Chapter 33: The Prinzessin der Verurteilung

In the second half of Version 1.2, the new storyline began. As soon as Axue logged in, she headed straight for the new quest, temporarily setting aside the new banner and character story quests. In the past, Axue rarely paid attention to game storylines. As long as the gameplay was good, the story didn't matter much to her. But Genshin Impact taught her that the story is the soul of a game. Without a compelling narrative, even the most fun game can't truly touch the heart. Selling the story, selling the characters—making players remember the game's plot and characters—this is what Axue now believes makes a truly excellent game. Unfortunately, while many game developers have started creating games following Genshin Impact's model, it's not just about whether they can craft good stories and characters. Even if they can, it's not something that can be achieved overnight. For now, only Genshin Impact can satisfy Axue. To put it simply, since playing Genshin Impact, Axue has found it hard to get into other games. It feels like chewing wax. In the past, Axue streamed multiple games, but now she's almost exclusively focused on Genshin Impact. She only gets excited when new games come out... but, as expected, there's nothing worth getting excited about. From a pure player's perspective, Axue hopes more games will emerge to challenge Genshin Impact. She wants Genshin to stimulate the gaming market, leading to more amazing games. But for now, it seems that won't happen for at least a year. This is the era of Genshin Impact's dominance. PC platforms, mobile platforms, console platforms—Genshin Impact is available on all platforms, and there's not a single game on any platform that can compete with it. Especially after the addition of the mini-game "Genshin Clash," even the downtime between updates has been eliminated. Whether it's daily active users or revenue, Genshin Impact continues to rise without any signs of slowing down. Of course, for other game developers, Genshin Impact's sudden rise isn't entirely bad news. One positive aspect is that the gaming industry's "cake" is getting bigger. Originally, the global gaming market was a 600 billion yuan cake. But according to current trends, many predict the market will grow by at least 200 billion yuan this year, and exceeding 1 trillion yuan within two years is not only possible but likely. As long as these developers can seize the opportunity and create games better suited to the current market, their market share might decrease compared to before, but the money they make will only increase. After all, most players don't stick to just one game. Once someone falls into the gaming rabbit hole, no matter which game got them started, they'll want to play more. If they only play one game... it's definitely because the other games are too lackluster. So, in the long run, this is good for both players and developers. —Well, in the long run. The reality is that there's still no game that can compete. Thus, Axue remains a loyal Genshin Impact player. "Alright, alright, it's Fischl. To be honest, aside from Astrea, Keqing, and Diluc, Fischl is one of my favorite characters." Axue looked delighted. "Today, let's experience the charm of Fischl!" Soon after, Lumine, Fischl, Oz, and Katheryne finished their conversation, and the group headed to Springvale. "This is Springvale, the location closest to Mondstadt where the incident occurred, as Katheryne mentioned," Paimon, Lumine's mouthpiece, explained. Oz, Fischl's translator, chimed in, "It seems the situation is more severe than expected." Lumine added, "Many people have collapsed." Of course, there was no voice—the voice actor was still out of work. "The bell of sanctity shall ring! The time of judgment has come! Rejoice, those who seek salvation, for the Prinzessin der Verurteilung has descended!" 「The charm of the Prinzessin!」 「What? No charm? Chuunibyou girls are the most charming, okay?」 「The charm of making people laugh」 「So cringe」 「Cringe? It's just that you mortals can't comprehend the Prinzessin's majesty.」 「What if Fischl isn't actually chuunibyou? What if everything she says is true? How else do you explain Oz?」 「Wait, don't you read the character stories?」 「Oz appeared alongside her Vision.」 「But why does Fischl's Vision come with a free Oz? No one else's Vision has a bonus like that.」 「No idea, but Fischl is definitely chuunibyou.」 Whether Fischl is truly chuunibyou is basically settled, as her character story makes it clear. However, the confusion about Oz is real. After all... no one else's Vision comes with a bonus like that. Of course, for Axue, this is just a trivial matter. While the chat discussed, she continued to progress through the story. Now, Axue no longer skips dialogue quickly. She reads every line carefully, especially when it involves her favorite characters like Fischl. In fact, whenever Fischl speaks, Axue mimics her tone, adding some entertainment value to her stream. "Mortals, the Prinzessin grants you the privilege of dispensing with formalities. Report the critical clues at once." "Such crude counsel. The Prinzessin is protected by the secrets of the Abyssal Pearl. These dark crystals are but trifles to her." "Knight, respond to the Prinzessin's inquiry. How fares this unfortunate soul?" "The dark dream is like a beast clutching an Eden fruit. Its night-black eyes will drag the weak into the abyss." "Could it be the frigid curse of the Snow Mountain demon... Has even Springvale, guarded by the water spirits, fallen prey to the demon's gaze?" 「Axue's old chuunibyou habits」 「Black history exposed. Know why she likes Fischl? Because this was Axue ten years ago.」 「It's okay, Axue. Even if you're chuunibyou, we still love you. So go wild!」 "Pfft, who was chuunibyou ten years ago? I'm only seventeen now. Ten years ago, I was just starting elementary school." 「If I recall correctly, you said the same thing last year.」 「If I recall correctly, you said the same thing the year before.」 