After struggling against him for quite some time, Yae Miko and the women realized they were entirely incapable of swaying Ryen.
His hands seemed welded in place upon their destination, immovable in the face of any storm.
Eventually, the women simply gave up trying to dislodge him.
When Yae Miko attempted another playful protest, Ryen pinned her with an amused glance. Though both his hands were currently occupied, who could guarantee he would not casually slide one over from Ningguang's lap to hers?
She was hardly prudish, but teasing each other in front of the whole assembly still carried an awkward edge.
"To begin with, we must examine the essential, foundational utility mods of this universe: Tinkers' Construct, Equivalent Exchange, More Portals, More Enchants, and Avaritia..."
Ryen paused mid-sentence, his brow knitting slightly as he shook his head.
"Ganyu, strike Avaritia from the ledger."
Ganyu blinked in mild surprise, but dutifully drew a clean line through the name.
"Does that mod carry complications, Ryen?"
Lisa leaned forward, genuine curiosity glimmering in her emerald eyes.
Ryen pressed his lips together, his tone turning cautious.
"It is difficult to articulate. That module is indisputably one of the supreme heights of this universe, yet its supreme nature is precisely where the hazard lies."
"You must understand: the Sword of the Cosmos is an armament manufactured directly through the crafting grids of Avaritia."
A profound silence descended upon the parlor.
Every woman present had witnessed the terrifying reality of that blade.
To this day, none had discovered a single concept across the cosmos that the Sword of the Cosmos could not sever in two.
They had seen it with their own eyes when Ryen drew that celestial edge to slice cleanly through the primordial lifeblood of the Imaginary Tree.
The implications were catastrophic.
Even if Avaritia were loaded into the world and Ryen guarded the blueprints of the sword with unyielding secrecy, who could guarantee that an artisan would not stumble upon the pattern by sheer accident?
That blade paid zero heed to the lineage or identity of its wielder. Whoever lifted its hilt became a god of absolute destruction.
To eliminate every hazard, leaving Ryen as the sole bearer of that apocalyptic blade was the only prudent choice.
"Beyond the Sword of the Cosmos, Avaritia contains a horrifying armory of absurd utility tools. Hearing their titles alone will tell you everything you need to know."
Ryen shook his head, reciting the names in a slow, ominous cadence.
"The World Breaker, the Planet Eater, the Nature's Ruin. A single misstep, and an entire realm can be excavated into absolute oblivion within seconds."
"Its ceiling is dangerously high. We cannot permit that module into our world."
The women nodded in solemn, unified agreement.
Ganyu felt so unsettled that she carefully tore the parchment from her binding, tossed it into the hearth to reduce it to white ash, and began a fresh sheet.
Once Ganyu smoothed the new paper, Ningguang looked up, her amber eyes shimmering with intrigue.
"Among the remaining candidates, Ryen, which do you favor?"
"It is nearly impossible to choose," Ryen sighed helplessly.
"Tinkers' Construct is like introducing a primordial master smith into our civilization. Its systems are remarkably thorough, and regarding the modular fabrication of tools, blades, and armaments, its craftsmanship defies all natural logic."
"More Portals, on the other hand, represents an infinite ocean of raw materials. In every conceivable sense, its mechanics border on the ridiculous."
"Loading that mod grants this universe access to countless uncharted dimensional realms. The most absurd aspect..."
"If you construct a portal frame from solid diamond blocks, the dimension awaiting you on the other side is a boundless expanse of solid diamond."
"Build the frame from gold blocks, and you step into mountain ranges composed entirely of solid gold."
"For resource stockpiling, our civilization would never suffer a material deficit again."
Ningguang's eyes flared with brilliant, ravenous light.
Though Ryen spoke with high regard for Tinkers' Construct, from the standpoint of managing an empire, More Portals was an incomparable strategic treasure.
An end to all material scarcity, paired with endless virgin dimensions to conquer.
From every possible angle, its utility was breathtaking.
"Record More Portals with heavy emphasis, Ganyu," Ningguang instructed crisply, before turning her gaze back to Ryen, her eyes burning with focused intensity.
Ryen shrugged, pressing forward with his catalog.
