"This is merely the opening ledger, and already three utility modules have left you overwhelmed. If I were to unveil the rest, your heads would spin entirely."
Ryen chuckled, looking at Ningguang with an amused, teasing glint in his eyes.
Ningguang pressed her lips together, letting out a soft, petulant sigh.
"Are you mocking me? I readily concede that my initial calculations were far too simplistic, if that satisfies you."
"I would never dream of such a thing," Ryen protested smoothly, raising his free hand in mock defense. "How could I ever bring myself to ridicule my brilliant Ningguang?"
Ningguang gave an elegant huff, leaning across the armrest to press a soft kiss against his cheek.
"Very well. It was my oversight, and I admit my fault. Select whatever other candidates you deem exceptional, and we shall deliberate upon them at leisure across the remainder of the siege."
Ryen let out a quiet, wistful breath.
In his previous world, hearing a proud, magnificent woman openly admit a misstep was something that did not even occur in dreams.
Moreover, Ningguang's deductions had been logically sound from start to finish.
"What is drifting through that mind of yours?"
Ningguang tilted her head, catching the distant, contemplative expression upon his face.
Ryen shook his head gently, pulling his thoughts back to the present.
"Nothing at all. I was simply reflecting on how extraordinarily fortunate I am to have all of you by my side."
A tender warmth bloomed across the women's faces, drawing them instinctively closer around him.
"Look at you, dropping sweet pleasantries out of nowhere like a shameless rogue!"
Hu Tao clicked her tongue in teasing reprimand, yet her slender frame nestled firmly against his side, wishing she could tuck herself straight into his coat.
Ryen offered no defense, allowing his voice to settle into a relaxed, analytical rhythm.
"We shall pause our review of utility modules for now. Superior systems certainly exist within my archives, yet their developmental thresholds are excessively steep, and biting off more than one can chew invites disaster."
"Mastering these foundational mechanics first is the prudent course."
"Next, we come to the great industrial branches: GregTech, Create, Mekanism, and their kin."
"These industrial systems require little agonizing deliberation. At their foundation, technological mods share broadly similar trajectories, meaning we need only choose the most mature and comprehensive framework."
"My personal inclination leans toward GregTech."
Ryen paused, shifting his gaze toward Lumine.
"If Lumine has reclaimed a portion of her ancient memories, she should comprehend the true significance of industrial technology better than anyone."
"My memories are returning!"
Lumine thrust her hand into the air, her golden eyes shining with profound nostalgia.
"Advanced technology might appear modest when measured against individual divine martial strength, but regarding daily civic life, its convenience defies all comprehension."
"To state it plainly: if GregTech can elevate society to the level of a modern civilization..."
"The daily living standards and civil logistics across the whole of Teyvat will become tens of thousands of times more convenient. I speak in absolute earnest; this is no exaggeration."
Lumine looked around the room with total solemnity. While Ningguang and the others struggled to visualize the concept of industrial modernity, it did not prevent Ganyu from inking a thick, decisive circle around GregTech in her notes.
"The arrival of GregTech," Ryen continued smoothly, "would propel Teyvat's societal development forward by over a thousand years."
"Transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, culinary luxuries, daily lifestyle: it encompasses every facet of existence."
Ryen glanced down at Paimon, who was curled upon his lap with wide, uncomprehending eyes, and let out an amused chuckle.
"To Paimon, its greatest significance lies in..."
"Starfruit smoothies, ice-cold cola, crisp apple juice, fresh watermelon juice, dark chocolate ice cream..."
"Golden french fries, buttered toast, double cheeseburgers, frosted cakes, butter cookies, milk chocolate, roasted crispy pork knuckles, candied fruit drops, spicy gluten ribbons, sour cream potato chips..."
As Ryen recited the names in a slow, deliberate drawl, Paimon's eyes dilated to the size of saucers, and an uncontrollable stream of drool began wetting the front of her collar.
Before he could name another treat, Paimon sprang straight into the air like a startled kitten.
Dabbing frantically at her chin with her tiny sleeve, she stomped her feet upon his knees in sheer, frantic outrage.
"Stop it! Stop talking right now! Mean, wretched Ryen! You are deliberately torturing poor Paimon!"
"Delicious treats! So many incredible treats! Paimon wants to eat them all!"
"Ryen! You are the absolute best! You cherish your sweet Paimon most of all, right?! Let us choose GregTech! Let us install it immediately!"
"Paimon will let you cuddle and pamper her for an entire day! A whole day without complaining!"
Ryen raised an eyebrow, wearing a look of tragic, exaggerated regret.
