Chapter 124: Astrea's True Power

"Truly worthy of Rea, her perspective is so sharp. Yet, it must be said, she makes a valid point." After witnessing the dialogue in Astrea's storyline, Elysia couldn't help but comment: "Previously, the Raiden Shogun's character wasn't particularly likable. It was more about her imposing presence, which truly lived up to the title of a deity, completely different from Venti and Zhongli, giving players their first glimpse of divine might. But aside from that, she was almost entirely flawed—except for her stunning beauty. However, with the Supreme Bishop's explanation and Rea's words, the Raiden Shogun's character has suddenly become much more nuanced." Outside the storyline, Elysia remarked as such. Within the story, after a moment of stunned silence, Paimon also expressed similar thoughts. "I just thought she was terrifying, but after hearing Rea's words, I can't help but feel a bit sorry for the Raiden Shogun." At that moment, the camera focused on Ye, giving him a close-up shot. Ye's eyes gently closed, his voice carrying a rare complexity: "This is what it means to be a deity. They are always willing to sacrifice themselves to protect their people. Perhaps the Raiden Shogun's methods are not accepted by her people, but there is no doubt that everything she does now is for the sake of her nation's citizens. Whether it's creating a puppet solely dedicated to pursuing eternity or imprisoning herself in solitude for five hundred years, it's all for this purpose. And this... is also where our chance of victory lies." "Chance of victory?" Ayaka looked at Ye, pondering those words. Ye calmly continued, "The Raiden Shogun's will is not unchangeable. If she chose to pursue eternity for her people, then she will also choose to abandon eternity for them—as long as we can genuinely present the will of the people before her, forcing her to no longer hide in the Plane of Euthymia like a turtle retreating into its shell." Paimon couldn't help but interject, "I feel like just sending Themis would give us a chance of winning, right?" "You overestimate Themis. Even under my control, Themis can only hold her own against the Raiden Shogun for a short time. Her mechanical capabilities are still insufficient to defeat the Raiden Shogun... If it were Rea, that would be a different story, but I have my reasons for not using her." "Control? Mechanical capabilities? Wait, I think I saw something earlier—you had wires connected to Themis. What... what exactly is going on?" At Paimon's question, everyone turned to Ye, as his choice of words was clearly unusual. Astrea, on the other hand, looked slightly flustered, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. Ye's expression remained calm, unchanged. He simply glanced at Astrea and then spoke in a measured tone: "What I mean is, both Astrea and Themis, as well as all the knights in the Sacred Knights, are puppets I created." "Their bodies were crafted by me." "Their souls were bestowed by me." "Their power was granted by me." "And only under my control can their mechanical capabilities be fully utilized." After Ye's words, the room fell into complete silence, everyone's faces filled with shock. After a long pause, Paimon finally murmured, "S-so, you're saying that Rea and the others are like that puppet Shogun?" "If you mean similarities, there are certainly commonalities. For instance, despite being puppets, they all possess their own will and soul—Astrea, Themis, and even the Raiden Shogun are no different. However... the similarities likely end there." Ye spoke nonchalantly: "This isn't a particularly important matter. For now, let's focus on what we should do next. If nothing goes wrong, we'll all be wanted soon, and when that happens, among those sent to capture us will undoubtedly be Sen'emon." Although this was far from unimportant, the mention of Sen'emon's name immediately made Ayaka and Thoma tense up. Ye, wanting to emphasize the seriousness of the situation, adopted a slightly more solemn tone. "Whether it's the Raiden Shogun or Sen'emon, if we want to defeat them, I may have no choice but to unseal the power sealed within Astrea. This is something I wish to avoid at all costs, so for now, let's keep our distance." Paimon couldn't help but ask curiously, "Does Rea have hidden power? Why don't you want to unseal it?" Not just Paimon, but the players were equally curious. After all, in Astrea's character story, it was stated from the beginning that Astrea possessed immense power, but due to her worrisome personality, the Supreme Bishop had sealed it away. Yet, even with the seal, Astrea still wielded power comparable to that of a deity, even earning Zhongli's recognition. So, how powerful was her original strength? From the start, Astrea's power exhibited a nature entirely different from other gods and humans. Her character profile explicitly stated that her power was called "Original Sin," and Astrea was the "Emissary of Original Sin." No player truly understood what "Original Sin" was, nor what an "Emissary" truly represented. As a character available from the game's launch, Astrea was shrouded in mystery. It wasn't until the "Shanhai Jing" storyline that some of these mysteries began to unravel. "Original Sin" was a power from beyond this world, originally belonging to the Supreme Bishop of Fontaine. This was the information players currently possessed. At the same time, players also knew one thing: the power of "Original Sin" was undoubtedly immense, and the Supreme Bishop of Fontaine was no ordinary figure... At the very least, he must have been incredibly powerful in his prime. Both Astrea and Themis were able to rival deities precisely because they possessed the power of "Original Sin." And now, it was confirmed that both Astrea's and Themis's powers were bestowed by Ye. So, how powerful was the Supreme Bishop originally? —It was impossible to imagine. Not just the Supreme Bishop's power, but even Astrea's true strength was beyond the players' comprehension. After all, there was no standard for comparison. Only a group of die-hard fans wildly speculated that Rea's true power must rival the Seven Archons, and the Supreme Bishop at his peak must have been no weaker than the Heavenly Principles... But these were just baseless claims, with no evidence to back them up. This, of course, couldn't gain the consensus of all players. After all, the Hydro Archon, the Supreme Bishop's superior, must be stronger than him, right? And even the Hydro Archon wouldn't dare challenge the Heavenly Principles, instead stating that the Heavenly Principles were the only force