Honkai Star Rail: I Became the World Tree — Chapter 22

Chapter 22: March 7th: Did She Follow Us to the Underworld?

Neuvillette fought with methodical precision for an entire afternoon.

Samuel watched from the comfort of the plaza, extremely satisfied. This was exactly the kind of highly motivated, self-sufficient asset he had been looking for. Unlike Stelle, March 7th, and the rest of the Express crew—who would casually wander around for an hour or two, smack a few monsters, and then immediately run off to goof around—the Chief Justice of Fontaine treated the grind like a solemn, inescapable duty.

A quick tally of the system logs revealed that Neuvillette had systematically eradicated exactly thirty Goblins before the afternoon sun began to dip.

This relentless efficiency had successfully pushed him to `[Level: 3]`, bumping his Intelligence stat up to 5 points. Now, a single, condensed `[Water Magic Bullet]` could dish out a staggering 90 DMG, cleanly piercing through a Goblin’s thick hide with the force of a cannonball.

By the time the hydro-soaked Iudex returned to the plaza, the crisp scent of ozone and purified water trailed behind him.

Seeing him approach, Samuel, who was currently busy feeding tiny, steamed buns to Anviel, called out. “You’re back? Come sit down. Take a break and have some water.”

Neuvillette gave a slight, formal nod. He walked over, his heavy boots clicking against the stone, and took a seat beside Samuel.

Samuel tore open a fresh package of buns, handing a warm one to Anviel, before pouring a steaming cup of green tea for Neuvillette. Anviel took the food eagerly, nibbling at it in small, delighted bites, her little face glowing with pure joy.

Samuel leaned back, studying the Iudex. “How did it feel today?”

Neuvillette stared down at the rippling surface of his tea, pondering for a moment before his deep, resonant voice broke the silence. “The monsters here are fundamentally different. They are much stronger than those wandering Teyvat.” He took a slow breath. “Just those Goblins alone… if a horde of them were to appear in Teyvat, they would likely cause a significant amount of trouble for the Seven Nations.”

Samuel smiled, unsurprised. How could they not be strong? The Goblins roaming the Source Continent were towering, two-meter-tall behemoths packed with dense muscle. In terms of raw physical threat, they could easily rival the hulking Mitachurls back in Teyvat.

“That’s because the Goblins you encountered are backed by Chaos,” Samuel explained, his tone casual but informative. “Each of them carries a trace amount of divine power in their blood. In the vast multitude of worlds across the cosmos, Goblins are an incredibly common species. However, the vast majority of them are weak—about on par with the Hilichurls you’re used to.”

Neuvillette nodded slightly, absorbing the information. “I see… Mr. Samuel, I would like to ask, are there even more powerful monsters lurking nearby?”

Samuel smoothly inserted a straw into a glass bottle of milk, handing it over to Anviel, who was currently struggling to swallow a rather large bite of her bun. “Yes, plenty. Goblins are just the absolute lowest-level fodder here.”

A faint, almost imperceptible gleam of interest crossed Neuvillette’s stoic eyes. He nodded thoughtfully, sipping his tea.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence, chatting idly as the afternoon wore on. Once Anviel had eaten and drunk her fill, her boundless curiosity took over, and she immediately trotted off into the General Store to inspect the glowing items lining the shelves.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the frozen, wind-battered surface of Jarilo-VI.

The air in Belobog’s Underworld was perpetually thick with the scent of geomarrow and rusted metal, but inside the cafeteria adjacent to Natasha’s clinic, a rare, savory warmth filled the room.

Dan Heng sat at a weathered wooden table, his arms crossed as he looked at Stelle and March 7th. “So, you two went back to the Source Continent this afternoon?”

Stelle nodded, her face completely blank. “Yeah. Why?”

“Then did you go fight Goblins today?” Dan Heng pressed, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Stelle shook her head without missing a beat. “No. Why?”

Dan Heng let out a long, heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. “Did you forget what you promised Samuel? You need to raise our Adventurers Guild rank to `[Rank: E]` within three days. We are currently sixty-five Goblins short of the required `[EXP]` to rank up.” He tapped the table for emphasis. “Let’s head back in a bit to catch up on the progress.”

When Stelle and March 7th heard the exact number, they exchanged a guilty look. Oops. They really had completely forgotten about the grind.

Stelle gave a firm, serious nod, though her eyes kept drifting toward the kitchen. “Alright. After we finish eating, we’ll go kill the Goblins and just sleep over there. Natasha was actually just about to arrange accommodation for us here, but I turned it down. I was thinking of going back to the Treehouse anyway.”

Dan Heng nodded slightly, his expression softening. “Yeah, I was planning the same. By the way, regarding the Stellaron… have you two made any actual progress today?”

