Stepping past the threshold of the wizard tower, the party was met with an unexpected sight. Standing quietly in the center of the chamber was a white-bearded wizard draped entirely in vibrant green robes.
Though his blocky frame and indistinct facial features were typical of the realm, a gentle, harmless demeanor radiated from his posture.
The figure muttered a string of strange, melodic syllables toward the newcomers. Ryen merely glanced at him once before turning on his heel, motioning for everyone to step back out into the open air.
Ningguang crossed her arms, her golden eyes drifting over the stonework with a faint trace of disinterest. "Our luck seems rather ordinary today. It is only a standard wizard. Shall we bother trading at all?"
Ryen caught her expression and chuckled softly. "Why would a peaceful wizard be considered poor luck? When a wizard spawns within a tower, having one open to peaceful commerce is the absolute best outcome we could hope for."
Ningguang blinked in surprise, turning a questioning gaze his way.
Ryen spread his hands in an easy shrug. "Did I never mention this? Trading with a standard wizard carries a distinct probability of acquiring Master-tier staves and Master-tier spellbooks. Under the right conditions, you can even barter for an Arcane Tome of the highest grade."
A wave of astonished looks swept through the gathering.
"And when, pray tell, did you ever tell us that?!" Hu Tao waved her hands in theatrical indignation, her amber eyes widening.
Ryen offered an apologetic grin. "Do not take it to heart. The odds of drawing Master-tier goods on basic trades are notoriously low, and until recently, we lacked the dedicated currency required for top-tier goods anyway. I saw little reason to bring it up early."
Jean pressed two fingers to her temple, setting aside Ryen's casual negligence with practiced restraint. "In that case, how exactly does the trading hierarchy function?"
Ryen gathered his thoughts for a second before laying out the rules. "To begin with, wizards only accept specific currencies. Gold ingots, diamonds, emeralds, mana crystals, and Astral Diamonds. Among all of those, Astral Diamonds are their most treasured asset."
Several members of the party immediately drew notebooks to jot down the details. Once they finished recording his words, Ryen continued at an even pace.
"Astral Diamonds serve as the ultimate medium of exchange. A wizard's trade inventory covers nearly everything within the Wizardry discipline: spellbooks, spell upgrade scrolls, Arcane Tomes, elementally attuned staves, full wizard robes, and scrolls of identification. On rare occasions, they even stock arcane baubles and accessories."
Ningguang raised a brow, a knowing look crossing her features. "In essence, their inventory encompasses nearly the entirety of the Wizardry catalog?"
"In theory, yes," Ryen nodded. "A wizard begins with four trade slots. Three are rolled at random, while the fourth is always a fixed exchange: one random spellbook in return for five mana crystals. Handing over that first spellbook acts as the key to unlock the rest of their trade tiers."
He paused, letting the group absorb the rhythm of the mechanic. "A single wizard offers a maximum of eight consecutive trades. Once all eight are completed, their inventory locks for the rest of the day. The deeper you progress into those eight trades, the higher the probability of unlocking rare merchandise. Theoretically, a Master-tier item could appear on the very first roll, though the likelihood is virtually nonexistent."
Before the sentence fully left his mouth, a gentle tug pulled at Ryen's sleeve.
He glanced down to see Ganyu gazing up at him, her violet eyes gleaming with quiet anticipation. Ryen chuckled warmly, reaching out to give her dark red horns a playful, affectionate squeeze. "I nearly forgot. My dear Ganyu specializes in making the impossible happen."
Ganyu tilted her chin with quiet pride, fully aware by now of just how strange and potent her personal fortune could be in this world.
Suppressing a sudden urge to lean down and kiss her cheek, Ryen cleared his throat and pressed on. "As the transaction counter climbs, the appearance rate for Master-tier merchandise rises significantly. Keep in mind, however, that Master-tier spells, Master Arcane Tomes, and Master staves will only accept Astral Diamonds as payment."
