The morning mist had not yet dispersed from the central plaza of the Serenitea Pot, where fifty-one new caskets lay laid out in a single row along the bluestone steps.
The coffins were unpainted, revealing the rough textures of raw timber like torn gashes in the earth. Keqing stood upon the high platform, her purple robes pulled taut by the wind, the roster in her hand weighing as heavy as lead.
"Ge Hong, Liyue Exorcist. To protect his comrades, his adeptal energy was exhausted; he passed away in the flank of the Mondstadt cathedral." Keqing's voice was cold and steady, yet every word struck like an ice pick into the hearts of everyone present. When she called the name "Skiron, Third Squad Captain of the Knights of Favonius," a dull and abrupt metallic clash suddenly pierced the silence—*Clang!*
Chapter 175