"Ryen, did you find something good inside?"
Ganyu leapt down and landed at Ryen's side.
Ryen nodded, reaching into the chest and pulling things out one by one.
"Not bad at all. First up—this: a Knight's Sword."
"Knight's Sword?"
Jean's interest was immediately piqued. She followed Ganyu down and came to stand beside Ryen.
She examined the sword in Ryen's hand. At first glance, it looked perfectly ordinary, nothing special at all—just a standard knight's weapon.
"Remember what I said before?" Ryen smiled lightly and explained:
"This sword carries the power to forcibly break through defenses."
"When you strike a shielded enemy, it ignores all protection and deals unavoidable damage."
"Simply put, even Zhongli's Jade Shield could be broken with this sword."
At those words, joy welled in Jean's heart.
This weapon might not be as powerful as a staff, but the ability to ignore defenses—that was simply outrageous.
Used well, it could truly be called unstoppable.
Ryen handed the sword over to Jean with a smile.
"You should keep it. A Knight's Sword belongs with the most perfect knight."
"Perfect… Ryen, you praise me too highly. I still have many shortcomings."
Jean flushed slightly, but she didn't refuse the weapon.
After all, this was the first weapon in her hands capable of threatening even a god-level being.
And besides…
It was a gift from Ryen.
Tartaglia turned his head away sourly.
"This was blasted out with my life, you know!"
He wasn't a knight, true, but who said a Knight's Sword could only be used by knights?
And come on—wasn't he a knight in a sense too? He'd ridden a dragon before—he could call himself a Dragon Knight!
"Indeed, you're right. This was, after all, blown out with your life."
Ryen chuckled and nodded before saying with mock solemnity:
"So, this next thing goes to you."
He pulled out a strange-looking worm and handed it to Tartaglia.
"The Moonworm Queen. It forcibly knocks back any creature a certain distance. More importantly, it has an incredible ability…"
Ryen's expression turned serious as he nodded.
"Light!"
"…"
The expectation in Tartaglia's eyes instantly twisted into something complicated.
"So… this is just a lightbulb?"
"No! It's the Moonworm Queen!"
"And what's the difference?"
"Well… the light it gives off isn't as bright as a bulb."
"…Th-thank you… I guess."
Ryen snickered to himself inside. He had no idea why this chest in the Forest would contain things like the Moonworm Queen and a Knight's Sword, which didn't even belong here.
But with sorcery already existing, it wasn't too surprising for strange phenomena to appear now and then.
As for Tartaglia—sure, the Moonworm Queen looked like nothing more than a lightbulb.
But forced knockback? That was a genuinely useful treasure.
Forced knockback, when you thought about the rules behind it…
Even the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles could be knocked back!
Used properly, this could be the key to turning the tide in desperate situations.
Rosalyne cast a quiet glance at the Moonworm Queen in Tartaglia's hands, already plotting to take it away when they returned.
She would send it back to Snezhnaya, directly to the Tsaritsa.
In Tartaglia's hands, it was nothing more than a toy lamp.
But in the Tsaritsa's hands… it would become the true Moonworm Queen.
A treasure like this couldn't be left with Tartaglia. Who knew if he'd suddenly stir up trouble and waste something so valuable?
"Next, just some diamonds and the like—nothing too useful."
Ryen curled his lip, then pulled out a Phase Compass and tossed it to Albedo.
"Phase Compass. It can tell you how long you've been inside the Twilight Forest. Pretty useless—but maybe you can figure out another application."
"Do whatever you want with it—research it, dismantle it, I don't care."
Hearing this, Albedo flipped it over curiously a few times but couldn't make out any special qualities right away.
So he put it away for later study.
Even if Ryen looked down on it, anything from the Twilight Forest held special value to him.
There was no such thing as true trash—only materials waiting for the right insight.
Ryen rummaged through the chest again, then pulled out an enchanted book.
"This is… a spellbook?"
Lisa leaned over, curiosity flashing in her eyes.
Ryen shook his head.
"No. But for us, it might actually be even more valuable."
"This is an explorer's notebook. It records many secrets of this world."
The instant he held it, Ryen knew what it was.
It was the same book you were supposed to get from a goblin when first entering the Twilight Forest.
In the game, it wasn't important—you could toss it aside without regret.
But here in reality, its meaning was monumental.
He remembered that within it were numerous notes on the usage and study of different materials.
Albedo would definitely need this.
Right now, the book had unlocked two chapters: the Naga and the Lich Tower.
The Naga chapter had opened because they had already slain a Naga.
As for the Lich chapter, it was almost funny—Ryen had broken the system with a bug.
To unlock it, you needed to acquire a staff.
By rights, a staff could only be obtained from the Twilight Lich. But by some twist, Ryen had gotten his hands on a Vampiric Staff early.
Ryen flipped open the notebook and read softly:
> "I've begun testing the strange aura surrounding this tower."
"Every brick of the tower is protected by a powerful enchantment. I've never seen such strength before."
"This enchantment even extends to the area around the tower."
"…"
"Major breakthrough! On my journey, I came across a serpentine giant beast, trapped within an elaborately decorated courtyard."
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