Honkai Star Rail: I Became the World Tree — Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Old Elf Who Has Lived for Over 900 Years

“The Galactic Baseballer has arrived! Goblins, come and meet your end!”

The battle cry echoed through the dense canopy as four figures descended from the sky. Stelle, March 7th, Furina, and Seele crashed into the clearing like a localized natural disaster.

Stelle didn’t even wait for her Flying Skateboard to decelerate. She vaulted off the hovering deck mid-air, drawing her wooden sword with a chaotic grin, and plunged straight into the heart of the goblin mob.

“Oni Slash!”

A sharp arc of kinetic energy erupted from the wooden blade, cleaving through the front line of monsters. She followed up without missing a beat, bringing the weapon down with crushing force.

“Heavy Strike!”

The ground fractured beneath the impact, sending shattered earth and broken goblins flying. A few paces away, Seele flickered into existence right beside the exhausted elderly elf. Violet quantum energy trailed behind her as she moved with lethal precision, effortlessly cutting down any hideous creature foolish enough to step within striking distance of the old man.

High above the chaos, March 7th and Furina remained perched on their Flying Skateboards. They circled the battlefield like predatory birds, raining down a relentless barrage of ice and hydro attacks. Several enraged goblins roared at the sky, violently hurling their rusted spiked clubs toward the hovering girls.

The crude weapons sailed through the air, completely missing their marks as March and Furina casually drifted out of the way.

Bradley collapsed against the trunk of a massive oak, his chest heaving as he stared at the scene in absolute disbelief. Where in the world had these humans come from? Their sheer combat prowess was terrifying. Even with a staggering ratio of four against a hundred, the goblin horde was being systematically butchered. With the two girls in the sky sealing off the perimeter, the monsters couldn’t even flee if they wanted to.

Within minutes, the deafening roars faded into a dead silence. The entire goblin pack had been eradicated.

The moment the last enemy fell, Stelle’s entire demeanor shifted. She dropped to her hands and knees, her eyes gleaming with manic joy as she scurried across the bloodstained grass, frantically scooping up invisible objects and stuffing them into her pockets.

Since Bradley wasn’t bound to the system, he couldn’t see the glowing copper coins dropping from the corpses. To the old elf, this incredibly powerful warrior was currently crawling through the dirt, aggressively hoarding handfuls of absolutely nothing.

Furina and March 7th finally lowered their skateboards, touching down gently on the grass in front of him.

March placed a hand on her hip, leaning in to inspect the old man. “Oh, another elf. We just picked up Anviel not long ago, and now here’s another one. They’re just popping up everywhere.”

Bradley quickly composed himself. Leaning heavily on his wooden staff, he offered a deep, trembling bow to the girls. “Thank you all for your timely intervention. Otherwise, these frail old bones of mine would have surely perished in the mud today.”

Having finished her obsessive coin collection, Stelle dusted off her knees and wandered over. “Old man, why were you being chased by an entire army of those ugly things?”

Bradley let out a ragged sigh, his cloudy eyes filled with a heavy sorrow. “My time in this world is drawing to a close. I only wished to make the pilgrimage to pay my respects to the Lord Sacred Tree one last time before I pass, so that my soul may rest without regrets. I moved as carefully as I could through the shadows, but I was still sniffed out by the orcs. They sent this pack to hunt me down.”

Hearing the title, Seele tilted her head, her scythe resting casually over her shoulder. “Sacred Tree? You mean Irminsul?”

Bradley’s head snapped up, his eyes widening in deep shock. Could there actually be a living soul on this continent who didn’t know that the Sacred Tree and Irminsul were one and the same?

“Yes, young lady…” Bradley stammered, staring at Seele as if she had grown a second head. “Did you… truly not know?”

Seele quickly waved her free hand, realizing her slip-up. “Of course I know. I was just confirming we were talking about the same thing. If you’re looking for the Sacred Tree, we can take you right to him. We were just about to head back to the plaza anyway.”

A wave of overwhelming relief washed over Bradley’s wrinkled face. “Truly? This old man is immensely grateful to you all.”

Furina tapped the edge of her Flying Skateboard with her boot, looking quite pleased with herself. “Just keep up with us, old timer. We’ll escort you back safely.”

There was just one glaring issue. A Flying Skateboard could only carry a single passenger, and Bradley had absolutely no idea how to operate the magical floating planks.

Left with no other option, the elderly elf was forced to travel on foot. He hobbled along the forest path as fast as his aching joints would allow, while the four girls hovered slowly alongside him.

Because of his agonizingly slow pace, a journey that should have taken minutes stretched into well over an hour.

By the time the group finally emerged into the grand plaza of the Holy City, the sun was beginning to dip. Stelle accelerated her board, landing smoothly right in front of Samuel.

“Samuel! We picked up another stray elf for you,” Stelle announced proudly, gesturing over her shoulder. “Though this one is a bit past his expiration date.”

Samuel shifted his gaze past the chaotic trailblazer. Walking slowly toward the center of the plaza was a frail, white-haired elven man leaning on a staff.

