"Does Klee really like this place?"
"I do!"
Klee instantly squinted her eyes, nodding happily.
"This place is so beautiful, Klee doesn't even want to blow it up!"
Mondstadt also had similar landscapes—like the night scenery of Enchanted Forest—but the Firefly Forest carried a bizarre feeling of desolation mixed with vibrant life.
Above them, countless fireflies gathered and shimmered in the air. The starry sky overhead seemed to echo their glow. Beside them stood towering canopy trees that stretched so high into the heavens that their crowns could not be seen.
It felt like standing in some tranquil corner of a giant's realm.
It was a dreamlike place.
Klee tugged at Nahida's hand, staring eagerly at Ryen. Just one look, and it was clear—they wanted to run off and play around.
Ryen chuckled and nodded.
"Go on then! But don't stray too far, and don't leave my line of sight, understood?"
Klee beamed, holding Nahida's hand in one and Paimon's in the other, dashing off excitedly.
They didn't actually run far, just to a nearby giant tree, gazing upward in awe at its immense height.
Seeing how much Klee and Nahida liked this place, Ryen felt he had indeed made the right choice in bringing them here.
"When we return later, we'll build a little fairy-tale cabin here. When we have free time, Klee and the others can come and play."
"It can count as our vacation house."
Upon hearing this, Keqing tilted her head curiously.
"Can you even sleep in the Twilight Forest? You can't sleep in the Nether or the End, right?"
"Of course you can sleep here."
Ryen couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head.
"The Twilight Forest only has eternal night—it doesn't mean you can't sleep."
"In short, aside from it never turning to daylight and the dangers being higher, there isn't much difference from the Overworld."
Everyone nodded. Ganyu hesitated slightly, then asked softly:
"Ryen, where are we heading next?"
Ryen thought for a moment, then pointed in the direction they had been traveling.
"First, to the Enchanted Forest. We need to find the Quest Ram and take the Crumble Horn. Though it seems rather useless at first glance…"
He paused, glancing toward Albedo.
"Since even Naga Scales, which we thought useless, turned out to be powerful alchemical materials—what if the Crumble Horn has hidden uses too?"
Albedo pondered for a moment, intrigued.
"Can you tell me its function?"
Ryen spread his hands with a smile.
"As its name suggests—it dismantles blocks and converts their materials."
"For example, if you blow the Crumble Horn, a grass block will crumble into dirt, then into sand, and eventually vanish into nothing."…"
Albedo fell silent again, then said softly:
"It sounds more like an advanced form of alchemy. The ability to transform materials—alchemy can already achieve that."
"However, the concept of dismantling itself… it should be a profound law in its own right. In short, yes—it could indeed have many different applications."
"Just imagining it for now, if we conduct some research, perhaps we could break down Teyvat's elemental ores and allow me to extract the purest elemental energy."
"Worth investigating!"
When Albedo said that, everyone's interest was piqued.
Ryen called out:
"Klee, Nahida, Paimon, come back! We're heading out."
"Okay!"
Klee responded cheerfully, hopping back toward him. With a little leap, she landed right in Ryen's arms with perfect accuracy.
She smiled brightly, her voice filled with joy:
"Brother Ryen, thank you for bringing Klee here to play! Klee really loves this place!"
"Klee… Klee really loves this world too. As long as Brother Ryen brings Klee to play, Klee will always love it!"
"Klee loves Brother Ryen the most!"
It was obvious that Klee was truly happy. Ryen naturally scooped up Nahida as well, while Paimon clung to his trousers before settling on his shoulder.
Ryen led the group forward.
"Do you like fireflies?"
"Yes!"
Klee nodded happily.
"Then why doesn't Klee catch a few?"
At those words, Klee's little face scrunched up with disappointment.
"Captain Jean said that fireflies have very short lives. If you catch them, they might die quickly… Klee doesn't want to hurt them."
"Mommy also said that liking something doesn't mean you have to take it for yourself. Just watching from afar is already enough!"
Hearing Klee speak so sensibly made Ryen a little emotional. He said softly:
"In this world, as long as little Klee doesn't hurt the fireflies, they won't die. They'll keep glowing forever."
"Later, Brother Ryen will make each of you a little firefly night lamp. Then you'll have a firefly light to accompany you when you sleep. How about that?"
Klee's eyes instantly widened in excitement, staring at Ryen with eager anticipation.
"Really?!"
"Of course. Have I ever lied to Klee?"
"No! Brother Ryen is a good person! Klee loves Brother Ryen the most!"
Klee hugged him tightly, showering his cheek with little kisses.
Lisa, watching from the side, sighed softly with emotion.
"Ryen really loves children."
Ningguang gave a slight nod.
"It's clear. Back when Nahida was wronged, that was the first time I ever saw Ryen so furious."
Hearing that, both Tartaglia and Rosalyne became intrigued.
They knew about the Akademiya's attempt to create a god—and even that the Cryo Archon had been angered by it.
After all, such an act was blasphemy against the Seven. At that time, the Cryo Archon had even considered sending Tartaglia and the others to Sumeru.
Unfortunately, Zhongli and the others stopped it.
Tartaglia and Rosalyne also understood that Sumeru had suffered some kind of calamity not long ago, though they weren't clear on the details.
"Mr. Ryen, what exactly did you do in Sumeru before?"
At that, Ningguang's gaze took on a hint of recollection, her voice tinged with emotion:
"That was… right after we had just returned from the Nether. Base One was attacked by raiders."
"But even back then, Ryen still had Xiao take him straight to Sumeru."
"He… punched the Akademiya."
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