Honkai Star Rail: I Became the World Tree — Chapter 41

Chapter 41: The Herta Army Assembles!

Ten minutes later.

The spatial portal rippled, depositing Stelle and Herta back onto the soil of the Source Continent. The central square was already bustling with activity. Stelle, March 7th, Dan Heng, Welt, Samuel, Furina, and Neuvillette gathered around the perimeter, their attention immediately hijacked by the spectacle unfolding before them.

Fifty identical Herta puppets stood in immaculate, grid-perfect formation across the cobblestones.

Stelle stared, her jaw practically unhinged. “Holy cow… Herta actually found a way to power-level!”

Herta stood at the vanguard, her hands resting on her hips as she inspected her mechanical legion. She had carefully divided them into five distinct RPG classes, assigning ten puppets to each role. Her strategy was ruthlessly efficient: the puppet squads would whittle the monsters down to a sliver of health, leaving the final, fatal strike to the original Herta. Maximum experience points, zero personal risk.

One by one, the designated squad leaders stepped forward, their jointed limbs clicking sharply as they saluted.

“Reporting to Ms. Herta! The Warrior Squad is assembled!”

“Reporting to Ms. Herta! The Archer Squad is assembled!”

“Reporting to Ms. Herta! The Assassin Squad is assembled!”

“Reporting to Ms. Herta! The Mage Squad is assembled!”

“Reporting to Ms. Herta! The Cleric Squad is assembled!”

Their synchronized voices echoed across the square. “Please give us your instructions!”

Herta gave a curt, satisfied nod and waved her hand dismissively. “Move out.”

The fifty puppets pivoted in unison, their heels clacking against the stone as they marched in a grand, terrifyingly coordinated procession toward Trunk Avenue in the south. Everyone in the square stood in silence, watching the sea of identical dolls depart.

Furina leaned over, nudging Stelle’s ribs with her elbow. “Stelle, who exactly is this person?”

Stelle crossed her arms. “Her? She’s a massive deal back in our universe. An Emanator of Erudition.”

Beside them, Neuvillette’s brow furrowed. The air around him seemed to grow fractionally heavier at the title. “An Emanator? I recall Mr. Welt mentioning that every Emanator is an entity capable of obliterating an entire planet.”

Welt adjusted his glasses, his expression serious. “That is correct. Destroying a planet would be a trivial matter for Herta. The weapon reserves hidden within her personal arsenal are truly terrifying.”

Furina shrank back slightly, her dramatic bravado faltering. “Eek! Is she really that dangerous?”

“The Genius Society comprises the most brilliant, unfathomable minds in our entire universe,” Welt explained, his voice calm and measured. “Rather than a formal organization, it is more accurate to describe them as a registry of high-risk individuals. A single invention from any one of them is enough to permanently alter the cosmic landscape. However, there is no need for alarm. Herta, along with her close associates like Screwllum, Ruan Mei, and Stephen, are considered safe geniuses. They are solely obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge. They have no interest in destroying the world—that is the purview of the Destruction.”

Stelle suddenly gasped, slapping a hand to her forehead. “Oh no. Herta is going to get absolutely wrecked.”

March 7th blinked, utterly confused. “Wrecked? Why? She literally just marched out with an entire army of herself. She’s way safer than any of us.”

Stelle pointed a trembling finger toward the southern horizon. “She went south. Do you know what’s down there? The Windmill Market!”

March 7th’s eyes widened as the realization hit her. “The Windmill Market… wait, the Shadow Goblins? And the sun just went down!” She sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth.

Welt sighed, shaking his head. “Get some sleep, everyone. Herta will survive. At worst, her avatar will be destroyed and she will be restricted from entering the Source Continent for twenty-four hours. Stelle, tomorrow we continue our push west. Let’s focus on gathering a gold coin so we can pull another skill.”

The Astral Express crew dispersed, obediently heading toward the Star Adventurer Group Station. Only Furina, Clorinde, and Neuvillette remained in the quiet square.

Furina stretched her arms above her head, feigning exhaustion. “Alright, let’s retire for the night as well. Oh, Neuvillette, when you return to Fontaine, do check on the progress of that custom furniture batch I ordered.”

Neuvillette gave a slight, formal nod.

Clorinde, who had been silently observing the departure of the Express crew, finally spoke. “Lady Furina, I have a proposal.”

