Chapter 27: May the Anemo Archon Deceive You

As the animated short ended, Axue's eyes turned red. This kind of girl could only exist in anime. "Damn it! I can't take this anymore!" Axue didn't continue with the story. Instead, she opened the Wish interface, went straight to the standard banner, and started swiping her card, one 648 after another, until her fingers hurt. But it didn't matter. Time to pull! Today, she wouldn't stop until Astrea was maxed out with constellations and her signature weapon. What? Zhongli's banner is coming next patch?! Screw Zhongli! How could a god bully such a fragile little girl? Shame on him! If only he had a health bar, I'd beat him to a pulp. 「66666, Axue has completely lost it.」 「Don't worry, she's not the only one. Many streamers have gone crazy too.」 「If I had the money, I'd pull for Astrea too.」 「How is a game character more expensive than a house?」 「I spent 300 pulls on the standard banner and finally got Astrea.」 「Damn, can someone lend me some money? I want to pull too.」 「No money, no rights! F2P players have no rights! This isn't fair!」 「What do you mean no rights? I'm F2P too, and I got Astrea in 300 pulls.」 「Wait, did you spend all your Primogems on the standard banner?」 「Isn't that what you do for Astrea?」 「99999」 The chat was going wild, and Axue was even wilder. After maxing out all the characters in the standard banner, Astrea was finally fully maxed with constellations and her signature weapon. Then, she let out a long sigh and slumped into her gaming chair, completely drained. Although spending tens of thousands of dollars wasn't a big deal for a streamer with millions of fans like Axue, this time, the spending gave her an indescribable sense of satisfaction. After calming down, Axue thought about it and realized that miHoYo was just too good at creating characters. After this storyline, Astrea was practically deified. This character was just too perfect. Thinking back on Astrea's story so far, Axue suddenly couldn't help but laugh. "Old friends, let me tell you a joke—Astrea can't even beat a few Hydro Slimes." 「66666」 「Hahaha, I forgot about that. When Astrea first appeared, she was getting bullied by a few Hydro Slimes.」 「Astrea: I really want to be a proper guardian knight and live up to Lady Furina and the Supreme Bishop's expectations, but it's so hard. I wish I could be as strong as you, big sister.」 「Lumine: You're being too humble.」 「Astrea: I can't fly, so I can't deal with Dvalin.」 「Dvalin: Holy crap, thank goodness she can't fly, or I'd be dead.」 「I don't think it's about flying. Did you see the scale of her fight with Zhongli? If she had fought like that in Mondstadt...」 「666, so it's not that she couldn't deal with Dvalin, but that she was afraid of accidentally destroying Mondstadt in the process.」 「Signora should be glad it was Themis who fought her. If it had been Astrea, she'd have been reduced to ashes.」 「But Zhongli is even stronger. Is this the power of an Archon? Damn, I'm even more convinced now that Venti was holding back against Signora!」 「True, we were all fooled by Venti. Think about it—Osial is also an ancient god, and he's not even ruling a nation, yet he's so powerful. What about Venti?」 「Even if he started as just a wind spirit, he's still a true god now. And the people of Mondstadt still say 'May the Anemo Archon protect you' whenever they meet. They haven't forgotten him like they did Dvalin.」 「We were definitely fooled by Venti! After all, miHoYo made it clear in the text—'May the Anemo Archon deceive (protect) you.'」 「99999, so that's what 'deceive' means!」 「The Knights of Favonius' attitude was also off. Jean knew about Venti losing his Gnosis to the Fatui, but she did nothing. That doesn't make sense.」 「And at that time, Dvalin had already become the Anemo Archon's familiar again.」 「Remember when the Traveler woke up, Venti had already gone to Windrise? I suspect he told Jean something.」 While the viewers speculated, Axue continued with the story. Next was clearly the conclusion of this chapter. "We haven't seen Zhongli or Astrea. Let's go to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and ask." Under Paimon's suggestion, Axue controlled Astrea and ran to the funeral parlor. "How may I help you?" The attendant at the funeral parlor said softly, "The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor isn't currently accepting new clients." Paimon: "We're looking for Zhongli and Astrea. Can you pass on a message?" "Mr. Zhongli isn't here right now. He seems to have gone to the Northland Bank." "What about Astrea? She should be with Zhongli, right?" "I'm sorry, but I didn't see anyone with Mr. Zhongli." "Then... let's go to the Northland Bank first. Zhongli should know where Astrea is. Besides, the Northland Bank is the Fatui's territory. It's too dangerous. I'm worried Zhongli might be in danger—he might not know