‘Bradley?’Samuel thought, accessing the vast, ancient memories of Irminsul.’The former history teacher of the Elf Clan.’

According to the roots of his memory, this man had lived for nearly a millennium. Logically speaking, an ordinary elf of Bradley’s standing should have crumbled to dust from old age centuries ago. To see him still drawing breath was a genuine anomaly.

Anviel, who had been sitting quietly nearby, suddenly shot to her feet. Her emerald eyes widened. “Teacher Bradley!”

Hearing his old title, Bradley stopped in his tracks. He squinted toward the source of the voice, his hands trembling violently. “Anviel? Is it really you? By the heavens… Anviel! I never expected you to still be alive! This is wonderful… simply wonderful!”

Anviel bounded over, nodding happily. “Mm! Anviel has been living right here, close to Lord Sacred Tree. Not long ago, I met several big sisters who brought me to this safe place, and I even got to see Lord Sacred Tree in person!” She turned and pointed excitedly toward Samuel. “Oh right, Teacher Bradley, Lord Sacred Tree has already awakened. Look!”

Bradley slowly followed the little girl’s pointing finger.

His gaze landed on the calm, imposing figure seated before them. The ancient, thrumming aura of the forest itself radiated from the young man.

“Lord… Lord Sacred Tree!”

The moment Bradley truly perceived Samuel’s presence, his knees gave out. He collapsed onto the stone pavement, hot tears of absolute reverence spilling down his weathered cheeks.

“Is it truly you? Lord Sacred Tree!” Bradley choked out, pressing his forehead against the ground. “You have finally returned to us! For centuries, our clan has waited in the dark, praying for your light… and finally, you have come back to our side!”

Samuel looked down at the weeping elder, his expression softening just a fraction. “Bradley. Do you know the whereabouts of our other elven kin?”

Bradley lifted his head, wiping the tears from his eyes as he nodded fiercely. “This old man knows. Within the borders of this Elven Forest, there are still three hidden sanctuaries sheltering our people. Altogether, there are roughly a hundred souls remaining. Aside from them, I only know of one other splintered branch that fled toward the Cold Wind Mountains. Beyond that… I know nothing.”

Samuel absorbed the information, a calm authority settling over his posture. “Bradley, give me the exact coordinates of the three hiding places within the forest. I will dispatch these heroes from another world to bring our kin back to the safety of the Holy City.”

Hearing the grand title ‘heroes from another world’, Bradley turned his head, expecting to see stoic, legendary warriors standing at attention.

Instead, he saw Stelle, March 7th, Furina, and Seele tangled in a violent, four-way wrestling match over a single wooden rocking chair.

Noticing the old elf staring at them, Stelle immediately threw an elbow, shoving the other three off her lap. She hastily smoothed down her coat. “Quick, quick, stand up! Act normal, someone’s watching.”

Furina scrambled to her feet, brushing off her pristine blue coat before striking a highly dramatic, aristocratic pose, her chin tilted proudly toward the sky. “Ahem! That is correct. I am indeed a hero from another world—the great and illustrious Hydro Archon, Focalors!”

Bradley blinked slowly, deciding not to question the eccentricities of powerful beings. He turned back to Samuel and detailed the locations. One sanctuary was concealed deep within a hidden cave in the eastern sector of the forest. The other two were situated in the western region, built close together so they could provide mutual support in times of crisis.

Samuel committed the geography to memory. He looked toward the girls, who were now standing in a somewhat orderly line.

“Stelle, I am officially entrusting this rescue mission to your party,” Samuel declared, his voice carrying the weight of a system prompt. “Bring these elves back safely. For every participant who aids in this task, I will reward you with one gold coin.” He paused, his lips twitching slightly. “Except for Herta. She is capped at one gold coin maximum, regardless of what she does.”

Stelle’s golden eyes practically dilated.

“Gold coins!” she gasped, wiping a line of drool from her mouth. “Slurp… Just you wait! I’m calling in the heavy artillery right now!”

Furina’s eyes sparkled with equal desperation. Gold coins were an absolute luxury in this brutal LitRPG economy. Over the past few days, the entire group had exhausted themselves clearing out the Shadow Goblins from the Windmill Market. Aside from one elusive Goblin Warrior they still hadn’t tracked down, the Holy City’s goblin infestation had been globally exterminated, save for the few stragglers that wandered in daily.

Yet, after scouring the entire market and pooling all their loot together, they had only managed to scrape up a pathetic 50 silver coins.

Furina didn’t waste a single second. She snapped her fingers, tearing open a shimmering teleportation gate right in the middle of the plaza.

“Samuel, you just wait right there!” Furina shouted, her theatrical voice cracking with greed. “I’m getting backup right this instant!”

She dove headfirst into the portal. Seeing her competition mobilize, Stelle spun on her heel and sprinted at top speed toward the Belobog gateway to rally her own crew.

As the chaotic energy of the ‘heroes’ faded from the plaza, Samuel shook his head in dry amusement. He turned his attention back to the kneeling elder, his tone shifting back to quiet seriousness as he prepared to ask one final question.