Chapter 55: Death Penalty!!!!!!

"The Lantern Rite Festival in Liyue is truly lively. What a wonderful day."

Furina sipped her tea with a light smile and said:

"Now, my Supreme Bishop, shouldn't you explain why you suddenly brought me to Liyue and what exactly you want to discuss over this meal?"

"Lady Furina, please look over there."

Ye slightly turned his head toward the other side of the street, and Furina followed his gaze.

Then, her eyes widened slightly.

"Is that the Traveler?"

In Furina's line of sight, there were two young girls and a floating companion. Her gaze settled on the golden-haired girl.

However, Ye didn't intend for her to focus on that.

"Lady Furina, look at the person next to the Traveler."

Furina finally shifted her attention to the other girl, who was holding an oil-paper umbrella and wearing a cheongsam.

The black cheongsam, slit at the sides, was embroidered with a golden dragon pattern, giving the girl an air of mature mystery. Her solemn and serious expression contrasted sharply with her petite figure and youthful face, making her unforgettable at first glance.

As if sensing their gazes, the girl slightly turned her head and glanced at them.

Her eyes instantly locked onto Ye.

Both wore equally calm expressions, their eyes meeting without a flicker of emotion. After a brief moment, the girl turned her head back and walked calmly across the street, disappearing from Ye and Furina's sight.

However, that brief exchange of glances became the highlight of this PV.

Four shots, clearly showcasing opposition and equivalence.

This time, Ye used his own prestige to elevate the stature of his new character.

Regardless of reality, within the Genshin Impact game narrative, Ye, the Supreme Bishop of Fontaine, had already established an imposing presence in the players' minds.

In this context, creating a sense of opposition with Ye would undoubtedly boost the popularity and prestige of a newly introduced character at the fastest speed. It wouldn't require narrative or gameplay strength—just the right character design and story setup.

Moreover, from the very beginning of Genshin Impact's storyline in versions 1.0 and 1.1, it had been hinted that the Supreme Bishop of Fontaine, the Chief Justice of Fontaine, the top three Harbingers of the Fatui, and the top three Knights of the Church were all powerful characters with god-like strength from Fontaine and Snezhnaya. Players were now wondering if other nations also had such powerful non-Archon characters to maintain balance.

Introducing Longhua, a character who could rival the Supreme Bishop of Fontaine, would perfectly align with players' expectations, causing her popularity to skyrocket.

Just as the Seven Archons naturally enjoyed a popularity boost among players, the Supreme Bishop's imposing presence from the start of the story meant that any character who could rival him would gain significant popularity upon their debut.

Yes, not just in Liyue—other nations would also have such characters... and in Mondstadt, that character would be Fischl.

Of course, her popularity was still far from sufficient, so other nations weren't a priority for now. This was version 1.0, and the main focus was on building up Longhua's character.

Thus, the PV filming continued.

Furina turned back to Ye. "Who is she?"

"The Mountain and Sea Fairy."

"The Mountain and Sea Fairy? The god Sidhe? Wasn't she killed by Morax during the Archon War?"

"That's just a rumor. It seems now that she voluntarily gave up competing for the seat of the Geo Archon."

"So, does that mean Morax is really dead? Did Sidhe inherit the position of Geo Archon?"

"The Geo Archon is, of course, alive and well. I spoke to him on the phone not long ago."

"Then what's Sidhe doing...?"

"Perhaps she's seen the changes in the stars."

Ye said meaningfully:

"But that's not the point. The point is the Vision on her right leg."

"A Vision?"

Furina was slightly surprised, then seemed to recall that she had indeed seen a Geo Vision embedded in the black-and-gold leg ring on the Mountain and Sea Fairy's snow-white thigh.

"Isn't that just a disguise? Why would a god need a Vision?"

"No, that's a real Vision. However..."

"However?"

"Within that Vision, besides elemental power, there's another force—a power from beyond this world."

Ye took a light sip of tea, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"I'm very curious how she obtained that power."

"...So what do you plan to do?"

"Lady Furina, I request your permission to declare war on her."

"Is this matter so important that it requires starting a war?"

"Yes. Because only in this way can we force her to reveal her true power."

Ye set down his teacup and spoke calmly:

"If I can uncover the source of that power, I might be able to regain the strength I once lost. At that point, the prophecy of Fontaine could also be resolved."

"I see." Furina nodded, showing understanding, then said softly, "Denied."

"...…"

"Even if it's to solve the prophecy, such actions are absolutely unacceptable. If I allow you to fight Sidhe, it's inevitable that innocent lives will be caught in the crossfire, leading to widespread devastation."

"Since Lady Furina has spoken, I have no choice but to abandon this plan and consider other methods."

Ye sighed slightly, then ended the conversation and tried to change the subject.

—However, before he could shift the topic, Furina spoke first.

"Speaking of which, my Supreme Bishop!"

Furina smiled and said softly:

"There's actually something I've been hesitating to bring up for a while now. I'm not sure if I should mention it."

Ye immediately narrowed his eyes and looked at Furina seriously. "No matter what it is, if it's something Lady Furina wishes to say, I will listen attentively."

Furina stifled a laugh and pointed at Ye's plate. "Actually, your Golden Shrimp Balls are almost completely eaten by Xiangling's little pet."

"I see. Thank you for informing me, Lady Furina."

Ye's expression remained unchanged as he nodded and thanked her sincerely, reassuring her:

"But Lady Furina, you needn't worry about this. My Golden Shrimp Balls were already finished long ago. The plate in front of me now is yours."

Furina's smile instantly froze, and she immediately looked down at her own table... which was completely empty.

"YE!!!!!!!!"

Furina screamed in frustration.

"You're sentenced to death! Death penalty!! Death penalty!!!!!!!!"