Ryen hugged Ganyu tightly and gave her a kiss.
"But Ganyu, your luck has never let me down!"
"I trust you. Lead the way, Ganyu. No matter where you point, we'll just follow that path."
Although being trusted by Ryen made Ganyu feel deeply touched, she still didn't dare to actually take the lead.
In the main world, it would be fine—after all, that place was peaceful.
But the Forest was filled with danger at every turn.
One wrong step could drag everyone into a trap.
Even though they had Totems of Undying, nothing would go seriously wrong, but Ganyu would still feel guilty.
She didn't want everyone's lives to depend entirely on her luck.
Even though her luck really was extraordinary, it was still unpredictable—there was no reason to treat it as an absolute truth.
Seeing that Ganyu still wanted to refuse, Ningguang gently patted her and said softly:
"It's alright, Ganyu. Whatever happens, it's our choice."
"Besides, we all have the means to protect ourselves. Didn't Ryen say it too?"
"Until the Twilight Lich is dealt with, those powerful enemies won't even appear."
"Perhaps the path you choose might even help us find more Druid Mages."
Ganyu didn't fully trust her own luck, but everyone else did without question.
So far, every time Ganyu had relied on her intuition, she had never made a mistake.
Even if things went wrong this time, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Tartaglia just died once and had to use a Totem of Undying.
If Tartaglia could be so reckless with just one totem, and Ningguang and the others had four or five each… imagine the chaos!
Seeing that everyone had faith in her, Ganyu stopped hesitating.
She focused on her intuition for a moment, pressed her lips together, and pointed straight ahead.
"Then… shall we go this way?"
Ryen immediately waved his hand:
"Let's move out!"
"Huh?! Really not discuss it first?"
Ganyu still looked a little worried.
Ryen pulled her in with a smile:
"Trusting you—that is the result of our discussion."
"Alright, no time to waste. We've been in here long enough. If we can find the Lich Tower, we'll handle it and then head back to the Firefly Forest to build a base."
"Let Klee and the others rest first."
"If we can't find it, then we'll return to rest anyway."
At this point, Ganyu had no choice but to move with Ryen and the others.
Along the way, everyone maintained a careful and cautious attitude.
Even Tartaglia stopped complaining.
The waste of his Totem of Undying had already become a source of pain in his heart; now he was doing everything he could to ensure his own safety.
Albedo, meanwhile, kept his head down, carefully observing the characters in the notebook.
He studied each one intently, as if trying to see a pattern.
Ryen glanced at him curiously:
"Have you discovered anything?"
Albedo shook his head slightly.
"It's not really a discovery… aside from the anti-magic property of the Naga scales and the fact that the mosquito swarm shares a source with the protective talisman spell."
"Other than that, I can't make out much… Also, I want to study that so-called barrier."
"But in this world, my alchemy can't fully function. Even if I see it, I might not be able to figure out anything."
Albedo sighed with a hint of melancholy.
Ryen said softly,
"Step by step. First, we deal with the Lich, then unlock the next chapter and see what it contains."
"If I'm not mistaken, the next chapter should be about the swamp. Following the order of monsters, the next one should be the Minotaur…"
"The Minotaur resides in the labyrinth, in the Twilight Swamp region."
Albedo didn't ask further about the nature of the Minotaur.
He had encountered too much already; the more he knew, the harder it was to fully understand.
Better to first research the Naga scales and see what results emerge.
The anti-magic property noted in the journal had already inspired him.
If he continued researching based on that property, who knew what earth-shattering discoveries he might make.
"This is truly a forbidden land where death and danger coexist…"
Albedo shook his head and glanced at Dottore out of the corner of his eye.
"Today, Mr. Tartaglia used a Totem of Undying. For us, it's been an unexpected boon."
"At the very least, we were able to record the situation regarding the Totem."
Ryen couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
"If Tartaglia hears that, he'll probably shut down on the spot."
Just as Albedo was about to say something, Xiao raised his hand from a distance and called out,
"Ryen! Something's up ahead!"
Ryen immediately put aside any casual thoughts and focused.
The purple mist unique to the Darkwood Forest had dispersed significantly.
The red-yellow soil was tinged with green again.
Tall, bright red mushroom houses dotted the area—obviously inedible.
Towering trees rose straight toward the sky, like columns supporting the heavens.
Between these massive trees, faintly visible, was a fortress that looked both ancient and bizarre.
Made entirely of stone with some wooden sections, it had a distinctly Gothic style.
Ryen exhaled in relief, and meeting the eager gazes of everyone around, nodded.
"That's right. This is the Lich Tower!"
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