"That is far from guaranteed, little mascot. GregTech and the four utility mods have merely entered our preliminary finals."
"Since all four belong to foundational baseline categories, we can select only one."
Paimon's tiny face collapsed into utter, tragic despair, glaring at him with puffy, quivering cheeks.
"You are doing this on purpose! I refuse to listen! I demand spicy snacks! I demand crispy potato chips! I demand roasted pork knuckles! I demand chocolate ice cream!"
"If Ryen refuses to let me eat them, I will ignore Ryen for three whole days... no, for a whole day!"
"How cruel can one person be?! Stirring up a lady's appetite like this, only to lock the kitchen door! There is zero justice in this world!"
Laughter rippled across the parlor.
Having a sovereign module selection dictated entirely by culinary cravings seemed utterly absurd, yet coming from Paimon, it felt perfectly natural.
Lumine leaned close to the floating fairy, her golden eyes twinkling with mischievous nostalgia.
"Now that Ryen mentions it, the memories are flooding back."
"Paimon has never tasted authentic chocolate ice cream, has she?"
"What a tragic loss. It has been centuries since I last indulged."
"Chilled, silky, sweet, melting like velvet across the tongue. A single spoonful fills your entire spirit with pure, unadulterated bliss."
"And those potato chips, snapping with that crisp, savory crunch. And those burgers, bursting with warm, savory beef juices..."
Before Lumine could finish, Paimon lunged forward, throwing both tiny hands over the Traveler's lips with panicked desperation.
"Hush! Not another word!"
"Paimon cannot eat them, so you are forbidden from describing them!"
"Curse the two of you for ganging up to bully me! Ryen, please, have mercy! Paimon yearns for delicious feasts! Show some pity for your darling Paimon and install GregTech!"
"Could your heart truly bear to watch your sweetest little companion wither away into melancholy from culinary deprivation?"
Ryen shook his head with an affectionate chuckle.
"No sensible leader selects a cosmic framework based on snacks."
"If you truly crave them so terribly, I will draft the culinary blueprints tonight and have Xiangling whip up a banquet for you tomorrow."
Paimon turned a tearful, suspicious gaze upon him.
"Can Xiangling capture the authentic essence?"
"Do you dare question Xiangling's culinary genius?"
Ryen countered with a raised eyebrow, instantly reducing Paimon to bashful, silent submission.
Having settled the mascot, Ryen turned his gaze back to Ningguang and the leaders, his tone returning to measured seriousness.
"GregTech is an extraordinary system. Mastered properly, it would launch Teyvat into an era of explosive, soaring development."
"Yet its greatest asset is precisely its greatest hazard."
"The system is monumentally intricate. It is so complex that even with exhaustive technical manuals, parsing its engineering trees requires at least two full years of study."
"Lumine grasps the reality: true technological eras are forged through centuries of iterative mortal experimentation."
"Projecting a timeline of two to three years is an exceptionally optimistic estimate."
Recalling the tangled sea of circuitry, conduits, blast furnaces, and micro-components native to GregTech, Ryen offered a wry, rueful grimace.
"Without an ounce of exaggeration, even a genius of mechanics like Guizhong would spend a full year simply committing every component to memory."
"Mastering its automated industrial complexes and structural facilities is far beyond the capacity of an individual or an isolated court."
"It would require mobilizing over ten thousand elite scholars across every nation on Teyvat, laboring in concert for three uninterrupted years, merely to achieve preliminary industrial output."
"The research cycle is agonizingly long, yet the ultimate yield is boundless. The choice rests upon your collective ambition."
The women nodded in solemn contemplation. GregTech represented the birth of a genuine industrial epoch.
With both Lumine and Ryen affirming its scale, its brilliance was beyond dispute.
The bottleneck lay strictly in its protracted developmental timeline.
Committing an immense army of scholars to a multi-year slog was an agonizing decision to make on the spot.
After a long silence, Ningguang shook her head gently.
"Let us shelve it for the present. I carry a strong conviction that our alliance currently possesses neither the leisure nor the surplus energy to digest such a colossal system."
Ganyu nodded softly, adding a small margin note next to the title before looking up with pen poised.
Ryen gathered his thoughts before pressing forward.
"Pragmatic utility candidates have been broadly covered, and we can finalize our preferences later."
"Which brings us to the second category: systems designed to elevate individual combat parameters."
"In this discipline, the contenders are practically limitless."
The room snapped to immediate attention.
While utility modules fascinated them from an administrative standpoint, to Ningguang, Ei, and the women as individuals, systems like More Enchants or More Portals offered little personal excitement.
