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ArabicHonkai Star Rail: I Became the World Tree — Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Myriad Realms General Store
March 7th sat heavily to Stelle’s right, wincing as she massaged her aching bow arm.
“Is this body just too weak?” she complained, rolling her shoulder to work out the stiffness. “I only fired a handful of arrows, and my arm is already screaming at me.”
Furina practically melted against Stelle’s opposite side, her usual dramatic flair replaced by sheer exhaustion. “Isn’t that the truth…” she murmured, her eyelids drooping.
Leaning against a nearby wooden fence, Himeko rubbed her temples and let out a soft sigh. “Fortunately, our initial skills don’t consume any MP. If they did, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have been a match for those goblins at all.”
Welt adjusted his glasses, nodding in agreement. “Indeed. Standard physical attacks without skill enhancements had absolutely no effect on their hides.”
Footsteps crunched against the dirt. Dan Heng, having quietly taken it upon himself to organize the battlefield drops, approached the resting group.
“These goblins only dropped copper coins,” he reported, his tone flat. “Eleven in total.”
He opened his gloved hand, revealing the small, dull coins resting in his palm. He glanced around the circle, silently waiting for a consensus on how to divide the meager spoils.
Stelle waved a hand dismissively, though her golden eyes lingered on the shiny metal. “I’m fine with whatever. You guys figure out the math.”
Furina didn’t care about the pocket change either. Her primary goal was simply to level up and amass enough power to protect her secrets. As long as she grew stronger, her identity as the Hydro Archon wouldn’t be questioned or exposed, ensuring her grand performance could proceed without a hitch. Perhaps, once she reached a high enough level, she could even solve the suffocating prophecy looming over Fontaine with her own two hands.
“I agree,” Furina chimed in, trying to muster a bit of her usual haughty elegance despite her fatigue. “Distribute it however you see fit. A true Archon does not bicker over pennies.”
Himeko smiled at the exchange. “How about this: Dan Heng, Welt, March, and I will take five coins to share among us. For the remaining six, Stelle, you and Furina can take three each.”
Nobody objected to the fair split. After pocketing their hard-earned copper and resting until the ache in their limbs subsided, the group began the trek back toward the safety of the World Tree.
Himeko, March, and Stelle had plans to decorate their newly acquired Treehouse. Furina, on the other hand, fully intended to collapse into a bed and sleep; today had easily been the most intense, adrenaline-fueled day she had experienced in her centuries of life.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the sprawling canopy of Irminsul, a handsome young man with short black hair and striking golden eyes stood in the center of the plaza.
Samuel stretched his arms high above his head, letting out a long, satisfied exhale. “Finally. A body that can actually move.” He rolled his neck, listening to the satisfying pop of his joints. “After living as a human for so long, suddenly waking up as a stationary tree was incredibly uncomfortable.”
The moment Stelle, Furina, and the Express crew had slain the tenth goblin, a pleasant chime had echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations to the host for completing Task 1!]
[Reward: 10 points of Divine Power, Incarnation x1!]
[Task 2: Cultivate an E-rank Adventurers Guild and collect 1000 points of Divine Power.]
[Progress 1: E-rank Adventurers Guild (0/1)]
[Progress 2: Collect 1000 points of Divine Power (0/1000)]
[Reward: 1000 points of Divine Power, Equipment Sub-system unlocked.]
A translucent virtual interface materialized in the air before him, displaying a dizzying array of locked architectural icons.
[Weapon Workshop, Equipment Workshop, Tavern, Restaurant, Pot Merchant, Myriad Realms General Store, Teleportation Gate, Furniture Store, Boutique…]
The catalog scrolled endlessly, listing tens of thousands of potential facilities. Samuel checked his current Divine Power balance—a measly ten points. Without hesitation, he tapped the filter icon, sorting the massive list by price from lowest to highest.
The results were humbling. It seemed he could only afford a single building at the moment.
[Facility: Myriad Realms General Store]
[Price: 10 Divine Power (Newbie Special)]
Samuel confirmed the purchase. The interface dissolved into motes of light, reforming into a miniature, highly detailed wooden model resting in the palm of his hand. According to the system, he merely needed to toss the model onto the ground to generate the structure.
Surveying the plaza, Samuel walked over to the intersection of Trunk Avenue, right along the path leading toward the Star Adventurer Group’s station. He tossed the model onto the grass.
The moment the wood touched the earth, a bright flash of light erupted. Planks of aged timber rapidly expanded and locked into place, generating a rustic, cozy storefront in a matter of seconds.
