"(That's certainly an interesting offer, but given your warning about the dangers, suggesting a permanent portal seems ill-advised.)"

"(Yes, there are safety considerations to solve. The dangers on our side come from the way the portals you create open in random locations. If we open it from our side instead, we can ensure our safety. The bigger issue is on your side. Simply ensuring no-one is near the portal might be sufficient. According to the data on our side, there are currently fifty-two people affected. Perhaps that helps you work out the safe range.)"

The other side went silent again, presumably while they tried to work something out from that number. I'd bet any money that they knew exactly who was in the vicinity, but turning a count of fifty-two into a range would take time.

"(While you're working on that, I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Peter. Just Peter—most people here don't have second names.)"

"(Ah, right. Of course. I'm the minister of foreign affairs. I apologise for the rudeness.)"

"(Just the minister of foreign affairs? No name of your own?)"

"(I... I...)"

He went silent for a moment, and my adventurous eye saw a few others looking at him. Their protective equipment made it hard to see the expression of anyone not looking directly at my hand-drone, but what I could see implied confusion.

Oh hell... When I first woke up in this world, I knew my name. Or at least, recognised it the first time I'd heard it, despite the entire language being completely new to me. But I didn't know my Earth name. It had been wiped. Erryn had mucked about with my memories, and I hadn't got my name back when she'd restored them. I'd considered that maybe it wasn't her, but obviously, it couldn't have been. She'd done her tampering before I was born, and at that point, I hadn't been named!

I knew the System could add memories to my head, most notably that time I'd put myself in hospital because it had added too many. It could likewise remove them, such as when I removed my skill bracelets. The issues with my name must have come from the System itself. And now it was spreading to these people on Earth. They had no names recorded in the System, and so it had wiped their memories of their names?

But if that was the case, why had I recently noticed what it had done to me? Had the portals somehow kicked it into noticing it had made a mistake?

"(If you've forgotten your own name, we should conclude this discussion sooner rather than later,)"

Hopefully, things would repair themselves once the portal shut back down. It must have the last two times, or someone would have noticed.

"(That sounds... advisable. Can you give us a quick overview of what we're dealing with here?)"

He sounded uncertain and afraid, which was a reasonable response, but was pushing on regardless. What about the others in the room, though?

"(In this world, occupational knowledge is downloaded into your memory by something we call the System, rather than learnt through training and experience. It's trying to process you, but it doesn't have a name recorded for you, so its 'fixed' your memory to match. Its influence should vanish once the portal is closed.)"

"(Right... So, about this offer of unlimited power...)"

Discussions continued at a rather rushed pace, finishing long before Bruleg's hour cut-off. Apparently, it had been me slicing through their metal sphere that had impressed them, and convinced them trade was worthwhile, but of course, that was magic; a sharpness enchantment that wouldn't work on Earth.

They had trust issues, of course; cutting through solid metal and then opening a portal from our side had convinced them we were a threat as much as an opportunity. In a way, that was good, because it would help them resist temptation to simply take what they wanted. Telling them we weren't about to invade offered little reassurance. Warning of a system apocalypse had helped, because it was something the fifty-two infected individuals could verify. Organising trade helped more.

Our side, alas, did not have trust issues, as I was the only one capable of distrusting them. Thankfully, I was also the only one capable of understanding them, which removed their ability to take advantage. At least for now. Eventually their diplomats would learn our language, or ours theirs. I didn't need [Danger Sense] for the situation to be screaming at me.

What could we do, though? We no longer had Erryn as a safety net, and we needed to take care of ourselves. The tidal wave had started, and all we could do was ride it. Willingly joining in and finding some way of blocking portals seemed like the safest solution I could come up with. If anyone else did cross over, we also had the Law working for us. Anyone moving here would be operating on a time limit, only able to act freely until the Law finished assimilating them. Not that anyone was planning on world-hopping so far; between unknown disease-causing organisms and the System, they were too scared to cross over in person. They seemed to think that I'd crossed over in body rather than in soul, at least once I'd pointed out my catkin ears were fake, and I hadn't corrected them. That cut down their fear of pathogens, but only slightly, and they were still treating this world as a massive biohazard. But again, that was only these people, and once information leaked, other opinions may vary.