Lumine suddenly perked up, raising a hand into the air. "Wait, Astral Diamonds? I feel like I picked some up recently!"
Ryen reached over, ruffling her golden hair with a fond smile. "Of course you have. When you were diving for sunken shipwrecks yesterday, did you not haul up a few chests from the seabed?"
Lumine hurriedly checked her inventory interface. A moment later, her shoulders slumped slightly in disappointment. "There really are some here, but only four in total. Just four?!"
She let out a frustrated sigh. She had assumed the glittering stones were mere decorative gems and paid them little mind. What could a meager handful of four stones possibly buy?
Ryen offered a sly, knowing grin. "Why not ask someone who comes prepared?"
With a flick of his wrist, he produced a full, gleaming stack of sixty-four Astral Diamonds.
A collective hush fell over the courtyard.
Guizhong stared at the shimmering pile in disbelief. "Where on earth did you gather so many? You were not exploring sunken wrecks with the vanguard yesterday, and the drop rate from ordinary chests is minuscule. Did you discover a dedicated ore vein?"
Ryen shook his head. "Astral Diamonds cannot be mined from the earth. They only generate within loot chests at exceptionally low rates. However, their frequency inside Stronghold chests in the End is substantially higher. Why do you think I deployed several garrisons into the End dimension months ago?"
With an amused chuckle, Ryen placed the entire bundle into Ganyu's hands. When it came to gambling against system odds, Ganyu remained their undisputed trump card.
Long before setting sail for the New Continent, Ryen had dispatched military units into the End for this exact purpose. Even with the heightened rates within Stronghold corridors, gathering these stones was an arduous task. It had taken two months of continuous sweeps to assemble just over a single stack.
"And here I assumed you were merely hunting End-exclusive mob materials," Ningguang remarked, casting him a half-teasing, half-reproachful look. "You kept this entirely to yourself?"
Ryen spread his palms innocently. "Had I told you back then, you would have mobilized half of Liyue's forces into the End while we were still deep in the Twilight Forest campaign. Besides, shouldn't you be praising your man for his brilliant foresight?"
Ningguang could not help but laugh. She looped her arms around his with gentle warmth, humoring him like a pampered prince. "Yes, yes. Our Ryen is the most brilliant strategist under the heavens."
Ryen beamed with satisfaction.
"Ryen, how many staves can this stack purchase?" Ganyu asked softly, her fingers tracing the edges of the radiant blue gems.
Ryen considered it for a moment. "I cannot give an exact number, but it will not be many. Master-tier equipment commands a steep price."
Clapping his hands to draw everyone's focus, he gestured back toward the entrance. "Prepare a spare spellbook, gather your raw materials, and let us head inside. To ensure the best outcome, Ganyu will handle every transaction. Whether we walk away with a Master-tier staff today depends entirely on her hands."
The party nodded in unison and pushed through the wooden door once more.
The white-bearded wizard remained standing in place, greeting them with the same gentle murmurs. Ryen gave Ganyu an encouraging nod, and the qilin stepped forward to open the merchant interface.
True to Ryen's explanation, the first available trade was fixed: any standard spellbook in exchange for five mana crystals.
The party carried an abundance of low-tier scrolls. Ganyu casually slotted in a basic Magic Missile spellbook, claiming the five crystals in return.
She held her breath as the wizard hummed softly in contemplation. A second later, the trade interface refreshed.
Ganyu scanned the newly revealed slot, her expression drooping slightly. "It is an Advanced-tier spellbook, Tornado. It requires fifty mana crystals."
Ryen remained completely unfazed. Since the odds of rolling Master-tier goods on the second trade were practically zero, landing an Advanced spell this early was already a solid result.
"Buy it out," Ryen instructed calmly. "Purchase everything he offers in sequence until the Master goods appear."
Ganyu nodded resolutely.
The third trade offered an Advanced-tier staff. Without hesitation, she cleared the slot.
The fourth slot revealed a Nature Wizard Hat, which she promptly purchased.
