Honkai Star Rail: I Became the World Tree — Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Samuel and Clara

The hanging gardens on the second floor of the Palais Mermonia offered a sweeping, sunlit view of Fontaine, but right now, the gentle breeze rustling the foliage carried a distinct hint of mischief. Next to Furina’s highly personalized, exclusive parking spot, the wind coalesced. A bard with twin braids materialized, glancing around with exaggerated caution. Confirming the coast was clear, Venti scooped up the hovering skateboard resting in the spot.

“Hehe, I’ve been itching to try this thing out,” he murmured, his eyes gleaming. “Watching Furina zip around on it these past two days was pure torture. While she’s out, I’ll just take it for a little spin~”

With a playful wink to the empty air, the bard dissolved back into a wisp of Anemo energy, taking the stolen skateboard with him.

Meanwhile, after Furina, Neuvillette, and Clorinde had departed on their respective duties, Samuel found himself with a rare moment of quiet. He tapped his fingers against the counter, deciding a change of scenery was in order.

“Anviel, keep an eye on the shop,” he called out. “I’m heading out for a bit.”

Anviel nodded obediently. Samuel waved a hand, tearing open a spatial portal, and stepped casually through the shimmering threshold.

The transition deposited him straight into the subterranean chill of the Belobog Underworld. He glanced around, finding himself standing in the corner of a dimly lit cafeteria. The decor was thoroughly dilapidated, relying on a single, flickering incandescent bulb that cast long, gloomy shadows across the room. Through the smudged glass of the serving window, Samuel spotted a chef methodically chopping up a pile of plump mushrooms. He smiled faintly; those were undoubtedly the exact same mushrooms March 7th and the Astral Express crew had gathered in the snowy forest just yesterday. Not wanting to startle the working cook, Samuel slipped out the door unnoticed.

He wandered aimlessly, letting his boots carry him across the uneven cobblestones. He wanted to see how this living, breathing Underworld compared to the digital pixels of the game from his past life. The deeper he walked, the more the bustling crowds of Boulder Town thinned out, eventually leaving him alone in a narrow, rusted alleyway. The air grew colder, thick with an unnatural tension.

Stepping out onto a high metal bridge, Samuel looked down. “This place… it has to be Rivet Town.”

Directly beneath the bridge lay the central square, flanked by a commercial district. In his memories of the game, that street had been nothing more than a cramped, linear alley. Here in reality, it was a massive, sprawling market district—or at least, it used to be. Now, the entire area was heavily scarred by Fragmentum corrosion, the crystalline growths glowing with a sickly, pulsing light.

Since he was already here, Samuel decided to take a casual stroll through the ruins. The encroaching Fragmentum had bred several packs of twisted monsters, but they posed no threat. He casually wiped them out, his movements fluid and unbothered.

As he handled a narrow passage leading into the main square, a sharp, panicked cry shattered the silence.

“Perkins! Watch out!”

Samuel looked up. A barefoot little girl with striking white hair and bright red eyes was backed into a corner, surrounded by a pack of Fragmentum monsters. Among them floated a Flamespawn, its core burning with volatile heat. A sphere of superheated fire condensed in the monster’s palm, hurtling directly toward the small security robot hovering protectively in front of the girl.

Samuel didn’t even break his stride. He casually raised a hand. The stone ground ruptured instantly as a thick, emerald-green vine erupted from the earth. It whipped through the air, wrapping around the Flamespawn with crushing force. Samuel slowly closed his fingers into a fist. The vine constricted violently, strangling the fiery entity until it shattered into dissipating ash. With another dismissive wave, the remaining Fragmentum creatures were swept away by a surge of kinetic energy, annihilated in the blink of an eye.

Samuel closed the distance to the little girl. The small drone, Perkins, suddenly flared its optical sensors, emitting a harsh, mechanical siren.

[Warning! Warning! Threat detected! Threat detected! Protect Clara!]

The girl frantically waved her hands, stepping in front of the drone. “Perkins, no! Stop quickly!”

Receiving her override command, the robot’s red lights shifted back to a docile blue.

[Alarm cleared.]