"Equivalent Exchange, or ProjectE, is arguably the most convenient system in existence. Lisa will likely grasp its underlying philosophy faster than the rest of you."
"Its mechanics adhere strictly to the ultimate pursuit of alchemy, marking the definitive finish line of the craft."
"The Gate of Truth."
"Equivalent Exchange operates upon classical alchemical logic, conducting absolute, balanced transactions with the Gate of Truth. Whatever price you yield, an equivalent treasure is bestowed in return."
"While it contains a vast treasury of powerful relics, its crowning jewel is the portable Transmutation Table."
"So long as you carry a Transmutation Table that has recorded the essence of known resources, you can wander the cosmos completely unburdened. A single table allows you to conquer the stars."
"Whatever you lack, you simply convert using stored energy values directly from the table, purchasing the exact reagents you require on the spot."
Lisa sat up straight, nodding with vivid, breathless excitement.
"If it mirrors the classical doctrine of equivalent exchange within alchemical theory, the ceiling of such a system is beyond calculation."
"There is far more," Ryen paused, fixing Lisa with a deep, meaningful stare.
"That mod contains... the Philosopher's Stone."
"What?!"
Lisa lost her composure entirely, the color draining from her face as she stared at him in utter disbelief.
"Is something amiss, Lisa?"
Lumine tilted her head, thoroughly perplexed. The librarian was renowned for her languid, unshakeable poise; witnessing her display such shock was unprecedented.
"The complication is monumental," Lisa murmured, pressing her trembling fingers against her temples as visible restlessness overtook her posture.
"You have never studied the deeper currents of alchemy, so you cannot comprehend the weight of the Philosopher's Stone. Yet if Albedo caught wind of its existence..."
"He would cast aside his research, his duties, and even his very life to pursue it. Even his revered mentor, the master alchemist Rhinedottir, would do the exact same."
"The Philosopher's Stone is the eternal, lifelong dream of every alchemist who has ever drawn breath. It is the ultimate creation of alchemy, valued far above mortal existence itself."
Noticing the bewildered glances surrounding her, Lisa gathered her thoughts, struggling to frame the concept in terms they could grasp.
"Consider it thus: if every alchemist is merely an ordinary mortal wielding an elemental Vision, the Philosopher's Stone is the divine artifact that can elevate that mortal into the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles."
A collective gasp rippled through the parlor.
The women turned toward Ryen with stunned, wide eyes. Ryen simply shrugged, leaning back against the cushions.
"The artifact in the module may diverge slightly from your traditional legends, yet conceptually, the distinction is marginal. How terrifying it might prove once anchored into the leylines of Teyvat is something even I cannot predict."
"Lisa understands the danger."
Lisa nodded with grave, uncharacteristic solemnity.
"If the Philosopher's Stone manifests in the mortal realm, the foundational leylines of our alchemical world will fracture."
"The Philosopher's Stone is a mythical relic that exists purely in theoretical dissertations."
"Lady Alice once revealed to me that across foreign realities, an ancient sovereign sacrificed over a hundred million mortal lives merely to forge a single Philosopher's Stone."
"He succeeded, yet only halfway; the resulting stone remained an incomplete, half-formed artifact."
"Even so, that singular creation fundamentally distorted the foundational laws of alchemy and broke the equivalent exchange of the Gate of Truth."
A chilling, horrified stillness gripped the room.
They knew Alice was an extradimensional wanderer who crossed boundless cosmic realms, but sacrificing a hundred million living souls for a red stone...
"That stone sounds thoroughly cursed," Guizhong muttered, wrinkling her nose as she looked at Ryen with visible distaste.
Lisa nodded slowly in concurrence.
"Indeed. The Philosopher's Stone is an alchemist's supreme desire, yet it is also the creation they dread above all else."
"At its core, the stone forcibly obliterates the sanctity of equivalent exchange."
"Alchemy is built entirely upon offering worldly components to strike a balanced pact with the Gate of Truth."
"Whatever harvest you seek, you must offer an equal price in return."
"The Philosopher's Stone shatters that balance entirely."
