is your room card."
Jaina's hair stood on end. She had a strong feeling that if this person attacked her, she wouldn't even have a chance to resist.
After taking the card, Acheron seemed to calm slightly. Her hand left the sword.
Just as she was about to leave, Jaina called out to her.
"This is a specially prepared pill to help with entering dreams more smoothly. Would you like to try it?"
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