The air in the council chamber was as heavy as lead. Suspended in midair before Ganyu, the Adeptal Energy gauge for the Bedrock Key emitted a blinding yellow warning light, its numbers ticking relentlessly downward: [Barrier Maintenance Time: 30 Days]. Each flicker struck like a heavy hammer against everyone's chest.
"Our reserves of Starsilver Ore... have bottomed out." Ganyu's voice carried a trace of imperceptible exhaustion. Her fingertips traced the void, pulling up a complex diagram of energy flow. "The Adeptal Energy replenishment for the core Bedrock Key cannot keep up with consumption. The stability of the barrier in the peripheral areas is decaying level by level. If no new high-purity Starsilver is infused within thirty days..." She left the sentence unfinished, but everyone understood the consequences—the collapse of the Serenitea Pot and the doom of hundreds of thousands of lives.
Keqing stood with her arms crossed by the window, her purple eyes as sharp as lightning, reflecting the yellow light leaping across the gauge. Behind her, Lumine's brow was locked in a deep frown, while Albedo unfolded a yellowed parchment map marked with a striking area in deep red cinnabar deep within Dragonspine.
Chapter 33