Meeting Ryen's calm gaze, Ningguang kept her voice steady and measured.
"The trial before us is exceedingly dangerous. Even seasoned Archons like Zhongli have never commanded a campaign of such catastrophic scale."
"I could understand if you exaggerated the rewards slightly to bolster morale and keep fear from taking root in our ranks before the first strike falls."
"Yet, if your words are entirely literal, the authority granted to a server administrator is simply too vast. It borders on something almost impossible to accept without question."
Ningguang pressed her lips together, her amber eyes searching his features for any flicker of hesitation. Ryen remained seated in quiet composure, his expression unreadable.
After a brief pause, Ningguang leaned closer, speaking with absolute sincerity.
"If everything you described is true, a server administrator becomes a sovereign governor of reality itself."
"One only needs to look upon the Heavenly Principles to understand what governing authority over a world entails."
"Ryen, there are no outsiders in this hall. We are your partners. Though we represent different nations and duties in public, here we stand solely as the women devoted to you."
"Our first responsibility must always be your safety and sovereignty."
"Will the emergence of server administrators erode your absolute authority over this universe? Can their administrative rules be used to place constraints upon you?"
Beside her, Ganyu, Ei, and the others looked toward Ryen, their expressions carrying the same quiet tension.
Ryen understood their thoughts completely.
If localized administrative rights could threaten his dominion, the foundation of everything they had built would fracture.
The entire alliance rested upon Ryen. The unity of the Five Nations, their coordination with the Abyss Order, and the joint exploitation of dimensional resources were possible only because Ryen held absolute, unshakeable control over this realm.
Ryen belonged to no mortal court; he stood purely as the impartial Lord of the Block World.
If multiple figures suddenly acquired the power to warp reality and dictate worldly laws, the delicate equilibrium holding the nations together would shatter in an instant.
Neither as the Tianquan of Liyue nor as his companions could they tolerate a development that endangered his rule.
Even if an administrator was initially confined to a single city, settlements would inevitably expand, and borders would widen.
Looking at their protective, vigilant expressions, a gentle warmth spread through Ryen's chest. He shook his head with an easy, reassuring smile.
"Knowing how deeply you look out for me brings me immense joy. Yet I assure you, every word I spoke was absolute truth. I have not painted hollow promises."
"In fact, the true authority of a server administrator stands even higher than what I outlined."
"Consider the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles and the divine throne of Celestia. The mandate held by an administrator within their designated domain surpasses even their reach."
"Once you assume the mantle of server administrator, you can forcibly expel any individual from the region and bar them from ever setting foot inside Redstone Tech City again."
"Describing an administrator as a localized creation deity is entirely accurate."
"Within their borders, they command everything, possessing the power to rewrite fundamental physical and conceptual laws."
"Just as I stated, if an administrator decrees that death is abolished, then no mortal soul within that server territory can perish."
Ryen paused, looking around the room as his voice softened with genuine appreciation.
"You can let your imagination soar to the highest peak, because at its core, this is the sovereign authority of creation."
"Once you become an administrator, you are essentially omnipotent within your borders. Even upon returning to Teyvat, the native principles of that world can no longer bind your life force."
"Eternal youth, boundless strength, absolute transcendence beyond mortal laws... the blessings granted to an administrator are astronomical."
"It is my wish that every one of you will eventually hold an administrator seat."
"Do you recall the parameters of Creative Mode I described earlier?"
The women nodded slowly, their minds working through the implications.
Ryen spread his hands. "In essence, an administrator within their sovereign territory shares every property of Creative Mode, save for the limitless creation of raw matter."
"Invulnerability to damage, immunity to status ailments, total mastery over environmental structures... Aside from the reality-cleaving edge of the Sword of the Cosmos, nothing in existence can pierce an administrator's defenses."
"Within their jurisdiction, they stand invincible, allowing them to govern their domains without fear."
Hearing his explanation, however, the tension in Ningguang's shoulders did not fully dissolve.
The authority was simply too broken.
If localized rulers could manipulate reality to such an extent, the political balance among the allied nations would undergo a seismic shift.
Previously, despite differences in developmental speed, every faction operated under identical physical constraints.
The introduction of sovereign administrators threatened to upend that parity.
They had no fear of facing Celestia on the battlefield, but internal division within their own alliance was a far deadlier poison.
While the initial administrator seats would belong to trusted figures like Guizhong who could maintain self-restraint, who could guarantee that future administrators would never succumb to ambition?
The most catastrophic collapses always began from rot within.
Seeing their contemplative silence, Ryen smiled warmly, reaching out to gently pat Ningguang's head.
"Do not torment yourself with unnecessary worries. A single territory requires three concurrent administrators precisely to maintain mutual checks and balances."
"More importantly, I remain the sole master of this reality. The rules of this universe are forged around my very existence. How could a localized administrator ever hope to place constraints upon me?"