Furina turned, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Oh? A proposal from my champion? Let’s hear it.”

“I believe we should bring more of our own people here to hunt and level up,” Clorinde stated, her tone practical and grounded. “For instance, the members of the Gardes. If they can increase their levels in this realm, their combat proficiency will skyrocket. It would significantly reinforce Fontaine’s foundational military strength.”

Furina tapped her chin thoughtfully. “The Gardes…”

“I believe it is a highly feasible strategy,” Neuvillette agreed, his deep voice carrying a note of approval.

“Then it is settled!” Furina declared, clapping her hands together. “Neuvillette, upon your return, select a group of our finest elites. When the time is right, I shall personally issue them invitations to join our ranks.”

Neuvillette accepted the directive without hesitation. The trio then activated their return sequence, vanishing back to the Court of Fontaine.

The next morning arrived.

The morning sun filtered through the windows of the Star Adventurer Group Station. Inside the lobby, the atmosphere was decidedly hostile.

“Unacceptable! Utterly detestable! These Shadow Goblins are an absolute menace!” Herta fumed, sitting cross-legged on the plush sofa. Her usual haughty composure was entirely gone, replaced by the pure, unadulterated rage of a gamer who had just been team-wiped.

Last night, she had marched her glorious puppet army out to conquer the wilderness. The journey had been peaceful—until they stepped into a sprawling market littered with towering windmills. The moment they crossed the threshold, the shadows came alive. Her forces suffered catastrophic losses in mere minutes. It was only through her quick, calculating mind that she managed to salvage the situation, ordering her surviving puppets to focus all their fire on a single Shadow Goblin.

The kill had pushed her to level two, but the cost was astronomical. She now had exactly three Herta puppets left. The other forty-seven had been obliterated, slapped with a twenty-four-hour ban from the Source Continent.

Stelle and March 7th sat nearby, exchanging awkward glances. They wisely chose to keep their mouths shut.

Soon, the rest of the guild trickled into the dining area for breakfast. Samuel took a seat at the head of the long wooden table, pulling up the system interface to distribute the rewards from yesterday’s monster-hunting event.

“Herta,” Samuel called out, tossing a small pouch across the table. “You managed to kill a Shadow Goblin. That earns you an extra reward of three silver coins.”

Herta caught the pouch. The satisfying clink of the silver managed to cool her temper slightly. She didn’t care about ordinary wealth, but this wasn’t standard currency. Himeko had explicitly mentioned that the coins in Samuel’s domain held immense value. There was a rumor about a Myriad Realms General Store that refreshed its stock daily with impossible items from across the multiverse.

“Samuel,” Herta said, her tone returning to its usual arrogant clip. “This Myriad Realms General Store… is it located here?”

“Yeah, it’s right out in the central square,” Samuel replied casually.

Herta gave a curt nod, her mind already calculating the possibilities, and said nothing more.

Samuel proceeded to hand out the remaining event rewards. Nine silver coins were distributed in total. Furina, Neuvillette, and Clorinde received three coins. Welt and Dan Heng received one each. Bronya, Seele, and Natasha, who had spent their time farming low-level regular Goblins, shared a total of one coin among them.

Breakfast concluded, and the groups began preparing for another day of grinding.

As they stepped out the front doors, Stelle stretched lazily. “Should we stock up on water? Maybe grab some bread and cookies so we don’t have to hike all the way back here for lunch?”

“That’s actually a really smart idea,” March 7th agreed.

Samuel leaned against the doorframe. “By the way, the inventory at the General Store refreshed this morning. You guys should go take a look. Might be something worth buying.”

Stelle’s eyes immediately lit up with chaotic energy. “Oh? The Myriad Realms stock updated? I absolutely have to go peek at that.”

The group detoured to the General Store, weaving through the aisles until they reached the display pedestal at the very back. Resting on the circular platform was a sleek, metallic belt.

Stelle leaned in close, her nose almost touching the glass case as she read the floating system prompt.

[Item: Armor Hero Transformation Device]

[Description: Upon activation, the user can summon an armor fusion. You may select one of five elemental armors: Fire Dragon, Snow Mastiff, Wind Eagle, Black Rhino, or Earth Tiger.]

[Price: 10 Silver Coins]

[Note: Limited to one purchase per person.]