Hearing Ningguang's inquiry, Ryen let out a wry, helpless laugh and shook his head.
"I have virtually zero direction."
Ningguang tilted her head, genuine curiosity gleaming in her amber eyes.
"Is it because there are no suitable candidates among the options?"
Ryen paused in thought, shaking his head.
"Quite the contrary. It is because there are far too many mods I wish to claim. I cannot determine which specific combination best serves our current strategic horizon."
Had the upcoming reward followed the standard precedent of two randomly assigned mods, Ryen would have spared himself the headache. The system had consistently proven generous and rational in its distributions.
The pairings had always made tactical sense: Modern Warfare alongside Dragon Mounts, Twilight Forest accompanying the Furniture mod, and SlashBlade paired with Electroblob's Wizardry.
Every previous package had offered coherent, synergistic systems.
Choosing by hand, however, introduced an agonizing dilemma.
The catalog of Minecraft mods was as boundless as the voxel world itself.
To put it plainly, Ryen desired every single one of them, and every system carried immense utility.
Faced with a limitless archive of game-breaking modules, even a soul immune to indecision would be paralyzed by choice.
He had considered making a hasty pick, seizing whatever caught his eye first, only to hesitate, wondering if an even more potent mod lay hidden just past the page.
Ryen felt like a farmer wandering through a boundless melon patch, eager to harvest the two sweetest watermelons. The moment he gathered two into his arms, his eyes caught sight of an even larger prize across the ridge.
The harrowing forty-nine-day cataclysm had failed to break his stride, yet selecting two mods was driving him to distraction.
Sensing his inner turmoil, Ningguang smiled softly, resting a soothing hand against his back.
"There is no need to agonize. The system has not mandated an instantaneous selection, has it? You can afford to observe our progress a while longer."
"Did you not mention previously that completing the milestone of forging one hundred of every basic SlashBlade variant yields two additional system mods as well?"
"Our armories hold vast stockpiles of blades; raw quantity is no longer our bottleneck. The remaining challenge is merely cataloging the final exotic variants."
"I reviewed the armory manifests earlier today. Only five apex-tier SlashBlades remain in the forge queues."
"At our current pace, if operations proceed smoothly, their tempering will conclude before the cataclysm draws to a close."
"Even if complications arise, deploying Dashi and the vanguard into the Twilight Forest afterward will rapidly finalize the collection."
"You could easily wait to see what the SlashBlade completion reward yields before committing your personal selections."
Ningguang's counsel was impeccably reasoned, yet Ryen let out a soft, rueful breath and shook his head.
"The rewards unlocked through milestone quests are randomly generated, meaning they might not align with what I genuinely desire."
"A custom selection of my own choosing will always surpass an automated lottery."
Ningguang looked at him with fond exasperation.
At times, her partner was casually dismissive to a fault, brushing aside worldly concerns as mere trivialities.
His domestic lodgings in Teyvat, his daily meals, and his martial training: had she and the women not fussed over every detail of his routine, he would have treated everything with cheerful carelessness.
Yet on other occasions, particularly regarding operational directives within the block world, he was uncompromisingly meticulous.
Though in truth, viewing such strictness as dedication to his sovereign role was entirely fair.
"Then what is your intent?"
Yae Miko leaned over the sofa, prodding his cheek with an amused, feline smirk.
"To put it bluntly, your appetite simply outstrips your immediate capacity. Speak your thoughts aloud and allow us to dissect them for you."
"If putting it into words were that simple, why would I need an assembly?"
Ryen rolled his eyes playfully.
"The core obstacle is that the possibilities feel so vast and abstract that framing them in speech is nearly impossible. Can you grasp that dilemma?"
"It is not as though I can write down thousands of potential mods on parchment and demand you evaluate every single one."
Lumine blinked, looking up at him with a mischievous beam.
"That actually sounds rather entertaining."
"Out of the question," Ryen replied, giving her cheek an affectionate, chastising pinch.
"Are you joking? Mods are endless; listing every viable option would take weeks of drafting."
"Then let us establish a broad analytical framework," Ningguang said, resting her hand over his collar as her expression turned sharp and focused.
"First, we must define utility relative to our operational roadmap for the coming year, or even two years down the line."
"Systems that provide material abundance, industrial refinement, and architectural versatility can be categorized as infrastructural technology mods."
"Systems that elevate personal combat parameters and empower standing armies on a massive scale, such as Dragon Mounts and SlashBlades, can be classified as martial ascension mods."
Hu Tao wrinkled her nose, muttering with a wave of her sleeve, "Why drown it in scholarly rhetoric? Simply say we need one mod to raise our baseline floor and another mod to push our supreme ceiling."
"A succinct summary," Ningguang conceded with an amused glance toward the Director, before turning her gaze back to the council.
"Evaluating our position through the lens of comprehensive efficiency, pairing one floor-raising infrastructure mod with one ceiling-elevating combat mod offers the greatest strategic return for our expansion."
"What is your assessment, Ryen?"
She tilted her head, fixing him with an expectant look.
Ryen listened with genuine attention, nodding slowly.
"An exceptional deduction. Continue."
Ningguang cast a dry, pointed look downward at his hand, which had long wandered off course beneath her silken robes. Choosing to overlook the distraction, she pressed on with her strategic breakdown.