「If I recall correctly, you said the same thing three years ago.」 「If I recall correctly, you said the same thing five years ago.」 「If I recall correctly, you said the same thing ten years ago.」 "Hey, hey, that's going too far! What ten years ago? I've only been streaming for five years!" While chatting and joking, Axue continued to progress through the story. It didn't take long before the "Unreconciled Stars" questline was completed, with the remaining story locked until the next day. "Alright, let's call it a day. See you all tomorrow!" Without giving her viewers time to react, Axue quickly ended the stream, cutting off the age discussion. As Axue logged off, Ye, who had been watching through Baoyu, switched to another stream to continue observing Fischl from a third-person perspective. As planned, Ye had created a second personality for Fischl, making her his fourth "alt account." However, this second personality would only appear at a critical moment to garner massive popularity. For now, Fischl's original personality would remain in control. It was far too early for the second personality to make an appearance. Thus, Ye didn't interfere much with this storyline—though he did plant a subtle hint for future developments. After all, the second personality's debut couldn't feel too abrupt or like a deus ex machina, as that would negatively impact players' experience. While the overall story followed the original plot, Ye inserted a short animated segment at the end, hinting at Fischl's second personality and its powers. Strength—both in terms of narrative and gameplay mechanics—is crucial for popularity. Using the story to boost popularity is fine, but the steady accumulation of fans over time can't be ignored. Take Astrea, for example. Even without special storylines, her popularity wouldn't be a concern. Her mechanics are so strong that even at C0, players could use her from launch until the game's end. Her mechanics are unique, and as a standard banner character, she's obtainable while pulling for other desired characters. At launch, this wasn't obvious, but as time goes on, Astrea's popularity and reputation will only grow. Think of Xiangling, Xingqiu, and Bennett—the three six-star supports. Astrea is like their ultimate fusion. And she can team up with any of them. Of course, she's strong enough on her own too. So, by the late game, Astrea's popularity and reputation are easy to predict. It wouldn't be surprising if players started calling her "Mom." Because no matter what team you're building, she can elevate it to the next level. For example, when Hu Tao is released, Astrea can boost her attack speed and charged attack fluidity. When Ayaka arrives, her already terrifying burst becomes a meat grinder. When the Dendro meta takes over, Astrea can make it even more overpowered. And when the Hydro Archon and Dragon Sovereign arrive... you'll wish Astrea could split into two for Spiral Abyss. This is the importance of strong mechanics. And beyond mechanics, narrative strength is equally vital. People naturally admire strength. If a character is portrayed as powerful in the story, they'll gain popularity. Even if they're a villain who's done terrible things, as long as they're strong, they'll have fans. Thus, narrative strength is essential for popularity. Therefore, strengthening Fischl's second personality is crucial. As the second personality—what players will see as Fischl's "true form"—it must have power befitting the title of Prinzessin der Verurteilung. Of course, since Ye is borrowing Fischl's character to build popularity and even taking control of her body at times, he should also compensate her. Ye isn't the type to take without giving. Especially since he's a fan of the Prinzessin. Thus, Ye spent popularity points to grant Fischl three abilities. First, "Hyper Intuition." As the name suggests, this enhances Fischl's already excellent intuition to the point of near precognition. For example, if there are two paths—one dangerous and one safe—Fischl's intuition will guide her to the safe route. In combat, even if she can't see an enemy's attack, her intuition will allow her to defend correctly, bypassing the need for experience. Fischl will always make the optimal choice in battle. Whether someone is good or evil, strong or weak—Fischl's intuition will reveal the truth. Next, "Judgment Thunder" was added. This ability deals no harm to those Fischl deems beautiful or virtuous, but against those she sees as wicked, the thunder's destructive power is terrifying. Finally, "The Raven That Severs Day and Night" was also granted. When this power is unleashed, Oz will transform into the King of Ravens, a dark beast capable of blotting out the sun. In Version 2.8's storyline, these abilities will naturally manifest in Fischl. How, you ask? Isn't it reasonable for her to awaken new powers while confronting her true self? The new Fischl could even be released as a five-star character—"Evernight Dream." Instead of selling it as a skin, make it a new character and put her on a banner. Wouldn't that be fair compensation? Of course, with plans like these, it's clear that the second personality won't officially debut for at least two years. But that's fine. Over two years, the impression that "Fischl is just a chuunibyou" will become ingrained in players' minds. Then, when the second personality finally appears, it will create a sensational impact. But as mentioned earlier, the second personality's debut can't feel too sudden. Thus, hints must be planted. So, the question is: How can we make "Fischl is just a chuunibyou" the common perception while subtly hinting at the second personality, ensuring its eventual reveal feels shocking but not out of place? After some thought, Ye came up with an answer. "Let's craft a storyline that feels like a hint but, during Version 2.8, makes players think it wasn't a hint after all... only to reveal in the end that it truly was a hint all along."