Chapter 17: The End is Near

"We now know that the twin protagonists come from outside Teyvat and were intercepted by a god who calls themselves the 'Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.' As for the goals of Snezhnaya and the Fatui? The Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview PV has already revealed it—they aim to raise a banner of rebellion against the Heavenly Principles." "In other words, the Fatui might not be entirely villains. They could potentially become allies of the protagonist in the future, because it's clear that the Heavenly Principles are the true final boss!" "After talking about Snezhnaya, let's discuss Fontaine—the Hydro Archon even desires to judge other gods, but she knows well that only the Heavenly Principles must not be opposed." "What does this mean? It means that, unlike the Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya, the Hydro Archon stands on the side of the Heavenly Principles." "So, combining this with the final animated short of the prologue, can we infer that the Supreme Archbishop of Fontaine, while not directly serving the Cryo Archon, shares her stance of opposing the Heavenly Principles? This would explain why he agreed to give the Cryo Archon the Gnoses, even including the Hydro Archon's Gnosis." "In other words, the Supreme Archbishop is deeply dissatisfied with the Hydro Archon. He might betray her in the future, seize her Gnosis, and join the Cryo Archon in rebelling against the Heavenly Principles." "After watching the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview PV, let's revisit the Reporting to Lady Furina—The Fifth Descender PV. It clearly states that the Supreme Archbishop of Fontaine is a Descender." "What is a Descender? I don't think this needs much explanation. The protagonist is a Descender, coming from outside Teyvat, possessing special powers—not only able to wield elemental energy without a Vision but also capable of purifying the corruption affecting Dvalin. Without the protagonist, Dvalin couldn't have been saved. As the Supreme Archbishop said, the Fifth Descender brought hope to Mondstadt." "And what did the Hydro Archon say? The Supreme Archbishop is also a Descender, which means he likely came from outside Teyvat, just like the protagonist. It's also possible that, like the protagonist, he was intercepted by the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles and trapped in this world. This would explain why he's cooperating with the Cryo Archon and plotting to seize the Hydro Archon's Gnosis." "Here's a bold prediction: the Supreme Archbishop made Astrea the Hydro Archon's guardian knight so that, in the future, he could use her—no, use Themis—to betray the Hydro Archon and seize the Gnosis. After all, in the story, we see that Themis completely follows the Supreme Archbishop's orders and is aware of his plans to obtain the Gnoses." "And most importantly, Themis is incredibly powerful—strong enough to backstab a god." "Although Venti's divine power is weak because he doesn't rule Mondstadt, he's still a god. The fact that La Signora, the Eighth Harbinger, could easily take his Gnosis proves her strength." "But in the story, La Signora said Themis's power rivals that of the top three Harbingers—clearly, the Harbingers are ranked by strength." "And the top three Harbingers likely possess power close to that of gods—not like Venti, who abandoned his rule, but like the gods who actively govern their nations!" "This means Themis has power close to that of a god. Given the right opportunity, she might successfully backstab the Hydro Archon—this could be a future plot point in Fontaine's story." "Of course, that's still far off. According to the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview PV, Fontaine is the fifth nation to be unlocked." "Also, did you notice what La Signora said when she was shocked by Themis's strength? She couldn't believe that Fontaine, besides the Supreme Archbishop and the Chief Justice, had such a powerful individual. This implies that while Snezhnaya is considered the strongest of the seven nations, Fontaine's strength might be on par with it—it's just hidden, unknown to others." "And these hidden forces are likely the Holy Knights of the Cathedral. After all, La Signora said she had no idea Fontaine even had such an organization..." Kiana watched the livestream with great interest, then turned to Mei and said, "Honestly, the analysis is so convincing that I'm starting to believe it. Could it really be true?" "So, what's the truth?" Mei asked curiously. "Even though we made this game together, the entire plot is your creation. Only you know what happens next." As an open-world game, Genshin Impact's development team exceeded 500 people and was still growing. However, the entire plot was solely in Kiana's hands—or rather, her mind. The team worked on the main story, event plots, and world-building based on Kiana's plans. They hadn't even finished Inazuma yet, so no one knew what would happen in later regions or with future characters. While it seemed like there were many foreshadowing elements planted, in reality, no one on the development team except Kiana knew how these plot would be resolved. Seeing the various analyses of the current story online, even some team members started to believe them. Mei was also somewhat convinced. "Did the Supreme Archbishop of Fontaine really betray the Hydro Archon?" Hearing this question, Kiana replied, "I don't know either." "?????" Mei's eyes widened slightly. You made the game, you planted the plot, and now you're telling me you don't know? "I just came up with that plot on a whim and went with it. I haven't figured out the details yet. Right now, I've only planned out Inazuma's story." Kiana spoke with complete confidence: "It's fine. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. The plot will resolve themselves naturally." Mei looked at the streamer on the screen, analyzing the story so convincingly, and felt her head spin. Is this game really going to be okay? You're digging holes without knowing how to fill them, making up the story as you go. I've never heard of a game planner like this. Mei held her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Will I really have to go home and inherit the family business soon? From an outsider's perspective, the founding of Mihoyo could even be described as somewhat legendary. On a social networking site called Friendship Club, created by Bronya to automatically translate between languages, girls from around the world gradually connected. The site wasn't well-known, and Bronya had no intention of promoting it publicly. She had created it to help her younger sister, Seele, make friends, so membership was by invitation only. Initially, Bronya only invited Kiana and Mei, as the three were close friends. As heirs to three of the world's most prominent families, they had hit it off immediately. So, when Bronya wanted to help Seele, who had autism, make friends, Kiana and Mei were her first choices. After that, it was a chain reaction. The three invited their own friends, who then invited their friends, and so on. Before they knew it, the Friendship Club had over a hundred members from around the world. Each member had an extraordinary background or unique skills, but they were all good people. Seele gradually began to interact with them. Then one day, Kiana suddenly said in the group: "I don't want to inherit the family business. I want to make a game. Let's do it together. What do you think about all of us working and living together in a game company?" The members enthusiastically discussed the idea and eventually realized that everyone agreed with Kiana's proposal. No one wanted to inherit their family businesses. Those without family businesses to inherit thought working in a company where all employees, including the bosses, were friends sounded like a dream come true. Thus, the proposal was approved. But there was a problem. While Kiana's game idea had great potential... they had no money to make it! If they gave up their family businesses, they couldn't use family funds. The members were too proud to ask for money from their families while claiming to start their own venture. But without family money... how could they make the game? A rough estimate suggested they'd need at least nine figures in development funds. —Then, two big shots chimed in. Fu Xuan: "I have money. I've made a fortune from online fortune-telling—a few hundred million." Qingque: "Don't worry about money. I won a few hundred million playing mahjong at the casino this year. That should be enough, right?" And so, the problem was solved. Fu Xuan and Qingque each contributed 500 million, while Kiana joined as the planner, each holding 20% of the company's shares. The remaining 40% was evenly distributed among the other members. As for future subsidiaries, their equity distribution would be discussed later. The company's atmosphere was so friendly that there wasn't even a hint of conflict over profits. And just like that, Mihoyo was born. However, while the members eventually convinced their families, they all agreed to one condition—if the venture failed, they would return home and inherit their family businesses. Mei was no exception. And now... Looking at Kiana beside her, Mei couldn't help but feel that the disbanding of the group wasn't far off. "Looking at the current revenue, Genshin Impact should make at least a few billion... Maybe we should use the profits to pivot quickly?"