With the character skill design settled, the next steps were the basic information and the character illustration.
[Basic Information]
[Name: Jun Bai]
[Birthday: July 28th]
[Affiliation: Liyue Millelith]
[Role: Pyro DPS Character]
[Weapon Type: Polearm]
[Constellation: Nirvana Constellation]
[Title: Feathers Crossing the Mortal Realm]
The basic information could be prepared quickly based on the background story Jun Bai had set. But the next part—the character illustration…
Jun Bai's expression turned serious. He first sketched the general appearance of his illustration in his mind, then identified flaws bit by bit as he looked at the illustration displayed on the system screen, working to perfect it.
The 3D model is based on the illustration, and the character's appearance is determined by the model. Thus, the equation follows: Character Appearance = Model = Illustration, therefore, Character Appearance = Illustration.
Setting aside the impact of appearance on popularity, could anyone really restrain themselves from making their look more attractive when given the chance to design their own appearance?
Anyway, Jun Bai simply couldn't accept the idea of becoming a playable character and still having an unattractive face.
"In my past life, I was ordinary my whole life. After crossing over, I'm still supposed to have a plain, or even possibly ugly, face? Impossible! You might as well just let me die." — Jun Bai
Being handsome is a matter of a lifetime.
So, Jun Bai mustered 120% concentration to create his character illustration. He was even willing to bet this was the first—and last—time he would ever be so intensely focused.
Thus, a nearly flawless illustration was completed. At the very least, Jun Bai was quite satisfied with it.
With this, all the preparatory work required by the system was complete: the character background story, character skill design, basic character information, and character illustration.
…
Meanwhile, on a parallel world's Earth.
"There are only two days left until the official launch, and miHoYo is still releasing new character illustrations at a time like this?" remarked the internet celebrity streamer Silver Wolf, biting a popsicle.
She had just started her stream, planning to warm up with a round of CS, when she noticed her chat flooding with messages about Genshin Impact officially announcing another new character illustration.
Silver Wolf knew about Genshin Impact; she was even a closed beta tester. Her viewers knew this.
Moreover, she had watched the new PV "Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview: Travail" that miHoYo had released on HoYoLAB not long ago with her audience.
So, this new character the viewers mentioned—was it a completely unexpected character, one who didn't appear in the beta or the PV?
Releasing a new character illustration two days before launch? And an unexpected one at that? Isn't that a bit…
Not that it was impossible, but Silver Wolf felt a bit suspicious, like it might be some kind of backdoor deal.
Could it be a scrapped concept character that was rushed out and they didn't know how else to handle it?
Silver Wolf voiced her doubts, but the viewers in her chat claimed to know nothing.
Well, of course, the viewers only needed to watch the show, while the streamer had to consider many more things.
Naturally, some viewers who had scouted the situation returned to report that the illustration was very detailed and didn't look like a rushed, scrapped concept.
But because they were just viewers, Silver Wolf remained somewhat skeptical. She knew her chat's capabilities for mischief were far from ordinary. Last time, she clearly heard enemy footsteps on the right, but her chat spammed "LEFT" in the bullet comments.
They even flooded the entire screen with it…
So, with a mix of belief and skepticism, Silver Wolf clicked into the Genshin Impact community on HoYoLAB, and the first thing she saw was the new character illustration her viewers mentioned.
First glance: Handsome guy, who are you?
Second glance: Oh, it's my husband.
If not for maintaining her persona and image, the word "husband" would have slipped out.
A youthful face, an adult's physique, snow-white hair flowing dramatically down his back, and crimson eyes that peered down upon the world, locking gazes with anyone viewing the illustration. His handsome features carried a bold, heroic spirit in his brows, like a great general seasoned in countless battles.
No, not like—he was one.
Clad in dark red military attire that outlined his tall, straight figure, he held a Fangtian Huaji in his hand, radiating an aura of fierce combat. A vividly rendered fire phoenix stood guard beside this commander, releasing flames that served as the background.
Even though it was a static image, both Silver Wolf and her viewers felt as if those flames were truly burning; you couldn't tell the difference without looking closely.
The stream's bullet comments went blank for a moment, then a flood of comments filled the entire screen.
[miHoYo, quick, quick, quick! I want this one!]
[Illustrator, come out and accept this chicken dinner!]
[I was a closed beta tester, never saw this character. Probably an unexpected addition. But now I want to say: miHoYo, since you've released the illustration, hurry up and serve this character to us!]
[I said earlier this character didn't look like a scrapped concept, and Wolfie didn't believe me. Now you see the light, huh?]
[Wolfie's reaction is pretty tame. Little Guina in the next stream is already calling him husband.]
[The Liyue Glutton in the other stream is practically drooling, almost licking the screen.]
Silver Wolf finally snapped back to reality and, feigning composure, said, "It is quite good-looking, definitely an unexpected character. I didn't see him during the closed beta, and he wasn't in the PV either."
"Since everyone is interested in this mysterious character, let's see how much information miHoYo has released about him."
Without waiting for a reply from her chat, Silver Wolf deftly clicked on the webpage.
["We"? Are you sure it's not just you, Wolfie, who wants to see?]
[Such a poor cover-up. Now everyone knows Wolfie is interested in this unexpected character.]
Silver Wolf remained expressionless on the surface, but inwardly she felt embarrassed and chose not to respond.
The page loaded, revealing the illustration and the basic information about this character.
[Name: Jun Bai]
[Birthday: July 28th]
[Affiliation: ???]
[Role: ???]
[Weapon Type: Polearm]
[Constellation: ??? Constellation]
Thump!
Desk HP -1.
Silver Wolf slammed the table angrily and shouted, "miHoYo, if you haven't finished preparing the character info, don't release it just to tease people!"
[LOL, aside from the name and birthday, there's no useful information.]
[He's literally holding a Fangtian Huaji in the illustration; no need to remind us about the weapon type.]
[It's like the illustrator finished early and did an exceptional job, then turned around and found their coworkers hadn't finished their part.]
Silver Wolf took a few deep breaths, her fists clenching and unclenching before she finally calmed down.
This feeling of having your expectations built up and then let down was truly hard to bear.
After barely calming her emotions, Silver Wolf began extracting useful information from the illustration: "During the closed beta, there were only two regions: Mondstadt and Liyue. Mondstadt's prototype is ancient Europe; Liyue's prototype is our Dragon Nation."
"This character named Jun Bai—from his name, his clothing, even the fire phoenix beside him—is filled with Dragon Nation elements, meaning he's most likely a character from the Liyue region."
"During the closed beta, the main story ended after Mondstadt. Now, miHoYo releases a Liyue character who didn't appear in the beta at this time. I predict he will definitely be involved in the Liyue region's main storyline."
"His clothing closely resembles the armor worn by soldiers in ancient Dragon Nation times, so Jun Bai is likely a military figure."
"Then there's the fire phoenix, which basically confirms that Jun Bai's element is Pyro…"
True to her reputation as a streamer proficient in various games, Silver Wolf managed to analyze quite a bit of information from just the illustration.
However, the more she analyzed, the greater the curiosity about Jun Bai grew among both her and her viewers, rather than diminishing.
Because there was no way to confirm the accuracy of the information, the more they analyzed, the more they wanted to know the definite details.
And so, Jun Bai's name and image were successfully imprinted in the minds of many players. This group of players grew increasingly eager for the official launch, just two days away.
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
Please support the original author: 失渝光
Raw:宝可梦:我的冠军老婆沙奈朵