Clara let out a heavy breath, her small shoulders slumping in relief, before she turned her wide, ruby eyes up to Samuel. “Samuel,” she said softly, adhering to her polite nature. “My name is Clara. Thank you for your help just now.”

Samuel offered a warm, reassuring smile. “You’re welcome. I’m Samuel. Clara, why are you out here all by yourself? It’s incredibly dangerous with so many Fragmentum monsters roaming around.”

A shadow of worry crossed her delicate features. “The Fragmentum has been expanding again recently. The supplies gathered by everyone in the settlement are getting scarcer by the day. Many people can’t even afford to eat anymore… Clara wanted to help everyone, so I brought Perkins out to search the ruins. I just didn’t expect to run into so many monsters. If you hadn’t helped, Clara might have…”

Samuel’s expression softened in realization. “I see. It’s been hard on you, Clara.”

She shook her head, offering a faint, brave smile. “It’s not hard. Clara just wants to help everyone. Samuel, to show my gratitude, please let Clara treat you to a meal. I just found a baguette. If we take it back and fry it, it’ll be fragrant and crispy. It’s really delicious!”

As if presenting a priceless treasure, she reached into the canvas bag strapped to Perkins’ chassis and pulled out a slightly stale, hardened baguette.

Samuel looked at the bread, then at her hopeful eyes, and nodded gently. “Alright. Let’s go. I’ll walk you back.”

Clara’s face lit up with pure joy. She immediately instructed Perkins to lead the way toward the Robot Settlement. Her mood had visibly brightened; not only had she secured a decent haul of supplies today, but she had also met a very kind stranger.

The journey back was entirely uneventful, mostly because any Fragmentum creature foolish enough to approach was instantly obliterated by Samuel. Every time Clara witnessed him dispatch the terrifying monsters with nothing but a casual flick of his wrist, she would let out a soft, awe-struck gasp.

Over an hour later, the towering metal gates of the Robot Settlement loomed into view.

Once inside the safety of the camp, Clara rummaged through Perkins’ storage bag, carefully extracting two baguettes for herself. She patted the drone’s metal casing. “Perkins, thank you for your hard work. Please go distribute the rest of the supplies to everyone.”

The little robot beeped in acknowledgment and hovered off to deliver the food. While the haul wasn’t massive, it was enough to ensure the vagrants wouldn’t go to bed starving. In the Underworld, a single loaf of dense black bread could be boiled down into a thick soup capable of feeding over a dozen people.

Clara held a baguette in each hand, looking up at Samuel. “Let’s go. Clara’s home is just a little further ahead.”

Samuel followed her deeper into the labyrinth of scrap and steel. After passing through two heavy blast doors, they arrived in front of a surprisingly intact two-story western-style house.

Standing guard before the entrance was a massive, imposing humanoid robot, standing well over two meters tall. The moment Clara spotted the mechanical giant, her face blossomed into a radiant smile, and she ran toward him like a child returning home.

“Mr. Svarog! Clara is back!”

Svarog knelt, his heavy hydraulic joints hissing, to gently catch the girl. “Clara. Welcome home. You brought a guest back?”

Clara nodded enthusiastically, pointing back at Samuel. “Mr. Svarog, Clara encountered danger in the ruins just now, and Samuel saved me. Clara wants to thank him and treat him to a meal.”

Hearing this, Svarog slowly stood up to his full, towering height. He stepped toward Samuel, the single glowing red optic on his faceplate whirring as it scanned the newcomer.

“Target’s strength cannot be estimated,” Svarog’s deep, synthesized voice rumbled. “High-risk individual.”

Samuel met the machine’s gaze with calm indifference. “Hello, Svarog. Relax, I have no ill will toward Clara.”

The robotic head tilted slightly, internal processors calculating at lightning speed. “Unknown powerful entity. Based on your combat metrics, you cannot be a resident of Belobog. Please state your intentions.”

Samuel didn’t bother hiding the truth. He leaned back slightly, his tone casual. “You’re right. I come from beyond this world. I have a few friends who came to this planet to seal something called a Stellaron. As for me? I’m just here for a stroll.”

Samuel watched Svarog closely. He fully expected the ancient machine to immediately trigger a hostile combat protocol the second the word ‘Stellaron’ was spoken.

Instead, Svarog suddenly spoke.