Chapter 22: Fontaine's New Law

"Oh, here it comes!" "Lady Furina and the 'Traitor's' Daily Life." "Don't say that. If the Hydro Archon is on Celestia's side, then The Supreme Bishop should be on the Traveler's side, since he's also a Descender." "The Fatui want to rebel against Celestia, so does that mean Signora, who slapped Venti and stole his Gnosis, is on our side too? Get out of here." "Just because they're enemies of our enemies doesn't mean they're our friends. I think the Hydro Archon is cute, so she'll definitely be our ally in the future." "Looks-based fans can go die. Also, I'm The Supreme Bishop's loyal dog." Axue, during her livestream, opened the second episode of "Reporting to Lady Furina—'The Death of the Geo Archon.'" As soon as it started, she was greeted by a barrage of chaotic comments. She turned off the chat and focused on the video. The video began with the familiar scene of the Hydro Archon, Furina, sitting across from The Supreme Bishop, Ye. Furina took a sip of her tea and subconsciously wiped the corner of her mouth. This made Axue chuckle. Clearly, the goddess still remembered the previous episode's mishap. This small detail made Axue marvel at miHoYo's skill in animation and character development. Setting down her teacup, Furina smiled and asked, "I heard the Geo Archon was assassinated?" The Supreme Bishop replied calmly, "Yes." "Is it true? Is there really someone in this world who could kill Morax? I'd believe it more if you said he committed suicide—of course, I mean besides me. If it were me, I could judge any god, but I don't recall doing such a thing." The latter part of her dialogue wasn't in the script. Furina had added it herself after feeling that her initial response wasn't quite right—her habit of exaggerating her own power and excellence had become second nature to her. Ye didn't mind and simply ignored the added line. After all, by the time Fontaine's story arc rolled around, this would all be foreshadowing. "According to the information I've received, the Geo Archon fell from the sky during the Rite of Descension in front of everyone, landed with a thud, and died. The culprit is still unknown." Hearing this, Furina immediately asked, "What about Liyue Harbor?" "Unharmed." "Oh, so it's fake." Furina nodded in understanding. "What's he faking his death for?" The Supreme Bishop seemed to agree with Furina's assessment and replied bluntly, "Probably tired of working and wants to fake his death to retire." "He only works one day a year, doesn't he?" "That's why he lasted thousands of years. Me? I haven't had a single day off in five hundred years, and I'm already at my limit—so, can you approve my resignation?" Furina, equally unfazed, ignored Ye's off-script remark. "Whatever he's planning, it has nothing to do with Fontaine. So, there's no need to worry about it." "But Astrea and the Traveler seem to be involved." "Will that be a problem?" "For Astrea, this will be a true trial. However... by the time she passes it, it might also be the time I have no choice but to judge her." Furina raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why?" "Because I understand Morax, and I can guess what he's thinking now. Based on the information I have, I might know what he's trying to do." "And then?" "And then, I also understand Astrea. So, I can guess what choice she'll make when the time comes—that's what I admire about her. But when that happens, it will also become the crime for which I must judge her. How ironic." "As long as it doesn't violate justice, no one can judge my knight." Furina spoke seriously: "I know that child well. She would never do anything unjust." "Sometimes, justice doesn't always mean what's right." "Justice is what's right. That is my promise as the God of Justice." "Then it seems that when the time comes, I'll have to face you in court, Lady Furina." Hearing this, Furina smiled confidently. "As my knight, as long as she doesn't stray from the path of justice, no one can judge her." The conversation ended there. The future would have to wait until the future to reveal itself. Then, The Supreme Bishop spoke softly, "Lady Furina, there's something I've been hesitating to tell you." Furina narrowed her eyes and sneered. "You think I'll fall for that? I've already checked everything. There's no way there's any oversight this time." "No, Lady Furina, what I wanted to say is..." Ye's gaze shifted past Furina to a white-haired man sitting behind the desk. He said calmly, "The sweets I brought back from Inazuma for you are almost all eaten by Neuvillette. Are you sure that's okay?" "..." Furina's eyes widened, and she immediately turned around. There, Neuvillette sat calmly, sipping water and eating the sweets. "Neuvillette!" Furina sprang to her feet and lunged at him. "How dare you eat my sweets!! Do you want to go to Meropide?!!" The screen gradually faded to black, and a few lines of text appeared. 『Shortly after, Fontaine added a new law.』 『Those who steal Lady Furina's sweets will face a minimum sentence of 45 days in prison.』 『In severe cases, the maximum penalty is death.』 "Stealing sweets punishable by death? What the heck?" Axue couldn't stop laughing. "Is Fontaine's legal system a joke?" miHoYo, as always, knew how to have fun. But aside from that, this PV also revealed some key information. In the Archon Quest storyline of Version 1.1's first half, the Traveler, Paimon, and Astrea arrived in Liyue Harbor just in time for the Rite of Descension and went to witness the ceremony. Then, they witnessed the fall of the Geo Archon. Of course, this wasn't surprising, as the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview had already hinted at the Geo Archon's assassination. However, what happened next was unexpected. Axue hadn't expected the Traveler to temporarily team up with a Fatui Harbinger. Though it wasn't Signora but the 11th Harbinger, Tartaglia (Childe), players generally didn't have a favorable view of the Fatui. But there was no choice. The Traveler was suspected of assassinating the Geo Archon after fleeing the scene, and Astrea was also implicated. As the Hydro Archon's knight-in-training, if they didn't clear their names quickly, it could even lead to a major conflict between Liyue and Fontaine. So, to clear their names, the Traveler had no choice but to cooperate with Childe to seek out the reclusive Adepti. Then, they embarked on a quest with Zhongli, the consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, titled Farewell, Archaic Lord. After a series of hilarious moments involving "I'll take everything," "Cocogoat," and "half-adeptal beasts," the Traveler and their companions received an invitation from Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing—marking the end of Version 1.1's first half. The second half of the storyline hadn't been released yet, but the banner for it had already been confirmed. The first half of Version 1.1 featured Keqing, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, whose popularity was undeniable. Just as many players spent money to pull for Astrea in the standard banner, many also pulled specifically for Keqing. Given the popularity of both characters, miHoYo gave Keqing a limited-time banner in the first half of Version 1.1 and introduced a new rule for the standard banner: after 300 pulls, players could choose any standard 5-star character. This was the only time Keqing would be featured in a limited banner, and the standard banner selection was a one-time opportunity. As a result, Genshin Impact's revenue once again topped the charts worldwide. Now, the 5-star character for the second half of Version 1.1 had been confirmed: Tartaglia (Childe). With the release of Childe's banner, the Archon Quest in Liyue would also reach its climax. However, no one knew how the story would unfold. But with the release of this PV, two key pieces of information were revealed. "The Geo Archon... isn't dead?" And Astrea... What kind of story awaits her? The anticipation is through the roof!