in this world that should not be opposed. Given that, no matter how strong the Supreme Bishop was, he couldn't possibly compare to the Heavenly Principles. Astrea, then, must be even weaker, surely not on par with the Seven Archons, right? —But this argument alone wasn't enough to serve as evidence. In any case, for the players, the Supreme Bishop was a figure shrouded in mystery, and Astrea was no different. However, with the Supreme Bishop's official appearance, it seemed these mysteries would gradually be unveiled! Players were filled with anticipation for this part of the storyline. As for Paimon's question, what answer would the Supreme Bishop provide? Ye simply stated calmly, "You already know that I came to this world from beyond. What I possess is not the power of Teyvat, but a force called 'Original Sin.'" "That doesn't sound like a good name," Paimon quipped with perfect accuracy. Ye nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it's not a good name, nor is it a good power. 'Original Sin' refers to the inherent flaws of all living beings, and correspondingly, it amplifies those flaws, turning what might have been minor desires into something that can destroy everything." The Traveler hesitated slightly. "Then you...?" "I, of course, suffered greatly from it in the past... Though that might not be the right way to phrase it, as it sounds like I'm shifting blame." "Because 'Original Sin' merely amplifies a person's flaws. Those who cannot resist it are ultimately bound by their own desires, and cannot blame others." "Therefore, rather than saying I suffered from it, it's more accurate to say I never had the intention to resist in the first place." Ye spoke with complete honesty: "When I first obtained the power of 'Original Sin,' instead of suppressing my ever-growing desires, I chose the easier path and indulged myself thoroughly." This was indeed the truth. Forcing oneself to suppress desires through sheer willpower would naturally lead to suffering. For example, Longhua's character was built around this concept—she suffered greatly because she chose to suppress her amplified desires. Ye, on the other hand, never bothered to suppress his. Before devouring the pure, fragmented Original Sin, Ye lived a life of complete indulgence. ...But after arriving in Teyvat, he spent five hundred years as a miserable office worker, which could be seen as a form of karmic retribution! "Later, the power of Original Sin within me shattered, and now it's all divided among Astrea and the others. As a result, my situation has improved—but in exchange, Astrea and the others must now bear the burden of 'Original Sin.'" Ye glanced down at Astrea once more, his voice calm: "The other puppets are fine. The 'personalities' I designed for them allow them to barely suppress the 'Original Sin' power I bestowed upon them. But Astrea is different..." Astrea pursed her lips, remaining silent, her eyes slightly downcast. Ye continued, "I bestowed upon Astrea the complete 'Sin of Pride'... You might not fully grasp what this means, and explaining it would be too complicated. So, just understand that if Astrea's power isn't sealed, she would be utterly unable to suppress her 'pride.'" "And the power I gave Astrea... She is actually far stronger than I am now. If her power were unsealed, it might become impossible to seal again, and at that point, it could lead to a catastrophic disaster." This statement was half-truth, half-lie. The lie was that, as Ye's alternate persona, he could always take control of Astrea's body at any time, so the idea of her being uncontrollable was false. The truth, however, was that... after the Liyue storyline, Ye had indeed bestowed Astrea with the complete "Sin of Pride." This wasn't something obtained from Baoyu, but something Ye later did himself to save on popularity points. Although, given the current state of Original Sin, this so-called "complete" power was heavily diminished. But even so, Astrea still possessed the complete "Sin of Pride." Even a fragmented "Sin of Pride" was still a complete "Sin of Pride," and this wasn't a contradiction. So, what did this complete "Sin of Pride" mean? —It meant that if the "Original Sin" path were restored, Astrea would immediately become the strongest Emissary in the universe. Without question. Why is that? First, one must understand what a "path" is, and what a "Aeon" represents. In essence, an Aeon, an Emanator, and a Pathstrider are all the same—they are all beings who derive their power from a path. The difference lies in the fact that if a path is likened to an ocean, the Aeon is the ocean itself, while Emanator occupy varying portions of that ocean depending on the individual, and Pathstrider are merely waves upon its surface. The difference between a Aeon, an Emanator, and a Pathstrider lies in the portion of the path they occupy—nothing more. So, the question now is: what does Astrea's complete "Sin of Pride" as an Emanator of Original Sin truly represent? —This requires an explanation of what Ye's "Original Sin" path truly is. Paths have hierarchies, and Aeons have varying levels of strength. Just as oceans differ in size—the Pacific Ocean spans 181.34 million square kilometers, while the Arctic Ocean covers only 14.5 million square kilometers, a difference of more than tenfold. And the "Sin of Pride" Ye bestowed upon Astrea? That wasn't the Arctic Ocean—it was the Atlantic Ocean, spanning 76.76 million square kilometers. In Ye's Original Sin path, the "Sin of Pride" occupied nearly half of it. If the Original Sin path were intact, Astrea's power would surpass that of many Aeons. To put it simply, it would be like "Harmony" Xipe suddenly deciding to bestow the complete "Order" upon one of her Emanator, resulting in... an Emanator of Harmony wielding the full power of the Aeon of Order. Yes, Astrea is, in name, an Emanator, but in reality, a Aeon. Of course, with Original Sin in its current fragmented state, Astrea couldn't display such power—but even so, Astrea couldn't withstand the influence of the "Sin of Pride." —But this setup didn't need to be revealed. The Genshin Impact storyline didn't need the introduction of Star God-level power, as it would only disrupt the players' experience. Thus, Ye never intended for Astrea to display power beyond Teyvat's worldview, nor did he plan to restore the Original Sin path to its full state. The current level of power was sufficient—anything more would be excessive. Therefore, Ye simply stated matter-of-factly: "Astrea still needs to grow." "I cannot yet place my full trust in her as she is now." "So, I will not unseal her power."