In the worst case, we could deliberately open permanent portals to Earth, and let the System and Law spread across the planet. I really hoped it wouldn't come to that...

And again, I remembered my former parents telling me they wished Earth had worked that way.

"(Then next time, we'll conduct a one-off trade of textbooks and catalogues for samples of what you can offer. Since you're able to control the location of the remote portal, can we ask you to create the next one, in a couple of weeks' time?)" asked Gregory, someone else having filled in his name for him. Or Mr Charles, perhaps? Or was there some other means of address? I'd had issues meeting Lord Reid here, but the same problem could apparently arise just as easily on Earth. [Basic Etiquette] offered no help there.

"(Okay,)" I agreed. We did want to control the portal location, rather than needing to rush to find it each time, so we'd be relying on Darren. It was unlikely he'd be able to make a permanent portal on his own, but it would be a while before we wanted one.

I teleported back my eye with [Item Box], then used [Redistribute] to reclaim my hand, struggling to use [Shelter] to reinsert my eye as the new drone flew back into the portal. Seconds later, the portal shrunk and dissipated. Bruleg visibly relaxed as he released his grip on the mana. Darren did the same.

ding
Skill [Detach] advanced to level 13
Skill [Shelter] advanced to level 11
Administrative notification: Connection lost to foreign soul.
Administrative notification: Connection lost to foreign soul.
Administrative notification: Connection lost to foreign soul.
49 further administrative notifications follow.

"Well, that happened," I muttered.

"Indeed. I admit, I am not sure what to make of this," said Serlv, responding to my rhetorical mumbling.

"What should we do with this?" asked Bruleg, still holding the first drone. There were still lights active on it, although I noted that one had gone out since the portal closed.

"I'll drop it off at the research institute. After taking the (batteries) out, I think..."

Bruleg handed the drone to me, and I stashed it in [Item Box]. I wasn't certain it would work, but if it could store living things, surely a bit of electronics wouldn't pose a problem. It was a bigger concern whether it would work on something the System didn't recognise. Fortunately, it seemed to have no problems.

"Then where are we to set up this trade hub?" asked Krana

"The research institute Peter mentioned would seem appropriate, but it is near a population. Perhaps somewhere out of the way would be safer?"

Or within a dungeon... The others wouldn't see the advantage, but having a bunch of monsters between the portal and the surface sounded like a good idea to me. Actually, speaking of dungeons... Given the time of night, and how much was still left to do, there was no way I'd be good for much tomorrow. Thank goodness our appointment with Blobby wasn't until fifth bell.

"Something's come up, and I might be a bit late tomorrow. Depends how long I oversleep," I sent to not-Blobby.

"Oh? What's 'come up' that's more important than me?" she snapped back.

"Some people on Earth made a portal to this world."

"..."

"We're making arrangements to build a trading hub."

"..."

"Hello? You still there? Did you cut me off again?"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

I winced as the telepathic scream reverberated inside my head.

"Volume!" I complained.

"Seriously! What the hell?!"

"Yes, I know it's shocking and scary, but it's not like we can do much about it. If you've got any ideas on how to handle it, I'm sure Serlv... Serlv..."

Serlvrenalliacta, Dragon, Empress of Eternal Ice (142/292)

"Serlvrenalliacta would appreciate hearing them."

"You can't just... They can't..." There was a pause in communications while not-Blobby collected herself. "Are you saying that before long, there will be more people like you and the twins walking around?"

"No. I've convinced them it isn't safe for people to move between worlds. Maybe it really isn't. They seem terrified of catching unknown diseases from us."

I'd swear I could hear the sulking over the telepathic link, but she still managed a response. "Fine. Off you go. Carry on breaking mother's world."

"If they try anything, could you marshal some high-level monsters into an otherworldly assault force?"