what the Fatui have been up to." Following Paimon's words, Axue ran to the Northland Bank. As soon as she entered, the story cutscene began. Signora had arrived in Liyue at some point, and Childe was complaining to her. Through the dialogue, it quickly became clear that Zhongli was indeed Morax, the Geo Archon. He had made a deal with the Tsaritsa, exchanging his Gnosis for something, and Signora was the envoy sent to complete the transaction. Childe, on the other hand, had been kept in the dark the entire time, completely used by Zhongli. That's why he was complaining to Signora. And just as the Supreme Bishop of Fontaine had said, Zhongli was tired of working and wanted to retire, which was why he orchestrated all of this. He wanted to see if Liyue could handle things without him. "The final resolution of this incident exceeded my expectations." "The Adepti, who live in seclusion... they knew the least. Yet they showed the utmost restraint, cooperated with the Qixing in times of crisis, and even tried to understand the people's hearts." "This 'Signora'... as the envoy sent by the Cryo Archon to fulfill the contract, she kept the truth hidden from her colleague, Childe, at my request." "As for me, I walked among mortals as 'Zhongli,' and in the end, I upheld Liyue's traditions in this mortal guise. Traveler, thank you for accompanying me on this journey." "All of this was within my plans. The only thing that exceeded my expectations... was Astrea." "Astrea? Wait, where is Astrea? Shouldn't she be with you? Why isn't she here?" "About that... I'm sorry." Zhongli spoke with genuine regret for the first time. "Because her power was too great, and she was a foreigner, I took her away from Liyue before the expected battle to prevent her from participating. However..." "As expected of the Knight of Justice, her sense of justice and resolve surpassed my expectations, and her strength was far beyond what I had anticipated." "Oh? For Mr. Zhongli to say such a thing... I'm really curious now. Was that frail little girl really that strong?" Childe asked curiously. Signora, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them. "Miss Astrea's strength rivals that of a god. That's why I couldn't hold back in my counterattack and accidentally gravely injured her—but rest assured, she's not in mortal danger." Zhongli sighed heavily. "This matter weighs heavily on me. No matter what, I will make it up to her." Hearing Zhongli's words, Lumine immediately grew anxious and asked directly, "Where is Astrea now?" "Wait, Lumine actually spoke! Our mute protagonist actually spoke! Is Astrea the real female lead of this game? How else could she have such a grand presence?" Axue exclaimed repeatedly. It wasn't just in the animated short—Lumine had actually spoken in the story dialogue. The voice actor finally had work to do! This was unbelievable! "After healing her, I sent her to the Fontaine Embassy in Liyue. Let's go together." With that, the dialogue ended, and the next quest began. Axue started running again. When Axue controlled Astrea and arrived at the embassy, Astrea had already woken up. Well, that sounded a bit odd. But that's how the game worked, especially since Axue liked switching to Astrea to run around. In the embassy's courtyard, Astrea stood there. Approaching her triggered the dialogue. "You're awake," Zhongli said apologetically. "I'm truly sorry for what happened earlier." "It's alright, Mr. Zhongli." Astrea smiled and shook her head. "I reported the matter to the Supreme Bishop, and he shared some of his thoughts with me. I believe his speculation is correct, so I realize now that I was meddling in something unnecessary. Mr. Zhongli would never let anything happen to Liyue." (Astrea's smile seems a bit off...) 『Astrea, are you really okay?』 『Astrea, how did you contact the Supreme Bishop of Fontaine?』 Looking at the two options on the screen, Axue didn't make a choice immediately. Instead, she bit her lip. At that moment, she suddenly remembered something. In the second episode of Reporting to Lady Furina—The Death of the Geo Archon, there were some clearly suspicious dialogues. The Supreme Bishop of Fontaine had mentioned that this incident was a trial for Astrea, and she would undoubtedly pass it. But after she passed the trial, the Supreme Bishop would have no choice but to judge her for her crimes. Crimes? What crimes? Did Astrea commit a crime? Axue had a bad feeling, but she couldn't figure out what crime Astrea had committed that warranted judgment. It was clearly a plot point, and Astrea's smile now seemed off, but... In her anxiety, Axue chose the third option. Astrea replied, "The knights of the Holy Knights all have communicators that allow direct contact with the Supreme Bishop—I was once a member of the Holy Knights, and I still have the communicator. The Supreme Bishop hasn't sent anyone to retrieve it yet." 