[The Parliament Hall at the Top of the Brass Tower ]
Are you ready?
Tiandao stood in front of the council hall doors, asking Vivian a final question.
Vivian took a deep breath, then nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with determination.
"Okay, let's go then."
As the voice faded, Tiandao pushed open the conference door in front of him with one hand.
Thump!
Amidst the dull metallic scraping of the doors, the entirety of a circular hall gradually came into view as the doors expanded.
This is a magnificent hall that combines classical and modern elements.
Sunlight streamed through the carved skylight in the dome, casting kaleidoscopic dappled patterns of light onto the gear-patterned floor tiles.
Around the hall, twelve giant high-backed chairs cast from special brass are arranged in a clockwork-like order.
And seated in those high-backed chairs were twelve Brass Nobles who held the 'quantum Central Authority ' of the Steam Capital.
With gazes that could be curious, calm, or languid, they looked down at Tiandao and Vivian as they entered the conference hall.
Among these masked Brass Nobles were three Gear Church and two members of the Star Envoy Association.
The reason for this is that the status of the ' Brass Nobles ' is not based on bloodline, but only on whether they hold important 'authority'.
Therefore, even if you are not from the Steam Capital, as long as you obtain 'authority', you can do so.
They too can become esteemed ' Brass Nobles '.
Click
As Vivian stood in the center of the ' Judgment Platform,' Tiandao slammed his hand on the railing at the edge of the seat and retreated into the shadows beside it.
The next second, a spotlight suddenly fell from the dome and precisely enveloped Vivian's slender figure.
The Council President at the head of the table and hidden in the shadows, lightly gripped the armrests of his ' Brass Scepter ' and said in a stern tone, " Vivian Howard, do you know your crime?"
Vivian took a deep breath, then raised her head and looked directly into those dignified eyes hidden in the shadow of the high-backed chair.
" Council President, I am innocent."
Upon hearing this, the entire conference hall fell into a brief silence, as if the air had frozen.
A moment later, a man wearing the robes of a bishop from the Gear Church, standing next to the Council President, spoke up.
" Vivian, now that things have come to this, do you still want to make excuses?"
"Quibble?"
Vivian looked at the man with a mocking gaze.
In an instant, Bishop Cleve had a bad feeling.
Vivian looked back at the Council President, or rather, at the live-stream camera next to Council President, and calmly said, "You say I stole the Church's Holy Relic, but I have never stolen anything from beginning to end."
"Because of this thing."
"Shut up!"
Before Vivian could finish speaking, Saintess Euphemia, who was standing next to Bishop Cleve, immediately interrupted her, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible panic.
Clearly, Vivian's sudden loss of control had completely thrown this ' Saintess ' into a panic.
In just a moment, Euphemia's eyes turned fierce.
Then, a large number of invisible threads surged from all directions from Vivian.
They were trying to get this out-of-control 'puppet' back on track.
Just as the threads were about to touch Vivian, a gentle voice suddenly came from beside her.
" Saintess Euphemia, you're getting a little excited."
The silk thread stopped abruptly in mid-air, then began to recede like a tide.
Everyone else thought she was wary of the Tiandao Path Squad leader's status, but only Euphemia knew what she was truly wary of.
Bishop Cleve looked down at Vivian, who was now out of control, with an icy gaze.
The gaze of the Golden Knight Fischer, who was not far away, lingered briefly on Vivian before quickly returning to calm, clearly indicating that he remained neutral.
Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, the Council President slammed his scepter heavily on the ground.
Knock knock knock!
"Quiet."
Once the hall fell silent again, the Council President spoke up, " Vivian Howard, since you claim innocence, do you have any evidence?"
"Have."
"Is it witness testimony or physical evidence?"
"Yes, we have both."
"."
After a brief silence, the conference hall became noisy again.
The Brass Nobles whispered among themselves, seemingly discussing whether to end the meeting or interrupt the live stream.
After all, the current situation deviated significantly from the 'script' they had received, which made them somewhat uneasy.
Before they could reach a conclusion, the Council President once again struck his scepter, interrupting their whispers.
He glanced around at his colleagues and gave a stern reminder.
"Everyone, don't forget that you're not the only ones watching this trial right now; there are countless citizens of the Steam Capital, as well as people from other parts of the Steam Capital."
"If you lose face in front of the 'guests'."
The Council President everyone understood the meaning behind his words.
In the current Steam Capital, there is only one person who can be referred to as a guest by the Council President.
It was that Demonic Blade from the Blazing Sun Family, and the Calamity-class protector who had always been by her side.
Although the Demonic Blade did not come to the conference hall at the moment to avoid suspicion.
However, all their actions were undoubtedly seen by the other party through live streaming.
If they really make a fool of themselves, that foolishness might spread to Seven Great Floating Cities.
This was undoubtedly unacceptable to the Brass Nobles.
Do they care more about saving face than about the fairness of the trial itself?
Looking at the twelve Brass Nobles above, Tiandao, hidden in the shadows, curled his lips into a mocking smile.
Prolonged comfort and arrogance have made these people forget the barbarity and cruelty of the early Star Source Era.
The ambition and hard work of the Dark Ages have been lost.
The Tiandao could clearly smell the stench of corpses emanating from them, even from such a distance.
Allowing such a group of people to wield such powerful 'authority' is undoubtedly a huge waste.
After all, good things naturally end up in the hands of the more suitable people, don't they?
"Alright, let's continue the trial."
With a preliminary consensus reached, the Council President resumed the trial that had just taken place.
And this time, he seemed to have truly become an incomparably fair judge, granting Vivian the power she deserved.
"Provide your evidence, Vivian Howard."
Vivian paused for a moment, then uttered a name that shocked Bishop Cleve and Saintess Euphemia.
" Jack Bailey, the owner of Rust Nail Bar in the Lower City."
Bishop Cleve and Saintess Euphemia's pupils contracted.
Because they never expected that the evidence Vivian mentioned would actually be him!