Qixing Emergency State Committee, main conference hall.
The atmosphere here was far more solemn than the strategic briefing room, an intangible pressure hanging heavy in the air. Around the massive circular conference table gathered the most core forces the Serenitea Pot could muster at this moment.
Lumine stood at the reporting podium, travel-worn and bearing a grave expression, presenting the latest intelligence to the "big figures" present: Keqing and Ganyu representing the Qixing Emergency State Committee; Venti turning an illusory feather between his fingertips, his gaze uncharacteristically earnest; Zhongli seated as steadfastly as a boulder, his amber eyes completely calm; Raiden Ei with her eyes closed and arms crossed, faint arcs of lightning flickering around her; Nahida radiating a serene glow from her small frame; Pyro Archon Mavuika with her arms crossed, her fighting spirit blazing around her like tangible fire; representing Fontaine were the Chief Justice Neuvillette, his expression as solemn as a statute book, and the "spotlight-stealing superstar" Furina de Fontaine, who sat upright, trying her hardest to maintain a dignity fitting for the occasion, though a trace of unnoticeable tension lingered deep within her eyes.
Chapter 157