"What's this..."
It was a thick, ancient tome bound in the hide of a Danger Beast, its four corners reinforced with golden fittings.
Clack!
The moment Selene touched the book, a flicker of astonishment—and then delight—appeared in her eyes.
Once its information flowed into her mind, she immediately understood. This was exactly the kind of Teigu she had always wanted.
The Complete Book Of The World · Rongo Rongo — a book-type Teigu said to contain maps of every known nation, with exhaustive records of the Empire's territories in particular: from resources and topography to cities and hidden ruins. Even more remarkable, its final pages held prophecies of future large-scale natural disasters.
Unlike most Teigu, the Complete Book Of The World did not grant supernatural combat power. Yet its utility—its sheer breadth of knowledge—was beyond measure. To a ruler, to one who sought dominion, its value surpassed almost any other Teigu.
And for Selene, who possessed a vast cache of modern industrial machinery stored within her dimensional inventory, this was the perfect key she had been waiting for.
Is there any Teigu more suited to building a nation's future than this one? she thought with growing excitement.
Up until now, Selene's understanding of this world had been based purely on the memories of her past life—fragments from an anime's storyline, its vague geography, and its limited scope. But it had never revealed the true scale of this world—its continents, mineral veins, or sources of rare materials.
This Teigu could tell her all of it.
In her eyes, its worth was second only to the dominion over the world itself.
Lifting the Complete Book Of The World into her hands, Selene confirmed her theory: contrary to popular belief, Teigu did not forbid simultaneous use. The limitation lay solely in one's stamina and mental capacity.
And for her, that was hardly a challenge. She could easily maintain both the Complete Book Of The World · Rongo Rongo and Twin Fates · Thanatos without strain.
As the new Teigu activated, its form began to shift subtly.
The grotesque cover—once adorned with rows of teeth and an unblinking eye—changed. The teeth's ridges faded, transforming into a scaly pattern that merged with the central eye socket. The once-separate parts now formed a single, living eye that opened and closed faintly, as if the book itself had awakened.
"Hoh..." Selene murmured in faint surprise.
The core materials of this Teigu had come from a Super-class Danger Beast—and like all creatures of that level, even death had not fully erased its essence. Though its soul was gone, its residual instincts lingered, allowing the weapon to subtly adapt to its user.
As she prepared to test its deeper functions, a startled cry from Honest interrupted her.
"Wha—what in the world... General Selene—you—you're using not one, but two—no, three Teigu at once?!"
His bulging eyes nearly popped from their sockets as he gawked at her. In his mind, the silver and blue ensemble she wore also counted as a Teigu—making this the ultimate violation of everything he believed about Teigu.
Selene gave him a cool, dismissive glance. "No need to look so horrified. Teigu don't actually forbid multiple usage. As long as one's stamina and mental capacity are sufficient, they can be controlled simultaneously."
She closed the Complete Book Of The World with a soft thud, then said evenly, "Minister Honest, I've made my choice. I'll take this one."
"B-but you're wielding three Teigu! D-does this mean you've already surpassed that stubborn old ox, Budo?!" Honest stammered, following after her as they exited the vault.
"More or less," Selene replied flatly.
"O-oh! Truly magnificent! Congratulations, General Selene, your power has advanced tremendously!" he said, his tone suddenly dripping with flattery. As they walked, he peppered her with obsequious chatter, conveniently forgetting that, by the late Emperor's decree, she was supposed to choose only one Teigu—and yet she was walking out with two.
As they made their way back through the corridor, Selene noticed something curious. On the opposite side of the hallway stood another sealed chamber.
"There's another vault here?" she asked casually.
"Ah, yes," Honest replied with a knowing smile. "That one contains the Shingu. Why, General Selene... are you perhaps interested?"
"However, allow me to remind you, General," Honest said cautiously, "Shingu are failed prototypes of Teigu. Their craftsmanship and effects are inferior. I doubt someone of your caliber would find them worth your attention."
"I see... In that case, never mind. Minister, just pick a few and send them to the Eighth Legion's garrison for me," Selene replied flatly, losing interest the moment she heard the word Shingu.
Honest chuckled heartily. "Hahaha... Consider it done, General. Leave it to me."
"Much appreciated, Minister."
Judging by Honest's jovial laughter along the way, anyone unaware of his true nature might have mistaken him for a warm-hearted, generous man.
...
In the Upper City of the Imperial Capital, within Selene's lavish residence.
Reclining comfortably on her grand high-backed sofa, Selene held in her hands a thick, scaled tome—the Complete Book Of The World · Rongo Rongo. With a relaxed expression, she lazily flipped through its pages, her crimson eyes scanning every intricate glyph.
After refusing Honest's invitation to dinner, she had spent the entire evening studying this rare auxiliary-type Teigu.
Under Selene's precise manipulation of Honkai energy, the artifact yielded completely to her will. Every mechanism, every secret was laid bare. By now, she could confidently say she had achieved greater control over it than any of its previous wielders—even its creator.
Beyond mere record-keeping, the Complete Book Of The World possessed another extraordinary ability—Scanning.
This function was fascinating. Depending on the user's stamina and mental strength, it would automatically map and record the surrounding terrain. The farther the distance, the simpler the map; the closer, the more detailed the data. It could even detect underground mineral veins and water sources. The only limitation—it could not display living beings.
The current data stored within the Complete Book Of The World came from generations of previous users who had explored and scanned the world, their collective knowledge consolidated within its pages.
It contained maps of the entire continent—from grand mountain ranges and subterranean rivers down to precise geological and resource details of every region. Even the predictions of future natural disasters at the end of the book were calculated through the combination and analysis of this accumulated data.
Of course, its predictive ability was limited by the user's mental capacity. It could foresee events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods—but not celestial disasters like solar flares or meteor strikes.
Good grief... this thing's basically a hybrid of a world map, weather forecast, geological scanner, and global encyclopedia all in one, Selene thought with gleeful amusement.
Now that she fully understood its potential, her excitement only grew. In her hands, this Teigu could accomplish far more than its original design intended—she could even scan regions beyond the Empire... or perhaps, one day, entirely different worlds.
To Selene, the Complete Book Of The World · Rongo Rongo was without question the best, strongest, and most useful Teigu ever created.
Knock, knock...