"Mother didn't leave anyone with the ability to manipulate her dungeons, so no. Not unless they all willingly walk into a dungeon."

"Then perhaps we should set up this trade hub in a dungeon?"

"You... Fine, I'll talk to Serlv... Serlvren... whatever you just said her name was. But I don't like this. Couldn't you tell them to go away?"

"Probably, but I have no idea how long they would have stayed away for. Earth is a big place, billions of people each with their own ideas and opinions, and no Law to coral them. I figured it was better for our first dealings to be with people who seemed friendly."

"Peter?"

"Hmm? Sorry, I was talking to the slime of the great dungeon. Did I miss something?"

"I asked if you required transport. But what skills do you have to communicate across such distances?"

"It's not a skill. It's... complicated. She has one of my fingers. But no, I can teleport myself back home."

"Then we shall contact you in a few days, once we've established a location. We thank you for your aid."

"Before I go, you were worried about conducting experiments in the vicinity of a settlement. I suggested to the slime that a dungeon might be appropriate."

"I think not. The potential for unexpected events to cause problems would be magnified within a dungeon, with its greater mana."

Of course, because they're thinking of industrial accidents, not an invasion.

"What would really be helpful is to get Earth humans recognised as something closer to monsters rather than surface people. Since I let them know Earth's population were human, even the dragons are displaying nothing but blind trust."

"Then why did you tell them they were human, you idiot?"

"They'd be able to see for themselves if one ever came over."

"True, but you said they weren't coming over! But no, there's nothing I can do about that, either. Only mother could."

And once again, we found ourselves stuck without Erryn. Well, we'd just need to do the best we could. An isolated location was better than nothing.

"No... A dungeon should be considered," said Tilyana, looking at me strangely. "There are... reasons. Fears that are hidden from us all. That we are not allowed to know. The wind and trees cry out in warning, but I am blocked from understanding."

Or I suppose there was one other that could almost, if you squinted hard enough, work around the limitations of the Law. Her comment certainly caught the attention of the dragons.

"That sounds suspiciously similar to your words at the Emerald Caverns. Please tell me a disaster of that level is not upon us," grumbled Krana.

"No—I only hear fear. Not empty, and yet uncertain."

"Very well. We shall consider a location within a dungeon, if safe to do so. We will need to debate it carefully."

"Then I'm off home. You know where I live, if you need me. Or apparently Tilyana knows where everyone is at any time."

Tilyana didn't respond, her usual unflappable smile fully restored now that the portal was closed. I sent myself back home, where Cluma was anxiously waiting in my room, having acquired one of her regular simple dresses from somewhere and changed into it.

"Are you okay? What happened?" she fired off before my [Redistribute] had even completed.

"Another anomaly. It's closed now, but... things got complicated. You didn't need to wait for me."

"It's fine. I ran home and told my parents where I was before coming back."

"It's not that. It's the middle of the night! You should be in bed. I should be in bed."

"You expected me to sleep after Krana whisked you off like that?! Are you an idiot?!"

"Okay, that's fair. But I promise I'm fine. Earth made another portal, and this time we had a chance to talk. It went... well-ish. The System is being problematic as usual, and they won't be bothering us again for the next fourteen days."

"Talk?! You were talking to humans from Earth? Why aren't you more excited?!"

"Because I was talking to... Lord Reid would be the closest equivalent. It was stressful! Besides, it's not like I can pop over there for a visit."

"I suppose. Well, if you're sure you're okay..."

"I am. Now, it's the middle of the night! I need to sleep."

"...Fine. See you tomorrow then."

Despite her goodbye. Cluma remained where she was, fidgeting, and I noted the pack behind her that [Mana Sight] showed contained more clothing and necessities. She'd done more at home than let her parents know where she was; she'd packed enough to wait for me even if I'd taken a week.

"If you're worried about me, you're welcome to stay. You can use the guest room next door."

She beamed at me before grabbing her pack and moving one room along. I watched her depart before changing and throwing myself into my bed, asleep almost before I hit the mattress.