Taking into account that they still had Zhongli and the Archons' historic moments of despair to review, Ryen showed considerable restraint during their private moments.
He ensured that Ganyu and the others conserved plenty of stamina.
Now, the women gathered together on the plush seating, refreshed and alert, watching Ryen busy himself with assembling a massive display screen against the wall.
The room originally possessed a television monitor, though it lacked the endless broadcasts of Ryen's original world. It was loaded with recorded performances, capturing Yun Jin's operatic dramas, Barbara's idol concerts, and Nilou's elegant dances.
The footage of Zhongli and the others losing their composure could easily have been viewed on the standard monitor.
Yet Ryen felt the existing screen was far too small to do justice to the sheer psychological breakdown captured on tape.
He wanted a colossal, ultra-high-definition display, fine enough to reveal every twitching muscle and opening pore on their faces.
Only then could the full artistic depth of their existential ruin be properly savored.
Installing a few modular redstone display screens took very little time.
Watching Ryen bustle back and forth with boundless zeal, Hu Tao rested her chin on her hand, letting out an amused sigh.
"How on earth did this man become such an incorrigible instigator? Look at him scurrying around. He looks even more thrilled right now than when we were playing under the blankets earlier."
Glancing to the side, Hu Tao caught sight of Yae Miko's radiant, expectant smile.
"Just as I thought. One takes on the color of their company; Miko must have thoroughly corrupted him!"
Miko arched an eyebrow, countering with a silky drawl. "That idiom hardly fits the occasion. One should call it two kindred spirits finding common joy. My darling has always held a natural eye for amusement."
Lisa rolled her eyes with an affectionate smirk. "Do not sell your influence short. In the past, when all of us gathered in one room, Ryen never had the leisure to plot pranks. His hands were far too occupied."
"This is simply what mortals call post-battle enlightenment," Lumine piped up with a mischievous grin.
Just then, Ryen finished mounting the final display panel.
Slotting the recording crystal into the reader beneath the console, he briskly trotted back to the seating area, wedging himself comfortably between the women.
"Cease the chatter, everyone! Settle in! The grand spectacle of Zhongli and the Archons learning the truth of the Genshin Impact module is about to commence!"
"I spent weeks laying the groundwork for this glorious moment."
Aside from Miko, who was practically vibrating with anticipation, the rest of the women rolled their eyes in unison.
This troublesome man had probably begun scheming this prank the moment they discussed custom modules back during the first Blood Moon.
Calculating mastermind?
The flattering phrase crossed Ningguang's mind for a brief second before she firmly scrubbed it away.
God of Mischief was far more accurate.
Still, she could not deny her own curiosity.
Ryen had never mentioned that the newly introduced world bosses would mirror Zhongli and the others.
When the news dropped in the afternoon, the sudden revelation had caught Ningguang and the women off guard, leaving them little room to observe the subtle shifts on the Archons' faces.
Reviewing the footage now promised exceptional entertainment.
Witnessing the stoic, unflappable Lord of Geo completely lose his dignity, alongside Venti's frantic antics, was a treat no one would ever refuse.
The screen flickered to life, yet the opening sequence was completely unsteady, wobbling violently.
Miko tilted her head in mild confusion. "Darling, were your hands trembling when you placed the crystal?"
Ryen scratched his cheek. "That shouldn't be. I recall positioning it securely on the side table well in advance."
"Then what is this..."
Before Miko could finish her sentence, the sharp sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the speakers.
Next came the unmistakable creak of an opening door.
The camera seemed to settle onto the floor, tilting upward and fixing steadily upon a plain white wall.
"This setting... looks rather familiar..." Guizhong murmured thoughtfully.
Suddenly, Ganyu's gentle voice rang out from the screen.
Are the little ones asleep already? So quickly?
With me handling the bedtime routine, putting those sweet girls to sleep is child's play!
Those two lines struck Ganyu like a bolt of lightning.
Her pupils shrank in sheer horror, gasping softly, "This is... from just a moment ago!"
"Turn it off! Shut it down right now!"
Ganyu surged forward like a startled qilin, diving straight for the console beneath the screen.
Miko caught her by the waist with a teasing laugh. "Why be so shy, Sister Ganyu? I was rather hoping to admire your heroic performance from earlier."
"Miko! You are in that recording too!"
"I mind very little. It is only audio, after all."
"Curse you, Ryen! You did this on purpose, didn't you?! You actually recorded us?!"
Ryen felt an awkward heat rise up his neck, though he made no move to reach for the power switch.
"I must have grabbed the wrong crystal from the tray. It captured nothing visual anyway!"
Before his voice had even settled, rhythmic shadows began swaying across the white wall on screen.
Immediately following came a chorus of breathless, muffled voices that made Ganyu wish the floor would swallow her whole.
Ryen... Master... please!
Darling... look at me too... do not ignore your little fox!
A little faster...
Incredible... Ryen, you are magnificent!
A cascade of passionate murmurs poured from the speakers, and within seconds, even the bold and teasing Miko flushed crimson to the tips of her fox ears.
Ryen, however, leaned back with an appreciative nod.
"I was too preoccupied to notice earlier, but hearing how thoroughly you praised my prowess confirms my performance remains flawless as ever."
"Be quiet and shut it off!"
The women lunged forward as one, pinning Ryen down while prying the offending crystal from the console. Swirling streams of elemental energy flared across their palms, instantly vaporizing the incriminating evidence into sparkling dust.
This time, not even Miko raised a hand to stop them.
Ryen clicked his tongue softly, mourning the loss of a masterpiece.
Under the warm lamplight, the women sat with flushed, burning cheeks.
Ningguang turned her head away in flustered indignation, shooting him a sharp glare.
