Honkai Star Rail: I Became the World Tree — Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Restoring the Elf Clan

Childe, Dan Heng, Zhongli, and Welt stepped back into the bustling streets of Liyue Harbor. The salty sea breeze mingled with the rich, spicy aromas drifting from the vendor stalls as the four of them made their way toward Wanmin Restaurant.

Childe walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Dan Heng, chattering away with relentless enthusiasm the entire journey.

“Dan Heng, my friend, we really need to spar more often when you have the time. I truly admire your martial arts skills. That spear work of yours is something else.”

Dan Heng gave a minimal nod. After spending the better part of the day together, he had formed a very clear picture of exactly what kind of person the Fatui Harbinger was. To call him a complex villain would be giving Childe entirely too much credit. The man felt more like a simple, battle-hungry brawler without a single hidden scheme in his heart. You could feel entirely safe befriending someone like him, knowing he would never bother to stab you in the back when he could just challenge you to a fight from the front.

“We will see when I am free,” Dan Heng replied flatly.

Childe grinned and nodded, taking the non-committal answer as a victory.

As they walked, the group arrived at the grand entrance of Mingxing Jewelry. The gleaming displays caught Zhongli’s eye, and since they were already passing by, the former Geo Archon stepped inside to browse. He quickly settled on an exquisite antique vase, a purchase that Childe generously paid for without batting an eye.

Caught up in the shopping momentum and under Childe’s enthusiastic persuasion, Welt and Dan Heng were coaxed into selecting antiques of their own. Welt carefully examined the wares before choosing a beautiful, sweeping landscape painting that suited his scholarly tastes, while Dan Heng selected an ancient, unadorned sword.

With their newly acquired treasures in hand, the group finally arrived at Wanmin Restaurant. The sounds of clattering woks and sizzling oil spilled out into the street.

One of Childe’s subordinates, who had been waiting anxiously near the entrance, spotted them and hurried over to welcome his boss. He quickly led the four men to a table that had been secured in advance. Wanmin Restaurant famously did not allow reservations. More accurately, ordinary people simply could not get one due to the sheer volume of daily customers. Since the Fatui subordinate could not pull any strings to reserve a spot, he had been forced to arrive hours early just to physically occupy the seats until they arrived.

As Zhongli took his seat, he nearly bumped into Xiangling, who was rushing past with a tray full of steaming dishes.

She paused, her eyes lighting up with a pleasant surprise. “Oh! Mr. Zhongli!”

Zhongli offered a polite smile in return. “Xiangling. This gentleman beside me is Childe. He is treating us to a meal today, so we will be troubling you for the afternoon.”

Xiangling looked at the ginger-haired young man and beamed. “It is no trouble at all! What would you like to eat? I will cook it up for you right away.”

Childe leaned back in his chair, waving a hand casually. “Chef Xiangling, just prepare whatever you see fit. Who in all of Liyue Harbor does not know of your incredible culinary skills?”

Xiangling laughed happily at the praise, her energetic spirit shining through. “Then let me arrange a proper feast for you! Yesterday, Hu Tao sent me a fresh batch of vegetables, and the quality was absolutely excellent. In a bit, I will make a rich vegetable clay pot for you, and then stir-fry a few of my signature specialty dishes. How does that sound?”

Zhongli nodded in approval. “Vegetables sent by my Director? Then the quality must indeed be quite good. I will leave it entirely in your capable hands, Xiangling.”

Xiangling shook her head dismissively. “It is nothing. Oh, by the way, Mr. Zhongli, I am going to look for Hu Tao later. Please let her know to expect me. I am afraid I will not be able to find her if I just run over to the parlor unannounced.”

Zhongli agreed to the request, and Xiangling hurried back to the kitchen. Childe, Zhongli, Welt, and Dan Heng settled in to wait for their food, enjoying the lively atmosphere of the restaurant.

Meanwhile, across the dimensional divide on the Source Continent.

Lumine and Paimon followed Stelle, March 7th, and Hu Tao into the massive hall of the Star Adventurer Group Station. Through the towering floor-to-ceiling windows, Paimon caught sight of the vibrant, endless forest outside.

“Wow! So big! What a huge tree!” Paimon cheered, floating right up to the glass.

Stelle crossed her arms, looking entirely too proud of herself. “Big, right? And the trees here are all this large. You have not even seen Samuel’s true form yet. His true form is the one that is truly massive, reaching straight up into the sky.”

Paimon gasped, her eyes going wide with amazement. “Gosh! That must be way too big!”

March 7th nodded cheerfully. “Right? Samuel is Irminsul, after all. He is the master of this entire world.”

Stelle glanced around the empty hall, her golden eyes scanning the seating areas. “Eh? Are Samuel and the others not here?”

March 7th put a hand on her hip. “At this time of day, Samuel and the rest must have finished eating and gone out for their afternoon activities. Let’s go. We will take Lumine and Paimon to find Samuel first and have him set up their classes and character panels.”

