Chapter 161: Chapter 159: Will the Hydro Archon Become the Ultimate Antagonist?
"Actually, speaking of the Supreme Bishop, there's a point I've been holding back on because I'm still trying to figure it out."
Big Bro Horse was also streaming the version 2.4 storyline. After finishing the quest and watching the animated short where Albedo and the fake Albedo walk toward each other, with the Supreme Bishop of Fontaine standing on a hilltop quietly observing the scene—after watching this animated short, Big Bro Horse made the above statement.
The animated short didn't reveal who won between Albedo and the fake Albedo, nor did it explain why the Supreme Bishop was there watching. It ended on a cliffhanger.
However, the brief appearance of the Supreme Bishop in the animated short completely ignited Big Bro Horse's desire to discuss.
"The Supreme Bishop is arguably the most mysterious character in Genshin Impact right now. He's even more mysterious than the 'Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' from the beginning of the story. The extent of his power at his peak is completely unknown."
"And in contrast to the Supreme Bishop's mystery, there's also the mystery of the Hydro Archon, Furina."
"In the 'Report to Lady Furina' PVs, Furina has always been portrayed as wise but also a bit silly."
"In all the PVs, Furina is always being tricked by the Supreme Bishop. The only time she wasn't tricked was when she suddenly cried… Well, it wasn't exactly crying. She just suddenly shed tears, but she didn't seem to notice it herself."
"At the time, Furina explained that her Hydro energy was overflowing… I don't think any players actually believed that, right?"
"Kiana didn't need to suddenly give Furina this kind of trait. If Furina really had this trait, it should have been shown from the beginning to make it a charming point that enriches her character. Introducing it suddenly like this is meaningless and just feels confusing."
"Especially when you consider that in that episode, Furina wasn't tricked by the Supreme Bishop… Saying this might sound a bit harsh on Furina, but that's the truth. Thinking about how Furina wasn't tricked in that episode makes it feel even more off."
"Kiana hiding key information in PVs is an old tradition, so this PV is probably setting up a very important plot point for the Hydro Archon. But we don't know what this plot point is, only that something feels off… And now, that feeling has become even stronger."
"Yes, it's after the Supreme Bishop was officially added to the gacha."
"Of course, by 'gacha,' we all know it's just there for players to look at the artwork. The Supreme Bishop is free and doesn't have constellations, so there's no need to pull for him… I'm getting off-topic. What I mean is that now every player has the Supreme Bishop, and anyone who checks the character profile should have noticed a very special piece of information."
"This information overturns all our previous speculations and slaps me in the face, forcing me to completely revise my previous judgment about the relationship between the Supreme Bishop and the Hydro Archon."
"Although the PVs of the Supreme Bishop and Furina always give off a 'bickering couple' vibe, I always believed it was a facade, a way for Kiana to lower our guard. I was convinced the Supreme Bishop would betray the Hydro Archon and take her Gnosis. It was definitely going to be a tragic twist, especially since the Supreme Bishop explicitly mentioned his deal with the Tsaritsa during the Liyue storyline, and because of Celestia… Well, I've talked about this in previous videos, so I won't repeat it here. If you haven't seen that video, there's no need to watch it now, because that theory has been completely overturned."
"Yes, it was overturned by the Supreme Bishop's faction affiliation—the Supreme Bishop is affiliated with Furina. He's actually affiliated with Furina?"
As Big Bro Horse said this, his tone was still filled with disbelief.
"Not affiliated with Fontaine, nor with the Grand Cathedral. Even though he's an outlander like the Traveler, he's not unaffiliated like the Traveler. Instead, he's affiliated with Furina, affiliated with an individual… No, affiliated with a god… That's not the point. The point is, to put it bluntly, the Supreme Bishop is completely loyal to the Hydro Archon."
"If that's the case, then the earlier storylines create a contradiction. That's why I haven't reanalyzed the Supreme Bishop yet."
"If the Supreme Bishop is loyal to the Hydro Archon, and only to the Hydro Archon, then his deal with the Tsaritsa makes no sense. How could the Supreme Bishop help the Tsaritsa steal the Hydro Archon's Gnosis?"
"What we know now is that Snezhnaya and Fontaine are the two strongest nations in Teyvat. Both nations have more than one or two god-level combatants."
"And the relationship between these two nations doesn't seem to be very good, especially with the Supreme Bishop. Even though he has a cooperative relationship with the Tsaritsa, he doesn't hesitate to kill Fatui Harbingers or poach their members…"
At this point, Big Bro Horse suddenly paused.
"I suddenly have a theory: the Supreme Bishop is completely deceiving the Tsaritsa. He's actually acting on the Hydro Archon's orders—Furina is also collecting Gnosis to stop the Tsaritsa's plot and eventually put her on trial."
As he said this, he slammed the table.
"Holy crap! This is actually very possible!!"
"Think about the 'Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview' PV!!"
At this point, he closed the game, opened the PV, skipped to the Fontaine section, and then skipped Natlan to go straight to Snezhnaya.
「The God of Justice loves all the drama in the courtroom and even desires to judge the gods.」
「But she knows very well that only 'Celestia' must not be opposed.」
「She is a god who will never be loved by humans again.」
「She is a god who will never love humans again.」
「The reason people follow her is because they believe that one day, she will raise the banner of rebellion against 'Celestia.'」
"This is it!"
Big Bro Horse exclaimed excitedly:
"Although we still don't know what the Gnosis are for once collected, one thing is clear: the Tsaritsa is collecting Gnosis to oppose Celestia!"
"And what about the Hydro Archon? Furina? She's on Celestia's side!"
"Even though we've always had a good impression of Furina because of the 'Report to Lady Furina' PVs, and we love her silly and cute demeanor, don't forget—Furina has always desired to judge the other gods!!"
"From the 'Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview' PV, Furina is a somewhat crazy and obsessive god. As the God of Justice, her greatest desire is to judge the other gods and push her authority to its peak."
"But the Seven Archons aren't enemies. If anything, they're like seven great lords appointed by the heavenly emperor, all serving under Celestia. Without a legitimate reason, they can't directly act against each other."
"However, the Tsaritsa has now given the Hydro Archon a legitimate reason: the Tsaritsa wants to rebel against Celestia—this is like a gift from heaven for the Hydro Archon!!"
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"
Big Bro Horse was getting more and more excited.
"The Hydro Archon and the Tsaritsa are likely evenly matched in strength. That's why, to judge the Tsaritsa, the Hydro Archon can't let her obtain the Gnosis. Even though we don't know what the Gnosis do, if they're being collected to oppose Celestia, then letting the Tsaritsa obtain them would definitely mean she gains even greater power."
"So, under the Hydro Archon's orders, the Supreme Bishop is playing along with the Tsaritsa, pretending to help her obtain the Gnosis while secretly intercepting the Gnosis the Fatui are after, even killing Fatui Harbingers and poaching their members, slowly dismantling the Tsaritsa's forces, waiting for the day when the Hydro Archon can formally put the Tsaritsa on trial—this makes perfect sense!!"
"And with this, the direction of Fontaine's storyline also becomes clear."
"Remember, our protagonist is absolutely incompatible with Celestia. So… could it be that the Hydro Archon and the Supreme Bishop will become the final bosses?"
"In the Fontaine storyline, we might end up fully siding with the Fatui, fighting against the Hydro Archon and the Supreme Bishop, helping the Fatui steal the Gnosis—oh my god, could this really be how it plays out!?"