In the deliberately aged, classical hall of Rimuru Castle, Granny Lin Nie, the most senior member, sat at the head of the long table.
Gelman and Biscuit sat on either side, while the other people involved took their seats as well.
Granny Lin Nie's thin, bony hands rested on the tabletop. Her eyelids drooped, and the wrinkles sagging across her aged face looked like melting flesh.
She had held that pose for nearly five minutes, and the awkward silence around the long table had lasted just as long.
Whispers bubbled like water in a pot over a fire, slowly coming to a boil until white steam rose and bubbles broke the surface. Soon the entire hall was in an uproar.
Even so, Granny Lin Nie remained silent, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.
"Has she fallen asleep again?" Shizuku whispered in Gelman's ear for what might have been the umpteenth time. "Are we really okay doing this?"
If Granny Lin Nie slept for more than five minutes after every three minutes of talking, this meeting would go on forever.
Gelman closed his eyes and nodded, signaling for Shizuku to be patient. Then he looked across the table at Biscuit and met the gaze of the short-haired girl in her fifties.
Your turn, Gelman's eyes said.
Got it, Biscuit's eyes replied.
Biscuit pressed her lips together, then reluctantly braced both hands on the table and leaned toward Granny Lin Nie.
She didn't dare raise her voice, and called softly, "Granny Lin Nie? Wake up, Granny Lin Nie?"
Biscuit called to her several times, but Granny Lin Nie didn't react. Just as Biscuit was wondering whether she should speak up, Granny Lin Nie suddenly lifted her chin and smacked her lips.
"Mm..." Granny Lin Nie still didn't open her