The group walked out of the massive Treehouse and stepped onto Trunk Avenue.

Once outside, Paimon acted like a curious toddler, darting here and there, occasionally letting out loud cries of surprise at the glowing flora and strange wildlife. Lumine maintained a bit more composure, but she was only slightly better. It was her first time seeing such a dreamlike, ethereal forest, and her golden eyes took in every detail of the emerald canopy above.

Along the way, they encountered several elves going about their daily routines. Whenever these elegant beings saw Stelle and March 7th, they would stop and offer friendly, respectful greetings, addressing the two girls as Heroic Lords.

The group soon arrived at the Holy City Square, where they finally found Samuel standing quietly under the shade of the World Tree.

At that exact moment, Samuel was deep in a private conversation with the system. He was inquiring if there was any viable method to break the ancient curse placed upon the Elf Clan.

[Notification: The host can use Divine Power to reduce or lift the curse on the Elf Clan.]

[The price ranges from 1,000 to 100,000 Divine Power.]

Hearing the system’s mechanical response, Samuel already had a tactical plan forming in his mind. The price was undeniably steep, but if the Elf Clan’s strength could be even partially restored, it would be a massive advantage for his growing faction.

Take Anviel, for example. The elven girl possessed a whole arsenal of heaven-defying support skills. If Anviel’s true strength could be unsealed, his side would instantly gain a god-level healer on the battlefield.

He knew he would have to face the hostile Orc Tribe to the east sooner or later. While he possessed the raw power to personally step in and annihilate the entire tribe, doing so carried a massive risk. A display of that magnitude would almost certainly attract the unwanted attention of the Chaos forces. The entities of Chaos, and the various races that had defected to their side, were all too familiar with the unique power signature of Irminsul. Therefore, he needed to avoid taking direct action himself as much as possible.

Samuel decided to spend 5,000 Divine Power right now to partially restore the strength of five key figures: Nash, Sivir, Bradley, Gobert, and Anviel. As for the rest of the elves, they would simply have to wait until he recovered more of his own original strength or accumulated a larger reserve of Divine Power.

He would start by forging a small squad of elite combatants. In a brutal environment like the Source Continent, a single high-tier fighter could easily change the entire tide of a battle.

While Samuel was finalizing the transaction with the system, a loud voice suddenly shattered his concentration.

“Samuel!”

Samuel snapped back to reality, turning toward the source of the noise. He saw Stelle marching toward him, flanked by March 7th, Hu Tao, and the two newcomers, Lumine and Paimon.

Stelle pointed a thumb proudly at the blonde traveler and the floating fairy. “Samuel, I have recruited two brand new subordinates for our group. Could you please set up their classes and skills?”

Samuel smiled, his gaze landing on Lumine. Internally, he was highly amused. Lumine actually joined the Star Adventure Group? Was she not a core resident of Teyvat? Good grief, Stelle really was out here ruthlessly poaching people from other factions. Logically speaking, Lumine should have been a guaranteed recruit for Furina’s Justice Adventure Team.

“Welcome to the Source Continent, Lumine, Paimon,” Samuel said, his tone warm and welcoming.

Paimon blinked, scratching her head in confusion. “Hello, Samuel. But wait, how do you know our names?”

Before Samuel could even open his mouth to answer, March 7th chimed in from the side. “Oh my, Samuel is Irminsul, after all. This whole world belongs to him. Isn’t it completely normal for him to know your names?”

Samuel nodded smoothly, playing along with the grand reputation. “Yes, that is indeed the case. I will set up your classes first. You two take a look at the options and see what combat roles you want to pursue.”

With a casual wave of his hand, a glowing Class Stele materialized from the earth, hovering gently before Paimon and Lumine.

Paimon floated closer, inspecting the various glowing text options before giving Lumine a nudge. “Lumine, I think you are definitely more suited to be a Warrior. Your swordsmanship is already excellent. What do you think?”

Lumine reviewed the panel and nodded in agreement. “You have a point. I will choose the Warrior class then.”

Hearing her decision, Samuel tapped the air, bestowing the Warrior class upon Lumine. A stream of unfamiliar, complex combat information instantly flooded into Lumine’s mind. After taking a moment to absorb the new knowledge, Lumine opened her personal character panel and began to study her updated stats and skill trees.

Paimon leaned over Lumine’s shoulder to look at the glowing screen, completely content to just watch, having absolutely no intention of choosing a class for herself.

Samuel looked at the floating fairy, raising an eyebrow. “Paimon, what class do you want?”

Paimon jumped in mid-air, her eyes wide with shock. “Eh! I can have a class too?”

Samuel held back a laugh. ‘Good grief, it seems Paimon has gotten so used to being a mascot companion that she subconsciously assumed she wasn’t even allowed to choose a class.’