[Bro Luo! The new Genshin Impact character banner is live!! It's Klee!!]
The chat was instantly flooded with this message.
Fallen naturally saw it too.
"What!? Klee's banner is up already?"
He was stunned. Until now, miHoYo hadn't leaked a single word about it.
And suddenly—bam, it's live.
Without hesitation, he Alt + F4'd and launched Genshin Impact!
"That sneaky old miHoYo… Ever since they dropped those real-life cosplay photos of Hu Tao and Klee, they didn't give us a shred of info about when the banner was coming."
Muttering, he logged in at lightning speed.
But instead of the usual loading screen, what greeted him was a cheerful, bouncy tune.
On the screen, large bold words flashed one by one:
Windrise Highlands
Crimson Legend
Boom-Boom·Destroy
The Sun That Cannot Be Imprisoned
You Know What Happens Next
Scorching Red
Solitary Confinement
Fish Taste Great, So Worth It!
Mondstadt's Strongest Force!
…
As the text finished scrolling, an explosively cute little loli appeared.
Head tilted, hands clasped behind her back, she swayed side to side adorably.
"Mm? Are you here to play with Klee~?"
"Then you'll be in charge of keeping lookout~"
Her every move radiated childish innocence.
She tugged her backpack, glanced back at the Traveler, and said, "If you see Acting Grand Master Jean, tell me right away, okay~"
Then she hopped with joy: "Let's gooo~~"
The screen transitioned smoothly into her character splash art:
[Klee — The Fleeing Sun]
[Pyro]
At this point, neither the viewers in the stream nor Fallen could hold back their auntie-smiles.
"This… this is way too cute!!"
"Holy crap! Even my maternal instincts are triggered~"
With cheerful, childlike music in the background, Klee showed off her normal attacks and Elemental Skill.
"Jumpy Dumpty~"
"This time it's the non-fish-blasting, power-up version~"
Her adorable bomb-throwing animation, coupled with that soft, sweet voice…
Fallen completely caved.
"Good lord… this is literally baiting me into wanting a daughter…"
"Even her running is adorable!"
The cutscene continued: Klee got caught by Jean and was locked in solitary confinement.
The clock fast-forwarded, and suddenly—slam! The cell door burst open.
"Waaah~"
Klee's giant moe face filled the entire screen.
It was like a critical hit straight to the viewers' hearts.
"Da-da-da~"
"La-la-la~"
As she unleashed her Elemental Burst, the music swelled to peak cheerfulness.
Behind her, flames and explosions filled the background—yet Klee walked forward with that utterly savage little stride.
Fallen was on the verge of collapse: "Ahhh… I can't take it anymore, brothers!!"
"I'm going all in for full constellation!!"
The chat was just as fired up.
Notably, in this world, Mo Li had deliberately kept Klee's signature walking animation intact.
A bomb-loving, irresistibly cute little loli, combined with that don't-give-a-damn stride—no one could resist the urge to swipe their card.
When the demo ended, the game smoothly transitioned into the Wish screen.
Without hesitation, Fallen dumped thousands of yuan into the gacha.
"Brothers, today I'll show you what it really means to be blessed by RNGesus!"
He converted all his Primogems into Intertwined Fates.
"Over 600 pulls. Can I get her C6 and weapon?"
The chat spammed: [Nope]
Fallen just sneered: "Watch closely!"
Meanwhile, countless other Genshin players also logged in, happily spending a few 648-yuan packs for this adorable Klee.
[She's too cute, I couldn't resist spending…]
[I've been free-to-play forever, but today I broke my vow. Sob sob…]
[My girlfriend doesn't even play Genshin, but she saw Klee and recharged a few 648s for me!!]
[Oppa, buy one more pack, jpg]
[Ever since I pulled Klee, my auntie-smile hasn't stopped… My roommate thinks I've gone pervy QAQ]
[But she's just TOO CUTE sob sob…]
[Roommate offered 10 years of being single in exchange for Klee!! Aaaah…]
As players showed off their shiny new Klees, miHoYo dropped another bombshell.
Genshin Impact would hold a global version 1.1 preview livestream at 8 p.m. in one week!
