Honkai Star Rail: I Became the World Tree — Chapter 12

Chapter 12: I’m Drifting Through the Gutter!You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

Just as the two girls were animatedly discussing which stretch of Trunk Avenue they should tear up tomorrow with their new Flying Skateboards, Stelle ambled over.

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow might be a bust,” Stelle drawled. “March, we are heading to the next stop tomorrow. Did you forget?”

March 7th blinked, the realization slowly dawning on her face. “Hmm? Oh right! The Astral Express departs for the next stop tomorrow.”

“I remember Himeko saying the next destination is the Planet of Festivities, Penacony,” Stelle added. “I heard there are a lot of interesting things there.”

Hearing this, Furina perked up, her eyes sparkling with sudden intrigue. “Oh? Planet of Festivities? That name sounds like an absolute carnival! It must be fabulous!”

Stelle scratched the back of her head. “Is our next stop really such a fun place? Good thing I boarded the Astral Express, otherwise I would have missed out completely.”

March looked at Stelle, a bit surprised, before her expression softened into an encouraging smile. “Oh, right. You had amnesia before we found you. Maybe you have been to Penacony in the past. You might even find some of your lost memories there.”

“I have read that for people with amnesia, spending time in places they have visited before is highly effective for memory recovery,” March added cheerfully.

Stelle let out a quiet sigh. “I hope so.”

Furina turned her attention back to the tall trailblazer. “By the way, Stelle, what did Herta say? Did she give you an answer about the special ores?”

Stelle shrugged, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Nope. She just wants to study it. Did you not notice my Galaxy Frog Hero is missing?”

“It got detained by Herta for experiments. I just hope she can figure out what special ore feeds the Galaxy Frog Heroes before she dissects the poor thing.”

Furina nodded sympathetically. “Alright then. It is getting quite late, so I should make my grand exit.”

Stelle raised a hand, summoning a shimmering teleportation gate. The portal connected directly to the Source Continent, serving as a transit point before bridging all the way back to Fontaine in Teyvat. Furina offered a dramatic wave and stepped through the swirling vortex, vanishing from sight.

March watched the rift seal shut behind the Hydro Archon. “Stelle, can only you open these transit gates?”

“Currently, yes. Samuel explained it to me earlier,” Stelle replied. “Right now, our Star Adventure Group level is too low. Only the Captain has the administrative authority to open them.”

“Once our guild levels up later on, we can assign official positions. Members with those titles will get portal privileges too.”

March perked up, leaning in with bright eyes. “Positions? You absolutely have to save one for me when the time comes! You are the Captain, so naturally, I will be the Deputy Leader.”

Stelle smiled, giving a thumbs-up in agreement. The two girls then hopped onto their Flying Skateboards, chatting idly as they glided through the cool evening air back to the Astral Express.

Meanwhile, deep inside the Palais Mermonia in the Court of Fontaine.

Neuvillette sat in the opulent living room just outside Furina’s private chambers. His piercing gaze drifted toward her closed bedroom door. He knew with absolute certainty that she was not inside.

She had been missing all afternoon. Shortly after retiring to her room post-lunch, her presence had simply vanished.

Neuvillette had not raised an alarm. He merely informed Clorinde of the situation. The Champion Duelist was currently scouring the city streets for any sign of the Archon, while the Iudex remained stationed at her home base.

According to Lady Furina’s recent behavioral patterns, she always emerged precisely at meal times.

Neuvillette checked the elegant mechanical watch on his wrist. Only a few minutes remained until dinner.

Those minutes ticked by in silence. Escofier, the head chef, arrived right on schedule, carefully arranging a lavish spread across the dining table.

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open with a sharp swoosh.

“Woohoo!”

Furina shot out of the room, standing triumphantly atop a hovering Flying Skateboard. She drifted in a wide, sweeping arc around the dining table, the board humming softly before she brought it to a slick, sliding halt.

Neuvillette and Escofier stared at the contraption beneath Furina’s boots, completely stunned.and support the real translator.Read at elysianreads.com This is a stolen translation. You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

“Lord Furina,” Escofier stammered. “What in the world is that? Is it a new prototype from the Fontaine Research Institute?”

Furina flipped her hair, letting out a haughty, airy laugh. “No, no, no! How could those bumbling researchers at the Institute possibly engineer something this magnificent?”

Escofier blinked in confusion. “Then where did it come from?”

Furina flashed a mysterious, theatrical smile, perfectly mimicking Samuel’s habit of keeping his audience in suspense. “I cannot reveal that just yet. When the time is right, the world shall know.”

“For now, I will grace you with its name. It is called a Flying Skateboard.”

With her grand entrance concluded, Furina hopped off the board. She took the sleeping Baron Graindorge from her shoulder and gently placed the unconscious frog onto a plush velvet sofa to rest.

She then gestured grandly toward the table, inviting Escofier and Neuvillette to join her for the meal.

Neuvillette cast a brief, dismissive glance at Baron Graindorge. To his eyes, it was merely a rather cute, ordinary frog.

His attention was entirely captivated by the Flying Skateboard. No matter how he analyzed it, the device did not appear to be something manufactured within the borders of Teyvat. It emitted zero traces of elemental energy during its flight, nor did it rely on the volatile Phlogiston used in neighboring Natlan.

The Chief Justice felt a rare pang of bewilderment. Lady Furina had grown increasingly enigmatic over the past few days.

Deciding to gather intelligence indirectly, Neuvillette picked up a silver fork. “Lady Furina, please try this small cake. Escofier spent two hours perfecting the recipe.”

Furina’s eyes lit up. She immediately took the pastry and began eating with practiced, aristocratic elegance.

Watching her enjoy the dessert, Neuvillette casually posed his question. “Lady Furina, I believe that Flying Skateboard you were just operating could be highly beneficial for the Gardes.”

“It would drastically enhance their rapid response capabilities and overall tactical mobility. Do you think it would be possible to procure more to equip our forces?”

Mid-bite, Furina answered without thinking. “I will have to ask March about that. These things are not cheap. This one was a gift from March.”

Neuvillette silently filed the name away in his mind. March. A new, unknown contact.

“I see. Thank you for your trouble,” he replied smoothly.

Furina waved her fork dismissively. “It is nothing, really.”

“By the way, Neuvillette, I actually have a task for you.”

Neuvillette set his tea down and looked at her attentively. “Please speak.”

Furina pointed a frosting-tipped finger at the sleeping amphibian on the sofa. “Baron Graindorge requires special ores for his diet. Do you know of any unique or rare mineral deposits within Fontaine?”

Neuvillette stared at Baron Graindorge, his stoic composure cracking into genuine confusion. “Baron Graindorge? This frog? Do frogs not consume insects?”

Seeing her precious companion reduced to a common pond dweller, Furina instantly puffed up with indignation.

“Baron Graindorge is a Travel Frog! He is incredibly powerful, exceptionally brilliant, and can understand human speech perfectly! How dare you compare him to some ordinary swamp creature?”

Realizing he had struck a nerve, Neuvillette immediately bowed his head. “My apologies, Lady Furina. I misspoke.”

Furina huffed, her anger deflating as quickly as it flared. “Fine, fine. Just help me collect some ores. Gather a small sample of anything that seems relatively special.”

“I will have him taste-test them one by one.”

Neuvillette nodded, accepting the bizarre directive. “Very well. I shall make the necessary arrangements. If we require truly special ores, I believe we should dispatch an envoy to Liyue. Their mining industry is the most developed in all of Teyvat.”

Furina clapped her hands together. “Excellent! I have no objections, so long as the ores are secured. You may arrange it however you see fit.”You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.