"Perfect. Later, make a few extra copies of those photos."

Everyone kept chatting openly about Tartaglia's blunder from last night, knocking him straight back into the abyss of despair just as his mood had barely recovered.

With a long, quiet sigh, Tartaglia withdrew to sulk alone.

After a few minutes of idle talk, Ryen stretched lazily and said,

"That's about it. We should head out to the Twilight Forest. Madam Ping, we'll leave the manor and villa in your hands."

Madam Ping chuckled and nodded.

"Go without worry — we'll take care of everything here."

"And also the Millelith," Ryen added.

"They should be setting out on their own exploration today. When you have the time, please head to Base No. 1 to check on them. The Twilight Forest has no real sense of time — who knows when we'll be back. Anyway, I'm counting on you."

Madam Ping waved a hand lightly.

"It's no trouble. I'm used to this kind of life — and besides, I've got Tongque and Yixiao with me.

It's you lot who should be careful."

Ryen nodded, then turned to the others.

"Gear up — full set of enchanted diamond armor, plenty of firearms, alchemy potions, and at least one enchanted diamond sword for close combat.

Also bring some iron blocks and similar materials. We might be able to use them inside for making special weapons."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions grew serious as they began checking their packs.

Kamisato Ayaka and Beidou looked a little awkward — they hadn't been here long enough to have gear like that. The best they had was the enchanted diamond armor they'd been given yesterday for the Wither Storm battle.

Fortunately, Ryen noticed.

He walked over, gesturing for them to follow, and smiled.

"Come with me, I'll get you some weapons."

Ayaka pursed her lips.

"Is that really okay, Mr. Ryen? These supplies belong to everyone… I haven't contributed anything."

"Just borrowing them while you're in this world!" Ryen waved it off.

"They're not that rare — and I'm not letting you step into the Twilight Forest unarmed, am I?"

Hearing that, Ayaka stopped arguing and lowered her voice.

"Thank you… I'll repay this someday."

Soon, she was fully geared: standard enchanted diamond armor, an enchanted diamond sword, some alchemy potions, and a machine gun slung at her side — fully armed.

Everyone regrouped in front of the Twilight Forest portal.

Compared to yesterday's casual look, today they were armed to the teeth. Black, heavy firearms hung across their bodies; from a distance, they looked like a dazzling, formidable unit.

"What a pity the Ender Dragon can't enter the Twilight Forest," Keqing said regretfully. "If we could ride it in the air, we'd be much safer."

Ryen chuckled.

"We could always make a bigger portal — or just bring an Ender Dragon egg and hatch it inside."

"It's not a problem. Anyway, this time we're just doing a preliminary exploration — we won't be venturing too far in."

"No more wasting time. Everyone ready?"

At his words, the group responded with eager voices.

Ryen loaded his weapon, holding the Vampiric Staff in his left hand.

"I'll go first — stay close behind me!"

With that, he leapt forward, vanishing instantly from sight.

The others exchanged a quick glance, then jumped in after him.

Madam Ping, hands clasped behind her back, smiled as she led Klee, Nahida, and Paimon back into the house.

Yixiao and Tongque, still curious about this strange world, began exploring around the manor grounds — though knowing how dangerous this world could be, they had no intention of wandering too far.

Inside the Twilight Forest.

First, a lone figure appeared among the dim, shadowy trees.

One by one, more figures clad in gleaming diamond armor emerged around Ryen.

The light glinting off their armor was so bright it seemed like it could illuminate the entire forest.

Ganyu stepped to Ryen's side, her eyes scanning the surroundings with caution.

Truth be told, compared to the Nether or the End, the Twilight Forest's environment was much more pleasant.

Towering, unfamiliar trees surrounded them; above, stars twinkled in the sky and soft clouds drifted lazily.

It looked almost exactly like nighttime in the Overworld.

But they had undeniably passed through a portal.

It just went to show — the more dangerous a place was, the worse the environment didn't necessarily have to be.

And still, no one here would ever call the Twilight Forest a "nice" place.

Its dangers lurked everywhere.

"Ryen, is this…?"

Ganyu was about to ask where in the forest they were when her eyes suddenly widened in wonder.

"So beautiful!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with delight.

In the dim light, the dark mass of trees ahead suddenly came alive — countless tiny points of light rose into the air, as if the stars had descended to earth.

A narrow, winding path stretched ahead, lined with jars filled with softly glowing fireflies.

The sight painted this endless forest with a magical, fairytale-like beauty.

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