Both Klee and Hu Tao would appear on stream, and—get this—Mo Li himself would be hosting!
On top of that, there'd be a 300 Primogem code giveaway.
The Primogems weren't the real draw.
What truly hyped the players was Mo Li's first-ever face reveal.
Everyone had always been dying to know what he looked like.
Finally, they'd get to shout "Otto, face my blade!!" right to his face!
And of course, anticipation for Klee was through the roof too.
What would the real-life version of that moe little loli be like?
The hype was unbearable. Players wished they could fast-forward time straight to the stream.
And it wasn't just players celebrating.
Streaming platforms, both domestic and international, smelled the blood in the water.
They all scrambled to contact Mo Li, begging to co-host the event.
Mo Li didn't turn anyone down. Every platform that asked got a yes.
While the community buzzed with excitement, Mo Li was busy setting up the preview stream room.
At the same time, he asked Ningguang's side to rush out Zhongli's costume.
But he still couldn't decide: should he appear as Zhongli, as Otto, or just as himself?
The problem was, players mostly saw him as Otto, the villain.
If he suddenly switched to the benevolent Geo Archon, it might throw people off.
It was worth noting: originally, version 1.1's banners were supposed to feature the Geo Archon and Tartaglia.
But the banners could always be reshuffled. After all, Liyue's storyline also had Ganyu content.
The order didn't matter much.
Meanwhile, Fu Hua finished recording her voice lines for the new Honkai Impact 3rd side story.
Bronya wrapped up hers too.
Ganyu, however, was too shy, so she passed on appearing in this livestream.
What Mo Li didn't expect was that his casual invitation actually got Ningguang to agree.
So the main guests this time became Mo Li, Hu Tao, and Ningguang.
As for Klee… well, what does a little loli know about livestreaming?
She'd just sit there while everyone patted her head.
Time flew, and soon it was the big day.
7:30 p.m.
On every major platform, miHoYo's official channel was already live.
The placeholder screen showed a poster while the background music played "Liyue Symphony."
Viewers poured in by the thousands, chatting and joking with Genshin and Honkai memes.
[Open the door already!!]
[It's 7:30, can't you start early?]
[Otto, face my blade!!]
[Otto you dog, give me back Himeko-onee-san!]
[miHoYo, stop stabbing us with tragedies!!]
Hype was through the roof.
Every platform pinned the stream to their front page. Anyone opening the app would see it.
Finally, 8 o'clock struck.
The screen faded from the poster into a classical-style room.
Inside sat a man and a woman.
The man was tall, handsome, with a calm and steady aura.
The woman was elegant, regal, and stunningly beautiful.
The moment players saw them, they lit up.
They hadn't seen these faces in the game yet, but their outfits screamed Genshin Impact.
Dragon Country aesthetics blended with anime flair… unmistakable.
New characters?
"Good evening, Travelers~" the white-haired woman greeted gracefully.
"I am Ningguang, Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing in Genshin Impact."
Then she gestured to Mo Li across from her:
"And this… is miHoYo's CEO, the creator of Genshin and Honkai Impact 3rd, Otto's voice actor…"
"At the same time, he is also the man portraying Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's consultant, Zhongli—Mo Li~"
Mo Li set down his teacup and gave a calm nod.
The chat exploded with question marks.
[?? That's Otto the dog??]
[Holy crap!! He's handsome!]
[That aura… he's got me in the palm of his hand…]
[Not gonna lie, even as a dude, I'm impressed]
[So… are we still cutting him down or not?]
[…Maybe hold off until he appears as Otto again?]
[Pfft, morals swayed by looks, lmao…]
[Another 300 Primogems and we'll let him live!!]
[300 Primogems = instant amnesia!!]
Mo Li, reading the chat, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he smiled faintly: "Very well. Another 300 Primogems today."
The chat went ballistic.
They had only been joking, but the boss actually delivered!
[Holy crap! Otto—no, Emperor Zhongli is mighty!]
[What a generous boss!!]
[He really gave it?? I gotta bow in respect]
[It's just 30 yuan's worth, but why do I feel so grateful??]
[Yeah… 300 isn't much, but somehow miHoYo feels super kind for this]
[Crap! We're getting brainwashed by miHoYo CPU!!]