The architectural style and layout instantly hit Samuel with a wave of deep nostalgia. It looked exactly like the small, cluttered convenience store he used to visit as a child. Back in his old world, an elderly grandmother had run a shop just like this one. He and his classmates would flock there after school, pooling their pocket money to buy peculiar snacks and cheap plastic toys, sitting on the curb to trade cards and share sodas until the streetlights came on.
A soft smile graced his lips. Those simple afternoons had been some of the happiest times of his life.
Stepping through the open doorway, Samuel was greeted by the scent of sugar and old paper. Right at the entrance sat a long wooden table covered in dozens of small, woven baskets, each overflowing with colorful candies and snacks.
Flanking the table were tall wooden shelves packed with toys. Samuel recognized almost all of them: brightly colored yo-yos, glass marbles swirling with galaxies of color, wooden spinning tops, holographic picture cards, and boxes of Aeroplane Chess. Each item was a perfect replica of his childhood memories.
Further inside stood a row of humming glass-door refrigerators stocked with cold drinks. He even spotted the exact brand of sour citrus soda he used to obsess over.
At the very back of the store sat a circular display pedestal. According to the system, this platform held the most valuable treasures the shop had to offer, refreshing with a unique product from across the myriad realms every single week.
Samuel approached the pedestal. Resting on the velvet cushion was a small, transparent plastic terrarium containing a tiny green frog.
[Product: Travel Frog (Upgradable)]
[Price: 10 copper coins]
[Description: After being fed special ores, it will begin a journey. It will return after 10 minutes, bringing back random items with a value not exceeding 1 copper coin. Cooldown time: 24 hours.]
Samuel chuckled, tapping the plastic glass. Stelle, March, and Furina were going to lose their minds over this. It was exactly the kind of quirky distraction they would love.
He didn’t have to wait long. Just a few minutes later, the returning expedition team spotted the new addition to the plaza.
Stelle, leading the pack, halted in her tracks. She tilted her head, her golden eyes locking onto the rustic wooden storefront. Breaking into a light jog, she approached the entrance and poked her head inside, her gaze sweeping over the cluttered shelves.
“When did a shop get here?” she muttered, thoroughly confused. “This definitely wasn’t here an hour ago. Hmm? There’s even a guy working the counter.”
Hearing her voice, Samuel set down the plastic yo-yo he had been inspecting. He turned around, offering a warm, welcoming smile. “Welcome back, Stelle.”
Stelle blinked, her brain stalling for a second as she processed his voice. “Wait… are you… Samuel?”
“That’s right. It’s me.”
Behind Stelle, Furina gasped, her mismatched eyes widening in shock. “I literally just asked you this morning when you were going to get a human body! You already have one?!”
“I managed to recover a fraction of my power,” Samuel explained smoothly, gesturing for the rest of the group to enter. “Don’t just stand out there in the dirt. Come in and take a look. This is a General Store.”
He pointed to the stacks of woven baskets near the door. “Small toys are one copper coin each. Snacks are ten bags for a single copper coin. Just grab a basket, load up whatever catches your eye, and check out at the Magic Stone Tablet by the entrance.”
Stelle didn’t need to be told twice. She snatched a basket and marched into the aisles, her eyes practically sparkling as she took in the sheer volume of junk food and trinkets.
“Whoa… so many snacks. So much weird stuff!” Stelle spun around, holding up a package of neon-colored candy. “Is this heaven?!”
March 7th and Furina quickly followed suit, each grabbing a basket.
March gravitated immediately toward the toy shelves. With a delighted squeal, she plucked a thumb-sized, incredibly soft plush rabbit from a peg. “Oh my gosh! This little bunny is too cute! I’m totally tying this to my phone case as a charm!”
Furina, ignoring the junk food entirely, scanned the trinkets with a discerning, critical eye. She paused, reaching out to delicately pick up a small, squishy octopus figurine.
“Mhm, yes, this will do nicely,” the Hydro Archon declared, a genuine smile breaking through her exhaustion. “This little octopus is quite elegant. Look, it’s even wearing a tiny top hat!”
[Elysian’s Note: “Aeroplane Chess” is a classic Chinese cross-and-circle board game, similar to Ludo. “Travel Frog” is a reference to the hit 2017 mobile game Tabikaeru (Journey Frog), where players collect clover currency to buy food for a frog that goes on real-time adventures and brings back souvenirs.]