Hearing mention of the rewards, the assembly straightened with sharp interest.
If the scale of the compensation scaled proportionally with the catastrophic difficulty of the siege, successfully holding the city promised an unprecedented windfall.
The heavy, suffocating tension that had gripped the room softened, replaced by eager ambition as they looked upon the forty-nine-day trial in a far more positive light.
If nothing else, it served as a premier crucible to test their combined strength and forge their armies into a cohesive, large-scale fighting force.
Ryen saw straight through their shifting thoughts, letting out an amused chuckle.
Human nature was predictable. When tangible benefits were within reach, optimism flourished; when only hardship was visible, despair set in.
"So, what manner of compensation awaits us? Is it truly that vast?" Ningguang asked, steadying her breath as her amber eyes locked onto Ryen with clear anticipation.
"How should I put it..." Ryen paused, gathering his words before continuing in a steady cadence.
"The rewards are substantial enough that none of us could ever justify walking away from this trial."
He glanced back at the system ledger in his vision. Even after reviewing the entry multiple times, his pulse quickened.
Possessing Steve's physical constitution had already elevated him beyond mortal limits, but the prize waiting at the end of this trial would launch his sovereignty into another stratosphere entirely.
"Do not keep us in suspense, Ryen. Tell us before Master Diluc here collapses from impatience," Venti urged, scratching his cheek with a breezy grin.
Beside him, Diluc's face darkened, shooting the bard a sharp, warning glare.
"Are they new modules?" Ganyu inquired softly.
Ryen shook his head with a faint smile. "You should be asking what else is included alongside the modules."
Looking around the table, his smile widened.
"Modules represent only a minor portion of the overall prize. Even so, we will receive the right to custom-select and install two distinct modules of our choice."
"Two custom selections? What does that entail?" Lumine asked, tilting her head in mild confusion.
Ryen spread his hands. "In simple terms, I can select two specific modules from the database based on my personal judgment and our current developmental needs, integrating them directly into this reality."
The room stirred with excitement.
Had the choice fallen upon them, they would have been entirely blind. But with Ryen at the helm, the possibilities were limitless.
Ryen possessed an exhaustive mental catalog of modules. Without being subject to random system distributions, he could hand-pick two frameworks with astronomical power ceilings.
Reading their eager expressions, Ryen smiled warmly.
"Rest assured. While I may not hold every obscure module in memory, I recall plenty of exceptionally potent and practical systems."
"Once I deliberate carefully, I could even choose a framework that renders us completely peerless."
"Given sufficient developmental depth, slapping down the Heavenly Principles with a single strike will be well within our capability."
This was no idle boast. Modded systems in this universe possessed precisely that brand of reality-warping logic.
Take primordial cultivation frameworks, for example. The moment such a system loaded, every combatant would become a walking world boss.
Could the Heavenly Principles withstand opponents boasting thousands of stacked health hearts?
During his past playthroughs, the health bars on Ryen's interface had clustered so densely they blanketed the entire screen. Primordial cultivation was far from the most absurd framework available. Under such a system, Celestia would be the one trembling to avoid conflict.
Ryen was already weighing the optimal combination.
Now that their infrastructure had reached this milestone, essential utility mods could no longer be overlooked.
He was currently debating between Equivalent Exchange and Tinkers' Construct. While their conceptual combat ceilings were lower than certain grand mythological mods, their practical convenience was unmatched.
They scaled dynamically alongside the world's expansion. In the vernacular of cultivation legends, they were growth-type divine relics with zero upper limits.
Ryen intended to select only one of the two for now, reserving the second slot for a high-tier reality framework like primordial cultivation or classic mythologies.
"Two custom modules selected by your own hand will undoubtedly elevate the ceiling of this world beyond imagination," Ningguang noted, nodding slowly. "We can finalize the selection later. Beyond the modules, what other rewards are listed?"
"Naturally, there is more," Ryen chuckled. "If it were merely two modules, why would I describe the prize as extraordinary?"
Zhongli let out a soft, wry breath, shaking his head. "Applying universal principles, two custom-selected modules alone would already warrant risking life and limb to hold the line."
Ryen's lips curled slightly. "Beyond the modules, the core reward is... Server Architecture Mode."
"A server? What does that mean?" Yae Miko asked, leaning forward with genuine curiosity.
Ryen hesitated, struggling to find an intuitive comparison.
After a few moments of thought, he spoke in a measured tone.
"To put it simply... well, simple explanations do not quite do it justice."
"Upon surviving the siege, the entirety of Redstone Tech City will permanently transition into a certified residential settlement."
"It will transform into a dedicated server region."
"Within its perimeter, I will gain access to sovereign Creative Mode authorities."
While earlier mod concepts were somewhat accessible, terms like 'server' and 'Creative Mode' left the room completely in the dark.
Ganyu asked in confusion, "Creative Mode? What is that?"
"In common terms: the authority of a creator god," Ryen explained patiently. Seeing their stunned expressions, he broke down the mechanics.
