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ArabicHonkai Star Rail: I Became the World Tree — Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Nahida, Samuel, and Two World Trees
The little girl stood amidst the boundless, ethereal expanse of the consciousness space, her bright green eyes wide with curiosity. She offered a polite, somewhat hesitant bow.
“Hello, my name is Nahida,” she introduced herself, her voice soft and melodic. “I just happened to discover a familiar aura appearing, and I was curious… so I followed it.”
Samuel remained silent for a moment, simply looking the girl up and down. He recognized her immediately. This was Nahida, the current Dendro Archon of Sumeru, otherwise known as Lesser Lord Kusanali. Yet, despite her divine status, he knew the grim reality of her situation: at this very moment, her physical body was still locked away, imprisoned by her own people within the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
“Familiar?” Samuel echoed, a faint, knowing smile touching his lips. “Perhaps it is because we are both World Trees.”
Nahida tilted her small head, her expression instantly clouding with confusion. “Sir, you must be mistaken. I am not a World Tree.”
“I am not mistaken,” Samuel replied, his tone calm and absolute. “In my perception, you are indeed the avatar of Irminsul, the World Tree of Teyvat. Just like this body of mine.”
Nahida blinked, thoroughly dazed by the revelation. “I am… also a World Tree?”
Samuel nodded, the ambient light of the mental realm shifting around them to reflect his steady certainty. “You can certainly trust me—trust the innate perception of a fellow World Tree.”
She looked up, her gaze locking onto him with renewed intensity. “Then, Mr. World Tree, you haven’t told me your name yet.”
Samuel lightly slapped his forehead, letting out a dry chuckle. He had been so caught up in observing the Dendro Archon that he had completely forgotten his manners. “My apologies. My name is Samuel. I am a World Tree, and I possess a world entirely of my own.”
A bright, genuine smile finally broke across Nahida’s face. She reached out her tiny hand. “Hello, Samuel. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Samuel accepted the handshake, his grip gentle. “Hello, Nahida. It’s a pleasure to meet you too.” He paused, letting the pleasantries settle before his tone took a sudden, sharp dip. “So… now let’s talk about you intruding into my mental world without permission.”
Caught entirely off guard by the abrupt shift, Nahida’s shoulders stiffened. “Ah? Are you still going to hold me accountable? I… I thought you had already forgiven me.”
Looking at her wide, anxious eyes and utterly adorable panic, Samuel couldn’t maintain the stern facade. He reached out and lightly patted her small head. “Of course I’m holding you accountable. Your punishment is to work for me.”
Disbelief washed over Nahida’s features. She looked at Samuel, then looked down at her own petite, childlike body. Making her work? Was he being serious?
Seeing her bewildered, slightly offended expression, Samuel couldn’t hold back his amusement any longer. “Hahaha, I’m just kidding. You’re so small, I wouldn’t dare put you to work. I’m afraid people would accuse me of employing child labor.”
The joke did not land well. Nahida crossed her arms over her chest, puffing out her cheeks in sheer indignation. “I am already five hundred years old! I am not a child!”
Samuel simply smiled, entirely unfazed by her adorable display of anger. “Five hundred years old? For a human, that is indeed ancient. But you are a deity, Nahida. Among the gods, you are still just a toddler.”
Nahida gave a very deliberate, cold snort, turning her head away in a huff and refusing to look at him.
“Alright, alright, no more jokes,” Samuel coaxed, his voice softening. “Would you like to hear stories from another world?”
The bait worked instantly. The gloom vanished from Nahida’s face, replaced by a scholar’s insatiable thirst for knowledge. “Really?”
Samuel nodded. Gesturing for her to sit, he began to weave tales of his original world. He didn’t speak of magic or monsters, but of human history—of ancient monarchs, brilliant tacticians, and the heavy, often ruthless burden of leadership.
The storytelling flowed for more than half an hour, the mental space hanging on his every word. Eventually, the connection began to waver. Nahida needed to return; her consciousness could not remain detached from her physical body for too long, especially across such a vast dimensional distance.
“Samuel, thank you for telling me about the other world,” she said, her tone filled with genuine gratitude. “It was a wonderful pleasure meeting you.”
“You’re welcome,” Samuel replied warmly. “If you ever want to hear more stories, you are always free to visit my consciousness space. However, I won’t be in Teyvat most of the time.”
Nahida smiled, already more than satisfied with the arrangement. “That is enough. I will wait for you.”
Samuel nodded, gently severing the connection and seeing her off.
Inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
The dim, green-tinted isolation of the cage greeted Nahida as her consciousness snapped back into her physical form. She slowly opened her eyes, the oppressive silence of the sanctuary a stark contrast to the vibrant mental world she had just left.
She lowered her head, her small hands resting in her lap as she fell into deep thought. The stories of those ancient, ruthless Earth monarchs echoed in her mind.
