[Does the host have any other questions?]
Just as Bonanus was still immersed in the excitement of finally being able to meet Big Brother Bosacius again, the system's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting her run.
"Nope. I'll try to figure out the rest on my own," Bonanus replied, shaking her head. "Oh—right. Do you have a beginner's gift pack?"
Before dismissing the system, she casually asked. She wasn't sure whether one existed, but it never hurt to try.
After all, in the system novels she read in her previous life, the systems were always extremely generous. The beginner gift packs were usually pretty great.
[Understood. If you have further questions, you may continue to summon the system. Beginner's gift pack has been issued. The host may view it within the iron ring. The system will now go offline.]
The space around Bonanus gradually fell silent. It seemed the system had truly gone offline.
At that moment, the iron ring around her ankle trembled slightly. Soon after, its water-blue glow dimmed.
This water-blue iron ring must be the system's physical form. Watching it gradually lose its light, Bonanus figured that was what "going offline" looked like. As for why it trembled earlier… that was probably when the beginner gift pack was delivered.
Thinking of this, Bonanus excitedly opened the space within the iron ring.
Although it was her first time using the ring, she found—somehow—that controlling it felt completely natural.
The water-blue iron ring functioned like a shop interface, complete with a warehouse. The system-issued beginner gift pack was stored inside.
As Bonanus examined the items inside, she unconsciously slowed her running pace.
[Warehouse Contents]
[Bottle of Advanced Healing Pills]
(Side effect: induces deep sleep lasting several hundred years—or longer)
[Immortal Power Storage Pouch] ×2
(Contains purified immortal power free of karmic debt. Causes temporary weakness after use)
[Incarnation Talisman]
(Summons an avatar identical to the user. Duration: 10 minutes)
[Dull Blade]
(The Traveler's legendary weapon)
[Hand Cream]
(Bonanus fights by tearing enemies apart with her bare hands, so minor abrasions are unavoidable. This product protects the hands, keeping the skin fair, smooth, and delicate. Truly an essential item for both adventuring and everyday life!)
"… These things…" Bonanus stared at the beginner gift pack, utterly speechless.
There was no worst—only worse. This gift pack was so bad it was practically historic.
They even gave her a Dull Blade!
Good grief—she was a Yaksha who fought with her bare hands. What use did she have for a sword?
"Forget it. I'll just sell it later and exchange it for some Mora…" she muttered, rubbing her slightly furrowed brow—completely failing to notice the rock wall ahead.
Dull Blade: I feel no love anymore. (இдஇ;)
Clang!
With a loud crash, the distracted Bonanus slammed straight into the stone wall in front of her. The impact sent her flying backward, and she landed flat on the ground.
Did it sound good? If it sounded good, then it must have been a good hit.
"—Hiss!!!"
Bonanus curled into herself on the ground, sucking in a sharp breath.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"
Tears welled up in her eyes. It really hurt—a lot. She swore to herself that she would never again look through the ring's contents while running.
After a while, she finally struggled upright. Rubbing her reddened forehead, she puffed out her cheeks slightly, looking more than a little wronged.
She patted the iron ring around her ankle.
"This is all your fault, you ugly iron ring!" she complained, glaring at it with watery eyes.
Unfortunately, the system was in standby mode and couldn't possibly respond.
Thinking about it again, though—while it was just an iron ring, constantly calling it that felt rather unpleasant.
After some thought, Bonanus decided to give it a new name.
From now on, she would call it the Water Moon Ring—after all, it was entirely blue.
If anyone asked about it, she'd just say it was a gift from Chang'e on the moon.
People in Teyvat wouldn't know who Chang'e was anyway.
If that didn't work, she could say it came from the Moon Card Emperor—or even the Buddha.
And if gods weren't convincing enough, she'd just claim it was from an otherworldly deity. There were plenty of excuses to choose from.