"It is entirely your fault! You did not even check the label!"
Remembering her own desperate urges captured in the audio, Ningguang's cheeks burned even hotter.
Among the overlapping voices, ordinary listeners might have missed it, but she recognized her own breathless cadence instantly. She had never imagined herself capable of uttering such shameless pleas.
Ryen spread his hands innocently, choosing not to argue.
Opening his spatial inventory, he inspected the remaining crystals with extreme care before finally selecting the correct one.
Slotting it into the console, he hit playback.
This time, the footage displayed the grand hall of the City Lord Manor from earlier that afternoon.
The frame was centered, capturing the expressions of Zhongli, Venti, and the allied commanders in crystal-clear definition.
The moment Ryen announced that the first world boss was titled Morax, the shift on Zhongli's face was beyond the power of language to describe.
That look of utter, existential ruin conveyed the total collapse of an ancient sovereign's dignity.
The women instantly forgot their earlier embarrassment, collapsing against one another in helpless, howling laughter.
Next, the recording showed Venti mercilessly mocking Zhongli, only for Ryen to drop the hammer, naming Barbatos and the Raiden Shogun on the boss roster.
The wave of absolute shock spread across the room like wildfire.
Then came the legendary highlights.
When Ryen proposed that Xiao lead the vanguard to slay Morax, the cold, ruthless yaksha turned pale as paper, flailing his hands in desperate, stammering horror.
When Kujou Sara was ordered to hunt the Raiden Shogun, her iron discipline shattered into weeping despair.
And Venti's miraculous change of heart: one second wallowing in sorrow, the next second learning that Diluc would yield the Bottomless Flask.
The bard had instantly revived with full vitality, thumping his chest with theatrical grandeur and declaring that slaying Barbatos was his sacred, non-negotiable duty to the realm.
The footage was a peerless treasure of facial comedy.
In a single recording, the darkest, most humiliating chapters of the Seven Archons' lives had been immortalized forever.
Even the stoic, granite visage of Zhongli had yielded an endless array of priceless, frame-by-frame expressions.
Miko was rolling on the carpet in breathless delight, her fluffy pink tail wagging like a joyful puppy.
As the recording reached its conclusion, Ryen stepped forward and casually pressed the loop button.
Ningguang's expression froze in fond exasperation. "Is a replay truly necessary?"
"Of course it is! Joy accumulates with every viewing!" Ryen argued with utter righteousness, while Miko nodded frantically from the floor, gasping through her giggles.
Hu Tao sighed with theatrical wonder. "How long did you two masterminds plot this? You are truly wicked!"
Ryen spread his hands with an easy grin. "Don't you love it?"
Hu Tao paused for a second before blooming into a radiant, mischievous smile.
"This Director adores it! Move aside, I demand a front-row seat for the second round!"
Ryen scooped Hu Tao up, settling her onto his lap as he chuckled warmly.
"I plan to mount a massive screen just like this in the main parlor of the City Lord Manor in Redstone Tech City."
"It will be dedicated exclusively to playing a continuous highlight reel of our greatest moments of public ruin."
"Tartaglia blowing himself up, praying to the heavens to open the Aether Portal, Venti's hundred creative ways to perish in Bedwars..."
"And this grand documentary of sovereign despair."
"Once we begin hunting, I will film each leader taking down their own boss duplicate."
"Zhongli executing Morax, Xiao hunting Morax, Kujou Sara battling the Raiden Shogun, Tartaglia and Scaramouche locked in mutual destruction..."
"A little spice to enrich our otherwise tranquil colonization of this universe."
Hearing his grand vision, Ningguang and the women turned to look at him with wide, astounded eyes.
"You are truly incorrigible," Ningguang murmured, shaking her head with an affectionate smile. "Zhongli and the others will probably never set foot in the manor again."
"A man without a little mischief lacks charm," Ryen laughed easily. "This is the universal law of joy: laughter never disappears, it merely transfers onto our faces."
"Look! Look at that tiny detail we missed earlier! When Xiao adamantly refused to raise a spear against Morax, Zhongli looked at him with the warm, proud eyes of a doting father!"
His remark drew everyone's attention back to the screen.
Catching sight of Zhongli's paternal warmth, the room erupted into another wave of uproarious laughter.
While Ryen and his circle were reveling in their private cinema, Zhongli and the commanders across the threshold suddenly felt an icy chill prickle across their spines.
It felt as though the deep malice of the universe was silently focusing its gaze upon their backs.
Zhongli rolled his shoulders, wondering if the stress of the day had induced mild paranoia.
He was now an esteemed Server Administrator, practically a favored son of this realm within the walls of Redstone Tech City.
Who could possibly threaten him here?
Dismissing the fleeting unease, Zhongli resumed his tactical conference with Xiao and the adepti.
While the inner circle shared endless laughter, Baiwen concluded compiling the official casualty manifest in Liyue Harbor.
Letting out a slow, steadying breath, she directed the Ministry of Civil Affairs to summon the citizens to Yujing Terrace.
Flanked by Baixiao, Baishi, and a thousand disciplined Millelith guards to maintain order, she stepped onto the terrace with solemn grace.
With meticulous care, she pinned the grand parchment onto the central proclamation board.
Watching the crowd surge forward in a sea of anxious faces, a heavy weight pressed upon Baiwen's heart.
The fallen warriors were not truly lost; they would walk the earth once more through the power of the totems.
Yet announcing such a toll would inevitably send massive ripples across the harbor.
Baiwen looked toward the silhouette of Mt. Tianheng in the distance, exhaling a quiet whisper into the night breeze.
"Lady Ningguang, may our people understand the truth with courage."
"Otherwise, the Ministry will have no rest for months to come..."