"Think of it as appointing trusted stewards to manage distinct estates. Regardless of their authority over the grounds, the deed remains written exclusively in my name. How could a steward ever dictate terms to the master of the house?"
Ningguang's eyes brightened, a profound sense of relief washing over her.
"So their administrative authority holds zero power over you?"
Ryen nodded with complete confidence.
"Within Redstone Tech City, I exist in permanent Creative Mode as the true creator of the realm."
"No matter what parameters an administrator enacts, my personal state remains absolute and entirely unaffected."
"Furthermore, administrator commands are bound by logical consistency. If an administrator attempts to decree that every mortal instantly gains omnipotent power surpassing the universe, the system will reject the paradox, and the reality will refuse to respond."
"Wielding administrative power requires precise execution; it must always adhere to the baseline logic of the world."
Ei nodded thoughtfully, her posture relaxing.
"So long as their power cannot touch you, and the Sword of the Cosmos remains exclusively in your hands to execute ultimate judgment, the balance of the alliance will remain secure."
Ryen looked at the devoted faces surrounding him.
No matter where their official duties lay in Teyvat, here in this hall, their hearts were aligned entirely with his well-being.
Deciding there was no need to keep secrets from his inner circle, Ryen lowered his voice.
"You truly have no reason to be anxious. Beyond the rewards I mentioned to the assembly, my personal clearing prize includes the most decisive asset of all."
"Upon surviving this cataclysm, I will unlock full access to the fundamental backend console commands of this universe."
"While it is not universal Creative Mode in name, its operational scope far outclasses Creative Mode."
"Through direct console strings, I can abolish the diurnal cycle across the entire planet."
"I can execute an absolute elimination command that instantly claims any target across the universe, bypassing Totems of Undying and Totems of Rebirth entirely."
"I can permanently banish any entity from this reality, stripping their ability to ever cross the threshold again."
"I can revoke administrator privileges with a single thought."
"Whatever an administrator can accomplish, I can execute effortlessly."
"And what an administrator is forbidden from doing, I can enact without restriction."
Ryen paused, meeting their astonished gazes with a calm, unyielding smile.
"To state it plainly: within this universe, my spoken word is absolute law."
"Are your hearts at ease now?"
Ganyu and the others sat in stunned silence for several seconds before bright, radiant smiles broke across their faces, nodding in unison.
"With authority like that in your hands, we will never have to worry for you again."
Ryen smiled fondly, brushing his fingers through Ganyu's soft hair.
In truth, he had softened the description considerably.
Through console commands, he could toggle peaceful mode at will, wiping every hostile monster from the face of the earth in a microsecond.
Doing so, however, would eliminate mob drops entirely, devastating their progress in the Wizardry mod and crippling resource gathering.
Such extreme commands would remain locked away unless an absolute catastrophe occurred.
Armed with Steve's physical constitution and the Sword of the Cosmos, there was virtually nothing in existence that could force him into a corner anyway.
Console commands were primarily an ultimate fail-safe and an administrative convenience, allowing him to duplicate items like the Sword of the Cosmos whenever necessary.
With all doubts resolved, Ningguang let out a long, contented breath, fixing Ryen with a determined look.
"I will secure one of the administrator seats and ensure Redstone Tech City is governed flawlessly in your name."
Ei and the other women nodded with shared resolve. Ryen waved his hand with a soft chuckle.
"Take your time. As our urban centers multiply across the continents, administrative opportunities will become abundant."
"Even if you did not wish to take up the mantle, I would insist upon it."
"Only by becoming an administrator can you permanently integrate my physical constitution into your being, granting you absolute immortality that transcends all realities."
"I have no intention of ever letting any of you leave my side."
A wave of warmth filled the room as the women leaned closer, gathering around him on the sofa. They rested together in comfortable quiet, savoring the final moments of peace before the war horn sounded.
"Whichever of us assumes the administrator seats in Redstone Tech City, modifying municipal parameters should always require a formal joint assembly," Ningguang murmured, her sharp mercantile mind already structuring future governance. "Unilateral decrees would invite instability, and we must ensure our policies remain balanced."
Ryen paid little mind to the fine administrative details. With such capable and brilliant partners managing the territory, routine governance was the last thing he needed to fret over.
Lightly patting Ei's back, Ryen spoke with gentle warmth.
"Begin your preparations. These forty-nine days will be an exhausting, protracted campaign."
"Rest well and preserve your strength. This is not a trial that solitary martial masters can clear alone."
"The burden will be heavy on all of us in the days ahead."
Rising from the sofa, Ryen turned toward the inner workshop.
"Go attend to your divisions. I must make a few preparations of my own and see if I can craft additional ordnance for the front lines."
At the very least, assembling several tactical nuclear launchers was an urgent priority.
In a war of sheer numerical attrition, heavy saturation bombardment remained the most efficient solution.
Furthermore, he still needed to carefully deliberate on which two custom modules would best serve their grand future.
It was, all things considered, a wonderful dilemma to have.