[Illiterate—it's called NBA!]
The barrage was wild.
Meanwhile, the girls adjusting the stream setup behind the scenes covered their mouths, giggling at the cuteness of the players.
Even Ningguang was briefly thrown off.
But she quickly recovered, smiling as she said:
"I'm sure players are curious about what's in the new version, as well as the identity of this 'Zhongli' sitting before me~"
Hype surged again.
They hadn't expected miHoYo's boss to put himself into the game's gacha!
"Next, Travelers, please enjoy this character demo video to get a first look at Mr. Zhongli~"
As Ningguang finished, the girls backstage cued the footage.
The livestream dimmed.
Genshin Impact Character Demo — "Zhongli: The Listener"
The video opened with a narrator fanning himself like a storyteller:
"Previously we spoke of how, in those days, Liyue faced demons from the sea and terrors in the mountains."
"The Geo Archon gathered the Adepti, determined to bring peace to the land."
The camera panned slowly to the audience.
Players immediately recognized him—the calm, teacup-holding man was none other than the boss, Mo Li.
"They say that before setting forth, the Archon proclaimed…"
The music shifted abruptly.
Erhu, drums, and guzheng strings fused into a grand, heavy melody.
Just the opening notes sent chills down spines, carrying a crushing sense of epic gravitas.
Zhongli's splash art faded in.
Tall and striking, holding the Vortex Vanquisher, crimson-tinted eyeshadow somehow enhanced his divine masculinity.
[Zhongli — Wandering the Mortal Realm]
[Geo]
The demo showcased his normal attacks and Elemental Skill.
Each spear strike, paired with the slow, majestic movement of a Chinese dragon, and backed by the erhu's powerful notes…
Goosebumps.
Especially for players from the Dragon Country—when they saw the Eastern Dragon form, their eyes widened.
Finally. At long last, the sacred image of the Eastern Dragon appeared before the whole world.
In fantasy games, dragons had always been Western.
Never before had the Eastern Dragon been presented.
Until now. Genshin made the entire world witness it.
And that wasn't the end.
As the music swelled toward its climax, Zhongli's solemn monologue rang out:
"In this era of gods and demons, I have no wish to rule… yet I cannot ignore the suffering of mortals."
The erhu quickened, the visuals cycling through Zhongli's attacks, intercut with ink-wash paintings.
The Dragon Country aesthetic spilled from the screen, smacking global audiences across the face.
Finally, with the erhu shrieking at its peak, Zhongli's voice thundered:
"Dominus Lapidis!!"
Stars rained down. Enemies were obliterated, turned to stone.
[Holy crap!!! He's unstoppable!!]
[miHoYo's music and art NEVER disappoint]
[Didn't know the erhu could sound like a battle hymn!! Absolute genius!]
[So goddamn cool!! Aaaaah!!]
[Fine, miHoYo, I'll pull already, stop flexing!!]
[This erhu isn't playing music, it's shredding my wallet QAQ]
The whole gaming world trembled before The Listener.
Even after the demo ended, the chat barrage never slowed.
The stream cut back to the classical room.
Ningguang herself was visibly stunned, taking a deep breath before forcing her excitement down and smiling at Mo Li.
"I believe everyone now has some understanding of the character 'Zhongli.' But… what is his identity in Teyvat?"
The players already knew. This man had to be Liyue's Archon.
And they were beyond satisfied with the design.
Mo Li said calmly, "Just a consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Nothing of note~"
Ningguang feigned puzzlement. "Oh? Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"
Before she could continue, a lively, mischievous voice rang out:
"Hehe~ I am the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—Hu Tao~"
She had been waiting off-camera, impatient to jump in.
The moment her voice fell, the quirky Hu Tao leapt in front of the lens and made a silly face.
Her beauty filled the screen.
Unlike Kiana, Hu Tao wasn't shy at all—no social anxiety here.
"Traveler, life's journey is always full of danger, isn't it~"
She bounded over to Mo Li, leaned on his shoulder, and grinned at the camera:
"Special promo from Wangsheng! Buy one tombstone, get the second half-off~"
"Want me to send you off personally?"
Chat exploded:
[Why's this Hall Master Hu acting so flirty??]
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