author: Ewa Ichniowska
Genshin Impact - Guilty Childe; Is Oratrice Broken?
The conclusion of Act 2 of the Fontaine Archon Quest in Genshin Impact shocked the players with the surprise guilty verdict for Childe from the Oratrice. In this article, we present some theories about what happened.
Ever since Childe has been judged guilty in the serial disappearances case by the Oratrice in Act 2 of the Fontaine Archon Quest in Genshin Impact, despite another culprit being convicted already, players have been wondering what went wrong. Keep reading for our explanation of the verdict.
The Oratrice purpose and function in Genshin Impact
The Oratrice, or Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, is a device in the shape of giant scales, which delivers the deciding verdict in court cases in Fontaine. It operates based on people's belief in justice and converts it into energy called Indemnitium, which powers the city. It is said to have been created by Furina, the Hydro Archon. It has never returned a different verdict than Chief Justice Neuvilette before.
However, when the Oratrice declared Childe guilty, both Neuvilette and Furina were stumped. There was already another culprit, as we explain here. Is the Oratrice broken, or perhaps, did Furina not make it herself, and thus, doesn’t know everything about it? Let’s look at the clues from the Archon Quest.
Why was Childe declared Guilty?
The mystery of Childe’s guilty verdict will undoubtedly be at the center of the upcoming instalment of the Fontaine Archon quest. There are no clear answers, as of yet. Nevertheless, we can speculate based on available hints.
When we meet Childe in Fontaine, he loses control of his Hydro Vision mid-fight. When asked about it, he confides in the Traveller about a strange affliction he’s experiencing:
But recently, there seems to be some sort of restless power stirring inside of me... And I don't know why, but every now and then I feel like I'm in a terrible mood...
Childe, The City of Rains and Remembrance quest
These symptoms seem oddly similar to the effects of Sinthe abuse and withdrawal, as explained by Navia:
If you drink Sinthe for an extended amount of time, you'll suffer many side effects, such as losing the ability to focus or control your emotions. And if you were to stop drinking it completely... you'll experience flashes of paranoia and anxiety, while lacking energy to do anything.
Navia, The Truth, Lost With the Rain quest
On the other hand, a very important clue is that Childe tells the player the story of how he fell into the Abyss when he was a teenager. He cryptically says that he has awakened “it”, and traces of “it” remained on him.
While in the Abyss, Childe has also experienced a dream that seems to be closely connected to Hydro, and maybe Fontaine, as it’s the only nation where we can dive to the bottom of the sea so far:
In my dream, I was in the deepest depths of the sea, and the boundless seabed was all around me. But in front of me appeared a whale that was so massive I felt like I couldn't breathe.
Childe, The City of Rains and Remembrance quest
We should remember that in a narrative, things happen for a reason, and there must be a purpose in Childe suddenly telling us a story about his experiences in the Abyss. It will definitely be relevant to the plot of the Fontaine Archon Quest in some way.
Based on these facts, we can form two possible hypotheses.
- Childe’s mood-swings and the disturbance in his control of the Hydro element might be the result of being drugged with Sinthe by some third party. The same person or people who have intoxicated him might have tampered with the Oratrice to implicate Childe. A possible reason for that might be to drive the Fatui out from Fontaine. As the organization is operating under the cover of the legitimate Northland Bank, having their representative convincted in a serial murder case would be a huge blow to Fatui’s reputation.
- Childe’s condition could be a result of the Abyssal power encroaching on him. The purpose of Childe telling us about his past might be to hint that to the player. The Oratrice could be working as intended by sensing Childe’s ties to the Abyss, and judged him guilty on principle. It would also suggest that Celestia was involved in the construction of the Oratrice, and gave it that function, as Celestia wants to destroy anything and anyone related to the Abyss.
Either of these theories could explain Furina’s and Neuvilette’s confusion regarding the verdict. However, there isn’t enough information to tip the scales in favour of one or the other hypothesis. It’s possible HoYoverse is preparing a yet another, surprising conclusion as well. Stay tuned for the continuation of the Fontaine Archon Quest, which is expected to come in the patch 4.1 for Genshin Impact.
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