The fifth trade presented an unfamiliar arcane artifact, which Ganyu secured using one hundred diamonds without a second thought.
The sixth slot refreshed into a Spell Upgrade Scroll dedicated to spell range.
Ganyu began to feel a slight flutter of anxiety. Six consecutive trades had gone by without a single Master-tier item appearing in the ledger. For a moment, she wondered if her legendary luck was beginning to wane.
Her grip on Ryen's hand tightened slightly, her palm growing faint with warmth.
The rest of the group watched with held breath. If even Ganyu failed to coax out top-tier treasures, none of them stood a chance.
"Keep going," Ryen murmured softly, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand in steady reassurance.
Taking a slow, deep breath, Ganyu bought the upgrade scroll.
Only two chances remained. If the wizard reached his daily cap without presenting Master-tier merchandise, their efforts here would conclude empty-handed.
Following this purchase, the wizard mumbled for a noticeably longer duration than before. The gentle curve of his blocky features softened further, his demeanor growing distinctly amicable.
Ganyu tapped her foot with quiet impatience. Each passing second felt like an eternity; she silently wished the old wizard would finish his incantations and reveal the goods.
As if sensing her urgency, the wizard finally ceased his muttering.
A fresh item materialized within the interface window.
It was a heavy, ornate tome radiating a deep, pulsing aura of raw power, vastly distinct from any ordinary spellbook they had seen before. The bold lettering on the interface confirmed its nature: Master Spell Book.
Ganyu squeezed Ryen's fingers tightly, her cheeks flushing crimson with sheer delight. "It appeared! Ryen, look, it really is a Master-tier spellbook!"
Ryen smiled warmly, brushing his fingers across her horn. "I knew my Ganyu's luck would never fail. Buy it immediately."
Ganyu nodded eagerly. She checked the price tag, which read a modest two Astral Diamonds, and completed the trade without a moment's hesitation.
Before anyone could even inspect the newly acquired tome, the final trade slot snapped open.
The moment the image of the staff appeared within the box, every gaze in the room locked onto the screen with breathless intensity.
The design was unmistakable.
A sleek, crystalline staff rendered in pale glacial blue, crowned by a suspended cluster of radiant, frostbitten diamonds. Even rendered within the interface window, it carried a heavy, imposing chill.
Every person present recognized it instantly.
It was the very same Master-tier ice staff that Ryen wielded, capable of freezing the flow of time itself.
The Staff of Eternal Frost.
Ganyu pointed at the screen, her eyes wide with excitement.
Even Ryen found himself genuinely impressed. To pull two Master-tier items back-to-back from a single wizard was an absurd stroke of fortune.
"The Staff of Eternal Frost," Ryen instructed with a gentle smile. "Go ahead and claim it."
Ganyu nodded firmly.
She checked the cost: eight full Astral Diamonds.
While the price was hefty, she confirmed the exchange without the slightest hesitation. A Master-tier staff of the Cryo element was priceless.
Moreover, holding this staff meant she would carry the exact same weapon as Ryen, a matching pair in every sense of the word.
A soft blush colored her cheeks as she drew the frost-rimmed staff into her hands, holding the chilled grip close to her chest.
With the eighth transaction completed, the wizard's trading window faded to gray.
Muttering a final string of indistinct blessings, the old figure turned slowly toward the wooden staircase, shuffling up toward the higher floors of the tower.
The room remained quiet for several seconds, their eyes lingering upon the magnificent weapon resting in Ganyu's grasp.
While envious, none contested the outcome. The currency belonged to Ryen, Ganyu was his cherished companion, her elemental affinity matched the staff perfectly, and the prize had been manifested purely through her extraordinary luck.
Tartaglia stared intently at the frost staff before slowly shifting his gaze up the wooden stairs toward the retreating wizard.
A sharp, battle-hungry grin crossed the young Harbinger's face as he rested a hand on his hip. "Say... now that the trading is finished, if we head up there and eliminate that wizard, do you think he will drop all the resources we just handed over?"