『The Holy Knights? Once?』 『Retrieve?』 This time, looking at the two options on the screen, Axue's mind exploded. Right, during her fight with Zhongli, Astrea had said something like that. She would renounce her position as the Knight-in-Training of the Hydro Archon and her role as the First Knight of the Holy Knights. Could it be...? No way...? Axue clicked the second option, eager to see what would happen next. But the moment she clicked, another animated short cut in. Lumine spoke with a puzzled expression, "Communicator? Holy Knights? Retrieve? What do you mean, Astrea?" "It means..." A sudden, unfamiliar voice interrupted. The embassy's door gently opened, and a black-haired girl walked into the courtyard. "Without applying for permission or receiving approval from Lady Furina or the Supreme Bishop, you renounced your position as the Knight-in-Training of the Hydro Archon and your role as the Knight of Water in the Holy Knights... Astrea, you have committed the crime of treason. I am here to deliver the Supreme Bishop's verdict." The girl's black hair flowed down to her waist, with a small strand tied up on the right side, secured with a blue bead hairpin. She wore a black dress with blue patterns, and her hands were covered in black lace gloves, revealing slender, pale fingers. On her feet were exquisite black high heels, perfectly accentuating her delicate feet. Looking at the girl, Astrea murmured, "Fanseti." The girl named Fanseti looked at her and said softly, "Astrea, you are stripped of your position as the First Knight of the Holy Knights and the Knight of Water, as well as your role as the Knight-in-Training of the Hydro Archon. The Scales of Justice, the communicator, the Hydro Feather, and the Seal of Justice are to be confiscated. You are also stripped of your personal freedom and will be escorted back to Fontaine to face judgment by the Chief Justice, who will decide your final punishment." Astrea knelt gently and lowered her head. "Yes, Astrea accepts the punishment." As she spoke, the cape draped over Astrea's shoulder automatically untied itself and floated onto Fanseti's left arm. The Hydro symbol on Astrea's back slowly rose and hovered above Fanseti's left hand. The Scales of Justice appeared and rotated in front of Fanseti's body. A rectangular object resembling a phone (clearly a phone) floated out of Astrea's body and was grasped by Fanseti's right hand. In the next moment, the four items were enveloped in black flames and gradually disappeared, as if burned to ashes. Then, Fanseti pointed her right hand at Astrea, and black flames suddenly surged toward her. "Wait!" Lumine, who had been stunned and unsure of what to do, suddenly snapped out of it and stepped in front of Astrea. At the same time, Zhongli waved his right hand, and a Geo shield instantly blocked the black flames. The black flames scattered, wrapping around the shield and slowly consuming it. Just like before, the shield seemed to burn away and disappear. Fanseti didn't look at Lumine but turned to Zhongli and bowed slightly. "My apologies. You must be Morax, the Geo Archon. I am Fanseti, the Third Knight of the Holy Knights of Fontaine, the Knight of Black. What guidance do you seek from the Geo Archon? If you're worried I'll kill Astrea, there's no need. My flames do not kill." "I bear great responsibility for this matter and cannot stand by and watch Miss Astrea suffer such severe punishment because of me." Zhongli spoke solemnly: "May I speak with your Supreme Bishop? He and I are old friends. He should give me some face." "If the Geo Archon requests it, of course." Black flames ignited in Fanseti's right hand, and a black phone slowly materialized. She pressed a few buttons and handed it to Zhongli. However, Fanseti added a warning. "But please don't expect too much. In Fontaine, the law is absolute—even if Lady Furina, the Supreme Bishop, or the Chief Justice were to commit a crime, they would still face judgment." Zhongli stared intently at the unfamiliar device called a communicator, unsure what to do next. Should he just speak into it? As he thought this, a voice suddenly came from the communicator: "What is it, Fanseti? Or should I say, is that Mr. Zhongli holding the phone right now?" "It's me," Zhongli said calmly. "You seem to have already guessed what happened here." "How should I put it? From the moment I heard the news of your death, I had a rough idea of how things would unfold." The voice from the phone was even calmer and more indifferent than Zhongli's. "Do you practice divination now?" "It has nothing to do with that. Personality determines destiny. Whether human or god, your personalities have already determined your choices." The Supreme Bishop of Fontaine spoke lightly: "So, as long as I understand your personalities and know your choices, I can naturally foresee your futures."