Equivalent Exchange was somewhat convenient, but martial ascension was an entirely different matter.
These were systems that directly magnified their personal combat strength.
Balancing foundational utility with personal ascension was the universal consensus of Teyvat.
After all, at its foundational core, Teyvat was a realm governed by supreme personal might.
Ryen pondered for a brief second, casually sliding his hand from Lisa's shoulder toward Ganyu's waist.
Even while conducting high-level deliberations, maintaining absolute equity among his partners was a doctrine he refused to abandon.
Ganyu looked down at him with gentle, helpless affection, murmuring in a soft whisper, "Ryen, my hands are occupied with recording the manifest. Would you not prefer to bother Hu Tao first?"
Ryen cleared his throat, but obediently shifted his hand toward Hu Tao.
Over recent weeks, the young Director had indulged in private nighttime nourishment, causing her figure to blossom considerably compared to earlier months.
No one could ever accuse her of being petite and flat anymore.
Naturally, claiming she possessed an ocean of curves was an exaggeration; she stood on roughly equal footing with Lumine, falling noticeably short of Ganyu, to say nothing of Lisa's boundless, majestic proportions.
Yet delicate grace held its own unique charm, and Ryen harbored zero complaints.
If one could enjoy basketball, why turn one's nose up at tennis?
There was zero logic in such snobbery.
"Regarding personal martial ascension, the candidates are vast beyond counting, so I shall highlight a preliminary selection."
Ryen counted them off on his fingers.
"Botania, A Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Primordial Cultivation, the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and Mine Mine no Mi."
"Botania, or Flower Magic, governs botanical thaumaturgy through an array of miraculous flora, offering considerable utility. The three cultivation systems represent authentic Xianxia ascensions."
"Their combat ceilings reach terrifying heights. Mastered properly, their arts would grant any one of you the strength to single-handedly suppress the Heavenly Principles in open combat, while permanently refining your life essence into immortal divinity."
"The complication, however, is that these cultivation mods introduce apex-tier horrors into the wild."
"The legendary beasts of the Classic of Mountains and Seas are terrifyingly formidable and colossal in scale, capable of leveling an entire metropolis with a single stride."
"They are apocalyptic calamitous entities. I hold zero desire to load the Classic of Mountains and Seas into our world, at least for the foreseeable future."
"As for Mine Mine no Mi, its combat ceiling is less extreme, yet far from modest."
"Its supreme virtue is that it grants every soul stepping into this realm immediate access to transcendent physical arts."
"The disciplines of Haki provide immense martial versatility."
"More crucially, it introduces miraculous Devil Fruits. While consuming one normally inflicts a vulnerability to seawater and Sea Prism Stone, Teyvat contains zero Sea Prism Stone, and native Teyvat seawater carries zero adverse effect upon fruit users."
"The fruits possess extraordinary utility. Developed to their awakening, their output is devastating, and Logia variants grant absolute elemental intangibility, rendering the user immune to all standard physical force."
"Describing every nuance would take hours, but relatively speaking, Mine Mine no Mi is an exceptionally well-rounded candidate."
Ganyu's quill glided across the vellum, recording every title with meticulous precision.
Hearing the brief summaries was enough to reveal that every option was staggering in its own right.
The cultivation systems were tempting, yet Ningguang and the leaders silently dismissed them for the present.
Their ceilings were dangerously high, which meant they were simply too volatile to risk. Loading them without the strength to clear their elite beasts would merely invite disaster upon their settlements.
On the whole, Botania and Mine Mine no Mi appeared far more balanced, making them the likely finalists for martial selection.
While Ganyu finished her notes, Ryen let his attention drift, quietly savoring the delicate, silken softness of Ei's skin.
He caught himself wondering what it might be like if Ei and the Shogun puppet had remained unified as one.
The thought was undeniably thrilling.
"The Shogun? The Raiden Shogun?! Teyvat?!"
Ryen went completely rigid, his eyes flaring with sudden, blinding excitement.
"Ryen? What has happened?"
Ei turned toward him in bewilderment, feeling his fingers tighten abruptly against her fabric. Her brow furrowed slightly as she tossed him an indignant glare.
"I have determined our martial ascension mod! Trust my judgment: across the boundless archives of the cosmos, not a single module in existence suits all of you better than this one!"
The assembly snapped to attention, their eyes wide with intense, breathless anticipation.
Ryen offered a slow, mysterious smile, enunciating every syllable with radiant pride.
"Mod: Genshin Impact!"