The laughter over there died down. A few seconds later, Bamboo Pole led Wen Huilan to the discussion site... though it could only barely be called a discussion site.
There were not even any proper chairs here, just an open patch of ground with a projected Work Area in the middle. Several people gathered around it, standing or sitting. Those sitting were on the ground, like Raven, who had only ended her livestream a few hours ago.
Wen Huilan smiled and greeted the members of the circle, while enduring their scrutiny—far from the warm sort. Returning her smile would already have counted as friendliness. No one moved.
Wen Huilan did not mind. She had been mentally prepared before coming. Her gaze likewise passed over most of the people present, lingering just a little longer on Raven, who looked frail and aloof.
The latter, on the other hand, did not look at her at all, not even sparing her a curious glance. She merely stared intently at the projected Work Area in the center, focused yet seemingly lost in thought.
Wen Huilan's gaze naturally shifted toward the most important, and most eye-catching, figure at this discussion site.
Ronan.
It was not that the youngest Extraordinary Species was particularly handsome or distinctive in appearance, nor that he exuded any visibly overwhelming presence. It was simply because Ronan was currently in an astonishing state.
His eyes were half-closed, his entire body confined within some invisible framework. His feet did not touch the ground, and he floated in midair without any visible support. Yet a ring of mechanical devices hovered around him at a considerable distance, apparently displaying some kind of readings.
The reason it could be called "confined" was that Ronan was trying to move his arms. Every tiny motion seemed to resist