"If you introduce the stone into alchemical transmutation, the absolute authority and cosmic fairness of the Gate of Truth are rendered meaningless."
"It essentially desecrates the ultimate law, turning the lifelong toil of every scholar into a hollow joke."
"Every alchemist rejects its existence in principle, yet deep within their souls, not a single one among them could ever bear to turn it away."
It was extraordinarily rare for Lisa to deliver such a long, impassioned lecture. Dense as the mechanics were, the sheer gravity written across her features was enough to tell the room that this relic was profoundly dangerous.
Seeing that Lisa had concluded her explanation, Ryen smoothly withdrew his hand from Ningguang's waist, sliding it around Lisa to rest comfortably against her shoulder.
His operational doctrine remained strictly centered on sharing his affection equally.
With his hand comfortably anchored, Ryen spoke in a calm, analytical cadence.
"I cannot say whether the Philosopher's Stone would trigger identical anomalies if carried into Teyvat, but the sheer efficiency of Equivalent Exchange remains indisputable."
"Ganyu, mark it down with priority."
Ganyu nodded obediently, inking the parchment before looking up with curious, shining eyes.
"So far, Equivalent Exchange and More Portals are exceptionally formidable. What of More Enchants?"
"That module is equally staggering," Ryen chuckled, leaning forward slightly.
"The enhancements provided by More Enchants are comprehensive across every combat discipline."
"Atmospheric enchantments, ancient runic enchantments, esoteric curses..."
"There are even specialized enchantments that dramatically escalate weapon damage based on solar and lunar cycles."
"The module introduces over one hundred brand-new enchantments. Once installed, enchanted books, which had gradually fallen to secondary status within our armories, will surge back to the vanguard."
"They will rival, and perhaps even eclipse, the power of our high-tier SlashBlades."
"Every effect you can imagine, and dozens you could never conceive, are contained within its pages."
"With proper enchantment combinations, even a primitive wooden blade can achieve damage multipliers high enough to butcher an ancient god in a single swing."
Hearing this, complex expressions crossed the faces of Ningguang and the assembly.
Ei pressed her lips together, murmuring in a low, contemplative voice.
"I am beginning to grasp the depth of your dilemma. When confronted with systems of such terrifying caliber, a quota of merely two selections feels agonizingly sparse."
"If circumstances permitted, we ought to install every single one."
"Our global strength would enter a state of explosive, runaway evolution."
Ryen blinked playfully. Sliding his other hand free from Yae Miko, he guided it smoothly into the layered folds of Ei's violet kimono.
"Now you understand my headache? And these are merely pragmatic utility modules. I have yet to even mention the industrial tech trees that advance civilization, or the martial modules that elevate personal sovereign authority."
A vivid, furious blush swept across Ei's porcelain cheeks. Feeling Yae Miko's teasing gaze locking onto her, she tilted her face away, though her frame made zero effort to push his hand away.
Unlike Ningguang and the seasoned partners who had shared his bed for months, shedding all maidenly reservations, she remained an untouched maiden.
They had agreed to formalize their vows after surveying the New Continent, only for the apocalyptic cataclysm to throw their lives into chaos.
Having Ryen slide his hands over her with such casual intimacy left her far too flustered to match the shrine maiden's shameless composure.
Catching her Archon's profound shyness, Yae Miko's lips curved into a wicked, knowing smirk as she leaned close, whispering in a sultry purr.
"You will grow accustomed to it soon enough."
"Miko!"
Ei shot her a sharp, warning glare, letting out a muffled, indignant huff before turning her eyes away.
"No wonder choosing two mods proved so agonizing," Ningguang sighed softly.
Following precedent, she gestured for Ganyu to record More Enchants, before fixing Ryen with a rueful smile.
"I had initially intended to establish a three-tiered rubric: low priority for minor systems, secondary consideration for moderately useful tools, and supreme priority for critical operational necessities."
"I believed we could filter the catalog through that framework to isolate the two premier choices. Yet now..."
Ningguang shook her head with a wry, helpless chuckle.
"I severely underestimated the boundless scale of these modules. Equivalent Exchange, More Portals, More Enchants: every single one sits upon the absolute apex of strategic necessity."
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