The tension hanging over the shoulders of the Silver Lotus members began to dissolve within just the first few hours inside the Astralis Requiem tree headquarters.
Sitting on the leaf sofas of the main hall, Skye, Devon, and the other Lower Zone members still kept a defensive posture, their eyes constantly scanning for any sign that the friendly treatment was just a front.
They had grown up in a world where any Upper Zone member saw them as disposable cogs, let alone when it came to true Elite like the fox Lisa in front of them, and the shock of being welcomed with smiles and genuine hospitality was hard to process.
Dee, the veteran warrior Alice had brought along, approached Zach with a steaming mug of nectar, offering it with total naturalness, which left the Silver Lotus mechanic frozen for a second.
Zach looked at the mug and then at Dee's face, searching for that glint of superiority every Upper Zone Player he'd met in Aethelgard wore like a medal.