After thinking all that through, Bonanus finally steadied herself, rubbed her still-aching head, and began cautiously feeling her way forward, searching for Big Brother's presence.
On the Other Side of the Chasm
Boyang lifted the candle in his hand. Somehow, he had managed to find some wood and light a small fire in front of him.
In the pitch-black rock layers, that single flame brought him immense comfort—a rare sense of warmth.
"Menogias, where did you go just now?"
The speaker was Bosacius—leader of the Five Yaksha Guardians under Morax, the Great General of the Flying Serpent, and the eldest brother among the Yaksha.
At this moment, Bosacius's mind was hazy. He was gravely injured, and karmic debt was steadily eroding his sanity, leaving him in constant agony.
His head hurt so badly that he could barely think. Even the name "Menogias," which he had spoken instinctively, was forgotten almost as soon as it left his mouth.
Still, he knew he shouldn't forget these names.
They felt… important.
"Yaksha brother… you're confused again, aren't you?" Boyang sighed helplessly.
"I've told you many times—my name is Boyang. I'm the ritualist who's been fighting alongside you in the rock layers."
Boyang was deeply afraid that the Yaksha before him would die first, leaving him utterly alone in this sealed, lightless abyss.
People feared death—but they feared loneliness just as much.
Especially here, in the pitch-black depths of the sealed Chasm, with no escape in sight.
Sometimes, Boyang truly regretted his choices.
Why had he, the elder brother, been the one to worry about his younger sibling?
Why had he chosen to stay behind?
Rongzhao… why wasn't it you who stayed here instead of me?
But since he had already resolved to let Rongzhao remain aboveground, there was nothing more to be done.
If they could ever escape, then the feat of sealing the demonic beasts beneath the deepest reaches of the Chasm—accomplished by him and this Yaksha—would surely be recorded in history.
The people of Liyue would surely remember them as heroes.
At this moment, Boyang's own mind began to waver.
He thought he was going mad.
Because in the darkness, he could see his family—his wife, his daughter.
He missed home so badly.
"Boyang… Boyang…"
Bosacius repeated the name weakly. It felt unfamiliar, yet strangely close.
"You are Boyang… then who am I?"
Though Bosacius wore a mask, Boyang could still feel his confusion.
A trace of despair flickered in Boyang's eyes as he spoke in a low voice.
"I wish I could call you by your name… We agreed to stay here together, yet now I can't even remember what to call you…"
"What a shame…"
Boyang sighed deeply once more. The fire before them burned lower and lower, as if despair itself were approaching.
"Staying here…" Bosacius pressed a hand to his head, wracked by pain, his thoughts sluggish and heavy.
"No… you must leave."
Hearing this, Boyang could only smile bitterly.
This Yaksha brother of his was truly kind—already in such a state, yet still thinking of others.
If leaving were possible, Boyang would have done so long ago.
But the place was sealed.
The seal could not be broken. If it were, disaster would strike the outside world again, and the sacrifices of the fallen Millelith would have been for nothing.
The more Bosacius tried to think, the worse his headache became.
He clutched his head tightly, his expression beneath the mask twisted in pain, struggling to recall memories that refused to return.
"Let's stop talking about this," Boyang said with a strained smile. "I'll tell you something strange instead. I think I've gone mad—I've been seeing my family down here."
"You… you must have family too, right?"
"Family…" Bosacius closed his eyes, murmuring uncertainly.
"I think… I should have family too…"
As soon as he finished speaking, his consciousness blurred further. His body felt unbearably heavy, as if he were about to collapse.
"Surely you had brothers and sisters, right? Hey—hey! Hold on! There's only the two of us left!"
"Don't you dare die before me!"
Panic spread across Boyang's face as he hurriedly supported Bosacius's faltering body. The Yaksha's condition was rapidly worsening—he was already frighteningly close to death.
"… Bonanus… is that you?"
Bosacius gazed toward the distant figure slowly approaching, his vision blurred. Fragmented memories began to resurface within his mind.