After a flash of white light, a seven-element loading progress bar appeared on the screen.
Loading completed, entering the game screen.
The first thing that entered the players' view was a simple stick drawing of two meteors on the beach.
"So, you two drifted here… from outside the world?" A very cute voice sounded. The one speaking was Genshin Impact's mascot girl, Paimon.
After Paimon finished speaking, the game entered the cutscene.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, who looked very similar to the Herrscher of the Void, appeared and blocked the twins' path forward: "Outlanders, your journey ends here."
[Old Mi is recycling and reusing the Herrscher of the Void's model.]
[Visual hallucination of the Herrscher of the Void.]
[MiHoYo, I want this one!]
The twins were unwilling to stop their journey because of a stranger.
The two sides could not reach an agreement, so a great battle unfolded.
The twins, with light wings unfolded, held their signature weapons, dodging the dark red cubes released by the Sustainer, then seized the opportunity. When the Sustainer revealed an opening, the brother and sister attacked the Sustainer with great tacit understanding.
The screen paused.
"Choose one of the twins."
Guinaifen, seeing this, began voice-calling with the streamers she had a good relationship with. This was agreed upon before the livestream started to ride the popularity of Genshin Impact's launch by voice-calling to gain more viewers and eat from the same bowl together.
"Sisters, sisters, who did you all choose?"
Silver Wolf, who had already started the next segment of the plot, said: "I chose the sister. The sister has high damage and is suitable for exploration."
The variety streamer Stelle chose the sister right in front of Guinaifen: "Of course the sister. The moment I saw her, I felt a sense of resonance."
The timid newbie streamer Huohuo: "I-I-I chose the brother. He runs fast… and isn't easy to get hit."
Silver Wolf's colleague, the motherly streamer Kafka: "The sister. The sister looks more obedient."
Guinaifen's best friend, Sushang: "Little Guizi, can't I choose the one in the middle? I've clicked it so many times."
Skipping the last one, Guinaifen followed the sisters' opinions and, following the principle of the minority obeying the majority, chose the sister as her playable character.
Then the plot continued. The chosen sister was struck down, while the brother was arrested by the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
The animation ended, returning to the plot.
"And so, the unknown god took my brother away. I was also sealed by the gods and lost my original power."
"We who once crossed many worlds are now trapped here…"
"Just how many years ago was that? I don't know… but I will find a way to figure it out."
"After waking up, I was always wandering alone until two months ago, when I met you…"
On the beach were the stick drawings that Lumine had drawn with a branch while telling the story. It couldn't be said that they were badly drawn, but if not for the plot explanation, most people wouldn't even know she was drawing the plot.
[Drawing skills are touching.]
[Is there really anyone who can understand the plot from this abstract art?]
At this moment, the camera focused on Paimon. The mascot flying in the air smiled and replied: "Yeah, back then it was all thanks to you, otherwise I would probably have drowned."
The scene on the screen showed Lumine fishing the unconscious Paimon out of the water with a fishing rod.
Huohuo in the livestream, watching this plot segment, pondered for a moment before weakly saying: "Isn't she able to fly? How did she fall into the sea while flying in the sky?"
[Huohuo-jie discovered the key point.]
[That makes so much sense. I didn't notice it at all during the closed beta.]
Then the two in the game finished chatting and the beginner tutorial began.
Silver Wolf, as the only closed beta player among the voice-call streamers, did not need to adapt like the other streamers: "Ignore the guidance for now. It'll waste a few minutes. There's a precious chest over here."
"Pay attention, don't sprint, or stamina won't be enough."
Only after Silver Wolf claimed the precious chest behind the reef did she turn back to do the beginner tutorial. Even so, she was the first among the group of streamers to light up the Statue of the Seven at Starfell Lake.
Because the others were all indulging in open-world gameplay, only Silver Wolf, having experienced it in advance, focused on the plot.
Touching the Statue of the Seven, resonating with Anemo, unlocking the Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst, after which the screen darkened and entered another cutscene...
Wait? In the closed beta, wasn't the cutscene supposed to happen on the way to Mondstadt City?
And the appearance of Stormterror wasn't a cutscene but in real-time gameplay. So what is this?
Silver Wolf was caught off guard by this development that differed from the closed beta plot and subconsciously sat up straight.
...
Teyvat continent.
After Lumine touched the Statue of the Seven of the Anemo Archon, she obtained the power of Anemo. This made Paimon beside her click her tongue in wonder. Then the two planned to continue heading toward Mondstadt City.
But at this moment, the sky suddenly darkened.
Lumine and Paimon looked up, and then they saw a scene that shocked them.
The birds in the forest flew out of their nests all at once, converging in the sky in perfect unison. Like colorful clouds, they paved a path in the sky, blocking all sunlight.
Hundreds of birds flew in the same direction. This spectacular scene left Lumine and Paimon utterly shocked.
"W-What's going on? All the birds are flying in the same direction..." Paimon flailed her hands and feet in the air.
"Let's go take a look." Lumine calmed down and then followed behind the flock of birds.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Paimon chased after Lumine.
Lumine observed the flock of birds flying in the sky and noticed that their flight speed was clearly slowing down. She realized she would soon find the cause of the birds' commotion.
With a thought, her dull blade appeared in her hand. After resonating with the Statue of the Seven, her power had recovered somewhat, enough to handle ordinary sudden situations.
She was only afraid of those extraordinary sudden situations...
All the birds descended toward the same spot. Lumine locked onto the position and slowed her steps as she got closer, using the grass to conceal her figure as she approached the destination.
In the grass, Lumine saw through the gaps between the blades of grass the true culprit causing the birds' commotion.
White hair and red eyes, a face full of youthful charm that was exceptionally handsome. Yet his eyes carried a vicissitude that did not match his appearance. Tens of thousands of birds surrounded him. The rising and falling chirps revealed heartfelt joy. The birds were delighted by the youth's appearance.
A pair of flaming wings, fully spread to six meters long, unfolded on the youth's right side. Scattered red light dots fell from the tips of the feathers, emitting a sacred glow under the sunlight.
The left side, where the flaming wings were not unfolded, was shrouded in the shadow of the tree leaves, placing the youth at the boundary between half-light and half-dark.
He stretched out his hand. A sparrow landed on his extended index finger.
The youth revealed a faint smile, bringing the little sparrow in front of himself. The little sparrow affectionately rubbed its cheek against his. Such a scene was very beautiful.
Suddenly, the expression on the youth's face changed. His puzzled gaze looked toward the grass where Lumine and Paimon were hiding. He opened his mouth, about to speak.