“Mercy cannot command an army,” she whispered softly to herself in the empty room. “Righteousness cannot amass wealth, emotion cannot govern affairs, and pure kindness cannot hold power…”
It was the final proverb Samuel had imparted to her. For a gentle god imprisoned by her own arrogant sages, the words carried a heavy, terrifying weight. Yet, deep down, she knew he was right. It made perfect sense.
Meanwhile, inside the Palais Mermonia.
Stelle, March 7th, and Furina were huddled tightly together around a plush sofa, whispering furiously as they stared at Samuel’s catatonic body.
“Look at him. He hasn’t moved a single muscle,” Furina muttered, her dramatic flair dialed up to eleven. “He’s been frozen in that exact position for ages.”
“Yeah, I felt something was off a while ago,” Stelle added, her arms crossed as she analyzed the situation with deadpan seriousness. “We were right in the middle of chatting, and then he just completely bluescreened.”
“What do you think he’s doing?” March asked nervously, clutching her camera. “He didn’t just… kick the bucket, did he?”
“Surely not?” Furina gasped, taking a step back.
Stelle nudged the pink-haired archer. “Only one way to find out. Go check if he’s still breathing.”
“Okay, you go!” March shot back, but after a firm shove from Stelle, she reluctantly tiptoed forward.
Holding her breath, March slowly extended a trembling index finger toward Samuel’s nose. Just as her fingertip was about to brush his skin, Samuel’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up.
“Eek!” March shrieked, jumping backward with enough force to launch herself over the coffee table and crash unceremoniously onto the adjacent sofa.
Samuel blinked, looking at the tangled mess of pink hair and limbs on the cushions. “What happened? Why is March acting like she just saw a ghost?”
Stelle sighed, pointing an accusing thumb at him. “It’s because of you. You were sitting there motionless for so long, March wanted to see if your mortal coil had snapped.”
“Oh, I see,” Samuel chuckled, stretching his neck. “It’s nothing to worry about. I just met someone very interesting.” He turned his attention to the Hydro Archon, who was still clutching her chest from the jump scare. “By the way, Furina, save a spot in your Adventurers Guild. I’ll be bringing someone to join later.”
It was the perfect setup. By recruiting Nahida into Furina’s guild, the little Archon could visit his world, level up, and gain the strength she desperately needed to break free from the Akademiya’s control. And along the way, he could continue teaching her the harsh realities of leadership.
Furina dusted off her coat, her curiosity piqued. “Sure, I can do that. Who is it? Do I know them?”
Samuel looked at her, his eyes glinting with dry amusement. “You know them, yet you don’t.”
Furina froze, her dramatic posture faltering as she stared at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes. “What in the world does that mean? How can I know someone but not know them?”
Samuel decided to throw her a bone, rephrasing the riddle. “You know of her, but you have never actually met her.”
Furina’s brain immediately went into high-intensity overdrive, calculating every noble, celebrity, and foreign dignitary she had ever heard of. Three seconds later, the mental gears jammed, and she threw her hands up in defeat. “Ugh! Who is it? Forget it, I refuse to waste my genius on riddles. I’ll know who it is when you finally bring her over.”
Time flowed quickly after that. By 7:30 PM, Escoffier had finished preparing a lavish Fontaine-style dinner, and the group happily devoured the meal. Once the plates were cleared, Samuel, Stelle, and March bid their farewells, returning to the Source Continent for the night.
Furina, however, was far from ready to rest. The Palais Mermonia was quiet, but she had business to attend to. She called for Clorinde.
A few minutes later, the Champion Duelist strode into the opulent living room, her boots clicking sharply against the marble floor. “Lady Furina, you were looking for me?”
Furina was busy stroking the head of Baron Graindorge, but she paused and looked toward the grand double doors. To her immense surprise, the towering, stoic figure of the Iudex had followed Clorinde inside.
“Lady Furina, you were looking for me?” Clorinde repeated, stopping a respectful distance away.
Furina nodded, her gaze shifting between the duelist and the Chief Justice. “Neuvillette? You’re here too? Perfect, that actually saves me the trouble of tracking you down.”
Neuvillette stepped forward, his expression as measured and unreadable as ever. “Lady Furina. Before we proceed, I have a question I would like to ask you.”
“Ask away,” Furina replied, crossing her arms and lifting her chin to project her usual confident bravado.
Neuvillette pondered his phrasing for a brief moment. “I heard a report just now that you invited several… unique friends over as guests?”
Furina nodded, entirely unapologetic. “Yes, they are friends I’ve made from another world over the past few days.”
She had already done the math. Relying solely on her own slow progress to gain strength was a fool’s errand. Running the Adventurers Guild was the key to true power. While she could tag along with Stelle and the others, they had their own chaotic lives and weren’t free every day. If she wanted to secure her position and protect Fontaine, she needed to build her own formidable roster. And that started tonight.