March 7th leaned on her hands, puffing her cheeks. “Progress? Does getting more people to help ask around count as progress?”

Dan Heng glanced over at Natasha, who was currently standing near the kitchen, gently organizing the local children into a neat line for food. “It counts. Let’s take it slow. I walked around the mining town today and didn’t gather any useful information either.”

Stelle nodded in agreement.

Just then, Furina strolled over, her posture radiating dramatic flair even in the dingy underground cafeteria. “Dan Heng, you’re here too. Perfect, I shall address you all at once!” She placed a hand on her hip, flipping her hair. “That is all for today’s grand performance. I am heading back to my domain now. See you tomorrow.”

Stelle grinned, giving a lazy wave. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

With a graceful twirl, Furina and her silent bodyguard, Clorinde, bid their farewells to the Express crew and vanished, returning to Fontaine.

Barely a moment after Furina’s departure, Seele walked over, the heavy blade of her scythe resting casually on her shoulder. “Stelle, March, time to eat.”

Stelle looked up at the fiery Underworlder. As a core member of Wildfire, Seele was fiercely strong, her combat skills honed by years of surviving the harsh, monster-infested tunnels. After finishing her afternoon patrol, she had returned to the clinic to report to Natasha, inadvertently crossing paths with the strange off-worlders.

Stelle immediately perked up at the mention of food. “Okay, we’ll be right there.”

Seele glanced around the table, scratching her head in confusion. “Eh? Stelle, have you seen Furina and Clorinde? I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find them.”

“No need to look,” Stelle replied, already standing up. “They went back.”

A wave of genuine disappointment washed over Seele’s face. “Ah? Seriously? Natasha even specifically told me to have them stay for dinner. Forget it, let’s just go eat first. The supplies you guys brought smell so good! Especially that white rice—just the smell alone is making me starve.”

As she spoke, Seele’s gaze drifted toward the street corner just outside the cafeteria doors. Standing there, looking entirely out of place in her pristine military uniform, was Bronya.

Seele hesitated for a split second, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes. Then, she raised her voice and called out. “Hey… you there! Why don’t you come inside and eat something too?”

Bronya blinked, turning around and pointing a gloved finger at herself in surprise. “Are you… calling me?”

Seele nodded, crossing her arms to hide her awkwardness. “Yes, you. Come and have a bite.”

March 7th, however, instantly bristled at the sight of the Silvermane Guard commander. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, stepping forward defensively. “You didn’t follow us all the way to the Underworld just to arrest us, did you? Let’s get this straight: if we’re going to fight, let’s take it somewhere else! Don’t hurt the bystanders!”

Bronya completely ignored March 7th’s aggressive posturing, her eyes fixed on Seele as she slowly walked toward the cafeteria entrance.

Seeing herself ignored, March 7th was about to lose her temper, but Dan Heng quickly reached out and stopped her. “March, calm down. She isn’t here to catch us. She was brought down here along with us by Sampo.”

March 7th froze, her annoyance immediately shifting targets. “Sampo? That guy again?! Why is he literally everywhere?!” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “He’s the one who got us into a fight with Gepard in the first place! And this time too—we were clearly about to win, but he suddenly appeared out of nowhere, threw some smoke bombs, and dragged us all the way down to the Underworld! When I catch him, I’m definitely giving him a piece of my mind!”

Stelle, entirely unfazed by the drama, loudly rubbed her stomach. “Okay, okay. We’ll talk about all these things later. Let’s go eat first. I’m dying.”

Realizing it was a lost cause to argue on an empty stomach, March 7th and Dan Heng dropped the subject, following Stelle’s eager footsteps into the cafeteria line.

Inside, the atmosphere was bustling and lively. Hook, Julian, and a large group of ragged but excited children were lining up with their metal trays.

Normally, Natasha didn’t have the resources to provide dinner; most parents picked up their children after finishing their exhausting shifts in the mines. Only a handful of orphans and homeless kids usually stayed behind to eat whatever scraps were left. But today was a special exception. Stelle, Furina, and the others had delivered a massive batch of fresh, high-quality supplies from the Source Continent.

Because these supplies were specifically designated for the children, Natasha had prepared a massive, hearty feast for everyone tonight.

Hook stood near the front of the line, clutching her battered lunchbox. She licked her lips, stretching her neck as far as it could go to peer through the serving window into the kitchen.

Julian, who was too short to see over Hook’s hat, tugged on her sleeve anxiously. “Boss, what’s for dinner tonight? Can you see?”

Hook’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. “There are fragrant, white little grains! And mushrooms! Yes, big, juicy mushrooms—that’s exactly what Big Sister Furina called them. Wow… it smells so good!”