"Creative Mode represents absolute divine sovereignty in the truest sense."
"Hostile entities across the entire world will ignore me entirely; if I strike them, they will not retaliate."
"It grants unrestricted flight and removes both the health bar and hunger gauge. Vitality never depletes, stamina never drains, harm becomes impossible, and the skies are traversed at will."
"I cannot be targeted, damaged, or hindered by any entity, yet I can freely dispatch any target."
"Breaking blocks requires a single touch. Even unbreakable bedrock shatters with a casual tap."
"Most decisively, opening the inventory interface allows me to extract limitless quantities of any existing material without consumption."
"Take those Master-tier staves you all desire: under Creative Mode, I could manifest thousands upon thousands in an instant."
"Whatever exists within this universe can be retrieved in infinite quantities."
"To put it bluntly, entering Creative Mode makes one the absolute living embodiment of invincibility."
"At present, aside from the reality-cleaving Sword of the Cosmos, nothing in existence can bypass Creative Mode defenses."
"Challenging someone in Creative Mode is equivalent to waging war against the fabric of the cosmos itself."
"Within that state, I am more divine than the Heavenly Principles could ever hope to be."
The leaders sat frozen, their minds numbed by the sheer absurdity of the concept.
"So... it is absolute, unadulterated invulnerability?" Lumine asked, her eyes wide as she scratched her cheek.
"Essentially, yes, particularly since the Sword of the Cosmos rests in my hands," Ryen replied with a light nod.
"However, there are structural constraints. My granted Creative Mode has been stripped of its most broken function: the limitless extraction of materials."
"The rest of the divine parameters remain intact."
"Furthermore, its operational area is strictly confined to the perimeter of Redstone Tech City."
A subtle sigh of relief rippled across the table.
Not out of spite regarding Ryen's power, but because unrestricted, universal Creative Mode was simply too broken. If absolute omnipotence were active everywhere without pause, all sense of adventure and joy in exploring this realm would instantly vanish.
Reading their expressions, Ryen smiled mysteriously without saying a word.
While Creative Mode had received heavy regional adjustments, the system had provided an extraordinary compensatory balance.
Console commands.
Within the boundaries of this world, Ryen could now execute administrative commands from any coordinate.
That authority made him no different from a true creator god.
Executing console commands meant directly modifying the foundational data architecture of the reality.
In plain terms, it was a colossal hand capable of manipulating the fundamental laws of the cosmos at will.
Though Ryen did not hold every command string in his head, the system had thoughtfully integrated a comprehensive command library.
Revoking administrative rights, locking daylight cycles, wiping target populations, altering time flow, shifting weather patterns, clearing or applying status effects...
Even directly altering the contents of another person's inventory.
Spawning and modifying boss entities.
Armed with such staggering command strings, Ryen stood beyond standard creation deities.
In truth, console commands were far more lethal than Creative Mode. A single targeted elimination command could erase an omnipotent entity entirely.
Mastering Creative Mode made one a sovereign within the rules of the world.
Commanding console syntax meant seizing the reality by the throat, forcing the universe to bow to your authority.
The two custom modules and the restricted Creative Mode were not the primary reasons Ryen praised the system.
The comprehensive command console was the prize he could never refuse.
He had no intention of revealing this to the alliance, however. Had they known he possessed direct console access, they would undoubtedly beg him to generate Master-tier staves on demand, stripping all purpose and excitement from their joint journey.
Commands were meant strictly for emergency oversight; using them casually would render this boundless realm utterly hollow.
"Regardless of the area restrictions, awakening Creative Mode remains a tremendous boon for you," Ningguang said thoughtfully. "Are there additional compensations? Logically speaking, there should be direct personal rewards as well, shouldn't there?"
Ryen felt a surge of amusement at her inquiry.
Having gained absolute console authority, what personal reward could possibly compare? The system was generous, but it was not running a charity.
Strictly speaking, his personal compensation was Creative Mode and the command console.
Since commands had to remain a private secret, he could simply generate an extra Sword of the Cosmos later using console syntax to serve as the official display.
"Naturally," Ryen smiled smoothly. "Beyond dedicated spatial waypoints, a brand-new Sword of the Cosmos is listed."
Waypoints were trivial to configure once console access was live.
"I see... The ledger is extraordinarily generous," Ningguang remarked softly.
The rest of the table tactfully brushed past the mention of the Sword of the Cosmos. That weapon broke the scale of reality entirely; keeping it exclusively in Ryen's hands was the only way to preserve the structural balance of the world.
"With rewards of such magnitude, it is no wonder you insist on holding the line for forty-nine days," Guizhong sighed with a helpless smile.
Ryen raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin touching his lips.
"Satisfied already? I have yet to reveal the most decisive prize of all: the compensation awarded directly to the rest of you."
"What?!" Yae Miko's fox ears twitched, her eyes widening in genuine astonishment. "There are rewards prepared for us as well?"