"Viewing our position from a continental perspective, our alliance no longer harbors existential dread toward the Heavenly Principles. Once the cataclysm concludes, three server administrators wielding sovereign creative authority will easily possess the strength to suppress her."
"Consequently, Celestia has ceased to be our supreme objective. Taming this universe and charting a path into the boundless Sea of Quanta marks the next phase of our alliance."
"Would the council agree with this premise?"
The assembly pondered the statement before nodding in unified consensus.
The foundation of the Five-Nation Alliance had originally been forged upon shared interests and a common adversary.
Shared interests lay in the wealth of the block world; the common adversary was the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
Yet once the cataclysm ceased and the three administrators assumed their mantles, the threat posed by Celestia would dissolve into dust.
Their ancient enemy would cease to be an insurmountable barrier.
Before the absolute authority of a server administrator, the Heavenly Principles was no longer an insurmountable titan.
Thus, only shared prosperity and cosmic discovery remained.
Every operational priority converged upon the taming of this block world.
"We cannot predict what manner of quests the system will assign for subsequent module milestones, yet preparing for tasks of escalating complexity is prudent."
"Therefore, our prospective mods must command deep developmental layers, offering extensive progression cycles that reward protracted investment."
"To summarize my proposal," Ningguang paused, her cadence crisp and deliberate.
"I recommend selecting one baseline-elevating mod that expands our logistical infrastructure, material reserves, and military baseline, functioning much like Modern Warfare, the Furniture mod, or the Twilight Forest."
"Alongside it, we select an elite combat mod designed to elevate our premier strike capabilities, mirroring the heights of Electroblob's Wizardry."
"One system bolsters the common legions, enriches our architectural options, and streamlines urban colonization."
"The other system breaks open our individual power ceilings."
"One lifts the floor, the other shatters the heights."
"Does this symmetrical framework not present the most logical path forward?"
Her amber eyes locked onto Ryen with radiant clarity.
Ryen nodded in deep contemplation.
"Flawlessly argued. As expected of my brilliant Ningguang."
"I harbor grave doubts regarding how much of my counsel you truly absorbed," Ningguang murmured, casting an exasperated sidelong glance downward.
While she had been delivering a high-level geopolitical analysis, he had been entirely engrossed in testing the elastic deformation of her curves, turning her into an impromptu sculpting project.
When left alone with his partners, keeping his hands disciplined was an impossible dream.
Sensing her gathering glare, Ryen cleared his throat softly, though his fingers showed zero inclination to retreat.
Having shaped his prize so delightfully, pulling away was out of the question.
Yet noting the dangerous glint in her eyes, he straightened his posture and spoke with solemn authority.
"Ningguang's framework is impeccable. Does anyone hold a dissenting view?"
The women exchanged quiet glances, shaking their heads.
Ningguang's breakdown covered every tactical angle; finding a flaw in the logic was impossible.
"Then the doctrine is established: one infrastructural mod to elevate our baseline floor, and one combat mod to push our supreme ceiling."
"In common parlance, one system akin to Modern Warfare, and another akin to Wizardry. Understood, Hu Tao?"
Finding herself abruptly singled out, Hu Tao blinked, her canine tooth flashing as she puffed her cheeks in protest.
"What is the meaning of that?! Does this Director strike you as someone who cannot comprehend basic strategy?"
"I was merely offering a gentle reminder," Ryen chuckled, waving his free hand.
"You should direct those reminders toward your own conduct!" Hu Tao scoffed, giving his forearm a sharp slap.
"Ningguang was laying out an exhaustive operational thesis, and what were you doing?"
"I was conducting an equally rigorous analysis."
"An analysis of what?"
"An analysis of kinetic displacement and surface tension under varying manual pressures."
Hearing his unabashed nonsense delivered with absolute gravitas, the women rolled their eyes in collective exasperation.
Guizhong let out a soft, teasing sigh.
"Ningguang, you indulge him far too much. Look at how thoroughly spoiled he has become beneath your watch."
Ningguang shook her head with helpless affection.
"If he finds joy in it, let him be. My entire person belongs to him anyway; fretting over such trivialities is meaningless."
She patted his knuckles lightly, steering him back toward reality.
"Banter aside, let us address the matter at hand. Now that our dual framework is defined, what specific mods come to mind?"
"Speak your candidates aloud, and we can deliberate upon them together."
"Time is on our side; list the contenders and we shall examine them one by one."
Ryen pondered the archives of his memory. The task was straightforward enough; every system etched into his mind represented an elite, world-class creation.
It was simply a matter of laying them before the council for review.
"Ganyu, prepare your notebook," Ryen instructed softly. "I shall outline a preliminary roster, and we can examine the mechanics together."
Ganyu nodded obediently, pulling a leather-bound journal and a slender drafting pen from her sash.
Yae Miko rolled her eyes, her lips curving into a sultry pout.
"Ordering sweet Ganyu around like a clerk; why don't you hold the pen yourself?"
Ryen raised an eyebrow. Sliding his other hand smoothly beneath the wide, flowing sleeves of the shrine maiden's ceremonial robes, his fingers found their mark with practiced, effortless grace.
The sequence was fluid and seamless.
Only after his hand was comfortably anchored did Ryen turn an innocent, solemn gaze toward Yae Miko.
"Do I look like someone who currently possesses a free hand?"
"..."